HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 1927.
PAGE FTVE
What's Gone Before.
Frank BMon. from Albany. New York.
reaches Benton, Wyoming, then 1868
western terminus of the Pacific Railroad.
He had been ordered by physicians to seek
a climate "high and dry. He is robbed of
most of his money in his hotel and loses his
laat twenty dollars at monte in "The Big
jent, a dance nan and gambling resort in
the "roarinir" town of Benton.
Edna Montoyo, companion of a gambler.
is oeuevea ny rranic to nave cajoled htm
purposely into the game. Broke, disconso
late over his discovery that "the lady of the
blue eyes," as he calls her, is what she is,
and Anally humiliated over his glaring
"greenness," Frank repulses Edna when
she begs him to go away with her, sobbing
ly telling him that she had made a mistake
in letting him lose his money. He goes to
take a job with
George Jcnki, a teamster in a wagon
train about to leave for Salt Lake City.
Capt. Adams, a Mormon, is in charge o
the wagon train.
Rachael Adsmi. an attractive young wo
man, one of his wives, is In the train, as
is
Daniel Adams, his loutish son. When
Edna, who has shot, but not killed the
gambler, Montoyo, comes a fugitive in
"britches" to join the train, Daniel tells
his father that Bhe is seeking Jenks and
lieewon. Capt. Adams shouts, "No hussy
in men's garments shall go with the train."
Daniel, by a spectacular gun play, foils
Montoyo's attempt to take Edna back with
him.
Under Jenks' and Edna's instruction
Frank practices Bhooting is told to "aim
for his feet to hit his heart." This follows
a clever exhibition of Bhooting by young
Daniel, who is angered by Edna's interest
in Beeson.
Into the Night
CHAPTER X.
A meeting between My Lady and
me brought on, not long after, the
expected crisis. As we talked, sud
denly I saw Daniel nearing, striding
rapidly, straight for us, a figure por
tentious in the fading glow, biinging
the storm with him.
She saw, too. Her eyes widened,
startled, surveying not him, but me.
"Please go. I'll keep him."
"It is too late now," I asserted, in
a voice not mine. "I am her first
and I'll go when I get ready."
"You mean to face him? I knew
it. You will play the man! Watch
him close! He'l give you little grace
this time. But remember this: I'll
hover, never, never marry him. Ra
ther than be bound to him I'll deal
v,-ith him myself!"
"It won't be necessary, madam,"
sud I a catch in my throat; for
while I was all iciness and clam
miness, my hands cold and my tongue
dry, I felt that I was going to kill
V.i m.
Daniel charged in for us. I did
not touch revolver butt; he did not.
He barked first at her.
"Go whar yu belong, yu Jezebel!
Then I'll tend to this" The rabid
epithet leveled at me I shall not re
peat. "Be careful what you say, Dan
iel. No man on this earth can speak
to me like that."
All his face flushed livid with a
sneer, merging together yellow freck
les and tanned skin.
"Can't, can't he? I kin an' I do.
Now yu git. I've stood yore fast-an'-loose
plenty. I mean business. Git!
W har yu'll be safe. I'll not hold off
much longer."
"No more of that, you brute," I
roared. "If you have anything to say,
say it to me."
He whirled.
"Yu! Why, yu leetle piece o' noth
in' yu shut up!" By sudden reach
he gripped her arm; to her sharp,
short scream he thrust her about.
"Git I I'm boss hyar." And at me:
"What yu goin' to do? She's prom
Ited to me. Git, yer?elf, or I'l stomp
on yu like on a louse!"
I forgot instructions. I disregard
ed every movement preliminary to the
onset! Bullets were too slow and
easy!
I did not see his revolver; I saw
but the hulk of him and the intol
erable sneer of him, and that his flesh
was ready to my fingers.
And quicker than his hand I was
upon him, into him, clinching him,
clinging to him, arms binding him,
iegs twining around his, each ounce
of me greedy to crush him down and
master him.
The shock drove him backward. We
swayed and staggered, grappling hith
er and thither. I had his arms pin
ioned, to bend him. He spat into my
face; and shifting, set his teeth into
my shoulder so that they champed
like the teeth of a hcrse, through
shirt and hide to the flesh.
