Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-01

laid his empty, smoking revolver upon the
ground and gaZed at his found friend.
Are you hit?' asked de latter, coming
toward the young man, and the messenger
made no reply until he had given his hand
to the stranger; then he answered simply,
YES" :
The dark man openad1 the messengers
shirt (and he did it as deliberately as he
had kicked the Ute from tine Lone Spruce
saloon). examined the shattered shoulder,
and then the broken ankle, and asked, rs
that all?" In
Yes said the wounded man-"isn't that
enough? -trF- 4 pE
Not if they meant to kill YOU. for they
haven't found your vital. What a lot Of
farmers to go shootn' man in the foot
guess they wanted YOU to dance-that top
have got that in the previous engagement,
eha The bloods begirn him to thicken up.
see that fellows boss 20 oyer the cliff; gee!
The dark man had risen after examining
the messengers wounds, and when the lat
ter looked up his friend had his own
shirt open and was squeezing at a little
My God" cried the messenger. ARE you
shot there?'' -
"Yes-that wasn't bad shot. only on the
wrong side
But why don't it bleed?"
ITS bleedin' on the wrong side" was the
answer, and then the stranger closed his
shirt, looked steadily at his companion, and
Behind those two rocks that are partly
hidden by the bows of tyon cedar-can you
bring it to me? There are five pieces.''
Forty thousand, eh?" said the dark
man as he dumped the five envelopes beside
the messenger, land 1t amt worth the ex-
element you've gone through; but like
you-there's good stuff In you. boy
Half of it ought to be yours, for you
saved me and the money. too; but who are
you, and how did you happen to be here?"
asked the messenger eagerly.
| Il got your note-the one you left in the
SAFE
But that was for the agent"
| Eyes, / know-I opened it by mistake
MY, but those fellows did fight wicked
the messenger remarked as he picked up his
empty gun and began to kick the shell out
Hope that was old Huerfano himself that
went over the bluff"
THE devil you do.
| Say! are you bleeding inside?" asked the
messenger as his companion sank to the
ground, with the air OF tired man.
Il reckon so. Can you set hoss?'
| NO. said the messenger, but if you've
| got horse, for heavens sake take this
money and go, for those wolves will return
and I'd rather they'd get me without the
what is more likely now, both of us and the
money, too
The dark man put two fingers to his lips,
gave a shrill, wild whistle and a beautiful
horseback night-came leaping up
from the gulch behind him.
My! but you're verdant YOUTH" said
the dark man as the messenger offered him
the money, and there was shade of a
ne help you into the saddle while I've got
strength-be quick and he reached to
help the messenger to rise
| II shall never leave you here alone"
IN be dead in twenty minutes-thrty at
the outside Now don't be a foor'-and he
| stopped to lift the big messenger by his
wounded leg, but the effort caused him to
| cough blood squirt from his mouth, and
| both men, weak from their wounds, fell
down in a heap, and then, leaning on their
| elbows they looked at each other the dark
| man with a cynical, the messenger with a
sort of hysterical smile. The black horse
| shifted at his master, and snorted at the
| smell of blood.
The xarden's dark-esed daughter was
taking her regular morning ride in the foot
hills. There were no daily papers to spread
the news of the place, and she had heard
nothing of the washout of the previous day
and of the fight of the messenger. Yester-
day he had made her to feel herself the
happiest woman in the world She had
gone to her bed happy, But had awakened
in dreadful dream, and had been unable
| 10 sleep from that hour until morning. Her
heart was heavy within her breast. She
felt half inclined to be angry with her
| spirited horse, who was now canterins
away with her toward the fresh green hills.
At the edge of the valley she met three
| horsemen riding hard toward the town.
Two of the men were wounded-one was
| bleeding-and she asked what was the mat
ter. The men appeared not to want to stop,
hut when she had heard. IN confused way,
| something about the express messenger, she
| turned and rode by the side Of the sheriff
until he had told her hurredly all that had
occurred He made her understand that
they had left the fugitive and his confeder-
| ate at the top of the gulch from which they
had just emmerged, and that the tnlet
was severely wounded.
He is no thief" she retorted; there Is
| some mistake
Yes" said the sheriff, I'VE made a mis-
take in not shooting him down like dog
at first sight but he'll never leave those
hills alive. In an hour the whole town will
With that the sheriff drove the spurs into
his horse and galloped away after his COM
panions.
a stop and stood looking after the deputies.
| 1t was some moments before she could
realize the awfulness of what she had
heard. I'm an hour the whole town Will be
after him." she repeated what the sheriff
had said. The guards at the prison, those
who could be spared-ePeh her own father
would be upon his trail to kill him. 1t
must not be. With a prayer upon her lips
the bewildered woman turned her horse
and dashed away toward the hills
From the valley the gulch showed plain
ly. but when she found herself among the
| rocks she became confused Inc HedVy
growth of pinon and cedar obscured her
view, and for nearly an hour she galloped
up and down along the foothills unable to
find the correct pass. Her horse was white
with foam. Her veil had been torn away.
and her face was bleeding from many
wounds inflicted by the stiff branches of
the spreading cedars. At times she actual
ly cried out to God to guide her to her
lover, whom she believed to be innocent.
At last she found the trail made by the
sheriff's posse as they came down the
gulch, but moment later her heart sank
Yglk, 81
"A !