Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1934-11-29
ROOST

1tN1 0f+(
With tremendous meaning.
Shore. Tibet doesn't surprise me-"
admitted the robber. aWhen mems
ieehn's are raw, as In a time like
THIS. they clash. But did my share
70 clear the air. An If Smoky had
come back he'd have seen 1t different.
could have talked him out of It. !.
Jim. you're shore smart enough to see
ttiet, an you oughter be honest enough
10 admit it
I d~aresay you could have won
Smoky back. He had a fool worship
for you. But you can't talk me
out Of anything"
why. fer Gawd's sake-when I'm
givin' you all the best of the deal?'
because | want the girl" thun-
dered Jim.
A great astonlshment held Hays
stricken. Through 1t realization FL
tered.
"Thetl Tibet was it-all the timer
he gasped.
All the time, Hank Hays replied
Jim, steadily. and 1t was the robbers
eyes, pale fires no longer, that he
watched for thought and will.
Still he saw the violent muscular
quiverlng which slowly diminished to
freeze into rightly. He Ind struck
the right chord, In whatever way pos.
sible, Hank Hays loved this woman.
However 1t had begun. the sordid,
brutal thing had ended in Hays wor-
ship of the golden-haired sister of
llerrick. Jim read this In the extraor-
binary betraying eyes, and read more
that 1t had been Helen the robber
had fought for, not his lost caste with
his men, not the honor of thieves. Tt
was this that accounted for the In
fernal blaze of u~nqnenchable hate, of
courage that death itself could scarce
" have stilled.
All this Immediately coalesced into
the conscious resolve to act and kill!
As the robber sprang up Jim's first
shot took him somewhere In the
breast. 1t whirled him half around.
Ills gun, spouting flame, tore up the
gravel at Jlm's feet. A terrible wound
with its agony, a consciousness OF It's
mortality, added to the overwhelming
f~erocity Of jealous hate, gave the man
sEperhuman physical activity. He
Whirled, bounding the other way, and
50 swiftly that Jim's second shot
missed him altogether. Hays gun was
booming. but 1t was also describing
the same curves and jerks as his
body. Then as passion gave place to
desperate need and the gun aligned
Itself with Jim, Jim's third shot de-
tr0yed aim, force and consciousness.
Hays demoniac face set woodenly.
The gun, with hammer up, dropped to
explode. SAnd the robber lodged
against fhe slant Of wall, dead. with
the awfulness Of his mortal passion
stamped upon his features.
1t vas over. Jim breathed. The
hand which held his gun was so wet
that he thought his blood was flowing.
bul IL WIS sweat.
Il wish-Smoky could-know," NUT
tered Jim, over a convulsiye Jaw. He
showed Hays off the wall.
Wiping his face, Jim staggered to
the rock and sat down. Spent and
heaying he sat there, his will operat-
ing on a whirling mind. 1t was over
the thing that had had to come. All
dead! Loyal and faithless robbers
alike. What to do now? The girl
Escape from that hellhole, soon to be
hesieged again He must pack that
very hour and ride-ride away with
her.
"Jim-oh, JIM" came a cry from
the back Of the cave.
"Helen-it's all-over," he called,
hoarsely.
She appeared in the opening. Gomez"
she whispered.
"Yes, gone-and dead.'
"~I-saW--you is he-dead?"
You bet your life." burst out Jim,
his breast oppressed.
'0h, help me out 7"
lie ran to assist her. She came slid
Ing out, to fall on her knees, clasping
Jim with fierce arms. Her head fell
against him.
Get up" he ordered, sharply, try
Ing to lift her. But she was more
than d dead weight.
God bless you Oh, God bless
you = she cried. The voice was husky,
strange, yet carried the richness and
contralto melody that had been one of
Helen's charms.
Don't say that" he exclaimed,
aghast.
Jim, you've saved me-" she whls-
pered. Jim's hands plucked at her
arms, caught them.
She loosened her hold and raised her
head to look up at him. He saw only
her eyes, fearless, strained In over
whelming gratitude.
"No-not yet |" he blurted out. I'VE
must hurry out Of this"
She arose, still clinging to him.
Forgive me. | am selfish. We can
talk some other time. | should have
realized you would want to leave here
at once. Tell me what to do