Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-07-19

AOhDSf - 6hO Aaltt Ihot titat "
hrough the string of my thoughts rang
)ut clear on the morning air the loud
ping or a rifle just ahead, but SO
lear that Roger got away across the
Dad a little quicker than I. Standing
so an instant, l caught the unmistak-
bile sounds OF a combat-curses, blows,
ries, and the ring of steel; mi with
)ut thinking overmuch, / put the horse
o his run, and covered the short space
. a turn where a thicket of shrubs
shut u the stretch of the road.
AS we turned the corner, there In the
middle of the highway stood four men,
hree Of them ragged, one of huge stat
re and better dressed, the latter talk
ng and laughing with rasping sarcasm
s the other three set on him, but ever
ieeping them away with his long
word. l was scarce twenty yards
rom them, and so fetched the lead
rom my pistol into the side Of one,
md caught a second on the head with
he weapon Itself, as Roger flew past
HI group. The surprise was equal for
III five OF us, but the big one did not
Ippear disturbed in the least. AS l
pulled up and turned, / heard him cry
out:
Nov! Now, my ragged son Of the
woods. tits evener! Let me cut thy
beautiful pate open! Sol! So again!
Ho! Here! Stop, you left-handed pa
triot! oh, tits n shame! 'Tis a shame!"
And he was off among the trees after
the third Of the gang
One was dead for sure, and lay there
in the mud. But the other got up to a
posture, rubbing the side of his
head, as l came over him; and he
gazed up at me with a daZed surprise
in his countenanCe 10 comlcal to look
upon that / roared with laughter, 10 be
interrupted by a loud, mocklng voice:
May, tbs no laughing matter, sir.
have you caused me to lose a
of great value by our sud-
den interruption"
"I?" cried the most astonished of al
now, Il? My Interruption"
"Of "A surety said the giant, with a
laughing face, and he grasped my hand
warmly. Here was l getting some lit
tie morning exercise with my three
and you must break in and"
II beg your pardon, sir" said l, bow
ing low. Il fancied you had miscalcu-
the courtesy Of these same
friends"
And" continued he-"and commit
the strange breach in time of war Of
mt from furnishing a delicate
meal to my friends over there on the
But which tree did ye drop from
mo such interesting feature in it,"
said 1; 1.-THE road and the abrupt curve
made the whole thing appear over sud-
MY devoirs to the abrupt curve"
said the young man with mock cour-
-esy, lifting his cap TO the white high
way. And now, sir. whoever we may
nance TO be, the chance is SO good for
ne that l would shake you by the hand
md thank you for your saving of my
worthless neck, and say to you hat
John Acton a do aught for you
by the Lord, call on him and
him.
And he. held out his enormou hand
with Il. f%rankness that l had done well
20 have trusted.
But I had been too close to failing in
my mission more than nee in the last
.wenty-four hours, and too close to
osing my w head TO try any more
experiences with strangers and /,
therefore,, shook him by the hand, tell
ng him the whole thing was naught to
speak Of again, and went no further.
But as he asked me to accompany him
a hollow off the road where ran a
brook, that he might wash the blood
rom his face and hair, l could see that
had hurt him by lacking in the on
idence he showed.
Little was said as he knelt by the
till / caught the sound of
feet, and looked up to see a
Of uniformed men coming from
north I'VE a steep hill. AS they
,lattered down the slope, l made up
ny nina that twas approaching the
line when 1 should leave.
AS he raised his head al the sound,
lie quickly tool me by the arm and
across the brook into the shrub
)ery.
"'Tis q safe thing to avoid two skir-
nishes in the same hour" said he with
/ jovial laugh: and 1 agreed with him
n more ways than one Then:
do you stay here a bit, while I find
u who they may be-" for the troop
Iad pulled up where the stream crossed
he road.
1t was my chance now, If ever, and
With the light step l had learned from
ny fathers lessons, got by hard years
n the Indian wars-a step that never
,roke a tWig nor rustled a leaf unnec-
.ssarily-I was ava in a moment,
for the direction of the river
,ank in the hope of getting to the other
ide; for, in good earnest, this was too
a country for me to move in
ust now.
AS I got away, 1 heard a hail from
he big lungs Of Mr.. John Acton, but 1T
,nly added to my speed, and, by the
)est chance that for n C turned my
way, 1 made the river bank, paid a fell
ow near by to ferry me across, and
got into the woods OF the other side.
80, keeping close by the road, but
wedding it whenever i gathered that
m one was approaching, L moved
long towards Haverstraw.
One would have said the whole world
abroad that day, for L met one
another; till, the sense Of caution
rowing stronger In me for what / had
'een through, l stepped towards the
iver bank into the thick forest, and
ay me down to wait for darkness. In
God truth. what with the want Of food
nd the work of the past night, l need
d rest badly, n my wandering
houghts, that strayed back to a GER
ain tavern and it's strangely fair occu-
must soon nay been oVerruled
" honest sleep, for when l sat up
gain, with the sense Of something &C.
or about to occur, neal by,
arkness had settled over the land for
everal hours.
1t has ever been a peculiar quality of
nine to wake fully at once, and l had
no movement when there came in
IL my iIllilu, lcoS ilfOu6h lhC eyes huh
he ears, hat there, in the moonlit
FOODS, walked some one. A turn of
he head showed me the figure of a
striding up and down, his hands
behind his back, his head bent
)rward, but each moment nervously
fled, as IL expecting to hear some
ound hear by.
AN officer" said I to myself, for the
luare shoulders, the straight figure,
nd the unknown something in the car
age of a man accustomed to military
were visible in every move
tent Of the figure. I could not trust /
yself to move, for he passed constant
within a few feet of the spot where I :
y, only separated from me by the /
reat elm whose roots had served me
II a pillow.
"An officer, and no mistake" went on
y musings. "and here in the woods at
.ght, by the river, waiting, 1T would
en-, for some one. Can ii be tina he
impatient? He moves toward the J