The Ordway new era., 1916-12-29

trigger and the error OF the Jury
would be rectified. The others would
follow with q volley at random for
good measure.
1t was almost too easy. 1t seemed
q shame to snatch a full and red re-
venge with such scant effort.
Then, as the foremost figure, crouch
ing in easy range of q window, braced
himself on one knee and peered for
ward under his upturned hat-brim.
there came the reports Of several
rifles-but they were not the rifles
Of the McBriar squad. and they came
not from the hills in front. but from
the laurel at the back. They broke
from directly between the carefully
picked squad and Its horses.
The man who had braced his knee
and cooked bis rife gave out a brief.
gurgling sound as an oath was stified
on In hemorrhage Of the throat. and
pitched forward on his face. After
that the figure lay without stirring, its
own blood reddening the rifle whose
trigger-guard pressed against It's fore
head.
The doors vomited men. There was
q trailing and ragged outburst of fire.
arms. and many dark figures plunged
here and there across the silvered
spaces where the shadows did not fall.
OF the six men who had crept down.
three had lain within one hundred
yards of the house when the shots
came from their rear. The other three
we're OF at the side. ready to bring
| up the horses as close as might prove
safe when the moment came for flight.
But they. too, found themselves cut
of. Had the man who fired on the
one who was about to fire waited one
minute longer. there would have been
more deaths than the single one. His
himself. covering their respective VIC
tims-victims who confidently thought
themselves executioners. But as 1t
was. they had not quite yet worked
themselves into positions untram-
meled by Intervening rock and timber.
The man who fired first knew this,
for he had not heard the perfectly i'm
itated quaver Of "scritch-owls" which
was to signify common readiness
But as he had eyed his crouching VIC
tim across his rife-sights he had also
been able to look beyond him. and had
seen the figure of Cal Douglas pause
at the lighted window. He knew that
to wait moment would be to wait too
long. So the others had to fire blindly
through the black underground at
speeding shadows-and they missed.
The fleeing murder squad melted
back into the black timber, and some
of them, signaling with the call OF
frog and owl, came together in tenn
porary safety. They dared not go to
their own horses. since they might be
discovered in the effort. The road
that led into the McBriar country
would be watched. II they were to
carry away unpunctured skins they
must fee the other way-into the Ha-
vey territory and astride stolen Havey
horses. 1t was every man for himself
and they had not paused to count
noses. They hurriedly swung them
selves into saddles at the remote emu
of the line of hitched mounts and gal.
loped pell-mell down the road toward
the cabin of Fletch McNash.
When the theft of the horses was
discovered Anse Havey sent pursuing
narties to ride the roads In both dlrec-
tions.
It had seemed to Havey wiser to
withhold his warning from all save
those whom he needed to use. 10 ai.
the rest the affair had come without
notice. and the hue and cry which foi'
lowed the rifie-shots was genuine IN
its excitement.
But in a very few moments the
pandemonium fell away and suilen'
ness supplanted the shouting. ine
mountains behind, where several men
were stealthily seeking escape ana
MANY others were stalking them' lay
silent in the moonlight.
A hundred yards beyond the WIN.
dow a small and inquisitive knot OF
men gathered around figure that
had hunched forward, sprawiing On .
cooked rife. Someone turned tne nk
ure up and Strengthened It's nmos "
that they should not stihen IN suen
Rrotesque attitude. The face' WIN
the yellow lantern-light shining down
| on n. was the face of boy OF twenty.
It's thin lips were set in grim smiie
! Of satisfaction, for death had over
taken him without suspicion OF its
coming. -.
Perhaps, had . photograph OF MS
retina been taken. It would have ols.
closed the portrait Of Cal Douglas
pausing At the open window.
"Hit's little Nash Wattl" exclaimed
surprised voice. using the diminu-
tive which in the mountains takes the
MACE Of junior and stays with . man
t.veII Cd In life. the victim who had
hsen 6est9nated 70 avenge the death
~ Nc6h watt had bsen Noah watts