TIMES, WILLAMINA. OREGON
Page 4
<aw as|
The Desert’s Price
By W illiam MacLeod Raine
TXT
Copyright by W illiam M»ct.«oJ Raina
Servie«’
l u u k u u x x iu
C H A P T E R X IV — Continued
— 17—
“Fellow got me—while I was cornin'
down the canyon,” Phil whispered.
“We fixed It. Wils an’ I did—that 1
was to come for help If he got caught
He was at the other end of the park
lookin’ up brands when I heard the
shootln’. I lit ou t Get help to him
quick.”
The message given. Phil fainted.
p,y the bedside of the wounded boy
thov held a hurried council. Doctor
Sanders had to be brought and a posse
to be raised. But It was essential that
help be got to Wilson McCann without
delay. Many valuable hours would be
lost before Dominick Rafferty could
be reached to guide an armed party
Into the hills.
“If I only knew the way," Stone
lamented. “But I'd never find the
place."
Instantly Julia caught his meaning.
“You'd go alone—if you could?” she
cried. “Then I'll take you. I've been
there."
She had flashed from despair to
sparkling life.
Her tortured soul
craved the chance to do something for
the man she loved beleaguered in the
hills.
“You wouldn't be afraid to go with
me?”
“No."
“Then w ell start right now."
To make sure. Stone questioned Phil
as to the exact' location of the hidden
valley In relation to Guadaloup canyon.
For there was a chance that Julia's
memory might fail at the critical mo
ment.
Ann started for the Circle Cross and
Doctor Sanders at the same time Julia
and Stone took the trail In the opposite
direction. It had been Phil’s own re
quest that Ethel stay with him as
nurse until the doctor came.
The parting between Ann and her
Texan was not dramatic.
“You’ll be careful, won’t you?" she
asked.
His brown hand met hers in a strong
grip. “I sure will.”
“I’ll look after him," Julia prom
ised.
“And we'll take care of Phil," Ann
said. “Good luck.”
Driven by her fears, Julia would
have set too fast a pace If Stone had
not moderated It
“What do you think? Will we get
there In time?” she asked.
“That’s a question I can't answer,
Miss Julia. I’ll say this: Wlls Mc
Cann Is a sure enough flghtin’ buck-
aroo. If they didn't get him at the
first Jump he’s liable to stand ’em off
quite a while. You never can tell.”
“If he only hadn’t gone—if he'd
waited and taken a posse,” she cried.
“I’ll say ‘Amen!’ to that,” he agreed.
“But don’t you worry. We’re liable to
find him kickin' real lively. Wils Is
six-foot of wildcat an' he'll take a
lot of killing. If he's had half a chance
for a getaway I'll put my money on
him. He’s a better man than Carl
Gitner any day of the week."
It was two hours pc«t noon when they
reached Guadaloup canyon.
“Not far now,” the Texan told Julia
cheerfully, glancing at the sun. “We'd
ought to be there before dark.”
“What’s your plan?” she asked.
“Haven’t any. We’ll have to go up
the gulch. If we get In we’ll see what
develops.”
“I was thinking that maybe I could
ride on and ask to see Mr. Gitner. If
he knew a posse was on the way he
wouldn't dare to do anything." With
a question she voiced another thought
In her mind, quaveringly: “Do you
think Jas is with him?”
“Now, don’t you worry about that
either. We don’t know a thing about
It. Like as not he Isn't”
“I thought If I could get to talk with
They traveled the whole length of
the gulch unchallenged, passed through
the narrow exit, and entered the grassy
valley beyond.
“Looks like the birds have flown,”
Stone suggested after a long look
around.
Even as he spoke there came the
sound of a shot, and after it a rattling
volley of them.
Julia, much excited, pointed to a
small puff of smoke In the upper end
of the park. “Look! Look!" she cried.
"You wait here." Stone ordered as he
gave his horse the spur and galloped
forward.
After a moment of Indecision the girl
followed.
CH APTER XV
H omeward Bound
Wilson McCann knew that with the
coming of dawn the storm would break
upon him. The escape of Phil would
drive the rustlers across the border.
But there wns no Immediate haste.
They would have thirty-six hours prob
ably before a posse could arrive, and
meanwhile they would take pains to
destroy the man who hail spoiled their
plans.
It was not possible to find an Ideal
location for defense, but he chose a
sand pit surrounded by boulders. With
out a fire the night was chill. There
were pinon knots near he could have
lit. but he did not Intend to start a
smoke signal for his enemies.
The hours wore away slowly. He
catnapped a little, but he dared not
let himself get sound asleep for fear
they might creep on him In the dark
ness.
