Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-07-05


left untouched. swho IL nearest and
dearest to you ct homel"
MY Uncle Duke"
Then I never will raise q hand
against your Uncle Duke. And this
man, tonight-this cousin-Gale1 Nan.
what Is that manf'
II hate him."
"Thank God! So do Il"
"But he is a cousin"
'Then I suppose he must be n Of
Mine."
"Unless he tries to kin you"
He won't be very long In trying
that. And now, what about YOURSELF
What have you got to defend yourself
against him. and against every other
drunken manf"
She laid her own pistol without a
word In De SPANS hand. He felt 1t,
opened, closed. and gave = 1t back.
That's a good defender-when it's In
reach. When It's at home it's a poor
one"
ut will never be at home again ex-
cept when l am"
"Shall l tell you a secret"
"What is lit" asked Nan unsuspect-
ingIy.
I'VE are engaged to be married"
She sprang from him like a deer. ITS
a dead secret" he said gravely; mo-
body knows 1t yet-not even you"
"You need never talk again like
that II you want to be friends with
me-" she said Indignantly. &" hate
it."
Hate 1t II you will; it's so. And
1t began when you handed me that
little bit of lead and brass on the
mountain tonight, to defend your life
and mlne."
TN hate you II you prosecute me
the way Gale does. The moon is
almost up. You must 60"
"You haven't told me-" he persisted,
how you got away at ALL" They had
walked out Of the trees. He looked
reluctantly to the east. Tell me and
I'll CO." he promised.
after ! went up to my room l walt
ed till the house was all quiet. Then
I started for Calabasas. When l came
back l got UP to my room without be-
Ing seen, and sat at the window a long
time. ! waited till all the men stopped
riding past. Then I climbed through
the window and down the kitchen roof,
and let myself down to the ground.
Some more men came past, and I hid
on the porch and slipped over to the
horse barns and found a hackamore,
and went down to the corral and hunt
ed around till l found this little pinto
she's the best to ride bareback"
II could ride a razorback-why take
all that trouble for me"
IF you don't start while you have
a chance, you undo everything I have
tried to do to avoid a fight"
The wind, stirring softly. set the
aspen leaves qulvering. The stars,
chilled in the thin. clear night air,
hung dlamondlike in the heavens and
the eastern sky across the distant des-
ert paled for the rising moon. The
two, standing at the horses head, lis
tened a moment together in the dark.
ness. De Spain, leaning forward, said
something In a low, laughing voice.
Nan made no answer. Then, bending,
he took her hand and. before she could
release It, caught 1t up to his lips.
For a long time after he had gone
she stood, listening for a shot-won.
dering, breathless at moments, wheth-
or he could get past the waiting traps.
De Spain. true to all she had ever
heard Of his I%ndianlike stealth, had
left her side unabashed and unafraid-
living. laughing. paying bold court to
her W when she stubbornly refused
to be courted-and had made himself
In the twlnkling Of an eye q part Of
the silence beyond--the silence Of the
night, the wind, the stars, the waste
Of sand. and Of all the mystery that
brooded upon 1t. She would have vel.
coined, In her keen suspense, a sound
Of some kind, some reminder that he
yet lived and could yet laugh; none
came.
. . .
Day was breaking when the nigh,
boss. standing In the doorway at tht
Calabasas barns. saw a horseman rid
Ing at a ~leisurely pace up the THE
River road. The barnman scrutinizet
the approaching stranger closely
There was something strange nm,
something familiar IN the outlines o
the figure. But when the night ride
had dismounted In front Of the barn
door, turned his horse loose. and, LINN
ing stifiy walked forward on foot, th
man rubbed his eyes hard before b
could believe them. Then he uttere,
an lincredulous greeting and led Henri
4 de Spain into the barn oilce.
"There's friends Of yours in you
room upstairs right now" he declared
bulging with shock. De Spain, sittin
Q down, forbade the barnman to distur
them, oo'y asking who they were.
oil When no had asked half 4 doss
J. more lei6drely questions and avoide
answering twice 40 many, the barnrna
o At De epain's request helped him ui
., stairs. Beside himself with excit'
|" ment, the night boss turned, erinninI
o as he laid one hand on the doorkno
ID and the other IN De Spain's shoulde
70 sYou couldn't have come" he Will
ID pcred loudly. TAT q better time"
The entryway wal dark. and frol