I i b br bA I U A j i r r lUu 1 I 8 S Si i e I tIt C a ry rys s j s A Continued from last Jut Sunday I Banks Bank says saS Im sheriff of this and will be a long time yet yetI I took the papers from his breast k pocket continued Kennedy You ct can n ns t f t s a where he was hit Kennedy laid r l tb the sheriffs packet on the table Bucks drew Anew his chair forward and with his cigar between his hiM fingers picked the thep paek p t up and opened o it Kennedy w want fit t on Ed told Sinclair It if he land him himself that he knew a man who could and would before he was a week older He meant you Gordon GonIon and tile the List lat thing thins Ed told me was wu that he wante you to serve the papers papera on Sin Sinclair clair clairA A silence fell on the company One i of ef f th Ute the documents passing under Bucks Hand laRd caught ht his eye and he opened it It was wu the warrant for tor Sinclair He read it without comment folded it and leaking at Whispering Smith pushed it toward him Then this thia 1 I guest guess g Gor Gordon don Aoa belongs to you Starting from a reverie Whispering Smith th reached for the warrant He looked for a moment at the blood caption Yes he said aid this I guess cue belongs to me p F CHAPTER Duty The stir in the town over the shoot Sac tec of Banks seemed to Marion Mazlon in her herto to point an accusing linger finger at ather atThe ather her The disgrace of what she had felt f it herself powerless to prevent now on her mind and she asked y herself herMIt whether after aH aU the responsibility n of this murder was not upon her ker Even Sven aside this painful I S doubt she bore lore the name of the man who ho had savagely defied accountability sid MM now ROW it seemed to her was w dragging her with him through the slough Blough of ot kis d and dishonor into which he be had plunged pluMed Tile The wretched thought would return that hoc bile she listened to him had she to go away this thia outbreak t have been prevented And what terror might not another day bring what lives still closer to her life lite be betaken taken For herself her elf she cared less leu lilt but she ana knew kne that Sinclair now that he Its hud had begun n would not stop atop In whichever way her thoughts turned wretchedness was upon them and the toy day went in one of those despairing nod and indecisive battles that each one within wIO n his own heart must fight SIght at times with heaviness and doubt called her over the tele telephone teleSe phone Se In the afternoon to say that he was WU going lOing west est on the evening train and would not be over for supper aup r Sue he wished he could have come for her lowliness began to be insupportable Toward sunset she put on her hat and started for tor the po In the meantime Dicksie at home had called McCloud up and told film Mm she was 8 com corn coming lag ing J down for the night eight He immediately canceled his plans for going west and when Marion Marlon returned at dusk she SM found him with Dicksie at the cottage Tire The Tn three had supper Afterward Dick ale and McCloud went out for fr a walk and Marion Marlon was alone in the house when the shop hop door opened ope ed and Whis Whispering paring Smith walked in It was dusk Dont light the lamps Marion Marlon he her r aid w sitting down on a counter stool as aslie lie bs took off oft his hat bat I want to talk to you Just ju t a minute if you dont mind You know what has happened I am amon Called on now to go after Sinclair I 1 have tried to avoid it but my hand band has hasI bee ii forced Today Ive been placing I i I am going to ride to night with f U the warrant I 1 have given him a start J t DC sit hours bours hoping he may get out of the country To stay here 1 means only death to him in the end endI I and what is 18 worse the killing of more and innocent men But he be wont leave leaver r the Ut country do you ou think he will willOh willi willOh i Oh I do not know I 1 am afraid he het t will not notI ft I do not think I 1 have ever hesitated r before at any call tall of this kind nor at whet what such a call will probably bl some sometime sometime sometime time mean me n but this man I 1 have haves s known since sinos we were boys boysIf If It I 1 had never seen een him That brings up another point that ha been worrying me all day I could tOt not help what you OU have had to togo togo togo go through in this country It is a aYou aC aI ai aJ aYou aa a C 1 I T rv i d is i 1 I 4 t i it J t 1 I t You Must Do Your Duty tough country count for tor any woman Your people and mine were always close clo e to and I have felt bound to do wh what wt t I 1 GOuld could to 00 toa a Dont be afraid d to say it make my tk easier ter t 3 e like Uke that though theres there keen basis real doing dolne What this situa situation tion t D in which Sinclair is ill now ROW placed rely Majr soli wi mean man to you OU I 1 do not know wow ht bRt I 1 would not add a straw to the thet weight t of your troubles I 1 came cam to tot t to ask uk a plain question que If he hes s deSHt leave the country I have got gotte gotte te to moat meet him You know what in all aU y human probability that will mean man Prom From such a meeting only one of us usi i oats eon come back Which shall shan it be beIm beIm beI I Im afraid a nUd I dont understand you jou ou J do you ask me