Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-04-12
Nan ST
Music
Mountain
By
FRANK II. SPEARMAN
Author of WHISPERING SMITH
Copyright By Charles scribner's sonsI

Copyright by Charles scribners sonsI
He tried again: "Where are you,
Shike?' he growled whats this stuff
on the foOr?" he continued, shuffiing
his way Cstentatiously 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 hiHG. De Spain, relieved, al
most laughed as he pushed the door
open, though not sure whether a curse
or 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
It 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
mountain cabin are mere sleeping DO
lions
The sleeper woke to feel a hand laid
lightly on his shoulder. The instinct
of self-preservation acted like a 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 a
strange face bent over him. His fists
shot out together, only to be caught
in a wise that broke his arms in two ct
the elbows, and forced them back
against his threat. A knee, like an
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 their
sockets, release from where, eaglelike
claws gripped at his throat and shut
off his breath. He lay still.
"Are you awake ShikeT Sass0on
heard from the gloom above aim. But
he could not place the voice. you
seem to move around a good deal In
your sleep. If you're awake, keep still.
I've come from Sleepy Cat to get you.
Don't mind looking for your gun and
knife. Two men are with me. You
can have your choice. We've got
horse for you. You can ride away from
us here inside the gap, and take what
hits you In the back, or you can go tC
Sleepy Cat with us and stand your
trial. I'll read your warrant when the
sun gets a little higher. Get up and
choose quick"
SasSOOn could not see who had sub
dued him, nor did he take long to de-
eide what to do. With less trouble
than he expected, the captor got his
man sullenly on horseback, and gave
him severely plain directions as to
what to do. SassOon, neither bound
nor gagged, was told to ride his horse
down the gap closely ahead Of De
Spain and neither to speak nor turn
his head no matter what happened
right or left.
In the growing light the two men
trotted smartly a mile down the trail
without encountering a sign Of life.
When they approached the Morgan
ranch-house De Spain rode close to
his prisoner, told him what would
happen if he made a noise, and even
held him back in his pace as they
trotted together past the gap strong
hold. When they left the house behind
and the turn in the road put them out
Of range of its windows, he closed up
the distance between himself and SaS-
soon, riding close in to his side, and
looked back for q fraction of a second
When he looked ahead again he saw
confronting him, not a hundred yards
away, a motionleSs horSeman.