The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-09-05
''LangfOrd of the Three Bars

VI he Wouiu Iot nave Iffeu again.
Do you think 1t was lesser"
Jesse would not have missed"
he said grimly.
At that moment a new sound
broke the stiffness, the whinny of
a horse. Reinforcements had APP
preached within the shadow of the
cattle sheds. Something moved
out there at last.
Daddy" called Mary, in a
choked whisper. Come here
they are down at the sheds"
Williston stepped to the back
window quickly.
Changes places" he said
briefly.
To his quickened hearing came
the sound of stealthy creeping.
Something moved directly in front
of him, but some distance away.
His was the third shot of that
night.
IL! I've got it in the leg!"
cried a rough voice, full of in
tense anger and pain, and those
were sounds of a precipitate re-
treat.
Again the heavy minutes drag
ged away. At each of the two
windows crouched a tense figure,
brain alert, eyes in iron control.
1t was a frightful strain, this
waiting game. Could one be- sure
nothing had escaped ones vigil
lance. Starlight was sdeceptive,
and ones eyes must needs shift
to keep the mastery over the hor-
iZon. 1t might well be that some
one of those ghostly and hidden
sentinels patrolling the lonely
homestead had wormed himself
past staring eyeballs, crawling,
crawling, crawling; it might well
be that at any moment a sudden
light flaring up from some corner
would tell the tale of the end.
All at once the gun play began
again, sharp, quick, from the
spring, from the sheds. For hours,
it seemed to Mary, the6littlel bat
tie ragged. sNS't NJ
A sudden bright light flashed
up through the darkness under
the unprotected wall to Mary's
left. Almost simultaneously a
kindred light sprang into being
from the region of the cattle
sheds. The flare grew and spread.
1t became glare.
When the whole cabin seemed
to be in flames save the door
the dry, rude boarding had caught
and burned like paper-Williston
held out his hand to his daughter,
silently AS silently she put her
hand, her left hand, in his; nor
did Williston notice that it was
her left, nor how Imply her right
arm hung to her side.
With firm step, Williston ad-
vanced to the door. Deliberately
he unbarred it, as deliberately
threw it open and stepped over
the threshold. They were covered
on the instant by four rifles.
Drop your guns!" called the
CHlel, rugby.
81 take it that | am the one
wanted" said Williston.
His voice was calm. my daugh-
ter is free to go?" he asked, his
first words having met with no re-
Spouse.
81 guess mott" responded the
leader, CURLY. She's showed up
too much like man to let her
loose.'
His big, shuffling form lounged
in his saddle. He raised his rifle
with every appearance of lazy in
difference. They were to be shot
down where they stood, now,
right on the threshold of their
burning homestead.
Williston bowed his head to the
inevitable for a moment; then
raised it proudly to meet the in
evitahle.
A rifle shot rang out startling
ly clear. At the very moment the
leaders eye had swept the sight,
his rifle arm had twitched un-
certainly, then fallen nerveless to
his side, while his bullet, playing
a faltering and discordant second
to the first true shot, tore up the
ground in front of him and swerv-
ed harmlessly to one side. In
stantly the widest confusion
reigned-shouts, curses, the
plunging of horses, mingled with
the sharp crack of firearms. The
shooting was wild. The surprise
was too complete for the outlaws
to recover at once. They had
heard no sound of approaching
hoofbeats. The roaring Names
licking up the dry lumber had
rendered the surrounding dark
ness the blacker for the contrast.
Mary had sunk down at her
fathers feet, and had no cogniz-
ance OF the fierce, the brief con-
flict, that ensued.
Afterward she heard-oh,
many, many times In the night
watches-the eerie galloping of
horses hoofs, growing fainter
and fainter. heard 1t above the
medley of trampling horses and
yelling men, and knew It for what
IL meant; but tonight-this evil
night-she gave but one quick,
bewildered glance into a sinister
face above her, and in a soft,
shuddering voice breathed.
PLEASE DON'T" and tainted.
CHAPTER vi.
In Which the X Y n Figures
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