The Adair County news., 1922-03-14


bearded white man was riding toward
them across the alkali. Neither
changed position until he came up, a
lump of a fellow, with staring eyes
and complexion the color of parch-
ment.
"What the HI is all this, Juan?"
he questioned roughly. "WhO is the
fellOw?"
"He travel with Matt Hanley an
get lost; so he say"
"Hanley, hey! That's some recon-
mendatiOn. Who else was with your
partyT'
"a man called Hank"
"Slagin. Well, the story sounds
straight so far; them two left here
together; l happen to know that.
What's your name?"
Shelby looked him squarely in the
eye.
Churchill"
"What! Matt talked to me about
that. Fellow named Macklin stalkin'
girl down Ponca way"
Hes got her; so Hanley says, an
that's what I'm here fOr-see?"
"But you amt OF Churchill. The
way 1 heard it he was sixty anyhow,
an a dOwn-easter."
Virginia; he's my father"
"Oh, HI. an where you been"
"Soldierin' mostly"
81 see," his eyes wandered. Sounds
kinder fishy, young feller, but 1 amt
in no shape to tell. / reckon Matt
Hanley kin straighten it out, an if he
is down thar, the best thing we kin do
is TO take yer long. If yer lyin' yell
be d-n sorry fore yer get out ag'in.
I'll tell yer that to begin with, but If
yer game to ride along, We'll see yer
get thar all right Let's hit her up,
Juan; them Injuns will need us fore
long. Come on, stranger"
He wheeled his horse and rode off
on a sharp trOt and the Mexican fol-
lowed. Neither man so much as
glanced back toward Shelby. seeming
ly Indifferent as to what he chose to
do. Yet he knew the customs of the
West and that if he failed them now
no future falSehoOd would ever regain
their confidence. He swung into the
saddle and rode silently forward be-
hind Juan. The cattle were still out of
sight ahead, but they could hear the
calls of the drivers. Shelby pressed
his bronco up closer to the Mexican
who had lit a cigarette.
aTs ;t for Tuon 2O ho acIod
"NOm de DiOs! l heard you not
To the Hole you mean? Not far, but
rough, senior; yet there is no other
way to get cattle in
''The man with you; who is he?"
Juan emitted a cloud of blue smoke
in the air, smiling pleasantly.
"Senor Laud."
'LaudT in unOlsguIseu asuOnlsn-
ment What Laud? Not Indian
JOe?"
"Si, senior; they call heeR that"
confidently. "He vera bad man. You
know heem, what?"
Shelby gripped himself tightly.
1--WE heard of him, that's all. He's
a Sioux squawnan. hut l never knew
what he looked like before"
His pony, no longer urged. fell back
trailing at the rear of the others.
Juan rode on, unconscious and indif-
ferent, blowing spirals of smoke into
th" air. and hummIng the strain of
some Spanish melody, but Shelby WAS
| staring beyond him at the red-bearGpd
| white man sl0Uched down in his sad
| de. So that fellow was INDIAN Joa''
Land. As never before he realized
to the full the danger into which he
| advanced.
INDIAN Joe" Laud, When hadnt
he heard Of him? For years certainly.
ever since he had been in this north
country, yet in appearance the fello'.
was not AT all what he previously
had Imagined that desperate to he.
!aud was gross, bearded, dirty. coarse
featured; TO all appearances a mere
| baIroom tough, YET no man on the
frontier had a worse record or WAS
more dreaded and despised. Why was
ne here stealing cattle on the very
verge Of Indian war? True. he was
not Sioux in blood. yet it was well
Known that he had been adopted into
the tribe and never failed to have n
hand in their deviltry. Army officers
clalHcd he possessed more influence
over them for evil than any chief, and
Shelby had heard him mentioned with
Sitting Bull as leaders in the ghost
dance. If true, then he must know
how far to venture, and just when to
draw aside so as to save himself. That
must be ito him war meant only an
opportunity to plunder. The final re-
suit was clearly Indian defeat; he
would keep out, but in the meanwhile
profit all he could.
The trail led downward at a rather
steep grade, in spite of continual curv.
ing. The sure-foOted horses moved
faster than the cattle, and before the
outfit reached the level of the valley
the three riders had closed in on the
Indian drivers. Shelby knew them al
| Onpn nc VOuOu SiOuv v,orriorc ,n1 ,,.os