Evening star., 1900-12-22

the north-there was almost touch OF
spring in the air. The judge shifted 1t
gratefully. On one hand new fallows gave
| out fine earthly fragrance, upon the other
cropped meadows lay steaming and dank
with tears Of mist.
A reddish brown something, low and swift
| as flying shadow, stole almost indistin-
guishable across the wet grass. At sight of
| 1t the judge gave loud halloo. Claymore
; wheeled In his tracks. took the lane fence
| offhand and broke into stretching gallop.
He heard, his master heard, answering hall
| leos, undervoiced by the thin, high singing
| of the horn. The dogs, running for life,
| gave but now and then yelp. The Judge
| smiled and nodded, That is Beauty. Now,
| Sweetlips, now Venus, and the puppy Ring
| rose with her! Well done, lad!'
| The fox doubled sharply and broke for
cover, but not the cover of the sloping
woodland. Instead, he kept sklttering in
| and out of the hedgerow at foot of it. Pres
| entity, at the spot where deep hollow made
! in from the fiat woods, he slipped through
| the fence and ran due south into the teeth
| of his purSucrS
| The judge knew what that meant-the
| cunning beast would double again within a
| hundred yards. With a louder halloo, he
| sent Claymore over the fence and dashed up
| the hollow. The sides of it. though wooded,
| were free of tangle, but down the middle
rank hazel and sumach and alder made a
| wall of matted stems dead tree had fall
! len and crushed the wall. i was the
| blindest gap, but the judge set Claymore
| at 1t.
Back! I will not be taken alive!" a man
| said, rising up in the tangle to seize Clay
| more's rein. At the word the judge grew
very white He began to see inside the
stem wall sort of sylvan cave, hiding a
| jaded, mud-splashed horse, and a man
whose hand gripped a revolver. 1t was a
white hand. white and soft, with curious
| blood-red seal ring upon the little finger.
There was no need Of the ring, though the
judge knew it well. Peyton Ashe the
younger had his mothers voice.
DO you know me?" the Judge asked.
The man gave little cry You are Judge
Claiborne" he said, his voice breaking.
You were coming to me?' the judge
asked. Peyton Ashe nodded:
"Yes-but that brute Sands kept too
close
He is close now" the judge said
please. Tell him It's life or death. He
he may keep me from getting away-but If
l die l will take him with me-
You must choose some other messenger
-Dabney would answer you as you de-
serve" the judge said, his face hot. Ashe
looked up DULY.
Excuse me, 1 am Desperate he said
Mother seemed to think-she bade me
come to you-with this'-holding out a
little trembling scrawl. AS he spoke he
stepped out of covert He was tall and
slight. with a worn, imperious face and
hair thickly silvered at the temples Forty
years lay between him and the man he
farced. yet to the casual glance there were
and said, with a sort of odd embarrass-
ment: It's a shame-to mix you up in
this affair-but there is nothing else-if
am to get away. You could never convince
a jury that one had to shoot fellow who
refused you the satisfaction of a gentle
man.
mo. you could never do It," the judge
said, recoiling little. He was the soul of
honor and justice, no less than of mercy
This man. bloodguilty and impenitent, re-
volted him. And yet-and yet-the man
was Janets son. LAS you loved me, save
my SOM" Janet had written. He knew her
| well enough to comprehend that in the
stress Of that plea fate avenged even his
wrongs. He had no wish for vengeance
She had tricked him, cheated him, spoiled
his life Now, in her extremity, she turned
to him for succor.
Cold beads stood upon his brow. He
| trembled and bowed his head. Suddenly
| less than half a mile away, the pack
| broke joyously, fiercely, into full cry. AS
| he caught the sound the judges head went
| up, color came back to his cheek light to
| his eye. He bent and said in Ashes ear:
| II believe there is chance--if you dare
| to ride for it. Hear the dogs, That fellow
will never stop short of Kentucky
| Mile on mile the hunt swept cross coun-
try, the recovered trail running slightly