The Republican., 1889-02-09

mena 81 do believe there's going to bsbn.,
ness"
The young lady turned deadly pale n. !.
other women uttered dismal groans. 49,
the man in the glasses looked disturbas ! :. =
for little Enrique he did not quite ma.
stand it all, but felt strangely excited
"Hcllow said the driver. "Why A.,
fellers are comm down, and mean to ,he.-
thems Ives. Bold, amt they9"
Zone, two, three, four" answered ~.
young man, rather irrelevantly. "Four of
them"
"Yes, they've got down into the road ana
are waiting. Drive on"
Hero Mrs. Dillyhock thrust her heaa o,,,
of the window. She drew it in abrupdv
"Great Joshual There's four men armad
to the teeth, a-standin' down there n tbe
road. What will become of usi O daar
why did ever leave my home, aud Moor
Mr.. Dillyhockl Odear! o dearw
"Be quiet madamr' This in ,tarr
voice from the young man on the hcx
There may be no danger at all, and ii,bare
is we must have absolute quiet. Youmpat
be ready to act as we direct"
''Who is that feller" family injured
Mrs. Dillyhock. A
~ think he is Wells-Fargo's expreSmes.
seIger," said the gentlemen with specacIes
Il noticed that he looked carefully uter
box he took up with him."
The poor woman groaned, but mse no
other reioinder.
Now the stage jolted on again slowt, and
presently came to q halt once more. rtey
were now just beneath huge. toAribg
cliff, while on the other side was es,hrful
ravine. A little to one side of the ctf the
mountain receded less abruptly, aud
grew a few stunted trees and y6usdeSlN'
kind of sheep-path here appeared, md Il
seemed to be by this that the newcomers
had descended.
Enrique thrust out his head one more.
Far away to the south and castle could
see where the road repeated belf in q
white, indistinct line. Just belw this it
appeared more plainly again. Head heard
his father say that near Pescairo there
was place where the roads wend about
in such manner that three dtinct sec
tions Of it could be seen at onceone above
the other. He knew that this Ilst be the
place. They were then upon u upper Of
these shelves or terraces He ", enabled
to see the two sections, because the road
there curved.
All this took but glance, ande noted it
scarcely realizing that he did s Then he
leaned out still further, and loold eagerly
for the four men.
There they came, guns in theirands, and
dressed in rough, coarse clothes. But what
interested him most was the facthat they
were not masked, as road agentwere said
to be, and that they carried the weapons
in peaceful manner.
"Only party of hunters" b thought,
with glad jump of the heart Then his
cye happened to rest on the uppmost dis
tant curve in the road Somthing was
flashing in the afternoon sun anGreatures,
ike horses, were seen to be in DtiOn.
"A party of men with guns, ''le said to
himself, land they are riding readfully
fast What can they be after.
He sank back in his scat too nch excited
TO speak, or scarcely to think ,lst then
"Well, Buckskin Tom, how's thdold bodyl
| used to know you, but guess puve for
cotton me. My names Chandler, tom Deer
Licks"
'Don't'know you, Mr.. Chandlr," they
heard the driver say.
mo; thought you didn't. Wellme and
the kit of us here have been huIin,' and
we're pretty tired. Reckon you ca give US
"a lift to Pescaderny."
They heard low murmur fromte box at
this, and it was apparent that the diver and
the express messenger were talkinA lAS9
or twice they also thought they ho1eFtne
tones of the stout passenger.
Cant accommodate you," spollcp the
driver at last "It's only mile to keunett's
ranch. Keep the road we're goingamile,
and take the first turn TO the left Only
half mile from there, and Kennel will
keep you until you are rested"
Once more Enrique ventured to peep from
the window He Witnessed sight that
gave him thrill Of astonishment and ter.
ror. One of the four men was standing
near the window, and Enrique saw that one
of his long whiskers was hanging loose
from his face. 1t was evident that the man
wore false beard.
A glance at the other three strangers
showed that they wore an unusual amount
of hair about their faces. 1t was evident
that they, too, wcrc disguised. ID
Scarcely had Enrique made this startling
discovery when their fellow -passengerwith
the spectacles drew off his gloves, and made
as though to leave the coach. The boy,
glanciDg at him in surprise, saw that he was
fumbling with some object in an inner
pocket, and the next moment he produced o
small revolver. His mouth had fierce. set
look now, aud his eyes seemed to shine
through his spectacles in way that terrified
the lad. While Enrique yet stared him he
deliberately cooked the revolver, deity
opened the coach door, and swung himself
out upon the step.
The aeXt moment he pointed hisrevOluer up at
the messenger. Before a word could be said,
a motion made, pistol shot rang out from
the box. and the man with the detached
beard dropped instantly from sight.
''rie on your whiskerS better, next time,
Tiger Rod!" thundered the voice of the ex-
press messenger. Pm on to your game
Give 'em the lash, driverw
AS ho spoke the crack of the heavy stage
whip sounded, and the coach made great
bound forward.
Meantime, how had it Jared with the man
with the spectacles2' e.
We have seen that he had raisedhis pistol,
and seemed in the very act of firing it. 1t
was at this precise moment that tAssR<f
senger himself had fired, and in Doing %
had changed his positio1, On firing he had
leaned far over toward the driver, so asto
avoid q return shot, and by so doing had
taken himself out OF the would be assassns
range. And now the stage was flying for.
ward at terrible pace, and the man had
much ado to keep his footing. He managed
it after a few seconds, and then flattened
himself as much as possible against the
coach. This was to avoid the return shots