South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-11-04
The

80 TaiHt them that matter. d.
I'm glad you gotten. allus want
ed you should be a great lady, girl
lie. Them's the tickets Of admission
You put'em in your pants. gotta
stay here & spell"
Dad. Take theml"
them in his pocket.
what Is it, girlie7' he asked alb
sently, his pale eyes searching the
woods ahead.
1--WE just told you" she said.
that the boys went in as far as
Quintana's shanty. There was dead
man there. too; but Quintana has
gone"
Clinch said-not removing his
eyes from the forest: IF any OF
them boys has let Quintana crawl
through I'll kill him. too. If. G'wan
home, grille. gotto mosey-I got
ia kinda loaf around fr a spell"
dad, want you to come back
with me-"
'You go home; you hear me Eve
Tell Corny and Dick Berry to hook
II for Owl Marsh and stop the Star
Pear trails-both OMEN. Can
Sid and Jimmy walk?"
Jim can't"
well. let Harve take him on his
back. You go too. You help fix Jim
my up at the house. He's a little
fella, Jimmy up at the house. He's a
little fella, Jimmy Hastings is
Harve can tote him. And you go
along"
dad. Quintana says he means to
kill you! What is the use Of hurt
ing him? You have what he took
'I gotta have more-n he took.
But even that Amt enough. He
couldn't pay for all he ever done to
me. grille. I'm amin TO draw
on him on sight"
Clinch's set visage relaxed into an
alarming smile which fiickered. fad
ed. died in the wintry feroeity OF
his eyes
Dad"
"G'wan homel" he interrupted
harshly. You want that Hastings
! boy to bleed to death"
She came up to him. not uttering
a word, yet asking him with all the
| tenderness and eloquence of her
eyes TO leave this blood-trail where
It lay and hunt no more.
He kissed her mouth, infinitely
tender, smiled; then, again prim and
scowling:
"G'wan home, you little scut, an
do what I told We, or, by God, I'll
D I
Never a word now! On yer way!
/ G'wan"
Twice she turned to look back
The second time, Clinch was slowly
walking into the woods straight
ahead OF him. She waited; saw him
go IN; waited. After a while she
continued on her way.
CHAPTER "
And Clinchs mind was on her.
| All else-his watchfulness. his
stealthy advance--all the alertness
/ Of eye and ear. all the subtlety, the
cunning. the infinite caution-were
/ purely instructive mechanics.
/ Somewhere in this flooded twi-
light OF gigantic trees was Jose
| Quintana. Knowing that. he dismiss
/ ed that fact from his mind and turn
ed his thoughts TO Eve.
Sometimes his lips moved. They
usually did when he was arguing
with God or calling his Creator
attention to the justice OF his case.
| His two cases-each, TO him, a cause
| celebre; the matter OF Harrod; the
affair Of Quintana.
Many a time he had pleaded these
two causes before the Most High.
But now his thoughts were chiefly
concerned with Eve-with the prob
| lem OF her future-his master pas
/ sion-this daughter OF the dead wife
he had loved
He sighed unconsciously; halted.
well, Lord" he concluded. IN his
wordless way. my grille has gotta
have a chance II gotta go to he'll
\ for It. That's sure as shootin'.
Amen"
At that instant he saw Qulntana.
! Recognition was instant and mu-
tual. Neither man stirred. Quintana
was standing beside q giant hem
/ lock. His pack lay at his feet.
Clinch had halted-always the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. to a great iron
wood tree.
Probably both men knew that
they could cover themselves before
the other moved a muscle. Clinch' s
small. light eyes were blazing;
QuiRtana's black eyes had become
\ two Sits.
Finally: FY on - dirty - skunk"
drawled Clinch IN his agreeably
misleading voice. II got you now"
"Ah-h." said Quintana, "thees
I has happen YER nice like I expec'.
\. Always I say myself, yet a
little patience. Jose. an one day
you shall meet thees fellow Cnnch,
who has rob you. am YER
/ thankful 70 the good God"
He had made the slightest OF
movements: instantly both men
were behind their trees. Clinch,
in the ferocious pride OF woodcraft.
laughed exubantly-hTled the dim
and spectral forest with his roar OF
/ laughter.
"Quintana." he called out, you're
a-go.ng 20 cash in. savvy? You're
Ia-going 20 hop off An first you
gotta hear why. faint for the
stuff. Nawi I hooked Il ofrn you:
you hooked Il off'n me; now I got II
/ again. That's all square. No,