The Belding banner-news., 1921-03-09


a man than you are. right now, Bert"
she told him. Hell prove II some
day" Then her arm went about Dams
neck and lifted his head upon her
breast; and in Cranston's plain sight.
she bent and kissed him, softly. on
the lips.
CranstOn's answer was an oath. II
dripped from his lips. more poisonous,
more malicious than the venom Of
snake. His features seemed to tight
en-. the dark lips drew away from his
teeth. No words could have made
him such an effective answer as this
little action of hers. And as he turned
a name-that most dreadful eplthet
that foul tongues have always used
to women held in greatest scorn.
Dan struggled I'm her arms. The
kiss on his lips. the instant before,
had not called him ont Of his half
consciousness. II had scarcely seemed
real. rather just an incident In hiss
fu dream. But the word called down
the silence. just as a physicians face
will often leap from the darkness az
ter the anesthesia Something Infinite
ly warm and tender was holding him.
pressing him back against holy place
that throhbed and gave him life and
strength but he knew that this word
had to be answered. And only actions,
not other words. could be its payment.
All the voices of his body called 10
him 10 lie still, but the voices or the
spirit. those higher. nobler promptings
from which no man. To the glory or
the breed from which he sprung. can
ever quite escape. were stronger yet.
He tugged upward. straining. But he
didn't even have the strength To break
.he hold that the soft arm had about
his neck.
"Oh, IL l could only pull the trig-
GER" she was crying. IF | could
only kill him"
T.et me-" he pleaded. Give me
the pistol. I'll Kill him"
And he would There was no finch
ing In the gray eyes that looked up
10 her. She leaned forward. as II To
put the weapon in his hands. hut at
once drew itNhack. And then single
sob caught M her throat An instant
later they heard Cranston's laughter
as he vanished around the turn Of the
trail.
For long minutes the two OF them
were still. The girl still held the mans
head upon her breast The pistol had
fallen in the pine needles. and her
nervous hand plucked strangely at the
leaves of mountain flower. To Dams
eyes, there was something trancelike.
n hint OF paralysis and insensibility
about her posture. He had never seen
her eyes like this. The light that he
had always beheld in them had van
ished. Their utter darkness startled
him.
He sat up straight. and her arm that
had been about his neck felt at her
side. He took Her hand firmly in his.
and their eyes met,
"we must go home. Snowblrd." he
told her simply. I'm not so badly
hurt but that can make IT,"
She nodded; hut otherwise scarcely
seemed TO hear. Her eyes still flowed
with darkness. And then, before his
own eyes. their dark pupils began TO
contract The hand he held filed and
throbbed with life. and the fingers
closed around his. She leaned toward
him.
Listen. Dan" she said quickly.
"You heard-didn't you-the last thing
that he said?'
II couldn't help hut hear. Snow
bird"
Her other hand sought for his.
"Then IL you heard-payment must be
made. You see what mean. Dan.
Maybe you can't see, knowing the girls
that live on the plains. You were the
cause of his saying II. and you must
answer"
IT seemer 10 Dan that some stern
code Of the hills. unwritten except in
the hearts of their children. inexorable
as night, was speaking through her
lips. This was no personal thing. In
some dim. half-understood way. II
went back to the basic code of life.
People must fight their own fights.
up here" she told him. "The laws
of the courts that the plains people
can appeal TO are all too far away
There's no one that can do II, except
you. Not my father Myfather can't
fight your battles here. ifsyour honor
Is going TO stand. It's up TO you, Dan.
You can't pretend that you didn't hear
him. Such as you are. weak and sick
to be beaten to pulp in two minutes,
you alone will have to make him an
swer for II. I came to your aid-and
now you must come TO mine"
Her fingers no longer clasped his.
Strength had come back to him, and
his fingers closed down until the blood
went out of hers, but she was wholly
unconscious of the pain. In reality,
she was conscious OF nothing except
tho growing ffamp I'm hfS foce III held