THE STORYTELLER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 352, 1 April 1910, Page 6

THE STORYTELLER.

HANDS UP! There was a wild, unsubdued fire in her eyes. By the way she threw back ■her head and shunted to her mount, a deck cay use, one could tell at a glance that she was a giiT of spirit, who did things.

liess was not accustomed to riding alone through the gorge trail, covered only by a stage from Silverhead, a neighboring mining town. Usually Pllii rode with her.

It was half in anger toward him that she had chosen the lonesome, some said dangerous, route.

She had seen Phil two hours before, find, as usual, had shouted an invitation for him to ride with her. "Can't! I'm busy to-day. See you later," lie answered, waving his hat to 'her and galloping on. There was something in his eyes that bothered the girl, when she remembered •it. It was for that reason, half an hour later, Bess had chosen the lonely gorge road. :-l- 1 -"

She wanted to he alone, to think about Phil, and weigh her father's doubt < about the young fellow, who seemed to do nothing save idle his time away, and who had never been caught working since he hau struck town two months before.

- Why did he occasionally go off ori his horse alone, and not come back till the next day? Who were the city men he oTti-n met at the daily train, and sometimes went on with for a day or two? He had never explained his business to Boss. He had hinted at it. and she 'had a notion that he was employed on some work in Denver. But everything in connection with the man was so vague and uncertain. The doubts would never have been considered had not Bess been piqued by his refusal to ride with her that (lav.

The night before he had asked her to marry him. The thought had come to her so suddenly that all she could do was to ask for time. 'T will answer you to-morrow evening," she had said.

''No. Xow! To-morrow mav tie too late." " She-could not understand his urgency, the eagerness in his voice. "But I have many things to think of." she protested. "You know how father is opposed to you. It's partly because you look city-bred, and still know horses 'and mining so well. He seems to be almost suspicious of you." "I can easily clear up any suspicion," he had answered confidently. "But I wpnt mv answer now. To-morrow may be too late."

. Why had he repeated that ominous warning? Had he planned anything for to-day? Was -h-e in danger of any kind?

' At that moment the rumble of wheels behind her caused Bess 1 to turn. She thad already reached a lonely spot in the gprge, so!ne miles from town. Tt was the stage from , Silverhead, cirrying its cargo of silver and passengers. winding through the gully, cut sharp!v between high cliffs. The four ■horses were straining at their load, and coming along at a smart clip. Bess whipped up her horse to gain a widei; part of the road, where the coach could pass her. The passage was uneven and full of rocks. _ "Riding being difficult, the girl bent aj! her attetnion on the steed. "

At a sharp turn in the road something scared the skittish cayuse. A second later the animal shied at a big boulder confronting them, and Bess was hurled through the air. over his head, landing in a jut in the wall. Her revolver flew from her belt wtth the jolt, fid the frightened cayuse galloped on alone.

When the girl pulled herself together she found that the horse had - thrown her into an opening, a little pocket in the natural stone'wall at the turning which commanded a view of the road on both sides of the sharp corner ' She glanced out, and found the stage drawing near at a rapid rate; then, looking in the opposite direction. Bess s-iw her cavuse galloping madly, already half p. mile away. The revolver that had jolted loose was the next thing to attract her attention, and she, was about to slide down and recover it from the ledge, two feet below, when a quick movement attracted her in the direction her horse hnd taken.

The girl's eves dilated, and she seemed frozen to the spot, as she watched three masked horsemen Hearing the gully road through a narrow defile down one side.

In a moment Bess realised. The stage was thundering on.

The masked men coukl be there for but, one purpose. Each had his revolver ready, and tllev had chosen an advantageous place for the work. Bess' wits worked with lightning rapidity. She must warn the oncoming stage. If she jumped to her feet and waved ■her bandanna at the stage the hold-up men would shoot her. The best chance was to get her sun 4 and fire a warning shot from the jut in the wall. That would stop the coach near her, and then she could shout the danger to thrin without exposing herself. \ She slipped forward to get the <run. The stage was not a hundred yards off. Bess "lanced apprehensively at the three grim horsemen, partly concealed behind a boulder on the roadside. The hand reaching the revolver drew 1 back sharply. She caught- in her breath with a convulsive gasp. Bess bad recognised in that instant the lender of the bandits. It was Phil. Around his was the very handkerchief she had spent weeks embroider, ihg for him. every stitch an expression of love and faith.

Then her eyes glinted like blue steel. Her teeth snapped together, and she made a quick grasp for the revolver.

With it secure in her hand, she hesitated but a moment; then, her checks white and lips drawn, she steadily aimed the revolver at her unsuspectng lover, who. with his men, awaited the stage. There was the love of a savage and the hate of a savage in her expression. She had found out her lover at last, and had instinctively pointed the gun at him.

