The Cushing Citizen (Cushing, Okla.), Vol. 12, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 16, 1920 Page: 13 of 14
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Cushing Citizen and The Cushing Independent and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
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THE CUSHING WEEKLY CITIZEN
AUTHOR OF-
THB PEVILM OWN
"MYLAW OF THE NORTH ETC
caFV7zj&-jrr jsaatdal fFusjssfi
CHAPTER XIII— Continued
— 14—
"It's Moore’s team all right” he
whispered back "and Matt Is driving
them There Isn’t anyone' else on the
eeat so I guess he must be alone"
“We can’t be sure of that” returned
Brennan wise In guurding against
surprises “There was another fellow
with him on the out trip and be might
te lying down back In the wagon
We’d better both of us hold ’em up I
can hear the creak of the wheels now
so maybe you best elide down ' Is the
outfit loaded?”
“Traveling light I should say” and
Westcott after one more glance crept
down the sand heap -and joined the
waiting man below Both stood Intent
nd ready revolvers drawn listening
The heavy wheels grated In the sand
he driver whistling to while away the
dreary pull and the horses breathing
"Where In 8am Hill Did You Come
From?”
heavily Moore pulled them np with a
Jerk as two figures leaped Into view
tils whistle coming to an abrupt pause
“H — 1’s fire 1” was all he said staring
dumbly down Into Brennan’s face over
the front wheel "Where In Sum Bill
did you come from?”
Tm the one to ask questions son”
returned the little marshal the vicious
blue barrel shining In the sunlight
'"and the smarter you answer the less
reason I shall have to hurt yer Don’t
reach for that gun I Are you traveling
Alone?”
Moore nodded his hnnds up but
still grasping the reins
"Then climb down over the wheel
Jim take a look under that canvas
Moore here Is generally a genial sort
’ liar and we’d better be sure All
right — hey? Then dismount Matt and
be quick pbout It Now unbuckle that
belt and hand the whole outfit over to
Westcott then we’ll talk business to-
gether" He shoved his own weapon back Into
Its holster and faced the prisoner who
had recovered from his first shock of
surprise and whose pugnacious temper
was beginning to assert Itself Bren-
nan read this In the man's sulky de-
fiant glance and his lips smiled
grimly
"Getting bullish are you Matt?” he
said rather softly "Goln ter keep a
close tongue In yer head so that's the
game? Well I wouldn’t son If I was
you Now see here Moore” and the
marshal’s eyes were like flints “You
know me I reckon an’ that I ain’t
much on boys’ play You never heard
tell o’ my hlttln’ anybody Just fer fun
did yer?”
There was no answer
“An’ yer never heard no one say”
went on Brennan “that I was afraid
ter hit when I needed to I reckon also
yer knows what sorter man Jim West-
cott Is Now the two ov us ain’t out
here in this d d Shoshone desert
fer the fun of It— not by a Jugful Get
that fact Into yer head son an’ maybe
It’ll bring yer some sense Do yer get
me?”
“Yes” sullenly and reluctantly
“but yer haven't get nuthln’ on me”
“Oh haven't I? You drove a young
woman out here from Haskell night
afore last for Bill Lacy Ain't ab-
duction no crime? An’ that’s only one
count I’ve had an eye on you for
moro'n six months an’ Lacy’s been
making a ratvpaw out of you all that
time Well Lacy Is playin’ his last
hand right now an’ I've got the
cards” The marshal paused fully
aware Hint lie had struck home then
nddi-d qu ell V "It allers struck me
Matt that naturally you was a pretty
decent fellow but had drifted In with
a bad crowd I’m offering you now a
chance to get straight agalTi” He
threw bnck his coat and exhibited his
star “Yer see I ain’t just talkin’ ter
yer as Dan Brennan — I’m the law”
The boy for he was scarcely more
than that in years shuffled his feet
uneasily and his eyes wandered from
Brennan to Westcott The look of sul-
len defiance had vanished
‘IWotcher wanter ask?”
