Hidden Gold

iting men came out from its shadow and rode forward,

taking Trowbridge's new rifle, a beaut

extenuation of his befuddled condition the night before, whil

dly toward the mountains. In numbers, their party was about evenly matched with the enemy, and Wade meant that the advantage of surprise, if possible, should rest with him in order to offset

essen their speed, "I can get my two hands on that cussed tin-hor

ill." Wade spoke vindic

s, and when I get to fightin', I'm liable to go plumb, hog wild. Say, I hope you don't get

rry about tha

l my born days, and it ain't such durn bad philosophy at that. I wonder"-the old man chuckle

gh in response, an owl hooted some

ed Santry. "I never like to hear them

rived at the edge of the clearing and cautiously dismounted, everything seemed from the exterior, at least, just as it should be.

They may be asleep, and they may be layin' for us there

Wade called to him to wait, but as he spok

ant where the moonlight fell across a window. He hastily ducked out of sight, however, when a rifle bullet splintered the glass just a

remaining shots in his revolver at the window. "We'

ght have sneaked in and captured the whole crowd without fir

izzled head as he l

ntage, an'...." He broke off to take a snapshot at a man who showed himself at the window for an insta

door. It was built of inch lumber and was so located that a bullet, after passing through it, would rake the interior of the cabin from end to end. The only way the inmates could keep

s cause that lies hidden at the very bottom of every strong man's nature. And there came to his mind no possible question of the righteous nature of his cause. He was fighting to regain possession of his own home from the marauders who had invaded it. His enemies had crowded hi

ke up at last," he muttered to himself. "They've drove him to it, durn 'em. I

hich ricocheted from a rock near his head, driv

r. "We got 'em goin'. It's a cinch they

ompletely riddled; the windows were almost bare of glass; and great splinters of wood had been torn from the log walls by the heavy rifle bullets o

still, and the advisability of rushing the house was being discussed when all at once the fire of the defenders began again. This time, however, there was something very odd about it. There was a

Santry demanded. "Sounds like a

the magazine of his rifle, "but whatever

ll was still. This seemed more like a visitation of death, and again Wade ordered h

Wade shouted; but

prang to

d. "I'm a-goin' in there! Anybody t

ed upon the cabin, stealthily at first and then more rapidly, as they met with no resistance-no sign whatever

lson, one of the Double Arrow hands who had been surprised and captured by the posse, and a little farther away in the shadow against the wall his two companions lay in a like condition

ll?" the ranch

the room, laughing in a

They chucked a bunch of shells into the hot cook-stove, an' sneaked out the s

ue would permit, being now freed of the gag. "They gagged us first,

edy had proved a fiasco, and W

. "But we've got the ranch back, at any rate.

d, yes-

ctims; and the third man swore roundly that he would

low down in that corner where you was." He let his eyes travel around the littered, blood-spattered room. "From the looks o' t

. "We've not done with him yet