40 40 10 OUTLAWS OU LAWS of EDEN D N 0 0 0 by peter B kyne 0 service copyright by t peter B kyne irvn 01 SYNOPSIS at the close of the mexican war robin kershaw with hla his bride rode into northeastern california here he found an ideal valley lor for cattle rat rait 1 ing they christened it eden valle valley y below eden valley Is a less valuable tract which Ker kershaws shaws wife names forlorn valley joel hensley settles settle in the lower halt of the valley there ther Is bad blood over fences and water for or irrigation kershaw kill kills hensley and the blood feud la is on by 1917 ranee rance kershaw hi his ton son owen and daughter lorry are tall all that remains remain of one clan nato nate tichenor chenor Tl Is the sole note survivor on the hensley side he H goes boe to help lorry in her car anil and finds her father has died of heart disease sita sll babson banker themes schemes to control th irrigation and hydroelectric hydro electric possibilities possible of 0 eden valley nato nate tells tella lorry he and owen kershaw dorrys brother met in france franca lust just before owen was wa killed they became buddles buddies and nate promised that it f he survived owen he would look after aate r starry lorry as a brother might do babson determined to secure dorrys lake site andNa and Nates tea dam site alte makes make legal application for the allocation of flood waters to the forlorn valley irrigation district which he organizes with money advanced by nate lorry clears up her indebtedness to babson nate linds finds he Is falling in love with lorry babson discovers nate Is behind a power project which threatens to ruin the bankers schemes CHAPTER VIII continued 9 ile he was possessed of a warm feell ns of elation as lie motored up tip to the circle K and in a field below the ranch house bouse found lorry with her cowboys working in the branding corral she wore the traditional boots overalls shirt and hat of a cowman she carried a four strand thirty foot calf rope of braided rawhide and bestrode a buckskin akskin horse that knew his business tichenor chenor Tl climbed up on the fence and watched her work he thrilled with professional pride as her small loop went under the belly of each victim and curled up and over the legs of the calf as the little animal went forward he observed how gently she laid him doyon down saving undue strain on her mats and dragged him through the soft loose dirt to the fire rube tenney worldon a calf along the fence below nate said out of the corner of his mouth as he passed ninety two calves so far today and she missed her cast yet it was long since he had bad sat on the top rall rail of a corral fence comfortable in his bis shirt sleeves and looked at good stock I 1 long since lie he had done any shooting and fishing long since his knees had gripped anything save an academy trained horse ile he resolved definitely not to give it up when the world wearied him he fie could always come back to eden valley and enjoy the society of people who had mastered the alie great art of silent companionship lorry had waved her at him as he took his spat sent on the fence thereafter she paid no attention to him film she was busy so he sat on the fence for an hour dreaming remembering planning finally he saw a horse standing with drooping head outside the corral A was colled on tte the saddle my lly horse lorry he called to the sirl girl whenever you get your job of dreaming done with she called back lie ile climbed down chichek cinched the saddle tigi tig liter te and swung aboard alde ride him coll cowboy bo lorry cried joyously and as it f this was a signal the horse went into action tichenor stayed with him for six jumps then sailed orf off into space and nt lit on his hands ant anil knees in the soft dirt whereupon everybody laughed long and joyously loyous ly at his discomfiture A dozen feet away the horse was standing gazing curiously at him lorry rode up to the fence and looked at him what happened she asked sympathetically ile he picked himself up furious with embarrassment embarrassing ut and glared at tier lier ive been away a long time im soft I 1 cant grip ern em like I 1 used to he fie mumbled and caught up the horse the brute tried to throw him again hut but tills ibis tinie time tichenor stuck abid the horse deciding be had had the worst of the argument jogged bogged sedately away to tile the corral gate swung into it for nate to slip the wooden latch pushed it open with hla his shoulder pushed it shut again and sidled humbly up to tile the latch for life his rider to slide it home again tichenor chenor Tl shook out his loop found an unbranded cd calf and roped it neatly around the hind legs lorry smiled balled tier her approval find and before her ber smile mile his bis finger anger and embarrassment melted and he smiled back nate I 1 bet rube a hundred dollars ride him straight up and sta atay y with him you rode him straight glit up but you stay with will him so you lost a hundred dollars for me why you bet rube another undred hundred id miss my first calf 1 I did she bhe confessed sadly im out two hundred on you go bet him two hundred more I 1 can rope ten straight she called her bet to rube tenney taken the superintendent yelled back and another hundred he misses one calf in the first fire take