Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1915-01-09
CHAPTER xxx.
Burnt Fingers.

Burnt Fingers.
Once she had lost touch with her IA
theirs creatures, the girl drew rein
and went on more slowly and eau
tiously.
Below her, in the valley, the lower
trail wound its facile way. From time
to time she could discern upon some
naked stretch of its length a cloud OF
dust, or perhaps three mounted fig
ures, scurrying madly on with fear or
death swapping at their heels.
1t was within an hour of midnight,
night bell-clear and bitter cold on
the heights, and bright with moon
light, when Alan's party made its last
pause and camped to rest against the
dawn, unconscious Of the fact that, a
quarter of a mile above them, on the
upper trail, a lonely woman paused
when they paused and made her own
camp on the edge of a sharp declivity.
The level shafts OF the rising sun
awakened her She sat up. rubbed her
eyes, yawned, stretched limbs stiff
with the hardship of sleeping on I'M
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 frenzied 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
it 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.
Then, leaving her momentarily
supine on the ground. Hopi Jim caught
and unhobbled her horse, and without
troubling to saddle 1t. 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 deftly placing the
master knot of the hitch that bound
this human pack well beyond posi-
bility 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
declivity, a 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 impatience 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 a look of ag.
grieved amazement cross the face OF
| Hopi Jim Slade.
Then he threw his hands out. clawed
blindly at the air. staggered. reeled
against the horses flank so heavily
that 1t SHE'D in fright, and abruptly
shot from sight over the edge of the
bluff
(TO BE CONTINuEDl