Show M asic u n 0 c MOU 0 by B Y FRANK H SPEARMAN copyright by charlo Cl jarles Scrib nert soni som DE SPAIN GOES TO MORGAN GAP AND TAKES A BAD MAN BUT HE HAS AN ENCOUNTER WITH NAN the region around sleepy cat a railroad division town in the rocky mountain mining country Is infested with stage coach robbers cattle rustlers and gunmen the worst of these belong to the morgin gnu gaug g whose hangout Is in morgan gap a fertile valley about 20 miles from sleepy cat and near calabasas Cala basas a point where the horses are arc changed on the stage line from the thief river mines to the railroad jeffries superintendent of the mountain division decides to break up lip the depredations of the bad men and appoints henry glenry de spain general manager of the stage line do de spain goes to calabasas Cala basas with john lefevre as ills his assistant soon the trouble starts when sassoon of the gang cuts the throat of a coach driver de spain lefevre and scott an indian start to morgan gip bapat at night to arrest sassoon CHAPTER IV continued 3 scott was the first to reach the trees the little grove spreads across a slope halt half a mile wide between the base of one towering lowering cliff still bearing its spanish name el capitan Cn and the gorge odthe Purga toire to the east of this point the trails to Cala calabasas basas and to sleepy cut divide and here scott and lefever received de spain who had ridden slowly and followed scotts injunctions to keep the red star to the right of ul el capitan all the way milly across the sinks securing their horses the throe three stretched outon out on the open ground to A 31 4 0 scott was the first to reach the trees matt n alt for daylight de spain meditated first on how lie he should capture Passo bassoon at daybreak and then on nan morgan and her mountain lome home into which lie N was as about to break to drag ut a criminal sassoon and his malice soon goon drifted out of his hb mind but nan kan remained iler form outlined in the mists that rose from the hidden creek seemed to hover somewhere near until scotts hand laid on the dreamers houlder drove it suddenly away day was vas at hand de spain got up and shook off the chilliness and drowsiness of the night it t had been agreed that he being less known in the gap than either of ills his companions could best attempt the dif ficula capture bob scott who know knew the recess well repeated ills his explicit directions as as to how de spain was t to reach Sas shack ue he repeated his description of its interior told him the bed stood still and even where sassoon bassoon ordinarily kept his knife and his bis revolver do de spain gave his horse his head it was still too dark to di bitin distinguish tin aish the path and advanced at a snails pace until he passed the base of 0 el 0 capitan Ca when of a sudden as he rode out from among high projecting rocks full into the op opening enin faint rays of light from the eastern daw a revealed the narrow strangely and perfectly hid den valley before him de spain caught his breath no de he had ever heard of the look that screened the morgans from ile ae outside world had prepared him or what he saw from side sida to side De tween the frowning cliffs which N aich rose at points half LL a mile into the sky it was several miles and the gap was more inore than llian as leluch in depth depoli as it ran pack back to n mere wedge wed ge between un anni e d superstition peaks every moment that lie he pushed ahead burned min bilm unit that daylight would corao come suddenly denly und and hla his time to act would be rhoal the trail lie he followed broadened into a road and a turn brought td him up startled anti and almost face to face cace with a long rambling ranch house the gable end of the two story portion of the building was so close to him that he instantly reined up to seek eek hiding from fro ill its upper and lower windows I 1 from rom SCOWS scotts accurate description ho he knew tho the place tills was dulce duke morgans rauch ranch house set ds as a fortress almost at the mouth of 0 the gup gap to pass it unobserved wits to compass we the most ticklish part of ills his mission and without changing his slow pace lie he rode on no bullet challenged him and no sound came from the fhe silent house ile he cantered away from the peril thinking mith a kind of awe of nan asleep so close under that root roof confident too lie he had not been seen though in matter of fact he had been other cabins back toward the north wall could be seen dimly to hl ills right but all were well removed from his way in due time as scott had advised he be saw confronting him not far ahead a small ruinous looking cabin shack dismounting before this lie he threw ills his lines shook himself a little and walked up lip to the cabin do door or it was open de spain called gruffly to the cabin inmate there was no ans answer lie ile hitched his trouser baud band near to the butt of his revolver with his right hand and laid ills his left on the jamb of 0 the door his eyes meantime boring the darkness to the left where bassoons Bas bed should be the utmost scrutiny failed to disclose any sign of aitor any sound of breathing from that corner ile he took a few steps toward where the die man should be asleep and perceived beyond a doubt that there was no bed