Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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mau ftit? IHK SUMTER WATCHMAN, JMartrttthed AprD, 1850? ltBe Just and Fear not-Let allTthe Ends thou Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's and Truth's." THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established Jane, 1366 m SUMTER, S. C., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 1894. New Series-Vol. XIII. So. 33, 44 Talk to bim, major. Fm don? up entirely," "was all poor Feeny could say, as between relief, rejoicing and the inestimable comfort of finding he was right in his theories, after all, he drop? ped his carbine, threw himself upon the soft, sandy ground and fairly rolled over and over in his excitement and emotion. What wondering eyes, what startled ears were at the wagon doorway as, in * his ponderous manner, the major en? deavored to tell of fne morning's adven? ture and the counterfeit presentment of the Ned Harvey now before bim. Long before he could finish the thoughtful son begged an instant's interruption. 44 And father has gone on the trail to the Ciiristobal?" "Yes, an hour ago." *4After him, Leon! Bide like the devil, even-if you have to ride all night. Fetch him back here as qui&fe as yon can. Tell him Fan and Ruth are safe here at Moreno's. * ' In 10 minnies the Concord w?goiv with its fair freight now trembling and excited, was standing side by side with the paymaster's ambulance. The weary mules were unhitched and with the sad? dle horses led in to water. The major and the sergeant, prompting each oth? er, went on with their recital, Harvey listening with attentive ear. "It is one of the most perfect plants they ever put np," he burst in, grind? ing his teeth in wrath. " Of course they knew of father's movements and of mine. They know everything. They j * knew we were to meet here probably. They felt assured you knew nothing of it at all. They have used our supposed peril to draw away your guard. They have succeeded even better than they planned, for they have drawn off father, too, and four of our best men into the bargain. But to think that this old scoundrel Moreno should be in it! We've always, suspected the Ceralvo set, but father has done everything for Moreno, practically built his ranch for him, dug his weil, set him up in busi? ness, and now he makes this a rendez? vous for thugs and assassins. By heav? en, I'm glad you have him trapped. How many has he with him do you I think?" "I don't know. 1 only feel sure he must have one or$^o, but it's the main gang we have to watch," answered Feeny. "They may be along any min? ute, and I thought it was them when we heard you." *;And that's what is worrying me. Mr. Harvey/* said the major as he drew the young man aside. "All they are after now, of course, is my safe full of money. It is my business to defend it to the last, and they can't have it without a fight. You and your sisters ^ ordinarily they would not molest, but by this time they know you are here. Very possibly they've followed closely on your trail and may be gathering all around ns at this moment. Let me be brief. The sooner you can hitch in those mules again, or those relay mules rather, and get ont of here the better.'* "Ah, but, major, how about the Apaches in the Santa Maria? We would get there, you know, just about daybreak." 4 4 By Jupiter, I never thought of them ! You wouldn't have your guard now that your father's gone. " "No. We've simply got to stay here, major. Personally I'm only too glad to be here to help you ont. It cannot oe long before the troops come hurry? ing back when they find they've been tricked. Very probably they have found it out by this time. " Then, with quick decision, he stepped back to the door of the Concord. "Girls! Paquita! C Burnie! Tumble out, both of you. We're to stay here at Moreno's to? night." And, the paymaster aiding, the silent, trembling sisters were lifted from the wagon and led away into the one guestroom-the east room-where, pistol in hand, still sat Dawes cn the safe. The wraps and pillows were quickly passed in. The little hurricane lamp was stood in one corner. A bun The silent, trembling sisters were lifted from the wagon. die of cavalry blankets, left behind by the detachment when it took the trail, was spread out upon the earthen floor. The safe was hauled into the empty J barroom, and bidding his sisters lie down and fear nothing, assuring them of their perfect safety there and urging them to sleep all they could against their move at dawn, Edward Harvey, looking well to his arms and bidding his two men to do likewise, came forth and joined his soldier friends. 