this question How can canI I know which it shall be bt What is it itou 1 1 you ou mean ean 4 I 1 mean I will not take Uk his hii life in a H Hi I i tight fight if it comes come to that if you ou I would rather he should come come back backA f T A sob almost refused an answer to him How Bow Ho can you ou ask ek sk me so 50 S 11 I a question 7 TI a r ra a It is a question that means a good deal to me of course and I dont know just what it means to you that thatis is the point I am up against I may have no choice in the matter but I must decide decide what to try to do if I 1 have nave one AmI Am I to remember first that he is your husband There was wu a silence allenee What shall I Isay say what can I say ay God help me how am I to answer a question like that How am I to answer It ItHer ItHer ItHer Her voice was wu low Jow and pitiful when her bel answer came You must do your duty What is my duty then To serve llerve the paper that has ba been given to tome tome tome me I 1 know but not necessarily to defend de defend defend fend my life lite at the price of his The play of a chance lies in deciding that I 1 can keep the chance or give it If away that is for your to say Or take the question of duty again You are alone and your friends are few I any duty dut toward you perhaps I dont know a womans heart I 1 used to think I 1 did but I 1 dont My Iy dutto this com company company company pany that I 1 work for is only the duty of a servant ervant If I 1 go another takes my place it means nothing except taking one name off the pay py roll and putting another on Whatever he may have done this man is your husband if his death would cause cUie you a pang it shall not be laid kid at my door We ought to understand each other on that point fairly before I start tonight ht Can you ask me whether you ought not to take every means to defend your own life Ufe or whether any an consideration tion ought to come before that I think not I should be a wicked woman if I were to wish evil to him wretched as he has lias made me I am a wretched woman whichever way I 1 turn But I should be less than human if I 1 could say y that to me your death would not be bea bea a cruel cruel blow blo There was a moment of silence Dicksie understood you to say that you were in doubt as to fo whether you ought to go away with him when he asked you to go That is why I 1 was un unsettled unsettled settled in my mind The only reason why I 1 doubted was that I thought by going I 1 might save better lives than mine I 1 could willing willingly ly give up my m life Ufe to do that But to stain it by going back to such a man God help me mc meI I 1 think I understand If Uthe the unfortunate unfortunate unfortunate should happen before I 1 come comeback comeback comeback back I hope only this That you ou will not hate me because 1 I am the man on whom the responsibility has fallen I 1 sought BOught It ft And if I 1 should not come back at all it is only goodbye He saw her clasp her hands convulsively convulsively sivel I 1 will wili not say it I 1 will pray prayon on my knees knead kne i that you do Jo come back Good night Marion Marlon Some one is at atthe atthe atthe the cottage door It is probably bly Mr Ir McCloud and Dicksie D I will let them in CHAPTER McCloud and Dicksie met them at atthe atthe atthe the porch door Marion Marlon unnerved went directly to her room Whispering ering Smith stopped to speak to Dicksie and McCloud interposed Bob Scott tele telephoned telephoned telephoned phoned the office just now he had a man manfrom manfrom manfrom from Oroville who wanted to see you right away ay Gordon said he I told him to send him over here It is Wick wire repeated Whispering Smith has no business here that I 1 know of ot no doubt it is something I 1 ought to know of And by br the way you ought to see this man he said turning again to Dick Dicksie sie If McCloud tells the story right is a sort of of ot yours ours Miss hiss Dicksie though neither of you seems to have known It He Is the tramp cowboy who was smashed up in inthe inthe inthe the wreck at Smoky creek He is not a abad abad abad bad man but whisky you know beats beets some decent men A footstep fell feU on the porch There he comes now I reckon Shall I let him In a minute Oh I should like to see him He has been at the ranch at different times you know Smith opened the door and stepping out on the porch talked with the newcomer new newcomer newcomer comer In a moment he brought him himin himIn himin in Dicksie had seated herself hersel on the sofa McCloud stood In the doorway of the dining room and Whispering Smith laid one arm on the table as he sat down beside it with his face above the dark shade of the lamp Before him stood The half light threw him up tall and dark but it showed the heavy he shock of black hair falling over his forehead and the broad brood thin face of a mountain man He has Just been telling me that Is loose Whispering Smith ex a i pleasantly Who turned the trick Sheriff Coon and a deputy jailer started with for Medicine Bend this morning Coming through Horse Eye canyon Murray Sinclair and Barney got a clean drop on them took and they all rode I off together They make any I bones about it either Their gang gangI has got lots Jots of friends over oer there you I know They rode into Atlantic Atlant