The Lamar register., 1917-05-16
Nan ST
Music
Mountain

By
FRANK H. SPEARMAN
Author of WHISPERING SMITH

lltue Dit OF lead and brass on the
mountnin tonight, to defend your life
and mine"
I'll hate you II you prosecute me
the way Gale does. The moon i,
almost up. You must 60"
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. "Teu me and
I'll 60" he promised.
"After 1 went up to my room I wait.
ed till the house was all quiet. Then
] started for Calabasas. When I came
back l got up to my room without be.
Ing seen, and sat at the window n long
time. / waited till all the men stopped
riding past. Then / climbed through
the window and down the kitchen roof
and let myself down to the ground
Some more men came past, and l hid
on the porch and slipped over to the
horse barns and found a hackamore
and went down TO the corral and hunt
ed around till / found this little pinto
she's the best to ride bareback"
81 could ride a razorbacll-why take
all that trouble for me?"
'If you don't start while you have
a chance, you undo everything 1 have
( 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
hung dlamondlike 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, sale
something in a low, laughing voice
Nan made no answer. Then, bending
he took her hand and, before she could
release 1t, caught it up to his lips.
For a long time after he had gone
she stood, listening for n shot-won
dering, breathless at moments, wheth.
er he could get past the waiting traps
De Spain, true to all she had even
heard Of his Indianllke stealth, had
left her side unabashed and unnfrald-
living laughing, paying bold court tc
her even when she stubbornly refused
to be courted--nnd had made himself
in the twinkling Of an eye n 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 vel
coined, in her keen suspense, a sounC
of some kind. some reminder that ne
yet lived and could yet laugh; none
came.
Day was breaking when the nigh
boss, standing in the doorway at this
Calabases barns, saw n hOrseman rid /
ing at leisurely pace up the Thlei
River road. The hartman scrutInlzct
the approaching stranger closely 7.
There was something strange and
something familiar in the outlines Of.
the figure. But when the night rider
had dismounted In front Of the barn
door, turned his horse loose, and, limp
ing stifly walked forward on foot. IN,
man rubbed his eyes hard before h,
could believe them. Then he uttered
an incredulous greeting and led Henri,
de Spain into the barn office.
There's friends Of yours In yom
room upstairs right now" he declared
buging with shock. De Spain. slttinf
down. forbade the barnmnn TO disturb
them. on y asking who they were. I
WheI ne had asked half doze1
more Ieisurely questions and avoided
answering twice as many. the barnma1
at De Spaln's request helped him IN
stairs. Beside himself with excite
ment, the night boss turned. grinning
as he laid one hand on the doorlnol
and the other on De Spain's shoulder .
"You couldn't have come" he whls- |
pered loudly, AT better time"
The entryway was dark, and from
the silence within the room one might
have thought its occupants, if there .
were such, wrapped in sluu,bcr But
at intervals a faint clicking sound .
could be heard. The night man threw .
open the door. By the light Of two
stage-lamps, one set on tn dresser
and the other on window ledge, four
men sat about n rickety table in a life .
and-death struggle at cards. No voice .
broke the tense silence, not even wheB
the door was thrown broadly open.
No one-neither Lefever, Scott
Frank Elpaso nor McAlpin-looked VI
when De Spain walked into the roosn
and, with the night man tiptoeing be
hind, advanced composedy toward the
group. Even then his presence would
have passed unnoticed, but that Bob