it tichenor chenor Tl urged lorry took it and he be woo won both bets beta for her first time I 1 ever knew a man to lay oft off copin nine years an come back with his old time skill rube tenney complained once a year for or six sin years past ive roped dally for a week in the rodeo held at bl madison adison square garden tichenor chenor Tt confessed the first time I 1 tried it was on a private bet I 1 was in a box with a lot of society wasters basters find and there was a rich smart aleck there I 1 like so I 1 honeyed him alca into a bet of ten thousand dollars I 1 could rope and hog tle tie a calf in twenty seconds why slow I 1 can beat that lorry challenged not on a borrowed horse with a borrowed rope and an educated calf lorry the crowd thought I 1 was part of the show when I 1 rode out in a top hat bat and dress clothes find and tied the critter in fourteen seconds did you collect the ten thousand the practical sir BIT tenney queried 1 I did 4 ill bet you ten thousand I 1 can beat your time were about finished with this bunch so well let all but tour four out of the corral and haze tile the others with their mothers down the field about a hundred yards then rube shall open the gate and well start a calf from the other end of the corral straight for his mother the gate shall be tile the dead line and the second the calf Is through it hes yours to rope and tie I 1 noticed the other day you car carry a stopwatch stop watch now how about it neighbor lorry asked give me a tie rope was all he said and handed his stopwatch stop watch to rube tenney the calf a husky youngster about two months old then went out the gate for all be was worth 51 all tichenor stayed with him for six jumps forty feet beyond the gate tichenor 8 rope settled over his head and stopped him even as he stopped the man was waa going out of the saddle crawling up along the rope rolie lie he flopped the calf tied him and rolled him over then rube tenney inspected the tie and pronounced it perfect fifteen and a fifth he announced good fast work nate they rode back into the corral and watched lorry haze her calf out As his tall cleared the gate post she snagged him like nate site she lit fit running flanked the calf expertly find and tied him tichenor came down and rolled the little animal over twice nothing wrong with that tie he announced by chikey youre strong give the lady ten thousand dollars rube tenney ordered fourteen flat an youve traveled a long way tor for a aickin mister nate tichenor using the flat of his saddle for a desk wrote out the check thanks the girl bald casually and waved the cheek check to dry the ink kasy basy come easy go I 1 have no qualms at nicking you nate I 1 competed with the best men in the country at the rend leton roundup round up tip last year and took second money came away from that show with eleven hundred dollars and met the september payroll youre a mans woman he told her feelingly ive never had more tun fun losing ten thou thousand dollars and ive never had more fun un winning it youre a true blue sport nate and an d a true blue sport never knows a regret and slie she laughed and tore up the check lie ile had no reply to make to this half angry and halt prideful he sat his horse looking down at her with a queer intense light in his eyes seeing w which aich rube robe tenney gathered his cowboys together and rode oft off with them toward headquarters when they were out of hearing bearing nate tichenor spoke lorry kershaw Kers liaw ive never loved a woman before but I 1 love you tichenor chenor Tl knew the ghost of old ranee rance kershaw was coming between him film and his desire 1 I understand lorry he said finally well im good at waiting but I 1 certainly do crave the job of taking care of you she smiled up at him bin well I 1 have resented your valet she admitted slyly what does a valet know about taking care of a man ile he dismounted squatted on his heels in the shadow of the corral and motioned her to sit beside him tell tel me anything except how much money you have she suggested presently im not interested in that lorry im the proprietor of a big dream As a halt half owner la in a bond and brokerage house in new york ive made money enough to retire on now but im too young to rust out so im going to put over one big deal before I 1 quit lorry im the mountain vally valley power company she stood up gazing down at him reproachfully so you were the santa claus vint that gave me twice what my land anti was worth were you her tone was cold that was your nice little method of conferring charity was it well it was a good price lorry but the land was worth that to me had anybody but you owned it I 1 would have bare haggled and made a couple of hundred thousand thousand dollars but it charity charit y I 1 in love with you when we closed that deal happened since and I 1 dont know why I 1 only know im glad its happened even if nothing should eier ee come of it sit down please you cant pick a fight with we me merely because I 1 declined to take advantage of your ignorance of the value of what you held plus your acute financial embarrassment she sat down you and I 1 are not popular in our little world he be went on 1 I dont know how you feel about it but that knowledge has always hurt me my bly heart Is here where my people lie ile burled