The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-02-18

ghosts against the background OF tha,
obscurity, and then was gone.
Her eyes alone, indeed, could have
recognized the features Of Alan Law
in that fugitive glimpse.
Two sentences exchanged between
Hopi Jim and a blear-eyed fellow
whom he reused from sodden slumbers
behind the bar sealed their confidence
with conviction: the three fugitives
were in fact guests Of the house, oc'
cupying two of the three. rooms that
composed it's upper story.
In the rush that followed up the
narrow stairway, Judith led with such
spirit that not even Marrophat sus.
pected her revolver was poised solely
with intent to shoot from his hand his
own revolver the instant he leveled
it at human target.
Closed and locked doors confronted
them; and their summons educed no
response; while the first door, when
broken in by a whole-souled kick, dis
covered nothing more satisfactory
than an empty ROOM. it's bed bearing
the imprint of a woman's body, but
that woman gone.
From the one window, looking down
the side of the house, Texas announced
that the woman had not escaped by
jumping out.
So it seemed that the three must
have had warning Of their arrival,
after all; and presumably we're now
herded together in the adjoining room,
which looked out over the veranda
roof, waiting in fear and trembling
for the assault that must soon come
and in fact Immediately did.
But it met with more stubborn re-
sistance than had been anticipated.
The door had been barricaded from
within - REINFORCED by furniture
placed against it. Four minutes and
the united efforts of four men (includ-
ing the bleary loafer Of the barroom)
were required to overcome it's inert re-
sistance. But even when it was down,
the room was found to be as empty as
the first.
Only the fingers of two hands grip
ping the edge of the veranda roof
showed the way the fugitives had
flown; and these vanished instantly as
the room was invaded.
Followed a swift rush of hoofs down
the dusty street, and a chorus of bias
phemy in the hotel hallway: for Ju-
dith had headed the concerted rush
for the staircase and contrived to
block it for full half minute by pre-
tending to stumble and twist her
ankle.
In spite of that alleged injury, she
never limped, and wasn't a yard be-
hind the first who broke from the
hotel to the open, nor yet appreciably
behind him in vaulting to- saddle.
Well up the road cloud of smoky
dust half obscured the shapes of three
who rode for their very lives.
The pursuit was off in twinkling
and well Observation-Disclosures mount
leading by a nose, Judith second, Hopi
Jim and Texas but little in the rear.
And in the first rush they seemed to
gam; moment BY moment I1ey dreW
up on the flying cloud of dust.
Judith heard an oath muttered be-
side her and saw Marrophat jerking a
revolver from it's holster. The weapon
swept up and to a level; but as the
hammer fell, Judith's horse caromed
heavily against the other, swinging it
half dozen feet aside, and DETECTING
the bullet hopelessly.
The shock of collision was so great
that Marrophat kept his seat with diff
flculty. He turned toward Judith a
face livid with rage.
simultaneously, as if taking the shot
as the signal for a fusillade, Judith
saw Alan lean back over his horses
rump and open fire.
An instant later his companion, Bar
Gus, initiated his example.
In immediate consequence Texas
dropped reins, slumped forward over
the pommel, wabbled weakly in his
saddle for a moment, then losing the
stirrups, pitched headlong to the
ground; while Hopi Jim's horse
stopped short, precipitating his rider
overhead, and dropped dead.