The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-22

along the dusty country road. One night
he did not come home to an anxious wife,
and as the last O of the wretohed day
came, she threw herself piteously upon her
bed, and the whole light of the world seemed
blotted out, as if the sun and stars and moon
had been removed from heaven.
They took him that night from his wagon
as he drove homeward after dusk-men in
rude masks and wearing ghostly Garments
concealing their forms. They answered his
questions with oaths, his pleadings with
rude jeers. They walked him across the
until they came to where the derrick stood
like a gibbet against thes ky, rapidly cloud
ing az if no light Of heaven must fall upon
the dreadful deed in hand.
He had long ceased to speak, to plead,
to implore, He knew death was lurk-
ing for him somewhere in the shadow of
the woods, now dimly seen, and, with set
lips, he had resolved to meet it like a brave
man.
they paused at the shaking, trembling,
palpitating ground about the derrick.
From the gaunt arm a rop swayed idly
back and forth in the rising wind. The
one man of them all whose face could be
seen caught a glimpse of it, and his face
whitehead and hardened until it seemed
carvel of marble. Any death, he thought,
but the one as some foul murderer-anu he
was innocent of any crime or wrong, inno-
cent, AZ God was his judge, save of suspi-
clon. But suspicion then had strangled
Justice. Right vas buried. Wrong-bitter,
cruel ~wrong-seemed to have engulfed the
world.
From somewhere we're brought rails
rough, hand-split by hardest toll from
gnarled timber-and laid Inder the sway
ing rope, until there was Il flooring over the
quaking earth. Upon this the man was
placed, his hands securely bound behind
him, and he closed his eyes as he breathed
a prayer which seemed to burst his heart.
He was pushed forward, walked blindly on
as directed with II lphurous onths, and in an
other instant he sank down into u yielding
substance, which closed about him with a
touch like that of a clammy, lead thing.
He was up to his hips in the deadly quick
sand!
In the brief fraction of an instant his
mind few back to the scene he had wit
messed there as a boy, had flashed along all
the years since to the most trivial incident,
had looked into the future at his distracted
widow and helpless little son-had, with it
all, impressed L:n that life WAS of the past
and that be was face to face with the great
beyond. He could not struggle. His logs
were as If molde into lead. And before
the first agony of the awful shock was over
he heard the knocking ~voicess growsfainter.
fainter, and he was alone there in the awful
solitude OF the death-strickeu place.
He listened-llstened until the %throbbing
of the blood within his veins seemed to find
echo i'll the darkness. But he was abso-
lutely alone. Not a sound. Not the whir-
ring of n bat. Not the chirp of Il cricket.
Aud even the sod was too poor to furnish
n blade of grass to rustic in the damp night
wind. Then the rope above him, almost
within reach, swished mournf1lly, and he
strained to free himself until tiny specks
OF rcd danced before his vision, and he
built OF them strange and fantastic forms
which quite amused him.
Then-a shock rs if a separated soul had
again found resting place within the body.
The quicksand had reached his waist! Hia
brain Yves II caldron. Thoughts 80 crowded
upon one another that he seemed not to
think at all. He tried to concentrate his
mind, but there was n rushing and Il roar
he could not control. 1t is such min
utes that, prolonged, mike maniacs.
1t WAS black about him now for the
had pityingly shut out the last cur
ious little star. lie could SEQ nothing
whatever. And he raised his suppliention
to God for his wife and child. No! No! No!
He must not die! He must release himself
from them. And again n straining of the
muscles until they snapped with
ehroes of agony.
Down and down and down! The Shiny
ooze was about his armpits. He remem-
cred the poor animal lost to sight despite
all human aid when he looked Distress
lnely on, tears ooursing down his baby
cheeks at tho pleading in her eyes. And no
wondered IL he looked the same. Then
II grent splash of rain upon his barred
head, and II calm came upon him.
He knew now that he had but an hour ut
most to live. He knew that with tho light
,f another day the quicksand would leave
not q trace upon its surface Of his taking