The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-05-10
C-tpTER XVI.
re- Esc Perry.

80 10y
Z SIn rszche6 her ron IL 3 fever &c
I s1c1ts.1e-.- Grzry a. Ds SJala- bitterly
E1xry - Gale. E.Ery with tie Do-o-
tZi1s. The zorld. and resel-fuily fight
Tx Ihe y.llo- q Whlch soe cred ksr-
szlf q sls@r.
Il TIE rDo-rlrg ever nerve vas q
edge. When her Cncle Duke. with lis
e5OIping EtfsTsncs- said something
fhOrr 20 hsr 81 ;he.r vs-y early brezk-
fast he uas surprised By a. answer
equally EbO-r- Her uocle retortsd
sharply. 4 sso0rd cz-r answer greet
q Lis rebuF. ald while lie s-zred az
Ler. Nan left TIE table and tie room.
Duke, .sking tEO q TIE zen s-ar--
e that morning FOR Sleepy Cat Efth
Ia tunch q cstrle. He rode a fractions
boTse. irf1ris-ed. as lis hCrses fre-
quel;ly were, b. his brutal treztDe-t.
bo.ted In q D0meat ungEarie1 - his
IVlastsr. and flung Duke q lis hack IN
strip q lava rocks.
The old rlan-ln the mountains q
fOTry-wEs heavy. and the fan q serl-
Gus one. lie picked himself Up wEile
the men were recovering lis hOrs@.
Knocked the horse over the head s-ith
piece Of jagged rock when the ri ghi-
ered beast vas brought back. climbed
into the saddle Gg1in, and rode al the
way into town.
But when his business vas done.
Duke, too. was done. He could neither
sit horse, nor cit In a wagOa- Sleepy
Cat was stirred az the news. and that
the man who had csfed everybody In
the mountains for twenty years should
have been laid low and sent 20 the
hospital By a mere broDeho was the
topic Of many comments. De Spain,
who was at Calabzsas. knew Nan
would lot be alarmed should her uncle
not return that night But early In the
morning q messenger from McAlpin
rode 20 her with & note telling her Of
the accident
Whatever his vices, Duke had been
/. good protector 20 his dead brothers
child. He had sent her 20 good schools
and tried 10 revive In her, despite heI
untOward surroundings, the better ira.
, dlliOns Of the family ss Il had once
fOur!sEed In Kentucky. Nan took the
saddle for Sleepy Cat In haste and
alarm. When she reached her uncle's
bedside she understood how seriously
he had been hurt, and the doctor;
warnings were lot needed 10 couvincc
her be must have care.
Duke refused 20 let her leave him
. in any case, and Nan relieved tbs
nurse, and, what was Of equal moment
made herself custodian Of the casl
In hand before Dukes town compan
Ions could get hold Of Il. Occasional
, trips 10 the gap were necessary as tbs
weeks passed and her uncle could not
be moved. These Nan had feared q,
Threatening an encounter either by &C
cident, or on his part designed. with
. De Spain. But the impending encoun
ter never took place. De Spain, at
. tending closely 10 bis own business
managed 10 keep accurate track Of hel
? whereabouts without getting In he
g way. She had come 10 Sleepy Ca
Z dreadlng 10 meet him aud fearing hi
} Influence over her. but this apprehen
sion, with the passing Of a curiOuslJ
{ brief period, dissolved into a conf
D dence In her ability 10 withstand fur
ther interference, on anyone's part
] with her feelings.
( Gale Morgan rode into town fre
D quently. and Nan at first painfully ap
: pretended hearing sometime Of dead
ly duel between her truculent gap ad
mlrer and her persistent town courtie
D who was more cOnsiderate and bet
u ter mannered. but no less dogEed, and
in fact, a good deal more difficult u
u handle.
As TO the boIsterous mountain man
: his resolute little cousin made DO Sc
a cret Of her detestatlOn OF him. Shi
denied and defed him as openly as
d girl could. and heard his threats will
e continued indifference. She was quit
c alone, too, In her fear Of any fata
meeting between the two men wit
seemed determined 20 pursue her.
p The truth was that after Calabasas
pe Spain, from Thief river TO sleep!
~ Cat, was a marked man. None sough
10 cross his path or his purposes, ans
n neither the town haunts Of Calabasa
men nor those Of their MorgnE Gal
q sympathlzers had any champion dis
. posed to follow too closely the aler
: Medicine Bend rallroader.
e In and about the hospital. and In III,
r town itself, Nan found the chief ob
: stacle TO her peace Of mind in the tall
$ she could not always avoid hearin.
about De Spain. Conyalescents In III,
o corridors, practically all Of them men
a never gathered in sunny corners or a