The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-03-22

/ She laughed harshiy without q
note Of hysteria. You're two
hundred years behind the times,
Men don't carry Oft their women
any more"
Now for the first time she
smelt his breath. II was rank
with the raw odor OF whisky. So
that was what had given him the
wild idea Of carrying her off by
force. The man was drunk. Sober
he was bad enough. Drunk, he
was capable of anything.
She reached stoyeward for the
lid litter. Rate seized her wrist
and jerked her sidewise.
He was striving to kiss her and
she, face crushed against his
rough shirt, fought him like the
primeyal female every woman be-
comes In like circumstances. Her
right hand clawed upward at his
face. Her left arm doubled be-
+; tween their two bodies, she strove
to work free SO that she could
BEAu MS gun
Rafe received three distinct
clawlngs that considerably altered
the appearance Of one side Of his
face, before he was able to con-
fine those active fingers.
"Herel" he bawled In a-fury.
"I'll fix you!"
! He tried to seize her by /the
throat and his thumb slipped by
mistake into her MOUTH She
promptly clamped down Hard on
the thumb. With a yell, Rafe re-
leased his grip on her body and
worked thumb and ring finger
! into her cheeks in frantic effort
to force open her locked Jaws.
He jumped back against the
wall, dragging her with him, and
began to shake her ash dog does
a rat. And then the old Terry
clock did that for which 1t surely
must have been originally made.
For, as his shoulders struck the
wall, his head knocked away the
bracket that held the clock. In
voluntarily he ducked his head.
1t was the worst thing he could
have done, giving, as II did, the
clock an extra foot TO fall. It fell.
One corner struck him fairly on
the temple and knocked him cold
as wedge.
When Hazel's Keeling senses
had re-established their equilib-
rum, she found herself on the
floor, lying across the inert legs
OF Rate Tuckleton. She raised
herself on her two arms and
looked at him. He was breathing
very lightly.
She dragged herself on hands
and knees to where he had thrown
his slx-shooter.
Rate groaned a little. He rolled
over and sat up, his chin sagging
forward on his chest. He moved
his head and looked at her vacant
ly. The blood ran down his cheek
and dripped slowly off his chin.
The light Of reason glared OF
a sudden in Rates eyes. She
could see that he was absorbing
the situation from every angle.
I'm give you five minutes to
pull yourself together and get
out" she announced clearly. IF
you're still here by the time I've
counted three hundred I'll begin
to shoot"
Rate started to 60 by the time
she reached sixty. With the six
shooter pointing at the small OF
his back, her finger on the trlg-
ger, step by step she drove him
out Of the house to whore he had
left his horse.
Hazel watched him ride away
and after a little become at one
with the moonlit landscape. She
walked back to the house. She
felt that she was taking enormous
strides. In reality she was step
ping short and staggering badly.
She went into the kitchen. She
closed the door, dropped the bar
into place and fell into the nea.=
est chair.
my God!" she said aloud. 81
wonder what will happen next?"
Now that we've got Dan out
Of JAIL" the district attorney pat
tered on. we've got to glom on
to Bill Wingo and the sooner the
quicker. Me, I'm going out to
Walton's tonight and question
Hawaii
We'll 60" said Sam Lardcr
decidedly. II amt a heap at
trncted. by your methods with the
ladies, and intend to see the
girl gets square deal"
"Me too" chimed In Felix
The district attorney was mono
too we'll pleased and showed 1t.
The moon was high In the heay-
ems when the three mon came to
the mouth OF the draw leading
to the Walton ranch. A quarter
mile up this draw they came upon
man standing beside a horse.
He proved to be the town marshal,
Red Herring.
1t amt necessary for you TO be
watching the Walton RANCH" said
the crotchety district attorney.
II got as much right to the re-
ward as the next one. I guess"
flared the marshal. "If wanna
watch the ranch. guess I got a
right to do that, too. You don't
want to cherish any idea that you
own the earth and me, too, Artie
Rale!
Two hundred yards short Of
the bend In the draw that con-
cealed the ranchhouse from view
the, district attorneys horse which
was leading, snorted at something
that lay across hts patch, and
SHE'D with great vigor, coming
within a red hair OF throwing the
district attorney off on his ear.
The district attorney swore and