Show A PLUCKY WIFE how she saved her husband from judano lynch t sage bar was excited six horses were missing from bill hines drove fifteen minutes after bill had reported his loss at the bar a party had found the trail and ridden off toward the southwest presently as they were crossing a wet bit of land in a hollow bill who led the party looked sharply at the hoof prints sunk deep in the soil and reined up quickly look at the shoe mark he exclaimed pointing gr down clown at the trall trail by guns its the en easterners t boss 0 sa shoe ejaculated sam pike after an in instants scrutiny of the hoof prints among which were several larger than the rest showing the clear impress of a shoe achoe the others were those thos of unshod horses then the party scanned the marks closely then the mn min looked at each other with ugly frowns well said bill tentatively at last no one answered for a moment then sam remarked it looks bad for ther easterner sure anyone got boss shoes like them in tv th district capt him im sorry f th fellers put his head in a ropes end boys but well have ter foller him up go 90 bac back k A couple of the party volunteered the men separated part of them moved forward on the trail the oth ers turned their horses at right I 1 angles to the former line of march and loped i on toward the easterners cabin the easterner otherwise jack craig of whom they had been speaking had I 1 been in sage bar only a short timo time he was a tender tenderfoot foots out and out when I 1 he oame came to the bar he brought his wife with him she was a bright pretty little woman but they hardly knew her in the settlement craig always had been ro reserved served and tap cyp twp iza kept by themselves in the little cabin which stood a mile or BO way away from town so sage bar had come to consider the pair a queer lot and to designate them as the easterner an his wife which was intended to be ba anything but complimentary whon when the trailing party reined up I 1 in n front of craigs cabin thay found the e object of their search sitting on a 10 log 9 before the door smoking from hn his dress be spattered with mud mad it was evident that he had just returned from riding the party exchanged glances of understanding sam Pike came to the point at once craig he said yer wanted down ter ty th bar 1 that demanded the easterner angrily yr yer wanted down ter thuarl th barl sam repeated for hoss boss lingl he added craigs face was alame aflame in the instant he sprang from his seat throwing back his hand to biship his hip but the others had him covered and his hand dropped loosely by his side again its a ue lie he said and you know IV it just then a comans womans figure appeared in the cabin doorway it was craigs craig wife the matter she questioned anxiously seeing her husbands i attitude craig spoke up quickly go back dolly got up a dirty sto story ry about me and want me to go to the dar bar but ill come back in a little while sam had a great fear of tongues and tears and immediately ordered craig to mount a horse which another man at a word secured from the stable near by the woman had bad looked on dumbly seeming hardly to comprehend what was taking place but as she saw her husband walk over toward tho the horse she ran to him and throw threw both arms about him holding him ti tight to her he unclasped her arms gently after an instants instant and mounted the horse and turning in the saddle waved his hand to her then they rode away and after they had gone a piece sam looked back and saw the woman still standing there her hands loosely locked before her watching them with wide open eyes ashes grit ter th backbone muttered that worthy and lashed his horse into a gallop all sage bar crowded around the party when they drew rein in town and there were some who would have strung craig up on tho the spot when sam had told the story sage bar was in that stage of progress where horse stealing was a capital offense and a short shrift was granted to offenders but bat sams protest that nothing should be done until the hines party returned was heeded and the prisoner was put in au an empty cabin tied hand band and foot several of the men agreeing to stand fenard the afternoon waned away and evening came and the hines party did not malce its appearance so craig was given something to eat beat and then was fastened tightly once more and thi the e men rolled themselves up in their wan blankets in front of the cabin about eleven 0 jo stetson on guard beetson sat himself down dou on a stump and alid lit a pipe ard and with his rifle across his knees fell to chinkin thinking 9 about some mavericks he haab had branded ran ded that day presently he imagined he heard a soft r 0 O ft step from the prairie he raised his head and listened just then the moon showed a rim beyond a sailing cloud and its light fell on a figure a wora wom ans figure making its way toward the cabin stetson roke to his feet letting his rifle butt arl di op on the ground and curiously surveyed ir y the woman who was close to him now nov it was the easterners wife Is he in there she said her ber voice trembling a bit yes answered stetson cant I 1 see him she asked only for a moment she added cant