Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-09-29
Then he was off like the

/
plowed through it somehow. Then on
and away, shooting like an arrow
along the shining curves of the beach.
At thought of the appalling late
that hung ever The innocent little In
dian baby, Roberts heart stood still,
| and he almost reeled from the sad
Gle with the horror Of it. But he
chung to his pedals, and strained MS
eyes for a sight of some moving dark
speck on the beach ahead.
He wondered duly if, should the
baby die, he would be arrested and
thrown into prison. He remembered
reading in the newspapers OF similar
cases. and the startling headlines
danced before his eyes-"Crlmlnal
Carelessness." Some of these un-
happy people had been arrested, he
was sure, but not all He wondered
liz they had been kept in prison for
years and years.
! One mile had been covered-tWo
miles. Robert was painting painfully,
lmost breathless with eXertion. But
suddenly MS heart gave a leap OF
hope and soy. He could see moving
figure far ahead OF him. 1t was too
far off for recognition, but he felt
sure it was the Indian from Hy Col
horns.
| All at once the handle bars slipped
tdownWards under the pressure Of his
tense wrists. The boy leaped to the
sand with desperate haste, and glanc-
ed wildly to where his tool bag should
have been. It was gone! Another
proof of his carelessness. Roberts
heart sank and he groaned aloud in
his dsimay.
But he did not stop long. He
dragged the wheel to some sand dcher-
ry bushes further up the beach, and
flung it behind them. Then he start
ed forward on leaping run. An
acute pain seized him suddenly above
the hip, but he kept on, doggedly, de
spairingly.
He was compelled to keep both
hands tightly pressed to his coat
pockets. lest the bottles should be
| broken His cap flew off his head,
hut Robert did not stop to pick it up.
He was rapidly drawing nearer to
the man on the beach, who was unn1is-
takably the Indian.
All at once, when directly opposite
Pine Cove, the Indian sweryed and
started to walk inland. Robert tried
sasping that his parched lips refused
| to utter 4 sound.
The Indian was beginning to climb
| the steep bluff behind Pine Cove when
he turned around at last. startled by
the sudden crashing and rustling
among the bushes behind him. He
opened his eyes in amazement at the
sight of the disheveled, cap1ess boy.
"Wait-just minute, Robert
painted, tI'n tell--you!'
He staggered and would have fallen
il the Indian had not thrust out his
strong arm to support him.
| For minute or two there was no
sound but the long-drawn. gasptng
sighs of the boy. A bird trilled sud
denly and sweetly in the dark pines
above them, and then fell into ST.
lence again.
Thank you, john, said Robert at
last. I'm all right now. I was out of
breath-been running SO fast. Where's
that bottle of medicine gave you?"
The Indian held it out silently.
"I'l take it,, said Robert, hardly
able to restrain himself from snatch
ing it. s3This is yours. made
mistake
With the imperturbable gravity of
/ Lis race, the Indian took the bottle
Robert handed him. He asked no
questions. So it happened that he
never knew how near to a frightful
death his papoose had been. Only
four persons ever knew: Mr.. Blye
DR.. Hunt, Robert-and Roberts moth
er.
Tired as he was, the boy could have
shouted and sung for JOY as he limp
ed slowly towards Simmonsville He
felt that God had been good to him
that he and others had been saved
from woe unspeakable. He might
he probably would-lose his position
in the drug store, but that seemed a
very little thing-now.
He came upon his cap, and found
his wheel among the bushes, just as
he had left it. He plodded on, push