Bess' left hand clenched so that the tendons showed white through the skin, and the forefinger of her right hand twitched on the trigger. Before she realised the trembling finder gave a jerk and pulled the trigger. There came a slight click, but nothing more. The hammer had became jambed by the jolting received when it fell from her belt.

Glancing up. her wits scattered by this sudden discovery, she saw the stage rolling past the gap. It was too late. The gun had failed, and the stage had passed before she eon hi give the warning.

"Hands up!" The gruff growl made Bess grow faint, and lif-r eves swam. For in it she recognised the same tone that she knew so° well in Phil's voice, but it was SO brutal, so different.

She \vatdl?<l, with 'a Stifling throat and. 'heaving bflsom, as a s hot >'ang 0,1 ■ from Phil's gun and the driver, who had not obeyed the summons quickly enough, tumbled from his seat and flopped oil to his back in the road.

Bess sprang to her feet, aflare with madness, her wits worked rapidly, she must do something to cope with his brutality.

The bandits stopped the dashing horses, and in a moment a trembling party of travellers filed slowly from the stage.

They lined up in a row, their hands high above their heads. Bess stood on the verge of action, her 'blood leaped and spurted to her temples as she saw her lover cover theni with a gun, while One of his -eompanims went thrOiy;h th" the luckless passengers, piling up their valuables in a single heap. Bess gave a strangled gasp, a sudden impulse seized her, and she leaped to the road, her revolver clubbed and clenched tensely. With blind fury she flew to the holdun scene, her nostrils dilated, her eyes red-rimmed.

The leader evidently saw her coming. He darted forward, and a minute later Bess found herself struggling and fighting in his strong arms. He knocked the revolver from her hand and tried to explain something in eager words.

But she would not listen. She screamed with rage and tore at him; his verv touch was the blight. His hands seared her wherever they rested.

But all the time he was whispering words in her ear, words -hot and impassioned. Reassuring words, that she couhl neither hear nor understand.

"In the meantime his companions continued their work and paid no attention to him.

With a wild gleam in his eyes, Phil suddenly forced her back and held her tight'lv, explaining to her, trying to get the girl to listen to his defence. ! Through sheer weakness Bess finally ■had to listen. Then the words had their effect. Her eyes gleamed, she I looked at him squarely and became more I quiet.

As. he dashed off Bess sank . to tne ground, utterly spent, and she lay sobbing weakly, while -her lover rushed back to the frightened group of travellers, swooped up the valuables, tied them in a wide handkerchief, mounted his horse, fired several shots in the air, 'and swung down; the trail to where Bess sat in a heap, wondering, trying to reassure herself that all he had said was true.

When he reached the girl Phil jumped from his horse, gave a quick glance back to the stage, saw his confederates making off to safety in the opposite direction and then, without a word, lifted the limp form of Bess on to the horse in front of him, put spur to the Auise and rode like mad up to the gully. Half a mile from the hold-up scene lie drew rein -abruptly and turned to Bess with a reassuring smile.

"I had to go this .far," he explained, "They need a slide in the picture of the bandits getting away, and I guess mine was some picturesque get-away. "Your butting in helped the picture ■ a good -deal. Bess. They'll change the idea and label this part: 'Wife Pleading, with Bandit Chief.'"

"Phil-." she said, looking up with' yearning eyes, in which the slightest., suggestion of a smile was beginning to j glow, "is it really true? I know it must! be. But the thing seemed so real atj the time. I never saw a moving picture | taken before." "Well, it won't be the last one you'll sec taken. T hope," the man smiled, wiping her tear-stained face with the > handkerchief she had made for him. j "That's mv business. The people in \ the stage-coach and my confederates are i all actors; the man who did the stage-1 fall from the driver's seat is my j brother. We're in partnership in the, business." j "But why didn't you explain all this, before?" queried the girl, the smile succeeding in easing some of the tragic tensiH- of her features. |

"Well, people are curious 'about mov

ing "ietures; they want to butt in and seo them taken. That spoils the whole tliirm-. and T didn't want to be bothered."

"I-Taven't T bothered you. Phil. Jim a little? - ' slip nsked, the smilp asserting iself bold]'- for thn first timp. "You've bothered mo more than anything has for a loner time." lie cried, resell in" towards her eagerly. 'HVpll.".slio said. having recovered lipr natural snn-it entirely. "T guess T'll fix it un with von and a justice of th" pence, so T ran have the exclusive privilege of bothering you all the rest of your life." ' "

"So you've made up your mind at last," he cried, enclosing her in a tender embrace.

She threw oil' his arms playfully and spurred the horse into action; they galloped back to the moving-picture party and announced their engagement.

Then liess told of how she had almosttried to kill the bandit chief, assuring them, however, that even if the hammer indn't been pinibed, she couldn't have hit him with such a trembly hand.