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About The Springfield news. (Springfield, Lane County, Or.) 1916-2006 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1920)
THURSDAY. OCTOIIEIl 14, 1920. THE SPRINGFIELD NEWS Crooked Trails and Straight William MacLeod Raine i Oori v w duii SYNOPSIS. Part I. CHAPTER I. Adventurou and reck less, rather Uin criminal, and excited liquor. Curly KUndrau and hi chum. Mac. both practically mere boys, become involved In a horsestealing adventure, rlPi of the etolen slock In the town ef Saguache. Ari.. the band separate. Curly and hia partner staying In town. They are awakened and told a posae la In town In pursuit of them. They elude thear ursueis. Overtaken next day. Mao la killed by the posse and Curly made captive, after he has shot one and him self been wounded. The man shot la Luck Culllson. CHAPTER Il.-Culllson' friends, all cattlemen, determine to lynch Curly aa aa example to rattle thieves. With the rope around his neck he is saved by the Intervention of Kate CulUson, Lucks daughter. CHAPTER III. His wound dressed, and further violence not apprehended. Curly Is sent for by Cullison. He ques tions the boy concerning a notorious out law. Soapy Stone, real lender of the rus tlers who had been Curly undoing. Klandrau learns that Soapy Stone is CuU Itson's bitter enemy and exercises a bale ful Influence over the ex-sheriff's son Bam. who ha quarreled wttn hia father. Cullison goes ball for Curly. CHAPTER "iV.burly rescue. 8oPT Stone from a bear trap Into which he ha stumbled, and discovers that the outlaw 1 young Sara's rival for the hand of Lau ra London. She fives Curly a note to deliver to Sam. and Flandrau and Stone Mt out for the latter's ranch. CHAPTER V. There Curly meets hi; companions of the rustling expedition and delivers Laura's note to 6am. Young Culllson believes Stone Is his friend and are he will stick by him. Flandrau sees some move Is being planned and becomes convinced It la train robbery. 8am leaves the ranch to go to Saguache. Curly ac companies him. CHAPTER III.-Kate goes to 8aguache' for a consultation with Mackenzie. Alex Flandrau and Curly. All are convinced of Luck's Innocence. The sheriff reveals thst besides the finding of Cullison's hat. and his payment of his debts. Ca. Fen drick had seen the robber and Is .lmot 'certain it was Luck. Culllson Is about to enter a homestead claim which will prac tically put Fendrlck out of business. CHAPTER VI. -Eavesdropping at a meeting place. Curly hears Stone and his lieutenant. Lute Blackwell. arrange to ; hold up the train at a crossing known as Tin Cup. and after tr.e rol.bery shoot young Cullison and leave his body on the J oene. Stone thus glutting his revenge on j the ex-slieri(T through his son's death and j disirrace Curly is aroused fcy Stone of i being a spy of Luck Cullison's Tl ey are ; separated, but p.irt with the undrs'and- , Ine that their next meeting will mean a fKht to the dea'h. Curly makes a con- i fl'Jant of Dick Maloney. tat' lenv.-n. and j they Inform Lurk Culuson of Stor.es plot against his son. Part II. .CHAPTER 1. After an ait-nfgM ses sion at tl-.f. RounduDai'lub. In which Culll son has lost heavily, tijere Is an eLhanga I of sharp words between luck and a I sh'epman. Cas rendrlck. witn wnoro Cullison has a feud CHAPTER II. Saguache Is electrified by the news of the holdup of express mepswnrers. the bandits securing $J",fi"0. Culiieon ways his poker debts, and shortly afterward Mackenzie an I Alex Flandrau. his closest friends, learn he Is suspected of the express robbery, his hat having been feund on the scene and he being m Using. CHAPTER rV. Kate's shrewdness re veals how Cullison had talten Fendrlck's j hat when he left the Roundup club, and suspicion point strongly to a frameup on F ndrick's part and to his being respon sive for Lurk's disappearance The sher iff receives a Maries of notes turning on the "Jack of Hearts." Curl finds a cigar-store by that, name and secures evi dence that the proprietress. Mrs Wyiia, knows what happened to Luck. CHAPTER V. In the cellar of the el gar store Klandrau finds a cipher mes sage left by Cullison. and follows the S'.ent. Luck Is held prisoner by Fendrlck and Blackwell in a sheep herder's cabin in the mountains. Fendnck wants him to sign a relinquishment of his homestead rights, conditional to his release. CHAPTER VI. L'neasy over the pos sible results of his kidnaping of the cat tleman, Fendrlck tells Kate Culllson enough of the story to induce her to ac company him to her father. Culllson. fearing for his daughter's safety should she be left at the mercy of Blackwell. signs