Mexico Missouri message., 1917-06-14
CHAPTER XxIx.-continued.
Copyright by Charles scrlbners sOns)

listen, Henry" pleaded Nan, seek
Tng shelter from thd furious blast
within his Grm, "just for moment,
fistenw
"Not now, tell ydu" cried De
Spain.
ale was coming, Henry, all the way
and he Is sick-just to say 1t TO you.
Let him say it here nOw,"
"GO On!" cried De Spain roughly.
@'Say It,"
"Tm not afraid Of you, De Spainy
shouted the old man, his neck barred to
the flying Ice. Don't think It'll You're
better man than / am, better than /
ever was--don't think don't know
that But I'm not afraid of e'er n
man I faced. De Spain; they'll 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.
4 was u young fellow. Snssoon worked
for my father. The cattle and sheep
war was on, north of Medicine Bend.
The Peace river sheepmen raided our
place-yOur father was with them. He
never did us no harm. but my brother,
Bay Morgan, was shot in that raid by
a man name of Jennings. 1 started
out to get the man that shot him. Sas-
soon trailed him to the Bar NJ, the old
De Spain ranch, working for your ia
ther."
The words fell fast and in n fury.
They came as If they had been choked
back till they strangled. "SassoOn
took me over there. Toward night we
got in sight of the ranchhouse. We
saw man down at the corral. That's
Jennings SassoOn says. never laid
eyes on him before-I never laid eyes
on your father before. Both of us
fred. Next day we heard your father
was killed, and Jennings had left the
country. SassoOn or /, one of us, killed
yotr father, De Spain. If 1t was /,
I did 1t never knowing who he was,
never meaning to touch him. l was
after the man that killed my brother.
SasSoon didn't care which it was, never
did, then nor never. But he held it
over me to make trouble sometime
'twlxt you and me. was young fell
low. I thought was revenging my
brother. And If your father was
KILLED by a patched bullet, his blood is
not on me, De Spain, and never was.
SasSoOn always shot patched bullet.
I never shot one in my life. And I'd
never told you this of my own self.
Nan said 1t was the whole truth from
me to you, or her life. She's as much
mine as she Is yours. l nursed her.
j took care of her when there weren't
no other living soul to do 1t. She got
me and herself out into this, this,
morning. I'd never been caught like
this H. I'd had my way. l 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.
I told her I'd go on with her and do
as she said-that's why we're here,
and that's the whole truth, so help me
God!
Il amt afraid Of you, De Spain. TIL
give you whatever you thinks coming
to you with q rife or gun any time,
anywhere-you're better man than /
am or ever was, know that-and that
ought to satisfy you. Or, I'll stand
my trial, If 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
its emotions and It's 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 It's 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 fluttering bird and felt the
whirring beat of its frightened heart
against his strong, cruel fingers.
A sudden aversion to more blood
rshed, a sickening 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. Sine looked
up into his eyes and waited. "Theres
more than what's between you and me,
Duke, facing US now," said De Spain
.sternly, when he turned. "We've got
to get Nan out Of thls-even If we
don't get out ourselves. Where do you
figure we are2" 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
Then where are wei" demanded the
Older man rudely.
Il ought not to say, against you.
aBut II I've got TO guess, 1 say two
miles east. Either way, we must try