The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1889-04-11
LONE HOLLOW;
Or, The Peril Of the PsnrOyS.
A Thrilling and Romantic Story,
OF Love and Adventure. -
BIZ JAMES NJ. MERRILL, AUTHOR OF bogus
BILL" "F1sHER JOE" AND
OTHER STORIES.
[Cepvighi, 1850, BY TIE A. " Kellogg Necs.
paper C0nlpdny1
CHAPTER xvM-CoErrNuEn.

IL was CEucA IL uiL11 " Ttulliiu away
when he must have known that yQp were
suffering. It's always so, however, in love
affairs OF course Austin did not get the
letter undertook to convey shat awful
night on whief l came near biddipg.a final
adieu to this mundane world Had he
received that letter all would have been
well between you. can. tell you for GER
tainty, however, that A0s--baEe suffered
even less than Austin who, not rsaceIving
reply to his forgiving note, deemed you
unyielding, and that a reconciliation was
now out Of the question"
"How could he think so when-n
"Of course it was strange" interrupted
Lura, with covert SMILE "but II will all
come right in the end if you just refuse to
countenance that villain, Clinton Starbright.
shall see Mr.. Wentword and tell him all
about it, and then the crooked paths will all
be made straight"
" You are very kind"
"No, Pm not. l am utterly selfish" as
serted Lura; 81 do all this to crafty my
own heart I've set my mind on outwitting
villain, and mean to do it or die trying.
Icame near it, too, that night ] will tell
you about it, for know you are anxious to
hear the wonderful story.
az am deeply anxious" assured Grace.
"You all thought me deadln
"Ihad come to believe so. Romeo came
home riderless, and search failed TO reveal
any thing. OF course we were puzzled TO
know what had become Of you if Romeo had
flung you from his back. Either living or
dead you ought TO have been found, that
was the pulling part of the whole affair "
Exactly, and Captain Starbright was as
deeply puzzled as tho rest"
Certainly
A low laugh fell from the lips Of Lura.
The red curls danced on her forehead, and
fierce light burned in her eyes. "The con-
summate hypocriteIn she cried, in wither-
ing way that thrilled Grace to the quick.
"But won't indulge in invective against
that creature now. mean TO hunt him TO
his hole and then see that he meets with
AUST punishment
Lura then proceeded to relate how she had
taken the path leading along the edge of
Hangmanis Gulch, past theScabin of the
witch, Mother CABRERA, whose name she had
since learned; 'hp@ She had become bewil-
dered and turned about to retrace her steps,
and then of her meeting the two ruffians in
the immediate vicinity of Mother Cabera's
cabin; of her being jerked from the saddle
and lifted high above the precipice.
"Did you ever go up high, way up to the
tree-tops in swing, Gracel You know, if
you have, what scary feeling shoots all
over you; that was just how l felt when
those ruffians lifted me over that abyss. l
was too frightened to utter word-it was
the first instance in my life that l got so far
used up as that. Presently felt myself
going down, down, shooting like rocket
through the air; then bush switched
against my face, a terrible scratching on
hands and limbs, then crash and utter
blackness.n
Lura paused in her narration.
Grace Penroy was breathing deeply, her
face pale, her great, honest gray eyes
dilating with the intensity of feeling aroused
by the words of her cousin.
"Go on, Lura, l am listening,n aspirated
the heiress after brief moment Of silence.
"You wish to hear all about it now-you
are not too tiredln
"No, no, go on; / am dying TO hear the
whole story of your adventures dear
cousin
at seems wonderful, something like a
fairy story to me now,n proceeded Lura,
shut have evidence Of its utter truthful
ness. might have been dead, but was
not In descending the sixty feet to the
hard ground below, l had passed through
the bushy top of a tree which, it seems, had
the effect TO break my fall and land me
stunned and bruised, yet alive, on the stones
and leaves at the foot of the declivity.
II must have lain there several hours ere
strange creature came by, saw me ap-
parently dead on the ground, and in the
kindness Of his heart lifted and carried me
nearly mile in his strong arms. When III
opened my eyes the glow of fame filed
them and was nearly blinded / was very
weak and could not sit up. Soon, as l spoke
and called for water, for / was very
thirsty, a face bent above me, kindly old
face, framed in with white hair and beard,
the face it seemed to me of one of the an
Gent patriarchs.
"'Rest quietly, pretty dove, he said Il
will bring you water and food, but you must
not stir for the present You are one of the
victims Of the Doge, and will save your
/ thought the mans language was strange
in the extreme He was kind and atten-
tive, however, ministering to my every
want, but had been so rudely shaken up,
it was more than week before was able |
to be on my feet and move about Then
made an examination of my quarters, to
find quite an extensive cave. To me it
seemed TO have been fashioned by the hand
Of man. nquiring of the old man, he as
sured me that his name was Don Benito,
once a subject OF the Doge Of Venice, but
now an exile, and that the cave had been
excavated by men many years before for a
hiding place from the wrath of the Doge
OF course, / knew that this was but the
wild talk Of a 3madman, in whose power
had fallen after escaping from death at the
hands Of traJhps, as then supposed my late
assailants be.
" or. coHrse felt uneasy, and was anx-
ious to make my escape, but this could
not dc. since Don Benito kept close watch
upon my movements. In my opinion the
cave was xcavated by horse-thieves or
counterfeiters; and am of the opinion that
the present dweller may have been at one
time member of the band. made no
such suggestion to him, however He was
constantly harping about his wrongs, and
TO murder him with his own hand To
prove his assertion he showed me scar
over his right ear, where the assassin's
blow had been delivered.
"Of course humored his hallucination,
and so we got on swimmingly together OF
course he left the cave occasionally, and
went in quest of provisions for his larder.
On these occasions he locked me in room
opening from the main cave, the door of
which was made Of heavy oak. ! presume
1t had been used as tho prison-room Of the
outlaws who once inhabited the place.
g Il was not until very recently that /
persuaded my keeper 10 permit me TO ac-
company him on a visit TO Stonefield, made
in the night and on foot 1t was then that
| gave him the slip and managed to keep
safely out of his clutches. have met
Austin Wentword since, and learned from
him that Don Benito has been known TO
sins for long time. He considers the old
Fellow harmless. but decidedly lunatic."
a was a strange story indeed that Lura
Ioycef0Id Grace fenroy, under the glowof
ne swinging lamp in the privacy OF her
,,4n room II did seem much like fairy
ale, aud yet The presence Of Lura was