Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1892-11-16
THE GOLDEN CAVES.
BY CHARLES B. LEWIS I'M. QUAD)


4 ,rolf crcpt out of his latr:
as If shut out from the w0rld-and even
where there are three or four together
to keep one another company some one
will 20 raving mad within the week.
When man is lost on the plains those
who may set out to search for him go
prepared to shoot him down.
They may have to do it to save their
own lives. IF lost for but q single day
he will fall down and weep at sight Of
his rescuers. He is weak and maudlin,
like one drunk.
If lost for two days he may be SO un-
der the influence of terror that he will
run away at sight Of human beings.
If he has been wandering about for
three days and nights-beware! The
chances are nine in ten that he Is dan
gerous.
And If this feeling Is so strong upon
men In their prime and men who may
have weapons of defense and the expert
ence of years, what must it be in the
case Of q woman fleeing out into the
darkness to escape the murderers Of her
husband and the abductors of her child?
The mother was near enough to hear
her daughters cry Of pain and the
shouts of the man who overhauled her.
For q moment she thought Of returning
to give herself up, but then came the
thought that if Lizzie was to be rescued
and the murderers punished all depend
ed on her. She could see through the
entire plot now, but she could not be-
ieve that it included any one except the
four renegades. If she could reach the
camp on the river tho men would turn
out and hunt the four to their deaths.
The widow and mother was crouched
on the earth within thirty rods Of the
wagon when it drove away. She feared
to move until she could no longer hear
the rumble of the wheels, and then she
rose and ran forward, believing she was
following the trail of the train. She
remembered it was only six miles, but
1t was two long hours before she stopped
for q moments rest. She saw no signs
of stream. She had come far enough
to reach the south fork, but where was
it?
Almost like fash Of lightning the
thought came to the woman, Il have
gone wrong-I am lost!' The thought
took away her courage in moment,
and she found herself unable to reason
intelligently.
She was lost-lost on the great plains,
and that by night!
Then the poor woman did exactly
what many a man has done. Instead of
resting until the alarm had passed away
and until daylight should come to guide
her Alright, she rose and ran away from
herself, or tried to. All night long she
wandered about in an erratic way and
daylight found her back within half q
mile Of the spot where the wagon had
stood.
She seemed to have aged twenty years
in q single night. Her face was pinched
and drawn; her eyes were sunken; her
form bent as if she bore burden on her
shoulders.
"They are lostl I've got to find 'em-
Daniel and LizzieI' she muttered as she
faced the sun. "I've called and called,
but they won't answer. Coo-ee! Coo-eel
No, they won't answer"
She was advancing slowly upon the
dead body of her husband.
"Where's Daniel? Where's Lizzie"
shouted the woman. why, this Is
Daniell he Is asleep! Poor man, but
he must be tired"
She had discovered the body.
"Poor Daniel, but you were lost"
crooned the woman as she sank down
beside the body. "You are tired and
sleepy. Yes, you may sleep. Twill keep
very quiet. Maybe Lizzie will soon
come"
She rocked her body to and fro as If
she had a child in her arms, and now
and then she reached out her hand and
patted the arm which lay stifay extend
ed on the earth beside her.
The sun climbed up and up.
Would some Of the trainmen ride
back to see why Brown had not Joined
them? The fact that he had not come
up the night before would be proof that
he was still in trouble. Would they
leave the river without knowing or
caring what had become of him and the
HELPLESS women? And they would also
miss the renegades, and perhaps suspect
some plot Of evil.
Higher climbed the sun.
The train had gone on. 1t was not
Ike Americans-it would have been dis
graceful to heathens to thus abandon
one who had come with them 80 far and
met with an accident to render him
helpless. It was avarice-the christ for
gold-the fear that some one would be
ahead Of them at the base of yonder
grim mountain.
The woman rocked and crooned and
dozed all through the long afternoon.
A wolf crept out Of his lair in the rocks
and approached the spot.
"Has Lizzie come?' queried the watch
er as savage growl suddenly aroused
her. mo, it is not Lizzie! Go away
from usI You are one Of the renegade
gang! You helped to steal my child"
The wolf drew back. It was only
woman watching the dead, but he feared
her.
The deserted one resumed her lonely
vigil, rocking weakly and muttering
vaguely. As the sun sank in the west
ern sky her voice grew fainter, and
when its dying rays illumined the
mournful scene she fell forward beside
her murdered husband and expired
without sigh.
CHAPTER XIV.
Harkins at first saw only the four
renegades as he peered around the cor
ner Of the rock. Looking again, he dis