Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1910-11-03

sickening force Of sledge hammer.
The man fell without groan. In
another flash he had drawn his knife
and severed the thongs that held the
man at the stake For a moment his
face was very near the girls and he
saw her lips form the glad cry which
he did not wait to hear
He turned like an enraged beast to-
ward the circle of dumbfounded spec
tators and launched himself at the
second guard From behind him there
sounded a shout and he caught the
CLEAN of naked shoulders as the man
who had been at the stake rushed to
his side. Together they tore through
the narrow rim of the crowd, striking
at the faces which appeared before
them, their terrific blows driving men
right and left.
This way, Nelll" shouted Nathaniel.
This way-to the shipl"
They raced up the slope that led
from the town to the forest Even the
kings officer palsied by the sudden
ness of the attack, had not followed.
From a screened window In the kings
building two men had witnessed the
exciting scene near the Jail One of
these men was Strang. The other was
Arbor Croche. At another window
few feet away, hidden from their
eyes by a high desk and masses of
papers and books, Winnsome Croche
was crumpled up on the floor hardly
daring to breathe through fear of be-
| traying her presence, From these
windows they had seen the girl run
from behind the Jail; they had watched
her struggle through the line of spec
tators, saw Nathaniel leap forward
saw the quick blow. the cleaning
knife, and the escape So suddenly
had it all occurred that not sound
escaped the two astonished men. But
as Nathaniel and Neil burst through
the crowd and sped toward the forest
Strang's great voice doomed forth like
the rumble of gun.
"Arbor Croche, overtake those men
and kill them"
With wild curse the chief of sher-
ifs dashed down the stairway, and as
she heard him go the terror of VIM
some's heart seemed to turn her blood
cold. She knew what that command
meant. She knew that her father
would obey 1t. AS the daughter of the
chief of sheriffs more than one burn
ing secret was hidden in her breast,
more than one of those frightful dag
gers that had pricked at the soul of
her mother until they had murdered
her. And the chief of them all was
this: That to Arbor Croche the words
of Strang we're the words of God and
that if the prophet said kill, he would
kill. For a full minute she crouched
in her concealment, stunned by the
horror that had so quickly taken the
place of the Joy with which she had
witnessed the escape. She beard
Strang leave the window, heard his
heavy steps In the outer room, heard
the door close. and knew that he. too.
was gone, She sprang to her feet and
ran to the window at which the two
men had stood. The chief of sheriffs
was already at the Jail. The crowd had
begun to dispense, Men were swarm.
ing like ants up the long slope reach
ing 10 the loresL' lnree OF lour Vi
the leaders were running and she
knew that they were hot in pursuit
of the fugtives, Others were follow.
ing more slowly and among these she
saw that there were women. AS she
looked there came sound from the
stair. She recognized the step. She
recognized the voice that called her
name a moment later and with de-
spairing cry she turned with out
stretched arms to greet the girl for
whom Nathaniel had interrupted the
kings whipping
p. (TO BE CONTINUED)