Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1924-10-03


immemOrial western custom, and
Judith opened it. Lee heard her little
gasp Of pure delight.
Hes a dear, the man who lives
here 7" she announced positively
"You can just tell by looking at his
home"
Looking in over her shoulder, Bud
Lee wondered just what in his one
room shanty had caught her enthus-
iasm. There was the rock fireplace
with an iron hook prOtruding from
each side for coffee-pOt and stew-pot;
a bunk with blanket smoothed over
cedar boughs; shelf with a dozen
books; little else, so far as he could
see or remember, to catch at Judith's
delight Yet she, looking through
womans eyes, read in one quick
''peek" the character of the dweller
in this abode. One who was content
with little, who loved clean, outdoor
life, and who was TRANQUILITY above the
pettiness of humanity. Judith closed
the door softly.
Going straight across the plateau,
she showed him where one could
Chamber up a steep way to the ridge.
Once up there, it was but ten minutes
until, in a hollow, they found the
monument marking a trail, stone
set upon boulder.
1t was after five o'clock. When,
following the trail back and forth in it's
winding along the side of the ridge,
they found the signs they sought, 1t
was fast growing dark. But there, in
q narrow defile where loose soil had
filtered down, were tracks left by a
large boot. Lee went down on his
hands and knees to study them in the
dusk. He got up with little grunt
and moved down the trail. Again he
found tracks, this time more clearly
defined So dark was it now that
they had lighted several matches.
1.-TWO men," he announced wonder
lngly. Fresh tracks, too. Made this
morning or last night, I'll bet. One
coming east from Indian Head. The
other coming west from the plateau
behind us. Who's he? Where'd he
come frOmw
Hes the second of the two men
who shot at you," said Judith quickly.
Don't l know every trail in this neck
Of the woods, Bud Lee? He followed
another old, worn-out trail on the
south side of the ranch. They met
here just as l knew they would"
what for?' Lee frowned through
the darkness at her eager face. What
would they want to get together for?
H they had any sense they would scat
ter and clean out of the country"
"Unless," Judith reminded him,
"they don't intend to clean out at all!
Unless they mean to stick to the cliffs
and try their hands again at their
sort of game. They'll figure that we
will expect them to be a long way
from here by now, won't they? Then
where would they be safer than right
here in these mountains? Give me a
rifle and something to eat and I'll de-
fly an army getting me out of here.
And think of it: If this is TrevOrS'
work, if he means business, think
what two gunmen on these heights
could do to us. They could pick off
three ee-thOuSand-dollar stallion down
in the pens; they could drop more
than one prize bull or COW; and" She
added sharply, "if they thought about
girls as some men think, they could
take chance on soaring Judith San
ford out of the country"
Lee stared at her long time In
silence.
II wouldn't have said," he offered
finally, that Bayne TrevOrs would
"You wouldn't! Then look him In
the eye! And where's his risk if he's
picked the right men, If he sees them
through keeping the back door open
when they want to run for it2 You
just gamble your boots, Bud Lee, that
Bayne TrevorS -
Without warning, without sound
of explosion came a wiry whine into
the still air, a little venomous ping,
and bullet sped by just over their
heads. But, through the gloom, they
both saw the flash of the gun as 1t
spat fire and lead, and as though one
impulse commanded them Judith's
rifle and Bud Lees went to their
shoulders and two reverberating re-
ports rang out in answer.
Lie down, d-n it !" cried Bud Lee
to the girl at his side, as again there
came the flash from the cliffs off to
the right and as again he answered it
with his rifle.
"Lie down yourselfw snapped Ju-
dith And once more her rifle spoke
with his.
For one instant, framed against the
darkening sky along the cliff edge five
hundred yards away to the right, they
saw silhouette Of man, leaping
from one boulder to another, a man
who looked gigantically big in the un-
certain light They fired; he jumped
again and passed out Of sight.
"Got his nerve" grunted Lee as he
pumped lead at the running figure.
AS an answer there came the third
Ixsv TN