The Benson signal., 1917-09-29
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. xx&1xx&:<e<xx&xo&&3<&1&xxAl-
Nan. what do you mean?"
'sYOu must give me uD."

They were sitting in the hospital
garden, he at her side on the bench
that he called their bench. It was
here he had made his unrebuked
avowal-here, he had afterward told
her, that he began to live. "Give you
up" he echoed with gentleness. "HOw
could do that? You're like the morn
ing for me, Nan. Without you there's
no day; you're the kiss of the noun
tain wind and the light of the stars
to me. Without the thought of you
I'd sicken and faint in the saddle, I'd
lose my way in the hills; without you
there would be no tomorrow. No mat
ter where l am, no matter how feel,
if I think Of you strength wells into
give you up"
He told her all would be we'll be-
cause it must be we'll that she must
trust him; that he would bring her
safe through every danger and every
storm, if she would only stick to him.
And Nan, sobbing her fears one by one
out on his breast, put her arms around
his neck and whispered that for life or
death, she would stick.
1t was not hard for De Spain next
morning to find Duke Morgan. The
difficulty was to meet him without the
mob of hangers-on whose appetite had
been whetted with the prospect Of
death, and perhaps more than one, in
the meeting of men whose supremacy
with the gun had never been success
fully disputed. It required all the
diplomacy of Lefever to pull off, a
conference between the two which
should not from the start be hopeless,
because 0f crowd of Dukes partisans
whose presence would egg him on, in
spite Of everything, to combat.
But toward eleven o'clock in the
morning, De Spain having been con-
cealed like a circus performer during
every minute earlier. Duke Morgan was
found, alone, in BARRIERS hands in the
Mountain house. At the moment Duke
left the revolving chair and walked to
the cigar stand to pay his check, De
Spain entered the shop through the
rear door opening from the hotel office.
Passing with an easy step the row
Of BARRIERS lined up in waiting beside
their chairs, De Spain walked straight
down the open aisle, behind MOrgan's
back. While Duke bent over the case
to select a cigar, De Spain, passing,
placed himself at the mOuntain-man's
side and between him and the street
sunshine. It was taking an advantage,
De Spain was we'll aware, but under
the circumstances he thought himself
entitled to a good light on Dukes eye.
De Spain wore an ordinary sack
street suit, with no sign Of a weapon
about him; but none of those who con-
sidered themselves favored spectators
of a long-awaited encounter felt any
doubt as to his ability to put his hand
on one at incomparably short notice.
There was however, no trace of hos
tility or suspicion in De Spains greet
ing.
"Hello, Duke Morgan" he said frank
ly. Morgan looked around. His face
hardened when he saw De Spain, and
he involuntarily took a short step
backward. De Spain, with his left hand
lying carelessly on the cigar case,
faced him. 81 heard you wanted to
see me-" continued De Spain. II want
to see you. How's your back since you
went homer
Morgan eyed him with a mixture Of
suspicion and animosity. He took what
was to him the most significant part of
De Spain's greeting first and threw his
response into words as short as words
could be chopped: "What do you want
to see me about?"
Nothing unpleasant, hope" re-
turned De Spain. Lets sit down a
minute"
"Say what you got to say"
"Well, don't take my head off, Duke.
was sorry to hear you were hurt. And
I've been trying to figure out how to
make it easier for you to get to and
from town while you are getting strong.
Jeffries and both feel there's been a
lot Of unnecessary hard feeling be-
tween the Morgans and the company,
and we want to ask you to accept this
to show some Of it's ended" De Spain
put his left hand into his side pocket
and held out an unsealed envelope to
Morgan. Duke, taking the envelope,
eyed it distrustfully. "What's this?'
he demanded, opening it and drawing
out card.
"Something for easier riding. An
annual pass for you and one over the
stage line between Calabasas and
Sleepy Cat-with Mr.. Jeffries' compli-
mentS."
Like a flash, Morgan tore the card
pass in two and threw 1t angrily to the
floor. "Tell Mr. Jeffries," he ex-
claimed violently, "to-"
The man that chanced at that mo-
ment to be lying in the nearest chair
slid quietly but imperiously out from
under the razor and started with the