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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 1899)
THE OTHAIIA DA1IA' HRE : SUM ) AY , I ) 3 , 1S9J ) . AN EVENTFUL N8GHT. BY CLARA PARKCR. ( Copj-rlglit , 1890 , by S. 8. McCItire. ) Tliowindow was cither higher than 1 had calculated , or I fell upon slanting ground , for 1 struck RO solidly that I had Ilia breath knocked out of mo and when my senses be- cimo clear again , I found that Mlw 11 ran- don had set mo upright nnd was dabbing nt movltb frozen snow and petting my cap ( straight upon my head with n freedom she would never hnvo exercised had she not learned to regard mo u n hnrmlof married creature who could safely bo tumbled about. Thrusting nsldo the snow with no gentto hand , for her daughterly care was growing perfectly Intolerable , 1 wan Instantly upon my feet. "Hun , " I whispered , nnd we ran , she llko como spirited young deer In Its first en counter -with the hounds , and I really after the way I spun along Hint night I cannot FCO how elio could suspect such a pair of hccln ns I showed to the old house behind us of having learned to potter about. In carpet clippers. Quick n our flight had been. It was be gun none too soon , for by the time the dark ness swallowed us , the whole house seemed suddenly to blaze up with hurrying llghta , whllo a loud shout icached us and Increased our pace. "Ho > ou know which way to go ? " I mut- tcicd , " 1 haven't the faintest Idea , " came the cheerful whisper , nnd then wocro \ off run ning again , with more care of our strength , this time , and I , possessed by lively expec tations that at any moment wo might imncturo Bomo onowdrlft and find that It 1 mas but the upper crust of a bottomless nbyss. The main road wo must not tnko oven could wo find It which seemed any thing but likely nnd we plunged about knee deep In snow. Blanklcss of fear settled on mo as I realized the dangers wo wore facing. "Whoever saw anything BO pitchy-black ns this night , " I exclaimed , peovlsh with alarm for my companion ; for mjfclf the gallows seemed BO Imminent that all lesser terrors paled before It. "Yes , but It's the only thing that saves us , you know , " tranquilly observed Miss Brandon , ns I plckrd her out of n small ditch. "Hut what's that snuffing about so ? " nnd she shrank toward mo In n way that ehook my moral nature again to Its very center. Itnan n dog ! A chained dog , Indeed , with nil Its fury spent and nothing much jou could call dog left about It but a draggled slmpo and tumbled fur ; jot still dangerous to us If It was disposed to haunt our path , for who could tell at what mo ment it might break out Into the melancholy baying which had before alarmed us. "I must kill It , " I muttered to mjself. but Miss Brandon heard mo and faintly screamed. "Hun on a few steps , please ! To that tree. " I said gently. With n little shudder she obeyed mo , put ting her fingers in her ears as she ran , while I , pouncing like a huge bat upon my prey , Boon put ns merciful nn end to him as possi ble considering my only weapon -was my pocketknlfe. Once dead , though , ho must bo hidden nnd In , great haste I tumbled snow and brualr upon him. Then for I cither heard voices , or nil the excitement I hod been through was rendering mo fanciful rose nnd ran toward the spot where I expected , to find Miss Brandon , only to spring back tardy rebtralnlng a shout of terror. She was gone ! "They have taken her , " I gasped , n , uddcn "blank " regret which I had no tlmo to analyze sweeping over me. Then setting my teeth , I plunged forward nnd with two strides found myself stepping off Into space. The fifteen or twenty minutes during which I seemed to bo steadily falling gave mo the Impression of being Infinite. But I finally struck , fortunately for my earthly career , In a bed of snow , through which I rolled nnd gasped , finally fetching1 up with a painful thump against something so solid that my airy , light-headed sensation of Infinite space was Immediately swallowed up In ncuto physical pain. 2 An eventful night "Oh , BO you fell too ! " exclaimed some ono close bcsldo me. "How queer wo ehould both ilo 11 ? Hcnlly now wo ought to bo thankful ; H might have been qulto unpleas ant. " "Might have been qulto