The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1921-01-06
taken away and she did not know who
had helped him.

Kate was silent.
tion!" he suggested lazily. !. Wen say
just for the sake of argument that
Mrs. Wylies story is true, that I did
save your fathers life. Wen put it
that did help carry him downstairs
where it was cooler and that did
have long talk with the fellow Black
we'll. What would be talking to him
about, if | wasn't reading the riot act
to him? There's no love lost between
| me and Luck Cullison. wasn't under
any obligations to wrap him up in cot
ton and bring him bacla this side up
with care to his anxious friends. II
he chose later to take a hike out OF
town on p.dq. hurry up business
| amt to blame. And | reckon you'll
find jury will agree with me-"
She brushed his explanation aside
with a wOnlan's superb indifference to
logic.
You can talk. Of course I don't
| care. 1t is all ies--lies. You have
kidnapped father and are holding him
somewhere. Don't you dare to hurt
| him. If you should-Oh, If you should
You will wish you had never been
born" The fierceness of her passion
beat upon him like sudden summer hail
He forgot for the moment that he
was a man with the tolls of the law
closing upon him, forgot that his sue
cess and even his liberty were at stake.
He saw only girl with the hunger of
love in her wistful eyes. and knew
| that it lay in his power to bring back
| the laughter and the light into them.
Suppose can't fight fair any longer.
Suppose I've let myself get trapped and
| it isn't up to me but to somebody else.
Up to your father, say?"
My father?"
| Yes. How could I turn him loose
| when the first thing he did would be
to swear out warrant for my arrest? !"
| But he wOuldn't--not If you free
1 him."
He laughed harshly. !" thought you
knew him. He's hard as nails He
laughed again, bitterly. : Not that it
matters. OF course was just putting
Il case. Nothing to it really"
He was hedging because he thought
he had gone too far, hut she appeared
not to notice it. Her eyes had the far
/ away look OF one who commnnes with
herself.
/ :" II could only see him and have a
| talk with him. l think | could get him
to do as l ask. He nearly always
does" Her gaze went swiftly back to
j him. Let me talk with him. There's
a reason why he ought to be free now,
one that would appeal to him.
/ This was what he had come for, but
1 now that she had met him half way he
hesitated. IL she should not succeed
he would be worse off than before. He
could neither hold her a prisoner nor
free her to lead the pack Of the law to
his hiding place. On the other hand
II Cullison thought they intended to
keep her prisoner he would have to
compromise. He dared not leave her
in the hands of Lutte Blackwell Fen
drick decided to take chance. At the
worst he could turn them both free
and leave for Sonora.
4 s.All right. I'll take You to him But
! You'll have to do as say
i Yes" she agreed.
You've got to persuade Luck to
come through with an agreement to
let 70 OF that Del Gro homestead and
to promise not to prosecute us. He
won't do it to save his own life. He's
{ got to think you come there as my
prisoner. See? He's got to wrestle
with the notion that you're in the
power of the damndest william that
ever went unhung mean Blackwell.
Let him chew on that proposition a
while and see what he makes OF it,
She nodded, white to the lips. 8 Let
us 60 at once. please She called
across to the corral: !. Manuel, saddle
the pinto for me. Hurry =
i They rode together through the
wind-swept, sunlit land. From time to
time his lazy glance embraced her. a
supple, graceful creature, ut perfect
ease in the saddle. What was it about
her that drew the eye so irresistibly
Prettier girls he had often seen. Her
4 features We're irregular. mouth and
nose too large. face h little thin. Her
contour lacked the s0ftness, the allure
that in some women was an uncon-
sciOus imitation to cuddle. Tough as
whipcOrd she might be. but in her
there flowed life vital and strong
dwelt spirit brave and uncOnquer-
able. She seemed to him as little subtle
as any woman he had ever met. This
directneSs came 10 doubt from living
i so far from feminine Influences. But
he had feeling that II man once
Weakened her love, the instinct of sex
| wofld spring flll-grown into being.
4
4 Luck lay stretched full length on a
hunk, his face to the roof, a wreath OF
i toward the ceiling into a filmy blue
cloud which hung above him. He
looked the persOnification of vigorous
n