The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-01-09
BY JACKSON GREGORY


an alert, desperate girl. Before he
could grasp her motive she leaped to-
ward him and toward the bed of
| boughs, found the ragged stone. and
lifting it high above her head flung 1t
full into his face. The man staggered
| back. crying out in thrOaty harshness,
cry of blind rage. But he did not
fall. did not pause more than brief
instant.
A little dazed. with blood in his
found the club now and struck with
all her might, again beating into his
face and again and again. He sought
to grapple with her and she beat him
back. She saw his hand go to his
hip and heard him curse her. and she
leaped in II him and, painting with
the blow, struck again. He flung up
his arm. She struck once more. TAX
ing the blow full across the face,
Quinnion reeled back, stumbled at an
uneven spot In the rock floor, bal
anced, almost falling. I.
Only a moment he held thus. But
there was a chance to pass him in
the narrow way, and she took her
chance. her heart beating wildly. And
as she shot by she struck again.
She heard him after her, shouting
curses stumbling little. sSming on.
The door was open, thank God, the
door was open! She shH through.
If she could but take time TO close it !!
But there was no time for that; he
was almost at her heels. And out
side was the ledge and the dizzy climb
down.
If she slipped, if she fell, well. it
would just be clean death and moth
ing more. QuinniOn was but a few
steps behind her. He had not fired
Had he perhaps dropped his gun back
there in the darkness? Or was he
so sure of taking her, alive and strug-
Cling into his arms in another mo-
ment?
She was on the ledge. 1t was dark,
pitch-dark. But she found a hand
hold, threw herself fiat down and
thrust her feet out over the ledge. less
afraid of what lay below than what
came on behind her. She was grip
ping the ledge now with her hands.
already torn and bleeding, her feet
swinging, touching sheer rock wall,
slipping, seeking foothold. Quinnion
was just there, above her. She must
move her hands so that he could not
reach her. 1t seemed an eternity that
she hung there, seeking place some
where to set her feet.
She found it, another lesser ledge
which she had almost missed, and
knew that this way she had clambered
upward with Bayne Trevors. If she
could only find another step and an
other before Quinnion came upon her !!
She held her club in ner teeth; she
must not let that go.
Ouinnion was over the ledge, fol-
lowing her. She heard his heavy
breathing, heard him cursing her
again. She was going SC slowly, so
slowly, and Quinnion would know the
way better than she. Quinnisn would
Uldkt DttlCI lllllC al LiiC ddL
She moved along this lower ledge
At each instant she wondered If it
were to be her last, If she were 60
ing to fall, if a swift drop through
the darkness would be the end of life.
Suddenly there was scarce room in
Quinnion, so filed was it with the
love of life. She wanted to see the
sun come up again, she wanted the
sweet breath of the dawn in her nos
trils, the beauty of sunlit world in
her eyes. She thought of Bud Lee.
Clinging to the rocks, hanging on
desperately. taking a score of des-
perate chances momentarily, she made
her way on and down. She found
scant handhold and. almost falling,
dropped her club. heard 1t strike.
strike again. Black as the night was,
its gloom was less than that of the
cavern to which Judith had grown ac-
customed; little by little she began
to make out the broken surface of the
cliffs. The chasm below was a pool
of ink; above were the little stars !;
In the eastern sky, low down, was
promise of the rising moon.
The surge of quickening hope came
into her heart. Had she hurt Quin-
MON more than she had guessed? For,
slowly as she made her hazardous
way down. 1t seemed to her that Quin-
MON came even more slowly Could
she but once get down into the gorge
below, could she slip along the course
| of the racing stream. she might run
and the sound of her steps would be
| lost even to her own ears In the
sound of the water; the sight of her
| flying body would be lost to Quin-
MONS eyes.
Then she heard him laughing above
her. Laughing, with snarl and a
curse in his laugh, and something of
malicious triumph. Was he so GER
tain of her then?
RUTH ~ called Quinnion. ooh.
Ruth The girls gettin' away. Coin
down the rocks. Head her off at the
| bottom"
Judith had found, because her fate
was good to her. the long slanting
crack In the wall of rock up which she
had. come that day with Bayne Trev-
ors. There was still danger Of fall.
but the danger was less now han
| 1t had been ten seconds ago. She
could move more swiftly now and
confidence had begun to come to her
that she could elude. Quinnion. But
now, suddenly, she heard Mad Ruth's
voice screaming shrill answer to
Quinnion's shout; knew that Ruth had
been in her cabin across the gorge
| and WAS running TO interceDt her mt