The Jasper news., 1920-03-25
CHAPTER I.-contlnued.

p
"There's a picture IN his pocket, and
some letters, reckon. Send them to
Miss Myra Anderson, Tombstone, care
of one of the restaurants. ! don't
know which one"
Send nothin'," sneered Dutch, and
coupled 1t with a remark no decent
man makes Of woman on guess.
Because of poor Mac lying there
with the little hole in his temple Curly
boiled over. With jerk his right arm
was free. 1t shot out like a pile
driver, all his weight behind the blow.
Dutch went down as If charging bull
had flung him.
Almost simultaneously Curly hit the
sand hard. Before he could stir three
men were straddled over his anatomy.
One of them ground his head into the
dust.
"You would, eh1 Wen see about
that. Jake, bring yore rope"
They tied the hands of the bcy,
hauled him to his feet and set him
astride horse. In the distance
windmill Of the Circle @ ranch was
shining In the morning sun. Toward
the group of buildings clustered around
this two of his captors started with
Flandrau.
AS they rode along a fenced lane
which led to the house a girl came fly
ing down the steps. At sight of those
coming toward her she called out
quickly:
How is dadT The culver of fear
broke in her voice.
"Don't know yet, Miss Kate" an
swered one of the men. Hes right
peart, though. Says for to tell you
not to worry. We've got here the
NANCY son of gun that did It."
Before he had finished she was of
like an arrow shot from a bow, but
not until her eyes had fallen on the
youth sitting bareheaded and bloody
between the guns of his guard. Curly
noticed that she had given a shudder,
as one might at sight of a mangled
mad dog which had just bit dear
friend. Long after the pounding Of
her pony's hoofs had died away the
prisoner could see the startled eyes of
fear and horror that had rested on
him.
His guards put Flandrau In the bunk
house and one of them sat at the door
with a rifle across his knees. The cook,
the stable boy, and red-headed Bob
Cullison, q nephew Of the owner of the
ranch, peered past the vaquero at the
captive with the same awe they would
have yielded to a Gagged panther.
"Why. he's only a kid, Buck" the
cook whispered.
Buck chewed tobacco llnpassively.
"Old enough to be a rustler and q
killer"
Bob's blue eyes were wide with in
terest. an bet he's a regular Billy
the Kid" murmured the half-grown
boy to the other lad.
"Sure. Course he is. He's got bad
eyes all right"
"Tll bet he's got notches on his gun.
Say, II Uncle Luck dies" Bob left
the result to the Imagination.
The excitement at the Circle @ in
creased. Horses cantered up. Men
shouted to each other the news. Oc-
casiOnally some one came In to have a
.oOk at the bad man" who had shot
Luck Culllson. Young Flandrau lay
on a cot and stared at the ceiling,
paying no more attention to them than
II they had been blocks OF wood.
The crunch of wagon wheels over
disintesrated granite drifted to the
bunkhouse.
They're bringing the boss back"
Buck announced from the door to one
Of his visitors.
The man Joined him and looked over
his shoulder. Miss Kate there tooT"
yep. Say, If the old mon don't pull
through 1t will break her all up"
The boy on the bed turned his face
30 the wall. he had hot cried for ten
years, but now he would have liked the
relief of tG,0rS. big lump rose in his
throat aud would not stay down. The
irony Of It was that he was staged for