The Red Cloud chief., 1921-01-06
CHAPTER vil--continued.

Yet II was actually true; impossible
a. It seemed. It was nevertheless an
incontr0vertible fact. He had never
spoken to her a single word Of love;
he had never even kissed her, and
still. before both God and man. she
WINS his wife. The strangeness Of the
situation bewildered him. Why, he
did not even know who she was;
what right she had to claim the family
name under which he had married
her; what strange story of crime
might shadow her history. 1t was all
mystery, a mystery In which nc was
becoming deeply involved. Calkins
had evidently been hiding her from
some fate. but whether of good or
evil. could not yet be determined. This
present abduction. beyond question,
had to do with that concealed past,
perhaps with some happening before
she was even born. These fellows
were not robbers: their raid was not
intended for any such purpose: I" =,
had touched psthiRg, even the horses
were left undisturbed In the corral,
and the moment they gained posses.
sion OF her they had hurriedly depart.
ed. II had all been carefully planned,
with MacklIn to choose the time, and
then executed quietly. Their only mis-
take was In leaving him behind alive.
But for that one error no one ever
would have known what had occurred.
or dreamed of her fate. And now. as
sured Of safety, believing the dead
would tell no tales, that they had left
behind no evidence of their crime. the
outfit was riding carelessly across the
lonely prairie. seeking somewhere "A
safe rendezvous.
Shelby refined his horse to the left,
and sought water hole ne remem.
bered. himself drinking first, and then
stRo1ing by while the animal quenched
It's thirst. Leaving the buckskin there,
with rein trailing on the ground, he
climbed the steep side Of a butte, and
swept the distant horizon with a field
glass. 1t was trackless waste. drear
and deserted Of all life. Not thing
that moved crossed his range of
vision; and, Mt last, he snapped the
field glasses back into their case,
slipped down the steep face of the
butte, and silently remounted.
The sun was some time past the
meridian, and he felt convinced those
he followed could not be far from the
trail he was endeavOring to locate. He
came upon II In less than an hour,
leading straight down narrow val
ley, whose general course was directly
west. He dismounted. and studied the
tracks with care. This was his party
beyond doubt-five horses. one with
q split hoof.
An hour later he found where the
party had halted. made fre among
some rocks, and prepared food. He
studied every sign with care, hoping
for some message Of guidance from
her; but there was none. Either she
had been too carefully watched by hel
captors, or had given up In despair
any thought Of rescue. Doubtless she
believed him dead also; perhaps hat
even Witnessed the blow struck, but Il
not would assur eddy have been In
formed Of what had happened. TIT
stamping Of the ponies hoOfs indi
Gated that the party had remained Il
that spot for some time, In no huri,
to proceed. Shelby studied the foot
prints, satisfying himself that fou
were Indian, and one white, unQues
tionably Macklin. With only iv,
horses this meant that the girl rod
with one Of the men, probably the Kid
He discovered where she probabl!
was sitting during the meal, q tori
piece Of crumpled sacking bearinl
mute testimony that her hands hat
been bound, and released 90 that sh
might eat The fellows were evident
~ unafraid Of her any longer. an
had not tied her up again when the
resumed the Journey.
II was nearly shutdown when tn
trsiI hs followed swerved to the rigt