The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-11-04

''Now-before daylight. I'll senc
a note to Horse. I don't even dare
see him in Inspiration, for fea1
they'll hold me there on some
trumped-up charge"
They were silent again. Through
the window came to them cool
fragrantly clean breeze from the
uplands, with fall tang in it that
promised frosts before long. He
suddenly thought she might be
cold. There was a clean Navajo
blanket on his bed, and he put this
about her shoulders She smiled
family, but did not look at him OF
move.
She said, 1T will be queer and
lonely here with you gone"
"But you'll be leaving too"
She shook her head, her eyes fa1
away. ''I'm through with lowering
on the outskirts of my own life"
For a moment he wondered what
provision he could make for her
safety here. He no longer doubted
that what she determined to do she
would do, and could not be dis
suaded from. He thought of con-
signing her safety to Old Man Cot
fee, or to the cowboys now search
ing the hills for her; but he was
deeply concerned.
Sometimes I think" Marian
said, "that the answer to every
thing is to be found right here
here at the 94-and no place else"
He nodded modify. "a man
ought to be able to figure it out, if
he was smart"
"There isn't anything more you
could follow up, here? When time
is SO Important"
There's one lone, slim possibili-
ty," he said.
I'm heavens name, what is it?''
There's one thing in this case
that I can't swallow. It stands out
above everything else-one unbe-
lievable thing that couldn't posi-
bly, happen. I'm thinking of those
two shots that have been thrown at
you"
She was silent, and after mo-
ment or two he went on. Some
how those shots at you are mixed
up with these other shootings; it
would be too big a coincidence if
the shots at you and the killing
of the men were separate, yet hap
pening at the same time"
II can see that, all right"
"But the shots at you eliminate
nearly every suspect we have. Take
Val Douglas. He hasn't proved very
dependable, Marian. He's been
caught in lies as to where he was.
Even just now, when he was sent
to Pahranagat to check up Bob
Flagg. it seems from what Coffee
says that he didn't even 60 near
there. Sometimes I've suspected
Val. Even if he didn't kill Flagg to
rob him, still he might have killed
him by mistake, thinking it was
somebody else But one thing is GER
tain1y plain-Val Doudlas would
never fire on YOU"
"No," Marain said, oval could
never do that"
"Or take Link Bender-a hard,
bitter, violent man. Once he was
boss of all this range, until Horse
Dunn took hold. Link Bender
might go to any length to put down
the "a. But he controls this kid
sheriff, and through the sheriff, and
through the sheriff he's bearing
bearing down on the "a through
this killing; and he's getting away
with it. His whole way of attack
is orderly and thought out. He
wouldn't try any such crazy thing
as shooting a girl
cts pretty hard to see in what
way I could stand between Link
Bender and his plans"
''The same thing applies to Pinto
Halliday; he's a shifty crook, but
he isn't crazy. Sam Caldwell is an
other that it doesn't fit in with"
'The thing just won't fit togeth-
err, will it,"
Marian, it's in my mind that I
know who killed Bob Flagg."
BILLY! If you know that"
'"There's one man in that Inspira-
ton crowd that is too savage bit
ter to wait for Link Bender's plan
to pan out. That man is Rufe
Dean. Rufe Dean blames Horse
for the death of his son, years ago."
eyes," Marian said, give thought
of him."
''Rufe Dean tried to raise a mob
in Inspiration to see that the "a
people never got away from there.
If he had started in time, there'd
have been a lynching before mid
night. He threw down his deputy's