The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-10-09
CHAPTER XIV.
THE STOLEN LETTER.

|
| The night was falling fast as I rode
slowly down the uneven mountain way,
: and with every streak that died out OF
! the western sky the moon frightened
and frightened in the east. She was
!! we'll up, and cast q strong silvery light
over the thin white mist which chung
| to the hollows of the hills and lay
! thicker over the marshy places.
| The air was keen and piping. White
sock moved like music under me, and
! at "a ones spirits do not naturally fall
, to the doleful side. 1 thought sweeuy
and strongly of the treasure I was
leaving behind in Nant-y-Bryn. l
light when 1 recalled the look with
which my last words had been received,
and l fell to building castles in the air
that pastime dear to young hopes.
I was, 1t may be, three miles from
Nanty- Bryn, when, Of . sudden, there
burst into my head, like a peal Of bells,
the words Owain had cried out to my
uncle, "Other lives to offer as a sop
to the authorities
Their quarrel was Of a surety about
myself. What had Sir Arthur been
proposing to him?
"Other lves!" My heart turned to
lead within me, and drew rein. White
! sock stopped at once, and I tore off
! my cloak and thrust my hand inside
stripped off the coat also and laid it on
the Group before me, and, With trem-
! bling fingers, searched again and again
! in the secret pocket beneath the arm
pit. 1t was empty, ard l saw what 1t
all meant. l curse@ myself for my
| foolish carelessness, and groaned aloud.
From boyhood, l had had two great
friends, Roger Brent and John Lock-
Ing. We had always marched together
We rode south, the three of US, toward
Penruddock. We had all three fought
under Sir George Booth at Chester and
ran away, still in company. We had
all gone into the last affair, and the
word / had to fly came from Roger,
who had got wind Of Sir John Post
gates intentions. 1 remembered well
the hasty words, scrawled on a scrap
of paper and sent by a sure hand "All
is known he wrote, land off Is the
word. shall get cast over to Water
ford and lie at the old spot. Jack is
riding as his cousins lackey to Devon.
Farewell, dear lad. till better times!"
AT the time of receiving this letter I
had no means Of safely destroying it,
as several people We're about, and I
had thrust it into the secret pocket Of
my riding coat-a pocket 1 had had
contrived, in which to carry important
papers on journey. 1 called to mind
how | had blamed Roger in my own
.iioo6AIS AoA WIltlHS SO openly OF in
tended movements, but he was a feath-
erheaded fellow, whom Jack and both
loved and were continually getting out
OF scrapes. Yet whom dare l now
blame for carelessness when it was
borne In on me that had utterly for
gotten to destroy the letter. and it was
now gone. In whose hands was it?
l had no doubt at all upon that point.
What use would be made of 1T? l had
no doubt there either, and I groaned
again. We had been marked men
since Wilmington Bridge, and short
work would be made OF us should we
fall into the hands Of those who held
power. All these thoughts, crowding
thick and fast upon me- threw me into
Veritable stupor. and I sat stock still,
staring lat great boulder just before
me beside turn of the way.
A bright shining streak thrust itself
over the edge Of the rock in my direc-
ton, land gazed at it mechanically.
Matters remained thus for some mo-