Show k errs e r s rs III > 11l ca I L 4t WHISPERING 0 SMITH I at 1 ny FRANK Joints SPEAEMAN 0 J ILLUSTRATIONS S ° fl t BY ANDRE BOWLES U COPYRIGHT 1906 BY CHA3 SCfllBNEnj sON I I SYNOPSIS I Murray Sinclair and his gang of wreckers wreck-ers were called out to clear the railroad tracks at Smoky Creek McCloud a I young road superintendent caught Sin clair and lila men In the act of looting the wrecked train Sinclair pleaded innocence i In-nocence declaring It only amounted to a mall suma treat for the men McCloud t discharged the whole outfit and ordered the wreckage burned McCloud became acquainted with Dlcksle Dunning a girl of the west who came to look at tho wreck She eave him a message for Sin J clair Whispering Gordon Smith told t President Ducks of the railroad of Mc Clouds brave fight against a gong of crazed miners and that was the reason for the superintendents appointment to his high omce McCloud arranged to board at the boarding house of Mrs Sin I qlalr l the exforemans deserted wife I Dlcksle Dunning was the daughter of the late RIchard Dunning who had died or a broken heart shortly after his wlfes 4 1 demise which occurred after one year of married life Sinclair visited Marlon Sin clairs shop and a fight between him and MeCloucl was narrowly averted Smoky Creek bridge was mysteriously burned McCloud prepared to face the situation President Bucks notified Smith that he had work ahead McCloud worked for days and finally got the division running In fairly good order lie overheard Dick cle crIUcUIng his methods to Marlon Sinclair A > stock train was wrecked by an open switch Later a passenger train was held up and the express car robbed Two men of a posse pursuing the bandits were killed McCIoud was notified that Whispering Smith was to hunt the desperadoes des-peradoes Bill Dancing a road lineman proposed that Sinclair and his gang bent be-nt to hunt the bandits A stranger apparently ap-parently with authority told him to go ahead Dancing was told the stranger was Whispering Smith Smith approached I ap-proached Sinclair He tried to buy him off hilt railed Ho warned McCloud th this t-his life was In danger McCloud was carried car-ried forcibly Into Lance Dunnlncs presence pres-ence Dunning refused the railroad a rightofway he had already signed for Dlckslo Interfered to prevent a mooting affray Dlcksle met McCloud on a 1 lonely trail to warn him his life was In danger I On his wav home a shot passed through his hat Whispering Smith reported that Du Sang onb of Sinclairs gang had been assigned to kill McCloud He and Smith aw Du Sang Whispering Smith taunted t taunt-ed Du Sang and told him to jet out of Medicine Bend or suffer Du Sang seemed to succumb to the bluff McCloud big construction Job was taken from him because be-cause of MI Injunction Issued to Lance Dunning byUho United State court A sudden rite of the Crawling Stqne river created consternation Dlcksle and Marion Ma-rion appo led to McCloud for help Whispering Whis-pering Smith Joined the group He and blcksle spent the night In conversation Smith giving the girl an outline of his life In the morning McCloud took his men to fight the river Lance Dunning welcomed them cordially CHAPTER XX Continued Let me talk with them Just what I should like Come onl said Dlcksle leading tho way to the chickenyard I want you to seo my bantams too I havo three of tho setting I They are over the way Como seer 1 see-r T them first And oh you must see I my now game chickens Truly you never saw anything as handsome as Caesarhos the rooster and I have i M six pullets Caesar Is perfectly superb su-perb perbWhen I When tho two reached the chicken house Dlckslo examined the nest where she was setting the bantam hen This miserable hen will not set she exclaimed ex-claimed In despair See here Mr Smith she has left her nest again and is scratching around on tho ground Isnt It a shamo 1vo tied a cord around her leg so she couldnt runaway run-away and she is hobbling around like a scrub pony Perhaps tho eggs are too warm suggested her companion I have had great success In cases like this with powdered Icenot using too much of course Just shavo the Ice gently and rub It over the eggs ono at a time It will often result In refreshing tho attention at-tention of the hen t Dlckslo looked grave Arent you ashamed to make fun of me Whispering Smith seemed taken Aback It Is really serious business j Of course Very good Let me watch this hen for a few minutes and diagnose her You go on to your other chickens Ill itay here and think Dlckele went down through the yards When she came back Whispering Whis-pering Smith was sitting on a cracker box watching the bantam Tho chicken chick-en was making desperate efforts to get off Dickslos cord and Join Its companions com-panions in the runway Smith was eying the bantam critically when Dlckslo rejoined him Do you usually usual-ly he asked looking suddenly up have success In setting roosters Now you are having fun with me again againNo No by