The Little River news., 1920-07-17

the cs~t.c iigh.ness. the unconscious hexuOus grace of pci.e given her body by a3 outdoor life. By dusk they were up in the headwaters of the creeks. The resilient muscles of the girl had lost their spring. She moved wearily, her feet dragging heavily so that some times she staggered when the ground was rough. Not once had the man of- fered her the horse. He meant to be fresh. ready for any emergency that might come. Moreover. 1t pleased his small soul to see the daughter of Lucl; Cullison Jagged and exhausted but still answering the spur of his urge.
 The moon was up before they came upon tent shining in the cold silvery light. Beside 1t was a sheetiron stove. : box. the ashes of a camp fire. and a side of bacon hanging from the limb of a stunted pine. Cautiously they stole forward.
 The camp was for the time deserted. No doubt it's owner. Mexican sheep herder in the employ of Fendrick and Dominguez. was out somewhere with his flock.
 Kate cooked a meal and the convict ate. The girl was too tired and anx- ious to care for food. but she made herself take little. They packed the saddlebags with bacon. beans. coffee and -four. Blackwell frightened again the cinches and once more the two took the trail.
 They made camp in a pocket open- ing from gulch far up in the hills. With her own reata he fastened her c,frely to the twisted trunk of Joshua tree. To make sure of her he lay on the rope, both hands clinched to the rifle. In five minutes he was asleep but 1t was long before Kate could es- cape from wakefulness. At last she fell into troubled catnaps.
 From one of these she awoke to see that the morning light was sitting through the darkness. She was shiver- ing with the chill of an Arizona noun tain night. Turning her body. the girls eyes fell upon her captor. He was looking at her in the way that no de- cent man looked at woman. Her i'm pulse was to scream, to struggle to her feet and run. What did he mean? What was he going to do?
 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. It told him that for his life he dared not lay finger upon her in the way of harm. And he knew 1t 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, Wen be going"
 Within the hour they saw some Of his hunters. A wisp of smoke rose from the basin below. Grouped about t were three men eating breakfast. Don't make . sound." warned Blackwell.
 Ills ride covered her. With an her aoul she ionged to cry for heap. 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 little grove where the ponies were tefhered. 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 piteous It, tie gesture of appeal.
 She was right. II was Curly. He was thinking of her al that moment despairingly. but no bell of warning