Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1913-07-25

he won't walt FOR the coach; he'll just
sit in the woods until he freezes. ]
know his spirit. Perhaps he's freezing
now"
b took out a little scented hand
kerchief and began sobbing as If her
heart would break. We didn't know
what to do. Some OF US began NOV
ing away.
us there a single man among you
lot of towards" she cried, raising her
face, all white with anger. lis there
a single man here that viii ride or
into the woods and bring him back
again?"
Yes, I'll go, MISS" said Bill Jones.
I'll CO." said another.
AS for me, l had already gone to
saddle my pony.
To cut it short, there wasn't a man
in Imperial City that didn't GO. In
i've or six minutes every man jack OF
us was saddled and bridled and giving
the others orders about spreading OUT
along the trail and bringing him back.
The girl watched us ride off.
You must get him" she cried. He's
worth so much to me-O, more than
~ N"h POoOtDly uLoOA SIduO.
I'll bring him back or bust, miss"
said Bill Jones. 81 can't say more than
that
We hadn't got out of sight of Inn
per1al City before we began wrangling
among ourselves as to who was td
blame for driving the poor young fell
low out into the cold. Each Of US
tried to put it OF the others, but final4
ly We compromised by agreeing to put
it on Bill Jones.
He must have had some grit in hinA
after all, for he had covered quite a
good deal Of ground. We followed his
steps for something like ten miles, and
then they stopped. The coach had
stopped here too, for there was a good
deal of shutting tracks of horse hoofs
in the snow. There weren't any more
tracks so we all agreed that MI. Por5
ter had got aboard.
Then we began arguing again. Some
wanted to ride back and tell the young
lady, but others didn't much fancy
facing her without Mr.. Porter on hand
So we agreed that it would be best to
ride on after the coach and bring him
back.
Well, sir, that coach seemed to be
driven by the devil, judging from the
pace it made. We didn't catch up 70 it
till nearly daylight just outside Presi-
dent, and by that time we were pretty
near frozen, and our horses too. And
when we did make it pull up there sat
Mr.. Porter asleep inside.
Come back? Not he. He cursed ul
when we appealed to his better na-
ture, said he didn't give a hang for thea
young lady and he wasn't going to BIS
led into any trap by a pack of blood
thirsty rufTians who only wanted to geo
him back and take his life. The COACH
was full of mining men and they most4
ly agreed that Francis had the law ori
his side. So we put in at President
for a rest and then, having fed our
horses and ourselves, we set bach
along the trail to Imperial City again.
We got back toward evening. Ia
hadn't occurred to US to inquire how
the young woman was going to pasE]
the night. We supposed that she'd gel
to Hank Meany's house. Then we bo+
gan to count noses and we found than
NASNAJ Wac oAlOh5 ub HI liz
perial City was left uninhabited.
Il guess a girl like that has sense
enough to make herself at home" sai6l
Hank Meany. "Ill lay a pound of dust
to a half pound she'll be at the hotel
We had to AXE him up on it. Bets
were laid among all of us. We made
a sweepstakes and the man whoso
home she had honored was to gee
something like nine thousand dollars
in dust. We hurried along her ana
rode into Imperial City with a whoous
and a yell.
We rode up to Hanks hotel. There
wasn't any young lady there, nor any4
signs of her. She wasn't in Bill Jonew7
hut nor mine nor a~nybody's. At lass
we came to the conclusion that shs3
wasn't anywhere in Imperial City.
She wandered out into the cold to-
die" stammered Bill Jones, and began
crying.
We'll, we've got to find her." said
BE a man, Bill. Come along. boys"
There weren't any tracks of shoeaj
but a horse seemed to have been hfsl
ting the trail pretty hard back towarH
VI ) , " ~ hOOIS udU HunR HIS
the snow In all directions, and tbs
tracks ran on and on until, after wead
gone three hundred yards, Bill ralneA
in his mare.
That's my old ~piebald, by ~thunderIss
he yelled. Look at them hicks in thes
ice from that hind shoe of hers"
We looked at n another, but mo-
body dared say what he was thinktns
of. However, Bills piebald was he
best horse in Imperial City and there
wasn't another would catch up with
her this side of Ordinary.
Bill Jones o like mad to his hu&t
and disappeared inside. Presently he
came running out, white as a miller
from head to foot. Look" he yelled
waving a little bag, which shot ouh
flour all over him.