Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1913-07-03

warm III LDSlT V0lub Iucy WOuiu hCOP
their feet and fight.
Carroll's horse stumbled and rolled,
catching the numbed trooper under
his weight The jerk on the lariat
flung Wade out of the saddle, dangling
head downward With stiffened fin
gers, scarcely comprehending what
they were about, the Sergeant ami
WATSON came to the rescue, helped
the frightened horse struggle to his
feet, and, totally blinded by the fury
Of the storm which now beat fairly In
their eyes, grasped the dangling
body, swaying back and forth as the
startled animal plunged in terror. It
was corpse they gripped, already
stiff with cold, the eyes wide-open and
staring. Carroll, bruised and limping,
came to their help, grooming with
pain, and the three men together man
aged to lift the dead weight to the
horses back, and to bind 1t safely
with the turn Of rope. Then, breath
less from exhaustion. crouching be-
hind the animals, punched helplessly
together, the howl of the wind like
the scream of lost souls, the three
men looked into each others faces.
81 reckon Jim died without ever
KNOWN it," said the scout, breaking
again the film Of lee over his eyes, and
thrashing his arms. II alters heard
tell 1t was an easy way O. goin'. Looks
to me he was better off than we are
just now. Hurt much. Carroll?"
"Crunched my leg mighty bad;
can't bear no weight on 1t. Twas
darn near froze stiff before; thet's
why couldn't get out o. the way
quick"
Sure; well, yell have ter ride. then.
Well take the blanket off Jim; he
won't need it no more. Brick an
kin hoof it yet awhile-hey. 'Brick'?"
Hamlin lifted his head from the
shelter of his horses name.
81 reckon l can make my feet
move" he asserted doubtfully. "but
they don't feel as though there was
any life left in them" He stamped
on the snow. How long do these biz
yards generally last, Sam?"
BLOW themselves out in about three
days"
Three days? God! We can never
live it out here"
His eyes ranged over the dim out
line of Wade stretched across the
saddle, powdered with snow, rested an
instant upon Carroll, who had sunk
back upon the ground, nursing his in
jured limb, and then sought the face
Of WATSON.
What the hell can we do?"
60 on; thets all of it; go on till
we drop lad Come, Brick my boy"
and the scout gripped the Sergeants
shoulder, you're not the kind to lie
down. We've been in worse boxes
than this and pulled out. It's up to
you and me to make good. Let's
crunch some bareback and go on,
afore the whole three of us freeze
stiff"
The Sergeant thrust out his hand.
THAT isn't what's taken the nerve
out okme, SAM" he said soberly. TITS
thinking of the girl out in all this
with those devils"
Likely as not she amt" returned
the other, tramping the snow under
his feet. 1--WE been thinkin' bout tibet
too. Thet outfit must hev had six
hours the start O. US, didn't they?"
Hamlin nodded.
well, then, they couldn't ben far
from the Cimarron when the storm
come. They'd be safe enough under
the bluffs; have wood fer a fire, and
lay thar mighty comfortable. That's
whar them bucks are, all right. Why,
damn it, man, we've got to get
through. 'Taint just our fool lives
that's at stake. Brace up!"
How far have we Gomez"
"a good ten miles, an the compass
has KEEP US straight"
They drew in closer together, and
munched a hard cracker apiece, occa-
sionally exchanging a muttered word
or two, thrashing their limbs about
to keep up circulation, and dampening
their lips with snow. They were but
dim, spectral shapes in the darkness
the air filled with crystal pellets
swept about by a merciless wind, the
horses standing tails to the storm and
heads dropping. In spite of the light
refraction of the snow the eyes could
scarcely see two yards away through
the smother. Above, about, the cease
less wind howled, its icy breath chill
, ing to the bone. Carroll clambered
, stiffly into his saddle, crying anc
swearing from weakness and pain
The others, stumbling about in the
deep snow, which had drifted arount
! them during the brief halt stripped
the blanket from Wade's dead body
> and tucked it in about Carroll az bes
they could.
y Nov keep kicking and thrashin,
about, George ordered the Sergean
: sternly. For Gods sake, don't g,
to sleep, or you'll be where Jim is
: Wen haul you out of this, old mar
y Sam, you take the rear, and hit Cal
l. roll a whack every few minutes; II
break trail Forward! now"
3 CTO BE CONTINUED.)
5.
Il neIicaev on the Ranch