THE NOVELIST.

Bruce Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 1336, 19 August 1881, Page 5

THE NOVELIST.

ANNA CARTER. {Continued from last week.) " One day, Bhortiy after my trouble with Donavan, I walked to the entrance of my room with a bundle of picks and drills that I wished to send to the blacksmith's shop. I intended to wait until "Willie passed and ask him to take them to the shop for me. Standing waiting within the entrance of my room, 1 took my lamp from my head and hung it on the wall. Then, leaning against the coal, I looked down the gangway. Far down the great underground avenue I thought I saw the dim outline of a figure gliding stealthily from timber to timber. I lost sight of it immediately, and smiling to myself at seeing one of my Welsh ghosts, I lit a pipe and smoked. Again I saw the figure, so faint and dim in the gloom that I could see it only by straining my eyes, flitting in and out among the timbers, then spring lightly on the roadbed and walk cautiously, lightly along. With a flush, as if light had flashed upon my brain, I realised that I had been condemned by the Molly Maguires, and that the figure I saw was their executioner coming to kill me. I stepped back to my lamp, blew it out, and grasping a pick, I stationed myself behind the first of the timbers at the entrance of my room and waited. Peering anxiously into the almost impenetrable darkness I could see nothing, and began to think I might have been mistaken. Then I descried the shadowy form step lightly across the gangway. Again I lost him. The low, muffled roar of distant coal cars rolling down the cross headings came floating to me. The train drew near. With the rapidity of lightning I weighed the chances of getting ieto a car and going to the surface. I instantly realised that I could not escape if I adopted that plan. The decree of death had been passed on me, and if the agent appointed to kill me saw me leave the mine, he would return to the surface at once and report that I |had left the works. I would have had a dozen or twenty men hunting for me, and would have been murdered before I had a chance to escape. My only salvation was to kill the man lurking behind the timbers below me. The thunder of the cars was on me. Standing in the gloom of the entrance to my room, driver after driver passed me, and neither they nor their mules saw me. The last train of cars was drawn by a white mule, and I knew that it was Willie's train. This mule caught a glimpse of a blackened figure standing motionless behind a great oak post. He shied slightly. I trusted that Willie, who was courageous and keen witted, would notice the movement of the mule and divine its cause. I sprang from behind the post ; raising my pick as if about to strike, I extended my left arm, as though pointing down the great avenue. Turning my face to the pissing cars, I stood motionless. Willie had not oe.l the movement of his mule ; jumping from the last car, where he had been riding, he swung his lighted lamp into the opening that led into my room, as he passed it. His eyes alone betrayed that they had seen me. They flew wide opeo, then almost closed, as he passed on, not having missed a step. I saw him blow his light out. He knew I had had a rupture with Donavan, and, though he could not know what my present trouble was, he knew I had urgent need of help. Greatly relieved, I stepped behind the post and watched for the reappearance of the phantom like figure. The coil cars swept around a curve. One by one their lights disappeared, and the grimy avenue was deserted aud sil'iit. The faint, yellow, sickly flames of the widely separated permanent lamps only served to relieve the intense hlackne.^ of the passage- w-iy. Wi'h strained eyes I strove to penetrate the gloom. Soon I saw the spectre-like figure glide out from behind the timbers and stand for an inB.ant irresolutely between the iron rails, apparently examining the avenue to see if it were unoccupied. Sati-fied that it was deserted, the Hguiv, bending low, came slowly toward me. To my horror, I saw a second figure come stealthily out and follow the first. The second moved faster than tie first, a'd gained quickly on it. The first figure stopped to listen. Instantly the second disappeared. The dull reports of distant blasting made the heavy smuke-laden air quiver, and the fiist vanished before the air ceased vibrating. The play of the two figures bpgan to wear on me. 1 half believed they were spectres. 1 grew desperate and waited greedily for their reappearance and approach. Out stepped the first one. I decided to rn>h on him as soon as he was within eight or ten yards of me and crush him before the other came up. From behind the timbers the second figure emerged and glided after the first. The leader stopped to listen. Again the hindermost disappeared. I then realised that the second figure was hunting the first, who was hunting me. From that moment I knew that Willie had slipped into Haskell's room as he passed it and told him of seeing me standing at the entrance of my room, and knew the second figure was Haskell. I knew, too, that the slayer was to be slain, that death lurked close behind him, and I waited with absolute unconcern for it to fall on him. The shadows glided noiselessly on, coming nearer and noarer to me and to each other. The air grew heavy and foul with the smoke of the exploded powder, almost veiling the

