The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-05-19
G NAN Of 9
MUSIC MOUNTAIN !.
By Ffdnk Il. SDedrmdn.
Author Of Whispering Smith
Author Of whispering Smith

tude. His rage subsidized, but only to
t be followed by settled gloom that
A they knew might burst into uncon-
i trollable anger at any moment.
A report reached McAlpin that Gale
4 Morgan was making ready to return to
a Music mountain with the remnant OF
e Sandusky's gang, to make demand
/, on Duke for certain property and
partnership adjustments. This rumor
t he telephoned to Jeffries. Before talk
a ing with De Spain, Jeffries went oeer
r the information with Lefever. The TWO
agreed 1t was right, in the circam-
: stances, that De Spain should be near
8 er than Sleepy Cat to Nan. Moreover,
the period of waiting she had enjoined
. on him was almost complete.
Without giving De Spain the story
! fully, the two men talking before him
, let the discussion drift toward pro-
: posal on his part to go down to Gala
basas, where he could more easily keep
track of any movement to or from the
gap, and this they approved. De Spain,
already chatting under a hardly en-
dured restraint, lost no time In start
ing for Calabasas, directing Lefever to
follow next day.
1t added nothing to his peace of
mind in the morning to learn definitely
from McAlpin that Gale Morgan, with
in twenty-four hours, had really disap-
Deared from Calabasas. No word of
any kind had come from Music noun
was aware even that Nan had gone
into the gap again. Bob Scott was at
Thief River. De Spain telephoned to
him to come up on the early stage, and
turned his attention toward getting in
formation from Music mountain with
out violating Mans injunction not to
Illustrate her most delicate effort with
her uncle.
AS a possible scout to look into her
present situation and report on it, Nc
Alpin could point only to Bull Page.
Bull was ready instrument, but his
present value as an assistant had be-
come a matter of doubt, since prac-
tically every man In the gap had
threatened within the week to blow his
: head off--though Bull himself felt no
scruples against making an attempt to
! reach Music mountain and get back
, again. 1t was proposed by the canny
McAlpin to send him in with team
, and light wagon, ostensibly to bring
. out his trunk, which, If it had not been
fed to the horses, was still in Dukes
barn. AS soon as rig could be got up
Page started out.
, 1t was late November A far, clear
air drew the snow-capped ranges
sharply down to the eye of the desert
as If the speckless sky, lighted by the
radiant sun, were but monster glass
: rugged to trick the credulous retina. De
Spain, in the saddle In front of the
barn, his broad hat brim set on the
impassive level of the western horse
man, his lips seeming to compress his
thoughts, his lines over his forearm,
$ and his hands half-slipped into the
!, pockets of his snug leather coat,
g watched Page with his light wagon and
, horses drive away.
{ 1dling around the ueighborhood of
the barns in the saddle De Spain saw
him gradually recede into the long
desert perspective, the perspective
: which almost alone enabled the watch.
T. er to realize as he cuctained his eyes
s behind their long, steady lashes from
o the blazing sun, that 1t was a good bill
u Of way to the foot Of the great out
y post of the Superstition range.
o De SPANS restlessness prevented his
remaining quietly anywhere for long
e AS the morning advanced he cantereC
u out on the Music mountain trail, think
y ing of and wishing fer sight of Nan
II The deadly shock of Pardaloe's STORY
d had been dulled by days and nights OF
o pain. His deep-rooted love and his
q loneliness had quieted his impulse fol
It vengeance and overborne him with +
- profound sadness. He realized how
IL different his feelings were now from
e what they had been when she knelt be
II fore him In the darkened room and. no
10 daring to plead for mercy for her uncle
had asked him only for the pity fol
L herself that he had seemed so SLOW
=, u to give. Something reproached hin
now for his GOODNESS at the momen
= that he should have thought of he,
suffering before his own,
. 1t was while riding In this way tha
= his eyes, reading mechanically tbt
. wagon trail he was almlessly following
- for no reason other than that i
- brought him, though forbidden, l;ttl,
, closer to her-arrested his attention
i. He checked his horse. Something thu
;, trail told him, had happened. Pag,
had stopped his horses. Page had me
- two men on horseback coming from tn,
= gap. After q parley--tor the horse.
: had tramped around long enough fo,
:, one--the wagon had turned completel,
= from the trail and struck acroAx I'll,
desert, north; the two horsemen, OF
= one with led horse. had started bacl
for the gap.
u All Of this De Spain gathered with
y out moving his horse outside circle O,
Is thirty feet. What did it naean7 PAGE
y might have fallen in with cronies from
u the gap. abandoned his Job, and start
y ed for Sleepy Cat. but this was unlike