Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-01-28
CHAPTER III. lit III; -
aAln,t She the Gamest Little Thor.
: oudhhred2n


4! Kate galloped into the ranch plaza
around which the buildings were set,
slipped from her pony, and ran at once
to- the telephone. Bob was on side
porch mending a bride.
"Haye you heard anything from
dad| she cried through the open
door.
."Nope," he answered, hammering
down a rlret.
Kate called up the hotel where Ma.
toney was staying at Saguache, but
could not get him. She asked in turn
for Mackenzie, for Yesler, for Alec
Flandrau.
While she waited for an answer, the
girl moved nervously about the ROOM
She could not sit down or settle her
self at anything. For some instinct
told her that Hendricks taunt was not
lie cut out of whole cloth.
The bell rang. Instantly she was at
the telephone. Mackenzie was at the
other end of the line.
ooh. Uncle Mac" She had called
him uncle ever since she could remem
Der. "What is it they are saying
about Tell me it isn't true" she
begged.
"a pack of lees, lassie." His Scotch
idiom and accent had succumbed to
thirty years on the plains, but when
he became excited it rose triumphant
through the acquired speech Of the
Southwest.
"Then is he therein Saguache, ]
mean?"
1No-o. He's not In town."
+. "Where is he?"
= "Hootsl He'll just have gone some
where on business"
He did not bluff we'll. Through the
hearty assurance she pierced to the
note Of trouble In his voice.
you're hiding something from me-
Uncle Mac. won't have it. You tell
me the truth-the whole truth"
60 In three sentences he sketched 1t fol
her, and when he had finished he
knew by the sound of her voice thai
she wac greatly frightened.
"Something has happened to him
I'm coming to town. I'll bring Bob
gave US two rooms at the hotel.
She turned to her cousin, who was
standing big-eyed at her elbow.
"What Is 1t, Kate? Has anything
hqDpoOo6 IN TIDo1o 11oly %
She swallowed q lump in her throat.
'Dad's gone. Bob. Nobody knows
where's They say-the liars-that he
robbed the W. & S. Express company
Suddenly her face went down into
her forearm on the table and sobs be-
gan to rack her body. The boy, stag
gered at this preposterous charge,
could only lay his hand on her shoul-
der and beg her not to cry.
"It'll be all right, Kate. Walt till
Uncle Luck comes back. He'll make
'em sick for talking about him."
His cousin nodded, choking down
her sobs. "Of course. it'll come
out all right-as soon as he finds out
what they're saying. Saddle two
horses right away, Bob"
"Sure. Wen soon find where he Is,
I bet YOU"
The setting sun found their journey
= less than half done. Kate was tor
tured with anxiety. Deep within her
something denied that her father could
be gone out Of q world so good. And
II he were alive, Curly Flandrau
would find him-Curly and Dick be-
tween them. Luck Cullison had plenty
of good friends who would not stand
by and see him wronged.
Any theory Of his disappearance
that accepted his guilt did not occur
to her mind for an instant. The two
had been very close to each other.
Luck had been In the habit of saying
smilingly that she was; his major domo,
his right bower. Some share of his
lawless temperament she inherited,
enough to feel sure that this particu-
lar kind of wrongdoing was impossible
for him. He was reckless, sometimes
passionate, but she did not need to re-
assure herself that he was scrupulous-
~ honest.
/ This brought her back to the only
other tenable hypothesis play.
And from this she shrank with Quak-
ing heart. For surely if his enemies
wished to harm him they would de-
stroy him, and this was a conclusion
against which she fought desperately.
:. The plaza clock doomed ten strokes
as they rode into Saguache. Mackcn-
zie was waiting for them on the steps
Of the hotel.
"Have they-has anything been"
The owner Of the Fiddlehack shook
his grizzlcd head. "Not yet. Didn't
you meet Curly?"
'No."
"IIe rode out to come in with you,
but if he didn't meet you by ten he
was TO come back. You took The north
road, reckon?"
"Yes."
He put an nrm around her shoul-
ders and drew her into the hotel with
cheerful talk.
Come along, Bob. We're going to