Evening star., 1931-06-21

II guess I'll have to ask you not to come here
any more, though, now"
Hes not dying" Tyler said "He's not
dying any more than I am" he said again
But III do like you say"
He turned suddenly, and brought down the
head of the pony with such q heavy hand
that for a moment the little beast stood mo-
tionleSS, in sheer amaZement, while he mounted.
IN tell you this" said Mississippi slowly
with the nervous pony shifting back and forth
under him: Some day you're going to come
looking for me, Villa. Heaven grant us 1 be
there, that's all"
"NeverI" she cried furiously Not if you
were the last man in the wOrld!'
Back in his cabin above the MogolIon rim
Mississippi remembered that, and believed it,
too; and he wondered what had allied him. that
he should have said what he did.
Slowly he packed his mule Then he rum
mayed in his traps until he found old rusty
paddock and hasp, and with this he locked the
door. That was something that was new in
the Rimrock, for to lock his door
"L-i-on-n-n!" he told the dogs. They always
answered when you spoke to them in certain
tones, and though he had heard that absurdly
unanimous chorus answer his voice thousands
of times it always tickled him, and made him
smile. He smiled now Time to move on"
he told them. The key to the cabin he threw
into Rustlers Gulch.
He had no way Of knowing that Gar Brent
died that night.
Mississippi was gone month. The redbone
pack picked up no sign of lion or bear. Some
times the pack bayed hot trail. but Missis-
sippi could tell by their voices what the quarry
was and each tine he pulled them of some
trail of no worth.
The end Of the month found Mississippi in
morose temper. He had carried a picture of
Villa Brent's face in his mind since he
had first seen her. three years before, and it
had cast glow over the commonplaces of his
rigorous life. But now he was trying to shut
that picture out, and the light was gone out
of the Rimrock
Then one night, as he called in his dogs, the
long trombone blast of the cowhorn he used
answered by signal shots a couple of miles
away and by the time he had lit his fire he
was joined by Clem Harky, an old acquaint-
ance of the Lazy Y outfit.
Right glad to see you boy" Mississippi told
him. I" He paused suddenly, for as the
rider came into the freight Mississippi
that he haggard and weary Whats
buSt?" he demanded.
You amt heard?" said Harky.
"How would -" growled Mississippi
"Willa Brent's lost"
Lost? What do you mean? How lost?"
'SheS missing week already, today
"What-how-where was she seen last?"
Mississippi finally got out
Harky squatted on his heels and filed one
cheek with Copenhagen snuff before he an
swered slowly
"A week ago today seen her riding UP that
Mogollon trail toward your cabin She
too fur to speak, but waved, and she waved
back That night rode over to see her. She
never come home.
Il waited up for her at the Brents' and see
ing she didn't come in, I took the up trail
about in the morning. I got to your shack
about 6. The fresh tracks of her pony was
there. But the door was locked; she hadn't
been in. I followed on down her trail. After
ward, it seemed like to me, she was following
nld troll of hnru nj SraV11o INIT
didn't think anything about it then. VILLAS
sleptout before, atlrsrS WasneanyttaGag specially