Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-02-24
1921

shot"
Eyes, yes" he suffered, ~ know;
she did it."
"Oh, you saw, then. who fired. 1t
was all a 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 Laud?'
Eyes; 1t was all on account Of me.
You-you Carried me Off because you
! believed I had the right to some mon
ey, didn't you?"
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 q man
named Matt Hanley once"
"Me! maybe l did, when we was
drunk tergether over at Gerlasche.
I'd just found u bout it then. But
he eve Observation-Disclosures didn't"
Eyes, The did, and he kept watch on
you V e since; he and a 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. l guess they
didn't have brains enough to make it.
I don't know avo1t1v what hnrnnnn6 T,
but after Slagin got killed"
"HI was that what that guy came
to the cabin for?"
1--WE suppose so; at least that was
what caused Hanley to tell the story
to Indian Joe Laud, and get him to
take a hand. They tried to get the
Mexican. Pancha's brother, to help
them, but something brought on a
quarrel, and Laud killed him. An In
dian boy told Pancha, and she went
crazy over you both. That was what
brought her to the cabin"
IAN that OF devil come there to
get me. did he?"
eyes. but first he tried to learn all
he could things Hanley didn't know,
so he could make the job worth while.
Then Pamela tried to shoot him, and
got YOU"
He struggled to speak.
"Say, lift me up$a little more. That's
it; something seems to fill up in my
throat. You sure she didn't hear moth
in I said there-'bout leavin' her, an
marryin' you?"
II know she didn't"
Lord, I'm sure glad O. that. l sorter
thought that vas what she plugged me
for; that would be the Mex Of it;
they're HI on that sort O. thing. | like
her, she's a good scout. Why amt
she here? Where is she now?"
"She has gone for a doctor; went
down into the Hole to get q horse to
ride"
"Where is she COMP"
"Gerlasche; there's an army sur
geon there"
eyes, l know" YEARLY, IAN where
you got me?"
"In a small cav part way up the
bluff"
Sure, Eagles cave. Pancha took
me up yere onct, an showed it to me.
An you two logged me all that ways?'
eyes"
He struggled to force back the OBJ
struction in his throat.
swell, what did you do that for?"
he asked almost savagely. THAT'S
what | don't get through my nut. |
amt done nuthin' to make either one
of yer decent ter me. l thought Shelby
here was deader'n a doornail, an |
reckon you know what | was Amin
ter do with you. There amt no Use
beatin' about the bush. SO now. what'd
yer do it for?'
Shelby's hand reached out and
touched that of his wife.
"Well, Kid. I'll tell YOU" he said
frankly. I'VE did it for Pancha."
Macklin grinned grimly, exposing
mis- teeth.
81 reckoned that was bout the
truth" he said recklessly. But ri
tell yer one thing-Pancha's never
goin' ter get back before ! slide out.
I got, what's comm to me, an there
dll l Nv WY SNSi SUN Y Ioiu LiS
back from ~goin'-that's straight, OIL
man."
"I'm not so sure. Kid"
well, | am. Lord, a man gen
orally knows when he's got his dose.
I reckon; an it amt goin' ter do no.
body no good fer me ter keep my lips
shut. Say. lady, you let your IA put
his shoulder back O. me. an hoist me
up higher. There, now maybe | can
get this thing off my chest"
"You want to explain something's"
Sure; didn't | tell you. | amt
goin' ter leave this game wide open
Fer INDIAN Joe TO cash in on. You been
decent to me-, an I'll play white as 1
can"
He spoke slow. hesitatingly, as
though his mind wandered, stopping
every moment or two for breath. Once
he coughed sharply, an expression of
pain on his face, but he went grimly