Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-02-11

enc Of ~ eanps. Much obliged. oood
day"
~ ths two o0csss rode away wstA.
sffsrl leaned heavily on his ponmsl
and stared Ut the ranger with Wide
eyes. Hts facs was drawn and ~
lips dry. They'll eSt mol -Thsyu 81
:.oA. 10, they wonst.- re,oined osva.
nash "Yon'rs al right yet, They
suspect nothing. How could they.
with you IN uniform and in my COM
pany7 -s~ -, Co.
"All the same. I'm scared. That
man Haines had his eyes OH me every
minute. He saw right through me.
TheI.n get me. aud they'll charge mo
up with that killing"
mo. they won't, / tell you," insisted
tho ranger. "Haines suspected nothing.
I had his eye.. He never saw you be-
fore and has nothing but a descrip-
ton to go by. % cheer up. Your uni
form and your position with me will
make you safe-perfeetiy safe. They'll
find the Basque's camp burned and
the sheep in charge Of the deg. and
they'A fancy that you have skipped
across the range. But sec here. old
man." and he turned on him sharply.
you didn't tell me the whole truth.
You said you were out on parole. -
II couldn't tell you the whole truth"
replied the fugitive. but I will now.
] was in for q life sentence. was
desperate for the open air and home
sick for the mountains, and I struck
down one Of the guards. was will
ing to do anything to get out I
thought II could get back to this
country and my wife and child I'd be
safe said I'd be willing to 20 back
to the pen IL necessary, but I'm not
/ can't do It. I'd die there. You must
save me for my girls sake"
HiS voice and eyes were Wild with q
kind, Of desperate fury Of fear. and
Cavanagh, moved to pity. assured him
Of his aid. "Now. listen." he said.
.I'm going to shield you on account
OF your work for TINT poor shepherd
and for your daughters sake. It's my
duty to apprehend you. Of course. but
I'm going to protect you. The safest
thing for you to do IL to so back to
my cabin. Ride slow. 80 as not to get
there till they're gone. They'll ride
over to the sawmill without doubt II
they come back this way remember
that the deputy saw you only as a
ragged old man with long beard and
that Haines has nothing but printed
Descriptions to 60 by. There's no use
trying to dee. You are q marked
man in that uniform, and you are
safer right here with me than any
whore else this side Of Chicago.
Haines is likely to Cross the divide In
the belief that you have gone that
way. and If he does you have no one
but the deputy to deal with"
He succeeded at last in completely
rousing the Older mans courage.
Wetherford rose e meet his oDportu-
nifty. "I'll do IT," he said nrmly.
That's the talkl' exclaimed Cav
anagh to encourage him. "You can
throw them OF the track this time. and
when come back tomorrow I'll bring
some other clothing for you, and then
wen plan some kind Of scheme that
win get you out Of the country. I'll
not lot them make q scapegoat OF you. !"
The ranger watched the fugitive a.
he started back over the trail In this
desperate defiance Of his pursuers with
far less confidence in the outcome than
he had put into words.
"All depends on Wetherferd himself.
IL his nerve does not fail him, II they
take the uniform for granted and do
not carry the matter to the supervisor.
we viii pull the plan through" And
in this hope he rode away down the
trail with bent head, for all this bore
heavily upon his relationship to the
girl waiting for him in the valley. He
had thought Lie burden, social
disability, but q convict father now
made the mothers faults Of small &C.
count.
The nearer he drew to the meeting
with Lee Virginia the more important
that meeting became. Cavanagh had
seen Virginia hardly more than score
Of times. and yet she filed his thought,
confused his plans. making OF his brain
a place Of doubt and hesitation. For
her sake he had entered upon a plan
to shield criminal. to harbor an es-
capped convict. It was Of no avail to
argue that he was moved to shield
Wetherford because Of his heroic &C.
itiou on the peak. He. knew perfectly
well that It was because he copld not
zee that fair. brave girl further dis
sraced BY the discovery Of her fathers
identity, for in the searching inquiry
which would surely follow his secret
would develop.
To marry her. knowing the character
Of her father and her mother, was
and the voice within him
warned him Of his folly. "Pure wa
ter cannot be drawn from corrupt
It is said. Nevertheless the
of having the girl with him
in the wilderness fllled him with d.
vine recklessness. While still he de-
bated. alternately flushed with resolve
to be happy and chilled by some
strange detection. he met swenson. the
young guard who guarded the forest
on the South Fork.
Az he rode up Cavanagh perceived
In the other mans face something pro-
serious. He did not smile In
greeting, as was usual with him. and.
taking some letters from his pocket.
passed them over in ominous silence.
He had face Of such bitterness that
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