The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-05

As l afterward learned, Il was on this
return e the ranch that Teddy put his
It promised to be his last opportunity
for . while. While in town he had been
notified to hold himself In readiness 70 take
out the westbound fast mail at midnight. :,
Now be the speaker fluent or tongue-tied
ssR asdaS saS '.s e 40
TO pass that fifteen Of the thirty miles had
been galloped over before he said haittngly:
Il guess you know why was 90 struck
on seeing you home tonight. A.. =,
know y9u are always headstrons;
Am II It's part Of a runners nerve,
| guees. Man has to have nerve II he's
! going 10 pound iron on the right-o way.
just the same. I haven't the nerve TO cay
what I've been aching tco say to you for a
She gathered her bride reins and her
gaze went afar over the dun hills yellowing
| under the western sun. q,
Il am glad you haven't abe rejoined
Harrison held his ground stolidly. chew
ing at his mustache.
You mustn't come to the ranch any
| more, says she.
You could have knocked me out with .
telling me Of Il afterward. mot come
TO see you any morer says l. No. says
| she.
It's against the law to hang q man
without tellin' him what for. says l.;
saw a slouohy looking chap riding. by on
| top o. the rise. He was heading for the
| ranch, with the throttle wide open.
. III J. should tell you what for says
she. with a sort Of slow fire In her eyes.
you'd never want to see me again, Mr..
Larrison.' And with that she hit the horse
lick and was gone
That night Il was the private opinion
Of the roundhouse force, more or lees pub,
ruined iiS ddAP his semper ' beyond repair. And
when the big eight-wheeler had been
backed TO her stand at the station, Teddy
perched himself like q sulky boy on his box
seat and let the fireman oil around.
majesty that the incoming mail whistled.
Above the din Of shrilling brakes and drum
ming wheels, Larrisons ears caught an
other sound-the quick thudding, Of I'M
shod hoofs on the dry, hard soil OF the
mesa.
II was a moonless night. and the sheen
OF the electric headlight made everything
Egyptian dark behind It. None the less
Larrison saw a horse picking its way
across the tracks In the yard toward the
When the horse came under the. cab
| window he saw that Il was ridden by a
woman. His sullenness vanished like the
mists OF the morning when q voice well
Known anu well ioNoo cons0 w w nA" oue
is that you, Mr.. Larrisoni'
you bet it's me. it's always me whom
you're the one that's askin, he rejoined
promptly: What: happsnedi.
quavered. "A man has oome-from Ten
nessee-with IA warrant. He Is taking
father to the train at Black Canon, to
carry him east by Maverick and the Short
Line. He was afraid the boys might
dnd o,,, nd ovartak a him N ha cama This
Taking Bart Howisoni-when he didn't
want to go?- said Teddy. incredulous.
Yes. All Ling, the cook, told me:
the man slipped up behind him. There
harrison was cooIly disregarding the con-
What have they got against your father''
cent U sndoS Mr. sSs ne sos must
help mel He will never tell. and he will
be lynched Il they get him back to Bledso
oountyi'
said: said Teddy laoonioaily. whats your
TO go to Black Canon on this train
and head them on.
sWhatn you do?'
'I-I'n tell Mr.. PettIjos who killed John
Barnwen.'
sWho was it?'
1t is a hard thing for q woman TO say
to the man she loves that which she has
reason to believe will slay his love for her.
~! IT s vast was my cousin. We've
were engaged. and father tried to hush It
up for my sake. When he found he couldn't
do It, he let them think he was the guilty
ono and ran away. Now you know why
you must help me this once. and then try
Teddy fought his battle between two
suffering beats Of the air pump.
Tell me. Miss Mary: did you love that
other fellow?' he said
Il thought / did and father thinks so
Bud Parker for my sake. But / know now
that di dn't-Inever did
Teddy's rejoinder was not in words.
Reaching ont Of the cab window he swung
her clear Of the pinto's back and drew her
up to the cushioned cab seat. Then he
me just as ] was coming down from the
superintendent's ONCE.
What Theodore had to say to me was said
in the cab Of ois. after he had chucked
ing the Fast Mail out over the switches.
Mary Howison story was shouted into
nv ear, and this was the deduction from 1t:
You p'rade round here as the comp'ny
lawyer; you're going TO Black Canon TO
find something as, wrong with this here sherins
fssaw-saw was In for anything from
picking pocket to committing high treason.
But hot being Mary Howison's lover had
hopes.
There was q blind siding three miles east
OF Black Canon. Unless / misfook my
man, Dispatcher Perkins would order No.
3 onto this siding. where we would pas her
at the rate of sixty miles an hour and l
should be well out OF bad business.
But my thinking mechanism ran no swifter
81 In Uor fAvu m
II became evident that he had sized the
situation up to the same conclusion; and
what steam and steel could do to forestall
Perkins was going to be done in the racing
interval.
Across the cab, lighted now by the bot
tle-green glow Of the gauge lamp and now
by the fierce glare from the open flredoor,
was picture TO stir the genius OF q Holbein.
harrison stood on the narrow running step.
bracing himself against the lurch OF the
great engine by his grip on the throttlei
statuesque, immovable, like hfe-sze
figure done in ruddy bronze. Beyond him,
her shoulder touching his, sat the girl, her
hands tightly clasped over her knees. and
the strained eagerness In her face matching
Teddy's knitted brows.
Mile after mile shot backward beneath
US The powerful machine seemed to be
doing its utmost; yet Larrison was still
twitchinR nervously at the throttle.