buried ive wanted to do something big and constructive alcum accum accumulate a lot of money and employ it wisely in this country 1 I 1 I want neighbors I 1 want to be thought well of lie ile waved his hand toward the east cast 1 I dont belong in that country and I 1 dont like it it I 1 want to live here and you might as well know it now go on im listening nate youre going to marry me sooner or later and I 1 want to know if have any objection to living here six months of the year A little bit shorter than I 1 care to consider but I 1 can stand it lorry youre a darling well ive found a way to popularize both clans when the mountain valley pow lov er com coin banys dam Is in im going to sell water cheap to forlorn valley irrigating from deep wells over there those people are a miserable 10 lot t nate I 1 was blackballed out of the club in valley center so was my mother ive never been invited to a party or a picnic or a dance or a barbecue even by the people who come up here to picnic and fish and hunt on our ranch I 1 want no credit from those people nate A break in her voice caused him to glance fiance sharply at her tears were rolling silently down her cheeks he gazed moodily down eden valley and watched the last rays of the sun aun gilding eluding the crowns 0 of the scattered pines yes the people of forlorn val ley had always been free to use eden valley for a playground they cant come to eden valley any more he decided aloud ill put a sign up on the gate fate that leads from the open country to the bar II 11 the mountaineer was sp speaking eakin now 1 I have truck alti with your enemies lorry she se leaned over put her arm around his neck drew his face down and kissed him 1 I do love you nate and were sufficient unto ourselves arent we he held her so close to him she could hear bear his heart thumping with the fierce joy that possessed him ue he was happy at last the thought came to him that never again would he be lonely nevertheless he be had dreamed a bis big dream and he be recoiled from the prospect of abandoning it we be friendly with them darling he resumed but we can sell them water make a lot of money out of them and save them a lot of money and its not altogether their fault that weve been ostracized youve got to admit we a wholesome crew well ruin them she cried passionately and when been ruined well run cattle ovi ovir r their farms nate she was still recalcitrant for she had been wounded deeply and women do not forget their wounds as readily as men do im in not interested nate I 1 am not my brothers keeper 1 I rather thought you might urge me to be nice to them he be complained a little sadly and he went on to sketch the situation as he had bad conceived it the girl listening alertly and forbearing to interrupt him at the conclusion of his statement she said very well nate ill get religion and love mine enemies struck we me on one cheek but tor for your sake ill turn the other but ill not forgive silas babson nate lie killed my father just as surely as any hensley ensley II ever killed a kershaw or any kershaw ever killed a fl hensley ensley you said a moment ago you have truck with my enemies well that babson Is my enemy are you going to have truck with him 1 I do not see how I 1 can very well avoid that lorry forlorn valley will have to form an irrigation district to get the water and you know babions Bab sona sons their bellwether heal run t the h e show ile he run it with you run that show ill not have yo you playing second fiddle to a man that fit to shine your boots final well how bow are you going to prevent it spit spitfire firel if you do ill not marry you threatening me eh dont yoi realize none of my clan has ever beail driven 5 she dodged that terse thrust ril r compromise with will you be nice to the forlorn if you wish but smash babson I 1 want him smashed she added with quiet vehemence but if I 1 humor you little wildcats wildcat ill have to smash the bank of valley center and when the banks smashed all the depositors will be smashed with it you dont truly love me she him petulantly 1 I can give up my love ive lived twenty nine years without it and I 1 can uve live some more again she put her arms around hloi him and drew his face down dowd to hers why were feuding feeding again sweetheart she murmured softly have it your own way id rather have you than the scalp of silas babson and she sealed that pronouncement with kisses you win lorry you can lead a mule to water but you cant make him drink ill smash babson for you and I 1 have an ancient grudge against that rat henry too so ill dl knock him out of the best salaried position in valley center wrong with henry Ro no olby once when I 1 was about sixteen years old I 1 walked around the block in volley valley center to avoid coming face to face with your brother owen rook by saw me do it so he followed me ma and twitted twisted me about it it implied I 1 was afraid of owen owea then he went back and talked with owen and I 1 saw the pair of them su smiling illing in my direction so I 1 avoid the lie meeting after that would have liked to see a killi killiri rg I 1 imagine just to vary the routine of his dull life so I 1 bent my gun over his right shoulder up between the shoulder and the neck and knocked him flat on his back and I 1 said to him Ro it you