Show I By TEANRHSPEABMAN E YiP I I ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDRE BOWLES COPYRCHr ar CMS < ScRtat fi3 s SYNOPSIS Murray Sinclair and his gang of wreck Irs wero called out to clear the railroad racks nt Smoky Creek McCloud u young road superintendent caught Sill lnlr mid his men In the net of looting the wrecked train Sinclair pleaded 1 Innocence In-nocence declaring It only amounted < to a small SlllllI treat for the men McOlouil discharged the whole outllt and ordered the wreckage burned MeCloUd became acquainted with Dlcksle Dunning a girl of the west who came to look at the wreck Sho gave him a message for Sin clair Whispering Gordon Smith told President Bucks of the railroad of Mc Clouds brave fight against a gang of crazed miners and that was the reason for the superintendents appointment to + his high oflke MrCloud arranged to board nt the hoarding house of Mrs Sin clair the exforemans deserted wit I Dlcksle Dunning was the daughter of the late Richard Dunning who had died of a broken heart shortly after his wifes I demise which occurred after one year of married life Sinclair visited Marlon Sin clairs shop and a fight between him and McCloud was narrowly averted Smoky t Creek brldgn was mysteriously burned In fairly good order Ho overheard Dick she criticising 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 McCloud was notified that Whispering Smith was to hunt the desperadoes des-peradoes Dill Dancing n road lineman proposed that Sinclair and his gang bo sent 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 ap-proached Sinclair He tried to buy him off but failed Ho warned McCloud that his life was In danger McCloud was carried car-ried forcibly Into Lance DunnIngs presence pres-ence Dunning refused the railroad a rlshtofwny he had already signed for DIckslo Interfered to prevent a shooting affray Dlcksle met McCloud on a lonely trail to warn him his life was In danger On his way home a shot passed through his hat Whispering Smith reported that Du Sang one of Sinclairs gang had been slgned to kill McCloud He and Smith I aw Du Sang Whispering Smith taunted II taunt-ed Du Sang and told him to get out of Medicine Heml or suffer Du Sang seemed to succumb to the bluff McClouds big construction Job was taken from him because be-cause of an Injunction Issued to Lance Dunning by the United State court A sudden rise of the Crawling Stone river created consternation Dlcksle and Ma I lr rlon appealed to McCloud for help Whispering Whis-pering Smith Joined the group lIe and Dlcksle spent the night In conversation I Smith giving the girl an outline of his life In the morning McCloud took his men to fight tho river Lance Dunning welcomed them cordially VhlnperlnB Smith warned Dlcksle of possible danger that Marlon was In from her husband Murray Sinclair and DIsh was at once on her guard In her friends Interests CHAPTER XXII I The Man on the Frenchman Sinclairs place on tho Frenchman backed up on a sharp rise against the foothills of tho Drldger range and the ranch buildings were strung along the creel Tho ranchhouse stood on ground high enoughto command the country for miles up and down the valley j Only two roads lead from Medicine Bend and the south Into the Frenchman It French-man country one a wagon road following I I fol-lowing Smoky creek and running 1 through Dale canyon the other a pack road known as the Gridley trail t a crossing the Topah Topah hills and making a short cut from the Dunning 1 ranch on the Crawling Stone to the Frenchman The entire valley IsIn 4 fact so difficult of access save by the long and roundabout wagon road that tho sight of a complete outfit of buildings build-Ings such as that put up by Sinclair always came as a surprise to tho traveler trav-eler who reaching the crest of tho hills looked suddenly down 1000 feet on his well ordered sheds and barns and corrals Over the Gridley trail from the Crawling Stone Marlon and DIckslo Dunning rode early In the morning the day after McCloud and his men left the Stone ranch with their work done The trail Is a good three hours long and they reached Sinclairs place at about ten oclock He was waiting for r Marlon she had sent word she should come arid ho came out of the front door Into the sunshine with a smile of welcome when he saw Dlcksle with her Dlcksie long an admirer of Sin clairs as women usually wore had recast somewhat violently her opinions opin-ions of him She faced him now with 1 a criminal consciousness that she knew too much Tho weight of the 1 dreadful secret weighed on her and l her responsibility In tho Issue