The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-07-26

q Woman. Molly, My Dear" Hs Said.
"Neser should have suspected you'd
turn out such a wonder. Clothes
make the woman, but It takes a prop
er figure to set them OF. And you've
got all Of that"
"what are you going to do with
mer she asked.
I'm not going to tell you-yet II
depends upon circumstances, my dear.
Wen all have little chat after lunch.
I'd take that rope OF II I wasn't
afraid I might lose you. You are
quite precious"
She looked through him as II he
had been sheet Of glasa From her
frst sight Of him. back in childhood.
she had known instinctively the man
was evil. But she was not afraid.
The blood that ran In her veins was
pure and bore In Its crimson flood the
sturdy heritage Of pioneers who had
outfaced dangers Of death and tor
ture. She was all westerner. The
blood was lighting blood. She felt It
urged In her pulses while her brain
babe her bide her time. Rage mount
ed as she faced the possible issues Of
this capture. the Haunting dismissal
Of young Keith. She heard the laugh
ter that followed the rife shots and
surmised that they were having their
idea Of a joke with the lad.
II he got back-then Sandy would
come after her. She was very sure
Of Sandy and that he would find her.
Until he did she must use her wits.
And Grit, gallant Grit, wounded and
lying In the chaparral!
Though she still gazed through
Plimsoll rather than at him, the
scorn showed in her eyes and bit
through his assumption Of ease a.
acid bites through skin. eating its
way on. He burned to wipe out his
own trickeries, his cowardice. his fall
ures, to wreak a vile satisfaction on
this girl who sat 80 disdainfuliy. with
her chin lifted. her lips firm. obliyious
Of him. She baffled him. A mind like
Plimsoll's never had the clarity Of
provision to see the strength Of char
acter that had been In the prospec-
tors child. even as he had never sus-
pected her unfolding to beauty. It
reused the vandal In him-he longed
to break her. mar her.
The return OF Butch and Hahn
brought him back to the fact that he
was not playing this deal alone
While they might allow him some per-
sonal license. to them the girl repre-
sented 80 much money.
He cut short Butch's boast Of the
way they had scared young Keith.
Both Hahn and Parsons felt a coil Of
embarrassment at the silence. almost
the serenity. of their captive. They
had expected her to act far different
ly. to rage. threaten. cry out. She
almost abashed them.
'See II you can round up that d--m
dog. Butch" said Plimsoll. II plugged
him but we want to be sure he don't
get away. He might help Keith's kid,
for one thing. And he clamped my
arm"
Parsons rode into the chaparral un-
I'll he was barred by its thickness,
trying to stir out the dog. without
success.
dead, reckon" he reported.
"Crawled IN somewherea. You hit
him hard. Plim. Plenty blood on the
leaves" E
Molly bit her lips and paled q 1T
tie, but turned away her head so that
they could not see. She winked back
the tears that came to her thought Of
Grit helpless. painting. bleeding.
They rode on up the rocky ravlne
Presently they turned aside from the
stony trail. To one side appeared q
narrow opening. unseen from below
by the curve Of the great rock, Just
wide enough to admit horse and rider
A few feet in, they halted, and Plim-
soil turned In his saddle while the
other three men dismounted and care
fully adjusted several rock Fragments
In the opening. piling them with q
gwift care that showed familiarity
with their task. 20 placing them that
they appeared as II a part of the wall.
Below them, Molly saw the hidden
park that lay SO snugly back Of the
barrier walls It was an irregular
oval that appeared to. curve at the
far end. The trail down was plainly
u1seA- 4 1Rfked ~. IN rleshtd