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Show CROOKED TJRMiSl STRAIGHT COPYRIGHT. 13Y G.W. DILLoNGHAM COMPANY PART I Curly. CHAPTER I. Following a Crooked Trail. Across Dry vnlley a dust cloud had been moving for hours. It rolled Into Saguache at the brisk 1 Is of a bunch i of horses Just about the time the town , was settling Itself to supper. From i out of the henrt of It cantered a rider, who swung his pony aa on a half dob ' lar, and deflected the remiida toward Chnnn's corral. The rider was In the hroad-rlmmed felt hat, the gray shirt, the plain leather leath-er chaps of a vaquero. Under other conditions he might have been a college col-lege freshman for age, but the competent compe-tent confidence of manhood sat easily on his broad shoulders. Curly Klan-drau Klan-drau had more than once looked Into the chill eyea of death. The leaders of the herd dribbled Into the corral through the open gate, and the otbera crowded on their heels. Three more riders followed Curly into the Inclosure. One of them, a red-haired red-haired young fellow of about the game age as Curly, swung stiffly from the saddle. "Me for a square meal first off," be gave out promptly. "Not till we've finished this business, Mac. We'll put a deal right through if Warren's here," decided a third member mem-ber of the party. He was a tough-looking customer of nearly fifty. "Bad Bill" Cranston he was called, and the man , looked as If he had earned his sobrt-I sobrt-I quet. "And what If he ain't here?" snarled Lute Black well. "Are you aiming to I sit down and wait for him?" "We'll cross that bridge when ws 1 como to It," Bad Bill answered. "Curly, want to ride up to the hotel and ask If Mr. Dave Warren Is there? Bring him right down If he Is." The young man cactered up tha dusty street toward the hotel. "Thought you'd fired It with this Warren to be right on the spot so's we could unload on him prompt," Blackwel! grumbled at Cranston without with-out looking toward the latter. "I didn't promise he'd be hanging round your neck soon as you hit town," Cranston fStOftSd coolly. The owner of the corral snuntered from the Rtnlile imd gtSBSSd over the hunch of horses nullum around. "Drive till tha way from liar Douhlt-f M?" asked tha keeper, his eyes on ihiBi brand stamped on the dunk of a pou, ilrclmt; pant. Bad Mil turned iiwuy and hegun tT sneoddls. ' ''Looks like you hern hitting the ron at ii liuhl lively gnlt." hi Use cut In. "Shoulder of my bronc'.-h-iluil'ed frOSl the saddle, (lot unythluhat thnfll beat it?" "You het I have." The man hurried Sato the stnlile mid llie red headed cow-.iitn cow-.iitn liei winked ucross the Imck of his hore nt Bill. The keeper of the Stable and the JTSVnfl "'nn were still busy doctnrliU' the Mire when Cttrl) arrived with Warren War-ren The huyer was n round bodied ninn with black itmlel eyes that saw niiieii be never told The bargain be drove was a hard one, hut It did not Hike long to come to terms al about one third the value of the string be was purchasing. Very likely he hud his BU4pidOaS, but lie did not voice them. No doubt they cut n figure In lbs sflre. He lei it be understood that he wiis a supply agent for the rebate In Mexico. Before the bills wi IV warm In the pockets of the sellers, his vaqueros were mounted and were moving the reniudn toward the border Curly and Muc helped tliein get started. As they rode buck to the corral cor-ral a young man came out from the stable. Klnndrau forgot that there were reasons why he wanted Just now to he a stranger In the land with nls Identity not advertised, lie let out u shout "Oh, you, Slats Davis I" "Hello, Curly I How are tlilugs a-comln'?" "Fine. When did you blow In to Saguache? Ain't you off your run some?" They had ridden the range together and had frolicked around on u doten boyish larks. To put It mildly the meeting was likely to prove euiburrass-Ing. euiburrass-Ing. "Came down to see about getting some cows for the old man from the Plddleback outfit," Duvls explained. "You riding for the Bar Double M?" There was a momentary silence. Curly's vigilant eyes met those of his old side partner. What did Sluts know? Were his suspicious ulready active? "No, I'm riding for the Map of