| Show ah 9 e L 12 L 2 0 h f bairs CHAPTER continued 16 it it was absolutely impossible tor for stewart to have been connected with that assault went on madeline swiftly for he be was with me in the tha waiting room of the station at the moment the assault was made 0 outside the door was open I 1 heard the voices of quarreling men the language was spanish I 1 hoard heard a womans comans voice mingling with the others it too was waa and I 1 could not understand but the tone lone was beseeching then I 1 heard footsteps on the gravel just outside the door then there were hoarse furious voices a scuffle a muffled shot a womans comans cry the thud of a falling failing body bod yand and rapid footsteps of a man running away next neat the girl bonita staggered into the door site she was white trembling terror stricken she bhe recognized stewart appealed to him stewart supported tier her and endeavored deavo red to calm tier lier lie ile asked tier her it danny mains had been shot or it he had done the shooting the girl said bald no she told stewart that she had danced a little flirted a little with v gueros vaqueros I 1 ros and they had bad quarreled over h her er then stewart took her outside and put her upon ills his horse I 1 saw the girl ride that horse down the alie street to disappear in the darkness while Bladel madeline lne spoke another change appeared to be working in the man glawe ills 1119 sharp features fixed in an expression of craft taets mighty Inte interesting Interest ln miss bliss ham mond most as Inte Interest ln as a story book he said now since youre so a witness id sure like to put a question or two what time did you arrive at et el cajon thet night 1 it was after eleven replied Mi madeline deline nobody there to meet you no the station agent ngeun an operator both fobel gone yes sea how soon boon did this teller feller stewart show up haws continued with a wry smile very soon after my arrival I 1 think perhaps fifteen minutes possibly a little more an what time was the tha greaser shot ahot queried with his little eyes gleaming like coals probably close to halt past one it was two when I 1 looked at my watch at florence King kingsleys house directly after stewart sent bonita away he be took mo me to miss King kingsleys so allowing tor for the walk and a few minutes conversation with her I 1 can pretty definitely say the shooting took place tit at about half past one stillwell heaved his big frame a step closer to the sheriff sherlf fi what ire re you darivin at he be roared ills his faco face blaek black again EvI evidence defice snapped hawe madeline Ma dellna marveled at this interruption and as stewart irresistibly drew her glance she saw him gray faced as aslies ashes shaking utterly unnerved 1 I thank you miss bliss hammond he ald said huskily but you answer any more of iiames questions lies hes hes its not necessary ill go with him now under arrest bonita w will ill corroborate your testimony in court and that will save me from tills this mans spite madeline looking at stewart seeing a humility she at first took for cowardice suddenly divined that it was not fear for himself which made him dread further disclosures of that night but fear for her fear of shame she might suffer buffer through him rat crawe cocked ills his head to one swe like hire n vulture about to strike w with ith hla his benk beak and cunningly eyed madeline considered as testimony what youve said Is sure important an conclusive clu sive but im calculation thet the court will want to hev explained why you stayed from eleven thirty till one thirty lit in thet willan room alone with stewart ills deliberate speech met with what madeline imagined a remarkable reception from stewart who gave a start from stillwell whose big hands tore at the neck of hla his shirt ns as if he was choking from alfred who now strode hotly forward to be stopped by the cold and silent nets nels from monty price ulio uttered a violent awl which was both a hiss and a roar in the rush ot of her thought madeline could biot not interpret the meaning of these things which seemed so BO strange at that moment but they were portentous ten tous even as she was forming a reply to hawes speech she felt a chill creep over her stewart detained me in the waiting room slie she said clear voiced as a bell but we were not alone all the time for a moment the only sound follow following tier her words was a gasp from stew art hawes face became transformed with a hideous amaze and joy detained he whispered craning his lean and corded neck Illo hows illovits vils thet stewart was drunk lie with sudden passionate gesture of despair stewart appealed to her oh ob anam hammond dont t donti dont I 1 dont I 1 then he seemed to sink down head lowered upon hla his breast in utter home Still llwella wells grent great hand swept to the bowed shoulder and he be turned to madeline bielss majesty I 1 reckon be wise to tell all said the old cattleman gravely there the re aint one of us who could misunderstand any mothe yf pr alt of f yo your debbe a trola stroke of nt light lightning nin might clear this murky air whatever gere stewart did that on lucky night you tell it dignity and self posses slon sion had been disturbed by stewarts importunity site broke into swift