The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-04-08
esay that again. young felIer r.

In the hush the answer jerked out :
Tin oin '--to-marry your daugh-
ter" shot finished the sentence.
moment after, it would have
seemed that what had happened could
never have occurred were it not for
the huddled figure on the floor and
the open door through which came
clouds of dust.
Out in the enveloping, celebrating
storm, his bride flying, his arms vain
ly shielding his low-bent face, rode an
old man, shouting at the singing
sand: "She's all have all-all
have" The hOarse voice scarcely rose
above whisper in the gray night or
flying sand, but he still cried his justi-
fication "All-all l have l''-again
and again till the blinded pony stag
gered into the sheltering hills.
The cabin, as he entered, struck an
unfamiliar note of emptiness.
"Corinnel" he called fearfully. Aft
err the unavailing search he stood still
in the center of the room, staring
dumbly before him. She would come
back to her old dad, surely, yes, sure
ly Wasn't he all she had-now? His
eyes cleaned Indignantly She would
come If not? Then he would go
back to town; but he must wait until
dark, to go now meant death. Anoth-
er thought struck him, and he snapped
open the breach of his revolver, drew
out four discharged shells and tossed
them away; then he felt in the pocket
of his coat first on one side then on
the other His bewildered expression
gave place to a look of AFFECT terror.
~ went ia town fer cartridges an /
didn't git EN- Now l got only two.
Tw0i' he groaned. eff they should
come before dark7 But they won't
come, they won't come!' he reiterated
over and over again.
The only window Of the room was
heavily shattered. He dragged the
table over against the door, then flung
himself down in the corner in the
gloom, and waited-waited The hot
afternoon ground itself away with pit
Hess emphasis of time. A knot-hole,
low on the western wall, let bar Of
sunlight into the murky room and it
fell in a brilliant splotch of gold on
the grim floor. The old man eyed it
morosely until he noticed that it
moved. After that he watched it Gag
erly, gloatingly, as the bar heightened
inch by inch and the fleck of gold slow
ly crossed the floor He crawled about
until he found two of the empty shells
that he had tossed away; then he put
one of them squarely in the center of
the circle of light, the other a few
inches in advance. Gradually the
light left the one shell in shadow,
crept the distance between, and as it
glittered on the brass Of tie other, the
old man grinned. Then he moved the
rear shell ahead So the day waned.
The circle of light had crossed the
floor and was travelling up the eastern
wall. The man watched it exultantly.
''An hour more Only an hourl" he
whispered. The bar was now hori-
zontal, six inches above the floor I;
then it paled, fiickered, and went out.
He gave a gasp of relief. Outside, the
sui was 0ApplAS DCAOW SAC ACA ANSAA.
The dusk deepened swiftly. He
crossed the room and began to drag
the table from the door Suddenly he
paused and listened intently Then a
look of utter hopelessness came into
the haggard face. "Oh, God, v might
ha' given me ten little minutes more Y
he whined Nearer, nearer came the
galloping hoofs, and a score of riders
swept up.
"All right, Connaugh!" dozen
voices called. tits all right"
A CLEAN of wolflsh cunning crossed
the old mans face. 'They don't fool
me-" he sneered, and as a hand fun
bled with the latch, he fred through
the door, breast high.
"Oh, dad p
He tore away the table and flung
open the door. At his feet knelt Deane
with the girls body in his arms.
"She is dead" he said.
Behind him stood the semi-circle of
men, for once too Mortified to act.
Deane stood up My wife goes home
to my cabin. Help me, boys. Him?"
lin answer to the rising mutterings-
I'VE leave him to his thoughts"
High in the hills above the silent,
lonely valley wolf howled in the
dark. From the black open doorway
of the cabin came soft scuftiing
sound as of some one on hands and
knees cropping upon the floor. Then
the voice of an old, old man:
"One cartridge is all have left
just ALL"
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