The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-02-06

Z to be rich-rich enough to satisfy
every craving of the body. 1t would
have been unnatural if, under these
circumstances. they had not felt that
tremOr of excitement which the most
cOol-headed and most sanguine of men
cannot sometimes avoid. The young
er man especially was eager to feast
his eyes upon the spot where the treas
ure lay.
I'll tell you what Wen do. Mr.. Her
bert" Ashland said at last. when they
had locked the rough cabin door. and.
with rifles slung across their shout
ders and belts garnished with knife
and pistol, were preparing themselves
for their mountain journey. "Tl have
a look along the trail down hill. first
Of all. | shouldn't be at all surprised
TO find Freckled George and that lanky
Dave era wiling around theer some
wheer. You abide here awhile. and
keep your weather eye to- the top of
that rock at the hack theer. If you
see anything moving theer. man or
beast. blaze away at it. and mind you
hit it. too. Theer amt nobody nor
this time Of night, nor that's theer for
any good to either Of us"
With that he cooked his rifle to the
full and strobe. with body bent for
lard and head down, toward the ce-
RS below. His wary figure could be
N moving stealthily across the
.Oonlit opening. and then vanished in
he black night beyond. The creaking
CT broken branches, as he now and
then unguardediy stepped upon them.
marked his progress to Herbert's ac-
customed ear, but beyond that all was
silence--that wavy. breezy. musical 81
leDce OF a beautiful summer night in a
mountain wilderness when the thirss
Of the air and the creatures Of earth
are quiet in sleep and when only the
soft wind makes melody as it plays
upon each lfaflet.
Herbert stood there. quietly resting
his arms upon his rifle. and eagerly
scanning the uneven top line Of the
rock that stood black as a coal against
the hazy, transparent. dark blue
green of the distant moOn-bathed
mountains. AS he strained his eyes he
thought that some of the unevennes
Of hat rock line was not stationary.
He sank down upon his knees so as to
be totally hidden in the dense shadow,
and carefully examined the top of the
rock. No, he must have been mista-
ken. He quickened his hearing and
listened with hushed heartbeat for
any sound that might reach him from
the high level. No, there was nothing;
he felt sure of that. He rose. rather
annoyed. if anything. at having al
lowed himself to be thus deceived.
But we "a he looked again. he fan
cied that the phenomenon of the nov
ing rock repeated. only to call himself
a fool for thinking so the moment
afterward.
He cooked his rifle. nevertheless, and
remained kneeling there for Il minute
or two. with his eyes glued upon the
rock above. 1t was only when Ash
lands mutiied footsteps fell on his ear
as the pioneer returned. that he rose
and went to meet his friend.
"Theer amt nobody within miles Of
Us" said the yeoman quietly. Every
things as quiet as mice. Let's go"
The words were upon Herbert's lips
by which to apprise Ashland of his
suspicion that somebody or something
was alive at the top of that rock at
the back. but he was Interrupted by
Dicks CHEEKY. I'VE can light our pipes
now, Mr.. Herbert, and do the thing
leisurely." He initiated his friends
example by filling his big wild cherry
root bowl. and the moment afterward
the two set out mOuntainward. much
after the II Of a couple Of pOach-
ers who are going u for a midnight
raid in a neighbOrhOOd where the
keepers are known to be aged and un-
wary.
The road was rough. and, less than
600 yards from the hut. they deserted
the narrow path altogether, and struck
across broker ground, where the giant
pines rose like hundreds Of huge masts
from the turf and mOss-covered earth,
with their crOwnS stretching out like
myriads Of jagged yardarms, from
which as many tempeSt-tOrn. ragged
bits of sails We're dropping. Between
the forest monsters the underbruSh-
briar, bramble, wild currant and wild
viEe-intermingled in SHARING confu-
sion. and made progress difficult and
now and then painful.
You mustn't mind this, Mr.. Her
bert" Dick exclaimed. It'll save a
good mile and a half this way"
The young nan laughed.
i We Deen thrOugh many a thorn
bush before to-day, Dick" he said,
land a little trife like this does not
upset me much"
They were climbing up hill fast then.
The vegetation vas becoming scarcer
and more stunted, the rocks bigger
and more smooth-faced. The moon
stood at its brightest, and where it's
silvery light did not penetrate, the
shadow was black as ink.
Once or twice they halted and list
ened with suspicious ears for the
sound Of pursuing footsteps, but, al
though they both had from time to
time imagined that I'm warrnnfed poiS-