Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-11-17

s55 hin, with trail or without, ana
we're putting hOrsedesh against horse
flesh and craft against craft.
At the forks of the Fence they picked
UP Wickwire, Kennedy taking him on
the up road, while Scott with Whisper
ing Smith crossed to the Crawling
Stone. When Smith and Scott reached
the Frenchman they parted to cover in
turn each of the trails by which it is
possible to get out of the river country
toward the Park and Williams Cache.
By fouE o'clock in the afternoon
they had all covered the ground so
well that the four were able to make
their rendezvous on the big Fence
divide, south of Crawling Stone val
ley. They then found, to their disap-
pointment, that, widely separated as
they had been, both parties were fol-
lowing trails they believed to be good.
They shot q steer, tagged 1T, ate din
ner and supper in one, and separated
under Whispering Smiths counsel
that both the trails be followed into
the next morning-in the belief that
one Of them would run out or that
the two would run together. At noon
the next day Scott rode through the
hills from the Fence, and Kennedy
with Wiekwire came through Two
Feather pass from the Frenchman
with the report that the game had left
their valleys.
without rest they pushed on. At
the foot o. the Mission mountains
they picked up the tracks OF party
of three horsemen. Twice within ten
miles afterward the men they were
following crossed the river. Each
time their trail, with some little diff
Guilty, was found again. At little
ranch in the Mission foothills, Ken
nedy and Scott, leaving Wickwire with
Whispering Smith, took fresh horses
and pushed ahead as far as they could
ride before dark, but they brought
back news. The trail had split again,
with one man riding alone to the left,
while two had taken the hills TO the
right, heading for Mission pass and
the Cache. With Gene Johnson and
Bob at the mouth of the Cache there
was little fear for that outlet. The
turn to the left was the unexpected.
Over the little fire in the ranch kitch-
en- where they ate supper, the four
men were in conference 20 minutes.
1t was decided that Scott and Kennedy
should head for the Mission pass,
while Whispering Smith, with Wick
wire to trail with him, should under
take to cut off, somewhere between
Fence river and the railroad, the man
who had gone south, the man believed
to be Sinclair. 1t was a late moon,
and when Scott and Kennedy saddled
their horses Whispering Smith and
Wickwire were asleep.
With the cowboy, Whispering Smith
started at daybreak. No one saw
them again for two days. During
those two days and nights they were
in the saddle almost continuously.
For every mile the man ahead of them
rode they were forced to ride two
miles and often three. Late in the
second night they crossed the railroad,
and the first word from them came in
long dispatches sent by Whispering
Smith to Medicine Bend and inStruc-
tions to Kennedy and Scott in the
north, which were carried by hard
riders straight to Deep creek.
On the morning of the third day
Dicksie Dunning, who had gone home
from Medicine Bend and who had been
telephoning Marion and George Nc
Cloud two days for news, was trying
to get Medicine Bend again on the
telephone when Puss came in to say
that man at the kitchen door wanted
to see her.
who is it, Puss?"
81 dino, Miss Dicksie; deed, 1 never
seen him b'fore."
Dicksie walked around on the porch
to the kitchen. A dust-covered man
sitting on a limp horse threw back the
brim of his hat as he touched it, lifted
himself stif1y out of the saddle, and
dropped to the ground. He laughed at
Dicksie's startled expression. Don't
you know me?" he asked, putting out
his hand 1t was Whispering Smith.
He was a fearful sight. Stained
from head to foot with alkali, saddle
cramped and bent, his face scratched
and stained, he stood with a smiling
appeal in his bloodshot eyes.
Dicksie gave little uncertain cry,
clasped her hands, and, with scream,
threw her arms impulsively around his
neck. "Oh, did not know you! What
has happened? l am so glad to see
you! Tell me what has happened.
Are you hurt?"
He stammered like a schoolboy.
Nothing mas happened. didn't rear
ize what a tramp look or ! shouldn't
have come. But 1 was only mile
away and l had heard nothing for four
days from Medicine Bend. And how
are you? Did your ride make you i'll?
No? By heaven, you are a game girl.