%
i
MIT RTT
CHAPTER XVII
oe} Ge
The Finding of Gomez,
The little squad of cavalry moved
ap wae creek bottom with much cau-
tion. The rangy young lieutenant, ex-
ercising his first independent cone
mand, was determined to neglect no
precaution.
Deborah hegged for haste, but the
officer remained adamant, and, at last,
in a chaos she rode on listlessly be-
side him. Kelleen must be dead; she
dare not even dream anything
else, She had heard the shot,
seen the burst of flame, caught
sight of his toppling body pithg-
ing over the edge of the cliff. The
men who shot him had no doubt;
they had fired to kill, believed they
had killed; and gone away satisfied—
Bob Meager and the Mexican. She
shivered at the memory of them, Her
husband! that murderer her husband!
He could claim her, would claim her
if he lived; legally she belonged to
him. The ceremony was sacrilege, a
hideous mockery, yet it was legal,
legal; it left her forever in the power
of that bhruté, She shuddered at
recollection of that scene In the
ranchhouse, the leering, drunken
faces, the sharp volce 6f Judge Gar
rity, the brutal grip with which Bob
Meager held her, those hateful words
shame. And then the struggle to save
herself: the hours of torture wilting
for his coming, the broken door, the
ecluteh of his hands, the hot, drunken
breath on her face, the blow
set her free. Good G—d!
#ll be true! The fresh night alr, the
escape through the black night,
meeting with Daniel Kelleen.
He had been a man, a real
he had died for her. Unchecked, un-
noticed the tears welled into her eyes.
and fell on the saddle pommel. She
nothing but that they were riding now
to bring back his body. She had al-
most known before that she loved
him, but now, in bereavement and de-
brightness and had gone
life.
live—the wife of Bob Meager.
hope
the little cavalcade debouched
the bed of the forced
jaded horses up the bank, and came
to where the riders could look down
into the half-concealed valley below,
Advance scouts awaited them here
stream,
among the
curving downward
were there any signs of human pres
ence in the lower valley. i
The lleutenant studied
through his glasses yet vaguely sus
picious of some trick,
the sergeant, and
Deborah,
finally spoke to
“but It seems deserted.
ognize anything?”
She sat straight In the saddle,
the directions.
“l can never forget.
by that big rock; you can see a whisp
of smoke even now. This trail must
lead direct. Over there,” she hid her
face for an Instant in her hands as
though to shut out the sight, “is the
cliff over which Captain Kelleen fell,
and just beyond, at the upper end of
the valley is the cave | told you about.
I—1 am going down whether you and
your soldiers come or not. I—I must
learn the truth.”
She forced her horse forward, and
the others followed, walting for no
command, the sergeant riding almost
beside her in the narrow trall. They
found the storehouse, back within the
shadow of the great rock, so concealed
by trees as to be invisible a few yards
away. It was deserted, unguarded ;
and satisfied a® to this fact, convinced
by a hundred signs that the entire
outfit had Indeed returned the way
they came, the lleutenant seattered
his force to explore the upper valley.
His mood had changed from suspicion
of this girl to faith Im ber strange
story. Thin were exactly as she
had described. Dismounted, their
horses being led behind them In resgli-
ness for any emergency, the squad ad-
vanced, the men with carbines in their
bands. The sergeant kept close mn
ngainst the southerm cMff until he
came to where Deborah pointed out
the spot of Kelleen's fall. They found
no body, no sigas to indicate any such
tragedy. Carney gased about In per
plexity. .
“Yeu are sure this is the place,
mish?" he usked ddubtfully,
8, Sergeant; we were on the
rock up there, the one jutting oii} ever
the edge; there Is no ether spot
Hie 18.”
# eyes, narrewed, surveyed the
nee, marking every detail,
“Then It's y he struck ‘them
trees, miss, and there may be a ledge
He
foot and
out of erev-
progress upward. Once or twice he
paused, as though blocked, clinging
to the face of the cliff like a fly, yet
found a say, and went on. Those he.
low watched breathlessly until the
man finally crept over an outcropping
ledge, imperceptible from where they
stood, and disappeared. It seemed ns
though he was gone a long while.