We toppled together, came to the
ground with a thump. Here we churn
ed, while he flung me and still I
stuck.
The acrid dust of the alkali en
veloped us. Again he spat, fetid
sprawled upon him, smothering his
So there I stood,
amidst silence,
gaping foolishly,
breathing hard,
my smoking revol
ver in my fingers.
flailing arms; gave him all my weight
and strength; smelled the sweat of
him, snarled into his Bnarling iace,
close beneath mine.
Once he partially fresd himself and
buffeted me in the mouth with his
fist, but I caught him while strug
gling, tossed and upheaved, dimly saw
that as by a miracle we were sur
rounded by a ring of people, men and
women, their countenances pale,
alarmed, intent. Voices sounded in
the dull roar.
Presently I had him crucified: his
one outstretched arm under my knees,
hia other arm tethered by my two
hands, my body across his chest, while
uis legs threshed vainly.
I looked down into his bulging eyes.
" "Nuf. Cry '"Nuf!" I command
ed. '"Nuf! Say "Nuf!" echoed the
crowd.
He strained again, convulsive; and
relaxed.
"'Nuff!" he panted through bared
teeth. "Lcmme up, Mister."
"That settles it?"
"I said ' 'Nuf'," he growled.
With a quick movement I sprang
clear of him, to my feet. He lay for
a moment, baleful, and slowly scram
bled up.
On a sudden, as he faced me, his
band shot downward I heard the
jurge and shout of men and women,
to the stuning report of his revolver
ducked aside, felt my own gun ex
plode in my hand (and how it came
there I did not know beheld him
pin around and collapse; an aston
ishing sight.
So there I stood, amidst silence,
gaping foolishly, breathing hard, my
revolver smoking in my fingers and
my enemy in a shockingly prone pos
ture at my feet, gradually reddening
the white of the torn soil.
He was upon his face, his revol
ver hand outflung. He was harmless.
The moment had arrived and passed.
I was standing here alive. I had
killed himl
Figures rushed in between. Hands
grasped me, impelled me away,
through a haze; voices spoke in my
ear while I feebly resisted, a warm
Baity taste in my throat.
"I killed him. I didn't want to
kill him. He made me do it. He
snot first."
"Yes, ye9," they said soothing
gruffly.' "Shore he did; shore you
didn't. It's all right. Come along,
come along."
Then
"Pick Beeson up. He's bad hurt,
himself. See that blood? No, 'tain't
liis arm, is it He's bleedin' internal.
Whar's the hole, Wait he's busted
something."
They would have carried me.
"No," I cried, while their bearded
faces swam. "He said ' 'Nuf he
shot me afterward. Not bad, is it?
I can walk."
As they hustled me onward the
world had grown curiously darkened,
and I dimly wondered whether I was
dying myself. Across a great dis
tance we stumbled by the wagons and
halted at a fire.
'You're all right." Jenks appar
ently had looked me over and was
ministering to me. "Swaller this."
The odor of whiskey fumed into
my nostrils. I obediently swallowed.
Hands were rummaging at my left
arm; a bandage being wound about.
"Did I kill him?" I besought. "Not
that! I didn't aim I don't know
: ow I shot but I had to. Didn't I?"
"You did! He'll not bother you
ag'n. She's yourn."
That hurt.
"But it wasn't about her! He
bullied me dared me. We were man
to man, boys. He made me ght him."
"Yes, shore," they agreed and
they were not believing. They still
linked me with a woman, whereas
she had figured only as a transient
occasion.
Then she hers-j'f, My Lady, appear
ed, running in bv atnlesa and aj.-pei-ling.
"Is Mr. Beeson hurt? Iiadly? Whtre
is he? Let mc help."
he knelt beside ms, l.er hand
grasped mine, she gazed wide-eyed
p. d imploring.
4 No, he's ah right, ma'am.'
"I'm all right, I assure you,"
mur.,bled thickly, an 1 helpless as a
babe to the clingin; of her cold
f'i,g3rs.
The group about me dissolvt-d.
Jenks seated himself close beside me.
