Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-04-26
* CopyRlaHT. 1898 BY cHARLES1.klNdJ r

we were chasing the Whlte wagon"
For a moment Drummond stood as.
founded.
"Man alive" he ut last exclaimed,
"why was | not told of this? Get me
horse at once, Walsh" he ordered.
"I'll take Patterson's. You two re-
main here and see that that old scoun-
drel don't get lSsse-Moreno there-and
that no harm Details the ladies. III
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 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 he is away. Obey me
and lie still"
Drummonds one available hand
found itself clasped by warm, slender
fingers. He would have drawn it away
and striven to carry out his design, but
a glance at his two troopers told him
that they plainly and earnestly advo-
Gated Miss Harvey's view of the case.
He was in TO condition to make the at
tempt. And at the moment, too, even
as he strove to release his hand, another
voice was heard, almost imploring:
"Oh, don't let him go, Fan. Don't
let him try to rider
And turning suddenly at the sound
Mr.. 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 tho 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 you? How
you have grOwn!'
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 in their pursuit, the shyness of
maidenhood was forgotten. Ruth had
seized and clasped the long, brown I'm
! 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 in his admiring eyes, it be-
came necessary to struggle for the re-
lease Of the hand she had so unhesitat-
ingly used to dctain him. This might
have proved a difficult matter, Judging
from the expression in Drumnond y
face, but for a sudden hail from Patter-
son:
Can the lieutenant come up here a
moment: There's something going on
down there can't understand.
Old Moreno, whose bonds could not
restrain his shifting, glittering eyes,
glanced quickly upward. Then, as he
caught menacing look in the sunburn-
ed face of the Irish trooper Walsh, lie
became as suddenly oblvious 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 Drummond's that was again
struggling for release. In n moment
the lieutenant stood under Patterson S
perch.
What did You see? What was i
like? How far away"
Six or seven miles, sir. The valley
is broad and open, and three of our fel-
lows were riding slowly back on the
west side, while Wing was galloping
as though to meet them, and when they
weren' t more than Il mile apart Wing s
horse went dOwn-looks 10 bigger than
black speck-and the other three
sheered off away from the rocks on
this side and seemed to be scattering
apart"
The words were low spoken so as to
reach only hi, ear. Now it was no
easy scramble for man in Drummond' 5
condition to make, but it took him only
a little time to chamber to Patterson S
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, the sergeant and l. that the
young ladies mustn't be alarmed nor
You aroused. Then he rode away to
hurry in any of our fellows who were
in sight and warn them to keep ont
from the rocks. What I'm afraid of is
that they've been amlushed. or at least
that tho Indians have ambushed him.
His horse is down, and those others Won
SEQ are away out on the plain now.
They're working around toward tho
horse as though he We're lying behind
it, and they appear to be firing mount
ed. "
What was Drummond to do? To
leave his charges here, unprotected, was
out of the question. Fail to go or
send to Wings relief he could not.
Decide he must and decide quickly.
Patterson, that party Of Apaches
cant DO over IA dozen strong. or they
would have rushed out Of their cover
by this time, yet they are too strong and
- al, =, Ii, 1