of the 1 day ahead did not help to make her greeting an easy ono One thing only was fixed In her mind and reflected In tho tension of her lips and her eyes The resolve to keep at every II cost the promise she had given For Dlcksle had fallen under the spell of a man oven more compelling than Sin Sin what she had said Sinclair however had spirit enough 1 to smooth quite away every embarrassment 3 embarrass-ment Bachelors quarters ho ox q plained roughly and pleasantly as hop ho-p led tho two women toward tho house iI Cowmen make poor housekeepers t 111I1 hut you must feel at home And If when DIckslo looking at his Indian rugs 011 the floors tho walls and thor tho-r couches paid she thought he had little to apologize for Sinclair looked gratified grati-fied and took off his hat again Just t r a moment ho said standing at the side of tho door Ive never been able to get Marion over hero before so it happens that a womans foot has never entered the now house I want 1 to watch one of you cross tho threshold i 4 thresh-old 1 1 for the first time I Dickslo moving ahead retreated j with a laugh You first then Marlon No DIckslo you Never you first So Marlon quite red and wretchedly HI at ease walked Into the rnnchhouso first l Sinclair shone nowhere better than as n host When ho had placed his guests comfortably lu the living room ho told them the story of tho building of the house Then ho made a cicerone of himself anli explained with running run-ning comments each feature of his plan as he showed how It had been carried out through the various rooms Surprised at the attractiveness of things DIckslo found herself ranking mental notes for her own use und be gun asking questions Sinclair was Buporb In answering but the danger of admiring things became at once apparent ap-parent for when Dickslo exclaimed over a handsome bearskin a rich dark brown grizzly skin of unusual size Sin clair told the story of the killing bared his tremendous forearm to show where the polished claws had ripped him and disregarding Dlcksles protests Insisted on sending the skin over to Crawling Stone ranch as a souvenir of her visit I live a great deal alone over hero ho said waving Dlckslos continued refusal re-fusal magnificently aside as he moved Into the next room Ive got a few good dogs and I hunt just enough to keep my hand In with a rifle DIckslo quailed a little at the smile that went with the words The men at least the kind I mix with dont care for grizzly skins and to enjoy anything youve got to have sympathetic company com-pany dont you know that ho asked looking admiringly at Dlcksle Ive got another skin for OUII silvertip he added In deep gentle tones addressing ad-dressing Marion It has a fine head as fine as I ever saw in the Smithsonian Smithson-ian It is down Medicine Bend now being dressed and mounted By the I way Ive forgotten to ask you Miss Dlcksle about the high water How did you get through at the ranch Dlcksle sitting on the piano bench looked up with resolution Bravely I she exclaimed Mr McCloud came to our rescue with bags and mattresses and 100 men and he has put In n revetment re-vetment 1000 feet long Oh we are regular river experts at our house now Had you any trouble here Mr Sinclair No the Frenchman behaves pretty I well In the rock We had 40 feet of I water here one day though 40 feet thats right McCloud yes able fellow fel-low I guess too though he and I dont hit It off Sinclair sat back In his chair and as he spoke ho spoke magnanimously He doesnt like me but that Is no fault of his railroad men and good ones too sometimes get started wrong with one another Well Im glad ho took caro of you Try that piano Miss Dlcksie will you I dont know much about pianos but that ought to be a good one I would wheel the player over for you but any ono that plays as beautifully as you do ought not to be allowed to use a player Marlon 1 want to talk a few minutes with you may I Do you mind going out under the cottonwood DIcksies heart Jumped Dont be gone long Marlon she exclaimed impulsively im-pulsively for you know Mr Sinclair we must get back by two oclock And Dlcksie pale with apprehension looked at them both Marlon quite composed nodded reassuringly and followed Sinclair out of doors Into thQ sunshine For a few minutes Dlckslo fingered wildly on the piano at some half forgotten for-gotten air and in a fever of excitement excite-ment walked out on the porch to see whero thoy wero To her relief she saw Marion sitting near Sinclair under un-der the big tree In front of tho house where the horses stood Dlcksle with her hands on her girdle walked