The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-02-18

1 w Vic tAtg-
''How wish Ned could get him." she
sighed, as she turned back TO the little
house at her grandmother's call.
"You had better GO over the other
side and see if the berries are ripe,
Cressy." and Cressy took the basket and
started for the other side of the mount
ain.
But berries were scarce, so she picked
her way down-farther than she had
ever before ventured, until she reached
a spot where precipice dropped sud-
denly into the ravine below. 1t was a
dark and lonely spot-so covered with
| growth that the bottom. where a shall
low stream ran, could hardly be seen.
| CresSy was curious about the ravine be-
| fore her and threw herself upon the
| ground to peer down into the gloomy
depth, wondering how she could get
! down there, when splash and rattle
of stones startled her, and she saw, the
next moment, a man carefully picking
| his way through the ravine and leading
horse whose step in the water and on
the shaly rocks had reached her ears.
'How queer. If that horse was q
chestnut might think the man was the
one Ned wants"
She parted the bushes and looked
again. He had stopped directly below
her, and stood as if deciding what to do.
- = -Ia4 hir o--~---:4l -
and Cressy gave start, for she saw
upon the back of the hand the letter II,
and as he let it fall upon the back of the
horse she distinctly saw that the little
finger was crumpled-bent under to the
palm. Her heart gave an immense leap,
for those two things were especially
mentioned in the description she had
read from the poster as she came up the
mountain.
What could she do-for it must be the
thief and escaped prisoner. and he must
be caught She could hurry back and
down 10 the station and get the men
there TO come-but that would not do.
Ned must get him. 1t would make it
all right for him again if he could take
the man back-be the one TO capture
him. That must be it. But how could
she get word to him? She peered over
the brink again. and felt satisfied from
the movements that the man was max
ing this secluded spot a hiding place
for a time: and then she cautiously
Slipped away up through the woods and
over the top, down To the station as fast
as she could. turning over in her mind
what plan to pursue that Ned might find
the man before any oae else succeeded.
it was long walk. but at last she
stood at the foot of the mountain. and
learned that Ned had missed the pas
senger train. but had gone on only
short time before on a gravel train
which had come up two miles from the
gravel pit for another fat car and must
now be filling up at the pits for its re-
turn to the city.
SIT hos 10 walt for the specIaI 10 come
up before it can go on" the operator told
her in answer to her question.
So, without word more, she set Of
her two-miles walk. She felt quite
sure, as she stumbled along over the ties,
that she could reach the pits in the forty
minutes before it could possibly leave.
But her footsteps Jagged in spite of her.
Still she kept on until she reached the
long, open river bridge
She had forgotten that, and she knew,
as she looked at it, that she could never
keep a clear head to walk across it upon
the ties. She could 60 around, but the
gravel train might start before she
could walk around by the distant road
bridge. She shuddered, but she must
cross here in some way.
As she looked around in dizzy terror
at even the thought of attempting the
feat, she saw "a short, broad board, and
an idea struck her. She slid down the
embankment and scrambled back with
the board.
Il can't fall off it, if can only do it,"
she said to herself. Anyhow, mustn't
think about it; and it is long enough"
as she thrust it out before her upon the
ties inside and next the rail.
There was also a narrow plank upon
the outside, which she had not dared to
venture upon alone. Now she knelt
upon the two and, grasping the rail with
her hands, shut her eyes and crawled on
in that position until she felt the end of
her board. Then she braced herself
with one hand, found footing for her
knee upon a tie, and pulled forward the
board TO bridge another set of ties.
1t was slow and dangerous work, and
she screwed her eyes close shut for fear
she might see what would unnerve her.
Once her board caught anu 1t srU..--a e,
be slipping. 1t was horrible thought,
and she felt that she, too, were slipping,
but she clutched rail and board and 1t
held firm as she crawled along.
Suddenly the rails vibratsd under her
hand. Where was she? Was she any
where near the end? The special was
coning-how far away she dared not try
to see. With one more convulsive ef-
fort she pulled the board forward,
crawled its length, then sharp whistle
shrieked out-two of them. She gave
one gasp and looked. She saw few
| more ties between her and safety-saw