The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-09-24
hon hand till the naiIs dug int0 the

her hand till the nails dug into the
They had killed him, then, while he
was at work. lie had crawled as far rs
the rock and had died. II was u strike
"a big oue-and 1t had cost him his
She looked up the canon with awful
eyes and snote the air with clenched
hand.
Then she bent down. and, taking a
long halter.strap, fastened the body Sc
curelv to the top OF the trailer, and
mounting her fathers horse, she led
Old jim carefully down the canon and
upon the night-chilled plain. The
mother was still up and she ran to the
door when she heard the sound Of the
hoof5.
as that you, 'Lish ?" she called out
"Did ye bring pap home? Is tia dead
sur striker"
'Lish slid from her horse and ran to
"SIsw, nav, maw!" was her cry.
NAV, they've killed himl They've
killed poor old pap"
1t was month after they had laid
the old man in the white earth, and the
wind was whispering through the sage
brush and scattering its gray leaves on
his grave.
'Lish was up in the canon. behind
the very rock where she had found her
dead father. The canon draught was
grateful to her after the hard ride over
the heated plain. She drank in long
breaths OF it, but all the time her eye
was on the hole where her father had
made the one great strike OF his life and
had died for it.
Strange he never comes 'roun'-that
greasy-faced Jose Garcia. Twas him
that did it. Praps he's waitin' fer US
to move away. He'll wait long time
till he's dead.
She let her glance fall for an instant
to the something that cleaned along
the top OF the rock. That something
was the barrel OF her fathers rifle. The
wind rustled snake skin on the rock
at her side and swift" darted into
the shade and looked at her with I'M
winking eyes.
Then dark, square figure stole out
OF the canon depths and up to the
mine. The girl did not start, but q
smile passed her lips. The figure
moved about as silently as a shadow.
1t turned swarthy face toward the spot
where she lay hid, but there was more
of interest for it in the hole in the
canon side than for aught else, and on
this the eyes were bent.
By moving the muzzle OF the rifle two
10 81 In nf fhn rnnl
covered the flap Of the pocket in the
left breast Of tho blue flannel shirt.
Farther than thought for" the girl
said to herself-"nearly leo yards. The
middle sights the best"
She squinted through the pin-point
hole, and lowering the muzzle the
smallest fraction of an inch, she smiled
as the small round dot rested on the
very center Of the pocket.fap. at that
instant dark shadow made an lnky
patch on the scarp near her, and look
ing up she saw a big buzzard wheeling
in the air.
She smiled again, and Rugged the
rifle butt, which fitted closely against
her shoulder. Her right hand went
forward little. Her slender forefinger,
held straight, smoothed the black trig-
ger lightly, almost lovingly. The man
Strengthened up little. The finger
crooked, there was sharp crack, and
the man fell upon his face.
Then she pressed home another car
fridge and clambered up the rock, rifle
in hand. She leaned over the body. 1t
was motionless.
"You oughter "a ben shot in the
back, too" she said; but 'Lish amt no
greaser."
She moved away, with light step, hug
ging the rifle under her arm. And the
buzzard circled little lower.