Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1896-06-12

and curiously surveyed the woman, who
was close to him now. 1t was the eastern
er's wife.
"Is he in therep' she said, her voice
trembling bit.
YES" answered Stetson.
"Can see him?" she asked "Only for
moment, she added.
Cant do it, marm," said Stetson.
For moment she was quiet, looking
longingly toward the cabin and clasping
and unclasping her hands softly. The
man hoped she would 60 He had hated
to say no, and he didn't know how long
his determination to refuse would last.
But they say they'r going to try him to.
morrow, and mayn't get another chance"
She looked at him SO sadly and yet so
bravely withal that Stetson wavered and
was lost.
For five minutes, then, no morer' he
said, half repenting of his words the in
stant they were uttered
But he unlocked the cabin door for her
and locked it behind her again. Then he
stood outside the door cursing himself.
Presently there was rap from the inside
of the cabin, and, much relieved, he undid
the door, but he kept his finger on tho
hammer>of his rifle as he stood aside to al
low her to pass. She came out quickly
Stetson turned and bent to fasten the door,
AS he did so he felt a tiny ring of cold
metal against his head and heard, in her
voice, now without a tremble:
PUT up your hands and do it quickly!"
The order was SO distinctly put and so en-
phatically backed up by the cold metal
which Stetson knew only too we'll was the
dangerous end of a revolver that he did
not hesitate. AS he threw up his hands
the door was pulled OPEN from the inside
and man dashed out and melted in the
darkness of the prairie. A moment more
| and the hoof beats of horse came back,
sounding clear and sharp on the still air.
The men who had been asleep till now
awakened by the noise, sleepily raised
themselves ON their elbows. The woman
had not moved the pistol from Stetson's
head, but now she dropped the weapon
quickly and started to run. In an instant
Stetson was after her, and wild at being
outwitted had run her down and caught
her before she had gone 80 yards. AS he
grasped her by the shoulders tho hoof beats
were dying on tho air, and the woman
looked into her captors face with an ex
ultant smile
Stetson brought her back to the cabin
and in a half shamed way told his story.
The woman was quiet and did not seem to
hear what they said. Despite their cha
grin at having been worsted by a woman,
the men could not but admire her pluck
and skill Then they argued as to what
ctn do xrit hor nd f,,n do
cided to take her into town as soon as it
was light. They locked her in the cabin
and then sat up and talked the rest Of the
night. They felt that it would be useless
to attempt to trail Craig in the dark, and
to tell the truth, they We're just bit fear
full that the woman would escape them
unless they kept sharp lookout.
When morning came, a big party set off
in pursuit of Craig. But they had scant
hope of overtaking him with horse under
him and his many hours start The cast
erner's wife still remained locked in the
cabin. Sage Bar for once found itself
nonplused. Law and order had been re-
versed by woman, and the town had the
offender in custody. But smoke and
ponder as 1t might Sage Bar was at a loss
to know how to proceed. All the laws Of
the settlement, unwritten though they
were, had sprung from an acute sense of
frontier needs and referred to men. There
was an indefinable feeling among the Sage
Bar solons that these laws could not be
applied with propriety to women, and so
they talked much, smoked and drank
much more and did nothing.
When the Hines party came in, tired,
hungry and empty handed, no solution of
the difficulty presented itself, and so with
admirable judgment the town decided to
free itself of further responsibility by set-
ting the woman at liberty. The eastern
| ers wife was pale and evidently worn out
when they brought her out of the cabin;
but she said not a word when they told
| her she might go and walked off in the
direction of her home with q smile half of
| defiance, half of satisfaction. That night
| the party which had gone in pursuit of
Craig returned, having made fruitless
search.
Two days later, just as Sage Bar was
preparing it's evening meal, two men were
seen riding over swell from the north
east. Five horses were driven loosely be-
fore them. When the men got nearer the
town one Of them was recognized as tho
easterner. He was riding bareheaded, and
beside him rode another, dark and swarthy,
his arms bound to his sides, his horse led
by Craig All Sage Bar assembled about
the party while Craig told the story of how
he had ridden away that night, had struck
the trail of the horses, and following 1t
had brought the Mexican thief to terms
with shot from his rifle, and then came
back. And when he had done there were
cheers for the easterner such as the town
hadn't had chance to relieve itself of for
a long while, and to this day there is not
man in Sage Bar but touches his slouch
hat to the easterner's wife, whom 10 Stet-
son declares is 9Th sandiest little woman
in the west !"-Kansas City Times.