Judsonia weekly advance. (Judsonia, Ark.) 1???-1922, 1921-04-14
By
ROBERT ]. C.
STEAD
Author OF The Cow
punchcy. Ere.

had builded with his hands and the
boy, Allan. about whom he wrapped all
the affection of his nature; and they
had crumbled to dust even while he
worshiped.
He found a flask thrown from som
campers pack, and filled it with water
at the mountain stream that rushed by
a few rods below the cabin. He placed
the liquid to the boys lips and fancied
that some drops found entrance. He
had stanched the wound as best he
could with fragments torn from the
lining of his coat, and he sat down
again to watch. Until morning he
could do nothing more. Then some
camper, lumberman, or surveyor might
happen along the road. If not, he
would have to move Allan at all risks.
1t took time for him to realize the
bitterness with which his plans had
collapsed. As the night wore on he
was able TO weigh his disaster in
more balanced mind, but its magnitude
grew in the weighing. From prosper
Gus ambition he had been swept in an
hour to penniless ruin. His destruc-
ton was almost complete. The old
farm. the scene of his labors-his and
Mary's-was gone. If Allan should
die there remained nothing more.
Suddenly he fancied he heard the
sound of horses hoofs in the clay road
along the hill side, now softened with
the light rain. The sound ceased as
suddenly as it began, and it occurred
to him that it might be one of the rob-
bers returning. The lantern was burn.
ing low, but as a precaution he now
turned it quite out. There were some
cartridges in Allan's pocket; he felt
for them and decided to bring the gun
out of the cabin. But before he could
put his decisioninto effect he observed
the form of a man moving silently but
briskly toward the cabin. He held his
breath and remained obscured in the
bushes Dimly he discerned the form
stop at the door and peer into the
darkness.
There was no doubt in the mind of
Harris as to the evil intent of the WIS.,
the building, and had then diSinounted
and stole up to it on foot. That in IT.
self was sufficiently discriminating. One
who was riding through the mountains
ON a legitimate errand. and who knew
nothing of the nights atfray, would
take no such precautions. Unarnled
as he was, Harris resolved that the
robber. probably the murderer of his
son, should not on any account escape
him. With the blanket which he had
brought to cover Allan was a bag in
which they had carried cats for their
horses this he found in the darkness,
and stole after his victim. He over
took him standing at the door, in ap-
parent hestancy whether to enter the
building. Without an instants warn
ing Harris threw the bag about his
head. and With quick twist Of his
powerful wrist had his prisoner Sc
curely gagged Throwing him violent
ly to the ground, he tied the sack in
hard knot, and, despite all struggles,
dragged him back to where Allan lay.
Here he relighted the lantern, and,
cutting part of the blanket into strips
with his pocket knife, securely tied his
captive hand and foot. At first the
prisoner tried to talk, but he could not
sneak intelligibly through the close
drawn sack, and presently he gave up
and lay in silence in the wet grass.
And again the leaden night wore on,
broken only by occasional gurglings in
the throat of Allan, or futile struggles
by the prisoner. Harris felt little curl
osity concerning the identity of the
man in gags before him, or the victim
of Allan's gun ia the doorway. They
were absolute strangers to him, and he
even feared that if he should look into
the face of the one that still lived his
anger over the assault upon Allan
would burst all bounds and he would
kill his victim on the spot. He was
slowly forced TO the conclusion that
Rifles and Gardiner had also met with
foul play, and that no help was now
to be expected from that quarter.
Just as the first bars of gray in the
eastern sky proclaimed approaching
dawn, the sound of horses hoofs came
distinctly up the valley. Harris drew
himself into a sitting posture. and lis
tened. Allan was still breathing. and
apparently with less effort than earlier
in the night. The sound of the horse
came nearer and nearer. At last it
was in the road just below and mo-
ment later would have passed by had
not Harris called out.
Sergeant Gray instantly swung his
horse from the road and, dismounting,
proceeded in the direction of the
voices.
(TO BE CONTINUED)