The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1908-02-21


shadow you see, especially if it
moves" were the fighting orders, and
his was the third shot of that night.
HELL! I've got it in the leg!" cried
a rough voice full of intense anger
and pain, and there were sounds of a
precipitate retreat.
Out under protection of the long
row OF loW-built sheds other orders
were being tessely given and silently
received.
Nov, men, I'll shoot the first man
of you who blubbers when he's hit.
Dye hear? There have been breaks
enough in this affair already. I don't
intend for that petticoat man and his
pulin' petticoat kid in there to get any
satisfaction out O. this at all. Hear
me?"
There was no response. None was
needed.
Some shots found harmless lodg-
ment in the outer walls of the shantv.
They were the result of an unavailing
attempt to pick the window whence
Williston's shot had come. Mary
could not keep back little womanish
gasp Of nervous dread.
Grip your nerve, Mary" said her
father. That's nothing-shooting
from down there. Just lie low and
they can do nothing. Only watch,
child, watch! They must not creep
up on us. Oh, for moon!"
She did grip her nerve, and her
hand ceased it's trembling. In the
darkness her eyes were big and
solemn. Sometime, tomorrow, the re-
action would come, but tonight
eyes, father, keep up your own
nerve she said in brave little voice
that made the man catch his breath.
Again the heavy minutes dragged
away. At each of the two windows
crouched tense figure, brain alert,
eyes in iron control 1t was a fright
full strain, this waiting game. Could
one be sure nothing had escaped ones
vigilance? Starlight was deceptive,
and ones eyes must needs shift to
keep the mastery over their little
horizon. 1t 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; it
might well be that at any moment a
sudden light flaring up from some
corner would tell the tale of the end.
Now and then could be heard the
soft thud of hoof as some one rode
nr02n OF
something moved out by the Sheds
Such movement, if discernible from
the house, was sure to be followed on
the instant by quick, sharp remon-
STRANGE from WillistOn's rifle How
long could it last? Would his nerve
wear away with the night? Could he
keep his will dominant? If so, he
must drag his mind resolutely away
from that nerve-racking, still, and un-
seen creeping, creeping, creeping,
nearer and nearer. How the stiffness
weighed upon him, and still his mind
dwelt upon that sinuous, f1at-bellied
creeping, crawling, worming! God, it
was awful! He fought it desperately.
He knew he was lost if 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 it left him-the
awful horror-left him curiously cold,
but steady of nerve and with 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 was
situated in lonely stretch of prairie
land far from any direct trail. True,
it lay between Kemah, the county
seat, and the Three Bars ranch, but
it was a good half mile from the
straight routs. Even so, it was a late
hour for any one to be passing by. 1t
was not 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, if rustlers they were.
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 were 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. it
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
dlspel the unreal and floating things,
opened wide her long-lashed lids, f1xed
them, and-fired. Then Williston
knew that his little girl his one eve
10 n oil ~ 1oF+ ~ L: