News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1922-03-22
Mollie, the
"Traitress"
BY WILLIAM FALL
%, 1921, Western Newspaper Union.)

He crouched in the underground,
cautiously parting the bushes with
one hand to peer out down the noun
tain side He had escaped from the
state penitentiary three weeks before
and his pursuers had never been able
to discover his secret hiding place
upon Bear mountain.
He looked round, cautiously. No one
was in sight. High up on the opposite
hill he saw the outlines of a tiny
cabin. 1t was his Sweetheart's home
-MoIlie Stark's. 1t was to avenge
an insult to her that he had shot and
crippled Seth Baldwin.
But since his flight he had not dared
go near her home. 1t was too des-
perate a chance to take. But a visit
on his part to the wild glen in which
they had plighted their troth had re-
suited in the finding of a package of
food placed there by Mollie. In it was
little note.
"Dere Ben" it ran. 81 hid this and
brout it here thinking you would come
here. Come to the cabin on Monday
mite at nine. Lovingly, MOllie.'
He was within ten yards when the
door opened. His heart leaped. Mol
lie stood in the doorway, her arms out
stretched, to welcome him. The
shadow of a man had passed the
candle; another, and another. He
halted in his tracks. Behind Mollie
he saw a rifle barrel.
With an oath he flung back into
the brushwood.
MOllie was a traitress He would
show her! He would show them
What should he do?
For an hour he lay thinking, gnaw-
ing his lip in rage. He had recognized
one of the men in the parlor as Frank
Merriman, the sheriff He had been a
sutton for MolIie's hand before she
promised herself to Ben. Doubtless
he had persuaded her.
Ha He had his plan. 1t flashed
into his brain ready-forged in the fur
mace of his wrath. Doubtless Merri-
man would be at her home the follow
ing night. He would steal in and kill
the man before Mollies eyes-and then
--then-cut off her hair, leaving her
to the derision of the hill folk.
An hour later he was lying upon his
stomach outside the cabin. Inside he
saw Frank Merriman, smoking in one
corner Mollie was laying the SUPPER
table.
He sprang to his feet and rushed
through the open door. Next moment, |
Ben had his hands on the sherifrs |
throat
To and fro they wrestled. Ben felt |
his enemy weakening. He had him at |
his mercy now. Suddenly a tremen-
dous blow fell upon his head from be-
hind. The last thing that he saw as
his senses left him was the faint glim- !
mer of the relit candle and MoIlie's
agonized face, in its aureole hair.
"Ben"
''Mollie"
He started out through the whirling
phantasmagOria that surrounded him.
He was dizzy and deathly sick. Gradu-
ally, as the fog cleared from his BRAIN
he realized that he was lying in Mol
lies room, and the face that he loved
best in all the world was bending over
him.
THANK God he is coming to,
Frank !" Il
"You had better leave him for the
present" 1t was the voice of Merri-
man.
well, young fellOw!" Merriman
was scowling down at him. you've
done for yourself pretty well now"
he continued. "If my nephew, Walt,
hadn't had the gumption to come up
at the right moment and snatch my ,
rife you'd have had a murder charge
against you. l thought you were gone
when | saw the whack he gave you
that night"
THAT night! When?"
1.-TWO weeks ago tomorrow. Yep, I
reckon you've kind of lost count of :
time" he continued, smiling less evil
~. you've been mighty near death,
young fellow, let me tell you"
well, 1 guess you've won," said n
Ben feebly. "When are you going to a
take me back to the penitentiaryr S
''When will you be ready to startl" o
he asked.
you'll have to put me in a cart, h
reckon" answered Ben. Frank" he T,
continued, "Tm likely to get life SEN
tence now and we aren't likely to
meet again. ! want TO ask a promise
If you. Treat Mollie well. She's Il
he finest girl in the world, and if c
;he was false to Newell, 1 reckon 1t d
vas for your sake Frank" 81
The sheriff stared at him. He went II
% the door and called the girl. Ben <
heard him whispering outside. And, a,
PRESENTLY he was aware in his weak 7,
less, that Mollie was bending over
lin again.
Ben! I"
"Molliep al
"Ben, dearest. Did you think 1 had ca
Betrayed you, Ben? Did you dare to in