Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-10-26
DUNRAvEN RANCH.
A Story Of American FIR,
BY CAPT. CHARLES KING, U. S. A.,
AUTHOR OF aTH1 CoGo11IB DAUoATBn,s
sTEn DusnRTzz,~ Hrc.


y6llowing The trail, be rode down
oereAn . full half mile, end eth there
eesmed no break. Nowhere a he other
4Aore was there sien Of bride yAth Lad
ING up IL slppeA Turning n bic LETT In
eOme impatience, he esnt Nolan at rapid
lopo across the intervsning "boetom,
and soon reached the blul1s, which rose
pseheps forty q Afty fset above the
sexsam. Once On The crest, the prairie
sereechsd before him nosthward, level -
. Aoos. until Il mst The sky; bat it was
southwasd he longsd 20 look, and thither
quickly turned. Yss, thsre Il lay--Dun.
raven Ranch, In al its lonely majesty.
From where he gassd the nearest build
ing stood . good long mile away. That
it was the homestead he OWNED at once,
Tor . broad verauda ran around the
lower story, and white curtains were
visible at the dormer windows Of the
upper door. Back Of II and ON the eastern
aank were other buildings. massive look
Ing, single storied affairs, evidently
stables. storehouses and corrals. There
was . tall windmill there--an odd sight
In % remote region--and big water
tank.
Perry wondered how it ever got there.
Then at the southwest angle was q build
ing that looked like an Office Of some
kipd. He could see horses tethered there,
and what seemed to be human figures
moving about. Beyond it all, to the
east and south, were herds Of grazing
cattle, and here and there in the dim dis
tance horseman moved over the prai-
rie. This reminded him Of the stranger
who had given him the slip; and he
gaAed westward In search Of him.
Far up the valley, between him and
the distant post, he could plainly see a
black object just descending the slopes
from the southern prairie to the stream.
Not another was In sight that his prac-
ticed eye did not know to be cattle.
That, then, was his horseman, once more
going fort-wards in the valley, after hay-
ing made three or four mile detour to
avoid him. "Now. what sort Of a Chris
tian Is that fellow" thought Perry, as
he gazed at the distant speck. "Going
to the fort, too. BY thunder! I'll find
out who he Is. anyhow. Now I'm going
to the ranch"
Down the slopes he rode. Down the
winding trail once more he trotted, peer
ing through every gap among the cot
tonwoods, slaking Nolan's thirst at lit
tie pool in the stream, and then, after
another long half mile, he came to a
sudden turn to the right. The road
dipped and twisted through the stream
bed, rose to the other eide, wound through
the cottonwoods and then out on the
open turf. Huzza! There 1t stretched
up the slopes straight away for the south,
straight through broad gap between
TWO heavy gate posts standing on the
STAKE line OF that rigid fence. Nolan
broke into q brisk canter and gave a
neigh OF saiutation; Perry's eyes glistened
with anticipation as he bent over his
chargers neck, keenly searching the odd
looking structure growing ON his vision
a. they neared the fence. Then, little
py httie' Nolans eager stride shortened
ana grew choppy. Another moment,
ana horse and rider reined up short in
DISAPPOINTMENT. Between the gate posts
swung barrier OF cobweb iightness,
slender anu AIRY as spider ever wove, but
orlstiing with parbs, etih as "bullhnch'
anu unyielding as steel. One glance
showed ferry that tins inhospitabie gate
was hrmiy iocked.
70, moment he sat IN saddle, study
ing the situatioh, whiie Nolan poked his
neuu over 'pe tophost strand OF wire
anu keeping at fesPectiui distance from
the ghteerinS oaros gazeo wlstIully over
the !hciosed prairie IN search OF comrade
quaoruPeu VINO coulo tel nun what
n.ahner VI piace TINS was. Meantime
ns ,'oei was ihten'iy eyihS tne neaVy
pauiock that was secured on the inner
sue Oh the gate. IL was square IN shape,
massive ana puiky-some'hing utterly
uhnke anythins ne had ever seen among
.ho quarternaas1er stores. Dismount-
Ing ana hoiaing Nolan wen oack from
the aggressive renee with one hand
ne &lngeriy passed the other through the
spike Irihged aperture ana turned the
pauioc. 30 as 70 set oe'ter view. IL
was OF Ehglsh make, as ne suinised'
ana OF strength sunlcient 70 resist any
tMng snort OF trip manner. Evident
~ no ADMISSION was 10 oe gained here, he
reasoned ana yetlt was through mere that
that horsemen had come but an hour be-
iore. mere were the iresh moor prints IN
the tran, ana IL was evident that the
rider haa dismounted. opened the gate,
'ed MS morse through CLOSED ana iast-
ehed ~, then remounted and ridden
away. rerry was pialnsman enough 10
read TINS from the moor prints. studying
them careiuiiy' iook OF surprise came
ihto ms race; ne oen' uowh ana closely
examined inc TWO OF three that We're
most clearly aeIneu upon the traii' then
gave iohs wnis'ie as means OF ex-
pressing nis ieeiihsS ana giving play 10