Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-12-21
THE QUICKSAND.

that rough frontier country He had
carried off pretty Spanish wife from
the Chihuahua region years before, had
brought her to the rocky Californian
coast and had purchased Il settler $ claim
snd an old adobe house built by a Span
ish hidago half century ago.
Here he farmed, raised cattle on tho
unused government lands and kept q
sort of rude hotel, for several mountain
trails joined at that point the broad
highway which led from the county
scat, 20 miles south to the northern
settlements in the pincries. He had five
daughters, too, the youngest, Theresa,
known as Vcssa, a girl Of :. That add
cd to the attraction, and almost every
night the darl4 tPed, half Spanish girls
sang and dances, ami old Stonor man
aged to hear all the news that was
afloat, and somehow most Of the loose
coin of the region ultimately found its
way into his pockets He was IA deep
one, that same Ephraim Stoner, quiet
~ and patient, secret III his methods
and deadly i'll his blow.
Stoncr's wife and his four elder
daughters were uncducated and i'll
complete sUblcction to his will, but
IcSsa had more brains and energy than
all the others put together and quite as
much beauty, SO that the old Texan
ranger took certain pride in her and
had even allowed her to attend dis
tant school for two years.
This midnight, when, as | have said,
the story begins, person of a prying
disposition might have discovered sew
CIal interesting performances in progress
around the Stuncr adobe. On the north
side Of the house, quite in the shadow,
Tessa was leaning from her window,
convcrsing i'll low tones with a blond,
ialr haired and sturdy young man on
horseback
tom, You do not know my father.
He Is not the careless, warm hearted
man you suppose l must admire his
ability hat that is all. | warn you,
Tom, there never was more dangerous
man. He may lie whore he hears every
word you say, but if he is he Will not
speak to you or to re about it, but if
he knew that you cared for me he would
he your enemy. He has other plans for
me. He wants me to marry for money. "
Tom Warren had once been the school
teacher iii the mountain district, miles
away, where Tessa had been one of his
pupils Thrown upon his own resources
from his childhood, he had developed Il
strong, earnest character and was al
ready so popular in the county that lie
had ju-t been elected sheriff, although
the youngest man on the ticket
While Tcssa and her lover We're talk
ing scene # "a far different nature was
being enacted on the south side OF the
old adulc, which overlooked a deep IA
vine and a camp Of five or six men in
field below. For several years these
men had spent their summers there, os-
tensibly hunting fishing and exploring
the country with their dogs and guns.
Every one knew them, and most persons
liked them Tcssa did not
Stomcr, though it was midnight, sat
i'll the moonlight on an old rawhide
chair, outside the door, smoking his
pipe and mcditating-a tough, snowy,
gri2ZlCd night owl Of IA man.
That internal knuckle head at the
camp ought to have reported before
now, he thought to himself as he
smoked.
A man came out of the brush and
spoke doferentially:
"Capt'n, good evening"
''You're late. "
'Dick was shot. "
"Well?"
"Just as the driver throwed off the
box Shot by passenger in the neck
and shoulder, "
HE mustn't stay here to get us into
trouble. Take a boat and carry him to
the point ana We him in the cave
there "
eyes. capt'l,
How much was aboard?"
About So, 600 for the Josephine min
ers.
Send it over the cliff before morn
ing, and I'll divide it up soon. but Won