Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-12-30

awakened TO his escape and we're cast
Ing aside stealth for the fury OF open
pursuit. She even thought she heard
an oath once. and then 1t was all quiet
again; quiet for a while. and at the
end of the silence, like the punctua-
ton of an exclamation-mark, came the
far-away snap of a rifle.
She had dropped to a chair and
sat there tensely. leaning forward, her
lips parted and her "a straining.
Had she heard one shot and its echo.
or had there been several? Her imag-
nation and fears were playing her
tricks now. and she could hardly be
certain of her senses.
The passage of time was a thing oil
which she had lost count. Each mo-
ment was a century.
Then, with a violent start, she sat
up. Now she knew she heard a sound
there could be no doubt this time.
It came from out beyond the front
door, and she bent forward, listen
ing,
1t was a strange sort of sound which
she could not make out, but in a sub
tie way it was more terrifying than
the clatter of rifles. 1t was as If some
heavy, soft thing were being dragged
up the steps and rolling back.
She rose and took a step toward
the door, but halted in doubt. The
sound died and then came again, al
ways with hating intervals of silence
between, as though whoever were
dragging the burden had to pause on
each step to rest. Then there was q
scraping as of b~oot-leather on the
boards and a labored breath outside
a breath that seemed to be agonized.
She bent forward with n hand
o~utstretched toward the latch, n
heard a faint rapping. 1t was seem
ingly the rap of very feeble fingers,
but that might all be part of a ruse.
Was it friend or enemy out there, just
beyond the thickness of the heavy
panels? At all events, she must ee,
She braced herself and threw the
door open. A figure which had been
leaning against it lurched forward
stumbled over the threshold and fell
in a heap, half in and half out. 1t
was the figure of Anse Havey.
How far he had hitched himself
along, foot by foot, like a mortally
wounded animal crawling home to die,
she could not tell, but for n horri-
fed instant she stood gazing down on
him in stupefaction.
He had gone out a splendid vital
creature of resilient strength and pow
err. He hs1 come back the torn and
bleeding wreck of a man, literally
shot to pieces, as a quail is shattered
when it rises close to a understanding
gun.
In the next moment she was stoop'
ing with her arms around his body,
striving to lift his weight and bring
him in. She was strong beyond all
, seeming of her slenderness, but the
/ man was heavy, and as she raised his
] head and shoulders a sound of bitten
| off and stifled agony escaped his white
lips, and she knew that her efforts
were torturing him.
1t was an almost lifeless tongue
t that whispered, 81 was skeered-that
wouldn't get here"
Then as she staggered under his
inert bulk he tried to speak again
t "Jest help-drag me-"
The few yards into the hall made &
t long and terrible journey, and how
| she ever got him in, half hanging tt
her, half crawling, stopping at every
step, she never knew. Still 1t was
s done at last, and she was kneeling OF
/ the floor with his head on her breast
4 No wonder they had left him fol-
dead and gone away content. HI
g looked up and a faint smile came tt
b his almost unrecognizable face. Thu
blood which had already dried ant
e caked with the dust through which HI
s had crawled was being fed by a fresh
I er outpouring, and, as she held hin
close to her, her own bosom and arm
were red too, as red as the fowe
pinned in her hair.
e She must stanch his wounds an
pour whisky down his throat befor
the Pickering wisp Of life-fame burne,
out.
Y, wait, dearest" she said in a bro
6 ken voice. 81 must get things 20
need"
It 1T ain't"-he paused a moment TO
10 the breath which came very hard
"scarcely-worth wilhelm done"
Is But she flew to the cupboard wher
there was brandy. She tore line
70 from her petticoat and brought waite
from the drinking bucket that stoo
a with its gourd dipper on the porch.
~ But when she pressed the flask I
81 his lips he closed them and shook h
~ head a little.
81 amt never touched a drop in m
!. life," he said, IAN I reckon-I might
w. well-fnish out-'twon't be long. 1t
too late to begin now"
~. For a while he lay gasping, the
in spoke again, weakly:
h Just kiss me-dearest-thet's VIII
"A / come for"
n After a pause he spoke again.
n There's one thing-Tve got to a.
a. ye: Why did We swear--ye didn't ca
for me--in court?"
nv Her head came up and she a
Mt swered steadily:
In Dearest, I'd never asked mys'
he that question until the lawyer ask
1t. / didn't know the answer myse
but If / did love you, | meant to T.
you first; it was u business, not b
was there to help you, and
~. wouldn't have helped you to tell the
that | was fighting for my own hea
"A And hnsides. didn't know tn,