The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-03-22

out changing his slow pace he rode on.
No bullet challenged him and no sound
came from fhe silent house. He can
tered away from the peril. thinking
with kind of awe Of Nan, asleep, SO
close, under that roof-confident, too,
he had not been secn-though, In mat
Ter OF fact. he had been.
Other cabins back toward the north
wall could be seen dimly to his right.
but all were well removed from his
way. In due time, as Scott had ad-
vised, he saw confronting him, not far
ahead, a small, ruinous-looking cabin
shack. Dismounting before this, he
threw his lines, shook himself little
and walked up to the cabin door. Ii
was open.
De Spain called grufly to the cabin
|, inmate. There was no answer. He
| hitched his trouser band near to the
butt of his revolver with his right
hand, and laid his left on the jamb OF
the door, his eyes meantime boring the
darkness to the left, where Sassoon's
bed should be. The utmost scrutiny
failed to disclose any sign of 1t or any
sound of breathing from that corner.
He took few steps toward where the
man should be asleep, and perceived
beyond a doubt that there was no bed
In the corner Mt all. He turned toward
the other corner, his hand covering
the butt of his gun. "IIello. Shike !"
he called out In slightly strained tone
of camaraderie. addressing Sassoon by
q common nickname. Then he lis
tened. A trumpetlng snore answered.
No sound was ever sweeter to De
Spgin's ear. The rude noise cleared
the air and steadled the intruder MS IL
Music mountain itself had been lifted
off his nerves.
He tried again: "Where are you.
Shike?' he growled. "What's this stuff
on the floorT he continued, shuflling
his way ostentatlously TO the other
side of the room. He felt his way to-
ward the inner door. This was where
he expected TO find II, and IL was
closed. He laid hand glngerly on the
latch. "Where are you, Shke?" he
demanded again, this time with an i'm
patient eXpletlve summoned for the
occasion. A second fearful snore an
swered him. De Spain, relieved, al
most laughed as he pushed the door
open, though not sure whether curse
or shot would greet him. He got
neither. And welcome surprise In
the dim light came through stuffy
pane of glass at one end of the room.
IL revealed at the other end man
stretched asleep on wall bunk-a
heard the stealthest sound had any ef.
fort been made to conceal IL. but Ia
whose ears the rough voices of n
mountain cabin are mere sleeping po-
tions.
The sleeper woke TO feel hand laid
lightly on his shoulder. The instinct
of self-preservatlon acted like II flash
, His eyes opened and his hands struck
out like cats paws TO the right and
left: no knife and no revolver met
them. Instead, In the semldarkness q
strange face bent over him. His fists
shot out together, only to be caught
: in wise that broke his arms In two al
the elbows, and forced them back
against his throat. A knee, like an
anvil, pushed inexorably into his stom
; ach and heart and lungs. Another lay
across his right arm, and his strug
Cling left arm he could not though his
eyes burst with the strain from theil
, sockets, release from where, eaglelikt
4 claws gripped Mt his throat and shut
! OFF his breath. He lay still.
Are you awake, Shike?' Sassoor
, heard from the gloom above him. But
| he could not place the voice. "Yor
$ seem to move around good deal II
a your sleep. II you're awake, keep still
: I've come from Sleepy Cat to get you
Don't mind looking for your gun ant
d knife. Two men are with me. 70,
Q can have your choice. We've got f;
o horse for you. You can ride away from
/ us here inside the gap, and take wha
{ hits you in the back, or you can go I,
o Sleepy Cat with us and stand you
l. trial. I'll read your warrant when tn,
y sun gets little higher. Get up an,
e choose quick"
o Snssoon could not see who had sub
II dued him, nor did he take long 10 de
eide what to do. With less tronhl
Q than he expected, the cnptor got hi
= man sullenly on horseback, and CAV
J. him severely plain directions as Z
IS what to do. Sassoon, neither boun,
II nor gagged. was told TO ridS his hors