Connecticut western news., 1920-04-15
CONNECTICUT WESTERN NEWS, APRIL 10, 1920.

tis road, just beyond the corral. "Who
BLACKWELL"
mo Cass."
Fendrick reappeared presently and
turned in at the lane. Cullison.
standing on the porch at the head of
the ,seps looked like man who was
passing through the inferno. But he
looked, too, personified day of judg-
ment untempered by mercy.
The sheepman spoke, looking
straight at his foe. 1--WE just heard
the news was down at Yesler's
ranch when you 'phoned asking If they
had seen anything of Miss Cullison.
came up to ask you one question.
When was she seen lastw
about ten o'clock this morning.
Why"
81 saw her about noon. She was on
Mesa Verde, headed for Blue canon,
it looked like"
"Close enough to speak to herr" Sam
asked. .>.
Eyes. We passed the time Of day."
"And then?' Luck cut back into the
conversation with a voice like file.
"She went on toward the gulch and I
kept on to, the ranch. The last | saw
of her she was going straight on. We'd
better travel over toward Mesa Verde,
so as to be ready to start at day
| break"
Collisions gaze had never left him.
1t observed. weighed, appraised. "Good
enough. Well start"
He left Sweeney to answer the tele-
phone while he was away. All Of his
other riders were already out combing
the hills under the supervision Of
Curly. Luck had waited with Sam
only to get some definite information
before starting. Now he had his lead.
Fendrick was either telling the truth
or he was lying with some sinister pur-
pose in view. The cattleman meant to
| know which. H..
The party pushed up the gulch as
rapidly as they could. The ashes Of
| camp fire halted them a few minutes
later. Scattered about lay the feath-
ers and dismembered bones of some
| birds.
Cass stopped and picked up some Of
the feathers. "Quails, reckon. Miss
Cullison had three tied to her saddle
horn when I met her"
"Why did she come up here to cook
them?" Sam asked.
Luck was already off his horse, quar-
tering over the ground to read what 1t
might tell him.
"She wasn't alone. There was
man with her. See these tracks?"
1t was Fendrick who made the next
discovery. He had followed a draw
for short distance and climbed to
little mesa above. Presently he called
to Cullison.
Father and son hurried toward him.
The sheep owner was standing at the
edge of a prospect hole pointing down
with his finger.
Some one has been in that pit re-
Gently, and he's been there several
days"
"Then how did he get out?" Sam
asked
Fendrick knelt on the edge of the
pit and showed him where rope had
been dragged so heavily that it had
cut deeply into the clay.
"Some one pulled him out"
whats it mean anyhow Kate
wasn't in that hole, YVES she?"
Cass shook his head. "This is my
guess. Some one was coming along
tere in the dark and fell in. Suppose
Miss Cullison heard him calling as she
came up the gulch. What would she
GO?''
Come up and help the fellow out"
Sure she would. And if he was
hungry-as he likely was-she would
cook her quail for him."
"And then? Why didn't she come
homer
Luck turned gray agonized face on
him. boy, don't you see? The man
was Blackwell"
And If you'll PM yourself n p'"ch-
wells. place you'll seq that he rnHdn't
let her go home to tell where she hat
seen him." Fendrick explained.
'Then where is she? What did he
do with herr"
"He may have shot her when he got
good chance. but l don't think so.
He would keep her for a hostage as
long as he could"
That's the way I figure it," agreed
Cullison. 'He daren't hurt her, for he
would know Arizona would hunt him
down like wolf if he did,
"Then where's he taking her?" Sam
asked.
Somewhere into the hills. His idea
will be to slip down and cut across the
line into Sonora. He's a rotten bad
lot, but he won't do her any harm un-
less he's pushed to the wall The fear
of Luck Cullison is in his heart"
That's about it," nodded Luck
"He'S somewhere in those hills unIaSS