Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-12-23

-
shook the window curtains. The men
| looked, too, for fully ten minutes.
Queer where they are," said Lizzie,
musingly.
They've got to be found" said the
man with the pistol, starting toward the
| stairway
Find 'em, then; Pm tired hunting ="
cried Lizzie, darling past him down the
stairs. Il want to get my dishes done
some time before noon"
She rushed to her dish-pan and picked
UP a dry towel. The men, following
| her, found her drying some forks.
| I'm going to Christmas party after
| dinner, Zeke," she pleaded 81 always
| said you was one of the best bad men pa
ever had here, and do think you might
let me get my work done, whatever you
| do"
"Mebbe your pa left the keys in the
pantry" said Zeke.
He stepped to the door of the large
closet, with his accomplices following
| closely. The red-haired man glanced
suspiciously back at Lizzie, who was
| nervously Wiping the forks over and
| over again.
She read his suspicion in his glance,
and felt that in another moment he was
| going to guess the truth from her devo-
ton to her work. A plan for more COM
| plete concealment Of the keys flashed
| into her mind. AS he looked up
at Zeke, who was climbing upon
box to search the high shelves,
| she drew the keys out Of the water I'M
| der her dry dish towel. With them I'M
der its folds, and with the rafting forks
in her hands above it, she walked into
the pantry, and put the forks into their
place in knife box, which stood upon
low shelf, directly above q newly OPP
ened flour barrel filled with flour.
Just how she did it she could not her
self tell afterward; but there, before
the eyes Of the jail-breakers, as she put
the forks into the knife-box with a
slash, she let the bunch of keys slip
| quietly down under cover Of her trail
| ing dish touchdown into that conceal
sank with noiseless haste She felt al
most happy as she went back to her
J dish-pan. AS her hands touched it, the
| red-haired man turned and looked at
! her narrowly.
"What have you got there ?' he de-
handed, in loud harsh voice.
Nothing" answered Lizzie, her
heart beginning to thump and her
cheeks growing red.
| you've got the keys YOURSELF p
| shouted the man.
|
| called Zeke from his perch in the
| pantry, not troubling to look around.
But the red-haired man rushed for
ward, his wits sharpened by her sudden
color and her half-frightened look at
the pan. He thrust both his eager
hands into the soapsuds.
Quick as thought Lizzie snatched his
pistol from his belt, sprang back out of
arm's-reach, and covered him, her
| finger on the trigger.
''You light out p said Lizzie, in a
| whisper. lone more sound from you,
and III shoot !' She stepped toward
him, her face full of fearless determine
ton. Don't you breathe loud enough
| for Zeke to hear" she murmered. go!
Light out ~
Without another word. and in less
time than it takes to tell it, she backed
| him out Of the open kitchen door
! Once outside, he turned and toward the
| forest. Lizzie found herself facing the
Mexican when she turned
"Hold up your hands !" she cried.
He obeyed her instantly.
''Skip out Quick %
The pistol clicked, and the Mexican's
retreat before her firm decision of
manner was even more rapid than that
of the first enemy.
Zeke was down from his high place of
search and almost beside her when she
turned again. He struck out to knock
the pistol from her hand, but she had
jumped back too quickly, and held the
pistol high, pointed straight at his head,
and standing steady as she reached the
fuchsia-tree, facing him still.
"WeII, by all deep diggin's, if you
amt a cool little 'un; plucky too !" said
Zeke, standing with his hands on his
hips. eff you amt chip off the old
block ~
"You shut up" cried Lizzie" shut
up and light out You ought to be
ashamed of yourself, Zeke Conley, to
play such a cowardly trick on me,
when you knew pa was away. Own up,
now"
cot course I did," answered Zeke.
''That is, l felt purity certain of it. Yuh
see, twas me N them towards you've
just shoOed off so peaYt that borrowed
the horses up to the Flume ranch last
night. 4uh see, we knew the sheriff
wouldn't be Looking for us round his
own back door," Zeke grinned.
"Talk about cowards," cried Lizzie
scornfully. "You're the biggest one in
the world ! To go and come here-on
Christmas too-and scare me half to
death !"
you look more mad'n scared, an
Cu'tG . IdCl, SdIU L0k0. IruUn IS, LIZ,
l 'ain't forgot that you used to poke in
buttered toast fur me behind the bars
Sunday mornings, an butter-scotch
when had that cold, an says to my
self, Liz Bakers the girl to want to let
all them poor shut-up fellows out to
have pleasant Christmas if it's left to
her."
"Shut up your soft sawder." was Liz
zie's only reply to this appeal "You
hate TO own up you're beat, but you'd
better light out before you feel any sur
er of it."
"Well," sighed Zeke, coming out and
siding off the porch, cas- long as 1
couldn't find the keys, 'p'r'aps I'd bet
ter be goung; but you mind and n ot tell
your paw that Twas bit scairt by you,
| little 'un."
Then suddenly out from the forest she
heard the ringing sound of horses
| hoofs, and Sheriff Baxter and his men
came riding fast down the mountain
road. Zeke stood still. There was no