People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-12-26

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THORNTON TURNED AND RODE HARD TO
THE RANCH.
odd post long enough to give them
warning, and then had ridden away for
IEellr's, "Just as quick as I've warned
,the old man III come back to you," he
called to Lieut.. Crane, who had
thanked him somewhat inadequately
for the service rendered. Crane shared
the universal suspicion, perhaps, and
,disbelieved Munceys report on general
principles. Muncey was squirting off
when Crane hailed him: you must
have met Leon a mile or so out. Didn't
you turn him back?" And Muncey
iwhirled around in saddle, evidently
astOnisbed and for a moment confused.
Leon! Never saw nothin' of him
or anybody" he muttered Never
knew he was back here-at least-er-
7 didn't know it until l heard a rumor
.of it tonight" Evidently it wouldn't
40 for Mr.. Muncey to tell that lie, as it
would soon be known how they had
been talking but few hours before OF
Icons return. How'd you come to let
him gO?" he queried, turning about
again and apparently forgetting his
urgent mission to Kelly's.
"Well, he never stopped to ask me"
said Mr.. Crane, which was very true.
but I can't understand how you
missed each other if you kept the road.
However, go ahead and warn Kelly,
and then come back here and we'll
ak about Leon"
And Muncey had gone on to Kelly's,
but that was the last seen of him, de-
spite the fact that he gave Kelly to
understand that he must hurry over to
Crane again at once. Ferguson and
MS friends came gallOping in to old
RetributiOn and stirring up the guard,
and they could tell of Icons safe
arrival within easy range of the new
post, and Of their warning him to stay
there, but they, too, had pushed on
over to Kelly's, and thence, soothing at
Xelly's story Of Muncey's return to the
outpost and telling him the man was
a liar, which Kelly already knew, and
a horse thief, which he more than sus-
pected they had ridden straight back
past the lower gate Of the canyon and
made for the trail to Ration Springs.
Whether they had met or had escaped
the Indians no one could tell. The
tate of Muncey and his pursuers be-
came for the time being a secondary
consideration. Thornton's first effort
was to ascertain what had become Of
Leon.
With any luck at all the boy should
have got back to the old post by three
or quarter past three in the morning.
Crane and his little guard, Mrs. Downey
and her sympathizing friends, how.
ever. had reasoned that he would not
be allowed to attempt to return, and so
had ceased to look for him. Crane con.
.veyed to the woman the tidinRs
brought by Ferguson, for up to that
moment he Lad disbelieved Munceys
wild tale. Then, doubling his sentries,
but telling the rest of his party to Lie
down and rest, he coolly sprawled him.
self on his blankets and went to sleep.
The next thing he knew it was nearly
dawn, and the sentries had reused the
guard. Springing to his feet, Crane de.
handed the cause Of the alarm. and
was told there was firing up by Kelly's
ranch. 1t was still dark, though the
eastern sky was beginning to flush as
the little detachment quickly, noiseless-
Iy assembled in the starlight in front
OF the old guard house. Two veteran
war soldiers, Tracey and Collins, were
on post at the time, and both declared
that there had been rapid fusillade-
at least dozen shots. 1t could have
come from nowhere but Kelly's, said
theT, though from their stations they
could not see the farm buildings. Cor.
poral Foot, on duty, was inside the cor.
Eal val when the distant firing began,
and ran for the gateway at once, but 1t
had ceased by the time he got to a
point whence Kelly's ranch was visible.
Then for moment the lieutenant
was in quandary. His orders required
him to send to and fire the beacon at
tie butte If the Apaches appeared in
the valley, but this might not have
been Apaches at all. 1t might have
well been a skirmish between the
horse thief and his pursuers, who had
tracked him TO, some refuge near Kel.
rs. That was matter in which mil.
i-sry interference could hardly have
heen tolerated. Settlers and frontiers
men, though eager enough to have the
army look after the Indians, much pre-.
Ter 70 dispose Of their own reprobatei
IN their own way. If an attack hat
been made by Apaches it was speedily
over, for not another sound was heard.
Within the corral the women and chill
dren, however, had been aroused by
the suppressed excitement, and Kelly's
daughters were now elamoring to be
allowed to go to see if all was well
with father and mother, and Crane
ordered q corporal and two men Il