Year: 1872

SNfS~ N-N pa
per note, written on a page torn
from an old cOpybOOk, in Buds
"hand-write" and rdnnink:


"Mf. Heartsook


"deer Sur:


ii Put in my best licEs, taint
no use. Run fer yore life. A
plans on foot to tar an iether or
wuss tonight. GO Tite off.
Things is awful juberousI Bud"


The first question with Ralph
was whether he could depend on
Bud. But he soon made up his
mind that treachery ofthis sort
was not one of bis traiisi He had
mourned over the destsaction of
Buds good resolutions by Mar
tha Hawkins refusal, and being
a disinterested party he could
have comforted Bud by explain
ing Martha's "mitten. But he
felt sure that Bud was not treach.
acherous. 1t was a relief, then,
as he stood there to know that
the false truce was over, and
worst had come to worst.


His first impulse was to stay
and fight. But his nerves we're
not strong enough to execute so
foolhardy a resolution. He
seemed to see a man behind every
maple-trunk. Darkness was fast
coming on, and he knew that his
absence from supper at his board
iDg.place could not fail to excite
suspicion. There was no time to
be lost. So he started,


Let one once start to run from
danger, and panic is apt to
ensue. The forests, the stalk
fields, the dark hollows through
which he pass'd, d,seemed to be peo.
pied with terrors. Ho knew
Small and Jones we'll enough to
know that every avenue Of escape
would be carefully picketed. So
there was nothing to do but to
take the shortest path to the old
trysting- place theSpring in rock.


Here he sat and shook with
terror. Mad with himself, he
inly denounced himself for a cow.
ard. But the effect was really a
physical one. The chill and
panic now were the reaction
from the previous strain.


For when the sAnnd Of .hie-
pursuers' voices broke upon hi+
ears early in the evening, Ralph
shook no more; the warm blood
set back again toward the exremi-
ties, and his self.control returned
when he needed it. He gathered
some stones about him, as the
only weapons of defense at hand.
The mob was on the cliff above.
But he thought that he heard
footsteps on the bed of the creek
below If this were so, there
could be no doubt that his hiding
place was suspected.


80 Hank?" shouted Bud
from the top of the cliff to some
one in the creek below, "be sure
to look at the Spring-in-rock
Il think he's there"


This hint was not lost on
Ralph, who speedily changed his
quarters by climbing up to a
secluded, shelAke ledge above
the spring, He was none too
soon, for Pete Jones and Hank
Banta were soon looking all 9.
round the spring for him, while
be held a twsnty.pound stone
over their heads ready to drop
upon them in case they should
think of looking on the ledge
above. ..


When the crowd were gone
Ralph knew that one road was
open to him. He could follow
down the creek to Cllfty, and
thence he might escape. But,
travelling down to Clifty, he de-
bated whether it was best to es-
cape. To flee was to confess his
guilt, make himself an outlaw, to
put an insurmountoblo barrier
between himself and Hannah,
whose terror. stricken and anx.
ious face as she stood by the
brook willows haunted him now,
and was an involuntary witness
to her love.


Long before he reached Clifty
his mind was made up not to flee
another mile. He knocked at
the door of Squire Underwood.
But Squire Underwood was also
doctor, and had been called
away. He knocked at the door
of Squire Doolittle. But Squire
Doolittle had gone to Lewisburg.
He was about to give up all hope
of being able to surrender him
self to the law when lie met
Squire Hawkins, who had come
over to Clifty to avoid responsi-