4 4 There are five of us now against Morales and his on tilt, and I'll just bet my horse we can thrash 'em. " 440nly ll o'clock," muttered old Plummer as he struck a match and consulted his watch. *'It?s been the longest evening I've ever spent; but, | thank God, our worst fears are at an I end. I never doubted for a xnomem ! that your sisters were captives. Wh< could the man have been who personat? ed you?" "I don't know. I've heard of him once before. He is about my heigh.1 and build, but darker, they say, and with more of Mexico in his manner. He has been to Tucson, but 1 nevei heard of his masquerading over my name nstxl now, though I have heard of the resemblance. He must have cop? ied my writing, too. toT-so ?>mpletely fool father.'" "Oh, that was a mero scrawl on soft paper with a broad, pointed pencil. There was no time to scrutinize it close? ly," explained the major. "Now, Fee? ny, you're officer of the guard. How do you want to postus?" 'It's what I've been thinking of, sir, ever since Mr. Harvey got in, and we've no time to lose. We can't loophole this adobe now, but we can barricade the door of these two rooms and stand off a good sized gang. Mr. Harvey will of course want to be where he can look after the ladies, but if I can put one of his men in the corral-one who can be relied upon to shoot down any of Moreno's people who should try to come out-1 think we can look out for the rest. Any minute now they'll be coming. First thing, run these two wag? ons around to the corral, so as to clear the approaches. There mustn't be any? thing behind which they can hide or take shelter." And laying hold of the pole while willing hands manned the spokes Feeny soon had the Concord and the weather beaten ambulance safely out of the way. Then came a moment of consultation as to which of Harvey's men would be best suited for the oner? ous post opposite the enemy's door and then a sudden and breathless silence. "Listen!" whispered Feeny. "That is a signal. Hist! you'll hear it again presently." Grasping their rifles with nervous hands, the five men stood huddling in a little group at the west end of the low, flat building. Somewhere out on the dark expanse toward the peak a long, low whistle, ending in an abrupt high note, had sounded. For a moment there was no repetition. The invisible foe was sig? naling for reply. From whom could answer be expected but Moreno? "Watch the old scoundrel's window there and this shutter over here," whis? pered the sergeant, indicating a board covered port in tho westward wall. "They'll try to show a light perhaps. Run around into the corral and smash the first man that tries to come out. I'll tend to any feller that shows a head hereabouts. " Harvey turned with his employee and ran with him as far as the other end of the ranch. Here he entered the low doorway. The little lamp burned dimly, but two pairs of dark dilated eyes gleamed eagerly upon him. "I'm going to close this door n<#w, girlies," he whispered. "Lie still. Do not venture near it or the window and don't be frightened. It looks as though some of the Morales gang were around here hoping to find the paymas? ter unguarded. We'll give them a les? son they'll never forget if they attempt to attack him." j For all answer Ruth Harvey only nes- i tied closer to her sister and clung to j her for courage and support. Paquita, j however, became amazonian at once. - 'Is there nothing I can do, Ned? 1 j can't bear to lie here listening and tak- ! ing no part. Surely I could shoot a pis- ! toi well enough." "You can help us best and most by lying flat and showing not so much as j a finger at the door. We can tend to ? them, Fan. It won't be long before fa- ; ther and the troop come galloping back. I Don't show a light, now, unless we ' call." Then he darted to the barroom. "Are they coming?" hailed the clerk j in a hoarso whisper. "Somebody signaled out on tho plain. ! It's probably they. Look out for More- | no now. Don't let him or anybody through that door. " Far out on the desert again, louder, shriller, clearer, the whistle was re? peated. "Ah, blow and be d-d to ye!" j muttered Feeny. "There's no answer I from here ye'll get this night. Watch ! out now. Some of 'em will try to crawl up after a little." But nearly five minutes passed with? out other sign or sound. Then closer j in a horse stamped and snorted. A coarse Mexican voice muttered a savage oath. Feeny, crouching low, darted ! into the darkness in the direction of the ? sound. Plummer and Harvey would j have restrained him, but it was too late. ! He was gone before either could speak. I