The Jasper news., 1920-07-08
CHAPTER xIl-contlnusd.


ward with devious twists. The man
rode, and the girl walked in front with
the elastic llghtness, the unconscious
hexuous grace Of polse given her body
by an 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, II pleased his
small soul to see the daughter OF Luck
Culllson tagged and exhausted but still
answering the spur of his urge.
The moon was up before they came
upon tent shining in the cold sllyery
light. Beside 1t was a sheetlron stove,
box, the ashes of a camp fire, and
side of bacon hanging from the limb
OF a stunted pine. Cautiously they
stole forward.
The camp was for the time deserted.
No doubt Its owner, a Mexican sheep
herder in the employ of Fendrick and
DomInguez, was out somewhere with
his flock.
Kate cooked a meal and the convici
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 tightened again
the cinches and once more the two
took the trail.
They made camp in a pocket open
ing from a gulch far up In the hills.
With her own reata he fastened her
hands behind her and tied the girl Sc
curely to the twisted trunk Of Joshua
tree. To make sure of her he lay on
the rope, both hands clinched to the
rife. In five minutes he was asleep.
but It 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 mean7
What was he going to dO7
But something warned her this
would preclpitate the danger. She
called upon her courage and tried to
still the fearful tumult In her heart
Somehow she succeeded. 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 It was
true, knew that II 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.
We'll be going"
Within the hour they saw some of
his hunters. A wisp of smoke rose
from the basin below. Grouped about
II were three men eating breakfast.
Don't make sound" warned
Blackwell.
His rife covered her. With all her
soul she longed to cry for help. 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 a little grove
where the ponies were tethered. 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 a piteous lit
tie gesture Of appeal.
She was right. 1t was Curly. he
was thinking Of her at that moment
!despairingly, but no bell Of warning
rang within to tell him she was so near
and In such fearful need Of him.
Twice during the morning did the
refugee attempt to slip down into the
parched desert that stretched toward
Sonora and safety. But the Gordon set
about him was drawn too close. Each
time a loose-seated rider IoungipR In
the saddle with a rife in his hands
drove them back. The second attempt
was almost disastrous. for the convict
was seen. The hum Of bullet whistled
past his ears as he and his prisoner
drew back into the chaparraI and from
thence won back to cover.
Kate. dropping with fatigue, saw
that fear rode blackwell heavily, BE