The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1917-07-12
lCopyrIsht By cnarleg gerIbper.s son.,
cHAPTER XXIX.-contlnued.

'hS Sheiler from the furious bias
within his arm, Just fcs moment
listen"
mot now, tell your cried Dc
Spain.
'He was coming, Henry, all the way
and he is sick-just to say it to you
Let him say it here. now"
go on" cried De Spain roughly
"Say it."
I'm not afraid of you, De Spain p
shouted the old man, his neck barred ia
the flying ice. Don't think it! You're
a better man than l am, better than |
ever was-don't think | don't know
that. But I'm not afraid of e'er a
man l faced. De Spain; they'll tell
you that when I'm dead. All the
trouble that ever come tween you and
me come by an accident-come before
you was born, and come through Dave
Sassoon, and he's held it over me ever
since you come up into this country
was young fellow Sassoon worked
for my father. The cattle and sheen
war was on, north of Medicine Bend.
The Peace river sheepmen raided our
place-yOur father was with them. He
never did us no harm. but my brother,
Bay Morgan, was shot in that raid by
a man name of Jennings. started
out TO get the man that shot him. Sas-
soon trailed him to the Bar NJ. the old
De Spain ranch, working for your IA
Their"
The words fell fast and in a fury.
They came as if they had been choked
back till they strangled. "Sassoon
took me over there. Toward night we
got in sight of the ranchhouse. We
saw man down at the corral. That's
Jennings Sassoon says. l never laid
eyes on him befOre-I never laid eyes
on your father before. Both of us
fired. Next day we heard your father
was killed, and Jennings had left the
country. SassOon or l, one of US, killed
your father, De Spain. If it was |.
| did it never knowing who he was.
never meaning to touch him. l was
after the man that killed my brother.
SassoOn didn't care which it was, never
did, then nor never. But he held it
over me to make trouble sometime
'twiXt you and me. was young fell
low. I thought | was revenging my
brother. And if your father was
killed by a patched bullet, his blood is
not on me, De Spain, and never was.
SassOOn always shot a patched bullet.
| never shot one in my life. And I'd
never told you this of my own self (
Nan said it was the whole truth from
me to you. or her life. She's as much |
mine as she is yours. l nursed her. |
I took care Of her when there weren't |
no other living soul TO do it. She got /
morning. I'd never been caught like /
this if I'd had my way. I told her /
fore we'd been ont an hour we'd never |
soc the end of it. She said she'd rather /
die in it than you'd think she quit YOU /
told her I'd go on with her and do .
as she said-that's why we're here. /
and that's the whole truth, so help me
God
a arn'r afraid Of You, De Spain. I'll .
give Won whatever you thinks coming
to Won with rife or a gun any time,
anywhere-you're Il better man than I
am or ever was, l know that-and that
ought to satisfy you. Or. TIL stand
my trial, if you say so, and tell the
truth"
The ice-Iaden wind. as De Spain
stood still swept past the little group
with a sinister roar, insensible alike to
its emotions and its deadly peril.
Within the shelter of his arm he felt
the yielding form of the indomitable
girl who by the power of love, had
Yrung from the outlaw his reluctant
story of the murder that
lad stained with its red strands the
citations of each of their lives to both
he others. He felt against his heart
he faint trembling of her frail body.
So, when a boy. he had held in his
and a luttering bird and felt the
beat of its frightened heart |
gainst his strong, cruel fingers.
a sudden aversion to more blood
he'd. Il sickening of vengeance, swept !
Ncr him as her heart mutely beat for |
icrry against his heart She had
one more than any man could do, |
low she waited on him. Both his |
rms wrapped round her. In the breath
SIS embrace that drew her closer she
cad her answer from him. She looked
. into his eyes and waited. There's
lcre than what's between you and me.
luke. facing us now" said De Spain
Iernly, when he turned We've got (
, get Nan out of thlS-eyen if we
ont get out ourselves. Where do you
cure we are?" he cried. Il
Il figure we're two miles north of fl
Ie lava beds, De SPAIN shouted Nor d.
an.
De Spain shook his head in dissent. el
Then where are we?' demanded the 90
der man rudely. D
Il ought not to say against you III
ut if I've got to guess, | say two h;
lies east. Either way, we must try Il
n Sleepy Cat. Is your team all b
ght?" s.
Team is all right. We tore wheel "a
EAR off getting out of the lava. The
agon's done for u
De Spain threw the fur coat at him. |
tut it on" he said. wen look at M
e wheel"
They tried together to wrench it tn
TO shape. but worked without avail: sa
the end they dashed IT, put Nan on er
e Lady, ard walked behind willie the 70
am pushed into the pitiless wind. ev
organ wanted to cut the wagon away an
d take 70 the horses, but De Spain sa