Texas," Flaudrau answered evenly. "Come on, Curly. Let's go feed oar faces," Mac called from the stable. Flandrau nodded. "You still with the llnsliknlfrV" he asked DavK "Still with 'em. I've been raised to assistant foreman." "Bully for you. That's great AH right, Mnc. I'm coming. That's sure great, old hoss. Well, see you later, Slats." Flnndrnu followed Mnc, dissatisfied with himself for leaving his friend so cavalierly. He guessed Slats would he hurt, but he had to think ef his partners part-ners In this enterprise. Afier supper they took a room at the hotel and divided the money Warren War-ren had paid for the horses. None of them had slept for the last fifty hours and Mnc proposed to tumble Into bed at once. Bad Rill shook his head. "1 wouldn't, Mac. Let's hit the trail nnd do our sleeping In the hills. There's too many telephone lines Into this town to suit me." "Shol Our play isn't to hike out like we were scared stiff of something. some-thing. What we want to do Is to act as If we could look every darned citizen citi-zen In the face. Mac's sure right," Curly agreed. "You kids make me tired. I'm going to dust muy pronto," Blackwell snarled. "Sure. Whenever you like. You got to split up anyhow," Mac said. Bnd Bill looked at Blackwell and nodded. "That's right We don't all want to pull a blue streak. That would be a dead give away. Let the kids stay If they want to." "So as they can round on us if they're nabbed," Blackwell sneered. Cranston called him down roughly. "That'll be enough along that line, Lute. I don't stand for any more cracks like It" Blackwell, not three months out from the penitentiary, faced the other with an ugly look in his eyes. He was always ready to quarrel, but he did not like to fight unless he had a sure thing. "Didn't mean any harm," the ex-convict ex-convict growled. "But I don't like this sticking around town." "Then I wouldn't stay If I were you," Curly suggested promptly. "Mac and I have got a different notion. no-tion. So we'll tie to Saguache for a day or two." As soon as the older men had gone the others tumbled Into bed nnd fell SPECIAL AND REGlfr Opens January 5th Pi.ctical Courses for Fair Business Men and WorV Regular Courses for Youn Desire to Workr Well Trained Special! r in All . COMP! T- .Attn uiutKP "Hold your horses, you chump," Curly sung out. "It's the hotel clerk. I left a call with him." "That you, Curly? For God's sake, let me In." Before he had got the words out the door was open. Slnts came In and shut It behind him. He looked at Flandrau. "They're after you," he said. "They're After You," He Said. "Who?" fired Curly hack at him. "The Bar Double M boys. They I Just reached town." "Put up that gun, Mac, and move I Into your clothes Immediately," or-j or-j dered Curly. Theu to Davie: "Uo on. j Unload the rest. What do they know?" "They Inquired for yoi aod your friend here down at the Legal Vender." Ven-der." "Hnve we got a chance to make oat getaway?" Mac asked. Davis nodded. "Slide out through the kitchen, cut Into the alley, and across lots to the corral. We'U lock the door and I'll hold them here long as I can." "Good boy, Slats. If there's a necktie neck-tie party you'll get the first bid," Cvrly grinned. Slnts looked at him, cold and stendy. fs Plainer than words he was telling hu former friend that he would not Joke wlih n horse thief. For the sake of old times he would save him If he could, hut he would call any bluffs about the whole thing being a lark. Cnrly'a eyes fell away. It came to him for the first time that he was no longer an honest man. Up till thii escapade he had been only wild, but now he had crossed the line tha' sep am ten decent folks from outlaws. Not another word was said while they hurried Into their clothes. But as Curly passed out of the door he called bnck huskily. "Won't forgei what you done for us, Slats." Ajjnln their eyes met Davis did not speak, but the chill look on hl fnce told Flandrau that he had lost u friend. w The two young men ran down th- back stnlrs, pnssed thrbugh the kitchen kitch-en where a Chinese cook was getting brenkfust, and out Into the bright sunlight sun-light "Won't do to be In any hurry. The play Is we're gentlemen of leisure, Jut out for an amble