The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-10-05
II {
M A D M A N
BY Harold Garter.

ueSS VIC nhdi Dc hilllnb WTdppou IN
blankets before a blazing fire."
The two men stopped for a moment,
painting, watching the woman behind
hem toiling up the slippery slope
All three were roped together. and
the woman the last.
Come. let us proceed" the speAlE-
er continued. Take care It is very
dangerous here. Look down. One
false step would precipitate one down
this icy slope to the verge of the preci.
pice-and then sheer for 1900 feet into
the valley below"
Take care Miss Summers does not
hear you, Frank" said the second man,
frowning. Your imaginations are
grewsome. Besides, you are forget
ting the rope"
"Ah, yes, the rope. had forget
ten. Besides, my dear Claude, grew
some imaginations are all that are left
10 rejected suitor."
They advanced slowly, digging their
iron-pronged sticks into the slippery
Ice. Presently the first man stopped
again and seated himself. The rope
grew slack.
Come, pull US in," Claude shouted
Il can't move an inch with Miss Sum-
mers behind me-"
His companion laughed and drew q
knife from his coat With a furious
gesture he cut the rope.
Curse you" he shouted, furiously.
Nov pull and see II you can reach the
top"
A scream broke from the woman's
lips. Claude did not answer, but
pulled with all his strength till the
veins stood out upon his forehead like
cords. He gained a yard, two yards;
hen slipped and went slipping down
the precipice. The woman had dis
appeared from view, yet the rope was
taut; 30 long as he remained even
on the very edge Of that precipitous
slide it would hold her securely.
With bleeding nails he elawed at the
ice, and at last dug himself a pre-
carious hold and lay prone upon his
face with arms extended.
Frank, for Gods sake-for Isabers
sake Pull her in at least, and fling
me over"
No, no, my dear boy" cried the
madman, mockingly. You are making
too fine a fight ] shall sit here and
drink to YOU He vanished into the
hut and presently emerged with a bot
tie of brandy, from which he began
gulping great mouthfuls, "You fools"
be continued Did you think that ]
would yield her to you SO peaceably?
She was mine, tell you. mine, before
you stole her, curse you!"
Hhe brandished the knife wildly.
The setting sun lit up his distorted
features.
"Oh, don't be afraid" he Knocked. II
am not going to kill you, Claude. ]
would like TO save yoa. 1t is always
the woman who is to blame. Here,
take the knife" he shouted, finging
it at his companions feet Without her
weight you can easily make the
c1c6at Cut the 10 Ike a brave
nal, and cone up anc dr.nk conf
zion 10 women
r san wnt d1wE "a kaes-
H. eel over t 0lour aas. The mocf
c5e1 them - her silver Egh
and / grew bright as day ence moro
a.e eo.i va intense
Minutes rolled INTO hours. The
aants Of the mailman died away into
drunken babbl,nes aud f1aliy he re
aimed silent Meanwhile, inch BY
inch they lost their foo'hod and
Clauds Slid from one desperate grip
TO another. Sometimes they called
1e to another
Cut the rope, dear" she said at
last 1T is your only chance; You
must net sacrifice your life f3r nine.
1hsy said good-by many a time; and
always new hope animated the man
as he struggled and fought against
the inevitable.
At last, with sudden WEAKNESS, he
yielded. The dark edge of the preci-
pice appeared; his body hung half
overland then his hands closed over
rock from which the woman, in her
fall, had dislodged the snow With a
last effort he looped the rope over it.
! It bore them.
That last fight was only night
mare to them both afterward. Inch
by inch, with infinite care, he drew
the rope through his bleeding hands,
making loop after loop around the
rock, until, with one last effort, he
pulled her to the surface, and they
lay side by side in safety. The val
leys still lay wrapped Ia darkness, but
the tops of the mountains wele red
with the rising sun. Presently its glow
ing orb rose slowly into the sky. It
shone on the dead man, frozen fast to
ne ice in his drunken slumber; but
aey looked into each others eyes in
| .,.e4auv If life and love