The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-11-13
"Geoffrey Heathcote, Esq"
ny 'ohS ftNNimoRE copyright 1899, by S. S. Mcclure Coz

brought the boots l had left behind il
my flight. | thanked her and asked he,
TO leave them where she stood. j haC
no need of them in the loft, and !
would be quieter work TO scramble u!
and down, IL need be, without them
She went away, and / sat down ut tn
edge of the trap. my feet dangling. m!
eye fixed or the stair corner Whcr'
danger must first show itself, n m.
thoughts busy on the situation. Aftc
q while | remembered my empty pistol
A bag of large SWan shot stood clOS'
at hand, and l loaded it from that
Then | swung myself over the side o
the opening and dropped lightly to thu
floor below. l advanced stcalthily t.
the head of the stairs M peered down
The house lay as silent in the gathering
dusk as II / were the only living sou
in IT.
The silence was ~portcntious, and in
spired me with caution not confidence
/ slipped back and gently lifted the lad,
der into place, that my way Of retreat
might be clear, then returned to the
stair head. 1t grew darker and darker
ana j Nenturcd a few steps down to n
point where | could catch n glimpse OF
the hall. Nc sign OF light, or sound, OF
movement. | felt certain there was q
trap laid Tor me If / went further. so
returned. My foot touched something
as ] crept up again. ] put my hand
down n found that n carbine had
beer flung away on the stairs by one OF
the fleeing band.
picked 1t up and carried ii back with
me: Upon trial ! found 1t was loaded.
and | propped it handy against tho
stair rail and resumed my watch.
The night had now fallen as dark as
1T would be, yet of black darkness there
was none; for the sky was frosty cleal
and filled with twinkling stars burning
their brightest, and sending through
the narrow easements a faint, gray
My eyes too, were thorough
~ at home in the pale light, for / had
known no other since the night fell:
~ when n silent, creeping figure came
slowly up the stairs from the hall. !
saw 1t. Another and another followed,
until a cluster of five men stood in the
gallery.
1t is very likely that they had come
from a lighted room In Il part OF the
house out of my sight, and so believed
themselves surrounded by an impen-
etrahlc darkness. The while they gath
cred, n distant sound came to my ears
1t was q long, shrill, faint scream, ac-
companied by a hollow rapping. There
was II note of warning in the sounds
Luckily | had no need of 1t, for my
eye was fixed upon the group below.
MY assailants stood several moments
CROPPING among one another. to be sure
That they had gathered together, and /
think that the silence and the gloom
fingered at their hearts even more
surely than they identified each other
by sense OF touch.
| had laid my hand on the carbine.
thinking to follow the shot with pistol
and sword, but / drew back. The five
slipped noiseleSsly forward and [ saw
that the leader bore some long object.
l made two bounds UP the ladder to
the loft, took a double handful of van
shot and returned. They were half way
up to me when l got back, but moving
very slowly and cautiously. Prinled, as
! round out afterWard, by promises and
drink, they had started out gally
enough, and now the darkness and the
strain of their secret advance were tell
ing. one Of them brcathed out a long,
quaNerlng sigh, and two or three others
caught their breath in sympathy. l
leaned forward and tossed the two
handfuls of shot plump upon the black
patch crawling up. An attack was
never more simply and surely repulsed.
Ihe rain of tinkling, pattering, rolling
shot fetched out an instant cry. sharp,
snort shriekS OF nerNouS terror,
a heaNy body was dropped upon the
stairs and the five men bounded down
screaming as they ran. I had felt per-
feetiy certain that their quivering
nerves needed but a prick to jar every
man out of tune, for l had learned to
know them a little, and L laughed aloud
as they ran. At once, as IL n signal had
been given, the policy of silence was
thrown up. Lights flashed and voices
sounded in the hall below. threats
couched in very shaky English were
hurled up at ms and shots fired, the
bullets burying themselves harmlessly