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Show Tike it heat ti Ihekids. CHAPTER XVIII 16 Continued. Ilghtnln' might clear this murky air. Whatever Gene Stewart did that night you tell It" Madeline's dignity and self possession had been disturbed by Stewart's importunity. She broke into swift, dis connected speech : few 'He came Into the station minutes after J got there, I asked to be shown to a hotel He said there wasnt any that would accommodate married women. He grasped my hand looked for a wedding-ring- . Then I saw he was he was Intoxicated. He told me he would go for a hotel porter. But he came back with a padre Padre Marcos. The poor priest was terribly frightened. So was L Stewart hsd turned into a devil. He Bred his gun at the padre's feet He pushed me onto a bench. Again tie shot right before my face. I I nearly fainted. But I heard him cursing the padre heard the padre praying or chanting I didn't know what. Stewart tried to make me say things In Spanish. All at once he asked my nme. I told htm. He Jerked at my veil. I took It off. Then he threw his gun down-pus- hed the padre out of the door. Thst was Just before the vaqueroe ap proached with Bonlta.. . Padre. Marcos must have seen them must have heard them. After that Stewart grew quickHe told me he had been ly sober. drinking at a wedding I remember, It was Ed Linton's wedding. Then he explained the boys were always gambling he wagered he would marry the first girl who arrived at El Cajon. I happened to be the first one. He tried to force me to marry him. The rest relating to the assault on the vaquero I have already told you." Madeline ended, out of breath and panting, with her hands pressed upon her heaving bosom. Hawe rolled his red eyes and threw back his head. A Romance absolutely Impossible for art to have oeen conneciea wun assault," went on Madeline, swlft-fo- r he was with me In the waiting i of the s'atUm at the moment the ult was made outsiae. 'me aoor open. I heard the voices of quar- 1 By Zane Grey on-luc- was Hive Coprrlght by Harper and BrodMrs -- law. son; It'll all come Cool down, officers of the Now, both you armed come1 your guns Flash on! law. I Throw 'em, an' I Quick Monty Price Is donel There'll be daylight throughI a hammer you both before you fan to sting a chanst you But I'm glvln' me. You holler law, an' my way the ole law." His breath cam quicker, his voice w noarser aiHi he crouched lower, ... h). hni,v MCeDt his rigid arms muucumr quivered with s wonderrui convulsion. Does! Skunks! Buzzards! Flasn them guns, er I'll flash mine ! Aha I" To Madeline It seemed the tnree stiff, crouching men leaped into instant and united action. She saw -- right" Suddenly Madeline was transfixed by w terrible sound. Her startled glance men. ma laiiKunge ig shifted from the anxious group round ilsh. I heard a wojnan s voict Stewart to see 4hat Monty Price had ;lins with the others. It, too, was leaped off th porch. He crouched hlsh, ami I could not understand. down with his hands below his hips, the tone was beseeching. Then I where the big guns swung. From his Just d footsteps on the gravel. distorted Hps Issued that sound which ide the door then there were was combined roar and bellow and Inmuffse, furious voices, a scuffle, a dian a and, more than all, a the thud of a woman's cry, shot, horrible a warning cry. He was quiver iiK body, and rapid footsteps of His eyes, black and ing, the vibrating. Next, away. girl running hot, were fastened with most plerclna ta staggered Into the door. She intentness upon Hawe and Sneed. white, trembling, terror-stricke(Jit hack, Bill, git back I" he roared. recognized Stewart, appealed to "Git 'em back!" Stewart supported her and With one lunge Stlllwell shoved to calm her. He asked her and Nick and the other cowStewart If or been had Mains shot, anny the porch. Then he crowded upon boys The girl iad done the shooting. Madeline and Alfrew and Florence to no. She told Stewart that she had the wall, tried to force them farther. ed a little, fitted a Utile with His motions