The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-01-16

HIMSELF W uit TIE guns NC Wdutcu
first.v
(which way did he go?'
"Took the east road. Looks like he
might be-"
The sheriff had turned on his heel
and was on his way. He had all the
information they could give him and
he was too busy to listen to surmise.
Within the hour he and his posse
were following the escaped bandit He
had with him Worrall, Owen, cow
boy known as X. c., and Buckskin
Joe. The latter was an old scout who
had trailed after the Apaehes with AL
Sieber
The mans sobriquet came from the
fringed leggings and the hunting shirt
he wore. Both of these were made
from the hide of buck. He was by
way Of being a character. His Ian
guage fell easily into the pungent
speech of the frontier.
"He's p'intin' for the hills, that lad.
looks like. Betcha he meets up with
Deever an whatever other partners
he's got. Likely they've got a hang
out s0mewheres to hole up in. He'll
be travelln' light, with no extra dufun-
MES, so we got no show to catch him
right Off. Being as you've drug me
into this, take yore time, says old Joe.
See them tracks. He's going lickety
split. Make haste slowly AL Sieber
usta tell us, an 1t was sure good
medicine"
"He's more slippery than an eel,
and he'll outguess us If he can. I'd
like to come up with him as soon as
possible"
Don't wear out yore spurs, young
fellow. You'll come up with him one
o. these days, maybe sooner'n you're
lookin' for it." the scout said drily.
They were following diagonal trail
up the side of a rough, steep hill. The
sheriff fell back behind the guide.
Owen spoke. swell, here we are
again, as the fellow who had been re-
prieved twice said to the hangman.
Out for nice long ride. Bob hops
around worse than a Mexican flea.
He certainly gives you reasonable
amount of variety"
"He keeps my official life from be-
ing decorously and d-nably dull" adj
mitted O'Hara. "My fault this time.
had feeling I ought to take Grogan
off as a guard. but l hadn't anybody
to put on in his place."
hA inhk h.
other side of Powder Horn pass, well
up in the snow For their camp fire
they used a dead and down juniper
and some young pines. Though the
cracking wood roared, one side of
their bodies froze while the other
broiled. They did not linger long
around the fire after they had eaten,
but rolled up in their blankets and
fell asleep During the night one or
another of them rose to fling on more
logs. It was so cold that they were
glad to be up early and stirring about.
Buckskin Joe's hands were cold
when he fastened the supplies on the
cross-buck pack saddle. An hour
later, while climbing very steep
grade, the pack slipped and turned.
Frightened. the horse began to kick
furiously. Before it could be stopped,
-four, salt, bacon, and beans were scat
tered all over the mountain side.
They gathered the scattered goods
and Buckskin Joe repacked while the
others offered him facetious advice.
The scout grinned sheepishly as he
worked.
"This fry-pan won't ever be what it
was before old Chipmunk threw his
fit," he admitted. looking regretfully
at their chief cooking utensil. "An'
bought it yesterday, pretty an shiny
as a painted wagon, by gum. Go
ahead, boys. an josh me all you got
a mind to. I'll bet I've threw the dia-
mond hitch before some of you lads
were born, an this is the fustest time
1t ever went back on me-"
There had been fresh snow in the
late afternoon of the day before and
Quantrell's trail had vanished, but
the last they had seen of it he had
been heading down into the foothills
again.
"Come this way so he wouldn't
meet anyone, looks like" Owen sug-
gested. "Betcha their shebang is on
Horse creek somewheres. Bob always
did kinda favor that country when he
was on the dodge"
"Deever has been seen there since