Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-07

spoke Qefere0tlally:
"Capt'n, good evenin'"
you're late"
'Dicl WAS shot"
"Well?"
''Just Is the driver throwed off the
box. Shot by passenger in the neck
and shoulder
He mustn't stay here 10 get us into
trouble. Take boat and carry him
to the point and leave him in the cave
there"
Yes. capt'n."
GLOW much was aboard:''
about $500 for the Josephine
miners
Send il over the cliff before morning
and I'll divide it up soon, but you be
extra careful. The new sheriff Is Il
smart one
.'All right capt'n," and the man went
back to camp.
A moment later. just as Stoner was
going back to the house, there was the
slow thud of horses hoofs, and Tom
Warren, the young sheriff, rode down
the trail around the corner of the old
adobe building into the main country
road that lay to the west. He had at
last yielded to Tessas entreaties TO go,
go this minute, Tom
"Where in the devil did you come
from. sheriff? Anything up in this part
of the country"
"Oh, no, NOT particle. I've been
visiting my old school in the mountains
and took The short trail home. down
Cayucos."
Won't you put up and stay with lis
all night!'
NO Mr.. Stoner, l must 80 down TO
Kertral TO see friends there. Its only
an hours ride
That settles it." thought Stoner.
Plenty OF stout fellows to use as sher-
ifs deputies there. He has probably
stumbled on traces and is going for
help" He sat and smoked and slipped
his hand back under his coat Easy
to shoot the fellow" he said TO himself.
well, good-by. Stoner," said War
rem, suddenly. Il suppose the beach
road is rs good as eyer?"
"Perfectly safe, only when you cross
Toro creek keep on the sand bar. It's
as hard rs iron. l crossed there to-
day"
Thank you. adios.''
The cliffs were from fifty to 300 feet
high and full of wavewOrn caves. War
rem drew rein on the beach, and for
fully ten minutes watched the ocean
sway and rise. His thoughts thrilled
| with dreams of Tessa. He would take
her away from her narrow and hurt
| full surroundings. He would lift her
| into happier and better circumstances
He would force Stoner's consent, marry
her and make her happy.
| He rode rapidly south. and in half
an hour the mouth of the Toro appeared
| in the midst of sand dunes, breakers
rolling in and the steady river flowing
out. Here was the long sand bar. ten
feet wide. and stretching across. hardly
an inch higher than the watery sur
face.
Warren was beginning to have some
suspicious of Stoner. but not such as
| tons he had received. The sand bar
/ looked safe, but within few days the
sea. as Stoner knew, had swept it
nightly .oyn OIL: The long, compacted
! bar. ana placed insfeld Il quivering
mass of quicksand. so treacherous that
not even light-footed rabbit could
cross without being swallowed up and
dragged bodily down. Warren rode
swiftly forward. He had crossed sand
bars hundreds of times. Some horses
would have been wiser, but the animal
he rode had been bred in the valley
for few yards as he galloped on. Sud
denly in one heari-breakins. breath
less descent, noiseless. but unutterably
dreadful. Tom Warren's horse went
down, down, and the soft, Shiny sand
came up to his name. He shricked out
that desperate, dying horse will some
times utter.
Tom knew the peril. He had thrown
his feet from the stirrups and drawn
them up at the first downward throb,
but the sand began to grasp him also.
He threw himself fiat on his breast
and tore himself loose from the poor
| animal, over whose back the mingled
sand and water was running, as it
rolled from side to side in Intellectual
struggles to escape.
Tom spread himself out over as much
surface rs possible, but slowly, resist
lesSly the mighty force drew him down
| ward. The hard beach was only ten
feet distant, but practically the chasm
was impossible He felt the horse
sink out Of sight. The sand gripped
his own knees and arms. his thighs
and shoulders. Two inches more and
the end by suffocatiOn was inevitable.
Up to this time he had not shouted.
Only his horses wild death screams had
told of the tragedy. What was the
use? Who would be passing along that
lonely road? Then he thought Of Tessa
and of life. He raised his voice in a
claor ctropU chout for holm aOaiu and