The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-04-19
Fanny Harvey's arm and next is pill
lowed in her lap.

! Husnl she murmurS. bending down
over him as a mother mi It over Sleep
ing child. Hush you must not speak
again. l know how her heart is bound
up in you, and I'm to play mother to
you now."
And as Drummond, tingling all over
with wrath and excitement, stands SPELL
bound for the moment, light step
comes to his side, little hand is laid on
the bandaged arm, and Ruth Harvey's
pretty face. two big tears trickling
down her cheeks, is looking up in his.
You, too, will be ill, Mr.. Drum
mond. Oh. why can't you go and lie
down and restp What will we do if
both of you are down at once with
fever?'
She is younger by over two years
than her brave sister. Tall though she
has grown, Ruth is but child, and
now in all her excitement and anxiety,
worn out with the long strain, she be-
gins to cry. She strives to hide it,
strives to control the weakness, and
failing in both strives to turn away.
All to no purpose. An arm in a
sling is Of little avail at such mo-
ment. Whirling quickly about, Drum
mond brings his other into action. Be-
fore the weeping little maid is we'll
aware what is happening her waist is
encircled by the strong arm in the dark
blue sleeve, and how can she see that
she is drawn to his breast, since now
her face is buried in both her handsrand
those hands in the flannel of his hunt
ing shirt-just as high as his heart?
Small wonder is it that Corporal Cos
tlgan, hurrying in at the mouth of the
cave, stops short at sight of this pic
turesque partie carree. Any other time
he would have sense enough to face
about and tiptoe whence he came, but
now there's no room left for sentiment.
Iableaux vivants are lovely in their
way, even in cave lighted dimly by
hurricane lamp, but sterner scenes are
on the curtain. Drummond's 8 voice is
murmuring soothing, yes. caressing
words to his sobbing captive. Drum
mond's bearded lips, unrebuked, are
actually pressing a kiss upon that child
lsh brow when Costigan, with prelim-
mary clearing of his thro@t that sounds
like landslide and lakes the rock
walls ring ag&in, stariles Ruth from
her blissful WOO and lrlAgs DruInmond
leaping to thn mouth or TIE cave.
Lieutenant. there 8 something COM
ing out over our trail
Thank GOd" siGhs Wing. as he
raises his eyes to those ol his fair nurse,
Thank God, for your sakes!''
THANK God, Ruth" cries Fanny,
extending one hand to her sister while
the other is unaccountably detained.
THANK God! it's father and the Stone
man party and DR.. Gray
And Ruth, throwing herself upon
her knees by her sisters side, buries
her head upon her shoulder and sobs
anew for very joy.
And then comes sudden start. All |
IN an instant there rings, echoing down
the canyon, the sharp, spiteful crack of |
rifles, answered by shrieks of terror
from the cave where lie the Moreno
women and by other shots out along
the range. Three faces blanch with |
sudden fear, though Wing looks instant
ly up to say:
They can't harm you, and our men |
will be here in less than no time"
Out in the gorge men are springing
% their feet and seizing their ready
arms; horses are snorting and stamp
ng, mules braying in wild terror. Two
IT the ambulance mules breaking loose
rom their fastenings, come charging
iown the resounding rock, nearly an
initiating Moreno, who. bound and
helpless, praying and cursing by turns
las rolled himself out of his nook and
les squarely in the way of everything
md everybody. But above all the
'lamor, the ring of carbine, the hiss
md spat of lead fattening upon the
ocks, Drummond's voice is heard clear
md commanding, serene and confident.
Every man to his post now. Re-
member your orders.'
Gazing out into the CANYON with di-
ated eyes, Ruth sees him nimbly clam
'er up the opposite side toward the
'oint where Walsh is kneeling behind
rock-Walsh with his Irish mug ex-
landed in grin of delight, the smoke
ust drifting from the muzzle of his
arbine as he points with his left hand
out along the cliffs. She
ees her soldier boy, crouching low,
raw himself to Walsh 8 side, sees him
lancing eagerly over the rocks, then
lgnallng to some one on their own
lde, pointing here and there along the
yooded slope beyond her vision; sees Z
i'm now, with fierce light in his eyes,
lddenly clutch Walsh's sleeve and nod
ward some invisible object to the !
A/e !