Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-02-03
CHAPTER XIV

: CHAPTER XIV.
Out there the moon was setting
Soon, thank God, It would be dark
everywhere The man she loved
needed all the chance that the thick
ening gloom could give him. 1t was
terribly quiet now, except for an oc-
-casional whippoorwill call and the quiz
etness seemed to lie upon her with
the oppression of something unspeak-
ably terrifying. The breath of hill
side and sky was bated
At last there came to her ears the
sound of heavy. feet crashing through
the brush, but he had been gone ten
minutes then. Perhaps they had Just
awakened to his escape and were cast
ing aside stealth for the fury of open
pursuit She even thought she heard
an oath once, and then it was all quiet
again; quiet for a while, and at the
end of the silence, like the punctua-
ton IF an exclamation mark, came the
far-away snap Of rife.
She had dropped to a chair and
sat there tenselys leaning forward, her
lips parted and her ears straining.
Had she heard one shot and it's echo,
or had there been several? Her imag-
ination and fears were playing her
tricks now, and she could hardly be
certain of her senses.
The passage Of time was thing Of
which she had lost count. Each mo-
ment was century. :
Then, with a violent start, she sat
up. Now she knew she heard sound
there could be no doubt this time.
It came from out beyond the front
door, and she bent forward, listen
ing.
It 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 a
scrapfng as of bootIeather on the
boards and a labored, breath outside
breath that seemed to be agonized.
She bent for,9 ara with one hand
outstretched toward the latch, and
heard faint .rapping. 1t was seem
tngly 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 see.
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 heap, half In and half out. 1t
was the figure OF Anse Havey.
How far he had hitched himself
along, foot by foot, like MORALLY
wounded animal crawling nome to die,
she could not tell, but for one. horri-
fed instant she stood gazing down on
him in stupefaction.
He had gone out splendid vital
creature Of resilient strength and pow
er. He he 1 come back the torn and
bleeding wreck of a man, literally
shot to pieces, as quail is shattered
when 1t rises close to quick-shooting
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 other slenderness, but the
man was heavy, and as: she raised his
head and shoulders sound Of bitten
of and stffled agony escaped his white
lips, and she knew that her efforts
were torturing him.
It was an almost lifeIess tongue
that whispered, 81 was skeered-that
wouldn't get here" Esi,-
Then as she staggered under his
inert bulk he tried to speak again.
Jest help-drag me-
The few yards into the hall made
long and terrible journey, and how
she ever got him In, baif hanging to
her, half crawling, stopping at every
step, she never knew. Still 1t was
done at last, and she was kneeling on
the floor with his head on her breast.
No wonder they had left him for
dead and gone away content. He
looked up and a faint smile came to
his almost unrecognizable face. The
blood which had already dried and
caked with the dust through which he
had crawled was being fed by a fresh
er outpouring, and, as she held him
close to her, her own bosom and arms
were red too, as red as the flower
pinned in her hair.
She must stanch his wounds and
pour whisky down his throat before
the Pickering wisp of Iife-fame burned
out.
Wait, dearest" she said in a bro
ken voice. Il must get things you
need"
1t ain the paused a moment for
the, breath which came very hard
"scarcely-worth WILHELM done"
But she few to the cupboard where
there was brandy. She tore linen
from her pettieoat and brought water
from the drinking bucket that stood
with its gourd dipper on the porch.
R11f vuho oh he To