Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-09-06
THE STORY

CHAPTER vI-Fyler is beaten and
meets selwood and informs him that
Atkins has thrown her father out of
his store, claiming to own it. Tyler
mot 1 ssnKb hnF a asr has
dismay, tells Selwood she hates all
gamblers. Selwood advertises for in
formation of an old missionary padre,
daloe and Bob Scott Indian In Sell
woods employ. the latter makes prep
arations to dislodge Atkins from Fly
lerB store.
CHAPTER vII-Christie warns Sell
WOO. Of threats made by Starbuck,
also that he had asked her to marry
companions, Selwood drives Atkins and
Haynes, from FLYERS store.
CHAPTER vIIL-Starbuck tells
Christie Selwood is a gambler, and on
her questioning him he admits It, but
end hs erowd sle tSevss Ths Epi !:
not satisfied with his explanation.
CHAPTER 1x.-Following a poker
game with General Roper Selwood DIS
closes the fact that the old soldier ID
his grandfather. Selwood declares
Roper, then fort commandant, before
Hairy Roper Sr faths sGn to dssss
ut the hands of Indians, and refused
to acknowledge a marriage had taken
place. disowning his boys children.
Continued from last week.
In the street he heard a beating of
hoofs and a chorus of whooping yells
from horsemen heading downtown
on a drunken spree. Carpy's words
came back to him: "It's Saturday
night. All the Calabasas horse-thieves
ride into town for a spree. They'll
all get In. But they won't many get
out"
He did not know the men-he only
knew that In their company skele-
ton horseman, astride a skeleton
steed, galloped noiselessly ahead;
that Death that night would stink, an
Invisible guest, in with these men as
they lined up at the bar; unbidden,
would sit that night with them at
their tables and stake their evil
lives against the caprice of frontier
fate-as, indeed, he had already, for
that night, staked John Selwood's.
He picked up, last of his job, the
cartridge belt. 1t was too dark to
see, but 1t was easy to feel with the
fingers Of one hand for the cartridges
In the box, while in the other he held
the belt and felt for the empty spaces
to slip the brass slugs into place. And
with the thrift Of Robinson Crusoe, he
emptied a handful of cartridges into
his trousers pocket, rose, buckled the
belt about his waist. AS he did this,
he heard a loud knock at the outer
door. 1t startled him; then he remem-
bered that he had told Scott to bring
Pardaloe to him as soon as 1t was
dark.
He walked to the front door; the
two men were there. Bob Scott barred
his tobacco-stained teeth as he smiled
his report to Selwood. They've put
men on all the roads out Of town ex-
cept the upper river road. I guess
the idea is to stop all the birds that
try to fly the coop tonight. And they
figured no one from Calabasas would
be leaving town till pretty late, any
team and horses were ready. Pardaloe
had come straight from the barn. His
eyes, set rather harder than usual
with the prospects Of the night, ap-
peared closer, If possible, together,
and glowed with a deeper light;
while If suspicion could more COM
pletely characterize his manner, 1t
seemed now heightened, in view of
coming events. They're hitched,
john" he said darkly, "chewin' their
bits In two and tearin' up the planks
right now in the gangway."
IT suppose you know" said Sell
wood, addressing both men, ''rm
going to take Dave Tracy out of
town. He's my partner; I'll never
see him hurt while I'm alive. He re-
fused to 60, as you know, BILL" he
said to Pardaloe, "and he's bull
headed enough to put up a scuffle
rather than be dragged out. No mat
ter. Carpy put sleepy dose in
Tracy's coffee tonight. By this time
he should be under; I hope he Is.
But he's got to go now, whether he
drank the coffee or not. won't see
him strung up on a telegraph pole,
If have to kill him to get him out
of town."
"How you going to get across the
bridge?" asked Pardaloe grimly.
"Pll attend to that. You say the
river road isn't guarded, anyway"
Selwood addressed the words to
Scott.
1T wasn't when I rode up from the