Show 4 f I S fJ J E tI y Harold Titus 4 w N u S TT I CC Ce SYNOPSIS lS Yonder Ben Den Elliott from Elliott from Crom comes cornea Into tho the lumbering town of ot TIncup bringing an nn old man Don Stuart who had been eager to reach TIncup Nicholas Brandon tho towns town's lead leading Ing cl citizen resents Stuarts Stuart's presence trying to force him to leave and Elliott resenting tho the act net knocks him down Jud Judge o Able Armitage hires Ben Den to run the theone theone theone one lumber camp the Hoot Owl that Brandon has not been able to grab This belongs to Dawn McManus Mc- Mc Manus anus whose father tather has disappeared disappeared with a D. murder charge chargo hanging hangIng hang hang- ing over his head Brandon sends his hs bul bully Duval to beat up Ben and Ben throws him out of ot camp Old Don Stuart Stuart dies leaving a R. letter letter letter let let- ter for tor Elliott to Uto to be bo used when the going becomes too tough Ben re refuses refuses re- re fuses to read It at nt this time behoving believing be be- lieving hoving ho he can win the tho tight by his his' own efforts Fire In tho the mill subdued subdued sub sub- dued Is found to have been incendiary diary The Hoot Owl makes a contract contract contract con con- tract for tor timber that will provide e money to tide It over But there thero Is Isa Isa isa a definite time limit limit- Bon Don discovers Dawn McManus c Is not a child as ashe ashe ashe he had supposed but a D. beautiful young woman Tho The railroad bridge over o which Bens Ben's lumber must pass Is blown up By superhuman efforts Ben builds a new bridge and himself himself him him- self drives a train over the rickety structure making the delivery with only a a. few minutes to spare Brandon Brandon Brandon Bran Bran- don compels a woman known as ns LydIa who Is In his power to accuse Elliott of ot misconduct with a girl She Sho docs does so 90 at a D. dance which Elliott and Dawn McManus Mc attend Dawn apparently believing Ben guilty leaves Ica the dance danco without him Whilo walking wall in the woods Elliott Is fired on on and drops seemingly seemingly seem seem- dead but his fall tall Is a n ruse to tomake tomake tomake make his enemy believe his attempt has been successful A little sleuthIng sleuthing sleuthing sleuth sleuth- ing proves the would-be would killer to tobe tobe tobo be bo Red fled Bart Delaney notorious Canadian desperado CHAPTER XI XI Continued Continued 13 13 Benny your way of ot doing things scares me I l Wh Why this cant can't go on It mustn't I 1 Its It's your own affair for sure when wilen he be tried 1 to shoot you ou down but maybe perhaps possibly Im I'm going JoIng to be beg you to be careful So long as ns Delanc Delaney's s In the country youve you've got to keep low Get back to camp romp stay there let us pick some Bome man I can trust to follow Bart hart nn and 1 Bran Brandon nl night ht and day so you'll not be caught 1 No o. o Ben shook his head reso reso- Ill go on about my business busl busi ness as I should Ive I've never run yet nn and 1 dont don't like to start any fast footwork now But Its It's your life that's at stake Ben I 1 Dont Don't be silly That's what recklessness Is downright silly 1 That's not like you Why not taking takIng taking tak tak- ing precautions In this thing Is like with a high tension wire No good Able I couldn't hold holdup holdup holdup up my bead head If It I ht hid 1 out utter after the play pIny Ive I've ma made So Able was forced force 1 to give up after atter a time nn and 1 shuffled up the street drawing off oil his mitten again nn and 1 rubbing his face briskly with his palm Ho He had only reached his office once and was unlocking the door when Aunt Em Era walking grimly as ns If It with witha a n definite purpose approached Good morning he began Forget the tile palaver Able Arm page I the woman said 1 sharply Youre In trouble So are arc we wc all nIl ma maybe be That's why I came to see you Is It t true hat they say that this He Red lied 1 Bart Delaney Dehmey has showed up here In TIncup As true as ns disease or death or nn anything else unpleasant what 1 Id I'd 1 heard I 1 Do I have o to guess why hes he's come Able l untied untie his scarf and shook his head hea 1 sa sadly No Xo Em Your first guess wIllbo will willbe willbo bo be rl right ht An And 1 he took n a shot at Benny yesterday ester 1 And missed Id I'd Judge from Crom the look of or him Just now But nut If f hes he's still sUIl here therell there'll be a n next time and he be wont won't miss then Did yon yua do your our duty and send 1 the boy to some safe saCe place Able sighed and told her of or his talk with BenSo BenSo Ben nen So you Ou couldn't make him listen Usten to reason renson I 1 she muttered 1 Wen Well If you ou cnn cant I cant And us falling tail fall alling ing theres there's only one other who would have Im a n ghost of ot a n show uDa Dawn wn She noll nodded Dawn could But nut she wont won't She wont won't go to him hits no She wouldn't even cn listen to me tie talk about him she's In such sucha a n state She's UI up to her ears cars In Inlove Inlove inlove love with lien Den Elliott or Ive I've got ot three legs Jes And then to have ha that scandalous woman do 10 what she did IUd on and 1 upset It nil I Sue She set sat down heavily In a n chair ntH and drew a n great rent breath I MI dont don't have c to ask you rou or any I other man about Hen Ben Elliott Able I know the thc clean and decent folks I when I see em Id I'd bet my reputation reputation tation a. a as CJ a Christian woman on that I Troy hoy That piece of ot play pIny acting J at lit the dance was some of ot Nick Dran Brandon's work you can bet your