The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-02-04

Go0d Tod he shrieked. sam
dcadf Is this hellY'
mo, Kid" and shelby held him Arm.
vi his tone full of sympathy. every
Thing y nll right. Lie still ana don't
,sorry.,s
liiit who the he'll are you? Amt
You Tom Shelby7' he laughed wildly.
Lord, no; he's dead r.
THAT Is where you are wrong, my
boy I'm Shelby all right, but d long
ways from being dead"
'iou, Shelbyf Didn't he get your"
Well. yes, he got me, but not quite
strong enough. failed to stay got.
You lie down, and be still. Here, take
a drink OF This"
The fellow did as he was ordered,
his hands shaking so that Shelby had
20 hold the bottle to his lips. Even as
he drunk greedily, his eyes never de-
serted the others face; until the girl,
creeping silently up behind, came also
into his range OF vision. Her presence
seemed to give him sense of reality.
Say. this Is too much for me-" he
said hnsklly. but lying back quiet. 'the
two Of yer here. just what's happened
enyhowY II was Pancha. wasn't 1t,
who hauled me out o. that cabin. Well,
where's Pancha? an what the hi Ii
this place I'm in?'
LET me tell him. Tom" broke Ia OIL
ga. pressing forward, and lifting his
head into her lap. "He will believe me,
and lie Il afraid of you yet. You can
hear what say, Mr.. MackIln?"
He nodded, gasping, his eyes on her
face.
Then listen closely. II viii only
take q moment to explain. You were
shot"
Yes yes" he suffered, Il know;
she did IL"
"Oh, you saw, then, who fired. 1t
was all mistake, and she was so
sorry. The bullet was meant for In
dian Joe Laud, but you stepped In the
way
"Paneha tried to kill Lauda"
"Yes; Il was all on account Of me.
You-you carried me or because you
believed had the right to some mon
ey, didn't your"
His eyes frightened, but still with
the duh glow Of fever in them
Sure you got ii comm. too But
what's that got to do with Joe Laud?
lie wasn't noway hooked mp on this
game
"0h, yes. he was. I'll explain all
that, You told something to mar
named Matt Hanley once"
"Me! muybe did, when we was
drunk tergether over at Gerlasche.
I'd just found out bout It then, But
he never remembereds Hanley didn't"
Yes, he did, and he kept watch on
you ever since; he and fellow. Sla-
gin, They were somewhere up the val
ley the night you brought me In here,
and they knew what was up. They
followed, meaning 10 get you put out
Of the way somehow so they could get
hold of me themselves. guess they
didn't have brains enough to make 1t.
| don't know exactly what happened.
but after Slagln got Killed
"He-l was that what that guy came
20 the cabin fcr?"
1--WE suppose so at ,sist that was
what caused Hanley to tell the story
to Indian Joe Laud, and get him to
take a hand. They tried to get the
Mexican pancha's brother, to help
them, but something brought on
quarrel, and Land killed him. An In
dian boy told Pnncha, and she went
crazy over you both. That was what
brought her TO the cabin"
San That OF devil come there to
get me. did hep
Eyes, but first he tried TO learn al
he could. things Hanley didn't know,
SO he could make the job worth while
Then Pancha tried 70 shoot him, and
got you"
He struggled 10 speak
SAY lift me up a little more. That's
II; something seems TO All UP In my
throat, You sure she didn't hear moth
In said there-'bout leavin' her, an
marryin you"
II know she didn't"
Lord. I'm sure glad o. that. sorter
thought that was what she plugged me
for; that would be the Mex of IL;
they're h-l on that sort o. thing. like
her, she's good scout. Why aIn't
she heref Where is she now"
"she has gone for doctor; went
down into The Hole To get horse 10
ride"
Where Is she goln'r'
"Gerlasche; there's AN army SUR
geon there"
"Y6s, know" YEARLY. IAN where
you got meT'
In small cave part way up the
biuff."
''Sure. Eagles cave. Pancha took
me up we're onct, an showed II to me.
An you two logged me all that ways2
Eyes"
He struggled to force back the OBJ