Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/122

106 he demanded of his men, as he came up into the room. "The rascal is here somewhere, there is n't any question about that, and the women know where he is, too!"

At his words Hannah and her mother quickly seized the guns that were leaning against the wall of the room, and though their faces were deadly pale, there was an expression on each that betrayed a determination that apparently was not without its effect on the visitors.

"Not yet, Claud," said one of the men. "We have n't gone through the house yet. The girl was coming down the stairs when we came in. It may be she has put the young rascal somewhere up there. Let's take a look upstairs before we do anything more."

"All right. You stay here, Jim," replied the leader, "and I 'll go up and help a bit there. Come on," he added, turning to the others as he spoke.

The men passed quickly up the stairs and were heard moving about in the room above. With her gun still in her hands, Hannah suddenly darted up the stairway, and standing near the top, watched the men as they proceeded with their search. Chairs were overturned and the few articles in the room were