forlornly for-lornly back and forth hummed a tune sat down In a rocking chair fanned herself rose walked back and forth again and reflected that she was perfectly per-fectly helpless and that Sinclair might kill Marion a hundred times before she could reach her And the thought that Marion was perhaps wholly unconscious un-conscious of danger Increased her anxiety She sat down In despair How could Whispering Smith have allowed anyone any-one he had a care for to bo exposed In this dreadful way Trying to think what to do Dlcksle hurried back to the living room walked to tho piano took the pile of sheet music from the top and sat down to thumb It over She threw song after song on tho chair beside her They wore sheets of gaudy coon songs and ragtime with flaring covers and they seemed to give off odors of cheap perfume DIck sin hardly saw the titles as she passed them over but of a sudden sho stopped Between two sheets of music lay a small handkerchief It was mussed and In the corner of It Nol Nellie Ho was written conspicuously In a laundry mark The odor of musk became be-came In nn Instant sickening Dlcksle throw the music disdainfully aside and sprang up with a flushed faco to leave the room Sinclairs remark about tho first woman to cross his threshold camo back to her From that moment DIckslo hated him Bu no sooner had she seated herself on tho porch than sho remembered silo had left her hat In tho house and rose to go in after it Sho was resolved re-solved not to leave It under tho roof nnatlior moment and she had resolved to go over and wait whore her hors was tied As sho reentered tho doorway door-way she stopped In tho room she had just left a cowboy sat at the table taking apart a revolver to clean it The revolver was spread in Its parts before him but across tho table lay a rifle The man had not boon In tho room when sho jeft it a moment before be-fore Dlcksle passed behind him He paid no attention to her ho had not looked up when she entered the room Pass lug I behind him once more to go out Dlcksle 1 looked through the open window win-dow before which IIP sat Sinclair and 1 Marlon sitting under the cottonwood treo t were In plain sight and tho muz zlo of tho rifle where It lay covered then t DIckslo thrilled but the man I was busy with his work Breathing deeply she walked out on tho porch again Sinclair sho thought was looking straight at her and In her anx loty I to appear unconscious she turned walked to tho end of tho house and at the corner almost ran into a man sitting > out of doors in tho shade mendIng mend-Ing I a saddle He had removed his belt to I work and his revolver lay In tho holster 1 on the bench its grip just within reach of his hand Dlcksle walked In front of him but he did not look up Sho turned as if changing her mind and with a little flirt of her rIding skirt sat down In tho porch chair feeling a faint moisture upon her forehead I am going to leave this country Muriel Sinclair was saying Theres nothing hero for mo I can see that Whats tho use of my eating my heart out over the way Ive been treated Ivo given tho best years of my life to this rallroid and now they turn mo down with a kick and a curse Its i the old story of the Indian and his dog only I dont proposo to let them unite soup of me Im going to the coast Marion Im going to California where I wanted to go when wo wero married and I wish to God we had gone there then All our troubles might never have been If I had got in with a different crowdfrom these cow boozers on the start And Marlon I want to know whether youll give mo another chance and go with mo Sinclair on the bench and leaning against the tree sat with folded arms looking at his wife Marlon hi a hickory chair faced him No ono would like to see you bo all you ought to be more than I Murray but you are the only ono In tho world that can ever give yourself another chance to be that The fellows In the saddle here now have denied me every chance to make a man of myself again on the railroad you know that Marion In fact they never did give me the show I was entitled to I ought to have had Hays place Bucks never treated me right In that he never pushed mo In tho way he pushed other men that were just as bad as I ever was It discouraged me thats the reason I went to pieces It could bo no reason for treating me as you treated me for bringing drunken drunk-en men and drunken women Into our house and driving mo out of it unless I would be what you wero and what they wero I know I havent treated you right Ive treated you shamefully I will do anything on earth you say to square It I will