do it marm said stetson decidedly for a moment she was quiet looking longingly toward forward the cabin and clasp ing and unclasping her hands softly the ina man 1 hoped she would go ile he had d hated to toy ay no and he know how lona ion his determination termination dt to refuse would I 1 last dia they sa say y going to bryhim try him to o and I 1 pet get anothy chine chance I 1 1 she looked at himm him so sadly and y yet et so bravely withal that stetson w wavered averch arid and was lost for flie minutes ds then no more morel lie he said hilf half repenting of his words the instants instant they were uttered but he unlocked the cabin door for her and locked it behind her again then he stood outside the door cursing Il himself imelL presently there was a rap from the inside of the cabin and much relieved he un undid did the door but he 1 kept ept his finger on the hammer of his 1 as be stood aside to allow her to pass pasq she came out quickly dy stetson turn turned ed and bent to fasten the floor door As lie he did so 0 he h e felt a tingling cold metal aga against dinst his head and heard in her voice voice now without a tremble put up tip your hands and do it quick lyl the order was so distinctly put and so emphatically back backed up by tha G cold metal which stetson knew on only ly too well was the dangerous end of a revolver er that he be did not hesitate As he threw up his hands the door was pulled open from the inside and a man dashed out and melted in the darkness of the prairie A moment more and the hoof beats of a horse came back I 1 sounding clear aind and sharp od on the still air I 1 I 1 ys MX 1 1 the I 1 f 4 j had b een asleep till ill nowa now wa kaw the noise sleepily raised themselves kiwe on ir elbows the woman W had the pistol from stetsons head 7 but she ahe now dropped the weapon quickly and started io run rum in an instant stetson was after her arid and wild tit at being outwitted had run herb her down and caugh ther before she had pone gone fifty yards As he be grasped her by the shoulders the hoof beats were dying on onabe t 11 e air and the woman looked 1 into her captors fe face with an exultant V smile amil i J ste stetson ason 1 brought her bier back to the cabin and in m 1 half shamed way told his tory story the LL 6 avas was quiet ss not seem ts to hear what they said despite their eli chagrin agrin at having been worsted tod by a woman the men could not but admire her pluck and skill then they argued as to what they should do with her aid finally decided to take her into town as soon as it was light they locked her in the cabin and then sat up and talked the tha rist mit of the night felt that it would be usyless to attempt to trail craig in the dark and to tell the truth they were just a bit fearful that the woman would escape them unless they kept a sharp lookout when morning came a big party set off in pursuit of craig but they had scant hope of overtaking him with a horse under him and his many hours start the easter easterners nees wife still remained locked in the cabin sage bar for once found itself non paused law and order had been r reversed by a woman and the town had the offender in custody but smoke and ponder as it might sage bar was at a loss to know how to proceed all the laws of the settlement unwritten though they were had sprung from an all acute sense of frontier needs and referred to men there was an ble feell feeling in 9 among the sage bar solons that these laws could not be applied with propriety to women and so BO they talked much smoked and drank much more and did nothing when the nines hines party came in tired hungry arid and empty handed no solution of the difficulty presented itself and so with admirable judgment the town decided to free itself of further r responsibility by setting the woman at liberty the easterners wife was pale and evidently worn out when they brought her out of the cabin but she said not a word when they told her she might go and w walked off in the direction of her home with a smile half of defiance h half alf 0 of f satisfaction that night the p party arty which w aich had gone in pursuit of craig returned having made a fruitless search two days later just as sace bar was preparing its evening meal two men were seen riding over a swell from the northeast north easL five fire horses were driven loos loosely e ly before them when the men got ot nearer the town one of them hem t W was is recognized as the easterner lie ile was riding bareheaded bare headed beaded and beside him rode another dark and swarthy his arms bound to his sides his bis horse led by craig all sage car bar assembled about the party while ciaio told the story of how he had ridden away that night had struck the trail of the horses and following it had brought the mexican thief to terms with a shot from his rifle and then came back and when he had done there were cheers for the ea easterner such ds as the town had a a chance to relieve c lieve itself of for a long to while and to this day there is not a roan man in sage dar bar but touches his slouch hat bat to the easterners wife whom jo stetson declares is th ith sandiest san diest little woman in th west kansas city times |