The Greeley tribune., 1905-11-30
OF III fortune. pulled up the mare ain;
laughed unplensantly.

laughed unplenSantly.
"You think I'm going to see Lorimer
about jim? I'm going with him to n
merrymaking. We're old pals, Lorlmer
and l."
judith, Gear. has it come to this
that you not only dstruIt an Old fr.cl;l.
but that you try to degrade yourSel
to hide from him the fact that you a-c
going to your brothers.? You've never
spoken to Lorimer. l heard him say,
not week ago. that he had never sue
ceeded in making you recognize him.
You deceived me at first when you
spoke of meeting him-I thought YOU
had a message from Jim-but this talk
of merrymaking Is beneath you" He
shrugged his shoulders in disgust. He
felt the torrent of grief that rent her.
No sob escaped her lips. There was NJ
convulsive movement of shoulder. She
rode beside him, still as the desert be
fore the sand storm breaks, her soul
scared with white hot iron that knows
no saving grace Of sob or tear.
Peter drew out his watch. Its a
quarter to II. Well have hard bit
of riding to reach Blind creek before
midnight"
Then he knew as well as she, per-
laps better, the route to Jim's hiding
l---e. She had never been there as
yet. And, if Peter knew, doubtless ev-
cry catt.eman in the country knew.
What fool she had been with her talk
of meeting Tom Lorimer! A sense OF
utter defeat seemed to paralyze her
energies. Physical WEAKNESS was tell
ing on her. She had been in the sad
die since Il little past noon, and 1t was
now not far from midnight. And still
there was the unanswered question OF
Peters errand. 1t was long since Ell
ther had broken the silence. A delicious
GOODNESS had crept into the air with the
approach of midnight. Judith, breath
Ing deep drafts of it, reminded herself
of the stoicism that was hers by birth
right.
"Peter"-her voice lost some of its
old ring, but it had Il deeper note
.'Peter we make strange comrades,
you and l, in n stranger world. We
meet on Horse Thief trail, and there
is reason to suppose that our errands
are inimcal. You've pierced all my
little pretenses. You know that I am
going to my brother, who is an outlaw
my brother, the rope for whose hang
ing is already cut. And yet we have
! been friends these many years, and
we meet in this world Of desolation
and weigh each others words, and
there is no trust in our hearts. Our lit
tie faith is more pitiful than the cruel
errands that bring us. take 1t you.
too, are going to my brothers."
"I'm going there to see that you ar
rive safe and sound, but I had no in
tention of going when l left camp.
You've brought me good twenty miles
out of my way, not to mention accus-
| ing me of Interior motives. Now, aren't
you penitent? He smiled at her, boy
ish and irresistible. To Judith 1t was
more reassuring than an oath. ITS
like dogs fighting over a picked bone;
the meats all gone. The range is over
worked; it needs good long rest" He
i, turned toward Judith. speaking slowly.
"What you have said is true. We're
friends before we're partisans Of either
faction. I'm on my way to roundup
There's been an unexpected order to
fill beef contract-a thousand steers
We're going to furnish 500, the XXX
$50 and the Circle Star $50. Men have
been securing the enemy's country for
days rounding up stragglers. 1t will
go hard with the rustlers after this
roundup, Judith"
She felt great wave Of penitence
and shame sweep over her. She had
not trusted him; in her heart she had
nourished hideous suspicious Of him.
and he was telling her, quite simply.
of the plans of his own faction, trust
ing her, as, indeed, he might, but as
she never expected to be trusted.
"Peter, do you know that sometimes
think Jim has gone quite mad with
these range troubles? He's acted
strangely ever since his sheep were
driven over the cliff. He's not been
home to Aida and the children since
he has been out Of Jail, and you know
how devoted to them he has always
been! He spends all his time tracking
Simpson. Aida wrote me that she ex-
poets him tonight. and I'm going there
on the chance"
Its the DEVILS own hole for desola-
ton that he's come to-" Peter looked
about the cup shaped valley that was
but a GUIDES sac in the mountains.
lone group Of dead cottonwoods grew
like sentinels close to the rocky walls.
Their twisted branches, gaunt and
bare, writhed upward as in dumb sup
plication. There was about them
something that made Judith come
closer to Peter us they passed them.
"Those frightful trees, how can Aida
stand themT She looked back. "Oh,
wish they were cut DOWN.
Continued next week.