The Huttig news., 1914-10-31
-oovr;ph.. 1914. hv Flank A. Munsev


 dropping stifily to the ground. "But ol course we are" she added I've been thin king so for some time"
 "Oh, that's sll right" observed Hooker philosophically q don't mind being lost as lorg as I know where Pm at. We'll ride back until we get out of this dark canyon and then I'll lay line due north.''
 They sat for time in the dark ness while their horses champed at the rich grass and then, unable to keep down her nerves, Gracia declared for a start. A vision of angry pursuers rose up in her mind-of Manuel del Key and his keen-eyed rurales, hot upon their trail-and 1t would not let her rest.
 Nor was the vision entirely the re- suit of nervous imagination, for they had lost half the advantage of their start, as Hooker well knew, and if he made one more false move he would find himself called on to fight. AS they rode back through the black canyon he asked himself for the hun dredth time how it had all happened he had gone against his better iudg- ment and plunged himself into this tapgle. And then, finally. what was he going to do about it?
 But he knew what he was going to do about it. He knew he was going tn fak kn cfr rI t1 and to Phil, and his loyalty was such that he would not admit, even to him. self, that Phil did not deserve her.
 Alone. he would have taken to the mounta aims with a fine disregard for trails, turning into whichever served his purpose best and following the lay of the land Even with her in his care it would be best to do that yet, for there would be trailers on their l track at sunup, and it was either ride 1 or fight.
 Free at last from the pent-in canyon, they halted at the forks, while Bud looked out the land by moonlight Dim and ghostly. the square-topped peaks and buttes rose all about him. huge and impossible except for the winding trails. He turned up valley between two ridges, spurring his horse into g fast walk.
 From one COW trail to another hs picked out a way to the north, but tn, lay of the ground threw him to thu east and there were no passes between the hills. The country was rocky with long parallel ridges extending tt the northeast. and when he saw where the way was taking him Bud called 8 halt till dawn.
 By the very formation he was being gradually edged back toward For tuna, and it would call for fresh horses and a rested Gracia to outstrip their pursuers by day. If the rurales travelled by landmarks, heading for the northern passes in an effort to out ride and intercept him, they might easily cut him off at the start; but if they trailed him-and he deyoutly hoped they would-then they would have tangled skein to follow and he could lose them in the broken country to the north.
 So thinking. he cut grass among the rocks, spread down their saddle blankets and watched over the browsing horses while Gracia stretched out on the bed. After a day of excitement and night of hard rid ing there is no call for a couch Of down. and as the morning star ap- peared in the east she slept while Bud sat patiently by.
 It was mo new task for him, this watching and waiting for the dawn For weeks at time, after hard days work at the branding, he had stood guard half the night. Sleep was luxury to him, like water to noun in-sheep-and so were all the other useless things that town-bred people required
 People like Gracia, people like Phil they were different in all their ways To ride. to fight. to find the way