Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-01-02

Matthcw VS. from confiding in him.
While Lounsbury thus alternately
tortured and eased his mind he had
passed the aombcr clump of cotton
woods where the Indian dead were
dashed and was fast covering the miles
that lay between the burial boughs
and Fort Rrannon.
" n
When the ten minutes he had allot.
ted were past Matthews made a great
show Of putting away his watch and
took a last pull at the whisky flask.
The bottle disposed of, he walked
down the drift TO the warped door and
raped n staccato. No answer was re-
turned. Again he raped and more
imperatiyely than before. Again no
answer. lie pushed back his hat and
applied an ear to the hole through
which had hung the lifting string OF
the latch. Then he heard long. infre-
quent sobs. like those OF a child who,
though almost asleep, is yet sorrow
Ing. Between the sobs, p~unctuating
them ficrcelv, sounded the prolonged
sucking In of breath.
might as well stop v bawlin' an
squallin'," he called through the latch
hole. Times up!"
Getting no reply, as before, he alter
cd his tactics. First, shading his face
with his slim fingers, he looked in.
He could not see the girls. Dallas was
close to the door and beyond the limit
Of his vision. SO was Marylyn, who,
helpless with fright, half knelt, half
lay, against her sister. What he could
see was, from the south window, the
gaudy Navajo blankets forming two
partitions of Lancaster's bedroom and
nearer two partly filed sacks, some
harnesses and the seat OF a wagon.
The other window afforded a better
view. Looks mighty comfortable
he said as he contemplated It. There
was a hearth with Its dying fire. In
front Of 1t were circling benches and a
thick buffalo skin rug. Above was a
mantel, piled with calico covered
books. A freshly scrubbed table stood
in the farther corner beneath n dish
cupboard, which was made of a dry.
goods box. To the left Of this, high UP
on the log wall, were a couple Of pegs.
1t was these that finally riveted
Matthew'S attention and brought hin,
to a temporary halt. Got tn gun
down." he exclaimed. On finding that
Lancaster was gone be had decided
not to produce a weapon. Now, how
eve-, he quickly felt for one and drop.
ped on all fours. That biggest gal d
no more mind pumpin' lead into me
than nothin',' he declared. wagging
his head wisely. Il could tell that by
the shine in her eyes" He crawled
around the corncr
Behind the lean-to, he came to sew
eral conclusions. 1t would be useless
to try to get in by either window.
Both were high and small. The best
spot for an attack was the door. I'm
less he was hard pressed he must not
shoot. Women We're concerned. and
the fort or Clark's might be stirred to
unreasonable retaliation in their name.
For example, there was that poor devil
OF a COW puncher at Dodge who had
been riddled simply for Shaping his
wife. Obviously the shack must be
occupied without the shedding Of
blood. But what Of his safety? "Ill
JUS have t. chance it," he said, and
hunted for something to use as a bat
tering ram.
Not a pole, not ven a piece of board,
could he find. A scarcity of fuel be-
fore Squaw Charley began furnishing
1t had led to the burning Of every odd
bit of timber. Disgruntled, but not
discouraged. Matthews crawled back
to the front of the cabin and closely
examined the door. Il thought So"
he declared joyfully when he was
done. Rain and snow had swelled the
thick boards of which it was built.
But through the narrow cracks be-
tween these he saw that the transverse
pieces on the inside, like the four with
out, were only slender battens. IF l
can git some Of them cleats off," he
said, Il can bust n"
With a horn handle knife he pried
up the end of a batten until he could
get his fingers beneath it. Then he
pulled. and it came away. A light
cNl h IlcLI Sl!t ~ NlAt lisii NhClc
Il had been. Three times more he
pried and pulled, and the outer trans.
verse pieces lay on the snow. For tho
rest OF his job Matthews had to de.
pend on his shoulders.
Putting his knife in his pocket, he
backed to the top Of the nearest drift.
There he gathered himself together
and, with Il defiant grunt, hurled him
self %he0dlong at the door. AS it bent
with the force OF the impact a shrek
rang out. Well satisfied, Matthews re,
treated and flung himself forward a
second time. The door cracked omi.
nously. The inside bolt ratified in It's
sockets. Anticipating a speedy en-.
trance, Matthews warmed to his task.
And each time he fell upon the bar.
ricr a weak moan from within swelled
to a cry Of mortal terror.
And then-a few feet behind him Il
voice interrupted-a well molulated