Show Selwood of Sleepy Cat By FRANK H H. SPEARMAN S nrc by hares Charlei Scribner SOUL Sons I CHAPTER 20 20 The Death In the Cards After supper James McAlpin with lorne gome ceremony drove Selwood's team the team the rangy American bays up bays up to the hotel Christie came out on arm bandages and all I Iwas It was their first rl rifle e together and Christie was to be driver The They drove out on the divide for t afew a few more minutes to themselves and then down and around by the river to the camp of the padre They found him before a little camp You married my father and mother said Selwood when he had told his own and Christies Christie's story We Ye Ve want you to marry us While they talked Selwood fed the little fire Ore with the driftwood the Indians Indians Indians In- In In In- had gathered The padre told nf of that flint other marriage of marriage of the night the storm the river river and the torches pine-torches of the Indians After leaving the camp Christie and nd Selwood drove back to the hotel hoping everybody had gone to bed but In this they were doomed to dis dis- appointment In the brightly lighted office a brave brae company of frontier adventurers adventurers ad ad- adventurers closely tuned to Selwood's movements were tirelessly sitting Ina In Ina a suffocating atmosphere around a seriously overheated stove sto Christie was allowed to go upstairs upstairs up up- stairs unmolested Indeed she was Ignored wi with Ui chivalrous ceremony Belwood on the tue other hand was dragged Into the office and held a victim till he e could negotiate peace with his retainers and effected his escape cupe In the end only by In ft Inviting lg an Un 10 to u a wedding at ui UL sunrise LC down at nt the river In the camp of the Ule padre In fn the dawn of a glorious morning they were married perhaps marrIed perhaps on such n ft sJ spot t tas as tha that t to which elwood's elwoods father had brought his bride to In Inthe Inthe Inthe the storm so runny many years e rs before After the wedding breakfast attended at at- tended b by all the guests with the padre as a special guest of honor Christie persuaded her new husband d to g go lip up tip with h her r to General Ropers Roper's roon The The old man weakened by wounds a and zid d soften softened d by years broke and asked his grandson to fo forgive what had passed It was one of those moments for banishing resentments and forgetting the cruelties of pride and obstinacy Christie wiped the tears from the old oldmans oldmans oldmans I mans man's eyes ees and and he repaid her her herby by throwing a bomb Into her ing ng camp when he sincerely congratulated congratulated them both and named as the only favor he would ask that the first bo boy be named John Roper Selwood and sent to West Point For a day or two no trip and no escape from work was possible for Belwood Selwood He was up to his neck In work nork at the he barns and the warehouse out the tangle Into which the conflagration and the riotIng rIotIng riot- riot Ing lag at Sleepy Cat had thrown the stage and wagon schedules During the day scattered lots of supplies 4 V ct w In the Dawn of a Glorious Morning They Were Married began to filter in from Medicine md Iud ud by nightfall Bend the hotel cook was ible able to promise Doctor Carpy a are are- re- re re bedding supper as his compliment com com- to the bride and groom and to 0 a company from which no loyal friend was excluded At nine o'clock In the evening be- be bind the closely curtained the windows o of room dining wedding guests made merry Christie flushed with ness cess Dess had stolen from happl happl- the table for 1 a moment to run up to the room with a piece of f r generals general's Wedding when hen cake one of the two waitresses comIs com com- In up Dl Set chaIr whispered whis whis- In his ear The fat fate clouded Who Is It he demanded patient In nn an tin Jm- Is It rien T one of ot m ny my r think II I dont don't know Mr od I dont don't t so I l f never saw hIm hlin before uJ I M 11 him directed Selwood to come around In the morning Ive I've worked about fourteen hours bours today The waitress appeared perplexed I 1 told him you wouldn't want to be Interrupted she said In an earnest whisper But It seemed like he was In terrible trouble He told me to ask you for Gods God's sake to come out outto outto ou to see him for tor Just a minute S Selwood muttered a protest Where I Is he he asked In an nn aside At At the kitchen door The girl thought that Selwood's keen eyes would have burned her up during the Instant before he spoke again Tell him he be continued Ina In Ina a a low voice to go around to the front door and sit down on the porch with his face to the street under street under understand stand To 10 go around to the front door and sit down on the porch with his face to the street he repeated and his back to the door The waitress out into me the kitchen When she returned she whispered whis again Hes gone to the front door Mr Ir Selwood The talk had all been going on around the table but Pard aloes aloe's snaky eyes had not lost sight of th the spoken low-spoken colloquy mat a-mat- ter John he demanded suspiciously Some stranger outside wants to see me answered Selwood rising Ill be right back was on his feet before Selwood Selwood Sel Sel- wood had taken a step from