were rapid and stern. But over had and quarreled they leros, to get them through door and falling took her outside Then Stewart he planted bis wide person windows, I saw his the horse, her upon put women and danger. Made between the down 'that street the to horse ride line grasped his arm, held on, end linear In the darkness." peered, fearfully from behind his broad Jille Madeline stioke another change, shoulder. iired to be working In the man "You, Hawe! You, Sneed!" called e. Ills sharp features fixed In an Monty, In that same wild voice. Don't csslon of craft you move a finger er an eyelash I" net's mighty Inferesttn', Miss Ham- Madeline's faculties nerved to keen. d, 'most as Interestln' as a story fc," he said. "Now, since you're so thrilling divination. She grasped the relation between Monty't terrible cry fin a witness, I'd sure like to put and the strange hunched posture he lestlon or two. What time did you had assumed. re at El Cajon thet night T, t was after eleven o'clock," replied "Nels, git In this!" yelled Monty; and all the time he never shifted his ellne. Intent gaze as much as a hairs-breadtiobojy there to meet you?" to." from llawe and his deputy. "Nels, lhe station agent an' operator both chuse away them two fellers bangln' lihoi "Ho, ho, Ho, ho, hot Say, back there. Chase 'em, quick P These men, the two deputies who had re," Sneed, you didn't miss any of It, did low toon did this feller Stewart ye? Haw, haw ! Best I ever beerd In remained in the background with the 11 did not wait for Nels. 1 npr Ha we continued, with a my born days. Ho, ho !" mile. their mounts, wheeled. spurred They Then he ceased laughing, and with kry soon after my arrival. I think glinting gaze upon Madeline, Insolent and galloped away. 'rhapa fifteen minutes, possibly a and vicious and Now, Nels, cut the gurl loose," or savage, he began to i more." dered Monty, drawl : Nels ran forward. Jerked the halter ji' what time was the Greaser Wal now, my lady, I reckon your T queried Hawe, with his little story, If it tallies with Bonlta'a an' out of Sneed'a hand, and pulled Bon , gleaming Ilka coals. Padre Marcos', will clear Gene Stew- lta's horse In close to the porch. As V Tobably close to half past one. It art In the eyes of the court" Here he he tilt the rope which bound her she vj 'two clock when I looked at my grew slower, more biting, sharper and fell Into his arms. ih at Florence Klngsley's house. harder of face. "But you needn't ex "Hawe, git down!" went on Monty ctly after Stewart sent Bonlta pect Pat Hawe or the court to swaller "Face front an stiff!" V Be took me to Miss The sheriff swung bis leg, and, never Klngsley's. thet part of your storjr about beln' allowing for the walk and a few detained unwlllInT moving hia bands, with his face now a net conversation with her, I can Madeline had not time to grasp the deathly, sickening white, he slid to y definitely say the shooting took sense of his last words. Stewart had the ground. at about half past one,' "Line up there beside your guerrilla I convulsively sprung upward, white as JUwell heaved hit big frame step chak A, he ,eaped Hawe Stmwell pard. There! You two make a d n tr to the sheriff. Interposed his huge bulk and wrapped fine plctoor, a d n fine team of Fhat 're you drlvln he roared, hit arms around Stewart There was plzened coyote an' a cross between a "see brack again. brief, whirling, wrestling struggle, wild mule an' a Greaser. Now listen !" J Svldence," mapped Haw. Stewart appeared to be besting the old Monty made a long pause. In which idellne marveled at this Interrup- - cattleman. . his breathing was plainly audible, i and as Stewart Irresistibly drew Help, boys, help!" yelled StlllwelL Madelines eyes were riveted upon as I can't hold him. glance she saw him gray-face- d Hurry, or there's Monty. Her mind, swift as lightning. a, shaking, utterly unnerved. goln to be blood spilled ! had gnthered the subtleties In action thank Miss he Hammond," you. !! Nick Steele and several cowboys and word succeeding his domination ti huskily. "But