Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-03-14


team. Selling sharp-pointcd stick
for use as staff, he stepped down upon
the smooth surface Of the slide and
started downward. lie thought Of q
picture in book at home--a picture Of
4 tourist descending Mount Vcsuvius,
taking giant steps and sinking to his
knees in the soft lava.
The boy wished he had a bed Of
ashes to plunge downward over. Tho
freezing and thawing Of the seasons
had made the upper three inches Of
soil somewhat yielding except where
there were rocks, and Tate recklcssly
allowed himself full momentum. Away
he went, tumbling, sliding, jumping,
almost unable to keep his feet.
When his breath was nearly gone he
drove his staff into the earth and
stopped. The toll-road now appeared
much nearer, and no turned to look
upward to see how much progress he
had made.
A sight met his eyes that made him
SILVER with fright. The men had EVIL
IDENTIFY seen him. High up as they
were-for he had accomplished nearly
half tho distance--he could distin-
guish n piece Of timber In their hands
lie did not doubt their intention.
With swing they threw II over the
proppcd trunks, and he saw the fright
fnl object whilzlng down the slope
toward him.
lie scrambled frantically across the
slide to escape It, but he feared ho
could not. Louder grew the buazing,
whrrins noise, lie dropped fiat TO
the ground from very terror, and was
covered with flying dirt and stones
With Il "zip" the timber went by,
The piece was 50 light TINT u Ind
swcrvod sidewisc. A few rods farther
on 1t bounded to the side and lodged
behind q brush-heap. But the large
tilnbers he knew would not do this.
They would dash straight At the wall
and I'll the road with the wreck, Was
II possible that his father had heard
the noise ind stopped2 No; there was
the tenn coming nearer and nearer
the course the heavy timbcrs would
take.
With renewed energy Tate plunged
on. A flying stone had stysOL ais
cheek and wrung y cry tro.... him, but
he did not a.,op' u. fell once, and a
piece OF ~-'Ju q" an ugly gosh Alross
hI. temple. lie knew the blood wua
trlclsling down his face, but he only
lcapcd forward the harder, terrified by
the thought OF whit might be follow
ing him, and the crime he might be too
late to prevent,
Once he lArd TINT whirling noise
arnin, but suddenly 1t stopped. An
other timber had swcrved from the
track. Now the toll road was almost
Mt his feet. One, two, three more OF
these huge lcnps, and the pcrilous de'
scent which had In his imagination
taken hours, but Ind really been made
In q few minutes, would be over
The light wall built to keep bacE
small stones and snow was before him
lie could SEQ the white canvas top O
his fathers wagon, and the noddint
ears Of the horses, only o few fee
away. Then, behind him, came thu
terrible sound for which he had beef
listening.
As he bounded 70 10 top OF the wal
he glsnced upward The trap ha'
been sprungl All sarsss the slide th
great timbers came racing down In ma
fury, covering Tho broad track frop
aide TO side with . c,oaA Of flying cart
md stones.
There would DO no sworving ID tnfse
To be in the way OF the monster iog'
furious in their descent, meant certail
death. The villains Ind timed .he'
work well. In an Instant scth brnp
dagc and his team would DC airectiy u
a, - - a...,.. .,,.,,,td M t,ptoe
the path, anu escape wou'u DC Inpv,
sible. Tate could not cry out. put a.
nerves did not entirely desert him'
1t Is doubtful which showed mos
surprise us the wild-eyed figure lcape'
from the wall to the toll-road-the plo'
ding horses or the driver, meditatint
beneath the canvas. IaNb clotno
were in shrcds his hat was gone, hi
face was smearcd with blood and dirt
With husky gurgle from his throa
as he tried to yell "lIacltl" he spranl
at the leading horses heads and sav
agcly jcrlsed their bits, forcing th'
whole team backward down the quickly
sloping road In confusion that threat
cned to turn the wagon of the bank
II was not an instant too soon. Qnici
us had been his motions, they vert
barely outside the limits CT the fata
course. Before the father could real
ize what was happening the avalanche
was upon them.
With laundering sound 1t crosscs