Carbon County news., 1937-10-01
CHAPTER I-COntinued

ne SeCLmg q SLOW START ne Is
That's the nature Of the man. Yol
ready?"
Lead out" said Wheeler, buck
ling his chap belt.
wait"
Horse Dunn reached down {
broad cartridge belt whose holster
carried heavy six-gun, and swung
this about his waist. "Pick your
self a gun," he told Wheeler.
What's this for?" Wheeler de-
manded.
I'm case Of emergency, boy"
Wheeler stared at him. Then he
shrugged, picked a weighted gun
belt from the wall, and strapped it
on.
Bring your saddle
At the corrals Horse Dunn pointed
out a stocky buckskin pony, and
when Billy Wheeler had roped and
rigged this animal, Dunn led the
way out Of the layout. Promptly
Horse Dunn pushed his own tall
sorrel into a hard lamming trot.
II want to join up with the sher-
if somewheres about Chuck Box
WASH" Dunn explained. 'I'm right
anxious to be with him when he
makes his look-see at Short Crick."
Horse" said Billy Wheeler,
whats happened here?"
you'll see for yourself, better
than I can tell you, knowing the lay
Of country like you do. But I'll tell
you what I know
In abrupt sentences he told
Wheeler what had happened.
Morning of the day before, Horse
Dunn had been riding Short Creek
in the course Of making a cattle
count. The range of the 81 was far
flung and broken; the first step to-
ward count was to read the water
holes, to find out what part Of the
range the big punches were fre-
quenting. Reading sign on Short
Creek, Dunn had come upon the
double trail of shod horse and an
unshod horse, ridden side by side.
The trail was going his way. He
rode along it without attention-un-
til he came upon blood-stained
ground.
Il studied the ground very care
full, tracing the trails" Dunn said.
I'm five minutes I knew for sure
I'd come on the place where man
met his DEATH"
''But there was no body?"
Dunn shook his head. 1.-THE dead
man keeled out of the saddle as he
was shot," he reported the sign.
''But I guess he got stirrup hung,
for he was dragged. His pony pulled
him through the crick. followed
across, and found where he come
loose. But the dead man was no
more there"
II don't know as I get this"
Wheeler said.
Dunn gave it as his opinion that
the man on the other horse had fol-
lowed and picked up his victim.
''When saw that" said Dunn, II
knew I was looking at the beginning
Of something. Maybe-at the begin
ming Of the end"
For a moment Wheeler stared at
Dunn; then the spell broke. To as
sumo fatty that a man was killed,
when even the identity Of the VIC
tim was unknown, seemed to
Wheeler an outlandish stretch, even
for an old tracker.
''This is the darnedest thing
ever heard Of, Horse" Wheeler
complained. what - no corpse?
What kind Of murder is this? Who's
missing?"
''Nobody's missing, that's known
yet"
''WeIl, what don't see," Wheeler
said, "is why you were in such a
hurry to report to the sheriff, with
so little known
II had no choice. I was still look
ing over the ground when sighted
a rider, about mile off. In a min
ute made out it was Link Bender.
Maybe you can remember when
Links Seven S was bigger than the
"a. Maybe you remember how he
tried to pinch out the 94-almost
put Marian's father to the wall.
broke him "of all that! But he's
never swallered that he was licked.
I've got plenty enemies, Billy; but
Link Bender is the snartest of 'em.
Naturally ! couldn't leave it SOS
he could report he seen me sneak
ing away. So I had to signal him
over and show him what I found"
"And he read the sign the same
as you?"
"Billy, I keep telling you! There
amt any other way to read that
sign"
.tYes, but look here-the supposed
lead mans horse"
Link Bender took off on the trail
i the dead mans horse. Hoping
o find the body, like a fool. / let
i'm 20, and haven't seen him since. |