Show B I IC C i ROOT r- r rb b y ZANE Z A N E GREY G I E T ch W UI CHAPTER Continued IX-Continued IX Continued 11 11 Some time luring during the night he he ai was a n awakened enN A As he tie lay Iny there then e thene e eyes ess e Olen 01 en n soft sort hand touched his heek beck and n whisper brought him Ide awake cd and thrill thrillIng thrillIng Ing TIm limi Wake up It Is I Helen knelt nelt beside him Jim sat up with alth Ith a violent start lout loul hat Is It His lIlS that devil tt lI Hush lush I I Not t so loud Nothing his happened Hut But I 1 couldn t sleep and I must to you you-or you go out of or my mind In the starlight ht her tier face fice had the came peirl w white lute tint as the clouds Ml 11 Talk but Talk but It Its s risky be whist fly lly Ills ms hand ASrO rested upon the blanket She bent 10 lower er so tint thit her face was as closer and she could coull stry HY sort softly I I I 1 I wint to tell you rou how cruelly It tins lias come home to nb me- me memy me memy my my Why failure to belle believe and trust you ou een even e en after you so you t so-t Clo u rudely Insulted me that day upS upon up S on the mountain trail If It I hlll hid only hid faith In you then theD I It Its s too toolate toolate late I ut I want scant ant you ou to know I have hJ the filth no v Only the feir a and 1 0 the lie suspense are arc me out ut but Lut Lul you are all sell ft ell all right still He Ill hasn't harmed harmell your you Helen Heleno o 0 he has not harmed mend me Wind nd I am am not Ill III I m losing flesh be- be bc cruse Cluce I cm can t sit cit nut Cut that s 5 noth nothIng In lag lately I I don lion t sleep be because au cause e I Im m horribly afraid heIlI he will IlI v smother come ind smother or me-or me or choke so me-so so I I can cant t cry out I Ive s e slept some In the lIn daytime time Jim the thing Is can I-can I can t stand 11 It much long longer longer longcr er 1 think I 1 frightened him ButI nut But I 1 can cin see see-I see 1 can feel Oh feel Oh Jim for tor forG tl G-tl G-ds G ils s sake do something to end end- end this horror horror- horror She leaned or fell forward In the weal eal ness of the moment her head hend against him tie Ie Ie stroked It gently genth t Ms us Is reaction as ns far from that pas nd lI mocking embrace ot at Star r os as could have haH been beeD pos possible possible possible sible V Helen don t give t give up he re replied replied plied piled iou o have base been beeD brave brace And AmIt 11 has gone better gone better thin linn we e se could hope Only a u little while longer 1 I I e c ml might ht steal steil a now way away now Us les 1 es I se e thought of ot that But ut only to get gel lost and or st r stine or r die or of thirst In these brakes That Thit almost would almost almost be better better- better for tor me If It you ou can cant t stick stich It oute out se e it 11 plan and ond say go-say go say tomorrow night e e must ha tease have e food horses It s 5 only honest though though to tell you the chances ore are a hundred to one against us us e a eve se e got an even eveD break Ite If It we no wait alt How low can con you think you think that Tills gang ging I Is about ready to go golip up lip In smoke There 1 II be a terrible tight surely will be killed hilled And Just as surely more thin he That will viii len leave a proposition I can handle bandle risk to you Even en then we then we still have to find finda a way slay out of this awful place ploce lea cs but I Id d have hove time and aDd J I could pick water cater and food trust me It s 5 the best plan plin It If you ou take me back to m my broth brother brother brother er III gh give e you the ransom Don t Insult me be replied bit bitterly bitterly bitterly terly At that she drew up suddenly sad and threw her hair back bach from her face tace I c r h e me lou iou see I have hale lost my mind That never occurred to me before But Hut I III ll re reward reward reward ward you In some way To ha have hate e saved you o will be all the reward I ask and ask and more than t I iou ou lease have forgotten that 1 1 I love you 1 cs es I l had holl she whispered Mer lIer kreal eyes ees studied him In the stir light as If It the tact fact had a 8 vastly different significance cance here than It hid at nt Star ranch Suddenly she stiffened Over her shoulder Jim Jims s a ee eye was arn arrested led by bya bya bya a glint Elint of ot starlight upon a bright object on the ground Above and 1 behind It a 11 shape darker than the dark bid ground gradually took tool the outline of a man on OD hands and knees Cold terror assailed Tim JIm Tima a all ade de lie- despite despite spite Spill his Iron n nerve r e lint lift was sas as lIa s crawling ling line upon them with Ith a bun un In his LIs handA hand handA A bur bursting tide of ot blood through Jim s veins paralleled the lightning nash flash of ot his thoughts th Deith for both hoth bothof bothof ot of themas them was as terribly close Ills His gun was wac under his Iris pillow knelt t te e n him JIm and the robber A move of ot even en the slightest kind would bo bp fatal must Like I I of ot action It Its I Hays Ia he tie whispered scarce scarce- scarcely scarcely ly Iy audibly y I ollow now me-now me Th Then n t Aing Ing all his will to spi lc natural ie e said aloud No o 1158 11 url 1 m sorry