River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1923-05-03

q steady Walking gait.
eNever see a prospector with dawg
afore," said Sam at last. An that a
sheep dawg."
'Dawg nd be apt TO tucker out in
desert travel" agreed Sandy. Mean
one more mouth fO' water"
He. like Sam, speculated on the
kind of a aan J. Casey--if it was
Casey they were after-might be. II
not a sheepman or prospector,
third probability made him an outlaw,
a man with a price on his head, MD
ing % the wilds from punishment. 1t
sufficed to them that he was man
whom dog loved enough to bear
call TO help his master.
Slowly, the mesa ahead took on
more definite shape. Sandy picked UP
Grit's trail once again. The collle
wriggled, shot up its muzzle, Whined'
licked Sandy's face.
Nigh there" suggested Sam. Sandy
nodded and let the dog get down. Grit
raced off, nose high, streaking around
a curve. When they reached it he
was out of sight. The road rose at
steep pitch, cliff to the right, precl-
pice to the left, stretching on and up
TO the summit of the pass.
Grit unseen, ahead, was barking IN
staccato volleys There was another
sound. q faint shout, Enthusiastically
human. The men looked at each other
with eyebrows raised.
THAT amt no mans voice" said
Sam. That's a gal" He looked
ouizzically at Sandy, knowing his
chum's inhibition.
Sandy was woman-shy. Men met
his level glance, fairly, with swift GER
tainty that here stood a man, four
square; or shiftily, according to their
ease Of conscience, knowing his breed.
Sandy was a two-gun man but he was
not a killer. There were no notches
on the handles of his Colts. In ear
lier DAYS he had shot with deadly aim
and purpose, but never save in self
defense and upon the side of law and
right and order. Among men his
poise was secure, but, in woman's
presence, Sandy Bourke's tongue was
tied save in emergency, his wits
tangled Whatever he privately felt
of the attraction of the opposite sex,
the proximity of girl produced an
embarrassment he hated but could not
help.
He gave Sam no chance for banter
Action was forward and it always
Strengthened out the short-circuitings
of Sandy's mental refexes toward
womankind. He touched Pronto'S
TANKS with the dulled rOwels he wore
and the pinto broke into a lope. A
big bowlder was perched upon the
nigh side of the road. Grit came ou
from behind it, barked, whirled, ant
seemingly dived into the canyon
| Coming up with the mare. Sam fount
! Sandy dismounted, waiting for him.
What had happened was plain t
both of them. The rotten, hastily mad
| road collapsed under the lurch of
wagon jolting over outcrop uncovere'
| by the rains. Scored dirt where fran
! tic hoofs had paved in vain, tir
marks that ended in side scrapes AM
vanished were evidence.
Sam got off the roam, the tire
horses standing still, snuffing tn
marks of trouble. Far down tn
slope Grit gave tongue. The cliff
shouldered out and they could SCI
nothing from the broken road. How
anyone could have hurtled over tn
precipice and be still able to call TO
help without the aid of some miracle
was an enigma. They listened for an
other shout, but, save for the barkin:
of the dog, there was silence in thu
grim gorge. In the sky, two buzzard
wheeled.
Sandy united the package of foot
and the leather medicine kit; San
slapped his hip to be sure of hi
whisky flask. Aided by their higl
heels, digging them in the unstable
dirt, they worked down the cliff
rounding the shoulder.
A wide edge of outcrop jutted out
from the canyon wall jagged into bat
Elements. Piled there was wagon