Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-03-30

No bullet challenged him and no sound
came from the silent house. He can
tered away from the peril, thinking
with kind of awe of Nan, asleep, so
close, under that roOf-contident, too,
he had not been seen-though, in mat
ter of fact, he had been.
Other cabins back toward the north
wall could be seen dimly to his right,
but all were well removed from his
way. In due time, as Scott had adj
viSed he saw confronting him, not far
ahead, a small, misunderstanding cabin
shack. DiSmOunting before this, he
threw his lines, shook himself a little,
and walked up to the cabin door. 1t
was open.
De Spain called gruf1ly to the cabin
! inmate. There was no answer. He
hitched his trouser band near to the
butt of his revolver with his right
hand, and laid his left on the jamb of
the door, his eyes meantime boring the
| darkness to the left, where SassOOn's
bed should be. The utmost scrutiny
failed to disclose any sign of it or any
sound of breathing from that corner.
He took few steps toward where the
man should be asleep, and perceived
! beyond doubt that there was no bed
in the corner at all. He turned toward
the other corner, his hand covering
the butt of his gun. Hello, Shikew
he called out in a slightly strained tone
| of 90 no nil ol NV
common nickname. Then he lis
tened. A trumpeting snore answered.
No sound was ever sweeter to De
SPANS ear. The rude noise cleared
the air and steadied the intruder as If
Music mountain itself had been lifted
off his nerves.
He tried again: where are you,
Shike?" he growled. "What's this stuff
on the floOr?" he continued, shuffing
his way OstentatiouSly to the other
side of the room. He felt his way to-
ward the inner door, This was where
he expected to find it, and it was
closed. He laid hand gingerly on the
latch. "Where are you, Shike?" he
demanded again, this time with an i'm
patient expletive summoned for the
occasion. A second fearful snore an
swered him. De Spain, relieved, al
most laughed as he pushed the door
open, though not sure whether a curse
or q shot would greet him. He got
neither. And a welcome surprise in
the dim light came through a stuffy
pane Of glass at one end of the room.
1t revealed at the other end a man
stretched asleep ON wall bunk-a
; man that would, in all likelihood, have
heard the stealthiest sound had any eff
fort been made to conceal it, but to
whose ears the rough voices of O
mountain cabin are mere sleeping 20.
tons.
,, The sleeper woke to feel hand laid
: lightly on his shoulder. The instinct
of self-preservation acted like q flash
!, His eyes opened and his hands struck
out like cats paws to the right and
left: no knife and no revolver met
them. Instead, in the semidarkness @
str9nge face bent over him. His fists
shot out together, only to be caught
l. in wise that broke his arms in two al
the elbows, and forced them back
against his throat. A knee, like ar
anvil, pushed inexorably into his stom
> ach and heart and lungs. Another lay
/ across his right arm, and his strug
Cling left arm he could not, though his
= eyes burst with the strain from thei'
e sockets, release from where, eaglelik'
n claws gripped at his throat and shu
n off his breath. He lay still.
e "Are you awake, Shike?" Sassoor
., heard from the gloom above him. Blu
1t he could not place the voice. "Yol
IS seem to move around a good deal II
II your sleep. If you're awake, keep still
I I've come from Sleepy Cat to get you
Don't mind looking for your gun ant
q knife. Two men are with me. Yol
lie can have your choice. We've got
re horse for you. You can ride away iron
D. us here inside the gap, and take wha
ut hits you in the back, or you can go t
to Sleepy Cat with us and stand you
h trial. I'll read your warrant when tn
y sun gets a little higher. Get up an,
Sc choose quick"
to Sassoon could not see who had sub
er 1ued him, nor did he take long to dc
eide what to do. With less troubl
lie tban he expected, the captor got hi
r. man sullenly on horseback, and CAV
IL him severely plain directions as {
IS what to do. Sassoon, neither boun
st nor gagged, was told to ride his hors