Evening star., 1901-07-13

round Miss Cantire why don't yer say so at
onct? That story won't wash!'
"Factr' continued Boyle eagerly. Its
| the same card l stuck in his hat-there'
! the greasy mark in the corner How the
| devil did it-how did he get here?''
/ Better ak him. said Foster grimly, "et
| he's anywhere round
| But, 1 say, Foster I don't like the look
of this at all! Miss Cantire is alone
| and
But a burst of laughter from Foster and
| the mail agent interrupted him. That's S
so,' said Foster. That's your best bolt!
| Keep it up! You jets tell her that! Say
| thar's another Injin skeer on; that that
thar bloodthirsty ole 'F1eas-in-His-B Blanket
| ez on the warpath, and you're goin' to shed
| the last drop O. your blood defendin' her!
| That'll fetch her. and she amt bin treatin
| you well! G'langv'
| The horses started forward under Foster S
whip, leaving Boyle standing there, half
| inclined to join in the laugh against him.
| self, and yet impelled by some strange In
| stinct to take a more serious view of his
| discovery. He resolved to remain on the
road and within convenient distance OF
| Miss Cantire, until she returned to the
| coach; she could not be far away. with
| this purpose he walked slowly on, hating
| occasionally to look behind.
Meantime the coach continued Its d1f-
| ficult ascent a difficulty made greater by
a singular nervousness of the horses, that,
| only with great trouble and some objurga-
tion from the driver, could be prevented
from shying from the regular track Pres
emily they swerved so madly from some
point of the thicket beside them that the
coach completely left the track on the
right. Luckily it was a disused trail and
the ground fairly good, and Foster gave
them their heads, satisfied OF his ability
to regain the regular road when necessary.
1t took some moments for him to recover
| complete control of the frightened ami
mails, and then their nervousness having
abated with their distance from the thick
OF ha heipp less Stepn though
more winding than the regular road, he
concluded to keep it until he got TO the
summit, when he would regain the high
way once more and await his passengers.
Having done this, the two men stood up
| on the box, and. with an anxiety they tried
to conceal from each other, looked down
the canon for the tagging pedestrians
Il hope Miss Cantire hasn't been Stam-
peded from the track by any skeer like
that" said the mail agent, obviously.
Not she. She's got too much grit and
sabe for that, unless that drummer heZ
caught up with her and unloaded his yarn
about that kyard.'
They were the last words the men spoke
for two rifle shots cracked from the thick
ct beside the road; two shots aimed with
such deliberateness and precision that the
two men, mortally stricken, collapsed
where they stood, hanging for brief mo-
ment over the dashboard before they rolled
over on the horses backs. Nor did they
remain there long, for the next moment
they were seized by half a dozen shadowy
figures and with the horses and their cut
traces, dragged into the thicket. A half
dozen and then a dozen other shadows
fitted and Swarmed over, in and through
the coach, reinforced by still more until
the whole vehicle seemed to be possessed,
covered and hidden by them, Swaying and
moving with their weight, like helpless car
ron beneath a pack of ravenuos wolves.
Yet even while this seething congregation
was at its greatest, at some unknown sig
nal it as suddenly dispersed vanished and
appeara1 lea wing the cOacl emDtV-d
mere skeleton on the roadside.
An hour later there was the sound of
hurrying hoofs and jingling accouterments,
and out of the plain swept squad of cav
alrymen bearing down upon the deserted
vehicle. For few moments they, too,
seemed to surround and possess, even as
the other shadows had done, penetrating
the woods and thcket beside it. And then
as suddenly at some signal they swept
forward furiously in the track Of the de-
stroying shadows.
Miss Cantire took full advantage Of the
suggestion mot to hurry in her walk with
certain feminine ideas of it's latitude She
gathered a few wild flowers and some ber-
ries in the underwood, inspected some birds
nests with healthy, youthful curiosity,
and even took the opportunity of arranging
some moist tendrils of her silky hair with
something she took from the small reticule
that hung coquettishly from her girdle. 1t
was, indeed, some twenty minutes before
she emerged into the road again; the
vehicle had evidently disappeared In turn
of the long winding ascent, but just ahead
of her was the dreadful man, the chi
cago drummer" She was not vain, but
she made no doubt he was waiting there
for her. There no avoiding him, but
his companionship could be made a brief
one. She began to walk with ostentatious
swiftness.
Boyle. whose concern for her safety was
secretly relieved at this, began to walk tor
ward briskly, too, without looking around
Miss Cantire was not prepared for this; It
| looked so ridiculously as II she Were chas-
ing him. She hesitated slightly, but now
| as she was nearly abreast of him she was
| obliged to keep on.
Il think you do well to hurry, Miss Can
| tire" he said as she passed. I've lost
| sight of the coach for some time, and |
| dare say they're already waiting for us al
| the summit"
! Miss Cantire did not like this any better.
| To go on beside this dreadful man, scranl'
| bling breathlessly after. the stage-for all
| the world like an absorbed and sentimental
! ly belated pair of picnickers-was really
| too much Perhaps if you ran on and told
| them | was coming as fast as L could, She
| suggested tentatively.
at would be as much my life is worth
to appear before Foster without you" he
said laughingly. you've only got to hurry
| on a little faster"
But the young lady resented this being
| driven by drummer" She began to lag,
depressing her pretty brows ominously.
LET me carry your flowers, said Boyle.
| difficulty in holding up her skirt and the
| nosegay at the same time.
NO! MOI" she said In hurried horror at
this new suggestion of their companion
ship. Thank you very much-but they're
really not worth keeping-I am going to
throw them away There!' she added
tossing them impatiently in the dust.
But she had not reckoned on Boyle's per-
feet good humor. That gentle idiot stopped
down, actually gathered them up again
and was following! She hurried on if she
could only get to the coach first, ignoring
him! But vulgar man like that would be
sure to hand them to her with some joke
Then she Jagged again-she was getting
tired. and she could see no sign Of the
coach The drummer too was also lag
gng behnd-at respectful distance, like a
groom or one of her fathers troopers
Nevertheless, this did not put her in a
much better humor, and, halting until he
came abreast of her, said impatiently: IT
don't see why Mr.. Foster should think it
necessary to send any one to look after
me-
"He didn't" returned Boyle simply. 81
got down to pick up something"
ITO pick up something?" she returned
incredulously.
.yes That He held ont the card OPS