The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-07-10

things, and drifted at last to geology,
and to Boothroyd's delight, the lonely
old cripple could render him inestimable
service in the business which had brought
him to the locality.
"Up yender, in Dragons Canon, you'll
find some o. the purtiest specimens they
is in all Ameriky," he said to his eager
| listener, in the perverted English which
had been acquired on the frontier.
Boothroyd pulled out his watch.
ooh! you'll have time to get back to
dinner" and-lowering his voice and
looking cautiously around-'I hope you
| won't forget it, IL suppose you've
heern tell o. Alexy Rael"
With an admirable air of Indifference
Willis "believed that he had" Where
upon his host launched into panegyric
of that remarkable young woman, and
ended with the explanation: ''Im kind
o. suspectin' trouble. They's ben gang
scoutin' round these diggin's fer nigh
onter week, an they've sot here an
quizzed me an sassed me till, if t hadn't
ben t was q no count cripple, they'd
a-b'en somebody's blood runnin' loose.
Ye see, oil man Rae, he's got habit o.
| sendin' money down ter Herrick's ter his
pardner thar, aud onct in while it don't
git thar--ner the carrier neither. That's
what happened ter me. was shot an
left fer dead not fur away in the
road thar, an the money took. Then
the grizzlies nigh took me, but was headed
off in time. What's left o. me s 'bleeged
ter stay ter hum the heft o the season.
pointing amusedly to his stump Of leg
and his one helpless arm-'but l alters
did live alone, an that I don't mind. I'm
too poor ter be robbed nowadays, an I'm
too oil an tough ter be cat. 'Taint so
with purity Alexy, an'-Stranger, ye've
got an honest face. sh'd sent word to
some o. the boys at Crimminses, but Their
amt ben a soul this way sence seen
them scaly cattle, nigh onter week back,
'cept an savin' Alexy herself. An l
wouldn't tell her, in course. An So
veal, I hope ye won't be late ter din
ner."
Boothroyd did not intend to be. He
had been forcibly struck by the apparent
foolhardness of Miss Rae's life and un-
dertaking, a view of the matter which
seemed not in the least to have suggested
itself her stanch admirers of Crimmins's
Station. Why, who and what could hurt
herr Her fame had spread the country
through, and there could be no man so
vile as to modest her. That would have
been foolhardiness indeed. And the vii
lain would have lived but few hours to
regret his crime.
The man who sets out to crack the
earth to pieces with his little geological
hammer generally loses his head. Dame
Nature is the most fascinating of women,
and Willis Boothroyd did not escape the
common fate of those who test her
charms. She yielded him so many
gems from her bosom, aud so bewildered
him by her beauty, that one result was
inevitable. He forgot everything else
but her-and he was late to dinner.
Deep in the heart of the canon sud
den sense of being wanted elsewhere
came over him. He paused-hammer in
hand-and pulled out his watch. Ten
minutes past one! He was to have been
at the "Hermit's" cabin before twelve.
In the next quarter of an hour he did
some of the fastest travelling of his life,
and came out upon the plain beside the
post road spent with fatigue and over
come with heat. He dropped upon the
ground to rally, but was almost imme-
diately oppressed by sense of impend-
ing danger. From whence it would
come he did not guess, but he rose and
pressed forward to the cabin.
He fancied he heard the neighing of a
horse from distant clump of trees, but
the only one which he expected to sec
, was Alexia RAGS mustang, and that was
:. nowhere in sight.
> The cabin door was open, anu as he
, turned to enter, he stopped, rooted with
horror upon the threshold.
The old "Hermit' lay under his own
dinner table, apparently dead; while the
beautiful mail-carrier sat strapped to a
chair in the centre of the room, bound
, and gagged, and staring helplessly before
her.
2 Even yet, there was more of indigna.
ton than fear in her dark eyes, aud the
blood flowed in fury to her blanched
cheek as he sprang to her relief and sci
{ her free.
Yet she neither spoke nor moved til
the last cut and she tried to rise but
could not for the tremor which seized
her.
e Water" she whispered; and Booth
royd held it to her lips, Then she
motioned to the cripple upon the floor
and Willis was forced to turn and do hel
! bidding.
"But tell me first, are you wounded
0 in any wayl"
s "No-no-but poor old Job
G dying. Quick! 1t was gang o
!, thieves"
Even in her weakness her glanc
flashed, and her tone thrilled with anger
e "Yes, know. He told me"
L Her eyes opened in amazement.
:, "He-told-you2 He knew"
II "Not what you imagine. He onl
feared. promised TO return long ago
e Why did | mott"
)! He had lifted the poor ''Hermit" an
G laid him on his rude couch, and no,
i bent over him, examining him anxiously
e The gravity on his face grew deeper, an
|. when Alexia moved to his side, question
r, ing eagerly, docs he still lives" h
n could only shake his head in mournfu
IL answer
le at cannot be that he is dead If SC
lie he died defending me-poor cripple tina
N he was.'
If 1t was too true.
l. "But you-are you surely uninjured9
TT "Surely." A wonderful calmness ha
" come over her at sight of the rigid fac
lie upon the narrow pillow. "Listen. W
d were sitting at dinner. He had told IN
st about you-and we were watching to Sc
y you come out of the canon. l had lai
e. aside my knapsack-where the none
was--and was resting before went on t