The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-10-14

might be. A minute passed, two
minutes, while he watched for
movement on the upper rim; but
there was no sound or shot.
The desert hills were as silent
and empty as before, except for the
dying rattle of hoofs down. canyon
fom Wheeler's stampeding pony.
Marian's voice came to him.
Somebody took your pony
through the head with rifle, is
ALL" A crazy red anger was on
him. Loose in these hills was
man as dangerous and unaccount-
able as a wild animal with hydro
phobia. For the first time he in
clined to Tulare's belief that Ma
coon was the killer. Too much long
was mixed up with the night rid
ers' long rope-could do queer
things to a man whose head wasn't
too strong in the first place. Lon
Magoon, half outlaw, half sneak
thief, all coyote, might have turned
at last into something which must
be destroyed at sight without hest
tation.
Then he walked to the dead horse
and roughly verified the angle of
the shot; then turned and began to
climb the canyon slope.
Billy, come back! You can't"
''You stay down." he ordered her
savagely. 'Or by God, I'll tie you
down with my piggin-string!"
It would have been easy then to
walk into gunfre, easy to shoot it
out with an ambush man. Always
keeping his eye on Marian's posi-
ton, he searched those upper slopes,
backward, forward, and quarter
ing. But what happened to him
was the one hardest thing of all
to find the broken country empty
and silent, with nothing in it to
fight or trail.
In the end he could only go back
to the girl with no result to show,
and no assurance as to what was
ahead. He would not have been
surprised, when he turned his
back on that emptiness, if a
gun had spoken from place where
no one was, and brought him down.
mo catchum," he told Marian.
She had not stayed under cover,
but was sitting on rock, little
apart from her dead horse. No use
quarreling with her over that; she
had already proved to him that he
couldn't control anything she chose
to do. He put himself between her
and the rim. cts long walk
back" he said morosely "That's
my fault. I'm not used to this stuff,
or 1 wouldn't have lost my pony.
When I saw your horse drop-I
lost my head, I guess"
Because it was l." she said with
an unexpected, deep-striking clari-
ty.
WED better get going, I think"
eve can't go on? And get"
''That must have been the man
we were after, that killed your
horse"
She drew deep breath, and
stood up. For moment she looked
all about her, upward at the high,
towering rims. Then suddenly he
saw her sway.
He stepped forward in time to
steady her with his hands on her
arms. And now he found that she
was trembling violently. Her face
was white, making her eyes look
enormous, and very dark. Billy
I'm afraid" She sat down on the
rock again, as if her knees would
not hold her up.
mo more danger, child. It's all
over, and he's gone"
'But who could it be? Why
should he want to hurt me?'
'II don't know that. I can't
imagine any living thing wanting
to hurt you. swear, by la Madre
de Dios!-he'l pay for it if I live
to find him. Now don't you be
afraid any more. It's all over, for
now"
The tears began to roll down her
face, and she hid them with her
hands. Quickly he looked about
him, checking the throw of the
land. Then he lifted her up and
led her to a pocket gully at the
foot of the precipitous north slop.
When he had made sure that
searching lead could not reach
them here, he got the blanket from
her dead pony, and spread it for
her to rest upon; and gathered bits
of dead brush to build a tiny fire.
striking fire kind of seems like
setting up a mark" he apologized.
IeRIt vo1I're nIentv safe If YOU Stay