The Raymer enterprise., 1921-05-26
CHAPTER v,l-continusd.

Iet u WuS hCtuhuy true, ImpO6AlOie
a. II seemed. II was nevertheless an
incontroyertible fact. He had never
spoken to her q single word Of love !:
he had never even kissed her. and
still, before both God and man. she
was his wife The strnngeness 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. II was all
mystery, mystery In which he 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; they
had touched nothing, even the horses
were left undlsturbed in the corral,
and the moment they gained posses.
sion Of her they had kurriedly depart.
I'd. II had all been carefully planned,
with Mscklln 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
safe rendezvous.
Shelby refined his horse TO the left,
and sought a waier hole he remem.
bered, himself drinking first. and then
standing by while the animal quenched
its thirst. Leaving the buckskln there.
with rein trailing on the ground, he
climbed the steep side Of butte, and
swept the distant horizon with a field
glass. II was trackless waste drear
and deserted Of all life. Not a thing
that moved crossed his range Of
vision; and, at 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 It 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-nve horses. one with
a split hoof.
An hour later he found where the
party had halted, made q Gre 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 her
captors. or had given up In despair
any thought Of rescue. Doubtless she
believed him dead also: perhaps had
even witnessed the blow struck. but II
not would assuredly have been In.
'kQrmed Of what had happened. The
stkihl|ng Of the ponies hoofs indI.
Gated Mat the party had remained In
thar spot for some time. In no hurry
to PROCEED. Shelby studied the foot
prints. satisfying himself that four
were lpdian, and one white, unques-
t.onabit MacklIn. With only 1--WE
horses this meant thar the girl rode
with one Of the men. probably the Kid.
He discovered where she probably
was sitting during the meal. a torn
piece Of crumpled sackiDg bearing
mute Testimony that her nands had
been bound, and released 80 that she
might eat The fellows were evident
y unafraid Of her any longer. and
he'd not tied her up again when they
esumed the journey.
syt was nearly sundown when the
~ followed swerved to the right