unpleasant. " And thoio I sat , with every part of my clothing filled with melting snow and my head ring- Ing. Henlly , If Bho had been n plain woman but hero ! I bcllo mjsclf. I ha\o quite a reputation for courtesy , and I think that I paitlnlly desurvo It , for , after coughing up much molted snow , I asked her , In a strangled voice , If she was Injured in any way. way."Not "Not the least bit In the world , " she nnauerctl cheerfully , whipping at the back of my collar with her handkerchief. "My , but jou'io full of snow though ! Do you ktiow , It Is BO funny ; but I actually brought your shawl the wliolo way down hero with mo ! You'd better put It on now nnd worm up. You nnay have strnlued yourself some how , but they say If you 'keep warm you won't Btlffon. " That shawl again ! H was too much ! "Miss Brandon , " I cried , excitedly spring ing to my feet ; then I stopped abruptly , and taking her by the arm drew her ns far back n H possible In the shelter of the rock against which I had grazed In my fall , "Hush , hush ! " I whispered uselessly , forHho had made no attempt to speak , nnd f pointed upwards ns I crouched bcsldo her. for lights were beginning to dot the gloom above ua In many places ; hurrying lights , held low I0ING THEIR OWN A n household t > cYrr ge BLAT2 fj fi IMS no equal , I'uucjscs rvei ) clement of brer fiooiliicas. Superior qimlity gained nnd unl lorm nudlity Ims held for "BLfiTZ" the title ol "VlAk MILWAUkGL1. " Trj Case of IlLATi. " Omaha Branch 1412 Douglas St. , Tel. 1081. VAL ULATZ IIIIEWI.VG CO * nnd tearing headlong , llko so many burning eyeballs. "They hn\o tracked us , " I groaned , for I heard a shout. "There IB nothing for It , wo must run ngnln. But which way ? This thing seems to begin and end In snow. " "Oh , there's no great hurry , " said my com panion coolly , with n little nod which 1 could eoo plainly ns 1 gazed at her In her ror. "I shnll get by breath first , and be sides there Is some snow down my coll.ir which must bo got out or 1 shall bo in a dreadful condition. " "But Miss Urandon , " I protested sternly , "thoy arc close upon us. They " She ga\o a goodnnturcd llttlo laugh. I could scarcely believe It , but she did. "How funny men nro ! " she said pleasantly , workIng - Ing at her collar , with success I know , for blta of snow How Into my horror-stricken face as I leaned over her "Why don't you sco that the fun of It Is , they must take their tlmo about getting hero ? They won't dare just walk up and fall down as we did. It wouldn't do , you know ! ono might hit wrong. You came pretty near It. " It was perfectly true , but It made me seem painfully stupid to have to toke such plain eonso second hand , nnd from n young girl at that.Vo could not get out , that was clear enough. It was equally clear , when I con sidered It , that they could not get down to us without returning trt the house for ropes , or ladders , for no sane man would deliber ately take such a leap In that pitchy dark ness. It was clear to mo now where wo were. Wo were adrift upon the frozen bed of one of those mountain streams about whose sum mer music my sister had discoursed In her letters homo. I remembered well how she had made them "leap from rock to rock. " hide themselves in grnnlto caverns , "and then burst from their brief restraint , " all of which bad sounded well in the letters , but when It came to sliding down this ice-clad winding Idyl , with a delicate young lady for your companion , a band of desperadoes scouring along the mountain sldo In search of you , no coat on your hack nnd the mem ory of two dead men and a dead dog behind you , making the thought of your probable venture Into the next world something to bo avoided , If possible , I could have wished the "windings In nnd out" a shade less fantastic tastic- , and would have entirely omitted that "bounding from rock to rouk" bad choice been given me. As for my companion , nothing could ex ceed her cheerful Indifference to our sur roundings and although I knew perfectly well that this condition rose entirely from her utter Ignorance of all the common laws , rules and usages she was trampling under her pretty feet , what was I to do ? Death shrinked at her in every chill breath that blow about our shivering