The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-07-05
Nan @
Music
Mountain
By
FRANK II. SPEARMAN
Author Of WHISPERING SMITH
*1.*t:*t..:t NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
,Copyrisht by Charles serIbnors sons)
CHAPTER xxlx.-contInued.

CHAPTER xxlx.-Continued.
is
"Listcn, Henry" pleaded Nan, seek
Ing shelter from the furious blast
within his Crm, "Just for u moment,
listcnl'
"Not now, l tell you'll" cried De
Spain.
ale was coming, Henry, all the way
and he Is sick-just to say IL to you.
Let him say 1t here, now"
"Go 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 I'll You're
better man than ! am, better than
ever wns-don't think / don't know
that. But I'm not afraid of eer Il
man | faced. De Spain; they1 tell
you that when I'm dead. All the
trouble that ever come tween you and
me come by an accldent-come before
you was born, and come through Dave
Sassoon, and he's held 1t over me ever
since you come up into this country
was n young fellow. Sassoon worked
for my father. The cattle and sheep
war was on, north of Medicine Bend.
The Peace river sheepmcn raidcd our
place-your father was with them. He
never did us no harm. but my brother,
Bay Morgan, was shot In that raid by
man name of Jennings. / started
out to get the man that shot him. Sass
soon trailed him to the Bar NJ, the old
DE Spain ranch, working for your fa-
ther."
The words fell fast and in a fury.
They came MS IL they had been choked
back till they stranglcd. "Sassoon
took rne over there. Toward night we
got In sight of the ranchhousc. We
saw n man down at the corral. That's
Jennings Sassoon says. / never laid
eyes on him beforc-I never 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 ], one of us, killed
your father, De Spain. II 1t was |,
did II never knowing who he was.
never meaning 20 touch him. | was
after the man that killed my brother.
Sassoon didn't care which IL was. never
did, then nor never. But he held Il
over me to make trouble sometime
'twlxt you and me. ! was young fell
low. thought / was rcvcngng my
brother. And If your father was
killed by patched bullet. his blood is
not on me. De Spain, and never was.
Sassoon always shot patched bullet.
j never shot one In my life. And I'd
never told you this Of my own self.
Nan said II was the whole truth from
me to you, or her life. She's as much
mine as she Is yours. / nursed her.
took care of her when there weren't
no other living soul TO do II. She got
me and herself out into this. this.
morning. I'd never been caught like
this If I'd had my way. / told her
fore we'd been out an hour we'd never
see the end of It. She said she'd rather
die In 1t than you'd think she quit you.
told her I'd go on with her and do
ns she said-that's why we're here.
and that's the whole truth, so help me
God!
81 amt afraid OF you, De Spain. I'll
give you whatever you thinks coming
TO you with a rifle or n gun any time,
snywhere-you're acbetter man than |
am or ever was, know that-and that
ought to satisfy you. or, I'll stand
my trial, II you say so, and tell the
truth"
The ice-laden wind, as De Spain
stood still, swept past the little group
with sinister roar, insensible alike to
It's emotions and its deadly peril.
Within the shelter of his arm he felt
the yielding form of the indomitable
girl who, by the power of love, had
wrung from the outlaw his reluctant
story-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 a boy, he had held In his
hand a fluttecing bird and felt the
whlrring beat of its frightened heart
against bis strong, cruel fingers.
A sudden aversion to more blood
shed, slckenlng 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 what's between you and me,
Duke, facing us now," said De Spain
sternly. when he turned. "We've got
10 get Nan out Of this-even II we
don't get out ourselves. Where do you
ngure we are?" he cried.
IL figure we're two miles north Of
the lava beds. De Spain." shouted Nor
gan.
De Spain shook his head In dissent.
'~rhen where are wel" demanded the