The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-04-08

0~NS
Good God" he shrieked. -Am l
dead1 Is this hellr'
mo. Kid" and Shelby held him firm
ly, his tone full of sympathy. "every-
thing Is all right Lie still and don't
worry"
"But who the HI are your Amt
you Tom Shelbyr" he laughed wildly.
Lord, no; he's dead"
THAT Is where you are wrong, my
boy. I'm Shelby all right, but . long
ways from being dead"
"You, Shelby? Didn't he get your"
swell yes, he got me, but not quite
strong enough. I failed to stay got.
You lie down, and be still. Here, take
q drink Of this"
The fellow did as he was ordered.
his hands shaking so that Shelby had
to hold the bottle to his lips. Even as
he drank ~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 a sense Of reality.
"Say. this Is too much for me-" he
said huskily, but lying back quiet, 1.-The
two Of yer here. Just what's happened
enyhow2 1t was Pancha, wasn't II,
who hs uled me out O. that cabin. Well,
where's Pancha? an what the hi Ia
this place I'm INF"
Let me tell him, Tom" broke in o.
ga. pressing forward, and lifting his
head into her lap. "He will believe me,
and be is afraid Of you yet. You can
hear what l say, Mr.. Macklin?"
He nodded, gasping, his eyes or her
face.
'Then listen closely. 1t will only
take a moment to explain. You were
shot"
yes, yes" he suffered, II know;
she did It."
ooh, you saw, then, who fred. 1t
was all a mistake, and she was so
sorry. The bullet was meant for In
dian Joe Laud, but you stepped in the
way"
"Pancha tried to kill Laud"
Eyes; it was all on account Of me.
You-yOu carried me Off because you
believed l had the right to some mon
ey, didn't your"
His eyes frightened, but still with
the dull glow Of fever in them.
"Sure; you got 1t comm, too. But
what's that got to do with Joe Laud?
He wasn't noway hooked up on this
game"
ooh. yes, he was. I'll explain all
that. You told something to a man
named Matt Hanley once"
Me! maybe I did, when we was
drunk tergether over at Gerlasche.
I'd just found out bout 1t then. But
he never MISUNDERSTANDING didn't"
Eyes, he did, and he kept watch on
you ever since; he and a 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 to get you put out
of the way somehow, SO they could get
hold Of me themselves. l guess they
didn't have brains enough to make 1t.
I don't know exactly what happened,
but after Slagin got killed"
"H-l was that what that guy came
to the cabin for?"
"We suppose so; at least 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 a
quarrel, and Laud killed him. An In
dian boy told Pancha, and she went
crazy over you both. That was what
brought her to the cabin"
"An' that OIL devil come there to
get me, did hep
"Yes, but first he tried to learn all
he could; things Hanley didn't know,
so he could make the job worth while.
Then Pancha tried to shoot him, and
got you"
He struggled to speak.
"Say, lift me up a little more. That's
It; something seems to fill up in my
throat. You sure she didn't hear moth
in l said there-'bout leavin' her, an
marryin' your"
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 1t;
they're hi on that sort O. thing. l like
her. she's a good scout. Why amt
she here? Where is she nowT
"She has gone for a doctor; went
down into the Hole to get a horse to
ride"
"Where Is she goin'r'
"~Gerlasche; there's an army sur
geon there"
ayes, 1 know" YEARLY. IAN where
you got me-"
"In a small cave part way up the
bluff"
"Sure, Eagles ave. Pancha took
me up yere onct, an showed 1t to me.
An you two lugged me all that waysT
Eyes"
He struggled to force back the OBJ
struction In his throat.
swell, what did you do that fort"
he asked almost savagely. 'That's
what I don't get through my nut ]