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The deed and the demeanor of these wives of the murdered men surely must have sha the ordeal nor give any sign of their presence

Inside the cabin all were silent, too Jean's eyes blurred so that he continually had to wipe them Old Isbel y head and sed hard The wo into space The children, in round-eyed disazed from one to the other of their elders

"Wal, they're comin' back," declared Isbel, in immense relief "An' so help me--Jorth let them bury their daid!"

The fact seee to Gaston Isbel When the wolad An' I reckon I rong to oppose youan' wrong to say what I did aboot Jorth"

No one had any chance to reply to Isbel, for the Jorth gang, as if to s of shame, renewed the attack with such a persistent and furious volleying that the defenders did not risk a return shot They all had to lie flat next to the lowest log in order to keep froh theAnd all the clay between the logs loas shot away This fusillade lasted for radually the fire diminished on one side and then on the other until it became desultory and finally ceased

"Ahuh! Shore they've shot their bolt," declared Gaston Isbel

"Wal, I doon't know aboot that," returned Blaisdell, "but they've shot a hell of a lot of shells"

"Listen," suddenly called Jean "Somebody's yellin'"

"Hey, Isbel!" caht for you"

Gaston Isbel sat up with a start and his face turned livid Jean needed no ed to Jorth The old rancher lunged up to his full height and with reckless disregard of life he rushed to the"Jorth," he roared, "I dare you to ed his father away froradually less fraught with suspense Blaisdell started conversation by saying he believed the fight was over for that particular time No one disputed him Evidently Gaston Isbel was loath to believe it Jean, however, watching at the back of the kitchen, eventually discovered that the Jorth gang had lifted the siege Jean saw thee of the brush, somewhat lower down than they had been the day before A teaon, appeared on the road, and turned toward the slope Saddled horses were led down out of the junipers Jean saw bodies, evidently of dead on, to be hauled away toward the village Sevenfour riderless horses, rode out into the valley and followed the wagon