forms , and threat ened her with every clinging snowdrop which fastened Itself upon her garments , and nlu she said , "Dear mo , how sharp , " to the Icy wind , nnd bent her head to meet its foice , and flapped elf the clinging snow with graceful petulance. How ninny times in our wild course down the stream's bed , only a hair's breadth separated us from certain destruction , I will not attempt to guess. Certainly no must often have been so near to the dark river th.it its murmurlngs might have reached our cars. Wo wcio n snow slide , an avalanche , anything you please hut human beings , nnd I , for ono became accustomed to traveling con- eldorablo stretches upon the back of my head , whllo that detested shawl I dignified Into n sort of pad for Miss Dr.imlon In eonio of our stralghter shoots. I don't know that wo traveled very far this way ; I am qulto curtain that wo did not , hut I have been to other continents and back since with less seeming expendi ture of tlmo , and ha\o never , before or since , viewed with such joy , any Inanimate object , ns I did the light which suddenly nppcared before us not many yards away. A poor , mean light It was , coming from some smoky lamp , I fancied , and shining through the window of a miner's hut ; but no blaze of glory ever thrilled my heart with such gratitude. "Look , look , Miss Brandon ! " I cried , nnd then wo both fell again , to alight upon com paratively level ground , not far from the hut nnd Its cheering light. But vieu ! I raised ray companion from the ground , she lay In my arms limp and motionless , a cut on her forehead , and n dark stream trickling down over her still features. I thought her dead , and a great madness sceinid to pohscss mo. Snatching her close against mo , I ran , with no sense of bur weight , through a dooryard thickly stiown with snow -covered objects , llko lumps of j wood , old buckets and other litter. Stum- j j ' bl I UK among them ns I did , I came to no stop , but bounding blindly over thu last tl.lng In my path I brought my knuckles upon the door with a budden , loud thump , which I had not thu humanity to renllza muni bring the heart Into the throat of an ; bolltary dueller In that lonely place. No answer came. I grew furious , and from laundlng my knuckles , fell to hammering with my fists , and then to kicking , all the j j ilinti shouting for admittance in a voice so lioaree with fatigue- and excitement that' ' I It must Imp sounded llko the croaking of | | bomo asthmatic madman A fiercer kl k than nil nt length brought the door open' ' with an explosion of wood and nails that made even the Insensible girl In my arms start up with a cry of terror and that cry , v.hlch told that life had not deserted her , brought mo back -nlth a rush of shame to my surroundings. Filled with misgivings nt my mode of en trance , I garcd about , at first seeing no one , and then I sp'ed ' , drawn up nt bay In a far coiner , the gaunt figure of a woman clutching In one hand a. huge meal knife which she brandished with a slow , par alyzed movement of terror. She was dressed after a fashion , having got ono arm through some sort of n coarse woolen wrapper , < jtit her feet wcro bare and her long toes curled up like talons. "Stand back ! " she called In n quavering voice , and then an I did not , but crowded myself yet further In , all spent and dis heveled ns I was , covered with snow nnd staggering beneath the weight of the faint ing girl , she tct up such a ecrlcs of shrieks as drowned every attempt at consolation or apology , screaming out and asking to bo protected from every crime on the cal endar. " .Madam ! " I shrieked In an attempt to drown n double call for murder and thieves , "no ono Intends to harm jou. Oblige me with a llttlo wlno or brandy. " I might 0.1 well have screamed into the face of a whirlwind. Then , In happy Inspiration , I undertook a dumb show that I wanted drink for Miss Brandon , pointing to her as she lay In the chair where I had placed her , drawing my hand across my throat to Indicate that it was very dry , then raising Imaginary bottles tles to my lips. I cannot think what olio Imagined , but her terror teak a new nnd this tlmo client form. She ceased to shriek , but with a sudden rush of her bare toes