Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1903-01-22
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go she said, with faint laugh. 81
shall wait here until they come"
"Wait here" cried Humphrey. "Thcy
will kill your
Yes" she said, softly.
"Then why not share my flight Come
with me now while there is time. will
protect You and take you where. you will.
! cannot leave you like thisw
"Nut leave meY' she said with a sob.
"No. DO you think me such cur that
| could leave you to the mercy of these
wrctches?"
at is too late" she said. Cor
"GOw
yes, while there is time"
But you can hide as well as ~ he
| cried cXcitedly. Gomez!
at is too late" she said and he felt
her hand tremble in his grasp.
and leave your he cried. 81 would
sooner dier
"Then you do love mc?" she cried,
wildly, as she half rose from the altar,
but sank back.
Love your he cried passionately. 81
have fought with it, have battled with
it till | have been nearly mad. Love you,
Mary, my brave, true heroine! love
you with all my heart!'
She uttered wild cry of JOY as he
threw himself upon his knees and casped
her to his heart her two arms chung tight
ly round his neck as she uttered low
moan Of mingled JOY and pain
Love you he whispered, as he raised
his face, and his lips sought hers. MY
darling! words will not tell my love!
Come. what is the world to us? You are
my world, my own, my love! Gomez
She clung to him passiOnately for few
moments.
AT lastv she said softly. as If to her
self. The love of one true. noble man!
All"
low, deep sigh escaped her, and then,
as if reused to n sense of her position,
she thrust him back and listened.
"Harkw as low shout arose "Thcy
are coming back-they will be here soon.
Quick! lose no time! You must escaped
II could not live without you now' he
cried, passionately, as he held her to him
more tightly still.
They are coming. 1t is too late for
me. Let me die in peace, knowing that
you are saved"
iit lulN'u ltl III HIS III MS anu Dblt ltl
to the great stone, and, as he laid her
gently down, the noise of the coming
gang could be heard
There was not a moment to lose, and
any slip in his instructions would have re-
suited in destruction; but as he pressed
against the stone it easily revolved, and
he stopped once more and raised the faint
ing woman in his arms, to bear her down
into the tomb-like structure and place her
at the foot of the broad stone stairs which
led into the vault.
AS he loosened her arms from about his
neck and passed quickly up again, there
were heavy steps in the long corridor, and
lights flashed through the openings of the
great curtain. SO close were the men
that Humphrey saw their faces as he
stood on the upper step and dragged at
the slab by two great holows under
meath, made apparently by the masons
for movers hands.
For the moment Humphrey. as he bent
down there beneath the place on which
he had so often slept or lain to think, felt
certain that he must have been seen; but
the mutfied voices came close up, and
there was no seizing of the great stone
no shifting upon its sides.
He held his breath as he stood bending
down and listening for some indication
of danger; but it seemed as if the men
had coursed all over the place. searching
in all directions, and were about to 70
when, all at once. there was shout close
to the place where he had raised Mary
from the altar.
The shout was followed by a muffled
sound of many voices, and he listened
wondering what it meant Some discov
cry had evidently been made, but what?
He shuddered and chill Of horror shot
through him, for he knew directly after
1t was blood