Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-06-29
"How did ne happen to catch us on

- >Npilhhs
He saw n fire on Music mountain
and watched the lower end of the gap
all night. Sassoon was a wide-awake
man."
swell, I'm sorry, Pardaloe," con-
tinued De Spain after moment. NO
body could call it my fault. 1t was
| either he or I-Or the life of a woman
who never harmed a hair of his head,
and a woman I'm bound to protect. He
was running when he was hit. If he
had got to cover again there was moth
ing to stop him from picking both of
us off"
"He was hit in the head"
De Spain was silent.
sit was a soft-nose bullet" contin-
ued Pardaloe.
Again there was a pause. "I'll tell
you about that, too, Pardaloe," De
Spain went on collectedly. 81 lost my
rifle before that man opened fire on
us. Nan happened to have her rifle
with her-if she hadn't, he'd We
dropped one or both of us off Ell Capt.
tan. We were pinned against the wall
like a couple of targets. If there were
soft-nose bullets in her rifle it's be-
cause she uses them on game-bobcats
and mountain lions. l never thought
of it till this minute. That is it,
what came up to tell you has to
do with Dave Sassoon. From what
happened today in the gap thought
you ought to know it now. Gale and
Duke quarreled yesterday over the way
things turned out; they were pretty
bitter. This afternoon Gale took it up
again with his uncle, and it ended in
Dukes driving him clean out of the
gap"
"Where has he gone"
'NObody knows yet. Ed Wickwire
told me once that your father was shot
from ambush a good many years ago.
1t was north of Medicine Bend, on a
ranch near the Peace river; that you
never found out who killed him, and
that one reason why you came up into
this country was to keep an eye out for
a clue"
"What about it?" asked De Spain,
his tone hardening.
81 was riding home one night about
a month ago from Calabasas with Sas-
soon. He'd been drinking let him
do the talking. He began cussing you
out, and talked pretty hard about what
you'd done, and what he'd done, and
what he was going to do" Nothing,
it seemed, would hurry the story.
"F'inally, SaSSOon says: That hound
don't know yet who got his dad. 1t
was Duke Morgan; that's who got him.
l was with Duke when he turned the
trick. We rode down to De Spain's
ranch one night to look up a rustler.
That" concluded Pardaloe, was all
Sassoon would say"
He stopped. He seemed to wait
There was no word of answer, none of
comment from the man sitting near
him. But, for one, at least who heard
the passionless, monotonous recital of
murder of the long ago, there fol
lowed a silence as relentless as fate
silence shrouded in the mystery OF
the darkness and striking despair into
two hearts-a silence more fearful
than any word.
Pardaloe shuffled his feet. He
cOughed, but he evoked no response. 81
thought you was entitled to know,
he said finally. "Now that SassOon will
nnVpr talk anU moro
De Spain moistened his lips. WheI
he spoke his voice was cracked anC
harsh, as if with what he had heard he
had suddenly grown old.
"You are right, Pardaloe. l thank
; you. when lin the morning. Par
; daloe, for the present go back to the
, gap. 1 will talk with Wickwire-to
morrow"
"Good night, Mr.. de Spain"
Good night Pardaloe."
Bending forward, limp, in his chair
supporting his head vacantly on his
hands, trying to think and fearing t
think, De Spain heard Pardaloe's meas
ured tread on the descending steps
and listened mechanically to the re
5 treating echoes of his footsteps dowr
the shaded street. Minute after min
ute passed. De Spain made no move
! A step so light that it could only have
been the step of delicate girlhood, {
step free as the football of youth
poised as the tread of womanhood anC
beauty, came down the stairs. Sigh
/ as she was, and silent as he was, sh,
t walked straight to him in the dark
ness, and, sinking between his feet
!. wound her hands through his TIVE
arms. Il heard everything, Henry,
1 she murmured, looking up. An invol
untary start of protest was his onl.
i response. IL was afraid of a plO
| against you. l stayed at the head O
. the stairs. Henry, told you long ag'
e some dreadful thing would come be
/ tween us-something not our fault
: And now it comes to dash our cup o
e happiness when It is filing"
Che ctoppad hopinU porhoDc n,