The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-01-01
u JOHN FINNIMORE

@XA
CHAPTER xXXIv.1Continued.
! promise o my laughing was ended
= minute later, when I turned the last
bend and saw h gates shut. and a
couple Of fellows posted there with
muskets, which were trained upon me
Instantly. I had known all along that
8ar John was a wary old soldier whom
one did not easily out-manoeuyre and
d recognized this as a characteristic
stroke. i checked Whftesock, and she
stood for a moment while I surveyed
the state OF affairs at less than forty
yards distance.
was within easy shot, yet they
made no offer to fire, and this eau
sati0n showed the danger Of pushing
upon them. Sir Johns followers had
1melt powder on too many a battle
Held to be held cheaply, and one or
other of us would get a bullet, and /
was as unwilling it should be White
sock as myself. T. turned aside and
swept across the open park ace more:
they never offered to check my flight
and I saw that I was to be taken alive
IL possible. The thud of the pursuing
Steeds8can1e hurrying at my back, and
- sent aWhitesock along little faster.
@MA Ao1ASCo NONGk lily StOullEt.
They We're pounding s%tubbornly along
IN my wake, hoping to corner me some-
where. when it would De short work
between three mel armed with sword
sand pistol and one flourishing a quar-
ter-staff, For the first time my heart
within me as I saw the position
IN which I stood. A ten-foot paling
could not stop me, and escape was
by climbing; but Whitesoek, poor
lass, must be left on the wrong side,
and = so gu into the world on my two
feet. ( cudgeled my brains for a gap
or break anywhere. but I could not
bring one to mind, nor do I believe. n
exists.
The last summer Of my grandfather's
Iife was spent in overlooking the re-
paling of the park, the fancy for which
had struck him III the spring, and he
devoted a whole grove of oaks to the
work. n made Of it a job to last a
hundred years.
I saw no other way or help for 1t, and
struck off toward the southeastern cor
putting Whitesock to the top Of
speed. The park was dotted here
with thick clunlps Of brushwood, and I
soon dropped my rearguard. 1 wheeled.
and showed myself IS If racing back
toward the house, then, in shelter of a
long narrow plantation, turned and
vent on my former road.
This would throw them out a good
ter minutes, for, through a gap, / had
seen them riding across to cut me off
as they expected, n SO, when i came
to the barrier. l vas riding quite alone.
HadIshad the necessary tools 1t would
aiken an hour or more to make a
Gap tn8that huge solid fence sufficiently
Tor the mare to pass through; SO, with
. heayy sigh, Tossed over my qpar-
ter-staff and prepared to follow.
SI ave her a few caresses. then
mounted the paIes, an easy thing from
n inside, Where the cross-bars formed
asIadder, dropped to the ground on the
other side and plunged into the heath,
the narrow, open strips OF
grass running between clumps of thorn
and bramble,Iand was lost to sight from
the spark In a moment.
Whitesock's shrill whinny Of distress
at being deserted went to my heart,
and plodded along in the worst evil
had ever found myself. No
mare, no money, no weapons, active
foes behind me, and a@eountry before
Where hiding would be another matter
altogether to my last refuge. The only
thing In my favor was that I knew ev-
cry incl OF it, and could turn 1t to the
best account
Hereford 1 thought, IF I a win
as far, there will be a chance for NE
yet" and in thought I ran over the
route. Oxford. too, carne into my mind,
for Roger had heard that Jack Locking
there, his first harbor proving un-
safe. ! knew two o r three places in
Oxford, where knowledge Of my friends
quarters might be come at, for the city
was familiar to me. After some ball
ancing. however, / settled upon Here
ford, and began to play my march. AS
y walked / came8to rude track cross
n b heath, and, following it for 200
yards arrived at a point where it
into two branches.
One ran southwest and in that direc-
ton lay Hereford, the other full south
east. The road was soft and sandy,
and along the southwestern path ran
tWoaparaliel lines Of hoof-marks. I re-
membered that | had directed Ieuan
and Dafydd this way, and these must
be the marks of their ponies feet. One.
set of prints was not clean cut.
looked closer and saw that the pony
very lame.
As Iraised my head / noticed a peas
ant at work in the heath not far away.
His bill-hook rested idle in his hand
he hailed me, but / took no heed
of him, and turned to the southeast. I
pushed on rapidly, running where the
ground lay with me, walking fast else
Where, and soon came to a high ridge
the country I had tra-
versed. | looked back and saw no
signs of pursuit, then hurried forward
at a round pace.
Four miles Of this travelling brought
to the edge of the heath, and the
road now a through cultivated land.
1t took a sudden bend and twisted
through a farmyard, passing between
the house ana the barn. Crossing from
the one to the other was a big, round
faced country fellow with a great
wooden bucket in each hand. He stood
at gaze when he saw me, and eyed
In open-mouthed curiosity.
A stranger. hatless and d~isheveled,
swinging a great quarter-staff as he
was a sight worth looking at,
and he took his fill. He was directly
In my path, and I stared him straight
I'm the face. walked directly UP to him,
gnatched his hat from his head, clapped
1t on my own, and marched away as
fast as I could. He never made a
sound, but stood there transfxed with
establishment, gaping at me, pals in
nand.
AT the corner Of the. farmyard
and glanced back. He. had just
found his voice and was roaring out
his anger, but still he did not move,
and i left him there. a statue of maze
I am aware that this was using
Euck-for Il knew him we'll
very urfafriy. But i was %playing a