the relinquishment and accompanies Kate borne. ' CHAPTER VIL-Bucky O'Connor, of the Texas Hangers, lifelong friend of Cul llson, takes a hand in the game, he and Curly making a search for the mlustng man. O'Connor arresta Fendrlck, charg ing him with the abduction. Culllson aseelts Kendrick with the object of punish Hog the sheepman personally, but O'Con nor furbids, holding Fendrlck under ar rreat CHAPTER VIII. O'Connor apprehends filarVwell on his way to Soapy Stone's -ranch and brings him to Saguache. Black well admits the express robbery, claiming Fendrlck took the money from him. He .also explains the circumstances of Culll sson'a abduction. CHAPTER IX. Blackwell escapes from cr:sri arm 11 soa receive notice from Eton of the approaching train holdup. Curly and Mackenzie drug the boy s coffee, ar.d Curly in Bajn's clothes, takes his place on the tram. The robbery takes place ac cording to schedule, and Stone believe dam "o have been killed. Curly over comes fctone's man. left with the horses, and get away with them. He meU Luck Culllson and the posse. They Intercept Stone Olackwell m -Bad Bill" Cran sion Blackwell surrenders, but escape. too and Cranston are killed. CHAPTER X. Back at Saguache, Lurk Cullison and hi on axa reconciled, while Curly and Kate disclose their mutual love. , CHAPTER XT. Kat Culllson, while fllinj onUe rjince. jtsxisj-a, fiyjfiexfa party la formed. Tendrlck Joining It CHAPTER XII. - Escaping from the scene of the train robbery. Hia. knell falls Into a prcepert hole. Kate rescues hint. f, ir.es her to accompany him, making f.r the Mexican border. Hemmed in. Ulackwell compels Kat to put on hi hat and coal and rid out of shelter, he hop Ing the girl will be mistaken fr him and shot while he make hia escape Kate reaches the posse safely. Fendrlck dis cover tdackwell ami In an exchange of shots the sheepman Is wounded and the desperado killed. CHAPTER XIII. -Curly Is married to Kile, and with his wife at Ms side Is aoj 'Hted of complicity In the horse ma. tllnir' which was the lelrnln of all his misfortune, and also his hnpplnesa. since It led to bis meeting wltk Kate Cullimn. I. tick looked at h. ttandy-lcgged old rider with eyes tn which little cold devils sparkled. "A human cturgur. Til tirt. Thl time I'll take hi hide off Inch by Inch while he's Mill living." "You thinking of Feudrlek?" asked Sam. "You've said It" Sweeney considered, rasping hia stubbly chin. "I dou't reckon Cass would do Miss Knte a meanness. He's a white man. say the worst of him. Hut It might be Hlackwell. When lust seen he wa heading Into the bills. If he met her A spasm of pain shot across Luck's face. "My God I" "Hy sum. there he Is now, Luck." Sweeney's finger pointed to an ad vancing rider. Culllson swung as on a pivot In time to see some one drop Into the tl!p In the road. Just beyoud the corral. "Who Hlackwell ?" "No. Cass." Fendrlck reappeared presently and turned In at the lane. Culllson. standing on the porch at the head of the steps looked like a man who was passing through the Inferno. But he looked, too, a personified day of Judg ment untempered by mercy. The sheepman spoke. looking straight at his foe. "I've Just heart! the news, I was down at Tester's ranch when you 'phoned asking If they had seen anything of Miss Culllson. I came up to ask you one question When was she seen last?" "About ten o'clock this morning Why?" "I saw her about noon. She wns on Mesa Venie. headed for P.lue canon. It looked like." "Close enough to speak to her?" Sam asked. "Yes. We passed the time of day." "And then?" Luck cut buck Into the conversation1 with u voice like a file. "Shi? went on toward the gulch" mid I kept on to the ranch. The lust I saw of hpr she was going straight on. We'd better trqvel over toward Mesa Verde. so aa to be rtuiiy to atari ui uaj break." Cullison's gfire hud ne'cr left Mm. It observed, weighed, appraised. "Good euoul'h. We'll bturt." lie left Sweeney to nnwer the tele phone while be was itwny. All of his other riders were already out couib:nu the bills under the .ipervlslon of Curly. Luck bad walled with Sam only to gt some definite Information before starlit);;. Now he bad his lead Fendrlck was either lelling the truth or be was Ijin; with some sinister pur pose In view. The cattleman meant to Unnw which. The party pushed np the gulch as rapidly as they could. The ashes of a camp Ore halted them a few minutes later. Scattered about lay the feath ers and dismembered bones of some birds. Cass stooped and picked up some of the feathers. "Quails. I reckon. Miss Cullison had three tied to her saddle horn when I met her." "Why did she come op here to