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)
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