across ALL I COULD DO WAS TO KNOCK HIM DOWN , WHICH I DID. the floor , shot from my sight Into a small closet or pantry , Immediately slamming the door , and applying an eye at once to a good sized knot hole just above the knob. I sup pose It was the state of my nerves , for I can make no ono qulto understand the feeling It ga\o me to know that the ono staring eye was upon mo and that , whichever way I turned , it would follow me ; follow mo as I moved AIlsj Brandon In her chair nearer the smouldering lire , follow me while I wrapped the shawl about her and fiercely poked the sticks of sputtering wood. All the time there was a stealthy rattling sound coming from the closet which somehow bore In upon me the Impression that with one long arm the woman was gradually raking everything movable within easy reach. Why , I could not guess until , happening near the door In my desperate search for drink , it was jerked open a few inches and a thin skillet was flung nt me through the apperture. "Stop that , woman ! " I called sternly , for though the action had broken somewhat the spell of that Immovable eye , the situation was such a disgraceful one ! "Then go away and lemme alone , or you'll git the sad-Iron next , " came the dogged answer , and I could hear her hard drawn breath rushing through the keyhole. There was no tlmo to bo lost. I was medi tating means of obtaining what I desired without misusing the woman when a languid voice recalled mo to Miss Brandon's side , and to my great relief I found her sitting up , wiping the blood from her face , and lookIng - Ing qulto herself. "Oh , do tnko me out of this horrid place , " she whispered , fearfully , glancing at the closet door with such an ex pression of terror that I wondered If she , too could feel that eye upon her. "I must get something to refresh you first , nnd something to carry us back to town , " I whispered In return , nnd then I advanced carelessly toward the door , only to bo met with the promised 'sad-Iron , ' hurled at me with a right good will. Evi dently our hostess was determined I shouU parley with her only at a distance and I saw th.it I must humor her , for a nervous cry from Miss Brandon warned mo to tamper no further with her overstrained nerves. "Madam , " I said pleasantly , retreating some steps nnd addressing myself strictly to the eye , which was again at Us post , "could you niako any use of a $5 bill ? " And I ostentatiously flourished ono before the knot hole ; then placed it carelessly on the table. There was n perfect .silence at this , and I produced a becond. "If so , " I said Jauntily , "you probably might prefer two , " and I laid a second boldly besldo the first. I was sure of the eye now ; Its greedy blink was not to bo mistaken. A moment passed , then the eye drew hack. Plates , cups nnd other things rattled a retreat to the shelved ; the door creaked upon Its rusty hinges , First n head , and then a neck appeared , then shoulders , and finally the woman was hoforo UH again , entirely In her dress this time , and with a consciousness of her bare feet. She crouched down to cover them , which mudo her seem more femlnluo and ap- prcaclioble. "My nnnne Is Drown , " she said solemnly. I saw that her right hand still clutched the meat knife ; but I could not resent this. "Aro you running off with that girl ? " fcho burst forth , jerking her tlucnb ( toward Miss Brandon , who turned very red , but looked , I realized with unreasoning anger , more inclined to laugh than to cast down her eyes. "Sho lo my sister , " I said , looking the woman shamelessly In the eje , while I saw with n thrill nt my heart that Miss Brandon started nnd stared at me. Would It occur to her , then , that I felt Bho needed protec- tlon before the judgment of strangers In tlum feailrssly flinging herself on my honor ? The nobler sldo of mo shrank from seeing her pretty head droop , and then turn away , whllo nn Irritable longing to oeo myself re garded other than a harmless watch dog , would jostle itself rudely to the front. "Humph ! " gnortcd the woman iiiorted Is tbo word and then she eyed us fixedly. "I can't say that you look much alike , " A faint gleam of hope lit the gaunt fea tures of Mrs. Brown , There was , then , some prospect of being