Show ur w. m p Ch f JR lt 1924 1924 By NEA NIA Service e be Im lOt Other her parties said Sally Yes Ye maam Tho sheriff sheri has be tolling the boss about bout It Th There There e were vcr two other automobiles st st p U somewhere around here t. t the past couple ot of weeks As ne neora I I I- Ican can make male out from what tells the boss its it's aJ a ai J l O t Qt i ame First they had hade 1 f. f t h here rc e that scalped ed people a aa back 1 1 Indians ns out tut or t. t fjand md thin things s went g they had road ding up P stages Well eU e ot f the road 3 agents 1 ral parties had hael got get k Business sort of ot died out hd 1 then then the the sheriff has been cen f into the history of tf all was a new bunca burh Rot got Roton gott ot t on the trains I can Jr bel reading about bou t them in papers papers- m myself They USe used tot to t g the trains and take takes ng s that everybody had and Ildr that didn't Sivo up got It ft took quite a while to get et All an tho the train robbers but they did did and everything r peaceful And now they've again s-aln on the automobiles ei ly IY- IY exclaimed Sally am am I dont don't mean the sa i b bunch U understand They h dost of or tho old ones ones It C Cute tI ute sheriff tells tho the boss toss t that at J last two or lr three years there therea ft ro bee a a lot of automobiles a 1 n through this wa way mostly 1 pH from Irom the the- East like the tho 1 1 They h y go clear cleat on out to the i nfl then drive all the way I Sain It ome ome of cm carr carry l t of ot valuables and these p gains sometimes m make ke tty ty good oYd profit The Tho sheriff I y get Into his county r. r t quite recent he lie has lias heard on on goings outside of oJ it rl f t now they've got I Into n to his cou county ty and hes he's quito quite stirred up Y ih the third car eat in about two ve weeks ks- ks I guess the business is get- get good because it seems the 1 it g- g gIs is taking on new members six of ot em that stuck us tJ know u said it so blandly that Sally Ji lf persuaded he believed it Sf repeated Timothy The bos claims only four tour but theres there Tj ys s two more noro that he lie didn't see seo I IdId dId didn't t. t lUte Ilka to contradict him in t. t th Uve sheriff ehert b but t there was was ix all it right Im I'm going goingS tell the sh sheriff wl when m I 1 get get geta a chance be- be all aU the clues lues Q to toha have 0 f BO pp p q g get gt t to work right v t f s said hl Sally Saly in an ab- ab Shoo She over the c surprising sur intelligence from m Timothy and and wondering hOw haw it affected the case of or the Wreck and herself hersel J l lt jr t there ere waS was really a gang Eang at work In the county nty arid and ot of course course- WenS Wells would not say so unless unless- I It rue lt to hake brake th tr r own case Il h 5 simpler The ex exploit cx of oZ the ha Wreck would naturally be bo blamed blame on tn those who were Inthe inthe in inthe the business for a living It b began g n to look as if they were hiding from fromi i at atall ataH all i She sl slipped p pd d Into the pantry and andi i closed the tha door behind tier her At the farther end was the tho other door that open opened d Into late tha th dining in It ItI I I I was a a. swinging door with a half half- I Inch space space- between t the e edge edgo of or It if i l And the frame fram She tiptoed softly forward bro brought her ear rose close to i the crack crack and And stood there breathing breathIng breath- breath i I Ing softly I Und Underwood was talking but not about bandits lie He ie was talking about Sallys Sally's apple pie I Im Tm going to take lake her back bak to 1 New Kew ew York with m me and fire fIfe my my French cook he hG i I- I announced announce I 1 i dont don't what sor of of-a of a n Job he her c ca can fill fiU b Ill but find s something something some some- me- me thing f or hint I Sally raised her eyebrows for this was news flowS And And nd then v she shEi heard th the f voice of ot Bob Wells I L 1 dont don't blame Yb i sard the he sheriff The lady can carz certainly cook get a oh e in in a lifetime When you get em the thing to do is to rope ropo em cot and brand em em and then dont don't let em outside the corral Cooking is a womans woman's natural Job but they dont don't all get to be experts But now and then It if you ou keep your eyes open you can find one Why Why Why- Ho paused to chuckle comfort comfort- ably The fact l is 1st Im I'm going to marry one he said Congratulations remarked the heavy y voice of Jerome Underwood Under tinder I wood hat the wa way I look at It said sald the tho sheriff sherIf lightly You take that chicken ke those biscuits that pie pie pie- i ic got gt t a aL a girl gill that cook every bit bitas j a-j well as as that Understand me she he cau caudo cado do a lot more nore than cook She's a smart girl and she's pretty too But when It comes to cookIng cooking cook- cook Ing she doesn't have to take her hat hatoff oft off to anybody After all Its It's the main thing its it's the tion I Ab Absolutely said t tie the e voice of Underwood out tut of 01 a n. f full ll mouth CHAP CHAPTER R XIV The S Son n of of a Gun The Wreck Yr ck who had been keeping keeping keeping keep keep- ing vigil from a window of ot the saw the tall tail figure of the sheriff sherif striding down to the corral Just as as dusk was