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

ing to Try him tomorrow, and
mevn't ret another chance" She
locked at him so sadly and yet SC
hravely vithal that Stetson wavered
and was lost. a,
"For five minutes, then, no moreI'
he said, half ropenting of his words
the instant they were uttered.
But he unlocked the cabin door for
her and locked it behind her again.
Then he stood outside the door cursing
himself. Presently there was q
rap from the inside of the cabin, and,
much relieved he undid the door. But
he kept his finger on the hammer OF
his rifle as he stood aside to allow her
to pass.
She came out quickly. stetson
turned and bent to fasten to door. AS
he did so he felt a tiny ring OF cold
metal against his head, and heard IN
her voice, now without n trembie:
''Put MP your hands and do it
ruicklvl" The order was so distinctly
nut and so emphatically backed up by
the cold metal which Stetson knew
only too well was the dangerous end
of a revolver that he did not hesitate.
As ne threw up his hands the door was
pulled open from the inside and a man
dashed out and melted in the darkness
Of the prairie. A moment more n
The boof beats OF Il horse came back,
sounding clear and sharp on the still
air. ,.r
The men who had been asleep till
now, awakened by the noise, sleeplly
raised themselves on their elbows. The
woman had not moved the pistol from
S~tetson's head. But now she dropped
the weapon quickly and started to
run. In an instant Stetson was after
her, and, wild ct being outwitted, had
ran her down and caught her before
she had gone fifty yards. As he
grasped her by the shoulders the hoot
beats we're dying on the air and the
looked into her captor's face
with IN e%xultant smile.
Stetson brought her back to the
cabin and in a half shamed way told
his story. The woman was quiet and
did not seem to hear what they said.
Despite their chagrin at having been
worsted by q woman, the men could
not but admire her pluck and skill.
Then they argued as to what they
should do with her, and finally decided
to take her into town as soon as it was
light. They locked her in the cabin
and then sat up and talked the rest OF
the night. They felt that it would be
useless TO attempt to trail Craig in the
dark, and, to tell the truth, they were
lust o bit fearful that the woman would
escape them unless they kept a sharp
lookout.
When morning came a big party sci
off in pursuit OF Craig. But they had
hopes of owe. Eaking him with a
horse under him and his many hours
The Fasteners wife still re-
NAMED locked in the cabin. Sage Bar
for once found itself nonplussed. Law
and order had been reversed by a wo-
man, and the town had the offender in
custody. But smoke and ponder AS it
Sage Bar was at a loss to know
how to proceed. All the laws of the
settlement, unwritten though they
we're, had sprung from an acute sense
Of frontier needs, and referred to men.
There was an undefnable feeling among
he Sage Bar solons that these laws
could not be applied with propriety to
women, and SO they talked much,
and drank much more, and
lid-nothing. When the Hines party !
,ame in, tired, hungry and empty
no solution of the difficulty
presented itself, and so with admirable
Judgment the town decided to free it
elf of further responsibility by setting
he woman at liberty. The Fasteners
rife was pale and evidently worn out
Fhen they brought her out of the
but she said not a word when
hey told her she might go, and walked,
If in the direction of her home with a
mile, half of defiance, half of satisfac!
ion. That night the party which had
zone in pursuit of Craig returned, hav-
ng made q iruitiess search.
Two days later, Just as Sage Bar was
preparing its evening meal, two men
we're seen riding over a swell from the
northeast. Five horses were driven
oosely before them. When the men
got nearer the town one of them was
recognized as the fastener. He was
'iding bareheaded, and beside him
,ode another, dark and swarthy, his
.rms bound to his sides, his horse led
BY Craig. All Sage Bar assembled
about the party while Craig told the
story Of how he had ridden away that
had struck the. trail of the
and following it had brought
The Mexican thief to terms with a shot
his rifle, and then came back.
And when he had done there were
for the E~aterner, such as The
town hadn't had a chance to relieve it,
self of for a long while, and to this day
there is not a man in Sage Bar but
touches his SLOUGH hat to the Eastern
sr's wife, whom 10 Stetson declares is
18th sandieat little woman in tn
West l'-New York Press.