White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1918-04-07
EPISODE NO. 4


escapes and carries Bessie away to
MS cabin. She escapes. only to be
Iassoed from her horseFand smprison-
ed on a cliff. Blake is climbing To
her when the outlaws shoot the lariat
away and he IS plunged into the
chasm.
Straight as d plummet to what
seemed certain death, Blake dropped
into the gloomy depths OF the can
yon. Many feet below a fir spring
ing from "a cleft in the walls reached
its stout limbs out into the gorge
and into this cradle crashed the body
of the luckless Blake. They snapped
beneath the impact and the trunk
bent until il seemed it would be torn
from lis roots. InstinctiYelY. Blake
cIutehed branch and trunk as he slid
deeper into their embrace. He vas
saved-for the moment-and IT SEEM
ed thar even Black Jacks outlaws
on the opposite side OF the gorge
0AidlEulIAC0 baAh II -
Then their eyes swept up to the
top of the chasm on whose very edge
Bessie vas lying in a faint. Mo-
ments passed before she recovered
10 look about her dazedly. Then all
came back to her and she peered
over ne brink and saw her husband
cIinging to the tree and gazing up to
her. She called once and he answer
cd. Then she called again hat she
as going to try 10 climb down TO
him and he waved her back in horror
But the young wife. desperate. swung
over the edge and foot b. loot she
started down the sheer face Of the
cli6.
The outlaws watched Der. breath
less. grim anxiety in their leader
face as be saw his prey escaping from
him Blake struggled TO an upright
position and t4ined his LEGS about
the trunk Of the tree. prepared for
her inevitable fall.
Bessie had descended a dozen feet
when her foot touched a piece of out
jutting rock. Her hands slipped. she
struggled 10 regain her hold. the rock
erumbled beneath her feet and she
fell into space.
Blake smothered a CRY OF horror
and braced himself TO catch and draw
into the protection of the branches
the body OF his wife as it flashed past
him. Beneath their combined weight
h tree bent until # pointed directly
down into the ehasm. There was a
swapping OF the roots and ~upheaval
of earth as the tree with its human
burden crashed 10 a ledge nifty feet
below
Black Jack and his gang could not
repress a shout OF satisfaction as they
realized their prey yet lived and
could be captured at leisure. Haines
wormed his way TO the edge OF the
gorge and shouted TO Blake, who had
by this time extricated Bessie, bruised
and faint. from the wreekage OF the
tree:
Write and order on your bank for
100000 IL you want to go free.
Blake shouted back "no'-at
which his captor with a sinister smile
replied
All right. If you don't get the
money you stay there and die.
Stunned by the force of the argu-
ment and realizing their utter help
Iessness. Blake turned to Bessie,
Alone he would have defied his cap
tors too death, but he could not make
her suffer further and he shouted
hack TO Black Jack that he would
pay the money
Summoning Comanehe Pete haines
gave a few orders. and the indian
casting his lariat across the gorge
over a projeetig rock. crossed hand
over hand and by a second rope law
cred himself TO the ledge. Blake
tore a leaf from a notebooks and
pr,pted the following order which he
handed TO Pete:
Eyerett-eashier of bank
As soon as possible
Give 800, 900 to bearer of
Letter, Comanche Pete. Take from
East box Of safe the
Ready money placed there
xone day last month. Get boys 70
Come across with cash or We
Kick in for good.-Henry Blake.
The Indian recrossed on the rope
10 Black Jack who read it to his
companions. They thought ii looked
all right. %whereupon Pete mounted
and galloped down the pass.
9
CONSERVATION reigned in Blakes
bank when Comanche Pete. dust