The Irish standard., 1917-02-17

the people that traver the spanish
sinks, except the Morgans and the Nor
mons. The Mormons looked to the
Morgans for safety; the Morgans to
themselves.
For many year the Morgans have
been almost overlords Of the Music
Mountain country. They own, or have
laid claim to, an extended territory in
the mountains, Spanish grant. Nor
CAMS gap opens south of Music noun
tain, less than ten miles west Of Gala
basas. It is a narrow valley where
valleys are more precious than water
for the mountain valley means wa
ter-and this in country where water
is much more precious than life. And
some of the best of this land at the
foot Of Music mountain was the ma
ternal inheritance of Nan Morgan.
At Calabasas the Thief River stage
line maintains completely equipped
relay barns. They are over twenty
miles from Sleepy Cat, but nearly fifty
the other way from Thief river. And
except few shacks, there is nothing
between Calabasas, Thief river and
the mountains except sunshine and
alkali. say nothing, meaning especial
ly nothing in the way of a human habi-
tation.
The Calabasas inn stood in one of
the loneliest canyons of the whole sew
enty miles between Sleepy Cat and
Thief river; it locked in its depletion
to be what it was, somber, mysteri-
Gus, sun, wind and alkali-beaten pile,
around which was a ruin like those
pretentious deserted structures some
times seen in frontier towns-relics Of
the wide-open days, which stand after
ward, stark and somber, to serve as
bats nests or blind pigs. The inn at
Calabasas looked its part-a haunt Of
rustlers, a haven Of nameless men, a
refuge of road-agents.
The very first time De Spain made
an inspection trip oyer the stage line
with Lefever, he was conscious of the
sinister air Of this lonely building. He
and Lefever had ridden down from the
barn, while their horses were being
changed, to look at the place. De
Spain wanted to look over everything
connected in any way, however remote
ly, with the operation Of his wagons,
and this Joint, Lefever had told him,
was where the freighters and drivers
were not infrequently robbed of their
| money. It was here that one of their
own men, Bill McCarty, once
scratched mans neck" with a
knife-which, Bill explained, he just
happened" to have in his hand-for
cheating at cards. Lefever pointed out
the unlucky gamblers grave as he and
De Spain rode into the canyon toward
the inn.
Not sign of any sort was displayed
about the habitation. No man was in
vited to enter, no man warned to keep
out, none was anywhere in sight. The
stage men dismounted, threw their
lines, pushed open the front door of
the house and entered a room of per,
haps sixteen by twenty feet. A long,
high bar stretched across the farther
side Of the room. The left end, as they
faced the bar, was brought around to
escape small window opening on q
court or patio to the rear of the room
Back of the bar itself, about midway
low door in the bare wall gave en-.
trance to a rear room. Aside from
this the room presented nothing but
walls. Two windows flanking the front
door helped to light it, but not mir.
ror, picture, chair, table, bottle or
glass was to be seen. De Spain GOV.
cred every feature Of the interior at q
glance. "Quiet around here, john" he
remarked casually.
'This is the quietest place in the
Rocky mountains most of the time. But
when it is noisy, believe me, it Is
noisy. Look at the bullet holes in the
walls"
"The old story" remarked De Spain,
inspecting with mild-mannered interest
the punctured plastering, ''they always
shoot high"
He walked over to the left end of the
bar, noting the hard usage shown by
the ornate mahogany, and spreading
his hands wide open, palms down, OF
the face Of it, glanced at the low win
dow on his left, opening on the grav-
eled patio. He peered, in the semi
darkness, at the battered door behind
the bar.
Henry" observed Lefcver, "if you
are looking for drink, it would only
be fair, as we'll as polite, to call the
Mexican"
De Spain, turning, looked all
around the room again. "You wouldn't
think" he said slowly, "from looking al
the place there was a road-agent with
In thousand miles,"
"You wouldn't think, from riding
through the Superstition mountains
there was a lion within thousand
miles. I've hunted them for clever
years, and 1 never saw one except
when the dogs drove 'em out; but fol
eleven years they saw me. If we
| haven't been seen coming in here hy