Part 56 (2/2)

Three times she essayed to lift it to his back before she succeeded in acco the Herculean task, and had it been any other horse upon the ranch than Brazos the thing could never have been done; but the kindly little pony stood in statuesque resignation while the heavy Mexican tree was banged and thu carried it to his withers

Saddled and bridled Barbara led hi and thus, by a roundabout way, to the back of the office building Here she could see a light in the roo the bridle reins to the ground shestealthily to the porch she peered in at theEddie was stretched out in cra luxury in an office chair

His feet were cocked up on the desk before hiency Another reposed in its holster at his belt

Barbara tiptoed to the door Holding her breath she turned the knob gently The door swung open without a sound, and an instant later she stood within the rooain her eyes were fixed upon Eddie Shorter

She saw his nerveless fingers relax their hold upon the grip of his revolver She saw the weapon slip farther down into his lap He did notof profound slumber

Barbara crossed the rooures crept forward in the shadows Behind them a matter of a hundred yards stood a little cluures of more men These waited in silence The other three crept toward the house It was such a ranchhouse as you hout Texas Grayson, evidently, or so Mexican about it, nor anything beautiful It stood two storied, verandaed and hideous, a blot upon the soil of picturesque Mexico

To the roof of the veranda clambered the three prowlers, and across it to an openThebelonged to the bedroo Here they paused and listened, then two of theone for but a few estures to the third ust and disappointment

Cautiously they descended as they had come and made their way back to those other men who had remained with the horses Here there ensued a low-toned conference, and while it progressed Barbara Harding reached forth a steady hand which belied the terror in her soul and plucked the revolver froain on tiptoe the girl recrossed the office to the locked door leading into the back roo a furtive eye upon the sleeping guard, and the ly upon him Eddie Shorter stirred in his sleep and raised a hand to his face The heart of Barbara Harding ceased to beat while she stood waiting for theof the kind Instead his hand dropped li

The key turned in the lock beneath the gentle pressure of her fingers, the bolt slipped quietly back and she pushed the door ajar Within, Billy Byrne turned inquiring eyes in the direction of the opening door, and as he saho it ho entered surprise showed upon his face; but he spoke no word for the girl held a silencing finger to her lips

Quickly she caed at the knots which held the bonds in place about his arh to recross the room and close the door which she had left open when she entered

It required fully five 's life, she thought--before the knots gave to her efforts; but at last the rope fell to the floor and Billy Byrne was free

He started to speak, to thank her, and, perhaps, to scold her for the rash thing she had undertaken for hiain, and with a whispered, ”Come!” turned toward the door

As she opened it a crack to reconnoiter she kept the revolver pointed straight ahead of her into the adjoining roonorance of the trick which was being played upon him

Now the two started forward for the door which opened from the office upon the porch, and as they did so Barbara turned again toward Billy to caution him to silence for his spurs had tinkled as he moved For a moment their eyes were not upon Eddie Shorter and Fate had it that at that very ht thatthat for a second the Kansan could notthe outlaw to escape, and in the instant that surprise kept him motionless Eddie saw, too, another picture--the picture of a motherly woman in a little farmhouse back in Kansas, and Eddie realized that thiswithin hi arms Too, the man had saved his mother from injury, and possible death

Eddie shut his eyes quickly and thought hard and fast Miss Barbara had always been kind to him In his boyish heart he had loved her, hopelessly of course, in a boyish way She wanted the outlaw to escape

Eddie realized that he would do anything that Miss Barbara wanted, even if he had to risk his life at it

The girl and the h ahead of her while she kept the revolver leveled upon Eddie, then she passed out after hihtly closed and prayed to his God that Billy Byrne et safely away

Outside and in the rear of the office building Barbara pressed the revolver upon Billy

”You will need it,” she said ”There is Brazos--take hione

Billy sed bard He wanted to run after her and take her in his arh turned toward the patient Brazos Languidly he gathered up the reins and uest departing by daylight he rode out of the ranchyard and turned Brazos' head north up the river road

And as Billy disappeared in the darkness toward the north Barbara Harding walked slowly toward the ranchhouse, while froroup of men and horses a hundred yards away three men detached themselves and crept toward her, for they had seen her in the ht as she left Billy outside the office and strolled slowly in the direction of the house

They hid in the shadow at the side of the house until the girl had turned the corner and was approaching the veranda, then they ran quickly forward and as she ed backward A hand was clapped over her mouth and a whispered threat warned her to silence

Half dragging and half carrying her the three men bore her back to where their confederates awaited thee fellow mounted his pony and Barbara was lifted to the horn of the saddle before him Then the others mounted and as silently as they had co the same path