The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-07-13

comfortable. He made no effort to
think-to scheme out his further de.
liverance He was with the powder
and the dynamite. and the powder and
dynamite could not be exploded until
human hands came to attach a new
fuse Macdonald would attend to
that very soon. so he went Off into a
doze that was almost sleep. In his
half consciousness there came to him
but one sound-that dreadful ticking
of his watch. He seemed to have lis
tened to it for hours when there arose
another sound-the ticking of another
watch.
He sat IN. startled. wondering. and
then he laughed happily as he heard
the sound more distinctly. 1t was the
beating Of picks on the rock outside.
Already MacDonald's men were at
work clearing the mouth Of the coyote.
In half an hour he would he out in
the big. breathing world again.
The thought brought him to his feet.
The numbness was gone from his
limbs and he could walk about. His
first move was to strike a match and
look at his watch.
"Half past 10v'
He spoke the words aloud. thinking
of Meleese. In an hour and a half he
was to meet her on the trail. Would
he be released in time to keep the
tryst?' How should he explain his i'm
prisonment in the coyote so that he
could leave Macdonald without further
loss of time? AS the sound Of the
picks came nearer his brain began
working faster. If he could only evade
explanations until morning and then
reveal the whole, dastacdiy business to
Macdonald! There would be time then
for those explanations. for the running
down Of his murderous assailants, and
meanwhile he would be able to keep
his appointment with Meleese.
He was not long In finding q way in
which this scheme could be worked.
and. gathering up the severed ropes
and rawhide. he concealed them be-
tween two Of the powder sacks so that
those who entered the coyote would
discover no signs of his terrible i'm
prisonment. Close to the mouth Of the
tunnel there was black rent in the
wall of rock made by bursting charge
of dynamite in which he could conceal
himself. When the men were busy
examining the broken fuse he would
step out and join them. 1t would look
as though he had crawled through the
tunnel after them.
half an hour later a mass Of rock
rolled down close to his feet. and a
few moments after he saw a shadowy
human form crawling through the hole
it had left. A second followed. and
then third. and the first voice he
heard was that of Macdonald
''Give Us the lantern. Bucky." he call
ed back, and CLEAN of light shot into
the black chamber. The men walked
cautiously toward the fuse. and How
land saw the little superintendent fall
on his knees. AS quietly as a cat
Rowland worked himself to the en-
trance and made a clatter among the
rocks. 1t was he who responded to the
voice.
What's up. MacDonald?"
He coolly joined the little group.
Macdonald looked up. and when he
saw the new chief bending over him
his eyes stared in unbounded wonder.
"HOwland!" he gasped.
It was all he said. but in that one
word and in the strange excitement in
the superintendent face Rowland
read that which made him turn quick
~ to the men. giving them his first
command as general in chief of the
road that was going to the bay.
Get out Of the coyote. boys" he
said eve won't do anything more
until morning"
To Macdonald as the men went out
ahead of them he added in low voice:
Guard the entrance to this tunnel
with half a dozen Of your best men to-
night, Macdonald. know things
which will lead me to investigate this
tomorrow. I'm going to leave you as
soon as l get outside. Spread the re-
port that it was simply a bad fuse.
Understand
He crawled out ahead Of the superin-
tendent. and before Macdonald had
emerged from the coyote he had al
ready lost himself in the starlit gloom
Of the night and was fastening to his
tryst with the beautiful girl, who, he
believed, would reveal to him at least
a part of one of the strangest and most
diabolical plots that had ever originat-
ed in the brain of man.
CHAPTER VIII. -