The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-08-21

adverse facts; one can only suffer and
pray in silence. Mandy thought Ola
thousand dreadful things. What IF
| Reuben Campbell should miss his cat
tie and follow them up at once? She
knew what would happen then; even
in her brief worldly experience she
had seen something of the doings Of
Ijustice-in- Thorough in the Colorado
mountains. She huddled herself
against the rocks, patient, terrified,
Iprayerful. 1t was quite dark when
| she rose at last and went back to the
cabin. How quickly the night had
come onl The high white peaks were
outlined dimly against the sky, and
the stars were as thick as buttercups
in meadow in summer.
III. Frank Laws came in from the cor
raj tired and wet and hungry He
found his dinner ready for him, and
Iif Mandy's face looked white and
scared he did not notice. He hardly
looked atthe child at all, but set
down at once and commenced to
eat. The heavy froWn was between
his eyes the froWn which the two
girls dreaded, and which they had
noticed never left his face as long as
there were cattle up there in the COR
raj
Mandy sat down by the fireplace,
but with her face turned toward her
brother. The or eek filled the air with
those slow, liquid vibrations which
spread until they domiate still
night in the mountains. The moon
had risen; Mandy could see it through
the little uncurtained window, a
splendid beck oning vision She would
like to have been out there where the
moonlight fell freely and where the
noise of the creek was not mufhed by
thick wooden walls. 1t was horrible
to be with Frank just now. Some
how the room as it looked at that
moment impressed her and she after
wards remembered it with shud-
dering sense Of kinship with dark and
evil things. The talloW candle gave
out a faint light and the shadows
which the burning logs cast along
thewalls seemed lifting eager, threat
ening arms. The flames cracked
spitefully in the chimney; the wind
had risen and went past with ghost
Ily hollow signs. Frank devoured
his plain fare with that intent frown
between his brows and with his
thoughts evidently brooding over
hidden things. There was a certain
warmth in his rigid face OF the kind,
brotherly affection which, since
| Mandy's earliest years, had made up
SO large a part OF her idea of brother
| Frank; it was something which she
| dreaded, which seemed full of a lark
ing, poisonous activity; it was like
the warmth which brings life to pois-
onous things in Spring. 1t held her
with a sort Of sufficating power and
|she gazed and gazed till fear slowly
! intensified to horror.
All at once there had been no
sound outside but the remote MUIR
muir Of the wind and water she saw,
as in q dream, that the door was
open and that the room was full Of
mental, dark, sinister shapes,
which carried the gloom Of the out
side air with them. And they were
holding pistols in their extended
hands, and their leader was Reuben
Campbell. Mandy wondered why
their heavy boots made no sound on
the uucarpeted floor, and asked her
/ self coldly whether she was SO scared
| that she had lost her hearing. Yes
that was pro badly the reason, only
/ she seemed too cold and rigid to be
greatly frightened. She had never
noticed before what a long, ungainly
individual Reuben Campbell was; and
/ she wondered, critical Of herself ais
/ we'll as ofhim, whether she was see
! ing him with her own eyes or with
the eyes of some one else.
Then the sound of Reub en Cam 3
| voice defined itself against the silence,
though Mandy could not at first dis
/ tinguish the words and Frank an
I swered violently as if in denial, but
i the shout came from Campbell and
his men and now Mandy heard
]. plainly enough-that they had al.
ready been up to the corral and
/ found the cattle there. Then Frank Of
fered not another word, but let them
! tie his hands behind him while he
/ stood with his head hanging forward
on his breast, and Mandy disco vesa.ed
that she had her arms around Sissy
and that Sissy was crying. Some
| body pushed the girls toward their
brother, as if they were expected to
say something to him, bnt Frank
/ turned away without spea king and
] Mandy could see that he was crying
/ too.
''You stay here with the kids, /"
said Campbell to one Of his men, nod
ding significantly toward the sisters.
well tend to Frank s
1 And they led the doomed man out
of the house closing the door careful.
ly behind them.
They came back after some time