Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-12-14

hundred kindred thoughts passed
through his mind.
The sun was fast declining as he
! passed from the "cut.off" into the
main road again. The air was get
ting chilly with the coming evening
and the snow In the distance took
on colors of pink and purple where
the rays of the setting sun touched
the mountain peaks. He scanned
the main road eagerly to see ii the
man they were in pursuit of had
passed, but the snow that covered
it was unbroken. Then he rode
back on the main road, in the direc-
ton from which he had come, to
meet his comrade and the fugitive.
He had just ascended one of the
many rolling hills when, in the
distance, he discovered a man rid.
ing horse and driving another.
At the sight his heart almost stood
still. He dismounted and, leading
his horse to one side, concealed
him in a clup Of young pines. Then
he returned to the roadside and
waited. The man was urging his
horses forward, but they seemed to
be wearied and made slow pro.
gress. CraDdall felt his heart beat
faster and faster at the length of
time it took the man to reach him.
He examined his revolver and
rife, cooking each to see that they
were in order. 1t seemed to re.
lleve the tension OF his nerves.
After he had done this he knelt
down so that he could fire with
suier ann, and waited. lie did not
care much now whether the man re.
sisted or not. If the fugitive re-.
sisted he would have to stand the
consequence of resistance. 1t was
nothing to him.
The setting sun full Ia tue mans
face, but Crandall forgot to look
for the scar that the notice had said
was on the right cheek, although
be had resolved to do so particn-
larly. When he first discovered
the fugitive he scanned the road
behind him to discover Lansing,
but the nearer the man approached
the less Crandall cared whether
Lansing came or not. He let the
man approach nearer and nearer,
so that his aim would be more &C
curdtP. He could not affJrd to
throw away the first shot. The
face of the man became more and
Il ore distinct. He seemed to be
oblivious of lhis surroundings.
Crandall felt almost disposed to
let him pass, but the thought that
everyone would think him a coward
if he dld so spurred him on, and
rising erect he ordered the man to
surrender. The horse that the
man was driving in front of him
frightened at Crandall's appear
ance, sweryed from the road, leav-
Ing the two men facing each other,
For an instant CrandaIl looked
straight into the others eyes. Then
the man raised his rifle from the
pommel of the sad lie, and Gran
dali fired. The horse which the
man was riding spring from the
road, aud at the same moment its
riders gun was discharged. The
smoke from Crandal's own gun
blew back into his eyes, and he
turned from it to follow the move.
ments Of the man at whom he had
fred. AS he saw the man still
erect in his saddle, he felt the
feverish haste to fire again come
over him that men feel when they
have shot and missed, and know
that their lite may be the forfeit OF
their failure. He threw another
cartridge into the chamber of his
rife and raised 1t to his shoulder,
but before he could fire the man
reeIed from his saddle and fell,
while his frightened horse gallOped
off through the pines.
CrandalI stepped toward him.
holding his rife prepared to fire
again if necessary. Az he did 80
the man raised his hand anu said,
simply:
"DOn't Gire-you've got me-"
The snow was already red with
blood where he lay. For the first
time Crandall looked for the scar
that the description said was on
the right cheek. For an instant
he did not see it, and his heart
seemed to stop beating with the
fear of having made a mistake, and
when, on drawing nearer, he saw
that was there, that only the palloI
which had spread over the man''
face had made 1t lndinct, he could
have cried out with JOY at the