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Show .. . t. The Settling of the Sage HAL G. EVARTS ynWMerrte Copyright bjr Hat O. Evarta ! CHAPTER X Continued ! 19 - Suddenly, without having sought It. the explanation of her recent contentment content-ment bubbled to the surface of the girl's ' consciousness, and she turned and gazed at Harris. Night after night she had sat here with old CI Warren and discussed the details ol their work and after his passing her evenings had been hours of restlessness. restless-ness. Now Uarrls, the partner, had crept Into the father's place bad Id a measure filled the void. arris rose and Sicked the ash from his cigarette, suppressing the desire to take bei to bis arms, for be knew that time had Dot yet come. As he opened the door to leave an eddy of steam curled In at the opening as the warm air of the room battled on the threshold with the thlrty-below tem perature of the outside worlo". She beard the hissing crunch of his coots on the frozen cruet and reached for Deane's Christmas letter to reread It for per'-apr the fifth time. During the night a chlnook poured lla warm Kreath over the bills and morning found the snow crumpling before 1L BUlle roe with Harris through the lower field as he pointed out the varl ous fence lines and the lay of the ditches and laterals which would carry Water to Irrigate the meadow, all these to be Installed as eood as winter hould lose Its grip. As Harris outlined his plans his words were tinged with optimism and , he allowed no hint of possible disaster to creep Into bis speech. But the girl Was conscious of that hovering uncer tainty, the feeling that the months of peace were but to lure her Into a false sense of security and that Slade would pounce on the Three Bar from all angles at once whenever the time was right She found some consolation In the fact that Lang's men no longer rode through her range at will, but skirted It In their trips to and from the ' Breuks. She attributed this solely to Harris' precautions In the matter of outguards, for of all those within a hundred miles she wns perhaps the single one who had not heard of the sinister rumor that was cutting Lang and his men off from the rest of the world. Men were discussing It wherever they .net; liCoklriver thej were speculating on the possible results, the same In the railroad towns; across the Idaho line and south Into Ctnh It was the topic of the day. And. the single patron of Brill's store found1 the anine question uppermost in his ir'nd. ('arson was one of the many who were neltJT wholly good nor hopelessly hope-lessly bad, one v. ho hud drifted with i the easy ennent of the middle course. iri he was A'onderlug If th-it middle coiirs wculd continue to prove safe, lie played solitaire to pass the time His bors and saddle hud been lost ' In a' ud-poker- gt,me Just prior to ; his catching the 'stage to Brill's. '. where his credit. bad always een gotid. tie rose; stetched and accosted Brill , "1'ui me down for a quart," he safd " ' ' '"Whenever you put down the cash," Brill returned-1 "Wlmf's (tit matter with my cred It?" Carson demanded. Tve always puld." Brill . eaclied for a book, opened ll and slid it up to t' bur. tie tlipped the pages and Indicated a uun.ber of aceoun.s .-uled off with' red Ink. ' "So did Harper, ' he said, "tip ai ways paid, and Cualield and Uagill; ; these others, too. Their credit wus ' gund out they've all 'gone somewheres 1 cun'i follow' to .collect. And 'J.ej wins owln;- tus," hie tupped a double account. "Bungb wus Into oe a llttl Old (tile paM up foi him und then got if In his turn with his name down foi ' a hundred on my books. Uarrls and blllie Wurreu 'puiu .up for Rue ow , Just whoever do you surmise will pay tip for you? "Me?" Carson Inquired. "Why, I - ain't dead. I'm clear alive." "So was they when I charged those Accounts' BrlU said. "But It looks ; like stormy days aheud. 1 sell for cash." "I'm not on this death list, It that's what you're referring to," Carson an nounced. ' "But It's easj to get enrolled." Brill said. ''Your name's liable to show up on It any time. Seen Lang in the last few days?' "Nt In the lust few mouths," X.r-son X.r-son stated "Nor yet In the next few years lie's no friend of mine." "1 sort of remember you sed to be right comradely.' brill remarked. "Thai's before I really knowe Lang : Intimate.' 'anon said. "He didn't strike me as such a bad sort at Urst ; but now ne's going too strong. Folks are netting plum down on him." "What yon uiean Is that folks who used to he friendly are growing spooky alii'ui getting their own names on that list." Brill said. "That's what has opened their eyes.' "Mnyhe so." lh nlrsty men con fitist'ri 'But anyway I'm through.' "TIihv re all f hrotgh 1" Brill said "A hundred others Just like you. acat terwl nre and there It's come to theio reei:t Inst what a had lot .nnfc la. tl'n hell whut a whisper can do." ' if wrr ihnl whisper Is hacked by a thousand-dollar reward," Carson agreed. "If he rei lly pays op It'll wreck Lang little snap for sure. Brill dabbec his cloth at an Imaginary Imag-inary spot on the polished slab and nodded without comment 1 reckon be launched that scheme because Slade put a price on him -first," Carson said. "I didn't know Slade was into this," Brill stated softly. "There'" no proof of that. Not a shred." "No more thun there's any proof that Harris Is behind these rewards," Carson said. "But you know that Slnde Is out to wreck the Three Bar since they've planted squatters there.' The storekeeper failed to respond. "There's likely a dozen men looking foi Hnrrl- right now," Carson prophesied. prophe-sied. "But It' hard for one of 'em to get within ten miles of the ranch." r-Ill observed. "So while they're maybe looking for hia It's right difficult to e him that far off." "i don't mind admitting that I'm for Harris as against Slade," Carson ald. "Just between us two 1 don't mind confessing that I'm neutral as against everything else," Brill returned. "Now yoo know how I'm lined up. Do 1 get that quart?" Carson urged. "1 knew aow you . was lined up months bark.' Brill turned on a dry smile, "1 ain't