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Show Selwood of By CHAPTER XI Continued 13 I , ' t Without losing an unnecessary moment, the gambler, recovering his trembling horse, mounted up, crossed the bridge the wagon close behind and struck through the brush to the right and Into the old trail. . They had hardly entered It before the serious difficulty of making their way up the river was evident. The trail, heavily overgrown with brush, had become Impassable by night, and the wagon track had been washed into countless gullies by the rains of years. He rode back trying to think out an escape from his dilemma. Dave has an old shack down at Calabasas. I hate to take him among but Its any port In the a storm. Theres a trail from Calabasas through the hills that conies out on the river Just above the old beaver dam, and when I can get back to help, well get him to camp that way. The trick now will he to turn the wagon around. Unhitch the team and well do It by hand." e Selwood took the horses while and Scott, with many pulls, got the wagon to where the horses could handle It again, and the cavalcade struck across the Sinks on the Thief Illver road toward the famous water hole on the Spanish desert. An hour or so later, with good going, they had reached Calabasas tbe haunt of men esteemed, of all men, meanest Id the high country. The holes In the canyons, the tumbledown shacks that sheltered these denizens of Calabasas were still as death when the wagon, guided by Selwood, by lantern, by Scotts Instinct, and by main force, halted with as little noise as possible near what Selwood pronounced Tracys cabin. Selwood got down, from bis horse and. calling to Scott for the dog. slipped Cliloe's muzzle and held her on the Tbe mastiff whinnied and leash. Jumped at him. licking his bands us he caught her by the collar and lei her toward the cabin donr. Selwood hoped that, witty Saturday night and the constant probability that any squatter occupant was more likely to be sleeping there In the daytime than at night, the shack might be unoccupied. Crawling on the ground and feeling Ids way to the door from the sid, where he was partly protected by the sill log. Selwood got Ills hand on the lower part of the batten door, it hung, he remembered, on leathern st rips. and It stood now In the night ttrtly ajar, seemlpgly supported on'v by the upper thong. Chloe. his hand on her collar, pushed her nose Into the opening between the door and the Jamb and strained at the leash, but she did not growl Selwood allowed her to crawl Inside, which sfe did with great gusto, held her a moment at the leash's length, and then leleased her. He could hear the dog acurrjing about Inside, but knew at once the cabin was empty. Ottn In hand, he wont to the wagon. Scott passed out a lantern, and Selwood, rcturninS. carefully pulled open the door and entered. The lantern light revealed a rough table, a rickety chair, and a homemade stool. In the upper bunk corner stood the double-decke- d Tracy 'had built, and in which Selwood lied slept the first night and the only night he had ever slept In Calabasas. There was coarse bedding In both decks. A rough rock fireplace stood rt the lower end of the cabin. the fireplace stood an empty box up ei ded. Selwood knew well Its nse. l.ike a candle snuffer for a candle. It was there to set over and conceal a fire on the hearth. In a few moments the three men, Jiv th light of the lantern, had cleaned out the place. The bedding was dumped outside, together with a horse-thieve- ! s, Pnr-dalo- left-han- d I.e-sid- e' Jie-nn.- ly haltered frying-pa- n and coffee-po- t and sine canned goods. Kerosene f:om a handy can was poured freely over the bunk, rubbish was pushed on the hearth and lighted. And with ch'oe b Inking at the flames, Tracy, ii ns.'ep .on the cot, was lifted th wagon hacked np to the into the shack and placed In correr farthest from the hunk r- real the open fire. When Parda-!- o and Scott had brought In light for breakfast. Selwood directed the two men to go to sleep In Co agon. the cabin, be sat down hr '4 Tracy. Selwood had been long to-- ' iiisy with life to think of death; ten In Tracy's appearance It had fpened more than once of late to -" at him: tonight the old face ... more like death than ever. 