Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-12-13


lift him on horseback, as he now sat.
without raising his morOSe eyes once.
HOWE on the other hand. had offered
Il good deal OF futile opposition, ours
ing his captors as the fit moved him
and once struggling so insanely in his
bonds as To earn q tap from the wrong
end Of Il revolver and a bloody face for
his pains. Stingaree gl0wcred In deep
delight. His mates part was as we'll
acted as his own. but It was he who
had conceived them both and expound-
Ell them in countless camps against
some such extremity as this. The re-
suit was in ideal accordance with his
calculations. The man who gave the
trouble was the man to watch. And
Stingaree. chin on chest. was left in
peace to evolve way Of escape.
The chances were all adverse. He
had never been less sanguine in his
life-not that Stingaree had much opln-
ion of the police. he had slipped
through their hands too often, but it
was an unfortunate circumstance that
two of the present trio were among
those whom he had eluded most re-
Gently and who therefore would be
| least likely to give him another chance.
\ lightning student Of his kind, he
based his only hope upon an accurate
estimate of these men and. applied his
whole mind to the triple task. But it
was single task almost from the first,
for the policeman in charge Of him
was none other than his crellulOus old
friend Sergeant Cameron from Clear
Corner and Howies custodian young
trooper run from the same mold as
Constable Tyler and many hundred
more, in whom a thick skull Cancelled
a stout heart Both were brave men;
neither was really to be feared. But
the man behind upon the thorough
bred, the man in front. the man now
on this side and now on that, with his
braying laugh and his vindictive voice
triumphant as though he had taken
the bushranyers himself and a blatant
bully in his triumph-Was none other
than the formidable superintendent.
whose undying animoSity the bush
rangers had earned by the two esca-
Dadpe associated with his name.
Yet the outlaw never fiattered him
with word or look. never lifted chin
from chest. never raised an eye or
opened his mouth until HOwie's knock
oil the head caused him TO curse his
mate for a fool who deserved all he
got The thoroughbred was caracoling
on his othe;' side ii an instant.
You amt one. are you?' cried the
! taunting tongue of Superintendent
Cairns Not much fool about Sting
arecr
The time had come for a reply.
so I thought until yesterday" sigh
ell the 'bu>hranger, But now I'm not
| 50 sure
Not so sure. ell? YoU were sure
enough last time we met and you fool
ell me-. my heanty!'
Yes. | had some conceit OF myself
. chem" said STING trce. with anotherfof
! his convincing siGhS You've got your
revenge | must expect you to rub
/ it in
my fine friend rejo;ned Cairns,
! you may expect worse than that and
still yon Won't be disappointed
! Stingaree made no reply. and It
would have taken a very shrewd eye
to read deeper than the depth of sui
. len despair expressed in every inch
of his bound body and every furrow OF
his downcas4 face Even the vindic-
tive Cairns ceased for Il time to crow
over SO abjcct All adversary in so bit
/ ter an ho1" Meanwhile. the five
horses StTeaued slowly through the
! high lights and heavy shadows Of a
winding avenue of scrub. In the dense.
low trees it was like dollhouse.
/ Not wandering wind, not waking
| bird. but five faces that dripped stead
lily III the shade and all but caught
! fire in the sun. Ahead rode HOWE.
dazed and bleeding. with his callous
Young constable: the sergeant and his
chief. with Stingaree between them,
now brought up the rear. BY degrees
Stingareo raised his chin little. but
still looking to neither right nor left.
"Cheer apr cried the chief, with
soothing irony.
IL feel the heat" said the bound
man. uncomplainingly And it was
just about here it happened
what happened:'
I'VE overlook the church militant