Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-09-19
BY JOHN FINNIMoRE.
CHAPTER XII.
WHO FIRED THE SHOT?

SlOWly u Iny CHEEK ana WlDG1 IL, THEN
lifted the hand and looked at it. 1t
was covered with blood.
The ditch was s oshallow that though
my body lay entirely in the shadow and
In darkness, yet / could lift my hand
into the shine of the fire. AS / did so,
a white face was slowly thrust over
the edge of the ditch, and / saw Sir
Arthur Vaughan peering at me. His
eyes and mouth were wide open and
his features were rigid and drawn, with
an expression between horror and ex-
p~ectation, and when he saw the bloody
hand raised against him out of the pit,
he shrieked fearfully.
With a great effort l sat up. and upon
finding hat / was assuredly alive, his
terror seemed to abate.
"Heathcote! Heathcote!" / heard my
name shouted hither and thither in
Owain's ringing voice, and just as 1
began to collect my wits he flew up to
the place.
What has ~happened?" he cried.
Il am not quite sure" l replied slow
ly, but l fancy a musket ball has fur
rowed the top Of my head"
"A musket BALI" said Owain. who
should fire at you? They had no mus
kets." He helped me to my feet and
turned to speak to Sir Arthur, but my
uncle was slipping back toward the
house.
Did you get into the line of fire ?"
went on Owain. Yet that would be
strange, for Evan and Mocyn are sure
shots and would never lay their pieces
toward you"
/ could give no help in solving the
mystery, and upon reaching the house
Owain had too much to do to trouble
farther in the matter at present. Half
a dozen dogwood torches had been
hastily lighted and stuck about the hall,
and my uncle was now busily engaged
In summing up the light. He seemed
to avoid my eye at first, then he lifted
his finger and beckoned me. / was now
pretty well myself again, and l crossed
the hall toward him.
Nephew" said he, in a high, gay
voice, was ever such luck as this bat
tie? / have lost but three men OUT
right, the others Will mend, for they
are as healthy as hill cattle. We have
killed five of the rogues and have their
bodies to show, n do you near that2
I say, do you hear that? There's music
for you" He lifted his finger and lis
tened, with his ear close to the panel
Of a door near which he stood. At my
uncle's elbow was a small man with
keen, %twinkling black eyes, looking as
proud as a peacock.
"Shinkin did 1t, Shinkin did It," cried
Sir Arthur In dry chuckling voice. "Oh,
but I'll thin out their band for Them
He became silent again, listening
eagerly, and l listened too. Pit-pit, pit
pat, 1t sounded as If a number Of gigan-
tic rats were imprisoned there, and
were scurrying over the floor with un-
ceasing, unrestlng haste.
what have you in there?" / asked.
Some more of the rogues," cried my
uncle, in high glee. They cut off Shin
kin in this doorway here; he slipped In,
and they streamed after him, a whole
string Of them, he says. 1t was dark
inside and he doubled behind the door,
slipped out again and shot the bolt on
them. oh, noble-noble,"
And can they not escape?' said l..
Escape" cried Sir Arthur, "and
how? There is no chimney, and the
walls are four feet thick. There are
Here is the door, and the windows are
ironed with inch bars. Newgate is nc
safer"
What are you going to do with
them"
set n guard to watch the room till
morning, and then take such measures
as may seem best" replied he.
My head was ~paining me in such a
fashion that 1 now began to feel q
little confused and l turned away and
crossed the hall, along which men were
already dashing buckets of water to
cleanse away the stains of the fight,
and went up the stairs.
Midway on the long gallery above /
came full upon Enid Vaughan, as she
stepped swiftly from a chamber.
whence came a melancholy groaning as
of the wounded. She had a candle in
her hand, and as the light fell upon me
she stopped, with a whitened cheek and
a sharp cry.
"Oh, Master Heathcote!" she said,
and the concern in her voice vas sweet
to my heart. What has happened 2
You are wounded"
1 %bethought myself then that my face
was daubed with blood, and no comedy
sight, and I assented to reassure her.
1T is nothing, Miss Vaughan" l re-
piled "a Craze upon the head from q
passing bullet, which has cost me more
hair than blood"
"Sit down here" she said, and I sat
down obediently on a chair close at
hand. She raised her voice and called
on SIAM, who came upon the spot and
then fetched a bowl Of water.
Indeed" 1 said, you give yourself
far too much trouble. Had l but n
bucket of water to dip my head and
face in, you would scarce know 1 had
been touched"
But she would not suffer me to escape
thus, and with the help Of Siani, the
hair was clipped from the wound, the
blood washed off, and a bandage with
some healing ointment placed upon II.
I felt ashamed to occupy her so long
over such a trivial matter, and yet
would have been willing to sit thrice
as long, to feel the play of her soft,
light fingers about my head. Siani
held the candle, and she gazed upon the
wound and met my eye more than once
with a look of queer, mysterious UNI
Outstanding, of which, at the time,
could make nothing.
Miss Vaughan was just making an
end Of her task, when there was a clat-
ter Of feet upon the stairs, and up
bounded Owain.
II was looking for you, H%eathcote,"
he explained, but 1 find you in good
hands"
I'm most excellent hands," / replied.
II am ashamed to give Miss Vaughan
so much trouble for so slight a cause"
Enid is a soldiers daughter"
laughed her brother, and does not
finch from wounds or the sight OF
blood. But l am puzzled to know how
you came by your hurt. The men de-
clared they fired every shot up the
hill"
"At a time of such tumult and con
fusion, 1T is hard to account for every
ball." / returned. II am thankful that
it vas not an inch lower. l was foolish
to pursue flyers SO nimble."
A woman who was attending upon
the wounded now came to seek direc-
tions from Miss Vaughan, and she was
called away, receiving my thanks with
a smile as she went. Then Sir Arthur
called upon Owain to find and set a
guard over the prisoners, and / was left
alone. 1 went to my own chamber.
and, still feeling somewhat dizzy. lay
down, wrapping my cloak around me,
when l o o fell fast asleep.
Upon my awaking, the room was in
darkness and the house silent, save for
a faint, measured football below, that
of the guard over the prisoners. 1 lay
staring into the gloom around me for a
xyhiln anH fhan n faint ~ ,1s.-.z.