The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-05-27
A PLUCKY WIFE.
How She Saved Her Husband from
Judge Lynch.

Look at the shoe mark. he eX
claimed, pointing down at the trail.
by guns. it's the easterner's hoss
shoe" calculated Sam Pike after an in.
stant's scrutiny of the hoof prints,
among which were several larger than
the rest showing the clear impress OF
n shoe. The others were those of un'
shod horses. Then the party scanned
the marks closely. Then the men looked
at each other with ugly frowns.
well" said Bill, tentatively. at last.
No one answered for a moment. Then
Sam remarked: ut looks bad for ther
easterner, sure, Til haint anyone got
hoss shoes like them in TIL district 'cept
him. I'm sorry T tn feller's put his
head in a ropes end, boys. But we'll
have ter foller him up. Who'll GO
back?"
A couple of the party volunteered.
The men separated. Part of them
moved forward on the trail. The 9th,
ers turned their horses at right angles
10 the former line of march and Hoped
ON toward the fasteners cabin.
The easterner. otherwise Jack Craig.
of whom they had been speaking, had
been in Sage Bar only a short time. lie
was a tcDdcrfoot, out and out. When
he came to the bar he brought his wife
with him. She was a bright. pretty
little woman. but they hardly knew
her in the settlement. Craig always
had been reserved. and the two had
kept by themselves in the little cabin
which stood a mile or 50 away from
town. 80 Sage Bar had come to con-
siler the pair a queer lot" and to
designate them as the eastcrner an
his wife" which was intended to he
anything hut complimentary.
When the trailing party refined mp in
front of Craig's cabin they found the
object of their search sitting on n log
before the door. smoking. From his
'lrr|s, bespattered with mud. it was
evident that he had Just returned from
riding. The party exchanged glunccs
of understanding.
Sam Pike came To the point at once
Craig" he said, yer wanted down ter
tn Bar"
Whats that?" demanded the east
crner. angrily.
Yer wanted down ter TIL Bar" Sam
repeated. For hoss stealing" he
added.
Craig's face was afiame In the instant.
He sprang from his seat, throwing back
his hand to his hip. But the others had
him covered, and his hand dropped
loosely by his side again. Its a
lie" he said, ''and you know it,"
Just then a woman's figure appeared
in the cabin doorway. 1t was Craig's
wife.
What's the natter" she questioned
a~nxiously. seeing her husbands atti-
tudc.
Craig spoke up quickly: go back,
Dolly! They've got mp a dirty story
about mt and want me to go to the Bar.
But I'll come back in a little while"
Sam had a great far of women's
tongues and tears and Immediately or
dcrcd Craig to noun a horse which an
other man at a word secured from the
stable near by. The woman had looked
on dumbly, seeming hardly to compre-
bend what was taking place, but as she
saw her husband walk ver toward the
horse, she ran TO him, and threw both
arms about him, holding him tight TO
her. He unclasped her arms gently
after an instant, and mounted the horse
and. turning in the saddle, waved his
hand TO her. Then they rode away,
and. after they had gone a piece, sam
lAnlrnl haaly anI Sau- Tho rnn,,n StiI1
standing there. her hands loosely locked
before her, watching them with wide
open eyes. 'She's grit ter TIL back
muttered that worthy, and
dashed his horse into a gallop.
All Sage Bar crowded around the
party when they drew rein in town. |
and there were some who would have
strung Craig up on the spot when
sam had told the story. Sage Bar was
that stage of progress where horse
was a capital offense and a
short shrift wa granted to offenders.
But Sans protest that nothing should
De done until the Hines party returned
needed, and the prisoner was put
n an empty cabin. tied hand and foot,
of the men agreeing to stand
yuard.
The afternoon waned away and even
ng came and the Hines party did not
make its appearance. So Craig vas
.iven something to eat and then was
fastened tightly once more. and the
men rolled themselves up in their blan-
lets in front of the cabin about eleven
o'clock. leavingonly 10 Stetson on guard.
Stetson sat himself down on a stump
md lit a pipe. and with his rife across
lis knees fell to thinking about some
mavericks he had branded that day.
PRESENTLY he imagined he heard a soft
tep from the prairie. He raised his
lcad and listened. Just then the moon
bowed a rim beyond a sailing cloud.
nd its light fell on a tigure-a wom-
ms figure-making its way toward the
abin. Stetson rose TO his feet, letting
lis rife-butt drop on the ground, and
uriously surveyed the woman. who was
lose to him now. 1t was the east
wife.
is he in there" she said, her voice
rembling a bit.
Yes" answered Stetson.
Cant | see him." she asked. 'Only
1r a moment" she added.
Cant do it, mar'm," said Stetson.
ecidedly,
For n moment she was quiet, looking I
,ngingly toward the cabin and clasp
lg and unclasping her hands softly.
he man hoped she would go. He had