Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-05-02

81 shall be satisfied with that, Knowing
| that possess your loye,n said the beauti
| full girl, clinging fond1y to his arm.
81 am satisfied to gain your hand without
| the fortune returned the infatuated
young man, bending and imprinting kiss
i on the pale cheek of his companion.
Night shadows were falling, and neither
| saw the form OF q man crouching in the
bushes near, q man who had listened tC
nearly every word that had fallen from the
lips Of the twain.
| Presently he lifted himself 90 that his
cleaning eyes took in the loving scene.
/ sNeither shall live to crush me-" muttered
the provvler. Then his hand shot forward,
a fash followed, then a loud report.
Grace Penroy sank apparently lifeless in
the arms OF her companion, the blood
streaming down her face. The bullet Of the
assassin had been well aimed.
The suddenness of the crime quite para
| lyzed the young mechanic for the time. he
felt the form Of his betrothed dead weight
In his arms He eased her to the ground
| fully believing that she was dead. F..
An awful horror was cast over heart and
brain. He had heard the report, and seen
| the fash. To discover the assassin was now
his desire. He sprang forward and caugh,
from the ground q smoking pistol He
Then he strobe back to the bleeding form
on the ground, still holding the smoking
weapon of death.
At this moment man rushed down the
path from the direction Of the house and
confronted Wentword
It was Captain Starbright.
$50 it has come to this at last" cried the
Captain, in an awful voice. 81 feared it all
along. Poor Grace to die by the hand OF
q miserable mudsillp
ss &F CHAPTER XIV.
THE ARREST.
For one moment the two men glared
fercely at each other.
Austin Wentword was too terribly
shocked to realize his position, or the full
meaning Of the words uttered by Captain
Starbright He even allowed the Captain
to take the pistol from his hands, when he
bent and lifted poor Grace in his arms and
moved toward the house
There was CONSERVATION among the
servants when the young mechanic en-
tered the house with his bleeding burden.
Mrs. Penroy met him and screamed with
fright, and tainted on seeing the blood
To Mrs. Penroy's room the young man
made his way, and placed Grace on the
luxurious bed. Then, with pallid face and
trembling fingers, he examined the wound
able to ascertain the full extent of the
wound, but believed it fatal. Captain Star
bright at once dispatched a messenger for
physician, the nearest one being at Stone
field, ten miles away. With this messenger
he sent note which the man promised to
deliver to the county sheriff.
Soon after the accident visitor was an
nounced-Louis Fingsl. the young hunter.
Wentword met him with groan as he
-
he told the youth Of what had occurred.
Sand you think Grace will die!"
A tear stood in the young hunters eye as
he put the question. -
81 fear she will.''
"Then retribution must fall at once on
her assassin" cried Fingal, in q stern
voice.
"That it shall -
Both men turned to see Captain Star
bright standing near, the same spirit Of
evil that he had ever been since his appear
ance at Lone Hollow.
"You here?" exclaimed Fingal.
81 am. No one has a better right. I
mean to see that the murderer does not cs-
cape.''
"You know him.
"He stands there" pointing at Austin
Wentword.
Fingal regarded the young mechanic in
silence. He saw the pallor on his face
deepen, caught resentful CLEAN IN the
eyes, and realized that the words Of Cap
tain Starbright had struck deep.
''This is not the time nor place to resent
such language, Clinton Starbright," re-
turned the young mechanic, in a low voice,
almost hushed under the shadow of his
awful grief. "When am assured that she
will live, or death intervenes, then 1 will
settle with you, sir, in a way that will prove
satisfactory"
Then turning to Louis Fingal the young
man took his arm and led him away. In an
other room, with the door locked to keep out
intruders, the two young men sat and con-
versed long and earnestly.
"Just as my happiness had dawned it is
awful to have it .snatched from me by the
bullet Of cruel assassin groaned Austin
Wentword.
at is awful" agreed the young hunter.
Can you imagine who could be SO wicked
as to do thisl''
81 can not"
"It is Captain Starbright's work." de-
clared the young hunter. "He is wicked
enough for any thing. He has plotted to
gain the Vandible fortune, and nothing is
too black in the way Of crime that he will
not do to gain what he seeks. That man
must be watched. have not seen the will
left by Morgan Vandible, but l know its con-
tents from one who has read 1t, ana IL Is sc
worded as to leave every thing to Captain
Starbrlght should Grace die or marry
another. Depend upon it, Austin, it was a
hand hired by the Captain that fired the
bullet at Grace tonight"
sit may be so. can not believe that one
so pure and good has an enemy in the
world
''She has enemies only as she is an OBJ
stacle in the way of that DEVILS greed. He
must be watched"
7 ''Mr. Fingal, I quite agree with you," re-
| turned the mechanic, sadly. ''The Captain
| must be watched, and I know Of but one
person who can do it successfully
| s'NVen.'- -
| t'I mean Lura Joyce. She is atStonefeld
and you know where. II you would only
! 60 for her should feel under everlasting
obligations to you. like that girl, and be-
lieve now that Grace isis i'll, she would
gladly come
/ rot course she would" agreed the young
| hunter, touched deeply by the emotion
.evinced by Wentword. 81 will go for the
| girl myself. know her like book, and
am sure she will not delay coming one
| moment when she learns that her cousin is
injured
"You are very kind"
'Not q word of that Sort Austin I like