Willmar tribune., 1906-01-03

u 2VtCA#1 4uS CICchs were dlulUSI cut away,
3 and when he rode on to it, of, course,
. it went down with him and his horse"
2 81. 'sWaal, il it was me, who's goin' to
prove it? And if bungled that job I
+ amt a-goin' to queer this, don't you
forget it. Now no more foolin'. See
that rock over yonder on the trail?
| You go along till you reach it, then
climb up and stand right on top of
1T"
Lee obeyed perforce, and as she slow
" traversed the four hundred or so
feet her mind was busy, but she
could devise no way of escape. Above
were the precipitous rocks, below the
precipice, before the narrow rail, and
behind was Pete Long ready to shoot if
she attempted to run.
| The rock indicated by Long jutted
up from the very edge Of the ledge,
almost overhanging the abyss. The
girl carefully climbed its rough sides
and, reaching the apex, where there
was just room for her feet, stood up
right. A glance backward made her
feel faint, and she turned toward the
man.
''Don't be- skeeredv' he yelled. 81
amt a-goin' to hit yer.''
He took deliberate aim, and the bull
let cut the air within an inch Of her
overalls. The next passed between her
ankles, a third whizzed just above her
sombrero, and fourth almost grazed
her right hand. But Lee nerved her
self, clinched her small teeth and stood
as firm as the rock beneath her.
Stands as stiddy as one Of them
statyers in the park down to Frisco"
Long muttered. "Waal, I'll try some
thin else.''
And, hoping thus to break her nerve,
he took steady aim at her heart, and
when she held her breath, expecting the
end, he laid down the rife, then picked
it up again and pointed it directly at
her face, then at her neck. Finally he
fred again, the bullet grazing her
jumper, but leaving no mark, a second
striking and splintering the rock at her
feet.
Still she stood firm, but she knew she
|
death seemed almost welcome. Then,
as Long again played with his weapon,
aiming at one vital spot and then at
another, a faint, awful hope crept into
her consciousness.
When, startled by the sound of
Longs .hammering, Lee had run from
the tunnel to learn the cause, she had
just put in her last blast and had light
ed the fuse, very long one, for she
could never quite overcome her fear
Of the blasting. In her haste, as she
now remembered, she had left all the
explosives in the tunnel over which
Long was standing, and-and the long
fuse must be nearly burned out.
"I'll end this thing one way or an
other pretty quick" muttered Long as
he fired again. "I'm gettin' tired of
this
AS the bullet whizzed past her it SEEM
ed to Lee that the earth heaved beneath
the mans feet, and, following blind
instinct of self preservation, she slid
from the rock and fell face downward
on the ledge. Then an awful reverbera-
ton echoed through the canyon. Rocks
flew above and around her, fragment
Of one striking her as she lay half
stunned, making scalp wound which
caused the blood to trickle down her
face.
| When a few moments later she dared
to raise her head she saw something 1y-
ing on the trail which told her that she
was alone on the mountain, and, clasp
ing her temples with both hands to
guard her eyes from other sights, like
hunted deer she sped down the trail