The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-02-15
CHAPTER xxIII-continued
ID


"Wal, because there amt any use
Ter you to git In bad, too. The gang
will ride over here any day. II
they're friendly I'll light fire on the
hill there, say three nights from to-
night. If you don't see 1t thet night
you hit the trail. I'll do what 1 can.
Jim Fletcher sticks to his pals. So
long, Dodge"
He left Duane in a quandary. This
news was black. At the moment
Duane did not know which way to
turn, but certainly he had no idea
of going back to Bradford. Friction
between the two great lieutenants of
Cheseldinel Generally such matters
were settled with guns. Duane gath
cred encouragement even from dlsas-
ter. If Knell knew anything 1t was
that this stranger in ord, this new
partner of Fletcher's, was no less than
Buck Duane. Well, II was about time,
thought Duane, that he made use of
his name If II were to help him at oil.
That name had been MacNelly's hope.
He had anchored all his scheme to
ride off after Fletcher and stay with
him. This, however, would hardly be
fair to an outlaw who had been fair to
him. Duane concluded to await devel-
opments, and when the gang rode in
to Ord, probably from their various
hiding places, he would be there ready
to be denounced by KneI. Duane
could not see any other elimination of
this series of events than a meeting
between Knell and himself. If that
terminated fatally for Knell there was
all probability of Duanes being In no
worse situation than he was now. If
Poggin took up the quarrel Here
Duane accused himself ugaln-tried in
vain to revolt from judgment that he
was only reasoning out excuses to
meet these outlaws.
Meanwhile, instead of waiting, why
not hunt up Cheseldine in his noun
tain retreat? The thought no sooner
struck Duane than he was hurrying
for his horse.
In an hour he struck the slope Of
Mount Ord, and as he climbed he got
among broken rocks and cliffs, and
was hard put to 1t to find the trail.
He halted at little side-canyon with
grass and water, and here he made
camp. And on this night, lonely like
the ones he used to spend in the
Nueces gorge, and memorable of them
because of likeness to that old hid
ing-place, he felt the pressing return
of old haunting thlngs-the past so
long ago, wild flights, dead faces
and the places Of these were taken
by one quiveringly alive, white, tragic,
with its dark, intent, speaking eyes
Ray Longstreth's.
That last memory he yielded to un-
til he slept.
In the morning, satisfied that he
had left still fewer tracks than he had
followed up this trail, he led his
horse up to the head of the canyon
into narrow crack in low cliffs, ant
with branches of cedar fenced him In
Then he went back and took up the
trail on foot.
Without the horse he made bettel
time. Once, through a wide gateway
between great escarpments, he saw th'
lower country beyond this, vast ant
clear as 1t lay in his sight, was th'
great river that made the Big Bend
He rounded juttlng corner, wher'
view had been shut off, and present.!
came out upon the rim of high wall
Beneath, like a green gulf seei
through blue haze, lay an amphitheate
walled In on the two sides he coul'
see. 1t lay perhaps q thousand fee
below him; and, plain as all the othe
features of that wild environment
there shone out a big red stone o
adobe cabin, white water shlnin
away between borders, and horse
and cattle dottlng the levels. 1t wa
a peaceful, beautiful scene. Duan
could not help grinding his teeth q
the thought Of rustlers living in quie
and ease.
Duane worked halfway down {
the level, ard, well hidden In nlch'
he seated himself to watch both ira
and valley.
The sun went down behind III
wall, and shadows were born in III
darker places OF the valley. Duan
began to want to get closer to thi
cabin. Still he fingered. And suddel
ly his wide-roving eye caught sight
two horsemen riding up the vale
They must have entered at poil
below, round the huge ah1tment
rock. beyond Duane's range of sigh
Their horses were tired and stopp6
at the stream for n long drink.
Duane left his perch, took to II
steep trail, and descended as fast
he could without making noise.
did not take him long to reach q
valley floor. 1t was almost lew
with deep grass. and here and the
clunps of bushes. Twilight was |
ready thick down there. Duai
marked the location Of the trail. al
then began 10 slip like shade