WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE
Frank Bec.on, from Albany, N. \.
reaches Benton. Wyoming, then?
1868? western terminus of the Pa
cific Railroad. He had been ordered
bv physicians to seek a climate "high
and drv." He is robbed of most of
his money in his hotel and loses his
last twenty dollars at monte in "The
Bin Tent." a dance hall and gambl
ing resort in the "roaring" town of
Benton.
Edna Monotoyo, companion of a
Kambler. is believed by Frank to have
cajoled him purposely into the game.
Broke, disconsolate over his discov
ery that "the lady of the blue eyes."
as he calls her. is what she is. and
finallv humiliated over his glfaring
"greenness.'' Frank repulses Edna
when she begs him to go away with
her. sobbingly telling him that she
h^l made a mistake in letting him
lose his money. He goes to take a
job with
George Jenks, a teamster in a wag
on train about to leave for Salt Lake
City.
Capt. Adami. a mormon, is in
charge ? f the wagon train.
Rachel Adams, an attractive young
woman, one ? f 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 lis lather that >he
is seeking Jenk- and Beeson. t apt.
Adams shouts. "No hussy in men's
garments shall go with the train.
CHAPTER VIII.
FOR A WOMAN'S SMILE
.lenks stiffened, bristling.
"Mind your words, Adams. I nv
under .a Mormon thumb. As for j
your brat on horseback, he's better j
hold his yawp."
I sprang forward. Defend her I
must. She should not stand there ?
sltight, lovely, brave, aflame with the
helplessness of a woman alone and
insulted.
"Wait!" I implored. "Give her a
chance. You haven't heard her story
All she wants is protection. I know
the cur she's getting away from. I
saw him strike her. You've got wom
en there who'll care for her!"
I felt her instant look. She spoke
palpitant.
"You have one man among you i
all. But I am going. Good-night, (
gentlemen."
Captain Adams was frowning
sternly, his heavy face unsoftened.
"Why come you here?"
"My husband has been abusing me,
and 1 shot him!"
"You killed him, woman?"
"Not yet! He's likely fleeing the
public at this very moment."
"And those garments'." Captain
Adams accused. "You wish to show
your shape, woman, to attempt men's
eye with the flesh?"
She smiled.
"Would you have me jump from
a train in skirts, sir? But to soothe
your mind I will say that I wore
these clothes under my proper attire
and cloak until the last moment."
A new voice sounded.
"She shall stay, Hyrum? For the
night, at least? I will look aft?r
her."
The Captain's younger wife, Rach
el, had stepped to him. Pending re
ply I hastened directly to My Lady
herself and detained her by her jack
et sleeve.
"Wait," I bade.
"You would take her in, Rachael?"
the Captain rumbled.
"We are commanded to feed the
hungry and shelter the homeless,
Hyrum."
"Verily that is so. Take her! But
in God's name, clothe her for the
daylight decency. She shall not ad
vertise her flesh to men's eyes!"
Quick!" I whispered with a push.
Rachael, however, had crossed for
us.
"Will you come with me, Please?"
she invited.
"Yes," sighed My Lady, wearily.
"Good-night, sir* She fleetlngly ;
smiled upon me. "I thank you: said
Mr. Jenks."
They went, Rachael's arm about
he**.
Daniel pressed beside Captain
Adams, talking eagerly.
"She's powerful purty, ain't she.
paw ! Gosh, I never seen a woman in
britches before! Did yu? Paw! She
kin ride in my wagon, paw. Be vu
goin' to take her on, paw? If yu be,
I got room."
"Go! Tend to your stock and think
of other things," boomed the father.
?'Remember, that the Scripture says:
?Beware of the the scarlet woman'!"
Daniel galloped away, whooping
like an idiot.
Our group dispersed, each man to
swered. "We ain't keepirT cases on
her, or on you. You don't find her
in my outfit, that's flat. She spent
the night with the Adams women.
You'll find her waitin* for you, on
ahead." He grinned. She'll be pow
erful glad to see you." He sobered.
"And I'll say this: I'm kinder sorry I
ain't got her, for she'd be interestin'
company on the road."
"The road to hell, yes," Montoyo
cooly remarked. "'I'll guarantee you
quick passage. Good-day."
With sudden steely glare that em
braced us both be jumped his mount
into a gallop and tore past the team,
for the front.
I could hold back no longer, and
hastening on up. half running in my
anxiety to face the worst; to help,
For Daniel had touched
loudly over the leveled
barrel.
his blanket under the wagons or in
the open.
"Wall," Jcnks uttered, in last
words as he turned over with a grunt
"hooray!" If it simmers down to you
and Dan'l, I'll be there."
With that enigmatical comment he
was silent save for stertorour breath
ing.
Varguely cogitating over his prom
ise I lay, toes and face up, staring
at the bright stars; perplexed more
and more over the immediate events
of the future, warmly conscious of
her astonish'ng proximity in this
very train, prickled by the hope that
she would continue with us, irritated
by the various assumptions of Dan
iel, and somehow not at all adverse to
the memory of her in "britches."
That phase of the matter seemed
to have affected Daniel and me sim
ilarly. Under his hide he was human.
* * ? ? * ?
It was after sun-up that a horse
man bored in at a gallop, over the
road from the east.
"Monotoyo," Jenks pronounced, in
a grumble of disgust rather than with
any note of alarm.
I saw him give a twitch to his hol
ster and slightly loosen the Colt's.
