The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-03-24

| MY cousin is wounded" she said,
pausing. And then with indecision:
IF you stay here quietly you are not
likely to be molested."
She stepped down from the ledge
as noiselessly as she had come. Shaken
BY the discovery she had so unexpect-
edly made, Nan retreated almost pre-
eipitately from the spot. And the
question Of what to do worried her as
much as it worried De Spain. The
whole range had been shaken by the
Calabasas fight. Even the men in
Morgan's gap, supposed. to be past
masters of the game played in the
closed room at Calabasas, had been
stunned by the issue of the few min
ates with Jeffries' new man.
Nan, who had heard but one side of
the story, pictured the aggressor from
the tale Of the two who lived to tell
Of the horribly sharp action with him.
But Mans common sense whispered to
her, whatever might be said about De
SPANS starting the fight, that one man
locked in room with four enemies, all
dangerous in an ARRAY, was not likely
to begin fight unless forced to-
none, at least, but mailman would do
70.
Unhappy and irresolute, Nan, when
she got home, was glad Of an excuse
to ride to Calabasas for a packet Of
dressing coming by stage from Sleepy
Cat for Gale, who lay wounded at Satt
horgan's; and, eating a hasty lunch
con, she ordered her horse and set out.
Should she tell her Uncle Duke Of
hnding De Spain2 Whenever she de-
cided that she must, something in the
recollection Of De SPANS condition I'M
settled her resolution. Tales enough
Of his bl0odthirstiness, his merciless
efficiency, his ever-ready craft and con-
summate duplicity were familiar to
her. Yet only few Of these stories
appealed to Mans innate convictions
Of truth and justice. She lived among
men who were, for the most part, not
truthful or dependable. even in small
things-hOw could they be relied on to
tell the truth about De SPANS motives
and conduct? AS to his deadly skill
with arms, no stories were needed to
confirm this, even though she herself
had once overcome him in a contest.
The evidence Of his mastery had now
q fatal pre-eminence among the TRACE
dies Of the Spanish sinks. Where he
lay he could, if he meditated revenge
on her people, murder any Of them, all
most at will. 10 spare his life imper-
lied to this extent theirs-but surely
he lay not far from death by exhass-
ton. And if he was not helped soon
he would die.
But who was to help him? Certainly
none Of his friends. If she told them
they would try to reach him. That
would mean an appalling-an unthink.
Rble-fght. All came back to one ter.
rifying alternative: Should she help
this wretched man herself? And If he
lived, would he repay her by shooting
someone Of her own kin?
The long ride to Calabasas went fast
as the debate swept on, and the vivid
shock Of her strange experience re.
Cured to her imagination.
She drew up before the big barn.
Jim McAlpin was coming out to go to
supper. Nan asked for her package
ana wanted to start directly back
again. McAlpin refused absolutely ia
rear OF it. lie lool,sl at her horse ;irn
,r"fessed to be shocked. He told her
she had ridden hard, urged her to dis
mount, and sent her pony in to be
rubbed. While her horse was cared
for, McAlpin asked, in his harmless
Scotch way, about Gale.
Concerning Gale, Nan was noncon-
mitta. But she listened with interest,
more ur less yelled, to whatever run.
ming comment McAlpin had to offer
concerning the Calabasas fight. Sand
[ was sorry to see Gale mixed up in it,"
he concluded, in his effort to draw Nan
out, "sorry. And sorricc to think of
Henry de Spain getting killed that
way. Some say" he suggested, look
ing significantly toward the door of
the barn, and significantly away again,
"that Henry went down there to pick a
fight with the boys. But" he asserted
graphically, II happen to know that
wasn't So"
"Then what did he go down there
eor?" demanded Nan Indignantly, but
not warily.
McAlpin, the situation now in hand,
took his time to it. He leaned forward
In manner calculated to invite conf.
dence without giving offense. "Miss
Man," said he simply, "Henry de Spain
was here, with me, sitting right there
where you are sitting, in that chair,
not fifteen minutes before that fight
began. I told you he never went down
there to fight. Do you want the proofi
I'll tell you'll wouldn't want anybody
else to know-will you keep it?"
Nan seemed Indifferent. "Girls are
not supposed tolkeep secrets" she said
obstinately.
Her narrator was not to be baked.
He pointed to the coat-rack on the