disconnected speech lie ile came into the station a few in minutes after I 1 got there I 1 asked to bo be shown to a hotel lie said there any that would accommodate married women ile he grasped TOV my hand looked for a wedding ring then I 1 saw lie he was lie he was intoxicated ile he told me he would go for a hotel porter but lie he came back with a padre padre marcos the poor priest was terribly frightened so wits was 1 I stewart stew ait had turned into a devil lie ile fired ills his gun at the padres feet ile he pushed roe me onto a bench again ne shot right light before my trice face I 1 I 1 nearly neaily fainted but I 1 heard him cursing the padre heard headd the padre praying placing or chanting I 1 know what stewart tried tiled to make me say bay things in spanish all at once lie he asked my ynie I 1 told him ile he jerked at my yell ell 1 I toots took it off then lie he threw ills his gun down doon pushed the padre out of the door that was just before the vaqueros laque ros approached pro ached with bonita padre blarcom must have hare seen thern them must have ha e heard them after that stewart grew quick ly sober lie ile told TOO me he had been drinking at a wedding I 1 remember it was ed wedding w then lie explained the hos boys were always alwais gambling he n wagered aggred lie w would marry the first girl who arrived at ni cajon I 1 happened to be the first one ile he tried tiled to force me to marry him the rest relating to the assault on the vaquero aquaro 1 I have already told you madeline ended out of breath and panting with her hands pressed upon her heaving bosom hawe rolled ills his red eyes and threw back ills his head iio ho ho he be hoi I 1 lie ho ho he he hoi I 1 say sneed you miss any of it did ye haw hawl daiv I 1 best I 1 ever ee heerd in ill all my iny bom days ile ho ho he III 1 then lie he ceased laughing and with glinting gaze upon madeline insolent and vicious find and savage he began to drawl wal now my lady I 1 reckon your story it if it tallies with boultas an padre Bl marcos arcos will clear gene stewart in the eyes of the court here he grew slower more biting sharper and harder of face but you jou expect pat hawe or the court to thet part of your sour story about bebin detained un unwilling willin III Madel madeline lne had bad not time to grasp the sense of his last words stewart had convulsively sprung sprang upward white na as chalk As he be leaped at hawe stillwell interposed ills his huge bulk and wrapped ills his arms around stewart there was a brief whirling wrestling struggle stewart appeared appealed to be besting the old cattleman help boys boss belal yelled stillwell 1 I cant hold him hurry or theles gold to be blood spilled III I 1 nick steele and several cowboys leaped to Still wells ells assistance gone I 1 why genet gene I 1 panted the old c cattleman attle ninn sure youre locked to net act this way cool down I 1 cool down why boy its all right jest stand still give us n chance to talk to you sou its only ole bill you ou know your our ole pal whoa tried to do be a daddy to you sou iles hes only you to hev sense to bo cool to wait let me go I 1 let roe me got gol cited stewart and the poignancy of that cry pierced iladell nes heart let me go hill it if youre my illy friend I 1 saved your life once over o ver in the desert you Z he wagered he ha would marry the first girl who arrived at el cajon swore never forget boys BOS make him let me go gol I 1 oh I 1 dont care what hawes said or done to me I 1 it was that about herl her I 1 are you all it ft lot of greasers Greaser sl how can you ou stand and ltv it D n you for a lot lat of cowards I 1 theres n limit I 1 tell you then his voice broke fell to a whisper bill dear old bill let me go ill kill him I 1 you know ill kill hill him I 1 gene I 1 know kill him it if you hed bed on an even break replied stillwell soothingly but gene why you aint even a guill an theres put pat lookin nasty with his hand nervous like ile he seen you yon hed bed no gun hed jump at the chance to plug you now an then holler bolter about opposition to the A romance by zane grey by harper and brothers brother law cool down son all come right light suddenly madeline was transfixed by bv it a terrible sound iier her startled glance shifted from the anxious group round stewart stew art to see that monty price had leaped oft off the porch he crouched down with Ms ills hands below life his hips where the big guns swung from MB his distorted lips issued that sound which was combined roar and bellowans bellow bello wand and indian whoop and more than all a horrible warning cry lie ile was wai quivering vibrating ills eyes black and hot were fastened with most piercing intentness upon llave hawe and sneed git back bill git back I 1 be roared git em back III with one lunge stillwell shoved stewart stew art and nick and the other cowboys upon the porch crowded madeline and Alf alfred and florence to the wall tried tiled to force them further farther ills motions were vere rapid and stern stein hut but fulling falling to get them through door and windows he planted ills his wide person between the women and danger madeline grasped its ills arm held on and peered fearfully from behind ills his broad shoulder you ilabel you called monty in that same wild