The Fort Stockton Pioneer. (Fort Stockton, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 30, Ed. 1 Friday, November 3, 1911 Page: 8 of 10
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Borderlands Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
T
THE DANGER
TRAIL
JAMES OLIVER CWTOOOir
Copyright, mo. by Bobbs-Msrrlll
Company.
Q
CHAPTER XII.
the pursuit.
|KH1ND the sledge ran How
land; to the light of the team
ruu Jean. Once or twice
when Croisset glanced hack
bl* eye* met those of the engineer He
cracked bis whip aud smiled, nud
Bow land's teeth gleamed back coldly
In reply. mutual understanding
flashed between them in these glances
lo « sudden spurt Howland kuew that
the Kreucbtnan could quickly put dl*
tance between them, but not a distance
that bis bullets could not cover In the
the sledge The situation had now
reached a point where he uo longer
took Into consideration whnt these
men might be to Meleese.
As they continued Into the uorth-
went Howland noted that the thicker
forest WHS gradually clearing into wide
areas of small banskiuu pine and that
the rock ridges and dense swamp*
whh h had Impeded their progress were
beaming less numerous An hour be
fore noon, after a tedious climb to the
top of a fro/.eu ridge. Croiaaet |»oluted
down into a vast level plain lying be
tween them and other great ridges far
to the north
“That Is a bit of the barren lauds
that creeps dowu between those moun-
tains off there, m'seur." lie said “Do
you see that black forest that looks
like a charred log In the snow to the
south and west of the mountains?
That Is the break that leads Into the
country of the Athnhnsco Somewhere
liefween this point and iliut we will
strike the trail. Mon Dleu. i had half
eipected to see them out there ou the
plain.
“Who? Meleese and Jack pine, or"—
"No; the others, m'seur. Shall we
have dinner here?"
"Not until we hit the trail.” replied
Howland. "I'm anxious to know about
that one chance In a hundred you've
given me hope of. Croisset. If they
have passed”—
"If they are ahead of us you might
apace of a breath He had made up
bis mind to Are deliberately and with Ju,'t' n7'we7l stand" ou”t tlere “and'let
s greatest skill, If Croisset made the me put u tiullet through you. m'seur.”
Slightest movement toward escape. If He went to tbe hcai, of ,bt. dogll>
be w«s compelled to hi I or wound hla guldlng tbem down tbe ruugb side of
companion he could still go on alone tbe ridge wblle Uowlaud Readied the
with be dogs, for he trail of Meleese toboggaD froIU ^hlnd. in a small
and Jackpine would be as pain as open space free of busb CrolssetH
their own. which they were following vo,co rose sbarply and tbe * team
back Into tbe south.
"Mou Dleu. but you are a strange
mnn!" exclaimed the Frenchman when
he brought the dogs down to a walk
after a half mile run "Blessed saints,
m'seur. you are laughing, and 1 swear
It's no laughing matter."
“Shouldn't a man he happy when he
b going to his wedding. Jean?" puffed
Howland, gasping to get hack the
breath he bad lost
"But not when be'a going to his fu
neral. m'seur"
"If I were one of your blessed saints
I'd hit you over the bead with a thun-
derbolt. Croisset. Hood Lord, what
sort of a heart have you got Inside of
your jacket mau? Dp there where
we're going la the sweetest little girl
In the whole world. I love her She
loves me Why shouldn't 1 he happy
now that 1 know I'm going to see her
ngalu very soon—and take her buck
into tbe south with me?"
"The devil!" grunted Jean.
“Perhaps you're Jealous. Croisset."
suggested Howland "Crest Scott! (
hadn't thought of that!"
"I’ve got one of my own to love,
m'seur. and I wouldn't trade her for
all else in the world."
“I can’t understand you.” cried the
engineer "You nppear to Is* half bu-
nion; you say you’re In love, and yet
you'd rather risk your life than help
out Meleese and me What the deuce
does it mean?”
"That’s what I'm doing, m'seur—
h< nlng Melees** I would hnve done
i n greater service if I had Willed
' i U there on tin* trnll and strlp-
i" ' '"tit (tody for tlmse tilings that
would In* foul enough to eat If.
have told you a dozen times that It Is
God's Justice that you die. and you
are going to die very s«Mm m’seur."
"No I'm not going to die. Jean I'm
irking to set* Meleese. and she's going
I'M* k Into tin* south wMfh me. nnd if
vou’re real good yon may have the
pleasure of driving us hark to the
Wekusko. Croisset. and you can E** my
h<*st man at the wedding What do
you say to that?"
"That yon are mad or a fool." retorted
lean, cracking his whip viciously.
The dogs swung sharply from the
frail heading from their southerly
course Info the northwest
"We will save a day by doing this."
explained Croisset «t the other's
sharp word of Inquiry. "We will hit
the other trail twenty miles west of
here while by following hack to
rhev turned we would travel
■*t\»y utiles to reach the same |M»int.
That one chance in a hundred which
you have de|tends on this, rn'seur If
the other sledge has passed" ~
He shrugged his shoulders and start
ed the dogs into n trot.
