Show elwood of Sleepy Cat R XI XII XII Continued J By FRANK H. H SPEARMAN p 15 15 ou mean meon tM t J you the i bl big fellow for tor Sleepy Cat JOu wise she I aint easy In In b bit since what sass ays about bout a gurl iUri Im I'm ProDo Do matter who she Is J IA whole wagon-load wagon b 8 a d bones boas like e Dave not not t tas aJo j disrespect to nobody D' D rat at all all way feel teel the way you BUI Dm JP demanded Selwood mei i abOut Im I'm I m here bere to look out but may p test r t I It John persisted tl And to look P 1 C p tle Fyler Fler now single- single KM fl IOU ou know what you youre you're re up as es I know snorted same same me ai oS everybody here t why I say lIay to h Il h-il H HElver thief Elver and Tracy Im I'm trail trail- J Is my fight not yours II ID i It mine John fe 1 0 s you old tub If It the they l U riF a rave lave ve up there big enough d HOD JOB I can an edge Into one cori eort cor- cor L t r 7 4 I f. u Il l 1 i Whit What Do You Mean Meant tI el it But Bat Bill Selwood BIll Selwood raised kul limply who who rides with t ought not to care much coming back Ioe J I Of oe was chewing slowly but bat tilt the steadiness of fate tate ir ai II I know of ot John callin back I e along Bill I 1 parley was held Tracy W lit pleaded to be taken back to toCa Cat Ca and ns os everybody else jito II tor I It Selwood gave In It was that sh should uld ride find and Scott and that Mc- Mc should foll follow w In the wagon with i Tracys Tracy's cot was hastily 8 set t Ia th lb agon and the horses rot pt up Selwood took the ami ims am- am s D i out oat from under the sent seat seat- der f store but like a shower a R af ara let ra f In a drought drought and and I tt It Into three parcels among 04 Scott and himself 1 kited W but little of daybreak t the three men mea reached the river Fording the stream tream the horse- horse their horses borses In the tin im- sib below the river bench and lip up th the nea nearest rest gully to tho fist W were were being laid out for tor a B d yard fUll Spreading out a again ln try men circled this open spa e sod and without molestation and an together Blether on higher ground the met could reconnoiter the Jl had bAd lighted the sky ski In wn the night had hod dl died d down down- for tor lack ok of material for tor the i An All Important part of ot Sleepy In ruins ruing though the extent traction w was I as hidden hidden In nn the One quarter of ot the l Si e had pl d the t torch JM and aed the reprisals d fc me was the corner led nd of nr the stage ase barns barns- Carp Carpy be the hT new railroad aa st station tie the hill 1 where they holt had td I Selwood lwoOd and ond his companIons nr their horses made their such auch cover as they could to the stage barns the lie met them Selwood l ask asked d sews l I. I Lefever fIer k It r P poInted to a o them rules ruins down the hill hilI rivet rats hothouse have burned a t on us us' us John T ohn said hats hat's O takes I the way they keep told me nothing of ot that ma Iha bill looking angrily know It wag on fire re when he returned Lefever You Jou But nut Ima Im I'm the Ibe a teamsters are 7 lilt bold bode em emy only till for r y i get some tuh Ig pate was all au Selwood replied took is 10 i the steaming Beaming horses to stalls J end ud Scott wets scout COut I ef ver er tol told i iirth Sel Sel- he irth what more lie he situation S Starbuck W missing for tor hid had a time ra u at t o dad d eta It taken en the gamblers gamblers' fight t V Rere lIr moment when the drivIng tile t i nil all bore before them sell tables V- V the tte On the le dean cleanup up men men men- survivors of their t force at bay bar In III the un un- 3 t b by D Chari rie Son Soo 1 Service I finished Sheil railroad Ita station Starbuck had sent word by messenger that he would give them then an hour to get out of the station statten and out of the I town town- coupled with the threat that it if they I didn't move mOTe they would be burned out out I by daylight daj Starbuck's men Iet Lefever added held the only building left In the River RITer Quarter where most of ot tb th the burning had been Bunt place down next the river It had escaped es CP the flames In the UPP upper r town Carpy's hotel which had been gutt gutted t the gamblers had spared He Ill knew nothing about Christie had been dl dispatched to I the station with the ammunition He lie came back with a long face tace but a long face tace was nothing new for Carpy wounded was there treating the wounded who lay on the floor noor In the freight room There was only a pretense of ot a guard kept k about the building within It dl disgruntled ll igl nursed their grievances unc s railing chiefly at one another and In one corner with nobody to command owIn owIng owing ow- ow Ing In to lack o of ammunition Old General Gener Gener- al Roper Koper though hit was maintainIng maintain maintain- ing headquarters with neither head head as l loe tartly put It It nor tees The only thing that prevented pre the refugees from rune running leg away was the t fear ar of ot getting shot If It they put their noses outside Selwood felt he must first of all see and learn what he could from Carpy Directing his few tew companions to stick together and telling Lefever Lefeyer to throw out a stronger guard about the barn Selwood started for the