The Russellville Democrat., 1893-06-15

I saints in the Spanish calendar to
witness he never dreamed of their
being involved in his plot. The
paymaster's funds, not the lives
of any of the paymaster's men,
were what be had sought to take,
and now there lay the dollars almost
within their grasp, but unless cap
tured at once would be gone for
ever.
81 know that pig of sergeant
may the flames of hell envelop him
for all eternity ~ be cried. "He
will not scruple to do as he says.
He will cast every package into the
seething furnace. Mira Look; the
shed is now all ablaze. In one min.
ute the roof Of the rancho will burst
into flame. There is not
an instant to lose. l adjure
you let the daughters of Harvey,
the son, the men come out at once
swear to them safety, honor, protec-
ton. Let them go on their way,
now. Then you will have to deal
with only two or three, and the
treasure is ours. Look you, Sanchez,
Pedro, Jose, down with that shed
next to the rancho hurl it, drag it
down so that the fire cannot
reach the brush beyond, then we can
parley, we can win their ear. They
will be but too glad to be spared to
go on their way unframed. Yonder
are their mules across the corral.
Hitch them in at once. Save the
others for the ambulance ami the
blackboard here, and for our noble
chief. Is it not so, captaini Am |
not right"
Approving murmurs followed his
fiery words. So long as the Yankees
held together there was little likeli-
hood of the outlaws gaining the
ground except by burning out, and
that now meant the destruction of
the very money they were after, the
utter loss of the fortune that. divided
even among so many, would enable
them to live like princes in Hermo-
sillo or beyond. They would be
heroes, conquerors But if that
were lost after all their plot
ting, planning, labor and crime,
there was absolutely no re-
compense. Even through the brain
5louding fury of his revenge Pasqual
Morales saw the sound sense of
Moreno's plea. He made no effort
to check the men who ran to DO his
bidding, and were even now with
lariats and stalwart arms dragging
the props from under the shed and
letting its western end come patter-
ing down. Within the eastern
room the dense smoke was already
finding its way. The sound of fall
ing beams and timber only conveyed
to the occupants the idea that
already the shed was in embers, and
that any instant the roof over their
heads would burst into a torrent of
fire. Ned Harvey's brave spirit was
taxed to the utmost. Unless relief
could come and come at once,
nothing remained for him but death,
nothing for those fair sisters but
fate far worse.
At one instant be was on the point
of urging the paymaster to comply
with the outlaws demand, pledging
himself and his fathers fortune to
make good to the government every
cent so sacrificed. His father could
pay it four times over, and would
rather sink his last cent than that
the faintest harm should come to
those beloved children; but the next
moment Feeny's splendid defiance
had so thrilled him that he could
not frame the word he thought to
speak, and yet, here was awful peril
close at hand. What right had he
to further leopard the life, the
honor, of these, his fathers fondest
treasuresi If il was only himself it