The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-07-12

he regarded RedmOnd'S profile Smil-
ingly
Redmond Talked little. The
burden of his talk was concerning
the country; he carefully avoided the
subject of the stage robberies
Thus an hour dragged by. Glanc-
ing sidelong, Redmond noted that sig
nificant glances were being exchang-
ed between Corwin and the other men.
He noted, too, that Corwin's man
ner toward him was changing
Twice within a few minutes Red
mond looked directly at Corwin and
he saw malevolent triumph in the
mans smiling eyes.
THE stage is late, Redmond" he
said finally. 81 wonder what has
happened ?"
A man in the group laughed rau-
cously.
There was subdued laugh from the
men, and then silence.
Another hour dragged by. The
men seemed to have forgotten Red
mond; they were Iounging and talking
among themselves, paying no atten-
ton either to Corwin or Redmond
Corwin cleared his throat. Shorty
wasn't up to takin' a hand in the
game, Ell %
''Shorty's willin but weak" return
ed Redmond. There's a heap of talk
in Shorty
Yes said the other: "extravagant
talk
He called me crook Tomorrow
I'm making my home at the Circle
Dot, an I'll be maxim things mighty
interestein' for Shorty
Redmond did not answer Dusk
was stealing over the big level,
1t grew very quiet on the mesa.
The stars. cold and brilliant began
to appear.
There came a slow, scraping, run1b-
ling sound, and one of the men in
the group got to his feet, saying:
There's the STAGE
An no robbers has come-yet,"
jeered another.
The horses appeared first
From Triangle Bend no one on the
stage could see the men on the mesa.
Tor the rock barrier on the canon
edge INTERVIEWED. But every man IN
the mesa could see the stage. and
| they all sat quiet as the vehicle van
lshed down the slope on the other side
the stage had scarcely disappeared
when Corwin got up, wheeled. and
confronted Redmond There was
huge grin on his face. jeering and
! malignant
The mans face was hideous with
passion.
Well. Redmond. that's all. rocLin
We're through here-alI but finfshir,
DO you know what's happened? You
have been framed. I've brought vo,,
here to kill you, I'm the stare-rob-
Der you've been lookin' for,
He laughed.
Framed" he jeered. .rT,va on.
you! The stage is goin' through Lar
| edo-to Twin-Three Ridge IN +ba
other side of Laredo. There she'll be
held up an that ten thousand IiftedT
An ny men mine! I reckon that
eh ?" 'he leak u.s.
| Corwfn stepped back slightly and
| Tell into a crouch, his right hand fsT1-
| ing TO the butt of his pistol Tba
| oCher men, too were crouchine
Redmond laughed He had ~.
changed his position.
| Framed, Ell p" he said. "wel1-
maybe. But there's other that have
Deen dom some fraulin'.
His eyes cleaned in the st.r,;,h+
ne helo up one hand, palm outward
saying softly: al IL
| 'Iisten!"
mere was cold confidence in b,s
manner that awed Corwin and his
| 80. ehce- There was a dis
eant Crater. as Of many hoof-beats m
trall: The sound came from
49, inVoluntarfly Corwin and
| uhe other faced that way
The sound grew, and nr.se,+,,,
sroup of horsemen--came into ri,
view and clattered down the s,o,.
1o!IoElns the trail taken by the STAGE
heomond's low laugh brought N q
"C'eIition or Corwin and his men bacL
10 the plateau, and when tba,,
wheeled' Wonderingly. it was to looI
INTO the muzzles of Redmond's I've
e1 he was standing. his elbows
| close to his side. a gun in each b.S
at a deadly level 1A iiu
Framed, eh?" repeated Reduo,d
nnock1ngiy We'll, we'll see."
He stepped cautiously sidevI..
coldly alert, watchfuI, until he -
longer stood between the n,en
the -scrub-oak thicket anu
Let's see how we stand. Corwin >,
iaushed. Maybe I got into this
tice I didn't trust YOU besn tn
punch you just saw is trailin, Nh =
stage they're from Las Veyas Co1I-er
sent them. I wired CoIver the otber
from the railroad station at Red
ROCK It's the biggest guard that
ever tralled a stage, an if your r,en
run into them there'll be a clean
up.
There's soin' to be a c1esn-r,
|
Now, listen. Look at that tbfcket
covers there. an dozen IDENTITIES
with rifles. You'd have found tbeir
horses in the little box canon nea-
the edge of the slope there if vor
aunt been so eager to get IN bere
an corral me That's all. Dror
your guns an put up your hands,"
| Corwin's BODY grew more rfeid
the men behind him jeered Plainly
theV did not believe Redmond
| During a short. tense silence the,
stood, staring at the scrub-oak thicke
winch was oninously silent Their
of them cursed and threw his rifle
upward
With the movement there came TIVE
, flame streaks from the thicket, and
, the man pitched forward. his riff,
crashing as he fell. the bullet throw
ing up sand in front of him.
, For an instant Corwin stood look
ing from the fallen man to the thicket
his face ashen in the starlight Ther
: IKE flash, he wheeled. ducked Low
md dived headlong toward the edg
If the mesa, sliding down the slope
'cramb bling from boulder to boulde
md swinging around clumps of mes
| ute that barred his way