heaven I I am not Have you diagnosed the case 1 have and I have diagnosed It asa as-a case of mistaken identity I Identity And misapplied energy Miss Dick I do you have tied up tho wrong bird This Is not a bantam hen at all this j U a bantam rooster Now that Is my judgment Compare him with tho oth art Notice how much darker his plumage IsIts the rooster declared I Whispering Smith wiping tho perplexity per-plexity from his brow Dont feel bad not at all Cut him loose Miss Dlcksle dont hesitate do it on my t responsibility Now lets rook at tho cannibal leghorns and great Caesar CHAPTER XXI i Between Girlhood and Womanhood I About blue oclock that night Puss ushered McCloud in from tho river Dlckslo came running downstairs to f meet him Your cousin Insisted I ihould come up to tho house for some supper said McCloud dryly I I could have taken camp faro with the men Gordon stayed thero with himDlckslo Dlckslo hold his hat In her hand and her eyes were bright In the firelight fire-light Puss must havo thought the two made a handsome couple for she lingered as she started for tho kitchen kitch-en to look back Puss exclaimed her mistress fry n chicken right away A big one Puss I Mr McCloud is very hungry I know And bo quick do Oh how is the river Mr McCloud Behaving like a lamb It hasnt fallen much but the pressure seems to be off the bank If you know what that means You must be a magician Things changed the minute you camel The last doctor usually gets credit for tho cure you know Oh I know all about that Dont you want to freshen up Should you mind coming right to my room Marl on Is in hers explained Dlcksle and I am never sure of Cousin Lances ho has so many boots When she had disposed of McCloud she flow to the kitchen Puss was starting after a chicken Take a lantern Puss whispered Dicksle vehemently ve-hemently No indeed dls nigger don need no lantern fo chickens Miss DlcksIOj But get a good one Puss and make haste do Mr McCloud must bo starved Where Is the baking powder pow-der Ill get the biscuits started Puss turned fiercely Now looka heah yo cant make biscuits Yo Jes go so down wit dat young genmn Jes lemme lone ef yo please Die aint do firs time I killed chickens Miss Dlcksle an made biscuits Jes clair out an se I down Place fr young ladles Is in do parlor Ol Puss can cook supjjr fr ono man yetef she has to Oh yes Puss certainly I know ot t course only get a nice chicken ann with the parting admonition Dicks smoothing her hair wildly hnjonad back to the living n am But the farm was done Puss more avclted than her mistress lost ho head when she got to the ehlclten > rand r-and with sufficiently bad results AVheji Dlckslo ran out a few moments afterward after-ward for a glans of water for Mc Cloud Puss was calmly wiving her hands and In the sink af the quivering quiver-ing form of young Caesar Clcksle caught hor favorite up by the bits and suppressed a cry There could ho no mistake She cast a burning look on Puss It would do no good to stom now Dlcksle only wrung her hands and returned to McCloud Ho rose in the happIest mood He could not see what a torment Dickslo was In and toolt tho water without asking himself why it trembled in her hand Her restrained manner did not worry him for he felt that his fight at the river was won and the prospect of fried chicken composed him Even the long hour before Puss calm and Inviting in a white cap and apron appeared ap-peared to announce supper passed like a dream When Dlckslo rose to load the way to the dining room Mc Cloud walked on air the high color about her eyes Intoxicated him Not till half the fried chicken with many compliments from McCloud had disappeared disap-peared and the plate had gone out for the second dozen biscuits did he notice I Dlcksios abstraction Im sure you need worry no longer I about the water he observed reassuringly reas-suringly I think the worst of the danger is past Dlcksle looked at the tablecloth with wideopen eyes I feel sure that It Is I am no longer worrying about that Its nothing I can do or leave undone un-done Is it asked McCloud laughing a little as he implied in his tone that she must be worrying about something some-thing Dlckslo made a gesture of alarm Oh no no nutblng Its a pretty good plan not to worry about anything Do you think so Why we all thought so last night Heavens McCloud drew back in his chair I never offered you a piece of chicken What have I boon thinking think-ing of Oh I wouldnt eat it anyway cried Dlcksto You wouldnt It Is delicious Do havo a plate and a wing at least Really I could not bear to think of It she said pathetically lie spoke lower Something Is troubling you I have no right to a confidence I know he added taking a biscuit Her eyes fell to the floor It Is nothing Pray dont mind me May I fill your cup sho asked looking up 111m afraid I worry too much over what has happened and cant be helped Do you never do that McCloud laughing wretchedly tore Caesars last leg from his body No Indeed I never worry over