Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-03-14

Billy stood quite still in the mid
die of Main street, with his hat off,
and looked after her a moment as
h drove away. Then he pulled on
the hat with a jerk and returned to
his packing case.
"What did she say to you?" Riley
None of your business" was the
~ungracious reply.
Riley crossed one knee over the
other. Il got eyes, 1 have. Oh,
mush and milk, loves young dream,
and when shell we meet again"
Jaw, shut up!" urged Billy. and
showed his friend off the packing
case and went elsewhere hastily.
Hazel Walton, jogging along the
homeward way, was overtaken by a
horseman. She returned his greet
ing, but scowled and made a little
face after his retreating back. She
did not like Jack Murray. She never
had.
Hazel wondered where Jack Muir
ray was riding so fast. For it was
a hot day. Her wonder grew when,
20 minutes after he had passed from
sight, she perceived by the hoof-
marks that he had left the trail and
turned into a dry wash, a cul-de-sac
ending in a rock-strewn, unclimb-
able slope hat was the base of Block
Mountain.
Beyond the wash the trail wound
up the side of a hill. At the crest
of the hill the off mule picked up a
stone. After 10 minutes hard ham
mering and levering with her jack
Latte l. 1.I %1,n c{npa or1t
AS she released the foot from be-
tween her knees and Strengthened
her back, her gaze swept along the
back trail. The wash into which
Jack Murray had ridden was distant
not half a mile.
She saw Jack Murray'S horse and
there was something queer about
the horses head. Whereas Jack
Murray's horse when it passed her
on the trail had been a sorrel of a
solid color, the head was now
whitey-gray.
Ever since she and her uncle had
come to realize that someone was
rustling their cattle, neither of them
ever left home without field glasses.
Hazel pulled her pair from beneath
the seat cushion and focused them
on the odd-looking horse.
Its a flour sack over the horses
head" she exclaimed. II wonder
why Jack doesn't want him to
whinny. And where is Jack?'
Two minutes later she found Jack.
He was lying on his stomach in the
brush. Jacks rifle was poked out
in front of him. Why?
2 A few minutes later that question
was answered by the sudden appear.
anan re N ridar az a hlnd nf fhe trail
a mile back. With a gasp she recog-
,nized the rider IN the trail by his
h~igh-crowned white hat: only one
man in Golden Bar wore such a hat
and that man was Billy Wingo.
She knew that Billy would be
masked by a belt of trees before he
travelled another 80 yards, not to
emerge into view again till he topped
a rise of ground about a thousand
yards from the base of the hill on
which she stood. If Hazel could
only reach the top of the rise first
Hazel popped up into the seat of
the blackboard as Billy reached the
belt of trees.
AS she chung to the pitching buck
board and piled the whip. she specu-
lated on the proba bility of Jack MUIR
ray firing on her. He must realize
nef purpose. ne ndu DSSH CdiicU
many things, but fool was not n or
them. He might e shoot her.
She recalled dim stories OF JacK
Murray's ruthlessness and grim sin
gleness of purpose.
A Winchester cracked in the rear.
The near mule staggered. tried to
turn a somersalt, and collapsed in a
heap of sprawling legs and out
thrust neck. The off mule fell on
tup OF his mate, and Hazel catapult-
id over the dashboard and landed
read first on top of the off mule.
The off mule regained his feet with
snort and a lurch, in the process
rowing Hazel into a squaw bush.
lfzzy and more than a little shaken.
,at young woman scrambled back
40 the trail and feverishly set about
mhitching the mule.
She heard a yell from the wash.
Fingers busy with the breast-strap
snap, she looked back to see a man
hurdle the outcrop and plunge to-
ward her through the brush.
Wait" he bawled. "Wait!"
She punched the reins in her left
baud. He was a tall mule, but she
swarmed up his shoulder by means
of collar and names. threw herself
across his withers and besought him
at the top of her lungs to Go.
Go! Col"
Continued Tomorrow.