'the thought of .Christie kept flaring. like the fitful flame on the hearth, m tils heart. She would have listened tr t lm. he felt, had he been anything i.of .what old Dave was, a common r nattier. And what had he to expect it a death such as this If he ended life like this? Only, at best, a nub ker death, a violent death at the of some other outcast like hh'tself. lie looked at Ills watch. To make Ms rendezvous by midnight he must op on the way home. Home I He had (token the word In his mind. Whnt had a homeless man to such s right . without a woman to make It die, was In his lexicon no such word lg i,0me he had known one home. !e woke Scott Pardaloe was snoring unmercifutty assed tfie Indian infer his jiorse. ana gav.e him (.. trucr.iofis as mere were to K.aou.'d nor be hack rat give f-- m 1 . ni-i- . FRANK H. SPEARMAN Copyright by Charles Scribner WNU Service. Son. by daylight namely, to run Tracy up river until things had quieted down in Sleepy Cat; and If they heard the gambling hull was burned to tell Tracy, Selwood had gone West. He swung into the saddle with a light heart, for action Is what the soldier, the adventurer, the gaihbler -- era ves. Half way Into town, emerging from the breaks that skirt the valley of the Rat, he caught a glimpse of a red glare on the northern horizon, lie tmd no need to pause or to surmise what It might be; the Vigilantes were abroad. Selwood presently halted; he struck a match and looked at his watch; It was only eleven o'clock something had precipitated the fight he might he too late to make defense. The faint crackle of gunfire reached 1,1s ears told him more than he needed to know. lie quickened his pace; If he were too late to fight for the hall, there was company property to protect. But he had given his word to defend the hall, and wanted to meet the masked crowd where he had promised to meet them. Reaching the river bottom. Selwood the bridge. Hearted reconnoitered though he was to go forward, he dared not risk crossing It. If the guards had freed themselves, or been freed, they would be eager to shoot from ambush. He rode slowly down the river some three hundred yards, located an old ford and. guiding his horse cuutlously Into the rapids, allowed It to drink, crossed slowly, headed the horse up the rocky bank, rode up under the hlitlT. found a break he could get the horse Into, and rode out on the river bench, In full sight of the town. No more thnn a glance was needed to give the quickwitted gambler the situation. Vigilantes were pushing Into the River quarter below him, and burning as they wpnt. Rut the gunfire, ceasing at times and breaking out sharply anew, told him they were meeting resistance. He rode well outside the area of the flumes and the fighting on the outskirts of the town. In the darkness he rode unmolested; Indeed, encountered no one, and came out unobserved on the Fulling Wall trail, where he could command the lower end of Fort street, which was on fire. Between him' and the conflagration stood (his gambling hall, but this lay belovx the brow of the . hill in front of him. Down Fort street, silent and completely deserted, he rode, wondering whether the smoke rising In the foreground Included Hie ruins of his own building or others; and then, crossing the brow of the hill, he saw the gambling hall just below him. To his amazement. It stood apparently untouched. Lights were barn . Ing Inside. Through the partly shaded windows of Ids place lie could see no one moving, nor could he hear uny sound. This was cause' for suspicion, if not a symptom of danger With as little noise ns possible, he rode into the grounds north of the hall, dismounted, secured his horse, and with his hand on the grip of his holster gun.- walked to the door yf Ids ofllee. In the rear of the building, slipped a key Into the door lock and. standing to one side, pressed the latch and threw the door wide open. Silence greeted the move. Selwood would have given much for a dog, hut he had none, and. convincing himself that he might as well take a shot from the dark then as one In the light later, walked .boldly Into rlie room, struck a match, lighted (he lamp, and closed the door behind him. The room was empty. Everything appeared as lie Imd left It at dusk. He threw open the door into the The lights were on gamhlltig-rootn- . not a soul was In sight. But signs of disorder and evidences of hasty departure were everywhere. (Hunt ing collectedly about, drawing rapid Inferences from whatever lie saw. looked at Ids watch. It lacked hut a minute of twelve oclock perhaps the Vigilantes were coming hack to face Ids threat and. finish him and tne hall together. As to. Big Haynes and Haynes defenders, he had never for a moment cherished any Illusions; everything about tie room Indicated they had run like rabbits at the approach" of danger. ne walked to the front doors. They stood wide open, lie looked up and down the street; not a soul was anywhere in sight. Vet the hall, open, brilliantly lighted, stood silent and deserted ; It was as If death had suddenly and completely wiped out its denizens players, onlookers, dealers, everybody. He had returned to defend Ids (dace only to flud that no one appeared to challenge Its right to exist. Puzzled at the situation, Selwood strode down the broad steps and started for the horse barn. He noticed that the barn lights were burning, particularly' the stationary lanterns on both sides of the front door. At the moment he approached the front of the barn, In the shadow of Its