Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (March 18, 1897)
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTO N, OREGON, TH URSDAY, MARCH 18, 189 i GOLDEN THRONE [A ROMANCE BY SAMUEL P. PUTNAM.] T h at Will keep ’em off our track for some time; tor, you see, 1 waul you to meet me at Conscience Pass. Then you and I will take our way by the Devil’s Gap, ami in due time we’ll reach the D utchm an’s K itch en ; and from there I'll send you Hying to San Francisco.” •‘Will there lx? no danger to yourself?” '‘None at all. It’s you they are after. Get rid of you, and we are all right. Are you ready there?” “ Yes,” said Bill: “give us the boy.” In a moment, the hoy was m oun ted, and off they started. None too soon either, lor Jennie Baker came rushing in. “ Oh, they are going io lynch him ’’’ she said. “ Big Dick has got them all excited. They say you made Idols of ’em, and they won t stand ii 1” “ Well, th ey ’ll have to catch the hov this time, Jennie. H e’s taken leg-hail.” “ Is lie g o n e ? ” said .Jennie. “ Yes, lie ’s on his way to El Dorado, and tom orrow night he’ll he on his way to ’Frisco. ’ “ If they don’t catch h im .’’ “ Well, they’ll h a v e to iu n to c a tc h him ” The vellingottt'ideincreased, and the tram p of men. Big Dick’s voice could be heard. He was try- ing to rou-e tin- men, and they were evidently ready to o h ey him. The maddened and half-drunken crowd came reeling up to the door of C harlie’s cabin. “ I t’s no use,” said Big Dick. “ You must give lorn up. W e are going to hang him .” “ But you’ve tried him, ami ac quitted him; and you are not going hack on that, are you? “ Yes, we are. I h a t was a sh am .” “ D idn’t you agree to stand by the tria l? ” “ Yes, if th ey ’d hang him, hut not if they acquitted him. T hey’d no business to acquit him. ’ “ But they hid do it lairly and s q u a re ly ; and, if you hang the b -y now, you’ll com m it m u rd er.” “ I’ll take care of th a t. If it is m urder, who’ll punish us? Stand out of the way. Rut up those pistols.” ‘•Well, you are too m any for me. If you m ust come in, come in ami make yourselves at home. h a v e n ’t c h a irs n en o u g h for o n ly one. T hey a ll ru sh e d in. “ W hy, there’s no boy here!” said Big Dick. “ I d id n ’t say there was,” said C harlie. “ W here in the devil has he gone?” “ H<»me, I guess,” »-aid Charlie, ••lie’s quite a home boy, you know.” “ H e’s n< t in his own hole, for we . “ Yes, you can black hoots, or keep a peanut stand, or sell flowers. You’ll w ant some capital, though, to start w ith; and I'll loan you som e.” “ Oh, th an k v” u! I may become rich, who know s?” S u n se t ca m e, ami they stopped good a p p e tite for b re a k fa st. Let us <1 -m o u n t am i ta k e a h a s ty m eal.’ and rented for a couple of hours, In a little while, the co th e was and ate their supper. “ As far as I can judge, we’ve m a d e , w h ic h , w ith “ hard ta c k ” and a hit of ham , refreshed them won- about twenty miles to go. The train is d u q ah o u t four in the m orn dei fully. “ We’ve a long journey before u s.” ing. We shall be there bright and said M o rto n ,—considerably more early. If it is not behind hand, we than a sab b a th -d ay ’s journey, but are all right. We've several hours the object is equally as good. I the start of Big Dick.” They were tired out, and the guess we’ll fitch it, and before another m orning you’ll he behind horses were tired, hut in good time the iron horse, and can say good- th e y arriv ed a t the D u tch m an ’s K itchen, a queer li’tle sort of place, by to all pursuers.” M any a long mile they w< nt at an sluck aw ay am ong the hills, on the easy gallop. It was a gorgeous line of the railroad th at followed, day, and the scenery on every hand through the m ountain detiles, the serpentine course of a river. Gnlv was most lovely. ‘•W here did you come from ?” two or three houses were there, or ra th e r ranches and the station- said Morton. “ From New Y ork,— from the house. A faint light was b u rning in the window as they approached city .'’ “ 1 thought so. Wen* you horn it. The depot-m aster was up and rubbing his » yes. there?” “ I suppose so. I don’t know “ Time for the train ?” asked Mor ton. much about it.” “ I t’s two hours behind tim e.” “ Always lived th ere?” “ W hew,” said M orton, “ th a t’s a “ Yes.” close rub. How far is it from here “ W here a re y o u r p a r e n ts '” ' to El Dorado?” “ I don’t know .” “ \\ hat m ade you come W est?” “ F o rty m iles.” “ I wanted to he as far oft from “ And a had road. I guess we’ll e u c h r e ’em. T heir ho rses m ust he the city as I could.” “ I don’t see how you m a le out to p retty well tired out.” to California. Nevertheless, it was pretty hard ■ come all alone work to wait two hours for a train , H aven’t you anv friends?” “ No, unless I have an uncle in especially when there was so much San Francisco. H e went there danger in delay. years