told a soul till right now," Carson objected. "So how could you know?" "You didn't need to tell. As soon as that rumor leaked out It was a cinch where you'd stand. And a rundred others are crowding on to the sac e foothold along with you." "And why not?" Carson demanded. "Who wants to get a thousand plastered plas-tered on his sculp? It would tempt a man's best friends." "Or scare 'era off," the storekeeper commented. "Whlcb Is all the same In the end." A half dozen men clattered up In front and surged through the door. More arrivals followed as the regular afternoon crowd gathered before the bar. There were many Jobless hands drifting from one ranch to the next "grubllng" on each brand for a week or more at a time during the slack winter months. Carpenter rode up alone. Brill lowered low-ered one lid and jerked his head, toward to-ward Carson. "Broke and reformed," he said. "Maybe." '. . . Some tnfutes later Carp bought the thirsty man a drink. "You looking for a Job?" he asked. "1 can use you down my way." ' Carson was well versed In the bends of the devious frail and Carp's ways smacked of Irregularities. Carson had Ideus of his own why the ether man was allowed to start up an outfit down in SLade's range. One day Carp's name would be cited on the black list As diplomatically as possible he refused re-fused the offer of a Job. The storekeeper smiled as he noted this. Carson bad turned into a solid citizen almost overnight. As Carp left him and Joined another group Brill poured Carson a drink. "You're a fair risk at that as long as yoo stay cautious," he remarked. "I'll stake you to a horse and saddle You can ride the gruhllne with the rest of the boys till spring and get a Job when work opens up." He slid a hot tie across the bar. ."Here's your quart He stood looking after him as Carson Car-son moved to a table and motioned several others to Join him over the bottle. "That's about the tenth reformation that's trunsplred under my eyes In as many duys," Brill mused. "Give os time and thl; community will turn pure and spotless. I don't mind any miin's owlnr me if he stands a fair show to go on living." The sheriff dropped in for one of bis infrequent visits to Brill's. He waved nil hands to a drink. "I've Just been out to the Three Bar to. see' Harris," he aunounced. "And asked him about this uewa that's heen If ting about He came right out Bat and stays he's not offering a reward. That's all a mistake." Every man In the room grinned at this statement There was no ither possible reply that Harris could make. "Of course, the sheriff said reflectively. reflec-tively. "C course there's Just a chance that Cal lied to me." "He lied all right" Cnrp prophesied. ( "I'd bet my jhlrt he'll stand to pay I the price for every man that's clttd on that list" "Pshaw," the sheriff deprecated "That's dead against the law. that la," "He will do it," Carson predicted "if I was on that list I'd be moving for somewheres a long ways remote from here." "Then you'd better be starting," A I den connseled mildly. "For Harris was just telling me that your name had got mixed up with It Morrow s name has sprung np, too. Cal seemed mystified as to how it had come about, for be says yon and Morrow oaver rode with the others on the list He couldn't figure bow this thing come to start" "Figure I" Carp snapped. "He figured fig-ured It out himself, who else? Are you going to stand for his putting a price on every man he happens to dlslike7" "But he says he don't know anything any-thing about It." the sheriff expostulated. expostulat-ed. "So how can I prove he does? I'd like to know for sure If 1 thought be was actually set to pay those rewards I'd have to ride over and remonstrate with Cal." One or two who had been drinking with Carp moved over to speak with others and failed to return. He was left standln alone at the bar. He shrugged bis shoulders and went out. "Folks an considerable like sheep," Brill observed. It occurred to him that In every saloon and In every bunk house within a hundred miles the topic of conversation was the same. He lowered one lid as he looked at the sheriff and Jerked bis head toward to-ward Crrson. "He's - roke and reformed," he said. "Absolutely." The sheriff drew Carson aside. "If you're wanting a Job I'll stake you to an outfit and feed you through till spring Forty a month from then on. I'll need a parcel of deputies, likely, after that" "You've got one," Carson stated. 'Til sign now." . The storekeeper, the sheriff and the "new deputy "stood at one end of the bar. "It's queer that folks don't see the real object of this, rumor," Brill observed. ob-served. "It's object Is to clean out the hard est citizens In the country," Carson said. "That's why they're named Why else?" "The object Is to clean up the rest of the country first." Brill said. Carson grunted his disbeliet "If Harris only wanted to wipe out those on the list he wouldn't go to all this fuss." Brill explained. "He'd Just pot on an extra bunch of hand and raid the Breaks himself. Swear he caught them running off a buncb of Three Bar cows. Simpler and con slderahle less expense." "Then what's the object of this bounty?" Carson Insisted. "That's aimed at the doubtful folks." Drill stated. "Folks that was on the fence like you. This death list makes them spooky and they turn Into good little citizens In ne round of the clock. It leaves the worst one? outside without a friend. Every one lined up solid behind the law Pub lie sentiment will start running strong against those outside. Then It'll be easy for the sheriff and a bunch of deputies like you to clean the coun try up from end to end, with the whole commnnltj backing your play." Carson considered this for some time. "Well, I can furnish the deputies, he said at last "Boys that are strum: for law and rrder from first to last' "I've got about all I need." the sher Iff said. "A dozen or so Mostly oM friends of yours. Tve picked 'em up' on and off In the last two weeks They re strong for upholding the last letter of the law Just like you said.' "A dozen?" Carson asked. "How'll you raise the money to pay that many at once?" (TO BE CONTINUED.) |