Show av L LE or nic PL 5 a V AA bior ormy laroy or bouth ETC by drapun SYNOPSIS jack keith a virginian now a barter lali uman 1 Is riding alona the danta banta I 1 trail an on the lookout for or roaming war wr artlia a ot of savages lie ile notices a camp re at t a distance dl and tha then sees ft it team ad to ft a wagon and at lull full calla HOUR 1 by men on ponies when keith ache the lie waton the raider raiders chiv hiv mass masi r I 1 two inn non and ani departed he lie earche searches I 1 victims finding paper and a IL locket th wom woman a a portrait H I 1 yea to ur d down wn t th ins murderer murderers ith li Is ari aleu a at t caron carson city charr with the arder r hit hk accuser betanc being a ruffian named bart B rl he lie ROS goes to all gully the he peril of eviat border justice A ni anion in I 1 11 to cell call Is I 1 a MI who dim him he li is nib neb and that he be tutow kev the th family back in efm r hb eay says it of th the mu murdered adera men n wa was john ey the a other ther gen willis walte wait an officer in the bonfe I 1 rate army plainsman and neb escape train the nd d later I 1 ter the two tuti tives beccone beco 0 1 the and sand desert they come n bin in and find if its lono lone occupant to be a g ott whom keith 1 as et r he b a e aw i at canon carson city the cirl girl ain in s that th at ahe she came there ther in earch search of rather ither who had bad deserted from ta ue a y A mr ur hawley its induced he heir to to the cabin flwler while wh Is he ought sought te to tot hr her brother and th i in hiding recognizes him a am 1 awley lawley tries ries to make love to the there is a terril battle in the it nd nod room in which keith ck hart bart horses are appropriated and irl sri who ag a a that her name la is hope in the escape keith explain explains his atlon ion and the fugitives tives mako make for fort n a d where the girl la is lea left ih th the 1 landl landlady adir attias hope tells that she he he i daughter 0 of general walte waite keith N ab b drift into sheridan where keith Is i in an old friend pr dr CHAPTER continued ou say there wa was no tracer trace nothing to travel on alter after forty bt hour hours a posse started out next ming ing soon as they found him n they got back they reported bay run un the fellows fellow as far as ron Q Cros altia there they got escaped wo 0 o led the man called black I 1 thin lc he b week aa bartt dart ea is the name BO no I 1 reckon bury willis walto waite this lime time tain aln you have bays thought as a dead one it you bad had heard swear while he was telling tellin Li the it did him proud never anard lo 10 better fince since the second baat ty shuro had hie his ME eat shot ott oft n and I 1 had to fix him up loid be e called me a few things alth th cat sat silent tally fully that the doctor was telling the th yet more puzzled than ever r the peculiar situation la in which aund and himself involved what hat brought the general up ea he questioned finally I 1 haven bayca t much idea was abi ay 1 I doa don t think I 1 asked him dily I 1 much re waa was a hint blat dropped however you ou speak about it hah irben alter after dopers and docent t eel feel saus regarding res arding the report of the poise posse ny opinion bes he trailing alter after ck bart dart be i dining room was thinnie vt il hey they were about the only on lyones ones left 0 table tables keith atz stretched etched him looking around ell doctor I 1 am very glad to a inet met you again and to learn its i Is I 1 actually alive this Is a er queer affair but will have to it itself out anyway I 1 am too tired tonight to hunt after clues ast dst of this babel I 1 ive ve been in addle saddle most moat of at the time for a k and have rot to find a bel reckon you wont discover dia cover such ng ig here dryly ool got even seven in a upstairs and othera corded g the hall ball better abate my cell call alne thing to do at would be asking too much turn in to at the corral ath neb dept in wore worse place places think ot of it keith and octor got up besides Del de you at night don dont t you bally yes ye the other admitted en you wont bother me any tor leepa sleeps at night la IA Eber sheridan idan our harvest time come on it 11 how show you the way when ng ag coats ill III rout you out and toy Y turn th had enjoyed considerable ex in la frontier hatela but noth fore to had ever quite quits equalled equal led this tide de of sheridan the product throop luehr oom town which merely ex by y eraca tries of the temporary rail rall minus it bad had been hastily and ly y constructed to it could be arted tied elsewhere at a mome tits every creak 0 of a bet bed echoed wair to wall the thin parti aiton tailed to reach the celtina loot toot or two and the slightest grouted the entire floor and was noise of at every conceivable in plenty from the blare of a at the mouser dane danco hall flail the energetic cutting of the in the rear A discordant dim alces ice surged up from the street tough laughter ter shouts thu tha shrieks of n a rattle of dice an occasional I 1 shot and the continuous yell at t industrious barkers there no safety anywhere an exploding yet e in no 47 was quite likely to ta rb b the peaceful lumbers pt it the cent nt occupant 0 ot no 15 16 and every d of quarrel la in the lb itell b bar ar caused the lodger to owl jl 4 i momentary expectation of a I 1 bullet cour cours slog toward WW U copyright A Q mcclurg 4 co IM 1 4 5 N im I 1 ism 10 va 1 you mean hope do you know her through the floor with this to trouble him be he could lie ile there and hear bear everything that occurred within and without every creak stamp and nore onore waa was faithfully reported every curse blow snarl echoed reechoed re to bis his cars inside wa we bell outside wai was sheridan wearied and half halt dead aa as keith was sleep was simply impossible he its heard heavy feet tramping tra jiping up and down the hall ball once a drunken man endeavored vainly to open his door oot not far away there ws t a je and tho the bound sound of at a budy falling down lairs stairs in some distant apartment a fellow follow wa was struggling to draw on off his tight boots skipping bout about on one foot toot amid much profanity that the boot conquered wai won evident when the man crawled into the creaking bed announcing noun cing clug de Cantly antly if it the landlord wanti wants them boots bioff off let him come an pull em off oft across the hall ball was a st rattle