Newspaper Page Text
TME DHUGMTER
OF ABNER SMITH
_ BY T. l_. SWANSON.
(continued from last week )
The girl who had been seated in a
chair on the inside, arose and started to
the door as they ascended the
steps. She was . stsrtled at the
sadden and unexpected meeting,
realizing in an instant that she
stood face to face with her father’s cap
tors. Every drop of blood left her face
and she caught hold of the chair for
support.
The younger man lifted his hat and
stood aside for her to pass, but the other
eyed her keenly, and stood squarely in
her way to the door
Recovering partly from the excite
ment of the sudden surprise, she yet
stxid embarrassed under his bold gaze,
nervously fingering the trigger of her
rifle.
“John,” he said blandly, without re
moving his eyes from her, “perhaps this
fair young huntress can give us the in
formation we desire,”
His brother officer made no answer to
the suggestion. He seemed to have lost
the sense of hearing, and was himself
gazing in a bewildered way upon the
fair face and form of the mountain
beauty.
“Miss,” the other continued, “can
you direct us to the best and nearest
route to H ? We have been in the
neighborhood several days buying cat
tle, and are now on our way back to
Atlanta.”
By a mighty effort she steadied her
self and was about to give him the prop
er directions to find the'station they
sought when the idea flashed into her
mind that if she could, by giving them
false information, place them upon a
longer road, she would have more time
to carry out her plans.
“Take the big road out there,” she
said, pointing to a rough looking wagon
road that led away at. a right angle to
the one Crowley and Toles had taken.
“Keep it fur a mile and a half, ’till it
forks, then take the left, and fellow it
’till you come to H .”
“How far is it?”
' ‘seven miles. ”
rfhe did not see the smile of incredu
lity with which he received the infor
mation.
“Thank you very much,” he said
suavely. as he passed her and went up
to the counter and asked for a lunch of
crackers and cheese.
“Handsome liar she is, eh John,” he
said in an undertone to his companion,
as they seated, themselves on a box while
the clerk thought their lunch.
‘ ‘You have such a devilish matter-of
fact way of talking, old.man; don’t call
as pretty a girl as that a liar, say she
misrepresents things. It is simply bru
tal,” replied toe young deputy.
“Well,” rejoined his companion, “you
are young yet; when you are as old as I
am vou will have learned to call things
by their right names.”
They lapsed into silence over their
stale meal, only breaking it to call for a
mug of water.
They were too shrewd to give any
further expression of any real suspicion
that may have been aroused by the awk
ward conduct of the girl, within earshot
of any of her friends.
She vanished through the door the in
stant the way was clear, and ran acoss
the vacant space of a hundred yards that
lay between the store and the woodland
that encroached upon it from the moun
tains. Here she paused a moment and
and looked b ickward too see if she was
being watched.
Seeing no one she resumed her flight,
rushing at a dangerous speed through
brush and over stones and rough places;
leaving here and there small pieces of
her thin dress on some sharp brier or
thorn, and having her face and hands
scratched and torn and bleeding by the
rough boughs of bushes with, which they
came in contact. She stumbled and fell
more than once, hut quickly regained
her feet and continued her mad pace.
At last, breathless and exhausted, she
came to a halt in a dark ravine. Htr
heart was beating a chaotic march, that
felt to her like the strokes of a trip-ham
mer. She could hardly stand.
She gasped painfully for breath; she
walked aimlessly about, pausing every
few moments to listen for some sound,
but could scarcely have heard a common
shot, the blood thundered in her head
so- •
She walked down to the edge of the
road and peered anxiously through the
fading light to see if any one was com
ing. Seeing no one she stepped back in
to the shadow and examined her gun,
then walked back some twenty paces
and took a position behind a large tree.
She stood there a few minutes trying
to measure with her eye the distance to
the centre of the road and the probable
elevation at which her gun would have
to be trained to cover a man passing
along it on horseback.
Her calculations were not satisfactory
and she left the tree and took a position
behind a large rock nearer the highway.
