The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-07-13

Jiltlu she fid NOT iCO-lt ~ OlU nlul ldit-
we'll He gave to Col. siny tage a good
BY message .for liss, aife-tlie two men
shook hands. ssr
Preparations FOR the. kfl4ig Of Oliver
Nillett were swift and asnple. Much
Of the celebrity WAS due to The sergeant,
who glanced often uneasily at Mrs.
Arnlytage, fearing she w3Ssld become
conscious before the deadly .yoley had
been fired. The twenty maslet bearers
were ranged, and Oliver was made to
stand in readiness. lie requested to face
the executfoners, with eyes unbandaged,
and wos INDUCED. st the same time,
under Col. Armytase's direction, Mrs.
Armytage was lif9ed by two of the
drummers to be Carried short distance
away. The colonel was glad Of q reason
for avoiding the death sight, and the ex
cuse was good, fof his wife was fast
coming to consciousness He had barely
turned his back however, before he
heard a new vojfe. that Of Tudor Bovine,
who did not 81 to Oliver at first, but adj
dressed Col. ,ErIhy tase.
Il come ITO ask a favor he said.
Friends Of Oliver desire TO secure his
body. They await your permission"
sYou have permission.
Tudor waved his hat asa signal to light
men to approach from where at dis
lance of a hundred yards they had stop
ped. Then hewent to Oliver, grasped his
hands and said: .'Good-by, old friendin
In a whisper he continued: Heed what
I say, Oliver; your life depends on it.
When the command is giyenlto fire drop
Instantly to the ground. Stand firm when
you hear the order, Make ready don't
stir at the command, Aim but fall fiat
on the ground just before the word fire.
Don't fail .
The eight men walked into the field.
They carried a long, rough box, which
they sat down close by. Oliver look at
it and shuddered as he saw that it was
coffin.
Are these men unarmedsn the captain
in command asked.
Search them," Tudor suggested.
The officer gave theconamand, 'Readyw
and the muskets were leveled.
Remember my parting words, Oliveri"
Tudor shouted.
Oliver was like a stone III immovabili-
ty, and almost as devoid of sensation.
lie thought, but not very clearly, that
Tudor had resorted to q device to give
him courage through a false hope.
Should lie drop to the ground before the
fire, would he not simply prolong the
ordeal and be open to the accusation of
cowardice? He knew that it was owing
to confidence in his bravery that he was
not bound and bIindfolded. Ought he
to finch?
Time and again through the night had
old JUDGES vision come into his mind.
All the way from the guard house to
this spot the tap of the drums had kept
time with her words. "Marchin'-
marehin' -marchin'n Upon seeing Mrs.
Armytage on the ground, with her sad
died horse. close by, he had known OF
her riding to the place in accord with
what the negress had protested to see in
her second prophetic view. Now it
flashed upon him that her third phan-
tasm had depicted his fall before the
muskets Of soldiers. Was he to strive
against fate so manifestly foreor-
dained? Or, would his voluntary pros
tration, as directed by Tudor, satisfy the
| prediction? These thoughts were almost
instantaneous. His mind was suddenly
as clear as crystal, and his nerves and
muscles tense and strong.
'sAim!p commanded the captain.
Mrs. Armytage slid out Of the arms of
the men who bore her. and who had
been detained by Tudors words with
the colonel She opened her eyes and
saw Oliver facing the ready muskets.
She tried to scream, but could not make
sound. The colonel quickly grasped
her, to turn her away from the scene
that Mortified her so perceptibly. Oliver
saw her fall in faint, and, even in that
fateful moment, he recalled that as
part of the third vision.
"Firel"
Oliver fell on his face, so brief an in
slant before the rattle of the volley that
the soldiers did not know he was un-
hurt. Their attention, too, was start
| lingly diverted. Tudor and his eight
companions sprang to the long box, flung
off the cover and took out mIskets The
amazed soldiers, with empty guns, found
themselves confronted like magic by
these stalwart, armed foes.
The first to stir was Oliver, who was
| quickly on his feet, alive to the truth of
the situation. The second was the SER
geant, who was on him with drawn
sword suddenly and furiously. There
was brief wrestling struggle, and then
the sergeant was on the ground, with
his own sword held by Oliver at his
breast. Then there was bargain
wordless and quick, but binding. The
sergeant bought his life with the letter
that he had refused to sell to Mrs. Army
tage. He pulled'it from his pocket and
held it up. Oliver recognized it, and
comprehended the offer. He clutched
the crumpled, scorched paper, and per-
mitted the sergeant to get up.
Here the story Of one august night
ends-with the rescuers and the rescued
starting for the near stream, where boats
were ready for them, with the soldiers
cowed and practically unarmed, gazing
irresolutely at the retiring victors, and
vii Old JUDGES reputation as proph-
eteE firmly established in southwestern
Mi} souri. The reader may believe that