cook them?" Sam asked. Luck was already off his horse, quar tering over the ground to read what It might tell him. "She wasn't alone. There was a rann with her. See these tracks?" It was Fendrlck who mude the next discovery. He had followed a draw for a short distance and climbed to a little mesa above. Presently be called to Culllson. Father and son hurried toward him. The sheep owner was standing at the edjre of " prospect bole jwlntlng down with his finger. "Some one has been In that pit re cently, and he's been there aeveral days." "Then how did he get outr Sam asked. Fendrlck knelt on the edge of 'he pit ami showed him where a rope had been dragged so heavily that It had cut deeply Into the clay. "Some one pulled blm out." "What's It mean anyhow? Kate wasn't in that hole, was.abe?" Cass shook bis bead. "Tbl m fraetm. Some one was coming aiong here lo the dark and fell In. Suppose Mlsa Culllson heard him calling aa she came np the gulch. What would she dor "Come op and help the fellow ont." "Sure she would. And If he waa hungry as he likely waa be would cook ber quail for him." "And then? Why dldnt ahe come home?" Luck turned a gray agonized face on him. "Hoy. donT you eee? The man waa Blackwell." "And If yoult put yourself In ninck. well'a place you'll see that he couldn't let her go home to tell where she had seen him," Fendrlck explained. "Then where Is ahe? What did he do with her?" "lie, may have shot her when he got a good chance, but t don,'t think so. He would keep her tor a hostage as Ion aa he could." "That's the way I figure It," agreed Culllson. "lie daren't hurt her. for he would know Arizona would hunt him down like a wolf If he did." "Then where'a be taking her?" Sam asked. "Somewhere Into the hills. Ills Idea will he to slip down and cut across the line Into Snora. lie's a rotten had lot. but he won't do her any harm tin less he's pushed to the wall. The fear of Luck Culllson Is In his heart," "That's about It." nodded Luck. "He's somewhere In these hills unless he's broken through." "There's n chance he'll mnko for one of my sheep camps to Iny In a sup ply. Wouldn't It be a good Idea to keep a man stationed at each one of them?" "You're talking sense." Culllson ap proved. "Sam. ride hack and get In touch with Curly. Tell him to do that. And roue the whole country over the wire. Well run hlra down and feed him to the coyotes." CHAPTER XII. A Good Samaritan. Fendrlck had guessed the exact tmth. After leaving him Kate had rid den forward to the canon ami entered It. She did not mean to go much farther, but she took her time. More than once she sllpied from under a fold of her waist a letter and re-read sentences of It Whenever she did this her eyes smiled. For It was a love let ter from Curly, the first she had ever had. It had been lying on the Inner edge of the threshold of her bedroom door that morning when she got up. and she knew that her lover had risen early to put It there unnoticed. Faintly there came to her a wind swept sound. She pulled up and wait ed, hut no repetition of It reached her ears. P.ut before her pony bad moved a dozen steps she stopped him again. This time .!ie wus almost sure of a far cry. and after It the bark of a re vol ver. With the touch of a rein she guided her horM- tiftvurd the sound It mit.'ht mean nothing. ') tl t !i-r h:.nd II iiillit be a call for help. Her limit hrou-.'ht mi answer which tru! her to 'I !:;e of a prospect hide. In the dju-'viif-SH hvii-ade out an itilislMict figure; "Water." a lni;y voice demat ded She 2it her canteen troiu the saddle and dropped It to Mm. The man clued his lips to the tit. il r li as If he could never tret cn n:li. "For tloil's Mil e ::p! me out of here,'' be plra'li'd plteou-dy. "How lnii' have y. til been there?" "Two day. I fell in at nr-'!it h'ls' i I ens cuttlnt; across country." Kate fastened h-r rope to the h"H of Ihe ndd. tl'.'liicned the elti'-b cure fully, and dropped the ot!i-r t. him. She swti'iy to the liar!; nf tin horse anil braced herself hy rt't ber full weight on the farther stirrup "Now." she told him The Imprisoned man wns drageed over the edge with one cheek scratched and bleeding. "Might a-known you'd hurt me It you moved so .fast." he complained nursing his wounded fuce In such a wav as to hide It. "Vm sorry. I did my best to co care fully." the girl answered, stepping for ward. His hnnd shot forward and caught her wrist. Her startled eyes flashed to his fnce. The man waa the convict Blackwell. "Oot anything to eat with you. I'm starving," he snapped. "Yes. I shot some quail. Let go my hand." He laughed evilly, without mirth "ion't try any of your