SOUTHERN OREGON MINER Thursday, September 10, 1942 CHA IT EK X IYNOPMI Dav* Flrur* out uf • Job. arrive* at Wilbur Ferri* CNM*BN ranch Curran, th* torvnran. prurnla** him a Job If h* can braah a hora* called Black Dawn. When h* aucc** pay off the mortgage on the email ranch aha aharea with her foatar father a man named Hooker Hut when Hooker la shut and Dave la charged with murder Lola eave* him from being lynched Wounded, ah* guide* him to a trcuolaln cava where ilia ui'uiaa they will be aafe Iron - ran and the sheriff * poaae A quarrel between Ferri* and Judge larnergan re­ veal* that Ferri* had killed hie partner. Illane Rowland, many year* before Thoroughly scared. Ferri* take* Cun an Into hl* confidence Dave leave* Lola alone for a while, not knowing that Curran la hiding nearby. When Dave and the horaea had finally vanlahed behind the *ky- line, Curran Jumper! to hla fret. Hr- made hi* way along the ledge trail, past the place where hie two horaea were tethered, In the di- , rection of the cave. Crouching In the last clump of | Jackpine scrub. Curran watched Lola aa ahc returned from the lit­ tle pool and entered the cave. Then he crept on tiptoe after her. It wtu the nhadow of the man, falling acroaa the floor, that cann­ ed Lois to look around. She thought it waa Dave returner!. For an inatant the girl looked at the foreman, frozen with terror. Then ahe opened her mouth to scream. That inatant Curran hud leaped upon her, clapping one hand to her mouth, atlfling her cry before ahe could utlcrTt. In that hand waa a gag, which he thruat down Idols' throat. With hla other hand he brought the atrtng* behind her head Holding her to him, ao that her attempta to free heraelf were futile, Curran quickly had the gag adjusted She half broke free. Curran gravped her in hia arm* again. •Goin* to aet the herd on me, huh?" Jeered Curran. "I told yuh I'd gll yuh. Lois.” It waa the work of a moment or two to Blip the knotted rope*, which he had already prepared, | over Ixila' arm* and to faaten their A * ■i arms and pulled her to the floor. I “I jlon't like this business, Cur­ I through currents that are bearing He stood with his hand* upon her ran.” mumbled Ferris, "That girl ' him away. sholders, holding her fast. will overhear everything." "Listen!” Curran whispered. “Are yuh goin’ to marry me?” “Well, that couldn't be helped," The hoofbeats of another horse he demanded. answered the foreman." Maybe ' could be heard coming along the D>1* struck at him, and he Sheriff Coggswell won’t find that trail. Ferris was shaking. laughed. She screamed and sud­ cowpoke, and anyways. Ly the “Lonergan!” he mumbled. denly, as if in answer to her cry time I git through with her, »he’ll “Maybe Pedro come back. But j both of them heard the hoofbeats be all ready to hitch up with me be wouldn’t have time to make the M.U. • t A V v i of a horse pounding along the and help run the ranch house. Nice round trip," Curran whispei < d rocky trail toward the cabin. | little housekeeper yo’re goin' to back, pressing his body again..t Curran released Lois with an have, Ferris.” the wall and peering through the oath, dapped hia hand to hi* hol­ 'U’edro told me a certain party’s entrance. ster and croucched, listening The coinin 'about sundown,” said Fer­ "Nope,” he «aid a moment later, sun was already behind the moun­ ris. "It’s Lonergan. We got that feller tains and, though it had not yet "Yeah, Lonergan'll be here. I in the trap, Ferris. Just follow my »et, the whole wild terrain outside baited the trap by tellin' him I'd lead and when we're through with I wa* plunged into a shadowy twi­ got the girl and she wa* ready to him he won't be in no position to light For an instant the girl wa* make some lnt’restin’ disclosures, make trouble again." on the point of throwing heraelf and how you was cornin’ here to “But outside— outside, Curran.” I upon Curran, to wrest the six-gun hear them.” whispered Ferris, staring with di­ | fiom him, to nave Dave's life. "Curran ,we can’t ^an’t kill lated eyes at the approaching rid­ Hut then she realized that this Lonergan with her in the next er, while his body shook like an oncoming horse was neither Black room!” whispered the ranchman aspen. "Outside, where she won’t "Nope, we'll git him outside. hear when- when we—” Dawn nor Hooker's, and with a lit­ tle gasp of relief she sank back Leave that to me,” answered Cur­ Dave watched the horses graz­ Hgainst the bunk. A moment later ran. "You »aw him yesterday?” ing on the young grass that was "Yep, he drove up to the house already springing up with incredi­ Curran straightened himself. He hail seen the horseman rounding and demanded my answer to his ble swiftness, after the night of the curve of the trail ^nd recog­ proposal. I stalled him at first, rain. He lay back, dreaming of nize! him. like you said, and when he insisted Lois and of their future. Finally The rider pulled in a little dis­ I told him where I'd see hi mfirst.' he stretched himself, rolled and lit tance away and hailed, glancing "That's the stuff, Ferris. Have a cigarette, and rose to his feet. »usplclously about him. a drink,” said the foreman, pour­ Underneath him the water was "It's all right. Mr. Ferris,” call­ ing out a stiff measure of whiskey still running down the ravine, but ed Curran "I got her here and no­ into the cup. Ferris took it with it had dried to a thin trickle in body else.” ' shaking hand and drained the places. Ferri* rode up to the entrance contents. Suddenly Dave perceived some­ “I'm trusting you, Curran,” he thing white gleaming underneath and dismounted. “I got your mes­ For an Inatant the girl looked at the foreman, froxen with terror. sage," he said, “but