voice dont you sou move a finger er an eyelash ei clash III 1 Madell nes faculties nerved to keen thrilling divination she grasped the relation between terrible cry and the strange hunched posture he had assumed nels git in yelled monty and all the time he never shifted its his intent gaze as much as a hairs breadth from haw a and ills his deputy nels chase awny away them two tellers hunglu hick back there chase em quick I 1 11 these thesa men the two deputies wh who a iad remained ned in the background with the pack horses did not walt wait for nels they spurred their mounts wheeled I 1 and galloped away now nels cut the gurl loose ordered monty monti nets nels ran forward jerked the halter balter out of land hand and pulled don bon atals horse horsa in close to the porch As lie he slit silt the rope which bound her she tell fell into ills arms Il lawe git dowal went on monty face front an stiff 1 the slie riff swung his leg and never moving ills hands bonds with his face now a deathly sickening white he be slid to the ground line up there beside your guerrilla pard there I 1 you two make a d n line fine pic toor a d n fine team of wizened coyote an a cross between it wild mule an a greaser now li listen steril 1 monty made a long pause in which ills his breathing was plainly audible eyes were riveted upon monty her mind swift as lightning had gathered the subtleties in action and word succeeding ills his domination of the nien men violence terrible violence the w tiling thing she had felt the tiling thing she had feared the thing she had sought to eliminate from among her cowboys was waa after many months about to be enacted before her eyes eca it had come at last she had softened stillwell she had influenced nels kels she had changed stewart wart but this little black faced terrible blanty price now rose as it were out of his past wild years ears and no power on earth or in heaven could stay ills his hand with eyes es slowly hazing haying red led she watched him she listened with ft ath thrumming ears she waited slowly sagging against stillwell Il ellawe lawe it if you an your dirty pird pard 11 hev ev loved the sound of human voice then listen an listen hard said monty blanty for fer ive been coln contrary to my ole style jest to liev a talk with you iou you all but got away on olf your nerve nerre you sou cause why you roll in here like a mad steer an yer cr cadge badge an talk mean then almost bluff away with it you heerd ell all bout about miss bliss hammonds ammonds II cowboy outfit t stopp in tn an cussin an guns took on religion pa decent livin art an sure be easy to hobble hobbie an all drive to jill jail hawe listen there was vas it a good an noble an woman come out of the east an she brought a lot of ne an happiness an new edees into the tough lives of cowboys I 1 reckon its beyond you ou to know what she ehe come to mean to them wal ill tell you they rill all went clean out of their head they alie all got soft till nn tosy easy an sweet tempered they got so they kill a coyote a crippled calf in a mud hole bole H veil nic me an ole worn out hobble legged burned up cowman like met me I 1 do you ou git thet an you blister glawe 3 you on corne come along not satisfied with copla idill an beatin nn an gaw knows what else of thet friendless little bonlak boniti you i ou come along an tace face the lady we fellers honor an love an reverence arence an you you 11 II Is firel fire 1 with whistling breath foaming at the mouth monty price crouched lower hands at his hips and lie he edged inch by lomi farther out from the porch closer to dawe and sneed Bladel madeline lne saw them only in the blurred fringe cringe of tier her eight bight they resembled specters she heard the shrill whistle of a horse and recognized majesty calling her from the corral nets mill bill roared monty in a voice now strangling lower ond and lower he be bent beat a taic figure of ferocity now both you armed officers of the lie law come on I 1 flash your gundi throw em cm an be monty price Is donol donel therell be daylight da light through you both before you fan a hammer bammert I 1 hut but im givin you i a chamot to sting me you holler law an my cay vay Is the ole law ills ilia breath cami cam quicker his hi voice grew hoarser and lie he crouched lower all his body except ills his rigid arms anna quivered with a wonderful muscular convulsion dogs skunks 1 blizzards Buzzard sl I 1 flash them guns er ill flash mine I 1 alin aha I 1 to madeline it seemed the three stiff crouching men leaped into instant in and untied united notion action she bhe jaw saw lower and lower he bent a terrible figure of ferocity streaks etre alts of fire streaks of smoke then a crashing volley deafened her it ceased as quickly smoke yelled veiled the scene slowly it drifted away to disclose three fallen men one of whom monty leaned on hla his left hand a smoking gun in his right ile he watched ti ched tor for a movement from the 0 ther other two it did not come then with a terrible smile mile he be slid back and stretched out CHAPTER unbridled in waking and sleeping hours madeline hammond ammond II could not release herself from the th memory of that tragedy she was vas haunted by monty prices 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 |
