Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1908-01-23

Que W buio uotuiht hau ooSepou chc
vigilancei Starlight was deceptive.
and ones eyes must needs shift to
keep the mastery over their little
horizon. II might we'll be that some
one of those ghostly and hidden SEN
tinels patrolling the lonely homestead
had wormed himself past staring eye
balls, crawling. crawling. crawling; II
might we'll be that at any moment a
sudden light fiaring up from some
corner would tell the tale OF the end.
Now and then could be heard the
soft thud Of a hoof as some one rode
to execute an order. Occasionally,
something moved out by the sheds.
Such movement, II dlscernible from
the house. was sure TO be followed on
the instant by quick. sharp remon-
STRANGE from Willistons rifle. How
long could II last? Would his nerve
wear away with the night? Could he
keep his will dominant? II so. he
must drag his mind resolutely away
from that nerve-racklng, still. and I'M
seen creeping. creeping. creeping,
nearer and nearer. How the stiffness
weighed upon him. and still his mind
dwelt upon that sinuous. flat'bellied
creeping. crawling. worming! God, It
was awful! He fought II desperately.
He knew he was lost II he could not
stop thinking about It. The sweat
came out In big beads on his forehead,
on his body; he prickled with the heat
of the effort. Then 1t left him-the
awful horror-left him curiously cold.
but steady Of nerve and with a will OF
iron and eyes, cats eyes. for their
seeing In the dark. Now that he was
calm once more. he let himself weigh
the chances of succor. They were
pitifully remote. The Lazy 8 was
situated in q lonely stretch Of prairie
land far from any direct trail. True.
II lay between Kemah, the county
seat, and the Three Bars ranch. but
II was a good half mile from the
straight routs. Even so, II was a late
hour for any one to be passing by. 1t
was not q travelled trail except for the
boys OF the Three Bars, and they
were known to be great home.stayers
and little given to spreeing. AS for
the rustlers, II rustlers they we're,
they had no fear OF interruption by
the officers OF the law. who held their
places by virtue of the insolent and
arbitrary will OF Jesse Black and his
brotherhood, and we're now carousing
in Kemah by virtue Of the hush-money
put up by this same secret tribunal.
Watch, child. watch" he said
again, without In the least shifting his
tense position.
Surely" responded Mary. quite
steadily.
Now was her time come. Dark,
sinister figures fitted from tree to
tree. At first she could not be sure, II
was so heartlessly dark. but there was
movement--it was different from that
terrible blank quiet which she had
hitherto been gazing upon till her eyes
burned and pricked as with needle
points. and visionary things swan be.
fore them. She winked rapidly to
dispel the unreal and floating things.
opened wide her long-lashed lids, fixed
them, and-fired. Then Williston
knew that his little GIRL" his one eve
lamb, all that was left to him Of full
and gracious past, must go through
what he had gone through, all that
nameless horror and expectant dread
and his heart cried out at the unholy
injustice OF 1t all. He dared not 60 to
her, dared not desert his post for an
instant. II one got within the shadow
of the walls all was lost.
Mary's challenge was met with
rather hot return fire. 1t was probably
given to inspire the besieged with
due respect for the attackers num-
bers. Bullets battered around the out
side walls like hailstones, one even
whizzed through the window perilous-
ly near the girls intent young face.
Silence came back to the night.
There was no more movement. Yet
down there at the spring something,
maybe one Of those dark, gaunt cot
tonwoods, held death-death. for her
and death for her father. A stream OF
icy coldness struck across her heart.
She found herself calculating in delibf
Grafton which tree 1t was that held
this thing-death. The biggest one,
shadowing the spring. helping to keep
the pool sweet and cool where Paul
Langford had galloped his horse that
day when-ah! II Paul Langford
would only come now!
A wild, girlish hope flashed up In
her heart. Langford' would come
had he not sworn 1t. to her father?
Had he not given his hand as a +,
pledge? It means something to shake
hands in the cattle country. He was
big and brave and true. When he
came these awful. creeping terrors
would disperse-grim shadows that
must steal away when morning comes.
When he came she could put her
rife in his big, confident hands, lie
down on the floor and-cry. She
wanted to cry-oh, how she did want
to cry. Cold reason came back to her
aid. and dissipated the weak and
womahish longing to give way to
tears. There was pathetic droop to
her mouth, long. quivering, sob
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