to get the mo'nlm; air," Curly cautioned. While they fed, watered anfl and died they swapped gossip with tin- wrangler. It would not do to leave the boy with a story of two riders In such a hurry to hit the trail thnt (hey could not wait to feed their bronchon. So they stuck It out while the BBlBMil ate. At that they shaved It fine, for as they rode away two men were coming down the street "Kite Bonflls," Curly called to hH partner. No explanation was needed. Bonflls Bon-flls was the foreman of tho Bar Double M. He let out a shout aa he caught sight of them and began to run forward. Simultaneously his gun seemed to Jump from Its holster. Mac's quirt sang and his pony leaped to a canter In two strides. A bullet zipped between them. Another struck the dust at their heels. Faintly Faint-ly there came to the fugitives the sound of the foreman's Impotent curses. They had escaped for the time. Presently they passed the lust barb wire fence and open country lay before be-fore them. It did not greatly matter which direction they followed, so long as they headed Into the desert Neither of them had ever been Id serious trouble before and both regretted re-gretted the folly that had turned their drunken spree Into a crime. They were stretched in front of the fire that evening trying to make a smoke serve Instead of supper. Mac broke a gloomy silence to grunt out Jerkily a altsa- tlon he could no longer keep to himself. him-self. "Here's where I get my walking papers, pa-pers, I reckon. No rustlers need apply." ap-ply." Curly shot a slant glance at Man. "Meaning the girl?" The red-headed puncher took front his coat pocket a photograph and showed It to his friend. The sweat clean fnce of a wholesome girl smiled at Curly, a "She's ce'tnlnly a right nice yooatg ludy. I'll bet she stands by yon sll right. Where's she live at?" "Walts In a restaurant at Toasa- stone. We was going to be marrlsd soon as we hnd saved five hundred del- lars." Mac swallowed hard. "And I hud to figure out this short cut to the money whilst I was drunk. As If sbe'd look at money raude that way." Curly tried to cheer him up, but dad not make much of a Job at It The ia- dlspntuble facts were that Mac wan nn outlaw and a horse thief. The redheaded boy rolled another cigarette despondently. "Shol I've cooked my goose. She'll not look at as even If they don't send me to tfe pen. And she's the best ever. Bar nume's Myra Anderson." They slept under a live oak with the soundness of healthy youth. For the time they forgot their troubles. Neither of them knew that aa the hours slipped awuy red tragedy was gallopiag closer to them. The sun was shining In his face when Curly wakened. He sat up Sad rubbed his eyes. Mac was nowhere In R sight. Probably he had gone to get the W horses. B A sound broke the stillness of the K desert. Klnndrau leaped to his feet, $ ji ml at the same Instant Mac eane L running over the brow of the hill. A L I smoking revolver was In his hand. K From behind the hill a gun cracked & then a second and a third. Mac m. stumbled over his feet and pitched K forward full length on the ground. II. .s K friend ran toward him, forgetting tfee K revolver thnt Iny In Its holster under ' W the live oak. Kvery moment he ex- K" pected tu see Mac Jump ap, but the 6g H ure stretehed beside the cholla never K moved. Flundrnu felt the muecles K round his henrt tighten. He hud eeen K sudden death before, but never had It B come so near home, K A bullet sent up a spurt of duet In ft front of him, another Just on the left f Killers were making a half circle ft around the knoll anil closing )n 0n jj, S In his right mind Curly would have a been properly frightened. But now he ( UtOQght only of Mnc lying there so stilt K In the sum!. Ulght Into the fire soue E be run, knelt hostile his partner and B' i lifted the red ihutelied head. A Uttle B bole showed back of the left ear and B another at the rlitht tempi.