The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1906-05-04

lIluns-half nile hack-comln
rapid. he shouted The girl. Of goo9
height for a woman. broad-hipped. FULL
breasted. healthy red showing through
the tan OF her cheeks. her smooth brown
hair braided carelessly 20 her waist. her
arms akimbO. stared al him doubIuily
Is he filed with quick slaps the empty
chambers OF revolver.
Git along. stranger, she called. IN
4 sings0ng tones Reckon you're
+ afeart"
The mustangs ears - that instant
stood straight lslce more and QuiycriuC.
Mead turned upon the girl. and covered
her with the revolver.
"Gii yer horse IN yer family gcin'.
quick he ordered. deliberately. For
q second the girl did not move, but
smiled lefantly az him. then she stood
bolt. upright. tense. listening. She
heard now the confused rumble of many
horse. FAR away. al which the tired mus
tang was already dancing impatienuy.
she disappeared within the building
while De sat To the narrow trail, the
noise ot the pursuit growing rapidly
louder Ia his ears. 4 frightened whin-
nyins came from somewhere al the rear
0f the main cabin. q door slammed and
. q single. sguatty. dirty-ye.i0w mustang
sprcIg into sight around the corner o.
the structure the girl stradliing its bare
back. AT that moment q shrieking.
echoiDg yell arose behind them. They
Lad been seen. Then the race began
once more, the black mustang pounding
doggedly behind the wicked pace Of the
yellow beast
Two miles farther on he came up with
the girl as they were fording a narrow
creek
Amt seen an Injun sence we've ben
thar she gasped between breaths, IS
ii in explanation. Dad. he's went to
Santa Fl"
Throo tn canyon7"
She nodded her head as they reached
the farther bank and she took the lead
again But the black mustang was
weakening. his gait wavered. his eyes
were bloodshot At last he stumbled
and fell or one knee, the leg snapped.
and he lay quiyering across the trail.
The girl turned abruptly and came back
Mead took the mail bags from the mus
tang's back and threw them TO her.
III hold EN- back while We Kit 4
start" he said. laconicaily. drawing his
pistols. He turned TO face the trail.
"GOod-by." he called over his shoulder.
Stranger" the girl said. quietly. He
whirled and faced a small pistol she had
drawn from her belt. Cit UP behind.
quick. I Amt a-goin' to bulge a foot ef
ye don't" she added as he hesitated.
Mead laughed aloud as he thought how
quickly she had turned his own game
upon him Then she laughed also as he
turned and mercifully shot the black
mustang. before leaping up behind her.
The yellow mustang struggled for
ward bravely under the double burden,
but the contest was unequal. The hoof-
beats behind them grew louder and al
last they could hear the noise OF gut
tural voices from behind the turns in
the winding trail. A few moments later
an arrow struck fire in the roadway be-
side them. Then. as Mead reached-dowu
for a revolver. the girl uttered a lsw
cry. There was the fort, less than a
mile away, its bare walls looming gray
in the distance.
Together they spurred the straining
beast beneath them down the long in
cline. while arrows and an occasional
bullet whirred and sang about them.
They could hear now the quick breath Ct
the tired horses behind them. the tri-
umphant shouts. the beat OF singing
thongs upon a dozen launches. Now
came the short uphill stretch 10 the
fort. little more than a quarter Of A
mile away, but the exhausted mustang
shivered with each bound up the ascent.
his reach growing shorter, his pace slow
er TWO arrows struck him almost al
the same instant. and be fell heavily.
But Mead had jumped clear, carrying the
girl with him. They were on their feet
quickly.
Rum" he called. His first shot ran-
out, and an Indian trailed from the sad
die. Others went down before his steady
aim as he ran backward up the in.
cline His left arm feA limp and the
pistol dropped TO the ground. Someo one
picked itup. Some one was firing calm
y beside him. The horses were almosz
on them and the sneering. gloating.
painted faces. when he heard vaguely
rumbling, many-voiced cheer behind
him. then the foremost Indians looked
beyond him and wheeled suddenly and
dashed down the hill in scattering con-
fusion
A few days later a man. his arm stil
in a sling. rode down the hill from For:
Union. A girl rode beside him. The
man looked at her furtIvely now and
then and his rugged face showed en-
barrassment-
Say" he said at last. I've got a red.
colored temper. I'm mean, am"
Huh" she answered. staring az the
trail The man hesitated for a moment.
i've got s1A17 exact" he remarked
The girl did not change her position.
The man was silent for a moment or
4Tp