Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-03-16

cry. too. and as the air pinched he
shivered.
AT the best the sheriff cannot reach
here before midnight" he said. and
settled down to his %unsought. revolving
vigil.
His n relief lay in the mental COM
position of a long letter to Lee Vir-
ginia, whose life at that moment was
a comfort to him. IF such purity,
such sweetness, can come from vio-
lence and vulgarity then surely a new
and splendid state can rise even out
OF the ashes of these murdered men.
Perhaps this is the end of the old"
he unused, perhaps this is the begin
ming of the new" and as he pondered
the last faint crimson died out of the
west. 80 must the hate and violence
die out of America" he said, leaving
the clear, sweet air of liberty behind"
He was near to the poet at the mo-
ment, for he was also the lover. His
allegiance to the great republic stood
the test. His faith in democracy was
shaken, but not destroyed. Il will
walt. lit ucCIucu. L Ills SlldlI De the
sign. If this deed goes unavenged
then will l put off my badge and my
uniform and go back to the land where
for a hundred years at least such
deeds as these have been impossible"
He built a fire as night fell to serve
both as a beacon and as a defense
against the cold. He felt himself
weirdly remote in this vigil. From
his far height he looked abroad upon
the tumbled plain as if upon an ocean
dimly pe%rceptible, yet august. Sat this
moment" he said, curious and per-
haps guilty eyes are wondering what
my spark of freight may mean"
His mind went again and again to
that tall old man in the ditch. What
was the meaning of his scared and
sorrowful glance? Why should one
so peacefully employed at such a time
and in such a place wear the look of
a hunted deer? What meant the ire
NOR in his voice?
Was it possible that one so gentle
should have taken part in this deed ?
"Preposterous suspicion, and yet he
had a guilty look"
At last. far in the night, he heard
the SnOrt of a horse and the sound of
voices. The law (such as it was) was
creeping up the mountain side in the
person of the sheriff of Chauvenet
county and was about to relieve the
ranger from his painful responsibility
as guardian of the dead.
At last he came. this officer of the
law. attended dixie a Cheyenne chief
by a dozen lesser warriors of various
conditions and kinds. but among them
indeed, second only to the sheriff
was. Hugh Redfield, the forest super
visor, hot and eager with haste.
AS they rode up to the fire the officer
called out: "Howdy, ranger? How
about it,"
Ross stated briefly, succinctly, what
he had discovered, and as he talked
other riders came up the hill and gath
cred closely around to listen in word
less silence-in guilty silence, the
ranger could not help believing.
Redfield spoke. SHERIFF Van Horne,
you and | have been running cattle in
this country for nearly thirty years.
and we've witnessed all kinds of shoot
ing and several kinds of hanging. but
when it m to choDping and burn
ing men l get off. I shall personally
offer a reward Of $1,000 for the ap-
prehension of these miscreants, and l
hope you'll make it your solemn duty
to hunt them to earth"
"YOu won't have far to 60" remark
ed Ross significantly.
"What do you mean?" asked the
sheriff.
81 mean this slaughter, like the 9th
ers that have taken place, was the
work of cattlemen who claim this
range. Their names are known to us
ALL"
A silence followed-so deep a silence
that the ranger was convinced of the
fact that in the circle of his listeners
stood those who, if they had not
shared in the slaughter. at least knew
the names of the guilty men.
At last the sheriff spoke, this time
with a sigh. II hope you're all wrong.
Cavanagh. I'd hate to think any con
stituent of mine had sanctioned this
job. Give me that lantern, Curtis"
The group of ranchers d~ismounted
and followed the sheriff over to the
grewsome spot. but Redfield stayed
with the ranger.
"Have you any suspicion, Ross?"
mo, hardly a suspicion. However,
you know as we'll as | that this was
not a sudden outbreak. This deed was
planned. 1t represents the feeling of
many ~cattlemen-in everything but the
extra horror of its execution. That
was the work of drunken, Infatuated
men. But | am more deeply concern
ed over Miss WetherfOrd's distress.
Did she reach you by telephone to-
night?'
mo. What's the trouble?"
"Her mother is down again. / tele-
phoned her. and she asked me to come
to her, but l cannot go, for / have a
case of smallpox up on the hill. Am
bro the RaSO1p herder is down with