Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1907-12-06
!, CHAPTER Xxx.
o Thu Cohorts of Jud1e Lynch.

body. For q moment the room ap-
peared to swim. before his eyes, and
he clutched at the overturned table
for support. Then, as his senses re-
turned, he perceived the figures of
number of men tanning the narrow
doorway, and became aware of their
loud, excited voices. Back to his be-
numbed brain there came with rush
the whole scene, the desperation Of
his present situation. He had been
found alone with the dead man. Those
men, when they came surging in at
tracted by the noise of strife, had
found him lying on Slavin, his hand
cMtching the. knife-hilt He ran his
eyes over their Mortified faces, and
knew instantly they held him the muir
derer.
The shock Of this discovery steadied
him. He realized the meaning, the
8 dread, terrible meaning, for he knew
the west, its fierce, implacable spirit
Of vengeance, its merciless code Of
Ench-law. The vigilantes Of the min
ing camps we're to him an old story;
more than once he had witnessed
their work, been cognizant Of their
power, This was no time to parley or
to hesitate. He grabbed the loaded
revolver lying upon the floor, and
swung Shvin's discarded belt across
his shoulder.
Stand aside, gentlemen" he COM
manded. step back, and let me
pass"
They obeyed. He swept them with
VWatchful eyes, stepped past and slam
cmed the door behind him. Men were
already beginning to pour into the sa-
loon, uncertain yet of the facts, and
shouting questions to each other. To
tally ignoring these, Hampton thrust
himself recklessly through the crowd.
HalAway down the broad steps Buck
Mason faced him, in shirt sleeves, his
head uncovered, an ugly AS" in his
uplifted hand. Just an instant the
eeyesi of the two men met, neither
doubted the grim purpose of the other.
You've got ter do it, Bob" an
.nounced the marshall, shortly, dead
,-er alive. o..
Hampton never hesitated. I'm sor-
ry l met you. l don't want to get
anybody else mixed up in this fuss.
II you'll promise me a chance for my
life, Buck, I'll throw up my hands.
But | prefer bullet to a mob"
The little marshal was saniy-haired,
freckle-faced, and all nerve. The
crowd damned within the Occidental
had already turned and we're surging
. toward the door. Hampton knew from
long experience what this meant;
these were the quickly infamed CO.
horts OF Judge Lynch-they would act
first, and reflect later His square
Jaws set like a trap.
"All right, Bob" said the marshal.
You're my prisoner, and there1l be
cone hell Of a fight afore them lads
git We. There's a chance left-leg it
, 9 after me-"
Just as. the mob surged out of the
Occidental, cursing and struggling
the two sprang forward. and dashed
Q unto the narrow space between the
livery stable and the hotel. Moffat
CHANGED to be in the passageway, and
pausing to ask no questions, Mason
promptly landed that gentleman on
the back of his head in a pile of dis
carded tin cans, and kicked viciously
at. a. yellow dog which ventured t.
snap at them as they swept past. Be
bind arose volley of curses, the THUG
Of feet, an, occasional voice roari2s
out orders, and sharp spat of re
volver sshots. One ball plugged into
the siding of the hotel, and a SECOND
threw spit of sand into their lower
ed faces, but neither man glanced
back. They we're running for thei
slives now, racing for a fair chance t
turn At bay and fight, their sole hop,
the steep, rugged hill in their front
Hampton began to understand tn,
purpose Of his companion, the quick
uperring instinct which had led hin
Il. select the one suitable spot wher
the successful waging of battl
against such odds was possibility
deserted dump Of the Shasta mine.
With every nerve strained to tn
Q uttermost, the two men raced side b.
side down the steep slope, ploughe
through the tangled underbrush, an
Q toiled up the sharp ascent beyond.
At the summit Of the ore dump tn
IWO uCu nuns IuOnoClNCS poullu
down, for the first time able to realiz
what 1t all meant. They could pei
ceive the figures Of their pursuer
among the shadows Of the bushes b.
low, but these were not venturing on
into the open-the first mad, needles
rush had evidently ended. There wer
, some cool heads among the mob LEAF
ers, and 1t was highly probable ths
negotiations would be tried befor
that crowd hurled itself against tw
desperate men. armed and entrencl
cd. Both fugitives realized this, an
lay there coolly watchful, their breat
egrowing more regular. their eyes sof
ening
@Whut is all this fuss about an!
how?" questioned the marshall. sv
IDENTIFY somewhat aggrieved. Il w
i.ak aatiu' dinner when q Teller stuc