Licking Valley courier., 1921-05-12
dead7 Is this hell?"
HAZEL GREEN, KY

thing Is all right. Lie still and don't
worry"
"But who the HI are you? Amt
you Tom Shelby?" he laughed wildly.
'Lord, no; he's dead!"
"That Is where you are wrong, my
boy. I'm Shelby all right, but long
ways from being dead"
"You, Shelby? Didn't he get your"
swell, yes, he got me, but not quite
strong enough. / failed to stay got.
You lie down, and be still. Here, take
drink Of this"
The fellow did as he was ordered,
his hands shaking so that Shelby had
to hold the bottle to his lips. Even as
he drank greedily, his eyes never de-
serted the others face until the girl,
creeping silently up behind, came also
into his range of vision. Her presence
seemed to give him a sense of reality.
"Say, this is too much for me-" he
said huskily, but lying back quiet, "the
two Of yer here. Just what's happened
enyhow? It was Pancha, wasn't 1t,
who hauled me out O. that cabin. Well,
where's Pancha? an what the HI Is
this place I'm in?'
"Let me tell him, Tom," broke in o.
ga, pressing forward, and lifting his
head into her lap. "He will believe me,
and he is afraid Of you yet. You can
bear what ] say, Mr.. Macklin"
He nodded, gasping, his eyes on her
face.
"Then listen closely. 1t will only
take moment to explain. You were
shot"
"Yes, yes" he suffered, u know; !;
she did IT,"
"Oh, you saw, then, who fred. 1t
was all q mistake, and she was so
sorry. The bullet was meant for In
dian Joe Laud, but you stepped in the
way"
'Pancha tried to kill LaudT
"Yes; 1t was all on account Of me,
YOu-yOu carried me off because you
believed had the right to some mon
ey, didn't your"
His eyes frightened, but still with
the dull glow of fever in them.
"Sure; you got It comm, too. But
what's that got to do with Joe Laud?
He wasn't noway hooked up on this
game"
"Oh, yes, he was. I'll explain all
that. You told something to a man
named Matt Hanley once"
"Me maybe ] did. when we was
drunk tergether over at Gerlasche.
I'd just found out bout II then. But
he never remembered-Hnnley didn't"
"Yes, he did, and he kept watch on
you ever since; he and fellow, Sla'
gin. They were somewhere up the val
ley the night you brought me In here,
and they knew what was up. They
followed, meaning to get you put out
of the way somehow, so they could get
hold of me themselves. guess they
didn't have brains enough TO make It.
don't know exactly what happened
but after Slagin got killed"
HI was that what that guy CANT
to the cabin for?"
1--WE suppose so; at least that wal
what caused Hanley to tell the story
to Indian Joe Laud, and get him t
take 0 hand. They tried to get thu
, Mexican, Pancha's brother, to hell
them, but something brought on
quarrel, and Laud killed him. An In
dian boy told Pancha, and she wen
crazy over you both. That was wha
! brought her to the cabin"
"An' that Ol' devil come there L
D get me, did heT
l. "Yes, but first he tried TO learn al
he could; things Hanley didn't know
so he could make the job worth while
Then Pancha tried to shoot him, an,
3 got YOU"
He struggled to speak,
"Say. lift me up a little more. That
b Il; something seems to oil up In m
throat. You sure she didn't hear moth
In suld there-'bout leavln her, an
marryin' your
v 81 know she didn't"
n Lord, I'm sure glad o. that. sorte
9 thought that was what she plugged IN
" for; that would be the Mex OF II
/. they're HI on that sort o. thing. lik
e her she's good scout. Why ain
she here? Where is she now?"
/. "She has gone for n doctor; wen
n down into the Hole to get q horse I
+ ride"
i, "Where is she g0ln'?"
! "Gcrlasche; there's an army SUI
gcon there
YES, | know" wearlly, "an' wher
you got meI"
In small cave part way up IN
blutf."
:, "Sure. Eagles cave. pancha TOO
q me up we're nnct, an showed Il 10 m
i An you Two lugged me all that waysi
Il "lps."
Ilp struggled to force hack the ol
Y structou IN his throat,
J. "Well. whit did you do thai for
! he asked almost supgely. "Thut
what don't get through my nut.
amt done nuthln' to make either Ot
u Of yer decent ter me. ! thought Shell
here was deadprn d0nrnall. an
reckon you know what was nlnl
ter do with YOU. There um't no u'