Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-07-20


darkens suddenly into night. The air
was full Of the aromatic fragrance
Of resin. and the silence was SO in.
tense that the cracking sound Of the
dry wood, upon which tho fierce sun
had shone down all day, was eharp and
clear, while every now and then the
chirp of the grasshopper could be dis
tinctly heard.
A man leaning against one of the red
pine boles noticed neither silence nor
fragrance; the chirping of the grasshop-.
pers did not disturb him, and the fact
that the sun was sinking fast behind him
away over the sierras did not trouble
him in the least. He was far too salts
fled with his own position to think of
anything but himself, and the comfort
ing fumes of his pipo soothed his senses
infinitely better than balsamic odors.
Presently he pulled out his watch and
looked at it; then he uttered an impreca-
ton, and his face assumed the expires
sion that had gained for him from his
friends the suggestive title of "Go-for-
Him Tom" He was not accustomed to
being played false. He took out from
his breast pocket a greasy, shabby note
book, and. turning over some dirty
papers. found a short note, which he
slowly read through; after doing so he
tore it up savagely into hundred pieces
and flung them from him. An evening
breeze sweeping at that moment through
the forest caught the pieces and whirled
them away into bush and Granny. What
prompted him to commit such foolish
act it was difficult to say; perhaps, in
spite of his savage wrath against the per-
son who was keeping him waiting, he
felt too sure of his own position to acS
with the prudence that generally guided
him. BY destroying that paper he de
stroyed the one clew to the mystery of
which that lonely tryst among the pines
was the beginning. After venting his
anger upon the note he drew out of an
inner pocket woman's dainty handker-
chief He looked at it for q moment, a
fierce light stealing into his eyes; then he
raised it to his lips and, with a low
laugh, kissed it. AS the laugh, insolent
in its triumph, cruel in its pitilessncss,
broke upon the evening air, tongue Of
red flame flashed out from thorn bush
some yards behind him, followed by a
loud report. With wild cry of pain,
"Go-for-IIim Tom" turned sharply round,
the handkerchief still in his hand, and
made plunge towards the bush. Be-
fore he could reach it he staggered, and,
with revolving cxecration upon his lips
and u convulsive sob of agony, he fell
face downwards upon the earth.
The last rays of the sun vanished from
the sierras and night fell suddenly upon
the forest. The darkness hid the motion
less figure which was not to rise up to
greet another dawn, and closed over the
horrible red stream which gradually
soaked into tho earth.
In the east was a pale glimmer of
light; but it was too feeble to penetrate
into tho depths of the forest, where dark
ness still fingered, though already the
weird melancholy notes and sounds
which haunt forests at night were grow
ing silent, MS the animals and insects
who did not care TO face the light with
drew to their hiding places, leaving be-
hind them that hush which precedes the
joyous waking of all things that love the
day.
The dead man was still lying where he
fell; but there was human life near.
Some few hundred yards away young
man had encamped for the night. He
was sitting up in his blankets, cogitating
over his position, which was eminently
unsatisfactory; his handsome eyes were
growing more haggard, his tired face
paler and more downcast, when sud-
denly he saw straight before him pale
figure, sharply defined against the black.
ness of its surroundings. His keen eyes,
accustomed to the darkness, could, after
having once caught sight of this figure,
even distinguish its outline. 1t stood, q
light and shadowy looking object, at the
end of the opening which he knew had
faced him when he went to sleep. The
more he stared at it, the moro puzzled
and interested he became. 1t was not
an Indian-they never appeared light
against a dark background; it could
hardly be one of the miners who formed
the population of Deadman's Flat-they
certainly did not walk abroad in ethereal
garments. He did not imagine it TO be
ghost, because he did not believe in
such things; but for moment his blood
ran cold in his veins as the white
shadowy figure suddenly glided forward
through the darkness, and came straight
towards him. His hand had already in.
stinctively grasped his rife, which was
lying close by him, and he now raised it
into position, in case it should be needed;
but within twenty feet of him the glid
ing white form stopped.
HRy GeOrre-a woman"
The exclamation broke from his lips
almost involuntarily, as the unmistakabla
sound of a woman's sobs fell upon his ear.
Ifthere had been any doubt in his mind il
would have vanished at the sound of the
shrek that echoed among the pines,
when, springing to his feet, he plunged
through the darkness to her side.
She turned to fly, but her foot slipped
and she swayed for a second. His strong
arms caught her before she could reach
the ground, and the next moment she
was helpless prisoner in his arms.
"Oh, please let me'-she cried in ,
terrified tone; and then the sweet sound
Of woman's voice ceased abruptly, and
Mr.. John Smith found himself holding
limp, senseless burden. He had fright
ened her into swoon.
Anathematizing his brutality, he car
rled her over to his blankets. and laying
her down upon them struck light. 1t
went out Immediately, and before he
could strike another the woman revived.
She sat up and broke into such hysterical
weeping and-cries of terror at finding
herself in the darkness with an unknown
man by her side, grumbling over his re.
fractory matches, that Mr., John Smith
was nearly beside himself too.
sCpa,- I say my GOOD Vvnr,s nm, -