, 1917-12-27

CHAPTER xxIx.-continued.

hiSteh, I1tuEy, Diedueu NH, Seek
Ing shelter from the furious blast
within his erm, "just for a moment,
listen"
mot now, 1 tell you'll" cried De
Spain.
"He was coming, Henry, all the way
and he Is sick-just to say 1t to you.
Let him say it here. now"
G onw cried De Spain roughly.
"Say it,"
"Tm not afraid of you, De Spain !"
shouted the old man, his neck barred to
the flying ice. "Don't think It'll You're
a better man than i am, better than l
ever was-don't think 1 don't know
that. But I'm not afraid of e'er a
nan 1 faced. De Spain; they'l tell
you that when I'm dead. All the
trouble that ever come tween you and
me come by an accident-come before
you was born, n come through Dave
Sassoon, and he's held it over me ever
since you come up into this country.
was a young fellow. Sassoon worked
for my father. The cattle and sheep
war was on, north of Medicine Bend.
The Peace river sheepmen raided u
place-your father was with them. He
never did us no harm. but my brother,
Bay Morgan, was shot in that raid by
a man name of Jennings. 1 started
out to get the man that shot him. Sas-
soon trailed him to the Bar M, the old
De Spain ranch, working for your ia
ther."
The words fell fast and in a fury.
They came as If they had been choked
back till they strangled. "Sassoon
took me e there. Toward night we
got In sight of the ranchhouse. We
saw a man down at the corral. That's
jennings Sassoon says. / never laid
eyes on him before-I neve laid eyes
on your father before. Both of us
fired. Next day we heard your father
was killed, and Jennings had left the
country. Sassoon or i, of us, killed
your father, De Spain. If 1t was !,
/ did 1t never knowing who he was,
V meaning to touch him. l was
after the man that killed my brother.
Sassoon didn't care which 1t was, never
did, then nor never. But he held 1t
over me to make trouble sometime
'twtxt you and me. / was a young fell
low. / thought / was revenging my
brother. And If you. father was
killed by a patched bullet, his blood Is
not on me, De Spain, and never was.
Sassoon always shot a patched bullet.
1 never shot one in my life. And I'd
never told you this of my own self.
Nan said 1t was the whole truth from
me to you, or her life. She's as much
mine as h is yours. / nursed her.
/ took care of her when there weren't
no other living soul to do 1t. She got
me and herself out into this, this,
morning. I'd never been caught like
this If I'd had my way. 1 told her
fore we'd been out an hour we'd never
see h end of 1t. She said shed rather
die In 1t than you'd think she quit you.
l told her I'd go on with her and do
as she said-that's why we're here,
and that's the whole truth, so help me
Godl
81 ain't afraid of you, De Spain. I'll
give you whatever you thinks coming
to you with a rife or a gun any time,
anywhere-you're a better man thar l
am or ever was, / know that-and that
ought to satisfy you. Or. I'll stand
my trial, If you say so, and tell the
truth
The ice-laden wind, as De Spain
stood still, swept past the little group
with a sinister roar insensible alike to
Its emotions n Its deadly peril.
Within the shelter of his arm he felt
Che yielding form of the indomitable
girl who, by the power of love, had
wrung from the outlaw his reluctant
Btory-the story of the murder that
had stained with its red strands the
relations of each OF their lives to both
the others. He felt against his heart
the faint trembling of her frail body.
So, when n boy, he had held in his
hand Il huttering bird and felt the
whirring beat of its frightened heart
against his strong, cruel fingers.
A sudden aversion to more blood.
shed, a sickening of vengeance, swept
over him as her heart mutely beat for
mercy against his heart. She had
done more than any man could do.
Now she waited on him. Both his
arms wrapped round her. In the breath
less embrace that drew her closer she
read her answer from him. She looked
up into his eyes and waited. ''There's
more than whats between you and me,
Duke, facing us now" said De Spain
sternly, when he turned. We've got
to get Nan out of this-even if we
don't get out ourselves. Where do you
figure We areP' he cried.
81 figure we're two miles north of
the lava beds, De Spain" shouted Nor
gan
De Spain shook his head in dissent.
"Then where are wei" demanded the
older man rudely.
Il ought not to say, against you.
Ani IL INn mnt To nInnnr 1 con tnrn