The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-01-29

At last there came TO her ears the
sound OF heavy fee: 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 Of an acknowledgements, came the
| far-away snap Of a rife.
She had dropped to a chair and
sat there tensely, leaning forward, her
| lips parted and her ears straining.
Had she heard one shot and its 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 a 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.
1t came from out beyond the front
| door, and she bent forward, listen
ing.
1t was 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 boot-leather on the
boards and labored breath outside
a breath that seemed to be agonized.
She bent forward with one hand
outstretched toward the latch, and
| 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 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 a mOrtally
wounded animal crawling home to die,
! she could not tell, but for one horri-
| fed instant she stood gazing down on
him in stupefaction.
He had gone out a splendid vital
creature of resilient strength and pow
er. He hf 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 stifed agony escaped his white
lips, and she knew that her efforts
were torturing him.
1t was an almost lifeless tongue
that whispered, 81 was skeered-that
Wouldn't get here"
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, half 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 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 life-hame burned
out.
ken voice Il must get things you
need"
1T ain't"-he paused a moment fer
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 petticOat and brought water
from the drinking bucket that stood
with it's gourd dipper on the porch
But when she pressed the flask to-
his lips he closed them and shook his
head little.
Il amt never touched a drop in my
Iffe," he said, AN reckon might s.
well-fnish out-'twon't be long. It's
too late to begin now"
For a while he lay gasping, then
spoke again. weakly:
Just kiss dearest what
come for"
After a pause he spoke again.
There's one thing-I've got to ask
ye: Why did ye swear-ye didn't care
| for me-in court ?'
Her head came up and she an