Catoctin clarion., 1923-05-31
Thurmont Frederick County, Maryland Thursday. May 81 1928

reluctant information from Pedro as
to the four passengers in the buck
board.
"You 'tendin' ranch p 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 irons2
Figgerin' on abductionY
Jordan gave no hint Of how Bucks
shaft might have targeted his inten-
tions, but climbed into the car and
started 1t. Reaching the laHa 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 fgger they're
headin', PhilY' he asked "Is there a
cut or pass through the mesa?"
"Dam'fino. One things sure an GER
tain. Them fellers from the Three
Star usually know where they are
headln'. Trails plain"
"Sure is." But Jordan scratched
his head trifle donbtfully. If Sandy
Bourke and his chums had been tipped
off. this trail was little too plain to
be true.
They'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
won't do any good; he aims to get her
out Of 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 you
can tell me. Is that tip you got about
dynamite d SURE OHt!
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 back the money
I put up to grubstake Casey"
Jordan gave him a grin Of derision.
"You an, yore grubstake." he jeered.
Plimsoll said nothing more.
"No shootin' In this DEAL" Jordan
warned. "COme to showdown,
Bourke won't buck the law soon's we
show papers. So longs he amt been
notified the court is maxim a ward
of the girl they amt done nothin'
wrong. Buff he resists, that's diff
ferent."
II amt goin' to be awful anxious
to start shOotin'," said Jim. SANDY
BOurke's a two-handed lead finger
an Soda-Water Sans no slouch. Nei-
ther's Mormon. Me, I'll be peaceable
less it's forced on me otherwise"
They entered the split In the mesa
The floor was fairly smooth, swept
clean by occasional cloudbursts, save
for the skeleton Of tree and another
Of too-far wandering steer. both
blanched white as the alkali-crusted
powders. 1t was nearly level going
and the car pounded along, all the oc
cupants looking for trail sign.
Keep an eye peeled for rain," said
Jordan. "I'd sure hate to get caught
in here with a cloudburst."
Ahead was an abrupt turn. Jordan
slowed. Making the curve. q fence
stretched across the gorge, reaching
from wall to wall, four-strand bar.
rier Of barbed-wire, strung on patent
steel posts. Jordan braked with emer
gency. The sight of such a fence in
such a place was as unexpected as
the sun-dried carcass of steer would
be on Broadway. Plimsoll and Jordan
cursed. the former in pure anger, the
latter with some appreciation Of the
stratagem for delay
1--WE can tear it down quicker'n they
fixed It," he said. "I've got pair OF
nippers in the tool kit. They can't
have driven In those posts deep,
Come on"
A voice floated down to them.
"You leave that fence alone, gents
II you please. went to heap OF
trouble putin up that fence. It's my
fence"
They looked up, to see Mormon
seated on the top of great bowlder
that had land-slipped from the cliff
into the gorge. From thirty feet above