Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-20

sides Of the ravine. Once on the top. dug |
my heels into his sides and made him gal |
lop his best The ground, though level had |
broken surfacei but with Naomi lying |
there injured. perhaps fatally. what cared / |
for the risk OF a broken neck? We few |
along regardless Of stones and the frequent
burrows OF prairie dogs i had reached a |
spot three miles from the coach road when |
! thought heard a shout. Looking round
saw some twenty or thirty mounted men
following in my tracks. They were gallop-
Ing their hardest and some Of the best
mounted were overhaultng me. For a mo-
ment L wondered what IL meant: had Ma
| omis peril started off the whole of Golden
Falls In search Of a doctor? That had
nothing to do with me: I had promised TO
go to Parsons City, and whether / arrived
there first or last thither / would 20. /
sent my horse along with a will.
But there were fieeter footed than the
| chestnut behind me. AS entered the
coach road, three of my pursuers dashed
alongside, and. before i could realize what
they were doing, pointed their pistols at
my head. Halt! you burned hoss-thief or
we'll down you,' cried one of the miners.
pulled up to explain. Before had OPEN
| ed my mouth they had me on the horse.
Two OF them held me fast. while the re-
lnainder Of the party came struggling up.
blnnder you are making over me- let one
too late else"
It's uncommon little good a doctor will
do you in this job. my lad" said one OF
my captors. Here, Luke" he added as
Naomi's sci-6isant brother rode up on a
borrowed steed. we've took him. you see"
does this meanr' / asked You told me
| the Doctor"
That be hanged for a yarn; you had bet
ter tell that to the court. You stole the
horse you dirty tenderfoot," replied Luke,
letting his pent-up hatred loose at last
saw that was trapped, but rejoiced that
huf RI NJ
Luke's device.
Come. boys. form the court" said one
or the older men. There's a handy tree on
| yonder bluff ready for the Britisher."
Thus II was that 1 found myself on trial
Tor my ife-for horse stealing is a hanging
| business IN Dakota-before the dreaded
Judge Lynch. Lukes perjured evidence
was fatal. He swore that my story OF hav-
ing been sent for the doctor was false that
! had arrived at Golden Falls a mere penni-
less ioafer. and that had requited his char
| lty by robbing him Of his horse 1 looked
round on the rugged faces of my captors
ana saw there was no hope for mercy i
cence.
1t was all over in five minutes. The
court pronounced ME guilty" and I was
soiu 10 say my prayers. But just as the
sentence was uttered there was q clat-
ter and rattle of wheels, and round Black
| mans Corner came the Parsons City mail
eoach-the self-same vehicle in which 1
| had been victimized by the road agents"
The driver pulled up as he came abreast
the crowd l saw that my old acquaintance
the one-eyed guard, was I'm charge He got
down and strolled over to where the miners
who had veftaken me were still holding
the chestnut horse Going to hang him,
| boys?' he asked after a moments scru-
TRY.
That's So" was the reply
where is the cuss?' asked the guard
That's him." said one of the men, point
ing 10 where L stood, with my hands bound
behind me.
The guard recognized me with a start
'Pah! he said, you're foolin'. That Brit
isher was along with us. a passenger when
the agents stuck us up; he couldn't have
stole the horse. or the dust, either, for the
matter of that"
What do you meang' asked the miner
who had acted as Judge. mo ones talking
about dust"
Il am, though" said the guard, shortly
Il tell you that is the horse the road agents
lifted, and 1t stands TO reason as the man
that lifted the horse lifted your dust, don't
it?'
There was a murmur OF wrath among the
miners. All eyes were turned on Luke.
He began to move toward the edge of the
crowd but rough hands restrained him,
and the leader said very quietly: You will
have to show where you got that boss.
Luke, before you make tracks"
1T amt a matter of shown where he got
the hoss, L reckon" said the guard; least
ways, not altogether. See! he's a button
short in the center of his shirt. Guess 1
can find the missing sinner to match" and
he pulled out of his pocket bright metal
fancy button, engraved with a phoenix
the exact counterpart of the SNOWY fasten-
ings Luke wore in his hunting shirt.
Go on. What of that?" shouted the
crowd.
Il picked up that button on the ground
where We We're robbed" said the guard, |
right here by the corner. 1t got hitched
off as the galoot cut the trace of that bald
faced chestnut. l saw it drop. / guess that
ought to be en- )ugh for you"
1t was. 'Nhat say you, boys, shall We
hang bim?' asked the Judge, and amid a
storm of ayes Luke was dragged pale |
spot reached, he braced himself UP
with an effort and pointed to me- / was
still bound between two OF the men, |
Boys" he said, IF / tell you where the
dust is hid, will you hang that cursed
Engliskman alongside OF meY'
mo, by gum, We wouldn't hang a dog on
your evidence, you traitor, that sold your
pals" said the judge. up with him, lads"
1t was not until year later that, safe
in the security Of our English home, Ma
omi told me quite all there was to tell about
Luke. She had reason TO believe that in the |
interval between hearing OF her fathers |
death and my arrival he had twice at
tempted her life-once by means of a re- |
puted accident with his revolver and
again by persuading her TO cross the noun |
tain torrent at dangerous spot. In all |
probability my rash trip out west was the \
means OF preserving the life well as the |
fortune of the heiress of Golden Falls But |
/ am more than repaid. |
My character was fully re-established |
among the miners on our return TO camp. |
The boy, Indian Joe, had overheard Luke |
pressing me to take the horse TO ride for |
the doctor. Needless to say, Naomi's fall |
from the crag was a fiction designed to send |