The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-08-17
A NOVEL A WEEK
Next Week-
"BAWEE JOCK"
BY Amy McLaren.
CHAPTER /.
The Touch of a Child.

nave given my WORD OF non
or not to betray what l have dis
covered here"
At these words from the pris-
oner a shout arose.
Then if l must die" Gledware
cried, don't kill the child-you
see she is asleep-and she's so
ssoung-only five. Even il she
were awake. she wouldn't know
how to tell about this cabin
Since the seizure of Gledware,
the child had been lying on the
rude table in the midst of a
greasy pack of cards. The table
supported also much of the booty
captured from the wag6n-train.
Mingled with the stolen goods
were the Indian DISCUSSES in
which the highwaymen from No
Mans Land had descended on the
prairie sehooners on the journey
from Kansas toward the South
west.
One of the band. a tall, broad
shouldered man with an immense
quantity of whiskers, was moved
to remonstrance. Under cover of
lurid oaths he advanced his opin-
Ion that the kid" needn's be shot
Just DtNduCC hCA ldbhCA W as q
sneaking spy.
shut up!" roared a tremend-
Gus voice. The speaker thrust
his fingers through his intensely
red shock of hair. you've made
me your leader, and I'm going to
lead. | am called Red Kimball,'
and my brother yonder, he is
knowed as Kansas Kimball.
What else is knowed of us is this:
that we wasn't never to turn loose
a SPY when once ketched. Here is
a man who says he is Henry Gled-
ware. He comes galloping up
lust as we are in the midst of
game"
The prisoner diselaimed any
purpose of spying. That morning,
he had driven the last wagon of
the train, containing his invalid
wife and his stepdaughter. The
first wagon had been attacked by
Indians and he had turned his
horses and driven furiously over
vhe prairie, he knew not whfteher.
All that day he had fled. At night
his wife, unable to sustain the
terrible polling, had expired. He
had mounted one of the horses
with the child before him, and
had continued his flight. About
two in the morning-that is to
say about an hour ago-seeing
light, he had ridden straight to-
- ward it.
well, pard," said the leader
of the band, waiting until he had
finished, "you can't never claim
that you amt been given your
say. But my men and me has de-
eided that both of you has got to
be shot, and immediate"
Don't kill her, men" Gled-
ware turned impassioned eyes on
the leader. you can't have the
heart to murder a child like that
in cold blood"
fright you arei" exclaimed the
man with the feroeious whiskers
he was known as Brick VIII
lock. you'll have to go, pard,
but I'm against killing infants
The leader darted an angry
glance at the man. We've had
enough of thisi" he declared, his
voice hard. kansas, take the
prisoner; Brick Wilcox, as you're
so fond of the kid, you can carry
her."
Red went outside and waited
TILL his DTOLHeT ndu uTdWh tOith
the quivering man, and Brick
Wilcox had carried out the girl.
Then he looked back into the
room, you fellows can stay in
there" he said authoritatively.
"What we've got to do amt any
easier with a lot of men standing
about, looking on
The moon made the prairie al
most as light as If morning had
dawned. As far as the eye could
reach in any direction, nothing
was to be seen but the level
sround, the unlocked sky, the
cabin. and the little group near
the tethered ponies.
GIedware had been stationed
with his face toward the moon,
and Kansas Kimball was examin-
ing his pistol. Between them and
the horses. Brick Wilcox had
come to a halt, the little girl still
sleeping in his powerful arms.