The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-07-18

have been there longest, oftenest. Yet
| had l never so much as suspected IN
all this what was tearing through my
mind now after as uncanny a night as
a man might dread to be repeated.
| There stood Fanny's little white face
against every tree as we-Roger and I
I-trudged on; and somewhere behind it,
| shining through it, looking strangely
at me, another that I had seen but
part of a day-angry, proud, kind, hui
morous, anything but sweet. as 1t
| stared at me with looks of SO many
different Fannies and all her friends
| that I'd ever known swallowed up in
| something new. I could have dropped
| off Roger and kicked myself for
| light-headed fool to think such a twist
could come to me and switch my mind
around to so different view.
And I was like to have beer off the
horse, at any rate, just then, for
through the string of my thoughts rang
out clear on the morning air the loud
ping of rifle just ahead, but SO
near that Roger got away across the
road a little quicker than I. Standing
so an instant 1 caught the unmistak-
able sounds of q combat-curses, blows,
cries. and the ring Of steel; and with
out thinking overmuch, I put the horse
to his run, and covered the short space
to turn where a thicket of shrubs
shut out the stretch of the road.
AS we turned the corner, there in the
middle of the highway stood four men,
three Of them ragged, one of huge stat
| ure and better dressed, the latter talk
ing and laughing with rasping sarcasm
as the other three set on him, but ever
keeping them away with his long
sword. I was scarce twenty yards
from them. and so fetched the lead
from my pistol into the side of one,
and caught a second on the head with
l-n n c
the group. The surprise was equal for
all five of us, but the big one did not
appear disturbed in the least. AS I
pulled up and turned, l heard him cry
out:
Nov! Now, my ragged son OF the
beautiful pate open! So! So again!
Ho! Here! Stop, you left-handed pa
triot! Oh, tbs shame! IT'S 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
sitting posture, rubbing the side OF his
head, as I came over him; and he
gazed UP at ME with a dazed surprise
in his countenance so comical to look
upon that roared with laughter to be
interrupted by a loud, hooking voice:
May, tits no laughing matter. sir.
Here have you caused me to lose a
den interruption!
''I?' cried the most astonished of all
now, 1T? My interruption"
of Il surety" said the giant, with a
laughing face, and he grasped my hand
warmly. Here was 1 getting some lit
: tie morning exercise with my three
friends, and you must break in and
Il beg your pardon, SIR said I, bow
E ing low. II fancied you had miscalcu-
: lated the courtesy Of these same
{ friends"
And" continued he-"an6 commit
the strange breach in time of war OF
saving me from furnishing delicate
meal to my friends over there on the
trees. But which tree did ye drop from,
:. yourself?"
mo such interesting feature in It,
, said I; 1.-The road and the abrupt curve
: made the whole thing appear over sud
5 dem
MY devoirs to the abrupt curve
: said tie young man with mock cour-
tesy, lifting his cap to the white high.
: way. And now, sir, whoever We may
, chance to be, the chance is SO good fol
l me that I would shake you by the nanc
:, and thank you for your saving of my
= worthless neck and say to you thai
i when John Acton can do aught for yor
why by the Lord call on him anG
= try him." . .
And he held out his enormous hand
with frankness that I had done wei
to have trusted. --.-.
But I had been too close to failing Ii
. my mission more than once in the las
ltwenty-four hours, and too close tt
!: 4 losing my own head to try any more
i experiences with strangers and
q therefore, shook him by the hand, tell
" ing him the whole thing was naught tt
speak of again, and went no further
/ But as he asked me to accompany hin
> ITO a hollow off the road where ran {
: brook, that he might wash the blood
from his face and hair, could see tina
I had hurt him by lacking in the con
% fdence he showed.
Little was said as he knelt by the
n stream, till I caught the sound O.
q horses feet, and looked up to see {
: troop Of uniformed men coming from
4 the north over steep hill. AS the,
y clattered down the slope, I made III
a my mind that twas approaching the
! time when I should leave.
!, AS he raised his head at the sound
q he quickly took me by the arm ant
{ stepped across the brook into the shrub
N berry.
], "'Tis a safe thing to avoid two Skin
= ! nishes in the same hour said lie witt
4 a jovial laugh; and I agreed with hin
: in more ways than one. Then:
8 do you stay here a bit, while fint
+ out who they may be-" for the trool
: had pulled up where the stream crossed
the road.
:; 1t was my chance now, If ever, ant
= = with the light step had learned from
: my fathers lessons, got by hard year,
z in the Indian wars-a step that neveI
a broke a twig nor rustled a leaf unnec
4 essarily-I was away in a moment
! making for the direction of the rive
3 bank in the hope Of getting to the othe,
. side: for. in good earnest, this was TOT
a populous a country for me to move II
y just now.
AS I got away. I heard a. hail from
:. the big lungs of Mr.. ] oha Acton, but i
only added to my speed, and, by tn,
z best chance that for once turned m,
2 way, made the river bank, paid a fel
s low near by to ferry me across, ant
got into the woods on the other side
It So, keeping close by the road, bu
r avoiding it whenever gathered tina
- come one was approaching, ! moyet
II along towards Hayerstraw.
"a One would have said the whole Worlt
3. walked abroad that day, for ] met on
# after another; till, the sense Of caution
b growing stronger In me for whataI hat
81 been through, stepped towards th
river bank into the thick forest, am
s. lay me down to wait for darkness. u
II,