The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-07

Same name as yours. eh!" he asked, to explain his turning. Ys A.. :.
 "It's common enough nahae,' murmured Bard. ners, and there they was, fallin' in love with the same girl. So when they got free they put their heads together-bein' uncommon wise kids-and figured it out this way. Neither of lem had chance workin, alone to get Joan way from her fathers gang, but workin' together they might have a ghost of a show. So they decided to stay on the trail of Piotto till they got Joan. Then they'd give her choice between the two of 'em and the one that lost would simply back off the boards. "They done what they agreed. For six months they stuck on the trail of old Piotto and rover got in hailin' distance of him. Then they come on the gang while they were restin' up in the house of squatter named Riley; Bard went through that gang. They killed three of the men with their guns; they knifed another one, an they killed Riley with their bare hands. It wasn't no pretty sight to see-the inside of that house. And last of all they got Piotto, fightin' like an old and William Drew, he took Piotto into his arms and busted his back. That don't sound possible, but when you see Drew you'll know how it was done.
 "The girl, she'd been knocked cold before this happened. So while Bard and Drew sat together bindin' up each others wounds they talked it over and they seen pretty clear that the girl would never marry the man that killed her father. Of course, old Bill Drew, he'd done the killing, but that wasn't any reason why he had to take the blame.
 "They made up their minds that right there and then with the dead men lyin' all alound 'em, they'd match coins to see which one would take the blame of havin' killed Piotto--meanin' that the other one would get the girl-,if he could.
 And Bard lost. So he had to take the credit of havin' killed old Piotto. That made the girl look sort of kind on Drew and she swore that sooner or later she'd have the blood of Bard for what he'd done. She was wild one, all right.
 "She was so wild that Drew, after they got married, took her over on the far side of the range and built that old house that's rottin' there now. Bard, he left the range and wasn't never seen again, far as l know"
 It was clear to Anthony bitterly clear. ing with Drew and had placed the continent between them. And in the eastern States he had met that black-eyed girl, his mother, and loved her because she was so much like the wild daughter of Piotto. The girl Joan in dying had probably extracted from Drew a promise that he would kill Bard, and that promise he had lived to fulfill.
 "So Joan died?" he queried.
 "Yep, and was buried under them two trees in front of the house. I don't think she lived long after they was married, but about that nobody knows. They was clear off by themselves and there isn't any one can tell about their life after they was mar ried, All we know is that Drew didn't get over her dyin'. He aint over it yet, and goes out to the old place every month or so to potter around the grave and keep the grass and weeds off of it and clean the headstone.
 Bard yawned and patted idly the blanket where it touched on the shape of the re- volver beneath.
 Chapter XVI-Swimming the Saverack MT ASH knew that he would wake at the IN first hint of grey light and trusted
 that after the long ride of the day be-