The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-08-19
(Continued.1


shawl about her head. stepped into the
cool night and picked her way down
toward the roar Of the creek. "a
breath OF air and then to bed" she
thought She saw the tall figure Of
the Waterman and made for him. He
seemed oddly interested in her APP
proach, watching her very closely, al
most as though alarmed. 1t was doubt
less because there were so few women
out here, or possibly on account Of the
lateness Of the hour. Away with con-
ventions! This was the land Of in
stinct and impulse. She would talk to
him. The man drew his hat more
closely about his face and moved off
as she came up. Glenister had been
In her thoughts a moment since, and
she now noted that here was another
with the same great, square shoulders
and erect head. Then she saw with a
start that this one was a negro. He
carried a Winchester and seemed to
watch her carefully, yet with inde-
cision
To express her interest and to break
the silence, she questioned him, but at
the sound Of her voice he stepped to-
ward her and spoke roughly:
What"
Then he paused and stammered in a
strangely altered and unnatural voice:
'Yass'm. I'm the Waterman"
She noted two other darkies at work
below and was vaguely surprised. not
so much at their presence, as at the
manner in which they moved, for they
seemed under stress of some great
haste, running hither and yon. She
saw horses standing in the trail and
sensed something indefinably odd and
alarming in the air. Turning to the
man she opened her mouth to speak,
when fr2SS -cs r2Lk G-zsz under her
feet came q noise which scr her a.
tnglS E2n2 at witch her suspicious
leape0 Sass l. tE5 s0iutloa It was the
groan OF man Agar h2 Eave voice
to his fafL, ana she knew that she
stood face to face with something sin
lister. Tales of sluice robbers had come
to her and rumors OF the daring raids
into which men were lured by the vel
low sheen. and yet this was incredible
A hundred men lay within sound OF her
voice. She could hear their laughter
One was whistllng a popular refrain
A quarter mile away on every hand
were other camps. a scream from her
would bring them all. Nonsense this
was no slulce robbery. and then the
man in the bushes below moaned for
the third time
What is that?" she said.
hn
muzzle of his rifle till it covered her
breast and at the same time she heard
the double click of the hammer
Keep still and don't move" he
warned. Were desperate, and we
can't take any chances, miss
"0h, you are stealing the gold"-
She was wildly frightened, yet stood
still while the lookout anxiously di-
vided his attention between her and
the tents above until his companions
slgnaled him that they were through
and the horses were loaded. Then he
spoke:
Il don't know what to do with you,
but l guess I'll tie you up
WHAT" she said.
I'm going to tie and gag you SO you
can't holler."
"Oh. don't you dare" she cried fierce
". I'm stand right here till you've
gone, and I won't scream. I promise"
She looked up at him appealingly. at
which he dipped his head. so that she
caught only a glimpse of his face, and
then backed away.
"All right! Don't try it because I'll
be hidden in those bushes yonder at
the bend, and I'll keep you covered till
the others are gone" He leaped down
the bank, ran to the cavalcade, mount
ed quickly, and the three dashed their
horses into a run, disappearing up the
trail around the sharp curve. She
heard the blows OF their quirts as they
whipped the pack horses.
They were long out Of sight before
the girl moved or made sound. al
though she knew that none of the three
had paused at the bend. She only
stood and gazed, for as they galloped
off she had heard the scrap of broken
sentence. 1t was but one excited
word sounding through the rattle of
hoofS-her own name-"Helen," and
alarm, but rather began to piece to-
gether bit by bit the strange points of
this adventure. She recalled the out
lines OF her captor with a wrinkle OF
perplexity. Her fright disappeared en-
tirely, giving place TO intense excite
ment 'No. no; It can't be- And vet l
wonder If 1t isr' she cried. "Oh, I
wonder II it could ber'
She opened her lips to cry aloud. then
hesitated. She started toward the
tents, then paused. and for many mo-
mentS after the hoof beats had died
out she stayed undecided. Surely she
wished to give the signal. to force the
fierce pursuit What meant this rob
berry. this defiance Of the law. of her
uncle's edicts and OF Mcnamara? They
We're common thieves. criminals, out
laws, these men deserving punish