station By Ily skirting the river bank and working from one to another of the breaks In the beach he reached the rear door of the station without drawIng drawing drawing draw draw- ing any Ore fire either from Its defenders or its besiegers lie He pushed op open n the thedoor thedoor door and entered the thea hall holl without being opposed or observed h A glance was enough to reveal to Selwood's unsympathetic scrutiny the complete demoralization of ot the Vigilante ele ele- ment It was almost by accident nt that Abe Cole the bandaged but still fighting blacksmith saw Selwood and running toward him greeted him with witha a shout that drew attention to the thelong long long hoped hoped for arrival of ot the taciturn gambler As men wounded and unwounded un un- wounded crowd crowded d about him he eyed the scar faced blurting blacksmith coldly paying no attention whatever to his effusive welcome You running this thing Abe Running Bunning It IU echoed Abe hoarsely I was running It It nobody's nobody's running It They wouldn't do a thing I told em to do declared Cole with a plentiful plentiful plen plen- sprinkling of profanity now they're cornered ins Jus as I told em eta they'd be if It they didn't obey orders and theres there's about as is much fight In em now as III there la Is in Ie a bunch buech of rabbits jackrabbits 1 I Selwood Ignoring Impatient Interpleaders interpleaders Inter Inter- pl pleaders ders that raised their voices s some abusing the blacksmith and ond some one another looked about the two two rooms The figure that instantly distantly arrested his attention was that of Carpy Campy his head swathed In a wild wild- looking bandage moving about bout amon among his ills wounded who filling one corner lay on the floor In various arlous attitudes of ot prostration anger and dl disgust gu t. t Selwood silencing tho those E closest spoke to Cole I sent what cartridges I could rake up Ab Abe its it's all I know ot of of this side of Medicine Bend outside what what Starbuck's got So Id I'd advise lse you not to pass any of ot em out to the rabbits jackrabbits put em In the hands of men that will use era pm The teamsters your our men are standing up blurted out Abe Th They y stopped em from rushing us nn an hour ago But nut they aint got six rounds apiece re left Starbuck will come bark back Selwood's glance had wondered wandered Hello lIello Doc he auld ld as a's he saw Carpy elbowing his wa way toward him Carpy wounded and ond was grateful but t glum Selwood I od r reached d for tor the bloody I nana uuna stretched Out He lie listened with patient attention to 10 the wrought wrought-up surgeon who tried to explain the wreck of ot th their lr plans though with nn an expression slon In his eyes tes that Indicated his mind wandered Looking over the shoulders of tho those e p around him Sill the sowed cowed spirit of the Vigilantes One exception exception tion Uon attracted d his attention ono one man loan appeared profoundly Indifferent to o o the fortunes nes of the night In a cv comfortable comfort n fort able chair In the tarth farthest st corn corner r of the second room his bald halll head In n a huge fur tur cap well pulled down and his hands clasped In his lap sat sot the queer qUler pioneer trader of ot Sleepy Cat and of ot the mountain country old country old man manVan manVan Van Von Everything he had In Inthe Inthe inthe the world had but Just gone up In the smoke of Fort street treet but the tragedy had apparently failed to shake his spirit Composed and ond collected d he lie struck Selwood od as an on odd contrast to io the welter of wrangling confusion and ond cowardice about him The gambler gambler gam gam- bler bIer silently laughed lie He turned his eyes on Cole Well Well he said In response to runny ninny word words from trout se several st erol mouths youve you made a amess amess amess mess of it They've got you OU cornered are ore the time bums that licked you hanging out Does anybody know He was assured that Bartoes Bartoe's place was the only building that had escaped escaped es es- the flames flame In the time River JUver quarter where they ore are then was Selwood's comment What are you going to 10 do do sputtered sputtered Cole Ill take tab what men Tv rye I got ot with me m- w at the barn arn and go after em i. i It he better blOtter to fight em h. h here T John asked Cole Youre licked h here here rt retorted Selwood If It Starbuck stuck hl his head hlad In n the door most of ot these e fellows would Jump Int Into the river O Get t back bArk to 0 your wounded wounded he he took Carpy's looks arm to me me th they're about all the he fighting blood youve you've got left here 1 As Ae he spoke he drew the surgeon apart You know the r reason a on Im I'm In this his mess Doc he said MIl sternly and without wasting words Where Is Christie l Tyler Eyler Carpy controlling his excitement caught rought Selwood's arm In hl his hand That's why I wanted you fOu quick as ns you jou ou could get here So Soi i help lp me tie God I dont don't know where wIler the girl Is Is John I 1 only wish I did This evening 1 she and ned her father took supper at the hotel I warned warnell Christie privately ly to stay close I close I couldn't trust Jo Fyler with anything Starbuck said Carpy with Uth n a curse curp was as prancing around