The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-10-03

MACE TALENT turned his head
IVA painfully and looked through the
one small window. He had been most
unkindly placed, So that the EFFORT to
do this made his bonds cut into the
flesh but when our mortal foe has
bound you hand and foot and left you
in a bloekaded still, while he goes down
to "the settlement to show himself,
so that when he later murders you,
with all sorts of reconcile fortunes,
there may be an alibi ready prepared;
when all this is the case, the difficulty
you may have in looking through a
two-by-three-foot window, and even
the calling Of bonds which threaten to
break through the skin, are mere de-
tails in your menu Of suffering.
Tt was intolerably hot in the little
shack, even up there among the bal
SANS, In the deep glen which held the
illicit still, for before Fain Bushares
left he had fastened the window down
tight Mace thought Of Hester Bush-
ares, Fain's sister, whom he had ex-
pected to marry this month. Tho cabin
was done, the preacher bespoke, and
they were to have wed, as the noun
tain phrase goes, at the next quarterly,
now near at hand. He believed in his
soul that this was the cause Of Fain's
raneor against him. The reason given
by his tormentor when he made those
bonds secure was that he, Mace, was
q spy and informer, planning to lead
the revenuers to Sutton's still, in which
he now lay bound, awaiting his death.
He had been brought to the place by
a message purporting to come from
Hester-suddenly he wondered if Hes
ter was in the plot. He had thought
he heard her voice as he neared the
shack that morning-or had she per-
haps been decoyed there in the same
manner by a false message from him
self? CThey often met in this way,
since the 3ushares were opposed to the
marriage).
Fain had said when he told Mace
what fate awaited him that he would
have Hester there to see her sweet
heart killed-he had made no state
ment as to whether or no she would
come willingly to the spectacle.
Mace imagined that he could hear
IN the solemn silence the noise Of the
crowd far below him at the settle
ment, where a celebration was going
on, All at once he became aware that
what he had taken for this sound was
a swooping, scraping noise on the ROOF
of the shack; and as he painfully
strained his gaze toward the window
a mans head appeared there, an arm
reached down from above, and some,
body called cheerfully, "Hullo! All
We all dead in there?'
Mace smiled grimly to think how
near this was the truth. Fain had moi
thought worth while to gag him, since
in that lonely place, he might hav,
yelled himself hoarse and none beer
the wiser. Nav" he called, not ad
zactly dead-just snoozin'. Come in
stranger-how'd ye get on the roof"
The newcomer finally made entranc'
through the window by prying it opel
with his clasp knife and dropping il
from the caves. He was a lean, dap
per fellow, with a shrewd, kindly face
He looked Mace over c~uriously
Usually sleep that way?" he uueriet
finally.
Not ~gin'rally," Mace answered him
hits a new plan 1 ben tryin' lately
and I don't like it. Ease me up
leetle, will We, and weIl talk it oveE.'
He was still associating this man witt
Fain Bushares, still full of suspicion
that this was a trick Of FANS to pro
long his torture.
The newcomer sl1illfully unravele
the knots at Maee's wrists and Mace
sitting up, had leisure to observe HOY
strangely his visitor was dressed. Hi
hair was of a smooth drab, plastere
down in a scaIlop upon his forehea
like that Of the typical country beau
its sleek Oiliness had in a measure re
sisted even the disarranging effect Q
his hanging head downward an
serambling through the window. Hi
collar, high, smooth and very white
suggested a strip of celluloid (probabI
it was of that Variety; his tie wa
~damboyant; his black coat, somewha
worn and frayed, was a Prince Alder
and he wore it with a bun Marseille
vest. The seemliness of this attire ter
minated abruptly in what Mace at frs
took to be a pair of long, slim, bar
legs, and what he now saw to be some
what sOiled feshings.
The two men stared at each Other
the peril Of Talents position well mig
faded from his mind in the wonder
this apparition. wall, I'll be jis
gered!" he calculated finally. rs th'
the way you usually dress for con
pany?"
The raking, sweeping sound no
once more attacked the roof. IN
names Hubbard" the visitor reptile
rather at random. That's the Bird
Paradise you hear on the roof, Got
good, sharp ak handy? I want
straighten out her riggin'."
Mace CAPPED upon him with falle
saw. A man who wore stockings
long as that and had tied a bird
paradise to the roof, was so crazy
happening that Talent began to b
lieve his wits were going, and that ]
had invented the whole matter.
Suddenly the window darkened, an