Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-17
God Pity the Men That Put 1t Over"

God Pity the Men That Put 1t Over"
took him IN hand to hold him during
three days, to restrain the fury or MS
resentment, and keep him from riding
to the gap in temper that each on
them knew would mean only Tragedy
| worse than what had gone before.
Even three days Of tactful representa-
ton and patient admonition from cool
headed counselors did not accomplish
| all they hoped for in De SPANS atd-
tude. His rage subsidized, but only to
| be followed by a settled gloom that
| they knew might burst into uncon-
trollable anger at any moment.
A report reached McAlpin that Gale
| Morgan was making ready to return to
| Music mountain with the remnant Of
! Sandusky's gang, to make a demand
on Duke for certain property and
| partnership adjustments. This rumor
| he telephoned to Jeffrie5. Before talk
| Ing with De Spain, Jeffries went over
| the information with Lefever. The two
| agreed 1t was right, in the circum-
stances, that De Spain should be near
er than Sleepy Cat to Nan. Moreover,
| the period of waiting she had enjoined
On him was almost complete.
Without giving De Spain the story
| fully, the two men talking before him
| let the discussion drift toward a pro-
posal on his part to go down to Gala
| basas, where he could more easily keep
! track of any movement to or from the
| gap, and this they approved. De Spain,
already chatting under a hardly en-
| dured restraint, lost no time in start
ing for Calabasas. directing Lefever to
follow next day.
1t added nothing to his peace of
mind in the morning to learn definitely
from McAlpin that Gale Morgan, with
In twenty-four hours, had really disap-
peared from Ca1abasas. No word Of
any kind had come from Music noun
tain for days. No one at Calabasas
was aware even that Nan had gone
| into the gap again. Bob Scott was at
Thief River. De Spain telephoned to
him to come up on the early stage, and
| turned his attention toward getting In
| formation from Music mountain with
| out violating Mans injunction not to
| Illustrate her most delicate effort with
her uncle.
| AS possible scout to look into her
! present situation and report on it, Nc
| Alpin could point only to Bull Page.
| Bull was a ready instrument, but his
| present value as an assistant had be-
| come a matter Of doubt, since prac-
| tfcally every man in the gap had
| threatened within the week to blow his
head off-though Bull himself felt no
scruples against making an attempt to
reach Music mountain and get back
again. 1t was proposed by the canny
McAlpin to send him In with team
| and light wagon, Ostensibly to bring
| out his trunk, which, If it had not been
fed to the horses, was still In Dukes
barn. AS soon as rig could be got up
Page started out.
| 1t was late November A far, clear
air drew the snow-capped ranges
| sharply down to the eye Of the desert
as If the speckless sky, lighted by the
radiant sun, were but monster glass
rugged to trick the credulous retina, De
Spain, in the saddle in front of the
| barn, his broad hat brim set on the
| impassive level Of the western horse
man, his lips seeming to compress his
| thoughts, his lines over his forearm,
and his hands half-slipped into the
pockets of his snug leather coat,
1--we FOL Wit nc irrT%
horses drive away.
Idling around the neighb0rhOod Of
| the barns in the saddle, De Spain saw
him gradually recede into the long
desert perspective, the perspective
which almost alone enabled the watch
er to realize as he curtained his eyes
behind their long, steady lashes from
| the blazing sun, that 1t was a good bit
Of way to the foot of the great out
post Of the Superstition range.
De SPANS restlessness prevented his
remaining quietly anywhere for long.
Az the morning advanced he cantered
out on the Music mountain trail, think
/ ing Of and wishing for a sight of Nan.
i The deadly shock of Pardaloe's story
: had been dulled by days and nights of
pain. His deep-rooted love and his
loneliness had quoted his impulse for
vengeance and overborne him with
profound sadness. He realized how
different his feelings were now from
what they had been when she knelt be-
fore him in the darkened room and, not
daring to plead for mercy for her uncle,
had asked him only for the pity for
herself that he had seemed so slow
20 give. Something reproached him
now for his GOODNESS at the moment
that he should have thought of her
suffering before his own.
It was while riding In this way that
MS eyes, reading mechanically the
wagon trail he was aimlessly following
for no reason other than that Ii
brought him, though forbidden, little
closer to her-arrested his attention.
He checked his horse Something. the
trail told him, had happened. Page
had stopped his horses. Page had met
two men On horseback coming from the
gap. After parley-for the horses
had tramped around long enough for
one-the wagon had turned completely
from the trail and struck across the
desert, north the two horsemen, or
one with led horse, had started back
for the gap.
All of this De Spain gathered with