The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-08-08
CHAPTER XxXVl.
A Sympathetic Ear.

-.fsfr crawling Stone ranch, in COM
with the whole countryside, had
-. oYe interest in life. and that was 10
-,r of the meeting. Riders across the
-rfafn valleys met with but one
-.sff1r- mail carriers brought nothing
y ,54fr pouches of interest equal to the
,- word concerning Sinclair or his
.-rsBer TJ was commonly agreed
.s-augh the mountains that il would
ga difeUIt matter to overhaul any
,H man riding SinclaiT's steei-dust
5,rs4g bun with Sinclair himself in the
FHp unless It pleased him to pull up,
H. chase was sure to be "A stern one.
tgsfrsr this 10 feed speculation stood
-Ts mans recOrd-that of the man
,-ba had ridden alone across Deep
creek and brought Chuck Williams out
on blackboard.
business in Medicine Bend. mean
time was practically suspended. As
,ta center of all telephone lines the big
abroad town was likewise the center
If all rum0rs. Officers and soldiers to
and from the fort, stage drivers and
r0umeu. homesteaders and rustlers,
discussed the apprehension Of Sinclair.
Moreover, behind this effort to arrest
one man who had savagely defied the
law were ranged all of the prejudices,
sympathies and hatreds of the high
country and practically the whole pop
udton tributary to Medicine Bend and
the Crawling Stone valley were friends
either Go Sinclair or to his pursuer. Be
hind Sinclair were nearly all the cattle
men. not alone because he was on good
terms with the rus IeFs and protected
his friends, but because he warred open
v ON the sheepmen. The big range ia
tsrests as a rule, were openly or COW
euiy friendly t. Sinclair, while against
him were the homesteaders, the rail-
road men, the common people and the
men who everywhere hate cruelty and
outrage and the making Of a lie
Lance Dunning had never concealed
his fTiendliness for Sinclair, even after
hard stories about him were known to
De true and il was this confidence OF
fellowship that made Sinclair, twenty
four hours after he had left Oroville,
ride down the hill trail to Crawling
Stone ranchhOuse.
The morning had been cold, with
heavy wind and a dull sky. In the aft
ern0On the clouds lowered over the val
isy and a misting rain set in. DiCksie
bad gone into Medicine Bend on the
stage IN the morning, and. after d
stolen half hour with McCloud at Mar
IONS had ridden home to escape the
storm. Not less, but much more. than
these about her she was alive to the
situation in which Sinclair stood and its
Danger to those closest to her. IN the
morning her one prayer to McCloud
had been TO have a care OF himself, and
70 Marion to have a care of herself, but
even when DiCksie left them it seemed
as if neither quite felt the peril as she
felt IL.
In the afternoon the rain. falling
steadily, kept her in the house, and she
san in her room sewing until the light
tailed. She went down stairs. Puss
had lighted the CRATE in the living room,
and DiCksie threw herself into a chair
The sounds Of hOOfs aroused her and
She went TO a window. To her horror.
she saw Sinclair walking with her cou-
SIN up TO the front door. She ran into
the dining room, and the two men en-
Tered the hall and walked into the Of
nee. Choking with excitement, Dicksie
ian through the kitchen and upstairs
To master her agitation.
In the Office Sinclair was sitting
down before the hot stove with a tum
oler of whiskey. "Lance"-he shook his
mead as he spoke hoarseiy-'I want to
say my friends have stood by me to a
man, but there's none of them treated
NE squarer through thick and thin than
you have. Well I've had some bad
llek. Tt can't be helped. Regards
lie drank and shook his wet hair
esdIn Four days of hard riding had
I5it no trace on his iron features Wet
20 the bone, his eyes flashed with fire
ne held the glassful of whisky in a
AaAG as steady as a spirit level and
tossed 1t down a throat as cool as dew.
III want to say another thing,
lance. l had no more intention than a
g-ld OF hurting Ed Banks. I warned
"a months ago to keep out of this
ushJ and [ never knew he was in it
ul II Was too late. But I'm hoping he
"l pull through yet, If they don t
XIII him in the hospital to spite me. /
never recognized the man at all till It
was too late. Why, one of them used
20 work for me! A man with the
"H'-e railroad gang in these noun
ans after him has got to look out for
"llsef or his life amt worth a glass
oeel Thank you, Lance, not any
'g-7. saw two men, with their
mes In their hands. looking for me.
-o.erea at them; but, Lance, I'm rough
r-- ready, as all my friends know, and
WI. let no man put a drop on me
-aa- 1 viii never do. Ed, before I ever
..g.'sn'zed him, raised his rifle; that's
r-5 only reason I fired. Not so full,
Lance, not so full, if you please. Well, "
is shook his black hair as he threw
pack his head, there's to better luck in
worse couutries,' He paused as he
81. widowed. and set the lumber down.
,-..a. Tn saying goodbye to the
mountains"
NJ, You're not going away for good,
.Iu going aU-av for GOOD. What's the
For two years these railroad
e---aloats have been trying to put
ming on me; you know that.
-..E We been trying to mix me up
WIN That bridge burning at Smoky
-,-r-6- Sugar Buttes, they had me there;
lower Nothing would do but l was
Hele. ana they've got one of the men
H Jan. Gown there now, Lance, trying to
sweat enough perjury out of him TO
17's me up. What show has poor
man got against all the money there Is
d. me country2 / wouldn't be afraid
" jury of my own neishbOrs-the
men that know me, Lance-any time.
"aat show would I have with packed
jury i'm Medicine Bend? l could ex-
pam anything I've done to the salts
ld.uon of any reasonable man. I'm
human. Lance. that's ali I say. I've
ueeh mIstreated and | don't forget it.
lH-y We even turned my wife against
Us-ds fine q woman as ever lived"
Lance sWOTe sympathetically There S
GOO stuff i'm you Vet, Murray
I'm going to say goodbye to the
".H HH.# Hrma