The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-05-12

I SLOW aid be happen to carch rs OF
FL Captain
/ HE saw Ere on Music mountain
and watched the lower end of the gar
all night. Sassoon was wide-awake
man."
| "Weil, I'm sorry. Pardaloe," con
tinued De Spain after moment. "No
body could cali 1t my fault. 1t was
| either he or Tor the life of a woman
who never harmed d hair of his head
and u woman I'm bound to protect. He
was running when he was hit. Ii he
had got to cover again there was moth.
ing to stop him from picking both OF
us off,
HE was hit in tie head"
| De Spain was silent.
| ut was soft-nose bullet" contin-
ned Pardaloe,
Again there was a pause. I'll tell
| you about that, too, Pardaioe,a De
Spain went on collectedly. II lost my
rifle before that man opened fire on
us. Nan happened to have her rife
with her--if she hadn't, he'd We
dropped one or both OF us off Ell Capt.
tan. We were pinned against the wall
like couple Of targets. II there were
soft-nose bullets in her rife it's be-
cause she uses them on game bobcats
and mountain lions. / never thought
of it till this minute. That Is It."
"What / came up to tell you has to
do with Dave Sassoon. From what
happened today In the gap thought
you ought TO know It nov. Gale and
Duke quarreled yesterday over the way
things turned out; they were pretty
bitter. This afternoon Gale took 1t up
again with his. uncle, and it ended In
Dukes driving him clean out ct the
gap"
where has he gomez"
Nobody knows yet. Ed Wickwisr
told me once that your father was shot
from ambush a good many years age.
1t was north of Medicine Bend, on a.
ranch near the Peace river; that you
never found out who killed him, and
that one reason why you came up into
this country was to keep an eye out for
a clue"
"What about It'll" asked De Spain,
his tone hardening.
Il was riding home one night about
a month ago from Calabasas with Sas-
soon. He'd been drinking. let him
do the talking. He began cussing you
out, and talked pretty hard about what
you'd done, and what he'd done, and
what he was going to do" Nothing
it seemed, would hurry the story. |
FINALLY, Sassoon says: THAT hound
don't know yet who got his dad. II |
was Duke Morgan; that's who got him.
was with Duke when he turned the
trick. We rode down to De Spaine
ranch eze night to lock up a rustler.'
That" concluded Pardaloe, twas all |
SassOon would eay."
He stopped. He seemed to- wait.
There was no word of answer. none OF
comment from the man sitting nea, /
him. But, for one. at least, who heard
tha Haeasianlesa rilanntnna,la recital ri
murder OF the long ago, there fol
lowed silence ns relentless as tate,
q silence shrouded In the mystery Of
the darkness and striking despair Into
two hearts-a silence more fearful
than any word
Pardal0e Ehuffied his feet. Hn
coughed, but he evoked no response. II
thought you was entitled to know,a
he said finally. Nov that Sassoon viii |
never talk any more"
De Spain moistened his lips. Whes
he spoke his voice was cracked ana
harsh, as If with what he had heard hs
had suddenly grown old.
"You are right, Pardaloe. / THANH
you. when lin the morning. Par
daloe, for the present, go back to the
gap. ] will talk with Wickwire-- to
Good night, Mr. dc Spain"
Good night, Pardaloe."
Bending forward, limp, In his chnir
supporting his head vacantly on hid
hands, trying to think and fearing I'd
think, De Spain heard Pardaloe's lneaE
ured tread on the descending steps
ana listened mechanically to this re-
treating echoes of his footsteps down
the shaded street. Minute after min.
ute passed. De Spain made no move.
A step so light that it could only have
Deen the step of delicate girlhood. a
step free as the football of youth.
poised as the tread of womanhood and
beauty, came down the stairs. Slight
as she was, and silent as he was, she
walked straight to him In the dark.
ness, and, sinking between his feet.
wound her hands through his two
arms. Il heard everything, Henry.~
she murlnured, looking up. An invoI.
1ntary start OF protest was his only
response. Il was afraid of a plot
against you. stayed at the head of
Inc stairs. Henry, I told you long ago
some dreadful thing would come ba.
.Ween something not our fault
and now 1t comes to dash our cup of
happiness when it is filing"
She stopped, hoping Eerhaps he
would say some little word. that he
NOfild nuay. me - = - |