you needn't answer of the men. Violence, terrible violence, leaped to Stlllwelt's assistance, more of Hawe's questions. Ue'i I I" panted the old the thing she had felt, the thing she Gene "Gene Why, - It's not, necessary. Til go with cattleman. "Sure you're locoed to act had feared, the thing she had sought now, under arrest Bonlta will Cool down ! to eliminate from among her cow this way. Cool down Jhorate your testimony In court. It's til rights Jest stand boys, was, after many months, about that will save me from this this Whyboy, still give us a chance to talk,to you. to be enacted before her eyes. It had spite.' It't only ole Bill, you know your ole come at last She had softened Still idellne, looking at Stewart, seeing pal who't tried to Be daddy to you. well, she had Influenced Nels, she had t nullity she at first took for cow- wsnttn you to hev sense to changed Stewart ; but this little black- I ,"e, suddenly divined that It was not ne's only be cool to wait" faced, terrible Monty Price now rose, i ; for himself which made him dread "Let me go! Let me gol" cried as It were, out of his past wild years, ler disclosures of that night but Stewart; and the poignancy of that cry and no power on enrth or In heaven '; for her fear of shame she might pierced Madeline'! heart "Let me go, could stay his hand. With eyes slow. ! r through him. Bill. If you're my friend. I saved your ly hazing red, she watched him; she : t Hawe cocked his bead to one life once over In the desert You listened with thrumming mrs; she like a vulture about to strike with waited, slowly sagging against Still i enk. and cunningly eyed Madeline. well. wisldered as testimony, what Hawe, If you an' your dirty pnrd Vj re said Is sure Important an con hev loved the sound of human voice, ts. But Tm ralculatln' thet the then listen an' listen hard," said t will want to hev explained why Monty. "Fer I've been goln' contrary eleven-thirti stsyed from . till one- to my ole style jest to hev s talk n with room alone thet waltln' 7 with you. You all but got away on H 'art" your nerve, didn't you J 'Cause why? s deliberate speech met with what You roll In here like a mad steer an' o ellne Imagined remarkable dash yer badge an' talk mean, then from Stewart, who gave a tlger- most bluff away with It. You heerd atsrt; from Stlltwell, whose big all about Miss Hammond's cowboy is tore at the neck of bis shirt, outfit stoppln' drlnktn' an cussln' an' F i was choking; from Alfred, who 1 i psckln' guns. They've took on re strode hotly forward, to be I ligion an' decent llvln. an' sure they'll ped by the cold and silent Nels; be easy to hobbie an' drive to Jul! v!o i Monty Price, mho uttered Hawe, listen. There was a good an' "Aw I" which was both hiss and noble an' woman come out sr. of th East souiewhervs, sn' she 'the rush of her thought Madeira lot of sunshine sn' happl brought ) not Interpret the meaning of nest sn' new Idees Into the tough lives I things which seemed to Strang of cowboys. I reckon It't beyond you - li list moment But they were pot to know what in com to mean to she wss forming a )us. Even them. Wat 111 tell you. They all went r to Hawe's speech she felt chill clean out of their heflda, They-al- l got P over her, an' swt-tetnperetoft tn easy In tew art detained me the waitThey got to thsy couldn't kill t coy a room," she said, dear-voice- d . ote, crippled cslf la i "But w were not alone all th worn-ou- t hobble-leggeLven me an d war-whoo- wtm whip, spurred him, Stewtrft Iron rm held hjjiorse. Then Madeline, in" a flash of passion, struck at Stewart' face, missed It struck again, and hit With on pulL almost drawing from the saddle, h tor th whip from her hands. It' was not that action oa hit part, or the sudden strong matter-fulne- ss of his look, so much as th livid mark on hit face where th whip had lashed that quieted. If It did not check, her fury. g "That's Bothng," he said, with "Tbata of hit old audacity. nothing to how you've hurt me." Madeline battled with herself for control. This man would not be de