Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1895-03-14
CHAPTER discontinued.

The fish one side Of the path and his rod
the other. he darted forward, calling as
Ae went: .Mr. Norris! Mr.. Norris!"
With q cry OF horror he started back as
he almost stumbled over the bankers
PROSTATE form. With his breath coming
fast and hard Tyler turned the body over.
for it had fallen on its face. Freed from
pressure the life-blood gushed anew from
the pierced brenst. Watch and chain
were gone, and the hunting shirt had beer
slit per and the money belt riled of it's
contents. Springing to his feet and rails
Ing his clenched fist aloft, Burt Tyler
cried:
Murder! Murder! Murderw. in tones
20 terrible, half shrek, half roar, that the
distant hills sent back the cry and the
birds of the night answered from the for
est depths. Then dropping upon his knees
again this child of Nature, crying and
sobbing like II mother over her dead babe,
str0ked the bankers hands, smoothed his
hair. patted his cheeks and called him by
name in tones so piteous that they would
nave moved the heart of the very murder
ar could he have heard them. To this vio-
lent outburst of mingled grief and horror
succeeded a fit of deep and silent despair,
too deep for words or even groans. The
night had fallen. and amid the gloom of
the whispering pine trees huge white owls
lifted spirit-like from bough to bough.
altering their plaintive cry as they looked
wondering down upon Burt Tyler seated
sn the ground and clasping the hand of his
murdered friend. The rumbling of thun-
der, faint and low in the distant mount
aims, reused Burt from his awful rev.
erie, and ever and anon the flash Of the
lightning. dim and uncertain, like the
sudden flicker of a dying flame, lit up
the pine forest lad showed him Norris
white, upturned face.
One single thought now seized upon
Tyler's mind, to wit. the immediate ne
cessity of reaching Gilroy's and alarming
the country. With a sudden impulse he
started on a run along the trail, which
was so well known to him that he could
almost follow it with his eyes shut.
Then quite as suddenly he halted and
turned back. His whole nature rebelled
at the thought of leaving Norris body
lying there on the ground. And yet how
could he protect it? Time passed. Every
moment lost was just SO much gain for
the murderer. There was but one thing
to do, and that to carry the body back to
Gilroy's. But he needed his hands to
feel his way, to grope along from one
blazed tree to another. They must be
free. How then could he load the dead
upon his back!
Suddenly it occurred to him that there
q large hempen bag somewhere
among his traps. With a wild and furi-
u energy he tore it asunder, and then
hO ofonfnpr IN Tho cnNA ~-ko~o -. H.. -.
dercd friend, he drew the bag up over him,
beginning ut his feet, tied the mouth Sc
curely, and. with the aid of a leather
strap, which he passed around his neck.
slung the burden over his shoulders and
staggered to his feet.
The storm was coming nearer and near
IT. To the cries of wild fowl and savage
beasts, which broke forth at every fash of
lightning, Burt's ears were rs deaf as
those of him he bore upon his shoulders.
A single thought urged Tyler with the
stride OF n possessed along the trail.
The storm now burst upon him, lighting
him on his way, as it disclosed the white
patches of the blazes. He had thrown
of hat and coat ut the start, and now the
rain beat piteously upon him, drenching
him to the skin ere he had been an hour
under way. But it cooled the terrible
fever that seemed to be burning into his
very brain, and kept his parched lips from
cracking like leaves in a midsummer
drought.
On, on through the ever-increasing fury
Of the storm, Burt Tyler CROPPED his way
along the trail, guided by some mysteri-
u power when impenetrable gloom fol-
lowed the vivid fash Of lightning. The
one thought that by the use of his won
derful powers of endurance he might be
able to reach Gilroy's and send out a
party In time to overtake the murderer
urged him to break into a run at times
when . fash of lightning showed him u
straight stretch of path before him.
Friendly az the storm fiend had been up
to that moment, he nov began to impede
Burt's progress. Several times in it's
fury the gale wrenched huge branches
from b swaying, creaking trees and
hurled them upon the flying messenger Of
vengeance. Thrice he fell headlong over
the fallen debris; but what were hurts
and bruises to Burt Tyler that night? He
felt them not, and only halted long
enough for the lightning fash to show
him the trail again. Once he was al
most certain he heard a human voice cry
out in pain ahead of him. But it might
have been the scream of some frightened
fowl. At last toward midnight the storm
passed over and the black clouds drifted
slowly away, and a cry of joy escaped
from Tyler's lips as he saw that it was
strangely light and recollected that the
moon was full. Again and again he
broke into q run as he reached a clearing.
DAYLIGHT came Mt last. and Rurf'a keen
eye caught glimpses Of an old oak, which
told him he was within q few miles of
Gilroy's. 1t was about seven when the
guides towering form and the strange
load it carried We're seen by some of his
neighbors, who called out to him as he
passed to know what the matter was.
But Tyler neither halted nor made reply.
In q few moments he bounded up the
steps of the little hosiery. and, stirling
into the bar-room with q wild and animal
like glare in his eyes, ~unstrapped the bag
and laid it on the table.
'For Gods sake, Burt!' cried Cilroy,
what has happened? Where is Mr..
Norris"
''In that bag" was Burt's reply, point
ing at the terrible burden which he had
just laid on the table.
''What-dead:" stammered out Gilroy,
turning ashen pale.
"Yes, dead" was Burt's answer. "Mur.
dered! I've donesniy dpty, Gilroy. car
ried him oil the way from Coy's Lake.
Now you people do yours. I'm tired-I