Show 0 0 0 0 wi in t 93 9 va 3 r ra N it e gw by 0 o alan lemay copyright bj alan lemay 0 WW 0 H CHAPTER XIII XI I 1 continued 17 As kentucky considered this it seemed to him that he had bad never witnessed in any man the gameness ga gameness meniss the courage nor the fixed fidelity of purpose that this one slender girl had shown he wanted to seek her out now and tell lier her that be knew what she had faced ami that the victory was not sheriff hoppers noi nor disown hi bis sown own but hers and hers only and he knew he would have no words to express any part of that ho he almost convinced himself this wait waa not the time to try to talk to her that he should pack out of there and go to waterman and come back some time a long while later then a door closed softly in another part of the house and he jerked to his feet he found her in the stable shed where the bandies were she had already roped a pony tho the same pony with which she had bad met him early that morning upon therrall the trail and she was saddling with hurried unsteady hands within the shadow of the shed where are you yon going jeany what do you care where im going she said in a small vague voice who gives a whoop T least of all myself he went to his fits saddle and took down his rope ampe she watched him shake out allt a little tle cat loop what are you going to do 1 I thought 11 he said maid id reach we me down a horse and come along her hands dropped the latigo and she turned to face him no I 1 she told him no no I 1 I 1 dont want you to come 1 I 1 I want to be alone her face was vas white and her mauth quivered just as you want jean he answered slowly only I 1 just thought that you and I 1 had been through too much here together to ride two trails now I 1 dont blame you though ifko it you hate the h 1 out of me it that she said brokenly kentucky it that its myself that I 1 hate the h I 1 out oui of why child the matter suddenly jean broke she sat down in a heap upon a spare saddle and hid bid her face in her arms 1 I wish id never been born he dropped to one knee beside her jeana what Is it lee bishop poor lee kentucky considered did you love him jean for a morvent her face to stare al him did I 1 what love him no 0 O but dear d ear G d kentucky its my fault he be alive today what nonsense Is this he de mantled slie she had hidden her face again but she shook her head 1 I killed hilled him kentucky I 1 killed him just as sure PR 9 as aa if id finned him bird my elf v ane worst boullit i a ever ver heard in my life I 1 0 she shook her head rig atil her words were muffled and incoherent you dont know if only rd fd trusted you then I 1 ive trusted brusted you since kentucky I 1 nerve have I 1 have id put anything g in the he world in into to your hands with never a flicker of doubt but then I 1 thought I 1 had to play it out alone everybody trusted me bu but I 1 trusted no body just as you sold said after lee told mo me he had seen mason here tiie the day mason died I 1 knew it was bob elliot lie had een and when Z w elliot began swamping our range J I 1 phoned him and rode out to meet him and I 1 tried to bluff him out I 1 told him that lee had seen him bitu there that we could turn the case against him if be opened the tha play 1 I thought 11 I 1 could hold bold that over him and bluff him doff instead it only meant lees death kentucky kentucky its my fault hes bea dead it if ever blame could be placed in this world that blame could bf be placed on in me e I 1 poor child he said poor spoor chili child jean I 1 g guess u es s lee t te tell I 1 y you 0 it all but he told me before he died lee tell you that he hailed hall edthe the man he be thought though was bla ala son sont he be hailed balled and waved the other answer but its certain that elliot knew lee saw him because mccord tried to pick a fight with bishop before you talked to elliot dont cousee yo you gee the cards were against lee all the time and you had bad nothing to do with it at all she lifted hir her face and gripped both his bla arms ams kentucky to la this true tru enry ar 0 you sure why of course child 1 I once more she bid her face this time weeping unrestrainedly kentucky gathered her into hla big arms whatever has hag happened here 1 he once more she kid hid her face told her this IS thing la Is true no body la in the world has been as game and as braye brave and as true as a 3 you youve ve been through all this long stampede there your equal any place and never has been be enyou 41 you hear me and not a man hereof her eor anywhere here Is fit at to saddle your bronc presently i as he held her the shuddering jerk of her breathing subsided and she was quiet in his arms its ita been so lonely so GO ter for foi so BO long she whispered at last hold me tight kentucky dont let iet me go no he answered not ever any more THE END |