The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1917-05-24

| formation from Music mountain with
out violating Mans injunction not to
Illustrate her most delicate effort with
her uncle.
AS q possible scout to look into her
present situation and report on 1t, Nc
Alpin could point only to Bull Page.
Bull was ready instrument, but his
present value as an assistant had be-
come matter of doubt, since prac-
tically every man in the gap had
threatened within the week to blow his
head off-though Bull himself felt no
scruples against making an attempt TO
reach Music mountain and get back
again. It was proposed by the canny
McAlpin" to send him In with q team
and light wagon, ostenslbly to bring
out his trunk, which, II 1t had not been
fed to the horses, was still in Dukes
barn. AS soon as rig could be got up
Page started out.
1t was late November. A fur, clear
air drew the snow-capped ranges
sharply down to the eye of the desert
as If the speckless sky, lighted by the
radiant sun, were but q monster glass
rugged to trick the credulous retina. De
Spain, In the saddle In front of the
barn, his brOad hat brim set on the
impassive level of the western horse
man, his lips seeming to compress his
thoughts, his lines over his forearm.
and his hands half-slipped into the
pockets of his snug leather coat,
watched Page with his light wagon and
horses drive away.
Idling around the neighborhood of
the barns In the saddle, De Spain saw
him gradually recede into the long
desert perspective, the perspective
which almost alone enabled the watch
er to realize ms he curtalned his eyes
behind their long, steady lashes from
the bluzing sun, that 1t was good bit
of way to the foot Of the great out
post of the Superstition range.
De Spnin's restlessness prevented his
remaining quietly anywhere for long.
AS the morning advanced he cantered
out on the Music mountain trail, think
ing Of and wishing for q sight of Nan.
The deadly shock of Pardaloe's story
pain. His deep-rooted love and his
loneliness had quieted his impulse for
vengeance and overborne him with u
profound sadness. He realized how
different his feelings were now from
what they had been when she kneIt be-
fore him in the darkened room and, not
daring to plead for mercy for her uncle,
had asked hinf only for the pity for
herself that he had seemed so slow
to give. Something reproached him
now for his coldness at the moment
that he should have thought of her
suffering before his own.
1t was while riding in this way that
his eyes, reading mechanically the
wagon trail he was aimlessly following
for no reason other than that 1t
brought him, though forbidden, little
closer to her-arrested his attention.
He checked his horse. Something, the
trail told him. had happened. Page
had stopped his horses. Page hadAnet
two men on horseback coming from the
gap. After a parley-for the horses
had tramped around long enough for
one-the wagon had turned completely
from the trail and struck across the
desert, north; the two horsemen, or
one with led horse, had started back
for the gap.
All Of this De Spain gathered with
out moving his horse outside circle Of
thirty feet. What did 1t mean? Page
might have fallen In with cronies from
/ oh 4 IL, loIN
ed for Sleepy Cat, but this was unlike
ly. He might have encountered ene-
mics, been pointedly advised to keep
away from the gap, and pretended to
start for Sleepy Cat, to avoid trouble
with them. Deeming the second the
more probable conclusion, De Spain,
absorbed In his speculations, continued
not pick up the trail of Pages rig far
| ther on.
Within a mile q further surprise
awaited him. The two horsmen, who
had headed for the gap after stopping
Page, hnd left the trail, turned to the
south, down q small draw, which would
screen them from sight, and set out
across the desert.
No trail and no habitation luy In the
direction they had taken-and 1t
seemed clearer to De Spain that the
second horse was a led horse. There
was story In the incident. but his In
terest lay in following Pages move
ments, and he spurred swiftly forward
to see whether his messenger had re-
sumed the gap trail and gone on with
| III H. ~