River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1923-08-16

| - yEtfXAas~s
Sandy Was a crucibIe Filled With
Glowing White Fury.
pose. There was feed enough for the
entire herd for a month. There was
cabin in side gully of the park,
near the. blocked entrance, the whole
| place was honeycombed with caves,
in the towering sidewalks and under
ground.
Five of the nine left of the Water
| line outfit drove the herd. Hahn and
Parsons could both ride, but they
were not experts at handling horses.
They chose to go with Plimsoll and
the outfit-cook, while the rest took the
long way round to the other way in.
The four fingered to give the rest a
start.
Il hate leaving the country without
evening up some way with the Bourke
outfit" said Plimsoll. On him and
the rest of them, they broke the luck
for us. AS for the girl, if 4"
ooh, quit throwing the bull con
about that, JIM" said Parsons blunt
ly. SANDY Bourke's On good man
for you to leave alone an you know
1t. Talk amt goin' to hurt him.
I'm coming back some time" said
Plimsoll with string of oaths.
"Then you'll see something besides
talk"
Parsons jeered at him. Plimsoll
was no longer the leader and he knew
it. But he hung on to the semblance
of authority that an open quarrel
with Butch might shatter. Butch was
a bully, but Plimsoll respected his
shooting. And Hahn sided with him.
The cook did not count
Plimsoll carried with him fine pair
of binoculars and, as they rode leis-
urely on and reached vantage point,
he swept the tumbled horizon for
signs of any strange riders. 1t was
the caution of habit as much as ac-
tual fear of raid.
At times Plimsoll rode aside from
the trail to a ridge crest for wider
vision. At last, coming up the pass
of Willow creek, he sighted Molly and
Donald with Grit trotting beside them.
It was the dog that confirmed his
first surmise He had heard that
Molly had returned, but he had not
dared a visit to the Three Star. Who
the rider with her was he did not
care That 1t was a tenderfoot was
plain by his clothes and by his seat.
AS he adjusted the powerful glasses
to better focus Plimsolls face twist
ed to an ugly smile.
'Ill show you If / do nothing but
| talk" he said to Butch after he told
them of his discovery. "We'll wait
for them along the trail. Well send
the chap with her back afoot."
"And what'll you do with herT
asked Hahn. "We've had enough Of
skirts, Plimsoll. This is no time to
be mixed up with them"
isn't it?' The drink had given
Plimsoll some of his old swagger, and
the prospect of Matching the revenge
over which he had brooded so long
took possession of him. "Then you're
bigger fool than / thought you,
Hahn. That particular skirt, aside
from my personal interest in her. rep
resents about a quarter of million
doIlars-maybe more. She's got a
quarter interest and little better in
the Molly mine. The Three Star owns
another quarter. How much will they
give up to have her back? Bourke's
her guardian, remember. ! think the
chap with her may be young Keith.
We won't monkey with him. He'll do
to tell what happened. But Wen take
the girl along and We'll send back
word of how much we want to let her
go. After I'm through with her. She
may not go back the same as she
came, but they won't know that and
they'll pay enough to set us up and
to HI with the herd"
you'll have the whole county
searching the range" objected Par
! sons. There's lot know something
about the Hideout and they'll use
| Wyatt to show 'em the way. Bourke'l
| guess where she is"
LET him. Wyatt don't know about
the caves, does he? We can take her
some other place tomorrow. We won't
| say anything now to the kid about a
ransom. Wen mail a letter after we
fix details. But Wen take the girl
| into the Hideout now. That tender
footll be lucky If he drifts back to
the Three Star by nightfall afoot
I ynfII ha Ottf rf hn hap
that. And we1l put her where they
can't find her till they come through.
I'm running this"