Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-07

/ neck, 80 ionB tail that Bpread ilke n
fan between his kneees and almost swept
the ground. .Ut NEF
/ SO, Courtrey came out Of the Coulee
to meet her He would. maybe, force
the issue. But Tharon was not ready for
1 that. What was plain killing7 No, she
wanted more than that. She wanted to
see him. scourged and beaten, hunili-
ated and robbed as he had robbed Lost
Valley. NI f,
| So she turned El Rey, though IL took
and headed him back the way they had
come. With the first turn and straight
ening leap her heart thumped nard
against her ribs ~
There. between her and the Holding
far distant, there were two riders--and
they rode bay horses, both =
She made no doubt that they were
WylaGk,e ei, hob and Black Bart, on Ar
| a sudden mist Of fear came acre ss
her eyes 4 tishtening caught her
throat, She looked around the illimit.
sides. There was nothing in all the
\ spreading plains but the three riders
sSprnnS from nowhere. ~ seemed. and
1 Go1rtrey came rapidly toward her,
swinging aNbit to the west. The others,
set somewhat apart to right and left,
bore down upon her. It locked very
n mu6n 81 as sao u they y meant to ride her down
! Once In its sheltering deep wash she
TSuld TS, p,o be helpless. cut Off from escape.
eastern hills, lost itself up in the rugged
and torturous clefts and chasms that
CUT the unknown ramparts, dark with
| Forest and mysterious G
Nc Not the Black Coulee and Court
rey TO take her prisoner
Sne looked this way and that. Then
she saw that toward her right she had
to swing away from the man in front
who came like the wind itself toward
her. She caught the seeming of great
speed and her heart leaped again.
lack Masters ifSBolt could run like III
How do ] know7"' he had answered.
True enough. It was Bolt. coming like
MS namesake, down along the sioping
ovar aut sres, wave Of exultation swept
shook an insulting hand above her,
| dropped on El Rey's neck, swerved hin,
east and swept away toward the lifting
yell behind her, glanced back and saw
that the three Ironwoods were sweeping
pehind her closing in together. II was
70 be q race at last Es
At. last the whispered comparisons
mat had stirred under the speech of the
valley concerning the Ironwoods and the
ringer. Marks was to have justification.
For the first and only time. In her
"AiI rishtTS cried " rhsron aloud
Come on, yon bastards It's the king
you come against an Jim Lasts blood
You'll never put a hand on either"
esnns nne saauSk struSk hsr heels into El Rey's
she was on the kings bare back. reached
her hands far out along the reins and
besap to call in his ear -
SHSeoo Yecoo! Yeeoo,r'. she cried
singing wind. And FL Rey. ever keen
to run for no reason. finding himself
called upon, stretched out his great
body. dropped low to earth and began
i.s IL run bnI1s TIE WING cut by Tharons face
II shut her eyes In a dozen. She rode
| and laughed with half sob In her
throat. Ire thunder of the kings IRON
shod hoofs was in her ears lik, the roar
canyons poured their temporary torrents
dowH the Rockface into the Valley.
! sne Knew he was runnlng as she had
| never ridden before. She had never
ing ndrift upon the wind. She heard
the note OF his speed rising in her ears
II WAS as 1t had ever heen, save that
II was higher note. thinner, sharper
hsa ws c M s Of srSan SaSh be
evenly and smoothly did the shining
hoofs take the grassy plain. y
Tears were In her eyes, Laughter was
on her lips. This was speed indeed She
had n sick longing that Jim Last might
see his two loved ones go
Then she gathered herself to turn her
head across her leaning shoulder and
look back. - ..-0i Q
As her eyes swept into focus behind,
the laughter slipped on her lips as II
wiped by an Invisible hand.
There, the Same distance away as
when they started. rode Courtrey! :
No farther away!
tn tIn lAA xt,.~.
pace with El Rey! 'M ,D
Farther back--a little farther back
was Arrow. running magnifcently. too.
A greater distance behind the two
Tharor was frightened. Not for her.
self. Not for the intent of the men who
came after her. Not for ,gunfire. nor for
capture. r II
that Bolt could hold that wonderful
pace Then surgng rage rose and
sickened her. AH i.y
She leaned down again and called once
more into the stations ear and once
more tho note rose a notch She felt
that great pulsing seeming of reserve.
Always when she called there was the
answer. The plain swan beneath her
like n blur. The thunder. Of the kings
hoofs was a single note also.
% Then Tharon raised her eyes and saw
that she had left the open land behind.
The mountains were rising swiftly be-
fore, she was sweeping up their skirts
Trees flew by. She heard the singing
of waters The forests seemed to come
down out of the skies to meeet her, dark,
forbidding. ....
She felt a sense Of disaster. of help
lessness. Where was she going she and
El Rey, with her enemies behind and
coming fast? What was to be the end
of the race? And then, all suddenly, the
woods seemed to fall away on either
side. a gateway to open up before her.
A lovely open glade spread into the
heart of the forest and the great king
thundered In between the guarding
pines Like a silver flame he shot up
the sloping floor. slowed, changed and
came to stop before cabin that sat
With the crashing pound of FL Rey's
plowing hoofs upon the very stones
at the step, a man came quickly from
the interior Of the cabin and stepped out
his hand lifted.
Tharon Last, her hair beating on her
breast heaying, looked back toward the |
opening in the trees and saw Courtrey |
swing In a wide arc and circle past TO |
disappear toward the north.
After him swept his two lieutenants.
to fade swiftly from sight behind the
ls grim espression spread over the
face Of the man at the step as he, too,
beheld the end of the vital play
Then he looked up at the girl on the
silver stallion and his dark eyes were
alight, ., ..u
Than Tharon seemed to become con-
scious of him for the first time.
She looked down at him and the black
pupils were spread across the azure of |
her eyes, making them strangely ex-
ma N sfa al