As it chanced, our outfit was the
first upon the gambler's way.
"Howdy, gentlemen?"
"Howdy yourself, sir," answered
Mr. Jenks. Montoyo was pale as
death, his lips hard set, his peculiar
gray eyes and his black moustache
the only vivifying features in his
coldly menacing countenance.
He looked upon me, with a trace
of recognintion less to be seen than
felt. His glance leaped to the wag
on ? traveled swiftly and surely and
turned to Mr. Jenks.
"I'm looking for my wife, gentle
men. Have you seen her?"
"Yes, sir. We'll not beat around
any bush over that," replied Jenks.
He meditated, frowning a bit, eye
ing us narrowly.
"I had the notion," he said. "If
you have staked lier to shelter, I
thank you; but now I aim to play
the hand myself. This is strictly a
private game. Where is she?"
"I call yuh, Pedro," my friend an
if I might, for the best.
A little knot of people had formed
contsanUy increasing by oncomers
like myself and friend Jenks who hud
lumbered behind me.
Montoyo's horse stood heavinp, on
the outskirts; land ruthlessly push
ing through I found him inside, with
My Lady at bay before him ? her
eyes brilliant, her cheeks hot, her
two hands clenched tightiy, and the
arm of the brightly flushed but calm
Rachael resting restrainfully around
her.
Captain Adams at one side apart,
was talking to the gambler.
"You see here," he said, "She has
had the care of my own house-hold
for I turn nobody away. She came
against my will, and she shall go of
her will. I am not her keeper."
"You Mormons have the advantage
erf us white men sir," Montoyo sneer
ed. "No one of the sex seems to be
denied bed and board in your estab
lishments."
"By the help of the Lord we of
the elect can manage our establish
ments much better than you do
yours," big Hyrum responded; and
;his face sombered. "Who are you?
A panderer to the devil, a thief with
painted card-boards, a despoiier of
the ignorant, and a feeder to hell ?
yea, a striker of women and a traf
ficker in flesh! Who are you to speak
the name of the Lord's enointed?
There she is, your chatel. Take her,
or leave her. This train starts on in
ten minutes."
"IH take her or kill her," Monto
yo snarled. "You call me a feeder,
but she shall not be fed to your mill,
Adams. You'll get on that horse
pronto, Madam," he added, stepping
forward (no one could question his
nerve), "and we'll discuss our affairs
private."
She cast about with swift beseech
ing look, as if for a friendly face or
sign of rescue. With a spring I burst
in.
But somebody already had drawn
fresh attention. Daniel Adams was
standing between her and her hus
band.
"Say, Mister, will yu fight?" he
drawled.
Monotoy? surveyed him.
"Why?**
"For her. o' course."
The gambler smiled? a slow, con
temptuous smile while his pray eyes
focused watchfully.
"It's a case where I have nothing
to train," said he. "And you've noth
ing to lose. I never bet in the teeth
of a pat hand. Sabe? Besides, my
young Mormon cub. where's your
ante? For the sport of it, now, what
do you think of putting up, make it
interesting? One of your mammies?
Tut. tut!"
Daniel's right hand stiffened at
his side? exteneded there flat iand
tremulous like the vibrant trail of a
rattlesnake. He blurted harshly:
'laow to kiU yu for that! Draw,
you ? !"
We caught breath. Montoyo's re
volver poised half-way out of the
scabbard, held there rigidly, frozen
in midcoixrse.
For Daniel had laughed loudly over
leveled barreL
How he had achieved so quickly
no man of us knew. Yet there it
was ? his Colt, out, cocked, wicked
and yearning and ready.
"Haow'll yu take it, Mister V* he
gibed. "I could l'arn and old caow
to beat yu on the draw. Aw, shucks!
I 'laow yu'd better go back to yore
pasteboards. Naow git!"
Montoyo, his eyes steady, scarcely
chanced expression. He let his re
volver slip down into its scabbard.
Then he smiled.
"You have a pretty trick," he com
mented, relaxing. "Some day I'd
like to test it out again. Just now I
pass. Madam, are you coming?"
"You know I'm not," she uttered
clearly.
"Your choice of company is hard
ly to your credit," he sneered. "Cr,
I should say, to your education.
Saintliness does not fall well upon
you, madam. Of your two cham
pions ? "
And here I realized that I was
standing out, one foot advanced, my
fists foolishly doubled, my presence ,
a useful factor.
" ? I recommend the gentleman
from New York as more to your
taste. But you are going of your
own free will. Y ou will always be
my wife. You can't get away from
that, you devil. I shall expect you
in Benton, for I have the hunch that
your little flight will fetch you back
pretty well tamed, to the place where
damaged goods are not so heavily
discounted."
With that he strode straight for
his horse, climbed aboard (a trifle
awkwardly by reason of his one arm
disabled) and galloped, granting us
not another glance.
Card shark and desperado that he
was, his consummate aplomb nobody
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ZOO TEARS
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could deny, except Daniel, now cap.
ering and swaggering and t\v!rling
his reveolver.
"I showed him. I made him tils
water. I 'Uow I'm 'bout the best raj
with a zix-shooter in these hs?
parts."
"Ketch up and stretch out." Cap.
tain Adams ordered, disregarding,
"We'?e no more time for foolery." i
My eyes met My Lady's. She
smiled a little ruefully, and I re- :
sponded, shamed by the poor role I j
had borne. With .that jubilating out 1
to the fore, certainly I cut small
figure!
(To be continued)
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