The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-11

on entering, and lest she should sprain her
ankle by fall over any of the furniture,
as she OPPORTUNITY remembered her Aunt
Martha had done under similar circum-
stances six years before, she lit her lamp
The tidying of the trim little apartment
did not progress very rapidly; indeed it
got no farther than taking the hand glass
from under the hair brush. Observing
curl was out of place, she rearranged 1t,
| and then fell TO studying her own lovely
| face in the mirror. Involuntarily she
! smiled back at the coquettish reflection,
| and, nodding her dainty head. stole to the
window, lifting the blind cautiously once
more.
Yes there was the light still intermit-
tently flashing and evidently designed to
| attract her attention.
At first it seemed a meaningless tumble.
! but she was al last able to disentange one
word that looked like help" Trying to
SMILE she openly brought her own lamp
| to the window now and sgnaled: What's
and again the light sank. Her cheeks white
as the sheets of the bed behind, she rushed
to drawer where she kept the code which
she luckily had not destroyed, and returned
| with it to the window. The other light was
there flashing it's fateful message. Con-
| centrating every energy of her soul upon
the work, she at length grasped its tenor:
Wreckers-here prisoner-stop Denver
gold express" very creditable per-
! torrance, since the code was not designed
| for public service.
She. could hardly, trust her eyes. Re
| peat, she signaled, mechanically. AS if
IN answer, the far-off flame fared up
| brightly an instant, and then smoldered
down to a Pickering CLEAN that presently
| d1ed, nor did 1t shine again, for Mr. Jack
| SON. who had succunlbed to the deadly
faintness creeping on him from loss of
| blood, was lying senseless by his window
| Miss Dubleeks feelings toward him I'M
| derwent immediate change, the O'Grady
episode receding to proper perspective, or,
| girl was, she decided a low-down flirt UNI
Mt for and undeserving of serious con-
sideration, and, IN word, Peter was re-
In a moment Sally reached the kitchen
Mother, where's Seth?" she asked, i'm
| perously
Don't know drawied Mrs. Dubleek,
who still felt little huffed by her daugh-
| ters withdrawal; "spect he's not started
| lage whittier her son had gone on business
| earlier in the evening. Sally looked up at
| utes to 81
Where's the men?" she cried. desper-
Pop Hopkins is at Arrowsfoot," her
| mother responded. IAN josh is at Jaggers-
| vile by now, huntin' after that Kellowney
gal, l dessay. You can't get much good
times, | hear an there he is fOllerin her
still He amt like others with fixed sal
aries as suffers in silence"
Mother for heavens sake stop. There's
| something awful goin' to happen" painted
Sally. "Jaggersville stations held up an
| they're on to wreck a gold train comm
| Denver way. Peters just sgnaled me-
Oh. mother Couldn't 1 take the mule an
Yes, n crack yer neck before you were
half way, or. get held up by the road
agents agents Not if know Wit it,? the older woman
job, an they're watchin' the roads, though
what's possessed the Grand National to
| tote the gold around here is beyond me-"
| The girl wrung her hands.
| Lets go out n have a look round, any
way pursued the other; perhaps some
one ,'ud be passin along the road or some
thin"
Sally flung the door open and both women
| hastily picked their way across the clear
|
| until further progress was arrested by a
breast-high fence, vantage point from
| which the Single roofs of JaggerSVille
| could be clearly seen by day. Now all this
| was blotted out and only a red light stand
| Gated the position of the station. Instinct
lively Mrs. Dubleek shaded her eyes as she
looked.
All they've got everything reglar." she
| observed, as second light showed sud
denly farther up, toward the distance sig
nal; This amt no harum-scarum job,
| Sally, it's a deep game, an the chaps
who're in it goin at it for all they're
| WORTH
"oh. God, what shall we do?" moaned
Pretty much nothing" replied the mat
ron by her side. All, the cunnin' devils, -,
| she continued as the two lights changed
color. there's the clear signal, Sal l
ought to know--many's the time I've
watched it from here. It's a regular lure,
'o6. but could nothing be done?",
We'll, we amt birds, grille replied the
I'd fly across an put that distance signal
out ,,tould be the best thing for the train -,
| Sally had drawn herself up again and
| was putting her hair behind her ears Put
| the light out?' she echoed.
| Yes" answered Mrs Dubleek; '"twOuld
| be kind of warnin That all wasn't right,
| though, of course. the guard should be on
the Jump as this ones bound to be-"
Sally was silent.
your father could do it from this spot
1t amt quite three-quarters of a mile-with
| his Winchester; I've seen him do as fly
| iY1ur- Cd fha oil, rNIon
Sally clapped her hands and darted back
into the house. Presently she was in Seth's
| All, yes, thank heaven, there was his re-
| peating rifle on its hooks-there, too, the
cartridge belt She seized both and hurried
downstairs. In the kitchen she paused to
| extract the ammunition. There were only
ten little cylinders in the metal clips-the
exact number the weapons magazine took.
She charged 1t quickly. praying for a
steady hand. She inherited her fathers
kgift of straight shooting. but as she had
| never attempted what she now intended
| doing, she felt nervous, hence the spasm
of piety A minute after she was at Mrs.
Dubfeeks side aiming for the distant light:
Bang, bang, bang, the reports ringing out
one after the other with startling distinct
| ness, and again, more slowly, bang. bang,
bang. bang; but yet no change in that yell
| low spot glittering against the night. Sally
| precation and shifted her position as She
| prepared to sight the rifle once more. But
sal" she said, you're too nervous,
|
gun an sit on the ground a Bit
| Her daughter obeyed meekly and for
| awhile there was silence between the two
| women in which they could hear the fftful
| stamping of the stabbed farm horses and
the new of hawk overhead. Before and
| around darkness suggesting illimitable
space. Behind the kitchen fire threw
| bright reflections the broken ground
| shelving away into obscuEity, the lamp in
Sally's window farther up making paler
patch beyond. In the distance the light
| shone steadily.
| Gradually muff1ed throbbing came to
| their ears, so faint so regular, that it might
have been the beating of the heart of the
| brOoding night.
Now my girl" whispered Mrs. Dubleek
softly to Sally, who had risen quietly
| rest your arm this fence rail an shoot
straight, for one O. them shots has got
to do iti
Sighting steadily: Sally fired again three
times. At the third she dwet upon her
aim before pulling the trigger, and then
| instinctively lowered the weapon. No light
was shining now. The last lucky bullet
| had shattered the lamp
Sally burst into tears. Mrs. Dubleelx
laughed and patted the girls heaving Shout
| ders.
A minute passed slowly; then a faint,
far-off thread of sound wavered against the
+loo