Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-06-08

VI 'i' J''' - :
denly stumbled and fell. Her bron.
cho's matchlcss endurance had at last
been exhausted by the terrible strug-
gle of their journey. He lay dying
where he fell, and nothing she could
do could get him up again. The boy
had stopped, of course, when her horse
had fallen. He had dismounted and
helped her to rise. He had assisted
her vain efforts to get her own played
out horse on its feet. The two nov
stood staring at each other in dismay.
You must take my horse" said the
boy at last.
The woman nodded. With his as.
sistanCe she climbed slowly and pain
fully into the saddle, took the reins
from the boy. and started on. Her
companion caught hold OF the stirrup
leather and staggered forward by her
side. The going was now infinitely
harder for tn" remaining horse. The
woman Immediately realized that with
this almost dead weight ~plunGing
through the deep drifts and dragging
heavily at the stirrup leather, the
ltlllilIlIllS DIoIl'o NouIu SObl W SN-
hausted.
She had meant to play fair with
him but it could not be. And so for
a long time the trio plodded on in this
way, the woman nerving herself to a
frightful action as best she could. She
tant-
But no horse that eve lived could
! stand such a strain. She knew that it
would be a matter Of minutes now
when the animal she rode on would
also fall. and lie when he had fallen
like his dead brother back on the
trail, and then she and the boy would
inevitably perish.
Well, it was his life or hers, The
decision was forced upon her. And
perhaps after all it was just az we'll
to get rid of them both and have done
with it. She reached over. and be-
fore the boy realized what was hap.
pening she caught his hand, tore his
fingers from the saddle strap. and
thrust him violently backward. In.
prepared, unsuspCcting, h~aIi-da2ed, he
could offer no adequate resistance. He
reeled and fell supinc in Il deep and
overwhelming drift. She struck the
horse heavily with the whip that hung
from the saddle bow, ana the animal
plunged forward wildly She knew
that she was safe unless he should
try to shoot her; for he was too weak
and too exhausted to catch her.
The boys senses We're Quickcned in.
to instant action by her conduct. Aft.
er the first moment of surprise, he
knew at once that sh" was dcliberate-
ly abandoning him to die in the snow.
A hot rush of blood, in spite of the
cold, swept over him. He thrust his
hand within his coat and dragged out
n weapon. He raised it and trained
it on the woman's back, and for the
mOment his hand did not tremble.
Then there rose before him that other
CORY figure. Though he had lived
some months on the wild frontier and
there. he had never been connected
with the murder before, even as ar
accessory after the fact, and the hor
ror Of 1t was still upon him. He low
cred the pistol, though he could easily
/ have shot her dead.
Such treachery on the part OF /:
woman would have killed some men
! not so this boy. In that moment h,
became q man. He saw himself
fool, he determined that he would no
/ also see himself a coward. Clenchinl
his fists and summoning his strength
o he followed southwark afoot in tn,
q woman's wake.
He walked-if that be the worG 10
his progress-with his head down an
8 his body bent lower and lower. II
took long rests between the steps. Il
d and by he fell forward on his face
II The sensation of delicious rest an
drowsiness that swept over him wooe
him to lie still and die but there wer
still sparks and remnants of manhoo
e and courage in him. He shook off hi
desire to sleep at last and strove fra
at tically TO rise. Finding that he coul
L. not, ne crawled forward on his hand
and knees, slowly working himse
over the snow covered ground, roun
As the drifts like a great animal.
r. There was no use. Humanity couI
re not stand the strain any longer. Or
81 more movement he made, and just
or he was about to sink down forever /
re heard q long, deep hollow. mournf
ey sound. He stopped, interested. dim
re wondering what 1t could be.
Whatever 1t was. II meant life
ne some kind. IL came from direct
he in front of him. 1t nerved him 20 +,
I'm thor effort. Summoning the last VI