Recollect I had lived among men and In the same country with women like that for years before I know you I didnt know how to treatyou I admit It Give me another anoth-er chance Marion I gave you all that Ihad when I married you Murray I havent anything any-thing more to give to any man You would be disappointed In me If I could over live with you again and I could not do that without living a Ho everyday every-day He bent forward looking at the ground Ho talked of their first meeting meet-Ing in Wisconsin of tho happiness t If their little courtship ho brought up California again and tho northwest coast where he told her a great railroad rail-road was to be built and ho should find the chance ho needed to make a record for himselfIt had been promised him a chance to be the man his abllltfc entitled him to bo In railroading And Ive got a customer for tho ranch and the cows Marlon I dont care for this business damn tho cows I let somebody else chaso after em through tho sleet Ive done well Ive mad money a lot of moneythe last two years In my cattlo deals and Ivo got It put away Marion you need never lift your hand to work In our house again VJo can live In California and live well under our own orange trees whether I work or not All I want to know Is will you go with me No I will not go with you Murray Mur-ray Ho moved In his seat and threw his head up appealingly Why not I will never be dishonest with you I never have been and I never will be I have nothing In my heart to give you and I will not live upon your money I am earning my own living I am as content as I over can be antI ant-I shall stay where I am and do what I am doing till I die probably And this is why I came when you asked mo to to tell you tho exact truth I am not n girl any longerI never can be again I am a woman What I was > before I married you I never can be I again and you have no right to ask mo to be a hypocrite fwd say I can love oufor that Is what It all comes towhen I have no such thing hi my heart or life for you It Is dead and gone and I cannot help it That sounds pretty hard Marlon It Is only tho truth It sounded fearfully hard to me when you told me that woman was your friend that you know her before you know mo and would know her after I was dead that she was as good as I and that If I didnt entertain her you would Hut It was the truth you told mo tho truth and It was better that you told Itas it Is better now that I tell it to you I was drunk I didnt toll you tho truth < A man is a pretty tough animal sometimes but you aro a woman nnd a pure one and I caro moro for you than for all the other women In tho world and It Is not your nature to be unforgiving It Is to bo honest Ho looked suddenly up at her and spoke sharply Marion I know why yotl wont go I have honestly told you No you have not honestly told me The real reason Is Gordon Smith If ho wero I should not hesitate to tell you Murray but ho Is not sho said coldly Sinclair spoke harshly Do you think you can fool me Dont you suppose sup-pose I know he spends his tlmo loafing loaf-ing around your shop Marlon flushed Indignantly It Is not true Dont you suppose I know he writes letters back to Wisconsin to your oiksWhat What have I to do with that Why shouldnt ho write to my mother Who has a better right Dont drive mo too far By God if I go away alone Ill never leave I you here to run off with Whispering 1 Smithremember that She sat In silence His rago left her perfectly j quiet and her unmoved expression shamed and In part silenced him Dont drive me too far he muttered sullenly If you do you will be responsible re-sponsible Marion She did not move her eyes from tho blue hills on tho horizon I expect you to kill me sometime I feel sure you will And that you may do Then she bent her look on him You may do It now if you want to His face turned heavy with rage Marion ho cried with an oath do you know how close you are to death at this moment You may do It now Ho clinched the benchrail and roso slowly to his feet Marion sat motionless motion-less in the hickory chair tho sun was shining in her faco and her hands were folded in her lap Dlcksie rocked on tho porch In tho shadow of the houso tho man was mending the saddle CHAPTER XXIII Tower W At the end of a long and neglected hall on the second floor of tho old bank block In Hill street Whispering Smith had a room in which ho made headquarters at Medicine Bend It was in effect Whispering Smiths home Tho door of the room In the course of many years had been mutilated with keyholes and reenforced with locks until It appeared difficult to choose an opening