the table He put up his paw bear of a handHold hand handHold Hold nold on au John I 1 he said definitely pushing back his chair You dont don't go out alone to see no stranger tonight specially not In your recent shape shape- hold your horses lone lUUle u i u i-u ruse rose tt ns as one man There j was a n momentary upset and ani some conflict of claims as to who should accompany Selwood Without passing on these In words Selwood nodded to to and the discussion ceas The ceased mule muJe b boss ss followed him himIn himIn himin In Ion long strides toward the dining dining- room door Bob Scott at the table sat close to the door leading Into the room dining-room from Crom the kitchen The other two men had hadnot not got out out of the room when Sc Scott with his habitual smile o o of apo apology ogy rose In perfect silence and with Incredible celerity slipped sUpped out into the kitchen and was out of the back door and half wa way around to the front of at the hotel In the dark by the time had bad carefully ll drawn every shade In the hotel office and beckoned to Selwood to come In from the hall hail He himself then slipped sUpped across the hall hali Into Carpy's private office and throwing up th the sash of the window that commanded the porch trained his shotgun on the outer gloom Selwood his revolver In his lefthand lefthand left lefthand hand threw open the hall hail door without without without with with- out exposing himself Seated on the porch his face to the street sat c a carge large Jarge arge loosely built man with his head hIdden In a dark pull down cap Who are you ou and what do you want asked Selwood Inspecting his caller from behind the hall door ani through the crack of the You know me John answered t the he man hoarse and short In utter utter- a ance nce But J I aint very popular In t these hese parts Just now your name Id like Uke t to give that to you private J John ohn Im I'm keeping some under cover Something In the cadence of the words told Selwood that he knew the man A question that followed was o only a precaution for he felt sure tram from ft f rom the cracked and husky tones that hat t the man nian was was' Big Haynes Whoever you are youre you're well covered covered cov coy ered red e where you sit remarked Selwood Selwood Sel Sel- wood with apparent Indifference I III know It It Put up your hands Stand Standup up and t turn urn around here came the next o order from the hull hall The man did as he was told A dIsappointment dis dIs- a appointment awaited Selwood's d dence euce in his iris usually keen ear The p pinched inched haggard and unshaven fea fea- t tures ures now turned toward him could n not ot be those of the bluff blurt portly t a hasty glance told him this c could not be Big Ha Haynes nes The cheeks were bruised and swollen the eyes ees sunken In ia hollow sockets and the mans man's clothing was In tatters Before could speak a voice came from the darkness and a man came forward forwar Bob nob Scott Is at the corner of the house said the voice Its UIt's Big Haynes John con eon continued tinned the Indian low Jow voiced hes alone Selwood stepped from behind the door out on the porch He could hard Iy ly credit his s senses It was two days since he be had seen Ha Haynes nes but those two wo days had a aged ed the man ten tea years What in God name has happened did did our men catch you Have you had bad a fight Selwood asked Not the kind you mean ean John Give me a drink for Gods God's I sake and Ie me sit down and tell teU the story I 1 I j aint had a bite to eat since last last Jast night They led him Into the office helped him Into the washroom and Scott went to the kitchen for strong coffee cof cot fee Big Haynes drank four cupfuls before he could quit then sitting In front of Selwood who stood with his back against the writing table and aud with and the Indian listening listen ing he spoke We got away way from here morning 0 O K after K-after after you turned back Bob Bob Starbuck ob Starbuck ck Meg and me and we made time on the Medicine Bend trail till daylight The going was pretty bad especially on Meg Her horse picked up a 0 stone and went lame Jame early In the tIle morning and that heldI held us back Then we figured out nobody I would molest her aJo alone e on the trail nor the teamsters wouldn't bother her none about the horse for they all ail Meg Meg so so we rode her over overto overto overto to the trail and Starbuck and me made up to meet her at Crawling Stone creek that night nIght so so we part part- ed Haynes shook his head There was vas a game woman John If ever there was one one one- There was was a game woman John echoed Selwood suspicious and angry What do you mean lie tie started Is Meg l dead he thundered at Haynes Did Starbuck kill her he asked In a rage Haynes nes put up his hand In alf all the wreck of his sorry plight whatever whatever whatever what what- ever It Jt might be there was something something something some some- thing for the first time lIme that commanded commanded com corn respect Let me alone shone John you'll you'll hear bear It nh all soon enough She was was' there ahead of us at dark waiting waiting down down by the quicksand quicksand quicksand quick quick- sand crossing We planned to take the trail when the moon come up and ride all night but we se was plum