Show I I It j t I m U M rr L keA IU W r E J ROE IO COPYRIGHT Di TIle c cAlt COMPANY I HOME SYNOPSIS Kate Kit Cathrew Cattle Kate owner of ot the tir Sky SkyLine SkyLine Line ranch on her way to Mc- Mc McKane's Mc K Kanes Kane's I nes ne's etore tore at Cordova Seem seem- SeemIngly seemingly Infuriated by the sight alphi ofa ofa of a girl firl plowing In the tir valley be- be below be b blow low low places ft a rifle rin bullet near the horses hoi feet teet ct The Th girl cirl takes no notice Kate Goes coca on to town where her presence brinGs brinG's on a n fight lent between McKane McKan the trader and Sheriff Selwood Nance Allison the th girl cirl Irl on whom Kate Cathrew had vented her spite Is la with her widowed moth mother moth moth- er r and crippled brother Dud Bud farming land taken up by her father killed a ft short hort time be- be before before b for fore In a n mysterious accident Bud Is the th victim of a ft deliberate scheme to malm maim or kill him Kate Cathrew wants the th f farm rm for r pasture land and Is trying to frighten the tho Into leang lea ng DIg Big Basford Dasford Sky Line rider desperately In love with Kate picks Icks a quarrel with a fallow How rider Rod Stone Kate Kat Katto to part them lashes Dasford Basford across the face fac with a quirt Nance discovers In a cave a fIne collie doS dog evidently guarding a 11 achild achild child She goes coca home horn mystified Next day Nance returns to the th cave with food an and l makes friends with the th dog doc and the small mall boy Sonny lie lIo II tells her h r Brand Drand takes care car of him and Dirk the collie Selwood Is s certain Kate Cathrew Is the th head of a cattle rustling gang franc with Lawrence Arnold her Irr partner who rarely visits vl the tir ranch Minnie Pine halfbreed at the Sky Line ranch Is In love lov with Rod Hod Stone Stono Ston Ranchers complain of stealing cattle and an l criticize Sheriff Selwood for his seeming Inactivity Nance visiting vl Sonny and Dirk In the th cave meets Brand Drand Fair Fall Sonny's protector and promises to keep their secret se- se ne-cret ne cret Nance becomes keenly In- In Interested interested tr In-tr sted In Brand Drand Pair Fall The Tir girl girlIs girlis Is relying r on a field neld of corn to pay oft ott debts d she h owes McKane McKan CHAPTER X 9 q The Seventh Sense Sens Th They y were as ns good as their word And when Nance Nonce rode up the narrow defile delle on the day and hour appointed they were waiting fresh and neat a as abundant water and their worn gar gar gar- garments garments ments would permit Sonny wore denim overalls a n shade less ragged and a little shirt with leeves Ills face shone like He the ris ra- rang ris-ng ris ns ng sun from front behind Fairs Fair's shoulder ns as they h y sat decorously mounted on Dla Din Dia- cond ond The riders out wait walt the princess aid Fair good morning Miss Am on ion on Did you JOU bring cookies queried thE oy eagerly weve got the fish Good morning answered Nonce Nance sure I did ltd Sonn Sonny And other oilier things oo 00 Well We'll be good and hungry by br The sun was two hours high outside ut here between the towering walls he were still blue and cold rho rhe murmur of ot the stream seemed order than usual heard heard thus In the of ot the early day The ms mys- mys mys-ery mys ery of the great cut was accentuated ts to charm Intensified a to Vance once ance There was a strange excite excite- nent neat nent In everything a sense of holiday Ind Impending joy Her face broke nto smiles as os helplessly as running water vater ater dIm dimples Illes and when the two rid rid- rill n ng ng ahead turned from front time tilDe line to time to took look back she slie was fair as ns a n garden arden of f the Lord her bronze head shinIng bare In the blue light her ees eyes as nG wide wille and Ind nd clear as Sonny's own This was adventure od to the Nance-the Nonce first she he had ever er known and its heady hendy wine was stirring In her veins She Slie did not know why the tumbling stream sang aang a different song or wh the glow low of ot light creeping down from the rim rimrock rock along the western well seemed more golden than before She Slie only knew that where her heart had lain In her breast calm and con conS conStent content tent with her lien labor and her majestic environment of ot hills and river there as now a strange surge and thrill which made her think of the stars tha that t teang sang eang together at the morning of crea- crea creation crea creation tion Surely her treasured Book nook had something for each phase of human life comfort comfort for tor Its sorrows sorrow dIvine approval for tor Ita Iti happiness So she he rode smiling her hands fold fold- folded folded ed on her pommel l listening to Brand Fairs Fair's easy speech watching his shaul shoulders shout den ders de moving lithely under the blue flannel shirt comparing him to the themen themen wen men she he knew and wonderIng again wiry why he was wa not like them I I The They followed the stream sometimes a again oln trotted across flat fiat hard sandy lr apace pi ce where the floor of ot the on and passed sed now and again D gain oln the mouths of ot smaller cuts dl- dl diverging di diverging verging er ln from the thc main one About two miles mills from here she told lold