Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1914-10-23
CHAPTER xxxlV.


Once she had lost touch with her IA
Tiers creatures, the girl drew rein
and went on more slowly and eau
tiously
Below her, in the valley, the lower
trail wound its faclle way From time
to time she could discern upon some
naked stretch of its length cloud or
dust, or perhaps three mounted hg
ures, scurrying madly on with fear of
death swapping at their heels.
1t was within an hour of midnight,
a night bell-clear and bitter cold ON
the heights, and bright with moon
light, when Alans party made It's last
pause and camped to rest against the
dawn, unconscious of the fact that,
quarter of a mile above them, on the
upper trail lonely woman paused
when they paused and made her own
camp on the edge of sharp decltrity
The level shafts of the rising sun
awakened her She sat up, rubbed her
eyes, yawned, stretched limbs stltf
with the hardship Of sleeping on un-
yielding. sun-baked earth-and of a
sudden started up, surprised by the
grating of footsteps on the earth be-
hind her
Before she could turn, however, she
was caught and wrapped in the arms
of Hopi Jim
She mustered all her strength and
wits and will for one last struggle
and in a trenzied moment managed to
break his hold a trifle, enough to en-
able her to snatch at the pistol hang,
ing from her belt and present it at his
head
But it exploded harmlessly spend
ing its bullet on the blue OF the morn
ing sky The bandit caught her wrist
in time, thrust it aside and subjected
1t to such cruel pressure and such saw
age wrenchings that the pistol dropped
from fingers numbed with pain.
And now all hint OF mercy left his
eyes. remained only the glare of rage.
He put forth all his strength in turn,
and Judith was as a child in his hands.
In half minute he had her helpless,
in as much time more her back was
breaking across his knee while he
bound her with loop after loop of his
rawhide lariat
supine on the ground, Hopi Jim caught
and unhobbled her horse, and without
troubling to saddle it. lifted the girl
to its back, and placed her there, face
upward catching her hands and feet,
as they fell on either flank OF the ami.
NAL. with more loops of that unbreak-
able rawhide, and deity placing the
master knot of the hitch that bound
this human pack well beyond posi-
blity OF her reach
She painted prayer for mercy He
laughed in her face, bent and kissed
her brutally and stepped back laugh
ing to admire his handiwork
Thus he stood for an instant be-
tween the horse and the edge of the
deeliyty. fair mark, stark against
the sky, for one who stood in the val
ley below, holding his rifle with eager
fingers, waiting for just such oppor.
tunity with the same impotence With
which he had waited for it ever since
the noise of debris kicked over the
edge by the struggling man and
woman had drawn his attention to
what was going on above
Alan pressed the trigger and the
shot sounded clear in the morning
stiffness, Judith saw look of ag-
grieyed amazement cross the face Of
Hopl jim Slade,
Then he threw his hands out clawed
blindlY at the air, staggered, reeled
against the horses flank so heavily
that it SHE'D in fright, and abruptly
shot from sight over the edge of the
bluff.
Continued Newt Week