The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1893-06-10
close to him now. 1t was the east

trembling bit
| "Yes," answered Stetson.
| Cant see him?" she asked. "Only
for moment" she added.
Cant do it, marm," said Stetson,
decidedly,
For moment she was quiet, looking
longingly toward the cabin and clasp
ing and unclasping her hands softly.
The man hoped she would go. He had
hated to say no and he didn't know how
long his determination to refuse would
last. 'But they say they're going to
try him tomorrow, and l mayn't get
another chance" She looked at him
so sadly and yet so bravely withal that
Stetson wavered and was lost.
! For five minutes, then, no morer'
| he said, half repenting of his words
the instant they were uttered.
| But he unlocked the cabin door for
h her, and locked it behind her again.
! Then he stood outside the door cursing
himself. Presently there was rap
| from the inside of the cabin, and, much
| relieved, he undid the door, But he
| kept his finger on the hammer of his
| rifle 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 tremble:
"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 re-
| volver, that he did not hesitate AS he
threw up his hands, the door was
pulled open from the inside and man
| dashed out and melted in the darkness
of the prairie. A moment more and
the hoof beats of horse came back.
sounding clear and sharp on the still
air.
The men who had been asleep till
now, awakened by the noise, sleepily
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 sexultart
smile.
Stetson brought her back to the cab
in and in half-shamed 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 the
dark, and, to tell the truth, they were
just bit fearful that the woman would
escape them unless they kept sharp
lookout.
When morning came a big party set
off in pursuit of Craig. But they had
scant hope of overtaking him with
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 non
plused. Law and order had been re-
versed by woman and the town had
the offender in custody But smoke and
ponder as it might, Sage Bar was at
loss to know how to proceed. All the
nf fha
though they were, had sprung from an
acute sense of frontier needs, and re-
ferred to men. There was an undefina-
BILE feeling among the Sage Bar solons
that these laws could not be applied
with propriety to women, and so 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 ad-
mirable judgment, the town decided to
free itself of further responsibility by
setting the woman at liberty. The
easterner's wife was pale and evidently
worn out when they brought her out Of
the cabin; but she said NOT word
when they told her she might go, and
walked off in the direction of her home
with smile, half of defiance, half of
satisfaction. That night the, party
which had gone in pursuit of Craig re-
turned, having made fruitless search.
Two days later, just as Sage Bar was
preparing its evening meal, two men
were seen riding over a swell from the
northeast. Five horses were driven
loosely before them. When the men
got nearer the town one of them was
recognized as the easterner. He was
riding bare-headed, and beside him rode
another, dark and swarthy, his arms.
bound to his sides, his horse led by
Craig. ALI 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 shot from his
rifle, and then came back And when
he had done there were cheers for the
easterner such DIS the town hadn't had
a chance to relieve itself of for long
A. L - IL