The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-05-27

FOR Are minutes, then, no more"
he said, half repenting of his words
the instant they were uttered.
But he unlocked the cabin door for
her, a ,'ocked it behind her again.
Then he stood outside the door cursing
himself. Presently there was e rap
from the inside of the cabin, and, much
relieved. he undid the door. But he
kept his finger on the hammer of his
rife as he stood aside to allow her to
pass.
She came out quickly. Stetson turned
and bent to fasten the door. As he did
so, he felt a tingling-cold metal against
his head. and heard in her voice, now
without a treInble:
Put up your hands and do it quick.
ly." The order was so distinctly put
and SO emphatically backed up by the
cold metal, which stetson knew only
too well was the dangerous end of a re-
volver, that he did not hesitate. As he
threw mp his hands. the door was
pulled open from the inside and a man
dashed out and melted in the darkness
of the prairie. A moment more and
the hoof beats of a horse came back,
sounding clear and sharp on the still
air.
The mel who had been asleep till
now, awakened by the noise, slecpily
raised themselves on their elbows. The
woman had not moved the pistol from
Stetson's head. But she now dropped
the weapon quickly and started to run.
In an instant Stetson was after her,
and, wild at being outwitted, had run
her down and caught her before she had
gone fifty yards. As he grasped her by
the shoulders the hoof beats were dy-
ing on the air and the woman looked
into her captor's face with an cxultant
smile.
Stetson brought her back to the cab
in and in a half-shamcd way told his
story. The woman was quiet and did
not seem to hear what they said. De-
spite their chagrin at having been
worsted by a woman the men could
not but admire her pluck and skill.
Then they argued As to what they
should do with her. and finally decided
to take her into town as soon as it was
light. They locked her in the cabin
and then sat up and talked the rest of
the night. They felt that it would be
useless to attempt to trail Craig in h
dark, and. to tell the truth, they We're
Just a bit fearful that the woman would
escape them unless they kept a sharp
lookout.
When morning came a big party set
off in pursuit of Craig. But they had
scan hope of o~vertaking him with a
horse under him and his many hours
start. The easterner's wife still re-
manned locked in the cabin. Sage
Bar for once found itself nom
plused. Law and order had been re-
vcrsed by a woman and the town had
the offender in custody. But smoke and
ponder as it might. Sage Bar was at a
loss to know how To proceed. All tho
laws of the settlement. unwrittcn
though they were, had sprung from an
acute sense of frontic- needs, and re-
fcrred to men. There was an undefina-
bic feeling among the sage Bar solons
that these laws could not he applied
with propriCty to women, and 81 they
talked much. smoked and drank much
more, and did nothing. When the
Hines party came in. tired. hungry and
empty handed. no solution Of the diff
Guilty presented itself. and SO. with adj
mirable Judgment. the town decided tn
free itself of further responsibility by
setting the woman at liberty. Tho
easterner's wife was pale and evidently
wor on when they brought her nut of
III" cabini but she said not a word
when they told her she might 60. and
off in the direction Of her home
a smile, half of defiance. half of
That night the party
had gone in pursuit of Craig re
turned. having made n fruitless search.
Two days later. just as Sage Bar was
preparing its evening meal, two mcu
were seen riding over a swell from the
northeast. Five horses were driven
before them. When the MEN
got nearer the town one of them was
as the casterncr. lie was
bare headed. and beside him rode
another. dark and swarthy, his arms
bound to his sides. his horse led by
Craig. All Sage Bar assembled about
the party. while Craig told the story Of
how he had ridden away that night,
had struck the trail Of the horses. and
following it had brought the Mexican
thief to terms with a shot from his
rifle. and then came back. And when
he had done there were cheers for the
rasterner such ds the town hadn't had
a chance to relieve itself of for n long
and to this day there is not a
man in Sage Bar but touches his slouch
hat to the fasteners wife, whom 10
declares Is .'th' sandicst little
in TIL west:"-Kansas City
Times