She grew calmer now and could think
and hear more clearly.
iVhat if they did not come this way
after all 1 Had they suspected her? Had
they seen her leave the store in such
haste? Would they follow the directions
she had give them?
These, and a thousand other questions
flitted unanswered through her brai».
She never once thought of the terrible
pqjpose that filled her heat in its black
ness and enormity, as a crime—the deep
est and darkest, that ever stains the hu
man soul. But she did think of the'
humble home that had virtually been
sacked and laid waste and destroyed by
the armed minions of a great government.
She did think of the head of that home
langmsning far away behind gloomy
prise.n walls in the iron chains of a hope
less captivity.
And one other thought made her eyes
dilate, and her heat fiercely.
Perhaps within an hour the very mi n.
who for a small money consideration, had
wrought all this, would pass the point nt
which she was then standing, and hei
rifle-the rifle of the man they had car
ried into bondage—would pl .ee them in
a state of captivity too, that time nor
eternity would break.
She tried to stand quietly at her post
while the day died slowly from the hills,
but every nerve and muscle was keyed
to the highest tension, and she started
painfully when she fancied that she
heard the tramp of horses’ feet up the
road.
The deep red glow in the west faded
softly from earth and sky. Darkness de
scended and covered like a heavy man
tle, forest, stream and valley. A whip
poor-will set up its plaintiff cry down
near the road side, but soon hushed the
solitary call, as if afraid, itself, of the
solitude.
One by one the stars came forth as if
.to watch also the coming of these two
men down the valley of the shadow.
Not a soujjd broke the solemn stillness
of the silent night, but the low call of
a thrush to its mate in a neighboring
tbic»et, and the soft tinkle of the cow
bells on the distant hills of Blakemore.
Still she kept her death watch.
The night wore on. A fa nt light
gleamed in the east. The mountains
grew fairer. The stars paled and many
became invisible in the mellow radiance.
The glorious southern moon flooded
the world with light. The soft fleecy
clouds floated in airy splendor across
the fathomless deep of the heavens, like
phantom ships on a silver sea. Still she
kept hot lonely vigij.
As the hours dragged by, and the men
did not come, hope almost died within
her heart. A shiver passed over her; the
night air was becoming chilly.
Half a mile away, a solitary owl sat
on the bough of a dead tree and hooted
a ghostly monotone. She left her post
and started down the road again. A
bat flew past her, so close it fanned
her face with its ragged wings. In
stinctively she lowered her rifle at the
ill-omened creature, but before she press
ed the trigger it vanished in the shad
ows.
She gazed up the long road in the di
rection she had expected the men would
come, but nothing met her sight but the
fantastic creations of the moonlight.
Despair fell upon her. She realized
that her plan had failed. lu her disap
pointment she crossed the road and went
down into a deep ravine and sat down
by the little stream that flowed through
it.
“Mebbe,’’she said to herself aloud,
“they have changed ther minds and
wont go to H ’till termorrow.”
It was a small hope, but she clung tn
it as none would but those who had
found every other anchor gone.
Her bitter disappointment, the late
ness of the hour and the perfect silence
of her surroundings, gradually lulled
her into a sense of forgetfulness of her
mission there at that time of the night.
She thought of Crowley and his lonely
and dangerous cask up at the still, and
somehqyv—she did not know why —she
thought she would like to help him.
She wondered why a man of his edu
cation and ability lived in this remote
mountain region and made moonshine
whiskey.
She thought she would like to have re
moved the veil of mystery that hung
over him and his past.
Ah! s'je did not know that the same
fate that led her down by the banks of
the beautiful little rivulet, and filled her
heart with thoughts of him and bis pos
sible danger, was even now leading him
unconsciously down to the shore of a
deeper and darker stream.
She looked up at the moon and taw
that it was appoaching the zenith. It
was nearly midnight.
She decided to give up the watch, go
up by the still and look in Crow
ley at work—if the officers had not cap
tured him. She leaped to her feat at the
bare idea. Why had she not thought of
it before? What if they had already
done their devilish work and carried
him off in irons as they had her father.
