Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-06-07

the new horses on pasture and beyond
which an instinct told them they would
find the marauders if they had not al
ready gone on. SO when they reached
that jutting woods they hitched Jess
pony and made their further way with
extreme caution.
Tha they were not much ii any too
late presently the faint odor of Smok
gave them assurance, the pungent,
sweet smoke of dried sassafras boughs,
and almost at the same moment the
sound of the clearing of a horses nos
trils came distinct upon the quiet night.
Buck, We'll in the lead, fell back eau
tiously at the sudden glimpse OF their
quarry, and the three men held a whis-
pered conference. Hitching their horses,
they crept forward afoot through the
shadow of the trees.
Almost at right angles to the chap
arral grove ran the edge of the larger
woods just within whose shelter the
two men, with Jess and their tethered
horses, still fingered with a reckless
ness scarcely to be credited.
Though their fire burned low it
served to throw into a dim relief the
clustered group of horses and the three
figures more Immediately about it, the
men standing, Jess sitting huddled on
the fallen trunk of a cottonwood tree.
The rumbling voices Of the men
cache the listeners in the adjacent
grove Evidently they argued, almost
quarreled. Once the girl lifted her head
and watched them. Apparently they
reached some decision, for the man
sta rted toward the horses further away.
Cranpa faced tho cro,chinr girl They
could hear what he said to her
Swear to me, Jess, that you won't
leave this spot fore mornin', am We'll
vo,, won't leave If nohow hnt we'll tie
yyon so Won can't"
loss Maid NO attention to the words.
An, Veil fix Won SOS YOU can talk
as much as YOU is talkin' now" he add
cd anorilv us Won deaf as we'll as
dmnha,
Sill, less did NOT sneak
Grange rowle am oath. He
stenned back from the fire. stooped.
and took mn a coil of rome. AS he did
he faced baI. she stood erect The brand
inc rod which had been living mean. the
fire c,n+cha6 i'm her hand
She smoke tnen il, fearless anger. and
con1amnt
IF YOU come near me. YOU cur. I'll
kin yo,1- She cried ..What docs Won
know bon, swearin, Won Vim thiefi,
The othe, man drew ncar again
an tho n,,,a of an Gods devils" he
cried alond "air yo, still waitin' here.
Granaeo,
He seemed ia ,1v into q sudden r,rv
i nf CnaIatjnn He jnTl<a( the n}Sf0I
from its holster, about his waist and
-he c,icl5 of tho triaae,. sounded clea,lv
..Dran that h,andin' bar eal" he
shouted to less. "or. by God. I'm drap
Won"
II was tben that perrv Graeo lifted
tho restr,ininp hand he had heen hold
inc ON Ruck,s arm There was a flash
and an echoing report from the chan
arral and the man before less flung
wide his arms as he pitched forward
the pistol he had held whirling against
the feet of the girl
I]nstantlv she stonned and seized it
and covered the astounded Grange.
Now come on with vo,1r rona3, che
cried to him "but IFS going bout vour
neck. Won cowar nd an, not rom, me"
with scarce a show of STRUGGLE hoi,nd
him with the rome he held i'm his sunine
erasn, and Ruck With a Thrust nnon
his chest. sent him snra wine !. cku,ard
upon the ground. where he law still as
that other one whom thew turned over
c~ontamntnonsiy wifi tho;r faa+ wv
Kilrain was holdinp less i'm his arms
A few minutes later Perry Green
stood over he renlenished fire aIona
it's light Pickering over the forms mnon
the ground before him. equally silent
tho,,ph one was liv;np and to atha,
dead Rnck had zone Rack thro,eb Tho
woods guiding his horse ,1non which
sat less her father riding beside her
until thev should come 10 tha mot
where they had left less own nonY
That was q silent gro,,n Too With
her hands resting on the broad harn
of R,,cl,s saddle Ja.s cot ha,d;nn
slightly forward as she rode 'e''us
S~orne+h1np ;ntimata 70 ha, ~ i,
the toIch Of that mah
intimate in the close nresanca of T,,nl.s
own vo1,ng hodv as he y.a1Led ~ har
feet hiun era spuy un @s r the " hit H q. b nel
f.-.I ~