nied. About him now there was only the ghost of that finer, gentler man she bad helped to bring Into being. The piercing dark eyes h bent upon her burned her, went through her at If he wore looking Into her souL Then Madeline's quick sight caught a fleet ing doubt, a wlstfulness, a surprised and saddened certainty In hit eyes. Her saw It shade nd pass away. woman's Intuition, as keen at her sight told her Stewart In that moment had sustained a shock of bitter, final pack-horse- atr i t 1 t y , re-lo- IS s, Lower and Lower He Bent a Terrible Figure of Ferocity. streaks of fire streaks of smoke. Then a crashing volley deafened her. It ceased as quickly. Smoke veiled the scene. Slowly It drifted away to disclose three fallen men, one of whom, Monty, leaned on his left hand, a smoking gun In his right He watched for a movement from the other two. It did not coma. Then, with a terrible smile, he slid back and stretched out. CHAPTER XIX t mes-qutte- a, d mud-hole- moment the only sound follow-he- r words wss a gasp from "He Wsoered He Would Marry ths Hawe's fae became transformed First Girl WK Arrived tt CI Cajon.' hideout emase and Joy. retained?" he whispered, craning twor you'd never forget Boys, mskt lean and cordd neck. "Hon 's htm let me gol Oh, I don't car what Hawe's said or don to ml It was . thst about her I Are you til lot of sent How can you atand It! (ires Ith sudden passionate gesture of ' P n yon for a lot of cowards! There's 1r twsrt enns1d to her: th.- - MIm llsmmiind, .don't f don't! t limit, 1 tell you." Then hit voice broke, fell to t whisper. "Bill, dear it . . old Bill, let me go. 111 kill him I You o bead sink down, pn be seemed tA rtmn bis: breast, In tler know I'll kill him T "Gene, I. know you'd kill htm If you e. tlllwll'a great band swept to boved shoulder, and he turned to hed in even break," replied Sttllwsll soothingly. "But Gene, why, you tint el'.ne. An' ther't Ptt jllss Mijesty, I recknn you'd be even psckln to trll sll." ssld the old cattle- - look In' nasty with hit hsod nerrout- - corrtL ... u,. I nei , grnvely. "Tbere tint one of us llk. lie seen yon hed do gun. He'd i eould mlstwdeitsnd any motive lump tt th rhtnc to plug yoo now, vole row he bent, O f yovrfe- - Mth t stroke f an' then holler sboot opDoalttoa to tUs r r . p .Bin tl M r" r-- strangling. a Urlhle , "" l..er ox in s jioniv, Lower and bw-t- r figure ut. fwwity Speed; lit 1ir smrb-- ImiiIiim s in - txti.. t . n ner neech, she Jor:i., IIIWI n . w.Te ti,a ( M. Ht) Hall's Catarrh Medicine of rid your system Catarrh or Deafhca caused by Catarrh. Sold h irua'at$ for rm 40 yan P. J. CHENEY fit CO., Toledo, OhU " t.-- , ua ,. mA Haiai Wwoni ChfM. W tu Pmtchot at, ft. T HINDERCORNS all MM Bk tt, (top alkhic Onrw. Ori. la, Ua. br Ball or at mry. Drmrn- - Muiuwna,ratcku(iw.ll. I. rXOIUDA 6PEND A TOOFlTAItl.E Hllloreat farma, 260 acre of rlcbaat trucking land la Mooreharen district, (or kla. For pries and further particulars writ MRS. FOHRKST LAKE. 8 AN FORD. TLA. W1X-TE- R. BATHE YOUR EYES Cjs Dr. Thoatpaona Byawatar. Bnr at Toardracrlst's or IW Hirer, Troy, H. Y. Booklet. W. N. U, Salt Lake City, No. 23. Canadian City Laads in Telephones. The city of Calgary, Alberta, with about 65,000 Inhabitants, is snld to have more telephones In proportion to population than- - any other community on the American continent. The Cutloura Toilet Trio. Having cleared your skin keep It clear by making Cuticura your everyday toilet preparations. The Soap to cleanse and purify, the Ointment to soothe and . heal, the Talcum to nowder and .per-Is complete table fume. No toilet without them. Advertisement. , A .'nnln sround In th tin of hit CsArm limeirlKlm. (TO BE CONTINUED.) -- R till'.. Grmy imni. Fruitless Quest. hellevt m trm reach end," remarked the dot aa h BTMfliniinS-atoinBalrtVJi- and f.dri Bar wc ana ii.nu "Oh. Stewart ! let- - me go!" she whispered. "I don't PARKER'S HAIR BALSAM t V hakt sh say, where wux you? Witness Soy, Judge, how do Ah know where Ah wua when Ah win goln'? Life. ... fPit nlm Paebp Judge Where