-. A bullet had plowed through the hoy's skull. Softly Flnndrau put the 1 1 hack In the sand nnd rose to his feet. The revolver of the dend puncher was In his hnnd. The riders were closing In on him. The nearest tailed to lilm to surrender. Almost nt thn NON lime red-hot pnln shot through the left arm of the tnipped rustler. Someone had nipped him from the renr. Curly mw red. Surrender DOth Ingl He would go down fighting. As fast as he could hlaze he emptied Mac's K"'i- When the smoke cleared the man nlm hnd ordered him to Rive up was SlIppInK from his horse. Curly was surprised, but he knew he must have hit him by chnnce. "We got him. His gun's empty," i ome one shouted. Cautiously they closed In. keeping Mm covered nil the time. Of a sudden the plain tilted up to meet the sky. Flnndrau felt himself swaying on his feet Everything went black. The boy hnd fnlnted. When he chimp to himself strange faces were nil nround him nnd there were no bodies to go with them. They seemed to tlont about In nn odd, casual eort of wny. Then things cleared. "He's coming to all right." one said. How is CulHsou?" This was said to another who had Just come up. "Hard hit. Looks about nil In. Got Mm In the side." The rage died out of Curly. In a flash he saw all that had come of this drunken Fpree: the rustling of the Bar Double M stock, the discovery, the death of his friend and maybe of Oulllson, the certain punishment thai would follow. He was a bona thief caught almost in the act. Perhaps he was a murderer, too. And the whole thing hnd been entirely unpremeditated. unpremedi-tated. "You've played h ," one of the men told the hoy. He wns a ra wed-off little fellow known ns Dutch, Flnndrau had Men him In the Map of Texas country a year or two before. The rest were strangers to the boy. AH of them looked at him out of hard, hostile eye-He eye-He was scarcely a human being to them; rather a wolf to be stamped out of existence ns soon as it was convenient. conven-ient. At a shift in the group Fliiiui-uu's eyes fell on his friend lying In the sand with face turned whltely to the aky he never would see again. A lump came Into the boy's throat nnd he had to work It down before he spoke. "There's a picture In Ills' pocket, and some letters, I reckon. Send them to Miss Myra Anderson, Tombstone, cure of one of the restaurants. 1 don't know which one." ".end nothln'," sneered Dutch, and coupled It with a remark no decent man makes of a woman on a guess. Because of poor Mac lying there with the little hole In his temple Curly I boiled over. With a Jerk his right urm I was free. It shot out like a pile I driver, all hie weight behind the blow. I Dutch went down as If n ehnrglng bull I had flung him. I Almost simultaneously Curly hit the I sand hard. Before he could stir three I men were struddlcd over his anatomy 1 One of them ground his head Into the 1 duat. 1 "You would, eh? We'll see nboui I that. Jake, bring yore rope." I They tied the hands of the boy. hauled him to his feet, and set him astride a horse. In the distance a I windmill of the Circle C rnnch was shining in the- morning sun. Toward fl the group of buildings clustered around I this two of his captors started with I Handrail. 1 As they rode along a fenced lune which led to the house a girl came fly-I fly-I lag down the steps. At sight of those I cowing toward her she called out I quickly: B "How Is dad?" The quiver of fear broke in her voice. C "Don't know yet. Miss Kate," an- swered one of the men. "He's right I peart, though. Suys for to tell you not to worry. We've got here the mangy son of a gun that did it." I Before he hud finished she was off I like an arrow shot from u bow, but not until her eyes had fullen on the youth sitting bnrehended nnd bloody B between the guns of his guard. Curly 3 noticed that she had given a shudder, aa one might ut sight of u mangled mad dog which bud Just bit a dear gj friend. Long after the pounding of a her pony's hoofs had died away the prisoner could see the sturtled eyes of H 'ear aud horror that had rested on His guards put Flandruu In the hunk- f- house and one of them sat at the door with a rifle across his knees. The cook, B the stable boy, and red-headed Boh K Oulllson, a nephew of the owner of the R ' an' h. peered past the vuquero at the ff aptive with the sume awe they would W 0B. have yielded to a caged panther. K "Why, he's only a kid, Buck," the K" cook whispered. Buck chewed tobacco Impassively. K "Old enough to be a rustler and a Kc Bob'l blue eyes were