Roanoke Rapids herald., 1923-12-21
A Romance
By Zane Grey
Copyright by Harper and Brothers

"You, Have! You, Sneed!" called
Monty, In that same wild voice. Don't
you move finger er an eyelash n
Madellnes faculties nerved to keen.
thrilling divination. She grasped the
relation between Monty's terrible cry
and the strange hunched posture he
| had assumed.
"Nels git in this! I" yelled Monty
and all the time he never shifted his
Intent gaze as much as hair's-breadth
from Have and his deputy. "Nels,
chase away them two fellers hangin'
back there. Chase 'em, quick
These men, the two deputies who had
remained in the background with the
pack-horses. did not wait for Nels.
They spurred their mounts, wheeled.
and galloped away.
"Now. Nels. cut the gurl loose" or
dered Monty.
Nels ran forward, jerked the halter
out OF Sneed's land. and pulled Bon
ita's horse In close to the porch As
he slit the rope which bound her she
fell into his arms
Have, git down. went on Monty.
Face front an stiff !"
The sheriff swung his leg, and, never
moving his hands. with his face now
deathly, sickening white, he slid to
the ground ~
Lime up there beside your guerrilla
pard. There! You two make d-n
fine pictoor, -d--n fine team of
pizened coyote an cross between a
wild mule an Greaser. Now listen I"
Monty made long pause, in which
his breathing was plainly audible.
Madeline's eyes were riveted upon
Monty. Her mind, swift as lightning.
had gathered the subtleties In action
and word succeeding his domination
of the men. Violence terrible violence,
the thing she had felt, the thing she
had feared, the thing she had sought
to eliminate from among her cow
boys, was. after many months, about
to be enacted before her eyes 1t had
come at last. She had softened Still
well, she had Influenced Nels, she had
changed Stewart; but this little black
faced, terrible Monty psice now rose,
as 1t We're. out of his Iast wild years,
and no power on earti or in heaven
could stay his hand. With eyes slow
ly hazing red, she watched him; she
listened with drumming ears; she
waited. slowly sagging against Still
well.
Have, If you an your dirty pard
then listen an listen hard" said
Monty. Fer I've been goin' contrary
to my ole style jest to hev talk
with you. You all. but got away on
your nerve, didn't you? Cause why :?
You roll in here like mad steer an
almost bluff away with 1t. You heerd
all about Miss Hammonds cowboy
outfit stoppin' drinkin' an cussin' an
packin' guns. They've took on re-
ligion an decent lvin', an sure they'll
be easy to hobble an drive to Jail.
Have, listen. There was l. good an
noble an be-ootifrl woman come out
of the East somewheres an she
brought lot of sunshine an happi-
ness an new idees into the tough lives
of cowboys. reckon it's beyond you
to know what she come to mean to
them. Wal, I'll tell you. They-all went
clean out of their heads. They-all got
soft an. easy an sweet-tempered
They got so they couldn't kill coy
ote, crippled calf In a mud-hole.
Even mean ole, worn-out. hobhle-
legged, burned-up cowman like me! I!
Do you gilt thet? An you, Mister
Have, you come along, not satisfied
with ropln' an beatin'. an Cav knows
what else, Of tibet friendless little
Bonita; you come along an face the
lady we fellers honor an love an rev.
erence. an you-you- HIS fire!"
With whistling breath, foaming at
the mouth. Monty Price crouched
lower, hands at his hips, and he edged
inch by inch farther out from the
porch. closer to Have and Sneed.
Madeline saw them only in the
blurred fringe of her sight. They re-
sembled specters She heard the
shrill whistle of horse and recog-
nized Majesty calling her from the
corral.
"Thets ALL" roared Monty, In a
voice now strangling. Lower and low
er he bent. terrible figure of ferocity.
Now, both you armed officers Of the
law, come on! Flash your guns |!
Throw em. an be quick! Monty Price
is done There'll be daylight through