“Who was with you the out-trlp
along with Miss Donovan?”
“Joe Sikes”
"And yer left him back there guard-
ing tlie girl?”
“He stayed them was the orders
while I was to bring back the team
but I reckon he won’t need to do no
guardin’ to speak of fer we run Inter
a bunch o’ fellows”
“IIow many are they?”
“Maybe a dozen I don’t Just know”
"What was done with the young
lady?”
Moore spat vindictively Into the
sand digging a hole with his heel He
had talked already more than he In-
tended but what was the difference?
“Cateras took her” he admitted
“but I don’t know whar I tried ter find
out whar she was but nobody’d tell
me Then I had ter pull out”
Westcott Interjected a question
"What’s the valley like an’ how do
you get Into It?”
"Well I’d say it was Just a sort o'
sink In the desert a kinder freak
Anyhow I never saw nothin’ like It
afore The walls Is solid rock almost
straight up an’ down but thar’s a con-
siderable stream flowin’ down thnr
that just bursts out a hole in the
rock an' plenty o’ grass fer quite a
bunch of steers”
“How do they get down Into It?”
“ ’Long a windin’ trail on the west
side It used to be mighty rough I
reckon an’ only good fer hikers but
they fixed It up so they can drive cat-
tle down an’ even a wagon If yer take
It easy”
“And there Is no other way to the
bottom except along this trail?”
That’s ’bout all”
Brennan and Westcott looked at
each other both uncertain as to the
next step What were they to do with
their prisoner? And how could they
proceed toward effecting the rescue of
the helpless girl? It was a problem
not easy to solve If what Moore told
them was true The latter shuffled his
feet In the sand lifted his eyes shrewd
ly and studied the faces of his cap-
tors He was figuring his own
chance
“Yon fellows want ter get down in-
ter the valley?” he asked at last
“Yes” and Brennan turned again
quickly “if It can be done Of course
thar's only two of us an’ It would be
sort o’ foolish tryln’ ter fight a way
through even ag’ln’ Mexicans Fif-
teen ter -two is some odds but ’taln’t In
my nature or Jim’s here ter turn
round an' leave that girl In the hands
o’ them cusses — Is It Jim?”
“I never will” replied Westcott
earnestly “Not If I have to tackle the
whole outfit alone”
“You won’t have to do that What’s
the Idea Moore?”
“Oh I was Just thlnkln’” he an-
swered still uncertain “If I show yer
a way what Is thar In It fer me?”
Brennan stiffened his features ex-
pressing nothing
“What do you mean? I’m an officer
o’ the law 1”
“I know It I ain’t asking yer ter
make no promise But yer word will
go a h — 1 ov a ways If tills ever gets In
court If I help yer I’ve got to be pro-
tected f rum BUI Lacy He’d kill me
ns quick as he’d look at me Then
I’d want yer ter tell the Judge how It
all happened I know ye’re square
Dan Brennan an’ whntever yer says
goes”
The marshal stuck out his hand
“Thnt’s the gospel truth Matt” he
said gravely “an’ I’m with yer till the
cows come home What Is It you
know?”
“Well” with a quick breath as he
took the plunge “It’s like this mar-
shal there Is ust one place out yon-
der" and he waved his hand to Indi-
cate the direction "on the east rim o’
the valley where yer might get down
Ye’d have ter hang on tooth an’ toe-
nail but both of yer are mountain
men an’ I reckon yer could make the
trip If yer took It careful an’ slow
like”
Westcott asked: “How can we get
there safely? Can you guide us?”