Deborah, hand pressed on her heart,
naver removed her eyes from the spot,
or stirred. What had he found up
there? Surely he must have discov-
eged something—the dead, mangled
body, no doubt, Then he appeared
again, alone, standing up and gazing
down at them. His volce as he hailed
them below, sounded clear, exultant,
a new ring In its tone,
“He ain't here, miss, but, by G—d,
gir, 1 belleve he's alive”
Deborah could not speak, could not
utter a sound. Alive! Allve! why
that was Impossible; her very heart
seemed to stop beating. She could
only stare up at the man dazed and
helpless, It was the lleutenant who
answered,
“You say he [s alive Carney?”
“Well, he sure left here alive, sir,
and on his own legs. | found the
place where he come down, an' where
he got on his feet again, There
wasn't nobody else here helpin' him,
an' he started off along this ledge—
limpin' a bit, 1 should say, but goin’
alone. Whatever happened since, sir,
inly left here able to navigate,
Maybe 1 better follow the trail?”
“Yes, go on, Sergeant.”
Deborah's limbs trembled go
conld scarcely walk for the first
steps. She clung gratefully to
her gaze never
the man moving cautiously
along the narrow ledge of rock high
above them, Alive! Danlel Kelleen
was allvel Nothing else mattered:
Her hands clasped tightly at the offi-
cer's sleeve,
“Have the sergeant
have him hurry! He doesn’t need to
grace Captain Kelleen's trail. [—I
am sure | knew where he was going”
“Where was that?™
“To the cave I had found, and told
him about: it is there beyond
that ind G4, Lieutenant,
} =f or 8 a.
HOE 5 OnE Poe thes
she
few
the
do
hurry: please
Just
mot Good
are
found him al
There were two animals in a tittle
hobbled, and nibbling
grass, but both
bridied. They had the Meager ranch
brand on their Banks® and the ser
geant, the pariy below,
followed the trall of
HOTSes gra
have ready
COve,
short saddipgd
joining easily
two men on foot
until they circled the mound of earth,
and ascended the
opposite side,
nger held back.
the danger
yet
fully realizing confront.
ing them.
“Be careful here”
certainly
least, and
let
she warned,
in there—two or
they will shoot.
me show you; 1
three, at
Sergeant,
know the way."
They were already before the cling.
ing vines; her hands trembled as she
forced these aside revealing the black
vacancy behind. The startled : ser
ing bewildered into the vold, his serv.
ice revolver thrust forward, an oath
breaking from his lips.
“By G—d! but this beats h--1, sir.
Dn jt. but I'm goin’ in!"
He went over the barrier of rock
unmolested. unstopped, and recklessly
Deborah followed. The leutenant
paused an instant,
“Jones, you and Cajhoun follow ns;
the others remain out here. Keep
your eyes open, lads”
The next moment he had gjso scram.
bled through the opening. and erouched
down beside the trembling girl. Just
ahead the two could dimly distinguish
Carney, leaning forward, peering into
the total darkness beyond.
“It's—~it's perfectly level, the floor
18,” she whispered. “You can follow
slong the wall—I did.”
They advanced together slowly,
feeling their way, scarcely a sound
breaking the silence. Suddenly the
sergeant, slightly in advance, stopped,
feeling at something on the floor with
his feet; then he stoeped over,
“By Gd. here's a dead man!”
“A dead man! Are you sure?
“He's dead all right, sir. Where's
the flashlight? We've got to find out
what this means."
“Jones has it: Jones, some up here,
Give me the flash”
The round glare of light struck the
side walls, swept over the still kneel
Ing sergeant, glinting on his drawn
weapon, and then touched the motion
tess hody entstretched on the floor. At
last Nt rested on the upturned face
"Rhe sergeant stared dowm as though
he sav a ghost,
“By Gd!" he ejaculate] at Imat,
“by Gd! it's the old devil Nimself
f° “What's that, Carney! you know
him?"
“Know him! Why, sir, Lieutenant,
it's QGontez, Manuel Gemez—there's
fifty thomsand dollars on him dead or
ave, Well, he's dead al right”
"Gomez, the outlaw; but are yon
sure?”
“Spre,” the. sergeant rose to his feel
and swung about. “Sure? Hol
your parden, sir—why
moalat Kbe sure? [I've chased that
od fox éver since I've been in the
army, twenty years, sir. Twice we
were after him down In old Mexico.
It's Manuel Gomez iying there, and it
was a knife that kitled him."
The boy leutenant's face wns white
in the reflected light, but his lips were
firmly set,
“Well, he's dead how.” he »ild stern.
ly, “and it {8s up to us to tind out what
all this means."
