The Washington times., 1935-01-05

Dick watched the two figures
pass from view while little by
little the thrill of victory within
him died. To the west a flam.
ing sun was touching the far
horizon, and on the quiet air
a bugle sounded the first notes
Of Retreat. Instantly every Of
ficer and soldier halted at sa-
lutte, and Dick, uncovering, stood
at attention as slowly the great
flag lowered.
Overwhelmingly the realiza-
ton came to him how much
he had wanted her outstretched
hand of glad approval and the
smiling words, "Well done" In
spite of himself a sense of loss
and loneliness laid it's chill
touch upon him, leaving him
lrresolute undecided whether
to follow Nora or turn back to
the ranch. Once his eyes raised
to the purpling skies, then low
cred to the ground. Before him,
almost at his feet, lay the little
piles OF empty cartridge shells,
and idly he stopped and raised
one in his hand.
What did O'Hearn mean to
her? ListleSsly turning the shin
ing cylinder, his sombre eyes
contemplated that empty shell.
Was that why she had been so
aIoof, so inaccessible?
Then suddenly his whole body
St1ttened and with choked cry
ne bent lower over the cartridge.
For there, where the firing pin
mad struck, a tiny triangular
notch stood out, sharply Jagged
at the upper end.
1t was a silent and con.
strained dinner party that night
IN the O'Hearn quarters. The
captain himself talked fitfullv
and Nora with kind of forced
animation helped for a time
Keep the pretense of converse
tlon alive. But it was all a
hollow performance.
Stub, always ill at ease with
women, ate in embarrassed
silence, leaving to Barnes the
task of entertaining their host.
eSs-a task fortunately not too
dlttlcult, since Mrs. O'Hearn
openly prided herself on a fund
OF easy and continuous small
talk.
Like she started her mouth
goln' then walked away and left
It," Stub meditated morosely.
Constraint
Dick, engrossed by his discov-
cry, sat silent and preoccupied,
stlll seeing in retrospect that
cartridge from Bull Pablo's gun,
HIS head was still throbbing, but
after the first spasm of red
anger passed, his brain worked
coIdIy, with a quiet, deadly logic,
and. strangely, even now Dick
telt no overwhelming hatred of
Pablo, no sudden resolve to put
an end to the killers sinister
career. With perfect clarity he
realized that Pablo himself was
only an incident, a tool of Mich
olas Sari. Dicks fight was
against something far greater
IMAM any one cog in Sari's ma
chlne-it was against the direct
ing head itself. Nothing must
SWerve him from that. Defeat
Sari and the rest would be easy.
Time to settle with Pablo then.
So Dick reasoned, sitting at
the candlelit table, and it was
characteristic of him that onSe
having reached his decision, he
could put those consuming
thoughts aside and give himself
up to the scene about him.
For a time with ironic amuse-
ment he watched Mrs. O'Hearn's
appraiSing glances at Nora and
realized she was being weighed
very deliberately in the light of
prospective daughter-in.law.
1t was equally evident that the
captain had cast all weighing to
the winds, for he watched the
girl constantly, attending on
every word, his eyes taking in
every feature, and already a pro-
tective, almost proprietary atti-
tude began to tinge his bearing
toward her.
Ito be C0ntinued)
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