Thursday, February 17, 1927
THE
KILLING OF
BLACK DOE
By TRENTON CLURE
(Copyright by W. (J. chapman.!
he drew a bead on him so as to a old
hitting the girl.
Bang 1
Mitchell leaped Into the air. flung
ort his arms, and pitched head tore-
most. Dunn stepped into the shack,
There was no need to look more Ilian
once at the dead face, or the blood
oozing from the heart.
Marie ran to Dunn, sobbing wildly.
“You did right, the beast!" she' cried,
“Come with me," said Dunn.
•They raced to the stables, and In a
moment he had freed the horses,
saddled them, and placed her on the
sergeant’s. In another moment they
were galloping across the barrens. At
the time Dunn was conscious of worn
dering where old Dufour nnd Crum
«ere. But a moment later they heard
shouts behind them. They gall< pod
frantically forward, anywhere, so long
as they could win free.
Crum was a man of resolution, and
Dunn knew that he would take up the
chase and never leave it. He reckoned
on the fact that Crum’s horse was ti e
slowest of the three. The freshly rail­
ing snow would hide their tracks If
they could win the country across the
river bed, where a series of hummocks
swelled Into the Big Lake mountains.
Fur behind bint Dunn heard a
shout, He turned and looked back as
he rode, Crum was standing at the
door of the stable, waving Ills arms
to him.
A few minutes later Dunn, looking
back, saw Crum mounted and in tttr-
suit of them, a tiny figure upon a tiny
horse, They rode madly for the dip
toward tlie river.
"We must be careful,” «id»! 31 .rie
as they began the descent. “The recks
are dangerous."
Even as she spoke her horse tri Ipnèd I
on a projecting bowk! r, st mt l! led.
and flung her face downward upon
the hard bed of the frozen stream,
Dunn leaped from his horse
kneeled beside her. She had
stunned by the fall; she open -'’ h
eyes and looked alm >ut her hall-"
sclous.
The horse scrambled to its fee1, ran
up the bank, and raced back toward
the stable, followed by Dunn’s h> ffr.
And Dunn, kneeling at Marie’s rid'-,
knew that chance had settled his * »ar­
ticular problem. And in the dis’, ice
Crum came on Inexorably.
Dunn shrugged his shoulders as < ne
who has played Ids last card. lie car­
ried the girl up to the top of the bank
and waited for Crum, who came ;al-
loping up on hls horse. He timi"
himself to bls feet, panting, like bls
steed.
“What’s the matter with you
play this crazy trick after killing
him?" lie shouted.
Dunn smiled. “I guess you're right,
Crum," he said. “Take the girl on
your saddle; I'll walk. You can trust
me."
Crum, staring at him In apparent
perplexity, lifted Marie to the sn Idle
before him. She had fallen into a
swoon again. Then he rode slowly
back toward the cabin, with I unn
walking a little distance in front of
him.
He turned his horse away when
near the stable, and went toward the
little patch of stunted trees that had
struck upon Dunn’s attention at the
moment when he raised his rifle.
Dunn saw the motionless body of a
man lying hidden among them,
was Black Doe.
“How did you get him, Dunn?
asked Crum, dismounting and turn­
ing the body over, "See! He had
Just fired. You were In the nick of
time."
The dead man’s fingers were
clutched about the trigger; tlie rifle
had been discharged: over his heart
was a bullet wound.
Dunn, unable to speak, accompa­
nied Crum back to the shack. Mitchell
lay where he had fallen, nnd old Du­
four was muttering: in the comer, as
if he dldkiot understand.
“He got poor Mitchell a second be­
fore you fired.” said Crum. “Over the’
heart, too. See!"
Dunn looked In horror now mixed
with agitation. He saw that track of
the bullet through the breast am! oiit
under the rib. The missile lay upon
the floor beside the Inert man. It was
a battered .45, such as the Indians
use. Dunn's bullet had been n .303.
And It had been Black Doe whom he
had killed, not Mitchell.
ERHAPS Dunn should never
have Joined the Northwestern
mounted police, for of all types
of men who are out of their ele­
ment there, the moody, Introspective,
unaggresslve man comes easily first.
But Dunn had had a hankering after
the military life when he went out to
Calgary two years before.
Now he was In for several years,
and cursing his luck dally. What he
liked best was the lonely patrols up
in the Big Lake country.
He had met Marie Dufour there,
the daughter of an old trapper who
had retired, like Ids fur-bearing
beasts, before the march of civiliza­
tion. He had seen her three times
during the past two years, and It had
been understood that when he became
a corporal he was to speak to her fa­
ther.
But the coveted stripes would never
be his so long as Sergeant Mitchell
remained in the squadron. A hard-
featured, service-bitten man. Mitchell
made Dunn’s life wretched. He in­
spected Ids uniform with an eagle eye
that discovertd the smallest speck or
flaw, lie hauled him before his officers
on trivial charges; In short, lie did
Ills best to break Dunn or force him
out of the service.
