Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-01-08
he Lone
Star Ranger
A Romance of the Border
BY ZANE GREY
Author of
THE LIGHT OF WESTERN STARS"
RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE" ETC.
,oyyrtght By Harper and Brothen
CHAPTER XII.


days he paid brief visits to several
villages that lay in his path. And in
each some particular. friend had a
piece Of news to impart that made
Duane profoundly thoughtful. A
ranger had made q quiet, unobtrusive
call upon these friends and left this
message, "Tell Buck Duane to ride
into Captain MacNelly's camp some
time after night"
Duane concluded. and his friends all
agreed with him, that the new rangers
main purpose in the Nueces country
was to capture or kill Buck Duane,
and that this message was simply an
original and striking ruse, the daring
of which might appeal to certain out
laws.
But it did not appeal to Duane. His
curiosity was aroused; it did not, how
ever, tempt him to any foolhardy act.
He turned southwest and rode hun
dred miles until he again reached the
sparsely settled country Here he
heard no more of rangers.
He got into rough country, rode for
three days without covering much
ground, but believed that he was get
ting on safer territory. Twice he came
to q wide bottom-land green with will
low and cottonwood and thick as
chaparral, somewhere through the
middle Of which ran river he de-
cided must be the lower Nueces.
One evening as he stole out from
covert where he had camped, he saw
the lights of village. He tried to
pass it on the left, but as he mounted
a ridge he noted that the road made a
sharp turn. and he could not see what
was beyond it. He slowed up and
was making the turn, which was down
hill between high banks of yellow
clay, when his mettlesome horse heard
something to brighten him or SHE'D at
something and bolted.
The few bounds he took before
Duane's iron arm checked him were
4 enough to reach the curve. One
! flashing glance showed Duane the open
4 once more, little valley below with
wide. shallow, rocky stream, clump
4 of cottonwoods beyond, somber
\ group of men facing him, and two
D dark. limp, strangely grotesque figures
A hanging from branches.
4 The sight was common enough in
southwest Texas, but Duane had never
\ before found himself so unpleasantly
close.
i A hoarse voice pealed out: "By hell !
il there's another onep'
Stranger. ride down an account fer
4 yourself!" yelled another,
"Hands-up"
vi "Thet's right, Jack; don't take no
chances. Plug him"
These remarks were so swiftly ut
tered as almost to be continuous,
Duane was wheeling his horse when
4 rifle cracked. The bullet struck his
4 for he dropped the rein. The frighten-
4 ed horse leaped. Another bullet
n whistled past Duane. Then the bend
Z in the road saved him probably from
J certain death. Like the wind his fleet
steed went down the long hill.
buuuC was III llully W Iooh puSh.
He knew what to expect. His chief
concern of the moment was for his
injured arm. He found that the bones
\ were still intact; but the wound, hav-
| ing been made by soft bullet, was an
exceedingly bad one. Blood poured
from it. Giving the horse his head.
4 Duane wound his scarf tightly round
the holes, and with teeth and hand
1 tied 1t tightly. That done, he looked
\ back over his shoulder.
) Riders were making the dust fly on
! the hillside road. There were more
| coming round the cut where the road
4 curved. Duane needed only one glance
to tell him that they were fast and
hard-riding cowboys in a land where
/ all riders are good. They would not
! have owned any but strong, swift
horses. Moreover, 1t was district
where ranchers had suffered beyond
all endurance the greed and brutality
of outlaws. Duane had simply been so
unfortunate as to run right into a
D lynching party at time of all times
[ when any stranger would be in danger
/ and any outlaw put to his limit to
escape with his life.
Duane did not look back again till
\ he had crossed the ridgy piece of
!. ground and had gotten. to the level
IL road. He had gained upon his pur-
suers. When he ascertained this he
tried to save his horse, to check little
that killing gait. This horse was a
a magnificent animal, big, strong, fast;
but his endurance had never been put
h ITO grueling test. And that worried
Duane. His life had made 1t i'm
possible to keep one horse very long
Tat a time, and this one was an I'M
yjknown quantity.
y Duane had only one plan-the only
hsplan possible in this case--and that
f,was to make the river-bottoms, where
he might eiude his pursuers in the
willow brakes. Fifteen miles or so
fwould bring him to the river, and this
was not hopeless distance for any
n good horse If not too closely pressed
1S He began to hope and look for trail
m or a road turning off to right or left.
ElThere was none. A rough, mesquite
~ y lsfssttte. and yucca-sp!raa country az-
I blended away on either side. Duane
that he would be compelled to
\ lake to this hard going. One thing
i vas certain--he had to go round the
n billage. The river, however, was on
lkfhe outskirts of the village; ard once
XVI Il - ~, \, xuiIJnxyc hn would ha cofn