her ler and had the gall to try to stay to supper with eat em I know Id I'd Christie would stick clo close e and would be nil nit right but I never figured on us getting dro drove awe like this Wh When n I s seen en what was corning coming I run up to the hot hotel pi and told all hands to Unlit light out for tor the d depot pot I run to ChrIsties Christle's room myself and told her what was up and to make for tor the depot depot depot- Why didn't you bring her there yourself demanded Selwood She wouldn't leave without her father ather protested d Carpy def defending himself and the dashed old mule wouldn't budge bUdge l 1 couldn't take her from him she hIm she wouldn't go Ito So you left lett h her r th there re I 11 II I What else could rould I do Knock him on the head and drag drog her here Selwood sav savagely He Ill made mode no effort to restrain I himself and his words fell tell like whip lashes ashes You knew her danger dang r be tie thundered she didn't I So you left her there I exclaimed the tumbler gambler sardonic In his wrath A fine mess youve you've made of ot It Iti I IJohn John protested Carpy Ill go gooyer over oyer there this minute with you myself myself my my- self self self- Stay where you are What was the number of her ro room Twelve at the top of ot the front stairs John I dont don't want you to togo togo togo go off oIT mad this way I did what I could could I I tell you ou she wouldn't leave e her father tather Selwood paused only to make a brief amend for tor his Irma outbreak and to promise to return he told Carpy he was going to look for Christie atthe though hotel hotel though In ih his heart he lie had no hope of ot finding her ber there On a table close at hand where the doctor had set his Instrument case and dressings stood a lighted pocket pocket- lantern Selwood picking It up cloSEd the slide put It out and slipped It Into his coat pocket Hey I exclaimed Carpy dont tA take ke that I l II II lI I may need It It said Selwood Walking toward the door with Selwood Selwood Sel Sel- wood Carpy pointed to one of the wounded men on the floor near where they were passing He lie lay Iny on his back back Ith i his ey eyes s dosed closed and ond his breathing was noticeable Theres the old general he said hit pretty bad had too want to speak to him No Xo blurt blurted d out Selwood lie Ill may die observed r pd Carpy crit leaky Selwood wood was brutally resentful lie lie He wont won't need me to help him was all he said sold And An flinging open the bark back door he took one loot look out Into the hall FIa jammed ID d the door behind him film and slipped out Into Inlo the nightOn night On the town side of the station he could hirer bear sporadic firing answered at Intervals by the fringe of guards guard lIef defending the railroad building He Ill met mft no DO ol opposition on the way to the hotel botel It was far tar enough out of ot the theline theline theline line o of fighting to have baTe been over over- looked He lie scouted about the buildIng build Ing for a minute and entered through a side elde door which he found unlocked opening Into the room dining Without Without Without With- With out risking a light he felt his way across arross to the hall picking tip up n a wood wood- bottomed chair as he did so DO and pausing at Intervals to listen for tor sound BOund He lie could hear nothing anywhere any any- where hEre and walking up the tile front stairs without touch much attempt to avoid the Inevitable creaking of ot the treads he felt along the wall for tor the thedoor thedoor thedoor door of ot room number twelve Lay Lay- In lag ing his hand after Itter a moment on the knob he tried It The door was unlocked Without opening It It he knocked softly There was no re- re lIe He listened Intently for tor sounds of breathing but could hear none lie then set the chair In front of the tho closed door lifted from Ills his coat roat pocket the dark lantern lighted It set Bet It facing the door on the chair pulled buck back the slide of the eye bulls drew his revolver re and standing to toone toone toone one side threw the door quickly open If a n shot were to come rome from within the lantern should draw it It But no shot was hurled hurld at him no response of any sort was made to the rude Intrusion the silence was almost ghostly Selwood picked the lantern up from the chair threw Its light rn rays s 's from side to side Ollie of the till room and crossing the threshold with unabated caution looked about him The bed had hod not been disturbed Selwood lighted a lamp One of ot Christies Christie's familiar straw hats lay on the bureau Beside It he saw a pair of gloves that he took up In his hla hand felt of and looked at nt The simple toilet articles of a frontier girl the brush and comb and lesser feminine accessories together with a black block leather belt and a handkerchief lay layat layat layat at hand I Everything gave nv mill mute evidence tnt tint no V V u the defenseless owner had been spirIted spirited spir- spir away or had fled tied without a a. a moments moment's warning To find himself standing thus surrounded surrounded surrounded sur sur- rounded by her m most st Intimate belongings belongings be be- longings belongings so familiar some of them to his observant eyes that In looking at nt them he was |