Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1918-02-01


whistling "The Gov boys Lament" alb
istractedly. Afterward he ordered the
best two horses ON the ranch saddled
and tied to the hitching-post.
Now In the fuel business, In all sec
Itions of the country. have observed
that in one particular there is a deli
cate but strict etiquette belonging.
You must not mention the word or re-
fer to the subject in the presence Of
Ifeudist. 1t would be more reprehen-
,eible than commenting upon the mole
on the chin of your rich aunt found,
later on, that there is another unwrit-
ten rule, but / think that belongs sole
ly to the West.
l yet lacked two hours to supper
time; but in 20 minutes Sam and !
were plunging deep into the reheated
beans, hot coffee and cold beef
Nothing like good meal before a
long ride" said Sam. Eat hearty"
had a sudden suspicion.
why did you have two horses sad
dled?" / asked.
zone, two-one, two" said Sam.
you can count, can't your"
His mathematics carried with 1t a
momentary qualm and a lesson. The
thought had not occurred to him that
the thought could possibly occur TO
me not to ride at his side on the red
road to revenge and justice. 1t was
the higher calculus l was booked for
the trail. l began TO eat more beans.
\ In an hour we set forth at steady
gallop eastward. Our horses were Ken
lucky bred, strengthened by the mes
quit grass of the West. Ben Tatum's
steeds many have been swifter. and
he had good lead; but If he had
heard the punctual thuds Of the hoofs
of those trailers Of ours born in the
heart OF feudland, he might have felt
that retribution was creeping up on
the footprints Of his dapper nags.
Our first sight Of them we had in
Guthrie.
What are you waiting for. Sam?" l
said in a whisper Let him have 1t
now!"
Sam gave a melancholy sigh.
you don't understand; but he
does" he said HE knows. Mr. Ten
derfoot, there's rule out here among
white men in the Nation that you can't
shoot a man when he's with a womanA
never knew'it to be broke yet. You
caA't do 1t. You've got to get him in
q gang Of men or by himself That's
why. He knows 1t, too. We all know.
So, that's Mr.. Ben Tatum One Of the
pretty menu I'll cut him out of the
herd before they leave the hotel and
regulate his account"
After supper the flying pair disap-
peared quickly. Although Sam haunted
lobby and stairway and halls half the
night, in some mysterious way the
fugltives eluded him; and in the morn,
ing the yelled lady in the brown dress
with the accordion-plaited skirt and
the dapper young man with the close
clipped hair and the blackboard with
the prancing nags we're gone.
Five miles farther we came upon the
future great western city Of Chandler.
The horses of pursuers and pursued
were starved and weary. There was
one hotel that offered danger to man
and entertainment to beast: so the
four of us met again In the dining
room at the ringing Of bell 80 reson-
ant and large that 1t had cracked the
welkin long ago. The dining room
was not as large as the one at Guth-
rie.
Just as we were eating apple pie
how Ben Davises and tragedy impinge
upon each other!-I noticed Sam look.
ing with keen intentness at our quarry
where they were seated at a table
across the room. The girl still woro
the brown dress with lace collar and
cuffs and the veil drawn down to her
nose. The man bent over his plato
with his close-cropped head held low.
There's a CODE" heard Sam say.
either to me or to himself, that won't
let you shoot a man in the company
OF woman; but, by thunder, there
amt one to keep you from killing
woman In the company of mani"
And, quicker than my mind could
follow his argument, he whipped
Colts automatic from under his left
arm and pumped six bullets into tho
body that the brown dress covered
the brown dress with the lace collar
and cuffs and the plated
skirt.
The young person in the dark sack
suit, from whose head and from whose
life woman's glory had been clipped.
laid her head on her arms stretched
upon the table; while people came
running to raise Ben Tatum from the
floor in his feminine masquerade that
had given Sam the opportunity to set
aside, technically. the obligations of
the code.
Copyright, by the Frank A. Munscy Coz
He Had to Explain,