what cant he helped They left the dining room Marlon came down Dut they had hardly seated themselves bcJToro the living room fire when a messenger arrived with word that McCloud was wanted at tho river His chagrin at being dragged away was so apparent that i J l111 o 0 Ii h I i 1 o 0 II k if J fir t Ahf j r Yonder They Cornel Jtarlon and Dlcksle sympathized with him and laughed at him I never worry about what cant bo helped Dlcksle murmured Ho looked at Marlon That a shot at me You dont want to go down do you ho asked ironically looking from one to the other Why of course Ill go down responded re-sponded Dicksle promptly Marlon caught cold last night I guess so you will excuse horI know I will be back In an hour Marlon and you can toast I your cold while Im gono Dut you mustnt go alone protested pro-tested McCloud DIcksie lifted her chin the least bit I shall be going with you shall I not And If the messenger has gone back I shall have to guide you You never could find your way alone But I can go interposed Marion rising Not at all you can not go announced an-nounced Dlcksle I can protect both Mr McCloud and myself If ho should arrive down there under the wing of two women ho would never hear tho last of It I am mistress here still I think and I shant be leaving home you know to mako the trip McCloud looked at Marlon I never worry over what cant be helpedthough It is dollars to cents that those fellows dont need me down there any more than a cat needs two tails And how will you got back he asked turning to DIck sic I will ride back returned Dlcksle loftily But you may If you like help me get my horse up Are you sure you can find your way back persisted McCloud Dlcksle looked at him In surprise Find my way back sho echoed softly I could not lose It I can ride over any part of this country at noon or at midnight asleop or awake with a saddle or without with a bridle or without with a trail or without Ive ridden livery horse that has ever como on the Crawling Stone ranch I could rIde when I was three years old Find my way back The messenger had gone when tho two rode from the house The sky was heavily overcast and the wind blew such a gale from the south and west that one could hardly hear what the other said McCloud could not have ridden from tho house to the barn in tho utter darkness but his horse followed DIcks Ies Sho halted frequently on the trail for him to como up with her and after they had crossed the alfalfa fields McCloud did notraro whether they ever found the path again or not Its groat Isnt It he exclaimed coming tip to her I after opening a gato in the dark Where are you This way laughed Dlcksle Lookout Look-out for the trail here Give mo your hand and let your horse have his head It he slips drop off quick on this side McCloud caught her hand They rode for a moment In silence the horses stepping cautiously All right now said Dlckslo you may let go But McCloud kept his horse up close and clung to the warm hand The camp is Just around the hill murmured Dlckslo trying to pull 1 iway But of course if you would ante to ride in holding my hand you INu I No said McCloud of bourse not not for worldo But Miss Dlcksle couldnt wo rldo back to the house and ride around the other way Into camp I think the other way into the I campsay around by the railroad bridge would be prettier dont you For answer she touched Jim lightly with her lines and his spring released her hand very effectively As she did so tho trail turned and the cumpflre whipped in the high wind blazed before be-fore them Whispering Smith and Lance Dunning Dun-ning were sitting together as the two galloped up Smith helped Dlcksle to alight She was conscious of her color and her eyes were now unduly bright Moreover Whispering Smiths glance rested BO calmly on both McClouds face and her own that Dlcksle felt as If ho saw quite through her and knew everything that had happened since they left tho house i i Lance was talking to McCloud Dont abuse the wind McCloud was saying Its our best friend tonight Mr Dunning It is blowing the water wa-ter offshore Where Is the trouble For answer Dunning led McCloud off toward the bend and Dlckslo was left alone with Whispering Smith He made a seat for her on the windward wind-ward side of the big tire When she had seated herself sho looked up In i great contentment to ask If ho was hot going to sit down beside her The brown coat the high black hat and the big eyes of Whispering Smith had already become a part of her mental store She saw that he seemed preoccupied pre-occupied and sought to draw him out of his abstraction I am so glad you and Mr McCloud are getting acquainted with Cousin Lance she said And do you mind my giving you a confidence Mr Smith Lance has been so unreasonable unreason-able about this matter of the railroads rail-roads coming up the valley and powwowing pow-wowing so much with lawyers and ranchers that ho has been forgetting about everything at home Ho is so much older than I am that he