rid of us. "I suppose he might use Cousin John's horse , " she said , talking across to Mies Brandon , as one might discuss thu beef tea of a patient who is not to be reasoned with personally , "Cousin John or Cousin Jim , It's all tbo same to me , " I cried recklessly , "so long a ho can go " "I'm ' " eho retorted eyeing sure I can't say , , mo askance as she unbooked a smoky lan tern from Its peg. "I only know Cousin John fools away his time In the summer poiMIln * with him ; then leaves him here to eat his head off In the winter. If I could only bcof him , he wouldn't live a minute , I can tell jou that ! " and opening the door , slu led mo forth Into what seemed a. wilder ness of snow-flllcd kegs nnd boxes , all of which I am quite certain that I stepped Into. I arrived at the small stable In no mood to endure the undignified commotion set up by a rooat of old hens nnd n solitary cock , as wo throw the light from our lantern In upon them. It was maddening , out upon n secret mission ns wo were , to note the zenl with which the cook set about his crowing , and to hn\c the hens come squawking down nn ready for the day's engagement ns though tlu morning sun had tumbled bodily In upon them. K\en Mrs. Brown found It trying , nnd cried tartly for the rooster to "shot his head , " ns we fought our way through to the horse's stall beyond. Accurately speaking wo found no horse , but lying prone on some musty hay , wo dis covered u four-legged , gray thing which , be yond snorting a trlflo as Mrs. Brown thrust the lantern contemptuously tinder hla nose , took no further notice of us. "There ho Is , " she said , bltlngly. "Nothln1 but n rat hole to pour oats Into. Ho hasn't bad n bit be- trccn his teeth for two months , but jou may take him nnd welcome. " After digging In vain about his bony frame for some trace of llfo and spirit , I was In despair , but I had no choice. Together wo pried him from hla ill-Binelllnc ; bed , nnd ho developed , as ho slowly unfolded his joints , Into a regular carcass of n horse , with great hollows which It would hnvo taken the earnings of n whole race of peddlers to round out with high-priced hay. "Aro you sure ho Is atrong ? " I gasped. "Will ho bo up to a trip , jou know ? " It seems , to mo ho looks awfully shaky. " She wouldn't answer mo ; but kept on dragging out moldy pieces of harness and moth-eaten robes , until I had an outfit the match for any rag-picker's trap. "Heavens' ' " I moaned , as I mounted the sleigh , Jerking at the rotten straps which were all the hold I had on that great bruto. "Ho has our lives in his hands. Ho couldn't feel the strain of these lines If I were to drag them across his naked eye. Have you no respectable looking ropes ? " I called fretfully , resolving to drop to even that , for the sake of security. But Mrs. Brown was at the bottom of an old feed box , and rose to the surface with such a disgraceful con trivance In the- shape of a whip that I felt It would be madness to appeal to any sense of decency within her. Cautiously I steered my beast up to the door and left him In charge of Mrs. Brown whtlo I went Inside for Miss Brandon. As t entered the house n clock struck two clat tering strokes. "And to think , " I exclaimed absently , "that I dined with Flo last night nt 61" The statement bore in upon mo no 1m- ircsslon of the truth after I had made It , jut It startled Miss Brandon to hear me alklng to myself , so I told her I had asked f she was feeling any stronger. It seemed lumnn to retain her confidence In my sanity ; my own faith In It was so badly shaken. "And now you're off , " cried Mrs. Brown loyfully a few minutes later ns I cracked , ho whip over the back of Cousin John's nag. I think that I would have been content to drlvo on that way all night , not speaking at nil , but sitting there , half frozen and wholly rratlonal , dreaming foolish dreams. But suddenly down went the curtain with a crash upon perfumed knight and smiling lady nnd up It rose on mo , the married man , the trusty doctor. "Oh ! " my companion burst out suddenly , turning her face toward me , : hough In that light I could see nothing of It ijut n white blur. "I am cure no father j could have been kinder to mo than jou have jecn tonight nnd that , too , without