Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-23

and down to the ground. Some more
men came past, and l hid on the
porch and slipped over to the horse
barns and found a nackamore, and
went down to the corral and nunt-
ed around till L found this little
pinto-she's the best to ride bare
back"
Il could ride a razorback-why
take all that trouble for me?"
IF you don't start while you have
a chance, you undo everything have
tried to do to avoid a fight"
The wind, stirring softly, set the
aspen leaves quivering. The stars,
chilled in the thin, clear night air,
hung diamondlike in the heavens
and the eastern sky across the dis
tant desert paled for the rising moon.
The two, standing at the horses
head, listened a moment together in
the darkness. De Span. leaning for
ward, said something in low, laugh
ing voice. Nan made no answer.
Then bending, he took her hand and,
before she could release it, caught 1t
up to his lips.
For long time after he had gone
she stood. listening for a shot-won-
dering, breathlessly at moments,
whether he could get past the wait
had ever heard of his 'Indianlike
stealth. had left her side unabashed
and unafraid-living, laughing, pay
ing bold court to her even when she
stubbornly refused to be courted-
and had made himself in the twink
ling of an eye a part of the silence
beyond-the silence of the night, the
wind, the stars, the waste of sand,
and of all the mystery that brooded
IL, L.
in her keen suspense, a sound of
some kind, some reminder that he
yet lived and could yet laugh; none
came.
Day was breaking when the night
boss, standing in the doorway at
the Calabasas barns. saw a horseman
riding at "a leisurely pace up the
Thief River road. The barnman
scrutinied the approaching stranger
closely. There was something strange
and something familiar in the out
lines of the figure. But when the
night rider had dismounted in front
of the barn-door, turned his horse
loose and limping stiffly walked for
ward on foot, the man rubbed his
eyes hard before he coGld believe
them. Then he uttered an incredulous
greeting and led Henry de Spain
into the Dafn once.
There's friends of yours in your
room upstairs right now," he de-
clared bulging with shock. De Spain,
sitting down, forbade the barnman to
disturb them, only asking who they
were.
When he had asked half a dozen
more leisurely questions and avoided
answering twice as many, the barn
man at De Spain's request helped
him upstairs. Besides himself with
excitement, the night boss turned,
grinning as he laid one hand on the
doorknob and the other on DE
Spain's shoulder.
You couldn't have come" he
whispered loudly. "at better time"
The entryway was dark, and from
the silence within the room one
might have thought It's occupants, If
there were such, wrapped in slumber.
But at intervals faint clicking
sound could be heard. The night man
threw open the door. BY the light
of two stage-lamps, one set on the
ledge, four men sat about a rickety
table in life-and-death struggle at
cards. No voice broke the tense
silence, not even when the door was
thrown broadly open.
No one-neither Lefever, Scott.
Frank Elpaso nor McAlpin-1oowed
up when De Spain walked into the
room and. with the night man tip
toeing behind. advanced composedly
toward the group. Even then his
presence would have passed un-
noticed. but that Bob Scott's ear
recorded the 1imping
step and transmitted to his trained
merely notice of some
thing unusual.
Scott, picking UP has cards one at