The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-11-08
lcontiuaed From our Last Issue.)

hoisted IL to her shoulders and
bnekied & there.
Over her shoulder she kept an
eye ON Qnintana who crouched
where he had fallen, unstirring, his
deadly eyes Watching her.
She placed The muzzle Of her
rtf1e against his stomach, rested Il
80, holding Il with one hand, and
her finger q the trigger.
AZ her brief order he turned out
both breaches pockets. She herself
stopped and drow the Spanish
ciasp-knite from its sheath at his
belt. took q pistol from the holster,
another out OF his hip pocket.
Reaching up and behind her, she
dropped these into the pack.
Maybe abe said slowly, "your
ankle Is broken. I'll send somebody
from Ghost Lake TO find you. But
whether you've a broken bone or
not you'll not 90 very far, Quin.
tana After I'm gone you'll be
able 10 free Yourself. But you can't
get away, You'll be followed and
caught So II you can walk
at an you'd better go in TO Ghost
Lake and give yourself up
It's that or starvation
You've got q watch Don't
stir or touch that trap for half an
hour. And that's ALL"
as she moved away toward the
Drowned Valley trail she looked
back atshim. His face was blood
less but his black eyes blazed.
If ever you come into this for
est agar, . she said, my father
Will surely XIII you"
no her horror Quintana slowly
grinned at her. Then, still grim
ming, he placed the forefinger Of
hts left hand between his teeth
and b TIT.
Whatever he meant by the ges-
ture II seemed unclean, horrible:
and the GIRL hurried on, seized
With m overwhelming loathinG
through which a sort OF terror
pulsated like evil premonition In
q heayy and tortured heart.
Straight into the IRE OF dawn
she sped. "A pale primrose light
glimmered through the woods;
trees, bushes, underground turn
ed q dusIy purple. Already the
lew small clouds overhead were
edge with fiery rose.
Then, Of a sudden, a shaft Of
lame played oyer.the forest. The
sun had risen.
fastening, she searched the
soft path for any imprint Of her
fatheris foot And even in the
vain search she hoped to find him
at home-hurried on burdened
With two rifles and, a pack, still
all nervous and aquiver from her
encounter with Quintana.
Surely, surely, she thought, II he
had missed Quintana in Drowned
Valley he would not linger in that
ghastiy place; he'd come home,
call IN his men, take counsel per.
haps
Mist over Star Pond was dis.
solving to a golden powder in the
binding glory Of the sun. The
eastern wfndow-panes in CIinch's
Dump glittered as though the
rooms inside were all on fire.
Down through withered weeds
and scrub she hurried ran across
the grass 70 the kitchen door which
swung aiar under its porch.
fDad!s' sha called "Dad!"
Only her own frightened voice
echoed In the empty house. She
climbed the stairs to his room. The
bed lay undisturbed as she had
made It BE was not In any Of the
rooms; there were no signs OF him.
Slowly she decepded to the
kitchen He was not there. The
tood she had prepared for him had
become cold on chilled range.
For q long while she stood star
ing through the window at the sun.
light outside. Probably since Quin.
tana had eluded him, he'd come
home for something to eat -.
Surely, now that. Quintana had
escaped; Glinch would come back
for breakfast.
Eve slipped the pack from her
blck and laid 1t on the kitchen
table There was kirdling in the
wood box. She shook down the
cinders, laid fire. soaked It with
kerosene, lighted II, filed the ket-
tle with fresh water.
In the pantry, she cut some ham
and found eggs. condensed milk,
butter, bread and an apple pie.
After she had ground the coffee
she placed allsthese on a tray and
carried them into the kitchen.
NOW there was nothing more to
DO until her father came. and she
sat down by the kitchen table to
wait.
Outside the sunlight was be-
coming warm and vivid. There
had been no frost after all.or, at
most, merely q white trace in the
shadow on a fallen plank here
and there-but not enough to
freeze the ground. And, in tho
sunshine II all quickly turned to
lew. and gHttered and sparkled
n 4 million hues and tints like
gems Ike that handful OF Jewels
she had poured into her fathers
Joined pa1ms-yeste rday-the1e
II the ghostly edge Of Drowned
valley.
At the memory, and quite me-
shanically. she turned In her
.hair and drew Quintana's bosket
pack toward her.
First she lifted out his rifle,
Examined Il, set Il against, tho
window SIN Then, one by one.
she drew out two pistols. loaded;