Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-05-16
CHAPTER XIV.
The LandIady Of the Occidental.

/ The landlady Of the Occidental.
! Keith had crossed at this point SO
frequently with cattle that, once hav-
ing his bearings, the blackness of the
night made very little difference.
Nevertheless, in fear lest her pony
might stumble over some irregularity.
he gave his own rein to Neb, and went
forward on foot, grasping firmly the
tired animals bit. 1t was a long
stretch Of sand and water extending
from bank to bank, but the water was
shallow, the only danger being that
of straying of from the more solid
bottom into quicksand. With a tower
Ing cottonwood as guide, oddly mis-
,shapen and standing out gauntly
against the slightly lighter sky, the
plainsman led on unhesitatingly, until
they began to climb the rather sharp
uplift of the north bank. Here there
was plain trail, pounded into smooth
ness by the hoofs of cavalry horses
ridden down to water, and at the sum-
NIT they emerged within fifty yards of
the stables
The few lights visible, some station
airy. with others dancing about like
,will-o -the-wisps, revealed imperfectly
the contour of various buildings, but
Keith turned sharply to the right, anx-
ious to slip past without being chal-
llenged by sentry. Beyond the brow
iof the bluff other lights now became
visible, Pickering here and there,
marking where struggling town had
sprung up under the protection of the
Ipost-a town garish enough In the
daylight, composed mostly of shacks
and tents, but now with its deficien-
cies mercifully concealed by the en-
veloping darkness The trail, easily
followed led directly along its single
street, but Keith circled the outskirts
through a wilderness of tin-cans and
heaps of other debris, until he halted
his charges beside che black shadow
Of the only two-story edifice in the
place This was the Occidental, the
hospitality of which he had frequently
tested.
A light streamed from out the front
windows, but, uncertain who might
UC Htl DOISu NllAlH ICllu ldDpCu
gently at the back door. 1t was not
opened Immediately, and when it was
finally showed aside the merest crack,
no glow of light revealed the darkened
interior The voice which spoke, how
ever, was amply sufficient to identify
its owner.
"Is that ye agin, Murphy. playin'
av yer dirthy thricks?"
mo, Mrs. Murphy" he fastened to
explain this is Keith-Jack Keith.
of the Bar X"
1.-THE Lord deliver us!" was the IN
slant exclamation. the door opening
wide. They do be afther tellin' me
tonight av the throuble We was in
over at Carson, an OF fought maybe
ye moight turn up this way 1t was
q nate trick We played on the loikes
jav 'em, Jack, but this is dom poor
place fer We ter hide in Bedad, there's
q half-dozen in the party now talkin'
about it, wild a couple av officers from
the fort Is the mayer wild ye?"
Yes, but we have no intention Of
hiding here. I'd rather take my
chance in the open The fact is, Kate,
we started off for the Bar X
"Av course. ye did; OF was shure av
It,"
But down on the Salt Fork we ran
across a young girl whom Black Bart
had inveigled down that way on lie.
I'VE had a bit of fight, and got her
away from him. This Is what brought
US back hereto put the girl where
she will be safe out of his clutches"
The door was wide open now, and
Mrs. Murphy outside, her interest at
fever heat.
"Ye had foight wild Black Bart!
Oh. We divil! An We licked the dirthy
spalpane, an got away wild his gyurl!
Glory be! And would OF take her?
Well, OF would Niver doubt that, me
bye. She may be the quane av shaba,
an she may be Digger Injun squaw
but the loikes ay him had better kape