wuz you when threw the lamp speak up I "Yes !" He had wrenched that word from her, but he was not subtle enough, not versed In the mystery of woman's motive enough, to divine the deep significance of her reply. For hlra the word had only literal meaning confirming the dishonor In which she held him. Dropping her arm, he shrank back, a strange action for the savage and crude man sb Judged hlra to be. "Hut that day at Chlrlcahua yon spoke of faitli." he burst out "You said the greatest thing In th world was faith In human nature. You said you had faith In me! You made me have faith In myself!" His reproach, without bitterness or scorn, was a lash to her old egoistic belief In her fairness. She h.d preached a beautiful principle that she had failed to llv up to. You think I am vile," he said. "Yon think that about Bonlta! nd all th tlm Tve been I could make you ashamed I could tell vou " His pssslonnte utterance ceased w ith a snap of his teeth. His llpa set In t thin, bitter line. The agitation or nis race nrecmiwl a vn.in.i h .vaava HtM J wrestling of his shoulders. ;o, nor lie panted. Was It hit answer to some mighty temptation? men, use a bent sapling released, h "prang erect "But III be the man th dog you think me!" He laid hold of her arm with rude. powerful clutch. On pull drew her sliding half out of the saddle Into hit trms. She fell with Her breast against hit, not wholly free of stirrups or horse, and there she hung, utterly powerless. Maddened, writhing, the tore to release herself. All she could accomplish was to twist herself, raise herself high enough to see his That almost paralyzed her. Didfar. h mean to kill her? Then h wrapped his arms sround her and crushed her tighter, cloe to him. She felt th pound of Ms heart; her own seemed to have frozen. Then he pressed hit burning Hps to hers. It wss a long, Sh- j tu!ehiu Parity cried: kiss. a HIgWUO V r terrible eonfeo ni aa aii k the teeth, appefiu. m tm For the third time he repeated hit question to her. Madeline did not an swer ; she could not speak. "You don't know I love you, do you 7' he continued, passionately. "That ever since you stood before m In that bole at Chlrlcabua I've loved you 7 You can't see Tve been another man, loving you, working for you, liv ing for you? You won't believe Pv turned my back on the old wild life, that I've been decent and honorable and happy and useful your kind of a cow boy 1 You couldn't telL though I loved you. that I never wanted you to know It that I never dared to think of you except as my angel, my holy Virgin? What do you know of a man s heart and soul 7 How could you tell of the love, the salvation of a man who't lived his life In the alienee and loneliness? Who could teach you the actual truth that a wild cowboy, faithless to mother and sister, ex cept In memory, riding a hard, drunk en trail straight to bell, had looked Into the face, the eyes of a beautiful woman Infinitely beyond him, above him, and had so loved her that he was saved that he became faithful again that he saw her face In every .flow er and her eyes In the blue heaven 7 Madeline was mute. She heard her heart thundering in her ears. Stewart leaped at her. His power ful hand closed on her arm. She trembled. His action presaged th old Instinctive violence. No; but you think I kept Bonlta up In the mountains, that I went se cretly to meet her, that all the while I served you I was Oh, I know I know now. what you think I never knew till I made you look at me. wow, say it I speak White-hot- , blinded, utterly in th fiery grasp of passion, powerless to stem the rush of a word both shameful and revealing and fatal Madeline Unbridled. In waking and sleeping hours, Made line Hammond could not release herself from the thralling memory of that tragedy. She wa.s haunted by Monty Price's terrible smile. Only In action of some kind could she escape: and to that end she worked, she walked and rode. She even overcame a strong feeling, which she feared was unrea sonable disgust, for the Mexican girl Bonlta, who lay 111 at the ranch