THE STORY-TELLER. BLOCKING A GAME.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 20, 20 October 1883, Page 4

THE STORY-TE LLER. BLOCKING A GAME.

BY P. A. VINAI..

1 Hkt.lo Ttmrman ! 1 tlioutrlit you were over ttio mountains old fellow !' 1 Well mot. Major ! Faith, man, bow well you are looking 1' They shook hands with the hett'tine.^ of old friends ; these two men, who were both such splendid type* of manhood — Major Bust is, tall, with ft superb pnysique and the blue eyes and vivid golden hair of a Viking ; Robert Thurman, splendid, sinewy, as though every muscle was, of tougheued steel, clear gray eyes, wit ii a gleam in tnein us of a flashing scimiter, and hair th color of a ripened chestnut * How came you over here in Star City, Thurman?' questioned i\l:ijor Knstib. ' I thought you were in Austin. ' Wiwis up, old friend? You look as haggard and giiastlv as though you hud been troubled by the ghost of )our grandmother !' 4 1 am in trouble. Major,' said the other, in a strained voice, that told of tense, nerves. * and it's bitter trouble too. For a month or I have been prospecting up in the Humholt Ratine. Yesterday. Bill Cleaves — 1 did him a favor once, anil he swore that he wullld never forget it — drew rein beside me, and in a few lusty words told me that Joe Vance, his partner, and tao blackest- i hearted gambler in Austin, lias his pl.ms all laid out to earn «>ff my little sister to-morrow night. • God help my little snow-hearted girl if she lalls mi<> his clutches,' j groaned rnurman, w ile gieat drop** of swe.it stood on hi> forehead. ' Well,' be went on, 'Cieave's nv**rtge cause i me to stive out ior Austin in hot h:iste ; f'U» the red- got alter me, cha>e 1 j we in liere w and i^ine my horse a bullet ' of which he died half an hour a^o ; and j here I nm, with 100 miles between me. on i Joe Vance.' Major l£u^t]s brought hi^ hand down on Phurmau's shoulder heavily. ' You have come to the right men to ' help you. old follow!' he said thinly., I've owed you one ever since the time) that Judge Lynch mistook me for a' horse thief, and you si ed me from a , liompiMi dance by \our timely woHs, backed up by a le^olute face and a re-volvei ; and I am glad of a chance to bqustre up that old debt, to some n\t i nt. i Pen iap.s yon have heard of mv stallion, ' 4 Brownie /' Well, iie's ngnl heie in • JSt tr City, and i c's at your sen ice. 1 !Never fear but what you il have tie! chance to block that blackleg's little j game ; for, if L do <*ay it. * Brownie ' j •will put more mile* behind him between ' sun-up and Min-&et tuau a.n lior-e tn Nevada. Let's no riu .t down lo tue Staples and have ttiu little brown beauty trotted «>uf.' ' G«»d bless — ' 4 Not a word, TliMniun ! It 1-*1 -* all right," said tne Ma]oi, heartily, linking j»r.ut. with the man. \\ho>,e whifv face was working s'r-nm'ely nr t.i« evidence true fric'nd'-htp. tor Tnunn.tn well "knew thai the Major's famous stallion was deatcr to aim than the apple of In;eye. Out fit the great bar-mom ot tne Occidental Hotel, where the meeting had taken place, went ithe two friends, and with quick steps took their way to toe only *t;ti>le winch Mar City afforded. And ' Brownie ' wax led out uf his stall. An involuntary •■xclamation bur&t fiom Tiim man's lips. • Peerless !' The magnificent creature niched hU slender neck, anil toucned Thmman's }ian<l mth his velvety no-c, n> it to add his own endorsement to tins tribute to his beauty. For surely a shapelier creature nevei gtood -t^ mo lei for Lau>lseer. L'he light of the '■.taHe lamp crli ntel over ti< j fl:inkji ot shining brown, wliore the great muscles -howed like pillows placed -ide by side— *»ver tt>e H owing chestnut mane, a^ v>ft and silken as .my tresses ever confine i with a blue ribbon Hiood, tWitn great eye*. l>riglit witii an intelligence almost human. ' \'rtii \v<ud i like to be off U)-ni^'ht. ,oi c«nirm»." said the M.»|or, sriokin^ iii*« fftvoiice wth a tou'-h ott a7i < cuvs^nig na a niorhet'tj when b-iiMiintr her dar- , ling's hnir liack frnm his soft, white forehead * 1 ftTM wilil fn Mfnrf ikhv '' replied Thurmau, l l*ut 1 -uppo&e the best pohe\ i^ »o \\>nt until Mio<>m >>o, •»• mi .n q f. Aj jif«»r, Iii over tii. liiouui iijj- wit i mure of Zi-«-j than e> . i the blue binni.-t*. went over Lie be^ttish border ' * # # * # In the E:i*t the ' red rose of dawn ' wns beginning to unfold, .-nd a flush as of roses lay on the far reaching expanse of Salt Desert, and the moiintainwhich surrounded it, A zone of exquisite coloring like the .girdle of the gods, werethes) mountain-, their vivid red and brown tints contrasting strikingly with the great hoip^ of snow white sand piled high at thrii feet. But Salt Desert was a gray expanse Je^el as a Uoor an I sixty mile« in extent. It stretched fmm mountain to mo tin am side, with never a drop ol water to moisten it- blistered breast The depths of sair. that lay hidden beneath a crust of sediment, had long ago drank up the wnter <hnt liy <>\er t 1 em : for Bait Desert had all f c npjie.irance of being a salt Jake. But now it i- one of Nevada's deaerta. Tiifougli a pass in the mountains? on .the weVtern bide of Salt Desert led a vell-deUneit trail^ that wound round the

