Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-05-15


pistol of heavy canber that thugs Of
the underworld aften carried, deadly
at close range but Inaccurate at dis-
tance-a weapon that the men Of the
woods knew nothing about. At the
brink of the yard, just where 1t dipped
to the little park, he suddeny snatched
it forth; whirled and fred.
Even with his right hand shattered
and having to shoot with his left, with
almost no light at all, the shot dis
closed what he could have done with a
real gun-the bullet scorched the
woodsman's blouse and passed between
his left arm and his side. The man
crouched at the brink of the yard
watched the success of the shot-his
last desperate attempt-knew that it
failed; swore, and dashed away up the
path that led into the jaws of Eagle
hollow.
1t all occurred in the flick of an In
slant Amazed at the treachery, the
woodsman sprang out of the dim
square of candle-light that fell through
the window He snatched out his re-
volver and was just straining step in
pursuit when, from somewhere In the
yard behind him. there came low cry
Ibis name-so faint as to leave a
doubt that he had heard. 1t froze him
into listening statue.
1t came again-a woman's cry
borne upon the breath of the night.
He would have known that voice
among shouting thousands. He turned
and bounded down the yard toward the
gate.
Up from the gate she came, half
running, half-reeling. but before he
could reach her she stopped, stood for
a moment cropping with her hands,
dropped forward and fell with her face
upon the grass.
With cry. Jack Warhope caught up
the unconscious girl in his arms, to dis
cover that she must have been In the
river, for her garments were complete
ly saturated and her hair hung about
her shoulders, sodden and dripping.
He was wrapping his hunting blouse
about her when, with a startled ex-
clamation, he jerked away his hand
and held 1t up between his face and the
sky-it was smudged with blood. He
bent over the CHILDHOOD was stream
ing from her right shoulder and run
ming down her side. That last bullet
from the edge of the yard-it had
found the core of tragic target.
Picking her up in his arms, he ran
around to the kitchen, dashed the door
open and laid her on the sofa in the
sitting room.
He had wrapped her in blankets
snatched from the parlor bedroom,
tore UP sheet for bandages and was
doing his best to stop the blood, when
there came the sound Of a man run
ming across the yard, and the next mo-
ment Uncle Nick, doubtless alarmed by
that last ehot-coming as it did upon
the heels of the housekeeper's story
was calling and pounding at the sitting
room door. Jack threw it open.
"Texies hurt" he cried. "Quick-
Doctor Arnold-and Aunt Liza and
Mrs. Curry"
Without a question the old man hur-
ried away.
die out Of the room where the dead
robber lay, closed the door and was
doing his best to stop the blood and
restore the girl to consciousness, when
the doctor ran in.
A hurried word or two and he was at
the hurt shoulder. The buAet--it was
his first care. With quick skill he hunt
ed it; fortunately located it almost i'm
mediately. 1t had just missed the lung,
ranged upward and lodged barely be-
meath the skin at the top Of the Shout
der. He made a small incision and
probed it out.
He had washed the wound and had
1t nearly dressed when Aunt Eliza
came running in, followed an instant
later by Mrs. Curry, flurried and pant
ing. Changing Texie's sodden gar
ments for dry ones, while the woods
man built fire in the kitchen stove,
they laid her between warm blankets
in the parlor bedroom.
Picking up the candle, the woodsman
crossed the floor, threw open the door
Of the room where the dead robber lay
and mOtioned for the two men.
Even the doctor started, aghast at
the gruesome, huddled form sprawled
there among the Uttered. blood-spat-
tered money. Uncle Nick's muttered
cry brought the two women running
from the sick room, to gaze with the
others-awed to silence by the tragedy
that had again visited the quiet cot
tage.
The woodsman well knew that aues-
tions would be flashing through each
mind-had been since the discovery of
Texie's hurt-knew that each looked to
him for the answer. A low moan came
from the parlor bedroom. That last
treacherous shot-he knew that the
man with the red lock could never
come back. 1t had been a mistake to
Shield him. q blunder' TO trust him