Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-06-01

CHAPTER xxi Continued.

gained them after a ride through the
already shadowy woods, began to be
dotted with punches of cattle. who
eyed her with a sober interest as she
passed among them.
She wondered a little that at no time
had she caught even a fleeing glimpse
of Grange. He had not beer so far
ahead of her that, if he had followed
the direct course she was taking to
reach the crossroads, she should not
plains ahead; yet, thinking he might
have made his crossing somewhere else,
Jess pursued her way.
1t was a lonely wal now, less ia
miliar to her, and broken by frequent
jutting u of chaparral hat lay like
the rock ~promontories in a seas vast
sweep, mysterious, low lines of hazy
gray and green.
In the scar buffalo grass h started
many long cared rabbits, which bound
ed away from under her pony's ever
startled nose with giant leaps. She
came to a spot, grim evidence of the
past summers toll among the herds of
the Loop, where many bleaching bones
and stiffened hides struck a snorting
distaste in her pony's nostrils.
Far beyond the dip of the prairie a
blue dot on the clear horizon, she could
see the smithy at the crossroads.
Intuition told her as she drew near
" ~, I!louDA SUN d1>l, lldl IL WAS
closed, as, indeed, was it's general
state. Then a sense of annoyance at
her own %credulity beset her. What
was wrong with the forge on the Rae
coon river that it SHOULD be sending
Its work so far abroad? Grange had
lied to her!
Assurance of this grew upon Jess.
She could see the smithy clearly
now and the dark lines of the two
roads, lonelier than the plains them
selves, because of man n deserted by
him. But. if Grange was not there,
n she saw now that he was not,
where was he, and for what purpose?
A sinister answer came to Jess,
daughter of the cattle country as she
was.
She recalled the mans furtive man
ner, when she had first detected his
presence, the flash of his anger at her
taunt, and his own lettering threat.
And ware now that she had stumbled
across some nefarious plan of the dis
credited coWpuncheI, Jess turned her
poLy about and retraccd her steps.
But not 50. exactly as she thought.
Confused by the eternal sameness
of the prairie she drifted 10 the south
ward.
She vas surprised. too, to find the
day so far. gone. "A chill grayness had
begun to steal over the plains, obscur-
ing the soft masses of the chaparral,
intensifying the solitude. leveling the
soundlessness into an eery soundful-
ness that throbbed at the ear drums.
Jess was not afraid, but she became
acutely aware of her loneliness, her.
unprotected state. She found herself
lodging the punches OF grazing cattle.
She suddenly found herself lost.
Buster" she said softly to her
pony, where are We? Why'd you do
this?"
Che fyytctnI 1,1.. ,1;a,1+ l-l., -. a.
saddle, hand upon the flank of the
pony, and gaZed about her.
Around a spun of chaparral far to
the south, there suddenly came run-
ming a unb of dark objects. They
We're not cattle. Partly because of the
distance, partly because of the fading
daylight, Jess was uncertain what they
were, until she remembered the drove
of horses Worthing had recently add
ed to his stock.
The girl watched them silently, saw
thei evidently startled flight in her
direction gradually change into the
high swinging trot, still frightened,
an u~nprovoked indignity, when
abruptly at sight of her, their leader
paused, then like a wild thing broke
into a plunging gallop, and, followed
by the freshly alarmed drove behind
him, tore off to the cast in a pound
LIE SSilo VI llyllIS llOOlS.
So that was it, thought Jess.
She rod cautiously now toward
thai distant clump of woods which as
h drew nearer fell away before her
over a dip in the prairie, stretching
southwark to join the advance woods
that held the river in their depths.
She knew hat c%haparral, and when
h reached it, rode into it, keeping
straight ahead unit her pony came
out INTO h open beyond.
There she turned and skirting the
woods, went eastward and southwark,
the ground sloping ever gradually to-
ward the main forest.
1t was dusk now on the plains
night in the bordering. woods. Jess
was aware hat presently she must
strike into those woods, and, trusting
to her pony to find a COW trail, follow
it to the lower ford. She was Just
0 to do this when ahead. of her she
saw what gave her abrupt and inter-
ested pause, drawing her pony aside
INTO the deeper shadow of the trees.
On the very verge Of the woods a
number of horses n men were gath
cred.
The girl a ridden SO zeal that she
could catch the occasional commands
shouted at the nervous horses, could
see the shadowy forms of at least two
men as they moved about, and saw the
glow of a fire that burned behind
them. She needed not to be told what
the scene meant nor who was at least
n of the actors in it.
h knew when the figure bending
over the fire Strengthened and turned
about that she would hear the sound
she did hear-the suffering groan Of
a horse who. with nostril clamped and
leg tied under him, %quivered under the
red hot brand upon his flank.
Jess ~quivered, too, and rocking not
of consequence, rushed forward upon
the group
80 you've come to horse stealth.
Bill Grange" she cried, a fierce in
dignation holding her fearless. spy
an tale bearer. midnight raider, an
now horse thief, an always a skunk
an a liar! Born crooked to straighten
out in halter. Didn't 1 tell you so,
you cross eyed buzzard?"
The man, dropping the iron from
his hand, leaped forward.
Shut up" he growled. you fol-
lowed me. did you, Jess Kilrain? Well,
I reckon you'll stay rows you come"
So quick he was that the girl was
in his arms before she knew it, swept
from her saddle by Il lift and a jerk
that was not too gensle, swung upon