The Washington herald., 1906-12-23

warmth and brightness; outside. the storm
moaned through the mountains and the
| darkness.
DO you know, I enjoy this" she said
as she looked into the cracking fire.
so Queen City amt so bad ma am .?
said the guide, with dry satisfaction.
Not bad at all, but very good she
replied, gayly. Don't you think so. Mr.
Harley?"
Il certainly agree with you" replied
Harley, devOutly. but I'm glad thai
Queen City is just where il is"
She laughed.
Daddy has been many a time in the
mountains without his Queen City
haven't you, daddy?"
often" said King" Plummer, looking
at her with d pleased smile. But he
wished that she would not call him
daddy" at least before Harley; it seemed
that she could never remember his re-
quest; but she had warned him.
An old hand travellin' in the noun
tains always puryides for a snowy day"
said the guide, and he took from his sad
dle-bags much food and a large bottle.
They drank a little, all except Sylvia,
and ate heartily. The last touch Of cold
departed, and the fire still sparkled with
good cheer, casting its comforting shad-
ows across the stained floor.
I've brought in the horse blankets. "
said the guide, AN with them under US,
our Overcoats over US, an the fire afore
US, we ought 10 sleep here as snug an
warm as beaver in its house"
Sylvia was accustomed to camping in
the mountains, and made no fuss, but
quietly leaned back against the saddle
and the wall, and drew her heavy cloak
around her. She was soon half asleep,
and the flames, moving of into the dis
tance, seemed TO be dancing about in a
queer, light-minded fashion.
Harley walked TO the window and
looked out The night was black, save
for the driving snow, and when he glanced
back at the room It seemed a very haven
Of delight But the stTangeness Of their
situation, the weird effect of the dead city.
with the ghOstlike shapes of its houses
showing through the snow, was upon his
nerves. and he did not feel sleepy
Muttering some excuse to the others,
he went into the hall. It was dark. and
a gust Of cold air from the open window
at the end struck him in the face. At the
some moment Harley saw what he took
to be a light farther down the hall, but
when he looked again it was gone.
It might be a delusion, but the matter
troubled him; if lone tramp or miner
were in the building, he wished TO know
Any stranger would have a right In the
hotel, but there was cOmradeship and well
come in Jimmy GraysOn's party.
HaTley's instinct said that all was not
right, and. taking off his boots. he crept
down the hall and among the cross halls
with nOiseless feet. He did not see the
light again, but he heard in another room
the hum of voices, softened so that they
might not reach any one save those for
whom they were intended. But they
reached Harley, CrOuChing Just behind the
edge of the door. and. hearing. he shud-
deTed. A great danger threatened the
nominee for the Presidency of the United
States. Such thing as the present had
never before happened in the history OF
the country.
And the same danger but in a worse
form. perhaps. threatened Sylvia. It was
not Harley's fault that a girl had then
a greater place than a Presidential nom
inee in his mind. He shUddered. and
then closed his lips firmly in resolve
The door was still on its hinges, and
was still slightly ajar. Harley. peeping
through the crack. Saw the eight occu-
pants Of the room by the faint light from
the window, and because the man who did
the talking. and who showed himself so
evidently the leader, had red hair, he
knew him instinCtively. It was Red Per-
ktns and the remnant Of his gang. not
scattered to the winds of the West. as
Jim and everybody else thought, but here
in Montana in their old hauuts. And
Harley. listening TO their talk, measured
the extent of their knowledge, which was
far too much; they knew who Jimmy
Grayson was; they had known Of his de-
parture from Blue Earth and they had
followed him here; presently they would
take him away, and the whole world
would be thrilled. No such prize had ever
fallen into the hands OF robbers in Amer
ica' and 1t would be worth a million to
them.
Harley was In a chill as he listened. be-
cause he heard them speak next of Syl-
via, and one of them laughed in a way
that made the correspondent want TO
spring at his throat. Sylvia and the
candidate must be saved
But Harley. thinking his hardest
could not think how There were eight
men well armed in the room before him:
the guide and Mr.. Plummer probably
had pistols, but he had none. and he was
sure that Jimmy GraysOn and Mr.
HeathcOte were without them. He paused
there long time. undecided and q.
last he crept down the hall again and to-
ward the great parlOr. Then he put on
his boots. re-entered the room. and
spoke in a low voice to his comrades.
The guides fighting blood was on fire