Williams news., 1917-05-03

| lue WdlllllS lluCs IhCIC was ei oNeiAN five minutes cemaining, Vandervyn was a-quiver with eager excitement, and made no attempt to conceal the fact He smiled and waved his hand | to the commissioners, and looked about with sparkling eyes. There was no anxiety or envy or malice in his look. Never had he appeared handSomer or more boyish.
 The other commissioners had climbed into the touring car. One of them held up his watch. Another com missioner arose, thrust small pistol above his head with a melodramatic flourish, and fired.
 At the signal the line of contestants wavered and plunged forward into the shallow stream. There were, however, quite enough nasty ones to raise a wild splashing and turmoil, as, whoop- ing and yelling, they spurred their po- nieS through the water and whirled away at a gallop. Some wheeled up 1 the coulee; few rode straight across at the steep bank. Vandervyn, wild est and noisiest of all, headed down. stream for the road, spurring 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 head of the gulley, those who had gone be- fore him were all quite a distance ahead with Vandervyn still in the lead. Midway between the mouth of +hos hn striding mare began to pass ponies whose riders had thought better of their whirlwind start. Others were still loping in swift pursuit of Wander vyn.
 Hardy walked the mare up the slope of the agency terrace. He saw noth- Ing of Dupont or Marie, and the In lians had moved away with their te- pees. But in the rear of the ware house he caught glimpse of two h. dian policemen removing the load from Vandervyn's pack pony. His face clouded. He put the mare into gal. lop.
 All the way to the head of the val ley Hardy held to steady gallop. One after another, he passed the remaining leaders. The best of the ponies were 20 match in speed with the bis 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 sev- eral times, prepared to fling himself flat alongside the pommel of his sad
 dle. His uneasiness did not lessen when a few minutes later Vandervyn halted, and scrambled down from the
 trail to get a drink out of the creek. The crease in Hardy's forehead deep ened.
 Ahead, the walls of the canyon were
 sloping back into the widened valley where had been the first Indian camp Dogs, Indians and tepees, all were # gone. Only a brush-walled dance lodge remained to mark the camp site As the mare pounded past, she curved her outstretched neck toward the lodge and whinnied. Hardy heard nc 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 , faxed. Yet his tight lips showed that he was still uneasy. He balanced him self in his stirrups, and began to ride . as lightly as possible.
 Ascending the mountainside, he was : compelled to content himself with the mares nervous, long-strided walk But whenever the trail was not toG
 steep or rough, he put her into trot and varied the pace with an occasiona short gallop.
 An hour passed. He was already well into the mountains. He came tt l a succession of steep climbs and de scents that held the mare down to { walk. Presently he thought he heard hoofbeats behind him. He listened 5 He had not been mistaken. An un
 shod horse was coming up with him a a steady jog trot.
 :. It seemed impossible that Wander vyn's pinto could have so recuperatet l from that whirlwind heading of thu 9 rush as to be able to take this steel
 trail at a trot. Hardy gazed back, ex 9 pecting to see one of the cowboys. A !. he went down over a ridge crest, tn g rider came up the ridge back acros
 the intervening gulch. The maj 3 snatched off his broad-brinhned hat t
 wave salute. The sun glinted with g golden sheen on the unmistakabl
 blond head of Vandervyn.
 | At the first small break in the de : scent Hardy dismounted, unsaddled ,. and sponged out the mares mouth an' l nostrils with water from his canteen D He then shook out and refolded hi Navajo saddle blanket, and started t V resaddle. But before he buckled tn S cinch-strap he shifted the pistol iron S his breast to front pocket in his rid }. ing brooches.
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