Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1916-04-21
0Elep[D MIST
A TALE OF CIVIL STRIFE \.
6oRANDALL PARRISH II
ILLUSTRATIONS RrCDRHODES
4 am. sir: my names Kelly. .

Well get your damn crew of scoun-
drels out OF here. what's left OF them.
DO you heart This is soldier work.
and want you fellows outside"
You used US all right when thar
wus fightin' ter do"
That's enough, Kelly didn't usc
you-Moran did; and you can go to
him with your complaints. know
how you treat prisoners. and would
hang the whole OF you, II | had my
way. Now get out. and don't answer
me-those are your orders. Lleuten.
ant Raymond"
He was here q minute ago. sir"
voice answered from the vestibule,
but he went outside. | think he was
touched a little in one arm"
PITY is wasn't in the mouth: has
anyone seen a woman?"
No one answered.
mo! That's strange! Here Green.
take couple of men. and feel your
way along the walls; Jasper. make a
light of some kind-who wants met
Colonel Moran? Tell him am the
only officer present, and ] can't leave.
By God! The place IL a shamblesl"
The searching party was to the right
of me, against the black shadow OF
the wall. This was my chance. my one
and only chance to slip away unob.
served. In Ave minutes more the
searching party would find me there,
and bear me along with the others.
wriggled out from under the weight of
the body lying across my legs. and
| CROPPED about in the dark until my I'm.
gers encountered the ring embedded
in the floor. The light OF the sputter.
ing torch still left the pulpit platform
| in shadow; Fox was at the other end
| of the church. his sharp voice raspine
out orders. got to my knees. and
| lifted the trap barely far enough to
/ squeeze through. There was CLEAN
| OF light below: SUFFICIENT to reveal the
dark outline Of the steps leading down
Some eye might distinguish the glim
mer. yet thrust my body through tbs
narrow opening noiselessly, and low
cred the cover to.the floor level.
There was no cry, no s-und indicat
ing that the movement had been oh
served. | waited an instant, crouche'
breathlessly on the upper step, listen
ing. My eyes surveyed those contract
ed surroundings curiously. The candle
a mere fragment. burned dimly in on
corner, revealing what appeared to b
the interior of a huge box, with
platform built half across 1t, its cute
edge protected by a low rail- smal
wheel ingeniously arranged to operat
a lever, occupied one end OF the pla
form, and directly across was an opeI
ing in the side wall next the foo
barely large enough for a mans bod
to squeeze into. Nothing else wa
visible; no evidence left of the tw
who had already passed that way.
/ slipped down the steps, lowere
. my body silently to the damp floor.
/. entered the hole head first, draggIn
and pushing with hands and feet, cage
to get quickly into the open. Almoi
!, before l realized the possibility. m
head and shoulders emerged into til
: outer air and / hung suspended owe
: a rock ledge. staring blindly down II
to the unknown depths Of q ravinl
The ledge itself was barely wild
!. enough to afford foothold. yet / SUI
: ceeded in creeping out upon It. an
: der of the hill was sufficiently stee
s and high to shut out all view of th
log walls of the church, while beIo'
was a black void, out from whiC
!. arose the faint spIashing OF distaT
water. But the church Itself mui
: have been lit up by this time, for
: reddish glow Of light tipped the ban
above, and bridged the dark raYin
The rock ledge extended to the RICH
= fairly smooth path, and followed
cautiously. finding no other availab
: passage. Il led gradually downwar
: until ii seemed to merge into . beate
track, running directly south throua
tangle of undeTbrush not far aboy
the stream. The way was intense
black, yet not difHcult to follow by Il
sense of touch. while the incessai
roar of the nearby water blotted out q
Q sound from above. Once / heard Il
Q crack of guns. but they sounded at
: distance, and. looking up. I could pc
u ceive the red reflection on the ire
= lining the bank far above. But 4
. these / was plunged in a black SO
4. tude, through which l must grope n
. way, each step liable to plunge n
into uncertain peril. A hundred yard
!. two hundred. and the trail swerv,
more to the right, and began to mou
le upward. zig-zagging among the tres
Slowly. cautiously, my head arc
IL above the crest, and the moon. ju
peering out from behind the edge OF
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81 No. - k~zAs.. -. 49, ks-sa