wide with ln- ffi teivst. "I'll ba he's n regular Billy W the Kid." murmured the half-grown B hoy to tin' other lad. B "Sure. Course he Is. lie's got hud W e m all right." V ' I'll be) lie's got notches on his gun. E Kay, If Fneie Luck die" Bob lofl K- result to the Imagination, g The excitement at the Circle 0 in- K creased Horses cantered up. .Men luted to each other the news. Oc- K ei-ioually tome one came 111 tO have W: look at the "bad man" who bad shot ft Luck Cullisun. Young Wandrnu lay B' on col and stored at the celling, B. paying no more attention t thorn thun If they had heeu blocks of wood. Kl-",, The crunch of waou wheels over disintegrated grnnitc drifted to tin, hunkhouoe, "They're bringing the boss bark, Bool announced from the door to one i'f bis visitors. The man Joined him nnd kinked oref Ids shoulder. "Mjss Kate there loo'."' "Yep. Say. if the old man don't pull through It will break her all up." The hoy on the bed turned his fare to the wall, lie hail not cried for t II years, but now he would have liked the relief of tears. A big lump rose In his throat and would not stay down. The Irony of it wns that he wns singed for the pnrt of a gray wolf M lb howl, while he felt more like n liltle ch'ld that has lost Its last friend. After a time there came ngaln the crisp roll of wheels. "Doc Brown," announced Buck casually cas-ually to the other men In the bunk h Vise. There wns more thnn one nnxlOUf heart at the Circle 0 waiting foe the verdict of the bow legged, bahlheaded little man with the satchel, but DO) one of them no, not even Kate Oil llson herself wns In n colder feai than Flandrau, for If Culllson should die he knew that he would follow blm within n few hours. These men would tnke no chances with the delays of the law. The turn nt the DUflkhOUOa hnd of fered more thnn once to look at Cur ly's arm, hut the young innn declined curtly. The bleeding hud stopped, but there wus a throb In It as If some one were twisting a redhot knife In the wound. After a time Doctor Brown shOWOd up In the doorway of the on 0 -quarters. "Another patient here, they toll me." he grunted In the brusque way Hint failed to conceal the kindest of hearts "Let's have a look at your arm, young fellow," the doctor. ordered. "Whnt about the boss?" naked Jake presently. "Tell you more tomorrow morning." "Do you mean that he- that be may not get well?" Curfy pumped out, his voice not quite steady. Doctor Brown looked nt him curious I.V. Somehow this boy did not lit the sped (lent ions of the desperado that had been poured Into his ears. "Don't know yet. Won't make any promises." Be ,.l( (,,,,, examining the wound In a businesslike way "Looks like the bullet's still In there. Have to give you an anesthetic while I dig It out." "Nothln' doing," retorted Flandrau. "You round up the pill In there and I'll stand the grief. When this lead hypodermic hypo-dermic Jahhed Into my nrm It sorter gave me one of them unnie-whnt-d'-ye-cull-'em and one's a-plenty for me." "It'll hurt," the little man explained. "Expect I'll find that out. (Jo to It." Brown hud not beeu for thirty years carrying a medicine case across the dusty deserts of the frontier without learning to know men. He made no further protest but set to work. Twenty minutes later Curly lay back on the hunk with a sudden falntness. He was very white about the lips, but be had not once flinched from the Instruments. In-struments. The prisoner glunced toward his guards and his voice fell to a husky Say, Doc. Pull Cullison Through." arhlflpor. "Suy. Doc. Pull Culllson I through. Don't let him die." "I Imp! Do my best, young fellow. Seems to me you're thinking of that pretty late." Brown took up his medicine case and went buck to the house. CHAPTER II. At the End of the Road. Curly's wooden face told nothing of what he was thinking. The first article ar-ticle of the Creed of the frontier Is to be game, flood or bad, the last test of a man Is the way he takes his modi cine. So now .voting Flandrau ate his dinner wth a hearty appetite, smoked cigarette! Impassively, nnd occasional y .hatted with his guamls casually and as a matter of course. I p with In lilm was a terrible feeling of sickness sick-ness at the disaster