The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-05-18
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carried conviction to the majors soul,
despite all Feeny's pleadings, and the
sight of that beacon furiously burning,
the thought of those helpless women
being borne off into the horrors of cap
tivity among the Indians, had conspired
to rouse the paymaster to unlocked for
assertion of himself and his authority.
In vain had Feeny begged him to think
of his money, to remember that out
laws would resort to any trick to rob
him of his guard and might have even
overpowered Wing and his party and
then lighted the beacon. The chain Of
evidence, the straight story told by his
morning visitor, the awful news con-
tanned IN the penciled note brought in
by Mullan, were considerations too po-
tent to be sighted.
In vain did Feeny point out to him
that if Apaches were really in the
neighborhood Wing would not be con-
tent with starting the fire, but would
surely signal whittier to go in search
of them, and that no vestige of signal
torch had appeared. Old Plummer
vowed he could never again know a
moment of peace if he neglected to do
anything or everything in his power
to save the girls. Most reluctantly he
agreed that Feeny should remain in
charge of the safe and the two drugged
and helpless men. Murphy and all the
others were ordered out forthwith to
march rapidly northeastward until they
struck the trail of the pursuit and then
to follow that. In 10 minutes, with
four pack mules ambling behind, away
they went into the darkness, and all
that was left to man the ranch and de-
fend the government treasury against
all corners was the phlegmatic but de-
termined paymaster, his physically
wrecked but devoted clerk, Sergeant
Feeny, raging at heart, but full OF
fight, and half breed packer named
Pedro. The two senseless and drunken
troopers were of course of no use to any
body.
Even as the detachment mounted,
Latham with it, old Moreno appeared
at the doorway shrouded in his serape.
Approaching Murphy by the side far
thest from Plummer and the sergeant,
he slipped fat canteen from under his
cloak and thrust it into the corporal's
ready hand. "Hush-h-no words, +"
he whispered. "All is WELL | keep
my promise" And so saying he had
skunk away, but Feeny was on the off
side quick as shot, quicker than the
corporal could stow the bulky vessel
in his saddle bags. Wrestling it from
the nerveless hand of his junior, Feeny
hurled it with all his force after the
Mexicans retreating form. 1t struck
Moreno square in the back of the neck
and sent him pitching heavily forward
Only by catching at horse post did
he save himself from fall, but, as he
Strengthened up, his face was one not to
be looked at without shudder; grind
ing teeth, swapping, flashing eyes, venge-
full contortions of brow and jaw, hate,
fury and revenge all were quivering
with the muscles under that swarthy
skin, and the cleaning knife was
clasped in his appraised hand as, driv-
ing into the ranch and out of sight Of
the hated "gringos, he burst into
the room where sat his wife and
daughter, and raging aloud, through
that he leaped like panther to another
door, fastened on the farther side,
where one instant he stood before adj
mission could be gained, and through a
panel in which there warily peered
bearded face, swarthy as his own. And
then Sonora Moreno hurriedly banged
the shutter and took up her guitar.
Something had to be done to hush the
uproar of blasphemy and imprecation
mingling with the shout of exultation
that instantly followed her lords adj
mission to the den.
Nine o'clock came. Murphy and his
party were gone. The beacon still
blazed at the westward pass. The twang
of the guitar had ceased. Silence
reigned about the ranch Old Plummer
with anxious face plodded slowly up
and down the open space in front of
the deserted bar. Feeny, with three
loaded carbines close at hand and his
belt bristling with revolvers, was di-
viding his attention between the safe
and the still sleeping troopers. Every
once in while he would station the
major at the safe, which had been
hauled into the easternmost of the
rooms that opened to the front instead
of on the corral, and, revolver in hand
would patrol the premises, never fail
ing to stop at certain window behind
which he believed Moreno to be lurking
to warn that impulsive greaser not to
show his head outside his room if he
didn't want it blown off his shoulders;
never failing on his return to stir up
both recumbent forms with angry foot,
and then to shower in equal portions
cold water and hot imprecations upon
them.
To Pedro he had intrusted the duty
of caring for the horses of his PROSTATE
comrades. Every faculty he possessed
was on the alert. watching for the
faintest sign of treachery or hostility
from within, listening with dread but
stern determination for the first sound
of hoof beats from without. 1t must
have been about 10 o'clock when, leav-
ing Mr.. Dawes, the clerk, seated in the
dark interior beside the safe, Feeny
stepped forth to maze another rorrno,