The Ozark spectator., 1917-03-07

ing the horses over ana inspecting the wagons with new but mild curiosity, awakened by Jeffries' proposal, De Spain walked back toward the station. He had virtually decided not to take the job. Medicine Bend was his home. lie knew every man. woman and child in the town. Before the tragic death of his father, his mother had lived there, and De Spain had grown up in the town and gone to school there. He was railroad man, anyway--a modest trainmaster-and not eager for stage line management.
 As he passed Grant street again he encountered party on horseback heading for the river bridge. Three of the men were riding abreast and a little ahead. Of these, the middle horseman was a spare man of frankly disreputable air. His face was drawn up into a one-sded smile. Satt Mor gan's smile was habitual and lessened his stern aspect. At his right rode his cousin. Duke Morgan, older, shorter and stouter. His square, heavy-jawed, Smooth-shaven face was lighted by hard, keen eyes, and finished by an un- compromising chin. Duke was the real head of the clan. of which there were numerous branches in the Superstition mountains, all looking with friendli- ness or enmity to the Morgans of Nor gan's gap.
 The yeliow-haired man riding on the left, with red face and red-lidded, squinting eyes, showed none of the blood of his companions. But David Sassoon, the Calabasas gambler, quon- dam cowboy, and chronic brawler, stood in some way close to the differ ent Morgans, and was reputed to have got each of them, at different times, out of more than one troublesome af- fair, either by sheer force of arms. or through his resourceful cunning.
 These men were followed by young CT man riding with a very young wom- an. De Spain knew none of the front rank men, but he knew well Nan Nor gan and her dancing partner. Gales face lighted as he set eyes on De Spain, and he spoke quickly to Nan: There's your handsome Medicine Bend gun man."
 Nan. glancing toward De Spain, seemed aware that he heard. She looked away. De Spain frightened up with rage. The blood rushed to his face, the sarcasm struck in. If the hirthmark could have dcepened with humiliation it would have done so at the instant of the cold inspection of the girls pretty eyes. Gale, calling ahead 10 the others, invited their at tention to the man on the street cor her. De Spain only stood still, re- turning their inspection as insolently as silence could. Each face was faith fully photographed and filed in his memory, and his steady gaze followed them until they rode down the hill and Clattered jauntily out on the Swaying suspension bridge that still crosses the Kat river at Grant street, and con meets the whole south countryside Spanish sinks, the Thief River gold fields, the saw-toothed Superstition range, Morgan's gap, and Music noun tain with Sleepy Cat and the railroad.
 Dc Spain, walking down Grant street, watched the party disappear among the hills across the river. The encounter had stirred him. He already hated the Morgans. at least all except the blue-eyed girl. and she, it was no. difficult to divine from her expression, was, at least, disdainful of her morn- ing rival.
 Reaching the station platform while still busy with his thoughts, De Spain encountered Jeffries and Lefever.
 "Jeffries, I'll take that Thief River stage job," announced De Spain bluntly.
 What's the reason that fellow changed his mind?" demanded JefTres, when Lefever joined him later in his office.
 Don't ask me-" frcwned Lefever perplexed. Don't ask me. Henry is odd in some ways. You can't tell what's going on inside that fellows head by looking at. the outside of it." Jeffries Grunted coldly at this bit of wisdom. "I'll tell you what l should think-if I had to think: Henry de Spain has never found out rightly who was responsible for the death of his father. He expects to do 1t, some time; and long ago some of these same Morgans lived on the Peace river above his fathers ranch"