The Coolidge examiner., 1932-11-11

ne OuId LUCK. L ne OJH6T lelIOW
has got to start for help right then.
No fool boy business of ridin' over
and mixin' up in the trouble. That
wouldn't get either of US any
where"
Gould one of US hold out alone
till the other got back with helpT
If he could reach the brush. He
might get a good chance to stand
'em off"
Don't look to me like he'd have
a dead mans chance" Phil said.
"Would it be any better if the
other fellow came ridin' across an
got shot down before he even
reached him?"
81 reckon motif he didn't reach
him"
And he wouldn't. No, Phil, I'll
not 90 into this unless it is under
stood that the one who stays out
with the horses will burn the wind
to get help"
"All right. I'll stand on that.
Far as that goes, we're not fgurin'
on gettin' caught"
mo. But you never can tell"
McCann stopped and showed be-
tween thumb and finger a pebble.
He held his hands behind him for
a moment. then offered for choice
two closed brown fists.
THE pebble is in one. The fellow
that draws ii stays here, the other
one goes"
Phil chose the right hand. When
Wilson opened it a pebble lay in
the palm. He flicked it away.
II stay" Phil said.
"Tll look my guns over while you
fix me up some grub TO take. Prob
ably | won't get back until some
time in the night" Wilson said.
Phil turned toward the pack
horses.
From McCann's left hand another
pebble dropped. 1t was the same
size and shape as the first.
Through the pines Wilson worked
back to the foot of the cliff In for
gotten ages boulders had crumbled
down from above and among them
was a growth of soapweed. scrub
oak, and manZanita. This offered
cover while he clrcled the park to
reach the opposite side of the val
ley. II was ut least cover of sort.
While he moved forward through
the brush his worried thoughts went
back to the young fellow he had
left with the iorSes. He wished
now that he had fatty refused to
come with Phil on this scouting ex-
pedition. If anything happened TO
the boy he could not forgive him
self. This brother was all that Julia
had left. If she should lose him, as
she had lost her father-Jasper be-
ing worse than dead-her life would
be clouded with tragedy.
She had put Phil in his charge.
and he had pledged himself to look
after the lad Was he doing II now,
leaving him alone there among the
pines across from the cabin, where
at any moment the barking of dog
might betray him? He could say.
of course with truth, that he had
himself taken the greater risk, since
Phil, If discovered, had a way OF
escape open while he would have
none. But there was always the pos
slbility that Phil might be killed
and that he might survive. In that
case, how could he ever look into
Julia's accusing eyes? He was
nothing TO her. of course. He never
would be. But she was the center
Of all his cherished dreams.
He tried TO find comfort in the
reflection that II Phil were discov-
cred and captured Jasper would
never let his companions do the boy
any harm. That Jasper was scoun-
drel he knew, that he was villain
he suspected. Ii was Wilson's con-
viction that he had melted Gitner
TO kill his own father to protect
himself from being cut out of Mat
thew Stark's will. But vile though
he was, the man would never stand
by and let his young brother be MUIR
dered If he could help 1t.
All his senses were alert as he
crept forward. keeping close to the
sheer rock walls that shut in the
sunken valley. He made use of every
brush, every depression, every hill
lock, that might serve as a screen.
But his underlying thoughts cluns
TO the perplexity which somehow
had come TO involve his life. A few
months ago he had been free. Now
he was fettered fast by inhibitiOns.
For instance, If he should meet JAS
per now face to face! What would
he do? What could he do? He was
Julia's brother.
The man was an inSolvable prob
lem to him. More than once he had
seen cowboys "go bad" as the
phrase of the country was. He had
known killers. men of the Gitner
type, with cold cruel eyes that held
no mercy and into which one