knowing I my story. Why don't j ou ask mo about my self ? " Swallowing the "father" like quinine which has stuck in the throat , I suggested faintly that there had been no time , but no Eooner did my voice break the silence than she stopped mo with a nonous start. "I wonder why I don't like to talk with you so well In the dark , " she said uneasily. "I haven't seen your pcor face really. It's been done up so ; but , somehow , when I can't see jour bandages , you seem so different Your 'others ' weren't all like him , " ahe went on hurriedly. "So when his heart got to acting so queer , ho Just made bis will , leaving mo and my property all In uncle's hands , for mamma hnd been dead ever so long nnd then ho died that night nnd It's all gene wrong over since nnd I presume I've had about ns dry a tlmo of it ns almost anybody you can think of. " "Dry ! " I exclaimed ; It was really the first word that had caught my attention. I gav the will less than no thought nt nil. Who hnd n ranch or two , more or less , to do with such cjcs ns hers ? "I was to marry whom 1 pleased nnd If did marry 1 was to have my property an use It ns I pleased , Mil if I didn't mnrrj Undo Hupert was to tnko care of mo nnd a ! my money until t was 21 and that's going to bo next week. " "Next week ; eo soon ! " I cried In surprise for the wonder of her flight , when cscap was so near , nlmrot formed Itself Into word upon my lips. "Soon , eo soon ! " ehc cried , nnd now will real anger In her voice , though not , I felt against mo. "H may seem soon to > ou , bu It will be Just fclx dnjs too Into and then nil my years of horrid old dresses In Hi convent , no parties , nor Jewels , nor anything nlco will bo for nothing , for 1 must elthe marry Cousin Harold at the end of thl week , or Uncle Hupert will sell my mines before I can como of age , nnd then deny o\er hnd any , or will claim that they nro the ones that turned out badly , though there weren't mlno nt all , but his. Yes , " she cried , defiantly facing me , "I don't den ; that I hnvo listened nt ke > holes , and pried Into letters , nnd done lots of dreadful things to find all this out , but I've had my disposi tion Just ruined by being kept mewed up nl these years. How 1 used to rngo when . ' could feel mjsclf getting moro and moio poky , and then to have only n few dollars doled out to mo nt a tlmo when 1 knew that Cousin Harold , whom I just hated , was spending all my money , and putting off mar rying mo until the last moment , because 1 had been shut up In a convent until I was a perfect dowdy , " and hero she broke down In angry tears , whllo I sat a statue of fear and longing longing to comfort nnd protect her ns no staid , middle-aged doctor would bo supposed to comfort a young nnd helplc ? woman , nnd fear least the stern self-control I had been able eo far to excrclso should break down utterly under the strain of that low sobbing. "My dear Miss Brandon , " I snld , low and hurriedly , "calm jourself , I beg. Are you quite , qulto certain about that will ? Certain that you were left free to marry whom you choose ? " "Oh , jes , Indeed , I should think I am , " she burst out Indignantly. "Why It was for that reason nnd no other that I was kept mewed up In that stuffy old convent all those ycais and never a man to look at but priests nnd some old things that did work about the grounds ! " It Is pitiful to confess that I winced at this. It did not please mo that she should over have wished to meet other men and when jou recall that she had nc\er really seen mo nnd had only looked upon mo ns a married person with a swollen eye , jou will wonder at my follj"What right had you to want to see men ? " I wanted to ask her hctlj' , but Instead I cried noftly , "Hark ! I hear liorecs' feet behind. They arc coming fast. Do you hear them ? " This dried her stormy tears at once nnd breathlessly wo sat and listened. Yes , I was right. From far up the steep road there came to us swift , hard strokes , breaking startllngly upon tbo sllenco and filling us with chill premonition of pursuit and cap ture when our victory scorned all but accom plished. "They are following us , " my com panion whispered fearfully , creeping nearer to my side nnd resting tbcro tremblingly. "They will not