tuckered tuckered tuckered tuck tuck- ered all three of us So Starbuck said we would go up the canyon a ways and camp for the night and rest up Megs Meg's horse all the next day day day- that was today tOday and and ride all an the next night that night that t was tonight When we thought we was up farenough far farenough farenough enough for to be pretty well hid we staked the horses up above where there was a little grass and built afire a n afire fire down on a ledge and had supper I never no more than a baby that Starbuck and Meg was former man and wife never wife never drempt It Jt After supper the they told me their story Starbuck said shed she'd saved his life and they were going to head for the Panhandle and start over again We didn't talk long All An Meg said MId was she wanted m me to know she was Starbuck's Starbuck's Star- Star Starbuck's bucks buck's real wife and she didn't like to be called caned Just Meg but Margaret Starbuck An Anyway way the two or of em em went to sleep close to the fire fire I I moved off ocr a way I was so blamed done out I r Just couldn't sleep so sleep so there I was lying on my back on the rock thinking think think- lag ing ng where'd I land next when I began to hear a funny kind of noise And It kept getting louder n a louder n funnier and funnier funnier up up the canon can can- yon yoa on I lifted up to to Joo loot looft and there away up the can canyon on I seen a big white streak stretched clear across It right from wall wail to wall and roar- roar Ing lag I set up and called down to Starbuck Starbuck Starbuck Star- Star buck and pointed that white thing I says He Jumped like he was shot W WATER ATER l' l he yells Margaret l' l he veils yells Cloudburst 1 Quick 1 for Ute life J Grab your our saddle Haynes J Get t to o the horses I 1 Up Up I He Pie grabbed their two saddles I grabbed g my saddle and we made h hard ard as we could up the canyon wall I Id I'd d got maybe mabe ten feet when I heard Meg scream shed scream shed she'd fell down The Tire water was crashing and roaring down on o n us like all nil hell was let Jet loos loose She yelled y to Starbuck to save himself He dropped the tire saddles and picked up Meg and started climbing with herand her herand her her- a and nd the water struck usI usI us I was maybe twenty feet higher her t than han Starbuck and Meg l It If Id I'd been f forty orty feet It Jt wouldn't have helped t that hat water was a hundred feet deep j I It t picked me up like a match and I p picked them up and picked the h horses up up-I up I never knew a thing till tm I came to on a shelf away down the tire c canyon anyon I was pounded clean to pieces p How I ever lived hived I dont don't k know but now but there I wasI wasI wasI was I looked careful for signs and kept c calling alling Starbuck and Meg Meg hut but h ave no hope much of ever seeing em lignin gain a till I spied something down at t the he mouth of ot the canyon and pretty well out In the creek on a u gravel I bar First I thought It was a big 1 piece of driftwood then I thought ht It was Viii one 01 us me tile horses i seen when I got closter It It rt I was was' Starbuck Starbuck Star Star- buck and MegI Meg egI eg I waded wailed a ways out Into the creek and got pretty near the tire sand bar to s see ee If either of em cm was alive Megs Meg's s skirt kirt must a caught In a snag on the he t bar and that held em era there when t the he water went down There the they were lying on the up side of the tire bar with their arms tight round each other other and and their heads beads part under water water water-St water water-Starbuck's Starbuck's head hea-d was clean ci can under water Ha Haynes nes wiped his forehead with the back of ot his grimy hand I III waded wate j back ashore and kept on OD down the tho wash till I got to the main crossing and set down there to wait walt for tor help hell Inside an hour a couple o 0 your wagons come along headin west I told t the e boys the story Jes' Jes z They'd heard about the trouble at Sleepy Cat but tt didn't nt know no thIn about it It They agreed to help holp me We unloaded most of the hay on on one wagon and anel drove the wagon up the creek creck close as we could to where they lay Jay We waded out and one of ol the boys took aholt of their feet and the the other one and I took their shoulders should should- ers together so we got eta em out to tc the wagon the way they lay n a gotem got gol gotem em em Into the wagon So John John well well well- here we are Hollow eyed he be said no more Selwood after a moments moment's silence spoke to Scott I guess everybody's everybody out of the kitchen he said sald Get Gel hold of ot null Bull and tell him to cook some supper for tor Haynes and hunt up upa u ua I a bed for him He turned back to tc Haynes Hanes Where are they John we laid em down at th the i barn In the room harness-room there I want no other pJ place ce n a I Jus' Jus plum 1 didn't know what to do with em era till tillI I I seen you If It you dont don't think it Its It's I right right right- He hesitated Selwood finished tho sentence Its it s an all rIght he ue tie said rIs- rIs ris lag ing As he started toward the dining dining- room laid a heavy hand on his his shoulder And ADd he looked down ni at him with serious eyes HJohn John he said solemnly |