Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-05-24

and walked up to the cabin door. 1t
was open.
De Spain called grufiy 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 S~assoon's
bed should be. The utmost scrutiny
failed to disclose any sign Of 1t or any
sound Of breathing from that corner.
He took a few steps toward where the
man should be asleep, and perceived
beyond q doubt that there was no bed
in the corne at all. He turned toward
the butt of his gun. Hello, Shike"
he called out in a slightly strained tone
Of ca~maraderie, addressing Sassoon by
a common nickname. Then he lis
tened. A trumpeting snore answered.
No sound was ever sweeter to De
Spain's ear. The rude noise cleared
the air and steadied the intruder rs if
Music mountain itself had been lifted
off his nerves.
He tried again: "Where are you,
Shike?' he growled. whats this stuff
on the Roor?" he continued. shutting
his way ostentatiously to the other
side Of the oom. He felt his way to-
ward the inner door. This vas where
he expected to find it. and 1t was
closed. He laid Il hand gingerly o. 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 "a he pushed the door
open, though not sure whether a curse
or a shot would greet him. He got
neither. And a welcome surprise in
| the dim light came through a stuffy
pane Of glass at end of the room.
1t revealed at the other end q man
stretched asleep on d wall bunk-a
heard the steaithiest sound had any eff
fort been made to conceal it, but to
whose ears the rough voices Of a
mountain cabin are mere sleeping po-
tons.
The sleeper woke to feel a hand laid
lightly on his shoulder. The instinct
Of se!f-preservntiOn acted like q fash.
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 se~inidarkness q
strange face bent over him. His fists
shot out together. only to be caught
in a wise that broke his arms In two nj
the elbows, and forced them back
against his throat. A knee. like m
anvil. pushed i~nexorably into his stom.
ach and heart and lungs. Another lny
across his right arnl. and his strug.
!, Cling left arm he could not, though bis
t eyes burst with the strain from theil
, sockets, release from where, eaglelike
! claws grlpped Mt his throat and shut
OFF his breath. He lay still.
"Are you awake, Shike?" Sassoor
heard from the gloom above him. Blu
he could not place the voice. "Yo,
= seem to move around q good deal II
your sleep. II you're awake, keep still
e I've come from Sleepy Cat to get you
!, Don't mind looking for your gun an,
knife. Two lei are with me. 70,
can have your choice. We've got
horse for you. You a ride away from
;. us here inside the gap. and take wha
hits you In the back, or you u 60 t
Sleepy Cat with US and stand you
: trial. I'll read your warrant when tn
e sun gets n little higher. Get up an,
n choose quick"
Il SassO0n could not see who had sui
Q dued him, nor did he take long to d.
eide what to do. With less troubl
than he expected. the captor got hi
man sullenly on horseback. and gov
n him severely plain directions as I
what to do. Sassoon, neither boun
nor gagged, was told to ride his hors
d down the Cup closely ahead Of D
,e Spain and neither to speak nor tur
his head no matter what happene
4. right or left.
It In the growing light the two me
trottcd srnartly a mile down the ira
h. without cncountering a sign Of If
y When they approached the Morgu
W ranch.house De Spain rode close
10 his prisoner, told him what wou1
er happen II he made a noise, and eve
held him back in his pace as the
,e trotted together past the gap stron
hold. When they left the house behir
4. and tho turn In the road put them 0,
= Of range Of it, windows. he closed Y
a. the distance between himself and So
\. soon. riding close In to his side. ar
q. looked back for q fraction Of q secon
"a fWhen " looked ahead again he n
4. confroutlng him. not q hundred yar,
- away, . fnotionless horseman.