The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-08-09
CHAPTER XXI


Pronto had chosen his own trail
and gait back to the Three Star. II
was Goldie that Sandy rode under
the stars toward Nipple peaks. He
was alone. refusing any company of
Sam or the riders. Molly's last kiss
had been the key that turned In the
lock of his heart and opened up to
reality the garden Of his dreams where
the two Of them would walk together,
work together all their days. 1t could
have meant nothing else. And she
had been afraid-for him. Plimsoll
living was a blot upon the fair page
Of happiness. Though Molly, thank
God. had come through unframed. to
Sandy the touch of Plimsoll was a
defilement that could only be wiped
out by his death.
As he rode over the finny ridge of
Elk mountain and saw the Nipple
peaks cleaning above the black pines
across the valley, with Elk river
cleaning In the middle, he realized
that he had said nothing to Molly Of
Keith. of the shutting down of the
mine and his own action in her name.
While she had asked nothing Of young
Donald. For the time It had been as
II the rest Of the world had been
fenced Off from them and their own
intimate affairs.
He compressed his knees and the
mare answered in lope that
stretched into a gallop. fast and fast
er as she reached the levels and sped
toward Elk river. Sandy was not go
ing to waste time looking for ford.
The mare could swim. He scanned
the mountain toward the peaks, passed
over the dark lmpenetrable pines,
surveyed the stretch of gently rising
ground between the Elk and the trees
and shifted his guns In their scab-
bards. His rifle he had left with
Sam. Either Plimsoll had not passed
the peaks. was In the woods, or he
had come and gone. Something told
Sandy this last had not occurred.
Travel beyond the peaks must have
been hard and slow and roundabout
for Plimsoll while he had tangented
fast for the cutoff.
The mare took the cold river water
about her fetlocks with little shiver,
wading In to the girths, sliding to a
deep pool where she had to swim q
few strokes before she found gravel
under her hoofs and scrambled out
Suddenly, while Sandy hesitated how
best to arrange his patrol, a horse
came laundering out Of the pines less
than quarter Of mile away. 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 a man.
Before Sandy could turn the mare
toward them three riders burst from
the trees like bolts from a crossbow,
squirting their mounts, the two In the
lead swinging larlats. 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
suSIcHutu TiHks VI WIre IOI 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 a sud-
den weight and Its rider jerked
hideously from the saddle, hands
clawing at the ropes that choked his
gullet. wrenching, sinking deep, shut
ting Off air and light with a 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. II was
Brandon. He hailed Sandy with sur
prise.
How'd you happen here this time
of night. Bourkef Not looking for
mel"
mo, was looking for the man
you've just caught. was about 4
minute too late"
Brandon glanced curiously At San
az. caught By the. grim note in his