I didn’t know said. “I'm not imaginin’ you’re the sunshine. It loked like—it was ends to the horn of hia saddle.He rotting ci idle ailiriay on the bank . if I could find my way here. At cornin' in with me out of friendly a part of the skeleton of a man. art her upon one of the horaea and and beside it a blade of a spade first I told Pedro he’d have to feelin'. I've convinced you that it’s Those ribs were human ribs, not aprang upon the other. Holding her protruded from a mound of earth j bring me, and after he'd gon<- I to your advantage ,and I'm willin bovine. And there wa* the skull, faat, he atarted the two horaea almoat eaten away with ruat. Cur­ thought I'd see if I could find the to sign that paper givin' you a just visible under the earth piled third of the ranch. I wrote it out about it. down the trail. ran reined in and diamounted. He way alone.” “So yuh didn't meet Pedro? I and brought it along. You can read Still weak from her wound, half »lipped the rope from Lois’ arm* sent him back for yuh,” said Cur-, it." He drew a document fr6m hi* j It was evident from the white­ choked by the gag, utterly helpleaa and carried her inside. ness of the bones, that the skeleton The »hack contained a small ran. He had planned Ferris' ad­ pocket and unfolded it. to cry out or attempt to escape had lain in the ravine for a con­ vent for a little later, and the dis ­ I “Fine,” said Curran, laying it siderable time. It looked as if it Ia»ia managed to keep her Beat un­ room and another »mailer one, turbance of hl* plan* momentarily on the table. "I'll read it later." til the horaea reached the end of with a plank door between. In the had been buried, unearthed by “Of course we’ll have to wait flood waters, buried under an ac­ the ravine. Inatead of making for first room wa» a table fashioned 1 disconcerted him. "Come in. I got the trail that ran toward Hooker's from packing canes, and some tree her .like I told yuh, and Pedro till we get back before signin’ it," cumulation of debris that they ahack, Curran tumel the horaea'. HtumpM that had been used for lh>‘ Sheriff Coggswell an idea of said Ferris. "We got to have wit­ brought down, and washed up »«•at*. In one corner was a bunk where that murderer's hangin' nesses." heada toward the mountalna. again. “Well, we got two, ain’t we?" Lol*. who knew the mountain* with a rotting mattress. In the out.” Instantly curious, Dave began Lol* ran forward. "Mr. Ferris, roared the foreman. “That girl scrambling down the side of the like a book, had already guessed »mailer room was another bunk, and Lonergan. ” and nothing more. help me," she pleaded. "Take me where Curran waa taking her. and ravine. There was a sturdy growth Out of the first bunk staggered away. This man kidnapped me this , "Lonergan?" cried the ranch­ of pine saplings that affdVded him aa the route confirmed her belief man. ; morning. He—he—” In r lo-.ir t muik ev< n lower F or a Mexican. hand-hold and, bracing his feet Curran scowled. "1’11 put her in "Sure, that's what I said. We'll against the rocky wall, he was "Well, yuh got here. Pedro," said Dave would never be able to trail her here, and »he would be utterly Curran. “Did yuh warn Ferris to ■ the next room and then we kin • make him sign before we bump able to make the descent without at Curran'a mercy. be here an hour after sundown?" talk business. Ferris," he said, him off." any especial difficulty. "Don't talk so loud!" whispered Si, MOOT, I tell him, but he say picking up the gag and rope from Hia deatlnation wan u amall Between the bank and the skele­ Ferris. aback, about four mile* away, he does not know the way, and I the table where he had deposited ton there were about two feet of "Here, take another drink and muddy water. Dave removed his i them. where a prospector had once lived must go back for him." Lois, utterly worn out, and real­ keep yore nerves steady," replied shoes and socks and began wading while engaged in a fruitless aearch “He wa* lyio," snarled Curran. “We're through it. for gold tn the mountain* Nobody Ferri* knows a lot more than he izing that Ferris, who was stand­ Curran contemptuously. ever traveled in that direction.1 purtends to know, and he don't ing with inverted head, had no in­ all In this up to our necks. When It was undoubtedly the skeleton There waa no jiaa* through the know a whole of things he think* tention of aiding her, was indapa- Lonergan comes, I’m goin’ to of a man. One of the legs protrud­ perpendicular cliff* that walled In he knows. However, if that's hi* able of any resistance worth men­ string him along a little it. He ed stiffly out of the mud, and Dave the blind canyon which Curran t message, yuh'd best ride and tioning. In a couple of minutes thinks yo’re goin' to be the inno­ saw that it had been broken ne.r wa* already entering. bring him back. Yuh start at 7 Curran had her gagged again and cent victim. Ho, ho " the thigh. It evidently had been "Ho, ho!" echoed Ferris. But badly set. for the broken en s carried her to the smaller room. The Journey wa* nearly ended.! pronto. Understand?” The aback came into sight at the "I understand," grinned the After binding her securely, he there wa* a note of uncertainty in were not in alignment, and there went back to where the ranchman his voice, that of a bewildered was a considerable thickening of end of the canyon, down which a Mexican. man, striving to steer himself j thin at ream of water trickled A Swiftly Curran seized Lois in hi* was standing. (Continued from Page 3) Fight! Work! and Save! A War Message on WAR BONDS f , ■ ■. • , from the President of the United States A Wwl K/» . 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