PAGE SIX
HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1927.
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CHAPTER XII.
Two Bullets Left.
She and the rocks reeled together.
That was my eyes, giddy with rush of
blood, surging and hot.
"Never, never, never!" I was shout
ing. "You sha'n't go, I sha'n't go. But
wherever we go we'll go together.
We'll stand them off. Then if they
can take us, let 'em."
"Listen," she chided, her hand
grasping my sleeve. "They would
take me anyway don't you see? Af
ter they had killed you. It would be
the worse for both of us. No, Mr.
Beeson, I have closed a good bargain
for both of us. He is impatient. The
money you will need the money, and
I shall not. Please turn your back
nd I'll get at my belt."
The chief was advancing accom
panied by one warrior.
I could not deliver her tender body
ever to that painted swaggerer any
more than I could have delivered it
over to Daniel himself.
At last I knew, I knew! History
had written me a fool, but it should
not write me a dastard.
We were together, and together we
'ium and swish. The lead whined and
smoked, the shafts streaked and clat
tered "You must stop some of those
fiends from sneaking closer," she
counseled. "See? The're trying us
out."
I had been desperately saving the
ammunition, to eke out this hour of
mine with her. Every note from the
revolver summoned the end a little
nearer. But we had our game to play;
and after all, the end was certain. So
when the next painted ruffian bore
down, I guessed shrewdly, arose and
let him have it.
She cried out, clapping her hands.
"Good! Good!"
The pony was sprawling and kick
ing; the rider had hurtled free, and
went jumping and dodging like a
jack-rabbit.
Now they all charged recklessly
from the four sides; and I had to
stand, and fire, right, left, before, be
nind, emptying the gun once more
ere they scattered and fled. Upon My
Lady's shoulder a challenging ori
flanie of scarlet.
"Y'ou're hurt!" I blurted, aghast.
"Not much. A scratch. How many
left. Nir.e." She had been counting.
I ,. U'
V'
if
i i
Through star
shine eve we can
tered side by side
down old freighting
road, eastward.
should always be, come weal or woe,
life or death.
I leaped before her, answered the
hail of the pausing chief.
"No," 1 shouted. "You go to hell!"
He understood. The phrase might
have been familiar English to him.
I saw him stiffen in his saddle; he
called loudly, and raised his rifle,
threatening; with a gasp a choked
"good-bye" she darted by me, run
ning on for the open and for him. In
a stark blinding rage I levelled revol
ver and pulled trigger. The chief
uttered a terrible cry, his rifle tossed
high, he bowed, swayed downward,
his companion grabbed him, and they
were racing back closely side by side
and she was running back to me and
the warriors were shrieking and
brandishing their weapons and bullets
spattered the rocks all this while yet
my hand shook to the recoil of the
levolver and the smoke was still
wrfting irom the poized muzzle.
What had I done? But done it was.
She arrived breathless, distraught,
instantly to drag me down beside her,
from where I stood stupidly defiant.
"Keep out of sight," she panted.
And "Oh, why did you do it? Why
did you? I think you killed him
'.hey' never forgive. They'll call it
treachery! You're lost, lost!"
"But he sha'n't have you," I de
clared. "Let them kill me if they can.
Till then you're mine. Mine! Don't
you understand? I want you."
A burst of savage hoots renewed
interrupted. "They're coming!" She
knelt up, to peer; I peered. The In
dians had deployed, leaving the chief
lying upon the ground, their fierce
countenances glaring at our asylum.
A glory glowed in her haggard face
knd shown from her brimming eyes.
"We will fight, we will fight!" she
chanted. "Oh, my man! Had you
kissed me la.-it night we would have
known this lor.ger. We have so little
time." She turned from my lips.
"Nut now. They're coming. Fight
first; and at the end, then kiss me,
please, and we'll go together."
Furious yells vibrated among our
rocks. The Sioux all were in motion,
except the prostrate chief. Straight
utiward they charged, at headlong
(,a!op, to ride over us. It was enough
to cow, but she spoke steadily.