City I and stayed over oer an hour Coon tracked them then there and got up a of oC six men The three were standing in front frontI I of the bank when the sheriff rode into I town Sinclair and Se grue got Ot on their horses and started off went back to get another drink When he came out of the saloon he gave the posse pone a gunfight all by himself and wounded two men and made his hta hi get getaway getaway away awa Whispering Smith shook his head and his hand fell on the table with a tired tied laugh Barney Barne he murmured of all an men Coward skate Barney Barne man sneak barnyard thief Hit two men He turned to McCloud What kind of a wizard wiArd is Murray Murr Sinclair What sort of ot toxin does dO l he throw Into his gang ng to draw drw out oot a spirit like Uke that Murray Sinclair be belongs belongs longs to a race rate of oC By heavens heaven it is pitiful a man like Jike that should be out of a JOB jo England Mc McCloud McCloud McCloud Cloud needs him And here he is hold holdIng holdIng Ing ng up p trains on the mountain divis division division I ion IonI I The They are all up at Oroville with the Williams ra Ca ache he gang gan celebrating con continued continued Whispering t ng Smith looked at the cow eow cowboy boy boj b Wid kw vire ire you made a good ride rde and I J thank think you You are all right This is IP the young oung lady and this Is theman the theman th man mm who had kId you rou sent to the hospital from frem Sm Smoky K reek creek he added rising You can thank them for picking you up When you leave here tell Bob Scott to meet me at the with the horses at 11 will you He turned to Dicksie in IR a gentle genUe aside Iam I Iam Iam am riding north tonight I wish wi you ou were going part way Dicksie le looked at him intently You are worried over something sh she mur murmured murmured murmured i I cap can see ee it in your face Nothing more than usual I thrive you know on trouble and Im sorry to say MY good night early but brit I have havea a long ride ahead He stepped quiet quietly ly put pest McCloud and out of the door was thanking Dicksie when unwillingly she let Whispering Smiths hand slip out of her own I shore have been here to tonight tonight night if you two picked me up i laughed speaking softly to Dicksie le when she turned to him Ive my friends a long time but I 1 reckon they all know me m Ive known you longer than you think returned Dicksie DIck le with a smile Ive seen een you at the But now no that we really do know each other please remember you are al always a ways sure of a home at the ranch whenever you yoo want one Mr 1111 Wick wire and just as long as you want one We never forget our friends on the Crawling Stone If It I 1 may make so bold I 1 thank you kindly And if you all will let me run runaway runaway runaway away now I want to catch Mr Whis Whispering Smith for just One minute overtook Smith in 10 Fort street Talk quick W he be said Im in a hurry What do you want Partner Ive always played fair with you So far as 8 I 1 know yes yea Why Ive got a favor to ask What is IB it money No partner not money this time Youve always been more than liberal with me But so 50 far Ive had to keep under cover cover you asKed me to I 1 Vant want to ask the privilege now of coming out into the open The jig is up so far as watching anybody goes Yes Theres nobody to watch any more all to chase chate I 1 reckon now The open is my kind of a fight anyway I want to ride out this manhunt with you How Hm is your arm My arm is all right and there ought to be a place for me in the chase now that Ed Banks is out of it I 1 want to cut loose loom up on the range anyhow if Im a man I want to know It and If I 1 aint I 1 want ta to t know it I want to ride with you after atter and Sinclair and Barney Whispering Smith spoke coldly You mean you want to get killed Why partner If Its coming to me meI I 1 dont mind yes hats the use WI If It Im a man I want to know It if I 1 aint its time tim my friends it it Anyhow Im man enough to work out with some of oC that gang Most of them have hae put It over me some time or an another another another other Sinclair pasted me like a black blackbird blackbird blackbird bird only the other day They all say Im nothing but a damned tramp You say Ive Ie done you ou service give me a ashow ashow ashow show Whispering Smith stopped S sto Ped a minute In the shadow of a tree and looked keenly at him Im too busy tonight to say much he said after a moment You go over to the barn and report to Bob Scott If you want to take the chances it Is up to you and if Bob Scott Is agreeable Ill use you where I 1 oan all I 1 can prom promise lee ise You will probably have more than one chance to get killed CHAPTER Among the Coyotes Orville Oroville once marked farthest north for the Peace river gold camps but with mining long ago abandoned it now marks furthest south for a rustlers camp being a favorite resort for the people of ot the Williams Cache Cathe country Oroville boasts that it has never sur surrendered surrendered surrendered rendered and that It has never been cleaned out It has moved and been moved up stream and down and from bank to bank benk It has been burned out and blown away and lived on wheels but it has never suffered the loss of its identity Whispering Smith well dusted with alkali rode up to