The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-06-21


man."
swell. I'm sorry. Pardaloe,' con-
tnued De Spain after n moment. NO
body could call it my fault. 1t was
either he or I--or the life OF a womaE
Who never harmed hair Of his head,
and woman I'm bound to protect. lie
was running when he was hit II he
had got TO cover again there was moth
ing to stop him from picking both OF
Us Off"
"HIe was hit in the head
De Spain was silent.
"It was a soft-nose bullet" contln-
ued Pardaloe.
Again there was a pause. "I'll tell
YOU about that. too, PardalOe," DE
Spain vent on collectedly. II lost my
rifle before that man opened fire on
US. Nan happened to have her riile
with her-if she hadn't. he'd We
dropped one or both OF us of FL Capt.
tan. We were pinned against the wall
Ike 6 couple Of targets. II there were
soft-nosc bullets In her rifle it's be
cause she uses them on game-bobcats
and mountain lions. ! never thought
of it till this minute. That Is It,"
"What / came up to tell you has TO
do with Dave Sassoon. From what
/ happened today in the gap ! thought
you ought to know 1t now. Gale and
Duke quarreled yesterday over the way
things turned out; they were pretty
bitter. This afternoon Gale took it up
again With his uncle, and it ended in
Dukes driving him clean out of the
gap
Where has he gone?'
Nobody knows yet. Ed Wickwire
/ told me once that your father was shot
from ambush a good many years ago.
1t was north Of Medicine Bend, on o
ranch near the Peace river; that you
never found out who killed him, and
that one reason why you came up into
| bis country was TO keep an eye out for
u c.Ue.'
"Wh1t about it?" asked De Spain.
his tore hardening.
~ was riding home one night about
a month ago frcm Calabasas with Sas'
/
do the talking. He began cussing you
out, and talked pretty hard about wha;
/ you'd done, and what he'd done, and
what he was going TO do" Nothing,
IL seemed, would hurry the story.
FINALLY, Sassoon says: That hound
don't know yet who got his dad. It
was Duke Morgan; that's who got him.
/ 7 x--fth Ttral- xtrh hn hn
trick. We rode down to De SPANS
ranch one night to look up d rustler.'
That" concluded Pardaloe. was all
Sassoon would say"
He stopped. He seemed to wait.
There was no word of answer, none Of
comment from the man sitting near
him. But. for one, at least, who heard
the passionless, monotonous recital OF
murder of the long ago, there fol-
lowed a silence as relentless as fate,
a silence shrouded in the mystery OF
the darkness and striking despair into
two hearts-a silence more fearful
than any word.
PardalOe shufIled his feet. He
coughed, but he evoked no response. 81
thought you was entitled to know,
he said finally. "Now that Sassoon win
never talk any more"
De Spain moistened his lips. When
he spoke his voice was cracked and
harsh, as if with what he had heard lie
had suddenly grown old.
You are right, Pardaloe. I thank
you. I-when lin the morning. Par
daloe, for the present, 60 back to the
gap. | VIII talk with Wickwire-to-
morrow"
Good night, Mr. de Spain.'
"Good night, Pardaloe."
Bending forward, limp, in his chair.
supporting his head vacantly on his
hands, trying TO think and fearing to
think, De Spain heard Pardaloe'5 meas
ured tread on the descending steps
and listened mechanically TO the re-
treating echoes of his footsteps down
the shaded street. Minute after min.
ute passed. De Spain made no move.
d. step so light that it could only havs
been the step of delicate gitlhood, 6
step free as the football of youth
poised as the tread of womanhood and
beauty, came down the stairs. Slight
as she was, and silent as he was, she
walked straight to him in the dark,
ness, and, sinking between his feet
wound her hands through his tive
arms. II heard everything, Henry
she murmured, looking up. An invol
untary start of protest was his only
response. II was afraid of plot
against you. l stayed at the head o
the stairs. Henry, l told you long agS
, some dreadful thing would come be
tween us-something not our fault
And now 1t comes 10 dash our cup OF
happiness when it is filing"
She stopped, hoping perhaps he
J would say some little word, that hs
would even pat her head, or press hei
hand, but he sat like one stunned. II,