settling Next he lie saw the black horse and its rider headed headed alon along the trail that j led to tho the main road He could hear the sheriff whistling There There- was a complacent sound about It itI that made matJe him scowl I He lie waited until the than nan of tt the law passed from m sight sight amo among the i I distant spruce then set off at a rapid pace for the Sally had Kad very few lew words for fOl anybody during the evening The Wreck vainly tried to maneuver her into a private conversation but she 1 kept ept aloof from him He wanted wanted want want- ed to hear all aU she knew about the sheriffs sheriff's visit and It puzzled him when he lie discovered that the che he was deliberately dodging Probably she was mooning about things he ho figured figured figured fig fig- women had a wa way of jetting getting sentimental when there was lutey no sense sense in It He was willing willing will will- ing to bet bat she was half sorry that Bob Wells had not discovered red her although she sho had been In a wild ild flurry o of fear that he lie would I It would bo be Just like her Sentimentality Sentimentality She wanted a sweetheart alt and she didn't want him hint It H an anybody anybody any any- body could figure out what a woman wo- wo man really did want the Wreck was willing to listen A couple of oJ the bo boys s 's drifted in for fora a late supper upper along with Charley M McSween Sween Timothy hung hunk around mound J jim e kitchen The Wreck finally lly gave up the Job and went out Hed He'd be hanged If it hed he'd wash vash the dishes let Timothy have a flin fling at It Sally finished her work worl and wet went ff lo lo to bed She was still angry listeners never hear any good of them themselves elves kept running in her herh h head ad That was not exactly trU true tn in her own case Probably tIle the things she overheard were compliments meats ments she had heard them before and always so reg regarded them But DutS But Dut- S So Bob Wells is is marrying a a cook Is he she muttered as she i turned off oft th the light In her room Im a smart girl and Im I'm pretty i oh yes But nut the cooking Is the main thing Its It's downright import import- I and and necessary its it's the j tion Oh wait watt till I see him him I I Downstairs in the bI big living room I there was was an earnest conYer conversation atlon In progress between Chester Underwood Un Un- I I derwood and his lila father It dealt with a discovery discover Chester roaming roaming roam roarn- ing out al after supper In lit nope hope of a n. word with Sally Morgan and failIng fail- fail Ing ig to get It had drifted idly lilly down dawn I among nong the tho outbuildings lIe He had observed before that on one of ot the lit lit lit- j He sheds commonly used for storing storing storing stor stor- ing tools and various odds and enis AVas locked ed It was unusual to lock anything around the ranch but he paid no particular attention to the he fact Now it aroused his curiosity The padlock would not yie yield d to a I pulls pull He lie tried several keys but butof none non of them would manipulate t tie the e I lock K Then he picked nicked up a n sto stone e and legan began hammering hammering-at at the ha lins hasp p. p I Eventually It loosened under th the I attack and he managed to it out of 01 tho the wood R Rusty sty hinges s groaned as he lie swung the door back A dusty dOsty flivver stood Inside th the I shed Ho lie stared at It for a a. white while wrinkling hs forehead and trying to rem remember whether an anybody body at atthe atthe the ranch possessed l such a thing i Ho Ho stepped into the shed and J JI j walked slowly around it The place i I was getting rather dark was I Inot not favorable f fl t detailed So far ar as he could see see however however however how- how I I ever it looked ld Just like any other r flivver But r o there was a front frontI J wheel missing on the the left side I A soap soai box Wad been placed under the axle He looked around the shed but could not find the wheel It struck him as peculiar pecullar that anybody any any- anybody n body should put a flivver under lock and key particularly one that had only three wheels I Presently he stepped outside j I I a again aln and pau paused ed for tor another view of at the rear end enel His glance upon it a license plate and became I fb fixed d there There was a vague ague stirring in his men memory Then with look a-look of astonishment on his face I he hurried off oft in the direction of the ranch ranc-h house l I All this he had been relating to toI j I his lus father as they sat in inthe the living room and Jerome Underwood had been shoO shooting ing questions at him hm that I began in incredulity and developed into genuine curiosity You say you c can n remember er the i license plate demanded his fath- fath j i er r. r i No o I dont don't remember the number number num num- I ber bel of course I never took fook any note noLe of ot it I was wasn't nt near enough th the other night I didn't notice the state either But It just has the general look I think maybe its it's the color that stuck in my mind And its it's a seater one-seater Yes Hm Well Veil there are millions of ot th them m. m of course You ou ought always j. j to remember license numbers In any case of a sto ah emergency Continued Continue in Our cur r Next Next I Issue Isue sue |