He lifted the flash from off the up-
turned face, and sent it dancing along
the gray walls into the black chasm
ahead,
“But, Lieutenant, this ain't no cave,
sir; It's a bloomin' mine,” a voice
spoke from behind in tone of sur
prise,
“What makes you think that, Cal-
houn¥”
“Cause It's been hilasted
ly, sir, or else picked, [I've been a
miner myself, and ought to know,
Muybe there was 8 cave yere once,
but 1 tell yer, sir, these yere walls
have been hand-worked, or I'm a
plker.”
“All right, we've got to explore the
passage just the same, on
men."
He flashed the warning light ahead,
as they advanced, taking his own place
heside the sergeant, and compelling
Deborah to remain behind with the
two soldiers. As the passage curved
out most.
Lome
with extreme caution, to gain view of
what lay hidden beyond, Carr reach
ing out his hand to send the flicker of
light dancing down the narrowed tun.
nel,
sponse, awoke no sound of movement,
and Carney venfured to protrude his
head far enough around the protect.
ing rock to gain view of what was
beyond.
needed to reveal the scens. At
end of the passage, down through that
the
(
/ .
“It's the Olid Devil Himself”
slight opening, leading to the desert
above, streamed the glare of day,
been blindly feeling his way forward,
It rested, a pool of light on the floor,
and in Its very center, every detail
outlined as in an etching, were two
bodies, one face downward, curled In
grotesque shape, the other lying at
full length, features upturned to the
low roof. Beyond these the flare of
the flashlight, leaping across this nar
row space of day, exhibited a jumbled
mass of rock blocking the passage
from top to bottom. They seemed to
have attained the very end of things,
The startled sergeant stared speech.
less-—first at those motionless bodies,
death pictured In each attitude: then
beyond at = strange, ghastly, white
face, on which the, searchlight fan.
tastically played. Suddenly some.
thing else reflected into his eyes, the
sparkle of am uplifted revolver's pol
ished tube,
“Who are yon?" asked a hoarse
volee sternly. “Stop thebe until you
answer.”
“My G4, sir!” was the instant
ery. "I'm Carney, Sergeant Carney,
Captain. We've cpme here for you,
sir.”
The threatening revolver sank
weakly, and Carney and the lieg
tenant, oblivious te all else, rushed
forward, circling the two dead bodies
Ip their eagerness to reach the one
ve man beyond, held helpless in that
fall of rock. Debora. left in the dark.
acss’' behind, groped her way forward,
dared, speechless, only one fact eaho
Ing in Fer mind-<he wae alive, Daniel
Kelleen was alive!
She dropped to her knees, and drew
his bead ints the comifert of lier lap.
her hand smoothing back his hair,
There were glistening, pnshed tears In
her eyes, and he saw then,
“No, 1 got away,” she explained
hastily, “They did not see ue nt all
und then God guided me to your men.”
“I know pam of Ie-Mpager tel)
me.” S11
“Bob
her,
heart choked
here with you,
Meager?' her
“He wus really
then? What—what bappened? Can
you tell me? they will have those
rocks dug away in a moment.”
“Yes, yes, he wus here, he and Gar-
rity-~the judge, you know, They
they are both In there now, buried
under tons of rock, I—hardly know
what did happen;
in a flash, There was a tunnel In
here, 1 room, where old Alvara had
been mining vears and years ago,
must have died there all
i
i
vy
TOWNS MUST HAVE LIBRARY
in Czechoslovakia Every City and Vil
lage Should Possess Public
Reading Rooma,
—
It would be a fine thing for the
United States if In the next
years we could boast that every city,
town and village in the country pos
sessed a publie library—with a reading
rooms open dally where local residents
ven
read current periodicals.
do not grow excited. We find
with a
one of
Garrity-
I think
must
broken lantern.
them fell,
been some powder left
thére—~powder old Alvara had, maybe,
a lot of It. Il Saw the flash,
Jumped back--they are
buried.”
“Boh Meager Is dead?
“Crushed to a pulp.”
His head sank back helplessly, and
his
rolled the last stone from off
prisoned Hmbs, bot he lay Insensible
The three soldiers him
through the
trance, and,
those others
over the
Irserine
clinging
have
eves closed,
bore
black
with the assistance
outside, lifted his
barrier, between
vines into the sunlight.
ver left
body
rock the
ah ne
To witness such a system of libraries
it possibly would be necessary seven
years hence to make a trip to Czecho.
inbiishment of such lnstitutions com
pulsory. The act was passed in 19109,
und we are told that its provisions are
being obediently and even enthusiast)
cally carried out by the peopte, Many
of the towns have exceeded the legal
head rested her
felt
again
knelt,
stretched Hn
on
and
arm.
sergeant the out
he
a bit,” he anid at
if there is a
nil right
lows b
last, “but 1 douMt
bone broken. He'll
presently. One of you
a canteen. Now,
be
fel-
ng Tiss,
good than anything else.
