The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-11-18
CHAPTER XII.

The Trail Of Flying Hoof-Prints.
IN the still air of that young day the
chill! of night fingered stubbornly---
and would until the shadow Of the
eastern rampant had crcpt slowly
down the canyons western wall. tele-
scopcd upon itself and vanished let.
ting in the sun to make the place Il
pit Of torment and of burning.
Refreshed from rest and exhilaratcd
by this grateful coolness, his horse
rcsrcEded Willingly to the first light
;oncf Of Alan's spur. In a iwinkling
tho overnight camp dropped from view
behind the rounded shoulder OF a hill
side, mesduite-cloaked
Then from its first spirited Eight
the horse settled down to steady go
ing. heightened its stride. and ran for
| leagues Wit! the long. apparently eI
fcrtless and tircless lope of the plains.
bred b:orcho vontre.a-tcrrc.
/ Alan's departure from camp had all
:iciratod by round cnarter-hour the
appearance on tho upper trail of
friends CT the slain bandit, to the
number Of four or five. who had both
| discovered and recovered his body.
called his death murder and pledged
| themselves TO its aveagement-layin
| responsibility for the rutatirc crime
=. the door Of the man and woman
to be seen in the canyon Immediately
| below tie scene OF flopi .Iim's fall
between the moment when discov-
cry Of The men on tie ridge trail i'll
terrupted their siniplc and hurried
breakfast and that which found Rose
and Barcus mounted on the back OF
t',eir own horse and making the best
Of their way down the canyon in pur-
suit CT Alan. but little time had
! elapsed.
And even with It's double burden.
| their horse made better time upon
the broad lower level than those who
| followed the ridge trail Ry mid morn
ing, when they approached the foot,
pursuit Was more than 4 mile in the
rear ard shut off TO boot b. mono
iithic hill. while Alan was many 4
weary mile in advance
| He sat upon his horse. Just then. a:
standttill upon the summit OF Il round
cd knoll. the Painted hills lifting up
behind him, the desert before unfold
inS like a map--but like Il map all
blurred
Only in the near foreground was
anything definite TO be distinguished
in the aspect of that sunhitten waste
bleachad earth patterned in almost or
derby arrangement by sagebrush and
| gnared cacti At the distance of half
| a mile all blended into one vast plain
Of glaring gray that stretched over
the round CT the world to Il broken
wall CT purple hills chat reeled drunk
cHly in the haZe-veiicd southwest.
Was Judith Gu. there. somewhere,
lest, dsfenseless. forlurn. impotent to
lift hand to shield her face from the
blast Of that safaec sun?
Staring beneath shading hand. he
discerned noting that moved upon
the surface Cf the desert but It's
myriad heatlevils igsing monoto-
| nCusly their internal danse macabre.
| Or-as seemed more probable-was
she ba;k there among the Painted
hills, lying still and lireless. crushed
beneath the weight of that fallen
| horSe?
| No rest for Alan till he knew :.
Descending the knoll he refined his
| 1apoipu rnuOt hack into tho tr.,il fol
| lowing its winding course through the
! foothills and round the base OF that
:uonolithic moua!aiM toward the juno
-----------