Moore swept his eyes over the dull
range of sand expectorated thought-
fully and rammed his hands deep Into
his trouser-pocketsi He was slow
about answering hut the two men
waited motionless
“If It was me” he said finally "I’d
take It on foot It’ll be a Jsunt ov
near on to three miles unless yer
want ter risk bein’ seen by them
Mexes on the main trail You couldn’t
go straight but would have ter circle
out an' travel mostly behind that ridge
o’ sand thar to the left Goln’ that
a-way nohody’s likely ter get sight o’
yer on foot You couldn’t take no
boss though Ilere’d be my plan :
Lead this yere outfit o’ mine an’ your
ponies back Inter them sand dunes
whar nobody ever goes They’re tired
'nough ter stand an’ there ain’t any-
thing fer ’em to grnop on Then we
kin hoof It over ter the place I’m tell-
ln’ yer about an’ yer kin sorter size
It up fer yerselves That’s fair ain’t
It?”
They went at It with a will The
team was driven Into the security of
the snnd drifts and unhitched The
saddles were taken ft ora the backs of
the ponies and what grain Moore had
In the wagon was carefully appor-
tioned among the four animals Satis-
fied these would not stray the men
looked carefully to their supply of
ammunition and set forth on their
tramp
This proved a harder journey thnn
either Brennan or Westcott hnd an-
ticipated for Moore led off briskly
taking a wide circle until a consider-
able ridge concenled their movements
from the south At last Miore turned
sharply and plunged Into what resem-
bled a narrow ravine through the
ridge Here they struggled Inee deep
In the sand but finally emerged on the
very rim overlooking the valUy
So perfectly was It concenled they
were within ten feet of the edge be-
fore the men their bends bent In the
strenuous effort to advance even real-
ized Its Immediate presence Moore
grinned ns he noted the surprise de-
picted on their fnces and waved his
hand
“Yer better lie down nn' cn vi trp
ter the edge” he advised “Some
hole ain’t It?”
“I should say so” and Westcott
dropped to Lis knees “I never
dreamed of such a place Dnn ain't
this 'an eye-opener?”
“It sure Is” and the marshal crept
cautiously forward “Only it’s devils
who’ve got possession What’s that
down below Matt? Houses by Jingo I
Well don’t that beat h — 1? — all the
comforts of home”
“Two big cabins” explained Moore
rather proud of his knowledge “Cart-
ed the logs In from ol’ Baldy more’n
forty miles Creep up a bit an’ I’ll
show yer how the trail runs Don’t
be afeerd nobody kin see yer from
down below” -
"All right son where Is It?”
“It starts at the foot o’ that bowl-
der” Indicating with hls finger “an’
goes along the shelf clear to the end
then thar’s a drop ov maybe five feet
to that outcroppin’ o’ rock just below
It’s wider than It looks to he from
yere After that yer can trace It
quite a spell with yer eyes kinder
sidlin’ ter the left till yer come to
that dead root ov a cedar Then
thar’s a gap or two that ain’t oer
easy an’ a slide down ter another
shelf Yer can’t miss It cause there’s
no other way ter go”
“And what’s at the bottom?”
“Them huts an’ the mouth of a big
cave Just behind ’em I reckon It’s In
(lie cave they’ve got the gal there’s
places there they kin shut up hut I
don’t know what they was ever mnde
fer I asked Lacy wunst but be only
laughed”
The two men lay flat staring down
It was almost a sheer wall and the
very thought of climbing along the al-
most Impassable path pointed out by
Moore made Westcott dizzy It was
such a sheer precipitous drop a path
— If path It could be called — so thick-
ly studded with danger the mind ac-
tually recoiled In contemplation
They were still sitting there cross-
legged in the sand when the silence
was suddenly punctuated by the sharp
report of a revolver The sound bnre-
Westcott Was the First at the
Staring Eagerly Downward
ly reached tlielr ears yet it undoubt-
edly came from below and all three
were upon their feet when a second
Btot decided the matter
Westcott was first at the rim star-
ing eagerly downward For a mo-
ment all he noticed was a man lying
on the ground In front of the small
hut but almost Immediately men be-
gan to swarm out through the door
of the bunk-house and a horseman
came spurring from the field beyond
The men were armed several with
guns In their hnnds all with revolv-
ers buckled at the waist and they
bunched there Just outside the door
evidently stnrtled but not knowing
which way lo turn The figure on the
ground lifted itself partly and the
fellow must have called to the others
although no sound of a voice attained
the summit of the cliff for the whole
gnng rushed In that direction and
clustered about gesticulating excit-
edly An occasional Spanish oath exploded
from the mass with sufficient vehe-
mence to reach the strained ears
above and the watchers were able to
perceive the fellows lift the fullen man
to Ids feet and untie hls hnnds which
were apparently secured behind hls
hack lie must have been wounded
also for one sleeve was hastily rolled
up and water brought from the stream
In which it was bathed Moore's hand
closed convulsively on the marshal's
arm
“It’s ol’ Mendez as I’m ft livin’ sin-
ner” he announced hoarsely “An'
somebody's plunked him What'd yer
make o' that?”
