The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1893-09-15

him now. 1t was the easterner's wife.
s'Is he In thereg she said. her voice
trembling bit.
"Yes," answered Stetson.
"Can see himY' she asked. "Only
for a moment" she added.
''Can't do 1t, marm," said Stetson.
For moment she was quiet, looking
longingly toward the cabin and clasping
and unclasping her hands softly. The
man hoped she would go. He had hated
to say no, and he didn't know how long
bis 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 SO sadly
and yet SO bravely withal that Stetson
wavered and was lost.
"For five minutes, then, no morep he
said, half repenting 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 q rap from
the inside Of the cabin, and, much re-
leved, 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
SO he felt tiny ring of cold metal
against his head and heard, in her voice,
now without tremble:
"Put up your hands and do itquieklyp
The order was SO distinctly put and SO
emphatically backed up by the cold
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 a man dashed out and melted
In the darkness of the prairie. A mo-
ment more, and tho hoofbeats Of o 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
slant Stetson was after her, and wild at
being outwitted had run her down and
caught her before sho had gone 80 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 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 a
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 1t 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 ito 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
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 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-
BILE 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 response
bility by setting the woman at liberty.
The easterner's wife was pale and evil
IDENTIFY 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 its evening meal, two men
were seen riding over a 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
q shot from his rifle, and then came back.
And when be had done there were cheers
for the easterner such as the town hadn't
had chance to relieve itself of for a
long while, and to this day there is not q
man In Sage Bar but touches his slouch
hat to the easterner's wife, whom 10
Stetson declares Is 9TH sandiest little
woman in the westr' = Kansas City
Times.
Getting Something Like 1t.
The following little experience, re-
Gently enjoyed by well known tenor,