Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-02-07
CHAPTER XIV.

Like a swift shadow and as noise
less Duane stole across the level
toward the dark wall of rock. Every
nerve was a strung wire. For little
while his mind was cluttered and
clogged with whirling thoughts, from
which, like flashing scroll, unrolled
the long, battling order Of action. The
game was now in his hands. He must
cross Mount Ord at night. The feat
was improbable, but 1t might be done.
He must ride into Bradford, forty
miles from the foothills, before eight
o'clock next morning. He must tele-
graph MacNelly to be In Val Verde
on the twenty-fifth. He must ride
back to Ord to intercept Kneil, face
him. and while the iron was hot strike
hard to win Poggin's half-won Interest
as he had wholly won Fletcher's.
Failing that last, he must let the out
laws alone to bide their time In Ord,
to be free to ride to their new Job
In Val Verde. In the meantime he
must plan to arrest Longstreth. It
was magnificent outline incredible,
allunng, unfathomable In its nameless
certainty. He felt like fate. He
seemed to be the iron consequences
falling upon these doomed outlaws.
Under the wall the shadows were
black. only the tips of trees and crags
showing yet he went straight to the
trail. 1t was merely grayness be
tween borders of black. He climbed
and never stopped. 1t did not seem
steep. His feet might have had eyes.
He surmounted the wall, and, looking
down into the ebony gulf pierced by
one point Of light, he lifted a menac-
ing arm and shook it. Then he strobe
on, and did not falter till he reached
the huge shelving cliffs. Here he lost
the trail there was none; but he re-
membered the shapes, the points, the
notches Of rock above. Before he
reached the ruins Of splintered ram
parts and jumbles of broken walls the
moon topped the eastern slope Of the
mountain, and the mystifying black
ness he had dreaded changed to magic
silver light. 1t seemed as light as day,
only soft, mellow, and the air held a
transparent sheen. He ran up the bare
ridges and down the smooth slopes,
and, like goat, jumped from rock to
rock. In this light he knew his way,
and lost no time looking for trail.
He crossed the divide, and then had
all dOwnhill before him. Swiftly he
descended, almost always sure of his
memory Of the landmarks. He did not
remember having studied them in the
ascent, yet here they were, even In
changed light, familiar to his sight.
What he had once seen was pictured
on his mind. And, true as deer
striking for home, he reached the can
yon where he had left his horse. Bull
let was quickly and easily found.
Duane threw on the saddle and pack,
cinched them tight, and resumed the
descent.
Hours passed as moments. Duane
was equal to his great opportunity.
But he could not quell that self in
him which reached back over the
lapse of lonely, soaring years and
found the boy in him. Duane knew
he was not just right in part Of his
mind. Small wonder that he was not
insane, he thought! He tramped on
downward his marvellous faculty
for covering rough ground and
- - p
never before even in flight so
keen and acute. Yet all the time
spirit was keeping step with him.
Thought of Ray Longstreth as he
had left her made him weak. He
saw her white face, with its sweet
sad lips and the dark eyes SO tender
and tragic.
Ito be Continued).