but I can t oblige you ou 1 I don lion t approve of ot skid kl n a iping y ye J but It Its s 8 done And I m ma ma a member of ot his band I 1 soul blot thin of or going goin against him let alone trying to run ofT off with Ith you There was sas a tense silence fraught IL I L THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING Jim S an nit all young ioune oung cowpuncher from Ty oming seeks fleeks a new Geld neld In Utah Ut lIe fie meets Hank blank lIa hays s who ho tells him he Is I orl Wort orl lag Ine for tor an who has located a big ranch Hays and others are plotting to steal their employer employers s cattle and nd money Ho Ito and his lieutenants ride rid away to drive oft ort the first nr t bunch of cattle lays ys rival among the rustlers tell tells Wall Vall Hays lays was onto his Heeseman s a partner and double crossed him Herrick delegates Jim to go to lo Grand Junction to meet Helen s sister alster Jim tries to Impress her with the fact that he Jim JimIs Is a tI desperado ot of the tho worst typo Opo t po but the girl treats the Information light lightly lightly lightly ly Hays Hay betrays betray unusual Interest In the coming of o Mils Ils Herrick Jim finds himself falling tailing In love lovo with Helen and finally anally kisses her She him but relents and asks him not to leave leavo the ranch Ha s men return having sold Bold the cattle and brought back the tho money A quick getaway geta Is lh olin flays Hais s tells his mc men n to go on ahead that lie he will wilt join loin them later Ito comes with Helen Herrick Herrick-a Herrick a captive explaining that he ho robbed Her Herrick Herrick rick and stole Helen Holen for tor or ransom ransom- Realizing the girl will be bo worse oft off If she falls tails Into n s clutches Jim rides on with Ith Hank and his men s 3 riders are aro discovered In pursuit Alter After a battle In which Lat Lal LatImer Imer one of IIa s men Is wounded Hays flays leads leids tho the gang Into a canyon canyon- canyon The Robbers Robber Roost Before ho die dies lImer Latimer tells Jim and Smoky Slocum that ys Il has hns held out some some of the tho money ho stole from Herrick with much apprehension for Jim Jim she be able to play up to him There was just a dunce chance that lays had not heard any aDY of ot their whispers In which case It wis 19 pos possible possible sible to deceive e him Celon corn com bite bh e you the money i she said quite clearly and certaInly most persuasively el Sly My Iy brother will reward you otherwise iou ou ou can cant t bribe me h he rejoined And I t ad advise Ill I'll you to try It Iton Iton Iton on Smoky or any auy of ot the lie others Hays lIa s may have hale e hid Ind only money In his mind at first firt but now now- now Don t move Jim I 1 I came a low v hard voice olle from the shadow Helen Belen gave gale ga e a little gasp and sag sagged ed on OD her knees Jim walled waited a moment I 1 won wont on t lank Hank be he replied Then la lays Hays s tall form loomed black above e the tube rise of ground He lie strode forn arll If It he had his hisgun hisgun hisgun gun Jim would have made short work of ot tint Interview lew But nut he held It leveled glancing darkly In the starlight The robber chief gired down upon Jim and III len Ills features were hoble but the poise ot of othis his held head was as e expressive e e enough Still Jim sensed that he had been misled lou iou cat he declared roughly If I 1 ketch you ou tr again In to bribe any of or m my outfit outfit-III outfit treat you OU so you OU OD wont t want to go back bach to your our haby faced brother Isow os you ou to your our tent I 1 I Helen rose rOle un unsteadily and ODd can an In the gloom Jim Jimal l a you aunt ain t been with me long an nn 1 1 I don dont t know you ou but butI butI I I m taken this dell deil to heart flays said slowly ly I lm m much obliged I reckon you OU re rc the only man maD In the outfit who ho could of ot withstood thet woman oman o l do so you re wrong Hank lank Smoky wouldn t have hale listened to her And AndI I m 01 sure the others would ba base e stood pat Mv v faith was wis near gone gODe chat s In you Hank lank 1 lou ou se e no call to lose It You ve ye about split your gang over this woman al al I Im m not askin judgments from you or any ony of ot the outfit growled growled gro led the chief gloomily lou II 11 all be good an on glad to git your share hare of ot the ransom r The thing Is boss Is boss w III we get It Hays s made a violent mo move mole e like n a striking snake hat you ou mean by thet thet I m askin you Air Air you tin you t git yours demanded lIu lays Hays s Iso 1 You might say wy I was as for all of ot us replied Jim curtly al al III kit bit the outfit together an do lIo some askin myself It Its 8 a good Idea Ideo It might pre pre- present prevent vent sent ent the split provided split provided you dh Ide the money money you vou stole stoe from Herrick III I II w wring ring thet white cat cats s a neck hissed the robber loure re wrong rons boss She didn t tell me She Slie du sn t know Inow you robbed lI her brother Sparrow con COD t before he died Hays swore a mighty oath n uhe nhe he squealed es les 1 eS To Smoky an mee me e e kept It secret until we se e had to tell they knew was US wrong All the time you know ell ed t I IThen There Then was sas something pathetic