ami >ears ago. I s h ill try “ W e'll watch for ’em,” said M or and find Idin.” ton; “ and, if they heat the train , “ How about this old m an th a t we’ll ru n again. We can dodge von s iw? Did \o u leally see him?” round pretty well am ong these hills. “ I d id .” “ W hat did he look like?” The glorious sun came shining “ Oh, 7 dreadful! Dark, 7 bushy v | over the hills, and the D utchm an’s d e file . “ Di<l you see a n y th in g ? ” said eyebrows; thick heard; a stooping K itchen looked resplendent, filled hack; long arm s; big hands; anti he with all sorts of spark lin g jewels M- Tton. had ¡in old gray, d irty suit on.” tossed from the hills round about. “ I th o u g — h t I di<l.” said the b »y. * “ Did you ever see him before?” “ I th in k I ’d like to live here,” “ I was irigutened.” “ Oh, yes, in New York city,— said Pete, “ oulv I'd be afraid that “ W ell, if there was an y th in g , it’s ru n o ff. I guess you are tired I ’d and th a t’s what frightened me so. old m an m ight come round, and I used to meet him there.” then I should have to run ag ain .” ca try you to the horses.” “ Anti you w anted to fly away “ Yes, this would he a com fort Morton took the shrinking fellow able place,” said C harlie. “ You in nis strong arm s, and p u t n im from him?” i es. and I could live quite nicely to upon the horse’s back. “ S trange we couldn’t find him. gether. We could h u n t an d fish “ You can ride, can’t you?” “0 ■, yes,” said Pete, ‘ ami as W hat could have become of him?” and have a patch of potatoes.” “ I hope we sh an ’t meet him ,” “ T hat would he nice,” said Pete. fast as you can go.” “ We’ll arrange that some time. “ Wc’.t have to walk Ihr a spell, s a id F e te . “ I wish we could meet him , anti Let me hear from you when you until we get through the pass settle this m ystery. Have you any are safe and sound in ’Frisco.” Then we can go like the w ind.” “ I’ll get somebody to write and Th-y picked their wav slowly notion what you wili do?” “ Only to get ¡»wav. I su p p o se I tell you all about m y fortune. I along am id the overhanging rocks d o n ’t want to lose you.” that cam e so close together, at sh a n ’t starve.” “ I guess not. There is alw ays ar “ Nor I von,” said C harlie. “ I times, that it seemed impossible to proceed; but, alw ays, tin* path way to get a hit»-, even if we have really have taken a liking to you, though you a r e a poor devil. I be wound ah»eg, am i somehow there to steal.” “ I d o n ’t lik e to s te a l.” lieve you m ight am ount to some was a narrow passage still opening “ I’m glad of th at. I was afraid thing, if you had ad van tag es.” io the ad v en tu ro u s foot. Only one But you can work, “ I hope so,” said Pete. could pass at a tim e, and frequently you would. “ Don’t give up. There’s always the trav ellers weie o b lig 'd to dis even if you are little.” “ Indeed I can. I can do lots of a chance.” m ount. F in ally , they reached a “ Perhaps so, hut it’s mighty hard. broad a »1 open space, that spread th in g s.” looked there as we came along. By God, he’s e.-caped!” “ I gue^s he ha« then, and really I don’t blame him ’ “ W hich way’s he gone?” “ I can’t >av for certain, but I think lie ’.- gone to El Dorado. Billie and Padd'e and .Jimmy have gone th at way. I shouldn't won der if little Pete went, too; for I heard hill) say s anething about going to Frisc- “ Damn it, the bird has flown!” said Dick. “ Well, if ' h a t ’s so, we’ll cateh him . Plenty of chance' between her ■ and El Dorado, and p len tv of good tre» s all along.’ 'flout there was m ounting in hot haste. In fifteen m inutes, a com pany of a hundred was ready; and, as C harlie sat calm ly s u c k in g in his cabin, lie heard ihe th u n d er of their quick t ’am p as they went dashing from the settlem ent. C hapter X. The ti onient ’he sounds of the pnr-uing party died upon the ear. Morton left hi- eahin, and prepared at once to start. He was soon at Conscience Pass, w ailing for the boy. It was about m idnight; and everything around him was per fectly still, save the dash of waters and the slight ru stle of the tre» s. The tall cliffs loomed up into the glittering m oonlight, at.d the d a rk ness of the retreating valley was pierced with a thousand silver shafts. He listened for every j sound. He dreaded lest som ething should happen, a lid his plans prove of no avail. The hoy m ight he lost. lor it was a somewhat difficult path from one trail to the o th -r. He tied his horse, a td walked im p a tien tly i" the direction w lvnee the little fugitive would come He had not gone far, when he heard the report of a pistol. He was soon at the hoy’s sid'*, who stood tr» lidding, just at the opening of an immense far toward the west. By m orning, tliev had traversed m any a mile. How beautifully the light came d a r n i n g o v e r th e hills and the rockv defiles and green plains and rushing livulets! “ H ere’s a nice sp o t, a n d I ’ve a