"You must fire," she said. "Hurry!
Fire once, maybe twice, to split them."
So I rose farther on my knees and
fired once and again.
It was a miracle. All swooped to
right and to left as if the bullets had
cleaved them apart in the center,
pelting in bullet and nearly spent ar
row. "Low, low," she warned. "You have
,'ifteen shots left, for them! then,
one for me, one for you. You under-btand?"
"1 understand," I replied. "And if
I'm disabled ?"
She answered quietly.
"It will be the same. One for you,
one for me!"
A double circle had been formed to
move in two directions, scudding re
versed within scudding ring, and bow
men outermost. Around and 'round
and 'round they galloped, yelling,
. gibing, taunting, shooting so malig
nantly that the sir wa in a constant
"Seven for them,"
We looked one upon the other, and
tmilcd. We faced a future together,
at least; we were in accord.
The Sioux retired, mainly to sit
dismounted in close circle, for a con
fab. The Sioux had counciled. We wait
ed, tense and watchful.
Then witout even a premonitory
shout a pony bolted for us. He bore
two riders. They charged straight
in, and suddenly the rear rider drop
ped to the ground, bounded briefly
and dived headlong, worming into a
little hollow of the sand.
He lay half concealed; the pony
had wheeled tg a shrill, jubilant chor
us; his remaining rider lashed him in
retreat, leaving the first digging lus
tily with hand and knife.
That was the system: an approach
by rushes. "We must'nt permit it,"
she breathed. "We must rout him out.
Can you reach him?"
The tawny figure, prone upon the
tawny sand, was just visible, lean
and snakish, slightly oscillating as it
worked. And I took careful aim, and
fired, and saw the spurt from the bul
let.
A little lower " she pleaded. And
I tired again.
She creid out joyfully. The snake
had flopped from its hollow, plunged
at full length aside; had started to
crawl, writhing. A recruit took his
place into the hollow; and the cour
ier snatched the snake from the
sround. The fellow in the foreground
I urrowed cleverly. I fired twice
we could not see that I had even in
convenienced him.
Sudenly, as I craned, the fellow
med again; he had discovered a niche
in our rampart, for the ball fanned
my cheek with the wings of a vicious
wasp. On the instant I replied, snap
ping quick answer.
"I don't think you hit him," she
said. "Let me try. I'll hold on the
spot he'll come up in the same place.
head and shoulders. You'll have to
tempt him."
And I edged farther, and farther.
as if seeking for a mark, but with all
my flesh a-prickle and my breath fast,
Abruptly it came the snake's
strike, stinging my face with the spat
ter of sandstone and hot lead; at the
same moment her Colt's bellowed in
to my ears.
"I got him!"
"Thank God," I rejoiced.
She had sunk back wearily.
'That is the last."
'Won't they try again, you think?"
"The last spare shot, I mean. We
have only two left. We must save
those."
The Sioux had quieted, and lolling
upon the bare ground in the sun glare
they chatted, laughed, rested, but
never for an instant were we dis
missed from their eyes and thoughts.
"They will wait, too. They can af
ford it," she murmured. "It is cheap
er for them than losing lives."
"If they knew-we had only the two
cartridges ?"
'Where will you shoot me, Frank?
This bared the secret heart of me.
"No! No!" I pleaded. Don't speak
of that. It will be bad enough at the
best."
"You will, though," she soothed. "I'd
rather have it from you. I think it
should be through the temple. That's
sure. But you won't wait to look,
will you? You'll spare yourself that?"
This made me groan, craven, and
wipe my hand across my forehead to
brush away the frenzy.
Thirst and heat tortured unceasingly.
She broke with sudden passion of
hoarse appeal.
"Whv Hn wo wait? Wkv not now?"
"We ought to wait," I stammered,
miserable and pitying.
"Yes," she whispered, submissive,
"I suppose we ought. One always
does. But I am tired. I think," she
said, "that I will let my hair down. I
shall go with my hair down. I have
a right to, at last."
