Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1889-12-19

and my nerves were all a-trembll
With excitement and apprehension
Whsn | came close 10 the professor
claim shanty. however. I realized thal
Nance Williams was in no immedist.
danger. for the men some ten o,
twelve in number stood counseline
together. From their loud talk
cleaned that they had met with q dis.
srpointmsnt-they had thought that
the professor was in Jimtown while
they had found him in the shack, on
band 70 protect his property.
What's the matter. boys?' 10.
quired. springing from my horse.
IT, Barlow. said Tom Jenkins is
his associates in low and not very
delighted voice. Then, advancing to.
ward me. he asked: What do you
want. Ike Barlow q
To see fair play said I promptly
what are you fellows here for 2
'Tain't nothin' to you. You 20
back to town and leave us alone
While / was haranguing Tom Jen.
kins. Rice Fielding, his partner, tried
to steal up to the door of the house.
He had gone barely half way, how.
ever, when rifle was thrust through
a partly open window and fred in his
direction. The bullet whistled un.
comfortably near him, and Rice re-
treated with more haste than grace.
fulness.
No use, Rice said Tom Jenkins
the fellow means business. There's
only one way to get at him, an that's
to bum him out
Look here, cried excitedly; have
yum men any idea of the crime you
are perpetrating9 This outrage
There were several derisive yells
from the crowd, and could see they
were too much bent upon mischief 10
be influenced by me.
Say, Barlow. you know as well az
| do that Charley Atwood hadn't no
right to jump that claim in the first
place. That there place belongs To
me an Tom. an the rest of the fellers
are goin' to help me get it back, 60
You just keep mum and get out O. the
way
2 All, that was the ideal Il twe.-A-
fact the quarter had originally been
filed on by Rice Fielding. but be new.
er went near il and made no pretep.
sion of living up to the law, conse-
quently it became jumpable and Char.
ley Atwood had taken advantage Of
this fact. All the while Atwood held
the place, Fielding had made no move
to get it back. but now that the pro.
fessor had bought it a fancied wrong
rankled in Fielding's breast
In this view of the case thought
best not TO tell the men they were
battling against a woman. The chances
were they would consider her more
easily imposed upon than the profes.
sor, and pushing to greater extremi.
ties. the affair might be made infinite.
ly worse. ] decided to draw one side
aud watch the affair passively, and
then when it reached q climax, /
would do my utmost to protect Nance
Williams.
Going to the rear of the house
where there we're no windows or doors
through which rifle could be fred,
preparations were made to burn the
building. A billet. of wood was eat.
urated with the oil of lantern one
of the men had brought. and lighting
this torch and taking an armful of
straw. Rice Fielding approached to
burn the professors shack. Before
he could rut his plan in operation. a
figure appeared on the roof of the
house. Standing aloft. stern and nm
tViYf,s8s ,csosvsrsd Y,ce fssfdfx f;ssfdf,x : !. N-3;Tr
her rife.
Not another STEP she cried warn.
ingly, mot another inch or you're 9
dead mani
Good God yelled Fielding. it's
Nance
There she stood, erect as a statue
target for dozen guns.
Nance Williams cried, for Gods
sake come down.
IF they take the professors claim,
they walk over my dead body ter get
it. What are you going to do Rice
FieldingT
Don't shoot boys. Nance. put up
your gun--I'll quit. In heavens
name don't stard there
I'll stand here till every last one
you gifts acrost the Pipestem. Now,
you fsllers move or I'll shoot any.
how
Well. they moved and nsver