White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-01-25

81 saw him." Harris said. Hes
gone"
They stopped In the saddle of the
ridge where a fresh track showed the
spot Bangs had crossed.
The girl was looking at Harris and
saw sudden pallor travel up under
his tan and as she turned to see what
had occasioned 1t he crowded his
horse against her own.
Don't look !" he ordered, and forced
her horse over the far side of the
ridge. You'd better ride on back to
the wagon" he urged "There's been
some sort of doings over across. Rile
and will ride down and look into it"
Without a word she turned her horse
toward the wagon.
"It's Gods mercy she didn't see, !"
Harris said, as the two crossed back
over the ridge. isn't that a hi of
a way for man to die?"
But the girl had seen. Her one
brief look had revealed a horse com.
ing round bend in a little box can
yon below. A shapeless thing dragged
from one stirrup and al every third
or fourth jump the big blue horse
side-slashed the limp bundle with his
heels.
AS the two men reached the bottoms
the frenzied horse had stopped and
WAS fighting to free himself OF the
thing that followed him. He moved
away from 1t in circle but 1t was
always with him. He squealed and
kicked 1t, then dashed off in a fresh
panic, side-swiping his pursuer.
Harris rope frightened on his neck
and threw him. AS he rolled over
| Fosters moose shared both hind feet
and he was held stretched and help
! less between two trained COW horses
while the men disengaged the bundle
that had once been Bangs. One boot
heel was missing and his foot was
damned through the stirrup. evidence
that the horse had pitched with him
and the loosened heel had come off,
allowing his foot to slip through as
he was thrown.
Harris pointed to burnt red streak
across the right side Of Bangs neck.
He unbuttoned his shirt and revealed
a similar streak under his left armpit.
Old Rifle cursed horribly and his
face seemed to have aged ten years.
"They learned that from the abb
no." he said. tits an old trick that
always works. They dropped rope
on him and jerked him, pried off his
heel, showed his boot through and laid
the quirt on his horse. Blue did the
rest"
Both men knew we'll how It hap.
pened. Bangs had run across the
camp of some of the wild bunch, mer
he had known for long, and the slow
thinking youth had suspected no more
danger from riding on up to them al
this time than at any other. He had
told them of the shot fired at Harris
and they had known that some other
Three Bar man would find the trail
leading from the direction of their
camp. And Bangs would mention
having found them there, linking
them with the bushwhacker.
When Bangs had IT pair Of
them had ridden distance with hin
and accomplished their aim.
"1ts coming dark" Harris said
"And BY morning they'll be thirty
miles away. That sort OF killing
was never fastened on to any mar
yet"
The old man raised doubled tis
and his ACE was lined with sorrow
Bangs was almost son to me-" hi
said. 81 taught him to ride-ant
4 we've rode together on every job sine
then. You hear mel Some one is go
} Ing to die for this !"
During the next week the girl in
wardly accused the men of heartless
ness. They jested as carelessly IA i
nothing unusual had occurred an,
she heard no mention of Bangs I
seemed that 1t took but day 70
them to forget former comrade VIII
had come to an untimely end. Ril
Foster had disappeared but on TIN
fifth day he turned up al the Thre,
. Bar wagon and resumed his wurI
without the least explanation of hi
absence.
(TO BE CONTlNUED.>