The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-12-29

| Tears you are taking dangerous AASh
and l."
Again she paused. Her glance
dropped as Burt approached nearer
He had taken her shapely hand.
And your he intimated gently, ant
his tones carried a tremuous thrill
II hope ! have not brought yor
trouble" she said wistfuIly. 81 wisl
that you would not undertake this per
lous mission Her hands began t(
tremble. and she placed them plead
ingly upon his arm. The tears came
into her eyes.
His arm crept about her as she
lifted her glance. She could not help
but read the earnest lovelight in his
honest eyes.
Don't CO." she whispered. "Oh, for
my sake-let me go! l dare not
In amaZement Burt felt her tear
herself from his clasp, saw her dart
towards the house like hunted,
frightened bird. Then he gave a quick
\ start. Weaving his way in and out of
the dense underbrush, he made out a
skulking form.
Burt had been sent by the engineer
ing firm employing him to inspect
| the district in conjunction with a
new irrigation and railroad project.
| He had arrived at the border town
! Of Fitield, Okla, one week previous.
1t was necessary for him to make in
quiries there before he prosecuted his
IL ho RI y
Treherne, the uncle of Eloise, who
was acquainted through the entire
section. He had found him to be a
former itinerant preacher, but now
living some miles from town and en-
gagged in small cooperage business.
He and his niece led the truly simple
life. Burt had become their well
come guest; the days had drifted on
pleasantly.
One evening, however, Burt had q
foretaste of the people he was des-
tined to meet If he continued on his
journey. Another uncle Of Eloise,
named John Rivers, accompanied by
one jeff Wadhams, came down from
"the bad lands" Rivers was voluble
in his demand that his niece should
spend part Of her time at his home
over the border Burt even surmised
that IT was jeff Wadhams who was urg-
ing him to this. The eyes of the des-
perado told that he sought Eloise as
life partner. Very clearly Mr.. Ire
herne told his brother-in-law that his
demand would not be granted.
At eleven o'clock that night Burt
was aroused from his sleep. 1t was
| T'reherne, who told him to get up and
| dress Then he led him out through
the house into the stout log workshop
over the river, where he did his rude
cooperage tasks.
Eloise was there. She stood at the
| one window of the place with rifle
in her hand, looking every inch an in
trepid daughter of the frontier In
some Amusement Burt glanced out.
Mounted on horses, armed, some Of
them bearing torches, were twenty
men. jeff Wadhams was their leader.
"What do you want here?" demand
ed Mr.. Treherne, going to the window,
and jeff came forward.
I'VE want a man calling himself
Dawson and an engineer" he re-
sponded. 'We have information that
he is a spy, disguised detective, and
we are going to string him up. This
isn't your business, Treherne. Deliv-
err him up
II want time to consider spoke Mr.
Treherne, and his face was grim, and
Eloise kept watch and ward at the
window:
mr. Dawson" said Treherne, "there
is just one way to escape, but you
must do what I say and act quickly.
shall barrel you up, with hammer
and chisel, drop you into the river
and you will float away while these
men are wasting their time here.'
"And leave Eloise to be carried
away by that ruffan outsider cried
Burt. II will die fighting, first'
The old man was silent. He studied
the face of his guest keenly.
"You love her?" he asked.
More than my own life !" responded
Burt fervently.
"Then'-slOwly, solemnly-"make
her your wife. Those ruftians then
dare not modest her."
A barefo0ted bride-how strange
The hasty marriage ceremony-how
thrilling! And then, at the insistency
Of those two who now had a claim up.
on him, Burt consented to be 'bar.
relied up"
Thirty minutes later, half a mile
down the stream, Burt Dawson, safe
from pursuit. breHe his way out Of the
barrel in which he had taken a
strange. sensational VOYAGE.
Two hours later, with Il posse gath
cred at FiGeld. he was back at the old
house ny the rive: ~ h;S,.e:sc the
halflch nu!''w re-, a:iti claim: his fail