The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-07-13

1 toniShment.
 For he was alive-a dull, throb- | ping pain in his head apprised him
 of that. The astonishment came l from a realization that by some mir | acle he had escaped with his life. | He was lying in some tall bunch grass.
 He heard sound near him. and l turned his head to see Gail Fane I standing not many feet away. looking l at him as he had seen her look many 1 times during his sickness l Calls face was radiant. At the i'm I stant Shorty looked at her she was 1 clasping her hands, plainly with de- light.
 l "oh," she cried. "You are better! Pm so glad!"
 ! Shorty grinned "So am I, ma'an.'' Every detail of the fight up until the 1 last stand with the outlaws near the 1 rock. became vivid in his memory. | What happened after they got me, 1 ma'am? ?' he asked. 1 Much. Colver, the president of the | stage company, was here with a lot | of men. Redmond had sent for him. | A number Of Colver's men were trail l ing the stage; they had followed it all the way from Las Vegas-at a dis | tance. They came very near being | too late to help you, though. For | they heard the shooting at Twin Tree, but by the time they got there you had gone down. You are very | close to Twin-Tree now. They have l taken the other outlaws to Laredo | they captured some at Triangle Bend. Redmond said the bump on your | head wasn't dangerous. and that I could take care of you until you re- | gained consciousness. Then I could | take you shome.''
 Shorty smiled and closed his eyes wearily. Gail brushed a hand over | his forehead, at which he blushed and got to his feet. reeling.
 '1 reckon I've got to get back to
 the ranch house." he said. 'To- morrow's the twenty-frst, an Corwin | will surely be there"
 A shadow crossed her face. Cor win" she said. hesitatingly. NO; he l will not come."
 Her voice fell to a whisper as she related to Shorty what had occurred
 on the big level at the foot of the mesa opposite Triangle Bend.
 'Corwin is dead" she said. Red
 mond killed him. I don't know how t-Redmond won't talk about it. Cor
 win lied about the guardianship. MT. Colver looked through all his effects, and there are no papers to show that
 he was my guardian. Mir. Redmon says the note that was found in the
 house-the note supposed to have | been written by Gaylord Fane-was
 a forgery. You were right, it seems
 when you called Corwin a crook"
 Shorty grinned as he thought of the burned papers. Why, I reckon
 was ma'am,' he said.
 Two days later Shorty, fully recov-
 cred from the effects of the blow he
 had received, was standing near the
 corral fence. Across the green-brown
 sweep of plain he could see Twin
 Tree Ridge looming sharply above
 the line of the horizon. He stared at
 it long. living over again n the de-
 tails of the fight, when he became
 aware of two figures that crossed his line of vision.
 Shorty caught his breath. The fig
 ures were Redmond and Gail. They
 were walking slowly, arm in arm, it
 seemed to the observer. And Red
 mond was saying something that
 seemed to please Gail, for the girl
 laughed, and the sound of it, rip
 bling and joyous, carried distinctly
 to Shorty.
 A pang gripped his heart, he groaned, covering his face with his hands.
 As in another time. Shorty fought
 the selfish emotion that seethed through him - the flame of desire , that had been burning in his heart : from the day he had first seen Gail.
 It required a long time, though |. for what he had seen convinced him that this was to be the final struggle and he discovered that his hopes had been stronger than he had suspected But in the end his love for Red mond won. and he smiled, honestly rejoicing for his friend. A few minutes later Gail came toward him. He looked long at her
 before he spoke, and then his voice , quavered, though his smile was brave.
 l q reckon you've found out that what I said about Billy was true l that he's a bang-up he-man?''
 "He-Billy - MT. Redmond is r wonderful" she smiled. Shorty grinned widely at the Billy" . An when is it goin' to be?" h'
 questioned curiously. s When is what to be?" she aske et l wonderingly.
 '"The weddin'," said Shorty Q "Wedding." She looked sharply a s him, her eyes brilliant. Why" sh'
 said, why. Shorty" She locke . down, blushing and hesitant. "S I you are not going to wait until I asl S you? You mean to say you hay
 
 0 tom.''
 n Shorty suiped and stiffened. !. You don't mean, ma'am, that yo1 ain't goin' to marry Billy? That h
 ain't got no ideas about you? Ina l. -that-I've got a chance?" s His face by this time had grow S very pale.
 l, She laughed-a rippling, tantaliz - ing laugh that made the blood rae h rnadly through Shorty's body. Flo - he knew-now. He saw a woman i $ love-and with him. If "No man ever had a bette e chance" she whispered. r, When little later. Redmon d peered around a corner Of the hous
 to call a greeting to Shorty, ne sa7 h Gail standing very close to Short, h her head on Shorty's shoulder, an l. Shorty batting her hair-the hal
 that he had always worshipped-Red ed le mond grinned and softly retreated t 1 vi