Carbon County news., 1937-12-24

second man could be. Vaguely he
was thinking Of the green eyes oi
Rufe Deane, watching Marian as
she testified against the Bender fac.
ton at the Inspiration hearing. He
knew that there was nothing behind
the embittered man which would
prevent his firing upon the girl-it
a reason for such an act could be
conceived. But still he could think
Of no explanation for the firing Of
that other distant gun.
Abruptly he turned and went back
to the fire. Marian was sitting up
trying to press the redness from her
eyes; she seemed steady again.
Sorry" she said.
"I've got to 60 on up the canyon,
he told her.
II thought you said Magoon
wouldn't stop there, now"
He told her, shortly, Of the dis
tant report Of the gun.
''But who could it be?"
81 don't know. But-I've got to
60 up and see."
"I'm ready to start" Marian said.
"Ready-?"
''I'm going to go where you CO."
He considered a moment. She
looked tired, and there was long
hour of rough travel between them
and the hidden cabin. But he sup
posed she would not want to try
to wander back through the dark
alone; nor could he, against her
will, leave her to imagine horrors
in the dark. The hard twist Of his
mouth turned a shade more grim.
Every WE'LL" he said. "But you're
going to be a little tired before the
nights over, I'm afraid"
81 don't care anything about
that"
To a tired rider a trail can unroll
interminably ahead; much worse is
a trail on foot, forever upward. into
increasing dark. To a walker ac-
customed to the saddle one mile
seems ten. It could not have been
more than three Inilessto the ancient
shack at the head of the gulch, but
they climbed continually; and the
twist Of the dry stream heightened
the miles. He knew that often Mar
ian was trying to conceal from him
the laboring Of her breath in the
high air. It must have seemed to
the girl that she plodded and stum-,
aled all night long through that up
hsl sand, while Wheeler's long
stride led out relentlessly. She
could not know how much he slowed
his pace for her.
The broad canyon narrowed and
gteepened until it was a twisting
gorge between vast black walls. The
going became sleeper, and the sand
shelves ended: the dead stream was
an interminab1e staircase of ledges
and tunbles of rock.
They had Travelled an intermina-
Die time before Wheeler whispered
10 her, We've got to be quieter
now" And still they went on, climb
ing a long way.
He was moving slowly and very
cautiously when at last he turned
off and worked his way up a gravel
" slide of stone; then forward
through twisting juniper that clung
to the steep land. He stopped,
gripped her shoulder, thrust her
downward to her knees.
''What-'
He stopped her whisper with a
quick hand over her mouth; but
ahead, not dozen PAGES !
away, she was answered by the sud-
den long snort of pony. He was
peering through the juniper; her
eyes followed his, straining in the
canyons black shadows. What he
was looking at took form in the
darkness, and without m o vim G
seemed to appear suddenly all at !
once. With a shock she saw that |
they were not fifteen steps away
from a small ruined shanty set
hard against an overhanging wall of !
stone.
The shack at the head of the gulch |
was windowless, and its door was
open into blackness. Beside it, tied |
some yards apart, were the horse |
which had snorted, and second |
animal that might have been either |
/ horse or a mule.
Wheeler backed away, drawing
ler after him, foot by foot. Fifty
Yards away in the shelter of the
'ocks he made her sit down. No
sound came from above except the
zneasy shifting of the ponies feet; I
md Wheeler permitted himself a
leep breath of relief. She, could
hardly hear his whisper in the dark:
I didn't remember it was so
'lose."
els he there?"
someone's there, or the horses
would be gone. Wait here"
Slowly Wheeler made his way up
yard again over the rocks, through
he juniper scrub. Walking upright,
ut very quietly, he circled and ap-
reached along the rock wall, until
is hands found the side of the cabin
self. He pressed an ear against the
ough timber, and listened for long
But he could hear nothing,