The Washington times., 1938-02-17

carry out the two heavy bundles
which he loaded on the buck
board.
Your partner left, didn't he?
With McCandless."
Yeah. I'm following along
now. I'll pick him up"
AS soon as the clerk went in,
Cardowan diSmounted and went
over to the passageway between
the two buildings. In a moment
he returned with Kate Shayne
wrapped in the rug.
He had a nights head start on
the crowd that would be sure and
follow. It was risk, but he was
used to that. There was a rail-
road back over the mountains and
south and once he reached there
he would have safe transporta-
ton, the money and a clear road
ahead.
Chucking the bundle in the
blackboard, he drove north out Of
town, the way he had come in.
SHE UNDERSTOOD
Once clear Of the lights of town,
he took Kate down and un-
wrapped her.
For a long moment she sat on
the seat and could not speak, her
tongue numbed from the gag.
When she found her voice, she
asked huskily, where are you
taking me?"
Mexico, if you're good" Car.
dowan drawled. He looked OBJ
liquely at her and laughed softly.
It'll be a long pull, sister, but
once we make it, I'll be in gravy"
She said nothing and he was
silent for a moment. Then he
looked suddenly at her. We'll
make it," he amended thought
fully. why not?"
Then he laughed - and she
understood.
POGO knew the route of the
stage well, calculated its speed
and his own and guessed he could
overtake it around the ford Of
Roar River. He did not hurry.
Rocking along in the saddle, he
Thought of Kate. She would never
rely on him to bring the gold
back because she neither thought
him able to do it nor honest
enough to. She had classed him
with Cardowan, a killer and thief.
Well, he would show her that
It didn't take a man to be honest
ana dull. He'd bring back her
golc, laugh at her thanks and
ride off.
TRACKING THE STAGE
Rousing from his reverie, he was
aware that he had crossed the
ford and by the light of the full
moon he could see that the stage
had turned off the road. The deep
tracks of its wheel rims were
gone.
On the other side Of the ford
he could see where the stage
turned off on a side-road, and
Immediately he understood. This
was the trail to the TC3 spread,
one of the McCandless holdings.
Doubtless the stage had turned
UP this road to leave word of Abe
McCandless' shooting, after which
they would take the short cut over
the hills and pick up the stage
road farther on.
He spurred ahead now on the
main road and in another half
hour came to the spot where the
short cut ran into the main road.
There we're no tracks on the short
cut, which meant ne was in time.
He pulled his horse off the
road, groundhaltered 1t in some
screening mesquite, and then
squatted In the shadow of pinon.
He did not have long to wait, for
the deep rumble of the stage
reached his ear when he had
taken no more than two puffs
from the cigarette he had rolled.
He turned over in his mind the
best way Of holding up the stage.
Without rocks to roll in the road,
or trees to drag across it, the stage
would not stop at his command.
He stood up now and walked
over to the end of the short cut.
Here the stage must climb a steep
grade before it achieved the road
again.
CHAPTER xxx
THE END OF TWO BAD MEN
POGO heard the stage brakes
scream as it hit the bottom of the
grade, and then the sound of the
slow and laboring horses swelled
as the stage approached.
Ito be cOntinued)