figures from my view. Now I could see a part of an arm or leg ; then the head of the first would be visible, 1 and only the body and arms of the second ; then, as the smoke floated by, the whole of their forms would be indistinctly seen. At last the first figure stood motionless in front of my room, peering into the impenetrable blackness that was before him like a wall. I raised my sharp pick and leaned forward to strike him dead. I was just about to deliver the blow when Haskell noiselessly came behind him. I stayed my hand to let Haskell have the satisfaction of sinking a pick to the eye in the assassin's brain. There was a whiz in the air, a sharp blow, and an indistinct heap of something lying on the tramway. " ' Are you there, Watson V in a whisper. ' Yes.' ' Help me with him. We will bury him in your goof.' We dragged him in and buried him deep. Then putting in a top shot, we knocked fifty tons of slate down on his body. Grasping my hand, Haskell said : ' You will have to get away from hereto-night. He will be missed by 9 o'clock, when the society meets. Go to the surface as soon as it is dark. Bid Anna goodbye, and get away at once. I will not be suspected, You will be killed tonight if you remain. Get out of the anthracite regions.' I went to the surface in the last car. Hastening from the shafts to the house, I saw Anua standing at the gate waiting for me. She cheerfully asked : ' What makes you so late 1 I feared an accident in the mine.' Before I could answer she ran into the house to prepare supper. I thoughtlessly followed. On my entering the room she saw Wood on my hands and clothing. Anxious, alarmed, she asked if I was hurt. Assuring her that I was uninjured, I went into my room, washed, and put on my holiday clothes. Excitedly Ann looked at me when I reentered the kitchen, but said nothing until I had eaten my supper. Then, standing in front of me, she clasped my hands, and looking into my eyes, said, ' Tell me the truth. Have you had trouble with the Molly Maguires V I told the story briefly. Her mother had entered the kitchen, and, standing by Anna's side, heard all. Both women said, ' You must leave here instantly. You will be killed for this before morning if you stay. If you escape and can be found you will be brought back and convicted of murder by false testimony. " Anna kept our money. She went to a little hole in a slab and drew out a roll of bills and handed it to me saying, ' I thought wo would have this to start in our married life with. : but we cannot think of that now.' Tears filled her eyes as she saw our happiness passing away. I divided the money, giving her two thirds. Then, thinking I heard whispering and light footsteps on the mountain side below the house, I passed out the back door. Anna clasped her arm around my neck, and whispering, 'Do not writ?, as the postmarks will betray your whereabouts,' kissed me and said, ' make haste, my love,' and turning entered the house and closed the door behind her. I sprang lightly over the vine-clad fence and was in the forest. I walked over the mountains, and by daybreak was at a railroad flag station. I flagged the first train that passed, got on, went to Harrisbui'g, and from there direct to Leavenworth. From there I wrote to Anna, saying that I could not tell her where to write to me, even if she dared, but that as soon as the Mo'ly Maguires was broken I would return to her. I joined a party of miners and went to Montana with them. I made a fortune in the Little Blackfoot Diggings. My comrade in mining on this gulch was Missourian, a gentleman. When he returned Eist I gave him money and a letter to deliver to Anna. He returned the letter and money to me saying he could not find Anna. I engaged in quartz mining, and had great success. Year.s passed by, and I drifted up and down the Rocky Mountains, miking money out of every mine I bought. I finally drifted into the Sin Juan country. While th'M-e I s.-iw in the papers that the Molly Maguires had fallen into th« hands of Hih law, and that the reign of terror was over. I stiried on my return at once. Arriving at the vil'a^o, I found only a few charied and blackened ruins of the house whir-, my happiest days had been passed. The miners T knew when I worked in the mine had left the works'. The keeper of the saloon, where 1 had first met Donavan, was in gaol, under sentence of death. I had an interview with him. In the presence of death he had softened a littl>, and probably uttered the truth. He told me that daily for two years a young girl had aslu d for Anna Carter's mail. The society got the letter I wrote from Leavenworth. After waiting two years and not h°aring further from me, and believing that Anna heard from me, they, in revenge, burned her home. Her mother and Willie were burned to death. Anna left the town after the funeral, and the Molly Maguires, not doubting that she" was going to join me, had one of their men follow her to New Yo'k. There he lost sight of her. I gave up all hopes of finding her, and returned to (lie San Juan. I do not suppose I shall ever see her again. The thought that she may be in want, that she may be sick, that she is slowly wearing her life out waiting for me, and the knowledge that she is alone in the world haunts me constantly." Watson sat silent io his chair. There was not a shadow of doubt of the girl's constancy in my friend's mind. Haskell c&tne into the room, and

