The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-29

L
he can't be outrun this side OF the
state line" -
I hain't no boss thief" said Madi-
son, rrimly.
Nobody SEE We are, but you'd be
wuss-a foolEef you didn't take him.
| IN testimony that you found him
/ among your bosses; I'll tell Judge
Boompointer you've got him. and We
I kin send him back when you're safe:
The judge will be mighty glad to get
him back. and call it quits So-ef
you've writ to Salomy Jane-come.'
Madison Clay no longer hesitated.
Saiomy Jane might return at any mo-
ment-- lit would be part of her fool
( womanishness'-and he was in no
mood to see her before a third party.
He laid the note 1on the table. gave a
hurried glance around the house. which
he grimly believed he was leaving for
ever, and, striding to the door, leaped
on the stolen horse, and swept away
with his kinsmsn.s
But that note lay for week undis-
turbed on the table, in full view OF the
open door. The house was invaded by
leaves, pine cones, birds and squir-
/ rels during the hot, silent, empty days,
and at night by shy, stealthy creatures,
but never again, day or night, by any
! of the Cla-' family. 1t was known In
the district that Clay had flown across
J
! lieved to have Joined him the next day,
and the house was supposed to be lock-
! ed W. It La off the main road, and
| few passed that way. The starving
cattle in the corral at last broke their
bounds and spread over the woods.
And ore night a stronger blast thah
usual swept through the house, carried
the note from the table to the floor,
where, whirled into crack in the floor,
it slowly rotted.
But, though the sting of her fathers
! reproach Was spared her, Salomy Jane
| had no need of the letter to know what
/ had happened. For, as she entered the
!! woods in the dim light of that morn
| ing, she saw the figure of Dart gliding
from the shadow of a pine toward her.
The unaffected cry of joy that rose
from her lips died there, as she caught
sight of his face in the open light
You are hurt?" she said, clutching
his arm, passionately.
No he said. But wouldn't mind
that if
You're thinkin' 1 was afeared to
come back last night, when l heard the
shcotin.' but 1 did come. she went on,
feverishly. II ran back here when l
heard the two shots, but you were gone.
l went to the corral, but your boss
wasn't there, and 1 thought you'd got
| away"
Il did get away said Dart, gloomily.
II killed the man, thinsin' he was hunt
in me, and forgettin' l was disguised.
He thought l was your father"
Yes" said the girl. joyfully, he was
after day, and you, you killed him." She
again caught his hand admiringly.
But he did not respond. Possibly
there were five points of honor which
this horsethief felt vaguely with her
father Listen" he said, grimly.
| "Otbarc {bipl- II wa c xol1~ ia tber killed
him. When 1 did it-for he fired at me
first-I ran to the corral again and took
my boss, thinkin' 1 might be follered.
l made a clear circuit of the house, and
when / fred he was the only one, and
no one was follerin'-I come back here
and took off my disguise. Then 1
heard his friends find him in the woods.
and knew they suspected your father.
And then another man came through
the woods while vas hidin'. and found
the clothes, and took them away" He
stopped and stared at her gloomily.
But all this was unintelligible to the
girl. dad would have got the better
of him eff you hadn't" she said eager
ly so what's the ,difference?"
'AH the same he said gloomily, 'I
must take his place"
She did not understand, but turned
her head to her master. Then you'll
go back with me and tell him ali?" she
said obediently.
Yes" he said.
She put her hand in his, and they
crept out of the wood together She
foresaw a thousand difficulties, but,
chiefest of all. that he did not love her
as she did. She weeld not have taken
these risks against aheir happiness.
But alas. for ethics and heroism AS
they were issuing from the wood they
heard the sound of galloping hoofs, and
had barely time to hide themselves be-
fore Madison Clay. on the stolen horse
of Judge Boompointer, swept past them
with his kinsman.
solomy Jane turned to her lover.
And here 1 might, as a moral ro-
mancer pause, leaving the guilty, pas
sionate girl eloped with her diSreput-
able lover, destineds to lifelong shame
and misery, misunderstood TO the last
by a criminal, fastidious parent. But
am confronted by certain facts on
which this romance is based. A month
later a handful was posted on one of
the sentinel posts announcing that, the
property would be sold by auction to
the highest bidder by Mrs. John Dart.
daughter of Madison Clay. ESQ.,. and it
was sold accordingly. Still later-by
ten years-the chronicler of these pages
visited a certain Stock" or breeding
farm" in the Blue Grass country, ia
nous for the popular racers it had pro-
duced. He was told that the owner
was the best judge of horsefiesh in the
country. Small wonder" added his in
formant ''for they say as young man
out in California he was a horsethief,
and only saved himself by clipping with
some rich farmers daughter. But he's
a straight out and respectable man
now, whose word about horses can't
be bought; and as for his wife, she's
beauty To see her at the springs
rugged out in the latest fashion, you'd
never think she had ever lived out of
New York or wasn't the wife of one of
its millionaires."