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Show Settlb n - OF TBiE SA&5WL By Hal G.Evarts cowcmt, W.M.U. SERVICE HAL G. EVAR.TS WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE At the Warren ranch, th "Three Bar," stranger applied ap-plied tor work ns a rider. Wll-liamette Wll-liamette Ann Warren, known to all r "1311 He." Is the owner of the ranch. The girl'9 fathfr 3a 1 Warren, had been the original origi-nal owner. The newcomer la put to work. Cuttle "rustlers" have brten troubling the ranch owners The new hand plves hl9 name at Cal Harris. By his announcement announce-ment in favor of "squatters" he Incura the enmity of a ridei known as Morrow. The will oiad by Cal Warren stipulated that half the property should go ti the son of his old friend, William Harris, under certain conditions The new arrival Is the man, ami he discloses the fact to Billle Slade, a ranchman with an unsavory un-savory reputation, visits Blllie Slade, endeavoring to embrnc Billle. Is interrupted by Harris While the riders are at the! etenlng meal, far out on thi range, six outsiders join them mi lie knows them to be "rits-tlers."' "rits-tlers."' To test Harris' courage the girl appoints him temporary foreman, fore-man, suggesting that he order the visitors to leave. Somewhni to her surprise he docs so. Th men depart, making threats. Billle Bil-lle makes Harris permanent foreman fore-man Catching Morrow leavlrp cattle where they can be stolen Harris discharges him. Riding with Billie, a man, presumably Morrow, shoots at Harris. Three Bar riders start In pursuJt of Morrow. One of them, Bangs, Is ambushed and killed. Harris outlines out-lines his plans for bringing settlers set-tlers Into the country. Billle decides de-cides to write to her lawyer. Judge Colton, for advice. CHAPTER V Continued 12 "We'll try It," she said. "1 know that Cal Warren would rather see the Three Car go to pieces from Its osvd pressure, lighting from the Inside to grow, than to see It whittled down from the outside without our fighting back." She crossed lo her teepee to write the letter asking Judge Col ion's ud-vice ud-vice on this m:itter which would mean the turning point In Three liar affairs. An hour later Home rode away from the wagon, his bed roll packed on a led horse heading for HrtH's with the message that meant so much to the Three Car. As he left Harris handed him two letters he had written weeks past, before leaving the ranch. Presumably only the three of them knew of the Intended move but In the ..course of the next few "days It had become rumored among the men that the Three liar was to turn Into a farming outfit. The girl learned that Carpenter was the source of these whispers. l$ver since the departure of Morrow Carp bad been sullen. Twice be bad taken exceptions to some order of Harris but the new foreman had patiently pa-tiently overlooked the fact. However, on the fifth day after the departure of Home with the letter to Judge Col ton. Harris whirled on the man ns he made an antl squatter remark when the hands were gathered for the noon meal. "That'll be all," be said. "I'll figure out your time. Jfo.u took things up where Morrow left off. Now you can go hunt him up and compare notes." "Can't a man speak bis ralnd?" Carp demanded. . "He can talk his bead off." Harris said. But he can't overlook any Three Har calves on bis circle while I'm running the layout. Morrow tried that on while he was breaking you In." Carp surveyed the faces of the men and started to speak but changed his niiod and headed for the npe corral. "That's going to leave us short-lianded," short-lianded," Harris said to the drl "Morrow, Carp and' Hangs ibree short. Home ought to get back from Brill's today. We've only one more week out so I guess we can worry through." "How did you know?" she asked. "About Carp, I mean?" "Lanky caught him overlooking a bunch ol cows with calves," Hmrls explained. "Lanky is worth double pay." Home came back rrom Brill's In the early evening and another man rode with him. "Alden," Blllio 6nl& " wonder what the sheriff is doing out here." The sheriff stripped the saddle from bis liorse and the wrangler swooped down to hazp the animal In with the remuda as Alden Jolied Harris and the girl. He was a tall, gaunt man 'vlth a slight stoop. His keen gray i-ycs peered forth from a maze of sun wrinkles surmounted by bushy eye-brows, eye-brows, the drooping gray mustache accentun-lng raui,r than detracting from the, hawklike strength of counte- 1 nance. He dropped o hand on the gM's Luliler and looked down at her. llow fu rbings, breaking this sea- son, Billle?" he asked. "Everything running smooth?" "About the same," she said. They were old friends and the girl knew that Alden would help her In any possible pos-sible way. The sheriff turned to Harris. "I see you've settled down to a steady Job. Cal, Instead of browsing around the hills alone. 