Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-02-07
The Lone
Star Ranger
a Romance Of the Border
By ZANE GREY
kutAeg q
DGH1 or NHrnN STARS
"D@3 or 1uE PUZZLE SAGE" H0
CHAPTER XIII.

i y.
But one day there were signs Of tn
long quiet of Ord being broken. A
messenger strange to Duane rode II
on secret mission that had to d.
with Fletcher. Duane was present II
the tavern when the fellow arrived
| saw the few words whispered, but die
not hear them. Fletcher turned white
with anger or fear perhaps both, ant
| he cursed like mailman. The mes
senger rode away off to the west
This west mystified and fascinated
Duane as much as the south beyond
Mount Ord. After the messenger lef1
Fletcher grew silent and surly. i
became clear now that the other out
laws of the camp feared him, KEEP,
out Of his way. Duane let him alone
yet closely watched him.
Perhaps an hour after the messen
ger had left, not longer, Fletcher man
ifestly arrived at some decision, anc
he called for his horse. Then ne
| went to his shack and returned. TC
Duane the outlaw looked in shape bott
to ride and to fight. He gave orders
for the men in camp to keep close
until he returned. Then he mounted
"Come here, Dodge" he called.
Duane went up and laid hand on
the pommel of the saddle. Fletcher
walked his horse, with Duane beside
him, till they reached the log bridge,
when he halted.
Dodge, I'm in bad with Knell," he
said. can it pears I'm the cause OF
friction between Knell an Peggy.
Knell never had any use fer me, but
Poggy's been square, If not friendly.
The boss had a big deal on, an here
It's been held up because Of this
scrap. He's waitin' over there on the
mountain to give orders to Knell or
Peggy, an neither ones shown up.
I've got to stand in the breach, an
amt enjoyin' the prospects"
whats the trouble about, Jim?'
asked Duane.
"Reckon it's little about you.
Dodge" said Fletcher. dryly. "Knell
hadn't any use fer you tibet day.
Knell claims to know somethin' about
you that II make both the boss an
Peggy sick when he springs 1t. But
he's keepin' quiet. Hard man to fig
ger, tibet Knell. Reckon you'd better
20 back to Bradford fer day or SO,
then camp out here till come back"
"Why?"
oval, because there amt any use
fer you to git in bad, too. The gang
will ride over here any day. II
they're friendly I'll light fire on the
hill there, say three nights from to-
night. II you don't see 1t thet night
you hit the trail. I'll do what can.
Jim Fletcher sticks to his pals SO
long, Dodge"
He left Duane in quandary. This
news was black. At the moment
Duane did not know which way to
turn, but certainly he had no idea
Of going back to Bradford. Friction
between the two great lieutenants OF
Cheseldine! Generally such matters
were settled with guns. Duane gath
cred encouragement even from disas-
ter. II Knell knew anything 1t was
that this stranger in Ord, this new
partner Of Fletcher's, was no less than
Buck Duane. Well, 1t was about time,
thought Duane, that, he made use Of
his name If it were to help him at all.
That name had been MacNelly's hope.
He had anchored all his scheme to
Duane's fame. Duane was tempted to
ride of after Fletcher and stay with
him. This, however would hardly be
fair to an outlaw who had been fair to
him. Duane concluded to await devel-
opments. and when the gang rode In
to Ord, probably from their various
hiding places, he would be there ready
to be denounced by Knell. Duane
could not see any other elimination of
this series Of events than a meeting
between Knell and himself. If that
terminated fatally for Knell there was
all probability Of Duane's being In no
worse situation than he was now. II
Poggin took up the quarrel! Here
Duane accused himself again-tried in
vain to revolt from q Judgment that he
was only reasoning out excuses to
meet these outlaws.
Meanwhile, instead Of waiting, why
not hunt up Cheseldine In his noun
tain retreat? The thought no sooner
struck Duane than he was hurrying
for his horse.
In an hour he struck the slope Of
Mount Ord, and a. he climbed he CT
among broken rocks and cliffs, and
was hard put to 1t to find the trail.
He halted at a little side-canyon with
grass and water, and here he made
camp. And on this night, lonely like
the ones he used to spend In the
Nueces gorge, and memorable of them
because Of likeness to that old hid
.ing-place, he felt the pressing return
OF old haunting things-the past SO
long ago, wild flights dead faces
and the places Of these were taken
by one Quiveringly alive, white, tragic,
with its dark, intent, speaking eyes
Ray Lohgstreth's.
That last memory he yielded to un-
til he slept.
In the morning, satisfied that he
had left still fewer tracks than he had
followed up this trail, he led his
horse up to the head Of the canyon,
into a narrow crack in low cliffs, and
with branches of cedar fenced him in
Then he went back and took up the
trail on foot,