Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-07-01

tain night. Turning her body. the gtxts
! eyes fell upon her captor. He wAa
looking at her in the way that no Do.
pulse was to scream. to struggle to her
| feet and run. What did he meant
What was he going to dot
But something warned her this
would precipitate the danger. She
called upon her courage and tried to
still the fearful tumult in her heart
Somehow she succeeded. A scornful,
confident pride flashed from her eyes
into his. 1t told him that for his life
he dared not lay a finger upon her in
the way Of harm. And he knew it was
true, knew that if he gave way to his
desire no hole under heaven would be
deep enough to hide him from the VEN
geance Of her friends.
He got ~sullenly to his feet. Come.
Well be going"
Within the hour they saw some Of
his hunters. A wisp of smoke o
from the basin below. Grouped about
it were three men eating breakfast.
Don't make a sound" warned
Blackwell.
His rife covered her. With all her
soul she longed to cry for help. But
she dared not take the risk. Even as
the two on the edge of the bowl with
drew from sight one Of the campers
rose and sauntered to a little grove
where the ponies were tethered. The
distance was too far to make sure, but
something in the gait made the girl
sure that the man was Curly. Her
hands went out to him in a piteous lit
tie gesture Of appeal.
She was right. 1t was Curly. He
was thinking of her at that moment
despairingly, but no bell of warning
rang within to tell him she was so near
and in such fearful need of him.
Twice during the morning did the
refugee attempt to slip down into the
parched desert that stretched toward
Sonora and safety. But the Gordon set
about him, was drawn too close. Each
time a loose-seated rider lounging In
the saddle with q rifle in his hands
drove them back. The second attempt
was almost disastrous, for the convict
was seen. The hum Of q bullet whistled
past his ears as he and his prisoner
drew back into the chaparral and from
thence won back to cover
Kate, dropping with fatigue, saw
that fear rode Blackwell heavily. He
was trapped and he knew that by the
Arizona code his life was forfeit and
would be eXacted of him should he be
taken. He had not the hardihood to
game it out in silence, but whined COM
plants, promises and threats. He tried
to curry favor with her, to work upon
her pity, even while his furtive glances
told her that he was wondering wheth-
er he would have a better chance If he
sacrificed her life.
From gulch to arroyo, from rock
cover to pineclad hillside he was
driven in his attempts to break the
narrowing circle of grim hunters that
hemmed him. And with each failure.
with every passing hour, the terror In
him mounted. He would have vel
coined life Imprisonment, would have
sold the last vestige Of manhood to
save the worthless life that would soon
be snuffed out unless he could evade
his hunters till night and in the dark
ness break through the line.
He know now that it had been a fatal
mistake to bring the girl with him. He
might have evaded Bolts posses, but
now every man within fifty miles WaE
on the lookout for him, His rage
turned against Kate because of it. Yet
even in those black QQtbursts be felt
that he must cling to her as his onfiiSS
hope & saying hhi9gssseA!fs ae had made
another mistake III lighting q CAMP:
fire during the morning. ANY fool
ought to have known tina: the smoke
would draw his hunters as the smell OF
carrion does a buzzard.
Now he made a third error. Dou-
bling back over an open stretch of hill
side, he was seen again and forced into
the first pocket that opened. It proved
to be a blind gulch, n offering no exit
to a bluff above.
He whipped off his coat and gave 1t
to Kate.
Put it on. Quick!"
Surprised, she slipped it on.
"Now ride back out and cut along
the edge of the hill. You've got time
to make it all right before they close
in if you travel fast. Stop once-just
once-and I'll drop you in your tracks.
Now gilt"
She saw his object in a flash. Wear
ing his gray felt hat and his coat, the
pursuers would mistake her for him.
They would follow her-perhaps shoot
her down. Anyhow, it would be a di-
version to draw them from him,
Meanwhile. he would climb the cliff
and slip away unnoticed.
The danger of what she had to do
stood out quite clearly, but as q
chance to get away from him she well
coined it gladly. From the lip Of the
gulch she swung abruptly to the right.
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