The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1912-11-14


vs4&3J ish. cleaning thing that
brought life. back into him with a
thrill Of horror. was Howland's first
vision of returning consciousness. 1t
was dead in front Of him. on level
with his face-a ball Of yellow fire
that seemed to burn into his very
soul. He tried to cry out. but no
sound fell from his lips He strove
to move. to fight himself away. hut
there was no power of movement In
his limbs. The eye grew larger. He
saw that 1t was SO bright it cast n
halo. and the halo widened before
his own staring eyes until the dense
gloom about it seemed to he melting
away. Then he knew. 1t was a Ian
tern in front of him. not more than
ten feet away Consciousness flooded
him. and he made another effort TO cry
out. to free his arms from an invisi
BILE clutch that held him powerless.
At first he thought this was the clutch
of human hands. Then as the lantern
light revealed more clearly the things
about him and the outlines Of his own
figure he saw that 1t was Il rope. and
he knew that he was unable to cry
out because Of something tight and
suffocating about his mouth.
The truth came to him swiftly. He
had come up to the coyote on a sIedge.
Some one had struck him. He re-
membered that men had half dragged
him over the rocks. and these men
had bound and gagged him and left
him here with the lantern staring him
in the face. But where was he? He
shifted his eyes. straining I" pene-
trate the gloom. Ahead Of him just
beyond the light there was !, black
wall. He could not move his head
but he saw where that same wall
closed In on the left He turned his
gaze upward. and it ended with that
same imprisoning barrier Of rock
Then he looked down. and the cry OF
horror that rose In his throat died In
muff1ed groan. The light fell dimly
on sack-two of them-three-s
tightly packed wall Of them.
He knew now what had happened
He was imprisoned in the coyote. ant
the sacks about him were filed will
powder He was sitting on SDmcshin.
hard-a box-6fty pounds of dynamite
The cold sweat stood out In tn:,ds o'
his face glistening in the lantern glow
From between his feet thin. white
ghostly line ran out until it los' i'scI
| A. - tho 1n,,
was the fuse. leading to the box Of dy
| Mantle on which he vas sitting.
Madly be struggled at the 'hon"
that bound him until he sank exhans'
ed against the row Of powder ks q
his back Like words Of fire the las
warning Of Meleese burned ii. III
brain, "You must go tomorro,>' amor
row-or they will kill you." And iht
was the way in which he WAS :. di'
There famed before his eyes III" err
BILE spectacle which he had Witnessed
few hours before-the holocaust ~ IL:
and smoke and thunder that ba" Iii:
rupted mountain. chnns o! "r'tl
Ing. twisting fury. and in that m,mc,
| us u0dTt SStsLucU ~ CC'tSc - '"-''''''-
He closed his eyes and tried to cali
himself Was it possible that ther
lived men so fiendish as to condem
him to this sort of death? Why ha
not his enemies killed him out anon
the rocks? That would have bee
easier, quicker, less troublesome. VIII
did they wish to torture him? Wha
terrible thing had he done? Was h
mad, mad, and this all terrible night
mare, a raving and unreal contortio
of things in his brain? In this hour Q
death question after question race
through his head. and he answered n
one Of them He sat still for TIM
scarcely breathing. There was q
sound save the beating Of his ow
heart. Then there came another,
most unheard at first, faint. thrilling
maddening.
Tick. tick, tick!
1t was the beating Of his watch.
spasm of horror seized him.
What time was 1t!
The coyote was to be fired at
O'Clock. It was 4 when be left b
cabin. How long had he been unc0I