that had overwhelmed over-whelmed him. but he did not Intend to play the quitter. s the day began to wear out two riders from the liar Double M reached ii. I, and were brought In to Men- lfj him as tie bore, thief. The two , Mil I one J and Kile Bosnia, neither f !. m friends of the young rustler. Phe foreman In particular was a wet intikei to id- chan "Vou've got the right man all right," ,,- mild I" Buck without answering ,. i,,' n u cool nod of ri cognition "What sort of u reputation has he got?" Buck nsked, lowering his vo.ee s little. Kite did not tnke the trouble to low er his. "Bad. Always been a tough character. Friend of Bad Bill Cranston ! and Soapy Stone." "I don't know anything against the : kid, barring that he's been a little wild," Mnloney testified. "And I reckon we ain't any of us prino Sunday school winners for that aintter." As Buck turned to leave the bunk house the boy touched him on the nrm "How about Culllson?" lie asked very low. But Buck would not have It Hun ' way. "What about blm?" he deninnd ed out loud, his voice grating llkt steel when It grinds. "Is he how Is he doing?" "What's eatln' you? Ain't he dying fast enough to suit you?" Flandrau shrank from the cruel words, as a schoolboy does from his , teacher when he Jumps at him with a cane. It wns then that Mnloney mnde n friend of the young ninn for life. He let a hand drop carelessly on Curly's shoulder nnd looked nt him with n friendly smile In his eyes. Just ns If ' lie knew that this was no wolf but a pom- dog up against it hard. "Doc thinks he'll make It all right." But there were times when Curly wondered whether It would make any ' difference to blm whether Culllson got well or not. Something immediate was In the air. Public opinion wus sifting , down to a decision. Most of these men were up to the average for the milk I human kindness. They were the squnrest citizens In Arlsona. But Flandrau Flan-drau knew they would snuff out his life Just the same If they decided It : was best. Afterward they might regret re-gret It, but that WOUld not help blm. Darkness came, and the lnmps were lit. Again Curly nte nnd smoked nnd chntted n little with his captors. But us he sut there hour after hour, feeling feel-ing death creep closer every minute, cold shivers ran up nnd down Ids spine. They began to question lilm, at first casually and carelessly, so It seemed to Curly. But presently he discerned a drift In the tulk. They were trying to find out who hnd been his partners In the rustling. "And I reckon Soupy and Bad Bill left you lads at Saguache to hold the sack," Burt suggested sympathetically. Curly grew wary. He did not Intend to betray Ills nccomplices. "Wrong guess. Soapy und Pad Bill weren't In this deal," he answered easily. The foreman Of the Bur Double M interrupted Impatiently, tired of trying I to pump out the Information by I finesse. "You've got to speak, Flan-(lrnu. Flan-(lrnu. You've got to tell us who was ' engineering this theft. Fiiderstnnd?" The young rustler looked at the grim frowning face and his heart sunk. "out with it," ordered Buck. "Oh, I expect I'll keep Hint under i my hnt," Curly told them lightly. They were crowded about him In a half circle, nearly a score of hard leather faced plainsmen Some of them were riders of the Circle C out-! out-! tit. Others hud ridden over from neighboring ranches. All of them ' plainly meunt business. "Think again, Curly," advised Swce ney quietly. "The boys ain't trifling about this thing. They mean to find out who wus In Hut rustling of the Bur Double M stock." "Not through me, they won't." "Through you. And right now." A dozen times during the evening Curly bud crushed down the desire to beg for mercy, to cry out desperately for them to let him off. Me had kept lellitig himself not to show yellow, (hut it would not last long. Now the fear of breaking down sloughed from bis soul. He rose from the bed und looked round at the hrosvn faces circled cir-cled about him In the shine of the lamps. "I'll not tell you a thing not a thing." He stood there chalk-faced, his lips so dry that he had to keep moistening them with the tip of his tongue. Dutch hud a new rope In his hand with n loop at one end. He tossed It over the