The herald., 1893-08-20

uOuuCoQly 6Htl'mOfIuOu III Ills follkloun
belief, and the great beauty of Mabel
Worthington was an attraction that tho
elders of the church could not resist.
1t was the old story of the attempt to
separate two loving hearts, made in
rulers of the church to seal her to an
elder who already had four wives in his
extensive household.
Personally. Worthington seams to
have had no special dislike for the
young man, but he was loyal to the
church and would brook no thought of
the marriage Of his daughter to anyone
outside the pale OF Mormonism, and
Sam, who had never liked Morton, was
especially vindictive, and heartily sane
his sister to one of ita deacons. But
Morton had many friends In the colony
who openly protested against the action
of the elders. and it was to avoid this
split in the society itself and rid the set
tlement of Morton at the same time,
that a conspiracy was entered into by
the bishops of the church, and Sam
Worthington and companion were
selected to carry out that which result
ed in the tragedy am about to tell you.
"It was in the spring time, and all the
valley and mountain slopes were COW
cred with myriads of wild flowers; the
trees were radiant with blossoms and
bright green foliage; the overlooking
brooks were full OF fish and the. hills
abounded in game. All nature was
bright and gay and happy, and only
man darkened the picture. On one of
these beautiful s2ringtime mornings.
Sam Worthington and bosom friend of
his. accompanied by Harry Morton and
two other young men, set out for Arrow
head mountain, each armed with rife,
to try and stalk some deer that had been
seen on the mountain slope during the
week past. Arriving at the little mesa
on which the hotel now stands, and
which is the foot OF the mountain
proper, the parties separated, Morton,
Worthipgton and his companion in
tending to 90 straight up the Arrowhead
to its top and then skirt the east side of
the hill, while the other two kept up
small cafion to the left and reached the
farther side OF the mountain from the
west. The day, which had opened go
auapiciously, had changed with the
nearing of the sun to the meridian, and
the sky, so clear and beautiful in the
morning, Was overcast and heavy,
dark clouds hung ominously low over
the surrounding mountain tops. The
air was still and sultry, while the heat.
in spite of overhanging clouds, was
deeply oppressive-an uncommon thing
In Southern California. but which so
often furnishes warning to the traveller
in Arizona and Sonora that the pent up
forces OF nature are about to break forth
in awful fury. The trio toiled slowly up
the loose sandy slope of the western side
of the arrowhead; the air became more
oppressive; few sharp, ziZ gag streaks
of light shot from the dark clouds above
the loftier peaks beyond, followed by a
low rumbling as of distant artillery.
I believe we're going to have an old
fashioned, back east thunder Storm
said Morton, and we had better get
under that tree before 1t begins.' The
tree of which he spoke was good sized
pine, the only one on all the mountain
slope, and stood within the arrowhead
not far from the line OF brush that
formed its western side. Thither they
hurried, and Morton, resting his rifle
against the tree trunk, removing his
hat, stepped away few PAGES to view
the strange sight in the heavens above.
The air was sitting and the silence 80
intense as to be almost painful; all the
busy hum of insect life was hushed, not
bird note broke the strange stiffness,
not living thing but the three men
was to be seen along the mountain
slope. The dark clouds which had
hung 80 low over the higher peaks had
descended even lower now, and in one
vast black canopy centered just above
the crest of Arrowhead mountain. The
surrounding eky, beneath the intense
darkness OF the ominous cloud above,
took on golden hue, and the needles OF
the pine ouivered like living things, as
if they knew and trembled for what was
to come. Morton had taken but q few
steps when, clear, sharp and ringing.
csme the order: Halt, Harry Morton T.
Turning QUICKLY the ySung .39.ght msn i4una nd
heart and in the hands Of Sam Worth