Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-03-23


The twenty-nine days were evidently
! the balance Of the month which Young
had promised. What strength or cour
age could avail against an enemy
armed with such mysterious powers
The hand which fastened that pir
might have struck him to the heart
and he could never have known whC
| had slain him.
Still more shaken was he next morn
ing They had sat down to their
breakfast when Lucy, with a cry oi
! surprise, pointed upward. In the cen
ter of the ceiling was scrawled, with q
/ burned stick, apparently, the number
! 2s. To his daughter it was unin
| teIligible, and he did not enlighte1
her. That night he sat up with his
gun and kept watch and ward. He
saw and heard nothing, and yet in the
morning a great % had been painted
: upon the outside of his door,
Thus day followed day; and as sure
as morning came he found that his un.
seen enemies had kept their register.
and had marked up in some conspicu.
Gus position how many days were still
left to him out of the month of grace.
Sometimes the fatal numbers appeared
upon the walls, sometimes upon the
floors; occasionally they were on small
placards stuck upon the garden-gate
or the ratings. With all his vigilance
John Ferrier could not discover whence
these daily warnings proceeded. A
horror, which was almost supersti-
tious, came upon him at the sight of
them He became haggard and rest
less, and his eyes had the troubled
look of some haunted creature. He
had but one hope in life now, and that
was for the arrival of the young hunter
from Nevada.
Twenty had changed to fifteen, and
fifteen to ten; but there was no news
of the absentee. One by one the num-
bers dwindled down, and still there
came no sign of him. Whenever a
horseman clattered down the road or a
driver shouted at his team, the old
farmer hurried to the gate, thinking
that help had arrived at last. At last,
when he saw five give way to four and
that again to three, he lost heart, and
abandoned all hope of escape. Single
handed, and with his limited knowledge
of the mountains which surrounded the
settlement, he knew that he was pow
less. The more frequented roads We're
strictly watched and guarded, and
none could pass along them without
an order from the council. Turn which
way he would, there appeared to be no
avoiding the blow which hung over
him. Yet the old man never wavered
in his resolution to part with life itself
before he consented to what he re-
garded as his daughters dishonor.
He was sitting alone one evening
por 7ering deeply over his troubles,
ana searching vainly for some way out
of them. That morning had shown
the figure . upon the wall of his
house, and the next day would be the
last of the allotted time. What was
to happen then? All manner of vague
and terrible fancies filed his imagina-
tion. And his daughter-what was to
become of her after he was gone?
Was there no escape from the invisi-
BILE network which was drawn all
round them? He sank his head upon
the table and sobbed at the thought of
his own impotence.
What was that? In the silence he
heard gentle scratching sound-low,
but very distinct, in the quiet of the
night. 1t came from the door of the
house. Ferrier crept into the hall and
listened intently. There was a pause
for few moments, and then the low,
insidious sound was repeated. Some
one was evidently tapping very gently
upon one of the panels of the door.
Was it some midnight assassin who
had come to carry out the murderous
order of the secret tribunal? Or was
it some agent who was marking up
that the last day of grace had arrived2
John Ferrier felt that instant death
would be better than the suspense
which shook his nerves and chilled his
heart. Springing forward, he drew the
bolt and threw the door open.
Outside all was calm and quiet. The
night was fine, and the stars were
twinlzling brightly overhead. The
little front garden lay before the
farmers eyes, bounded by the fence
and gate; but neither there nor on the
road was any human being to be seen.
With sigh of relief Ferrier looked to
right and to left, until happening to
glance straight down at his own feet
he saw to his astonishment a man lying
fat upon his face upon the ground,
with arms and legs all asprawl
So unnerved was he at the sight
that he leaned up against the wall with
his hand to his throat to stife his in
clination to call out. His first thought
was that the PROSTATE figure was that
of some wounded or dying man, but as
he watched it he saw it writhe along
the ground and into the hall with the
rapidity and noiselessness of serpent.
Once within the house the man sprang
to his feet, closed the door and re-
vealed to the astonished farmer the
fierce and resolute expression of Jeffer-
son Hope.
Good God!" gasped John Ferrier.
"How you scared mel Whatever made
you come in like that?"
"Give me food" the other said,
hoarsely. II have had no time for bite
or sup for eight-and-forty hours" He
flung himself upon the cold meat and
bread which were still lying upon the
table from his hosts supper, and de-
voured it voraciously. Does Lucy
bear up well?" he asked, when he had
satisfied his hunger.
"Yes. She does not know the dan
ger" her father answered.
THAT is well. The house is watched
on every side. That is why crawled
my way up to it. They may be darned
sharp, but they're not quite sharp
enough to catch Washoe hunter"
John Ferrier felt n different man
now that he realized that he had de-
voted ally He seized the young mans
leathery hand and wrung it cordially.
you're a man to be proud Of" he said.
There are not many who would come
to share our danger and our troubles. :"
you've hit it there, pard, !" the young
hunter answered. II have a respect
for you, but if you We're alone in this
business I'd think twice before l put
my head into such a hornets nest.
It's Lucy that brings me here, and be-
fore harm comes on her l guess there
will be one less o. the Hope family in
Utah"
"What are we to do?"
Tomorrow is your last day, and un-
less you act tonight you are lost. 1
have mule and two horses waiting in
the Eagle ravine. How much money
have you?"
Two thousand dollars in gold, and
five in notes"
THAT will do. Ihave as much more to
add to it. We must push for Carson City
through the mountains. You had best