Show I 1 ff 4 a IM S SYNOPSIS jack alth a new now a boyar boyder ll 11 aloag the boats fe thallon trail on lie t lookout lookout for or roaming wr war parti of f a ark v S H e nolle a camp E fire rv t disla dutno ao art ina tt seea a tm team atta chail to t a won wagon and 1 at I full gallop hop pursued by mn men on ahn v hn aith deac caf hips the th t ri taff hv have mi miss acted twi mn men and end departed lie ache rc he the vic victim tiros finding papers and a locket with a woman a portrait its II 11 tv hunt down the murderer mur dr CHAPTER til III continued the trail continua continually ill skirting the high bluff and bearing farther away from the river turned sharply into a narrow ravine there wis a consid enable bre bral in the rocky barrier bere here leading back for perhaps a bun dred jr ards and the iman turned bis big horse that war way dismounting when out of sight among the boulders II 11 ito could ret rest here until night with ath little danger of discovery lit ll 11 lay down on the rocks pillowing nil his head on the addle but his brain waa was apo active to permit slee bleeding Ding finally he drew draw the letters from out hij his pocket and began examining them they yield ed ea very little information those tak on a from the older man having baying no en an to abow show tc to whom bom they had boen been addressed the ingle single document I 1 found in the pocket of the other wa was a memorandum of account at the pioneer store at topeka charged to john sibley and marked paid thil this then must baro have been the younger man a e name ai as the letters to the oth er r began occasionally dear will they were missives euch such ai as a wife might write to a husband long absent yet upon a mission of deep in terest to both keith could not fully determine bat this mission might be aa as the persona persons evidently understood each other eo so thoroughly that mere allusion took the place of detail twice the name phyllis was meltion ed ad and once a fred was also referred to but in neither instance ln tance clearly enough to reveal the relation ship although the latter appeared to be pleaded for certain refer eicie caused the belief that these letters bad had been mailed from come some email small mis nile bourt town but nor no name was men they were invariably signed mary the only other paper keith discovered vias a brief itinerary of thy the fe F trail extending as far weal went as a the haton naton mountain giving the usual camping spots and places when n water was accessible he its slipped the papers lack back into his pocket with a distinct feeling of disappointment and lay back staring up at the tittle little strip of blue eky sky the silence yae was profound even his horse standing mo tion lees and finally be he fell asleep the suri ad had disappeared and even he the gray of twilight was fading lading out of the when keith returned again to consciousness aroused by his borse rolling on thu soft turf lie ile awoke thoroughly refreshed and eager to get away on his long night f r ride A cold lunch hastily eaten foa fire would have ben been end and be he saddled up and was as on off trot ung ling out of at the narrow luvince and into the broad trait trail which could be fol tot lowed without difficulty under the dull gleam of the stars glorso and rider ere soon at their best be the animal into the ions long easy lope of or prairie travel the fresh air tanning the mans face as he leaned forward once they baited halted to drink from irom a narrow stream and then push ed d on hour after hoar hour through the deserted de artea night keith had little fear of indian raiders in thet that darkness a and nd every stride of his big arce brought him closer to the settlements and further revved from danger yet eyes and ear ears were alert to every shadow and found sound once it must bae base been after midnight he drew his pony sharply back into a rock shadow at it the nolle noise of something approach log ing from the last east the stage to santa pe ve rattled past the four mules trot ting swiftly a squad of at troopers rid ing hard behind it was merely a lumping shadow sweeping swiftly past he could perceive the dim out lines of driver and guard the soldiers sold lera swaying la to their saddles beard heard the ding of hoofs boots the creak of axles and then the apparition disappeared into the black void lie ile bad had oot not call ed d out what was the use aset those peo pet plo pla would pause to hunt bunt down prairie outlaws and their guard was visa sufficient to prevent attack they acknowledged but one duty to gel get the mil mail thrush on amr the dust of their pi pissing stat still la in the air keith rode on the noise dying away in bis his rear As the hour bourn pass ed ad his horse hoise wearied gal had to be b purred into the th witter stride but the man 81 an seemed tireless the sun was an hour high when they climbed the th long hill and loped into carson city the ws was to the right but keith having no report to make rode directly ahead down tho the one IOU loi street to a livery corral leaving his boree horse there and sought the nearest dearest resl restaurant exhausted by a debt of hish play aad and deep drinking the border town was sloping sleeping off its debauch deb suck saloons andl and bambling cam bling dans dent silent the streets alza almast cat deserted dr td to keith chos for arv acquaintance with the tb place had THE w DEU LE 01 PLAINS RAM ormy LADY or of atte jav IM Q PY by hilvi A C Q coo 0 UM VA C ip 61 rad C ca D eza are you golna to raise a row or corns adlung quietly been entire entirely lr after night the be view ot of it now waa was almost a chock shock the miserable hacks shacks the gaudy saloon brints the littered street the dingy unpainted hotel the dirty pap zt of card car tai the ge unoccupied road the ul prairie sweeping away to the tb horizon all a hideout picture be nath the eun sun g glare tire he lie could scarcely find a man to attend his bone horse and at the restaurant a drowsy Chins mam had to be hakea shaken awake and fright ened into serving him ho ito bat down to the miserable mia erable meal oppressed with disgust never before bid hia his life seemed eo so moan mean ui cieless uie leea eless utterly with out lie ile possessed pois eased essed