The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-05-26
"Not till somebody gags you, John, !"

'Not till somebody gags you, john"
lnterposed Elpaso modify.
Look here, Elpaso," demanded Le-
fever, squirting his horse smartly to-
ward the Texan, ''are you looking for
fight with me right here and now7"
Eyes, here and now" declared Ri.
paso fercely.
"Or, there and then" interposed
Kennedy, ironically, "some time, some.
where, or no time, nowhere. Having
heard all Of which, a hundred and fifty
times from you two fellows, let us have
peace. You've pulled it so often, over
ut Sleepy Cat, they've got it in double.
faced, red-seal records. Let's get
started"
"Right you are, Farrell" assented
Lefever, "but-"
Second verse, John. You're boss
here; what are we going to do? That's
all we want to know
"Henry's orders were to wait here
till ten o'clock this morning. There's
oeen firing inside twice since twelve
o'clock last night. He told me to pay
no attention to that. But if the whole
place hadn't been under water all
night, I'd have &c ne in, anyway. This
last time it was two high-powered
guns, picking at long range and, II I'm
any Judge Of rifles and the men prob
ably behind them, someone must have
got hurt. It's all guess-but I'm go
Ing in there, peaceably If can. to look
for Henry de Spain; If we are fired on
we've got to fight for it. And II
there's any talking to be done"
"You can do It," grunted Elpaso.
'Thank you, Frank. And will do 1t.
need not say that Kennedy will ride
ahead with me, Elpaso and Wickwire
with Tomnie Meggeson."
Leaving Scott in the trees, the little
party trotted smartly up the road,
picking their way through the pools
and across the brawling streams that
tore over the trail toward Duke Nor
gan's place. The condition of the trail
broke their formation continually and
Lefever, in the circumstances, was not
sorry. His only anxiety was to keep
Elpaso from riding ahead far enough
to embroil them in quarrel before he
himself should come up.
Halfway to Dukes house they found
small bridge had gone out. 1t cut of
the direct road, and, at Elpaso's sug-
gestion, they crossed over to follow the
ridge up the valley. Swimming their
horses through the backwater that COW
cred the depression to the south, they
gained the elevation and proceeded,
unmolested, on their way. AS they
approached Sassoon's place, Elpaso,
riding ahead, drew up his horse and sat
moment studying the trail and cast
Ing an occasional glance in the direc-
ton of the ranch-house, which lay I'M
/! der the brow Of q hill ahead.
When Lefever rode up to him, he
In the roadway. 1t told Of man shot
In his tracks as he was running toward
the house-and, In the judgment Of
these men, fatally shot-for, while his
companions spread like fan in front
Of him, Lefever got off his horse and,
bending intently over the sudden page
torn out of mans life, recast the
scene that had taken place, where he
stood, half an hour earlier. Some little
time Lefever spent patiently decipher-
Ing the story printed in the rutted road,
and marked by wide crimson splash
In the middle of 1t. He rose from his
study at length and followed back the
TROLL af tho fn0f tho+ ho1
stricken at the pool. He stopped in
front Of fragment Of rock jutting up
beside the road, studied it while and,
looking about, picked up number Of
empty cartridge-shells, examined them,
and tossed them away. Then he
Strengthened up and looked searching.
ly across the gap. Only the great,
silent face of Ri Captain confronted
him. It told no tales.
IF this was Henry de Spain," NUT.
tered Elpaso, when Lefever rejoined
his companions, "he won't care whether
you join him now, or at ten o'clock, OF
never"
"That is not Henry" asserted LIE.
fever with his usual cheer. mot with.
in forty rows Of apple trees. It's not
Henry's gun, not Henry's heels, not
Henry's hair, and thereby, not Henry's
head that was hit that time. But It
was to a f1nish-and blamed IL at first
it didn't scare me. thought 1T might
be Henry. Hang 1t, get down and see
for yourselves, boys"
Elpaso answered his invitation with
an inquiry. "Who was this fellow
fighting with?"
"That, also, is a question. Certainly
not with Henry de Spain, because the
other fellow, think, was using soft.
nosed bullets. No white man does that,
much less De Spain"
Sunless he used another rifle" suR.
gested Kennedy.
"Tell me how they could get his own
rifle away from him II he could fire q
gun at all. don't put Henry quite az
high with q rife as with q revolver