Page 185 (1/1)

Queen's rally of strength ended at the edge of an open, bald ridge that was bare of brush or grass and was surrounded by a line of forest on three sides, and on the fourth by a low bluff which raised its gray head above the pines Across this dusty open Queen had crawled, leaving un survey of the circle of trees and of the low, rocky eht be wiser to keep to cover, Jean thought, and work around to where Queen's trail entered the forest again But he was tired, gloo Nevertheless, he stilled for the thousandth tie of the forest, he went to considerable pains to circle the open ground And suddenly sight of a ainst a tree halted Jean

He stared to make sure his eyes did not deceive hie rese estive blunder of the ined he saw Jean glided on froe indeed was that of aback across the open, hands resting on his knees--and closer scrutiny showed Jean that he held a gun in each hand

Queen! At the last his nerve had revived He could not crawl any farther, he could never escape, so with the courage of fatality he chose the open, to face his foe and die Jean had a thrill of admiration for the rustler Then he stalked out from under the pines and strode forith his rifle ready

A watching man could not have failed to espy Jean But Queen never htest move Moreover, his stiff, unnatural position struck Jean so singularly that he halted with a muttered exclae of those sure never relaxed in the slightest

Jean advanced a few more paces, rifle up, ready to fire the instant Queen lifted a gun The ht the cold sweat to Jean's brow He stopped to bend the full intense power of his gaze upon this inert figure Suddenly over Jean flashed its ainst the pine, ready to face his foe, and he had died there Not a shadow of a doubt entered Jean's ain He knew After all, Queen's blood would not be on his hands Gordon and Fredericks in their death throes had given the rustler hastly thin and hard! Those four days of flight had been hell for Queen