fearing to be a check on their free conversation, I excused myself, after promising to breakfast with Watson the next day. At the hotel the nexc morning I found him in a high state of excitement,' that he vainly strove to conceal. He was exceedingly restless during the meal. Noticing my enquir ing looks he flushed, and with a fretful oath exclaimed : " No ; I have not been drinking. Meeting you and Haskell has brought back the past so vividly that I could not sleep last night. lam nervous and irritable. Let us walk." There had been a sharp change in the temperature. The streets of Lead-* ville were white with newly-fallen snow and the air was thick with snowflakes. On coming to the mainstreet we saw an ambulance slowly moving up the hill. Watson spoke to the driver, saying, " Have you patients for the hospital T " Yes," he answered, " some of the smelters are leaded, and there are some cases of pneumonia." Turning about, Watson said : " Let us go to the hospital. I have beeu here six weeks, and to my shame be it said, I have not been near the hospital nor given it a dollar. I will go up now and make amends for my neglect." We followed the ambulance up the hill and entered the building. There were some dead men there. There were many who would never leave the house alive. In one ward were many plants and vinos growing in pots and tin cans. This ward was scrupulously neat and sweet. There were ten or twelve sick men lying on as many cots. They were queerly irritable and unreasonable. We did not receive a civil answer from any of them. All looked as if they thought the presence of a heahby man was an iusult to them— a cowardly insult inflicted when they were unable to resent it. At the further end of the room a woman stood, her back towards us. She bent over a sick man ; then, seating herself on the edge of his cot, seemed to be feeding 1 him with a spoon. Watson regarded her with a pleased look on his fine face, and we walked toward her. Standing at the foot of the cot, we listened to her talking cheerily to the sick man, and good-humouredly laughing when he denounced the fellow who invented gruel, and demanded fried oysters. I was startled by a clutch upon my shoulder. I turned quickly to my comiade, and was shocked at the change in him. His eyes fairly blazed ; his face was white, his lips firmly compressed, and his nostrils were expanded and quivering. His chest heaved painfully. I could feel his pulse throb as his wrist pressed against my neck. The sick man turned in his bed. I saw the petulant look flit from his face, and one of angry fear take its place. Then the dim eyes of the sick man flamed with the dauntless courage of the American miner as ho glared at tli h spectre standing motionless at the foot of his bed. The woman, seeing the look on the face of her patient, sprang up and wheeled angrily around. She looked at Watson. The blood left her face, her eyes opened widely, her lips slightly parted ; she stood firmly for an instant, then wavered as if about to fill. Watson sprang to her side, and, encirc-ing her with his arms, drew her to his breast. She recovered and struggled weakly to free herself. Closer and closer she was drawn to my friend's heart. Bending over her he kissed her lips passionately. Her arms coiled around his neck, and I heard the murmurs : " Anna !" "Henry !" I was alone when I walked back through the devd and dying and out into the snow mantled street.