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

II
father. That's no thine ,o0oting
from down there. Just lie low and
they can do nothing. Only watch,
child, watch! They must not creees|
up on us. Oh, for a moon =
She did grip her nerve, and her
hand ceased its trembling IN the
darkness her eyes were big and
solemn Son etime, tomorrow, the re-
action would come, but to-nig
Yes. father, keep up your own
nerve, 81 she said In a brave little voice
that made the man catch his breath
Again the heavy minutes dragged
away. AT each of the two windows
scrouched q tense figure, brain alert,
eyes In iron control. ID 1t was a fright
full strain, this waiting game Could
one be8sure nothing had escaped ones
vigilance Starlight was deceptive,
and ones eyes must needs shift to-
keep the mastery over their little
horizon. It might well be that some
one OF those ghostly and hidden sem
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 faring up from some
corner would tell the tale Of the end.
Now and then could be heard the
soft thud Of q hoof as some one rode \
to execute an order. Occasionally,
something moved out by the sheds. /
Such movement, If discernible from
the house. was sure to be followed on
the Instant by a quick, sharp remon-
STRANGE from w lliston's rifle. How
long could it last Guild his nerve
wear away with he nighl Could he
keep his will dominant If so, he
must drag BIZ mind resolutely away
from that nerVe-rackin ing, still, and I'M,
seen creeping creeping, creeping,
nearer and nearer. How the stiffness
weighed upon him, and still his mind
dwell upon that sinuous, dat-b ellied
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 he
awful horror left him curiously cold,
but steady OF nerve and with will of
I 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 q lonely stretch d. prairie
land Tar from any direct trail True,
ut lay between Kemah. the county
seat. and the Three Bars ranch. but
was q good hal mile from the /
Sstraight rolts: Even SO, it was q late
hour for any one to be passing 81. It
was not q travelled trail except for the ]
boys OF the Three Bars, and they
were known to be great shome.stayers
and little given to spreeing. AS FOR
the rustlers, Il rustlers they we're.
they had no fear sof Interruption BY
the officers of the law, who held their
places BY virtue Of the insolent ana
arbitrary Will Of Jesse Black ana his
broth hood, and were now carousfng
I'm Kemah by virtue Of the husl-money
put up by this same secret tribunal.
Natch child watch - ne said
again, without ID the least shifting His
tense position.
Surely responded Mary, quite
steadily.
S5S Now was her time come. Dark.
sinister figures fitted from tree tos
tree Az drst she could not IS sure ii
was 10 heartl essly dark but there was
movement was different from that
terrtbl blank quiet which she had,
hitherto been ga ling upon Till her eyes
burned and prdc ked with neeille.I
points and yisiona things swan 30,
fore them. She keti rapitl ly tos|
dispel the unfeall and hoatine t,,ineaI
opened wide her long. lasheds Has Ara
Thsn lliatonE
knew that ttle Ills one ewel
lamb, an that lef us ii of 3 fllllls
and gracious must 81
THAT tie hal gone taata
||naneless horror and expectan III
aud his heart cried out III lttie sln laolyl
Unjust TIA of iItt IIe Ell not go ll
ll,sr not III b post for
'instan one BOT hin tie shad low
80 mi all SNass
SS||ll HUI
Sc iot xefnT
tthe Ebesssie ges 81
tac kars
4 nl IN ound q, u
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