Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-02-02


away at a gallop. Some wheeled up
the coulee; a few rode straight across
at the steep bank. Vandervyn, wild
est and noisiest of all, headed doYn-
stream for the road, squirting his
pinto. He was followed by a large
bunch.
Hardy started after these last, hold
ing his mare to her usual steady trot.
When he came up the road to the lead
of the gullcy those who had gone be
fore him were all quite distance
ahead. with Nandervyn still in tire
lead. Midway between the mouth of
the valley and the agency, the long
stri1ing mare began to pass ponies
whose riders had thought better Of
| their whiriWind start. Others were
still Looping III swift pursuit Oh Wander
gyn.
| Hardy walked the mare up the slope
1t the agency terrace. lie saw moth
ng Of Dupont or Marie, ana the IN
lians had moved away with their te-
PEGS. But in tie rear Of the ware
house he caught q glimpse OF two IN
| dian policemen removing the load FROM
tandervyn's pack pony. His f,ce
clouQed He put tie mare into gal
Top.
All the way TO tie head of the val
ley Hardy held to q steady gallop. One
after another, he passed the remaining
leaders. The best Of the ponies were
no match in speed with the big thor
oughbred.
At last only Vandervyn was ahead.
AS Hardy Overhauled and forged past
Vandervyn, the young fellow turned
and met his gaze with a look Of mock
ing hate. Hardy glanced back sew
eral times, prepared TO fling himself
flat alongside tie p0Innel Of his sad
die. His ,!nea$inuSS did not lessen
when few minutes later Yandervyn
| halted and scrambled down from the
trail to get a drink out of the creek
The crease il Hardy's forehead deep
ened.
Ahead, the walls Of the canyon were
siOping back into the Widened valley
where had been the first Indian camp.
Dogs, Indians and tepees, all were
gone. Only q brush-walled dance
lodge remained to mark the camp site.
rs the mare pounded past, she curved
her outstretched neck toward the
lodge and Whinnied. Hardy heard no
answer to the call, but his froWn sud
denly deepened.
He reached forward and stroked
the mares sleek neck. Hot as had
been the race from the agency, she
had not turned hair. His froWn re-
Taxed. Yet his tight lips showed that
he was still uneasy. He balanced him.
self i'll his stirrups, and began to ride
as lightly as possible.
Ascending the mOuntainSide, be was
compelled to content himself with the
mares nervous, long-strideG walk.
But whenever the trail was not 800
steep Or rough, he put Der into q trot,
and varied the pace With an occasional
Short galOp.
An hour passed. He was already
We'll into the mountains. He came to
a succession Of steep climbs and de-
scents that held the mare down to
walk. Presently he thought he heard
hoo1beats behind him. He listened.
lie had not been mistaken. An I'M
shOd horse was coming up with him at
steady jog trot.
1t seemed impossible that Wander
vyn's pinto could have 50 recuperated
from that whirlWind heading Of the
rush as to be able to take this steep
trail at q trot. Hardy gazed back, eN-
pecting to see one Of the cowboys. As
he went down over ridge crest the
rider came up the ridge back across
the Intervening gulch. The man
S1atched off his brOad-brimmed hat to
wave a salute. The sun gllnted with a
golden sheen on the unmistakable
blond head Of Vandervyn.
AT the first small break in the de-
scent Hardy dismounted, unsaddled,
and sponged out the mares mouth and
n0strilS with water from his canteen.
lie then shook out and ref0lded his
Navajo saddle blanket, and started to
resaddle. But before he buckled the
cinch-strap he shifted the pistol from
his breast to a front pocket in his rid
ing breaches.
lie was vigorously grooming the
mare when Vandervyn came jogging
down through the thickets of tall brush
that grew close on each side of the
trail He did not pause in his rub
bling until the nimble-fo0ted unshOd
pony ambled into view less than
dozen yards up tho trail. Then he
glanced about, Strengthened, ans stood
staring. The pony was a pinto.
Fandervyn, smiling with insOlent ex-
ultance, rode down to him, his right
hand jauntily poised on his hip, over
the hilt Of his revolver His eyes
challenged his rival with an audaciOus,
provoking stare. But Hardy looked
only at the pinto. There was no sign
of sweat lather on his rough coat no
WEAKNESS in his gait. He was fresh
Lots of comeback to q bronco,
captain" purred Vandervyn. "Sorry
to see that you've stove up your mare.
IT, s,Ir q