Then a latch creaked and snapped be- J hind them, and slowly and cautiously the wooden shutter began to open out ward. In an instant Harvey had raised his rifle and struck the resounding board j a fierce blow with tho butt. The door ! flew back, crashing in violent contact ! against the grizzled pate of Moreno himself, who, with a howl of mingled rage and anguish, fell back from the aperture. "Open that again, and ..'ll blow your head off,you scoundrel!" growled Har? vey. "Don't you dare show hair nor hide outside your room. Every man has orders to shoot you on sight, if that's any comfort to yon." Only for a second had the old Mexi? can's head appeared, only an instant had he for plea or protestation, but that instant had served to show a narrow streak of light from the room within. and tais mere crack revealed to the watchful eyes out upon the plain the position of the ranch-possibly told them something more, for in less than half a minute two horsemen came loom? ing up out of the darkness and canter? ing fearlessly toward them. Phlegmat? ic as lie was, old Plummer's nerves gave a twitch as, sharp and stern, young Harvey challenged. ' ' Hal t there ! Who are you ? Halt ! or we fire." ' ' Friends, ' 'shouted one voice, ' ' Amer? icans, " the other, as promptly the or? der to halt was obeyed, the trained horses going almost on their haunches under the cruel force of the huge "Mexi? can Mt "Wa are Seeking Moreno's," contin? ued the first voice. "The Apaches jumped our outfit just after sunset, and we had to run for it. " ."How many are there of you all told?" demanded Harvey. "Only us two. We're partners, pros? pecting. Been down toward the Sono? ra line. For the Lord's sake, gentle? men, don't keep us out here. We've lost everything we've had-packs, pack? ers and grub. We're about dead beat for a drink and something to eat. " "What do yon think of this, major?" whispered Harvey. "Those are Amer? icans sure." "Well, I'd let *em in/" said the ma? jor, "but where the devil's Feeny? He's the best judge, really. Their story may b3 all trae. -They maybe alone." "1 don't know-it isn't likely. You heard that voice ont there a moment ago. That was Mexican beyond any doubt. We've got to stand those fel? lows off till we hear from Feeny." Then, raising his voice, Harvey called : "Just stay where you are a moment. You're all right, perhaps, but our guards have orders to be on the lookout for Morales and his gang, and you* might get shot by mistake." "Well, for God's sake, turn out your men, if you've got any, and help us catch these murdering thieves," was the impatient rep]}'. "How many are you?" "Oh, there's plenty of us here," was Harvey's cheery answer. "Most of C troop, but we've other business on hand The order to halt was obeyed. just now. You wait there quietly for a minute or two until the sergeant comes around with the patrol. He'll j see to you." And then, as though the whole thing ! had been planned beforehand, out in j the darkness to the north Feeny's voice ? was heard in low toned but sharp com- | mand: "Patrol, halt! Close up there, Ken- j nedy. Where are you, No. 5?" And so, cool and confidc.it as though he had a dozen troopers at his back, Feeny came striding up to the spot. "What's the matter, sentry: Didn't I hear you parleying here with some? body?" "Two strangers out there, sergeant say they're prospectors and been jump? ed by Apaches." "Where away are they?" Then in a low tone, ' ' Go you out beyond the cor? ra 1," he whispered to old Plummer. "There's four of them out there. Chal? lenge if they try to come in." Then aloud again, "Shure, J don't see any? thing, sentry. " "Right out ahead there, sergeant, j Two men, mounted. " "Come down, one of ye. Dismount j and come in here. L'ave j*our gun be- j hind. Give your reins to your pal j there," was Feeny's next mandate. There was a moment of hesitation, a faint sound of whispering as though the self styled prospectors were in con? sultation, and again Feeny spoke in a tone more sharp and imperative : "Dismount, one, I say. Come in here, or I'll send a bullet for your cards Quick now." Still another delay. The "prospec? tors" seemed anxious to edge off into deeper darkness. "J., ye're not off that horse's back in ? 