The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-07-20


word she had spoken to hin
every time she had toumhed him
He though OF her beauty and sweet
ness. of the few things which had CONE
to mean to him that she mraG Eav'
loved him; and he trained hinsA.,t T.
think of these in preference to h3ss sic
at Bands, The escape with him> Snc
then the recaptrre, because such M>s:a
cries led to bitter, fruitless pain. 40
had to fight suffering because it was
eating out his heart.
Sitting there, eyes wide open. he
| dreamed of the old homestead and his
white haired mother. He saw the ole
home life, swcetened and filled by dear
4 new faces and adS8d joys. so on before
| his eyes with him a part of it.
Then in the inevitable reaction, ~
the retluX OF bitter reality, he would
! send out a voicelcss cry no less poig
| nant because ii was silent: Poor fooli
| No, shall never see mother again
never go home-never have home. l
am Duane, the Lone Wolf, oh, God!
l wish it were over! These dreams tor
ture me! What have l to 60 With q
mother, q home. Wife? No bright
haired boy, no dark eyed girl will ever
love me. l am an outlaw, an outcast
dead TO the good and decent world
am alone-alone. Better be a callous
brute or better dead | shall so mad
thinking! Man, what is left to you? A
hiding place like a wolf's-lonely silent
days. lonely night with phantomS! Or
the trail and the road with their bloody
tracks, and then the hard ride, the
sleepless, hungry ride to some role in
rocks or brakes. What hellish thing
drives me? Why can't | end it all?
What is left? Only that damned I'M
Quenchab,e spirit of the gun fighter To
ilNe-to hang on to miserable life--to
nave no lear of death, Yet to cling like
a leach-to die as gun fighters seldom
die, with boots off, Balm, YOU We're
first and you're long avenged. I'd
change with you. And Sellers, you
were last and you're avenged. And
you other-you're avenged. Lie quiet
in your graves and give ME peace!"
But they did not lie quiet in their
graves and give him peace.
group OF speeters troopeo out of
the shadows OF dusk and, gathering
round him, escorted him TO his bed.
When Duane had been riding the
trails passion bent to escape pursuers,
or passion bent in his search, the con-
slant action and toll and exhaustion
made MN sleep. But when in hiding,
as time passed, gradually he required
less rest and sleep, and his mind be-
came more active. Little by little his
ohantoms gained hold on him, and at
length, but for the saving power of his
utterly.
How many times he had said to him
SELF l am an intelligent man. I'm
not crazy. I'm in full possession Of my
faculties. All this is fancy-imagina-
I've no work. no duty,
40 ideal, no hope-and mind is OBJ
sessed. thronged with images And
.hese images naturally are Of the men
WITH whom have dealt. l can't forget
hem. They come back to me, hour
after hour; and when my tortured
mind grows weak. then maybe I'm not
ust right TIL the mood wears out and
cts me Sleep"
So he reasoned as he lay down in
lis comfortable camp. The night was
star bright above the canon walls
,arkly shadowing down between them,
the insects hummed and chirped and
hrummed continuous thick song. low
ND monotonouS. Slow running water |
piashed softly over stones in the
tream bed. From far down the canon
anne the mpurnful boot OF an owl The
he lay down, thereby giving
ut action for the day, all these things |
'eisi1ed upon him like a great heavy !
mantle of loneliness. In truth, they did !
lot constitute loneliness.
AND he could no more have dispelled |
hought than he could have reached !
ut to touch cold, bright star
NASieu no" lHdily outcaStS ike |
i'm lay under this star studied, !
eivety sky across the fifteen hundred |
aiies Oh wild country between Ell Paso |
nd the mouth of the river A vast
ND territory refuge fer outlaws! |
,omewhere he had heard or read that |
ne Texas Rangers kept book with !
ames and records of outlaws-thrae |
a nous nd known outlaws! Yet these
ould scarcely be half Of that unfor-
innate horde which had been recruited
rom all over the states Suane had |
raVeied from camp to camp, den to |
en-, hiding place to hiding place. and
e knew these men. Most of them were
opeiess criminals; some were aveng-
rs; few We're wronged wanderers; |
aan. human in his way, honest as he
ouid De, not yet lost to good
But all OF them We're akin in one
ense-thelr outlawry; and that starry
ight they lay with their dark faces |
p, some In packs like wolves, others
lone like the gray wolf who knew no
nate. 1t did not make much difference
n Duanes thought Of them that the |
majority were STEPPED in crime and
more often than not stupied |
rom rum. incapable of a fine feeling. |
ust lost wild dogs
Duane doubted that there was a man
mong them. who did not realize his
boi Gil WREN anu gum. lie mad met |
oor, half witted wretches who knew
t. He believed he could enter intoI
heir minds and feel. the truth of all |
heir liyes-the hardened outlaw.
oarse, ignorant. bestial. who murdered
s Bill Black had murdered, who stole
or the sake of stealing, who craved |
money to gamble and drink, defiantly
eady for death, and. like that terrible
s1tlaw, Helm, WHO cried out on the |
caffOld, .I.et her riptn
The wild youngsters seeking motor
ETY. and reckless adventure: the cow |
'oys with a notch on their guns, with
'oastful pride in the knowledge that I
ney We're marked by rangers; the
rocked men from the north, defaulters.
orgers. murderers. all pale faced, flat |
hestei men not fit for that wilderness |
nd not surviving; the dishonest cattle |
nen, hand and glove with outlaws, |
lriven from their homes; the old griz-
ied, bow legged genuine rustlers-all |
hese Duane had come in contact with.
lad watched and known. and as he felt |
With them he seemed to see that as
heir lives We're bad. sooner or later to
nd dismally or tragically, so they must
'ay some kind of earthly penaity-if |
lot of conscience, then of feaY; If not |
# fear. then Of that most terrible Of
III things TO restless. active men-pain. |
he pang of flesh and bone