boy's head and drew It taut. Two or three of the fuces In the circle were almost as bloodless as that of the prisoner, but they were set to see Hie thing out. "Will you tell now?" Bonflls nsked. Curly met him eye to eye. "No." "Come along, then." One of the men caught his arm at I the place where he had been wounded. The rustler flinched. "Careful, Buck. Don't you see you're hurting his bud arm?" Sweeney said sharply. "I didn't aim to hurt him," Buck defended de-fended himself. Curly's senses had never been more alert. He noticed that Buck had on a red necktie that hud got loose from his shirt and climbed up his neck. It had black polka dots and wns badly frayed. Sweeney was chewing tobacco. He would have that chow in his mouth after they had finished what they were going to do. "Ain't he the games! ever?" some one hispered. The rustler heard the words und tbey braced bin as a drink of whlak) does a mini who has been on a had spree. "latter do It at the cottnnwoods i' -wii by the creek," Buck told Bonllls In a low voice. The foreman of the I 1 1 r Double M moved Ids head In assent. "All right. Let's gal it over Quick aa wo can." A sound of Hying feet came frmu oil.-ale. Someone sinothiied an oath of surprise. Kate Cull! ton stood In the d.'orwuy, ull out of breath and panting. "What Is It?" Thej had not a word to say for themselves. In that room were some of Uie most cullous hearts in the ter ritory. Not one ninn In a million could have fned them, but this slender girl diiuifounded them. Her gnr.e settled set-tled OB Buck. His wandered for help to Sweeney, to Jake, to Kite Bonflls. "Now look n here, Miss Knte," Sweeney began to explnln. But she swept his remonstrnnce aside. , No No!" Her vol-e gnthered strength with ench repetition of the "I Won't Have It." word. "I won't hnve It. Whnt nre you thinking about?" "lie's a rustler, Miss Kute; belongs to Soapy Stone's outfit," Sweeney un-IWOfOd un-IWOfOd the girl. "Can you prove It?" "We. got him double cinched." "Then let the law put him in prison." "He shot yore paw," Buck reminded her. "Is that why you're doing It?" "Yes'm." and "Tbnt's why," they nodded. Ltki a Hash she took advantage of their admission. "Then I've got more against him than you have, and I say turn him over to the Inw." Kile pushed forwnrd, rough nnd overbearing. "Now see here. We know what we're doing and we know why we're doing It. This ain't any business busi-ness for a girl to mix In. You go buck to the house nnd nurse your fnther Hint this mail shot." "So It Isn't the kind of business for a girl," she answered scornfully. "It's work for n man, Isn't It? No, not for one. For nine eleven thirteen seventeen sev-enteen big brave strong uien to hang one poor wounded boy." At that an amused laugh rippled out. It came from Muloney. He was leaning against the door Jumb with his hands In his pockets. Nobody had noticed no-ticed him before. He hud come in after the girl. When Curly came to think It over luter, If he hnd been given three guesses us to who hnd told KHte Culllson whnt was on the program pro-gram he would have guessed Mnloney each time. "Now that you've relieved your mind proper, Miss Culllson, I expect any of the boys will be glud to escort you buck to the house," Kite suggested with an ucld smile. "What hnve you got to do with this?" she named, "Our boys took him. They brought him here as their prisoner. Do you think we'll let you come over into this county and dictate dic-tate everything we do?" "I've go! a notion tucked nway that you're trying to do the dictating your own self," the Bar Double M man contradicted. con-tradicted. "I'm not. But I won't stand by while you get these boys to do murder." mur-der." Kite laughed snrcastleally. "You hear your boss, boys." "You've hud yore suy now, Miss Knte. I reckon yen hotter suy goodnight," good-night," advised Buck. She handed Buck und his friends her compliments in a swlfl flow of fend nine feroclly. Mnloney pushed Inlo the circle. "She's dead right, boys. There's nothing noth-ing to this lynching game. He's only a kid." The tide of opinion was shifting. Those who had been worked up to the lynching by the arguments of Bonn began to resent Ids activity. Flnndrau was their