The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-25

them and at the splotch of blood forming under Franklin's leg, and everybody seemed to be talking at once.
 Dick Bancroft thought he would go crazy in that long five or 10 sec- onds when he was forced to watch Roselee jump to horse and ride in pursuit of criminal.
 He was even more frantic when he finally freed himself of the tourists who had unwittingly hemmed him in, and leaped out to see Roselee a few hundred yards behind Carl Quait pounding her horse. Unconsciously he prayed then, shouting to high heaven in his frenzy and in his stifiing sense of futility That he, a strong man, an ex-fullback justiflably proud of his strength and muscular ability, should be forced simply to stand by was, of course, maddening.
 There was no other horse at hand. Only Mrs. Hogan's five sleepy burros were visible, and even they had scarcely bothered to lift their eyelids during the swift drama that had stirred men and women in the ghost town. Franklin now not one could be prodded to more than lazy gal- lop That knowledge itself was infuriating, as If fate or something were taking @ further ironic slap at him.
 Then he became conscious of the cars parked farther down the street.
 No cars had been allowed in the business section of Goldcrest, lest they detract from the picturesque quality of the place when tourists came. One exception was the light pickup truck used to haul supplies and as a general utility vehicle. It was parked, by chance, in front of the barber shop now, the once glittering "Tonsorial Parlors" where Dick and Franklin had sleeping l quarters Moreover, 1t was turned down hill, ready to drive out of town.
 The instant Dick saw 1t he start- ed running. The trucks keys were already in 1t, and 1t was less than a block from him now. He ran as he had not run since he had carried a football the autumn before. In scarcely five seconds he was there, had the motor roaring, and in the same breath he had the rtuck in motion as well. People were yell- ing behind him. He didn't heed. He choked and accelerated, pumping over the old rocks and ruts and lit- ter of Main street. Away in the dis tance now he saw the two gal- loping horses, and so he pushed his accelerator to the floor.
 He caught up with Roselee's horse before he dared hope to. Quait was still hundred yards ahead.
 "sToPp Dick yelled at her. "ROSELEE, STOPl"
 He did not wait for her to obey his command. He had pulled up on her right at her side. Impul- sively, he stepped to the running board of his truck and caught her horses reins. Then he jumped. The truck swerved into some joshua growth, titled on the side and was halted there, but Dick went bounding for a full 50 yards before the frightened animal could be brought under control. He would hit the ground with his toes, bounce and jump several feet, swing and bounce again, cling ing all the while to the reins and shrieking at Roselee to hold tight.
 When he could do 50 he liter- ally pulled the girl out of the sad- dle and mounted 1t himself. He glanced up. Quait had left the road, heading out onto the slop- ing desert land studded with rocks and joshua growth and thorny cacti. But even as Dick and Rose lee watched they saw Quait's horse stumble, saw Quait somersault through the air.
 "Dick he's thrown - he's downl"
 Dick caught a glimpse of Quait limping swiftly afoot. Evidently the man was not yet willing to be captured. And Dick remembered that Quait had carried gun in his hand.
 (T0 Be Continued)