The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-03-15
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VINO IInu 80 ~rUcUnUiy escaped from the
barn were now advancing toward it.
CHAPTER V.

pected to hear the sudden crash and up
roar of fight as soon as the three creep
Ing men should reach the barn. When
sho arrived, however, she gazed about
her bewildered. The men were gone
She searched with her eyes, trying tc
detcot some moving thing, but she could
see nothing.
Left alone again, she began to be
AFRAID OF the night. The great stretches
OF darkness could hide crawling dangers.
from sheer desire to see human she
was Obliged to peep again at the knot.
hole. The sentry had apparently wea.
rled OF talking. Instead he was reflect
ing. The prisoner still sat on the feed
box, moodily staring at the floor. The
girl felt in one way that she was look
ing at ghastly group in wax She
started when the old horse put down an
echolng hoof Sho wished the men
would speak; their silence re-enforced
the strange aspect. They might have
been two dead men.
The girl felt impelled to look at the
corner Of the interior whore were tho
COW stalls. There was no light there
save tie appearance of peculiar gray
haze which marked tho track of the
dlmmlng rays of the lantern. All else
was somber shadow. At last she saw
something move there. 1t might have
been rs small as rat or it might have
been part of something as 'arge as a
man. AT any rate it proclaimed that
something i'll that spot was alive. AT
one time she saw it plainly and at 9th
er times it vanished. because her fixture
OF gaze caused her occasionally to great
ly tanglo and blur those peculiar shad-
ows and faint lights. AT last, however,
she perceived human head 1t was
monStrously diShcvclCd and wild 1t
moved slowly forward until its glance
| could fall upon the prisoner and then
upon the sentry. The wandering rays
caused the eyes to glitter like silver.
Tho girls heart pounded so that she
put her hand over it,
The sentry and the prisoner remained
immovably waxen, and over in the
| gloom the head thrust from tho floor
watched them with it's silver eyes.
Finally the prisoner slid from the
feed box and, raising his arms, yawned
at great length. ooh, well, " he re-
marked, "you boys will get good lick
ing If you fool around here much Ion
Even If you did bag me, you'll get a
good walloping.' He reflected for
moment and decided. "I'm sort of will
ing to be captured if 70" fellows only
get Id good licking for being so
smart. ~
The sentry looked up and smiled a
superior smile. Licking, hey? Nixeyr'
He winked eXasperatingly at the prison.
er. "You fellows are not fast enough,
my boy Why didn't you lick us at -
and at - and at ---?" He named
some of the great battles
TO this the captive officer blurtcd in
angry astonishmcnt, "Why, wo did!'
The sentry winked again in profound
irony. eyes, know you did. OF course
You whipped us, didn't you? Fine kind
of whipping that was Why, wei
He suddenly ceased, smittcn muto by
sound that broke tho stiffness of tho
night. 1t was the sharp crack of a dis
tant shot that made wild echoes among
the hills. 1t was instantly followed by
tho hoarse cry Of human voice, far
away yell of warning, singing of sur
prise, peril, fear of death. A moment
later there was n distant fierce spattcr-
ing of shots. The sentry and the prison
er stood facing each other, their lips
apart, listening.
Tho orchard at that instant az. oke tc
sudden tumult. There were the thud and
scramble and scampcr of feet, the hol-
low, swift clash of arms, mems voices
III question, oath, command, hurried
and unhurried, resolutc and frantic. "A
horse sped along the road at raging
gallop a lou! voice shouted, "What is
it, Ferguson?" Another voice yelled
something incohcrent There was
sharp discordant chorus of command.
An uproarious vollcy suddenly rang
from the orchard. The prisoner in gray
moved from his intent listening atti.
tude. Instantly the eyes of the sentry
blazed, and he said, with new and ter
riblo sternness, "Stand where you are"
The prisoner trcmhled in his excite
ment. Expressions of delight and tri-
umph bubbled to his lips. "a surprise,
by CAD Now! Now, you'll seo"
The sentry stolidly swung his carbino
to his shoulder. He sighted carefully
along the barrel until it pointed at the
prisoners head, about at his nose.
"Well, I've got you anyhow. Remem-
ber that. Don't move"
The prisoner could not keep his arms
from neryously gesturing. ~ won't,
butt
"And shut your mouth"
The three comrades OF tho sentry
flung themselves into view. "Pete-
dovil Of q row--can YOU
i've got him, said the sentry calm
ly and without moving 1t was as if the
barrel of the carbine rested on piers Of
stone. The three comrades turned and
dived into the darkness
In the orchard it seemed as if two gi-
gantic animals were engaged in a mad
foundering encounter suarling, howl
ing in whirling chaos of noiso and
motion. In the barn the prisoner and
his guard faced each other in silence.
AS for the girl at tho knothole-the
sky had fallen at the beginning of this
clamor. She would not have been aston
ished to see the stars swinging from
their abodes and the vegetation, the
barn, all blow away. 1t was the end of
everything, the grand universal mur.
der. When two of the three miraculous
soldiers who formed the original feed
box corps emerged in detail from the
hole under the beam and slid away into
the darkness, she did no more than
glance at them.
suddenly she recollected the head
with silver eyes. She started forward
i