The Snowflake herald., 1923-04-13
Illustrations by
Irwin Myers

| in front of the sheriff S own followers
! He had to save his face, politically as
! well as personally.
Armed with the necessary warrant
backed by an assurance that. unless
some extraordinary howl went up, the
girl would be given Sto the custody
of Jim Plimsoll as guardian. by virtue
Of his claim to partnership with her
father, the sheriff, Plmsoll and two
others, all three deputized for the oc
.casion. started the car from Hereford
! al a quarter of twelve. after an early
| lunch. AT a few minutes after twelve
/ they reached Three Star, where Buck,
[ seated on the porch, his saddle astride
| a saWhorse. stitched away at a cinch.
Buck played his part well, allowing
/ Jordan to. ferret out information to
his own satisfaction. 1t appeared
! plain that all three partners had taken
flight with the girl in the blackboard.
Someone tipped this thing off,
Jordan said sternly to Buck. "Who
was it?'
"Meanin' this visits offishul?' asked
! Buck. Whats it fo', Sheriff? Moon
/ shine or hawss stealin'?" He spoke
! in a jesting note, his weathered face
/ impassive as the shell of walnut,
/ but Plimsoll scOwled noting the turn
4 Of Bucks bland countenance in his
! direction for the first time. 1t was
! whispered that the brands on Plim-
/ soils horse ranch were not those usu-
! ally known in the county. nor even
! in the counties adjoining. There were
! rumOrs, Smothered by PlimsoIIS stand
with the authorities, of bands of
/ horses, driven by strangers, arriving
wearied-and always by night-at his
! corralS.
1T don't matter-tO yOu-What it's
for" answered Jordan. "Ill overhaul
'em an bring 'em back. IF they try
/ hide-out tactics or put up a scrap, it'll
be kidnapin' an that's penal Of
4 fense"
Buck whistled
Thought you wasn't goin' to let me
know" he said ITS the gel.'
"Who's been here to tip it Off"
asked Jordan.
4 Buck looked at him serenely. took
plug or cneWing from his pocket,
took his knife, opened it deliberately
| and slowly cut off a corner of the
tobacco.
Search me-" he drawled "Me,
don't stay up to the hOus4.'
Jordan. temporarily dlscomfted but
still confident of bringing back his
| Il ~,
board in the alkai soil, noted the
hoof-prints of the diverging riders and
nodded with the Semi-smile and half
closed eyes of conscious superiority.
He had already elected apparently
reluctant information from Pedro as
to the four passengers in the buck
board.
"You 'tendin' ranchT' Jordan asked
Buck.
"Yep Till | get fresh orders"
I'll bring you back those orders
also yore bosses, before sundown."
Buck permitted himself his first
grin.
You'll have to go some" he said
"Goin' to bring 'em back in irons?
lSSSilH oH dDuUCClOn!
Jordan gave no hint OF how Bucks
Shaft might have targeted his inten
tions, but climbed into the car and
started it. Reaching the lava strip
where the blackboard had halted for
water and the noon meal, they found
the trail skirting the flow toward the
south. The main mass of the mesa
broken up into gOrges. gaps, stair
way cliffs. marked by purple shad-
ows, scanty in the early afternoon but
gradually widening, was about fifty
miles away. Jordan turned to one
Of his deputies
Which way do you figger they're
headin'. Philip" he asked .ssIs there
cut or a pass through the mesa?"
"Dam'fino. One things sure an GER
tain Them felers from the Three
Star usually know where they are
headin'. Trails plain.
"Sure is" But Jordan scratched
his head tri1e doubtfully. If Sandy |
Bourke and his chums had been tipped |
OH. this trail was little too plain to |
be true.
Ihey re on about us gettin' the pa
pers." said Plimsoll. He had not said |
much on the trip so far "Too much
talk nowadays. Bourke sabes that
getting the girl out of the county t
won't do any good; he aims TO get her
out oI the state and any Arizona court
or sheriff jurisdiction. He's the brains
of the outfit We've got to get her,
Jordan"
'You amt tellin' me thing / don't
know, Jim. But there's one thing Won
can tell me. is that tip you got about
Dynamite sure one?'
Plimsoll, sitting beside Jordan.
flashed him look of contempt
do you think I'm chasing this girl
because I'm stuck on her? One of
the party with this eastern crowd
dropped into my place and talked
Here Is where | get hack tba ,,o,o,,