The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-11-03
VIII.

saw of the affair caA be told in a min
ute or two.
We We're posted on the Cardinal road
about mile below the house, Pierpont
and /, with drawn revolvers on one
side, under a butternut tree, Barris on
the other, "a Winchester across his
knees.
| / had just asked Pierpont the hour
and he was feeling for his watch when
far up the road we heard the sound
of a galloping horse, nearer, nearer.
Gathering, laundering past. Then
/, Barris rifle spat flame and the dark
mass, horse and rider, crashed into the
dust. Pierpont had the half-stunned
horseman by the collar in a second
the horse was stone dead-and, as we
| lighted a pine knot to examine the
fellow, Barris' two riders galloped up
and drew bride beside us.
Him. said Barris with scowl, Its
| the Sinner or I'm a moOnshiner.
| We crowded curiously around to see
| the Skinner" He was red-headed, far
and filthy. and his little red eyes
burned in his head like the eyes of an
angry pig.
Barris went through his pockets me-
thodicaliy while Pierpont held him and
L IClu lHC tOICu lie was q
gold mine; pockets, shirt, bootlegs, hat,
even his dirty fists, clutched tight and
bleeding, were bursting with Jumps of
soft yellow gold. Barris dropped this
''moonshine gold" as we had come TO
call it, into the pockets of his shooting
coat, and withdrew to question the
prisoner. He came back again In a
few minutes and motioned his mount
ed men to take the Sinner in charge.
! We watched them, rifle on thigh, walk
ing their horses slowly away into the
darkness, the Sinner, tightly bound,
shuffling sullenly between them.
"who is the Sinner" asked Pier
pont, slipping the revolver into his
pocket again.
"a moonshiner, counterfeiter, forger
and highwayman,' said Barris, land
probably a murderer. Drummond will
be glad to see him, and / think it like
| ly he will be persuaded to confess to
him what he refuses to confess to me-
| Wouldn't he talk?" 1 asked.
| Not a syllable. Pierpont, there is
nothing more for you to do
For me to do? Are you not coming
back with us, Barris?"
| NO" said Barris.
| We walked along the dark road ir
silence for while, / wondering what
Barris intended TO do. but he said moth
ing more until we reached our owr
veranda. Here he held out his hand
| first to Pierpont, then to me, saying
goodbye as though he We're going or
long journey.
| How soon will you be back?''
called out to him as he turned away to-
ward the gate. He came across the
lawn again and again took our hands
with a quiet affection that had never
imagined him capable Of
II am going he said, 'to put an enc
to this gold-making tonight. 1 know
that you fellows have never suspected
what I was about on my little solitary
evening strolls after dinner. / will
tell you. Already 1 have unobtrusive-
ly killed four of these gold-makers-
my men put them under ground JUS
below the new washout at the four
mile stone. There are three left alive
the Sinner whom we have, another
criminal named Yellow or 'Yalier
/ in the vernacular, and the third"
1.-THE third" repeated Pierpont, ex-
citedly.
1.-The third l have never yet seen
But 1 know who and what he is
know; and if he is of human flesh and
blood. his blood will flow tonight"
! AS he spoke a slight noise across the
turf attracted my attention. A mount
ed man was advancing silently in the
starlight over the spongy meadowland
When he came nearer Barris struck g
match, and We saw that he bore q
corpse across his saddle bow.
"Yaller, Colonel Barris,'' said the
man, touching his slouched hat in sa-
lutte.
This grim introduction to the corpse
made me shudder, and. after a mo-
ment's examination of the stiff, wide.
| eyed dead man. / drew back.
| Identified" said Barris, take him
to the four-mile POST and carry his ef-
fects to Washington-under seal, mind
tombstone"
Away cantered the rider with his
CHASTITY burden, and Barris took oul
hands once more for the last time
Then he went away, gaily, with a jest
on his lips, and Pierpont and / turned
| back into the house.
| For an hour we sat moodily smok-
ing in the hall before the fire, saying
little until Pierpont burst out with: 81
wish Barris had taken one of US with
him tonightr'
| The same thought had been running
| in my mind, but said: "Barris knows
what he's about
| This observation neither comforte6
us nor opened the lane TO further con-
versation, and after a few minutes
Pierpont said goodnight and called fol-
Hewlett and hot water. When he had
been warmly tucked away by hewlett
] turned out all but one lamp, sent the
dogs away with David and dismissed
| Hewlett for the night.
1 was not inclined to retire, for
knew I could not sleep. There was a
book lying open on the table beside the
or two, but my mind was fixed on 9TH
er things.
| The window shades were raised and
! looked out at the star-set armament
/ There was no moon that night, but the
sky was busted all over with sparkling
stars and a pale radiance brighter
even than moonlight, fell over meadow
and wood. Far away in the forest !
heard the voice of the wind, a soft,
warm wind, that whispered a name,
Ysonde.
Listen" sighed the voice of the
wind, and "listen" echoed the swaying
| trees with every little leaf a-quiver /
| listened.
Where the long grasses trembled
with the cricket's cadence I heard her
name, Ysonde: 1 heard it in the rus
ting woodbine where gray moths how
cred; heard it in the drip, drip, drip
of the dew from the porch The silent
meadow brook whispered her name, the
ripping woodland streams repeated it,
Ysonde. Ysonde, until all earth and sky
were filed with the soft thrill. Ysonde.