r,22 THE WEST SHORE.
" Hurrah for Uilly! " cried " Old Syc" 'im to the gang, an' Til bet he'll mate a
throwing up bis bat " Miss, d-n me good one. Come or i, young feller, here's
if we don't have that lover o' yourn be- a horse all saddled and ready. Jump
fore another week. If you only bowed on quick, 'cause we don t want any stop,
how he talks about yer, a sayin' what a pin' on your account In a moment
fine gal you are, but daren't see you Ella was in the saddle and the men
since bo saved a poor drunkard's life, pressed forward. They were all excited
'why, yer would marry him in a minit, if and determined to run the red fiends
the hull world would git down on yer down as soon as possible. Some were
for it His heart's bigger'n that there betting on who would return with the
mountain." 41 Old Syc's" remarks had most scalps; some were telling stories of
the effect to brighten up Ella's spirits, fights with the Indians Jong since for.
and she expressed a desire to go with gotten; others were relating instances of
him immediately to camp, but he re- the most barbarous and inhuman cruel-
placed practiced on those who fell into their
No, you stay here and let me go an' hands at an unfortunate moment,
git the boys. It'll save time, you know. After a quick march of ten or twelve
Thar's plenty o' grub in that overcoat mile8 the northwest, the old Cape
I'll leave it, an' you jest hide here till I Hrn cabin wa8 reached. This cabin
git back." na(l keen erected for the use of packers
" That is good; but promise not to let au(i travelers, during the Loon crek ex
any of the men know who I am. Tell citement, in 1870. Here the men halted
them I am a young man from Boise for lunch, and to allow their tired horses
City," to rest for an hour. One of the men
" I'll do it, Miss, an' I'll bet my life BPie(1 an envelope in a crack of the cab
that wo git Billy all right" in an(1 opening it, saw it was from Billy.
Mounting his horse, ho waved good- Uft mounted a bowlder outside of the
bye, and was soon out of sight, on his caWn aD(1 read the following to the anx
wny to the volunteer camp. All day ious ears around him:
long Ella mused on the now strong hopes (Jo ton miles northwest. We will remain a
for Billy's recovery, and her heart would 'ew days just under the cliff on the east bank of
Ix'it for joy to know that ho loved her Ini,,,11' ork of lhe Salmon. Don't shoot at the
so dearly. "Old Syc" had taken the m hwse. That will be me, and
i i, ..i ,. . . , , , you will hear the calls on the same oM cornet.
Uior with him, but She remembered Tell " OM Syc to give my love to Klla Dixon,
every word it contained. Ella hod trav- at Atlanta, if the devils take into their heads to
eh-d day and night since leaving Atlan- murder me. Billy Lovelace.
tn, only resting for short intervals, and A"K- 30 &mt midnight,
this night sho wrapped Billy's overcoat As it was dangerous to advance fur-
around her and slept welL About 9:00 ther during the day, the animals and
a. m. the next day, while sho sat musing men remained at the cabin during the
on the beauties of nature, and her soul afternoon, and evening found them all
yearning to meet Billy, she saw moving well rested. After dark, so that they
object iq the distance. Raising her could more easily escape the observation
fieM glaat, sho saw the volunteers were of scouts who might bo lurking around
rapidly approaching. On arriving, "Old the high mountains, the little band
bye yelled out in his usual boisterous mounted and moved cautiously forward.
Hcrn a the l.Ulo chicken. We'll add though she appeared perfectly calm, was