The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1917-05-31
Nan ST
Music
Mountain
By
FRANK H. SPEARMAN
Author of WHISPERING SMITH"
HE,s.e.H..:.H%A%%&4N&&&&&
Copyright by Charles scribnerS sons)
CHAPTER xxIx.-continued.


within his arm, "just for moment,
listen!"
Not now, 1 tell you" cried De
Spain.
"He was coming, Henry, all the way
and he is sick-just to say 1t to you.
Let him say 1t here, now."
go on" cried De Spain roughly.
"Say It,"
''Pm not afraid of you, De Spain !"
shouted the old man, his neck barred to
the flying ice. Don't think 1t You're
q better man than am, better than
ever was-don't think 1 don't know
that. But I'm not afraid of e'er
man 1 faced. De Spain; they'll tell
you that when I'm dead. All the
trouble that ever come tween you and
me come by an accldent-come before
you was born, and come through Dave
Sassoon, and he's held 1t over me ever
since you come up into this country.
I was young fellow. Sassoon worked
for my father. The cattle and sheep
war was on, north of Medicine Bend.
The Pence river sheepmen ralded our
place-your father was with them. He
never did us no harm. but my brother,
Bay Morgan, was shot in that raid by
man name of Jennings. l started
out to get the man that shot him. Sas-
soon trailed him to the Bar NJ, the old
De Spain ranch, working for your ia
ther."
The words fell fast and In u fury.
They came rs If they had been choked
back till they strangled. "Sassoon
took me over there. Toward night we
got In sight Of the ranchhouse. We
saw man down at the corral. That's
jennings, Sassoon says. l never laid
eyes on him before--I never laid eyes
on your father before. Both of us
fired. Next day we heard your father
was killed, and Jennings had left the
country. Sassoon or I, one Of us, killed
your father, De Spain. If it was 1,
did it never knowing who he was,
never meaning to touch him. was
after the man that killed my brother.
Sassoon didn't care which 1t was, never
did, then nor never. But he held 1t
over me to make trouble sometime
'twixt you and me. was young fell
low. l thought was revenging my
brother. And If your father was
killed by a patched bullet, his blood is
not on me, De Spain, and never was
Sassoon always shot a patched bullet
] never shot one In my life. And I'd
never told you this of my own self
Nan said 1t was the whole truth from
me to you, or her life. She's as much
mine as she is yours. l nursed her
took care of her when there weren't
no other living soul to do 1t. She got
me and herself out into this, this
morning. I'd never been caught like
this If I'd had my way. told hel
fore we'd been out an hour we'd never
see the end Of 1t. She said she'd rather
die in 1t than you'd think she quit you
told her I'd go on with her and d.
rs she said-that's why we're here
and that's the whole truth so help mt
God!
! II amt afraid of you, De Spain. I'll
give you whatever you thinks coming
to you with rifle or n gun any time
am or ever was, know that-and thai
ought to satisfy you. Or, I'll stant
my trial, If you say so, and tell the
truth"
There's more than what's between
you and me, Duke, facing us now,
said De Spain sternly, when ht
turned. "We've got to get Nan out o,
this-even If we don't get out our
selves. Where do you figure we are?'
he cried.
~ figure we're two miles north O.
the lava beds, De Spain." shouted Nor
gan.
De Spain shook his head In dissent
"Then where are we?' demanded tn,
older man rudely.
Il ought not to say, against you
But If I've got to guess, say twc
miles east. Either way, we must tr!
for Sleepy Cat. Is your team al
right2"
"Team is all right. We tore whee
near off getting out of the lava. TIL
wagons done for"
De Spain threw the fur coat at him
"Put it on he said. "We'll look a
the Wheel"
They tried together to wrench 1
into shape. but worked without avail
In the end they lashed 1t, put Nan ol
the Lady, and walked behind while tn
team pushed into the pitlless vino
Morgan wanted to cut the wagon ava
and take to the horses, but De SpaI