Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-02-01

4
out to the last man suspected of spying.
Loud words, plentifully interlarded
with oaths, reached his ears as he passed
the big boarding shanty, keeping well in
the shadow of the trees. His progress
over the "rise' and up the ''drawm was
almost noiseless, and rapid in spite of
the dense darkness beneath the great
trees.
Presently Sigsby knocked at the door
of the log and slab shanty. AS there
came no reply, he knocked again and
fancied he heard a faint response.
'sSome trap to ketch me, like as not,
he muttered, suspiciously, "but FL
risk it."
His revolver was ready for instant
action as he raised the latch and entered
the room which was wrapped in dark
ness
"Hello, thar" sigsby saluted eau
tiously. Don't be quick with no guns.
Letter for you"
Afaint moan replied from somewhere
in the darkness. Sigsby's suspicion of
trap was strengthened, and he meditated
whether it was better to fire his revolver
in the direction of the sound or to run
the risk of having the trap sprung on
him. The moan was repeated.
whats the matter, pardnera" he
asked, moving silently to one side as he
did So
"Wall, I'll resk it," he muttered, as
another moan answered him.
He scratched a match and held his
half closed hand in such way that a
single ray of light was flashed in the
direction from which the moan had
sounded. The moments light revealed
a face aglow with fever, lit with eyes
bright with delirium's glare.
There was no need for caution now,
and Sigsby speedily had light burning.
He examined the sick man more closely.
s'Purt' bad off, " he muttered. ''Hain't
eaten fer days, like as not It's tough,
shorei"
"Wall," he added, presently, ''one is
| bout as shore as the other. If the boys
don't down him, the fever will. Mount
ain fever's first cousin to the grave
yard.
The sufferer moaned and tossed feebly
in his delirium, and, when Sigsby held
tin of water to his lips, he drank with
almost frenzied eagerness.
''Dryern a bone" remarked Sigsby.
"Wal, the boys IL soon ease his misery,
reckon. Pore cussl He's in hard row
O. stumps, but now he's come out here to
hunt the boys; he ortn't to kick if they
hunt him"
The sufferer rolled his head slowly from
side to side and moaned.
.Do your groanin' now" remarked the
visitor grimly, ''fer the boys'll deprive
you Nv that privilege soon. Thar'll be
detective on tree for breakfast, reckon.
Wal, | must be a-gettin'. Don't seem to
be nuth'n' worth packin' off. BY George
mighty nigh forgot his letter. I'll jest
see what orders his bosses has sent him.
Mought do me some good and they never
will him.
He opened the oddly addressed en-
velope, and slowly spelled out the epistle
it contained. When it was done, he
spelled it clear through a second time
"Wall, I'm blabbergasted ~ he ejacu-
lated, as he laid the letter face upward
on the table. 1t was short message and |
was printed in the same eccentric fashion
as the address.
"Wal, I'm blabbergasted old man
Sigsby repeated. plumb blabbergasted !
Some how, that minds me wv"
He paused.
Presently, he said, slowly:
''Prays fer. him every night an
mornin' Names Bessie. Minds me Nv
never mind" He shook himself
| fiercely.
observes all he gits," he said,
hoarsely. Didn't he come yere to hunt
the boys2 Yer bet yer life he did!n
He answered himself with fierce
energy, shaking his fist at the moaning
figure on the bed. Then he turned to
leave the shanty, but paused, with his
hand on the rude latch.
''Prays fer him every night an morn
in, -" he muttered. ''Somebody ort to |
write an tell her when he's downed.
II
He took a step toward the letter that
lay face upward on the table. The |
quaint characters seemed staring him in |
the face.
'lPrays fer him" he muttered slowly. |
| e'Name's Bessie Minds me, no-Tll-
I'll do i'll Do it er drop a-tryingl" he
cried with fierce energy.
The sick man moaned again.
''Her dad-Bessie's dad!" old man
Sigsby muttered, and laid his cooked
revolver on the table beside the letter.
| Then he took down the sick mans |
repeating rifle from the wall and placed
it near the other weapon.
Likes not I'll groan like him purt' |
soon," he said, with a nod toward the |
/ bed. 1.-The boys mean business"
sThey mean businessm he repeated
presently $50 do L."
'IThere was noise outside and
knock at the door.
s'Comep cried Sigsby.
The repeating rife in his hands and
the revolver beside the letter were both
cooked and ready for instant use. As
they threw open the door and ushered in,
Big jim Perdue and the rest of the
''boys" found themselves looking into
the muzzle of repeating rifle held by
stern faced man who stood behind the
table.
Cup with yer hands," cried Big Jim
sternly, as he burst across the threshold.
There were exclamations of surprise as
the gang recognized the holder of the
rifle.
ssWhat dye mean, sigsby7 What are
you dom yere2" demanded Big jim.
''Nuthin'," returned old man Sigsby,
doggedly.
"Whur's the cussl"
'sThar!" answered Sigsby, moving to
one side that the light might fall on the
sick man. s'Thar, an thar he's goin' to
stayw
Mountain feverl" some one said, at
sight of the delirium- flushed face.
Big jim and the gang glared at old
man Sigsby and the rife muzzle that
/ stared them in the face.
ssWhat does all this meanln Big Jim
! demanded with an oath.
stNuthin'tp the old man replied
"Yeres his orders from headquarters, an
I'm a-carryin' them outn'
He tipped the letter toward the group
and Big Jim picked it up. When the
big man had silently spelled out its con-
tents, he handed it to the next man.
4 From one To another il passed till all