Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-05-29

Lon acJ haStlly, my DEAR, was her
whispered warning; and she drew the
girl to the other end of the veranda.
Don't you see what he wants?" she
asked; "he is trying to rouse your IA
theirs suspicious"
About five o'clock the occasional
shouts in the swamp grew louder and
nearer, and into them was suddenly
blended the ominous baying of dogs.
The hounds!" announced the
colonel, tragically.
And they are out for business" glee-l
fully added the captain; 'they are
headed this way"
Evelyn and Mrs. Lancaster stood lean
ing against the balustrade, their faces
towards the swamp.
Come inside, DEAR" said the latter.
1T will do no good to witness it,"
But our young lady only shook her
head.
After few minutes the shouting and
haying of the hounds died down. The
colonel gave it as his opinion that they
were off the track, but that it was only
a question of time before they would
catch the scent again.
Two hours passed. The sun sank be-
hind the distant mountain peaks. The
sky beyond was as red as blood. The
wisps OF clouds lying against the noun
tain-sides looked like glaciers. The
landscape took on delicate veil of
gray. Objects in the distance began to
assume vague shapes. The dark out
lines of the swamp were fast merging
into the night.
"They have been taking a zig-zag
course" proclaimed Hasbrooke from
his end of the veranda. "The rascal
will be as timber as rag when he is
freed. There are no two ways about it;
it's all up with him; the darkness will
not be in his favor; nothing but blood
will satisfy the fury of that mob Z.
DO you mean that the sheriff will
not be able to control them?" queried
Mrs. Lancaster, who had begun to walk
about nervously.
"He'd have to have a lot of backbone
to even try it, answered her host.
HE'D be Knocked out like straw in a
hurricane; murderers of old women
stand no chance with these crude An
glo-Saxons."
lthad grown dark, save for the light of
the moon, which had just risen and
doomed up like huge confagration be-
You'd the tree-tops. For yet half an
hour only an intermittent shout or the
sudden outburst of barking was heard
from the swamp, but each time the
sounds were neaper. Old Ephraim, as if
anticipating his masters desires, drove
round the horses and trap.
"A good idea," approved the colonel;
gentlemen, we might as well get near
er. think know where they will
come out. -
BY all means!" cried the captain.
with enthusiasm. He was the first to
get seat in the vehicle, and was fol-
lowed by his host and Mr.. Hardy.
When the trap had gone, Miss Has
brooke retired to her room with some
complaining allusio' 10 her nerves, and
Evelyn and Mrs. Lancaster remained on
theveranda, guarded only by the old ne
gro, who stood like sentry on duty at
the foot of the steps.
"Oh, Mrs. Lancaster!" exclaimed Ev-
eiyn, Il feel as if he is going into dan
ger-that they will kill him!''
For moment the old woman made
no response, and when she did it was
with evident emotion.
Il pray God that he may not be
harmed" Her tone was almost
prayer in itself.
The baying and shouting were now
very near. Half mile away torch
lights like freflies began to fit along
the swamp. The line of men was now
in the open. They seemed to be headed
in one direction, and it was not many
minutes before all the lights had run
together. Evelyn knew that the pris-
oner was in the centerof that cluster of
torches. The shouting had died down
to far-off murmur. Then into the yell
low, smoky glare the two observers saw
a white horse rearing and plunging.
Presently the frightened animal
seemed under the control of its rider,
and loud, ringing voice like that of an
experienced open-air speaker, broke
the stiffness.
ut is he!" gasped Evelyn, and her
eyes seemed set in their sockets as
she peered through the gloom. GOD
have mercy on hint"
Mrs. Lancaster's arm frightened round
the girls waist, but her voice lay dead
in her throat. The distance was too
great to distinguish the words of the
speaker, but his stentorian tones
seemed to cut the dark intervening
space like. a knife. At times tempest
of cries and yells would rise from the
mob and drown the leading voice; but
gradually, persistently, it would strug-
gle up to mastery again. This went
on for about ten minutes, and then the
two on the veranda heard several loud
voices raised in threatening tones and
there was a sharp ringing report of a