Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-12-06
81 beg of you don't be rash, Miss

moment
clear that" she said harshly, "thcy're
gcttin' ready to go. It's time / was
movin'. You mark my words, Mr.. Bar
low, the Professors claim is safc-Nancc
Williams say So"
She rushed ont of the store and away
into the night. a few minutes after :,
horse came past at lightning -;,ccd with
Mad-Cap Nance crouciiing low in the
saddle and speeding away on her hare
| Drained mission.
Shouts and wells came from Span.icr's,
and not lon. after Nance had zone II
drunken rabbc rode by the store
i'll the direction She had taken. /
ic!t certain somcthn" of Il serious nature
WAS threatened, 50. as soon us could
leave the store, satldlcd my horse and
followed
The moon hal come out Of tie purple
Sky overhead. In her light the Iand-
scapc was brought ont with startling dis
tinctncss, for Dakota moons are noted
Tor their intense brillancy Tom .Icn-
kins's gang had half-hour the start Of
me and put my horse TO the run in or
der that might DC on hand with as lit
tie delay us possible. As my horse clat
tered over the bridge that spanncd the
Pipestcm, | heard succession of faint
rife shots from the direction of the Pro-
fcssor's claim
"Ny Cod cried, "thc Girl will I've
killed ~ and lashed my horse to greater
speed.
1t had never occurred TO me that
would he helpless in an encounter with
the drunken rabblc. | had thought of
nothing but getting upon the ground in
the quickest possible time, for it was
more than probable that Nance Williams
would he alone at the mercy of the
crowd. As drew nearer and nearer my
destination | heard cries from time to
time, and my nerves were all a-trcmblc
with excitement and apprehension.
When | came close to the Professors
claim slanty, however, | realized that
Nance Williams was in no immediate
danger for the men, some ten or twelve
in number, stood counscling together.
From their talk CLEANED that they had
met with Il disappontmcnt-thc had
thought that the Professor was in Jim
town, while they had found him IN the
shack, on hand to protect his property.
whats the matter, boy!n inquired,
springin" from my horse
Its Barlow" said Tom Jenkins To
his associates in low and not very de-
lighted voice. Then, advancing toward
me, he asked: 'Wlat do you want, Ike
Barlow"
"To see fair play" said promptly;
''what are You fellows here for"
= Tain't nothin' to you. You 90
back 10 town an leave us alone"
While was harranguinY Tom Jcnk-
kins, Rice Fielding, his partner, tried 10
steal up To the door of the house. lie
had gone barely half way, however, when
Il rifle was thrust through Il rartly-opcn
window and fired in his direction. The
bullet whistlcd uucomlortably ncar him.
and Rice rcirentcd with more haste than
NO use, Rice" said Tom Jenkins;
''thc Teller means business. There's only
one way to get ut him, an that's To burn
him ont"
"Look here" cried cxcitcdly; shave
You men any idea Of the crime Won arc
perpetra;ing! This outrage"
There were several dcrisivc yclls from
the crowd and could see they were too
much bent upon mischief TO be influenced
10y me.
Say, Barlow. you know as well as |
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 fc!crs are @cin' to HELM
me get it back, so you just kccpmum an
get ont O the way"
All, that was the idea! II was a fact
the quarter had originally been filed on
by Rice Fielding, but he never went near
ii and made no prctension of living UP 10
the law, consequently it became iumpablc
and Charley 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 Professor
had bought il fancicd wrong ranked in
Ficldin"'s breast. In this view al tie
case | thought best not 10 tell the men
they were battling against woman. The
chances were they would consider her
more easily imposed upon than the Pro-
fcssor and, pushing to greater ex-
trcmitics, the affair might be made in
finitcly worse. | decided to draw one
side and watch the affair pass:vcly, and
then, when ii rcachc, climax, would
do my utmost Ia protect Nance Williams.
Going to the rear OF the house where
there Were no windows or doors through
which "a rifle could bc fired, preparations,
We're made to burn the building. 4
billet OF wood was saturated with the oil
of Il lantern one of the men had brought.
and, lighting this torch and takin" an
armiul OF straw, Rice Fielding approached
TO burn the Professors shack. Before he
could put his plan into operation, how
ever It figure appeared on the roof of the
house. Standing aloft, stern and I'M.
dauntcd, upon the flat roof, Nance Will
Jams covered Rice Fielding with her
rifle.
Not another step" she erred warn.
ingly, mot another inch or your a dead
man"
Good God!" yelled Fielding, "it's
Nancy!'
There she stood, erect rs statuc-a