Connecticut western news., 1920-01-29
frtend nere down at the Legal Te.

| DaVfS nOOueN. Slide 0uf thr0ug |
 the kitchen, cut into ihe alley, aul
 across lots to the corral. Wen loc ],
 the door and I'll hold them here Ion as l cam
 Good boy. Slats. If there's nee
 te party youIl get the first bid l Curly grinned.
 Slats looked at him. cold and steauy 1 Palmer than words he was telling h 4 l former friend that he would no ion l win horse thief For the sake of(ald 1 times he would save him If he could
 but he would call any bluffs about the 1 whole thing being lark. l Curiy's eyes fell away. IL came to 1 him for the first time that he was no 1 longer an honest man. Up till rhis.
 escapadei he had been only wild, but now he had crossed he line that sep
 arates decent folks from outlaws Not another word was said while
 they hurried into their clothes But as Curly passed out of the door he
 called back husky. Wont forget
 what you done for us. Slats."
 Again their eyes met. Davis did uOl ApSdh. uul lH6 ClllI lOOh Oll us face told Flandrau that he had lost friend.
 The two young men ran down the back stairs. passed through the kitch- en where a Chinese cook was getting breakfast, and out into the bright sun- light.
 Wont do to be in any hurry. The play Is we're gentlemen of leisure, just out for an amble to get the mo'ning air" Curly cautioned.
 While they fed. watered and sad dled they swapped gossip with the wrangler. It would not do to leave the boy with story of two riders in such hurry to hit the trail that they could not wait to feed their bronchos. So they stuck II out while the animals ate. At that, they shaved It fine. for as they rode away two men were coming down the street E
 kite Bontils.' Curly called to his partner.
 No explanation was needed. Bon tils was the foreman of the Bar Double Nj. He let out a shout as he caught sight of them and began to run forward. Simultaneously his gun seemed to jump from its holster.
 Macs quirt sang and his pony leaped to a canter in two strides. A bullet dipped between them. Another struck the dust at their heels. Faint x ly there came to the fugitives the sound of the foreman's impotent curses. They had escaped for the time.
 Presently they passed the last barb wire fence and open country lay be- ! fore them. It did not greatly matter which direction they followed, so long as they headed into the desert.
 Neither of them had ever been in serious trouble before and both re- gretted the folly that had turned their drunken spree Into crime. They were, stretched In front of the fire that evening trying to make smoke serve Instead of supper. Mac broke gloomy silence to grunt out jerkily a situa- ton he could DO longer keep to him. self.
 Here's where get my walking pa pers. reckon. No rustlers need ap- ply"
 Curly shot slant glance at him. ''Meaning--the girl?"
 The red-headed puncher took from his coat pocket photograph and showed 1t to his friend. I be sweet clean face of wholesome girl smiled at Curly.
 She's ce'tainly a right nice young lady. I'll bet she stands by you all right Where's she live at7"
 Waits in restaurant at Tomb l stone. We was going to be married | soon as we had saved five hundred dol lars" Mac swallowed hard. And l had to figure out this short cut to the money whilst I was drunk. As If shed | look at money made that way"
 Curly tried to cheer him up. but did not make much of job at 1t. The in- facts were that Mac was | an outlaw and horse thief.
 The redheaded boy rolled another cigarette despondently. "Sho! I've | cooked my goose She'll not look at me -even If they don't send me to the pen. And she's the best ever. Her names Myra Anderson"
 They slept under live oak with the soundness of healthy youth. For the time they forgot their troubles. Neither | of them knew that as the hours slipped away red tragedy was galloping closer to them.
 The sun was shining In his face when Curly wakened. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Mac was nowhere in sight. Probably he had gone to get the horses.
 A sound broke the stiffness of the desert. Flandrau leaped to his feet, i and at the same instant Mac came running over the brow of the hill. A smoking revolver was in his hand
 From behind the hill gun cracked then a second and a third. Mac over his feet and pitched