The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-05-19
CHAPTER XVII.
Hone EorIorn.

spite Of their devotion, to the end O.
their dream. They parted late, eacl
trying to soften the blow as it fell oil
the other, each processing courage
which. in the face of the revelation
neither could clearly feel.
In the morning Jeffries brough
down to De Spain, who had spent
sleepless night at the office, q lette
from Nan.
De Spain opened 1t with acute mis-
givings. Hardly able to believe hi:
eyes. he slowly read:
Dearest-A wild hope has come to me
Perhaps we don't know the truth of this
terrible story as It really is. Suppose We
should be condemning poor Uncle Duk'
without having the real facts? Sassoor
was q wretch. Henry, if ever one lived
a curse to everyone What purpose he
could serve by repeating this story, which
he must have kept very secret till now,
don't know; but there was some reason.
must know the whole truth-I feel that
!, alone, can get hold of it, and that you
would approve what l am doing if you
were here with me in this little room,
where am writing at daybrealS, to show
you my heart
Long before you get this l shall be
speeding toward the gap. I am going
to Uncle Duke to get from him the ex-
act truth. Uncle Duke is breaking-has
broken-and now that the very worst has
come, and we must face it, he will tell
ME what I ask. Whether l can get him
to repeat this to you to come to you, to
throw himself OH your pity. my dearest
one. l don't know. But it is for this
am going to try, and for this | beg of
your loVe-the love of which l have been
so proud!-that you will let me stay with
him until I at least learn everything and
can bring the whole story to you. If
can bring him, will
And I shall be safe with Unexpectedly
safe. Gale has been driven away Pard-
aloe l know ! can trust, and he will be
under the roof with me. Please, do not
try to come to me. 1t might ruin every
thing. Only forgive me, and I shall be
back with what l hope for, or what I
fear, very, very soon. Not till then can
I bear to look into your eyes. You have
better right than anyone in the world
to know the whole truth, cost what 1t
may. Be patient for only a little while
with NAN.
1t was Jeffries who said, afterward,
he hoped never again to be the bearer
Of u letter such as that Never until
he had read and grasped the contents
Of Mans note had Jeffries seen the
bundle of resource and nerve and
sinew, that men called Henry de
Spain. go to pieces. For once, trouble
oyerbore him.
When he was able to speak he told
Jeffries' everything. at is my fault
he said h0pelessly. II was so crippled
70 stunned, she must have thought
see 1t now-that l was making ready
to ride out by daybreak and shoot
Duke down on sight. It's the price q
man must pay Jeffries for the abil
sty to defend himself against this
bunch of holdup men and assaSsins
Because they can't get me, I'm gun
man"
mo, you're not 'gunman
"a gunman and nothing else. That.
what everybody, friends and enemies
reckon me-a gunman. You put IN,
here to clean out this Calabasas gang
not because of my good looks, bu
because I've been, so far, fraction O
second quicker on trigger thai
these double-d--d crooks"
Jelfries, from behind his pipe re
garded De SPANS random talk calmly
Il do feel hard over my father
DEATH" he went on modify. "Wh
wouldn't? II God meant me to forge
1t, why did he put this mark on IN
face, jeff? did talk pretty strong t
Nan about it on Music mountain.
u did feel, for Il long time, I'd lill
to kill with my own hands the ma
that murdered my father, Jeff. M
mother mus have realized that he
babe, If man-child, was doomed to
life of bloodshed. I've been trying t
think most Of the night what She
want me to do now. don't know wha
[ can do, or can't do, when / set eye
on the old scoundrel. He's got to tie
the truth--that's all / say now. If h
lies, af@er what he made my mothe
suffer, he ought to die like a dog-n
matter who he is.
Il don't want to break Mans hear
What can | do? Hanging him here
Sleepy Cat, If I could do it, wouldn
help her feelings whole lot. If
could see the fellow" De Spain
] hands, spread before him on the tabl,
drew up tight, ''if / could get my fiji
gers on his throat, for minute, an
talk to him, tell him what I think {
him-I might know what would war
to do--Nan might be there to see an
judge between us. I'd be almost viii
INK to leave things to her to settle he,
self. ] only want what's right. But
the otth that recorded his cIosiE
threat was collected and pitiless, ="
any harm comes to that girl now frol
this wild trip back among those wolye
God pity the men that put it over. I
wipe out the whole accursed clan, If
have to swing for 1t right here
Sleepy Cati"
John Lefever, Jeffries, Scott in tur
took him in hand to hold him durin
three days, to restrain the fury of hi
resentment, and keep him from ridin
to the gap In a temper that each {
them knew would mean only TRACED
worse than what had gone befor,
Even three days of tactful representa-
ton and patient admonition frays zoo