Gray light sifted Into the sky. A
meadow lark piped up its gay chlrrupy
challenge. The jig-saw top of a white
range showed above the opposite cliff.
An agitated patch of greasewood
brought him to a focussed attentlo.
until a coyote trotted out from Its
cover and ambled away on a search for
breakfast.
Dawn was at hand. He ate a sand
wich and drank from the canteen he
had replenished at a spring.
“Soon now," he told himself.
He saw signs of life about the house.
Smoke rose from the chimney. A man
came out and went to the spring for
water. Through his field glasses he
presently saw others emerge. All car
ried rifles. They trooped to the corral
saddled horses, and rode cautiously
into the pine grove. Evidently they
wanted to make sure he was not hid
den there. After a consultation they
rode down the hillside and disappeared
into a dip of the valley floor.
They came out of the shadowy dawn
like wraiths of evil, not boldly riding
grouped together but slinking, coyote
fashion, through the mesquite that
fringed the park walls. He counted
them—one. two, three, four.
He watched them dismount and take
their horses back of a clump of small
pines. One by one they came out and
Jas—”
“We’ll see how that works out. I
don’t reckon you'll get a chance. This
Is mighty serious business. It wouldn’t
surprise me if the rustlers had lit out
for Mexico. Now they've been located
they won’t stick around long, for they
know they’d be smoked out soon as a
pcsse can get to ’em.”
The directions given by Phil, to
gether with Julia's recollection of the
country, guided them straight to the
gulch up which the trail to Dunwig’s
ranch led. They fell Into single file.
Julia thought she ought to go first be
cause she was a woman and would not
l.e attacked, but the Texan absolutely
refused to consider such an arrange
ment.
“You’re goin’ up into the park only
because I'm scared to leave you alone
down here.” he told ner with a smile.
“Do you reckon I can hide behind you
an’ hold my hald up afterward?”
The Net Was Tightening. Wilson
Knew the Enemy Was Drawing
Cioser.
disappeared Into the chaparral. They
had guessed he was In the boulder
field and were creeping forward on a
still hunt to find exactly where.
The net was tightening. Wilson
knew the enemy was drawing closer.
Once or twice he observed a slight
rustling of greasewood or manzanita.
But those stalking him kept well hid
den.
Cool though he was, his pulses
pounded. Inured to danger from early
youth, he knew he had never been in
]
as tight a place as this. The meadow
lark flung out again Its gay love song.
He wondered If he would be qllve to
morrow to hear that rising lilt and
cadence.
The ping of a bullet whistled past.
He ducked Instinctively. From a
clump of bushes three hundred yards
away a puff of smoke thinned Into the
clear air. He watched that brush
screen, but not steadily, since his
glance had to sweep the whole field of
vision In front and discover any sus
picious object or any slightest unusual
motion of vegetation.
Those surrounding him were all old-
timers except Jasper Stark, and he had
been brought up on the frontier. Wil
son understood what that Implied.
They would take no unnecessary-
chances, would make use of their
knowledge of the terrain to get him
at a disadvantage If possible. The
business of exterminating him might
take many hours, but they were pre
pared to attend to It efficiently with
out undue loss. He held a strong de
fensive position In the sand pit flanked
by boulders. That there would be no
attempt to rush him out of It by a
frontal attack In the open he was con
vinced.
The development of the day’s cam
paign proved his conclusion a correct
one. After the first shot there was no
other for at least an hour. It was
quite likely that the man who had lo
cated his position was communicating
with the rest.
Waiting was a nerve-racking strain.
The silence was ominous, yet every
little rustling of twigs suggested that
a foe might be lurking In the bushes
there. His alert gaze continuously
swept the landscape. Every bush of
greasewood. every clump of mesquite
fell under his keen observation.
A spurt of sand flew up beside him.
He caught sight for a moment of a
face peering over the edge of a rock
and flung back instantly a bullet in
answer to the one Intended for him.
The face was withdrawn.
From the right a shot sounded, and
another from the left. They were
fired from Invisible rifles by Invisible
foes. Wilson shifted his position a
few yards to get out of sight behind
two flat-faced boulders.
The sun climbed higher. By noon
the attackers had worked Wilson out
of the sunil pit and driven him from
rock to rock. He had fired perhaps
eight or nine times usually without
actuully seeing the persons at whom
he shot. So far as he knew none of
his bullets had scored a hit. His
enemies were not taking chances. Their
intention evidently was to force him
from the cover of the rocks and pick
him off as he dodged for the chaparral.
The p’an was one very likely to suc
ceed, McCann Judged.
L> mid-afleruooD it came on to rain
mistily. He had reached the edge of
the boulder field and within a few
minutes must have been dlslodg<>d
from his last stand In It. The rain
gave him a respite.
He slipped deeper In to the rock
field, moving warily so as not to be
caught unprepared. What the out
laws would do under the circum
stances was uncertain, but he guessed
they would follow him to the opeu ex
pecting him to make a run for his life
across the valley.
Not fifty feet from him, on the other
side of a ledge of rock, a revolver
boomed. He crouched, every sense
keyed up, nerves taut.
A moan came to him, followed by a
cruel laugh.
“You've got yores, Jas Stark,” he
heard a remembered voice say.
“Thought you’d fix It for yoreself by
glvin’ us away, didn’t you? I’ll learn
you to try to play traitor with Carl
Glrner.”
Swiftly Wilson clambered up the
rock ledge and looked over. The big
Texan was standing straddled over the
man he had Just shot down and was
sneering at him.
“You always was a white-livered
coyote, Jas, an’ you got what was corn
in' to you. When they find yore body,
If they ever do, they’ll think Wils Mc
Cann bumped you off. I’m figurin' on
gettln’ him too muy pronto."
1- rom his place on the shelf above
Wilson spoke in a low hard volca.
“Then get busy, you murderer, an’
come a-shootln’.”
Gitner looked up, snarling. The
eyes of the two met in deadly combat
for a fraction of a second before the
revolvers began to roar.
Of the number of shots fired Wilson
lost count. In the smoke he saw the
face of the Texan, distorted with rage
and pain, sinking down to the ground
He kept on throwing bul'ets at the
Thursday, September 29, 1932
man till h!s revolver was empty, for
the outlaw had not stopped tiring,
Wilson reached for the rifle he had
lnld beside him. But there wns no
need to use It. Gitner hail fallen
across the body of the man he had
shot. He lay, limp and lax, arms out
stretched. no sign of life In him. C a u
tiously McCann descended, never lift
ing hts eyes from the prone body after
one swift glance round to make sure
none of ttic other rustlers were In
sight.
Gitner was dead. Not a flicker of
life remained In him, not a muscle still
twitched. Wilson dragged tho body
from where It lny on that of Jasper
Stark.
The eyes of the wounded man
fastened on those of McCann.
“He shot me from behind while I
wasn’t expectin' It," he explained
feebly. “I'm dyln’ fast."
Wilson lifted his head and offered
him a drink from the ennteen, but Jas-
He Understood the Shudder That
Went Through Her Slender Body.
j>er rejected the water with a weak
gesture of the hand.
“No use. I'm done for,” he said.
“Listen. I've been a bad lot. Seems
like I never got a square deal. Any
how. I went had. But tell Jule I'm no
rustler. Gitner brought me here an’
I couldn’t get away somehow. The
cards wns stacked so I had to take a
hand.”
“I’ll tell her.”
“Tell her . . . Gitner shot Dnd an'
you that dny. . , . Nobody knew It.
hut the old man fired Carl that mom-
In’ . . . Clalmeu he'd been a bad
Influence over me. I was with Carl
when he shot Dnd. but wns scared to
tell . . . an' Dad hndn't treated me
whit."
A shout at the edge of the boulder
field brought Wilson to attention. He
answered the call, for he recognized
the voice of Stone. Presently the
Texan stood beside them looking down
at the dying man.
“You shoot him?” he asked.
“Xo. Gitner did It. from behind.”
Jasper confirmed this.
The sound of light footsteps brought
Wilson round, gun In hand. Cautious
ly he circled a big boulder, and stood
face to face with Julia.
"Thank God,” she cried nt sight of
him, and her voice broke in a wall of
gladness. “I was afraid. I thought
maybe—"
Her hands went out to him In a
little gesture of weak reaction from
the strain, and somehow they were In
each other’s urnis.
For a moment Julia rested, trying
to control her sobs. After the long
strnln she felt a touch of hysteria.
She had been nfrnld. desperately
afraid, that she would find him stark
and lifeless; and behold! he was warm
and strong, ready to love and to be
loved.
Her grip tightened round him con
vulsively. ”1 saw them, as I came
across the valley—three of ’em—rid
ing hard for the canyon. I thought
they had—I thought—”
He understood the shudder that
went through her slender body. A
swift leap of Joy throbbed his pulses.
This deaf girl cared for him. Down
through all the ages her sweet brave
soul had come to meet and mate with
his. This was his first Instinctive re
action ; the next was that she must he
prepared for the tragedy awaiting her.
Gravely he looked Into her eyes. "I
have bad news. You must have cour
age."
Her mind flashed to the truth. "Jas
per !”
"Yes. He's been badly hurt.”
“Not you.” It broke from her In a
cry of horror.
"Thank God. no. Gitner shot him
treacherously."
“Where Is he?”
