The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-08-08
CHAPTER XX%VII.
Dieksie's Ride.

When Lance Dunning entered the
room ten minutes later Dicksie stood at
the telephone; but the ten minutes of
that interval had made quite another
creature of his cousin. The wires were
down and no one from any quarter gave
a response TO her frantic ringing.
Through the receiver she could hear
only the sweep of the rain and the
harsh crackle of the wind. Sometimes
praying, sometimes fainting and some
times .despairing, she stood clinging to
the instrument, ringing and pounding
upon it like one frenzied- Lance looked
at her in amaZement. why, God
almighty. Dicksie. what's the matter?"
He called twice to her before she
turned, and her words almost stunned
him: why did you not detain Sinclair
here tOnight2 Why did you not arrest
him p"
Lance's sOmbreTO. raked heavily to
one side of his face. and one end of
his mustache running up much higher
on the other, did not begin to express
his establishment. Arrest him? Ar
rest Sinclair? Dicksie, are you crazy?
Why the devil should I arrest Sinclair?
Do you suppose I am going to mix up
| in a fight like this? Do you, think I
want to get killed? The level-headed
man in this country, just at present is
the men who can keep out of trouble
and the man who succeeds, let me tell
you, has got more than plenty to do"
Lance, getting no answer but a fierce,
searching gaze from Dicksies wild eyes,
laid his hand on a chair. lighted cigar,
and sat down before the fire. Dicksie
dropped the telephone receiver, put her
hand to her girdle, and looked at him.
When she spoke her tone was singing.
You know that man is going to Med
/ ieine Bend to kill his wifer'
Lance took the cigar from his mouth
and returned her look. Il know no such
thing" he growled. curtly.
And to kin George McCloud, if he
can"
He stared without reply.
You heard him say So" persisted
Dicksie, vehemently.
Lance crossed his legs and threw back
the brim of his hat. "McCloud is no.
/ bOdy's fool. He viii look out for him
self"
These fendish wires to Medicine
Bend are down. Why hasn't this line
been Tepaired?" she cried, wringing her
hands. There is no way to give warn
| ing to any one that he is coming, and
you have let him go!"
Lance whirled in his chair. "Damna-
toni Could keep him from going?"
You did not want to; you are keep
| ing out of trouble. What do you care
whom he kills tonight
You've gone crazy, DiCksie. Your
imagination has upset your reason.
Whether he kills anybody tonight or
not. it's too late now to make row
about it," exclaimed Lance, throwing
mis- cigar angrily away. He won't
kill US"
And you expect me to sit by and
fold my hands while that wretch sheds
more blood, do your
1T can't be helped"
"I say it can be helped! I can help
It'll viii help it-as you could have
done if you had wanted to. I will ride
to Medicine Bend tonight and help it,"
Lance jumped TO his feet, with a
string Of Oaths. We'll, this is the lin
it" He pointed his finger at her.
''Dicksia Dunning, you won't stir out of
! this house tonight"
Her face hardened. How dare you
speak in that way of me? Who are you,
/ that you order me what to do, where to
stay? Am 1 your cowboy, to be defled
with your curses?"
He looked a her in amaZement She
was only Is: he would still face her
down I'll tell you who I am. I am
master here, and you will do as I tell
/ you. You will ride to Medicine Bend
! tonight, will yOu?" He struck the table
with his clinched fist. DO you hear
me? I say. by God, not a horse shall
| leave this ranch in this storm tonight to
| go anywhere for anybody or with any
body"
"Then l say to you this ranch is my
ranch, and these horses are my horses.
From this hour forth I will order them
| to go and come when and where l
! pleaseH' She stepped toward him.
! "HenCeforwaTd I am mistress here. Do
you hear me? Henceforward ! give or
| deTs in Crawling Stone house, and
every one under this roof takes orders
/ from me-"
/ "Dicksie. what do you mean? For
Gods sake, you're not going to try to
ride"
She swept from the room. What hap
! pened afterwaFd she could never recall.
| Who got Jim for her or whether she got
/ the horse up herself W hat was said to
| her in low kindly words of warning by
/ the man at Jim's neck when she sprang
| into the saddle, who the man was, she
could not have told. All she felt at last
was that she was free and out under
the black sky. with the rain beating her
burning face and her horse leaping fear
fully into the wind.
| No man could have kept the trail to
the pass that night. The horse took it
as if the path flashed in sunshine. and
| swung into the familiar stride that had