New Britain herald., 1923-02-12
CASTORlA
 Fer Iafaass snd chndTsa
 In Uss For Over 90 Years ...!;:. s..:: <: ...' :. GZEE

effoFl.
 h am q man foTsworn to blood, z he
 ssid presently. "a man whom all tn.
 Border knows. I am a thief and "a
 hahdit l have Taided and pillased
 TOT Tour years now, and my hand has
 been against the wealthy. | have a
 Lana ef men sho swear by nae, hard characters all. and they follow me for the shares 1 give them Of my ill- setten gains l hate, tl.em all 10 a man, almost. but must have them. 1"
 He paused and looked hard in the siffs eyes, They were steady as harbor lights, though the blood was slowly draining from her cheeks.
 tally.
 Nc" said Val IIannon. piteously. her fingers gripping the brim of her hat. Tt is not enough"
 Then hy Heayen." cried yelantrie leaplng to his feet. "ili tell you the rest"
 Val rose too and faced him with her pale lips fallen helplessly apart.
 VI am on a man-hunt. forsworn to XII on slght-and have been for four black years--the man who killed my tather,"
 They stared hard at each other. these two young creatures there in the shade Of the ancient council house on top or the world. and they looked With tragic eyes on the naked'l depths Of each others souls.
 "ls it enough?" said yelantrie. hoarsely. will you let me go now?"
 Hut Val shook her head and put n strong hand on his shoulder. l
 No" she said again. never under Gods heaven-if you want to stay. Do you?"
 answer.
 She leaned near. swcetly, danger. cusly near. and her dark eyes were the most wonderful things he had ever be held in all his life-sane. suf- fering. honest to the depths. With n groan lie turned from her, covered his lace with his hands and laid 1t against the wall.
 In the tense silence that followed. tragic, pregnant, the heat seemed to glimmer faintly from the hard earth of the mesa and all the world about to listen. The shoulder under the girls gripping hand trembled as with | chill.
 sigh that was near sob heaved he mans shoulders and he straight ened from the wall, wiping his ashen ace with a downward sweep of his ha aS U.I | 1e had aged tremendously. But the 'haking of his features was done He vas steady as q rock. Then the girl poke.
 You have an oath to keep. A bad word broken i sbettcr han one kept Will you not break this one-because
 ask you to?"
 Don't" cried the man. Don't six me that! The man was my ather, and loved him as few sons owe their parents Do you love John { Iannon?"
 Yes" she answered. :
 Could you see him killed before our eyes-and let the murderer go npunished?"
 val's hand slipped from his shoul- CT ttHu SIlG turned ITOWHlHS eyes Z ut over the distant plain. Far in le pale expanse a rider on a pinto orse came idly by the mesa. She studied it absently while she lrned this over in her mind. John annon-big, iron-gray, handsome.
 man should kill him-aye, she'd . 3 like this man before her, savage, ard as adamant. bent on revenge. es, assuredly-there was no other ay Why, she had said she'd kill le man who stole the Redstar, for slight wrong as that! Ones ther, now
 '"I see," she said at last slowly, T 
 And when I've done the thing" id Velantrie, bitterly, II cannot me back to you-not then" "Why?" she asked simply. Velantrie gulped and swallowed.