Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-17

W"atty0 tnuiutI On Tile bOunulnk pOdTu
tonight. But soft as she had been, as
careful. there was one at the Holding
who followed her every act, who went
for a horse. too, who saddled Drumfire
In silence and who crept down the
down along the plain toward the Black
Coulee he let the red roam out SO that
the girl. keen Of hearing as Of sight,
caught the following beat Of ,hoots;
Ell Rey UP to wait. s.s~
And soon out OF the shadows cast by
the eastern ramparts, where the moon
was raising, she saw tho rider coming.
quick mist of tears suffused her
eyes. a sick feeling gripped her heart
Here was another mixed In the sorry
tangle She had always known vaguely
that Billy was one with her, that MS
heart was the deep heart Of her
He was the one she always wanted
near her In times OF stress II was with
him she liked TO ride In the Big Shadow
when the sun went down behind the
Canyon Country. y
But now she did not want him. She
had keen desire to SEQ him safely out
one way or the other, OF the blood fcud
between tho Stronghold and Lasts.
Now. as he, loped UP and stopped
abreast OF her in silence, she reached
out a hand and caught his in a close
clasp. ..,, .''' .
II don't want YOU. Billy, dear" she
said miserably. mot because L don't
love you, but because 7 amt a-goin' to
see you ehot by Courtrey's gang. This
is one, time. boy when I want you to
leave me alone, to go back without me-"
The rider shook his head against the
stars. q -
Couldn't do II. little girl" he said
wsS ant your knH% Mistress oosifs slSf 40 asked
Tharon sternly. "Ain't I your boss?"
Sure are said the boy with con-
Amt always been good boss to
Best in TIL world, Good as Jim
Last"
Then" said Tharon sharply, "it's up
to you to take my orders. l order you
The cowboy leaned down suddenly
and kissed the hand he held.
(. Pm at your shoulder. Tharon, dear"
he said with simple dignity, like your
shadow. At your foot like the dogs
that never forsake tn herds. couldn't
60 back an leave you--not though I
died for It tonight. ..
Wen say no moro about It, don't
know where you're goin' but wherever
1t Ia. there I'm goin', too an on my
g YOU pleass fan Sat ie ists me so Or not just as
For a long time Tharon Last sat In
the starlight and watched the crests OF
the distant mountains frlnged with the
silver OF the moon that was rising be-
tears. Ali these things that hurt her,
these unknown, tangled things that she
knew dimly meant Life, had come to
her with the advent of Kenset In Lost
Valley. She wished passionately for a
heeting moment that he had never
come that the old swinging, rushing life
OF the ranges had never known his
holding influence. IL. .-"
Then she felt again the hammering
OF MS heart beneath her palms. and
II was n thing beyond her ken, some
thing ordered by fate. She must 60 on.
biindiy as running waters, regardless
OF all that drowned. .,
leaned to his shoulder, put her arm about
his neck and drew his face to hers.
softly tenderly, she kissed him upon
the fps and she did not know that that
was the cruelest thing she had ever done
IN al her kindly life, did not see the
deathly pallor that overspread his face.
I'm goin' to tn Canyon Country,
Billy" she said simply, ITO find tn Cup
Then, she straightened in her saddle
1t was two Of the. clock by The starry
heavens when these two riders entered
the blind opening in the Rockface and
disappeared. El Rey. the mighty, tossed
his hoofs in the dead slft Of the sllencing
floor. He had never before lost sight
| of the sky. never felt other breath in his
nostrils than the keen plains wind.
Now he shook himself and halted, went
on again. and again halted, to be urged
forward by Tharon's spurred heels In
his TANKS. UP through the eerie pass
they went without speech, for each heart
was ttlled to overfiowing with thoughts
To Billv there was sonetbinp fatsy,,,
bodefui In the dead darkness. the still
ness. It seemed to him as II he left for
ever behind him the open life Of the
ranges, the gay and careless days Of
riding after Tharon's cattle
For five years he had lived at Lasts.
under master and mistress, content,
happy The half-remembered world OF
below had never called him. The light
with Tharon's face therein. the nurinur
OF the stream through her garden. the
whisper of the cottonwoods, these had
been sufficient He had, subconsclously.
thanked his Maker for these things, had
served them with whole heart. They
cottonwoods seemed far away, remote,
the life Of the deep ranch house a thing
Of long ago. All these things had given
way to something that sapped the sun.
from the vaulted skies, something that
had come with the quiet man Of the pine.
tree badge. So Billy sighed in the dark.
ness and sat easily on Drumfire, his
slim left hand fdgetlng with the swing.
And Tharon was lost, too. in a maze
of thoughts. She sat straight as lance,
tense, alive: keen; staring into the mar.
1sss sSsrA Is the hh ss Sess ksnsst ss' hI 4sy
aiive9 Had Courtrey been square with
her? or was he even now lying stifY
and stark somewhere in the high cuts,
his dark eyes dull with death, that beat
her breath with a whistling sigh. felt
her head swim at the picture. II he was
--if--he--was-! She fingered the big
guns at her hip and savagery took hold
his right. Then some pretty, work about
him to make him wait--then a shot
through his stomach--he would spit
blood and reel but he wouldn't die,-the
would taunt him with Harkness--and
Jim Last shot in the back-with Old
Pete-and with-with Kenset--the one
man---oh, the one man in all the world
whose whose Set hamds s' were Te' upon Ssrs Ss
like ghost hands would always be upon
or died at dawn todayl And Kenset
the the stain sS'S of Blood d from % her own hands
She laughed aloud. suddenly, q ghastly
sound that made cold chilis go down her
riders spine. for II was the mad laugh
ter of the blood-lust Billy knew that
Jim Last In his best moments was
never so coldly killer as his daughter
was tonight.
So they traversed the rocfed cut and
came out into the starlight of the first
canyon. Up this they went, In single fi!e,
They. PASSED the place where Albright
had found the dark spray on the canyon
wall, the standing rock where the gun
with the untrue firing pin had kicked
away It's shell. A little farther on was
the disturbed and tranpled heap Of