Fair we leave Blue Iliac Stone and andrake andrake rake up Little Blue nIue to tb left At Its I Ial read lie 11 Urcy Grey Ure spring and the Circle r I shout noon noor II 11 ns nod It In the great in at atI j ThE Tle sun SUII WU well down n I l lf i f they readied d the opening of ot Little Blue niue and In this smaller can cnn canyon yon which diverged sharply at rIght angles Its golden light flooded to the dry bottom Little Blue has no water to speak of said Nance only holes here and there but but they are funny tunny places deep deel and full and the they seem to come up from from the bottom and go o down some some- somewhere somewhere somewhere where under the sand The They have current for lor If you throw anything In them It Jt will drift about slow and finally go do flown down n and never come up Subterranean flow said Fair Ive Ie seen other evidence of It In this coun count country country try Must lust have been Leen volcanic some sometime sometime sometime time The gorge lifted and widened and presently they passed several te of these strange pools set mysteriously In ha the shelving floor The towering walls wadis fell tell away and they had the feeling of coming up Into another world Soil Soli began to appear In place of ot the abundant blue sand and trees and grass clothed the floor In ever Increasing beauty Fair drew Diamond up and waited until Nance rode alongside and they vent went forward Into a tiny Country set setIn setin setIn In the ridging rock of the shallow can cau canyon canyon yon to where Grey spring whispered at al atthe althe atthe the edge of ot the Circle See Sec I cried Nance Nonce waving a hand about at the smiling scene It Is H a magic place place-no place no less I The spring Itself was a narrow trickle above sands as gray as cloth a ceasing anever-ceasing never ceasing flow of water clear and Icy cold and beyond It was a round little flat thick with green grass be- be beneath beneath be beneath neath spreading oaks mush-oaks a n spot for fairy conclaves Yes nodded the man It Is magic the the true magic of ot Nature In gracIous perfection unmarred by the hand or of orman man Are we going to have the cookies now came come the anxious amlous pipe of the boy and Fair laughed Cant get Iet away from the deadly commonplace Miss lIss Allison with Son Son- Sonny Sonny ny on the job lob Poor little kId kId-he's kid about fed up on untrammeled nature Im I'm afraid I owe him a bl big debt for what Ive I've done to him and him and yet yet-I yet I et Iam nm am trying to pay a bigger one whIch someone else owes him Lets Let's camp They dropped the reins and turned thE horses loose to graze and Fair built a little HUle fire of dry wood which sent up a n straight column of ot smoke like a signal Nance untied her bundle from from the saddle thongs throngs and Fair unrolled a dozen trout firm and cool In theIr sheath of leaves lie hung them deftly to the flames on a bent green twig and Romance danced attendance on the hour He was expert from long ex- ex experience ex experience of cooking In the open and when he finally announced them done donethey donethey the they would have delighted an epicure Nance laid out a clean white cloth and spread upon It such plain and wholesome things as cold corned beet beef white bread and golden butter home home- homemade homemade made cucumber pickles and sugared cookIes The They were poor folk all nil the nomad man and boy the girl who knew so little be beyond ond the grind of work but they were richer than Solomon In nil his glory for they had hod health and youth and ond that most roost priceless tiring thing ot of all o all a clear conscience and the eager expectation of ot the good the next day holds The They sat bat legged cross about theIr sylvan board bourd and forgot such things as work and hardship and the bitter bitter- bitterness bitterness nes ness of ot threatened feud and may and and mayhap hap vengeance vengeance They talked of runny many things and oil all the time Nances Nance's wonder grew rew nt al Fairs Fair's wide knowledge of ot the outside world nt at his Ills gentle manners Iris Ills quiet reticence In some ways his hia general freedom freedom In others I I lIe He told her of ot the cities and the sea spoke of Mexico l rind and this and that far tor place but mostly he lie brought her pictures of ot her own the land land rivers of ot tine the the Arizona mesas and and the girl cirl starved for tor the unknown listened open lipped They cleared away the cloth and Nunce Nance took Sonny In her lap while Fair stretched out at ot length smoking In contentment The Tire child slept the sun dropped do down n the tine flecked cloud vault and It was Fair himself who finally put nn end to the enchanted hour rising catching catch In UI up the horses You have far to go Miss Allison he said Mid as he stood beside her smiling down Into her tier face tace and Sonny andI and I must be careful not to work a hard hard- hardship hard bard hardship ship on you or you might not come again The ride ildo back down Little Blue mue was QuIet A thousand Impressions were moll moiling In happily In Nonce's Nances mind H Hr Her Heyes r eyes felt drowsy a n little smile kept pulling at ot her lier lips corners and yet so 50 wholly Inexperienced was she she shedid shedid did not know what