The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-02-04


we were chasing the white wagon"
For u moment Drummond stood MS
founded
Man alive!" he at last exclaimed.
why was not told of thisp Get me
n horse at once, Walsh,' ho ordered
I'll talSo Patterson You two re-
main hero and see that that old scoun-
drel don't get loosc-Morcno there-and
that no harm befalls tho ladies' I'll
ride down after Wing"
"Oh, Mr.. Drummond, you must not
think of going" exclaimed Miss Har-
vey YOU'RE far too seriously hurt,
far too weak, to attempt such n thing.
Please lie down again. Surely Mr..
Wing will do all that any man could
do to recover the safe. All the others
are in pursuit. They must have over
taken them by this time. Come; am
doctor now that no is away. Obey me
and lie still.''
Drummond's one available hand
found itself clasped by warm, slender
fingers. Ho would have drawn it away
and striven to carry out his design, but
glance at his two troopers told him
that they plainly and earnestly advo-
Gated Miss Harvey view of the case
He was in no condition to make the at
tempt. And Mt the moment, too even
as no strove to release his hand, another
voice was heard, almost imploring:
"Oh, don't let him 60 Fan. Don't
let him try to rider
And turning suddenly at the sound
MIR. Drummond found Ruth Harvey
standing close behind her sister, her
eyes suifused, her cheeks blushing red.
1t was the first time he had seen her to
speak to since they landed at the old
wharf at San Francisco year gone by,
and for the moment he forgot the safe,
the funds, the crippled arm, the band
aged head and every other item that
should have occupied his thoughts.
why, Ruthie, is this your How
you have grownv
And then the imprisoned hand was
released only to be transferred to the
clasp and keeping of another In her
fear that her knight, her soldier, would
leave them, and wounded though he
was insist on attempting to follow his
men i'll their pursuit, the shyness of
maidenhood was forgotten. Ruth had
seized and clasped the long, brown FIN
gers and Drummond forgot for the mo-
ment all thought of quitting her pres
ence for the field.
And then having-as she supposed
won her point, and having caught the
new light Ill his admiring eyes, it be-
came necessary to struggle for tho re-
lease Of the hand she had so unhcsitat-
ingly used to detain him. This might
have proved Il difficult matter, Judging
from the expression in Drummond's
face, but for IL sudden hail from Patter-
SON:
Can the lieutenant come uD here Il
moment? There's something going OH
down there | cant understand" ;
Old Moreno. whose bonds could not
restrain his shifting, glittcring ewes.
glanced quickly upward. Then, rs he
caught Il mcnacing look in the sunburn-
ed face of the Irish trooper Walsh, 10
became us suddenly oblivicus to all
earthly matters beyond the pale of his
own physical woes. And now it was
Ruth's hand that would retain its
clasp and Drumnonl's that WAS again
struggling for release. In Il moment
the lieutenant stood under Patterson
perch.
What did you see: What was it
like? How far away"
Six or seven miles, sir. The valley
is broad and open, and three of orr fell
lows were riding slowly back on the
west side, while Wing was galloping
SIS though to meet them, and when they
weren't moro than mile apart Wings
horse went down-looks no bigger than
black speck-and the other three
sheercd off away from the rocks on
this side and seemed to he scattering
apart.
The words were low spoken so as to
reach only his ear. Now it WAS no
easy scramble for "a man in Drummonds
condition TO make, but it took him only
little time to Chamber to Pattersons
side.
There's something back of all this,
and You know it, Patterson What
Apache sign have You SEEM
Smoke, sir on both sides. But we
agreed, tho sergeant and l, that the
young ladies mustn't DO alarmed nor
you aroused. Then he rode away to
hurry III any of our fellows who were
Ill sight and warn them TO keep ont
from the rocks: What l m afraid of is
that they've been ambushed, or ut least
that the Indians have ambushed him.
His horse is down. and those others you
see are away out OIL the plain now.
They're working around toward the
horse as though he were lying behind
1t, and they appear 10 be firing mount
cd"
What was Drummond to do? To
leave his charges here. unprotected, was