of chips ch ps and the voices of several men occasionally raised in anger now and then they stamp on the floor door as an order for liquid refreshments from betow below from somewhere beyond the long drawn melancholy borl of a distressed dog greeted the rising moon out from til ell this pandemonium keith began to unconsciously detect the sound of at voices talking in the room to his left in the lull of obstructing ting sound a few words reached him through the slight open space between wall and ceiling hell dill bill the u use coln out again when we the pricy oh we e might lid flad bart dart somewhere and ard hed stake ur Us I 1 guess I 1 know enough to make bm him loosen up come on im gain not me this town la is too near fort hays im liable to run into some of the fellows A chair scraped acress the door floor as arose to hia his feet evidently from the nelso he lie had been drinking tut fut keith heard him lift t tle G cf the door all right wiloughby he said thickly ill try my luck au 1 u 1 bee uto bart dart ill tell nim yer here so wit loa tig lie shuffled aloag almi the hall ball and went half halt sliding ll ding down stairs adv ab keith the click of klasi and bottle la in the next nex room lie ile nis 1 sitting up in bed now wide ide awake obsessed obee saed with a desire to In incesti vesti gate the reter refer tace vace overheard must ha ve been to hawley awley II and ft so this who was afraid of meeting vold lers from the fort OM would be the deserter miss was seeking g there tohild be jo harm la in making sure and be he slipped into his clothe clothes and as silently as possible unlatch unlatched d his door there wax was a natty crowd at the farther farto r end of at the hall ball and the sound of at omo somo oue cue laboriously mount ing the stair stairs not desiring deil ring to be min keith lipped swiftly the door of the other room and tried the latch it wae was unfastened and be steppe quietly within closi vir it b kind wm A small lamp was on the washstand a half emptied bottle and two glasse glasses beside it while a pack of scattered on the floor fully dressed dr ossed except for a coat tha cole sole occupant lay on the bm bed lut tut started up at keiths entrance reaching aching ri for his revolver which had clipped to the wrone wrong pida side ft ef his belt what the hell I 1 he exclaimed star tild and confused ibb intruder took one glance at him through the dingy lighta boy of eighteen dark hair dart eyes bit his face already exhibiting signs J of dis si I pation yet manly enough la in chin and mouth and smiled 1 I could draw while you were re think ing abut it he be eald easily but I 1 am not her here on the are you fred willoughby the lad blared stared at him his anier tain hand now closed on the tle butt of his 1 revolver jet held I 1 haic tive by the quitt assum uce what do you want to know for Curtus ity largely thought id like to aak ask you a question or two you youre not from the fort No nomine thine to do with the army thit Is a private affair the boy was lullen sullen from drink his eyes heavy then who the devil are you I 1 never saw you ou before very trae abid S lay my baing help aay youre perfectly welcome to it I 1 acx am jack keith no expression of mog altion came into the face at 0 the th other and keith added curtly shall we talk talef theis was a rno movi enVa silence and ani then willoughby swung his feet over the edge of at the bed onto the floor door tire fire away he bald said shortly until I 1 see ilea what the game la Is about aboul CHAPTER interviewing willoughby coolly yet without in the least comprehending how beet beat to proceed keith drew toward him the only chair in the room and eat sat down miss bilas Hop emore widely known as christie maclaire Macl alre had bad claimed thi this drunken lad ae to her brother but according to hawley he be hd vehemently dented denied any such yet there must be some previous association between the two and what this waa as the plainsman proposed to discover therrol The ism lern was how beat to cause the fellow follow to talk frankly could he be be reached easily by reference ref irence to the girl or be gambler keith studying the th ullen sullen obstinate face enn confronting fronting him with instinctive antagonism oyer hta his intrusion swiftly determined on the girl orl it lit was not very nice of we to coar come in on you thi this way he began apologetically getic ally but you aee see I 1 happened to krow your liter sister my sir sister ob I 1 guess nott its 7 but I 1 do throwing a confident a e into his tone tolie he wi ws w s far from fet felling ling HIB hope and I 1 are friends the boy apran to hie his feet his face flushed oh you maan hope do you know her bay say I 1 thought you were plying me that old gag about christie maclaire Macl alre certainly not who Is abet shar more than I 1 know fellow follow came to me at careon carson and bald said hod hed met my sister on a stage west of topeka I 1 know be he waa was alyin beckus home avs 11 bliss urL ourt finally I 1 got it out of bm that hat che she claimed to bo be roy sister but her name was maclaire Macl alre why ally I 1 dent olven know her and what do you suppose she ever picked me out for her brother for he ile waa was plainly pr tiled and perfectly convinced conr laced it was all A is mistake that bla sitter sister might hare have left home once 1 be he aid did aind drifted west under an apparently never occurred to li hi ae as possible poe elble to keith thia this was the espic cation and nothing could bo be more natural considering her work yet he did not feel alk chattering shattering tho the lads loyala faith falth in the sister might ye save him perhaps Per hapa the fellow who told you he hazarded blindly speaking the brit first thought which came to his ls mind I 1 had force reaton reason to desire to make you think thie this macure girl was your sister the suggestion caused him to laugh at first then his face suddenly aud denly sobered as though a 3 new now thought bad occurred a to him damn in a ao it be that he one hand pressing hill hi bad bead he lie be n no trick of at that kind on we whom do yon wean A fellow earned hawley evasive 1 ly the man who claimed 0 to o bar bays met my sister black lack bart dart TZ the joy oy lifted bis his held again his eyes filled with suspicion yes ayes if ft you must know ba bes a gambler all right but hell bes stuck to mi mj when I 1 was down and out tog yon know him TO BE |