Evening star., 1924-11-09

knew her name was Nell. Paltrey said
| to her in a reassuring tone: ''The old
chaps been drinking too much, Nell.
That's all. I told him 1 never saw hiL,
before
She nodded quietly. That's right
she agreed. II never saw him either"
The old man fingered in White Cow
for year. He always insisted that
Faltrey was Palmer. that Nell was his
wife whom Palmer had stolen. But
those who heard him reasoned that if
these things were true he would have
shot Palmer long ago and when he
drifted away into the obscurity from
which he had come memory of the In
cident faded and was forgotten.
II X y
nAvE PALTREY. jogging circui-
- tously southwark this afternoon.
have his wife il he cared to come for
her again.
He camped that night in a good patch
Of grass beside a stream he had been
following, hobbled his horse and made
himself comforta bic for the night with
the accustomed ease of a man used. to
such adventuring. BY Monday morn
ing he would be across the line. He
slept till dawn, rose and boiled coffee
resumed his comfortable way.
After an hour or two the stream
plunged into a gorge through which he
could not pass and it became necessary
for him to detour to climb the ridge
which lay arross his course and come
down to the stream again beyond. When
he reached the top of the ascent a con-
siderable expanse of country lay
spread below him. and a mile or so
aUay saw the cabin of a suuatt or
near where a fringe of low growth
marked the course of the stream, which.
having threaded the gorge. was there
wider and more placid in its meander-
ings.
Paltrey let his horse go its own way.
his thoughts elsewhere. Suddenly 1t
lurched forward and to one side. throw
ing him come distance down the slope.
He was unhurt. but when he had scram-
bled to his feet he saw that the beast
had broken it's leg. Paltrey remem-
bered. with faint relief, the cabin he
had seen from the eminence above his
head. He would be able to buy a fresh
horse there. He drew his heavy pistol
from its holster, and the report shat
tered the sunny silence of the morning.
echoes reverberating along the flank Of
the ridge above him. Paltrey got to his
feet. reloading absently. and removed
the saddle and bride from the dead
horse. He opened one Of the saddlebags
to take out some currency. He would
need money to buy a new horse. Then
he shouldered the saddle and hung the
bride on his arm and began to walk
toward where the cabin lay.
After some 90 minutes he approach
ed the cabin. An old man came to
the door and watched him. Paltrey
had faint and unpleasant shock of
surprise at sight of this old man.
He looked astonishingly like Charlie
Low, yet, as Paltrey well knew,
Charlie lay in his blankets, very STILL
back in White Cow. Nevertheless, as
he drew nearer the cabin. the resem-
blance became more obvious.
Paltrey hailed the other in a cheer
full tone, "Howdy. ld-timer?"
The old man replied in voice that
was like Charles, too.
HORSE broke a leg" Paltrey told
him loudly. Back there on the hill"
Heard you shoot" the other as
sented, an edge to his tone.
Put me down, and 1 got quite a
ways to CO." Paltrey explained. Saw
you had three or four horses out
back. Want to sell me one?"
The other said harshly: Dunno as
I want one Of my horses under you
If you can't keep 'em from breaking
their legs
Paltrey laughed. "One on me. all
right" he agreed. good-humoredly
But it never did happen to me be-
fore"
Where you headed for?" the old
man asked; and Paltrey named a
town that lay in his way and said
he had to get there by nightfall.
The other slowly bestirred himself.
stumping around the cabin toward
the corral When they came to the
rails the horses moved to meet him,
thrusting their noses against his
bosom. and he chided them in tones
softened by surprising tenderness.
HALF an hour later, mounted once
L i more, Paltrey rode away from
the cabin. The old man stood in the
open doorway to watch him go, and
Paltrey, coming presently to the shall
low stream bed and pausing to allow
his horse to drink. looked back and
saw him still standing there. his very
posture expressing grudging regret
and reluctance at this departure of
the animal he loved. Paltrey logged
along comfortably enough till it was
time to stop and boil coffee for his
MONDAY meal
He was Squatting beside his little
fire when he caught the beat Of hoofs
along the way he had come. He be-
came alert and watchful, and for a
moment had an impulse to escape
But then he reminded himself that
there was nothing he need fear. 1t
was impossible that his crime had
been discovered. This must be simply
some chance traveller. So he stayed
impassibly beside his fire. turning the
crisping bacon in the pan.
He was still in the same position
when some six or eight men on horse
back emerged from the trees and dis
covered him. The fact that they i'm
mediately threw down upon him with
rifles which they carried struck his