10 seconds, be jabers, I'll fire. So be lively." And as his excitement rose j so did Feeny's Irish. Four, five seconds ticked by, and still | there was no approach. Fiercely, with j sharp emphasis, the sergeant broiight his carline to fult cock. "It's aiming I am," said he as he quickly raised the butt to his shoulder. There was a sudden scurry and scramble of horses' hoofs, low voiced words of warning and a muttered curse or two. Then leaped a tongue of fire into the night, and from the corral corner came a sharp report, followed by a cry, a gurgle, a j groan, then silence. "My God! they've shot the major!" | exclaimed Harvey as he leaped away ? in the direction of the shot. At the j same moment away sped the two horse- I men in front of tho post. No use to I fire. They were shrouded in thick darkness and out of harm's way before ? one cou-cl pull trigger. Then came two ? flashes, two quick reports, then half a j dozen rapid, sputtering revolver shots, ! then a vengeful howl and a rush out on j the plain. Feeny ran like a deer on I the trail of Mr. Harvey, and in less time I than it takes to tell it they came upon j tho paymaster, sinking, shocked and nerveless to the sandy soil, his hands j ' clasping on his side. "Pick him up, you and your man there. Carry him into the ranch. I'll bate back those blackguards yet," mut- ! tered Feeny as he took a quick snap shot at sumo dim object flitting across the plain and sent another into the dark ness, aiming vaguely where he cou ld j hear thc thud of horses' hoofs. Fur a ! i moment, running from point to point ? after_each discharirc. he kept up a rapid 1 fusillade, under cover of which the hap? less paymaster was born swiftly away around the corner of the ranch and car? ried into the bar, where, wild with anxiety, but faithful to his trust, Mr. Dawes still guarded the safe. Then Harvey stepped through the narrow doorway to the eastern room. "I have to borrow the lamp a mo? ment, Fan," he whispered.t "Now, lie still. We may have to stand a siege awhile until father can reach us." Two minutes more, bending low and with his last cartridge crammed into the chamber of his carbine, Feeny turned to make a run for the ranch. Just as he came speeding in past the westward wall the wooden shutter was hurled open, and a strange voice, loud, exult? ant, strident, burst upon his ear. "Come on, Pasqual! , Come" But the rest was lost in the roar of Feeny's rea^.y weapon. The rude fa? cade of adobe blazed red one instant in the flash of the carbine, and the loud report went bellowing out across the plain. But within the ranch there went up a wail of terror and dismay, for Ramon Morales, shot through the brain, was stretched lifeless at the foot of Moreno and his shuddering wife. And then Feeny. unscathed, leaped inside the barroom. "Now for it, men! Drag in those two drunken brute bastes," he cried, laying hold of Mullan's limp carcass. "Lug in wan cf them water jars. Stick their d-d heads ' into that trough beyant. Now be lively. The whole gang'll be on us in less than a minute. ' CHAPTER V. At midnight the situation at More? no's ranch was a strange one. The oc? cupants of the two rooms farthest to the east were being besieged by 10 or 15 outlawed men, some Mexican, some "gringo," but all cutthroats, and up to this moment the besieged had had the best of it. And yet their plight was desperate. In the eastenimost room, secure from bullet or missile of any kind so long as j they crouched close to the ground and back from tue doorway, lay trembling in silence oid Harvey's daughters. At the door, only the barrel of his rifle I protruding, keeping under cover all he j possibly could behind an improvised parapet of barley bags, knelt their de? voted brother, cool and determined, ev? ery now and then whispering words of hope and encouragement. In the ad? joining room, connected with the east em chamber by a doorless aperture through the adobe wall, lay the pay? master, sorely wounded, but still con? scious and plucky, his faithful clerk ministering to him as best he could, stanching the flow of blood and comfort? ing him with cool water. At the doorway opening on the hard, trampled space at the southern front of the ranch, sheltering himself behind his breastwork of barley, but never re- ! lasing vigilant watch, knelt Sergeant Feeny, a bandana bound about his fore? head, the blood trickling down his right cheek, the sleeve of his flannel shirt rent by a bullet that just grazed the j upper arm. Kneeling on the counter \ and peeping through a hole in the bot? tom of the wooden window shutter, one of Harvey's men kept guard. The other faced the doorway into Moreno's domestic apartments, every now and then letting drive a shot through the woodwork to keep them, as he said, .'from monkeying with the bolt on the other side." In planning his roadside ranch More- ? no had allowed outer doors only to those rooms which were for public use. The three which lay to the west of the bar could not be entered except through \ that resort or by