Or worse, what if they had—had killed
him.
Why had she not known that this was
the reason they had not come down the
rocky roadPpast her solitary ambuscade.
With an exclamation that approached
shamefully near an oath, she upbraided
herself for her Stupidity, then sprang
across the little stieam and ran furious
ly along the'road, until it curved away
from her course to the still.
Here she left it and made her way
slowly up the steep slope toward the,
crest of the mountain. She knew every
inch of the ground, having gone over it
many times
As she neared the still she stopped to
listen These mountaineers, both male
and female,are by heredity and training,
wary, and are ever on the alert for traps,
and ambuscades.
No unusual sound greeted her ear.
The night wind sang softly through the
pines and the sentinel owl across the
valley kept up his solemn challenge.
With a tread as noiseless as the foot
fall of a panther, she moved along the
shadows.
A light flashed for an instant from a
crevice in the rocks and disappeared. It
lifted the weight from her heart for it
told her that Crowley was still there and
safe.
But what was it she saw up on the
other side of. the still?
Was it the form of some prowling an
imal, or the shadow of a pine-bough
swaying (n the breeze ? If either, what
was it that gleamed in the moonlight
like a rifle?
There was another object that follow
ed close up to the first.
Without the rustle of a leaf or the
cracking of a twig, both figures glided
in spectral silence toward the still.
She cocked her rifle, holding her finger
upon the trigger to prevent the sharp
click of the look.
The figures stopped and appeared to
be boldin'? a con-ultation. She fancied
that shi c ild bear faint whisperings as
they strnuhteued and stood erect at the
to tne cave.
She saw that they were men' and
trained her w e.ipon carefully upon the
place where she knew tha door was.
They seemed to be waiting for some
sion il. or li-teniug for some sound irom
Mie inside. But neither chme.
The truth was, brave men though
they were, they hesitated to make this
desperate assault upon the moonshiner’s
stronghold; knowing full well that even
while engaged in his unlawful business
he is usually prepared for all comers.
Al last, when she was on the point of
THE ROME TRIBUNE, SUNDAY OCTOBER 11, lt>9tf.
screaming outright under the strain of
tremendous excitement, they pushed the
rude door open and sprang inside like
tigers upon their prey
Crowley likd his buck turned to them.
He wheeled a- they entered and found
himself facing their winchesters.
“Surrender!” cuminanded the leader
sharply.
“Gentlemen, you have me this time,”
he answered coolly.
“John get the clippers for him, ” con
tinued the officer.
The young deputy placed the butt of
his gun on the ground, co do as he was
directed.
The action cost him his life.
There was a quick catlike movement
of Crowley’s right arm, the gleam of a
pistol in the uncertain light, the swift
recovery of his weapon by the officer off
his guard, and three sharp tongues of
flame pieiced the air.
The elder of the two deputies sank to
the earth without a groan, dying in
stantly.
Crowley fell with a shot in the breast
but raised himself to his knees and
leveled his pistol at the other officer,
who was unhurt.
The latter had the advantage of him,
and had already placed the muzzle of
his weapon against the brave moon
shiner’s head, with his finger pressing
the trigger, when the girl who had rush
ed up to the entrance, fired upon him at
close range.
The shot went to its mark with ter
rific precussion and he fell forward on
his face.
She ran to Crowley’s assistance and
stumbled over the dying officer.
Her foot caught in the mouth of his
inside coat pocket and knocked some
thing from it, but she did not heed it.
Crowley had fallen back to a reclin
ing position, and was resting on one
elbow. A deadly pallor spread over his
face.
“Is yer hurt much?” she asked anx
iously. '
“1 am badly shot, ” he said faintly,
“I’ll bleed to death unless this flow of
blood is soon stopped. Push the door
open again, I want air.”
‘ ‘There, that will do; now take that
tin bucket and run out there to the
spring and get some water.”
She did as he directed and returned in
an incredibly short space of time.
