The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-09

/ WIN the glfi, or WOQlQ nave been had L
not been trailing her father down like a
wild beast. She was something of a
coqueJte, too, and answered my compli-
| ments with readiness of repartee which
had something of wit in it. She was
more than usually gracious this evening,
| and let me see what my vanity suggested
at once was good deal of a weakness for
me, and when at last tore myself away
from her reflected with a sensation of
alarm that little more and l would have
actually told this mountain queen that 1
loved her. l waited for lube until mid
night, when, growing impatient for him
to come and inform me that the still was
in operation, left my room and walked
down the path leading toward Big
Ugly's' cabin.
That act saved my life and those of
others, though how many cannot tell.
There had fallen slight shower an hour
before, and my feet made no noise as 1
| strolled, therefore l was nearly on
couple who stood beside the path before |
knew it. | heard a woman's voice say
softly:
"'You-uns are sho', lube, he don't scent
nuthin'?' and a mans answer, as softly:
Nav, he-uns am plum fooled, Lie. |
done preached to he-uns bout whisky an
its cuss on mankind twell l mos he'd to
laff in the critters face. Nav, he-uns
done count on taking yo' pap tonight fur
sho, an we-uns'll get him and the sheriff
an his posse, too
"'You-uns goin' ter try for the sheriff,
too2' said Lie, admiringly.
Eyes, Stree, answered lube, Il done
guve his note to the sheriff myself an the
! sneakin' meddler walked right into The
trap, an he-uns an his men, mos of EN-
no-count valley Meth 'dists, will be meat
fer crows fore day.
| 81 could see it all The simple lube had
| been set on by his sweetheart, Lie, who
| had guessed my mission in that section
! and had fooled me into taking him into
my confidence, and the two together had
| laid trap for not only me, but for the
sheriff, who, in doing his duty, had in
| CURED the enmity of the mountaineers,
| and it been decided that | was to be the
one to draw him and his posse into an am
bush where we were all to perish [ felt
my blood chill and it was not alone fear
for myself, but for the brave fellows that
were waiting for me down the road.
| What was l to do?
Il started back to think it over, but as
I did so the moon that had been hidden be-
hind cloud came out all at once, and
threw my shadow directly across the
| path. Jube uttered an exclamation, and
sprang forward and seized my arm l
tried in vain to wrest it from MIN,
but he held me fast, calling on Lie to
| fetch him cord.
The girl leaped down the mountain side
to where her clothes-line stretched across
the path, and pulling this down. brought
IL to bind me. l am a strong man, but
Jube's muscles had been hardened almost
/ into iron by his open air life, and with
! Lies assistance, he bound me securely.
" Come along now, Mr.. OFFICER, he
said, grinning in the moonlight. 'You-uns
air pretty cute, but you-uns has come ter
| the eend OF you-uns' row. But I'll keep
you-uns tweu Big Ugly comes and
| shoots you-uns himself. I'd claim that
privilege for maxim love ter my Lie
here, but Big [ gly' lows that's his
share, fer you-uns come a-messin' with
he-unS' business an the tother were a
leetle outside matter. l reckon we-uns
will hev ter let Bill Dickson go this turn,
fer | spose it's all up you-uns leadin' ter
the spot where Big Ugly is at his DEVILS
trade'-and the scamp laughed loudly as
he quoted his own words-'an' the sheriff
knows me too well ter follow me an inch
in these hyar mountings.'
81 was hauled into the second room that
the cabin contained, and thrown uucere-
moniously on the floor after Jube had
looked again to my bindings, and he set
off for the spot where Big Ugly and his
friend waited for my coming with the
sheriff. Lie sat down at her spinning
wheel, and from where l lay in the dark
| could look into the other room and see
the freight falling on her rich complex
ion and black hair as glossy and dark as
a blackbird's wing. The noise of her
wheel had a hOme-like sound, and she
looked very sweet and wOmanly as she
spun, but knew that not man on the
mountain would have less mercy on me-
l lay rejecting on my stupidity in allow
ing myself to be drawn into so apparent a
trap, when all at once a voice that was
little more than a breath, said in my ear:
>" If you-uns will roll a leetle nearer
the door will cut you-uns loose
81 obeyed, and my hands were sawn
apart by hand in the darkness. Then
the knife was given into my own grasp
and | freed my feet. Then there was a
pause, and as Lie raised her voice in a
grooming song, keeping time to the whir-
ring of the wheel, the door opened softly
and | caught glimpse through it of the
stars. | needed no second hint. but shot
out of it like an arrow. There was a sud
den stop to the wheel, and, looking back,
/ saw Lie run to the other door opening
out into the yard and throw up to her
shoulder gun.
"Ping-plng!
g A bullet whistled past my ear, but I
sped on, and heard half in a dream a cry
of pain and horror in Janie's voice, and
following it scream of My God, my
God! jamie, speak to Lie, and say she
amt killed her little sisterp
Il tore on and on, down TO where Dick
for me, and told them breathlessly what
had happened, and of the ambush pre-
pared for them. Dickson turned to his
posse and said, simply: Boys We'll
have to give it up for this time. That old
devil, Big Ugly" and his imps, are pre-
pared for us, and our only chance was to
take them by surprise
Il rode with them-one of the men &C
commodating me with a seat behind him
to where the road branched off for
Greenville and then walked on down to
that town, where l took the train for
Washington, for l knew that my useful
ness as far as the Hellfre district was
concerned was at an end. Dickson, in
answer to my inquiries, afterward wrote
me that Lie Clayton had indeed killed
her sister that night in firing after me,
and that, while she married Jube Corn
wall soon afterwards, she was a broken
and changed woman in her ways Yes,
it was quite a romance if you like.
although 4 always have believed that
what jamie Clayton did for me was more
from naturally gentle, compassionate
spirit than from any fancy she may have
had for the young professor, to whom she
had never addressed a dozen sentences"
MACoN'S PoSTMASTERsHIP