a door giving on the 1 corral, both of these doors being sup? plied with massive bolts as security against intruders, and all three rooms j being furnished with air ports rather : than windows, pierced at such a height j through the adobe that no one from ? without, except in saddle, could peer j through the aperture and see what was I going on within. The travelers' room j and the barroom ports, however, were ! low and large, and all the rooms were. j spacious. The bar of course, being j the dining as well as drinking room, ! carried off the honors in point of size. | This, too, was furnished with an open ing into the corral, but Feeny's first thought on reaching his comrades was to barricade. Springing into the walled inclosure and bidding Harvey watch while the others worked, he had soon succeeded in lugging a score of big barley sacks into the interior and piling them into breastworks at the three doors, the one opening into the corral being provided in addition with a high traverse to protect its guard against shots that might come through from Moreno's roora. All this was accomplished amid the wailing of the Mexican women and the fusillade begun by the assailants in hopes of terrorizing the defense before venturing to closer quarters. Like fa? mous Croghan of Fort Stephenson, Fee- , ny had kept up a fire from so many dif? ferent points as to impress the enemy with the idea there were a dozen men and a dozen guns where there was in reality only one, and even the tempta? tion of that vast sum in the paymaster's , safe was not sufficient to nerve the fol? lowers of Morales to instant attack. The valor and vigor of the defense : and the appalling death of one of their leaders had so unnerved them that Pas qual himself, raging, imploring, threat? ening by turns, was unable to urge them to close quarters. "Most men are cowards in the dark" is a theory widely believed in. Indians certainly . are only brave against defenseless worn- < en and children at such a time. Not i until the firing had ceased and it was evident that the defenders had retired ( to tho shelter of the ranch, and then | only very slowly and cautiously, would i these brigands of tho desert bo induced to resume their stealthy approach. For i fully half an hour there was a lull in the I fight, and then, guided by the light Mo- < reno was now ablo to show, Pasqual I and two of tho stouter hearted knaves < approached tho western wall and held i a brief consultation with the rascally I owner. 1 Rage at thc-death of their leader's i brother and allv, the thirst for ven- < geance and the hope of securing such rich booty-all were augmented by Mo? reno's fiery assurances and encourage? ai the door knelt their devoted brother. ment. All the soldiers were gone, he said, except the "pig of a sergeant" and two drugged and senseless swine. Somebody among them was wounded. There were only three, possibly four, left Let his companeros make com? bined attack, two or three through his (Moreno's) rooms, two or three rush in from the corral, and the same number from the south front at once, and be? yond doubt the cursed Yankees would succumb. Then nc quarter, no quarter for the men. His connection with the outlaw band was now known, and these witnesses must be put to death. Then -then the paymaster's safe could read? ily be battered open, then there was the mint of money to be divided among the victors, then away to Sonora with their spoil and with old Harvey's beautiful daughters. What ransom would he not be willing to pay-that proud, disdain? ful father! Was ever luck so great? But haste ! haste-not a moment could be lost. They must act at once. And so Morales hurried to station and instruct his men. Prowling like coyotes through the darkness and at re? spectful distance from the guarded end of the corral ranch, half a dozen of the number crept into the corral. Others were distributed over the southern front. Three of the lighter and more slender of the band were "boosted" through the high west window into Mo? reno's domain. Then through the mid? dle room they made their way, where sat the senora, rocking, weeping and moaning over the body of the outlaw leader, where, hiding under the bed, shivering and praying, crouched the ! senorita, her daughter, and then, bare footed, they crept into the room adjoin- j ing the bar and listened, breathless, to ! the low toned instructions of the veter- j an sergeant. From without no glim- | mer of light could guide the assailants j or help them in their aim. The black ! apertures of the doorways were poor ! marks for night shooting, and the more enterprising and adventurous, crawling