Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-01-04
tie party you'll get the first BID"
Curly grinned.

4
former friend that he would not JOKE
with horse thief. For the sake Of old
times he would save him If be could,
but he would call any bluffs about the
whole thing being lark.
Curly's eyes fell away. It came to
him for the first time that he was no
longer an honest man. Up till this
escapade he had been. only wild, but
now he had crossed the. line that sep
arates decent folks from outlaws.
- Not another word was said':xhile
they hurried into their clothes.i''But
as Curly passed out Of the door he
called back hqsksiy.. Wont: forget
what you: done for us. Stats
Again their eyes met, Davis did
not speak, but the chill: look on bis
face told Flandrau that he had lost q
friend. p :
The two young men ran down the
back stairs, passed through the kitch-
en- where a Chineseicook was getting
breakfast, and out into the bright sun
light.
"Won't do to be in any hurry. The
play Is we're gentlemen Of leisure, just
out for an amble to get the moninG
air." Curly cautioned.
While they fed, watered and sad
died they swapped gossip with the
wrangler. 1t would not do to leave
the boy with a story Of two riders In
such hurry to hit the trail that they
could not wait to feed their 'bronchos.
So they stuck 1t out while the animals
ate. At that, they shaved 1t fine. for
as they rode away two men were
coming down the street.
"Kite Bonsls," Curly called to his
partner.
No explanation was needed. Bon.
fills was the foreman Of the Bar
Double NJ. He let out shout as he
caught sight of them and began to
run forward. simultaneously his gun
seemed to jump from Its holster.
Macs .qulrt sang and his pony
leaped to canter in two strides. A
bullet tipped between them. Another
struck the dust at their heels. Faint
Iy there came to the fugitives the
sound of the foreman's impofent
curses. They had escaped for the
time.
Presently they passed the last barb
wire fence and open country lay be-
fore them. 1t did not greatly matter
which direction they followed, so long
as they headed into the desert.
Neither Of them had ever been In
serious trouble before and both re-
gretfed the folly that had turned their
drunken spree into crime. They
we're stretched in front Of the fire that
evening trying to make a smoke serve
instead of supper. Mac broke gloomy
silence to grunt out jerkily a sltua-
ton he could no longer keep to him.
self.
Here's where I get my walking pa
pers, l reckon, Nc rustlers need ap'
ply" ........
Curly shot q slant glance at him.
"Meaning-the girlT"
The red-hcaded puncher took from
his coat pocket a photograph and
showed it to his friend. The sweet
clean face of wholesome girl smiled
at Curly.
shes ce'tainly a right nice young
lady. I'll bet she stands by you all
right. Where's she live at?"
waits in Il restaurant at Tomb.
stone. We was going to be married
soon as we had saved five hundred dol.
lars" Mac swallowed hard. and !
had to figure out this short cut to tho
money whilst ] was drunk. AS if she'd
look at money made that way"
Curly tried to cheer him up, but did
not make much OF job at it. The in.
disputable facts were that Mac was
an outlaw and horse thief.
The rcdheaded boy rolled another
cigarette dcspondently. "Sho! I've
cooked my goose. She'll not look Mt me
even if they don't send me TO the
pen. And she's the best ever. Her
names Myra Anderson"
They slept undc".a live oak with the
souhdncss of healthy youth. For The
time they forgot their troubles. Neither
Of them knew that as the hours slippr':
away red tragedy was galIuping closer
to them.
The sun was shining in his face
when Curly wakeneJ. He silt mp and
rubbed his eyes. Mac was nowhere IL
sight. Probably he had gone to get tht
horses.
A sound broke the stiffness Of tht
desert. Flandrau leapcd 10 his frrl
and at the same instant Mac came
running over the brow Of the hill.
, smoking revolver was in his hanG
From behind the hill gun crac.;ct
then q secondhand third. Mut
stumbled over his tcet and pitched
forward full length OH the grnunh. Iii:
friend ran toward him, forgetting il'
revolver that lay in its holster undr:
the live oak Every moment lie OK
pected to see Mac jump up, but the fig
ure stretched beside the cholla nevt!
moved. Flandrau felt the muscle:
round his heart tighten. He had $50!
sudden fpath bpfOrp bllt Dpvpr had /