Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1908-04-01
CHAPTER XVII.
ha Trail of Silent Murphy

The young infantryman who had
been detailed for the important serv-
ice of telegraph operator sat in the
table, his face buried behind a news
paper.
Gould you inform me where
might find Silent Murphy, a govern
ment scout?"
The voice had the unmistakable ring
of military authority, and the soldier
operator instinct!vely dropped his feet
to the floor.
We'll, my lad, you are not dumb,
are you?"
The telegrapher's momentary hest
tation vanished; his ambition to be-
come a martyr to the strict laws Of
service secrecy WIS not sufficiently
strong to cause him to take the doubt
full chances Of 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 ferv,;nt-
ly, behind his clinched teeth.
Where is sCuster?"
Don't know exactly. Supposel to
be with Terry and Gibbons. ONE.
where near the mouth of the Pc Hder,
although he may have left there By
this time, moving down the Yellow
| m iofn
| cept his column somewhere between
| the Rosebud and the Big Horn. No
| other scout along this border would
| take such a detail But that old devil
of a Murphy just enjoys such a trip.
He started off as happy as ever l see
him
"How far will he have to rider
ooh, bout 800 miles as the crow
flies, a 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, he
| knows the way all right. Sorry you
| didn't come along little earlier" he
said, genially. DO you know Muir
phy?"
I ';Tm rot quite certain. Did you
| happen to notice peculiar black scar
On the back of his right hand?"
Sure: looks like the half of a pear
He said it was powder under the skin.
A new look of reviving determine
ton swept into Hamptons gloomy
eves-beyond doubt this must be his
man.
How many horses did he have??"
Two"
did you overhear him say anything
definite about his plans for the trip?'
What. him? He never talks, thai
fellow. He can't do nothing but sput
ter if he tries. But l wrote out his or
ders, and they give him to the 25th tt
make the Big Horn. You wasn't plan
ming to strike out after him, wa'
you?"
81 might risk it if l only thought
could overtake him within two days
nv business is of some importance.
We'll, stranger, should reckon yo'
might do that with a dog-gone goot
, outfit. Murphy's sure to take thing
, pretty easy to-day, and he's almos
certain. to follow the old mining trai
as far as the ford over the Bell
Fourche, and that's plain enough t
: travel. Beyond that point the dew
! cnlv knows where he will go, for thel
t is when his hard ridin' begins.
| The moment the operator mentione'
that odd scar on Murphy's hand. ever.
l vestige of hesitation vanished. BE
: yond any possibility of doubt he wa
: on the right scent this time. Murph
$ was riding north upon mission
desnerate as ever man was cafle
: upon to perform. The chance OF nj
! coming forth alive from that lndiar
+ haunted land was, as the operate
+ truthfully said, barely one cut OF
hundred. To the end. to the death
/ need were, he would follow.
: To BE CoNTINUED)