Show SE R I 1 A L US STORY M L AAN of 0 R D 11 0 f the h ahree by KATE AND VIRGIL D BOYLES coper gilt glit by A C 1 0 arg co 1907 SYNOPSIS george willston will ston a poor ranch ranchman naan agh iiri minded ded and cultured searches tor for attle in asing from I 1 Is ranch the lazy a 6 on a wooded coded u spot jn in the rivers s bed th that at mould have been an island had the ali missouri bourl been at high water he disco ers 1 band of horse thieves engaged in work ng 0 er brands on cattle he creeps near enough to note tl ti e changing of the three bars brand on one steer to the J R brand paul langford the rich D of the three bars ranch Is sent or by williston and Is informed of the I 1 operations pe rations of the gang of cattle thieves t band of outlaws headed by jesse black who long have defied the law and author atles of kemah county south dakota with impunity but who heretofore I 1 ad not dared to molest any of the prop arty of the great tl ree bars ranch willis ton shows his in opposing a band so powerful in politics and so dreaded by all the community langford Lang tord pledges williston his tr fr enship if he will assist in bringing jesse black and his gang to justice langford Lang tord is struck mth ith the b beauty auty of mary commonly known as williston s I 1 atle girl louise dale an expert court er who mho had followed her uncle judee jude hammond bale from the east to the dakota 3 and who Is 1 ving with rith I 1 im at wind city is in requested by the county attorney It richard ichard go don to come to kemah a d tal e testimony in the prel hear ing of jesse black ahe he accepts the biml tation and males mal es her first trip into the wl wt d indian country arriving at velpen across tl e river from kemah she Is met by J m munson a hot headed cow com boy of the three bars ranch in wait ng tor for the train munson looks at some cattle in the stock pen in the herd being sl dipped to sioux city ba B 11 ll brown he detects old mag a well mell known onery steer belon belonging Xing to his hn employer empl of the three bars ranch munson and louise start for kemah they take huncl at the bon ami restaurant conducted by mrs hig kins gins a great admirer of R chard gordon the county attorney lou se Is told of a meat po plot resulted in the illness of wl listen liston langford and other mIt witnesses nesses for t tl e state in the cattle th ef case agal against ritt jesse black A buckboard tries trie to block the way of Alun munson sons s team at the entrance to pontoon bridge across tl ti e river munson crowds past the buck board team wrecking the buckboard they arrive at Willis williston tons s crowds as in justice james R mcallister s court for the preliminary hearing jesse blade black springs the first of many great surprises waiving balvi ig examination through jake sanderson a member of the out law ga gang he had learned that the steer mag had a d been recovered and thus saw the uselessness of fighting against being bound over richard gordon the county attorney who is unpopular because of his many failures to secure convictions in court wins mins the admiration of louise which Is mutual county attorney GOT gox don accompanies louise dale on her re turn to wind city CHAPTER VIII vill continued mrs higgins at the don ami she continued smiling I 1 was so hungry when we me got to velpen though I 1 had eaten a PL tremendous breakfast at the lazy S but 5 0 clock is an unholy hour at which to eat one s breakfast isn t it and I 1 just couldn coulden t help get ting hungry all over again so I 1 per mary to stop for another cup of coffee toffee it Is ridiculous the way I 1 eat in your country it is a good country he said sob erty erly it must be it if you can say so because I 1 have tailed failed shall I 1 cry out that law cannot be enforced in kemah county sometimes may it be soon there will come a man big enough to make the law triumphant he will not be I 1 he was still smarting from his many setbacks set backs he had worked hard and had accomplished nothing at the last term of court though many cases were tried he had not secured one conviction we shall see said louise softly her look straight into his eyes was a glint of sunshine in dark places then she laughed mrs higgins said to me jimmie mac hain t got the sense he was born with his little dried up brain d rattle round in a mustard seed and he s get tin shet 0 that little so fast it makes my head swim she was tilling about times when he hadn haan t acted just fair to you I 1 am glad from all I 1 hear that this was taken out of his hands I 1 can count my friends the real ones on one hand I 1 m afraid said gordon with a good humored smile and mrs higgins surely is the thumb I 1 am glad you smiled said louise that would have sounded so bitter it if you had not I 1 coulon couldn t help smiling lou 1 ou you hive such a way miss dale it was blunt but it rang true it is true though about my ray friends it if I 1 co ild convict jesse black for instance a million friends would call me blessed but I 1 cant can t do it alone they will not do it they will not help mo me do it they despise me because I 1 can t do it and swear at me because I 1 try to do it and there you have the whole situation in a nutshell miss dale the sun struck across her face he cached over and lowered the blind thank you ou but it is vantage in now la is it nota you will get justice before uncle hammond unconsciously his shoulder dei dels s straightened es miss aliss dale it is Js vantage in ne of two things will come to pas sha sand IMS jesso blace over or he paused his eyes unseeing were fixed on the gliding landscape as it appeared in rectangular spots through the window in tron fron ot of them les es or prompted louise softly never mind it Is of no conse quence he said abruptly no fear of judge dale juries are my water loo Is it then such a nest of cow ards cried louise intense scorn in her clear voice yes deliberately men alen are afraid of retaliation those who are not actu ly blood guilty as you ou might say and who can say who is and who but he will be sent over this time paul langford Lang tord is on his trail give me two men like lang ford rd and that anachronism an hon est man west of the river williston and you can have the rest sheriff and all mr williston Wll liston he has been unfold dunate has he not nota he is such a gentleman and a scholar surely surely he is one of the finest fellows I 1 know A man of the hobt sensitive honor if such a thing can be I 1 should say he is too honest tor for i his own good A man can be you know there is nothing in the world that cannot be overdee overdone she looked at him earnestly his ea ees es did not shift she was satisfied your work belies yo ir words she said quietly dust and cinders drifted in between the slats of the closed blind putting her handkerchief to her lips louise looked at the dark streaks on it with reproach rep loach your south dal ota dirt Is so black she said whimsically better black than yellow he re ported it looks cleaner low how t if maybe you think my home a fit dwelling place tor for john chinaman pouted louise yes it that will persuade you that south dakota Is infinitely better are you open to conviction 9 never I 1 should die it I 1 had to stay here you will ba be going back soona some day sure soon maybe oh I 1 wish I 1 could that part ot of me Is like uncle hammond says stay but that other part of me which is III e the rest of us says ays 11 what s the use 9 go back to your kind you youre re happier there why y if r L f y f I 1 shall send jess jesse e black over should jou you want to be different 7 9 what does it all amount toa I 1 am afraid I 1 shall be weak enough and foolish enough to go back and stay there was a stir in the forward part of the car A man hitherto sit ting quietly by the side of an alert wiry little fellow who sat next the aisle had attempted to bolt the car by springing over the empty seat in front of him and mal ing a dash for the door it was daring but in vain his companion as agile as he had se seized iced him and forced him again into his place before the rest of the pas fully understood that the at tempt had really been made Is he crazym are they taking him hint to yankton 7 asked louise the pretty color all gone from her face did he think to jump off the train that s john yellow wolf a young halt half breed he s wanted up in the hills for cattle rustling united states court case that s johnson with him deputy united states marshal poor fellow said louise pityingly don t waste your sympathy on such as ab he the they are degenerates many of these halt half breeds they will swear to anything they inherit all the evils of the two races good never mixes yellow vv wolf olf would swear him self into everlasting torment for a pint of whiskey you see my cause of complaint 7 but never think miss dale that these poor chaps of halt half breeds who are hardly responsible are the only ones who are willing to swear to damnable lies there was a tang of bitterness in his voice per jury miss aliss dale perjury through tear fear of bribery or self interest god knows what it Is I 1 must break I 1 sup pose until the day of judgment un less I 1 run away louise through all the working of his smart and sting felt the quiet re s serve erve strength of this man beside her and with a quick rush of longing to do her part her woman s part of corn com foring forting and healing she put her hand small on his rough coat sleeve Is that what you meant a while agoa ago but you don k t mean it do youa it is bitter and you do not mean it tell me that you ou do not mean it mr gordon please she said impulsively smothering a wild impulse to keep the hand where it had lain such a brief palpitating while gordon re y bained silent god only knows what human longing he crushed down what intense discouragement what sick desire to lay down doan his thankless task and flee to the uttermost parts of the world to be away from the crying need he yet could not still then he ans answered simply I 1 did not mean M miss dale and then there did not seem to be anything to say between them tor for a long while the halfbreed half halt breed had set tied down with stolid indifference I 1 people had resumed their newspapers and magaz nes and day dreams aate the fleeting excitement it was very warm louise tried to create a kittil breeze by flicking her somewhat bo grimed handkerchief in front of her face gordon took a newspaper from his pocket folded it and tanned fanned her gently he m was as not used to the little graces of life perhaps but he did this well an honest man and a kindly never goes tar far wrong in any direction you must not think miss dale he said seriously that it Is all bad up here I 1 am only selfish I 1 have been harping on my own little corner of wickedness all the while it Is a good land it will be better before long when asked louise when we convict jesse black and when our indian neighbors get over their mania for divorce he answered laughing softly louise laughed and so the tho journey ended as it had begun with a laugh and a jest est in the judge s runabout louise held out her hand ira im almost homesick she cried smiling CHAPTER IX the attack on the lazy S 8 it was mas late the august night was cool and sweet after a weary meary day 0 of intense heat the door was thrown wide open it was good to feel the night air creeping into the he stifling room there was no light within and without nothing but the brilliant stars stam in the quiet brooding sky williston was sitting just within the doorway mary her hands clasped idly around her knees sat on the doorstep thong thoughtfully staring out into the still darkness there was a stir bedtime little girl said williston just a minute more daddy must we have a light think how the mosquitoes will swarm lets go to bed in the dark we will shut the door and next summer little girl you shall have your i our screens I 1 prom se that always providing of course jesse black leaves us alone had it not been so dark mary could have seen the wistful smile on the thin scholarly face but though she could not see it she knew it was there there had been fairer hopes and more generous promises in the past few years they had all gone the dreary way of impotent striving of bitter disappointment there was little need of light tor for mary to read hei bet fathers thoughts sure daddy she answered cheer ily fly and III see that you dont don t tor for get As tor for jesse black he wouldn t dare with the three bars on his trail well it if you must have a light you must rising and stretching her firm fleshed young arms far over her head yo you a cant forget you were born la in civilization can you I 1 am sure I 1 could be your man in the dark if you d let me and I 1 always turn your nightshirt night shirt right side out before hanging it on your bedpost and your sheet and spread are turned down and water right at hand you tunny funny funny little father who can t go to bed in the dark she was rummaging around a shelf in search of matches now I 1 hae have forgotten long since that I 1 wasn gasn t born on the plains 1 wouldn t hurt me it if I 1 had misplaced my nightdress I 1 ie done it wit with hagaY a gay little laugh he must be cheered up at all costs this buffeted and digap pointed but fine minded high strung and lovable father of hers and I 1 haven t taken my hair down nights nighta since oh since months ago till oh well so you see it s easy enough fol fo me to go to bed in the dark to be continued |