"Look here!" cried Howland, run
nlng beside him. "Who la with this
other sledge?"
"Those who tried to kill you on the
trail nnd at the coyote, m’seur," he
answered quickly.
Rowland fell half a dozen paces be-
hind Ills henrt lenped with Joyous
tnqie. und he leaned forward on the
aledge to examine Cnolsset's empty
gun It wns an nutonwifL*. and t'rois
set, glancing back n» er the loping
backs of the buskin*. <nlight him stnll
Ing He ran more frequently now.
and longer distances, and with the
pu ms Ing of each mile hi* determlnn
tlon to strike a decisive blow Increas-
ed If they reached the trail of Me
leese and Jnckplne before the cross
Ing of the second sledge tie would lie
In wait for hla old enemies. If they
had preceded them tie would pursue
and surprise them In rump In either
i*ns#* be would possess an overwhelm
lug advantage.
With the same calca tatlng attention
to detail that be wou'di have shown In
tbe arrangement of pin ns for the build
ing of a tunnel or a bridge, he drew
a mental map of hla. scheme and Its
possibilities There would be at least
two men with the nltdge and possl
bly three If they surrendered at tbe
point of hla rifle without a tight he
would compel Jean to tie them up with
dog traces while he held them under
rover If they made a nmtt to offer
reel stance he would shoot. With the
automatic be could kill or wound the
three before they cottld ivarb thatr
gflea. which would undoubtedly be ou
stopped
“What do you think of it. m’seur?”
he cried, pointing to tbe snow. "Whnt
io you think of that?"
Rarely cutting Into the edge of the
open was the broken crust of two
sledge trails Croisset bad fallen on
his knees in the trail.
"The crust Is freshly broken." he
said after a moment. "They have
been gone not less than two or three
hours, perhaps since morning. See
this white glistening surface over the
first trail, m'seur, like a billion needle
points growing out of It? That is the
work of three or four days' cold The
first sledge passed that long ago."
Howland turned and picked up Gros-
ser's rifle. The Frenchman watched
him as he slipped a clip full of car
tridges Into the breech.
"If there's a snack of cold stuff In
the pack dig it out.” he commanded.
“We’ll eat on the run If you’ve got
g<>i enough You're right, a ml I waut
to apologue We’re busted- that Is.
the dogs ami I are busted ami we
might as well give It up until we've
had u f«**Hi What do you say7"
"I say that vou have stopped Juat In
time i i'seur." replied Croisset with
purring softness “Another half hour
nnd we would have been through the
forest, und Jimt tieyund that In I he
edge of the plain are those whom you
s»*eU M»*leese olid her |»eople Thill |s
what I stuffed to tell you hack there
when you shut me up Mon Dleu. if
It were not foi Meleese I would let
you go on And then— wlial would
hup|M>n then, m'seur. if you made youi
visit to them in bruud day? Listen!"
Jean lifted a warning hand Faintly
there came to them through the forest
tile distant haying of a bound
"That Is one of our dogs from the
Mackenzie country." he went on softly,
nn Insinuating triumph In his low
voice. "Now. m'seur. that I have
brought you here what are you going 1
to do? Shall we go on und take dinner
with those who are going to kill you
or will you wait a few hours? Eh
which shall It he?”
For a moment Howland stood mo
tlonless. stunned hv the Frenchman's
words Quickly he recovered himself
nis eyes burned with a metallic gleam
is they met the half taunt In Croisset s
tool smile
“If I had not stopped you we would
have gone on?" he questioned tensely
"To he sure, m'seur." retorted Crois-
set, still smiling. "You warned me to
lose no time—that something would
happen if 1 did."
With u quick movement Howland
drew his revolver and leveled It at
the Frenchman's heart
"If you ever prayed to those blessed
saints of yours do It now. Jean Crois
set. I'm going lo kill you!" he crier
fiercely.
(to be CONTIni-ed. |
City Meat Market.
Vou n**\»‘i run up against a
tough proposition if you I my your
moats of < Lear Adams at tin* (’ity
Meat Market. He buy s tin* best
rattle, cuts it right and sells it
at small profits. He also ban-
dit's Iresb creatnMy butter, lb*
delivers any hour of the day.
MEAT
I have bought out the
T. M. Woods Meat Mar-
ket, and will handle
nothing but the best in
my line.
Buy a Coupon Book and Save
Ten Per Cent.
Coupon Books will he
• issued just the same as
heretofore. Purchase a
book and save money.
$5.00 Coupon Books $4.50
$2.50 Coupon Books $2.25
$1.00 Coupon Books 90c.
Hiram Graham
Successor to T. M. Wood.
W. T. JONES A CO.
REAL ETSATE
Farms, Ranches and City Property.
We have from 40-acre tracts to 100 sections. 'W
also handle some of tin* Famous ArtesianI.eon Valley
lands. Call cn or write us for prices.
t
\ UK s%|.t lit
R. C. THOMPSON
Till: JIAVKIilK
THE ROONEY HOTEL
F|. TRACEY. Proprietor
BUILDING AND FURNITURE NEW
Well lighted, clean hetls. prompt and courteous service.