Brennan never removed hls gaze
from the scene below but hls face was
tense with Interest
“Blamed if I know might be a mere
row — hold on there I Whoever did It
Is in that cabin watch what they're
up to now”
Store guns were brought forth from
the hiinklioiise and distributed- the
single horseman rode swiftly up the
valley nnd a half-dozen of the fel-
lows lugged a heavy timber lip from
the corral and dropped It on the
ground In front of the smaller cabin
Mendez hls arm In n sling passed
from group to group profanely busy
snapping tat orders
“They are going to break In the door
with that log!” muttered Westcott be-
tween Ills clenched teeth “That white-
head down there Is hulling with rage
and whoever the poor devil or devils
nitsr be they’ll have to fight”
“Yes but who are they?” and Bren-
nan sat up “The whole gang must he
outside there 1 counted fourteen
Then did you notice? Mendez had Ills
hnnds bound behind hls back He
couldn’t even get up until those fel-
lows untied him That’s what puzzles
me”
“It would take more than one to do
that Job Maybe we’ll find out now —
he’s pounding with a revolver butt on
the front door”
They listened breathlessly hanging
recklessly over the rim of the chasm
and staring at that strange scene be-
low but the man’s words only reached
them broken and detached They got
enough however to realize that he de-
manded the unbarring of the door and
that he both threatened and promised
protection to whoever was within It
was the langunge he employed that
aroused Westcott
“Did you hear that?” he asked short-
ly “The man spoke English Who-
ever’s In there doesn’t understand
Spanish Were nny Americans down
there when you left Moore?”
“Joe Sikes and a fellow they call
‘Shorty’ but they’re both outside that
was Joe who bound up ol’ Mendez’
arm an’ Shorty was helpin’ bring up
the log”
The eyes of Brennan and Westcott
met undcrstandingly
“Yer don’t suppose that girl — ”
“Aye but I do” and Westcott’s
voice proved his conviction “There’s
nothing too nervy for her to tackle If It
needed to be done But she never
could have corralled Mendez alone”
“Then there must be another along
with her — that fellow yer told me
about likely”
“Fred Cavendish 1 By Jove It would
be like him Say boys I’m going down
and take a hand In this game’’
The marshall gripped him
“Not yet Jim I It ain’t dark enough
Walt a hit more an’ I’m with yer old
man It’ll be blacker than h — 1
down there In fifteen minutes an’ thm
we’ll have some chance They’d pot
us now sure afore' we got as far as
that cedar What Is the gang up to
now Matt?”
“There a goln’ ter bust In the door”
and Moore craned hls heud farther out
over the edge in eagerness to see “I
reckon they didn’t git no answer that
pleased ’em See ol’ Mendez hoppin’
about! Lord I he’s mad 'nough to cat
nails Thnr comes the log — say they
hit that some thump thar ain't no
wood that's goln’ ter stand agin them
blows long Do yer hear?”
