Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-01-10


operator instln, ~ dropped his feet
to the floor
well, my lad. you are not dumb.
are you?"
The telegrapher's momentary hesi-
tation vanished; his ambition to be-
come a martyr to the strict laws Of
service secrecy YVES not sufficiently
strong to cause him to take the doubt
full chances of a lie. HE was here,
but has gone"
"Where%
"The devil knows. He rode north,
carrying dispatches for Custer"
"When?"
"Oh, three or four hours ago"
Hampton swore softly but fervent-
ly, behind his clinched teeth.
Where is CUSTER"
Don't know exactly. Supposed to
be with Terry and Gibbons, some
where near the mouth Of the Powder.
although he may have left there by
this time, moving down the Yellow
stone. Murphy's orders were to inter.
cept his column somewhere between
the Rosebud and the Big Horn. No
other scout along this border would
take such q detail. But that old devil
Of a Murphy just enjoys such a trip.
He started on Is happy as ever see
him"
How far will he have to ride"
"oh, bout 800 miles as the crow
Aies, q little west Of north. and the
better part Of the distance. they tell
me, It's almighty rough country for
Night work. But then Murphy. be
knows the way al right Sorry you
didn't come along q little earlier" he
said, genially. DO you know Muir
-phy?"
I'm not quite certain. Did you
happen to notice q peculiar black seal
on the back Of his right hand"
Sure; looks liksethe half Of a pear
He said It was powder under the skin.
4 new look Of reviving determine
ton swept into Hampton's gloomy
eyes-beyond doubt this must be hi
man.
How many horses did he have!i"
Two"
did you overhear him say anythini
definite about his plans for the trip?"
What, him? He never talks, tina
fellow. He can't do nothing but sput
ter II he tries. But l wrote out his or
ders, and they give him to the 25th I,
make the Big Horn. You wasn't plan
ming to strike out after him, wa
your"
81 might risk it II l only thought
could overtake him within two days
my business is of some importance"
We'll, stranger, should reckon 20
might do that with dog-gone goo
outfit. Murphys sure to take thing
, pretty easy to-day, and he's almos
, certain to follow the old mining ira
as far as the ford over the Bell
Fourche, and that's plain enough I
travel. Beyond that point the dew
. only knows where he will go, for the
/ is when his hard ridin' begins"
The moment the operator mentione
that odd scar on Murphy's hand, ever
vestige of hesitation vanished. B,
yond any possibility Of doubt he wa
: on the right scent this time. Murph
: was riding north upon mission q
5 desperate as ever man was Gale
upon to perform. The chance Of hi
: coming forth alive from that Indial
! haunted land was, as the operate
+ truthfully said, barely one out Of
i hundred. To the end, to the death
need were, he would follow!
|. The memory of his old plain era
: would not permit any neglect of Ii
1 few necessaries for the trip. H
bought without haggling over price
= but insisted on the best. So 1t wa
r four in the afternoon when he final
/ struck into the trail leading mort
n ward. He rode a mettlesome, hal
broken bronco, wicked-eyed brut
u which required to be conquered twiC
9 within the first hour of travel; Sc
n ond and more quiet animal trailed b
I" hind at the end of lariat, bearing Il
o necessary equipment
He had, by persistent questionin
acquired considerable information, du
y ing that busy hour spent in Cheyenn
IT regarding the untracked regions lyiI
/. before him, as we'll as the charact
and disposition Of the man he pu
s sued. Both by instinct and trainiI
he was able to comprehend those bri
hints that must prove of vast bene
In the painless wilderness.
y The night was already dark, b
r stars we're cleaning brilliantly owe
head, and the trail remained east
d, traceable. 1t became terribly lone
le on that wilderness stretching aw,
le for unknown leagues in every dire
s. ton, yet Hampton scarcely noted tn
OF so watchful was he lest he miss L
er trail. To his judgment, Murphy won
lg not be likely to ride during the mig
re until after he had crossed the Fourct
IS There was no reason to suspect tn
ne there were any hostile Indians sou
at of that stream, and probably thereto
&C. the old scout would endeavor to &C
y. serve his own strength and that Of
1 L.