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


for the man end the girl, and they
knew that the man was terribly wound
ed
Their peering eyes, in the dim gray,
could just make out an empty door,
Back of it was one woman, and they
were five men. Ordinarily they would
have moved slowly, coming up from
several sides, but now every minute
was worth an hour at another time.
1t behooved them, when full daylight
came, to be we'll away from sure ven-
geance. The obvious demand of the
exigency was to rush the place.
killing women was, even to them.
distasteful. but they had offered her
immunity, and she had declined
At a whispered word they started
forward
They had only fifty yards of clear
ing to cross, and the girl, crouching
behind the overturned table, did not
know how strong their numbers were
She knew only that through every ar
terry ran a white fire of passion and
longing to avenge. She meant to make
death under whose lava no human
life could endure. She remembered
the caution of man with whom she
had once shot quail: "Take your time
when they rise and pick out your
birds" Now Juanita Holland meant
to pick her birds.
She saw figures climbing the fence
in shadowy, almost impalpable shapes,
and as the first dropped inside and
started on at crouching trot she
aimed quickly but steadily and fired
A little cry of primitive and savage
joy sprang from her lips as she saw
the man plunge forward in the half
light and lie there rolling on the
ground.
But at that warning the others
leaped down and came on at run
The tempo quickened and became con-
fusing. They were firing as they ran
and their answering bullets pelted
against her barrier and over her head
on the walls. She heard window panes
shivering and glass falling, and yet
her citation grew-two more advancing
figures had crumpled into inert
masses Unless there were REINFORCE
ments she would stem their oncoming
tide. Even a mountain marksman can
not target his shots well while he is
running and under fire. 1t takes
championship sprinting to do fifty
yards in five seconds-on the smooth.
ness of q cinder path
Uphill in a constant spit Of fire
and lead it requires a little longer.
There were only two left now, and
one of them suddenly veered and
made for the cover of hickory trunk
off to one side-he was in full flight.
But the other came on, throwing the
rifle away and shifting his heavy mag
azine pistol to his right hand.
1t was easy now, thought the girl
she could take her time and be very
sure
Yet she shot and missed, and the
man came on with the confidence Of
one who wears talisman and fears
no harm. Now he was almost at the
ciously-then suddenly something in
the mechanism Oh Juanita's rife
damned and it lay useless and dead
in her hands. She struggled with it,
frantically jerking the lever, but be-
fore she had conquered its baking
obstinacy she saw the oncoming figure
leap up the steps at one stride and
thrust his weapon forward over the
table. She even caught the glitter Of
his teeth as a snarling smile parted
his lips.
Then a rife spoke behind her-a
rife in the hands of the man who had
dragged himself to the firing line, and
with his foot on the threshold Jim
Fletcher reeled backward and rolled
lumberingly down the steps to the
ground
you got him!" she screamed You
got him, Anse!"
1t had been perhaps five minutes
since she had called out to the men
in the road, but it seemed to her that
she had sustained long siege. She
saw the man who had fed crossing
the fence and disappearing. Then
very slowly she rose and turned to
the room again.
Anse Havey was lying on his face
and the gun with which he had killed
Jim Fletcher lay by his side, but his
posture was so rigid and his limbs
so motionless that the girl caught at
her breast and reeIed backward. She
would have fallen had she not been
supported by the table. Had the fight
been lost, after all?
Slowly, and in a daze of reaction
and fright, she moved forward and
turned his body over and laid her ear
to his heart.
1t was still beating. The rife had
only jolted his weak and pain-racked
body into Inconsistencies, and as she
held his head to her breast her eyes
went about the room, where the pal
lid light was stealing now, and by the
mantel she saw hanging the horn that
Jerry EVerson had given her
Why had she not thought Of thai be-
fore? she asked herself accusingly
Why had she not sent It's call for
help out across the hills long ago?
Then there came back to her mind the
words Of the mountain man when he
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