They did the dull reverberation as
the log butt crushed against the closed
door was plainly audible Once twice
three times it struck giving forth at
last the sharper crackling of splintered
wood
The door crashed In there was a
fusillade of shots the spits of fire
cleaving the dusk nnd throwing the
figures of the men Into sudden bold
relief The log wielders sprang aside
and the others leaped forward yelling
wildly and plunging In through the
broken doorway An Instant later three
muffled reports rang out from the In-
terior — one deep and booming the oth-
ers sharper more resonant — nnd the
Invaders tumbled backward Into the
open seeking shelter Westcott was
erect Brennan on hnnds and knees
“D n me!” ejaculated the latter
his excitement conquering restraint
“Whoever they are Jim they’re glvln
ol’ Mendez hls belly full Did yer hear
them shots? There’s sure two of ’em
In thar— one’s got n shotgun an’ the
other a revolver I’ll bet yer they
punctured some o’ those lads Lord 1
They come out like ruts”
Westcott’s teeth gripped
“I’m going down” he said grimly “if
I have to go alone”
Brennun scrambled to hls feet
“Just a second Jim an' I'm with
yer Moore get up yere Now what
do yer say? Can we count yon In oi
this shindig?”
“Sure didn't I Just tell you so?”
Brennan wheeled abouc
“Give him hls gun Jim and the
belt” he commanded briefly “I don’t
send no mnn Into a frnens like this un-
less he’s heeled Leave yer coats here
an’ take It slow Both of yer ready?”
Not until hls dying day will Westcott
ever forget the moment he hung dan-
gling over the edge of that pit follow-
ing Moore who hnd disappeared and
felt gingerly In the darkness for the
narrow rock ledge below
At best they could only creep feel-
ing a way blindly from crag to crag
clinging desperately to every projec-
tion never venturing even the slight-
est movement until either hnnd or foot
found solid support Moore led hls
boyish recklessness and knowledge of
the way giving him an advantage
Westcott followed keeping as close as
possible endeavoring to shape his own
efforts In accordance with the dimly
outlined form below while Brennan
liort-leggod nnd stout probably hnd
the hardest task of all In bringing up
the rear
There was nothing hut Intense black-
ness down there — a hideous ehnsm of
death clutching at them the houses
the men the whole valley was com-
ite
Moore Lowered
Length Over
Ledge
Himself at
the Narrow
Arm’s
Rock
pletely swallowed In the night Twice
Westcott hnd to let go entirely trust-
ing to a ledge below to stop hls fall
once he traveled a yard or more dan-
gling on hls hands over the abyss hls
feet feeling for the support beyond
and several times he pnused to assist
the shorter-legged marshal down to a
lower level Their progress wns that
of the snail yet every Inch of the way
they plnyed with death
Fifty feet below Just ns Moore
rounded the dead cedar the guns be-
gan ngnln thq spits of red flame light-
ing np the outlines of the cabin and
the dark figures of men It was as
though they looked down Into the pit
wntelilng the brewing of some sport of
demons — the movements below them
weird grotesque — rendered horrible by
those sudden glares of light This fir-
ing was all from without and wns un-
answered no boom of shotgun replied
no muffled crack of revolver Yet It
must hove been for a purpose for the
men crouching against the cliff their
fnces showing ghastly In the flashes of
powder were able to perceive a mass-
ing of figures below Then the shots
censed nnd the butt of the great log
crashed ngnlnst something with the
force of a catapult nnd a yell rolled
up through the night
At last Moore stopped and waited
until Westcott wns near enough for
him to whisper In the other’s ear
“There’s n drop yere ’lmut ten or
twelve feet I reckon an’ then Just a
slope to ther bottom Don’t make no
more noise then yer have to nn’ give
me a chance ter git out of ther way
afore yer let go”
Westcott passed the word bnck
ncross his shoulder to Brennan who
was panting heavily and watched as
best he could on hnnds nnd knees
while Moore lowered himself at arm’s
length over the narrow rock ledge Hie
hoy loosened hls grip but landed al-
most noiselessly Westcott peering
over could see nothing there was be-
neath only Impenetrable blackness
Silently he also dropped acd hls feet
struck earth sloping rapidly down-
ward Hardly hnd he advanced a yard
when the little marshal struck the dirt
with a force that made him grunt au-
dibly At the foot of this pile of debris
Moore waited for them the night so
dnrk down there In the depths West-
cott’s outstretched hnnd touched the
fellow before he was assured of hls
presence
The Mexicans were still whatever
deviltry they were up to It was being
carried on now In silence the only
sound wns a muff’ed scraping Bren-
nan yet struggled for breath but was
eager for action He shoved hls head
forward listening
“Whnt do yer make o’ that noise?”
