The Benson signal., 1917-09-22

De Spain persisted, Lefever, huffed,
cOnf1ded to Bob Scott that when the
general manager got ready he could
catch Sassoon himself.
De Spain wanted for Mans sake, as
well as his own, to see what could be
done to pacify her uncle and his rela-
tives so that wedge might be driven
in between them and their notorious
henchman, and Sassoon brought to
book with their consent; on this point,
however, he was not quite bold-faced
enough to take his friends into his
confidence.
De Spain, as fiery a lover as he was
a fighter, stayed none of his courting
because circumstances put Music
mountain between him and his mis-
tress. And Nan, after she had once
surrendered, was nothing behind in the
chances she unhesitatingly took to ar
range her meetings with De Spain. He
found in her, once her girlish timidity
was overcome and a woman's conf
dence had replaced it, a disregard Of
consequences, so far as their own plans
were concerned, that sometimes took
away his breath.
The very day after she had got her
uncle home, with the aid Of Satterlee
Morgan and an antiquated spring wag-
on, Nan rode, later in the afternoon,
over to Calabasas. The two that
would not be restrained had made
their appointment at the lower lava
beds halfway between the gap and
Calabasas. The sun was sinking be-
hind the mountain when De Spain gal
loped out Of the rocks as Nan turned
from the trail and rode toward the
black and weather-beaten meeting
place.
They could hardly slip from their
saddles fast enough to reach each 9TH
er's armS-Nan, trim as a model in
fresh khaki, trying with handker-
chief hardly larger than a postage
stamp to wipe the flecks Of dust from
her pink cheeks, while De Spain, be-
| tween dabs, covered them with impOr-
tunate greetings. Looking engrossed
into each others eyes, and both, in
their eagerness, talking at once, they
led their horses into hiding and sat
down to try to tell all that had hap
pened since their parting. Wars and
rumors Of wars, feuds and raidings,
fights and pursuits, were no more to
| that mattered to them-sitting or
pacing together and absorbed, in the
path Of the long-cold volcanic stream
buried in the shifting sands of the
| desert--was that they should clasp
each others clinging hands, listen each
to the others answering voice, look
unrestrained into each others eyes.
They met in both the lava beds
the upper lay between the gap and
tOwn-mOre than once. And one day
came a scare. They were sitting on
a little ledge we'll up in the rocks
where De Spain could overlook the
trail east and west, and were talking
about bungalow some day to be in
| Sleepy Cat, when they saw men riding
from the west toward Calabasas. There
we'll behind. The two men leading,
Nan and De Spain made out to be
Gale Morgan and Page. They saw the
man coming on behind stop his horse
and lean forward, his head bent over
the trail. He was examining the sand
and halted quite a minute to study
something. Both knew what he was
studying-the footprints Of Mans
pony heading toward the lava. Nan
shrank back and with De Spain moved
little to where they could watch the
intruder without being seen. Nan
whispered first: "It's Sassoon." De
Spain nodded. "What shall we do?"
breathed Nan.
Nothing yet" returned her lover,
watching the horseman, whose eyes
were still fixed on the pony's trail,
but who was now less than a half
mile away and riding straight toward
them.
De Spain, his eyes on the danger
and his hand laid behind Mans waist,
led the way guardedly down to
where their horses stood. Nan, need
ing no instructions for the emergency,
took the lines of the horses, and De
Spain, standing beside his own horse,
reached his right hand over in front
of the pommel and, regarding Sassoon
all the while, drew his rifle slowly
from it's scabbard. The blood fled
Mans cheeks. She said nothing. With
out looking at her, De Spain drew her
own rifle from her horses side, passed
it into her hand, and, moving over in
front of the horses, laid his left hand
reassuringly on her waist again. At
that moment, little knowing what eyes
were on him in the black fragments
ahead, Sassoon looked up. Then he
rode more slowly forward. The color
returned to Mans cheeks. "Do you
want me to use this?" she murmured
indicating the rifle.
"Certain1y not. But if the others
turn back, may need it. Stay right
here with the horses. He will lose the