The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-02-14

The neighborhood, to our ears,
seemed haunted by approaching foot
steps; and what between the dead body
of the captain on the parlor floor, and
the thought of that detestable bin
bcggar lowering near at hand M
ready to return. there We're moments
when, as the saying goes, l jumped in
my skin for terror. Something must
speedily be resolved upon: and it oc-
CURED to US at last to go forth to-,
gether and seek help in the neighbour
ing hamlet. No sooner said than done.
Bare-headed as we were, we raj out
at once in the gathering evening and
h frosty fog.
The hamlet lay not many hundred
yards away, though out Of view, on the
other side of the next and, what
but that, as it proved, was the best
Of the help we were likely to get in
that quarter. For-you would hav
greatly encouraged me, 1t was in an op-
posite direction from that whence the
blind man had made his appearance,
and whittier he had presumably re-
turned. We were not many minu on
the road, though we sometimes stopped
to lay hold Of each other and hearken.
But there was no unusual sound-noth-
Ing but the low wash of the ripple and
the croaking Of the crows in the wood.
= Il C@d SdliulS-llS ! NllGll we
reached the hamlet. and | shall never
forget how much l vas cherred to see
the yellow shine in doors and windows;
thought men would have been ashamed
OF themselves-no soul would consent
to return with us to the Admiral Ben
DOW. The more we told of our trou-
bles, the mOre-man, woman and child
they chung to the shelter of their
houses. The name of Captain Flint,
fhN110h II Nt-nc ctY-, :, po fo ,,,1 wa, -
enough known to some there, and car
r1ed a great weight of terror. Some of
the men who had been to field-work
on the far side OF the Admiral Ben
bow remembered, besides, to have seen
several strangers on the road, md,
taking them to be smugglers, to have
bolted away; and one at least had seen
a little lugger in what we called kits
Hole. For the matter, anyone who was
p comrade OF the captains was; enough
to frigltten them to death. And the
short and the LONG Of the matter was,
that while We could get several who
We're willing enough to ride to DR..
i4lVeseys, which lay in another direc-
ton, not one would help US to defend
the inn.
They say cowardice is infectious; but
her argument is, on the other hand,
a great emboldener; and SO when each
tttN iS say, lily IIiOllltI IllIit ItlSlI1 Il
speech. She would not, she declared,
lose money that belonged to her faith
erless boy; 'if none Of the rest of you
dare she said, Jim and I dare. Back
We will go. the way we came and small
thanks to you big. hulking chicken
hearted men. Well have that chest
open, # we die for it. And I'll thank
you for that bag, Mrs. Crosslev, to
bring back u lawful money in"
of 6Ht1rCn T roi1 T ,-.,,1l -o ,-.41 $500.
mother; and Of course they all cried
out at u foolhardiness: but even then
not a man would go along with US. All
they would do was to give me a loaded
pistol, lest we We're attacked: and to
promise to have horses ready saddled,
IN case we were pursued on our re-
turn: while n lac was to ride for
ward to the doctors in search of armed
assistance.
My heart was beating nercely when
we two set forth in the cold night up
on this dangerous venture. A full moon
was beginning to rise and peered red
ly through the upper edges of the fog,
and this increased u haste, for it
vas plain, before we anne forth aEain,
that all would be bright as day. and
our departure exposed to the eyes of
n watchers. We slipped along the
hedges, noiseless and swift, nor did we
Ill ~ Jul LuSS lSlIcl, the uCOT
Of the Admiral Benbow had closed be-
hind us. "N
l slipped the bolt at once, and we
stood and painted Cor q moment in the
dark, alone in the house with the dead
captains body. Then my mother got a
candle in the bar, and, holding each
others hands. we advanced into the
parlor. He lay as we had left him, on
his back. with his Eyes open, and one
arm stretched out
Draw down the blind, JIM" whis-
pered my mother; "they might come
and watch outside. And now" said
she, when I had one SO, 1--WE have to.
get the key off that; and who's to touch
it, I should like to know?' and she
gave a kind of sob as she said the
words.
I went down on my knees at once.
On the floor close to his hand there was
p little round of paper, blackened on
the one side. I could not doubt tina
this was the black spot; and, taking it
up, / found written on the other side,
In a very good. clear hand, this short
MESSAGE: You have till ten tonight
Fl had till ten, mother said L:
and, just as I said it, our old clock
began striking. This sudden noise
startled US shockingly; but the news
was good, for 1t was only six.
Nov, jim she said, that key"
I felt in his pockets, one after an
other. A few small coins, a thimble
and some thread ard big needles, a
piece of pigtail tobacco bitten away at
the end, his gully with the crooked
handle, a pocket compass and a finder
box, were all that they contained, and I
began to despair.
Perhaps its round his neck" sug-
gested my mother.
Overcoming a strong repugnance, I
tore open his shirt at the neck, and
there, sure enough, hanging to a bit
of tarry string, which 1 cut with his
own gully, we found the key. At this
triumph WI were filled with hope, and
hurried upstairs. without delay, to the
little room where he had slept so long,
and where his o had stood since the
day OF his arrival.