The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-05-05

sltilng uTfight IN inc u"cp tn"ht''
with the straight back OF the cavalry
man. his eyes watchful. his lips
grimly set. he rode steadily on. hour
after hour, planning. beginning now
to realize tho depth OF his own In
tercst In this effort at rescue. lie
had hardly comprehended before that
this girl was really his wife-that
her life had become his TO guard
The affair between them had oc
CURED so swiftly. 10 Unexpectedly.
Ne had not before awakened 20 it's
true meaning. But now u became
very real. and he was positively sur
prised 20 learn tho strength OF hold
she already had upon him.
Women In other years had seemed
TO his mind rather as piaythings
than anything else. he had never
taken them seriously. But this ono
would not play: whatever she might
secretly think OF him. she wrls her.
neif very much IN earnest. and this
fact had impressed HIM strongly.
She stood clearly out In his memory
as new type--one 20 respect. rov.
erenco. he was already proud 10 pos
seas her. eager 10 serve. lie began.
indeed. TO suspect an even deeper
feeling. n rather vague longing for
her personally. His mind would
iinger over a thousand little womaniy
pccuhritieH. which somehow had un.
consciously Impressed him-ihe soft
glow In her eyes. the wintfulnsss OF
her smile. the slight dimple IN her
chin: the pulsinE OF blood IN her
checks. the round firmncsa 81 the
white neck. tho peculiar gracefulncHs
OF her walk. the namclr.s attractive.
ness OF poise all came back now
In odd fascination. lie wnn not
aware before that no had even
noticed theHc things but now their
memory dominated him. caused his
pulses 70 quicken. lie had known
little % women since boyhood. and
never before had he encountered on
terms OF intimacy this type OF
woman. She had been revelation
20 him. even IN his blindness. but
now. under tho spell OF memory. she
had suddenly changed 20 an inEpira.
tion. His wife. Olga carlyn' his Wife
lie said the words over. NJ tho he
recalled dream. the round OF the
words causing the startled buckskln
20 east back an evil ego at his un.
conscious rider.
Yet IL was actually true. 'uponni.
bic as Il seemed. 1, was. nevertheless.
an incontrovcytible fact iie had
never spoken 90 her a single word OF
love. he had never even kissed her.
and stiii. before both God and man.
she was his wife. The Ftrangcness
az the situation bcwiidercd him.
Why. he did not even know who SHE
was. wha, RICH, she had 90 claim
tho family name under which he had
married her. what strange story Of
crime might shadow her history. IL
was all mystery. a mystery In which
he was becoming deeply Involved.
caIklns had evidently been hiding
hrr from some fate. but whether Of
coed or evil. could not yet be dc.
irrrntned. This present abduction.
beyond question. had 20 do with that
concealed past perhaps with some
happening before she was oven born.
She Understood is purpose no clearer
than he. Both. alike. must Erope
biindly forward in i,s final solution.
Yet this mus; have been the cause
Of the act. no other cxpla nation SUI.
feed. These fellows were not rob,
bcrs. their raid WIS not intended for
any such purpose. they had touched
nothing. even the horses were left
undlsturbed In the corral. and the
moment they gained posscHuion of
her they had hurricdly departed. II
had all been carefully planned. with
Macklin TO choose tho time. and then
executed quietly. Their only mistake
was in leaving him behind alive. But
for that one error no one ever would
have known what had occurred. or
dreamed Of her fate. And now, as
surcd OF safety. believing the dead
would tell no tales. that they had
left behind no evidence OF their
crime. tho outfit was riding care.
leasly acrors tho lonely prairie. seek
Ing somewhere a safe rendezvous.
Shelby refined his horse 10 the left.
and sought a water hole he rcmem-
bcrcd. himself drinking first. and
then standing by while the animnl
qucnchcd Ito thlrt. Leaving the
buckskin there. with rein trailing on
the ground. no climbed tho steep side
OF butte. and swept tho distant
horizon with a field glass II was
a wild. rough scene outspread before
him. consisting OF barren hills tum.
bling in Irregular layers for mile
after mile in iurnblcd confusion, like
brown. choppy waves. broken here
and there by outcropping rock. often
assuming odd. fantastic shapes, and
dominated occasionally by much
higher ridgca II was a trackless
waste. drear and deserted OF all life
Not a thing that moved crossed his
range OF vision: and, at last, he
snapped tho field glasses back into
their case. slipped down the steep
face OF tho butte, and silently re
mounted.
In moving forward. he was more
cautious now TO keep well down be.
hind the ridges. picking passage
along narrow gullies, yet, with
plainsman's instinct. holding fairly
well to the same northwest course
originally chosen. The sun was
some time past tho meridian. and he
felt convinced those he followed could
not be far from the trail no was en-
deavoring to locate. He came upon
IL In less than an hour. leading
straight down n narrow valley. whose
general course was directly west
lie disrnounted and studied the
tracks with care. This was his party
beyond doubt-five horses one
with n split hoof They were tray.
cling slowly. punched together. in
proof that they felt no fear Of being
followed. and. II was his Judgment
they passed this point not more than
three or four hours previously.
Shelby. we'll satisfied. swung back
into the saddle. and followed. having
no difficulty I'm keeping to the clear.