bruised and feverish, In need of skill ful nursing. One afternoon she rode down to the alfalfa fields, round them, and back up to the spillway of the lower lake, where a group of mesquite-trees- , ow ing to the water that seeped through the sand to their roots, had taken on bloom and beauty of renewed life. Un der these trees there was shade enough to make a pleasant place to linger. Madeline dismounted, desiring to rest a little. Hsr horse. Majesty, tossed his head and flung his mane and switched his He would rather tall at the flies. have been cutting the wind down the valley slope. Madeline sat with her buck against a tree, and took off her sombrero. Suddenly Malestv nicked up bis long ears and snorted. Then Madeline heard a slow pad of hoofs. A horse was approaching from the dl rection or the lake. Madeline had learned to b wary. and. mounting Majesty, she turned him toward the open. A moment later she felt dad of her caution, for, lonklng back be tween the trees, she saw Stewart lead mg a horse Into the grove. She would as net have met a mierrllla m thia cowboy. , , , . ,nan. . nroKen into a trot aiajesiy when a shrill whistle rent the sir. Th horse leaped and. wheeling so swiftly that he nearly unseated Madeline, he charged back straight for the Madeline spoke to him. cried angruy at mm, pulled with all her strength upon th bridle, hut wss helplessly unable to stop hlra. He whistled s piercing blast. Msdellne realized then that Stewart, his old master, hnd called him and that noth ing could turn Mm. She gave ud trv ole, Ing, and the horse thumped Into an burned-ucowman ltke met aisle between the trees and, stopping Do yon git thet? An' you. Mister oerore Mewart, whinnied eagerly Hawe, you com along, not satisfied "I want to talk to you," said Stew with ropln' an' beatln', an' Gaw knows art. what els, of thet friendless little oiaaenne starred, tumd to him. Bonlta; you come slong an' face the and now she ssw the earlier Stewart, lady w fellers honor an' love an' rev mi man wno reminder hPr of their H I's fire!" erence, an' you you nrst meeting at El Cflj,m, f thBt With whistling breath, foaming st memnrnhle meeting at Cblrlcnbna the mouth, Monty Price crouched I want to ask yon hp lower, bands st his hips. nni he iMriM went on. "1 ve been to Inch by Inch farther out from the iioun iiv i ve hnn? on ... porch, closer to Unwe and Snnnl i ni i.ui ui oxer over Madeline ssw them only n the ine tM.nler. And I gin wnni to know . . of her blurred fringe si; lit. Thev re W'V...! At. "in Jim mn to rstin to me" She heard fh sembled specters. At nis ini words tint hot !,mp a norse or and remg fAflf.,l.l snnil wnisue ..I Ml .1 man. . wnin It ,fld .. hlzed Msjesty calling her from the i....m...j t tioi truth. I ' A deficioa torn-thin- h ii packet ewr-read- hr . i yew pocket for ta y treat ". ... ffort , New Orttans Suspicious. He was soler hadn't drunk a drop. It was 4 a. m. He struck the keyhole at the first attempt and entered. All was quiet. He put his hut and coat on the hall rack and was about to take off his shoes before jr,,lnS upstairs when an old familiar voics sounded gratingly on his ear. "Is that you. Jack?" "Yes, Nell." Then he began: "It's three minutes after four. I did not let the cat follov me. I've Just returned from one of our conferences. The gas ' turned down low. The doors are all locked; the windows fattened. I paid the taxes this after-nooMary's babies got the That Inn't our dog barking." And when he tumbled Into bed Nell looked at hlra out of sleepy eyes and snld: drlnking."-Ilous- ton "Jack, you've teen Tost. n. Dangerous Suggestion. "u " that uv ne every winter an animal puts on a fur coat? Father Hush ! Not so loud Your mother's in the next room ouj r outer, - ! I All Arranged. deciding about "It's such a bother holidays." -It doesn't bother me, The boss tells me when to go and the wife tells ms where." London Opinion. On Your Guard. When yon eay a man is It meant that you have got to look out for hit prejudices. Monuments to military heroes are unknown In China. ((e) ! |