in the corner at all ile he turned toward the other corner ills his land hand covering the butt of his gun I Iello ahlke lie he called out in a slightly strained tone of camaraderie addressing sassoon by a common nickname then be listened A trumpet trumpeting ng snore answered no sound was ever sweeter to de ear the rude noise cleared the alie air and steadied the intruder as if music mountain itself had been lifted off his nerves lie he tried again whore are you shike he grom growled led this stuff on the floor he continued shuffling his w wy axy ostentatiously to the other side of the room lie ile felt its ills way toward the inner door this was where he expected to find it and it was vas closed lie ire laid a liand land gingerly on the alie latch where are you shike he demanded again tills this time with an impatient expletive summoned tor for the occasion A second fearful snore answered him do de spain relieved almost laughed as he pushed the door open though not sure whether a curse or a shot would greet him ile got neither and a welcome surp surprise in the dim light came through a stuffy pane of glass at one end of the room it revealed at the other end a man stretched asleep on ci n a wall bunk a man that would in all likelihood have heard the sound had any effort hern been made to conceal it but to whose ears the rough voices of a mountain cabin are mere sleeping potions the he sleeper blooper wole woke to feel a hand laid ll 11 lightly b aly I 1 on it liis Is shoulder the instinct lof of self preservation acted like a ills his eyes opened and ills his hands struck I 1 out like eats cats paws to the right and left no knife and no revolver met I 1 them instead in the semidarkness a strange face bent over him ills fists shot out together only to be caught in a vise that broke ills his arms in two at the elbows and forced them back against his throat A knee like e an anvil pushed inexorably into his stomach and heart and lungs another lay tl across ross his right arm and its his struggling left arm he could not though his eyes burst with the strain from their sockets ts release from chere ellIc e claws gripped at his throat and shut olt off ins ills breath lie ile lay still are you awake Sl ilke sassoon hoard heard from the gloom above him but ile he could not place P lace the voice you seem to move around a good deal in your sleep if youre awake keep still ivo ive come front from sleepy cut cat to get you dont mind looking fur your gun and luffe two men are with me you can call have your choice aeve weve got a horse for you you can ride away from us here inside the gap and take what hits ailts you in the back or you can go to sleepy cat with mith us ands andi stand your trial ra ill read your warrant when the sun aun gets a little higher get up and choose quick sassoon could not see who alto had bad subdued him nor did he take long to decide what to do with less trouble than he expected the captor got his man sullenly on horseback and gave him severely plain direct directions ionn as to what to do sassoon nel neither tiler bound nor gagged was told to ride ills his how horm I 1 down the gap closely ahead of de spain and neither to speak nor turn his head no matter what nhat happened right or left in the growing light the two men trotted smartly a mile down the trall trail without encountering a sign of life when they approached the morgan ranch house de DC spain rode close cloge to his prisoner told liim him what would happen it if he mide made a noise dolse and even held him back iu in his hia pace ast as they trotted together past the gap stronghold when they left the house behind and the turn in the road put them out jut of ranse ranae of its min windows dows lie closed up tit the distance between Illus himself elf and sassoon riding clo close e in to ills his side and looked I 1 ack fur for a fraction of a second when lit he looked ahead again lie he saw confronting him not a hundred yards away a motionless ess horseman CHAPTER V heels for it with a sudden low command to sassoon to check his horse de spain pressed the muzzle of ills his gun to its his prisoners side youve got one chance yet shike to ride out of here alive ile he said composedly you know I 1 am a rustler cousin ot of john Reb stocks my name is trench french 1 I belou belong in williams cache I 1 rode in last night from thief river and you are riding out with ill me to start me on to the sleepy cat trail 1 1 if sou can remember that mile much i 11 1 1 de spain stopped halfway half balf way through his sentence the figure revealed in the half light puzzled him at first then it confused cont used and startled him lie he saw it was not a man at all but a woman and a woman than whom lie he would rather have seen six men it was nan morgan with her head never more decisively set under lier her mannish hat her waist never more attractively outlined in slenderness she silently faced de spain in the morning gray ills face reflected his chagrined perplexity ile he could already see nans eyes they were bent keenly first on him then on ills his com companion pardon and again on him de spain kept his face down as much as lie he dared and ids his lint hat had been pulled well over it from the beginning they were now almost abreast the very instinctive knowledge that her eyes