side a masked man, apparently a Vigilante, hurrying up street, encountered a man running out of the barn Itself. The two almost collided. The man from the barn dealt the Vigliaute a fearful Mow across the head with a club. - Sl-woo- d The Vigilante, evidently a man of great strength, staggered, but grap-gle- d with his enemy, only to receive a second blow that would have felled any hut the strongest. The handkerchief! symbol of the raiding party, slipped from hla face to bla neck, but, dazed as he was, he clinched with his assailant and struggled with him. liked the red Selwood, little handkerchief, liked a game fighter, and watched the struggle the dazed man was making against one evidently no better than a cowardly murderer. Though It might be one of his own men, Selwood liked less and less his manner of fighting, and saw, as the two men rolled, panting and cursing, toward him, that the man who used the club was fumbling for his knife. It was too much to watch a mur der. Selwood, with an indignant oath, took a quick step forward. The Vigilante was under, aDd, as he was rolled on his back, the gambler recognized Abe Cole, the blacksmith; at the same Instant he saw the knife raised above him. Selwood. with a vicious kick, sent the knife hurtling across the driveway, and, grabbing the upper man by the collar, brought the butt of his gun down on the man's head and turned his face to the light asje John thats why. Look after this Cole pointed to the bird a bit, Jim horse thief and addressed McAlpln till I get help. Well string him up." McAlpln rubbed his bands In cheerful anticipation ; Cole ran oft, rubbing his head. Selwood spoke sharply to the barn boss: Whats become ot , Fyler?" The girl was over to see if they could get a team and a wagon, John. She was afraid theyd be after her father. I told her to come back for It she didn't come. 1 drove It down to the store. The place was dark and locked up. - They were gone God knows where. I seen Bull Page. Hes sober scared to dieath for fear theyll , , hang him." Where are your hostlers?" demanded Selwood, upset. Out with them dashed Vigilantes couldnt hold 'em back not a tnnn-Jac- k of em. Lefevers got his teamsters over In the warehouse and tire bnnkhouse." The gambler hardly heard the answer. A panic had seized him. Too late he realized the danger to which Christie had been exposed the dan, ger to which he, had left her. He ordered McAlpln to put ont the lights, close the barn, and shoot anybody who tried to Ret In. Down street he heard shouting; the Vigilantes were coming to get the horse thief. McAlpln, with all speed, was closing the barn doors. Selwood , stooping, picked up the red handkerchief that had fallen from Coles neck, and, thrusting It Into his pocket, slipped around the corner of the barn and hurried up the hill. A moment later he stood alone In His the center of the gambling-hall- . eyes, running over the room, fell on the shelf behind his desk. There stood the glass dome covering again the good-lucshoe he had brought from the Crawling Stone, and to which he still stubbornly clung. He set aside the' dome and thrust the shoe Into his coat pocket. Turning, he saw on the wall the print of the padre, ne pried it loose, folded and put it into a breast pocket, and, going back tc. the middle of the room, drew down the big center lamp. keroIt was a large, sene lamp, raised and lowered. In its shiny frame, on sticky brass chains and pulleys. Of all the lamps In the hall, the big center lamp was Bull Pages pride, and Its glass bowl held a quart of kerosene. The lamp was - hot. The blaze Sel woods eyes as he scorched looked Into it. He lifted the bowl carefully out of the frame and balanced It Once more he looked .about him. Then, drawing back, he hurled the burning lamp with both hands . far across the Boor. It crashed Into a thousand pieces. There wns a blinding explosion. A burst of flame leaped toward the ceilA hundred tongues darting ing. licked at the gaudy velour hangings and ran like blazing powder up the silken shades; they careened wildly along the burning floor and wrapped their curling arms around overstuffed chairs and mahogany tables. Step by step, Selwood retreated before the destruction. At the door he paused ns If to he sure tire hull was doomed. Then, ruuning to his frightened Jiorse, he sprang Into the saddle, j Heading for the river, he spurred relentlessly. And not looking back, one man rode that night out of Sleepy Qat with a bad chapter In his life closed behind him. k Dealt the. Vigilante a Fearful Blow , Across, the Head With a Club. to see who it was. He had only time to ascertain that the coward was none of his own men, when McAlpln came running out. of the bam. In one hand he carried a lantern, and In the other a hatchet the front and picture of a wild man. Selwood, gripping the throat of the coward, looked op at Whos this man, ,Ilm?" deMcAlpln