Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-01-07
CHAPTER II.
AZ the End of the Road.


what he was thinking. The first ar
tfcle of the creed Of the frontier is to
he game. Good or bad, the last test OF
man is the way he takes his medi-
cine. So now young Flandrau ate his
dinner with a hearty appetite, smoked
cigarettes impassively, and occasional
" chatted with his guards casually
and as matter of course. Deep with.
in him was terrible feeling Of sick
ness at the disaster that had over.
whelmed him, but he did not intend 10
play the quitter. ~"
AS the day began to wear out two
riders from the Bar Double NJ reacheo
the ranch and were brought in to iden'
tify him as. the horse thief. The two
we're Maloney and Kite Bonfils, neither
of them friends of the young rustler.
The foreman in particular was wei
blanket to his chances.
you've got the right man all right,
he snil to Buck without answering
.Flandrau's cool nod Of recognition,
"What sort Of a reputation. has he
gcl?" Buck asked, lowering his voice
little. :.
Kite did not take the trouble to, low
er his. bad. Always been a tough
character. Friend of Bad Bill Cranston
and Soapy Stone"
II don't know anything against the
kid. Earring that he's been little
Wild" daloney testified. "And reckon
we amt any of us prize Sunday school
winners for that matter"
As Buck turned to leave the bunk
house the boy touched him on the arm.
"How about Cullison?" he asked,
very low.
But Buck would not have it that
way. "What about him?" he demand
ed out loud. his voice grating like
steel when it grinds.
as he-how is he doing?"
"What's eatin' you? Amt he dying
fast enough to suit you?"
Flandrau Shrank from the cruel
words, as "a schotlboy does from his
teacher when he jumps at him with
cane.
It was then that Maloney made q
friend of the young man for life. lie
let hand drop carelessly on Curly's
shoulder and looked at him With
friendly smile in his eyes, just as II
he knew that this was no wolf but
poor dog up against it hard.
doc thinks he'll make it all right"
wondered whether it would make any
difference to him whether Culison got
we'll or not. Something immediate was
in the air. Public opinion was sitting
down to q decision. Most Of these men
. were up to the average for the milk
. of human kindness. They were the
souarest citizens in Arizona. But Flan-
drau knew they would snuff out his
life just the same if they decided 1t
was best. Afterward they might re-
gret it, but that would not help him.
Darkness came, and the lamps were
lit. Again Curly ate and smoked and
chatted little with his cuptors. But
as he sat there hour after hour, feel
ing death creep closer every minute,
cold shvcrs ran up and down his spine.
They began to question him, at first
casually and carelessly, so it seemed
to Curly. But presently he discerned
drift in the talk. They were trying
to find out who had been his partners
in the ruStling.
And I reckon Soapy and Bad Bill
left you lads at Saguache to hold the
sack" Buck suggested sympathetically.
Curly grew wary. lie did not intend
to hctray his accomplices. "Wrong
guess. Soapy and Bad Bill weren't in
this deal" he answered easily.
The foreman OF The Bar Double NJ
interrupted impntiently. tired OF trying
10 pump out the information by
finesSc. "YOuve got to speak, Elan
lrau. You've got to tell us who was
engineering this theft. Underestimate?
The young rustler looked at the
grim frowning face and his heart sank
"Out with it," ordered Buck.
"Oh, l expect I'll keep that under
my hat" Curly told them lightly.
They were crowded about him in Il
half circle, nearly a score of hard
leather-facel plainsmen. Some OF
them were riders Of the Circle c out.
fit. Others had ridden over from
neighborng ranches. All of them
plainly meant business.
"Think again, Curly" advised Swee,
ucy quietly. "The boys amt trillin%
about this thing. They mean 20 find
out who was in the rustling of the Bar
Double N stock"
"Not through me, they won't"
Through you. And right now"
A dozen times during the evening
Curly had crushed down the desire to
beg for mercy, to cry out desperately
for them to let him of. He had kept
telling himself not TO show yellow,
that it would not last long. Now the
fear Of breaking down sloughed from
his soul. He rose from the bed and
looked round ut the brown faces cir
cled about him in the shine OF the
lamps.