In the thc fallen chieftains chieftain s shame and amaze am Ize By this time he seemed to realize his crime iou ou ou ace Hink link how bow your outfit has stood by you e even esen CD In ID your our built It If It aln t too Ill late late-I II make mahe amends he be rejoined and stalked away assay a ay In the darkness Jim had bre before the theother theother other men were sue ue up With rifle rille In hind In he h headed to toward ard the western e tun I exit e 1 t loneliness l 1 was sas paramount There Thereas sas as no sound only sound only an silence No life at all I Not a aI winged creature ho hovering 0 over oer er that ghastly region 1 I But nut 0 over oer er this cene ot of dc desolation slowly Iy spread the sal bul lOIn lull blight of or he heiting bluing blazing sun soon to mantle manth ill all In Illusive coi col per have Before thit th hour arrived ed Jim Jim all a all II took tool up the Held field glass n In the camp the men were sere ere lazily stir ing to a n I lite rte breakfast T I he door of or the cabin wis s 55 open A glint or of bold crossed the dark darte aperture Then the tall form of ot stalked out He lie yawned ya nell lIe He stretched wide his Ion long arm arms Ills ruddy fall face gleamed In the glass gliss to tint that sight sight alls alls s whole hole being By y hem heal en eD I his voice olee rang out hays tint s your last morning stretch Before this da- da dadone day c done done you ou 11 Ii stretch forever fore er I Let his men ha base e their hour hourI I thought Jim darkly but if they did didI not mete out Justice to their chief I the end was wis nevertheless ne fired G ed anti and unalterable Jim settled bac back and raised hie hl hi more from than thaD aO ans Semblance of ot the old watchfulness 1 There here was v nothing to see but the denudation of the tube brakes Suddenly Into Jim Jims s m ch cue cle of vision crept dark objects objects-n objects long line of themIe them He Ie was so startled tint that the glis wavered a erell out of or line He lie moved mosed It to and fro searching hat bat could this tin base ha been ben An error of ot sight a lIn line ot of ceders ced irs a conception of ot Idl mind I There he He lie had caught It galD sot Not nol ceders-nol brush but mo moving I Bs 13 hel ens he muttered tm m I 1 dotty Horses A line of oC liar dark horses horles Ifs straining eyes ces blurred He Ie le low 10 lowered lowered ered the glass Jass lass with sinking shaking hinds So help It Ole me It looks loohs Ill III e a riders IA IA I 1 A third time Jim caught the ob obJects obJects He Ill froze the guess gliss on them horses and riders horses riders horses with Ith packs I A bursting gush of hot hOl blood ran raD all through him It looked like s outfit at least three miles away a approaching slow slots I ly by a route fir r to the south of 01 that over which lays Hays had hall come About three miles muttered Jim Coming slow They re lost Put tint wash stash ash the they re In held he Id Into the Hays lays trail If the the e a tint that the they 11 II come fast rot Ol enough rain yet to wash out our s e a eve e s-e not time to pack pad and ride out By thunder they se e cornered us Now ow lank Hank flays flays- Hays Jim took tool one more straining look 1001 o Ito hope I It was as a big outfit and not DOt traveling so slowly either The leader bc bestrode a black blach horse Jim remembered that horse Snitching up his Ills rifle rille he slung the field glass glassover glassover over his shoulder and ond ran do down doD D orT the bluff to the camp To his profound amaze e he Hiss S bound hand and foot with ii I stick behind him and through ills his el elbo elbows bo boas bos s 1 lie he robber sat sal In an uncomfortable posture against the wood woodpile woodpile pile In a second Jim sa saw saV V that Ua Hay lay had been gagged and his face race wad wa waso so contort contorted ell by rage that It ap I pc Irell ired scarcely human hats hat s up I cried Jim breaking out of his be bewilderment Ua Hays Clays s gave gale ga e vent ent to an aD inarticulate sound but It was as expressive e Jim heeled to stall stalk the sho shack k his hand hond on his gun as If It be he hull hall expected to have base arrived before him To hi his bib amaze Miss lIss tier lIer Herrick rick rich wig was sitting at the rude table eating fost brel A big gun gUD that thai Jim recognized as Hays s property lay conspicuously In front of ot her happy Jack Jacb whistling as usual was oc sen Ing her ber hert t th hit h It does docs this tills mean demand demanded demanded ed Jim Ask the men meD she he replied curtly Outside and below the shack s u 11 Smoky on D a rock with Ith the others standing near Jim drawled lell Smoky Ith a rin lou iou see e wove ee e got a anew anew anew new chic chief ho ho ha haw hass g tied the boss Reckon nedon I 1 did did with Ith a little help hat hat for tor n Ln U L n D If I know knoss Our lady lally prisoner over oner made malle me do It Miss forced forcell you to tI tie Maya UI up queried Jim trying to conceal his bis exultation I 1 should shiver shiner er she did Struck lays hair trigger co gun cocked gun right cocked right into my belly an nn sas says saya 1 III you tie the this an villain villain an swear b by your honor not to release him or al allow allow allow low any of ot thes these othu other |