the appetite of the tb open of the normal man in perfect physical health and in ate heartily hs eyes wandering out of nt ine opa op a window down the long d hjal A drunken nan man lay in fi ft tit of iho red light saloon ale leeoler tut bed two cur dog were an trilb at each other luet just beyond over a bone a movers wagon wae was coming in arross ar ross the open through a cloud of yellow deist that wae was all within the radius of vision for the first time in gearu the fast called bim the old life of cleanliness and respectability he ile swore to himself aa as he tossed the chinaman pay for hie his break breakfast faaL and strode out onto the tepa steps two men were coming up the treel street together from the opposite direction one lean dark skinned eki nned with black goatee the other heavily set with closely trim med gray beard keith knew the latter and waited leaning against the door one hand on bit hi hip I hullo tullo bob to said aid genially they mut must hare have routed you out pretty artt early today they did jack was the te spouse lie came up the steps ome some what heavily hia his companion topping stopping below the boy boys rale raise hell bell all night an then come ter me ter straighten it i out cut la in the lawnin when did ye git sit in int an hour ago had bad to wake the tb chink up to get any chuck town look looks dead tain taint t over lively 11 rely at tola this time a 0 day dar permitting his blue eye eyes to wan an der up the silent it trot but instantly bringing them back to keiths fice face but I 1 reckon wak wake up later on lie tood stood squarely qu arely on an both feet ind and one hand rested tested on an the butt of a re volver 1 keith noticed this wonder ing truely vo baly 40 1 I 1 reckon yer know jack as a how I 1 Kine Illner rally ally git sit what I 1 bors after said the low slow drawling voice an that I 1 draw bout aa as amick aa as any ol 01 0 the hoy boys They The tall me yore a er but it wont 10 lo 40 yo t u good ter taake a play yere ter one on W 0 ua us la Is sure ur to git sit yer do yer saba get me keith voice 1 and face expressed bit not a muscle of hit his body tooted what da do you mean bob are you fellow follows after otter net mo I 1 sure thing got the warrant hr hors and be b tapped the breast of hie his shirt with hia his left nand the color mounted aiato the ehko of the other his lips 11 grew act and white and hie his ray gray eyes darkened let ut it all oat out marshal he bald said ete ste ruly ruty youve got me roped and tied jow vow abst what a th v charee charge neither A m 1 in 1 I vave I 1 su battue X mt ono one betow below swung about so as ft to fco them one quo band hand thrust out of light sight beneath the tall of big long lonc coal cost make him throw up his band hands doh bob he aid said shay hardly har pIr ply I 1 ob I 1 reckon aint gain ter be no trouble returned the th marshal genially yet with no rl of at keith knors kno me an ex pacts a fair leal deal BOA maybe I 1 better aik ask yr yer to unhitch yer belt jack A moment keith ahomed to hesitate plainly puttied puzzled by the situation altu atton aej endeavoring to see ee come way of ei as cape then bli his lipa lips smiled and be silently unhooked the belt handing it over sure I 1 know youre quare alicks ho be aid said coolly and now ive bared kindly inform me what this Is 1 all about I 1 reckon yer dont know no more than an unborn babe I 1 hare have been here bit an hour buur it if it yer bad oad been longer louger wouldn t be no trouble yoe yoto wanted for killan a couple W to man out at Cr aromin orsin early mor mornin kith stared at him too completed tel astounded for the instant to even peak speak aben hen be gasped for gode gods eake make alicks do you be lieve that lia im damned if it I T know ret returned orned the marhal marshal doubtfully don t seem like do it but the evidence ti in straight nough bough an aint noth iii fer me ter do bat but take ye in 1 I 1 aint no bedge an jury j no but boti tight to U hat have sense an you known me tor for three year years sure I 1 have jack bat if it beeve gone wrong wron yon you won wont t be the first good man I 1 to acea seen do it t anyhow the evidence erd nce Is t dead agin you an I 1 id d or r ret rest my own granddad grand dad if it they their div ae rae a warrant agin him what evidence to cherer fly men swear they saw ye bau baul in the bodies about and the pockets then keith understood ander stood hi his hn t besting rapidly hia his teeth clenched to keep back an outburst of masslon bd that was their game same waa was it att orna some act of hie his had awakened the coward cowardly if of thoe those wate him sc ass the 1 they were afraid lat he h knew them as white men and thet had found a way ay to safety maule him they mut must hare have ridden bard haril over those tho cand danea dunes to bay racked carton carson city and worn sworn out this warrant it waa was a it good rwjr likely nouga enough to hang him if it the fet fel lows only atuck stuck to their tory story all this gashed through hit his brain yet somehow te to could not clearly compre beal bead tb the full bli mind con fused and dazed by thia this sudden of dacer his ey eye wandered from the toady steady gaza of the marsha who bo hai hae halt his h cua ow arif I 1 je 4 resistance to the man at the boston ot of the steps suddenly it dawned upon bim him where whore be he had seen that dark akland face with the black not tee too before at the th faro taro table of 0 the th red I 1 ight ito H gripped his hand hands together hr instantly connecting that sneering sl ulster face with the plot abo nor out that warrant war 1 I did it rou you need to know IL ear sar casette smile rail revealing 11 a gleam ol 01 whit white teeth on the ot of others friend friends of mine who are you IM mostly called black dart that wr was it he had the name now 1 click black dart barf he lie straightened up 9 eo so quickly his eye bluing blazing t that at the marshal Bia rebal jerked big gun sun clear aee here jack dortly hort ly are y yer e r coln to rale raise a row or come along quiet I 1 As though th the ord had aroused hlin him from a bad dream keith turnce to front the item stern bearded face there 11 II be no row dob bob aft said id quietly I 1 I 1 it go with you TO 13 DB M CONTINUED |