The Southern herald., 1913-07-11

Now hughes" he said quietly. |
IN talk, and you listen. In my iudg.
ment you are miserable sneaking
cur, and am going to trust YOU inst
SO far as | can watch you. suppose
J ought to shoot you where you are,
and have done with it. You killed one
OF the best men who ever lived, a
friend Of mine, Sam Wasson-"
"Who?"
sam Wasson, government scout"
hughes dropped his face into his
hands.
Good Lord! knew him!"
The Sergeant drew a deep breath,
and into his face there came a look
almost of sympathy.
Then you begin to realize the sort
OF fool you are," he went on soberly.
They don't make better men out here:
MS little finger was worth more than
your whole body. But killing you
won't bring Sam back, and besides |
reckon you've told me the straight
story, an his shooting was an acci-
dent in way. Then you're more USE
full to me just now alive than you
would be dead. My name is Hamlin,
sergeant Seventh Cavalry, and am
here after that man LIE Fevre. We
trailed his outfit from Dodge until the
storm struck us, and then came
straight through travelling by com
/
pass, did not know the mans name
was lie Fevre until you told me; up
in Kansas he is known as Dupont"
That's it; that's the name he took
when he sold the cattle"
The officer robbed and killed was
Major Mcdonald, and it is his daugh-
ter they hold. The fellow Dupont
quarreled with and shot was a desert
er named Connors. We found the
body. Now where do you suppose LIE
Fevre is?"
Hughes stared into the fire, nervous
ly pulling his beard.
Wall, I'd say in west yere some
whar along the Cimarron. 'Taint like
ly he had compass, an the wind
wus from the nor'east Best they
could do the ponies would drift. The
Injuns would keep the gineral direc-
tion, O. course, storm 'er no storm, an
Gene Is some plainsman himself, but
thet blizzard would sheer EN- of all
the same. reckon they're under the
banks ten mile, er more, up thar An
soon as there's change in weather,
they'll ride fer Black Kettles camp.
Thet's my guess, mister"
Hamlin turned the situation over
deliberately in his mind satisfied that
Hughes had reviewed the possibilities
correctly. If lie Fevre's party had got
through at all, then that was the most
likely spot for them to be hiding in.
They would have drifted beyond
doubt, farther than Hughes supposed,
probably, as he had been sheltered
from the real violence of the wind as
it ragged on the open plain. They
might be fifteen, even twenty miles
away, and so completely drifted in as
to be undiscoverable except through
accident. What course then was best
to pursue? The storm was likely to
continue violent for a day, perhaps
two days longer His horses were ex-
hausted, and Carroll helpless. 1t
might not even be safe to leave the
latter alone Yet If the frozen man
could be left in the hut to take care
of himself and the ponies, would there
be any hope Of success in an effort to
proceed up the river on foot? He
could make Hughes go--that wasn't
the difhculty-but probably they
couldn't cover five miles day through
the snowdrifts. And, even If they
did succeed in getting through in time
to intercept the fugitives, the others
would possess every advantage-both
position for defense, and horses on
which to escape. Hughes, lighting his
pipe, confident now In his own mind
that he was personally safe, seemed
to sense the problem troubling the
Sergeant
Il reckon | know this kentry well
'nough," he said lazily, ter give yer a
pointer er two. I've rounded up long
horns west o. yere. Them fellers
amt goin to strike out fer the Cana
: dian till after the storm quits BY
thet time yer ponies is rested up II
better shape than theirs will be, ant
we kin strike cross to the sou'west
We're bound either to hit 'em, or ride
T cross thar trail,
But the woman!" protested Ham
t lin, striding across the floor. "What
may happen to her in the meanwhile
t She is an Eastern girl unaccus
r toned to this life-a-a lady"
Yer don't need worry none 'bout
3 thet. Eff she's the right kind shell
!. stan more'n man when she has to
r ! reckon It won't be none too pleasant