The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-05-12

Outside, Bob Scott in the saddle
waited with led horse. The two men
rode straight and hard out on the
sinks. The sky was overcast, and
speed was their only resource. After
two miles Of riding, they refined up on
ridge, and Scott, springing from the
saddle, listened for sounds. He rose
from the ground, declaring he could
hear the strides of running horse.
Again the two dashed ahead. The
chase was bootless. Whoever rode
before them easily eluded pursuit.
Undeterred by his failure to over
take the fugitive, De Spain rode rap
Idly back to town to look for other
clews. Nothing further was found to
throw light on the message or mes
senger. No one had been found any
where in town from Morgan's gap;
whoever had taken chance in de-
livering the message had escaped I'M
detected.
Even after the search had been
abandoned the significance of the in
cident remained to be weighed. De
Spain was much upset. A conference
with Scott, whose judgment in any
affair was marked by good sense, and
With Lefever, who, like woman,
reached by intuition a conclusion at
which Scott or De Spain arrived by
process Of thought, only revealed the
fact that all three, as Lefever con-
fessed, were nonplused.
cts one Of two things" declared
Lefever, whose eyes were never dulled
by late hours. "Either they've sent
this to lure you into the gap and get
you, or else-and that's q great big
'or else'-she needs you. Henry, did
that message mean the way it was
Worded-sound like Nan Morgan?"
De Spain could hardly answer. 1T
did, and it didn't" he said finally.
But" his companions saw during
the pause by which his lips expressed
the resolve he had finally reached
that he was not likely to be truned
from it-"I am going to act just as
f the word came from Nan and she
does need me-"
More than one scheme for getting
quickly into touch with Nan was pro-
posed and rejected within the next
ten minutes. And When Lefever, after
comforting with Scott, put up to De
Spain proposal that the three should
ride into the gap together and de-
mand Nan at the hands of Duke Nor
gan, De Spain had reached another
conclusion.
II know you are willing to take
more than your share, John, of any
game I play. In the first place, it
isn't right to take you and Bob in
where am going on my own personal
affair. And know Nan wouldn't en-
joy the prospect of an all-around fight
on her account. Fighting is horror
to that girl. I've got her feelings to
think about as well as my own. I've
decided what to do, John. I'm going
in alone"
"You're going in alone!"
"Tonight. Now, I'll tell you what
I'd like you f. ;, if you want to: ride
with me al till morning, out.
side Ell Ca! If you don't hear
from me by to- o'clock, ride back to
Calabasas and notify Jeffries to look
for new manager"
"On the contrary, if we don't hear
from you by ten o'clock, Henry, we
will blaze our way in and drag out
your body" Lefever put up his hand
to cut off any rejoinder. "Don't dis
cuss it. What happens after ten
o'clock tomorrow morning, if we don't
hear from you before that, can't pos
Fibly be Of interest to you or make
any difference" He paused, but De
Spain saw that he was not done.
When he resumed, he spoke in tone
different from that which De Spain
usually associated with him. "Henry,
you've pulled a good many rough
games in this country. No man knows
better than I that you never pulled
one for the looks of the thing or to
make people talk-or that you ever
took chance you didn't feel you had
to take. But it isn't humanity pos
sible you can keep this up for all
ttmel it can't 60 on forever. The
pitcher goes to the we'll once too
often, Henry; there comes a time
when it doesn't come back.
"Understand-1'm not saying this to
attempt to dissuade you from the
worst job you ever started in on.
know your mind is made up. You
won't listen to me; you won't listen to
Scotti and I'm too good an Indian not
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