Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-26
CHAPTER III.
The Haunting Of q Crime.

Murphy rested on his back In the midst
Of thicket of Willows. wide awake. yet
not quite ready to ford the Fourche and
plunge into the dense shadows shrouding
the northern shore. Crouohed behind a
log, he had so far yielded unto temptation
as to light his pipe.
Murphy had been amid just such unpleas-
ant environments many times before. and
the experience had grown somewhat pro-
sale He realized fully the imminent peril
haunting the next two hundred miles. but
such danger was not wholly unwelcome to
his peculiar temperament; rather 1t was an
incentive to him, and, without doubt. he
would manage to pull through somehow. as
he had done hundred times before. Even
Indian scouting degenerates into a common
place at last. So Murphy pulled contentedly
at his old pipe. Whatever may have been
his thoughts they did not burst through
his taciturnity. and he reclined there mo-
tIonless no sound breaking the silence,
save the ripping waters of the Fourche.
and the occasional stamping of his horses
as they cropped the succulent valley grass.
But suddenly there was the faint crackle
Of a branch to his left, and one hand in
stantly closed over his pipe bowl. the
other graspine the heavy revolver at his
hip. Crouching like a startled tiger. with
not muscle moving. he peered anxiously
into the darkness. his arm half extended.
scarcely venturing to breathe. There came
a plain undsguised rustling In the grass
some providing coyote. probably: then his
tense muscles immedia tely relaxed. and he
cursed himself for being so startled. yet he
continued to grasp the "45'' in his right
hand his eyes alert
Murphy
That single word hurled thus unexpect-
edly out of the black night, startled him
more than would volley of rifles. He
sprang half erect. then as swiftly crouched
behind a willow, utterly unable to articu-
late In Gods name. what human could be
out there to call? He would have sworn
that there was not another white man with
In radius of hundred miles. For the
Instant his very blood ran cold; he appeared
TO shrivel up.
"oh. come. Murphy speak up. man: I
know you're In here
That terror OF the unknown instantly
vanished. This was the familiar language
of the world and, however the fellow came
10 be there It assuredly a man VINO
spoke With a gurgling oath at his own
folly Murrhy's anger fiared violently forth
into disjointed speech, the deadly gun yet
clasped ready for instant action.
"who-the - ARE ye?" me blurted out.
The visitor laughed. the bushes rustling as
he pushed toward the sound of the voice.
'Tt's all right. old boy. Gave ye quite a
scare. / reckon
Murphy could now dimly perceive the
other advancing through the intervening
willows and his Colt shot up to the level
"Stopt-ye take another-step an Tn-let
drive ye tell me-first-who ye be-"
The invader paused. but he realized the
nervous finger pressing the trigger and
made haste to answer. TITS all right, tel
We I'm one o. Terry's scouts"
''Ye areo Jist the same-fve heard-yer
yoice-afore."
Likely nough. / saw service in the It'll >
Murphy was still trfhe suspicious
ssHow'd We gilt yere? How'd We come ter
know-whar wus?'
The man laughed again. "Sorter hurts
yer professional feelins. don't It, old feller
to be dropped in on in this unceremonious
way? But IL was dead easy. old man. We
see happened thro' Cheyenne only cou-
pie O. hours behind ye, with bunch o pa
pers fer the Yellowstone. The trails plain
enough out this far. and Hoped long at a
pretty fair hickory. so tibet was up on the
blufr yonder. and saw We go into camp yere
5ust afore dark. You wus a-keepin' yer
eyes skinned across the Fourche. and nat
uraiiy didn't expect no callers from them
hills behind. The rest wus nuthin, an
here am. It's darn sight pleasanter tie,