Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-18

WIZ Va III oNAOA pnA IAShAoA - 4C
fellows would get SO excited and he
would say: $50 Ally and I staid all
night. Then he would stop and they
would say: ''weIl. what then? What
happened? What was he stopping for? .
Nothing happened. There was no more
to tell.
An unexpected cynical denouement of
this sort was quite to Cecil's taste. He
smiled in advance over the picture.
Meanwhile Ally, with detected face
was lettering the horses.
"'Easier getting along without them, -
he muttered. Essay, CHS. L wonder how
'twould do to let Mig loose? he'd maybe
git home of his own notion. and maybe
we could send word home where we
were.''
$50 we could, to be sure, - said Cecil
cycling Ally with certain establishment.
Why hadu t he thought of the plan in
stead of stupid Allyn Well, he WASH 4
as sure as he had been that Ally was so
stupid.
Meanwhile, poor Ally looked anything
but cheerful. He had fished a lead
pencil out of his pocket and was writing
his note on the back of a letter. His
pale eyebrows were knitted, he bit his
tongue in the dangerous and improper
fashion which he had whenever he be-
came excited. He wiped his heated
brow with q very soiled handkerchief and
sighed deeply.
Cell took the note handed to him and
read: "Desr Sis-We are in a mighty
bad scrape fixing to go to the hantid
store; please come quick and help us. Get
Mr.. Markham. l reckon the hants will
kill US If you don't. I'm sorry treated
you so mean. If I'm killed you can
have my horse and my books; please
give mamma and papa my love and
Cobbs too and my f1ve-dollar gold piece
and my silver watch. Your loving
brother, ALAN. -
Cecil for once did not feel inclined to
smile at AIan's great sprawling hand
and original spelling. He was touched.
Lightly as he viewed the peril from
ghosts, it was q real and most dreadful
peril to the Southern boy; yet Ally did
not finch or dream of deserving him.
HHe is drawer than L, =" thought CHS,
and felt ashamed of his supercllious
treatment of the simple hearted boy.
Yet he couldn't quite bring himself to
abandon his gorgeous visions of shining
as q specter tanner. He handed back the
note, only saying! .'That is just the
thing"
And Ally carefully (his tongue still
between his teeth) tied it on to Mig g
bride with bit of Irvine. Almost as if
he could understand and would speak,
the horse arohed his neck, looked stead
ilv at Ally with his liquid eye, and then I,
turning composedly, trotted off into the
darkening wood. Rasmus limped after
him.
The two boys watched the horses out of
sight.
Neither spoke, but each was conscious
of lonesome, chilly sensation, like the
night air.
InvoIuntarily, both looked at the red
ball sinking behind the black trees.
Ally spoke, "we better make haste -
said he, gruff1y, "if we want to get to
the store before dark
With that he struck into the wood
underbrush.
Cecil followed him, saying nothing.
There was clearing about the store
When the boys came out in the open =,
they could see the black and battered
shape outlined against dim, steel sky u.
Once 1t must have been q substan tial
building; but the roof had settled away +,
doors and windows CAPPED, the shingles
had peeled from the roof, the bricks
were tumbling from the chimnsys, and
the floor of the porch On one side had
sunken away from its supporting column
which, bv consequence, was poised
croolledly in the air, giving the whole
porch the appearance of just stepping off
from the house.
Ally had come to full halt. "There 3
a right smart OF room under that piaz-
"a - said he. "What you say to camp
ing under there? We could be right
snug and comfortable. "
"And not go into the house?"
"There amt nothing to see in the
house,
but we could build fire "a sudden
clutch of his arm cut the words short.
Ally pointed to the store. They both
saw it: long, thin torch like flame that
leaped athwart the black square, once a
window, quivered and sank.
They both heard it; the tap-tap of a
hammer.
Lets run, Clsi" whispered Ally.
lie did run little space; but when he
was aware that Cts wasn't with him, he
came back.
CHS stood, rather white, examining his
revolver.
The house was dark and still. A harsh =,
wailing cry made Cecil present his pis-
toll.
"That amt nothing but an owl, -
said Ally, he was quite out of breath;
but he did not look as pale as Cecil.
''I'm going up to that house, -
said Cecil, firmly, ga fine story we IL
have to tell tomorrow If we hear noise
and ruul''
"Cobbs says faint no disgrace to run
when there amt nothing to be got by
staying, I" said Alan, the cautious.
"But there is something" urged
Cecil, tmaybe we IL find the ghostl"
Strange to say Ally did not appear to
be tempted by this prospect.
"I don't believe its anything but
tramps, - said Cecil putting. on a bold
front which, to tell the truth. he
was far from feeling, land If it is, per-
haps, they'll have something to eat.
Anyhow, I IN going TO find out.
He would have run across the clearing
had not Ally detained him.
''If you r going,' said Ally, "you
might as we'll go quiet-like round by the
trees, If it's hauts it won't do any
good, but If it's mooushIners it VIII /.
Hush, now. Do like 1 do
Very cautiously. in Indian fashion
skirting along the trees In the shadow of
an oYergrown hedge, the lads erept up
20 the house.
Certainly sounds came from the house
and no starlight or sunset ever lighted up
the rooms like that.