The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970, 1920-08-05

when Curly wakened. He sat up and
rubbed his eyes. Mac was nowhere In
sight. Probably be had gone to get ths
horses.
A sound broke the stiffness Of the
desert. Elandrau leaped to his test
and at the same instant Mac came
running over the brow Of the hill. 4
smoking revolver was in his hand.
From behind the hill . gun cracked
then Q second-and Q third. Mac
stumbled over his feet and pitched
forward full length on the ground. His
friend ran toward him. forgetting the
revolver that lay in its holster under
the live oak. Every moment he ex.
pected to SEQ Mac jump up. but the ng-
ure stretched beside the cholla never
moved. Flandrau felt the muscles
round his heart tighten. he had seen
sudden death before, but never had Il
come 20 near home.
A bullet sent up squirt Of dust n
front Of him. another Just on the left.
Riders were making q half circle
around the knoll and closing In ON him.
In his right mind Curly would have
been properly frightened. But now he
thought only Of Mac lying there 20 still
In the sand. Right Into the Ore zone
he ran, knelt beside his partner and
lifted the red-thatched head. A little
hole showed back Of the left ear and
another at the right temple. A bullet
had plowed through the boys skull.
Softly Flandrau put the head back
In the sand and rose to his feet. The
revolver Of the dead puncher was In
his hand. The riders were closing in
on him. The nearest called to him to
surrender. Almost at the same time
q red-hot pain shot through the left
arm Of the trapped rustler. Someone
had nipped him from the rear.
Curly saw red. Surrender moth
inEl He would 90 down fighting. AZ
fast a. be could blaze he emptied
Macs gun. When tho smoke cleared
the man who had ordered him to give
up was slipping from his horse. Curly
was surprised. but he knew he must
have hit him BY chance.
I'VE got him. His guns empty"
some one shouted.
Cautiously they closed In. keeping
him covered all the time. OF suddea
the plain tilted up to meet the sky.
Tlandrau felt himself swaying on his
feet. Everything went black. The
boy had tainted.
faces were all around him and there
were - bodies 10 % with them. They
seemed 10 noat about In IN odd. casual
sort q way. Then things cleared.
Hes coming to al right" eos said
How Is Cullisonr'
This was said to another who had
jsst come up.
Hard hit Looks about all h. CT
Nm in the side."
TAs rage died out Of Curly. In .
fash he saw all that had come Of this
drunken spree: the rustling Of the
Bar Double n stock, the discovery.
tie death Of his friend and maybe Of
Culiison. the certain punishment that
would follow. He was Q horss thisz
caught almost In the act. Perhaps be
was q murderer. too. And the whole
thing had bsen entirely unpremedt.
tatsd.
you've played -" one Of ths
men told the boy.
He was Q Awed-o6 little felleW
known % Dutch. Tlandrau had $50
him In the Map Of TEXAS country q
ysaF Of two before. The rest wen
strangsfs to the boy. All Of them
looked at him out Of hard, hostile syes
He was scarcely Q human being Il
them: rather Q wolf 10 be stamped out
Of existence % soon a II was coavsa.
lsat
AZ . shift In the group Flaadrau'l
eyes fell % his friend Tying II thu
sand with face turned whitley to thu
sky be never would ses again. A lump
cane Int the boys throat and he had
to wsek II down before he spoke.