The Holly chieftain., 1923-09-20
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
CHAPTER xxl-contlnued.
Copyright 1872. By J. Allan Dunn

CHAPTER xxi-continued.
20
The mare took the cold river water
about her fetlocks with a little shiver.
wading In to the girths, sliding to
deep pool where she had to swim
few strokes before she found gravel
under her hoofs and scrambled out.
Suddenly. while Sandy hesitated how
best to arrange his patrol, horse
came fioundering out of the pines less
than quarter Of mile away. a black
horse, shining with sweat. tired to its
limit. staggering In Its stride. the
rider hunched in the saddle more like
q sack Of meal than man.
Before Sandy could turn the mare
toward them three riders burst from
the trees like bolts from a crossbow,
spurring their mounts, the two in the
lead swinging lariats. They divided,
. one to either side Of the laundering
black stallion, one at the rear. gain
ing, angling in. The ropes slithered
out, the loops seemed to hang like
suspended rings Of wire for a second
before they settled down, fair and
true. about the neck and shoulders of
the blacks rider. They frightened, the
lariats snubbed to the saddle horns,
the horses sliding with flattened pas
terms. The black lunging on, pitched
forward as 1t was relieved Of sud-
den weight and its rider jerked
hideopsly from the saddle, hands
clawing at the ropes that choked his
gullet, wrenching, sinking deep, shut
ting off air and light with horrid
taste of blood and the noise of thun-
dering waters.
The ropers wheeled their mounts
and galloped back toward the woods.
the limp body Of their victim drag
ging, bouncing over the ground. The
third rode to meet Sandy. It was
Brandon, He hailed Sandy with sur
prise.
How'd you happen here this time
Of night. Bourke7 Not looking for
meT
"No. was looking for the man
you've Just caught. was about
minute too late"
Brandon glanced curiously at San
dy, caught by the grim note in his
voice. But he made no comment.
"sorry If spoiled your private
vendetta, Bourke. You can have him,
what's left Of him, II you want. We
were going to swing him from a tree
with a card on his chest presenting
him to Hereford county, with our
compliments. As 1t is, Bourke, I'd be
relieved If you'd keep out of this en-
tirely. Even forgetting you'd met us.
We're within our rights. but we've
done some cleaning up tonight that
we might have to explain II we stayed
too long in the state. We got the
goods on Plimsoll; one of his men
whose girl Plimsoll had stolen helped
us to pin them on him. We met him
at Hereford. I'm going to send the
facts and proofs to your authorities.
They may not approve Of lynch law
these days, but they wouldn't act
and we did. don't fancy they'll
bother u any. He wasn't worth the
ropes he spoiled. Just as well you
kept out Of the mix-up."
Sandy said nothing. There was no
need 10 mention Molly's adventure.
want to be sure it's him" asked
Brandon.
The body Of Plimsoll lay at the
foot Of big pine, The loops were
still tight about his neck. One of the
ropes had been tossed over bough.
The two men had dismounted. They
nodded to Sandy as he came up with
Brandon. They were horse owners,
responsible men, who considered they
had administered Justice, who felt no
more qualms concerning the dead man
than II his body had been the carcass
Of slaughtered. steer.
"Waiting for the rest Of the boys
TO come up" said Brandon. "We'll hit
the trail home tonight. Bourke wants
to identify the body, boys"
Sandy looked down at the comfort
ed, blackened face, and his disap-
pointment at having been forestalled,
sedimented down. The gamblers fea-
lures had not been made placid by
death; they still held much of the
horror OF the last moments OF that
relentless chase, his horse failing un-
der him, foreknowledge of sudden
death and then the whistling ropes,
the jerk into eternity -. y! 1t was
thing to be forgotten, nightmare
that had nothing to do with the new
day ahead.
"It's Plimsoh," said Sandy shortly.
"I'm ridin' back to Three Star. I
found him hangln' to a tree. Good
night, hombres." He left them stand
ing about their quarry and turned tine
willing mare toward home. Peace
settled down on him under the stars
that were fading. the moon below the
hills when he rode into the home
corral.
A figure was perched upon the
tence. waiting. It was Molly. and
yhe leaped down almost into his arms