Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 64: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ON THE TRAIL solemnity of an owl and the vigor of a young giant, he executed with some lameness the astonishing jig which I have described. There was no mistake about it, Dick had made a “ sensation,” and his hie was safe for a few days. Though his leg was almost well, his mind was des- perately ill. But if he and the women were im- pressed, Harbridge and Sawyer were not. They sniffed with disgust, and declared the whole thing a sham. The most that they would agree to was to wait until the prisoner had fully recov- ered the use of his injured limb. Dick would have been glad to delay, so far as appearances went, the mend- ing of his leg, but that would have caused suspicion, and probably defeat- ed his pet scheme. He was compelled to let the injury grow better until the time came when he showed scarcely a limp as he walked. But as the body improved, the mind grew worse, until even Harbridge and Sawyer displayed a reluctance to enter into his presence, and the widow looked askance at him. Now, nothing was more apparent than that this state of affairs must soon end. Whatever superstitious feelings restrained Zach Peters did not extend to his associates, who were liable at any moment to lose their patience and per- emptorily close the incident, as they had advocated doing upon first learn- ing of the injury the prisoner had re- ceived. : Amid the rasping perplexity, one " impressive fact forced itself upon Dick Montgomery. It was within his power to make one single attempt at escape, and only one. Failing in that, his ene- mies would never give him a chance to repeat it. It was this truth which. made him unduly timid about taking chances. Once, late at night, he essayed to steal down the ladder, and step over the sleeping bodies, and pass into the outer darkness. The windows were too nar- OF A MYSTERY. 55 row to allow the passage of his body, and the door was the only avenue. The widow was awake on the instant, and the “ king” had to make the best explanation he could and return to his couch, too much terrified to repeat the attempt. However obedient and re- spectful the woman might be to his majesty during the day time, the widow showed little of it at night, and when there was a probability of tempting the prisoner to run away. The absence of anything like fear on her part was shown when she donned her bonnet and hurried off to call upon Peters without thinking of the cap- tive’s wishes. Dick would have been glad to detain her, but the uselessness of trying to do so prevented the effort. One reason of his highly nervous condition, when, in obedience to his order, [ set out to hunt for the medicin- al herbs, was his dread that the woman would signal to some of the men in the neighborhood. He could not have pre- vented it, had she set out to do so. Previous to my intrusion upon the scene, he gained one important conces- sion, the reason for which he never fully understood. The first time he saun- tered forth unquestioned, the impulse to makea break for freedom was almost irrestrainable. The attempt would have been made had he not accidentally ‘caught a glimpse of one of his enemies stealthily following him. Montgomery gave no evidence of this discovery, but after a little more aimless wandering, he returned to the cabin, as if his jaunt had been for no other purpose than to gain a few swal- lows of fresh air. Only at intervals did he venture in the wood, and. never did he go far from home, for he was in terror of drawing a shot. In truth, the wonder is that he did not do so as it was, and he explained the circumstance on the theory that a definite date had been fixed upon for his taking off. Finally he became so desperate that he determined to drive matters to an ECOmIcoooks eco