Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-02-28
Tragedy OF
The Gorge
Fateful Encounter In the
Shadow of the Mountains
By CHARLES SLOAN REID
Copyright by Charles S. Reid.

"Well, we've got me, Tom, hard an
fast, an that's fact"
7 It was even difficult for the man to
speak, so completely was he wound
with ropes Beginning at his shoulder,
the ropes by numerous tightly drawn
| coils bound his arms fast against his
body and held his feet and legs so
| close together that his knee joints
worked as one. The mans captor sat
| opposite on the ground, dangling his
hands over his knees and grinning.
eyes, Joe; I've got We. Yere slippery,
5oe-slippery as creased eel-but I've
got ye now
| "It's all on account O. them dinged
ing-urns I eat this mornin'. Alters
would sleep like a dead boss arter
eatin' 1ng-urns."
| 81 reckon so, Joe.''
Didn't think about anybody wan
derin' into this place nohow."
He looked up and around. They were
sitting at the bottom Of a deep gorge
with perpendicular walls Of granite
rising more than thousand feet above
them, and these walls almost surround
ed the little basin in small compass.
"But, ye see, been trailin' ye for
two or three days, like hungry coyote
on the track of crippled jackrabbit."
81 reckon So"
"Hadn't been for that don't reckon
I'd "a found my way in here for some
time. Somehow never had tried to
come down in here in all my born days
b'case this place sort O. seemed to be
on your side"
What air We goin to do about it now
we've got me?'
"Hain't decided, but maybe I'll jest
open a vein in yer neck an let ye peg
| out that way
Cant We make it quicker'n that?
alters done my work clean, Tom. an We
know it, don't YEP
$50 We did, mighty clean. Ye're
pesky good shot, joe
| The feud was an old one and had
claimed many victims on both sides
| In fact. it had reduced the two fami-
lies to four members. Joe Dunston had
an only son left. and Tom Wylie had
an only daughter. Hardly a gorge or
| ravine there was throughout the noun
tains that had not seen it's tragedy.
| that did not bear some CHASTITY legend
Of the feud. Over there a young man
kneeling to drink at a clear spring had
| dyed it's waters with his lifeblOod ere
! he could rise. and down there the
bones of a bleaching skeleton had re-
manned above ground for months be-
fore the tragedy of a missing member
! had been learned. and SO the epOchs Of
the family feud had been marked.
Joe DunstOn sat at the bottom of the
gorge and cursed himself for eating
onions, and Tom Wylie grinned over
his victory. He seemed in no hurry to
| put an end to the work he had begun.
Tt was an unusual circumstance the
opportunity of capturing victim be-
| fore putting him to death. Usually it
4, was quick shot, a well aimed weapon,
a bullet speeding to it's mark. but now
the last of the Dunston tribe but one
sat bound and utterly helpless before
old Tom Wylie. awaiting the end
which he knew was inevitable.
Occasionally Joe allowed his gaze to
wander Zigzag course along up the
opposite wall Of the gorge. 1t might
chance that Jim would come that way.
in which case he would give a signal to
his son, one that would of course seal
his own doom quickly. but would also
put Jim on his guard, with chance to
get speedy revenge. But the broken
top line of the cliff showed no sign of
the presence of human being.
Joe, ye're slippery-powerful slip
perry. It's a pity. reckon. that man
like you has to die"
A leer OF sinister admiration trailed
from old Toms eye. but be did not
weaken from his purpose.