Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-02-03

49,
it?"
"How the HI do l know? never
caught sight o nnthin' but the print
Of that boot. | secuted up the creek;
then that first bunch O. Indians come
trailin' in, an | had no time to think
about anything since, only gettin' my
cattle out O. here"
But you'll go with us now?"
For a ways, anyhow; I reckon
there amt nothin' else to do; them
soldiers is bound to get here"
"And the sooner we're off the better.
You ready?"
He wheeled and confronted the
shrinking, frightened girl, who made
no reply.
"Wen, by God! you better be. Get
the horses. Joe; I'll fetch her along,
all right"
Shelby Strengthened up. In spite of
the odds, he must act now, or never.
Yet, before he could take a step for
ward, a single shot rang out sharply.
He saw Macklin fling up his arms,
and reel backward, his body striking
the half-open door, before it crashed
to the floor, and lay motionless.
l The impact of Macklin's body had
, flung the door wide open, leaving Shell
by fully exposed to view. For an in
slant, however, the startled and be-
: wildered Laud failed to note his re-
. vealment against the darkness Of that
interior. He had leaped back instant
I ly to the protection Of the wall, and,
gun in hand, crouched there with
eyes fixed on the broken window op-
I posite. Shelby was swift to take ad-
vantage of his surprise. Wherever
the shot had come from, whoever had
| fired it, his concealment was no longer
possible. There must be no h%esitancy,
no delay. He stepped across the mo-
tionless body, with weapon flung grim
ly forward.
Hands up, Joe! Put them up first
before you turn around. Stop thatl
Don't try any tricks on me. Now
stand there-Olga."
Eyes"
Take that gun out Of his hand ;
there is another in his belt; get that
also. That's right; now come over
here; you understand firearms"
Eyes, of course" wonderingly, II
know how to shoot"
IT imagined so; Calkins would have
and let him have it if he makes any
effort to break away. Watch him
closely, while I rip up that blanket,
and tie him up"
He left her with the gun steadily
pointed at Laud's head, the fellow
cursing, with hands up, his angry
eyes following every movement. He
was desperate, maddened by sudden
helplessness. with the Sneaking feroci.
ty Of a wolf, yet was temporarily held
motionless by the deadly peril. Shell
by stripped the ragged blanket from
off the dead bodies under the bench
and began hastily to rip it apart
The black, bloated face of Slagir
stared upward, and Indian Joe saw II
for the first time, a sudden spasm OF
terror causing him to burst forth:
my Cod! That's Hank Slagin!"
Sure it is; he got his, an you'll get
yours if you drop those hands, you
cur. Turn around now, and stop"
Laud obeyed. his face ugly and
threatening, and Shelby took a step
closer. the strip of blanket in his
hands. his revolver thrust back into
his belt. What Indian Joe saw will
never be known; perhaps a slight
wavering in the eyes of the girl, per-
haps an instant lowering of her gun.
But II was enough. All his hate and
treachery drove him to a desperate
chance. With the maddened leap of
a wild beast, he sprang upon Shelby,
gripped him f%iercely by the throat,
and the two went headlong to the
f1oor. Olga fired, but without aim,
missing them both, and dare not pull
the trigger again, so tightly were the
men grappled, as they rolled back and
forth in frenzied effort to obtain mas
terry. Shelby, taken completely by
surprise, was at a disadvantage, his
Hiodt - uSiSu ny SlicNy ldlluS, his
lOosened revolver flung half across the
room. He could only struggle to
break the hold of his antagonist, roll
ing over and over, and forcing the fell
lows head back with every ounce of
strength he could bring into play.
They were not unevenly matched, the
twO-Shelby the younger, and perhaps
the stronger: but Laud a skilled fight
them, IN let them have 1t. as soon as
o are sure. Call out if you need
me-
He CROPPED his way as far as the in
ner door, helped by the almost contin-
uous flash of the rifles outside; he had
even crossed the threshold, his heart
choking him as he perceived a glare of
red flame. already visible here and
there through narrow chinks between
the logs. Perhaps he was already too
late-those devils had fired the cabin,
the licking flames even then beginning
to eat into the dry bark. He had no
time in which to act, Or even think.
Before he might venture another stem