The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-01-02

lift his eyes from the bandit. The
price OF moments inattention might
be death.
There was only one door to the
barn downstairs and one window. To
reach the stairway to the loft 1t would
be necessary for Quantrell to come
within eight feet OF where the sheriff
stood. O'Hara knew the outlaw was
thinking furiously. He would guess
that the barn was surrounded, that
the sheriff had his posse outside.
Otherwise his course would be simple,
to shoot the. officer down and escape
in the darkness.
Quantrell murmured something to
Dolores. The girls startled eyes
flashed toward the door. She lost step,
her mind distracted. then Joined her
partner and walked beside him from
the floor.
The sheriff noticed that she was be-
tween him and her lover; that her
body protected Quantrell against the
chance of gun fire. quick suspicion
SliOt lulO Ills Hililu. ile HOFCu tOWdIu
the man he wanted. brushing aside
those who were in the way, lodging
the dancers as he crossed the barn.
OHara was too late. He saw the
outlaws teeth flash in an impudent
grin, caught mocking wave of the
hand. A streak of color dived through
the air. There was crash of glass.
Quantrell had flung himself through
the window head first.
Confusion instantly filled the room,
which became vocal with screams, i'm
precautions, and the lift of excited
Spanish yowels. Men and women
pushed this way and that, so that
O'Hara found himself caught in the
press as he fought his way to the
window. The soft bodies of young
girls impeded him no less than the
muscular ones Of lean vaqueros.
From the outside came the sound
Of shots, staccato reports of battle.
The sheriff drew closer to the exit,
though in his eagerness to reach the
open it seemed to take many minutes
rather than moments. He found him
self flung against senorita face to
face, so closely that her bosom rose
and fell against his heart. Dark,
LIQUID, long-lashed eyes lifted to his.
The firm brown flesh of bare arms
brushed his cheeks and fingers laced
themselves together back of his neck.
Dolores Gomez had found another way
to serve her lover.
O'Hara tried to push her away. She
hung there heavy as sack of meal.
He reached back, caught her wrists,
and dragged at them to break the
hold. The girl chung desperately to
him. Even after he had freed himself
she snatched at his coat to detain him.
At last he was at the window. Pro-
tecting his face with his arms, he
plunged through it to the ground out
side.
Some one shouted, "Who is it,"
The voice belonged to Amen Owen.
O'Hara called aloud his name. The
cowboy ran to him. revolver in hand.
HE got away-that greaser who
came through the window. Who
was he?"
@Bob Quantrell" The sheriff was
already on his feet, his six-shooter out.
(Which way did he go?"
"Thataway." Owen waved his hand
into the darkness. 'He took us by
surprise. We didn't know at first but
what it was you-not till after he
came a-shootiT'."
"Anybody hurt?"
"No. Too dark to see. All of us
pluggin' away for general results. The
boys followed him little ways, but
I called EN- back. Figured it might
be a trick to draw us off from the
barn. Here are the boys"
Grogan and Badly Brown Joined
them.
The sheriff sketched briefly the stu
alton while he hurried down the
street with his men.