Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-05-03

smiled ~deiantly at him; then she stood
bolt upright, tense, listening. She
heard now the confused rumble of many
horses, far away, at which the tired mus
tang was already dancing impatiently.
She disappeared within the building
while he sat in the narrow trail, the
noise of the pursuit growing rapidly
louder in his ears. A frightened wh1n-
nying came from somewhere at the rear
of the main cabin; a door slammed and
a single, squatty, dirty-yeliow mustang
sprang into sight around the corner OF
the structure, the girl straddling its bare
back. At that moment a shriek1ng.
echoing yell arose behind them. They
had 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.
"Ain't seen an Injun sence we've ben
thar" she gasped between breaths, as
if in explanation. dad, he's went to
Santa Fee"
"Throo tn ~canyon?"
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 on one knee, the leg snapped,
, and he lay quivering across the trail.
The girl turned abruptly and came back.
y Mead took the mail bags from the mus
\ tang's back and threw them to her.
Q "Ill hold 'em back while We git q
4 start" he said, laconically, drawing his
k 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. "Git up behind,
4 quick. | amt a-goin' to bulge a foot eft
We don't" she added as he hesitated.
Mead laughed aloud as he thought how
quickly she had turned his own game
q upon him. Then she laughed also as he
= turned and mercifully shot the black
mustang, before ]eaping up behind her.
The yellow mustang struggled for
ward bravely under the double burden,
n but the contest was unequal. The hoof-
beats behind them grew louder and at
h last they could hear the noise of gut
tural voices from behind the turns in
n the winding trail. A few moments later
an arrow struck fire in the roadway be-
T. side them. Then, as Mead reached down
for a revolver, the girl uttered a low
cry. There was the fort, less than a
10 mile away, its bare walls looming gray
Il, in the distance.
Together they spurred the straining
!" beast beneath them down the long in
cline, while arrows and an occasional
M bullet whirred and sang about them.
70 They could hear now the quick breath OF
nj the tired horses behind them, the tri-
umphant shouts, the beat of stinging
- thongs upon a dozen launches. Now
es came the short uphill stretch to the
ar fort, a 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.
w err. Two arrows struck him almost a
ra the same instant, and he fell heavily
But Mead had jumped clear, carrying thu
/ girl with him. They were on their fee
quickly.
"Run!" he called. His first shot ran:
out, and an Indian trailed from the sad
die. Others went down before his stead-
aim as he ran backward up the in
cline. His left arm fell limp and thu
pistol dropped to the ground. Some on
picked it up. Some one was firing calm
" beside him. The horses were almos
on them and the sneering, g~loatine
= painted faces, when he heard vaguely
rumbling, many-voiced cheer benin
him, then the foremost Indians locke
beyond him and wheeled suddenly an
dashed down the hill in scattering con
fusion.
A few days later a man, his arm sti
in a sling, rode down the hill from Fo,
Union. A girl rode beside him. Tn
man looked at her furtively now an
then and his rugged face showed en-
barrassment.
"say," he said at last, give got a rec
the colored temper. I'm mean, | am"
"Huh," she answered, staring at tt
new trail. The man hesitated for a momen
IDS "I've got $14.17 exact" he remarke
zen. The girl did not change her positio,
and The man was silent for a momen
two.
MO "Where're We headin' fer?" he aske
oh with something like a sigh.
Law She turned and looked at him,
+ of smile quivering about her full lips.
,di- "Where're you-all goin'?" she aske
ling meaningly.
,sly The two horses came close togeth
ting and stopped short to the tug of the
lin. brides. After a time they went on on
1uld more.
"What'n yer dad say?" asked the ma
"Dad," returned the girl, patting h
mr. mustangs neck caressingly, "he werel
. good fer much, tho he meant right, d
,igh did. Eff he's alive, he'll jest go off be
for his business"
"Say," cried the man, a thought ST.
denly striking him. whats
name?"
ung- Anhie' sno saiu'
still