Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-05-03

learned from Bull, who was persuad-
ed without difficulty by LefeVer to
abandon the idea of riding to Gala
basas through the rain, and to spend
the night with him in the neighbor-
hood, wherever fancy, the rain, and
the wind-which was rising-should
dictate.
While the two were talking. De
Spain tried to slip away. unobserVed
by Lefever, on his errand. He failed,
as he expected to, and after some
familiar abuse, rode off alone, for
titled by every possible suggestion at
the hands of a man to whom the
slightest precaution was usually a
joke.
De Spain reached Dukes ranch
unChallenged. Night had fallen eV-
erywhere, and the increasing rain OBJ
scured even the outline of the house.
But a light shone through one un-
curtained window. He waited some
time for a sound of life. for a door
to open or close, or for the dog to
bark-he heard nothing. Slipping
out of the wet saddle. he led his
horse in the darkness under the
shelter of the lone pine tree and,
securing him, walked slowly toward
the house.
Mindful of the admonitions he
had been loaded with, he tramped
around the house in narrowing cir
cles, pausing at times to look and
listen In like manner he circled
the barn and stables, until he had
made sure there was no ambush and
that he was alone outside. After n
time he stepped around to the front
| of the house, where, screened by a
| bit of shrubbery. he could peer at
! close range into the living room.
Standing before the fire burning in
/ the open hearth, and with his back
/ to it. he now saw Gale Morgan. Sit
I ing bolt upright besides the table,
| square iawed and obdurate, his stub
/ by brier pipe supported by his hand
and gripped in his great teeth, Duke
Morgan looked uncompromisingly
past his belligerent nephew into the
! fire. A third and elderly man, heavy
| red faced. and almost toothless as he
spoke. sat to the right of the table in
rocking chair. and looked at Duke;
this was the old lawyer and justice
from Sleepy Cat, the sheriff's brother
Judge Druel.
Nan was not to be seen. Gale. big
and aggressive. was doing most of
! the talking, and energetically, as was
his habit. Duke listened thought
| fully. but seemingly with coldness.
| Druel looked from Gale to Duke.
and appeared occasionally to put in
word to carry the argument along.
De Spain suspected nothing of
what they were talking about, but
he was uneasy concerning Nan, and
was not to be baked, by any COM
! bination, of his purpose of finding
her. To secure information concern
| ing her was not possible, unless he
should enter the house, and this,
nj haeffn hn dnnidn1
! do.
He wore a snug-fitting leather
coat. He unbuttoned this and threw
! it open as he stepped noiselessly up
| TO the door. Laying his hand on the
| knob, he paused. then. fipding the
door unlocked, he pushed it slowly
open.
The wind rushed in. upset his cal
| culations and blew open the door
/ leading from the hall into the living
room. A stream of light in turn shot
/ through the open door, across the
hall. Instantly De Spain stepped in
side and directly behind the front
door-which he now realized he dare
not close-and stood expectant in the
darkness. Gale Morgan, with an i'm.
patient exclamation, strode from the
fireplace to close the front door
AS he walked into the hall and
slammed the front door shut. he
could have touched with his hand
the man standing in the shadow be-
hind it. De Spain. not hoping to es-
cape, stood with folded arms, but
under the elbow of his left arm was
hidden the long muzzle of his re-
Ivolver. Holding his breath. he wait
ed. Gales mind was apparently filled
with other things. He did not sus-
pect the presence of an intruder
and he walked back into the living
room. partly closing the second door
De Spain. following almost on his