Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-10-26
The Evening Story
Saved. In the
Nick Of Time
By RUTH W. MALTBY

Auc curly bottISED III heuIuCAy Cat0O
largely from the same direction. Reach.
ing America from the old world. they
settled in Pennsylvania. later emigrat-
ed to western Virginia and. having
worked out their lands there. moved
on down the Ohio river to appropriate
the virgin soil Of Kentucky.
Among these movers was q family
named Martin. the father and mother
being elderly persons. their elder chill.
dren grown. A daughter. Hester, was
girl Of eighteen. They settled not
far from where Bowling Green II now
situated.
The war Of 1872 was being fought.
and soon after the arrival of the Mar
tins in their new home the battle Of
New Orleans was fought and won BY
the Americans. or, rather, the woods.
men Of the west, among whom the
hunters Of Kentucky were conspicu-
GUS. The war had been ended by
treaty before the battle. though the
news of peace had not yet got across
the Atlantic. and soon after 1t was
over the troops came marching home.
A company Of Kentuckians recruited
from the region about where the Mar
tins lived was dlsbanded. and young
man. Abner Armstrong. who had
marched away and returned a. q lieu
=, tenant. was among the number. At
the time Of his appearance John Bart
let. a man Of forty years of age. had
asked Martin for his daughter Testers
hand. There were many mouths to
feed in Martins family. and Bartlett
was the only sutton who had establish
ed himself In the new country: there
fore Martin persuaded Hester to marry
him.
But before the wedding had taken
place along came the soldiers whose
rifles had won the battle Of New Or
leans. Young Armstrong was strap
ping, 6axen haired, blue eyed boy with
every appearance Of manliness. but
withal an engaging smile. Hester look.
ed at him and surrendered.
There Is but little reason in youth.
Instead Of confessing to her father and
her betrothed that she had not known
what love was and that, having dis.
covered 1t in the young soldier, she
had changed. Hester resolved on the
most desperate course to be conceived
of. She told Armstrong. who was as
deeply smitten with her AZ she was
with him. that she could never face
either her father or her betrothed to
tell them Of the change In her and the
only course left for them was to run
away. 1t was not likely that one who
had but recently helped to win battle
should show the white feather.
The only means Of conveyance In
those days in Kentucky was horse.
Armstrong had but one animal. but II
served for both. They started on an
afternoon. and their flight was discov'
cred about 8 o'clock the same night.
Bartlett was notified, and when be
learned how he had been treated he
said:
.'I'll go after 'em and bring 'em back.
Then Ill tell 'em they kin git married
for all me IS soon as they like"
With this he mounted his horse. his
rife slung to his saddle and pistols IN
his holster. for no one went about un.
armed in those wild days. and. assum-
ing that the fugitives would make for
the Ohio river. he rode straight north.
ward. About midnight he saw q lurid
light on the clouds to the northeast
ward. and. thinking the fugitives had
bivouacked and built a Ore. be turned
his horses head in that direction.
Suddenly he refined in to stand and
listened. A distant confused barking
fell upon his ear. He shuddered. A
picture came before his minds eye
painted by the hand Of experience. A
Kentuckian. he knew that the barka
he heard were these of wolves and
that one Of the ways of lighting wolves
was by Ore. He saw the girl hs had
hoped to make his wife and the man
she had eloped with besieged by hum
cry beasts.
Urging forward his horse. guided BY
the light. the barks growing more dis.
tinct NJ he approached. he finally
burst IN upon the very scene be had
pictured. Armstrong and Hester oc-
cupied the center Of a circle OF DIRE
they had built to keep OF the pack.
Armstrong; ammunition had been ex.
pended, and whenever a wolf snarled
too close he beat 1t back with the bar
rel Of his ride or with burning brand
Hester, ike a true daughter OF the
forest. was bravely arranging the wood
they had gathered to keep It burning.
Having ridden AZ far ~ his terrified
horse would 20. Bartlett dismounted
and. aiming at q wolf. shot him dead
Then. while the pack were devourinl
their companion. the ride was reload
ed and another wolf was brought
down. Drawing nearer to the besieged
couple. Bartlett called upon them to ruu
toward him while he covered their ~.
treat They started. Hester In ad
vance. The wolves sprang after them
and Just a. their leader was about ID