Laundry received anti cared for every day.
YOUR PATRONAGE SOLICITED
For Sale or Exchange.
I have two residences, centrally
located, and both rented, in the
town uf Decatur, Tex., that 1 vvill
sell or exchange for property in
Fort Stockton. P. < >. Box 3.-14.
Fort Stockton.
(T.F.) L. Page.
• Joe Peck
Joe Jackson
Improved Ranch For Sale.
.1. II. Nations* ranch, 3<> miles
south of Fort Stockton, consisting
of about 30,000 acres. Price $2.•*».”*
patented price. At leant .’>0 per
cent agricultural land, see (Jims,
(iramm, at Rooney Hotel.
.z
H vuif*-
"m OOINO TO an.r. TOC I"
anything to eat If you haven't we'll
go hungry We're going to overtake
that Sledge some time this afternoon
or tonight or hust!”
"The saints he blessed, then we are
most •ertain to bust, m'seur!' gasped
Jean 'And If we don't the dogs will
Non. II Is impossible!"
"Is ihere anything to eat?"
"A morsel of cold meat; that Is all
Km I say that it Is Impossible That
sledge"
Howland Interrupted him with an
tmpanem gesture.
"And I sny flint If there Is anything
to eat In there gel |r out and la* quirk
nlsiiM It. (missel We're going to over
take itios,. precious friends of yours,
nnd I warn you that If you make any
nttempr io lose time something mi
plea oint Is going to hnppen L'nder
stand?"
Jean had l>ent to unstrap oue end of
tbe sledge pack nnd nn angry flash
leaped Into his eyes nf the threatening
tone of the engineer's voire For a
moment he seemed on the failnt of
speech, tmt caught himself nnd In s|
lenre divided the small chunk of meat
which he drew from the pack, giving
the larger share to Howland ns he
went to the head of the dogs Only
once or twice during the next hour did
he look hack, nnd nfter each of these
glances he redoubled his efforts at
urging on the huskies Refore they
had come to the edge of the black
hanskInn forest which .lean had point
ed tint from the fnrrher side of the
plain Howland saw thnt the pace wns
felling on the team The lender was
trailing lame, nnd now and then the
whole pick would settle hnck In their
traces, to he urged on again by the
fierce cracking of Crolsset's long whip
To add to his own discomfiture Flow-
land found that he could no longer
keep up with Jean and the dogs, nnd
with his weight added to the aledge
the huskies settled down to a tugging
walk
Thus they came Into tbe deep, low
forest, and Jean, apparently oblivious
of the exhaustion of both man and
dogs walked now In advance of the
team Ills eyes constantly on the thin
trail abend At last tbe engineer jump
•d from the aledge and overtook bis
companion.
Hold oa. Jean!" ba cried. “I've
For Sale.
< )ne team of mult's with harness,
live anti eight years old, perfectly
gentle. <)nt* “Great linin'*alfalfa
mower, good ns new. One ‘‘.Mc-
Cormick” rake.
(I F.) Geo. G. Briggs.
Bargain.
40 It. lot on Stockton street,
next to First National Bank, just
across the street from the hirst
Stun* Bank: Brice £2,000, >r<00
cash, balance lt> suit.
Clias. (itumm. I
CITY
Pantatorium
Bring your clothes to
Joe and Joe, to have
them cleaned, pressed,
altered or mended La-
dies* work a specialty.
Will buy or sell slightly
worn clothing.
• AILL DELIVER SUITS
R C KINN0IRD
Real Estate and Investment
> BROKER <
Office in rear of First National ;
Bank-
port Stockton. Texas
Hitch to.\our Business Wagon
a good strong span of Advertising
Mules, and let them pull the
“Business. ’’
J. A. POINDEXTER
REAL ESTATE
FfTRMS, RANCHES.
CITY PROPERTY
FORT STOCKTON
PECOS COUNTY
J. H. EIDSON
Livery, Feed and Sales Stable
Horses and Mules
Bought and Sold
Good Teams and Rigs
Always Ready to Go
DRIVERS FURNISHED WHEN DESIRED
SPECIAL ATTENTION TO flLL. PHONE 118
F. A. STUBBLEFIELD
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS
Are You 0
A Woman I
AND
FIRE AND BOND INSURANCE
Office in The Rooney Hotel Rui lirg
hurt Stockton, Texas,
Well Drilling.
We are now ready to do Shallow
or Deep Well Drilling. Give us a call.
ARNETT & ROSE
FORT STOCKTON......TEXAS
*»*•••**••***•***«*«
s
t
BROWN &
MARTIN
We Have Opened the Gar-
rage on Stockton Street
And now have our
Vulcanizer up and
ready for business.
We expect to put in
a first-class shop,
with all up-to-date
tools, including a
Lathe, so that we
may be able to do
any kind of repair
work you may need
on autos. Satisfac-
tion guaranteed. We
appreciate your trade
¥
t
t
*
s
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Barry, E. The Fort Stockton Pioneer. (Fort Stockton, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 30, Ed. 1 Friday, November 3, 1911, newspaper, November 3, 1911; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth806768/m1/8/?rotate=90: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .