Evening star., 1940-09-12
CHAPTER x.

CHAPTER x.
By the time Brick reached the
campfire Steve Bingo, Jim and Bill
were already on their way toward
the corrals from which the sound
of the shot came. Liz laughed I'M
certainly and said, who in this
crowd had a gun besides Bill?" Mol
" broke in with, Are you sure 1t
was a shot?" and Beulah replied
dryly to that, "It certainly wasn't
the backfire of a car or Fourth OF
July firecracker."
Then she heard Steve Bingo call
out, Hello, there. Is someone
hurt?" and Bills higher voice
Jimmy Crickets. What happened,
Craig?"
There was a bad moment for her
before Craigs voice came back,
There has been an accident" but
she stopped short when in the FL
tered moonlight she saw Carl half
standing, half sitting against the
trunk of a tree. His face was twist
ed and white and he grasped his
left thigh in both hands, but that
did not hide from her the dark spot
on his whipcords which spread
rapidly while she fearfully looked
at it. She glimpsed Craig's face
thrown into sharp relief W the
quick movement of the fiashlight
in Jim's hand. but in that instant
his expression was severely
guarded. telling her nothing. There
were only tight lines about his
mouth as he stopped to pick up a
gun-Bill's gun-from the ground.
Bill, get a first aid kit as quickly
as poSsible-and don't let those
dudes up there get excited. Tell
them it was an accident"
Bill said, I'll have my kit ready
by the time you get him up to the
fire" Brick could hear his running
feet pounding the dry earth, but
they we're no louder than the
pounding of Craig's words against
her ears. Tell them it was an ac-
cident." If it was not an accident
No, it couldn't have been that.
But in spite of herself sudden fear
welled up within her.
Carl slid slowly to the ground
limp and inert. his face a ghastly
color in the moonlight. Craig spoke
sharply. Give me a hand, Steve.
He's pretty heavy and it looks to
me as If he won't be able to help
himself much" But as their strong
hands eased under his arms. around
his shoulders Carl rallied enough to
walk between them back up the
| trail.
Bill Gives First Aid.
Bill had his first-aid kit open
beside gasoline lantern which
some one had lighted and put on a
table, but Bill had done more than
that. He somehow carried out
| Craig's instructions to the letter.
He had quieted the curiosity of
the dudes-given them to under
stand that it was an accident-act-
ed as If this thing was a common
occurrence in this part of the coun-
try where men toted guns.
Carl was able to sit on a cot
while Steve Bingo took out his
hunting knife and made short work
of the whipcords, releasing a squirt
OF blood as he cut away the
trousers. Carl's face could not have
been more the color of putty unless
1t had been putty itself. but he tried
to smile at Brick as he said, Don't
look that way, honey. It's nothing
to get scared about" but he looked
plenty scared himself as if he might
faint any minute, and certainly he
had no idea why Brick was scared.
Craig, bending over the first-aid
kit, said nothing, but she saw the
muscles move perceptibly in his
lean jaws. Bills fingers were
quick his youthful judgement
quicker. Flesh wound" he an
nounced boldly Nothing really
serious. Got to stop this flow of
blood as quickly as possible. Brick,
hand me some of those bandages so
can make tourniquet."
Bills fingers moved with pre-
ciSion and efficiency. They were not
the all thumbs of a 17-year- boy.
but beautiful instruments that some
day would perform miracles for him
in surgery, and Brick was at once
deeply grateful to the tall, gray
haired man standing close beside
Liz who wanted to make this pos
sible.
But Carl's words of that afternoon
at the corrals kept beating into
her ears. "This isn't the end of this
Bradstreet." and Craigs terse re-
ply, You bet it isn't There was a
strange twist in the region of her
herrt when she realized that she
had been responsible for all this
that she had caused this near
tragedy. Slowly, unwillingly almost,
her mind began to come to a de-
| decision was climaXed and definite
The Dudes Grow Weary.
The dudes, weary from a long
| day and slightly bored with the sit
uation when Bill began to bandage
the wound moved off one by one
toward their tents and cots. Steve
said to Carl, "Well make arrange
ments to get you out of here tomor-
row if possible. We can't take any
chances on infection" Then to Jim,
want to help him down to his
tent? Bill, take the lantern, will
you?" When the three of them had
disappeared through the pinons
Steve said to Craig, who was fitting
unused bandages and gauze and ad-
hesive tape back into the flrst-aid
kit, IF you are still planning on
riding back to Chuckomovi tonight
will you tell Pete to bring the sta
tion wagon out to the Tees-To
junction tomorrow"
"I1l see that he gets word all
right" Craig replied, and Steve
started toward the corrals.
Molly made a quick. startled
r,ovaynept avoI1 didn't tell mo fhot