The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1894-12-17

q night bad been beacon to the slight,
delicate boy who carried the mail across
the mountains over the Ophir trail Dick
had always liked that lad. Someway,
when he had seen him riding by on his
sure footed, plodding, patient little
burro; when the rider had looked up
10 the cabin and swung his somhero to
the lonely miner, Dick had caught in
the mirror Of the pOstboy's personality
some fieeting, gh0stly shadow Of his
own lost youth. Glimpses Of days long
dead, days when life had been one vast
possibility; when hope had shone not
like an gnis fatuus, but like signal
| fire on "A mountain top; when all the
world had been his, flashed before him
He had come to look for the boys APP
| proach as an event. He liked 10 hear
his CHEEKY whistle aud halloo, to answer
back some rough, good natured greeting
and then to watch him climb the range
farther further, speck out Of sight.
He felt an interest in the young chap
| almost as if he belonged to him He had
grown into his life, as it were
And tonight he had made up his mind
to murder himl
Yes, that was the only way to get
anything in this blasted country. He
| had ploddcd like burro Just long
enough He knew that Jack Fanchot,
the postman, would carry next morning
the weekly mail over the range. He
knew, moreover. that there would be scv-
| at.a1 tb6uSanI dol lstrl ia f.n, yY,ai l1aef
Christmas presents that lucky prospect
ors We're sending away to their friends.
| He smiled grimly as he thought that
certain people would wait long for their
Christmas present this year, y night
fall he would be III Silverton, and
| thon-
He had no definite plan The lust for
gold had simply oyerpowered INN. His
only impulse WAS to steal, kill and get
away, Dick Hunt was for the moment
mailman
Of course there would be no difficulty
in managing the boy Dick was twice
| his size and then coming upon him and
surprising him-oh, yes, it would be
dead easy! All this while he was eating
his hasty supper and clearing away the
| table for operations He cleaned and re-
loaded his six shooters and put them
under his flabby pillows, Then, taking
piece Of coarse white cloth, he CON
structed frightfully groteSque mask
and crammed IL in the pocket of the coat
| he meant to wear on the MOTION. When
his CHASTITY preparations were finished,
he lay down and slept.
He Weakened at daylight, got up,
cooked his bacon and fapiacks, made
his coffee and tried to eat But somcway
the food stuck in his throat After
breakfast he buekled on his belt and pis-
| tolls, put on the long coat he brought
from the east ten years back, drew his
SLOUGH hat we'll down over his restless
fiery eyes, and with the stealthy tread
of a wild beast crept through the cedars
and pines down the trail
When Jack Fanchot came whistling
up the trail, leading his heavily laden
burro and striking listlessly with his
whip at the sagebrush, he was sudden
sternly ordered him to throw up his
| hands. HcSitating an instant, "A blow
stretched him almost selseless on the
ground AS i'll a hidcous dream, he saw
the man stoop over him and take delib-
crate aim at his temple with six
shooter
But he did not shoot
He suddenly paused and almost with
groan said aloud, mo, hang me ef
kin do it, y Then, taking coil OF rope
from his pocket, the robber tied the half
conscious boy ~ tree, rendering him