“Take that towel, dip it in the water
and lay ithete,” he said, laying his
hand over the wound.
While she was arranging it, a quick
step sounded outside and sne grasped his
pistol and bravely faced the entrance.
“Don’t shoot,” said a voice from the
shadows, “t’ain’t no rev’noo devil, it’s
me, Sam Toles.”
She laid the weapon down as she rec
ognized the familiar voice and went on
under Crowley’s directions bathing and
dressing his wound.
Breathless, with hat in hand, hair
standing like bristles, and eyes flashing
with excitement, Toles almost fell into
the cave, '
“I—thought—ther—devils— hed put
yer -light out —Jim, ”he stammered, I
heerd ther—guns clear up—upttetherr—ther
house, en cum—jes es quick—es I could
rnn it on these shanks. I kin —”
He stopped suddenly and drew back
in horror, as he discovered the two men
lying on the ground, and blood flowing
from Crowley’s wound.
“Don’t stand there like a jabbering
fool,” said the latter, “we must get
away from here as soon as possible;
give me a mug of that brandy.”
After swallowing a stiff half pint of
the fiery bquid, he arose with the aid of
the girl to a sitting posture and looked
searchingly around the cave. His rough
words to Toles for losing his head had
the effect of abating the physical and
mental excitement that had taken such
violent posessfon of him.
‘ ‘What yer looking fer?” he asked.
“Something for you to make a
stretcher <ff; I am too weak to walk.”
“These here sacks’ll do, ” he said, go
ing over into the farthest corner ahd
lifting a bundle of empty meal bags.
With knife and twine he soon had one
made with two poles cut from young
trees outside, and together he and the
girl lifted Crowley and gently placed
him upon it.
The appliance of the cold water had
coagulated the blood ani checked its
flow and the brandy gave an artificial
"vigor to his waning strength.
“I am ready for marching now,” he
said as he settled back on his unique
conveyance. “Are they dead?” motion
ing his hand toward the two officers.
The girl stepped forward and exam
ined the one nearest her, while Toles
with some trepidation, held a brief
inquest over the other.
There was no time or need for wit
nesses to be called or an autopsy to be
held.
‘‘Dead! en ther angels have mercy on
his soul!” was his swift verdict
“To the merciful he suoweth mercy,”
Crowley answered softly.
He looked enquiringly at the girl.
She nodded her bead in silent reply
that the other was dead also.
It was indeed true. Her father’s cap
tors had at last been placed in a state of
captivity too, more hopeless and lasting
than his.
When Toles stooped to take his end of
the stretcher, he discoved a little packet
which the girl struck from the deputy’s
coat pocket, when she stumbled over his
prostrate form.
“Whose is this’ere?” he asked, holding
it up for inspection,
“It probaly belongs to the estate of the
Thousands of Womens
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Sold by druggists nt SI.OO ]x>r bottle.
deceased,” said Crowley; “let me see that
add less.”
“To my daughter Lizzie Smith;” he
read in a weak voice, “From her father
Abner Smith.”
It was the goodbye message, and lock
of his yellow hair, that Ab had placed in
charge of the officer on the eve of his de
parture on his last sad journey.
The tragic manner of it’s delivery did
not then enter into the calculations of
either it’s author or bearer; but the
promise of the young officer to deliver it,
“when we got back ter ther ridges,” had
been strangely fullfilied; as had also the
prophetic declaration of his comrade,
made on the occasion of Ab’s capture,
that “they would pay their respects to
the girl on the next trip.”
It’s author, perchance, was being lulled
into peaceful.slumber. as he lay on his
prison cot a thousand miles away, by
beautiful dreams of his faraway mountain
home, and liberty; while within a few
miles of that home, it’s bearer reposed in
a sleep that was dreamless and eternal!
With nn exclamation of joy she plucked
it from Toles’ hand, and was about to
break it open, when Crowley raised his
hand warningly.
“Better put it away,” he said ; “this is
no time or pl ice to read it; we have been
here too long already.”
