The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-05-26
Nan ST
Music
Mountain
By
FRANK H. SPEARMAN
Author of WHISPERING SMITH
Copyright by Charles scsibners sOns)
CHAPTER xxlx.-Continued.

Listen, henry, pleaueu NH, seen
ing shelter from the furious blast
within his arm, lust for moment,
liSten!"
Not now, l tell you" cried De
Spain.
lie was coming, Henry, all the way
and he is sick-just TO say it to you.
Let him say it here, now"
go onr" cried De Spain roughly.
"Say it"
Pm not afraid of you, De Spain !"
shouted the old man, his neck barred to
the flying ice. Don't think it! You're
q better man than l am, better than l
ever was-don't think don't know
that. But I'm not afraid of e'er
man l faced. De Spain; they'll tell
you that when I'm dead. All the
trouble that ever come tween you and
me come by an accident-cOme before
you was born, and come through Dave
SaSSoon, and he's held it over me ever
since you come up into this country.
was young fellow. Sassoon worked
for my father. The cattle and sheep
war was on, north of Medicine Bend.
The Peace river Sheepmen raided our
place-your father was with them. He
never did US no harm. but my brother,
Bay Morgan, was shot in that raid by
a man name Of Jennings. l started
out to get the man that shot him. Sas-
soon trailed him to the Bar NJ the old
De Spain ranch, working for your ia
ther."
The words fell fast and in a fury.
They came as if they had been choked
back till they strangled. "Sassoon
took me over there. Toward night we
got in sight of the ranchhouse. We
saw man down at the corral. That's
jennings Sassoon says. l never laid
eyes ON him befOre-I never laid eyes
on your father before. Both Of us
fred. Next day we heard your father
was killed, and Jennings had left the
country. SaSsoon or /, one of US, killed
your father, De Spain. If 1t was l,
did it never knowing who he was,
never meaning to touch him. l was
after the man that killed my brother.
Sassoon didn't care which 1t was. never
did. then nor never. But he held 1t
over me TO make trouble sometime
'twixt vow and me. was q young fell
low. thought was revenging my
brother. And IL your father was
killed By patched bullet, his blood is
not on me, De Spain, and never was,
Sassoon always shot a patched bullet
never shot one in my life. And I'd
never told you this of my own self
Nan said it was the whole truth from
me 10 you, or her life. She's as much
mine as she is yours. / nursed her
took care Of her when there weren'
no other living soul to do it. She go
pe and herself out into this, this
morning I'd never been caught lik'
fore we'd been out an hour we'd neve
see the end of It, She said she'd rathe
die in it than you'd think she quit you
] told her I'd go on with her and d.
as she said-that's why we're here
aud that's TIE whole truth, so help m
God
81 amt afraid Of you. De Spain. II
give you whatever You thinks colnin
TO you with rife or gun any time
anywhere-you're a better man than
asl or ever was. know that-and tina
ought to satisfy you. Or. I'll stan
my trial, if you say so, and tell tn
truth
The ice-lnden wind, as De Spai
stood still, swept past the little grou
with sinister roar insensible alike t
it's emotions and it's deadly peri
Within the shelter of his arm he fel
The yielding form of the indomitabl
girl who, by the power of love, ha
Wrung from the outlaw his reluctan
story-the story Of the murder tina
had stained with its red strands tn
the others. He felt against his hear
the faint trembling of her frail body
So, when q boy, he had held in hi
hand q fiuttering bird and felt tn
whirring beat of its frightened hear
against his strong, cruel fingers.
A sudden aversion TO more DlooC
SHED, sickenlng of vengeance, sWep
over him as her heart mutely beat TO
mercy against his heart. she ha
done more than any man could dc
Now she waited on him. Goth hi
arms wrapped round her. In the breath
less embrace that drew her closer sh
read her answer from him. She locke
up into his eyes and waited. "Thcre'
more thar what's between you aud mf
Duke. facing us now" said De SpaiI
stcrnly, when he turned. We've go
10 get Nan out of tlIis-eVen If W
don't get out ourselves. Where do yo
figare we arel' he cried.
~ figure we're two miles north o
the lava beds Tc Spain" shouted Nor
gan
DE Spain shook his Lead in dissent
',Tben where are WEI" demanded III
older man rudely.
Il ought not to gay, against you
Bot il I've got to guess, 1 say tw'
n,:ies east, Either way, we must tr.
Tar Sleepy Cal is your team al
rfxist!s
-Tsam is All right, We tore whee