The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-10-05
CHAPTER xxII.-(continued.)

Duane stole across the level toward the
dark wall of rock. Every nerve was a
strung wire. For a little while his mind
was cluttered and chopped, with whirl-
ing thoughts, from which, like q flash
ing scroll, unrolled the long. battling
order Of action. The game was now In
his hands. He must cross Mount Ord
at night. The feat vas improbable, III
il might be done. He must ride into
Bradford, 40 miles from h foothills,
before s o'clock next morning. He must
telegraph MacNelly to be in Val Verde
on the 25th. He must ride back to Ord,
to intercept Knell, face him, be de-
nounced, kill him, and while the iron
was hot strike ard to win Poggin's
half-won interest as he had wholly won
Fletcher's. Failing that last. ne must
let the outlaws alone TO bide. their time
in Ord, to be free to ride on to their
new Job in Val Verde. In the mean time
he must plan to arrest Longstreth; IL
was a magnificent outline, incredible,
alluring, unfathomable in Its nameless
certainty. He felt like fate. He seemed
to be the iron consequences falling upon
these doomed outlaws.
Unde the wall the were
black, only the tips of trees and crags
showing, yet he went straight to the
trail. 1t was merely a grayness etWeen
borders Of black. He climbed and never
stopped. 1t did not seem steep. Ills feet
hight have had eyes. He s~urnlounteo
the wall, and, looking down into the
ebony gulf pierced by one point or ngnt,
he lifted a menacing arm ano SHOOK ~;
Then he strobe on n did not falter TIL
he reached the huge shelving GIFTS.
Here he lost the trail; there was none
but he remembered the shapes, the
points, the notches Of rock above. be-
fore he reached the ruins or sphntered
and jumbles of broken walls
the moon topped the eastern slope OF
the mountain, and the mystifying
blackness he had dreaded changed TO
magic silver light. 1t seemed as ilsnt az
day, only soft, mellow. and the air helo
a transparent sheen. He ran up the pare
ridge and down the smooth p ana,
like a goat, jumped from rock to rock.
In the light he knew his RAJ and lost
no time looking for a trail. He crossed
the divide and then had all dow hil
before him. Swiftly he descended, al
most always sure of his memory OF tho
landmarks. He did no remember nav
ing studied them In n ascent, yet mere
they were, even in changed light, Ia
miIiar to his sight. What he had once
seen was pictured on his mind. Ana,
true as a deer striking for home, ne
reached the where he mad lelt
his horse. -
Bullet was quickly and easily found.
Duane threw on the saddle n pack,
Clncneu IiltIII .llblltt oiAa
descent. The worst was now TO come
Bare downward steps in rock, sliding,
w~eathered slopes, narrow black gullies,
1000 OPENINGS in a maze OF broken
stone-these Duane had to descend IN
fast time, leading a giant or a morse
Bullet cracked the loose fragments,
sent them rolling, sliding on the scaiy
slopes, plunged down the sleeps, fol-
lowed like a faithful dog at Duane's
heels.
Hours passed as moments. Duane was
equal to his greatest opportunity. But
he could not quell that self In MN
which reached back over the lapse OF
lonely, soaring years and found the BOY
in him. He who had been worse than
dead was now g%rasping at the skirts OF
life-which meant victory, honor, hap
piness. Duane knew he was not just
right In part of his mind. Small won
der that he was not insane, he thought!
He tramped on downward, his marvel
Gus faculty for covering rough round
and holding to the true course never
before even in flight so keen and acute.
Yet all the time a spirit was keeping
step with him. Thought of Ray Long
streth as he had left her made him
weak. But now, with the game clear to
it's end, with the trap to spring. with
success strangely haunting him. Duane
could not dispel memory OF her. he saw
ncr WIlI6 IdCc, Will iIo o"OSh tAP~
and the dark eyes SO tender and tragic.
And time and distance n risk and
toll were nothing. .
The moon sloped to the west.
Shadows of trees and crags now crossed
to the other side of him. The stars dim
med. Then he was out of the rocks, with
the dim trail pale at his feet. Mounting
Bullet, he made short work Of the long
slope and the foothills and the rolling
lane leading down to Ord. The little
outlaw camp, with its shacks and
cabins and row of houses, lay silent and
dark under the paling moon. Duane
passed by on the lower trail. headed
into the road, and put Bullet to a gallop.
He watched he dying moon. the wan
ing stars, and the east. He had time to
spare, so he saved the horse. Knell
would be leaving the rendezvous about
the time uan turned hack toward
Ord. Between noon and sunset they
would meet.
The night wore on. The moon sank
behind low mountains In the west. The
stars frightened for a while, then faded.
Gray gloom enveloped the world, thick
ened, lay like smoke over the road.
Then shade by shade 1t lightened, until
through the transparent obscurity
shons a dim light. Ill.,
Duane reached Bradford before dawn.
He dismounted some distance from the
lIdChS, llSu ilio iOlSSp TN IlSH SlooSSo
over to the station. He heard the click
ing of the telegraph Instruments,
and 1T thrilled him. The operator
sat inside reading. When Duane
tapped on the window he looked up
with startled glance. then vent swiftly
to unlock the door.
Hello. Give me paper and pencil.
Quick" whispered Duane.
With trembling hands the operator
complied. Duane wrote out the mes
sage he had carefully composed.
"Send this-repeat 1t to make sure
then Keep num-. Ill see you again.
Good-by."
The operator started, but did not
speak q word.
. Duane left as stealthily and swiftly
as he had come. He walked his horse
a couple of miles back on the road and
then rested him till break Of day. The
east began to redden, Duan turned
grimly in the direction Of Ord.
When Duane swung into the wide,
grassy square on the outskirts OF Ord
he saw a bunch Of saddled horses
hitched in front of the tavern. He
knew what that meant. Luck still
favored him. If it would only holdi