Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-08-21
A DESERT CLAIM.
By NARY E. sTIOKNEY.
roopyrishA sao< bgJ. B. Lappinoott Company.l
CHAPTER TX.

There was q small stir OF surprise
next morning when it developed that
Jim Kittery had shaken the dust OF < 6
ranch from his feet and definitely retir-
ed from his harassing courtship. The
boys brought back the horse he had rid
den to the picnic, with the explanation
that he had encountered friends at the
festivities with whom he had gone on
to the P o ranch in that neighborhood,
and he had sent a curt message to Mr
Ellery, saying, without apology, in the
local idiom usual in such leave takings,
that he "wanted his time" and direct
ing that the wages due him, together
with his other belongings, should be
forwarded to him by the mail carrier.
But the interest in this closing page
Of Jim's poor little romance was quick
" forgotten In the more serious loss
which had befallen the place. When
Paul Brown, who always cared for his
horse himself, went up to the barns
that morning, 1t was to find the animal
missing. There was at first no uneasi-
ness on that score, as the inference was
that tho fastenings the night before
might not have been properly secured,
or that the jewellers might have let him
escape from the corral in their sleepy
maneuvers when they came home from
the dance, but when the boys came in
with the horse herd they brought the
startling news that not only had Paul
Browns valuable thoroughbred failed
to be found, but the bay FLY which
Ellery had intended for his sister, by
far the finest colt on the place, was
missing also. That the corral had been
visited by rustlers the night before was
the immediate conclusion amid such ex-
oitement as had rarely prevailed at the
z ranch in all its history.
The men were all hastily mounted
and ready for pursuit, Ellery sharply
regretting Jim's absence now, when
any detection In the ranks so seriously
counted The plan was for the party to
divide and in the common phrase, ride
the fences" of all the fields, looking for
the point where the fugitives had passed
through. The natural conclusion was
that the thieves had made their way to
the north, on account Of the difficulties
in any other direction, which appeared
we'll nigh insurmountable, but on this
side the country was billy and broken,
and progress in the night must neces-
sarily have been slow. There was pos
Gbility that with fresh horses and good
daylight to favor them they might over
take their property, or, failing that, they
might at least determine the course as
to make ultimate capture reasonably GER
tain.
But Paul Browns part Of the expedi-
ton was brought to untimely halt
They had gone only as far as the deep
coulee back Of the barns, where they
were advancing in single file down the
narrow trail, zigzagging to the bottom,
when, as Brown leaned forward in the
saddle eagerly pointing out to Ellery
certain tracks he discovered in the soft
mud Of the triokling stream below,
without an instant's warning his horse
began buoking, and the saddle at the
same time lurching strangely to one side
he had no time to save himself from an
ugly tumble. He was almost stunned
by the violence of the fall, rendered
worse by the yielding, pebbly slope,
down which he rolled helplessly, but a
moment later he had scrambled to his
feet and with inexpressible evaporation
was examining the saddle which had
played him such a scurvy trick.
"Well, I'll be hanged" he roughly
calculated, incredulously regarding the
broken ends Of a strap, while the others
crowded around to see. The ladigo
straps on the off side of the saddle
plainly had been cut and SO deftly that
the Tightening Of the cinches had but
served to weaken the break, reserving
the actual giving way until some snch
strain as was involved in this steep hill
should be brought to bear. 1t seemed
that no more diabolical scheme to him
der pursuit could have been devised
than this, and the others anXiously
looked to their own trappings, which,
however, were found to be all right,
from which it seemed evident that the
enemy, happening first upon Browns
saddle, which had been nearest the
door, had been frightened away before
molesting the rest.
"But must 60 back and rig up new
ladigos," exclaimed Brown sullenly,
feeling an ugly wrench in his foot as
he sprang upon his horse bareback, the
saddle loaded up in front of him. "You
fellows go on though. We've fooled
away too much time already. Look
sharp along the north fence. You'll find
cut somewhere. I'll be up with you
before you've gone far.
But he found, when he dismounted
at the corral, that his ankle gave him
poignant pain. Already it had swollen
until the pressure Of his heavy riding
boot was like clasp of steel. He drew
his knife and cut the lacing that adjust
ed its shoelike fit over instep and ankle,
sharply extending the opening at either
end in very wantonness of impatienoe,
tearing out the leather tongue, which,
relieved Of the restraining lacing, flap
ped pesteringly up and down against his
foot as he stepped. He was in mood
to interpret literally the Scriptural in
junction and cut off his very hand if it
should offend The acute physical pain,
with the harassinp feeling that he ought