Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-05-10
III.

"You are at my mercy One hint of
treachery and will empty every barrel
of my revolver straight into the basket"
It was a sinister threat, a curious
situation, and PerciYal Aylmer glared
helplessly at the stern-faced detective
as he spoke the words.
Ridgely badIeaped from the hogshead
ere Aylmer could recover from sur
prise at the startling conformation,
and had slipped a pair of handouts
over the wrists Of the smuggler. Then,
tying his ankles together with a rope,
he went to where the mule stood
He lifted the cover Of one Of the
baskets. It was empty. Without a
moments delay, he bodily lifted AyI-
mer IN his arms, placed him In the
basket, and shut down the cover.
"Opium in the other basket, I mag
inc, he said. "Wel1, you'll Just about
weight it. Won't tell me where the
girl is, ell ? Insist on it that there is
no girl in the case? Well, I'll get YOU
into safe hands, and before night have
a force here that viii find Grace Day
ton if she is here. Remember! seek
to betray me, refuse to aid me as we
leave here, and I viii kill you. You
are at my mercyp
It was a bold plan that Walter
Ridgely projected, but he placed it in
prompt execution. He started up the
mule with its living freight, and pushed
open the cave door. To his delight,
no one was outside. He drove away
from the cabin, and congratulated
himself on his good fortune, when, di-
rectly in his path, man with a leveled
rife confronted him, evidently one of
the smuggling band.
"Who are you?" came the fierce de
mand. "A stranger!"
Ridgely was as cool as ice.
"Put down your rife, my friend, he
said. cts all right; you know your
captains voice ?"
eyes, I do"
Walter Ridgely clicked the revolver
in his pocket, Ominously near to his
prisoner in the basket.
Speak" he ordered.
cts all right, Jones, came, in
mufied tones from the basket. "He's
acting on my orders"
Ridgely laughed. As the sentry
passed he could hear Aylmer gnash his
teeth with secret chagrin and rage.
YEARLY on pIodded the mu1e-One
mile, two-suddenly from the brush
came a quick challenge:
"Ridgely!"
"HelIoI5 and the detective recog-
nized one of his aids of the early morn
ing. Where's Dawson?
with the others"
What others 2"
eve located you at the den, and I
went to the city for help. Dawson
and ten others have probably sur
rounded the place by this time. Hank
do you hear that?
Ridgely bent his ear and listened.
From a great distance the report of
firearms echoed.
He told his companion of the human
freight the basket contained. Then
both waited. An hour later four men
rode up on horseback from the
agency-and just from the smugglers'
haunt.
They had surrounded the place a
desperate fight had ensued, but the
smugglers and their spOils were now in
possession of six officers.
Look outi" suddenly shouted
Ridgely's companion.
Ridgely glanced at the mule and the
baskets. From one of them a man had
sprung. In some deXtrOus way AyImer
had slipped manacles and bonds, and
was dashing for liberty.
Bang bang! The desperate, IN
needing the order to halt, fell at the
second fire.
He raved and cursed, mortaIIy
wounded, as Ridgely anxiOuslv in
quired Of the officers if any trace Of a
young girl had been found at the den.
The answer was in the negative.
where is Grace Dayton 2" he asked
of Aylmer. Speak, mani You have
/ cOurted your own dOOm-better, per
haps, than the gallOws. but make the
atOnement you can by cOnfessing all. ,"
The Fufian died with q scOwI of
/ hate on his baf1ed face, and his lips
! sealed
The officers got ready to carry the
1 dead man to the next village.
! WHAT'S In the other basket, opium q"
/ one of them asked.
/ Il suppose so" gIOomiIy replied
/ his failure to discover a trace of the
missing girl
He opened the cover as he spoke.
A great cry of joy, hope, suspense,
/ welIed from his lips as he glanced
within the basket.
For lying there asleep, placid, serene
as a child In q cradle, was q beautiful
maiden, Grace Dayton
Long before Walter Ridge1y told her
his love, the beautiful Grace explained
the mysteries OF the past
Abducted by the murderer Of her
father who boldly boosted of his crime,
she had refused to wed or enrich him,
and had been kept close captive at
the cave
/ Intent on escape, because he feared