Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-15
',e.,,,-,on,. 1870. Dy Dodd. Mead q COZ
-u,s STARTS THE STORY

troi bio jim Lasts honsehold' Jtm
co".motorious for his cktil touh guns,
Nra has controlled the Vamey w yedis. ,.
BW, ~ from behii,d. He otpe8 Thdron
Mo, ,ssson IN shooting and hands
~ , n,. beit Of pistols. she seeks TO
hT ,,, Inc name Of MS murderer, and
W. .,,s 10 "1et him More Cdtie hoOe
petn toiio,pers 10 defy Courtrey.
ru,g rides III Rcv aud Is chased by
InO.,rtrsu she stops at the cabin OF
Co"no.s IN uniform. tcith Courtrey a
tho W.Srds behind. "Thdt" she says,
II" ~" tne man I'm going to XII some
ddH, m HERE 1T CONTINUES
,,,uERE you goin', buck?' she asked
wv tmidly. u
nog" said the man shortly.
n,,nt YOU goin'--goin' to kiss mo?''
lie laughed cruelty. :
aNot after what I ben a-hearin', i
amtp ,,.
knee.
There amt nothin' about me you could
hosrd. Buck, dear! Nothin' In this
,ord, ben true TO you as your
shadow" " ~ - ,,... 49,
.,do for the utter and absolute truth,
90, Courtrey looked at Wylackie Bob
=, Arizona, and laughed.
Tjl,e hell YOU have 70 he said, struck
,o Ironwcod and was gone around the
corner of the house with the sound OF
thunder.
r,ep wet her lips and looked around
like A. wounded animal.
uor brother, Cleve, saddling UP a
little way apart. cast long studying
,lance at wylackie and Arizona He
srked the cinch so savagely that the
horse leaped and struck
Fer four days there was abso-
mte dearth at the Stronghold
courtrey did not return. Ellen TIM
,d,v tried TO find out from the vaqueros
where he had gone, but they evaded her,
Then, on the morning Of that day,
stepoe Service grinning and important,
came TO the Stronghold and served on
Ellen A summons In suit for divorce.
She met him at the door and invited
him in, tImidlv and shyly. but he stood
on the stone and made known his busi-
ness
Al first she did not understand, was
like a child told something too deep for
its intellect to grasp, bewildered.
Then, when Service made It brutally
plain, she slipped down along the door
pcst like a wilted lily and lay long and
white on the sand-scrubbed floor. Her
women loving her desperately, gathered
4 Nla lAnys tn he oh q
face, ..- -,
They sent for Cleve. and not even the
presence Of Black Bart in the near cor
raj could keep the brother from running
INTO the darkened room where Ellen lay
"pamn him - he gritted, falling on
his knees beside her. "this's whats
come Of II been lookin' for something
Of It's like. Let him go; Wen leave
We're both toe young to be foored by
man like Courtrey. Let him CO.
But the woman turned her waxen face
to the wall and shook her head.
There amt no life in this world f1r ff12rr
he don't want me, don't want myself: .
You don't want. to hang TO him. dc
10 stay at tn Stronghold after this?"
Rather stay here under Bucks feet
well off somewheres where couldn't
never see him again, never look In his
face"
~, "aSd:. Cd. groaned clove' you love him
yes" said Ellen, YEARLY, 'like that. A"
Then by tn Eternal !" swore Cleve
sottly here you'll stay II 1t takes all
III law in tn United states to Keep
you here. I'll file your answer tomor-
row-protest to tn last word -
And hn intn n
that Courtrey and Ccurtrey's influence
had been there before him, that a cold
sense Of disaster seemed to permeate the
town and all those whom he met therein,
He found the Court House crowd
tght-lpped and careful.
And Ben Garland set the day for
trial at a ridiculously early date, for all
The wcrld as II the thing had been cut
and dried at some secret conclaVe.
Courtrey was playing his game with a
DARING hand, true to his name and habit.
Dusk was falling In Lost Valley. The
ong blue shadows had swept out from
NE Rockface covering first the home.
seads under the Wall, then the great
srazing stretches then Corvan, then the
open levels again, then the mouth OF
ward to hush tho life at Lasts Holding
IN that soft, sweet quiet which comes
with the days work done.
Out at the corrals Billy and Conford
JACK and Bent and Curly put the finish
ing touches TO the routine Of precaution
Nhch the Holding never relaxed. day or
night
Inside the dusky living room where the
orBht blankets glowed on the walls and
w ollas hung In the deep window places
,haron Last sat at the little old melo
1eon and played her nameless tunes.
sne DID not look at the yellowed keys,
instead her blue eyes, deep and glowing
ssandered down along the southern
opes and she was lost In unconscious
sIeams Once again she saw the trim
Ssufe OF the forest man as she had seen
,I ,lh come stifiiy into her range of vision
gu,e' eyes, dark and speaking, the odd
Way MS hair went straight back from
~ forehead. She wondered why she
"gald think Of him at all.
ne was against her--was a force that
Rsyed directly against all her plans OF
vSoa, UIu MIN she feared he was soft-like a
Tr'Wnan-some women-that there was
~ hlln a lack OF the straight man.cour-
Valley. why ''"''u"'u III No"'
And yet--she waited on his woru
Smehow--held her hand from her sworn
Wy LOT while, waiting--for what?
h,r sne knew Deep In the soul OF
M. NJ she knew, vaguely and dimly TO be
tIns' ost she knew that It was for the
ma m,el ,"nel the die should be cast-that
Fsnt prove himself for what he was
rnry5 some vague reason she knew she
,,ooS oa not Kill Courtrey until this man
Nv sae ne wondered what Courtrey meant
NAM. m,s strange quiet following the tragic
Ina bent w. at the Stronghold steps when
ridd.p psIIantes sn had challenged him and
In "pp Then, all suddenly, into her dream
hoofs ese nv came the sound of horses
s.s", srS boots, uncertain For one sWir,
dusr a,,.t .nat sound. coming out of the
Of m.nn Win lts uncertainty, sent a chill
coma msSeEln,ory mo, down her nerves. So mad
10 Sro@I,,rhRte n, hRey that night in spring when
shs hsnt sui jim Last home to dieT
Tpea to the western door. a'''
y comm" !" me- WE shadows and the softness