prisoner, wusn't he? No use going off half-cocked. Some of them were discovering that they were not half so anxious to hang him as they had supposed. The girl tuned to her friends and neighbors. "I oughtn't to have talked to you that way, but you know how worried I am about dad," she apologized apolo-gized with a catch In her breuth. "I'm sure you didn't think or you would never hnve done anything to trouble me more Just now. You know I didn't half mean It." She looked from one to another, her eyes shiny with tears. "I know thut no braver or kinder men live thnn you. Why, you're my folks. I've been brought up among you. And so you've got to forgive me." Some suld "Sure," others told her to forget It, und one grass widower drew a laugh b.v saving thai her lit t lo spiel reminded him of happier days. "I'm so glad you've changed your minds. I knew you would when you thought It over." she told them chattily chat-tily and confidentially. She was taking their assent for granted. Now she walled and guve them a chance to chorus their agreement. agree-ment. None of them spoke except Ma loney. Most of them were with her in sympathy but none wanted to be tlret la giving way. She looked around from one to another, an-other, still cheerful and sure of her ground apparently. Two steps brought her directly In front of one. She caught blm by the lapels of his cent nnd looked strnlgh! Into his eyes. "You hnve changed your mind, haven't you, Jake?" The big Mlssourlnn twisted his lint In embarrassment. "Sure. YVhafever's right suits me." "Well, you know what Is right, don't you?" "I expect." "Then you won't hurt this man, our prisoner?" "I haven't a thing against blm If you haven't." "Then you won't hurt him? You won't stand by and let the other boys do tt?" "Now, Miss Kate" She burst Into sudden tears. "I thought you were my friend, but now I'm In trouble yon you think only of making It worse." Juke gnve In Immediately and the rest followed like a flock of sheep. Two or three of the promises came hard, but she did not stop till ench one Individually had pledged himself. The young man she had saved could not keep his eyes from her. He would have liked to kneel down and kiss the edge of her dress nnd put his curly bend In the dust beforo her. The Ice In his heart hnd melted In the wnrmth of n groat amotion. She was standing close to him talking to Buck when he spoke In a low voice. "I reckon I can't tell you how much I'm oblige;! to you, miss." She drew back quickly as If he hnd been n snnke about to strike, her hnnd Instinctively gathering her skirts so that they would not brush against him. "I don't want your thanks," she told him, nnd her voice wa like tho drench of nn Icy wnve. But when she saw the hurt In his eyes she hesltnted. Perhaps she gUOaaed that ho was human nfter all, for nn Impulse carried her forwnrd to take the rope from his neck. While his heart beat twice her Roft Angers touched his thront nnd grazed his cheek. Then she turned und wns gone from the room. It was a long time before the bunk-house bunk-house quieted, Ouriy, faint with woaii- ness, lay down and tried to sleep IIK nrm was paining a good dent and he felt feverish. The men of Hie Circle C and their guests sat down and argued the whole thing over. But nfter nft-er it time the doctor came In and hud the patient curried to the house. He wus put In a good clean bed and his arm dressed ugnln. The doctor brought lilm good news. "Culllson Is doing fine. Ho ought to make It all right." Curly thought about tho girl who bud fought for his life. "You'll not let him die, Doc," be begged. "He's too tough for that, Luck Culllson Cul-llson Is." Presently Doctor Brown gave him a sleeping powder and left him. Soon after that Curly feU asleep and dreamed ubout a slim dark girl with fine long lushed eyes that could be both tender und ferocious. (This thrilling story will be continued con-tinued in the next issue of The Kec ord. A good serial story, selected from the works of the best contemporary contem-porary authors, will henceforth lie n regular feature of The Record, and will alone be worth the subscription price of the paper. See that your subscription is kept paid in advance, and do not miss a single number.) |