sassy ways on me. Cm a wolf on the howl." She fought and twlnted till she was worn out In her efforts to free herself. Panting, she fuced him. "Let me go. 1 tll you." For answer his open hnnd struck her mourh. "Not till you learn your tioss. liefore I'm through with you a wpuaw won't be half so tame a you." He dragged her to the horse, took from Its case the rifle that bung by the saddle, and flung her from him roughly. Then be pulled himself to the saddle. "March ahead of me." he ordered. Aa soou as tbey had reached the bed of the canon he called a halt and bade her light a Are and cook blm the quail. She gathered Ironwood and catclaw while he watched ber vigilantly. To gether they roasted tbe blrda by hold ing them over tbe flra with abarpened sticks thrust through the wlriga. , Ut devoured them with the voracity of a wild beast. Hitherto his mind bad been busy with the immediate present, but now b! furtive shifting gaze rested on her more thoughtfully. He dared oot leave her In the prospect hole. He was oot vet ready to do murder, for fear of pumsnmeoi. mat waa a poaaminty to be considered only If he should be hard pressed. The only alternative left him was to take her. to the bonier as a companion of bis fugitive dou blings, "We'll he going now," he announced, after he had eaten. "llolng where? lon't you see I'll be a drag to you? Take my horse and go. You'll get along faster." "Do you think so?" For the first time It came lo her that If he dil not take her with htm he would kill her to Insure his own safety. None of the arguments that would have availed with another man were of any weight here. Her sex. her I wmm mm? "March Ahead of Me," He Ordered. youth, the service she had done him these would not count a straw. He was lost to all the Instincts of honor that govern even hnrd desperate men of his class. They struck Into the mountains, fob lowing a entile trull that wound ui ward with devious twists. The man rode, and the girl walked In front with the elastic llgbitiess. the unconscious flex nous grace of poise glxcn her body by an outdoor life. ly dusk ibe. were up In the headwaters of the creeks The resilient nil lc of the girl bad lost il.elr spting. She moved wearily.' her feel dragging heavily so that some time she staggered when the ground a rough. Not once hud Ihe ni.in of fered ber the bcrse. lie nientil to be I fiesh rends for nnv emergency that ! iiil.'hf eoine. Moreover. It pleased h! j su-all soul to sve Ihe daughter of I. net, ' Cilt:is iii f:ig -ed ai d i.h-il!Sled 'oil still j ansivt-ripg 'he spilt of his uri'e. The l ioon en Up before they came ipop a r -: 1 1 shiidn:: t the cold silvery I rht. I'teslde It mii a sheetlroll slove. j a box the ashes of a eiinip lire, and n ! side of I o mi hanging from the limit of a stunted pine f "nnilously tney stole forward. I The cimiti was for fti time deserted No doubt Its owner a Mexican sheep herder in the employ of Fendrlck mid Homlni'tier.. was out somewhere with his (lock, Kate cooked a men) and he convict ate. The irlrl was too tired and nox ious to care for food, lull she made herself take a little. They packed Hie saddlebag" with bacon, beans, coffee and flour. Plackwell tlhiened again the cinches and once more the two took the trait. They made rump In a pocket open ing; from a gulch far up In the hills. With her own reata he fastened her hands behind her and tied the girl se curely to the twisted trunk of a Joshua tree. To make sure of her he lay on the rope, both hands clinched to the rifle. In five minutes he was asleep, but It was long before Kate could es cape from wakefulness. At last she fell Into troubled rat mips. From one of these she awoke to see that the morning light was slfilnit through the darkness. She was shiver ing with the chill of an Arizona moun tain night. Turning her body, the girl's eyes fell upon her captor. He wa looking at her In the way that no do. cent man looked at a woman. Her Im pulse was to acrertm. to struggle to her feet and run. What did he mean? What was he going to do? But something warned her this would precipitate the danger. She called upon her courage and tried to still the fearful fnmult In her heart. Somehow she anceeeded. A arornful. confident pride (lashed from her eyes Into bin. It told blm that for hia life he- dared nor lay a finger upon her In (the way of harm. And he knew It was true, knew. that If he gave way to his desire ne hole under heaven would he deep enough to hide him from the ven geance of her frlenda. He got sullenly to bla feet. "Come. We'll be going." Within the hoar they snw some of his hunters. . A wisp of smoke rose from the basin