Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-12-31

see sufficiently to avoid COLI
- sions. The air. weighted by a
low hung roof of clouds. was sur
charged with the electric suspense
Of an impending storm. and seemed to
sigh and tremble Mt the hint Of power
In leash. 1t was that pause before the
conflict wherein the night laid finger
upon its lips.
AS the girl neared Glenisters cabin
she was disappointed at seeing no light
there. She stumbled toward the door.
only to utter half strangled cry as
two men stepped out OF the gloom and
seized her roughly. Something cold
and hard was thrust violently against
her cheek. forcing her head back and
bruising her. She struggled and cried
out.
"Hold on, it's a woman" calculated
the man who had pjnioned her arms,
loosing his hold till only hand re-
manned on her shoulder. The other
lowered the weapon he had damned
to her face and peered closely.
"Why, Miss Chester" he said.
"What are you doing here? You came
near getting hurt"
II am bound for the Wilson's, but I
must have lost my way in the dark
ness. think you have cut my face
She controlled her fright firmly.
That's too bad" one said. I'VE
mistook you for And the other
broke in sharply, "You'd better run
along We're waiting for some one"
Helen fastened back by the route she
had come, knowing that there was still
time. and that as yet her uncle's ennis
saries had not laid hands upon Glen
lister. She had overheard the Judge
and Mcnamara plotting to drag the
town with n force Of deputies, selling
not only her two friends. but every
man suspected of being vigilante.
The victims were to be Jailed without
bond. without reason, without justice.
while the mechanism of the court was
to be juggled in order to hold them
until fall, If necessary. They had said
that the officers were already busy, SO
haste was q crying thing. She sped
down the dark streets toward the house
of Cherry Malotte, but found no light
nor answer to her knock. She was dis
tracted now. and knew not where to
seek next among the thousand spots
which might hide the man she wanted
What chance had she against the posse
sweeping the town from end to end?
There was only one; he might be Mt
the Northern theater. Even so, she
could not reach him, for she dared not
60 there herself. She thought of Fred.
her Jap boy, but there was no time.
Wasted moments meant failure
Roy had once told her that he never
gave up what he undertook. Very
well, she would show that even a girl
may possess determination. This was
no time for modesty or shrinking indie
cision, SO she pulled the veil more
closely about her face and took her
good name into her hands. She made
rapidly toward the lighted streets
which cast n skyward glare and from
which through the breathless calm
arose the sound of carousal. Swiftly
she threaded the narrow alleys in
search of the theater's rear. entrance,
for she dared not approach from the
front. In this way she came into a
part of the camp which had lain hid
den from her until now and of the e1-
istence OF which she had never
dreamed.
The vices of city, however horrible,
are Mt least draped scantily by the
mantle of convention, but in great
mining camp they stand naked and
without concealment. Here there We're
rows upon rows Of cribIike houses clus-
tered over tortuous, III lighted lanes,
like blow flies swarming to an unclean
feast From within came the noise of
ribaldry and debauch. Shrill laughter
mingled with coarse, maudlin songs.
till the cllnging night reeked with
abominable reyelry The girl saw
painted creatures Of every nationality
leaning from windows or beckoning
from doorways, while drunken men
colllded with her, barred her course.
challenged her, and again and again
she was forced to slip from their en-
braces At last the high bulk of the
theater building doomed short dis
lance ahead. Painting and frightened,
she tried the door with weak hands, to
find 1t locked. From behind 1t rose the
blare of brass and the sound of sing
Ing. She accosted a man who approach
ed her through the narrow alley, but he
had cruised from the charted course in
search of adventure and was not mind
ed to go in quest Of doormen; rather,
he chose to sing chantey, to the bibu-
lous measures of which he invited her
to dance with him, SO she slipped away
till he had teetered past. He was some
longshoreman in that particular epoch
of his inebriety where life had no bur
den save the dissipation Of wages.
Returning, she pounded on the door,
possessed of the sense that the man
she sought was here, till Mt last 1t was
flung open, framing the silhouette of a
shirt-sleeved, thick-set youth, who
shouted:
"What N ell do you want to but IN
for while the shows on? Go round
front" She caught glimpse Of dis
ordered scenery, and before he could
slam the door in her face thrust sill
yer dollar into his hand, at the same
time wedging herself into the opening
He pocketed the coin and the door
clicked to behind her.
"Well, speak up. The acts closin'.''
Evidently he was the directing genius
of the performance, for at that moment
the chorus broke into full cry, and he
said, hnrriedly;