Connecticut western news., 1893-09-14
CANAAN, CONN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER A.

and yet so bravely withal that Stetson wavered and was lost.
 "For five minutes, then, no morep' he said, half repentlng of his words the in- stant 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 rap from the inside of the cabin, and, much re- Heved, he undid the door, but he kept his finger on the hammer of his rife as he stood aside to allow her to pass.
 She came out quickly. Stetson turned and bent to fasten the door. As he did 70 he felt tiny ring of cold metal against his head and heard, in her voice, aow without tremble:
 "Put up your hands and do it quicklyl" The order was so distinctly put and so metal which Stetson knew only too well was the dangerous end of revolver that he did not hesitate. As he threw up his hands the door was pulled open from the inside, and man dashed out and melted in the darkness of the prairie A mo- ment more, and the hoofbeats of 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 Stetson's head, but now she dropped the weapon quickly and started to run. In an in- stant Stetson was after her, and wild at being outwitted had run her down and caught her before she had gone 50 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 bis story. The woman was quiet and did not seem to hear what they said. Despite their chagrin at having been worsted by 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 bit fearful that the woman would escape them unless they kept sharp lookout.
 When morning came, a big party set of in pursuit of Craig. But they had scant hope of overtaking him with 8 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 woman, and the town had the offender in custody. But smoke and ponder as it might, Sage Bar was at loss to 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 indefna- ble feeling among the Sage Bar solons that these laws could not be applied with propriety to women, and so 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 so with admirable judgment the town de- cided to free itself of further responsi- bility by setting the woman at liberty. The customers wife was pale and evil dently worn out when they brought her out of the cabin; but she said not word when they told her she might go and walked off in the direction of her home with smile, half of defiance, half Of satisfaction. That night the party which had gone in pursuit of Craig returned having made fruitless search
 Two days later, just as Sage Bar was preparing it's evening meal, two men were seen riding over swell from the northeast. Five horses were driven loosely before them. When the men got nearer the town one of them was recognized as the easterner. He was riding bareheaded, and beside him rode another, dark and swarthy, his arms bound to his sides, his horse led by Craig All Sage Bar assembled about the party, while Craig told the story of how he had ridden away that night, had struck the trail of the horses, and following it had brought the Mexican thief to terms with a shot from his rifle, and then came back. And when he had done there were cheers for the customer such as the town hadn't had a chance to relieve itself of for a long while, and to this day there is not 8 man in Sage Bar but touches his slouch hat to the customers wife, whom Jo Stetson declares is "th' smallest little woman in the westp' - Kansas City Times