Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-29
BOB HAMPTON OF PLACER.
BY RANDALL PARRISH,
WILDERNESS KING"
Copyright by A.
BY RANDALL PARRISH,

ptIleCtlN quiet lie whispered,
painting heavily. I'VE can be no safer any
where else"
She could distinguish the rapid pounding
of his heart we'll as her own. mingled
with the sharp intake of their heavy
breathing, but these sounds We're soon over
come by that of the tumult below. Shots
and yells. the duh crash of blows. the
shouts of men engaged in death grapple,
the shar pcracklng of innumerable rifles.
the inaruculate means of pain the piercing
scream of sudden torture. were borne up
ward to them from out the blackness They
did not venture to lift their heads from of
the hard rock; the girl sobbed silently. her
slender form trembling: the fingers of the
man closed more tightly about her hand.
All at once the hideous uproar ceased with
a final yelping of triumph. seemingly
echoed the entire length OF the chasm. in
the midst of which enc single voice pleaded
pitifully only to die away in a Shrek. The
| two agonized fugitives lay listening. their
ears strained to catch the slightest sound
fl om below. The faint radiance of single
star glimmered along the bald front of the
cllH. but Hampton, peering cautiously
across the edge. could distinguish nothing.
His ears could discern evidences of move
ment. and he heard cultural voices calling
at distance. but to the vision all was
! black. The distance those faint sounds APP
peared away made his head reel. and he
| shrank covering back against the girls
| body, closing his eyes and sinking his head
|. uron his arm.
These uncertain sounds ceased, the strain
X
! of bodies through the thick shrubbery AMI
| then even this noise died away in the dis
| lance. Yet neither Ventured to stir
speak. 1t may be that the girl slept fit
| fully. worn out by long vigil and intense
| strain; but the man proved less fortunate,
| his eyes staring out continually into the
| black void. his thoughts upon other days
| long vanished but now brought back in all
| their bitterness by the mere proximity of
! this helpless waf who had fallen into his
| care. His features We're drawn and bag
! gard when the first gray dawn found
| ghaStly reflection along the opposite rock
summit. and with blurred eyes he watched
| the faint tinge of returning light steal
downward into the canyon. AT last it swept
aside those lower clnging mists. though
some invisible hand had drawn back the
night curtains, and he peered the edge
| of his narrow resting place, gazing directly
down upon the scene of massacre With
| a quick gasp of unspeakabe horror he
| shrank so sharply back to cause the
| suddenly awakened girl to start and glance
| into his face.
What is it," she questioned. with quick
| catching of breath. reading that which she
could not clearly interpret in his shocked
| expression.
Nothing of consequence" and he family
/ endeavored to smile. Il suppose | must
| have been dreaming also. ana most UNI
| pleasantly. No. please do not look down,
| it would only cause your head to reel and
| our upward climb is not yet completed.
| DO you feel strong enough now, to make
| another attempt to reach the top"
| His quiet spirit of assured dominance
| seemed to command her obedience. With a
/ slight shudder she glanced doubtfully up
| the seemingly inaccessible height.
| Can We? she questioned helplessly.
I'VE can simply because We must" and
his white teeth shut together firmly. There
/ s no possibility of retracng our steps
downward but with the help of this day
| light we surely ought to be able to discover
i some path leading up.
| He rose cautiously to his feet. pressing
4 ,,1T
| cliff. thus holding her In comparative safety
| while preventing her from CHANGING back
| into the dizzy ChaSm The most difficult
portion of their journey was apparently
| Just before them, consisting of series OF
narrow lodges. widely separated and
| irregular as to require each to assist the
other while passing from point to point
| Beyond these a slender cleft, bordered by
| gnarled roots of low bushes, promised a
somewhat easier and securer passage to-
| ward the summit. Hampton face became
| deathly white they began the perilous
! climb. but his hand remained steady, his
| foot sure, while the girl moved forward
| as if remaining unconscious of the pres
ence of danger. apparently swayed by his
| dominant will to do whatsoever he babe
| her. More than once they tottered the
| very brink. held to safety merely by des-
| perate clutchinSs at rock or shrub. yet
never once did the man loosen his guarding
! grasp of his companion. Pressed tightly
| against the smooth rock. feeling for every
crevce, every slightest irreguarty of
| surface, making use of creeping tendr;l or
| dead branch. daring death along every inch
| of the way. these two Creepers at last at
| tanned the opening to the little gulley and
! sank down, faint and trembling, their
| hands bleeding, their clothing sadly torn
! by the sharp lodges across which they had
! pulled their bodies by the sheer strength
of extended arms. Hampton painted heav-
| lily from eXertion, yet the old light of cool
resourceful daring had crept back into the
| gray eyes, while the stern lines about his
| lips assumed pleasanter curves. The girl
| glanced furtively at him. the long lashes
shadowing the expression of her lowered
| eyes. In spite of deep prejudice she felt
impelled to like this man; he accomplished
| things and he didn't talk.
| 1t was nothing more serious than a hard
| and toilsome climb after that, continuous
| struggle testing every muscle, Straining
| every sinew. causing both to sink down
again and again. painting and exhla usted
| no longer stimulated by imminent peril The
| narrow cleft they followed led somewhat
| away from the exposed front of the preci-
| pice, yet arose steep and Jagged before
| Them slender cash through the solid
| rock, up which they We're often compelled
! to force their passage; again it became
clogged with masses of debris. dead
branches and dislodged fragments of stone
across which they obliged to struggle
desperately, while once they completely
| halted before sheer smoothness of rock
| wall that appeared impossible. 1t was
bridged finally by a cedar trunk, which
/ Hampton wrenched from out its rocky foot
| HOlU, anu lIie TWO STSpl cautiously lOTWdTu
, to emerge where the sunlight rested golden
/ at the summit. They sank face downward
| in the short grass, barely conscious that
/ they had finally won their desperate pas
sage
Slowly Hampton succeeded in uplifting
/ his tired body and his Keeling head until he
| could sit partially upright and gaze I'M
! steadily about The girl yet remained mo-
| tionless at his feet. her thick hair, mass
| of red gold in the sunshine, completely
| concealing her face. her slender figure quiv-
| ering to sobs of utter exhaustion. Before
| them stretched the barren plain, brown,
! desolate drear, Offering In all its wide ex-
panse no hopeful promise of rescue, no
| slightest suggestion even of water, except
| ing IA fringe of irregular trees, barely dis
cernible against the horizon. That lorn,
| deserted waste. shimmering beneath the
! sun rays the heat waves already becoming
manifest above the rock-strewn surface
/ presented most depressing spectacle. With
| hand partially shading his aching eyes
| from the binding glare. the man studied
| its every exposed feature. his face harden
| ing again into lines of stern determination
| The girl stirred from her position. fiingng
| back her heavy hair with one hand and
| looking up into his face with eyes that