Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-01-27
The Hero Of Quckstone Gap
BY William Mason.

come hanging around here. That dog
Of yOurn killed that sheep OF Pap's last
week. anyhow. Pap'll shoot him if you
don't keep him away from here And
the boy glanced angrily at "A yellow and
white mongrel that was nosing about
ut the mans feet.
"Bil Blankenship'll heve sonethin'
better to do with that gun of his'n eft
what folks say about him is true re-
piled the other, IL tall, lank mountain
eer, with Il dirty yellow beard, as he
leaned or his Winchester.
The boy, who is not over II or IL
years old. who had been up i'm the hills
with his fathers sheep all day, glanced
quickly at the others face. and said
with apparent carelessness:
You needn't come talkin' about THAT
cyenooe to me. You uns down i'm the
cove been pickin' at Pap ever since
Will Henson rode home with Mary from
Marshall last year. She never told him
nuthin', an he amt been back to the
Gap since. Pap amt seen him since
he left the s%ittlelnint five years ago and
he amt been a deputy marshal but
four"
"'Twant long after that ride With
Mary that he busted our still In the
cove. We been IL layin' for him ever
since, and we nearly got him last night.
Lem llaskins put a bullet in him, but
he got away. He's hangin' about here
SOiIIcNVflstT, DuI IL ~ eve SN HNoS'
All the trails is watched.
He's our meat-WhatS the matter
with that fest 2"
The mongrel had been nosing uneasily
about the nearby bushes for some min
utes, and The boy had eyed him with
covert. anxious chances. The mans at
DENTON had been attracted by a whine
from the dog. which was running about
the base of u arg boulder, some hfty
feet up "a ravine toward which the
mans back had been turned.
II freed Il squirrel i'm that white OAK
by the rock awhile back. Guess that
feist of your'n nosed him." said the
boy indifferently.
Never knowed that dog to mind a
squirrel before-what's that" A
large stone had come crashing down
the face of the boulder and landed
near the dog, which immediately COM
menced to park furiously. placing his
f~orefeet against the boulder and paw
ing as if he wished to climb up.
I'm a-soin' to see what That dog y
got. You been a-lyin' to me-, boy
said the man. cooking his rifle and
starting forward.
The boy was in desperate straits.
He thought of the look on his sisters
face the night before when his father
had entered their cabin and told them
that he guessed Bill Henson was done
for. that the boys had waylaid him
AS he rode through the cove and had
wounded him badly, though he had
managed to escape.
He would never forget how Mary
had thrown herself at her fathers feet
and told him that she and Henson
were to be married.: that they had
loved each other for years. and that
her lover was on his way back to ask
her father to let him u her To Mar
shall to be married when he VAS am
pushed.
The old father had lifted her to her
feet and old her he would go out to-
try to find Henson. Ii was while the
father was trying to sOothe the girl
that the door had opened and Henson
himself staggered into the room. The
boy remembered with II shock how,
with u scream of JOY, his sister had
thrown her arms about her lover and
vowed never to let him out of her
sight again.
Henson told them how he had hid
den from his enemies and managed
at last to reach their cabin. He had
been hunted for hours after his es-
cape and he expected his pursuers
any moment.
The girl refused to leave her lover,
and it was found necessary to take
her with them. They had crept eau
tiously up the and arrived
at the little cabin just before day
break. The lad was left, apparently t,
watch the sheep, but really to stand
guard. and the father had returned to
the cabin to do the best he could to
lead the bloodthirsty searchers from
their victim. The girl and her lover
were concealed just above the boulder
at the foot of which the dog was now
barking. The lad had watched them
all day without food.
The boy made up his mind quickly.
III climb W. thar and see what 1t
Is" he said, stepping forward at the
mans side. The lnountainer was wary
however. and running to the side of the
ravine dropped behind some bushes and
began TO crawl onward on his hands
and knees. The boy ak in the
open
hoarsely. Ell you play any tricks On
me I'll blow yer darn heart OUT
But the boy dared the threat. and.
breaking into "A run, ash to the side
Of the boulder and climbed to the
bushes above. There sat his sister with
the head Of her wounded lover on her
lap. Sis" he cried. give me his hat
n coat quick" and hastily donning
them he added, Keep still sis. Buds
q coward, and will stay In the gulch Il
little before comm on. No matter hat
happens. lie still"
the underbrush until he had gotten
some fifty yards further up the gulch.
Then placing himself SO hat his hea
and shoulders would be visible to any
one standing below in the ravine. he
deliberately idislOdged n large stone
Ow. A few moments later the crouch
ing girl was startled by the report of
Q rifle just below her and heard Bud
Dexter say "G--d-him: I got
mimi" II then h sound of his re-
treating footsteps.
Hours later when the uncouth old IA
Their assembled to the hiding lovers and
heard his daughters story he uttered