Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-08-30

In tAeir direction vaAiahe1 d 0AlaS
last hopes Of tracking then. h vin1
swept he desert nov - Q hurricane
sweeps The open sea. snatching -
fallen mow from the face Of the eastA
~ the sea-gale. aattening ~ fAce G
the waters. rips the foam from the
frantic waves 70 drive Il In Wild. sod.
ding fragments across t&em.
Do Spain. urging bis horse forward,
u~nbuckled his rife holster. threw away
the scabbard. and holding the weapon
up In one hand. fired ahot after shot
at measured intervals to attract the
attention Of the two he sought. He ex.
hausted his rife ammunition without
elicit1ng any answer. The wind drove
with . roar against which even q ride
report could hardly carry. and the
snow swept down the sinks In 0 mad
blast. Flakes torn by the fury Of the
gale were stiRened by the bitter wind
into powdered ice that stung horse and
rider. Casting away the useless chr.
bine. and pressing his horse to the
limit OF her strength and endurance,
the unyielding pursuer rode In great,
coiling circles into the storm. to cut
In. II possible, ahead of its victims,
firing shot upon shot from his revolver,
and putting his n intently against
the wind for the faint hope Of an an
swer.
Suddenly the Lady stumbled and, a.
he cruelty refined her. slid helpless and
scrambling along the face of a fiat
rock. De Spain. leaping from her
back. steadied her trembling and
looked %underfoot. The mare had
struck the rock Of the upper lava bed.
Drawing his revolver, he fired signal
shots from where he stood. 1t could
not be far, he knew, from the junction
Of the two great desert trails-the
Calabasas road and the gap road. He
felt sure Nan could not have got much
north Of this. for he had ridden in des-
peration to get abreast Of or beyond
her. and If she were south. where, he
asked, In the name of God, could she
be?
He climbed again into the saddle
the cold was gripping his limbs-and,
watching the rocky landmarks narrow.
ly, tried to circle the dead waste Of
the %half-buried flow. With chilled
awkward fingers he filed the revolver
again and rode on, discharging 1t every
minute, and listening-hoping against
hope for an answer. It was when he
had almost completed, as well US he
could compute, the wide circuit he had
set out on, that a faint shot answered
his continuing signals.
With the sound Of that shot ant
those that followed 1t his courage all
came back. But he had yet to trace
through the confusion of the wind anC
the binding snow the direction Of thu
answering reports.
Hither and thither he rode. this way
and that, testing out the location o1
the slowly repeated shots, and signal
ing at intervals In return. Slowly ant
doggedly he kept on, shooting. listen
ing, wheeling and advancing until, a.
he raised his revolver to fire it again
a cry close at hand came out Of thu
storm. 1t was a woman's voice borne
on the wind. Riding swiftly to tn,
left. a horses outline revealed ltsel+
at moments In the driving snow ahead
De Spain cried out, and from behint
the furious curtain heard his name
loudly called. He pushed his STUN
bling horse on. The dim outline OF
second horse, the background of a wag
on, a storm-beaten man-all thl'
passed his eyes unheeded. They wer'
bent on a girlish figure running towart
him Us he slid stifily from the saddle
The next instant Nan was In his arms