The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-06-13
CHAPTER q
STALKED BY A L L

The wind hammered and snarled
like a regiment of balloons. Blasts
| volleyed In through the open door. I
had heard and read of the sand
| storms of Skull Valley securing the
enamel off a a and grinding the
glass of a windshield until it was
opaque.
The thought of Lucy and Jerry out
in it gave me a bad minute or two.
But I reflected that Jerry had a sound
head on his shoulders, and nothing
/! them.
More comfortable in mind and body,
I looked about and decided I had
tumbled into Lundy's Place. I got
some Of the sand out of my eyes and
stood up. My head felt twice its nor
NAL size and my legs were a weak as
straws. I was feeling around for a
chair when I stopped sharply, my
! body turned to stone.
Ever since I had come into this
graveyard town my senses had been
abnormally acute. The impression that
l was being watched was at me again,
stronger than ever. I could have sworn
there was some one other than my
self in the building.
There came a lull in the o a. of the
storm, and suddenly. out Of the pro-
found silence, q definite indoors sound
broke on my eardrllmS. It wasn't the
sound that brought me up rigid, heart
pounding In my throat: it was the
sense Of danger that came with it.
Some n was in the room. Why
didn't he declare himself? Who was
he? The man who had fired at me
in the canyon? No, he could not have
got down here before me. Dillon
then? This was more probable.
Fear held me as in a vice. An un-
known. unseen enemy sends the hor-
rors up and down my spine. Moreover
I had no weapon Of any sort, whereas
Dillon would be armed. I pondercd
swiftly, desperately. and decided or .
risky experiment. Bending double, ]
picked my way to the lower end Of the
bar, knelt behind it, and fumbled II
my pocket for matches. l was de-
termined to try and force my unseen
enemy to show his intentions. Still
crouching low, l struck a match alc
held it above the bar.
Crack! Crack! Splinters of glas.
from the shattered mirror behind mi
showered upon my back and head
The double flash had told me that m,
enemy was posted lear the open door
I am no nor cowardly than most
men, but the wind of death on m,
flesh had set my nerves a-quiver. Ny
hand feeling about under the bar en-
countered q heap of empty beer bot.
ties. I stood up noiselessly. bottle II
hand, and hurled It In the direction o.
the flash.
AS the bottle left my hand
!: dropped behind the bar again. To m,
t joy l heard a grunt, a scorching oath
and the crash Of glass.
: Crack! The bar quivercd as thu
slug plowed into 1t. Hell be stalking
. me next" I reflected. IF only I hat
t a pistol" The irony Of owning severa
; hundreds Of them and being unarlaee
when ! needed n had not escaped
= me.
: I thought of the stair in the gal.
lery above. II l could get up there
I might have a better chance. Grasp.
ing another beer bottle, I crept to thu
stair and started up it on my toes
Halfway up, the wind dropped for 9
minute, and at precisely that monnen,
: I stumbled over a sprung board. Tit
! board creaked.
Crack! The bottle smashed in my
hand. The flash had come from thu
bottom of the stair. ! bounded up tx
the top.
There I listened. He was coming VI
at a run. I fled along the gallery I'm.
til I came nearly to the other end. ]