manded Selwood sharply. McAlpln amazed at the sight of Selwood, was, at no loss for words. A firebug 1" he cried. "Kill him! Theyre after horses. I caught him and he tried to murder me." Throw me a couple of halter , CHAPTER XII straps or a piece of rope. You look to Cole," exclaimed Selwood. With a skull clearly club-proo- f, the fighting The Night at Calabasas. , blacksmith was staggering .to his Sehvood's orders had been to leave feet. Cole recognfzed Selwood. That Tracy In the shack Incomplete darkwas a Hose squeak, John, cried Cole. ness, after the hearth fire died down, Hed had a knife Info me. I know for the, nlgld. Scott, punctilious as a the blamed thief. Hes one of them soldier and hardened lo discomfort, river rats kill him" had stood Ills watch outside. When, Turn him over to your Vigilantes at the end of It. he called Pardaloe. with my compliments," responded asleep In the wagon, and the big Selwood, rising from the man he had gmjrd. stiffened with the night chill tied. Why dont they come my way of the desert, roused himself for Ills turn and pulled fils shotgun out of the up the hill?" he asked of Cole, tauntwagon, the nipping aiit settled on his ingly. The orders Is out not to burn you. neck and shoulders like molded Ice. :xmmm:x:xx:x:x-:x:xx:x:x:x:x:x:x:z:x:x:x:x:x:X- :: Seemed Something of an Odd Combination He didn't really want to bring the two oats home from Colorado, but whnt good Is the argument of a mere man, against those of a wife, three So children, and a mother-in-law- ? t lie family started home last week with the cats enthroned In a box on the hack seat of the car. He was somewhat ashamed of the ugly yellow pets anyway, and his mortification was complete when he was forced to ask n garage owner, in the town where they spent the first night, for cellar space in which to park his charges. "I suppose, he said to the garage man, I suppose you dont see many tourists crazy enough to be taking common alley cats with them, do you?" By Request The golfer nonchalantly stepped up to the tee ond swung one, of those carelessly careful drives. The ball sailed straight down the fairway, leaped gaily across the green and dived into the hole like a prairie dog. What have you suddenly gone crazy about?" Inquired the golfers wife, who was trying to lenrn something about the game. Why, I Just made a hole in onei" jelled the golfer as he essayed a double handspring with a wild gleam of delight In tns ejw. Did you? sweetly said the little woman. "Please do it again, dear. I Town Life. didnt see yop. Oh, yes I do," replied the garage man. They come In here every day with all sorts of pets. But," he added as an afterthought, by George, youre the first feller Ive seen that was totin cats and a mother-in-laboth. I,os Angeles Times. Wood for Newsprint Sftice the customary units ot wood measurement cord, log measure or lumber scale do not represent an exact quantity, the cubic foot solid wood Is used Even this unit is variable as to pulp yield according to the character of the wood as to species and rate of growth. However, taking the dry weight of spruce as 24 pounds per cubic foot the commercial yield of 100 cubic feet would be about 2,300 pounds of mechanical pulp and of sulphite pulp, 1,030 pounds. Commercially, newsprint is made from a mixture of 75 per cent mechanical and 25 per cent sulphite. Consequently, a ton of newsprint would coutain 1,500 pounds mechanical and 500 pounds sulphite. Then 1,500 pounds mechanical would require 00.2 cubic feet wood; 500 pounds sulphite would require 43.5 cubic feet wood; one ton newsprint would require 113.7 cubic feet or 2,728.8 pounds oven-drspruce wood. y Gije Us the Old Way Another reminder that change Is not always progress is an entirely new way to make turkey stuffing. Columbus (Ohio) State Journal. s After .' Scott had crawled Into the warm place, a stern resolve to obey orders gradually- - congealed wltldn Pardaloe into the conviction that he could stand guard as well Inside the cabin as outside. Where the silence was so intense that the sneeze of a gopher would alarm every living thing about a water hole, Pardaloe felt, perhaps rightly, that no human being could possibly sneak up on him unawares. Once Inside, on the Job, the embers dying on the hearth pleaded, together with Pardaloes benumbed Joints, for a new lease - of life. Tracy was breathing regularly, and Pardaloe, cautiously scraping the fragments of fire together with the fireproof ends of his fingers, laid a few chips oJ wood across them and turned himself for a few minutes Into a quiet but energetic bellows. over the tiny Sitting, giant-likblaze he coaxed thus from the darkness, the big fellow stared Into It a few minutes, pulled his shotgun hand lly up beside hlni on the earthen floor, drew from a blp pocket a pack of cards, dusted off a space below the fire wJtlrJils hat, and began his solitaire. - ; When