Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1909-02-25

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was very late. He had noticed that SHE
was remarkably light in the water, too
almost as if in ballast, whereas she should
have been sunk TO her loadline with the
heavy cargo he knew that she ought tc
have been carrying.
Miss Ellen, as representing her father
virtually owned the Greyhound. Her
will on that ship. save in technical mat
ters, was paramount, but she had been
put ashore. She refused to explain her
presence. There, could have been no mis-
understanding between Captain Evers and
herself. While the Captain was not per-
Sonally known in the sound, yet his repu-
tation was we'll established as that of a
brace, skillful, courteous sailor. Major
Jones had learned this through common
friends before he had permitted Captain
EverS to be engaged to bring in the Grey
hound.
The Petrol had been gone for a week
also. Nothing whatever had been heard
from her since her departure. Putting
these things together, Captain Haywood
stumbled upon the truth of the story. The
Greyhound had been taken, she had been
l;ghtened of her cargo, and was now CON-
ing in in order to cut out the privateer
he was to command
Miss Ellen" he burst out furiously,
Il see it all. The Greyhound has been
captured. Her cargo has been taken out.
She is crowded with Yankees and is com
ing in to cut out my ship. They put you
ashore TO get you out of the fighting Is
that true?'
Poor Ellen was in a fearful dilemma.
She could only stare dumbly at the Cap
tain.
You do not say anything" he said.
Il know it is true. What keeps you silent
l don't know. You are betraying me-
Il owe you no allegiance"
mo, but you are betraying your fa TIL
er. and worse than that, you are betray-
ing your State. Fortunately | can thwart
them. I'm sorry to call you a traitress
Good-by."
He swung himself into the saddle.
struck spurs into his horse and galloped
off.
A traitress Was it true? Yet if so.
how could she help it? She was quick
to foresee just what would happen. The
new and direct road. cutting off the bends
and turns of the crooked inlet through
which the steamer would necessarily be
obliged to proceed slowly and with eau
ton, would enable Haywood to reach the
Ellen long before the Greyhound. He
could organize resistance. 1t was proba-
hle that some armed forces would be in
the vicinity of Jones Wharf Thinking
: ,I,o
party would be surprised themselves and
captured. There would be IA fight, her
lover would be in the thick of it. and he
would be wounded, perhaps killed. Rather
that thousand privateers should be lost
than that should occur She must get to
the Ellen herself before the battle What
she could do there she could scarcely tell
But she might do something. At least.
she could try to save him.
She turned and ran desperately towards
the largest house. which stood well back
from the shore in clump of trees. Ey-
erybody in that quarter knew the Jones
family, one of considerable importance in
that section of the country. All of them
knew Miss Ellen. After going from
house to house she finally succeeded in
getting the loan of a common old farm
horse. lie would have to do. Chloe could
be left behind till. the morning. She
must 90 on. There was no woman's sad
die to be had in the village. She did not
hesitate on that account. She took what
she could and made the best of it. Throw
ing her right knee over the saddle horn,
she rode until out of observation. and
then bestrode the horse manfully, in man
ly fashion, and proceeded on her way.
The horse was tired from his days la !
Dor and was but poor, old, numbering
beast at best. Ellen was a consummate
horsewoman, and she communicated some
thing of her anxiety mad purpose to the
thing of her anxiety and purpose to the
and her efforts, however, her pace was a
slow one. About a mile from the wharf
the horse gave out completely. She slid
from the saddle to the ground gathered
her skirts in her hands, and ran feetly
along the ground at a great rate. She
was thankful that she was young. active
and strong. She covered the ground with
amazing speed, 1t was quite dark now
The road ran from the forest through
which she had been riding since she left
the village along the open shore at a dis
tance Of half mile from the wharf 1t
left the forest on hill and abruptly de-
scended to the level of the river; on the
other side of the wharf the forest began
again and continued up TO the great
house, which sat on q bluff and was en-
powered in trees.
Just as she got to the open. she saw
the Greyhound a black mass in the fad
ing light, rounding the bend. The Ellen
lay quietly at the wharf. The Greyhound
had been delayed. She had touched the
shore once or twice and the navigation
had proved more difficult than Smith had
anticipated. The vessel was at least an
hour late or Miss Ellen would not have
been in time even to see her approach.
Ellen had not overtaken Captain Hay
wood, of course. His horse was thor
oughbred, and every minute had increased
the distance between them. For a mo-
ment the girl stared from the bill at the
two ships. She knew positively what the
conditions were The men of the Grey
hound, armed to the teeth, were ready for
boarding She did not doubt but that the
decks of the Ellen would be covered with
men equally well armed and that so soon
as the ships touched each other dread
full battle would ensue and the Grey
bounds crew would be overwhelmed. She
never doubted that Captain Smith would
lead his boarders. He would be killed
to Q moral certainty.