Carbon County news., 1937-12-31

enough to try to kill you-to get
back at Horse for the death Of young
Deane."
"Billy, if you're right-if you can
prove that
'That's just the trouble. Suppose
I'm right-Rufe Deane did it. We're
no better off than we were in the be-
ginning. You see, Marian, there's
two parts to these killing cases. One
thing is to find out who did it and
why. The other thing is to prove
it and get a conviction. I haven't
one single thing to show against
Rufe Deane; and until can show
evidence, it won't matter how sure
I may be in my mind"
When he looked at her it was
past his power to imagine how Rufe
Deane or anyone else could ever
look down the sights Of a gun at
Marian Dunn; she was so gently
and sweetly made, so precious in
his eyes. He didn't believe in Horse
Dunn's creed of gun justice, for he
thought that the use Of violence out
side the law was costly thing, de-
feating its own purposes in the end.
But he knew that if ever he faced
Rufe Deane with anything like a
decent proof in his hands, he would
destroy the killer as he would de-
stroy a sidewinder or vinegaroon.
'I'n never be able to believe in
Gods world that anyone would set
out to hurt you," he said. 'Yet-
somebody has tried. What natural
.ly comes to mind is that some
body, some enemy Of Horse Dunn,
has gone out Of his head. But
hard as it is to believe, there is one
other possibility we have to take
account of-that without knowing it
you've heard something, or seen
something, which would give away
the Short Creek killer-if you re-
membered it, and recognized it for
what it was"
She said, ''1've thought Of that"
Marian, if you can remember
seeing anything-a rider in the dis
tance-some horse coming home at
strange time-one Of the guns
missing from its rack here in the
house-even an empty shell that you
thought nothing of-that one thing
might give us the answerI"
1--WE racked my brain over and
over; but I can't think Of any
thing, Billy"
mot even a chance word, over
heard somewhere"
She shook her head. BILLY, I
just can't remember anything that
would answer the purpose at all"
She pressed her palms against her
eyes for a moment; then lifted her
head sharply, shaking out her loose
hair. ''It's no use. This isn't the
first time I've tried to remember;
I've been trying hard for two days"
"I thought it would most likely be
hopeless" he admitted. 'I'll have
to 60 to Flagstaff
81 know. I've seen that coming.
I'm ready to stay here alone; with
out you or my uncle, l mean"
Marian, if l could get you to pull
out of here, until this is over
"This is my outfit, Billy. It
shouldn't be my outfit; it should
be my mothers, or Horse Dunn's.
But nothing can make Horse see
that. And / see now that if you're
going to run cattle on a big scale
out in this country, you sometimes
have to be willing to fight for your
range"
He stared at her, marveling. The
girl who was talking to him now
was not the girl he had known two
years ago; she was not even the
girl he had known at the beginning
of the week. It was as if some false
outer cloaking of ideas and habits,
put upon her by her mothers sea-
board world, had suddenly fallen
away, leaving her revealed as what
she was-a daughter Of the dry land.
Under the pressure Of the dark days |
and unquiet nights since the killing
of Bob Flagg she had come nearer
to him, becoming one of his people,
(TO BE CONTINUED)