The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1891-01-17


puts my salary up"
Nonsense. Abe! Goodbye"
And Selenda Griffin shut the door in
his face.
Abram Ayres went whistling on his
way. thinking-of Selenda's dark hazel
eyes and of the probability of his one day
calling her his own-went whistling on
his way through the waist-deep drifts
of snow to the opening of the mountain
gorge where he had tied his patient
mule. The sun, bursting out from be-
low low-hanging fringe of purple
black cloud, dazzled his eyes, the keen
wind seemed to push him back, as with
icy hands.
As he passed into the shadow of a
copse Of blackgreen sprnces an old buff
falo skin was flung suddenly over his
head. he was tripped mp, falling heavily
ON one shoulder.
He tried to struggle, to call out, but
the robe was tightening around him
like straight-jacket, his mouth was
full Of NANCY fur.
you'll hardly get your salary raised
this year, old chap" chuckled q deep
voice; mot If the company can't depend
on you no better than this. Lay still
now-lay still. There amt no good
Topping about not unless you want to
get hurt Take him into the woods,
boys Lay him down alongside the fire.
l amt no special friend o. his'n, but l
don't want no fellow to be froze to
DEATH"
In vain were the poor ticket agents
frantic struggles Helpless rs an in
FAINT, he was laid down on the trodden.
half-thawed snow beside huge camp
fire, whose cracking came with muffied
sound to his ear. In an instant his mind
had grasped the situation. These half
civilized miners had in some way be-
come aware of the bank gold, and were
determined to possess themselves of 1t
by fair means or foul 1t was not the
cat alone who was responsible for the
creaking of the door at George Griffin's
cabin that self-same evening. There
had been an unseen auditor 10 their
conversation--and chill went through
his veins, as he thought of the possible
consequences to Selenda!s: Bound :
gagged-helpless-what was to be the
end Of all this?
In the meanwhile Selenda herself had
shyly run out Of the back door to watch
her lovers departure down the glen
path. There was an old fir-tree ON the
heights from which she could look some
distance down the gorge. Beneath its
dropping bougbs she herself was hidden
land, as she stood there waiting, her
black shawl blown backward by the
strong gusts, the sound of deep. sup
pressed voices come up from the narrow
pathway under the cliff.
There's corpse.in the housed Old
Mother Griffin is lying there dead! I
tell you, wouldn't 60 there for twice
the money"
''Shut up. you foolv' returned shril-
Ter accent ''She was buried this morn
ing"
''She warmth
''She was. Sim Dollard says SOP
s'Sim's liar! He can't tell the truth
IL he was to try"
Hes told it this time, you'll see.
Fifteen hundred dollars in gold! Think
Of that, Pierre! Such find don't come
our way every day in the week. And
nobody in the house but girl!''
More muttering-more sullen growl-
ing-and then the tones died away.
Selenda stood there vefy pale. with
clasped hands
II must hide myself and the money
somewhere in the woods" said she to
herself. But haven't time. They're
not the people to lose secondhand be-
sides they would track me At once! Oh,
what shall do?"
Selenda Griffin. brought up in those
widernesses, was not q girl to ask ques-
tions or depend on the opinions Of other
people in an emergency. She was quite
used to making up her own mind, and
this occasion was no exception to the
general rule. She was determined to
guard the gold, even if it should be at
the expense of her own life--and she
was we'll aware of the idiotic super
stitions common to these ignorant
Canadian Frenchmen. Even to make
themselves rich they would not invade
the dreaded presence Of death.
Over the frozen snow she fed swiftly
back to the cabin, from whose window
her mothers sweet, pallid face would
never more smile greeting to her, and
rushing in, she caught up a piece of
black crepe, with which she had been
trying to trim bonnet, and knotted it
around the porch pillar-mute mblem
Of death. Then, with-the strength of q
daughter, she dragged
the heavy. cherry-wood coffin, which her
fathers within had kept stand ing in the
angle OF the bedroom wall all these
years, into the little front room, mount
&c 1t on two wooden benches instead of
trestles, and. lighting pair of candles
In lead sconces. placed them at the
head and foot ON homemade pine
stands. She wrapped the tin box in
towel and put it under pillow in the
coffin head, and then, hurriedly envel-
oping herself in sheet of homespun