that would really afford entrance en-trance but two men besides WhisperIng Whisper-Ing Smith carried keys to the room Kennedy and George McCloud They hud right of way Into It at all hours and know how to get In McCloud had left tho bridge camp on the river for Medicine Bend on tho Saturday that Marion Sinclair whose husband had finally told her ho would give her ono more chance to think It over returned with DIckslo safely from their trip to the Frenchman ranch Whispering Smith who had been with Bucks and Morris Blood got back to town the same day The president and general manager wero at the Wickiup during tho afternoon and eft for tho east at nine oclock in tho evening when their car was attached to an eastbound passenger train Me Cloud took supper afterward with Whispering Smith at a Front street chophouse and tho two men separated at 11 oclock It was three hours later when McCloud tapped on the door of Smiths room and In a moment mo-ment opened It Awake Gordon Sure como in What Is it The second section of tho passenger passen-ger trainNumber Three with express ex-press carswas stopped at Tower W tonight Oliver Sollers was pulling he is badly shot up and one of tho messengers was shot all to pieces They cracked tho through safe emptied emp-tied It and made a clean getaway Tower W27G miles Have you ordered up an engine Yes Wheres Kennedy A spcor nice answered night here w s wn nom r ca1 1 > 9ift l ll l 1 s J f 9 Nol I Will Not Go with You Strike a light Farrell What about the horses Theyre being loaded Is tho lino clear Uoonoy Leo Is clearing It Spike ItGeorge and leave every westbound west-bound train In siding with tho engine cut loose and plenty of steam till wo get by Its now or never this time Two hundred and soventyslx miles theyre giving us our moneys worth Whos going with us Farrell Bob Scott Reed Young and Brill ft Reed can get him at Sleepy Cat Dancing is loading the horses I want Ed Banks to lead a posse straight from hero for Williams Cache Dancing can go with him And telephone Gene and Bob Johnson to sit down In Canadian pass till they grow to tho rocks but not to let anybody through If they want to live after I seo them Theyve got all tho instruct tlons all they need Is the word Its a long chance but I think those are our friends You can head Banks off by telephone somewhere if we change our minds when we get a trail Start Brill Young and a good man from Sleepy Cat ahead of us George if you can In a baggage car with any horses that they can get there They can bent be-nt Tower W by daybreak and perhaps per-haps pick up m a trail before wo reach there and we shall have fresh horses for them Im ready I guess lets go Slam the door George In tho hall Whispering Smith threw a pocket light on his watcli I want you to put us there by seven oclock Charlie Sollers Is going to pull you answered McCloud Have you got everything Then were off Tho three men tiptoed down tho dark hall down the stairs and across the street on a noiseless run for tho railroad yard F Tho air was chill and tho sky clear with a moon more than half to the full Lord what a night to ride exclaimed Whispering Smith looking mournfully at the stars Well planned well planned I must admit i I The men hastened toward the yard where lanterns wero moving about the car of the train guards near the Blue Front stables The loading board had been lowered and tho horses were being be-ing carefully led Into the car From a switch engine behind the car a shrill cloud of steam billowed Into the air Across the yard a great passenger engine en-gine its huge white slde rod rising and falling slowly In the still light of the moonone of the mountain racers thicknecked like an athlete and deep chestedwas backing down for tho run with the single car almost across the west end of tho division Trainmen Train-men woro running to and from the Wickiup platform By the time tho horses were loaded tho conductor had orders Until tho last mlnuto Whispering Whis-pering Smith was In consultation with McCloud and giving Dancing precise Instructions for the posse Into tho Cacho country They were still talking talk-Ing nt tho sldo door of tho car Mc Cloud and Dancing on tho ground and Whispering Smith squatting on his haunches Inside tho moving car when the engine signaled and tho special drew away from the chute pounded up the long run of tho ladder switch and moved with gathering speed Into tho canyon In tho cab Charlie Sol lers crushing In his hand the tissue that had brought the news of his brothers death sat at tho throttle Ho had no speed orders They had told him ho had a clear track |