The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1917-05-10

dearest to you at homer
MY Uncle Duke"
''Then 1 never will raise a hand
against your Uncle Duke. And this
man, tonight-this cousin-GaIe? Nan,
what is that manT
Il hate him"
THANK God So do Ip'
"But he is a cousin"
Then l suppose he must be one of
mine"
Unless he tries to kill you"
HE won't be very long in trying
that. And now, what about yourselff
What have you got TO defend yourself
against him, and against every other
drunken manP'
She laid her own pistol without a
word in De Spain's hand. He felt it,
opened, closed, and gave it back.
THAT'S a good defender-when it's in
reach. When it's at home it's poor
one"
ut will never be at home again eI-
cept when 1 am"
Shall tell you a secretT'
what is it? asked Nan unsuspect-
ingIy.
1--WE are engaged to be married"
] She sprang from him like a deer. Its
dead secret" he said gravely; no
body knows it yet-not even you"
You need never talk again like
that If you want to be friends with
me-" she said Indignantly. Il hate
it"
Hate it If you will; it's so. And
it began when you handed me that
little bit Of lead and brass on the
mountain tonight, TO defend your life
and mine"
I'm hate you if you prosecute me
the way Gale does. The moon is
almost up. You must co.
'YOu haven't told me-" he persisted,
'hOw you got away at all" They had
walked out Of the trees. He looked
reluctantly TO the east. TEL me and
I'll CO." he promised.
after 1 went up to my room wait |
ed till the house was all quiet. Then |
started for Calabasas. When I came |
back 1 got up to my room without be
ing seen. and sat at the window a long /
time. waited till all the men stopped /
riding past. Then I climbed through |
the window and down the kitchen roof, |
and let myself down TO the ground. !
Some more men came past, and hid /
on the porch and slipped over TO the I
horse barns and found a hackamore, |
and went down to the corral and hunt |
ed around till I found this little pinto |
she's the best to ride bareback"
Il could ride razorback-why take /
all that trouble for meg
"f you don't start while you have /
a chance, you undo everything have I
tried to do to avoid a fight"
The wind, stirring softly, set the /
aspen leaves quivering. The stars, |
chilled in the thin. clear night air, I
hung diamondlike in the heavens and +
the eastern sky across the distant des-
ert paled for the rising moon. The
two, standing at the horses head. lis
tened a moment together in the dark
ness. De Spain, leaning forward, said /
something in q low, laughing voice.
Nan made no answer. Then, bending.
he took her hand and. before she could
release it caught it up to his lips.
For long time after he had gone
she stood, listening for a shot-won-
dering, GREATNESS at moments, wheth-
er he could get past the waiting traps.
De Spain, true TO all she had ever
heard of his Indianlike stealth. had
left her side unabashed and unafraid-
living, laughing, paying bold court TO
her even when she stubbornly refused
to be courted-and had made himself
in the twinkling of an eye a part of
the silence beyond-the silence of the
night, the wind. the stars, the waste
of sand. and of all the mystery that
brooded upon Ii. She would have well
coined, in her keen suspense, sound
of some kind, some reminder that he {
yet lived and could yet laugh; none
came.
Day was breaking when the night
boss, standing in the doorway at the
Calabasas barns, saw hOrseman rid
ing at leisurely pace up the Thief
River road. The barnman scrudnized
The approaching stranger closely.
There was something strange and
familiar in the outlines Of {
The figure. But when the night rider 5
had dismOunted in front of the barn
ioor, turned his horse loose, and. limp c
ne stifiy walked forward on foot. the '
nan rubbed his eyes hard before he i
,or,Id belipye Them Then no rrrars,7 I Y
IN incredulous greeting and led Henry I
ie Spain into the barn Office. L
There's friends of yours in your v
Dom upstairs right now" he declared. c
,ulging with shock. De Spain, sitting I
Town. forbade the barnman to disturb
hem, on'y asking who they were
Wheu ne had asked half a dozen q
more leisurely questions and avoided :
answering twice as many, the hartman O
It De SPANS request helped him up Z
tairs. Beside himself with excite
nent. the night boss turned. Crinning. Ii
IS he laid one hand on the dOorknob
nd the other on De Spain's shoulder. I
You couldn't have come. he whis- 2
,ered loudly. "at better time" Il
The entryway was dark. and from
he silence within the room one might 9
ave thought its occupants, If there
,ere such. wrapped in slumber. But
{ intervals faint clicking sound o
ould be heard. The night man threw q
pen the door. BY the light of two
tuge-Iamps one set on the dresser 81
nd the other on window ledge. four