The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1913-04-12

street corner there was an outcry. In
the peaceful stiffness of the evening IL
came with a shriIl, terrifying sound.
The crowd at the corne broke and
scattered before a rush of horsemen.
They seemed TO come from all sides
and meet i'm the middle of the street.
Then we couldn't see the guard, but
shots rang out. yeIls. and then more
firing. and the mounted men swept on
across the street. Men on foot were
running after them and firing. In their
wake a wounded horse was rolling oil
the ground and there was something
else sprawled away from 1t that might
have been a man l had just a glimpse
before the crowd closed in upon II. T..
"Stay where you are" father said.
and jumping out of the carriage. he
ran up the street. Other men were
running past.
The horrible thought of the vigilance
committee turned me sick. l called to
the driver to go forward, but, already
the crowd was swarming on both
sides, and our progress up the street
was very slow. As we drew near the
place a man in the uniform of the
guards, with blood running down his
face, went staggering by, another a
supporting him, and I heard him groan-
ing out, Il don't see how it happened,
my God, l don't see how it happenedv'
Another man, a young man, with his
coattails flying and his silk hat knock
ed over his eyes, burst out of the crowd
close beside the carriage. / recognized
the dandy, Jack Tracy. He. was SO
near I could have touched him, and
for one moment / forgot all about be-
ing a lady. I grasped him by the
sleeve. TEL me, for heavens sake,
what has happened"
He fairly glared at me, so excited
that l believe he didn't recognize me-.
They've got him-the Mexicans! He's
gomez
1t took a deal more running back and
forth M questioning and explaining
before | could come at any under
standing of what had happened, and
even when l had heard as much as
any N knew it was strangely little
simply that a body of Mexican horse
men had swept out upon the guard
from apparently all points of the CON-
pass, had o~verpowered them, leaving
n dead and one of their own number
wounded n swept on. After they
had gone it was discovered that the
prisoner had vanished too. The cry
had been that the horsemen had taken
him. but some of the guard who had
followed the riders a little way de
ciared that he had not been among
them. and one man insisted that he
had seen Johnny Montgomery dart in
at the door of one of the small houses
on Jackson street. This was imme-
diately surrounded by police and
searched. but nothing was discovered,
and all the while l sat faint and trem-
bling in the carriage with a conviction
that l ought to be Mortified and yet
with an ungovernable feeling of relief.
The only thoughts in my mind were,
He is safe.' and He is free"
Johnny Montgomery seemed to have
vanished as completely as if he had
been made invisible, and presently Il
hateful thought crept into my mind.
what if it is the Spanish woman who
has played the enchantress?" The ru-
NOR was abroad that the sortie had
been planned by some of Johnny Mont
gomery's friends.
Yet the other explanation seemed so
much more probable to me, so burn
ingly evident. 1t came upon me with
the shock of conviction as if the Span
ish woman herself had whispered it in
my ear, and | was afraid to look at
any one lest he should read my
thought in my conscious face. | kept
my head bent and held my trembling
lips tight, glad that the dark covered
my agitations.
But later. at home. sitting OF the
edge of my bed, / told mother all about
it. 1 did not form the words aloud. but
when | sat there looking up at her pic
tured face | knew she understood ev-
cry idea that went through my mind.
My thoughts went back over the incl
dents of the trial. each little separate
memory struck the same note-the at
tempt to get him out of prison. the at
tempt TO make way with witnesses.
and finally this successful snatching
of him from the law-it was the Span
isl woman who had been responsible
each time. and now it was she. oh,
| understood now why Johnny Mont
gomery had smiled at me as | was Civ
ing my testimony, | had thought it
had been to encourage me TO go on, but
ii must have been a mere mockery,
since he knew that. no matter what
story l told, he was safe.
Rut. had he known il? When re-
called his white. set face | doubted.
Yet, at any rate. even in spite of him.
she had saved him. He was gone,
gone to her perhaps. and | was left
with the mere comfort of having done
what | thought was right. 1t was cold
cnmfnrt whom every feeling in me had