below. Oiouped about it were three men rating ttreaatast. "!on't make a aound." warned Itlackwell. HI rifle covered her. With all her soul she longed to rry for help. Hut she dared not take the risk. Hven as the two on the edge of the bowl with drew from sight ono of the campers rose and sauntered to a Utile grove where the ponies were tethered. The distance was too far lo make sure, but thing In Ihe gnll made the girl sun that the man was Curly. Her linrid wrot out to him In a pltvotia lit tle gesture of nppenl. She was right. It was Curly, lie was thinking of her al that moment despairingly, but no bell of warning rang within to tell him she was so near and In such fearful tired of him. Twice during the morning did the refugee attempt to slip down Into the parched desert that stretched Inward Sonora and safety. Hut the cordon set about him wa drawn too close Kach time a loose sealed rider lounging In I ho saddle with a rifle In hi bands drove them hack. The second attempt wa almost disastrous, for the convict was seen. Tbe hum of a bullet w Mailed past bis car a be and bis prisoner drew back Info tbe rtmparrul and from thence wttn buck to cover. Kate, drooping with fatigue, snw that fear rode Itlackwell heavily,' He wa trapped and he knew that by the Arlronn code til life was forfeit and would be exacted of him should he be mien, lie binl not the hardihood to game It out In alienee, but w blued com plaint, promises and threat. He tried in curry favor wWi her. to work upon her pity, even while tils furtive glance told her Hint be was wondering wbelh er he would lur e a belter chalice If he sacrificed her life. From gulch to nrroyo. ' from nick cover to plneclad hillside he waa driven In hi attempt to break the narrowing circle of grim hunter that hemmed him. And with each failure, with every pasting hour, the terror In him mounted, lie would have wel comed life Imprisonment, would have sold the Inst vestige of manhood to snve the worthless life that would oon he "iiutTed out unless he could evade his hunter till eight and In the dark ness break tlu-o'i.-ii Hie line. He know now that It had been a fatal mistake lo bring the girl with htm. lie might have evaded Holt's posses, hut now every man wlililn fifty miles was on Hie lookout for him. Ills rage tinned against Kate hecaii'se of It. Yet even In those black outburst be felt that he must cling to her as his only hope of saving himself. He had made another mlsitike in llglillng a eiinip lire during Hie morning. Any fool ought to have known Unit the smoke would draw his hunters as Ihe smell of carrion does a huzard. Now he made a third error, trou bling hack over no open sireich of hill side be w is seen again abd forced Into the first poc!;cl thai opened It proved to be a blind gulch, one oiTerlng no exit nt the upper end MM a stiff rock climb to a hill!!' lit. ox e lie shipped oil his coat and gave It to Kale "Put II mi CJiilik!" Sill pr'-.ed. she slipped It on. "Now ride back nut and cut along Ihe edge of the lull. Votl've got tllllO to make It all ri;:lit before they close n if oii ira el last. Slop once Just ..nee and I'll drop .miii iu your trucks. Nim git I" She saw his object In B flash. Wear ing bis giuy fell lull and his coat, the pursuers would mistake ber for blm. They would follow her perhaps shoot her down. Ainhow, It would he a di version to draw them from him. .Meanwhile he would climb the cliff and slip away uniioileed. Ihe danger of what she had to do stood out quite clearly, but as a chance lo gel away from him she wel comed It gladly. From the Up of the gulch she swung abruptly to the right. Her horse stumbled and went down Just as a bullet flew over her head. He fore she was free of ihe stirrups strong hands pinned her shoulders to the ground. She heard a glad, atartled cry. The rough hands became Imme diately gentle. Then things grew black. Tim last she remembered waa (hat the mountains were dancing up ami down In an odd fashion. Her eyes opened to seo Curly. She was In his arms and his face was broken with emotions of love and ten derness. "You're not hurt?" he Implored. "No." "lie dldu't mistreat you?" Ilia voice was trembling aa ho whispered It . "No no." And at that ahe broke down. A deep aob shook her body and another. 8he burled ber bead on bla shoulder and wept . . , e Without losing an Instant tba con vlct aet himself at the climb. Ilia haste, the swift glances shot behind blm, the appalling dread that innde bla nerves ragged, delayed bla speed by dissipating the singleness of bla' ener gy. Ilia face and hands were torn with catclaw, hia knees bruised by a (Continued on page throe) 0 1.1