She tucked it carefully under the fold
ed coat upon which his head rested : some
how, she found it easy to obey the will
of this man. He grew faint and sick
again, and Toles held another cup of
brandy to his lips. Then he gathered up
the guns of the officers and their own,
and placed them on the stretcher along
side the wounded man, extinguished the
light, and with the aid of the girl bore
him out of the cave, down the mountain
toward his own cabin.
Nothing molested them, but their pro
gress was necessarily slow. They left
no trail, not even a foot print, for the
sleuths of the law to follow.
Silence reigned again over the moon
shiner’s domain. Even the sentinel owl
had been firightened from his dizzy perch
by the crashing volley of arms that went
sounding from the cave, and had long
ago flown in terror to a place of refuge.
The clouds overhead passed awav, leav
ing the splendors of the midnight sky
unveiled. The last echo of man’s cruel
conflict with man, died away in it’s
labyrinthian passage among the hills, and
the moaning wind too sunk to rest. Na
ture was in repose.
Back at the cave two forms were fast
becoming rigid in death, and two up
turned faces ghastly and white under the
scintillant light of the vernal stars.
Arriving at their destination, they de
posited their burden in the centre of tbe
room where Toles slept, deciding, after a
short consultation, to keep Crowley on
the cor, so that he could be easily moved
into the cellar in < ase the house should
be searched -by officers in their efforts to
capture the slayer U’ their comrades.
(continued next week.)
Save AH You Can
ON YOUR
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Yet get the best of everything. We know
yeur needs and we are making every ef
fort to supply them. We have a new
stock of
Flour—the best brands.
Meal—always fresh.
Canned Goods. .
Fish—all kinds, in barrels and cans.
Salmon, Mackerel, etc , Fruits, Vegeta
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All kinds of Fancy Gjods, Cigars and
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Give us a part of your trade. We will
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market affords.
WE DELIVER YOUR GOODS. ,
J. R. DUPREE,
No. 8 Second Avenue, Rome*Ga. *
Opposite Armstrong Hotel. 9-18tf
wtinirpiiiiiiiTnx£
e o'-
hnnitnfßrmnt
People Don’t Buy Pianos
For looks aloneu If they did, any one of
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The Conover is as good a piano as was
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E.* B FOBBES,
Music Dealer, 327 Broad St., Rome, Ga.
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■ M
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213 Broad Street, Rome. Ga. *
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£ n n O PIMPLES, BUMS A
5 r« a a in AHC OLD SORES * 1
T PRICKLY ASH, f OKE ROOT CAIMIRH, MftLARIfl, v
<P' AND POTASSIUM KIUNLY TROUBLES • 5
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< Msrvsiofis Cures <
, % in BJno-i Polscn 5
sis/ Mini 11 m Lippman Broh. . Savaupan.
, . . Ga.: DKAit Sirr-1 boniiht a bottle of ,
$ Sheutnatssi*
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s and Scrnkia ce3pec£ w.°riTEWToN. x
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For primary seconitn-v and t-rriurj g l / Tl”l!'. , ?.‘P; < wS'wSX
» sypbujs, i >r blood puisona.?, muc i- am now entirely cured.
rial poison. *ualarla. avipensiu. hi:4 J. E. JOHNSTON.
in al! blond Had ukln dNeiseM. Mko ’ vav/pnah. Ga. V •
\ blotches, pimples, o'd chrome nice s.. *" * *
zA scald bead, bods. eryrtjMdHs, Coneer
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401 blood purifle.-In the world, an J makes , __ ___ r
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• '
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- The North Georgia Saloon,
J. R. CLEMMONS, Proprietor.
IVo 305 JESroeici Street, JEloxiae, C 3-«.
Our stock of whiskies, brandies, rum, gin, wines nnd beer is ample iu
niiantitv and excellent. Inquality. Soft, .mellow, smooth Rye Whisky, no su
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We keep wnstant.lv on hand a fine line of TOBACCOS AND CIGARS.
Everything sold in accordance with tfie scarcity of money mid the strin
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