magic had hod been at work In the green silence of ot the Circle and Grey spring It was aas wa only when Fair pulled bin lWI horse hOre so 80 sharply up that Buckskin n nearly arl stumbled tumbled on his h reels heels els that site he came out of h her r abstraction He sat fat rigid In hl his saddle one hand In warning gazing straight ahead to where Little Blue lue opened Into Blue nIue BlueStone BlueStone Ston Stone She looked ahead and under understood stood A horseman was just lust coming Into sight at the tire right ed edge e of ot the open open- openIng opening ing lag a n big red rell steer was just lust vanishing at the left and left and the man man was Kate Kute Cathrew's rider Sud Provine lIe He rode straight across and did not glance up the tir cut cut and the watchers In the shadow knew they were unobserved unobserved served servell For a Ion long time they sat sut In tense silence si- si silence si silence lence after he lie had passed waiting listening but nothing followed and presently Fair turned and looked at ather ather ather her Ills His lips were tightly set and his face was grave Mss Miss Allison he ire said re regretfully the first human Ive I've seen In Blue Stone canyon beside yourself and It means something to me inc It means that Sonny and I must move move- move n at t once Ho lie sat thinking a n moment then raised his Iris eyes yes to hers again r 7 believe It believe It you ou will trust us ns a little longer longer-If longer If you ou can cnn keep him hid hid- hidden that den den that I will take you ou up Ill I'll gIve you ou Sonny for a while I feel teel guilty lIty In doing so for I know how heavIly burdened you are already but hut some someday someday someday day I shall make malce It right with you you- you as handsomely right as ns possible Will he be too loo much trouble Trouble cried her face tace radiant give him to me this minute l I and she held out her arms Brand Brand turned and looked down at atthe atthe atthe the boy smiling again How lIow about that kid he asked CookIes and Miss lIss Allison's lap in- in instead In Instead stead of the cold old can canyon on and lonesome lonesome- ness lonesome why ness why old timer timer old what's the mn matter He ne pulled the child around a n bit to scan him more closely The little face was white milk-white the brown eyes wide You going You going to-to to to to give Ive me away Brand said Sonny with that curious seeming of ot maturity which sometimes foil fell upon him I should say not he said reassurIngly reassuringly Im only going to let you sta stay awhile with Miss lIss Allison so so our ene- ene enemies ene enemies mies wont won't find you when Im I'm gone Nance Nonce leaned forward Enemies she sire said sharply Ene mies you say A figure of ot speech smiled Fair but just lust the same we dont don't want any f ilk ilki i r rah r I 1 1 VF yf tf l A Horseman Was W Just Ju t Coming Into Sight at the th Right Edge of the Open Open- Opening Opening ing A Big Red Steer Was Just Vanishing at the Left one beside yourself to know about us usAnd And by hy the wa way my name Is Smith nt at Cordova and and Sonny doesn't exist I see said sold the girl slowly or rather I dont don't sec see but but as I said be be- before before before fore It doesn't matter Youre a wonderful woman Not one In a million would accept us as you ou have lost dune dune lost waifs waits ragged hiding mysterious I 1 didn't think your our kind lived Youre You're old fashioned blessedly old fashioned Wh Why did you ou accept us My Iy Mammy says saya theres there's there somethIng In a womans woman's heart that sets the stamp on a man for good or bad a seventh sense I know there Is A woman feels to trust or trust or not to trust Fair nodded It he said Instinct but Instinct maybe some day you may come to feel teel It has betrayed you you-In you ou In In our case case- case my case I case I I mean What then theu Nance shook her head bead It wont won't Mr Fair she replied The Tire man sighed and frowned God knows he be said I hope not But lets let's get Its on-It's on Its It's getting pretty late Fair rode to the cave by the pool poolIn poolIn poolla In silence There he lie dismounted and brought from the blankets such poor bits of ot garments as belonged to the child rolled them In a bundle and fastened them on Nances Nance's saddle Im sorry they are ao so ragged rOIled he be apologized It doesn't matter said sold Nonce Nance Mammy has stuff sturT that can cnn be mode made over Well We'll fix him up Fair mounted again and rode her to the tho mouth of ot Blue Stone There he halted and lifted Sonny to Buck nuck Buckskin's Buckskin's skins skin's rump The little fellow whimpered a bit and clung to his neck while the tiro man potted patted his bony little shoulder There There there kid be he saId said dont you IOU lovo love Miss Misa Allison Y Yes Tea waned wafted Sona Sonny at last but but but I I just love you Brand It I rYe Tye put In to two pretty str Y years for tor Sonny's lake sake he said ald softly but they've been worth while Alia Miss Allison The service of ot love Is always worth worthwhile worthwhile worthwhile while said Nance Its Its the biggest thing In this world And now said Fair It If you'll buck up and be a n man Sonny Ill I'll promise e eto to come right down to the lire some |