Meade County news., 1917-04-26

mountain and the ridge-side where
Redbear had made the second attempt
to 9ssassinate him. AS he looked at
the shattered summit, his hazel eyes
flashed. He thrust the rifle back into
its sheath, and drew the mare down
to walk.
Behind him he heard muffled drum
ming of unshod hoofs. Vandervyn was
coming up at gallOp.
When the mOcking trickster came
up behind Hardy, he reined in to a
jog trOt, and, as before, rode past him
with his hand on his hip.
There were marked differences be-
tween the third pinto and the two first.
He was taller and leaner, and one of
his feet was white. But Hardy ap-
peared to be too detected to heed the
fact. AS the pinto ambled away in
the lead, Vandervyn smiled, and
looked back at his rival with all the
hate gone from his face. 'By-by again,
old man." he bantered. "Sorry can't
stay to keep you company.e The lady
is waiting-and the mine. 1t may also
please you to hear that have duly
signed and witnessed contract with
the tribe, giving me a fee of 20 per
cent on all moneys appropriated in
payment to the tribe for their min
eral lands. Let's hear you congratu-
late me. ShoH you're gamer
But Hardy did not raise his eyes.
AS soon as Vandervyn was out of
sight around the castellated rocks at
the top of the ridge, Hardy stopped
the mare and dropped from the saddle.
His, shapely mouth was curved in n
resolute smile, and his hand was rap
idly transferring from the saddlebags
to his pockets a pocket ak, handful
Of pistol cartridges and the legal no.
tices for posting mining claim.
He glanced UP the slope, and seeing
no sign of Vandervyn, stripped off the
mares bride, sponged out her nostrils
and month with the last water in his
canteen.
Hardy took the steep slope at an un-
hurried pace. He reached the place
where he had found the bloody trail
of Redbear.: Up the cleft the climbing
was not stiff. He came out on the
valley slope, extremely hot and dry
but not out of breath. Drawing an
airline across to the opposite noun
tainside, where he had seen the light
of Ti-owa-konza's campfire through the
darkness, he started down into the
valley at a jog as brisk as that of the
third pinto. He was almost spent as
he tottered through the pines up the
last slope. The camp was gone, but
he knew the nearest way to the spring.
He rested two or three minutes, re-
peatedly cooling his head in the spring
and rinsing out his mouth, but drink
ing only very few sips. Again re-
freshed, he half filed his canteen, and
started on up the easy mountain slope
at a steady jog.
Ten minutes brought him over the
summit to the sharp pitch above the
mine. He stared down at the terrace
several moments, however, before he
made out the figures of man and
woman waiting at the first turn of
the trail. There could be no doubt
that the two were Marie and her IA
ther.
1t was no less certain that Wander
vyn had not yet arrived. Even had he
suspected his opponents stratagem, he
scarcely could have covered the seven
miles of trail in as short time as
Hardy had taken to make the three
miles across country.
The two watchers never thought to
look about and up the mountain. They
had not yet looked about when he
came down upon the crest of the spur.
A large, newly cut stake gave him a
hint where one of the upper corners
of the claim should be located. He
cut his own stake, drove it, and tackled
on one of his legal notices. Another
stake indicated the other upper corner,
and he swiftly repeated the making
of his. own stake and posting of the
notice.
At the curb of the mine shaft he
posted another notice. He was now in
plain view from the cabin, but out of
sight of the watchers down on the
trail. On the terrace, as he was work
ing the third stake into bed of loose
rocks, he heard an angry exclamation
over near the cabin. Dupont and Ma
rie had come around the end of the
building, and were staring at him. In
a frenzy of disappointed avarice, the
trader reached for his revolver. Still
more swiftly Marie flung herself upon
him.
"Nol no! you shall not!" she cried.
"Leave it to him-he is so near! Let
them play out the camel"
Hardy ran across to cut his last
stake. Between the ax-blows could be
heard the hobfbeats Of a galloping
horse. He tackled the notice on,
chopped a small hole with his ak in
the hard soil, and set it up. The mine
was his own.
CAApTER xxi