The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-10
tContinued from Our Last Issue.)

fContinued from Our Last Issue.)
The door of the inner room
ouened. Dug Doble's big frame
allied the entrance. The eyes of the
two gunner searched each other.
gteelman sidled over to the desk.
HIS right hand dropped into an
/. open drawer, apparently carelessly
and without intent
"You fred Bear Canon" charged
the cowpuncher.
Doble's eyes narrowed. "You
amin to run my business, Shortly"
From the desk came the sharp
angry bark of a revolver. Shorty
felt his hat lift as a bullet tore
through the rim. His eyes swept
10 Steelman. who had been a negli-
vihle factor in his calculations.
The man fred again and blew out the
light In the darkness Shorty swept
out both guns and fired. His first
two shots were directed toward the
man behind the desk, the next two
at the spot where Doble had been
standing. Another gun was boom
ing in the room, perhaps two. yell
low fire flashes ripped the black
ness.
I Shorty whipped open the door at
his back, slid through it, and kicked,
it shut with his foot as he leaped
from the porch. At the same mo-
ment he thought he heard a groan.
Swiftly he ran to the cottonwood
where he had left his horse tied.
He jerked loose the knot, swung to
the saddle, and galloped out of
town.
Dug Doble's first thought was for
his own safety. Satisfied that all
was we'll, he turned to the figure
sprawled on the floor with outfiung
arms.
Dead as a stuck shoat," he said
callously after he had turned the
body over. 'Got him plumb
through the forehead-in the dark,
too. Some shootin', Shorty"
He could put a finger on the
time he had commenced to go
wrong. 1t had been when he had
quarreled with Emerson Crawford
about his daughter Joyce. He had
gone more definitely wrong after
Sanders came back to Malapi. The
young ex-convict, he chose to think,
was responsible for the circum-
stances that made him an outlaw.
Crawford and Sanders together had
exposed him and driven him from
the haunts of men to the hills. He
hated them both with a bitter, mo-
rose virulence his soul could not
escape.
Revengei The thought of it
spurred him every waking hour,
roweling his wounded pride cruelty.
There was a way within reach of
his whisperings. He could make
the girl love him.
CHAPTER XIII.
Dave knew no rest that night.
He patrolled his line from San ia
cinto to Cattle and back again,
stopping always to lend a hand
where the attack was most furious.
The dense cloud lifted for a mo-
ment, swept away by an air cur
rent To the fire-fighters that
glimpse of the landscape told an
appalling fact. The demon had es-
capped below from San Jacinto Can
on and been swept westward by a
slant of wind with the speed of an
express train. They were trapped
by the back-fire in a labyrinth from
which there appeared no escape.
Every path of exit was blocked.
The flames had leaped from hilltop
TO hilltop.
Dave spoke quietly. We've got
chance if we keep our heads.
There's an old mining tunnel here
abouts Follow me, and stay to-
gether."
The tunnel was a shallow one in
hillside Dave stood aside and
counted the men as they passed in.
Their place of refuge was packed
with smoke A tree crashed down
at the mouth and presently sec
ond one. These, blazing, sent more
heat in to cook the tortured men
inside. In that bakehouse of hell
men showed again their nature
cursing, praying, storming, or weep
ing as they lay.
The prospect hole became a mad
house. A big Hungarian, crazed
by the torment he was enduring,
leaped to his feet and made for the
blazing hill outside.
Back therei" Dave shouted
hoarsely.
Inc Dig Fellow ruSned MIN. his
leader flung him back against the
rock wall He rushed again
screaming in crazed anger. San
ders struck him down with the
long barrel of the forty-five. The
hungarian lay where he fell for a
few minutes, then crawled back
from the mouth of the pit.
Fre-crisped and exhausted, he
dropped down at last into forget
Iulness of pain. And the flames,
which had fought with such savage
fury to blot out the little group OF
men, fell back sullenly in defeat.
The line of fire had passed over
them.
In the fresh air the men revived
quickly. They went back ito the
cavern and dragged out those of
.neir companions not yet able to
help themselves. Three out of the
lwenty-nine would never help them
selves again. They had persisted
N the tunnel.
CHAPTER XIV.
The women of Malapi responded
generously to the call Joyce made
upon them to back their men in
me fight against the fire in the
saaparral. Now they cooked and
baked cheerfully to supply the
wants of the fire-fighters.
:. into the relief headquarters
/ Meth raaa1 ahaod Of n mas on cor