The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-03-17

| level bench of a stream bank, she held
to the cross-country racing pace that
rapidly rolled up mile after mile of
the trail
| In less than half an hour she
brought her rider around a sharp
bend only few hundred yards behind
the pinto. Vandervyn, over-confident.
was jogging along the level when the
sound of the approaching hoofbeats
threw him into a half-panic. There
was still long stretch of easy trail
ahead. He put his pony into a gallOp.
The long-legged thoroughbred, still
running as smoothly as clockwork,
continued to gain. Vandervyn began
to swing his spurs
The pinto started to pull ahead.
Hardy held the mare to the same
speed as before. 1t was a speed that
he knew she could maintain for miles.
He could see that the pinto was being
| forced to killing pace-a pace that
must strain If not break him before
they came to the next rough ground.
On up the valley rushed the pursued
now barely holding his own The cruel
squirting and whip-slashing could not
sting the failing beast to greater ex-
| ertiOns. He was blowing hard; his
/ rough coat was lathered with sweat.
He began to lose.
At last the trail made a sharp turn,
and started to zigzag up the mountain
side. The pinto was staggering when
he reached the foot of the ascent. The
| quicker and longer stride of the mare
soon brought them up at Vandervyn's
heels. The pitch of the mountain was
too precipitous for Hardy to risk
passing on the lower side of the mar
row trail with the mare, and Van
dervyn kept the pinto close to the
upper side.
"You have no right to block the
trail,'' said Hardy. "AlIow me to
pass
Vandervyn looked over his shoulder
with an insoIent sheer. $50 on and
pass, if you're in a hurry. You've
got all outdoors to do it in. If there's
not room enough, shoot me in the back
and take the trail. I'll not get out
of it for you.'
Hardy did not reply nor did he at
tempt to force a passage. At last,
twelve miles from the goal of the
heartbreaking race, came the opportu-
nifty for which he had been waiting
The trail smOOthed out in another
easy stretch. For this he had been
holding the mare in hand. He started
at canter, and gradually let her
strike into her long, swift gallop. Van
dervyn saw them coming, and at once
put spurs to his luckless pony. As
before, Hardy held the mare down to
her best Iong-distance speed. The
mare came up alongside the pinto and
forged ahead.
Hardy eyed Vandervyn with utmost
warfness. And, as before, at the head
of the canyon of Sioux creek, Wander
vyn turned in the saddle, and looked
full at him with a hateful, hooking
smile. He pulled in his staggering
pony to a walk the moment Hardy
swung into the trail ahead.
At once Hardy eased down the mare
to a trot. Though he saw no third
pinto waiting in the thickets, his eyes
grew hard and cold with grim deter
mination. He was examining his rifle
when a turn of the trail suddenly gave
him his first view of the broken-topped
mountain and the ridge-side where
Redbear had made the second attempt
to assassinate him. As he looked at
the shattered summit, his hazel eyes
flashed. He thrust the rifle back into
its sheath, and drew the mare down
to a walk.
Behind him he heard muf1ed drum
ming OF unshOd hOOfs. Vandervyn was
coming up at a gallOp.
When the hooking trickster came
up behind Hardy, he refined in to a
| jog trot, and, as before, rode past him
with his hand on his hip.
There were marked differences be-
| tween the third pinto and the two first.
He was taller and leaner, and one of
his feet was white. But Hardy ap-
peared to be too detected to heed the
fact. As the pinto ambled away in
the lead, Vandervyn smiled, and
looked back at his rival with all the
hate gone from his face. ''By-by again,
old man." he bantered. "Sorry can't
stay TO keep you company. The lady
is waiting-and the mine. 1t may also
please you to hear that have a duly
signed and witnessed contract with
the tribe. giving me a fee of 20 per
cent on all moneys appropriated in
payment to the tribe for their min
era1 lands. Let's hear you congratu-
late me. Show you're camel"
But Hardy did not raise his eyes.
As soon as Vandervyn was out of
sight around the castellated rocks at
the top OF the ridge, Hardy stopped
the mare and dropped from the saddle.
His shapely mouth was curved in a
resolute smile. and his hand was rap
| idly transferring from the saddlebags
to his pockets a pocket ak, handful
Of pistol cartridges and the legal no
tees for posting mining claim.
He glanced up the slope, and. seeing
no sign OF VandeFvyn, stripped of the
mares bride, sponged out her 1ostrils
/ and mouth with the last water In his
canteen-
Hardy took the steep slope at an IN
| hurried pace. He reached the place
where he had found the bloody trail
OF Redbear. Up the cleft the climbing
was not stiff. He came out on the
valley slope, extremely hot and dry
4