The Ordway new era., 1908-03-20

''v'" any ulTect trail. True,
II lay between Kemah, the county
seat. and the Three Bars ranch, but
was good half mile from the
straisht routs. Even so, 1t was a late
houf Tor any one to be passing by. 1t
was not II travelled trail except for the
ooys OF the Three Bars, and they
were known to be great home.stayers
ana little given to spreeing. As for
the rus'lers. II rustlers they were.
they had no fear of interruption by
'he officers OF the law. who held their
places by virtue OF the insolent and
arbitrary Will OF Jesse Black and his
brotherhood, and were now carousing
In kemah by virtue of the hush.money
put up by this same secret tribunal.
Watch. child. watch," he said
again. without in the least shifting his
tense position.
Surely" responded Mary o,,,o
steadily.
Now was her time come. Dark
sinister figures fitted from tree To
tree. AT first she could not be sure. II
was so heartlessly dark. but there was
hoveinent-it was different from that
Terrible blank quiet which she had
hitherto been gazing upon till her ewes
burned and pricked as with needle
points. and visionary things swan be.
lore them. She winked rapidly to
dispel the unreal and floating things.
opened wide her long,lashed lids. fixed
them. and-fired. Then Williston
knew that his little girl" his one eve
iaihb. all that was left to him of a full
ana gracious past. must go through
what he had gone through, all that
namelcss horror and expectant dread.
and his heart cried out at the unholy
injustice OF II all. He dared not go to
her. dared not desert his post for an
instant. II one got within the shadow
of the walls all was lost.
Mary's challenge was met with n
rather hot return fire. 1t was probably
given to inspire the besieged with
due respect for the attackers mum.
bers. Bullets pattered around the out
side walls like hailstones. one even
whizzed through the window perilous-
ly near the girls intent young face.
Silence came back to the night.
There was no more movement. Yet
down there at the spring something.
maybe one of those dark. gaunt cot-
tonwoods. held death-death for her
and death for her father. a stream OF
icy coldness struck across her heart
She found herself calculating In delib.
Grafton which tree II was that held
this thing-dcath. The biggest one,
shadowing the spring. helping to keep
the pool sweet and cool where Paul
Langford had galloped his horse that
day when-ah. II Paul Langford
would only come now!
\ Wild sirlish hope flashed up In
her heart. I.angford would come.
had he not sworn II to her fathore
Had he not given his hand as a
pledge? II means something to shake
hands In the cattle country. He VIZ
big and brave and true. When he
came these awful. creeping terrors
would disperse-grim shadows that
must steal away when morning comes.
When he came she could put her
rife in his big. confident hands. lie
down on the floor and-cry. She
wanted 10 CTy-OH. now size ulu WunL
to cry. Cold reason came back to her
aid and dissipatcd the weak and
womanish longing to give way to
tears. There was pathetic droop to
her mouth. long. quivering. Sob
bing sigh. and she buried her wOin
ans weakness right deeply and
stamped upon 1t. How utterly Wild
and foolish her brief hope had been!
I.angford and all his men were sound
In sleep long ago. How could he
know? were the rufiians out there
men to tell All. no! There was no
one to know. 1t would all happen in
the dark-in awful loneliness. and
there would be no one to know until
It was all over-tomorrow. maybe. or
next week. who could tell? They
were OF the main trail. few people
ever sought them out. There would
be no one to know.
GRO RE COSTINUED)