Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-03-10
CHAPTER ",
EN'.i r!tIS,

The explorers wer,. gone ten days. Returning just alt,'r n:2!hfall on th" evening of the tenth day t:cy rausrd in front of the little g."ve surrounding Rltchle's shanty to arrange between themselves the route which they should take on the morrow in nutifs ing those interested of their return and readiness to report
 The Suscol Ranch Is not q prairie, but a succession of low ridges or hills. Occasionally bit of the rock founda- ton crops out on some blutiy point, but generally the ridges arc tillablc clear to thelr summits and produce wonderful crops of wheat. an average of fifty and sixty bushels to the acre being consi,l. cred no surprising yield even upon fields of several hundred acres. In their natural state they arc dotted over with little groves of white and live oak, usually ill groups of from a dozen to a hundred trees. and it was in one of these little groves that Ritchie's shantv was situated.
 When the two mon had agreed upon their separate collls" for the morrow, and also upon th" place at which tho squatters were to be asked to meet and decide upon their future action, they pii ttltu, hilt:l.S tlIuttl HIS pony : head toward h.s shanty, while Parsons loosened the rein upon the neck of his beast already show ing SignS of lneasl. ness at being held back when so near home. and started ai brisk pace in tho direction in which hr k,4cw his famil, were anXiously awaiting his coming.
 He had gone but d few yards. how. cver when he he..ri an exclamation oi surprise from Ritchie. who almost in- stantly rejoined h m and crowding his pony close up 10 that of his companion exclaimed, ill a voice shaken with emo tion and excitement:
 My God. Parsons. thcv'vr torn down my shanty. and Heaven only knows what has become of my wifo and child
 It was true,
 Those to whom the Suscol Ranch, comprising thous ,udS of acres of the finest lands, had been given by the pur. chased votes of corrupt ConyreSsmcn and Senators, had decided to resort tC eviction in order to obtain immediate possession. an sent Il posse of men with orders to destroy number of dwellings as a warning to all others, and Bill Ritchics shanty had been among those selected.
 Tor a moment the two men sat upon their horsos Ike statues. looking at each other through the darkness; and then, with one impulse. they put spurs tc their animals and dashed away in the direction of Parsons house. Neither spoke, but both leaned forward in their saddles, and TO c at full speed-rode with bated breath. while alternate hope and fear struggled with fierce anger for possess ion of their boSOms
 Had they stopped to reason they would have known tiai there was little probability Of bodily injury having been done to the cvictcd family; but who would stop to r,'aSui of tae probable amount of injury wheA he came sud denly upon the ruins of his home and realized that those whom llc loved bet ter than all c!s. in the world, q defense | less woman with d babe at her breast, and had ihc sh lter torn from oyer their 1 heads. ana that they were gone. he | knew not where or howo
 Naturally they would elk shelter with t: cir new ne.hhors. the Parsons, since they were nearer than any other, and the two ln}n woull return together; but suppose t!te Parsons cottage was destroyed also? Supposing all the cot ta@es in tie nei. hoorhood were de- stroycd, what them
 And John Parsons? Can the suffer- ings which he endured during that ride He measured or told? That ride of q quarter of milo before coming up over the intervening rise they saw lights
 To be contlnueu