Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-02-03

the time when he heard the princess
scream and saved her from the brig
ands.
On he ran over the hard sand GOV
cred with a sheet of ripping water
carrying his rife low and bending al
the hips. He realized that every step
was taking him farther from those
savages on the shore, was putting a
greater distance between himself and
their rifles. He scarcely believed that
he could get away without being
wounded. If they would only kill him
outright, or would hit him in some
spot that would not prevent his run.
ming! He listened, as a hare before
the pursuing hunter, for the sound OF
the guns, and still he ran on.
But the Chinese did not shoot again,
and now from the Pushkin came half
a dozen men to the rescue, deployed
in open formation, like a troop of
trained soldiers, with their eyes fixed
on something behind him. They were
shouting to him, but Hardy could not
understand.
He turned, looked. and knew why
the enemy had ceased shooting. They
feared killing their own horsemen,
who were between him and the shore,
and bearing down on him rapidly.
There were at least a dozen of them,
and in a minute more three, better
mounted than the others, would have
been upon him. These were bending
close to their horses necks, and were
armed with long swords to cut him
down. The American aimed at the
horses and fred rapidly, three times.
One of the animals, MORALLY wounded,
sank to his knees, while the others,
stung and maddened by the bullets,
became unmanageable and ran snort
ing back toward the Manchurian
shore.
The Cossacks now came up, and,
turning in a volley on the mounted
brigands, emptied one saddle and
compelled the entire party to retire,
which they did slowly, shaking their
swords at the Russians and yelling
imprecations. They were destined,
however, to lose n more of their
number. The man whose horse Hardy
had killed was making frantic but I'M
successful efforts to get away, his leg
being pinned down beneath the dead
animal. To him one of the Bouriats
ran up and, wrenching the mans own
sword from his hand, cleft his skull
with it and left him there with his
dead steed.
When Hardy again reached the
deck of the Pushkin, the general and
the captain each shook his hand in
| silence, and the princess, her beauti-
full eyes red with weeping, said to
him:
ut was an act Of mercy, my friend,
for which we all thank you. The
soul of brave Stenka, now in heaven.
will be grateful to you"
at was a hard thing to do" replied
Hardy, faint almost to falling, but
/ could not endure the sight of the
agony-I could not bear to have you
look at it. 1t is what | should have
wanted some one to do for me-" he
added, as though further extenuation
were necessary.
Then" said the princess with a
sad, solemn smile" it was a Christ.
like act, a deed Of sublime courage,
and so l shall ever regard it. But
you are faint, my friend. Go and lie
down and be sure that the Virgin and
all the saints approve what you have
just done"
Thanks, a thousand thinks" muir.
INJURED Hardy. "If you approve, l am
sure that it was right"
And still there were no signs OF
help, no sounds of galloping hoofs, on
the military road yonder, that wound
in and out of the dark forest, OIL
stretched like a long white ribbon by
the side of the yellow river.
(To BE CoNTINUED)