The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 83: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

MESQUITE RANCH, her. She simply could not have done a thing indescribably cruel and. repul- sive. No, indeed—not little Miss Bit- ter-Sweet ! Yet there she stood, white and calm, apparently defending her spring. And, where the clear, cold water had been, the hot and seething flash of the fire spat viciously at the cow-men. CHAPTER XIV. SILSBY WANTS A TRUCE. ‘“Yu’veE kilt five critters!” Big Red shouted at Natalie as he sprang over the rocks toward the group of cow- boys. Radford saw the look of surprise which flashed at Red; but the dark eyes instantly returned to their chief interest. Her pistol was aimed at Silsby. A breeze blew across the basin, fan- ning the flames. Radford caught the smell of oil. It explained the miracle of the burning spring. Ojl had been poured on the water and fired. Ted recalled the quassia. But this was tragically different. A malignant and ingenious cruelty was back of this effort to keep the cattle from the spring. It was easy to imagine how the thirsty herd had crowded about the, basin, pushing and shoving to get at the cool, fresh water. Then the torch had been held to the surface and the fire had blazed up in the very eyes of the beasts. It explained their mad rush. It ac- counted for the way they shoved each other into the ravine till a bridge was made of thejr own bodies, and the sharp hoofs of the ones behind ground across the others in the race toward safety. Prairie and forest fires pursued the creatures they sought to kill; and these dumb brutes had responded to the in- stinct of self-preservation. They fled before the blaze they feared. And Natalie! Natalie le Fevre, the 5A 785 girl he loved so that looking at her with the doubt growing in him was torture, could she have done this fiend- ish thing? “ You've got to believe me an’ the boys!” Silsby shouted in rage. “I would not believe you before the throne of God, you lying man!” Natalie replied to Radford’s mystifi- cation. “I tell you—” Silsby yelled, grow- ing more excited. ‘Ket ees enough! I leestin to you no more. You and all your cowboy beasts, go! Now!” she commanded like some small goddess of wrath and justice. Her look and manner were complete- ly different from the way Radford imagined a girl would appear who had been found guilty of an:atrocity. He turned to the cowboys. With fixed, angry eyes they glared at her. But no one made a move to go or to attack her. Radford felt that they were suppressing emotions - which might break loose at a word. He really could not understand why they remained in check. “ Must I shoot?” she cried when they ‘stood firm. ‘“ Thees ees my spring. You go when I say!” Silsby turned to Radford with a beaten look that sat queerly on his stern and capable face. But Red had accumulated a store of rage that knew no such word as peace. A volcano of words burst from him. : “Say, you gal, you stop yer con- founded nonsense or I’ll blow the top uv yer head off!” he yelled, as if every ounce of control he ever possessed had changed and gone to swell his wrath. “ Ye've killed five uv our critters, dern ye! I dunno how many’s hurt soze they'll die. Ye ain’t no woman! Ye’re a confounded, all-fred she-devil; an’ the surest way fur ye to keep whut fool head ye got is to—git!” Big Red’s gun was out. He leveled it, straight as a die and sure to kill if he shot, at the girl poised high on-the rock. She did not flinch. COPMIE LOOKS (C@)