It was a long time before Dunn dis­
covered that Mitchell had met Marie
in the Big Lake country the year be­
fore and coveted her beauty. When
Dunn understood this he privately re­
solved that some day he would even
up the score between them. For the
present lie remained quietly» In bar­
racks, doing his duty and suffering
under Mitchell’s Ill-treatment.
The quiet life was interrupted by
one of those periodical excitements
that descended upon tile barracks.
Black Doe had shot a police officer
at Neverport, and was making for the
Big Lake country. Mitchell was or­
dered to take two troopers and get
him.
It was a Journey of two hundred
miles, In the slushy period of spring.
But the police never postpones its
vengeance when it can avoid it, and
never abandons it.
Dunn could not imagine what It was
that Impelled Mitchell to select him
along with Crum. Perhaps Mitchell
wished to see the man he most hated
In Marie’s presence, so as to be more
sure of his bearings. Whatever the
motive, he selected Dunn, and he
gibed at him all the way.
He found fault with him during the
long and painful day marches, with
his equipment, Ids care of tils horse,
Ills manner of riding. He detailed 1dm
on one-man fatigues In the daytime,
and gave him all the difficult work.
Dunn's rage smoldered, but the idea
In the back of his ndnd that he would
get even with Mitchell hardly assumed
any tangible form?
In due course they reached the
store at Big Lake. Their visit was a
complete surprise. Black Doe had
been seen In the neighborhood, and
evidently was oft his guard. Mitchell
ascertained that he had made po
purchase* without which It would be
Impossible for him to continue on his
way northward into the barrens.
“We'll spend the night at Johnny
Dufour’s,” he said to Crum, as the
three rode away toward the shack.
Dunn’s heart sank when he off-
snddled. Marie was directly in the
s'oorway to greet the visitors, and her I
eyes wandered with wonder from '
Dt’cn's face to Mitchell’s.
"'.tike my horse to the stables!”
commanded Mitchell curtly. “And,
say! Take Crum’s, too. And see that
the 're well groomed before you
come In to supper.”
Dunn went away obediently, riding
Ids horse and leading the two others.
Now he began to understand, he
thought, the reason why Mitchell had
selected him. He wanted to humiliate
liim in the eyes of the girl.
At supper Mitchell kept up a cross­
fire of chaff, banter and spitefulness,
directed at Dunn. Dunn's acquies­ Increasing Use Made
cence seemed to enrage him. He
of Castor Oil Plant
would have welcomed a chance either .
for a brawl or for punishment for In­
The rapid growth of the castor oil
discipline; but Dunn only sat silently, plant has become proverbial. Some
watching Marie furtively, while the commentators have declared that the
sergeant's eyes were alight with! plant known as Jonas’ gourd was the
triumph. He felt that he had won, castor oil plant There are vast plains
had shown Marie his superiority over In Bengal covered with the oil-pr, dop­
Dunn.
ing vegetable.
Immediately after the mon-oon.
They retired to their bunks. They
were to start up the trail at day­ when the water has receded, the peas­
break, on the quest for Black Doe. ant rakes the mire and puts the oil
Dunn slept fitfully; he was thinking plant seeds in the ground, two by two
of Marie, and his heart was full of The plants rapidly develop their great
leaves and produce their fruit, which
passionate resentment.
He was the first up, and went to grows In groups of capsules, acquir­
groom the horses. As he came back ing a coppery-green color mottled with
to the shack, he heard Mitchell's voice purple and rich carmine. When the
and the girl's behind the open door hot sun has dried the pods they burst
Mitchell had his arm round her waist The women and children watch the
and was drawing her toward him. pods and when the first crack appears
they are ready to catch the preclons
Crum was nowhere In sight.
Then Dunn knew what be meant to seeds within.
When the seeds have dried a few
do. He crept back very softly to the
stable and loaded his rifle. He took days the natives toast them, crush
It In his arms, carrying It as a mother them in a mortar, and plunge them
might her first born, and approached in boiling water, when the oil rises to
the surface.
the door again.
Mitchell held the girl in his arms
Sheep’* Long Fast
now, and she was struggling as he
tried to kiss her. Dunn, aiming de­
Seventeen day* after being missed
liberately, was conscious of the open by an Oasweatry (Eng l farmer, a
door at the back of the shack, and a abeep was found Inside a large wa
clump of dwarf fir about a hundred ter pipe near the Liverpool a ater
yards distant. Then be concentrated works. The animal was quite frisky,
hie attention upon Mitebell. Carefully in spite of the long fast
P
I
For SALE or TRADE
I have a 40 acre ranch that 1
will sell, or trade for town property.
Thirty acres under cultivation and
10 acres in timber. Good house and
nicely fixed inside.
SUITS
It is the former Mellinger ranch
If you know where it is call and see
it. It is 1 Mi miles from town on
stony point road below city resevoir.
If you don’t know where it is, in­
quire at the Eagle office for Rat­
cliffe and I will be glad to show you
where it is.
*
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