Cheyenne Wells record., 1922-12-07
dhe STRENGTH ot'the PlnES

tQined enough u AiS Ai"o
to know that to stalk was the proper
course. He moved farther OUT froli'
the edge of the forest.
At that instant the moon came out
and revealed him, all too vividly' 10
Rruce. The Killers great gray hgure
In the silver light was creeping To-
yard him across the silyered grass.
When Linda left her house, her first
realization was the need Of caution. 1t
would not do to let Simon see her.
And she knew that only her long train
ing in the hills, her practice In climb
ing the winding trails. would enable
her to keep pace with the fast-walking
man without being seen.
In her concern for Bruce, Linda nao
completely forgotten the events OF the
earlier pnrt Of the evening. Wild and
stirring though they were, they now
seemed to her as incidents OF remote
wears, nothing to be remembered In
this hour of crisis. But she remem-
bered them vividly when, two hundred
Yards from the house, she saw TWO
strange figures coming toward her be-
tween the moonlit tree trunks.
There was very little Of reality
nbout either. The foremost figure
was bent and strange, but she knew
that 1t could be no one but Elmira.
The second, however-half-obscured
behind her-offered no Interpretation
of outline at all at first But at the
turn of the trail she saw both figures
In vivid profile. Elmira was coming
homeward, bent over her cane, and
she led a saddled horse by Its bride
rein. -
Still keeping Simon In sight, Linda
ran swiftly toward her. She didn't
understand the deep awe that stole
over her-an emotion that even her
fear for Bruce could not transcend.
There was a quality in Elmira's face
and posture that she had never seen
before, 1t was as II she were walking
In her sleep, she came with such a
strange heaviness and languor, her
cane creeping through the pine needles
of the trail in front: She did not
seem to be aware of LJnda!s approach
until the girl was only ten feet dis
tant. Then she looked up, and Linda
saw the moonlight on her face.
She saw something else too, but she
didn't know what 1t was. Her own
eyes widened. The thin lips were
dropping, the eyes looked as If she
were asleep. The face was strange
net Of wrinkles in the soft light. Ter
rible emotions had but recently died
and left their ashes upon 1t. But Linda
knew that this was no time to stop
and wonder and ask questions.
"Give me the horse" she command
ed. "rm going to help Bruce"
"You can have It," Elmra answered
in an unfamiliar voice. "1t's the horse
that-that Dave Turner rode here
and he won't want him any more"
Linda took the rein. passed 1t over
the horses head, and started to swing
Into the saddle. Then she turned with
a gasp as the woman slipped some
thing into her hand.
Linda looked down and saw 1t was
the hilt of the knife that Elmira had
carried with her when the two women
had gone with Dave into the woods.
The blade glittered: but Linda was
afraid to look at 1t closely. "You
might need that, too" the old woman
said. ut may he wet-I can't remem-
ber. But take 1t, Anyway"
Linda hardly heard. She thrust the
blade into the leather Of the saddle,
then swung on the horse.
She rode swiftly until she began to
fear Simon might hear the hoof beat
Of her mount; then. she drew up to
a walk. And when she had crested
the hill and had followed down its
long slope Into the glen. the moon
went under the clouds for the first
time.
She lost sight Of Simon at once.
Seemingly Ler effort to save Bruce had
come to nothing, after all. But she
didn't turn back. There were light
patches in the sky, and the moon
might shine forth. pgain. =
She followed down tie trail toward
the cleared lands that the Turner's cul-
tivated. She went to their very edge.
1t was n rather high point, so she
waited here for the moon to emerge
again. Never, 1t seemed to her, had 1t
moved so slowly. But all at once Its
light flowed forth over the land.
Her eyes searched the distant
spaces, but she could catch mo- glimpse
Of Simon between the trees. .Evi-
IDENTIFY he no longer walked in the
direction Of the house. Then she looked
out over the titled lands.
Almost quarter Of mile away
she saw the flicker OF miniature
shadow. Only the vivid quality Of the
moonlight, against which any shadow
was clear-cut and sharp, enabled her to
discern 1t at all. 1t was Simon, and
evidently his business had taken him
into the meadows. Feeling that she
was on the right track Mt last, she
urged her horse forward again, keep
Ing to the shadow of the timber at
first.
| Simon wO1kod a1m0o< M ro Itol - ~ =