Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-07-17


,ut clear on the morning air the loud
ping" of a rifle just ahead, but SO
lear that Roger got away across the
road Il little quicker than I. Standing
so an instant. | caught the unmistak-
tble sounds of n comba t-curSeS. blows.
ries, and the ring of steel; and with
,ut thinking overmuch, / put the horse
o his run, and covered the short space
o turn Where Il thicket of shrubs
hut out the stretch of the road.
AS we turned the corner there in the
middle of the highway stood four men,
hrec of them ragged. one of huge stat
Ire and better dressed the latter talk
ng and laughing With rasping sarcasm
the other three set on him, but ever
leepns them away With his long,
sword. WAS scarce twenty yards
rom them, and so fetched the lead
rom my pistol into the side of one
md caught second on the head with
he weapon itself, as Roger flew past
he group. The surprise was equal for
I'll five of us, but the big one did not
sppear disturbed in the least. AS
pulled up and turned, i heard him cry
out:
Nov, Now, my ragged son of tho
woods. It's evener! Let me cut thy
beautiful pate open SO. So again.
Ho! Here, Stop, YOU left handed pa
triot Oh, tbs a shame. lis a shame!"
And he was off among the trees after
the third of the gang.
One Was dead for sure, and lay there
N the mud. But the other got up to Il
sitting posture, rubbing the side of hiN
head, as / came over him; and he
gazed w at me with a. dazed surprise
in his countenance so conical to look
upon that l roared With laughter. to be
Interrupted by loud, mocking voice.
May, tbs no laughing matter. sir.
Here have you caused me to lose n
gentleman of great value by Your sud
den Interruption,
'I?" cried the most astonishcd of all
now. II? My Interruptions"
'Of a surety" said the giant. with a
laughing face, and he grasped my hand
warmly. Here WAS | getting some lit
tie morning exercise With my three
friends, and you must break in and
II beg your pardon, sir, said l. bow
ing low. II fancied you had miscalcu-
lated the courtesy of these same
Friends
And" continued he "and commit
the Strange breach in time of war of
saving me from furnishing q delicate
meal to my friends over there ON the
trees. I!ut which tree did We drop from
yourseif2'
No such interesting feature In it,"
said L; the road and the abrupt curve
made the whole thing appear over sud
dem
MY devoirs to the abrupt curve.
said the young man with mock cour-
teSy. lifting his cap to the white high
MAY. And NOW, sir, whoever ye may
chance To be, the chance is so good for
Inc that I would shake you BY the hand
and thank you for your saving of my
worthless neck, and say to You that
when John Acton can do aught for you
nv ,x,t l,a I f,,1 n n j,,, II
try him."
And he held out his enormous hand
with a frankness that had done We'll
to have trusted.
But [ had been too close to falling in
nay mission more than once in the last
twenty -four hours, and too close to
losing my own head to try any more
experiences With strangers and !,
therefore. shook him by the hand. tell
ing him the whole thing was naught to
speak of again. and went no further.
But as he asked me to accompany him
to u hollow OFF the road where ran u
brook, that he might wash the blood
from his face and hair, could see th;,t
| had hurt him by lacking III the CON
tidence he showed
Little was said as he lsnelt by the
stream, till / caught the sound of
horses feet, and looked up To see Il
troop of uniformed men coming from
the north over steep hill. AS they
clattered down the slope, ] made up
my nina that twas approaching the
Time when should leave.
AS he raised his head ut the sound,
he quickly took me by the arm and
stepped across the brook INTO the shrub
berry.
Ills a safe thing to avoid two Skin
mishes in the same hour, said he With
ri,,J \ \, 4,
in more ways than one. Then:
DO you stay here Bit. while find
out who they may be-" for the troop
had pulled up where the stream crossed
the road.
1t was my chance now. if ever, and
with the light step | had learned from
my fathers lessons, got by hard years
in the Indian wars-a step that never
broke :. twis nor rustled a leaf unnec
essarily-I was away in a moment,
making for the direction of the river
bank in the hope of getting to the other
side; for, in good earnest, this was too
populous u country for rue to move in
just nov.
AS got away,sI heard hail from
the big lungs of Mr.. John Acton, but 1T
only added To my speed, and, by the
best chance that for once turned my
way, ] made the river bank, paid fell
got into the woods on the other side.
So. keeping close by the road, but
avoiding it whenever 1 gathered that
some one was approaching, ] moved
along towards Haverstraw.
one would have said the whole world
walked abroad that day for ] met one
after another; till, the sense of caution
growing stronger in me for what ! had
been through, / stepped towards the
river bank into the thick forest, and
lay me down to wait for darkness. In
good truth, what with the want of food
and the work of the past night. ] need
ed rest badly, and my wandering
thoughts. that strayed back To a GER
tain tavern and it's strangely fair occu-
pant, must soon have been overiuled
by honest sleep, for when i sat up
again, with the sense of something oc-
curing, or about to occur, near by
darkness had settled over the land for
several hours.
1t has ever been peculiar quality of
mine to wake fully at once, and i had
made no movement when there came in
on my mind. less through the eyes than
the ears, that there, in the moonljt
woods, walked some one. A turn of
the head showed me the figure OF Il
man strding up and down. his hands
clasped behind his back, his head bent
forward, but each moment nervously
lifted. as if expecting to hear some
sound near by.
IAN officer" said I to myself, for the
square shoulders, the straight figure,
and the unknown something in the car
riage of a man accustomed to military
precision were visible in every move
ment Of the figure. l could not trust
myself to move for he passed constant
ly within few feet of the spot where L
lay. only separated from me by the
great elm whose roots had served me
for pillow.
IAN officer and no mistake" went on
my musings land here in the woods at