were bent on ills his made him steal a glance at her in spite of himself the next instant he was shamefacedly touching ills his hat though nothing was lost on her nan professed not to see the greeting when she spoke her tone was dry with suspicion walt a moment sassoon where are you going slie she demanded sassoon hitched with one hand at ills his trousers band ile he inell inclined neI his lead head sulkily toward his companion starting a man on the trail for sleepy cat 11 stop 13 top she exclaimed sharply for de spain pushing ills his own horse ahead had bad managed without being observed to kick Sas horse in file he flank and the two were passing sassoon at IN i I 1 A X 1 A he saw it was not a man at all but a woman the resolute summons stopped do de spain could do no loss less both men halting faced their suspicious Inqui bi tor she scrutinized de spain keenly what is this man doing iu in the gap ile he came up from thief river lust last night answered sassoon monotonously what Is he doing here with you persisted nan kan illes hes a cousin of john Reb stocks from williams cache continued sassoon the yarn would have sounded decently well in the circumstances for which it was intended but in the searching gaze of the eyes now confronting and clearly him alna it sounded sounded so grotesque that de spain would fully no as ilef lie have been sitting between his horses legs as astride his buck back mints not true sassoon bassoon said his questioner lier her tone mil anti th expression of her face boded no friendliness for elther either of tho the two he had intercepted Intercept fd de spain had recovered his wits youre right lip d an instants hesitation it true hut bill not hn his fault he li 14 under arrest and Is telling you what I 1 told him to tell you I 1 came caine in here this morning to take sassoon to sleepy cat belsa helsa he Is a prisoner wanted tor for cutt cutting ingup up one of our stage guards nan coldly skeptical eyed de spain and do you try to tell me she pointed to Sas unbound hands that lie Is riding out of here a free man to go to jail 1 I do tell non ou exactly that uc ile Is ray my prisoner 1 I dont believe either of you declared nan scornfully you are planning so underhand together de spain laughed coolly weve planned that mat together out but not i assure you with ills his consent conent 1 I dont believe your stories at all she declared firmly do DC spain flushed the irritation and the serious danger bore in on him it you dont believe me its not my fault he be retorted ive told yo you u the trul truth b ride on Sas sassoon goon 11 lie ile spoke angrily but this in no wise daunted nan she wheeled her horse directly in front of them dont you stir sassoon she commanded until I 1 call uncle duke de spain spurred straight at her their horses collided aud and his knee touched hers bers in the saddle im going to take this man out of here lie he announced in a tone she fhe never had heard beard before from a man ive no time to talk go call your uncle if you like we must pass you shant pass a step with the quick words of defiance the two glared tit nt each other de spain was taken aback lie ile had expected no more than a war of words a few screams at the most nans lace face turned white but there was no symptom even of a whimper ile he noticed lier ter quick breathing and felt instinctively the restrained gesture of her right hand as it started back to her side the move steadied him one question he be said bluntly are you armed she hated even to answer and mot ills his searching gaze resentfully but something in ills his tone and manner wrung a reply 1 I can defend myself she exclaimed angrily de spain raised ills his right hand from its his thigh to the pommel of ills his saddle the slight gesture was eloquent of ills his surrender of the issue of force 1 I cant go into a shooting match with you about this cur it if you call your un uncle 1 I e there will be bloodshed unless you drop me oft off my horse right here and now before he appears all I 1 ask you is this Is this kind of a cutthroat worth that it if you shoot me my whole posse from sleepy cat Is right below us its in the aspens ashens some of 0 your own people will wil I 1 b be e killed in a general fight it if you want to shoot me shoot you can have the match all to yourself it if you dont let us go by and it if ive told you one word that true call me back to this spot any time you like and ill come at your call and answer for it ills his words and his manner confounded her for a moment she could not at once make nn an answer for she could not decide what to say then of a sudden s she 11 e was robbed of her chance to answer from down the trail came a yell like a shot the clatter of hoots hoofs rang out and men on ii horses unshed frog from the entrance of the gap toward them thein de spain could not make out distinctly but he linew knew lefevers yell and pointed there they are he be exclaimed hurriedly there Is the whole posse they tire are coming coining A tot hot followed closely by a second rang out from below go lie cried to nun nan therell bo be shooting here that I 1 cant stop ile he slapped Sasso Sas pony viciously avith liis its hand spurred past her himself and was away white with till consternation and anger she steadied herself and looked after the |