Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-09-21

on the trail, the hanging rock and the
switchback, were passed safely and
without interruption. There was only
dreaded, the watering trough. now
half a mile ahead. She tried to forget
the frightful disasters that had occur
red at this spot,swhich had proved the
setting for several tragedies every
year. She endeavored to shut from her
mind the thought that the canyon
was deeper there than anywhere else
along the road, and that the rocks
jutted out as though attempting to
push travellers over the edge. Yet try
as she would, in that brief half-mile
every incident she had heard about the
place came back to her with startling
clearness.
The day had almost faded as Prince
leading around the watering trough.
They passed safely along for con-
siderable distance, and her heart gave
bound Of joy as the trough came
1ILO view. Ou1ClJ thC NOlOL NdS PAST
and her fears were groundless.
AS they reached the trough, how
ever. her worst fears were confirmed.
An arm shot out to the bride rein,
and three figures sprang from the
shadows. Prince snOrted wildly, and
i. was brute strength that kept him
from plunging frantically over the
edge.
Two Of the fellows, all Of whom
were masked, stood at the horses
head. The third advanced slowly to-
ward her, and she felt the cold barrel
of a revolver touch her cheek. lie
laid one hand upon the horn Of her
saddle and leered up at her; the white
mask gave his face an unearthly as
pect.
'Why, this amt our man." he
growled, sullenly, after brief inspec-
ton. .It amt man at all; it's a
woman"
"By CAD, it's the schoolma'am," said
second voice. "She's purity, amt
She, boys?"
The first speaker interposed. "Let
her go, boys; it's dangerous to talk
here She can't get to town in time
to interfere with our game"
The second man reached out a hand.
'I'm powerful hungry, miss, and that
dinner-basket looks good to me-" Both
men released the bride rein as he
spoke.
Nellie McSwain felt her heart throb
wildly, and then it almost see.led to
fail her. For a moment it seemed she
would faint.
''I'll give you a sandwich; it's all l
have left in the basket Her voice
was mere whisper She reached in
under the napkin and her hand came
out holding something bright and shin
ing.
"This sandwich is buttered with
powder and leadr' she shrieked, land
I'll give you all a bite Of it if you
don't look QUIT"
Poor Prince has never understood
the cruel blow he received from the
schoolma ans riding-whip at that mo-
ment, though she has tried to explain
it to him time and again. He respond
ed nobly, however, and then began
wild fight over the winding trail,
during which the schoolma'am was
conscious Of nothing save the rever-
berations in her mind of the discordant
laugh that followed from the ruffians
behind.
1t was a wild figure that rode up
to the little station, where the train
men were giving the air brakes on No.
final test before its departure
She gasped out her story to the open
mouthed station agent, and almost
dropped the heavy basket on his foot
i'll her anxiety to perform her self
appointed duty to the end. She
breathed easily only when she had
seen the gold safely deposited in the
hands of the express messenger.
Nellie McSwain was not the only
rider who dashed down the Sneffers
road unmindful Of all danger that
night. When Tom Anderson returned
to the schoolhouse, accompanied by
several sturdy miners, armed to the
teeth, and ready for any ARRAY. he
found the place deserted, and both the
girl and the bullion gone. One Of the
men said afterward that Anderson was
plumb locoed," and agreed that he
was hard to follow in his mad chase
over the trail.
They reached the watering trough in
perhaps a shorter period than the trip
had ever been made before, and the
party burst upon the three crouching
scoundrels in a manner that was en-
tirely unprecedented in the history of
their carefully planned misdeeds. They
were entirely disarmed, fguratiyely
and literally, without SO much as an
interchange of shots, and the men
roped them together, preparatory to
march on foot down the hill to
Ouray.
Anderson personally engaged the at
tention Of one Of the luckless vii