Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1920-03-25

them upon her father.
CulliSon spoke. "Sit down, Dick"
And to his prisoner: "You too"
f%landrau saw close at hand for the
hrst time the man who had been Ari.
zona's most famous fighting sheriff.
Luck Cullison vas well-built and of
medium height, of a dark complexion,
clean shaven, wiry and muscular. Al
ready past fifty, he looked not a day
more than forty. One glance was
enough to tell Curly the kind of mar
his was. The power of him found eX-
preston in the gray steel-chilled eyes
that bored into the young outlaw.
"You have begun early, young fell
low" he said quietly. But never mind
that. l don't ask you to convict your
self. l sent for you to tell YOU l don't
blame you for this" He touched the
wound in his side.
Different with your boys, sir"
S the boys are q little excited, are
they?"
'"They were last night, anyhow"
Curly answered, with Il glimmer of q
smile.
Cullison looked quickly at Maloney
and then at his daughter.
"Pll listen to what you've been hid.
ing from me-" he told them.
"Oh, the boys had notions. Miss
Kate argued with them and they saw
things different" the Bar Dorble NJ
rider explained.
But Cullison would not let it 20 at
that. BE made them tell him the whole
story. When Curly and Maloney had
finished he buried his daughters little
hand in his big brown fist. His eyes
were dancing with pride, but he gave
her not a word of spoken praise.
Kate spoke to Curly. Father wants
me to tell you that we don't blame YOU
for shooting at him. We understand
just how it was. Your friend got ex-
cited and shot as loon as he saw he
was surrounded. We are both very
sorry he was killed. Father could not
stop the boys in time. Perhaps you re.
member that he tried to get you to
surrender"
The rustler nodded. Eyes, 1 heard
him holler to me to put my gun down,
but the others blazed away at me-"
"And so you naturally defended
yourself. Father wants it made clear
that he feels you could have done moth
ing else"
much obliged. I've been sorry ever
since I hit him, and not only on my
own account"
"Then one of us need to hold hard
feelings" The girl looked at her IA
Their. who answered her appeal with a
grim nod, and then she turned again
to the young rustler a little timidly. 81
wonder If you would mind if I asked
you a question"
you've earned the right to ask as
many as you like"
you know the man they call Soapy
Stone. Is that true?"
Flandrau's eyes took on a stony look.
1t was as if something had sponged all
the boyishness from his face. Still try
ing to get him to give away his part
ners in the rustling, were they? Well,
he would show them he could take his
medicine without %squealing.
"Your boys were asking that ques-
ton about Soapy last night. They had
a rope round my neck at the time.
Nothing u%nfriendly in the matter, of
1,,,@ ,,r,I +o.,c So nv
doings."
Cullison was looking at him with
the steel eyes that bored into him like
a gimlet. Now he spoke sharply.
"I've got an account running with
Soapy Stone. Some day I'll settle it,
likely. But that amt the point now
| Do you know his friends-the bunch
he trails with?'
WEAKNESS still seemed to crouch in
| the cool eyes Of Flandrau.
: And if l say yes, I'll bet your next
question will be about the time and
the place I last saw them"
Kate picked up a photograph from
vne table and handed it to the prisoner.
Were not interested in his friends
except n of them. Did you eve see
the boy that sat for that %picture?"
The print was a snapshot Of a boy
about nineteen, a bright-faced hand
some fellow, a little sulky around the
mouth but with a pair of straight hon
est eyes.
Curly shook his head slowly. Yet he
was vaguely reminded of some one he
knew. CHANGING up, he found instant
ly the clue to what had puzzled him.
The young mar in the picture was like
Kate Cullison, like her father, too, for
that matter.
Hes your brother" The words
were out before Flandrau could stop
them.
YES. You've never met him."
mo"
Cullison had been watching the
young man steadily. "Never saw him
with Soapy Stones"
mo"