The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-06-05

| thU uOy 5tiCWSu SHAW duu sHooh
down hay. The last, evidently
habitually occupied, just now was
empty.
The chestnut made comfortable
for the night, Carron took his CUR
cases out of the buggy and re
turned to the house, where Mrs
RAIDER first showed him to his
room and later called him to sup
per.
The table was set for three, but
as the meal proceeded and the
thir0 place remained empty, Car.
ron at last asked after RAIDER.
Perhaps Mr.. RAIDER can take
day off and take me hunting?" he
began.
but he"
81 mean," Carron explained, "as
soon as he gets back. He's not
to be gone long, is he?"
why, he isn't away" she ex
claimed. Hes here!"
"Oh!" Carron murmured. In
voluntarily he glanced at the
empty place.
"He often doesn't come in tc
supper" Mrs. RAIDER explained.
We'll, then" he hesitated
do you think perhaps he could
spare me a few minutes?"
ooh, yes" She looked at him
more curiously than she had since
his first arrival. Would you like
to see him now?"
'If 1t is convenient"
She opened the door, and took
up one of the lighted candles
Then you will step this way
He's in the study
Again Carron recognized thu
unexpected-that RAIDER was to be
found in q study instead of in ar
office. 1t seemed, not only thai
hotels had lives out of season, but
that their owners had lives out
side of bookkeeping.
Mrs. RAIDER opened a door and
Carron found himself facing Rad
er, who had risen from his chair
and, with his glasses cleaning
above the high arch of his brow
was looking out at Carron from
twilight walls of books.
MY name is Francis Carron.
he said. There is my card. Mr.
RAIDER, | believer"
RAIDER looked little startled
at the rapidity with which the
sentences were shot at him. You
came to see about the Bronson
folio?" he asked doubtfully.
Carron knew he was in for II
now. All his plans for approach
ing his question gradually van
ished.
Its not quite a piece of bust
ness | want to talk to you about,
he said. ut is favor | want tt
ask of you. There has been
rumor through the Sacramento
valley and through the mining
towns below here of a stallion a
large among these mountains.
RAIDERS high eyebrows flicker
ed. "A horse you have lost?'
No, Mr.. RAIDER, not a horse
that any one has lost; horse
that has never been found;
horse that I very much wish tt
find for myself: not horse that's
been left too long on the range
and become wild, but the origina
wild horse that no one has evel
caught, or rarely, if ever, SEEM
Carron watched him, and push
ed one sentence further.
mo one seemed to be sure how
much truth there was in the story
or whether there was any at all
but they seemed to think, If an!
one could tell me, you could
| RAIDER stared in amazement. :"
can-they think" he murmured
who do you mean by they?"
Looking into his candid and be
| wildered eyes, Carron knew III
was going to be frank with RAIDER
at the expense of the man on the
road. For a fact, Mr.. RAIDER,
he confessed, ''it was one person
who directed me here, only one;
and he didn't want to. l had te
work to get it out of him.
Where did you meet this Eel.
low" RAIDER asked.
IL was on my way to the city
from Nevada with some horses,
Carron said, when l ran across
him in Truckee last night. I got
in early in the evening and found
the train wouldn't leave until aft
er midnight. This chap was hang
ing around the livery when | put
my horses up.
HE began by giving his expe-
riences in horse-breaking. Then
he began to wind himself up on a
horse he owned that could beat
anything in the state of Califor-
mia. He built up a stock farm
around 1t in few minutes, but II
was easy to see that the real thing
in 1t was the horse. So l pinned
him down until we'd got rid OF
the stock farm, cancelled the fact
that the horse was his, and got
down to what looked like bedrock
which is just the story l have
told you, that the creature was a
wild horse running free in these
mountains. The only difference