The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1925-01-01

Inc siri reilfu ID ana W3l'eu iOf
Lee to ride up to her.
BE very careful with that horse OF
yours" he said. There's a difficult bit
a little distance ahead. but it's the
last. and then Wen have an easy jour
ney down through the pass"
She started off again. Lee following
some twenty PAGES behind her. But of
a sudden Lees horse baked, laid back
his ears and snorted, planted his fore
feet firmly and refused to move.
1t was almost impossible to dis
mount and lead him, for at that point,
the narrowest part of the trail, there
was hardly standing room for man and
beast together. Lee held In the ami
NAL with a tight rein, and patted his
quivering TANKS.
He could not understand what had
alarmed it, but now some instinct, per-
haps communicated from the beasts
brain TO his, seemed TO tell of danger
threatening.
He glanced at the girl, and saw that
she was almost across the danger
zone. He dared not call TO her, for
fear of startling her. And, indeed,
there vas no reason to call, although
that baseless instinct was now becom-
ing so strong that 1t almost amounted
to conviction.
He could not see the least cause for
apprehension anywhere. His fears ap-
peared absurd and yet that electric
message Of warning went flashing back
and forth between his mind and that
Of his frightened mount.
Then suddenly there came the roar
Of an explosion, muffied underground
the next the rocks over his head
seemed to upheave. An enormous
crack appeared in the face of the wall
of solid rock, which trembled and APP
peared to move toward him, as if
pushed by a gigantic hand and before
the reverberations had died away Lee
heard a faint, crepitating sound. like
the rustling of paper-the sliding OF
the interior strata, upon another.
A little avalanche of stones, dis
lodged from the surface, came rush
ing down the face of the cliff midway
between the girl and himself. Had
horse not stopped, it must have
been swept over the edge Of the preci-
pice.
Another roar, and a huge rock top
pied and fell, this time behind, and
smashed into a score of fragments
which went rolling into the chasm be-
waking a hundred reverberations
among the hills.
And with that Lee understood the
devllish scheme that was in the work
ing. The dynamiting which he had
heard that afternoon was the prelimi-
nary work OF the two men in prepar-
ing their tap: now they had set fuses
lmOng the rocks at the narrowest point
If The trail, with the purpose-of blow
ng him to destruction.
And it was a murder plan that
would leave no evidence behind it,
surer and safer than a rife shot.
Another explosion and between the
Iound Of the dun oar and The up
1eaval, Lee, seeing the girl apparently
-rying to urge her plunging animal
lack toward him, stood up in his stir
.nps and waved his hand frantically
oWard hnr
'Co lack, Go back! :" he shouted.
' BE- Girl seemed bewildered. and
only clung to her plungfng, snortine
beast, over which she had lost cen
troll, the while it paved the air an6
danced desperately upon the narrow
way.
Lee vaulted from his horse, strug
gled upon the edge of the precipice, re
his footing, and ran toward
her. He caught at her horses bride.
Jump Jumpl he shouted, holding
tut his arms.
And the few following seconds
seemed to extend through all eternity
Another roar, and the whole face of
he mountain wall appeared to crum-
lie into a landslide. AS in a help
ess dream Lee saw the falling wall
the girls horse in the flank and
.ent it screaming into the chasm.