Tracy, half an hour later, woke from his heavy sleep and opened his eyes on the dim and mysterious scene before him, he might well have thought himself in a fronA smoky lantern tier nightmare. burned vaguely on the hearth, and the uncertain light from the dying fire threw Pardaloes huge bulk grotesquely up on the ceiling. Tracy, lifting himself slowly on his elbow, looked wjth blinking eyes and tried, as he stared, to collect his sluggish faculties. It was not very long before he perceived that the fancied bandit, looming over the spurting flame while spoil, was only counting some of a game of sort playing cards. And when Pardaloe turned his head sidewise as he did at intervals Tracy thought that the bulky torso outlined on the wall and ceiling and the disreputable slant of the shapeless hat on the mule boss head, betokened some one much like Bill Pardaloe. Once convinced of this, Tracy was not slow In asking questions which he made frequent and sharp. Pardaloe, beyond acknowledging his identity was loath to talk, shrewdly reckoning that If there were explaining to be done, Selwood would prefer to do It himself. In these circumstances, It was no time before Tracy and Pardaloe were at tart exchanges. Ain't no use your gettin sassy, Dave, not a bit, Urged Pardaloe at Walt till the boss conies, length. with your questions, n be hanged to you." "Well, he may be your boss but he aint mine, not by a Jugful," sputtered Tracy. Where Is he? Sleepy Cat, I reckon. No!" he exclaimed, contradicting hftnself suddenly. grabbing his shotgun . and springing to his feet with all the celerity and something of the grace of a grizzly bear. No! he repeated, standing for an instant silent and alert ; for as the radio picks the music of a human voice out of the silent air, Tardaloes trained ear had drawn from the perfect silence of the desert night the echo of distant hoof-beat"The boss aint in Sleepy Cat. For If that aint a hostyle visitor. Its himself now!" To sentter with a deft kick wha was 'left of the fire, sweep up the grimy cards with the expertness of an old acquaintance, and to blow oul the half-deaflame In the lantern was all the work of a surprisingly few seconds, and Pardaloe In fewei added seconds was outside the tippj door, where he belonged, and on guard, ns he belonged. It wns Selwood, as he had surmised, and Scotts regular breathing In the wagon was checked only long enough to ussure himself almost without waking that all was well In the coming of the horseman. Pardaloe could answer all questions because satisfactorily there was nothing whatever to report. He asked in turn for the latest news from Sleepy Cat ; listened, wonderstruck, to the scraps of news from the fires and the fighting; shook himself at each startling sentence and complained he Was missing It all. Selwood had no sooner stuck his head Inside the door of the- - shack than his Impatient patient within called out: Whos there? Nobody hut me, Dave, answered MRS. DflSSETT ALWAYS TIRED How in Good Health by Using Lydia E. Pmkham'a Vegetable Compound I have takas Lansing, Michigan. Lvdla B. Ptakhams Vegetable Com-pound whenever I needed It When I first used It I was so bad I could hardly walk across room without crying. I was tired all the time. 1 think my trouble was com- ths ing on ms tor atx months before I realized It I read ot your wonderful medlolne tn the e, s. Selwood. He sat down beside Tracy and explained what had happened told him wlmt he had done in abducting him. Not without hitter remonstrance on Tracys part, not withput outbursts of protest at whnt the old gambler characterized as despicable conduct involving the loss of every dollar the two had In the world, at Sleepy Cat. Selwood listened patiently. Well," he suggested, at length, Its nothing new for a gambler to he broke nor for a pair of gamblers. Is it?" Tracy was not to he placated, and he made no effort to conceal his disgust. Youre a queer kind of a gambler." he muttered. Then, gaining courage, as Selwood sat silent, to venture weightier abuse, he continued: I act Is, you aint no gambler at fill Selwood Interrupted him with a somewhat disquieting assent youve said before, Dave. Ire come to the same conclusion, myself." ,n!l ncconIin 1 my notion," per . backi"g water Just imie hl7, firm'll n',ne" Iwood my husband paper, and bought me a bottle, and after the first few doses I felt better, as kept on well and strong. taking It until I was I take It at times when I feel tired and It helps me. I will always have a good word for your medicine and tell anyone what good It has done me. I recommended it to my neighbor for her It girl, who Is sixteen years old, and was Just what ahe needed.' She is feelevery ing fine now, and goes to school Mas. E. P. Babsktt, 216 South Hayford Avenue, Lansing, Michigan. Do not continue to feel all and half sick when Lydia B. 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