The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-07-31

~ AS Ah hA&N4N" 0h~ "sNe
trembling q bit.
"Yes," answered Stetson.
"Can ] see him?" she asked. Only
for a moment" she added.
Cant do it, marm," said Stetsou.
For a moment she was quiet, looking
~longingly toward the cabin and clasping
and unclasping her hands softly, The
man hoped she would so. 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 | mayn't get another
chance" She looked at him 80 sadly
and yet SO bravely withal that Stetson
wavered and was lost.
tFor FIVE minutes, then, no more!' he
said, half repenting of his words the in
slant they were uttered
But he unlocked the cabin door for
her and locked 1t behind her again.
Then he stood outside the door cursing
himself. Presently there was q rap from
the inside Of the cabin, and, much re-
lieved, 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
so he felt . tiny ring Of cold metal
against his head and heard. In her voice,
now without q tremble:
"Put up your hands and do it quickly!"
The order was SO distinctly put and d
emphatically backed up by the cold
metal which Stetson knew only too well
was the dangerous end of q revolver that
he did not hesitate. As he threw up his
hands the door was pulled open from the
inside, and a man dashed out and melted
in the darkness of the prairie. A mo-
ment more, and the hoofbeats Of q 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 S~tetson's
head, but nov she dropped the weapon
quickly and started to run. In q In
slant Stetson was after her, and wild at
being oqtwitted had run her down and
caught her before she had gone 30 yards.
As he grasped her by the shoulders the
hoofbeats were dying ON the air, and the
woman looked into her captor's face
with an exultant smile.
Stetson brought her back to the cabin
and in a half shamed way told his story.
The woman was quiet and did not seem
to hear what they said. Despite their
chagrin at having been worsted by q
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 a bit fearful that the woman would
escape them unless they kept a sharp
When morning came, q big party set
off in pursuit Of Craig. But they had
scant hope Of ~overtaking him with a
horse under him and his many hours
start. The easterner's wife still remained
locked in the cabin. Sage Bar for once
found itself nonplused. Law and order
had been reversed by q woman, and the
town had the offender In custody. But
smoke and ponder as it might, Sage Bar
was at a Loss 10 know how to proceed.
All the laws of the settlement, unwrit-
ten though they were, had sprung from
an acute sense of frontier needs and re-
ferred to men. There was an indefina-
BILE feeling among the Sage Bar solons
that these laws could not be applied with
propriety to women, and 30 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 difficulty presented itself. and 90
with admirable Judgment the town de-
cided to free itself Of further RESPONSE.
bility by setting the woman at liberty.
The e~asterner's wife was pale and evi
IDENTIFY worn out when they brought hen
out of the cabin; but she said not Q word
when they told her she might 60 and
walked of in the direction Of her home
with a smile, half Of defiance, half Of
satisfaction. That night the party which
had gone in pursuit OF Craig returned
having made q fruitless search.
Two days later, just as Sage Bar wa
preparing its evening meal, TIVE mer
were seen riding over . swell from TIT
northeast. Five horses were driver
loosely before them. When the mer
got nearer the town q OF them wa,
recognized a. the fastener. He wa,
riding h~areheaded, and beside him rod,
anotheF, dark and swarthy, his arml
bound to his sides, his horse led by Craig
All Sage Bar assembled about the party
while Craig told the story Of how he hai
ridden away that night, had struck fth,
trail of the horses, and following IL hai
brought the Mexican thief to terms witt
a shot from his rifle. and then came back
And when he had done there were cheer
for the easterner such as the town hadn'
had q chance TO relieve itself of for
long while, and to this day there is not
man in Sage Bar but touches his sloucl
hat to the e~asterner's wife, whom j.
Stetson declares Is 9TH sandiest littl
, woman in the SweetF-Kansas Cit
Times.
Getting Something Like II.
The following little experience, re