esert. in ami out. ninouy tlie foothills at 1 t Hip base of the mountains, out of whoso -idea I'ur^t several springs o-f erystald<»»r wntei. Thence the trail led out thrombi a i pass iv the mountains on t:ie eastern ■ sulo »>f Salt Desert, nearly opposite the 1 one on the western si<|«. r Through the latter, in tin's early lawn, came a horse ami rider — Thur- < man and the brown stallion ' They <<>ok the semi-circular trail, for no one had ever dared the dangers of < that parched deseit in an attempt to make a straight path ironi pass to '■ p-iss. After an hour's ride on the rugged frail, lie halted by a crystal spring, i Vfter satisfying his own thirst and that of his horse, he stood for a moment i patting the noble animal's nose, when he was startled by a sharp whi/ziny; sound, and the next moment an arrow ' struck the rock behind him and fell in ' splinters at his f«'et. I With the* quickness of thought, lie < sprang behind the rock and examined his rifle and revolvers -n ids hand, and then coolly took a survey of the situa- I tion. IJafher desperate it looked to one wnose soul was wrapped up in an intf»ns<> ilosire to pui tiie eastern pass behind him, before twilight, fell over the mountain peaks. The trad and mountain slopes hefore him were swarmin with Indians ; yet the dominant thought in Thm-man's mind was not his own danger. ' I'm cut off from the trail,' he said, qn'otly, while a dauntb'ss expression nwe.pt over his face, line tne play oi liufht on a sabre. ' There*! noUiinu !eit for it but a race >vitli these redskins for tie eastern pa-* ->\er Salt Desert. I will not. go lnck r>\en though the coyotes have me for luncheon tonight, b'or, little sifter, as 1 love you, will I die tor you b 'fore ne touehe> you. (Mi, God ol Justice! into Tin hand* do I commit the did 1, an- 1 whether I win or lose in this race, interpose Thy Almighty arm between hei an evil !* With this prater on his lips lie spring from his pi ice of concealment. leapel into the s.vldle, turnei Inhors % 's head and sSook hi-* l> idle-rein 1 The splendid animal faced the desert. , tli»Mi Thurman began to cxpeiieuc 1 rth.it. sort of an animal the M.ijor'stallion was. and no better oppoitunih or place to test his power could well i ha\i' been found. 1 h was a race in a diagonal direct ion 1 for the eastern pas>, and woe to the ! wnite rider it he faile I to win. ! The odds seemed a'_rain-t him. H i was one auainst scoies. ami liis foes ha | the inside track, for t.soy had ben i 1i 1 a iead of him on the trial, and now, on thfir lonic-winded mustangs, they had iMi'lently determined to tire out tinrunning hor^e, and by cutting him oil' fr«nn the p.-tss, destroy Thuruian's hop' 1 of escape. Ani tie Salt Dosert stretched out betore them — puisuer and puivued — albani «m I level as u we 1-rolled racecourse. ' Thurman, like a true hoi^eman. gauged hi^ lioiM*'* lop/ down into a long swinuriny * telling ' stride, and now 4 Brownie" settled himself down to hi-, w ork . Wilh his head thrust forward, himane waving like » dusky banner and h.* sli ruler hoof heemini* 1 hardly to touch the ground, * Brownie ' took the course laid out for him at a tremendoup.iee. Thurmnn took off his hat and waved it at hin yellnny foes in defiant tnuinpL. and the wind formed by his rapid riding swept back the hair from his forehead and fanned hi* face, which was as btern an I set as an iron mask. Hi« !v i nrt leap n d up in hi« breast. Could thope coni'non an mals behind hope to capture this wonderful stallion, wnii'h niii^ht have kept [>ace with the winged stcod of old ? As well mii^ht the cnwling worm hope to compete in bpeei. w t'l the white-winged moth tnat flits b) him. And to thi« intrepid spi it, in tlu heat of who^p flame those red foes wenbut a<^ sj)arks flyin? ujnvards, forgot bidan^M', f'orq-ot his sitmtion, an I hi.«~ thought- fl.'w over the mountain* to tin little town of Austin, a dozen mile* beyond. He thought of his little sifter, throuifh whose dark blue eye^ tie light of a pur> M»nl shone forth His memory over fotmtlos -cene 5'5 ' of her yenllenes- I •md patience, her simplicity anil sweet ne-s \W to f.-ill into the hands of that loper whoae very touch wa.s contam'nnting ? Hi* l rain burned vvitl) a white heat a^ h' 1 thought of that wretch — burned with great tl robs pulsating through hi* body : his heart seemed to pau«e and snatch his hreath at every beat. He cried aloud for impatience. The hours woe on, but he counted not The mi'es spe I by. the caste n pa<s drew nearer and nearer, but still impatience seemed branding him to the bone. Finally, the laboured breathing of the horse awoke him to th** fact that the noble animal had borne him faithlull) nearly oicr'ity miles since midnight, and over 1 alf that distance had been traversed at full speed, and without a draught of water to moisten tho froth- fringed mouth. 4 Poor fellow ! how — by Jove ! how close those Indians a it. Almost within rifle range. Where have my eye*? been V He took his brandy flask from hU breast pocket and turned its contents into his canteen of water. Then he stopped his horse, thiew himself from : tho baddle, raised his hur-e's hcud and

