The Elbert County tribune., 1916-11-24
CHAPTER x-continued.

Buck and Jennie are sitting In the
wilderness cabin discussing their fu-
ture.
I've been brought up In Texns.
remember what hard lot the men Of
my family had. But poor MS they
were, they hnd roof over their heads,
a hearth with fire, n warm bed
somebody to love them. And you,
Duane-oh, my GodI What must your
life be? You must ride and hide and
watch eternally."
She ended with a sob and dropped
her head on her knees. Duane was
amazed, deeply touched.
MY girl. thank you for that thought
o. me-" he said, with a tremor In his
voice. "You don't know how much
that means to me-"
She raised her face, and 1t was tear
stained, eloquent, beautiful.
I've heard tell-the best of men
go to the bad out there. You won't.
Promise me you won't. l never
knew any man-like you. live
may never see each other again-after
to-day: I'll never forget you. I'll pray
for you, and I'll never give up trying
toto do something. Don't despair.
It's never too late. 1t wns my hope
that kept me alive-out there at
Bland's-before you came. 1 was only
a poor weak girl. But II could hope
80 can you. Stay away from men.
Be q lone wolf. Fight for your life.
Stick out your exile-and maybe
some day"
Then she lost her voice. Duane
cinsped her hand and with feeling as
her words. In her despair for him she
had spoken wisdom-pointed out the
only course.
Duane's vigilance, momentarily
broken by emotion, had no sooner re-
asserted itself than he discovered the
bay horse. the one Jennie rode, had
broken his halter and gone on. The
soft wet earth had deadened the sound
OF his hoofs. His tracks were plain
In the mud.
Duane did not want to leave Jennie
So he put her on his horse and bade
her follow. The rain had censed for
the time being. though evidently the
storm was not yet over. The tracks
led up wash to a wide fiat where
mesquite, prickly pear, and thorn-bush
grew SO thickly that Jennie could not
ride Into it. He could not expect her
to scramble quickly through that brake
on foot. Therefore he decided to risk
leaving her at the edge of the thicket
and go in alone.
AS he went in a sound startled him.
Was 1t the breaking of a branch he
had stepped on or thrust aside? He
heard the impatient pound Of his
horses hoofs- Then oil was quiet.
Still he listened, not wholly satisfied.
He was never satisfied in regard to
safety; he knew too well that there
never could be safety for him In this
country. Certain he was now that
some kind of danger threatened.
Suddenly there came an unmlstak-
able thump of horses hoofs on some
where to the fore. Then a scream rent
the air. 1t ended abruptly. Duane
lsaped forward. tore his way through
the thorny brake. He heard Jennie
cry again-an appealing call quickly
hushed. 1t seemed more to his right,
and he plunged that way. He burst
Into u glade where smoldering fire
and ground covered with footprints
and tracks showed that campers had
lately been. Rushing across this. he
broke his passage out to the open.
But he was too late. His horse had
disappeared. Jennie was gone. There
were no riders in sight There was no
sound. There was a heavy trail of
horses going north. Jennie had been
cnrried ofr-probably by outlaws.
Duane realized that pursuit was out