Lieutenant?
“We can hardly move him at pres
He'll have to
van ride,
ent, Sergeant.
awhilé before he
were ordered to give the matter atten.
tion simost Immediately. Communi
given until December 31, 1824,
those still smaller have until
her 31, 1020.
this
while
arrangement.
reach of every person in the land.
compulsory
name It what
progress veness,
you will, it is a
It would be Interest
fess in
no publie
the United States have
libraries We venture a
there,
way.”
"Very well, sir
They disappeared togeth
and of them In
alepose
”
AW
the valley the troop horses grazed in
sunshine, Deborah, bathing the
$1 w -
white face gently,
$i
Eg :
y., waited with wildly
She was free, free, acd
lived
in life
beating heart
Daniel There wus
to think about.
Kelleen
nothing aE
He
slowly opened his eyes,
though her helo
wns the most natoral thing
world
“The
treguld
blue sky.” he sald, his voice
ing. "how beautiful it is. Ga!
that hole
"Yes" she replied,
to talk now: that
“But 1 want
“but don’t try
ig all over with™
talk.” he insisted
it
to
$wiy +
ing.
“Then if you must, tell me what
happened : It seems almost a miracle”
“It was a not
sure but ye
he replied soberly. hen slowly, hes
tatingly, prompted now and then by
a question, he told his story, his voice
growing stronger 28 he spoke. The
guard sat on
nway, their
miracle, and 1 am
3 were God's
carbines between
Czechoslovakia's
will be a
national en
Orienans Times
than thus provided
library system
great force in furthering
Hghtenment.— New
Pleayune
doubtiess
MODERN HITCHING POST
ae : .
Although the motor has largely sup
and competition from the automobile
will never teach the horse as a class,
Here
neat and sturdy hitching post
Moreover
low. The girl bent over eagerly,
seeking not to lose a word,
end Kelleen asked suddenly:
“The paper you took from the boy's
hand-—what was it?”
“Only a map, very ronghly drawn,
and written on In Spanish. 1 eould
make litle out of [t—see”
She held it out before him, a yel
low, creased paper, looking a century
old. He held it for a moment in his
own hands, peering at the crisscross
of lines impatiently.
“Perhaps it was one Alvara left"
he said slowly, “and the boy had
found. He followed the rainbow to
the ond.”
“And we wil never know?
“No; the end was death.”
They were quiet a long while; then
his hand moved and touched her own.
fler eyes, which had been on the fal
ley, dropped wonderingly tb his face.
“This Is not all, & it—just to be
alive again? he asked softly.
“lel hardly know what you mean”
“Back there in the tunnel” he ine
sieted, “when 1 first looked up Into
your eyes | read a message; T want
to mead it again”
“A message--are you sure?”
“Yes, deur, I am sure; it was a
message of love”
She was no longer looking at him,
and she caught her breath. Then
thelr eyes met ofice more,
“It Is the same message always,
Daniei Kelleen” she sald simply.
[THE END)
Oldest Knawn Will,
A will executed In 2548 B. C. Is the
oldest extant, It is written os papyros
ty nn Egyptian named Uah, In it he
guve hig home and ot praperty to
his wife. jo be left hy ber to any of
their children: arranged for Mie burisd
of himself and wife, and appointed a
guarding for a son,
differs litle from eae which might be
5
That Will Rival That of Any
dy
en
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'
The Instaliation Is to be of the white
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Turf.Cutting Tool.
A singlebiaded chopping knife ean
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It Is only necessaiy to remove the
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The city of Long Beach, Onl, Is the
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Wrong Color,
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“Yeu ve just been done out of $500
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Testing Out Conditions.
“My hat. Is in the ring!” exclaimed
the aggressive politician,
“That,” sald Senator Sorghum, “is a
prudent move. Walt and see what
happens to the hat and maybe you'll
decide to postpone going in after [."
Marked.
“When I hears a man quarrelin’
over de telephone” sald Uncle Ebef,
“I picks him foh one o' dese safety
first Aghters” Washington Star.
Sure Relief
green yoo are -Borton Transcript.
i