turned tue mixture dotvn hi* throat. Then ho mounted, and was off again. The effect of tue stimulant was immediate, and ' Brownie' responded to the i-oin with renewed viuor. Away ho went, on that hoin --stretch of a dozen miles, the Indians closing- up behind likewolve> on a hunted dear. Into ritlc niiiiro (1»m1io<1 a couple of, dusky riders. Dropping the leius on 'BiovvnieV neck, Thiirman unslmtg his Winchester, dropped it inio tiie hollow of his left nnn.imd (ired once, and again. Two riderless mustangs hoailed the pursuers. * Hun-all !' The eastern pass was behind Thurman and the brown stallion. The town of Austin, perched high and on the side of a, mountain, was in full sight, and the Indians slunk back beaten. Two houi'fc. later, Thurmuu was closeted with the chief of t.ie Austin Vigilance (JommiHee. Soon alter tiie swarthy l\u-e «>f Joe Vance faded lo the gray ness of cla), as he read this message : IGo to the Ea*a or tin? West, the Vorfli or the South, but leave Austin b-hiiid yon before sunset. Tiie halter is your only alternative. 1 Per older of r.ue VUJILAXI X CoMMITTKB.' He dared not iiisre«.-«rd this stern, laconic ••rdcr, limuirh 'n 1 curbed it witii tlh 1 utmoM vitfoi". But a-> a- lie left t.»e u»wn he muttered, halt-alou i : 'After all, Little iilue-eyes, it was a uood tiling 1 *or you that my little game wa.s blocked ; tnough low and base as he i-« iJ ie Vance lo\es you witu a love at> stiong as that of a far better num.' And lie pulled his hh f »t down over his e\es.