Whereupon she fell to loosening
her hair and braiding it with hurried
fingers.
Then after a time, I said:
"We'll not be much ionger, dear."
"I hope not," said she, panting, her
lips stiff, her eyes bright and fever-
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ish. "They'll rush us at sundown;
maybe before."
'I believe," said I, blurring the
words, for my tongue was getting un
manageable, "they're making ready
:;ow."
She exclaimed and struggled and
sat up, and we both gazed. Out there
the Sioux, in that world of their own,
had aroused to energy. I fancied that
they had palled of the inaction.
They delayed an instant, gesticulat
ing.
"It will be soon," she whispered,
ouching my arm. "When they are
half-way, don't fail. I trust you. Will
you kiss me? That is only the once."
I kissed her, dry, cracked lips met
dry, cracked lips. She laid herself
down and closed her eyes and smiled.
I m all right," she said. "And
tired. I've worked so hard for only
this. You mustn't look."
'And you must wait forme, some
where," I entreated. "Just a moment."
The. Sioux charged, shrieking, ham
mering, lashing, all, of one purpose:
that us; she, 1; my life, her body;
and quickly kneeling beside her (I
was cool and liim and collected), I
felt her hand guide the revolver barrel.
But I did not look. She had for
bidden, and I kept my eyes upon
them, until they were half-way, and
in exultation I pulled the trigger, my
hand already tensed to snatch and
cock the deliver myself under their
very grasp. That was a sweetness.
The hammer clicked. There had
been no jar, no report.
The hammer had only clicked, I tell
you, shocking me to the core! A
.nisscd cartridge? An empty cham
ber? Which? No matter. I should
achieve for her, first, then, myself.
1 heard her gasp. Then I sensed an
other sound and with sight sharpened
I saw. Rising I screeched and waved.
as bizarre, no doubt, as any animated
scarecrow.
It had been a trumpet note, and a
cavalry guidon and a rank of bobbing
figures had come galloping, galloping
over an imperceptible swell.
"We're saved, the soldiers are
here," I yelled as the Sioux fled,
screaming.
She tottered up, clinging to me.
We were sitting close together
when a lieutenant scrambled to us
i.mong our rocks; the troopers fol
lowed, curiously scanning.
His stubbled red face, dust-smeared,
queried us keenly; so did his .curt
voice.
"Just in time?"
He brought curious news. Daniel
:iad not died from my shot after all,
but Montoyo, the gambler, had been
lynched by Vigilantes.
It was six weeks later when we two
-ode into Benton, wondering.
Roaring Benton City had vanished.
The iron tendrils of the Pacific Rail
way glistened, stretching westward
into the sunset, and Benton had fol
lowed the lure, to Rawlins (as had
been told us), to Green River, to Ery-
an like.y now traveling fast, charg
i.ig the mountain slopes of Utah, The
restless dust had settled.
The Queen Hotel, the Big Tent, the
saloons, gambling dens, dance halls.
the station itself had subsided into
this: a skeleton company of hacked
and weazened posts, a fantastic out
crop of coldly blackened chimneys, a
sprinkling of battered cans. The fe
vered populace who had ridden high
upon the tide of rapid life had re
mained only as ghost.i haunting a pot
tor's field.
"It's all, all wiped out, like he said,"
she said. "But I wished to see."
"All, all is wiped out, dear heart,"
sniil I. "All of that. ' But here are
you and I."
Through star shine we cantereu
side by side eastward tlown the old,
empty freighting road, for the rail
way station at tort Steele.
THE END.
(Copyright by Edwin L. Sabin.)
1927 BABY CHIX 192,7.
Tancred White Leghorn chi. at $15
per 100; $135 per 1000. Also O. A. C.
Barred Plymouth Kocks at ?lf per
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19, 26; May 3, 10. 17. 24 ami PI. A
500 or larger order takes lO'JU rate;
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