The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-25
filed them up with nitric acid. 1t has

haTo the building come down some day
when none Of rs would be nigh and no
one to be suspected for having a hand
in the job. It's wonder 10 me it isn't
in the tail-race already. The sticks
must be like punk by this time. could
bring it down in a minute"
do it this night, then. That mill
must be stopped. or we'll all starver'
they commanded him.
1t was a moonlight night, but heavy
clouds were drifting across the sky
and Barney found little difficulty in
reaching, with his boat unseen, the
tail-race embankment, following the
same course in getting there which ne
had taken on the night of the storm.
Thrnsting deep into one of the angur
holes pointed iron rod he had
brought for the purpose, he grinned
with satisfaction for the wood was, as
he had expected to find it, like punk -
Only thin outer shell of each timber
held the weight above and very
slight lateral strain would bring the
whole fabric down in ruins. Taking a
long and strong rope from his boat, he
carried one end of it over the tail-race,
crossing on stout plank laid as foot
bridge, and made it fast by a double
half-hitch upon the landward timber,
about four feet up from the ground.
The other end of the rope he led
around the other support and thence
to the big water-wheel, very securely
tying it to the shafts which at once
commenced slowly winding it up.
just as his work was done. he chanced
to look down stream and caught sight
of woman running along the road in
the direction of the mill. She was in
the clear moonlight, but not near
enough for distinct recognition. New
ertheless, something about her figure
seemed SO familiar that his heart
seemed to stand still with sudden anx-
iety. improbable as such fancy
seemed, he could not but think she
looked frightfully like his daughter
Kate, his only child, the only living
being in the world who was dear to
him. But, what would Kate be coming
to the mill for? In his anxiety, he
stepped out of the shadows in which he
had been standing and finally, making
sure it was indeed his daughter, strove
by frantic gesticulation to attract her
attention. She was now near enough
to see him clearly. but did not happen
to look in his direction. He tried to
shout to her, forgetting alike his peril
of exposure and his inirmity, but could
not make a sound louder than a whis-
per. AS she neared the mill the bank
cut her off from his sight and he waited
in fearful apprehension, Perhaps she
was only going by the MILL he
said to himself, and listened But
almost instantly that hope was dis
PEELED. His hearing, as if nature had
sought to compensate him for the loss
of one faculty by abnormally sharpen
ing another, was as keen as that of a
fox. He distinctly heard her say to one
of the guards: Il must see Mr.. Gilbert
Yelling" and the mans reply: "Step
inside, miss"
He had never dreamed of anything so
horrible as this! His own Kate! his
darling little girl! was deliberately
walking into the death-trap he had set.
And he was unable to call out warn
ing to her, could not hope to get to the
lower end of the wall on that side of
the stream, around it, and up to the
mill in time to draw her back from the
impending catastrophe; and was pow
erless to stop the force he had set in
motion, for the rope was already taut-
ening and he could not throw off the
knots on either end. Trembling with
panic he snatched his knife from his
pockets to cut the line, but it slipped
from his nerveless fingers, dropped into
the tail-race and was gone beyond
hope OF recovery.
Meanwhile, Kate met the miller's
son just inside the door and drawing
him to one side, out of the hearing of
the guard, said to him in excited
haste: You must get out of the mill,
Gilbert at once, and stay out of it. to-
night. anyway. | can't tell you why;
but something terrible is going to
happen"
Don't you think You are unneces-
sarily frightened, my dear Kate?" he
replied The men would not venture
an attack upon the mill, guarded as it
is. Even if they did, | would have
nothing to fear from them, for they
know my sympathies are with them
and I'm not responsible for my ia
theirs actions. l cannot control him"
I'VE all know how good you are, Gill
bert, and how much you have done to
help us, without his knowledge, and
you might have no fear from an at
tack. But it is something else. /
can't tell you what but I'm sure of it.
/ heard one of the men say: This is
the last night of the old mill and an
other replied: Yes, it II grind no more
for the Guineas.' Oh! Gilbert. II you
love me, stay outside the mill this
night"
You know ] love you, dear Kate. /.
But how can I?''
They went on talking earnestly in
low tones.
Then he heard an orninous cracking /
of one of the weakened timbers al .
ready under strain. and suddenly all .
the world about him seemed resolved
into rending, roaring, tumbling chaos +
and eternal night.
All that rear portion Of the mill .
building. in which the burrstoncs were
located, fell in ruins. Out of the wreck
the mIller's body was taken, but Bar
ney's was not found there. He had
dropped into the tsil-race. crushed,
mangled and stunned, was swept far
down stream and his corpse was not