The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-05-29

Spassage where upon one side tn
mountain rose sheer to the swimming
SKY, while upon the other it dropped
.dnto a sickening abyss. This scan'
way they traversed with the reckless
ness of mountain sheep, and soon leav
ing it behind found themselves upon
broader way. Before them sank 6
gorge, slant and deep, good mile
wide; beyond it arose the towering
heights OF the table mountain towards
which they had been stumbling since
the beginning of the pursuit. Across
the gorge the flying thing was already
beating his way, and with but an in
,Etant's pause in order to pick out theil
path the pursuers went scrambling
down. Dislodged rocks few from be
meath their feet and with leaps OF
ever increasing length clattered to
the bottom far below where they land
ed with echoing roars. In their slides
Aheir clothing was ripped to pictur
4sque rags and their bodies raked and
skinned pitiably. They reached the
bottom, scrambled across and faint
and dizzy once more began the steep
ascent. Climbing dragging themselves
from rock to rock, often upon their
hands and knees, blinded by sweat,
gasptng. they slowly mounted until q
steep field of jumbled masses split
from the peaks by the erosion and
aiEhtnings Of untold ages lay before
them, and over this CHASTITY field OF
anutterable desolation and brooding
silence they went in a last heart
4breaking scramble until they reached
the base OF the fipal cliffs that arose
10 sheer as a wall for hundreds Of
3eet to the broad, nat surface of the
mountains summit. Clay staggering
10 the face of the cliff pointed despair
angly upward. His face was that Of
m old man, furrowed and drawn,
Ehastly pale, his mouth open, his eyes
wild and rolling Alan's glance fol.
lowed the raised finger. Two hundred
feet above them and struggling des.
Perately, sometimes striking the cliff
with his pinions, sometimes falling
back few feet, but always recovering
himself and mounting higher, the one
whom they had chased throughout
that awful day was bearing his prey
to the height above.
Win last desperate effort he
reached the summit. lowered second
ut its edge and then disappeared, a
smothered cry Of triumph falling like
y knell upon the ears of those who
Basped below. Horror-stricken and
utterly spent both of the pursuers
sank upon the stones with the soul
sickness Of despair upon them.
March staring with sunken eyes
across the broad gulch which they had
-last e!id INTO and with INFINITE toll
worked their way out Of. could from
The height at which he sat see miles
Of the tortuous course along which
they had dashed themselves by pure
strength Of viii. Yonder was the
fountain side with its devils trap Of
@ocliaed shale across which they had
crept as one might creep the steep
side Of = roof, hitching themselves
along with the slow painfulaess Of
wounded men uDon = battlefield. There,
also. was the narrow trail along the
ledge Of overhanging rock where 4
stumble would have landed them in
shapeless masses hundreds Of feet be.
how. Back Of that, dim in the dis.
lance. was the h,lEe boulder by tho
side Of which he had fought his bitter
battle against the stupor of exhaustion
rs he painted himself BACK to life while
Tolliver had slept, back OF that again
and interminably away the ragged
crest over which they had staggered
rs they arose from the other gorge
with its chaotic bottom of fallen rock
masses. What distance they had
come-what incredible efforts they
had put forth with all the world swing
ing in blood red mist before their
glazed eyes; what tortures of mind
Gnd body they had endured-and all to
now be baffled by a mere matter OF
hundreds of feet! And Doris still in
the hands Of that foul monster who
now safe in his eyrie no longer need
: be held back by the restraint of fear
Doris! Doris! Great God, what could
he do! It seemed as though he must
60 mad in his agony. His hands
clenched until they we're white and
b|oodless and he bit his lips until the
blood came to keep from crying out.
riHht to the brooding cliffs. The nau.
.sea 81 horror gripped his stomach un.
til he became deathly i'll and shivered
as ore with the ague, the cold per-
tpiration bursting from his brow, weak
u cat. He rolled over upon his face
with his fingers buried In his hair.
fighting back the deathly faiatnesa
v'i'h ~ his powers Of resistance. 1t
VI. t,~, horrible 70 b real-therefore
It mus, he 4 nightmare from which he
would presently awake, or failing in
that lose bis senses to . verify. HUI
MIN reasoa could not long Withstand
tNgh agony.