The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1905-03-29
SPUR



safe watch on his movements.
At the gate, however. where we turned
into the road, / tethered the mare, lest
the sound OF her hoOfs should betray us
and down toward the sea we pelted. till
almost at the foot OF the hill / pulled up
and listened. the others following my ex-
ample.
We could hear the sound of oars plain
above the wash Of waves on the beach.
| looked about me. On either side the
road was now banked by tall hills, with
clusters Of bracken and furze bushes ly-
ing darkly on their slopes. Behind one
OF these clusters | stationed Billy with
the captains long sword, and a pistol
that | by signs forbade him to fire unless
in extremity. Then, retiring some forty
PAGES up the road, l hid the captain and
myself on the other side.
Hardly were we thus disposed before
| heard the sound Of a boat grounding on
the beach below, and the murmur of
voices; and then the noise Of feet tram
ping the single. Upon which | ordered
my prisoner TO give a hail, which he
did readily.
Alloy, Dick! Alloy, Reuben Gedges,."
Alloy, there, captain-here we be-"
Fetch along the cargo shouted Cap
tain Settle. on my prompting.
One minute, then-wait one minute,
Captain
| heard the boat pushed off, some good
nights called, and then the voice of my
Della lifted in entreaty. AS | guessed,
she was beseeching the sailors to take her
back to the sloop, nor leave her to these
villains. There followed. a short scrim-
mage, and at last, above the splash of
the retreating boat, came the tramp Of
heavy feet on the road below.
So fired was / at the sound of Delia's
voice that it was with much ado l kept
quiet behind the bush. Yet / had wit
enough left to look TO the printing of my
pistol and also to bid the captain shout
again. AS he did so a light shOne out
down the road and around the corner
came a man bearing a lantern.
Cant be quicker, Captain!" he called.
"The jade struggles so that Dick and
Jeremy ha' their hands full"
Sure enough, after him there came in
view two stopping forms that bore my
dear maid between them-one by the
feet, the other by the shoulders. l ground
my teeth to see it, for she writhed sore
~ oh lilts NdliC, NtNe eli, uHlll hOI
more than ten PAGES off; and then that
traitor, Luke Settle, rose up behind cur
bush.
set her here, boys" said he.
well met, Captain" said the fellow
with the lantern-Reuben Gedges-step-
ping forward; give us your hand."
He was holding out his own, when /
sprang up, set the pistol close to his chest
and fired. His scream mingled with the
roar of it, and dropping the lantern, he
threw up his hands and tumbled in a
heap. At the same moment out went the
light, and the other ~rascals, dropping De-
LA, turn'd to run, crying, 'Sold-sold!!'
But behind them came now a shout
from Billy, and a crashing blow that
almost severed Black Dicks arm at the
shoulder; and at the same instant | was
on Master Toys collar. and had him
down in the dust. Kneefing on his chest,
with my sword point at his throat, L had
leisure to glance at Billy, who in the
lark seem'd to be sitting on the head of
his disabled victim. And then / felt a
touch on my shoulder, and a dear face
peer'd into mine.
us it Jack-lny sweet Jack?'
ITO be sure" said L; land if you but
reach out your hand, / will kiss it, for
all that I'm busy with this rogue"
Nay, Jack, I'll kiss thee on the cheek
so! Dear lad, | am so frightened, and
yet could laugh for joy!'
But now l caught the sound of gallop-
ing on the road above, and shouts, and
then more galloping; and down came a
troop of horsemen that were like to have
ridden over us, had / not shouted Justify.
'NNho in the fiend's name is here?'
shouted the foremost, pulling in his horse
with a scramble.
Honest men and rebels together" l
answered; but light the lantern that
you will find handy by. and you shall
know one from t'other."
BY the time twas found and lit, there
was a dozen of Colonel John Digby's
dragons about us; and before the two
villains were bound, comes a half dozen
more, leading in Captain Settle, that had
taken to his heels at the first blow and
| climb'd the Hill, all tied as he was, and
was caught in his endeavor to Chamber
ON Molly's back. So he and Black Dick
and Jeremy Toy were strapp'd up; but
Reuben Gedges we left on the road for a
| corpse.
But as we were ready to start, and |
was holding Della steady on Molly's
back, up comes Billy and bawls in my
ear:
There's a second horse, if wanted,
that / spied tether'd under a hedge youn-
| der'-and he pointed to the field where
we had first found Captain Settle-'in
| color a sad black, AN harness Ike as K
he came from a cart"
l look'd at the captain, who in the
light of the lantern blink'd again. ''Thou
bloody villain" muttered l, for now /
read the tragedy of the wagon beside the
road, and knew how Master Settle had