Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

ij~ TEXAS Carrington had started to the branch. Mary Ann faintly heard the calls of her friends, but she could make no reply. She had not heard Paul’s whispers to Jude because the cautious creole had spoken so softly; and she did not know who held her. But through instinct she divined the identity of the man in whose throbbing arms she lay; and, it was characteristic of her that anger surged much more strongly in her than did fear. The horses were first walked very cau- tiously. Their hoofs had been muffled; but, in spite of everything, a certain amount of noise was made. Had it not been that, at just this time, Thetis Carrington was com- pletely absorbed in her efforts to kill the panther, she would|probably have heard the fugitives. For the moment De Cardac believed that her shots were directed against themselves. He urged-his horse into a gallop, and Jude did likewise, although the mulatto remarked that the commotion was from the far side of the house and over in the direction of the branch. . Then De Cardac recalled the panther and the fright of the negroes. He had been near enough to the house to overhear all the con- _ versation which had taken place when the terrified water-carriers returned. He explained the affair to Jude and then suggested that he thought it safe to pause for a moment and properly gag the prisoner. “« She’s breathing so hard that i’m afraid something awful will happen if I keep this coat over her head much longer,” he an- nounced. “Pve got a gag made,” Jude replied, “but be mighty careful. She’ll holler if she gets a chance.” “J think we are far enough away,” Paul persisted. He was afraid that Mary Ann was already suffocated. He took the coat from her head. She had suffered considerably, the first intake of breath hurt her and she struggled away from the man in whose arms she lay. One cry she gave: “ Paul!”. Then her eyes caught sight of Jude and she was struck dumb. The mulatto took advantage of this mo- ment to insert the gag between her teeth. 467 FEVER. She, at first, made no effort to resist and, wheneshe came to herself sufficiently to struggle, it was too late. Her eyes stared at the murderer and she trembled; for now she realized the enormity of her danger. The mulatto glared ma- liciously back, then without a word he re- mounted and the cavalcade resumed its flight through the night. The chill air blew about them. A wind was Sweeping over the prairies and the grass bent and flowed beneath it like black sheets of water. A strange expectancy hung over the fields as though a storm were brewing. The man against whose breast she rested held her more tightly as they galloped for- ward. She felt his body’s heat flowing into her. It was offensive to her, but she could not draw away. From time to time, she would look at him in an attempt to make her eyes speak her aversion; but, whenever she did so, De Cardac would lean down and kiss her defenseless cheek or throat or hair. Angrily, she attempted to protect herself, but it was all vain. She was too firmly bound. The ride continued. Neither of the men spoke. Jude was slightly in ad: vance, and-did not look back. De Cardac was fast being roused to a frenzy of passion. He was like a drunken man and the captive woman was terrified by the prospect of the awful fate which: she felt steadily advancing toward her. Once Jude looked at them; and, with a meaning leer, suggested that it was now quite safe to take“ the stopper ” from her mouth. Paul was on the verge of doing this, but he was afraid. “ Her cries might be heard,” he remarked, ruefully gazing upon the lips which the gag protected from his amorous assaults, For a long while they rode. The night had now become sinister in its hushed silence. The wind had ceased, but a storm was gathering. Could it be possible, thought Mary Ann, that this was really herself? Was she really here, riding across these prairies? And how had De Cardac and Jude come together? What was their object? Whither were they taking her? Would Fred’ever find her; and if he did, would it be too late? commiclooolks.conn