The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1912-02-15

UR szan. Tns pusDu1d were movrD
GLOVER, hAmpsred, no doubt, b. thse1
1Ano hosse. bit weso still well In I'll
vance. Moreover. he strain Of th4
saddle was already beginning to tel
severely on Waite, weakened somewha1
By years, and the pursusrs were COM
psllsd 10 halt oftsneg On his accoun4
The end Of the second day found then
approaching the broken land bordssd
ing tho Arkansas valley. and just bol
epee nightfall they picked up a LAM
horse. evidently discarded By til
paeGy shsad.
b tbs tims Keith had reached q
Aa6nles decision a. to his course. q
he fug1ttves received q fresh rela1
Of horses down there somewhere. and
crossed the ArkAnsas. he felt positive
b sure - to their destination. But q
would be useless pushing on aftsd
them in the present shape Of his part1
their horses worn out, and Wait4
pssiins giddily in the saddle. II Hawi
lsys OUTFIT crossed the upper ford. tol
ward which they were evidently head
anG and struck through the sand hills
then they were making for the refuDQ
Of that lone cabin on Salt ForE
6hoold th1s prove true, then 1t waA
probable the gambler had not eye0
Jet discovered the identity Of Hope
for X he had. he would scarcely ven
ture upon taking her there, knowing
that Keith would naturally suspect
the spot But Keith would not be like
~ to personally take up the trail I'd
search for Christie MAclaire. It muse
have been Hawley then who had leu
the party and ridden east, and up b
that time he had not found out biz
mistake. Yet II he brought out th4
fresh animals the chances were thai
Hopes identity would be revealed
Bristos. who had turned aside to s1S
anime the straying horse, came trot!
ting up.
Belonged to their outft all right
Cap" he reported. carries the double
CROSS brand and that shebang q
upon the Smokey; saddle gals stilI
bleeding"
Waite was now suffering 20 acute.
u they were obliged to halt before
gaining sight Of the river. finding, foss
tunately, q water-hols fed by q spring.
A. soon a. the sick man could b
made comfortable, Keith gave to the
others his conclusions, and listened I'd
what they had to say. Bristoe favor
"a clinging to the trail, even though.
they must travel slowly, but FairbainI
insisted that Waite must be taken I'd
some town where he could be given
necessary care. Keith finally decided
the matter.
None can be more anxious to reach
those fellows that am" he declared,
"but l know that country out south.
and we'll never get through to the
Salt Fork without fresh horses. Be-
sides. as tho doctor says, we've got 70
take care Of Waite. II we find things
as I expect we'll ride for Carson City
and re-outft there. What's more, We
won't lost much time-it's shortee
ride from there to the cabin than from
here"
BY morning the General was able to
sit his saddle again. and leaving HIM
with Neb to follow slowly, the others
spurred forward, discovered an outlet
through the bluff into the valley, and
crossed the Santa Fe Trail. 1t was
not easy to discover where those In
advance had passed this point. but.
they found evidence Of late camp In
a little grove of cottonwoods beside
the river. There were traces Of two
trails leading to the spot, one being
that of the same five horses they had
been following so long, the other not
so easily read, as 1t had been trav-
ersed in both directions, the different
hoof marks celebrating each other.
Rr1stoe, creeping about on hands and
knees, studied the signs with the eyes
of an Indian.
You kin see the difference yere
whar the ground is soft. Cap" he SAID
pointing to some tracks palmer thar
the others. This we're boss had q
rider, but the rest of EN- was ledj
thet's why they've bungled up thei
trail so. An 1t want Their same
bunch thet went back east what come
from thar-see tibet split hoof! thai
amt no split hoof printing Their othea
way-but yere Is the mark of the crit
ter thet puts her foot down 80 fu1
outside tibet we've been a trailin' from
Sheridan, an she's printing east, an
being led. Now, let's see whar th4
bunch went from we're with thst split
hoof."
This was not so easily accom-
plished owing to the nature Of thu
ground, but at last the searcher1
stumbled onto tracks close In undee
the bank, and one of these revealed
the split hoof.
"That makes 1t clear, Ben" q.
claimed Keith. decidedly. staring ou1
across the river at the white sand.
hills. They have kept on the edge d
the water, making for the ford. whioa
u yonder at the bend. They are oul
In the sand desert By this time ridin(
tor the Salt Fork. Whoever he wal
the fellow brought them ave hoEss1
and the I'VE Old ones were taken eaSo
again On the TRAIN. The girl b st1|
With the party. and ven 90 into o.
ron CITY and Reoutn&s