The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-07-06
the means-to defend himself before any

the means-to defend himself before any
court In the country"
dose already" sneered Justice Parker.
.'Too late, colonel, for any habeas corpus
nonsense. He goes out on the road for
10 days, and / don't see how he's going to
appeals case after pleading guilty, eh?
Then Justice Parker glanced compla-
proving smiles anent his legal sapiency
from his friends in the sweltering crowd.
MY friend" said Colonel Martin, turn
ing to the stranger, "you did me a valu-
able service last evening, for which i am
not ungrateful. Your punishment follows
With your permission l will pay this fine
and you eau resume your travels"
"No, SIR" answered the tramp firmly.
Then he hesitated and finally said:
"Willyon please step aside with me for
a moment?"
The two entered a small side room. and
were together perhaps five minutes alone.
Upon their return Col. Martin immedi
ately got into his wagon n drove AVA
towards the creek. The stranger was led
oil by the village marshal to mmenc
his ten days work on the road. As he
stood for one moment on the sidewalk he
raised his head, and his large eyes gazed
directly into those of Miss Henrietta Mar
tin.
"who in the world is he Z" asked the
girl, when distance admitted of the ques-
tion.
Nobody" replied the colonel. nap
ping the top from a wrthered golden rod
with his whip.
That's the same identical chap vol
unteered Grandpa Langhorne. 81 fur one
am %tarnal glad he amt loose ter skeer
these broncos agin."
But" persisted Henrietta, "what did
he say to you in the side room?"
"Who?n
"The-the-" Henrietta hesitated. So
much had transpired in connection with
the mysterious tranger that she refused
to use the word tramp" 1t sounded too
harsh. She had OWNED that. despite
dust, CRIME, unprepossessing surround
ings and rough raiment his face was
handsome, his eyes glorious.
"The tramp?n bluntly asked the colo
mel.
"But is he a tramp"
Looks like it,"
The fishing party drifted of down to
the creek, the vagrant shouldcred his
shovel and stalked on behind the mar
shal's horse 10 the scene If his toll.
Higher rose the blistering sun; the air
| seemed freighted with the hot breath of
an iron urnace. A cold lunch at the
county Jail and out again on the roadway
came tramp and marshal. The heat was
almost intolerable, but the stranger
worked stolidly on while the marshal
fought flies in the shade of a clump OF
willows.
Suddt My the atmosphere became OPP
pressive. A dense humidity appeared to
impregnate the silent, MINDLESS air. The
sky seemed nearer the ground, "a though
closing in like the cover to n huge boiling
kettle. IL was difficult to breathe. In the
west hung heavy, dark blue clouds, the
first that had been seen for a week. But
what is that whirling up from the south
east, up over the Platte river like a re-
volving tube of radiating quicksilver?
Why do the cattle paw n below on the
range near by, and that drove of horses
snort and gaze around SO wildly? A dull
roaring sound, which is not thunder,
strikes the ears of tramp I'M marshal.
Shading their eyes they gaze at the long.
low, circular-shaped cloud, lifting and
swinging along, nearer and nearer. They
see a huge whirling column, like the leg
of n gigantic elephant. dropping now and
again To the earth, then lifting and swing
ing on like the stem of n mighty balloons
And all the time the noise deepens in its
horrid intensity, n grinding. wailing
sound, which speaks of the irresistible,
concentrated, devilish incarnation of the
cyclene.
A white school house CLEANS against the
blackness advancing pom IL. IL is
touched, lifted bodily o feet n the air,
and scattered i'm ground and splintered
fragments like seed cast around 10y a
sower.
"Thank God il is Saturday-my children
attend that school," says the marshal.
The horrid mass of electric energy lifts
and sways over the open space between
the Platte river and Spring creek. The
Martins are down there right in the path
of the atmospheric demon! To cut the
lariat of the marshal's horse aud Hing
himself into the saddle is but "A moments
work for the athletic vagrant. Hard and
quick on the sun-baked prairie beat the
hoofs of the thoroughbred. Was the
like ever before seen on earth? A
a cyclone? No. But he had oh
served the conformation of the banks OF
Spring creek. There might be safety yet,
Horse and rider on one side, the roaring
Moloc on the other, the Martins in tho
center. The awful column of death sways
and lifts-to settle again and grind the
life from everything In its path. Will II
lift and pass over their heads? And now
the stranger can see Ia four forms run.
ming aimlessly along the bank Of the
creek. Colonel Martin turns in the di
rection of the b~ronchos. as though IA.
would fain hitch up and flee before th,
monster. Madnessl The brntes are even
now %plunging wildly and dragging th,
wagon hitler and thithcr over the prairie
The borseman will reach them them be
fore the deadly bosom completes its dc
st-uction. Nearer! lie shouts in ringing
tones, echoing shrilly above the deeI
growl Of the storm:
"Into the creek and under the bank"
by pantomime he furiously illustrates
his meaning. They comprehend and ia,
four forms disappear from the prairie n.
IL swallowed by the earth. Where the,
went down the tramp draws rein. leap,
from the horse, turns its head away iron
the roaring column, and il dashes ava,
toward the hamlet. As the strange
swings himself over the bank he catches
I -. II E-.- IG-gl -
from out the cave-like structure of ia,
walls of the creek. He moves up Ia them
II by signs, signifies that they must Inn
closer To the walls OF the grotto. Wordl
are useless. All other sounds are dea,
before the roar Of the cyclone. Tn,
frauupr stations himself closs 10 Henri