ought to bo tho sensible one of the family dont you think so It frightens me to havo him losing at cards and drinking 1 am afraid ho will get Into some shootIng shoot-Ing affair I dont understand what has come over him and I worry about it I believe you could Influence him If you know him What makes you think that asked Whispering Smith but his eyes were on the fire Because these men he spends his time with in townthe men who fight and shoot so much arc afraid of you Dont laugh at me I know It is quite true In spite of their talk I was afraid of you myself until Until But I think It Is because I dont understand things that I am so afraid I am not naturally a coward Im sure I could not be afraid of you If I understood un-derstood things better And there Is Marlon She puzzles me She will never speak of her husbandI dont know why And I dont know why Mr McCloud Is so hard on Mr Sinclair Mr Sinclair seems so kind and good natured Whispering Smith looked from the fire inlo Dickslos oyes What should you say if I gave you a confidence con-fidence Sho opened her heart to his searching search-ing gazo Would you trust me with a confidence He answered without hesitation You shall see Now I have many things I cant talk about you understand under-stand But If I had to give you a secret this Instant that carried my life I shouldnt fear to do Itso much for trusting you Only this toof1S LiT i T1d io I to what I say Dont over quota moor mo-or lot it appear that you any more than know 1110 Can you manage that Really Very good you will understand why In a minute The man that is stirring up all this trouble with your Cousin Lance and In this whole country Is your kind l and good natured neighbor Mr Sinclair I am prejudiced against him lot us admit that on tho start and remember It In estimating what 1 say But Sinclair Is tho man who has turned your cousins cous-ins head as well as made things In other ways unpleasant for several of us Sinclair toll you so you will understand ovorythlng more than your cousin Mr McCloud or Marlon Sinclair understandSInclair Is a tralnwreckur find a murderer That makes you breathe hard doesnt It but It Is so Sinclair is fairly educated edu-cated and highly Intelligent capable In every way daring to the limit and in a way fascinating it is no wonder lie has a following But his following In divided Into two classes The men that know all the secrets and the men that dont men like Hobstock and Du Sang and men Ilko your cousin cous-in and a 1 hundred or so sports In Medicine Medi-cine Bend who see only the glamour of Sinclairs pace Your cousin sym pathizes with Sinclair when he doesnt actually side with hIm All this has helped to turn Sinclairs head and this Is exactly tho situation you and McCloud and I and a 1 lot of others are up against They dont know all this hut I know It and now you know It Lot me tell you something that comes close to homo You have a 1 cowboy on the ranch named Karg ho Is called Flat Nose Ktrg was a railroad man He Is a caUlothlcf a train robber a murderer and a spy I should not tell you this If you were not game to the last drop of your blood But I think I know you better than you know yourself though you hover saw me until last night Karg Is Sinclairs spy at your ranch and you must never feel it or know it but ho Is there to keep your cousins sympathy with Sin clair and to luro your cousin his way And Karg will try to kill George Mc Cloud every time he nets foot on this ranch remember that Then Mr McCloud ought not to bo here I dont want him to stay if ho Is In danger exclaimed Dlckslo But I do want him to como hero as if It mattered nothing and I shall try to take care of him I havo a man among your own men a cowboy named Wlckwlro who will be watching Karg and who IB Just us quick and Karg not knowing he was watched would bo taken unawares If WickwIre goes elsewhere to work some one else will take his place hero Karg is not on the ranch now he is up north huntIng hunt-Ing up some of your steers that were run off last month by his own cronies Now do you think I am giving you confidence Sho looked at him steadily If I can only deserve It all In tho dls lance she heard the calling of the men at the river bprne on tho wind Tho shock of what had been told her the strangeness of the night and of the ccene left her calm Fear had given way to responsibility and Dlckslo seemed to know herself You have nothing whatever to do to deserve It but keep your own counsel coun-sel But listen a moment longerfor this Is what I have been leading ufo u-fo he said Marlon will get a message mes-sage tomorrow a message from Sin clair asking her to come to ace him at his rnnch house before sho goes back I dont know what ho wants but she is his wife Ho has treated her infamously that is why she will not live with him and does not speak of him But you know how strange a woman Isor perhaps you dont she doesnt always cease to caro for a man when she ceases to trust him I am not In Marlons confidence Miss Dick