Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1908-03-19

S0oASS oL1f
his suspicious were true and that her
father had thus meant to rob him.
Two determined impulses now fol-
lowed this discovery: First, to make
the girl he had bought a prisoner,
carry her into the woods, and then,
when the chance came, revenge him.
self on Mcclure. No sense of law, or
decency even, entered his calculation.
He was beyond such scruples, and
what he wanted was his only law.
The fear of rifles, which he knew
were plenty enough at this camp, was
the only factor to be considered. For
days he watched the camp from
across the lake, hoping that the girl
he saw canoeing with a boy so often
might come neal enough for him to
make a capture, Many times, when
darkness served, he padded close to
where the cabin stood, and once land
ed and watched it for hours.
Growing holder, as the days wore
on, he hid his canoe below the outlet
of the lake and taking advantage of
this %outcropping slate ledge with it's
many assures, secreted himself and
watched.
But some shelter, at least to cook
and eat in, he must have, and this he
found in a distant crevasse of this
same ledge, and from this he sneaked
along back of it until he could hide
and watch the camp below. From this
~vantage-point he saw that the girl no
longer went out upon the lake, but re-
NAMED near the cabin; then, later, he
noticed the two men leave the lake one
morning. This encouraged him, and
now he grew still holder, even de-
scending the ridge and watching those
remaining at the cabin, from a dense
thicket.
From this new post he saw that but
one man seemed on guard, and almost
was he tempted to shoot him from
ambush and, make a dash to capture
his victim. Cautious and cunning, he
still waited a chance involving less
risk.
And now he saw that certain duties
nCIO pei llICu ny LHCoC pCOplCp lhuI
n man and the boy always started
the morning fire; that the girl invari-
ably went to the landing alone for wa
ter, at about the same time. Here for
the moment she was out of sight from
either cabin, and now in this act Of
hers, he saw his opportunity to land
from his canoe near this spot before
daylight, and hide in the bushes firing.
ing the shore here and below the bank,
watch his chance and seize and gag
her before an cutlery could be made.
To tie her hands and feet and to push
the other II out into the lake, thus
avoiding pursuit until they could get a
good start, was an easy matter.
1t was risky, of course. She might
hear or see him in time to give one
scream. The old man who had said
foolish things to him, and now seem
ed to be on guard, would surely send
bullets after him as he sped away;
but one out of the lake, he would
be safe. 1t was a dangerous act; YET
the other two men might return any
H. ulih "ALl lblp III plOhlSSbI NAiA.
wiley half-breed now resolved to act
Old Cy was up early that fata
morning. Somehow a sense of i'm
pending danger haunted him, and call
ing Ray, he unlocked the cabin doc,
and began starting the morning fire
He wanted to get breakfast out of thu
way as speedily as possible, and thel
visit this ridge, feeling almost sur
that he would find where this half
breed had been watching them.
When Ray cam out, and before thu
hermit or Chip appeared, Old Cy hur
ried over to the ice-house, and nov
Chip came forth as usual, and with
out a word to anyone, she took thu
two pals and started for the landing
1t was, perhaps, ten rods to this, dow
a narrow path winding through tn
scrub spruce. The morning was fail
the lake without a ripple.
Above the ridge, and pccpin
through it's toppingof stunted fir, cam
the first glance of the sun, and Chi
was happy.
Old Tomah, her one and only frien
for many years, was here. ) A SOM
thing Ray had whispered the night BIZ
fore, now returned like a sweet not
of music vibrating in her heart, and a
If to add their cheer, the birds wer
piping all about.
For weeks the cheerful words of on
of Rays songs had haunted her wit
4 its catchy rhythm
Oar was an old niger and his name wa
Uncle Ned,
He died long go, long go"
They now rose to her lips as she neare
the lake. Here she halted, filled
pail, and set it on the log landing.
~, From behind a low spruce n evi
sinister eye watched her.
- And now Chip, still humming thi
~ ditty, glanced up at the rising sun an
- out over the lake.
= A crouching form with hideous fac
" now emerged from behind the bush
70 step by step, this human panther al
=. yanced. A slow, cautious, catlike NOV
ment, without sound, as each mo
: casined foot touched the sand Neare
and nearer that unconscious girl
~ crept! Now 20 feet away, now tel
>" now five!
And now came a swift rush, tw
- fierce hands enclosed the girls fac
and drew her backward on to the san
Ray and the hermit were beside til
fire, and the Indian just emerging frol
the hut where he had slept, when OF
1t CIV returned from the icehouse.