j like snakes to reconnoiter, were soon able to report that most scientifically ! had the defense thrown up their breast- j works. From group to group flitted Pasqual. j At his shrill battlecry all hands were to rush simultaneously to the attack, i firing no shot for fear of hitting one I another, but with pistol in one hand and the long, deadly knife in the other i close at once upon the defenders, leap j over their barriers and overwhelm them in the dark interior. In three minutes the signal would be given. He himself would lead the dash of the party within the corral. Pasqual was shrewd enough to know that where there was only one doorway instead of two there would be better chance of dodging the bullets. But keen eyes and ears and wits were there alert. Feeny and Harvey well knew that this was but the lull before the storm. "Lay low. boys, and be ready. Shoot the first man that shows," was the last caution old Plummer heard before the bursting of the tempest. All on a sudden a wild cry went up in the corral. All on a sudden from north and south the assailants dashed forward with answering yell. In an instant the dark apertures flashed their lightning, and rifle and revolver shots rang on the still night air. Harvey's Henry barked like a Gatling. Feeny's old Springfield banged like a sis pound? er. Two of the assailants on the south side went down in the dust, face fore moct, the others swerved, broke and scumed for shelter. Pasqual Morales, leading his men close under the north wall, made a pantherlike spring for the crest of the barley parapet and was saved from instant death when he fell by being dragged feet foremost, with a Colt's 44 tearing through his thigh. In vain Moreno "s squad fired shot aft? er shot through the wooden door. Their bullets buried themselves deep in the ; improvised traverse, but let no drop of j blood, while two return shots scattered j the attack with the splinters from the I heavy panels. Pleading, raging, mad- j dened, Morales learned that the dash had failed and that two of his most daring j men, the two Americanos who had rid- ? den forward to personate prospectors : and who had led the rush in the south- j ern front, were knocked out of the fight. ; And then it was that the inhuman j brute gave the order to resort to Indian j methods, and even old Moreno begged I and prayed and blasphemed, all to no j purpose. Furious at their repulse, the j band were ready to obey their leader's j maddest wish. The word was, "Burn j them out." Ned Harvey, crouching \ behind his barley bags, felt his blood turn to ice water in his veins when, ! with exultant yells and taunts, the cor- ! ral suddenly lighted up with a broad red glare. The match had been applied : to the big haystack close to the brush covered shed, close totke"leanto," un- j iler which so much inflammable rub? bish was stored. It could l)e a question jf only a few moments; then they, too, would be a mass of flames, spreading rapidly' westward. The stout adobe wall separating tho ranch proper from the sheds would protect the occupants from direct contact with the flame, but j what could save the roof? Stretching trom wall to wall were the dry, resin- ! ins pine logs that formed the basis of the bulky structure. Over these the lighter boards of pine and over all, j thickly piled, dry as bone and inflam? mable as tinder, heap on heap of brush. Duce this was fairly ablaze tho hapless occupants of the rooms beneath might as well be under the grating of some huge furnace. High in air shot the leaping flames. Far and wide over the desert spread the lurid glare. Screaming with terror, the women of Moreno's household were al? ready dragging into the corral their few treasures and rushing back for such raiment as they could save. Far over at the corral gate, where the bullets of the besieged could not find them, Pas qual Morales and his exulting band were gathered, the chief lying upon his serape, with bloody bandages about his leg, his followers dancing about him in frantic glee, all keeping carefully out of range of the black doorways, yet three or four crack shots lay flat in the sands, their rifles covering the now glar? ing fronts of the threatened rancho, ready to shoot down, Indianlike, the wretched garrison when driven out. It was at this juncture that from somewhere in the middle room, behind Moreno's heavy door, a voice was heard: "Hand out the safe. Hand out your money now, and we'll leave yon in peace. Everyman of us will ride away, and you can come out as soon as we are gone. Answer, for you have no time to lose." .Answer him, you!" shouted Feeny to Mr. Dawes. "Send