The Little River news., 1920-06-12

Kelly sHSssedsd u surprlslng nm while he was eating dinner at a Mexican road-house just this side of the border.
 Do you make it out?" Maloney asked, looking over their shoulders.
 Curly took pencil and an envelope from his pocket. On the latter he jot- ted down some words and handed the paper to his friend. This was what Maloney read:
 .............. .. ................... luck ........ :. prisoner Jack. of He. .... "a ,... R. .... .t......S now ........... Saguache ........ locked up pending a disposition of his case. ....suc- ceeded in surprising him ............ ............ .................. .........
 Read that right ahead"
 Dick did not quite get the idea. but Kate, tense with excitement. took the envelope and read aloud:
 Luck --prisoner-Jack of Hearts how Saguache-locked up pending q disposition of his case-succeeded in surprising him." She looked up with shining eyes. He's alive somewhere We'll save him now.
 Curly spoke to her in a low voice. You have talk with Mrs. Wylie alone. We'll pull our freights. She'll tell you what she knows" He smiled iii his gentle, winning way. She's sure had a tough time of it if ever a wom- RI had. 1 reckon q little kindness is what she needs. Let her see we're her friends and will stand by her, that we won't let her come to harm because she talks
 It was an hour before Kate joined them, and her eyes, though they were very bright. told tales of tears that had been shed.
 That poor woman! She has told me everything. Father has been down I. that cellar for days under a guard. They took him away tonight. She doesn't know where It was she sent the warnings to Sheriff Bolt. She wanted him to raid the place, but she durcG not go to him.
 "BecauSe of BlackWell?"
 "Yes. He came straight to her is soen aA he Was freed from the peniten- tiary. He had her completely terror zed. S!e gave him money, and he c.JIne for more-and more"
 Curly nodded. He said nothing, but his strong iaWs c!amped.
 '.lle was there that day" the girl continued. She pucked up courage To reuse him what little she had left because she needed it for the rent. lie got hold of her arm and twisted it. Father heard her cry and came in. Blackwell was behind the door as it opened. He struck with a loaded cane and father fell unconscious. He raised it to strike again. but she cllln@ to his arm and called for help. Before he could shake her off another man came in. He wrenched the club away"
 "Fendrck?" breathed Curly.
 "She doesn't know. But the first thing he did was to lock the outer door and take the key. They carried father down into the cellar. Before he came to himself his hands were tied behind his back"
 And then?"
 "They watched him day and night. Fendrick himself did not go near the place-if it was Fendrick. Blackwell swore to kill Mrs Wyle if she told. They held him there till tonight. She thinks they were trying to get father to sign some paper
 '.The relinqHishment, of course. That means the other man was Fen drick.
 Kate nodded "Yes"
 Curly rose. The muscles stood out in his jaw hard as steel ropes.
 'WcM rake tine. Rincons with a fine tooth comb. Don! @1a t.r.:~ ready wired for Bucky O'Connor to come and help. We'll get your father out of the hands of those hell hounds Won't we, Dicl;?'
 The girls eyes admired hiin, n, hard-bitten Westerner, with eyes US unblinking as an Arizona sun and Wilh muscles like Wire springs. His face still held it's boyistness, but il had lost forever the responsibility of few months before. She saw in him an iron will, shrewdness courage and resource. Out of ten thousand men there were none whose voice drummed on her heartstrings as did that of this youth.
 
 Two men sat in a log ca5in on oppo- site sides of cheap table. One of them was immersed in q newspaper. His body was relaxed, his mind apparently at ease. The other watched him inadvertently. His fingers caressed the handle of revolver that protruded from the holster at his side. He would have liked nothing better than to have drawn it and sent a bullet crashing into the unperturbed brain of his pris- oner.
 There were reasons of policy why It were better to curb this fascinating