he asked hls words scarcely audible
“I heerd It afore yer come up” re-
turned Moore "'Taln’t nuthln’ regu-
lar I figure the Mex are goln’ in
through that winder they busted That
sound's their boots scaling the walL”
“Ever been Inside?"
“Wunst ter take some papers tst
Lacy”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Sure
Relief
INDIGESTION
fir MTS S
6 Bell-ans
Hot water
Sure Relief
LL-ANS
FOR INDIGESTION
l
iWjflWl
leasant way to
reaktip colds "
f- VERYONE in the family can
j rely on Dr King’s New Dis-
covery the standard remedy
for the last fifty years to break
up coughs grippe and stubborn
colds No harmful drugs At
your druggists GOc and $120
For colds and Coughs
J)rKinsJ
New Discovery
Sallow Skin Not Pretty
Constipation destroys the complexion
making it yellow and ugly Keep the
bowels at work cleaning out the system
daily by using Dr King’s Pills They
do the work thoroughly and gently
Buy a bottle today 25 cents
HAD ANOTHER SHOCK COMING
Modern Young Woman Able to Prom-
ise Auntie a Further Surprise
for the Coming Evening
“Young girls nowadays” said Miss
Mary G Kllbreth the well-known antl-
suffrngette “are flippant and totally
Indifferent to the opinions of their
elders Woman suffrage Is to blame
“On a bathing beach last summer a
beautiful young girl appeared In a
bathing suit that was extremely dar-
ing “Her mint approached her as she
was swaggering In this costume beside
the water’s edge aud remonstrated
with her
" ‘Sylvia’ said the aunt ‘I consider
that costume absolutely shocking’
“‘Oh you do do you?’ the girl r
piled Indifferently ‘Well wait till you
see me In my new evening gown’ "
More Interruptions
"Women are taking a great Interest
In politics”
“To my sorrow” said the harassed
editor
“Didn’t you work for woman’s suf-
frage?” “Yes but since they’ve won the bal-
lot women who never bothered me be-
fore In tlielr lives are calling me over
the telephone to settle their political
arguments” — Birmingham Age-IIerald
ft
rIht VKasttr’Jiebuilder
tVIen who sense the waning of
their mental and phyalcal powers
may forestall an early decline by
the use of FORCE
Women will dlecoyer In FORCE a
worthy aid to renewed health i nd
greeter Interest in life FORCE li
$oid by rtUabh drugglttt tvtrywbtm
“ It Makes for Strength ”
Women
Made Young
Bright eyes a clear skin and a body
full of youth and health may be
youreif you will keep your system
In order by regularly taking
GOLD MEDAL
Tbs world’s standard ramady for kidney
Uvar bladder and uric add troublaa the
enamiae of Ilia and looks In naa slime
1690 AU druggists thras eUae
T TW for tka uaa Cold Modal as wr las
aad ooooot ao loilfHaa
A Fair Offer Accept It
Your druggist extends a cordial Invi-
tation to anyone suffering with catarrh
to call and Bee Hyomel and will refund
the money If Hyomel does not relieves
W N U Oklahoma City No 61-1920
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Green, E. M. The Cushing Citizen (Cushing, Okla.), Vol. 12, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 16, 1920, newspaper, December 16, 1920; Cushing, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1749804/m1/13/?q=j+w+gardner: accessed July 10, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.