The Penn's Grove record., 1894-08-03

land in o hollow, Bill, who led the
party, looked sharply at the footprints
sunk deep in the soil and refined up
quickly.
'Look at tibet shoe mark" he ex.
claimed, pointing downward at the
trail.
'By guns! it's the Fasteners hoss
shoe!" CALCULATED Sam Pike after an
~instant's scrutiny Of the hoof prints,
among which were several larger than
the rest and showing the clear impress
of a shoe. The others were those OF
unshod horses. The party scanned the
marks closely. Then the men looked
at each other with ugly frowns.
"Well?" said Bill, tentatively, at
last.
No one answered for a moment.
Then Sam remarked: at looks bad
for Their fastener, sure! Tn haint
any II got boss shoes like them in the
district 'cept him. Pm sorry + tn
feller's put his head in a ropes end,
boys. But we'll have ter foller him
up, Who'll go back"
A couple of the party volunteered.
The men separated. The others turned
their horses at right angles to.the for
mer line of march and loped on toward
the fasteners cabin.
The fastener, otherwise Jack
Craig, of which they had been speak.
ing, had been in Sage Bar only a short
time. He was q tenderfoot, out and
out. When he came to the Bar he
brought his wife with him. She was a
bright, pretty little woman, but they
hardly knew her in the settlement.
Craig had always been reserved, and
the two had kept by themselves in the
little cabin which stood q mile or more
away from town. So Sage Bar had
come to consider the pair a queer
lot" and to designate them as eth
Fastener an his wife" which was in
tended to be anything but compli-
mentary.
When the trailing party refined up
in front of Craig's cabin they found
the object of their search sitting on q
log before the door, smoking. From
his dress, bespattered with mud, it was
evident that he had just returned from
riding. The party exchanged g%lances
OF understanding.
Sam Pike came to the point at
once. "Craig," he said, Eyer wanted
down ter tn bari"
whats that?" demanded the
Fastener, angrily.
eyer wanted down ter tn bar !"
Sam repeated. "For boss stealingl"
he added.
Craig's face was aaamein the instant.
He sprang from his seat, throwing
back his hand to his hip. But the
others had him covered, and his hand
dropped loosely by his side again.
'It's a lie" he said, 'and you know
it,"
Just then q woman's figure appeared
in the cabin doorway. 1t was Craig's,
wife.
"What's the matter2" she queried
anxiously, seeing her husbands atti-
tude.
Craig spoke up quickly: go back,
Dolly! They've got up a dirty story
about me and want me to go to the
Bar. But I'll come back all right in a
little while"
Sam had n great fear of women'G
tongues and tears and Immediately
ordered Craig to mount o horse which
another man at q word secured from
the stable neal by. The woman had
looked on dumbly, seeming hardly to
comprehend what was taking place, but
as she saw her husband walk over
toward the horse, she ran to him and
threw both arms about him, holding
him tight to her. He unclasped her
arms gently after IN instant and
mounted the horse and, turning in the
saddle, waved his hand to her. Then
they rode away, and after they had
gone n piece Sam looked back and saw
the woman still standing there, her
hands loosely locked before her, watch.
ing them with wide open eyes. ''She'.
grit ter TIL backbone" muttered that
worthy, md dashed his horse into q
gallop.
All Sage Bar crowded around the
party when they drew rein in town.,
and there were some who would have
strung Craig up upon the spot when
Sam had told his story. Sage Bar was
in that stage Of progress where horse
stealing was a capital offense and a
short shrift was granted to offenders.
But Sans protest that nothing should
be done until the Hines party returned
was needed, and the prisoner was put
in an empty cabin, tied hand and foot,
several of the men agreeing to stand
guard.
The afternoon waned away md sven
ing CAME and the Hines party did not
snake its appearance. So Craig was
given something to eat and then waj
fastened tightly once more, and tho
men rolled themselves up in their
blankets in front of the cabin about
II o'clock, leaving only 10 Stetson on
guard.
Stetson sat himself down on n stumd
and lit a pipe, and with his rifle
across his knees fell to thinking about
some mavericks" he'd had branded
that day. Presently he imagined he
heard a soft step from the prairie. He
raised his head and listened. Just
then the moon showed a rim beyond a
sailing cloud, and its light fell on a
Hgure-a woman's fgure-making its
way toward the cabin. Stetson rose to
his feet, letting his rifle butt drop on
the ground, and c~uriously surveyed
tho woman, who was close to him now
1t was the fasteners wife.
SIS he in there?" she said, her
voice trembling a bit.
EYES," answered Stetson.
"Can 1 see him" she asked "only
Or q moment, she added.
For q moment she was quiet, looking
l~ongingly toward the cabin and clasp.
ing and unclasping her hands softly.
The man hoped she would go. He had
hated to say no and he didn't know
how long his determination to refuse
would last5I '1But they say thsy,Se.Gq,