The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-07

Masterton smiled carelessly and walked
to the window If intent upon the still
| falling snow. But he had at once grasped
the situation that seemed now almost
providental for his nexperience and his
mission. The man he was seeking was
within his possible reach, If the story he
had heard was true. The detectives would
not be likely to interfere with his plans,
for he was the only man who really wish
ed TO meet the fugitive. The presence of
Poole made him uneasy, though he had
! never met the man before. Was II barely
| possible that he was on the same mission
on behalf of others? If what he heard
was true there might be others equally
| involved with the Ascending manager.
But then the spies-how could the deputy
sheriff elude them and how could he?
| He was turning impatiently away from
the window when his eye caught sight
of a struggling file of Cinnamon breasting
the storm on their way up the hin.
sudden idea seized him. Perhaps they
were the spies in question. He remem-
bered the drivers story-a sudden flash
of intuition made him now understand the
singular way the file of coolies which they
met had diverted their course after pass
ing the wagon. They had recognized the
deputy on the box Stay!-there was an
other Chinaman i'm the coach, he might
have given them the signal. He glanced
hurredy around the room for him; he
was gone. Perhaps he had already joined
the file he had just seen. His only hope
was TO follow thom-hut how? and how TO
do IL quietly? The afternoon was waning;
it would be three or four hours before the
down coach would arrive, from which the
driver expected assistance. Now, If ever,
was his opportunity.
He made his way through the back door
and found himself among the straw and
and chips of the stable yard and wood
wi IN a he
chemically passed before the long shed
which served as temporary stalls for enc
steaming wagon horses At the further
end to his surprise, was a tethered mus
tang ready saddied and bridled-the OPP
perfume horse left for the fugitive. accord
ing to the lounger's story. Masterson
cast quick glance around the stable;
It was deserted by all save the feeding
animals.
He was new to adventures of this kind,
or he would probably nave weighed the
possibilities and consequences. He was
ordinarily a thoughtful, reflective man,
but like most men of intellect he was also
imaginative and superstitious, and this
browning accident of the providential sit
alton in which he found himself was SUI
perior to his logic There would also be
a grim irony in his taking this horse for
such a purpose. He again looked and
listened. There was no one in sight or
hearing. He united the rope from the bit
ring, leaped into the saddle and emerged
cautiously from the shed. The wet snow
mufiled the sound of the horses hoofs.
! Moving round to the rear of the stables
SO as to bring II between himself and
| the sta ton, he clapped his heels into the
mustangs tanks and dashed into the
| open.
| At first he was confused and bewildered
| by the half-hidden powders and snow
shrouded bushes that beset the broken
ground, and daZZled by the still driving
storm But he knew that they would also
| divert attention from his flight, and, be-
yond, ne could now see a white slope
| slowly rising before him, near whose
| crest a few dark spots were crawling in
| file. like alpine climbers. Trey were the
| Cinnamon ne was seeking. He had rea-
soned that when they discovered they
were followed they would, in the absence
| OF any chance of signaling through the
storm. detach one of their number to give
the alarm. Him he would follow He
| felt his revolver safe on his hip; he would
only use ii If necessary to intimldate the
I spies.
For some moments his ascent through
The wet snow was slow and difficult, but
| as he advanced he felt a change of tenn
perature corresponding TO that he had ex-
| Derienced that afternoon on the wagon
| coming down. The air grew keener, the
| snow drier and finer He kept a sharp
| lookout for the moving figures and scam
| ed the horizon for some indication of the
| prospec, or's deserted hut. Suddenly the
| line of figures he was watching seemed 10
| he broken and then gathered together as
a group. Had thsy detected him? Evident
| ~ they had, for, as he expected one of
| them had been detached and was now NOV
| ing at right angles from the party TO-
| ward the right With a thrill of excite
| nent he urged his horse forward; the
| group was far TO The left, and he W as
n7arug the solitary figure. But to his
as onis hment, as he approached the top
| OF the slope, he now observed another fig
| ure, as far to the right of the group as
| he was 10 the left. and that figure he
could see, even al that distance, was not
Chinaman. He hated for better obser-
| vat on; for an instant he thought il might
be The fugitive himself, but as quickly
he recognized ID was another MANTLE
Deputy. 1t was he whom the Cinnamon
rad discovered; It was he who had caused
the diversion and the dispatch of the vi
dette to warn the fugitive His own figure
had evidently not yet been detected. His
heart beat high with hope-he again dash
ed forward after the flying messenger,
who was undoubtedly seeking the ruined
pIospector's hut and-Trixit.
But 1t was no easy matter. Al this eie-
! va tion the snow had formed a crust, over
| which the single Chinaman-a Hthe young
| figure SKINNED like skater, while Mas
tertons horse crashed through il into I'M
expected depths. Again, the runner could
devlate by shorter cut, while the horse
man was condemned TO the one half-oblt-
| Grated trail. The only thing In Masterton 5
| favor, however. was that he was steadily
| increasing his distance from the group and
the deputy sheriff, and so cutting off their
connection with the messenger. But the
tran grew more and more indistinct as il
reared the summit until at last II utterly
vanished Sun he kept UP his speed to-
ward the active little hgure-which now
seemed to be that of n mere boy-skim-
ming over the frozen snow. Twice a STUN
BILE and founder Of the mustang through
a broken crust ought 10 have warned him
of his reckessness, but now a distant
glimpse OF a low, blackened shanty-the
prospec ors ruined hut-towards which
The messenger was making, made him for.
get all else The distance was lessening
between them; he could see the long pig
tail OF the fugitive standing out from his
bent head when suddenly his horse Dlung.