1 run across Home at Brill's and he was telling me about some one gunning for you from the brush. Morrow, he says. Do you wont rae to pick Morrow op?" "It would only waste your time," Harris said. "We couldn't prove It on him the way things are "Fact," Alden agreed. "But I could bold blin til! after you're back at the ranch. Some day folks may wake up and need a sheriff. It's hard to say. The men had finished working the herd and were crowding around the wagon for their meaL "You go ahead and eat, Billle," Al den said. "Cal and I'll feed a little "Will Try It," She Said. later on. I've got a fuss to pick with Cal." nil lie left them together and the sheriff squatted on his heels. "What's this rumor about yom farming the Three Bar?" he asked. "Home said all the hands were guessing, guess-ing, but I haven't heard anything about It outside." "And 1 don't want it leaking out before be-fore we start," Harris said. "But we're going to break out the tlaL I bad the plans all laid and sent word off. Things are moving toward the start right now." "It'll stir things up." Alden predict ed. WWli one forefinger he traced a design in the dust, then blotted it out TII play In with you the best I can." "We've got to make a clean split Harris said. "Get the wild ones deli nitely set apart. Then they can be handled." Alden wa3 regarding old Bile Fos ter who had drawn apart from the rest and was eating bis meal in null tude. The old man had taken a hoot heel from bis pocket and wii9 study lug It as If fascinated by the somber reflections it roused in him. Alden shook his bead as he rose and moved toward the wagon. "Home was telling me about Bangs too," he said. "Pretty tough for Bile They was as close as father and on. those two." Harris and the sheriff Joined the rest at the wagon and held out plates und :ps to Waddles. The girl was oddly excited, anxious fot the start, now that the decision had been made. "How long will It take lo get things moving after we get back?" 6he asked. "Not more than a week at the outside." out-side." Harris said. "Probably less." "Ton don't mean that" she stated "I want to know tbe truth." "Ton have It," be insured her. "I bad the plans all laid. Our crew la slroady beaded for th Thre Bar. Before they get there every roan will have filed on a quarter I designated for him. Inside a week we'll have covered the flat." Long after the hands had turned In for the night she beard a faint mar mur of voices and looked from her teepee. The brilliant moonlight showed Harris and the sheriff 6lttlng off by themselves. For no apparent reason she thought of Carlos Deane and, point by point, she contrasted him with the man who sat talking to the sheriff. Each was almost super-efficient super-efficient In bis owr. chosen line and she caught herself wondering what each one would do If suddenly transplanted trans-planted to the environment of tbe other. Then her mind occupied Itself with Harris who would soon break out the first plow furrow that bad ever scarred the range within a radius ra-dius of fifty miles and she pictured again a sign she bad seen that day: "Squatter lex your wagon wheels keep turning." CHAPTER VI Three heavy wagons, each drawn by four big mules, traveled north along the Coldrlver stage trail. Every wagon was loaded to the brim of the triple box. Two men were mounted on each wagon seat, the man beside the driver balancing a rifle across his knees. "Nice place to camp, Tiny," said the guard on the lead wagon. He pointed off across a flat beside the road toward to-ward a sign that loomed In the center. cen-ter. The black-browed giant designated desig-nated as Tiny swung the mule3 off the road and headed for the sign. The three wagons were drawn up some fifteen fif-teen yards apart In the shape of a triangle, tri-angle, the mules unhitched and given a feed of grain from nose-bags, tied to the wagons and supplied with baled hay. "Tiny walked over and viewed the sign. "Squatter don't let sunset find yon here," be read. "It's about that time now," he ob served, . squinting over his shoulder. "It'd be a mistake to leave evidence like that around." He tore down the sign and worked It Into firewood with an ax, "Now ihey can't do nothing to us for drifting In here by error," he remarked to his companions. "It wouldn't be fair." In the morning the three wagons lumbered on. Near sunset they passed another sign where the Three Bar road branched off to the left. Tiny pulled up the mules. "Uproot that little beauty, Russet," he advised. "We're getting close to home." The carrot-haired guard descended and threw his weight against the sign, working it from side to side until the posts were loosened In the ground, pried It "up and loaded it on the wagon. "(iuick work, Buss," the big man complimented. "For a little sawed-off runt, you're real spry and active. Ue clucked to the mules and they settled steadily Into the collars and moved on to the Three Bar. The Three Bar men viewed the freighters curiously as they swung the mule team In front of the blacksmith black-smith shop, noted the ri lie In the bauds of each guard and a second one In easy reach of each driver. They knew what this portended. The freighters had stripped off the wagon sheet lashed across the top of each load and the Three Bar meu moved casually toward the wagons, curious to view tbe contents. "You boys get to knowing each other," oth-er," Harris said. "These mule-skin tiers will be banging out at the Three Bur from now on." All down the line the Three Bui men were getting acquainted with tbe freighters. A thousand pounds of oats were tossed from the top of the first wagon and when the concealing sacks were cleared away there were three heavy plows showing under nealb. the spaces between them tilled with shining coils of fence wire. The second loud consisted of a dismantled drill, a crate of long-handled shovels, and more barbed wire; the third held a rake and a mowing machine, more wire, kegs of fence staples and dozen forks. "The Three Bar will be the middle point of a cyclone." Moore prophesied as he viewed Hie Implements. "Jusi ns soon as this leaks out." "We fetched our cyclone openers with us," Buss assured him. "Ix?t hei buck." From the cook-shack door tbe girl vl;wed these preparations, then turned her eyes to the Hat and visloner It with a carpet of rippling hay. (TO BL! CONTINUED.) I |