The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-11-03
last the hand Of the clock stood at II,
and still they had not come.

JOIN olurSln was also SllVlQS alone
in the ticket Office at Pine Ridge.
Thoughts of Lena were uppermost in
his mind-a thing not uprecedented-
but tonight his head was full OF
fancies He knew about the cash box,
for he had spoken with the express
agent as the train passed through.
'I'm afraid the little girl was wor-
ricd about that money" he mused.
"She isn't used to that sort of thing.
But it can't have been in her hands
moro than half an hour"
The telegraph at his elbow was tick
ing in an uneasy, irregular fashion,
but he had scarcely noted it..
All at once the signal sounded loudly.
This was followed by an unintelligible
lattle; even his practiced ear could
make nothing of it, Then, after a
moments silence came words-broken
and fluttering-but to his quick appre-
hension they sounded like an inarti-
culate cry.
"Oh-Oh-Oh-Help!" Then a
confusion Of clicks-and again the in
strument seemed to cry out: ooh -
Oh-Save-L-"
He sprang to the key and tried to
telegraph question, but he could not
get any response. The wires seemed
badly out of order. He was much
alarmed. Something was wrong
horribly wrong-at Dumphy's Glen.
It would not do to waste lime.
He ran out of the de i,ot. "Look
after things, Mac he called to the
baggage-man.
His bicycle was leaning against the
building; he had brought it out that
day for the first time since winter set
in With quick push and leap he
was in the saddle, bounding along the
dim, frozen road.
Dim-yet for mere starlight the
night seemed wonderfully luminous.
But the light was ftful; there were
moments when all seemed buried in
darkness. Then the landscape bright
ened and glimmered as if the moon
had emerged from behind q cloud.
But there was no moon. He knew
that the moon would not rise until
morning was near.
The railway circled the foot of the
hill, but the road ran straight over
the summit. By strenuous effort he
had already reached the crest, and
the hard driven wheel leaped forward
with fresh burst of speed as if itfelt
the downward slope.
Suddenly the air seemed full OF
rosy light, as if tinged with the glow
of dawn. Though he was now run
ming at breakneck pace he glanced
upward. The sky was afame with
the Pickering pennants of the aurora
borealis. Near the horizon lay bank
of dusky haze, through which the
stars cleaned family. Above it
wavered a pale phosphorescent cur
tain, which shivered as if shaken by
gusts of wind; from behind which
ruddy streamers shot up to the very
zenith and fickered and waned and
frightened. It was a magnificent
display; but as the descent was be-
coming sleeper every moment he was
obliged to keep his eyes fixed on the
road.
He vas now rushing down the
rough track with violence that al
most defed control. The overstrained
tubing gave under his weight to the
very limit of its strength; the ma
chine heaved and palpitated like q
frightened horse and SHE'D wildly
amid the ruts and stones that he
could not avoid. At sharp turn of
the road he swung out so far that he
felt the hind tire slipping on the icy
edge, and barely escaped plunging
down the embankment; then the depot
windows flashed into view.
After that the bicycle must have
chosen it's own course. for Sturgin
was not conscious of guiding it. For
the sash was raised and against the
yellow lamplight he saw the dark out
lines OF a man crawling in through
the opening; another followed.
The last figure had scarcely dis
appeared when his wheel came to
stoop in the deep sand Of the station
yard. He dropped from the saddle,
pulled a forty-four calibre revolver
from his hip pocket and sprang to the
! window.
The depot consisted of a single
room; the safe and telegraphic appa-
ratus were on the farther side. In
the middle of the floor stood Lena,
! defiant, with clenched hands and
glowing cheeks, looking straight down
the black muzzle of a pistol that a
huge desperate was holding close to
her face.
| "'You unlock that safe right
quick, and no nonsense" he was say
ing.
''I won't; I can't" cried Lena.
The other intruder, O seedy little
fellow with thin lips and hatchet