Gunnison news-champion., 1915-07-02

The sahaas.ss <oa.aa a. ais hsesa
A sEiaf pause thare saUasd bsseA
tine to Eessia shesr breath ana survey
the desert sos sssas of as~ssaaDoe- =
offered none. other thaa ~shzt sh<y
nsshf sccomylssh throssh their oSn
exsssssns For saazses N sas asArser
\ stretched without braak other shaa
the blaak ciass Of the arroyo. ssssasag
Q biaaches and dasshiv White in Ne
mooushine-lske the face of fEezsr
World
VITA taoaf consent both turnaa thai
say Alan leading Judith his pcrtina-
oioss shadow. wish newer Q word or
sign betweea them % prove that either
xas aware Of the othars company
But this vss a state Of affairs thai
eousd not loae endure Jsdith had the
price to pay Tor her oNn trials. sui
fering and privation- the strain began
to tell sorely upon her She reeisa
slightly as she walked. weasias .
winding trail across and across the
straighter line Of footprints that
marked AlsHs course through the or
dered pattern of the powdered sage
brush.
And Of a sudden she collapsed
Instinct alone made Alan glance
over shoulder for she had made no
sound whatever.
He turned and came directly back
70 her knelt beside her. lifted her
head. piliowed II gently On his arm
and piled her In turn with the drees
Of the eanteen.
With a sigh. a stified moan and a
hstle shiver. she revived
He helped her gently to regain her
feet passed an arm round her
In this fashion they struggled ON in
strange, dumb conpsnioaship Of mis-
cry and wonder.
Thus an hour passed and for all
their desperate struggles neither could
see that the light ON the meuntAinsids
was a yard the neasUs.
Behind them other lights appeared.
two staring yellow eyes that peered
UP over the horizon. seemed to pause
time In search Of the two. then
leaped out directly toward them.
OF this they were altogether ignor-
disturbed the desert silence like the
purring of some gigantic cat, both as
cribed 1t to the drumming Of their
lAboring pulses.
The two lights were not q mile b.
hind them when, silently. without Q
al tn hA ri l.r al
her, took a step apart and dropped
- II shot.
Instantly she was kneeling by his
side. But In the act of bending over
him she drew back and remained for
several moments motionless, staring
at those twin glarine eyes, sweeping
down upon them with oil the speed
attainable by a six-cylinder touring car
negotiating a trackless desert
When Judith did move it was not to
comfort Alan. On the contrary, her
first act was to draw from her pocket
a heavy, blunt-nosed revolver. break it
at the breech and blow its barrel
clear of dust Her hand went neEt
to the holster on Alan's hip From
this she extracted HIS Colts As. treat
ing it as she had the other. Then she
crouched low above the man she loved,
as If thinking perhaps to escape notice
from the occupants of the motorcar
If that were her thought, it was bred
Of an idle hope. Alan had chosen to
fall in the middle of wide space so
arid that not even sagebrush had ven-
tured to take root there. When the
glare OF the headlights fell upon them
1t was inevitable that discovery should
follow. The motor car stopped within
twenty feet. Three men jumped out
and ran toward the pa6r, leaving two
in the car-the chauffeur and one who
occupied a corner of the rear seat:
an aged man with the face OF a damned
soul, doomed for little time to live
upon this earth in the certain knowl
edge OF his damnation.
As this happened, Judith Urine
leaped to her feet and stood over the
body of Alan. a revolver poised in
either hand.
Halt" she ordered imperatively
Hands up"
The three who had alighted obeyed
without a moments hesitation; her
fathers creatures, they knew the
daughters temper far too well to
dream of opposing her will
In the six hands that were sill
houetted against the headlights radi
ance three revolvers glimmered; but
at her command all three dropped
harmlessly to the earth.
Then, sharply. stand back two
pacesi" she required
They humored her unanimously.
Darling forward, she picked MP and
pocketed the three weapons. then with
one of her own singled out the mer
she named.
Nov, Mafrophat-and you, Hicks
pick Mr.. Law up and carry him into
the car. And treat him gently. mind
II one Of you lifts = finger to harm
him. that one shall answer to me"
Still none ventured to dispute her
.yt .