"Your arm woi t trouW? you," he
said. "Jest a fl -sh wound. You two
can eat and rest a bit, and if you set
out 'fore moon-up you can easy get
el'ar. We'll furnish mounts and grub
and anything else you need."
"Mounts!" I blurted. "'Set out,'
you say? You mean that I we
should run away? I'll not leave the
train and neither shall she, until the
proper time. Or do I understand that
you dipown us?"
"Hold on," Jenks bade. " Tain't a
auestion of disownin' you. But you've
killed one o' the Mormons, the wagon
boss's son; and when he comes in the
n.ornin' demandin' of you for trial by
his Mormons, what can we do? We'll
take the chance on sneakin' you both
away.and facin' the old man."
"I think we'd best, go," I agreed.
"It's the only way."
And it was. We were twain in
menace to the outfit, and to each
other, but inseparable. We were yok
ed. The fact appalled. It gripped me
coidly. I seemed to have bargained
for her with fist and bullet, and won
her; now I should appear to carry
her off as my booty; a wife and a
gambler's wife. Yet such must be!
"Moon'll he up in a couple o hours,"
Jenks said. "I'd advise you to taka
an hour's start of it, so as to get
away, easier. If you travel straight
scuth'ard you'll strike the stage road
in the mornin'. When you reach a
station you'll have ch'ice either way."
"I have money," she said; and sat
erect.
For the first half mile we rode With
out a word.
What her thoughts were I might
not know, but they sat heavy upon
her, closing her throat with the tor
ture of vain, self-reproach. That
much I sensed. But I could not re
assure her. My own thoughts were
so grievous as to crush me with ach
ing woe.
This then, was I: somebody who
had just killed a man, had broken
from the open trail and wag riding
he knew rot where, through dark
ness worse than night, himself an
outlaw with an outlawed woman at
the beBt a chance woman, an adven
turing woman now the spoil of kill
ing! (Continued next week)
Copyright by Edwin L. Sabin.
MAKING THE FARM PAY - - By Old Man Economy
IVE ALWAYS
LIKED THE LOOKS
OF YOUR
I u li r i-r-e
ENGINE, HANK
It5 50TRIN AND
NEAT VITH ALL
GEARS ENCLOSED.,
IT'S A REAL LABOR WERjlM. Vz USE
IT FOR PUMPING VATER, SEPARATING
CftEAPLVASHING CLOTHES, GRINDING FEED
AND A DOZEN OTHER JOBS IT DOES NT COST
MUCH TO RUN IT AND IT NEVER NEEDS
REPAI R5 BECAUSE ALL V0RKIN6 PARIS
RUN IN A BATH OF OIL
If
r
!
I
1-
Kzk
r V . m si l u m l n
p" Peoples f
Hardware Co. J
" fAt this Store You Get QUALITY A SERVICE
E
Down
come High Prices
We are going to sell
for
Strictly Cash
saving customers money
and meeting Cash Store
Prices.
mm,
GO HIGH PRICES
We Must Have
CASH
to meet our bills
and to raise cash we
have cut the prices
on our entire stock
for quick selling.
FRIDAY &
ATURBAY
We offer further reductions on our goods so they will sell. All must go quickly. Buy now! SAVE!
QHOFQ Sll QiVpqI J:SS iS YUr I UNDERWEAR
ailVJUa, ail SIZCS Pay Cash and ladies' $i. 50 value now 36c
A Qr noiV SAVE SAVE MEN'S $1-50 AND $2-00 VALUE now 98c & 84c
JbiC pdll BOYS' UNION SUITS NOW GREATLY REDUCED
t Tr . ; Tr . CORN FLAKES AND POST TOASTIES
LOOK! LOOK! ladies' hats, boys' hats and caps, men's
20 pairs of Boys' Shoes, sizes from 6 to 1 . Just cut from 1 An rf W0RK HATS AND DRESS HATS
$2.75 to $1.99 1UC PKS ALL AT A BARGAIN
S H I R TS W p PPOPHFT GROCERIES
Men, why wait until next winter and then pay $5.00 and cu CTTOM? A CUT N GR0CERIES F0R CASH-
$6.00 for the same shirts that you can buy now for CAorl olOKL -p -t JO t
98c and $i.98 Heppner, . . Oregon "ay Lash and bave I