Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-10-11

upon him ne had been ruined. But now
with conscience flayed to the quick, yet
utterly powerless over this tiger in
stinct. he was lost. He said it. He adj
mitted 1t. And at the utter abasement
the soul ne despised suddenly leaped
n quivered with the thought of Ray
LOngstreth.
! Then came agony. AS he could not
govern all the anc Of this fatal
meeting-as all his swift and deadly
genius must be occupied with Poggin.
perhaps in vain-as hard shooting men
whom he could not watch would be
close behind, this almost certainly must
be the end Of Buck Duane. That did
not matter. But he loved the girl. He
wanted her. All her sweetness. her
fire. and pleading returned to torture
him.
AT that moment the door opened, and
Ray Longstreth entered.
Duane" she said, softly. Captain
MacNelly sent me to YOU
But you shouldn't have come" re-
piled Duane.
come whether he wished it or not. You
left me-all of us-stunned. I had no
time to thank you. oh, l do-with all
my soul. 1t was noble of you. Father
is overcome. He didn't expect so much.
And he'll be true. But, Duane, l was
told to hurry, and here I'm selfishly
using time
Go, then-and leave me. You mustn't
unnerve me now, when there's a des-
perate game to finish"
Need it be desperate?" she whis-
pered, coming close to him.
Eyes; it can't be else"
MacNelly had sent her to weaker
him: of that Duane "a sure. And he
felt that she had wanted to come. Her
eyes were dark. strained, beautiful, and
they shed a light upon Duane he had
never seer before.
You're going to take some mad
risk" she said. Let me persuade YOU
not to. You said-you cared for me
and I-oh, Duane-don't you
know"
The Low voice. deep, sweet as an old
chord. faltered and broke and failed.
Duane sustained a sudden shock and
an instant Of paralyzed confusion of
thought.
She moved. she swept out her hands,
and h wonder of her eyes dimmed in
a flood of tears.
my God! You can't care for me?"
he cried, hoarsely.
Then she met him, hands OUT
stretched.
But l dol dol"
Swift as light Duane caught her and
held her to his breast. He stood hold
ing her tight, with the feel of her
warm. throbbing breast n the clasp
Of her arms as flesh and blood realities
to fight a terrible fear. He felt her,
and for the moment the might of it
stronger han all the demons tina
possessed him. And he held her as
II she had been his soul. his strength on
earth, his hope OF heaven, against his
lips.
The strife of doubt all passed. He
his. sight again. And there
rushed over him a tide Of emotion UNI
utterably sweet and full. strong like an
wine. deep as his nature,
something glorious and terrible as the
blaze Of the sun to one long in dark
ness. He had become an %outcast, q
Wanderer, a gunman, a victim of cir
cumstances; he had lost and suffered
worse than death in that loss: he had
killer of men, a fugitive whose mind
slowly and inevitably closed to all ex-
cept the instinct to survive and a black
despair: and now, with this woman in
his arms, her swelling breast against
his. in this moment almost of resurrec-
ton, he bent under the storm Of pas
sion and joy possible only to him who
had endured so much.
DO O care-a little?" he whis-
pered, ~unsteadily.
He bent over her, looking deep into
the dark wet Eyes.
She uttered a low laugh hat was
half sob. and her arms slipped up to
his neck.
"A little! Oh. Duane-Duane-a
Their lips met in their first kiss. The
sweetness. the fire of her mouth
seemed SO new, so strange, so irresist-
ible to Duane. His sore and hungry
heart throbbed with thick and heavy
beats. He felt the o%utcast's need Of
love. And he gave up to the enthral-
ling moment. She met him half way,
returned kiss for kiss, clasp for clasp,
her face scarlet, her eyes closed, till,
her passion and strength spent, she
fell back upon his shoulder.
Duane suddenly thought she was
going to faint. He OWNED then that
she had understood him, would have
denied him nothing, not even her life,
In that moment. But she was over
come, and he suffered a pang OF regret
at his unrestraint.
Presently she recovered. and she
drew only the closer. and leaned upon
him with her face u%pturned. He felt
her hands on his, and they were soft,
cltnging, strong, like steel under vel
vet. He felt thu rise and fall, the
warmth OF her breast. A tremor ran
over him. He tried to draw back, and
with him, pressing closer. She held
her face up, and he was compelled to
look. 1t was wonderful now: white, vet
glowing. with the red lips parted, and
dark eye alluring. But that was not
all. There was passion, unquenchable
spirit, woman's resolve deep and
mighty.
81 love you, Duane!" she said. For
my sake don't go out to meet this out
law face to face It's something wild
In you. Conquer it if you love me-"
Duane became suddenly weak, and
when he did take her into his arms
again he scarcely had strength to
seemed more than a. dead weight. Her
calmness had fled. She was throh.