Show I THE TRAY OF DIAMONDS IIV lirX MATTIIfUs n r 1 Intr t lt 1Ih while extend along the face of lleeker Illuff about halfway up the tide of the griyy rocks of the mountain and a few hundred feet above the alley of the Little Waihlta there rode one centng a young fellow ol medium build In the garb 01 a cowboy rhe path along the verge though utf even In Itt surface vat wide and tale 110 the hnricman advanced leisurely with no thought beyond the common run ot a travelers refleclloni Trouble wan awaiting htm however lie wu Just rounding a sudden bend In hit course when hit reverie wa dli I tumbrel by the hoarse command Hold hard thar Ned llruce an lands up The cniboy knew enough about such I thing to at once lilt hit hand tk > vardt I then he leaned over and peered In the left ot hit path where across the lnpnl a gray bowlder there retted the shim a merlrg barrel eta rifle exactly on a line wllh his shirt boon k I Well friend Inquired the traveler r at hit bronco stopped Hill what can I do for you J et Hefore II n with the rllle had enid en-Id swered tit > > pprd from behind another d dm 10 other rock two more men u ho adt oared h toward the cowboy and one of whom n at hit face became plainly exposed Into In-to the while light of I the mooncauied Ned nit llruce to tremble dcipttc hit cffortt to lie how no fear at I Unbe Caryl he nmtterrd and he the w as overheard by the other v ho laughed hat short and hard at he antwered Ice You know mea me-a Slightly returned hence You are Let known as Plitul iabc the chief ot that crew of cutthroatt who call themselves them-selves the Hough and Ready k on The outlaw bowed Inter You flatter me he sneered Then he nore teemed grow furious hit features at done liming the gloating villainous look of ome a wretch with a foe In hit power With one deft movement while hit slot companion held the cowboy covered lie of the bandit chief slipped Ned weapon cklng from hit belt and Invited him to dlt > ullha it mount r side Do you know you miserable spy 1 ck he that Im going to kill you laid the il and outlaw flrcely hit brlitllng teeth how three Ing In a murderous tmlle wont I havent the least doubt about answered an-swered the cowboy coolly at he lowered can be htmtelf lo the ground where within tall the half a minute the three men had hit ot J hands bound at hit back And Indeed COilol Ned llruce knew within hit heart that mount that of the lime had come for hit last reckon ate In IIIg He had too long Incited the enmity ot I many title ruffian to hope for lenience For a ener I I iauilng number of months he hid been cnilciv orlnrf to bring about the capture of Pit 101 Gabe and hit follower making him who crt elf the leading member of bodies of know o men with that purpose In view potting cannot y up notice ol reward for Information regarding those in garding the outlawt whereabout and not I y do In short doing everything which could It Itt it al 1 t not fall to attract the keenest dltpleat t and at uro from the bandit leader He had I the now met him but once and had then pursued he It I cow him for inllet through the hlllt and canyon until the wonderful fleetncit ot 1 manure the outlaw hone had carried him be pot corn yond hIs reach togs The Yet llruce now iM Ilitol Gabe at Now It the three outlaw formed a triangle hat man to around their prisoner you haven have-n the corn croued me once too ollcn I cannot feed to the afford to have a person like you run tenie Th nlng at large If all on The outlaw then held lh watch where much hog the moonlight amuck It v nan using Half rill eight he sold coldly n which In Von mutt be done for before the longhand an It to rut long-hand posses the hort again Now air clover crop how do you choo e to dlef better than There wa nothing uncertain about ic more cIa hit tone They spoke death at plainly nore of other at Neil llruce had ever herd anything ice Manure spoken but the cowboy showed a nerve m the clover that wat mlcundlng Ile onJ the faint ett palcnett about hit cheek and lilt oiot llr > being A trifle compressed lit was protpcct that calm like the valley and rlter which globe will be slept hundreds of feet below In reiponic to the outlaw question he said In tones cool and even You are willing to let mr select the manner of my death f Yell at long at you arrange It to occur oc-cur within the lime I stated Ned Druce was thoughtful for a moment I naturally with Gabr he said pre presently to die n quick death We all want that you know The outlaw nodded I with you continued the doomed cowboy lo tend a bullet through my heart heartbo So be It said the bandit bowing 111 li easily done11 You are a center hot laid llruce but I with him to be specially certain Hate you a deck of earl abuul you > Cerlalnlv I 1 pilrlxMtit on my lilt hro oat In order to make jour aim surer At you say sir 1 coldly responded the ruffian at he drew a card deck from hit coat and begah ihullllng It through hit linger Would you prefer any par Ilcular esnl No I guess Well you might make It the tray ol diamond I And Ilttol Gtbe saying nothing til enllj thlfled the Cards unlll he found the elected one Then advancing In the cowboy he pinned the three apott squarely over his hUll where they showed plainly on the while moonlit card Ned llruce did not waver cicn ai the outlaw backed away the dlilancc ol ten pace and deliberately drew hit weapon I had rather you would come a little nearer Gabe he tald t calmly and try to cleave the middle diamond1 I The bandit dlidalncd dolni Ihti however how-ever lie was too thoroughly confident of ttrlklng the mark to go to any further fur-ther trouble about the affair Slowly then with a flndlth tatliUc lion lnhlteyethe lifted his rcvohcrand leveled It at that human breast while Ned llruce threw hits shoulders back and expanded his ehcat to the utmott Illngl hi the blue imoke from that murderous murder-ous lube cutlet up toward the moon the haplet cowboy tottered swayed a little and dropped heavily upon his tide The ordeal won oer Ned llruce had had hit wUhet fulfilled With chuckle of pleasure Pistol Gabe appioarhed the body and turned the bo lomtowardlho sky The center diamond dia-mond had been bored through Good shot caplaln lAid one of the other bandlti and they ai laughed In brutlih enjoyment of the murner 1litol Gabe then looped and cut the I cord which held the cowboys wrists We might as well leave him comfortable comfort-able he grinned and they each chuck eled again at the excellent Joke Then a minute later without any further fur-ther attention to the body of her vie tin they strafe away from there taking tak-ing the cowboys hone with them Which left the spot a wlcrcd one now with Itt only Inhabitant that dlimal figure fig-ure whltli lay 10 till In the shadows of that lonely glade The moon rot higher and slanted brighter down 3n the rocky ledge and the one ghaitly form till lay undliturbed After awhile however lonicthlng occurred oc-curred which would hue startled anyone any-one who might have patted that way at the lime The flure lying there mo > cdt Ned llruce lat slowly up and felt of hit head which was ditty and ot his heart which war ttlll I somewhat numbed numb-ed Then ho slipped hit finger beneath hla hi Ollie and felt of a square of steel nearly an Inch thick which hung over hit heart by a cord There was a dentIn dent-In the metal the Imprint of a bullet Well done I mumbled the cowboy lie hot true and no mlitake and he laid me out for several hours I guen but all the tame Im ttlll kfcklnt With that he stood up stretched out his arm andaller walking about brief period found hlmiclf almost at sound a I ever The blow of the bullet hail Imply stunned hit nerve and deadened him for a time without resulting fatally fa-tally Half an hour later he descended Into the valley below and safely reached the cabin of a friend And It might be added that In day following It fell to his lot to at last tlrlke the trail of Ilttol Jaw headquarter where with bold men behind him and In bitter remembrance of that night on lllecker IMufT he led the charge vMch exterminated the outlaw chief and hit band Golden Hour |