The Lamar register., 1908-03-25
CHAPTER JX.-continued.


AS her strained sight stared out in
to the darkness it was borne to her
intuitively. it may be, that something
was creeping up on her. She could
see nothing and yet knew it to be
trLe. Every fiber of her being tingled
with the certainty of it. 1t was com
ing closer and closer. She felt it like
an actual presence. Her eyes shifted
here, there-swept her half-circle
northumberland and stared. Still
nothing moved. And yet the nearness
of some unseen thing grew more and
more palpable. II she could not see
it soon she must scream aloud. She
breathed in little quickened gasps.
Soon, very soon, she would scream.
All! A shadow down by the biggest
cottonwood! 1t bodily sought nearer
and a smaller trunk. Another stink
ing shadow glided behind the vacated
position. 1t was CHASTITY presenta-
ton of pussy-wants-a-corner" played
in nightmare. But at last 1t was
something tangible-something to do
away with that frightful sensation of
that crawling. creeping, twisting
worming, acknowledgements and
nearer, so near now that it beat upon
her-unseen presence. She pressed
her finger to the trigger to shoot at
the tangible shadows and dispel that
enveloping. choking. blanket horror.
when God knows what stayed the
action of her fingers. Call 1t instinct,
what you will. her hand was stayed
even before her physical eye was
caught and held by blot darker still
than the night. over to her right, farth-
est from the spring. 1t lay perfectly
still 1t came to her, the willy plan,
with startling clearness. The blot
was waiting for her to fire futilely at
grinning shadows among the trees
and, under cover of her engrossed at
tention insinuate its treacherous body
the farther forward. Then the play
would go merrily on till-the end. She
turned the barrel of her rifle slowly
and deliberately away from the NOV
ing shapes among the cottonwood
clump, sighted truly the motionless
blur to her right and fired, once, twice,
three times.
The completeness of the surprise
seemed to inspire the attackers with
hellish fury. They returned the fire
rapidly and at will, remaining under
cover the while. Shrinking low at
her window. her eyes glued on the still
black mass out yonder. Mary wonder
ed If it were dead. She prayed pas
sionately that it might be. and yet
it is dreadful thing to kill. Once
more the wild firing ceased. Mary re-
sponded once or twice just to keep the
deadly chill from returning-if that
were possible.
Under cover of the desperadoes'
fire. at obtuse angles with tie first
attempt, second blot began its tor
tuous twisting. 1t accomplished
space, stopped; pulled itself its length
stopped, waited, watchful eyes on the
window whence came Mary's scatter
ed firing still into the clump of trees.
They had drawn her close regard at
last Would it hold out? Forward
again, crawling fiat on the ground,
ever advancing, slowly, very slowly,
but also very surely. creeping, creep
ing, creeping, now stopping, now
creeping, stopping, creeping.
All at once the gun play began
again, sharp. quick. from the spring
from the sheds. The blot lay perfect
ly still for a demonstrating, watch
ing The plucky little rifle was silent
But so it had been before. Quarter
length, half, whole length, cautiously
with frequent stops, eyes so steeiy, SO
intent-could it be possible that TINS
gun was really silenced-out oil the
race? 1t would not do to trust 100
much. The blot waited. scarcely
breathed, crept forward again.
A sudden bright light flashed up
through the darkness under the unpro-
tected wall to Mary's left Almost
simultaneously kindred light sprahs
into being from the region OF the cat.
tle-sheds. The men down there hau
been waiting for this signal. II
meant that for some reason the secohu
effort to creep up unobserved 10 nre
the house had been successful. Inc
II haHAme