“Come.” he said, and he led her to
the spot where her brother lay.
She went down on her knees, with a
wailing sob, beside him. He wns sink
ing fast, hut he recognized her.
"Jule.” he said faintly. “Gitner. , .
got me . . . from behind . . . I
. . . had It cornin’.”
The girl looked up quickly at Stone.
"Can’t you do anything for him?” she
begged.
The Texan shook his head, hut It
was Jasper who spoke.
"No use , , , I’m going feel
. . . Ho shot Dad, too, Gitner did."
The girl’s arm pillowed his head ten
derly. She forgot he wns n ne’er-do-
well and worse, that he had been dis
credited and disgraced. All she re
membered wns that he wns her broth
er, the little boy with whom she had
played and qunrreled nnd made up,
one uround whom a hundred denr
memories twined.
“I've been a . . . bad lot,” he mur
mured. “If you’d—pray for me, sis."
She did, brokenly, with a heart from
which welled love and tears.
Within the hour, peacefully, he
passed away.
The f wo men were grateful to hint.
He had not told the whole truth. If
he had been guilty of complicity In hie
father's death Julia would never know
It now. She could not wenr her heart
out In bitter shame, alncc both of those
who knew the facts were lying here
dead. Her grief could be clean sorrow.
They carried the body of Jasper to
tho cabin nnd lnld It on one of the
bunka.
Hours later. In the middle of the
night, while Julia lay sound nsleep,
worn out by her exertions nnd her
sorrow, Dominick Rafferty and Ills
posse reached Horse Thief park. Not
till tnornlng did she know that they
had come.
While she was asleep their plana
had been made. They would bury Olt-
ner on the edge of the rock field and
bring Jasper's body hack to the Circle
«'roes. Meanwhile Stone and McCann
would ride with her to the aheap
ranch.
To her anxious Inquiries Ihimlnlck
reported Phil doing well.
After breakfast the three started
homeward.
In Julia's grief there was nn element
of relief thut at moments distressed
her. For months she had been op
pressed by fears ami doubt and shame
These were gone. The end had come,
nnd It wus not so had as she had
dreailed. Wilson McCann had ex
plained to her that her brother was
not a rustler hut had been brought
there by Gitner and killed because he
knew too much. She was anxious to
believe this, to believe that he had
been weak and not wicked. The con
viction that he would have gone from
bad to worse she pushed from her and
refused to consider, but It wns this
feeling that made the loss of Jasper
bearable. In the hour of his death at
any rate he had come near to her and
clung to the comfort she had to offer.
They rode through the golden dawn,
for the most |»art In silence, below
them lilac lakes of light In the shadowy
hollows of the hills. Julia, riding
knee to knee beside her lover, felt him
very close to her. Words were not
necessnry to tell her with what a ten
der care Ids sympathy enfolded her.
She knew that the hnrrlers built be
tween them had been swept away as
though they hnd never existed.
Out of the fierce and ruthless desert
he had come to her, bringing Its
strength and endurance, the deep-
hidden tenderness and the Imagination
that transforms It from a devouring
and rapacious Sahara to a fairyland
of magic light nnd shadow.
She knew he would not speak to her
yet while her grief was green. Today
was to -lie for her dead brother. All
the years to come were to he for him
nnd her. Not even the eyes that met
hers would tell the story that tilled
his heart, not until he felt the time
had come.
Julia loved hint for It, for the
strength that held repiessed the emo
tion of this strelght-hncked brown-
faced rider of the plains.
Once only she yielded to the feeling
that surged up In her. It wns when
they came to nn o|>enlng In the hills
and looked down on the Painted desert
set Jn Its rose and golden envelope
of air.
“The morning of the world." she
whispered.
He looked at his Eve, for one vivid
moment the mask off. Their eyes
fastened, plunged to the bottom of
each other's heart.
"Of our world,” she added, nnd In
her dusky eyes was reflected the glow
of the newlmrn day, warm, vital,
sparkling with hope.
Wilson McCann drew a deep breath
of Joy. Never In all his hard years
had he known a soul so radiant, so
noble In Its generous gift of living, as
hers. She was to be his mate. She
would bring to hint all the warmth
and color of her shining glory. The
beauty of life flooded his being to the
pcint of ecstatic pain.
Ills brown hand went out to hers
In a strong grip.
"Yes, of our world,” he murmured
[THE END ]
P o litic a l P a r ty Sym bols
The original use of the mule to slg-
nlfy the Democratic pary, nnd of the
elephant for the Republican pnrty Is
said to have been In a cartoon by
Thomas Nast which appeared in Har
per's Weekly of Jannnry 15, 1870.
This cartoon showed the animals
Identified with the various political
parties of the time escaping from a
von.
I