Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1915-10-22
are With whom he could bold no con


verse.
But even as he stood before the hut
Of this old rufian Count Frederick's
eye caught sight Of something which
caused his heart to leap.
Il was a little object. an unimportant
item which might have escaped any
other eye than his. Yet his gaze was
drawn 10 Il irresistibiy.
II was BIT OF cloth. a torn trife OF
soiled and sea-encrusted checkered
cloth. a portion OF a woman's garo.
Count Frederick recognized Il az once
as a part OF the dress skirt in which
he had last seen Kitty Gray garbed.
There was no mistaking it. He knew
IL as well as the pattern OF his own
apparel.
She had been herei The mysterious
white woman was Kitty Gray
Now indeed Count Frederick Of
Grotahofren became the man Of action.
Away now with doubt and despair =
and welcome again the fierce resolve
OF brave man determined to live and
conquor. determined once more to
achieve the dearest purpose OF his
lifel
he caught from the post OF the door
which had torn OF this fragment OF
cloth. and held It before the gaze OF
the chief-before the eyes of all his
men. They knew what he meant when
he demanded to see ths wearer OF this
bit OF cloth. They dreaded the sight
OF his anger. fell back before the men
acc Of the little steel tube. unfamiliar
as il was to them They knew that this
man would kill unless he found that
which he sought--the captive but now
rescued from the doom OF fire.
Tredericls own men fell in behind
him. and q right lusty contest directly
arose between these two factions or
tribes, whichever they may have been.
AS for Frederick himself. he had not
time for matters Of this sort. He hur-
ried 10 hut after hut. tore aside roof
after roof. wall after wall. huntirg for
the woman whom above all things ne
most desired TO see. He did not find
her His questions brought no re-
sponse.
Drawn by a horrible suspicion Of the
meaning OF this fire built at the brink
OF the pit, he hurried thither to join
the group OF lingerers there. and now
by mere chance found confirmation
and found hope as well.
He saw the print OF small boot
heel in the sand, other footmarks just
beyond-it was a trail. Yes, yes, she
had been there. But the footprints
ceased. The trail ended as though the
maker of 1t had flown up into the air
Beyond. the imprint of large and mis-.
shapen feet still led.
Count Frederick now turned savage
" upon these gibbering creatures
about him, and the meaning OF his
demand was perfectly apparent TO
them. Threatening TO throw them
into the fire which they had prepared
for another. he got from them shrieks
OF protest. much shaking of the head
In dental and much pointing on
3 toward the forest which lay ahead.
Z Some came TO him and showed him
the two lines of footpr'uts. the one
/ line continuing on and pointed to the
forest. although themselves not ven
turing to follow.
With a new terror in his heart, yet
feeling a conviction that Kitty Gray
still lived. he did not pause to wreak
a present vengeance upon these crea-
lures, but hurried on along the broken
trail.
Tho dooI,l,a orof. 90 o,a ov tx,o of
his own band os savages aided him.
Not stacking speed, they pointed out
where the trail ran. Now and again
Count Frederick could see on the
earth the imprint of the woman's feet
where for a time she had rested or
been put down. AT length, at the brink
Of the abyss before which Kitty Gray
SO recently had stood. he saw the dou-
BILE imprint again-where both captive
and captor had stood and looked
down.
The trail led on, and down, whittier
none could guess. Frederick OF Gretz-
hoffen did not stop to guess, but
plunged forward impulsively. Who
ever or whatever might be this crea-
turc which had carried her OF. here
at least was his lair.
The dusty floors of the cavern. lit
by the fare Of such torches as they
found ready for such work, still re
tanned the record. Captor and captive
had walked here. Deeper and deeper
into the caverns under the hill they
followed the trail, until at length the
distracted eyes of Count Frederick
saw on ahead something to give him
pause.
He saw Kitty Gray standing, alive
apparently unhurt. in a vast apart
ment OF these subterranean vaultsl Be
yond. the floor seemed TO break on
to what depth he could not guess. NJ
egress at either extremity Of the sub
tcrranean chamber could be seen from
where he stood The trail led thither