Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-13

a corral, close to tumble-down shanty, and a
Rankin rode up to the opening the children wer
just disappearing in at the door, while tn
woman slowly and painfully climbed down owe
| the wheel. Rumpety stood by, jeering at he
slow progress.
Come, horny little, me foine lady," Rankii
heard him say. Horny, or I'll come, and giv'
ye lift yell not thank me for!"
The poor creatures dress had caught in some
thing, and she stood an instant on the hub.
With sudden movement the brute raised
| the long whip he held in his hand and gave hel
a stinging blow across the shoulders. There
was faint moan, sound of tearing cotton, and
the woman fell in heap to the ground In
another instant she had scrambled to her feet
and fed limping into the house.
Ed Rankin felt the blood rush to his heart
and then go tingling down into his finger tips
but he made sound nor sudden movement
With his teeth set hard, his hand clutching his
cowhlde whip, he got off his horse and stood
on the ground.
Il guess I'll wait till he's given the critters
their supper" he muttered in Pincher's ear "He
might forget to do it after Pm done with him "
He stood looking into the inclosure while
Rumpety embarrassed "the critters" and put
them up in an open shed.
The corral was 4 comfortless, tumble down
place. The outlines of the crazy huts and sheds
which inclosed it on three sides showed clear
In the starlight A gaunt plow horse stood mo-
tionless in the cold shelter of skeleton hay
wagon; in one corner drinking trough CLEAN
ed, one solid mass of ice And now across thh
dreary, God-forsaken stage passed the warmly
clad, stalwart figure that Fate was waiting for.
Rankin noted that he held the whip still in hi
hand he made for the door of the cabin.
Suddenly Rankin blocked his path
"You curl"
The words were flung like missile into Tin
face of the brute.
With cry of rage Rumpety raised his Ion,
whip, and then, coward that he was let II fall
Rankin never had very clear idea of what han
pened next Somehow other he had torn the
coat off the mans back had bound him wifi
the lasso to corner of the hay wagon. and was
standing him, cowhide in hand nantinc
with rage and the desire for vengeance Tbe
gaunt horse had moved off few PAGES. and
stood like apparition, gazing with snectral
indifference at the scene
Rankin raised his arm and brought the wbir
lash whistling down upon the broad shoulders
There was strange cultural sound and tbe fg.
ure before him seemed to collapse and sinH
IA dead weight, down into the encirclinp rome
Rankns arm was arrested in midair.
'Stand up, you hound, or I'll murder von,n
he hissed between his teeth.
But the figure hung there like a Loo TN.
spectral horse shifted strangely.
| A swift horror seized upon Rankin He Oras,>
ed the heavy shoulder and shook it roupblv r
was like shaking-hush! he dared not think what
Rankin flung his whip to the ground, and wild.
ly, feverishly, united the rope 1t was dif.
ficult thing to do, the sinking of the BODY bav.
ing frightened the knots. At last they yielded
and the dead weight tumbled in a hean hefore
him. Even in his wild horror Rankin thongbt
how the woman had fallen just so in a bean
on the ground a few minutes before Tbe
thought put life into his heart.
He tried to lift the body and carry it toward
the house; he could not do it. 1t was not the
weight it was the repulsion that famed him.
lie stalked to the CABIN and flung open the
door. The woman crouehed IN a corner with
her six children about her; seven pitiful scared
faces were lifted to his He stepped in and closed
the door behind him.
dennis Rumpety is dead" he stated, in a
hard, unnatural voice
The woman glanced about her with wandering
eyes. Then she shook her head.