Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-05-18

tuul nc Culleu tHelF Dencn. IL WAS
here he had made his unrebuked
avowal-here, he had afterward told
her, that he began to live. Give you
up" he echoed with gentleleSs. "IlOw
could do that? You're like the morn
ing for me, Nan. Without you there
no day; you're the kiss Of the noun
tain WIND and the light Of the Stars
to me. Without the thought Of YOU
I'd sicken and faint in the saddle, ia
lose my way in the hills; without you
there would be no tomorrow. No mat.
ter where | am, no matter how feel,
IL think of you strength wells ilto
my heart like spring. never could
give you up"
He told her all would be well be-
cause it must be well; that she must
trust him; that he would bring her
safe through every danger and every
storm, IL she would only stick to him.
And Nan, sobbng her fears one by one
out on his breast, put her arms around
his neck and whispered that for life or
DEATH she would stick.
1t was not hard for De Spain next
morning to find Duke Morgan. The
difficulty was to meet him without the
mob of hangcrS-on whose appetite had
been whettel with the prospect Of Il
death. and perhaps more than one, In
the meeting of men whose supremacy
with the gun had never been success.
fully disputed. It required all the
diplomacy Of Lefeyer 10 pull off, u
conference between the two which
should Tot from the start be hofelosS
because Of n crowd Of Dukes pGrtISans
whose presence would egg him on, in
spite of everything, TO Il combat.
But toward eleven o'clock In the
morning, De Spain having been CON
cealed like a circus performer during
every minute earlier Duke Morgan was
found, alone, in BARRIERS hands in the
Mountain house. At the moment Duke
left the revolving chair aud walked to
the cigar stand to pay his check, De
Spain entered the shop through the
rear door opening from the hotel office.
Passing with an easy step the row
of BARRIERS lined up in waiting beside
their chairs, De Spain walked straight
down the open aisle behind Morgan's
back. While Duke bent over the case
to select a cigar, De Spain. passing,
placed himself at the mOuntain-mans
side and between him and the street
sunshine. II was taking an advantage,
De Spain was well aware, but under
the circumstances he thought himself
entitled to a good light on Dukes eye.
De Spain wore an ordinary sack
street suit, with no sign Of a weapon
about him but none of those who con-
sidered themselves favored spectators
of Il long-awaited encounter felt any
doubt us TO his ability to put his hand
on one at iucomparably short notice.
There was, however, no trace OF hos
tility or suspicion in DE SPANS greet
ing.
Hello, Duke Morgan" he said frank
ly. Morgan looked around. His face
hardened when he saw De Spain and
he inyoun.ariy took short step
backward. De spain, with his left hand
lying careles,ly on The cigar ease,
faced him. Il heard sou waited TO
see me- continued De Spain. u wlnt
to see you. Hows your back since you
went home?'
Morgan eyed him with a mixture of
suspicion and luminosity. lie took what
was to him the most significant part Of
De SpaiL's greeting first and threw his
response into words rs short MS words
could be chopped: "Nhat do you want
to see me about?'
Nothing unpleasant, | hope" re-.
turned De Spain. Lets sit down a
minute"
"Say what you got to say"
well, don't take my hend off, Duke
was sorry to hear you were hurt. And
I've been trying TO figure out how to
make 1t easier for you TO get to and
from town while you are getting strong.
Jeffries and | both feel there's been
lot of unnecessary hard feeling be-
tween the MorgaES AM the company,
and we want to ask you to accept this
to show some of it's ended" De Spain
put his left hand into his side pocket
and held out nm unsealed envelope to
Morgan. Duke, taking the envelope,
eyed it distrustfully. whats this"
he demanded, opening it and drawing
out card.
Something for easter riding. An
annual pass for you and one over the
stage line between CalabaSas and
Sleepy Cat--with MIR. Jeflries compi-
ments."
Like a flash, Morgan tore the card
pass in two and threw II angHly to the
floor. "Tell Mr. Jeffries," he ex-
claimed violently, to"
The man that CHANGED at that mo.
ment to be lying In the nearest chair .
slid quietly but imperlouSly out from
under the razor and started with the
BARRIERS for the rear door, wiplng the
lather from one unshaven side Of his
face with neck towel as he took his
hasty way. At the back of the
shop fat man, sitting in chair on
the high, shoe-shining platform, while
a negro boy polished him, rose ut Nor
gan's imprecation and tried to step
over the bootblack's head to the floor
below. The boy, trying to get out of the
way, jumped back, and the fat man fell,
or pretended to fall, over him-for 1t
might be seen that the man, despite his
size, had lighted like cat on his feet
and was instantly halfway up to the
front of the shop, exclaifning profane-
ly but collectively at the lads awk-
wardness, before De Spain had had
time to reply to the insult.