a shot through and hit him if you can. " But before the clerk could drop the fan with which he was striving to re? vive his fainting chief, the young fel? low from Harvey's party, he who was stationed at the north door and had been so fortunate as to shoot Morales himself, now suddenly sprang from his covert, and placing the muzzle of his Henry rifle close to the door deliberately popped three shots in quick succession through the splintering woodwork,, and in the confusion and dismay which re? sulted was able to leap nimbly into his corner again before the answering shots could come. "Take that for your answer!" shout? ed Feeny again, "you black hearted, black bellied thafe, and take this, too, bad scran to ye! Every dollar of that money's in greenbacks that'll burn as aisy as tissue, and if you want it come and get it now. 'Tis you that's got no time to lose. Come and get it, I say, for be the soul of St. Patrick you'll never have another chance. Just as sure as ye let that fire reach ibis ranch and harm those young leddies-old Har? vey's daughters that never did ye a harm in the world-every dollar in the safe goes whack into the fire, and sorra a shinplaster will you have for all your pains. Ain't that so, paymaster? Shore the government ought to be mighty glad of the chance of saving all those prom? ises to pay." "Bravo, Feeny!" shouted young Har? vey from the adjoining room. "We're not smoked out yet, by a good deal," he added in lower tones. ' * But if the worst comes to the worst we can make a rush for the barley stack in the corral. Lie still, Ruth, little sister. It won't be any time now before the soldiers will come galloping to us." And, hiding her*terror stricken face in her sister's breast, the prl obeyed. Out at th?2? corral gate meantime a vehement council was being held. Fee ny's bold defiance and threat had pro? duced their effect. His voice had rung out above the roar of the flames, and what Morales could not hear was promptly reported by those who had crawled up nearer to the bar and could understand every word. Even hampered by the care of their helpless women, the defense was undismayed. The little gar? rison was fighting with magnificent hope and courage. Beyond the wounding of one of their number, no impression apparently had been made, whereas the bandits had a sorry loss to contemplate. Ramon shot dead, Pasqual crippled and the two "gringos." the daring, enterpris? ing leaders of the attack, painfully wounded, one probably mortally so. And now, with the flames lighting up the whole valley between the Picacho and the Christobal, with cavalry known to be out in several squads within easy march, some of the men were already weakening. They had had enough of it and were quite ready to slink away, but Pasqual was a raging lion. Re? venge for the death of his brother, wrath over his own crippled condition, fury at the failure of the assault and hatred on general principles of all hon? est means and honest men, all prompt? ed him to order and enforce a renewal of the attack, all served to madden him to such a degreo that even burning his adversaries to death seemed simply a case of serving them right. What cared he that two of the besieged were fair young girls-noncombatants? They were George Harvey's daughters, and that in itself was enough to bring balm to his soul and well nigh cause him to forget his physical ills. [TO BE CO>*TrST7ED.] ; The Stolid Chinaman Wide Awake. The Chinese resident of the United States causes much vexation by what is termed his "stolidity." When the Geary law was passed, the Chinese waited "stolidly" to see whether the courts would decide it constitutional or other? wise, and now that the time of registra? tion has been extended for six months the gentleman from the Flowery King? dom is, with all his former "stohdity," doing nothing about it. It will be found before the six months has expired that our esteemed heathen contemporary will have done all that is necessary for his own interest. When it comes to attend? ing to his affairs, he of the long cue and the slanting eye is not so "stolid" as he looks.-Kansas City Star. He Called the Turn. In the carpetbag days in South Car? olina a gentleman was standing on a street in conversation with the treas? urer of the state. Just then the treas? urer's carriage and horses drove by. The man remarked that it was a hand? some equipage for a state treasurer. That official responded: "Yes, that is a fine team. These South Carolina peo? ple may send me to the penitentiary, but they will never get me to the alms? house." Later on he did go to the pen? itentiary.-Baltimore Su?.