Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-01-14

cling his Stralning horse Win the emu
OF rain. He appeared fairly crazed
with fear. unaware In his blind terror
Of the close proximity OF the cabin.
'llbld orr l yelled, sprlnging for
ward my arms thrown up. directly in
the animals course. stop, you fool y
know not whether the frantic
horse checked Itself, or IL the rider
drew lcln, hut the beast stopped half
rearing, and gazed with amazement
into the revealed face OF the mamie
was Joe Kirby. Before could speak,
or move, he burst into words.
"Tou! knoX Ny God, man, who
ever you are, don't refuse me shelterW
"Sheltor? From what?' my hand
Clo~.aR on q pistol butt.
."mal,ns. BE merciful, for Gods
sake. They are there In tho valley
they are after me. b Just escaped
thcHl--thoy were going to burn me al
the stakelr
I glanced aside at Tim; his rice was
Hung forward. Then I looked quickly
back at the man, who had already
dropped from his horse, and seemed
scarcely able 70 stand. Was this true
had he ridden here unllnowing WHOM
he would meet, with no other though,
but 70 save his life? Heaven knows
he looked the payf--his swGrthy fuct
dlrtied with a stain OF bleod on one
cheek his shirt rtpped into rags. bare
headed. and with a look Of terror In
his eyes not 20 be mistaken. Nillaip
and savage as knew him to be, | Still
felt strange wave Uf pity sweep me
pity and tenderness, mingled with
hatred and distrust.
Kirby l said, ana STROBE in be
tween him and Tins leyeLed weapon
There is no friendship between us
now, or at any time. / believe you to
be miserable snarliBg dog; but
would save even cur from Indian tor
ture. Did you know we were hereT
mo, so help me God. saw the
cabin, and hoped to find help" 49,
The savages are following your .
"Yes--yes; see! Look down there
there are half a hundred Of the
dextts, -and@=:aud Black Hawk."
by the holy smoke, Cap, he's right
there they are!" sung out Kennedy
pointing excitedly. ",The cuss amt q
lynn. What'u we DOR
saw them also by this time. my
mind in a whirl OF inaecision. What
should we do? Whist ought we to do!
We should have to fight 70 the death
there was no doubt Of that. An at.
tempt to get away was manifestly i'm.
possible. But what about this rene
gale, this Internal scoun1rei. this he'll.
Round who had been trailing Us to kill
and destroy? Shopld we .urn him back
bow To- lis deserved fate, or Should we
offer him the. same chance Tor life we
had? Re might fight; he might add
one Tiae TO our defense; he might help
US to hold out until rescuers CAME
And thep--then-4df ter sthat---we could
settle aiiI. score. Tins voice broke the
II reckon we amt got much time
|. he said grimly. Its one thing 'er the
other. I'm fer girin the d. beggar
chanel. I can't turn nc white man
over ter Iniuns---riot me. KirDy's got
I q gun, an I reckon we're eoin' fer ter
|! need EN- ALL this blame fracas
is over with . :.
"Ahd agree with you, Mr. Ken
nedy," said Eloise, clearly. speaking
from the open door. 'Iieutenant
Knox, 10 one here has more to forgive
4 than I, We must give the man refuge
1t would be inhuman not to-"
eco in" I said, grimly, to Kirby,
looking him sQuarely in the eyes. "And
then play the man, If you care to lfte."
fingered there upon the outside for
moment, but fora moment only. The
! advancing cloud of savages We're al.
|. ready coming up the slope, gradually
|. spreading ont into the form Of fan.
|: The majority. were mounted, although,
+ several struggled forward on foot.
|. Near their center appeared the ornin-
| Gus CLEAN Of red Blanket, waved
! back and forth as though in signal, but
/ the distance was too great for my
! eyes TO distinguish the one manipulate
| ing it. We were. trapped, with our
! backs to the wall.
| There were but few preparations to
+ be made, and I gave small attention
! to Kirby until these had been hastily
| completed. The door and window were
! barred, the. pO#der-and slugs brought
| up from below the rifles loaded and
primed, the few loopholes between the
! logs opened, and pail Of water placed
within easy reach. This was all that
| could be done.
. Kennedy made use Of the fellow, or
dering him about ALMOST brutally, and
! Kirby obeyed~ the commands without
an answering. protest. To all appear
ances he was as eager as We in the
| preparations for defense. But he could
not command him; to even address the
fellow would have been torture. for
even then WAS without faith, with.
| out confidence. The very snaaking,
cewardly way in which he acted did
not appeal to me as natural. | could
not deny bis story--those approaching
Indians alone We're proof that he fed
from q real danger; and yet-and yet,
to my mind he could not represent
anything but treachery. I possessed
but one desire--to Kick the crlnsing
cur.
I stood at q loophoie watching the
approaching savages, They had halted
| just below the big tree, and four Or
| five half hidden biz the huge trunk