Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-02-15

must be close by; they can't be far;
you have your hands on Ii. Scatter n
look for them, dogs. Oh, shiver my
soul" he cried. III / had eyes!"
THIS appeal seemed to produce some
effect, for two Of the fellows began to
look here and there among the lumber.
but half heartedly. I thought, and with
half an eye TO their own danger all the
time, while the rest stood irresolute on
the road.
You have your hands on thousands.
you fools, and o hang a legl You'd
be as rich as kings II you could find Ii,
n o know It's here, and you stand
there malingering. There wasn't one
Of you dared face Bill, and / did tia
blind mani! And I'm to lose my chance
for you! I'm to be a poor. crawling
beggar, sponging for rum, when I
might be rolling In a coach! If you had
the pluck of a weevil In a biscuit, you
would catch them still"
Hang 1t, Pew, we've go the doub-
loons!" grumbled bne.
They might have hid the blessed
things" said another. Take the
Georges. Pew, and don't stand here
squalling."
Signalling vas the word for 1t. Pew's
anger rose so high at these objectionS
till at last, his passion completely tax
ing the upper hand, he struck at them,
right and left in his blindness, and his
stick sounded heavily on more than
one.
These. in their turn. cursed back at
the blind miscreant, threatened him in
horrid terms, and tried In vain to catch
the stick and wrest II from his grasp.
This quarrel was the saving Of us;
for while 1t was still raging, another
nANNN E--z ~ ~
on the eide of the hamlet-the tramp
Of horses g%alloping. Almost al the same
time a pistol shot, fired flash and re-
port, came from the hedge side. And
that was plainly the last signal Of dan
ger. for the turned at once
n ran, separating In every direction,
n seaward along the cove, one slant
across the hill, and go on, so that in
half a minute not a sign of them re-
NAMED but Pew. Him they had de-
serted, whether In sheer panic or on
OF revenge for his Ill words and blows
I know not: but there he remained be-
hind. tapping UP and down the road
In a frenzy, n cropping and calling
for his comrades. Finally he took the
wrong turn and ran a few steps past
me, toward the hamlet, crying:
Johnny, Black Dog, Dirk" and other
names, you won't leave old Pew,
m~ates-not old Pew"
Just then the noise of horses topped
the rise, and four or five riders came
in sight In the moonlight and swept
at full gallop down the slope.
At this Pew saw his error, turned
with q scream and ran straight for the
ditch, into which he rolled. But he
was on his feet again in q second, and
made another dash, now utterly be-
wildered, right under the nearest OF
the coming horses.
The rider tried to save him, but In
vain. Down went Pew with a cry thai
rang high into the night: and the -four
hoofs trampled and spurned him and
passed by: He fell on his side, Their
gently collapsed upon his face, and
moved no more.
/ leaped to my feet and hailed the
riders. They were pulling up, at any
rate, Mortified at the accident; and
soon saw what they were. One, tail.
ing out behind the rest, was a lad that
had gone from the hamlet TO DIR. Live.
sey's; the rest were revenue officers
whom he had met by the way, and with
whom he had the intelligence to re.
turn at once. Some Jews of the luggel
In Kits Hole had found It's way to Su,
pervisor Dance, and sent him forth tina
night In our direction, and to hat cir.
cumstance my mother and I owe oul
preservation from death.
Continued next week.)