sle She Is another mans wife I cannot toll l how she feels toward him I know she has often tried to reclaim him from his deviltry She may try again that Is she may for one reason or another go to him as he asks I could not Interfere It I would I have no right to If I could and I will not Now this Is what Im trying to get up tho courage to ask you Should you dare to go with her to Sinclair ranch If sho decides to go to him Certainly I should dare After all you know After all I knowwhy not Then In case she does go and you go with her you will know nothing whatever about anything of course unless you get the story from her What I fear is that which possibly may como of their Interview lIe may try to kill herdont bo frightened lIe will not succeed If you can oily mako euro he doesnt lead hot away on horseback fom the ranchhouso or got her alone In a room Sho has few friends I rested and honor her because be-CAuse she and I grow up as children together In tilt same little town in Wisconsin I knew her folks all of thorn and Ive promised thornyou knowto have n kind of Care of her I think I know Ho looked selfconscious oven at her tone of understanding I need not try to deceive you your Instinct would be poor It It did not toll you more than I ought to Ho crone along and turned her head You need fear nothing for yourself In going with her and nothing for her If you can cover just those two polntsMan you remember re-member Not to let her go away with him on horseback and not to leave her where she will bo alone with him 111 the house I can and will I think as much of Marion as you do I am proud to 10 able to do something for you How tttlo I have known youl I thought you were everything I didnt want to know Its nothing ho returned easily except that Sinclair has stirred up your cousin and tho ranchers as well as the Williams Cache gang and that snakes talk about me I have to do what I can to make this a poacenbla country to live In Tho railroad wants decent people here and doesnt want ho other kind and It falls on me unfortunately fortunately to keep the other kind moving I dont Ilko it but we can none of us do qulto what wo ploasa in making a living Let mo toll you this he turned to fix his eye seriously on hers Believe anything you hoar of me except that I have ever taken human life willingly or save in discharge dis-charge of my duty But this kind of work maIms my own life an uncertainty uncertain-ty as you can seo I do almost literally liter-ally carry my life In my hand for it my hand is not quicker every time than a mans eye I am done for then and there It Is dreadful to think of Not exactly that but it is something some-thing I cant afford to forget What would become of the lives of tho friends you protect if you wore killed You say you care for Marlon Sin clair I should like to think If anything any-thing should happen to mo you wouldnt forget her I never will i Ho smiled Then I put her In I charge of the man utancst to mo 1 George McCloud and the woman she thinks the most of In the world except i ex-cept her mother What is this are they back Yonder they come Wo found nothing serious Mo Cloud said answering their questions as he approached with Lance Dunning Tho current is really swinging away t but the bank is caving in where it twits t-wits undermined last night Ho stopped bofore Dlcksle I am trying j Ito I-to get your cousin to go to the house I and go to bed I am going to stay all night but there is no necessity for his staying Damn It McCloud Its not right protested Lance taking oft his hat and wiping his forehead You need the sleep moro than I do I say he is the one to go to bed tonight continued con-tinued Lance putting it up to Whispering Whis-pering Smith And I Inslut by the Almighty that you two tako hIm bach to the house with you npw Whispering Smith raised his hand If this Is merely a family quarrel about who shall go to bed let us compromise com-promise You two stay up all night and let mo go to bed Lance however was obdurate I It seems to bo a family charactar Istlc of the Dunnlngs to have their own way ventured McCloud after some further dispute If you vlll havo It so Mr Dunning you ituy stand watch tonight and I will go to the house Hiding hack with McCIoqd Diet le and WhisperIng Smith discussed tie flood McCloud disclaimed credit lam 1 the Improvement in the situation II 1 the current had held against us r3 11 I 1 did yesterday nothing I could have done would havo turned It he sal Honesty Is the host policy ol course observed Whispering Smith I like to see a modest man and > ou I want to remind him of all this wl on he sends in his bill ho suggested speaking to Dlcksle In tho dark But ho added turning to McCloud admitting admit-ting that you are right dont tako the trouble to advertise your view of II I 1 V i around hero It would be only decent strategy for us In the valley Just now f to tako a little of the credit due to the iC i wind TO nn 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