The Irish standard., 1896-03-21


made breach in the zigzag fence, then
the smothered hoof-beats of the horses
coming across the soft turf Of the lawn;
amonent later, in an interval Of silence.
he fancied he could almost hear the
whispered instructions given to JED.
When the two men emerged from the
deeper shadows of the grove he saw
them quite distinctly in the starlight;
they came directly toward his hiding
place, and when they paused within
few feet of the trees he could scarcely
restrain the eager ferocity that prompt
ed him to rush out upon them. In the
instant of hesitation he had time to note
that one of them carried an arInful of
kindling wood; the man gathered it
into firmer hold while they paused.
and there was smothered tinkle OF
breaking glass, and the pungent odor
of kerosene filled the air.
what was that thar noise?" asked
the other.
.Hit's that thar blame bottle O. coal
oil, >. that's what hit is; hits done
busted an run all down into my boots;"
replied the first; and they moved for
ward and disappeared behind the corner
of the house.
Ringbrand kept them in sight as long
as he could, and then ran across to the
clump Of laurels, going down on his
hands and knees and staring intently
into the gloom until he found them
again, two darker blots of shadow
crouching in the angle formed by the
bay window in the parlor. While he
was straining his eyes to catch the
CLEAN of the match which would be the
signal for their return, he did not hear
the stealthy steps of a man who was APP
preached him from behind, nor did he
know of it's presence when the gliding
figure came quite close and stood with
dubbed gun waiting for him to rise.
The appearance Of the third brother
upon the scene was due to the fact that
Ludlow had chosen his position unfor-
tunatelv and so was unable to see the
men when they dismounted. For this
reason, he waited until he was sure that
the two incendiaries had started for
the house, and the delay gave the holder
of horses time to yield to a sudden inn
pulse born of desire to know if his
warning to Hester had accomplished it's
purpose Looping the horses brides
together and throwing them over the
branch of tree, he followed noiselessly
in the footsteps of his brothers; and
coming out on the open lawn in time to
catch glimpse of Ringbrand as he ran
across to the laurels, he crept forward
until he stood with uplifted gun behind
the uns,ispecting sentinel. When Ring
brand rose at the fash of the match,
the poised rifle cut quick circle in the
air and descended with blow that sent
hirn back to his knees with thousand
scintillating notes dancing before his
eyes; for single confused instant he
thought the end had come, and then he
felt the revivifying breath of the spirit
Of battle which seemed to inspire him
with the reckless and invincible courage
of his war!i<e ancestors. Leaping to
his feet, he fell upon his assailant with
Irresistible fury: there was sharp,
.breathless struggle, q fierce elutching
for under-holds, and then Ringbrand
swung the slight form of his antagonist
over his head and dashed it, limp and
helpless. against the bole of the oak.
While this bit of by-play was going on
behind the laurels. another incident oc-
cured which further disarranged Ring
brands plans and left Col. Latimer and
Henry in doubt as to what they should
do. When the elder Bynum stopped to
light the pile of kind|ings, Bud started
u ~ l., 81
the first match went out. the younger
brother had time to reach the clump Of
laurels before jeff could find and light
another Seeing but one Of the men
appear. the colonel and his son both hes
itated. and Bud confronted Ringbrand
Just as the latter recovered himself
from the grapple with Jed. There was
no time for elaboration, and. realizing
that the ountaineer could not use his
rife at close quarters, he flung himself
upon the newcomer. taking him I'M
awares and throwing him heavily just
as bright blaze sprang up beside the
house and howl OF agony rang out on
the still air of the night. A single
glance revealed the cause OF both. There
was terrible picture of a man wrapped
in a winding sheet of fame and
running toward him-a yelling human
torch blazing from head to foot and
swinging its fiery arms franticaliy as it
ran. .. ...
: At such crisis, thought and action
are one. Shaking himself loose from
the grasp OF the struggling young
brother, Ringbrand quieted him with
single deli berate blow with the butt Of
the pistol; the next instant he had
tripped the shrieldng tirebrand and was
rolling it over and over in the damp
grass when the colonel and Henry ran
up. 1t was all over quickly, and they
were binding Jed and Bud when Ludlow
Joined them. The colonel sent Henry
to arouse the negro servants. with or
ders to get the horses and the farm
wagon ready at once, and then an awed
little group gathered around the burned
man while Ludlow examined his in
juries by the light of the lanterns.
"lguess he's past help" hesaid. quiet
ly How did it happen?"
Ringbrand answered: 1T was kero-
sene He had bottle in his pocket,
and broke it just as they passed me.
He was carrying an ar.nful of wood"
Ludlow glanced at the. other two:.
81 missed my man, but see you have
him. How did YOU manage it ?"