let mo go , I knowIt. . Tomor row my uncle was to meet some men and finish the sale of my mines. They will kill Us If they find us here. Oh , what shnll wo do ? " What should wo do Indeed ? At that mo ment , as If to Increase our perplexities , tbo moon , which hnd been hiding all night ba- ueath a blanket of clouds , burst suddenly forth , clothed in glistening garments , which lighted everj- nook and cranny of the rugged scenery about us. Far above towered the snowy peaks , whllo way down below , a dim radiance , nestling close llko a circlet of gams against the earth's dark line , the lights of the city lay. Above and below us stretched a tortuous path upon which Impatient hoofs "STAND BACK ! " SHE CALLRD IN A QUAVKR1NO VOICE. volco is so I don't know what you'd call It , but It seems HO changed. " "I'm getting a cold In my head , " I said firmly. 1 could not bear * iio wudden ticmb- llng In her voice. She should not fear mo If I had to go down to the grave and llvo there in her memory ns the old fellow with full grown girls de pendent on him. "Oh , la that It ? How- funny ! " eho exclaimed with a relieved laugh. "But now I am going to tell you all about myself , " and she settled down for narrative with a delightful llttlo flutter which brought her warm garments brushing ngalnet my chilled limbs llko something liv ing , "Just as jou think best , " I murmured , though I foil morally certain that If she i should confess that the whole escapade was planned In n fit of rage because the proper | Kind of stuff for nn evening gown had been denied her , I should linear ehowas Justified "You see , " she began with n llttlo sigh , "It all came about through that horrid will of papa's. " "Oh1" I said \acnnth' . "Yoe , " she went , on with lellsh. "And don't you think wills are nearly always horrid ? They're made , you know , mostly when people are sick and not qulto right In their heads , and then how Is any one to be argued with after ho Is dead nnd gone ? Oh , I'm all against wills , " and she slfcok her head severely "They certalnlj' do stir up a great deal of 111 feeling , " I stammered , ueeing that she expected me to any something ' \Aud i > apa was go awfully good , and all that , that ho couldn't be cot to ace that wcio beating not many rods behind and wo what could wo do , all unarmed as wo were , : and nt the mercy of an ancient beast whoso every motion seemed wiung from him In hit ter pain ? "O , you do not know my uncle , wo nro lost1" came In an nwed whisper close be sldo mo mid then n great desperation fell upon me. The road to the city stretched before us. Inside that city there was justice to bo bad ; help , at least. Then reach that city we must before those fleet hoofs behind had tracked us down. WItb a spring I reached my feet nnd folding the useless lash about the whlpstalk I held I brought It donn upon the back of the liorso before meltb all the energy of a despairing man's , last cflort. "Go ! " I cried In n voice of : thunder ; then sank back crushed with the certainty of defeat , while nearer and yet ; nearer came those ringing foot falls and a distant shout told us that our black shape on thu moonlit track was nil nail v clear to our pursuers. Hut what was thin' What magic had that wblpetalk held ? What tire had my lioaruo cry infused Into the hugo framu before me ? Or was It those clattering hoofs behind ? Wiu the instinct of some ancient courser trem bling through those starting veins and pricking up with long hurled lire the dull cars drooping beneath their rusty harness ? Scarce had that cry behind ceaecd echoing when the huge bulk of bert > o flvah before us began to tremble with the workings of some hidden passion. Hlowly did the great head uplift Itself , the great chest expand and then , with a bound whleb , but for my too ready arm , must have flung my companion from the trot , the beast aprons forward. THE OLD AND THE NEW WAY Of Treating Catarrh , Bronchitis and Consumption. THE OLD METHOD IImlr ; Which the Death Role from These Diseases Increased Over Twenty Per Cent Annually. Which Reduced the Death Rate from Consumption Alone Thirty-four Per Cent During the Past Year. THIS NEW TREATMENT Has Cured Over Eighty Thousand Persons of Catarrh Since Sep. toinber Ibt. 185)8 ) , IT CURES BY INHALATION. Coughs , Colds , Asthma and Croup Cannot Exist Whore it is Usjd , The i\\o IlltW.rntlons aho\o show moie plainly than words can express , the wonderful change that has been made In the tie tment of resplratoiy dlsctibcs during the past two years. Formerly , any ruffoicr from Catarrh , Asthma , Consump tion or iBroncJiltls was at once placed under the care of some phvslclan nnd dosed with all sorts of nauseating drugs and tomlcs. n\en as far l > ack ns twenly-fho j-cars ago , tbo doctor scemtd to be aware of the fact that In order to reich these diseases , nhalatlon must be used , and expeilmentod with atomizers , spr.ijb nnd douches , In the hope of finding bomo germlcldo which could bo foited Into the bronchial tubes and ungs. That all 111050 treatments proved piactlcally useless Is shown * by the fact that during itho past twenty jears the number of deaths fiom catarrh and consumption alone , has Increased from 8,000 to over 200,000 a year. The dlscovoiy that these ter- Iblo scourges were germ diseases did not lessen the death late , for of all the germi cides known to 'tho ' profession but ono of them could bo inhaled Into the lungs , and his , Chlorine Gas , was deadly poison. The othern , carbolic acid , ammonia and creosote - soto ( liquids ) must touch the germs themselves In order to destroy ; consequently , could not bo used with effect , as It Is absolutely Impossible for molstuie In any form o outer the bronchial tubes and lungs. The discovery of THE NEW DRY AIR GERMICIDE made the cure of these diseases by inhalation possible , without It there was no way of reaching the germs , nnd up to the pics cut day NO OTHER HAS BEEN FOUND IIYOIMDI alone is tbo only germlcldo of sulllclent power to dcstioy the bacilli of Catarrh , Bronchitis. Coughs , Colds , Cioup < nnd Consumption , and which can be taken n the air wo breathe without Injury to the patient. KILL THE GERMS f these dlseaees and j'ou have no need of stomach medicines , or the bcrvlco of a phy- Iclnn. You can hit In j'our own home , Ini church , at tbo 'theatre ' , and cmo yourself , 'ho little/ Inhaler can be carried in the 1 > oc kct and a few moments' use of eamo will rovcnt Coughs , Colds , Bronchitis , Pneumonia nnd Croup. You take no risk as with ill other treatments , for every bottle la guaranteed nnd your money lefundcd If it alls to cure. Hyomel Is sold by all druggists , or sent by mall. CA UTION-Ikmm of lmila\ons ( \ of Jfi/omci / Containiny Poinanmin Jnyiciliwh. aiyomcl Outfits , complete , $1 00. Trial outfit , 5 cents. Extra bottles , CO cents , lyoracl Dyspepsia Cure , CO cents Iljomel Soap , 1'5 tents THE R. T , BOOTH COM ANY , Ithaca , N. Y. Davis. Exueri Specialist , ' 9 > CUICH discuses of thu Itladdoi , Kldnoyv , Heart MUM.arli and I.her. All private dlioasns of Ijotli MI.\CB 1'lles , I'Utulits , Uluori , Klu-inm- tlbin Illond I'nlvtm ( all MURO I , without tlio uM uf Injurious inmlleliius , Vnrlcoculo , IIV- i1 - ( , ( ( .lu , uiinatiii.il drains from nbntuvor rniisi ) promptly cured ( Jimnuni'O clvun lu nil cubCHuccoptud. Call tin or wrltj DR , D VIS , SPECIALIST. , ' , JCOo Doijyo St. , opp. P. O. , Cor. 10th St. 'I OMAHA , MIJ , All Corrcspcmloiicu btrictly ConfldontlaL CONSI i/r.tTiu.\ TURKISH T. & P. PII.I.S brings monthl M million MI ro to thod.iy novcrdlHiti S.1'.1'0.- S | ) ( ' * < : * wiajiiili ) jiny case , llyjmill. Halm's Drug fur 11 a m , Omaha , Neb. vyKnrsvwvffKzsjwwf swinging us and the rickety old sleigh be hind him with at , much unconcern ax though uo were so many wifepu of straw "Now may heaven help us ? I can do no more ! " I gasped , guarding the useless lines nlth care for that awful moment ulilcli I felt tnUEt tome , when the vnilatlon of a hair's breadth might save UH from some horrid death Death ? Why the thing gectncd elmplo. The only question UUH how to die Uvcry avenue was open but , since my ro- inatiia might be it-covered by my xorroMlni ; ' friends , I yearned for some moio symmetri cal end than to go crashing down over Jagged rocks into some bottomlera abyss , ( To Be Continued ) HAVE YOU Tint it or Hi cn e rim lie cured Ity an * iiK Miiuii < > t I'll. ' Killer. ( Jiiimintcfil. l.OO tier Fun l < ) limit. MAGNET CHEMICAL CO. , Wc ( ru Depot , Omulitic > > .