Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-08-23

ut was q soft-nose bullet" coutin-
ued Pardaloe.
Again there was q pause. "rll tell
you about that. too. Pardaloe," De
Spain went on collectedly. Il lost my
rifle before that man opened fire on
US. Nan happened to have her rife
with her-if she hadn't, he'd We
dropped one or both Of US of I'll Capt.
tan. We were pinned against the wall
like a couple Of targets. II there were
sOft-nose bullets In her rifle it's be-
cause she uses them on game-bobcats
and mountain lions. l new thought
Of it till this minute. That 10 It,"
"What ! came up to tell you has to
do with Dave Sassoon. From what
happened today in the gap ! thought
you ought to know 1t nOw. Gale and
Duke Quarreled yesterday over the way
things turned out; they were pretty
bitter. This afternoon Gale took 1t up
again with his uncle. and it ended in
Dukes driving him clean out Of the
gap."
'VuclC IuS hC SpuGS
Nobody knows yet. Ed Wickwlre
told me once that your father was shot
from ambush a good many years ago.
1t was north Of Medicine Bend, on q
ranch near the Peace river; that you
never found out who killed him, and
that one reason why you came up into
this country was to keep ar eye out for
u clue"
"What about til" asked De Spain,
his tone hardening.
II was riding home n night about
a month ago from Calabasas with Sas-
soon. He'd been drinking. l let him
do the talking. He began cussing you
out, and talked pretty hard about what
you'd done, and what he'd done, and
what he was going to do" Nothing,
it seemed, would. hurry the story,
"Finally. Sassoon says: That hound
don't know yet who got his dad. II
, was Duke Morgan that's who got him
I. I was with Duke when he turned the
r trick. We rode down to De SPANS
ranch one night to look up a rustler.
c That" concluded Pardaloe, twas al
Sassoon would say"
He stopped. He seemed to wait
There was no word of answer, none o
comment from the man sitting nea
him. But, for one, at least, who hear'
the p%assionless, monotonous recital o
d Il murder of the long ago, there fol
d lowed a silence as relentless as fate
a silence shrouded In the mystery o
q the darkness and striking despair int
# two hearts-a silence more fearft
q than any word.
/, Pardaloe shufiled his feet. II
r. coughed, but he evoked no response. y
thought you was entitled to know,
he said finally. "Now that Sassoon wi
never talk any more"
4 De Spain molstened his lips. Whe
he spoke his voice was cracked an
harsh, as II with what he had heard b
70 had suddenly grown old.
"You are right, PardalOe. l than
YOU. I--when lin the morning. Pa
@. daloe, for the present, 60 back to tt
~ gan. I will talk with Wickwire-t
morrow"
N Good night, MI. de Spain."
"Good night, Pardaloe."
Bending forward, limp, in his cha'
supporting his head ~vacantly on b
~. hands, trying to think and fearing
:. think. De Spain heard Pardaloe's meu
- ured trend on the descending steI
and listened mechanically to the I
treating echoes Of his footsteps doy
the shaded street. Minute after mi
" ute passed. De Spain made no mo,
~ A. step so light that 1t could only ha
III been the step of a delicate girlhood,
q, step free as the football Of you
. poised as the tread Of ~womanhood a
is beauty, came down the stairs. Slie
'"e as she was, and silent as he was. :
walked straight to him in the da1
ness, and, sinking between his fe
l'e wound her hands through his t
ah arms. II heard everything, Henr
she murmured, looking up. An inv
Ia untary start Of protest was his Of
response. II was afraid OF . p
'ct' against you. I stayed at the head
the stairs. Henry, l told you long I
his some dreadful thing would come
lis tween us-something not o. fa'
gap And now 1t comes to dash U cup
1ed happiness when It Is filling"
She stopped, hoping perhaps
would say som little word, that
would even pat her head, or press
vic. hand, but he sat like one stunned.
1ou It could have been anything but thi
ght she pleaded, low and sorrowfully. "
why did you not listen to me Def
lon. we were engulfed! My dear Hen
You who've given me all the happin
Nan I have ever habitat the blood Of
own should come against you
you yours" Tho emotion she strugf
with. and fought back with oil
on. strength Of her nature. rose In a
ode sIstless tide that swept her on, In
and foce Of his omlnous silence, to desp
0usi. Her breath. no longer controlled. Ct
the brokenly, and her voice trenbled.
"You have been very kind to
the Henry-you've been the only man
ever known that always, everywh
de- thought Of me first. / told you d
up deserve II, / wasn't worthy Of IT.
the His hands slipped silently over
ords hands. He gathered her close Into
lis arms. and his tears fell on her
turned face.
rda. Go d coNTlNuEDJ
---.- -..-,...
Just 0.a .me.ss" s ...sr."sr.h