Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-11-28
Nothing at ALL" said Tom. Its you
fhnv,ro ofto,,O

Nothing at ALL" said Tom. Its you
they're after"
me, inueed!"
1.-THE two Of you," said Tom. 1.-THE
men are all right, they've given in, but
they'll carry off the women If they
can, though not if 1 know it."
BY this time Peggy O'Brien had un-
fastened the great outer doors at which
the store drays could unload without
entering the yard. In another moment
Tom had both women out in the open,
with the front west angle of house be-
tween them and the palisade. Even
the burning hut was thus hidden from
their view. Yet the voice of Hockey
Simpson sounded %dreadfully close.
"You shall lay it on y%ourselvesw he
was shouting out. "Let the man who
had the last fifty come forward and
lay on the first"
That's me-" said Macbeth's voice.
"Gie us the cat!"
There was none.
"Then the aul cove's cane"
Tom had seized Miss Sullivan by the
arm.
II don't stir" she declared. Not one
step!w
"Then worse will come Of it."
"But my father!'
Its idle t~hreats-they don't meal a
word Of it,"
"Ah, miss, come on!" urged Peggy in
an agony for Tom.
"She shall!' he muttered, with the
nozzle of one pistol against the lady's
neck. And so between them they got
her to the back of the house and thence
across the open space to the stables.
AS they ran Tom turned his head and
just saw one end of a chain of ruddy
convict faces, all horribly intent upon
some unseen spectacle before the pail
SADIE.
The stable proper faced the open
gate through which the bushrangers
had ridden. Their saddled horses stood
two in a stall, and Tom was backing
out a couple when he discovered Peggy
meddling with a third. He told her
three would not be wanted.
AN what about your"
II stay with my mates"
"Wid thin %murtherin' vilrns?"
"Im one myself"
"Already?" she cried. '"Tom, Tom"-
1t was his turn to hold up a warming
hand.
Miss Sullivan stood listening at the
door, but not to them.
Tom listened too.
For some instants all was still.
Then a thwack, thwack, thwack, was
greeted with a yell of savage joy, and
Miss Sullivan was gone from the door.
"Let her go!" cried Tom, Selling Peg
gy's wrist. II did my best for her.
You, at all events, shall be saved"
"Not without you, Tom"
Nonsense. Peggy! l must see this
through"
AN so must /. then"
With these words, she set her back
to the open door. But there stood
Tom, looking past and beyond her, as
though he had not heard one of them.
Presently a soft laugh came from his
lips.
"All right, Peggy! You are safer
than I thought. Look behind you"
The girl obeyed, and there, trotting
two abreast through the open gate,
were a score of troopers, with the
glare from the still blazing hut red
dening their whiskered faces, jeweling
their spurs and gliding from hilt to
point the waving sword of the lad who
rode at their head.
Peggy stood aghast, with an amaze
ment that left no room for thought. It
was only when the cavalcade had
swept close by and so out of sight at a
gallop that she heard Tom speaking to
her from a height. He had himself
mounted one, of the horses and was en-
treating her to stand aside and let him
out.
And then she realized how the situa-
ton had reversed itself and how he
was now the one to fly and gallop for
his life. Without a word, she sprang
out of his way. He clattered under
the Intel and was gone. She came out
to see him gallop through the open
gate. He had already vanished, but
not that way. He had dashed to the
assistance of his rascally mates.
But a dozen shots had been fired
already and blue wreaths were curling
in the glare-like clouds at sunset.
Wall-eye lay stretched upon his face.
Slipper and the aboriginal were fight
ing desperately back to back, but both
were wounded and their moments
numbered. Troopers surrounded them;
others We're already e%ndeavoring to re-
store order among the %convicts, while
one, a sergeant, was being dragged
and bumped about with one foot twist
ed in his stirrup and his dead face
smothered with blood.
Tom looked about for Hockey Simp-
son and found him on the verge of
shaking off four troopers and the en-
sign. One saddle he had emptied with
his pistol. AS Tom came near he hook
ed the ensign out of his, but was with
in an ace Of being dragged to the
ground in doing SO. The ensign's