Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1920-02-20

From the pocket of his shirt he drew
a crumpled piece of stained linen.
ave brought back your handker-
chief. Miss Culllson."
what have you done with my IA
ther2"
lie nodded toward the Mexican boy
and Kate dismissed the lad When he
had gone she asked her question again
In exactly the same words.
lie swung from the horse and threw
the rein t0 the ground. Then, saun-
tering to the gate. he let himself In.
You've surely got nice posy gar
den here. Didn't know there was one
like II In all sunbaked Arizona"
She stood rigid. Her unfaltering
eyes. sloe-black In the pale face, never
lifted from him.
Il want you to tell. me what you
have done with my father"
He laughed little and looked ut
her with eyes that narrowed like
those Of u cat basking in the sun. He
had something the look of the larger
members of the cat family--the soft
long tread, the compact ripping mus
Giles of a tame panther, and with these
the threat that always lies behind its
sleepy wariness.
you're a young lady of one idea.
No use arguing with you, l reckon"
mot the least use. I've talked with
Mrs. Wylie"
He raised his eyebrows. do know
the ladyT"
"She will know you. That is more
to the point"
".Did she say she knew me?" he
purred.
"She will say 1t in court-if it ever
comes to that"
Just what will she say, If you
pleasef'
Kate told him in four sentences with
standing note of her, that and fine
self-forgetful courage.
rs that all? Comes to this then,
that she says l heard her scream, ran
in, and saved your fathers life. IL
that a penitentiary offense?'
"You helped the villain take his
body into the cellar. You plotted with
him to hold father a prisoner there"
"Says that, does she-that she over
heard us plotting?"
"Of course she did not overhear
what you said. You took good care of
that. But she knew you were conspir-
ing"
Just naturally knew 1t without
overhearing." he derided. "And Of
course If l was In u plot l must have
been Johnny-on-t he-spot good deal OF
the time. Hung round there a-plenty,
l expect?"
He had touched on the weak spot OF
Mrs. Wylie's testimony. The man who
had saved Cullisons life, after long
talk with Blackwell, had gone out Of
the Jack of Hearts and had not re-
turned so far as she knew. For her
former husband had sent her on an
errand just before the prisoner was
had helped him.
Kate was silent.
How would this do for an explana-
tion?" he suggested lazily. We'll say
just for the sake of argument that
Mrs. Wylie's story is true, that l did
save your fathers life. Wen put 1t
that | did help carry him downstairs
where IL was cooler and that l did
have long talk with the fellow Black
well. What would be talking to him
about, II wasn't reading the riot act
to him? And after he had said he was
sorry why shouldn't | hit the road out
Of there? There's no love lost between
Inc and Luck Cullison. | wasn't under
any obligations to wrap him up in cot
ton and bring him back this side up
with care to his anxious friends. III
he chose later to take hike out of
town on p.d.q. hurry up business l
amt to blame. And l reckon you'll
find a jury will agree with me-"
She brushed his explanation side
with woman's superb indifference to
logic.
"You can talk of course. l don't
care. 1t Is all lies--lies. You have
kidnapped father and are holding him
SOIileWneTe. LOU you uuIc w huit
him. If you should--Oh, If you should
you will wish you had never been
born" The fierceness of her passion
beat upon him like sudden summer
hail.
He forgot for the moment that he
was man with the tolls OF the law
closing upon him, forgot that his sue
cess and even his liberty were at stake.
He saw only n girl with the hunger OF
love in her wistful eyes, and knew
that 1t lay IN his power to bring back
the laughter and the light into them.
Suppose can't fight fair any long
er. Suppose I've let myself get trapped
and II isn't up to me but to somebody
else. Up to your father, say2"
"My fatherf"
"Yes. How could l turn him loose
when the first thing he did would be
TO swear out warrant for my arrest2"