Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-11-21
"she did not. Only she was positive


pany with her mother, had departed
from Shrunk'S cabin before those raid
ers came. The two had already started
for Beardstown."
She sat upright, all lassitude gon,
from her body, leaning eagerly toward
me, her eyes alight with interest.
"Gone! Rene escaped them" shc
exclaimed, her voice choking. "Oh, tel
me that again. Was the girl sure"
"Quite sure. She saw and spoke
with both the women before they lief
in a wagon. They were on the Under
ground, bound for Canada, and safety.
81 am so glad-so glad" she sale
simply. "Now am strong enough tt
hear the rest, Lieutenant Knox. Yor
must tell me-" ~
"There is not so much to tell, that
am cock-sure about" I began slowly
"Kirby had you securely hidden ava!
somewhere on the second deck, while
this Clark girl had been locked into q
stateroom above. I possessed such 9
growth of beard and was altogether SC
disreputable looking as to be mistaken
for roustabout by the boats ofice.s
who set me at work to earn my pass
age. In this way l managed TO taiE
with Elsie, but failed to locate your
quarters. The only glimpse ! gained
Of you was when you were being taken
ashore. Then followed, and little
later succeeded in getting you out OF
Kirby's hands. That is about all"
"Oh, no, it is not-you--you came
too late"
"Too late! Perhaps I may know
what you mean."
"Do you? Surely not to blame me!
IL wish to tell you, Lieutenant Knox,
but-but 1 scarcely know how. 1t is
all so dim, indistinct in my own mind
and yet 1 remember. Have been
drugged?",
"Without question. We have been
riding all night and you were strapped
to your horse. Probably you have no
recollection of this?",
She shook her head In bewilderment.
"No; the last I remember was with
Kirby and another man. He--he was
dressed like a minister, but-but he
was half drunk, and once he swore at
me. The place where we were was q
little shack In the side Of hill, with
stone walls. Kirby took me there
from the steamer, together with q man
he called Rale-Jack Rale. They
locked me in and left me alone after
dark. Then this other man, who
dressed like q minister, came back
with Kirby. They had food and some
thing to drink with them, and lit a
lamp so that we could see. 1t was
awfully dismal and dark ih there"
She pressed her hands to her head
despairingly. 81 can remember all
this, but later it is not so clear; 1t
fades out, like dream"
"Try to tell me all you can," urged.
"They fed you"
eyes, 1 managed to eat little, but
I would not drink. They both became
angry then and frightened me, but
they did compel me to swallow some
of the stuff. Then I became dazcd
and partially helpless. 1 had no will
Of my own, no power Of resistance"
"You were married to Kirby"
"Oh, God was I? wondered; l
did not really know; truly 1 did not
know. l seem to, remember that I
stood up, and then signed some paper,
but nothing had any meaning to me.
Is that true? Do you know that 1t Is
true|
l grasped her hand and held it close
ly within my own.
II am afraid 1t is true" L answered.
"I know very little law, and it may
be that such ceremony is not legal.
Yet I imagine those men were certain
as to what they could do. Kirby had
planned to marry you from the very
first, as explained to you before. He
told me that on the Warrior the night
your father died."
"Yes, you said so; but I did not
quite understandable planned then
why?"
Because he had heard Of your
beauty and that you were rich. We're
these not reasons enough? But, after
he had mistaken you for Rene, the
only possible way in which he could
hope to gain you was by force. Jack
Rale suggested that to him and how
it could be done. The other man was
q friend of Rale's, q renegade preach
er named Gaskins; he is dead"
"Dead! Killed?'
"Yes; we brought you away after q
fight with those fellows. We left Rale
bound and Kirby unconscious"
Unconscious, hurt-but not deadf"
"He had bad cash in his skull, but
was alive"
Kennedy, putting happily upon a
pipe, came lettering about the corner
of the hut and approached us. Eloise
staggered to her feet, shrinking back
against the wall of the shack, her eyes
on his face.
"That man herew she cried in ter.
ror. "That man! Why, he was at
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