last red cent I Why Able that mans man's worse than ever eer I thought My lIy oh my Well what Tm rm geWn gettin at nt Is s this The boys boy's In danger er of oC bein murdered murdered murdered mur mur- dered every minute of oC day and ond night unless J he takes your advice Theres There's no one left to tr try to talk him Into being careful but Dawn An And 1 how am nm I going to get her to see her duty when she goes Into Inton a n crIn fit every time his names name's mentioned YeS sir Every time she hears bears his name She doesn't yet see that the affair affair af ar- fair was a n up put-up Job then See She cant can't see anything Able Armitage I Put yourself In her place Suppose you were a tl young youns girl who's had the things to bear that she has hns all nIl her life and suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose you fell CeIl In love for or the first time and suppose that young youn man was accused of or such nastiness right in public with everybody listening nn and 1 gawping Would you stop to figure that the reason he seemed guilty was natural That the thing was so far fetched from Crom the truth the truth and such a shock that he was nil all 1 I should 1 say you woul wouldn't You'd do Just what she's doin make yourself all nU sick with chills and fever by She twitched at the skirts of or her cloak Irritably nn and 1 glared 1 at nt the theold theold 01 old 1 justice as ns though he were a sworn enemy Instead of or a n friend What ails alls her Is shock She aint got over the shock yet nn and 1 every ery time his name or anything else about him Is mentioned It sets her ber off again Shell She'll get over o It It give her time But Dut then shell she'll be beso beso beso so humiliated to think she didn't 11 use her reason that she wont won't be herself for tor another spell sp ll And Am she should be herself now There any time to lose Jose She should up her misunderstanding with him right to today rIght today right this hour and hour and use her Influence to persuade him to keep low But how Its It's to be bedone bedone bedone done Id I'd like Ilke to know For Lords Lord's sake Able aint you got a sIn single le suggestion 1 The Justice had bad been stuffing light wood Into his bis stove sto during this Now ow he touched touche 1 a n match to the tinder opened the drafts nn and 1 stood with his ban hands bands behind him rusty overcoat unbuttoned and drooping deep In n thought Its difficult to get anyone In her state to use reason renson Maybe the shock of ot knowing that Bens Ben's life lite Is In danger would be a counter Irritant tant to this other shock Maybe not If It the tile affair of or last week could 1 be cleared up If It Dawn could be shown that this Ly Lydia woman was only carrying out a plan But I wonder Aunt Em stiffened In her chair She looked hard at Able and her eyes narrowed 1 a n trifle You see he be resumed If It the girl girl- Hold on Able ArmItage I she shecut shecut cut In holding hoMing up a hand In warning warn warn- ID ing Hold HoM on now I Ive I've e got to think Got to think I tell ten you 1 An And 1 I cant can't think while you carry on your gabble 1 I You Yon leave lenye me alone now Keep your tongue still sUJI They say a 1 womans woman's ton tongue lIe Is hun hung In the middle middle mid mid- dle and loose at both en ends But nut Yum As she pressed one nand baud over her e eyes es her words dwIn dwindled 1 so o J s. s Ive Iye got It I she cried crIe 1 excitedly after a n moment Ive Ic jot ot It now You stay right here Able You stay until I come back If It It works It t works If It It dont don't It'll be bi time to talk some more morel I She moved mored resolutely to the door left the nn and 1 strode down the street On past the bank the thc post postoffice office the pool room On beyond beyond be be- yond all nil the stores on down to the depot There on the platform she stood 1 a long Interval Inter staring across the tracks to that short row of ot houses on Section Thirty The station station sta sta- tion agent came out of ot the office and looked at nt Em In surprise Hello 1 be he cried 1 What brings s down here before before- you ou Homer sh she cut In grimly In which one of them nasty places does this Lydia Lj-dIa woman live Why wh Why Vly how should I know be he era evaded 1 as a re red 1 flush crept up from his collar In the theone theone theone one at this end I 1 think Im I'm not sure of ot course 1 think she site does docs though She But Brit he no longer Ioner hn had bad 1 n a listener Resolutely slowly with something like defiant majesty the woman cro crossed ell the tIle tracks with never another an an- other word to her ber Informant and never ne a look to right or left head was up her mouth set and her long lone nose wrinkled as If at nt a disgusting odor A woman up by byth bythe bythe th the stores storE's shaded her eyes ees and peered veered at the moving mo figure and stared and stopped Aunt Em Coburn Coburn Co Co- burn headed hearle 1 for Cor Thirty Seven Why It couldn't be But nut Aunt Em mounted the steps She rapped 1 at nt len length th nn and 1 vigorously vigorous vigorous- ly on the scarred panel of or the door She went within leaving a n dozen long distance watchers to wonder It was long Jong before she emerge emerged 1 and then Ah then Tincup had hada hadn a n sight to see a n subject for tor spec spec- speculation speculation 1 I For or by Aunt Ems Em's side moved the woman Lydia collar o of her fur Cur coat high about her face as as If It to hide the traces of oC tears which hastily applied pow powder could not eradicate Tears from those hard eyes eyes Nothing less Jess 1 For women know women and before Aunt Em ha had 1 talked to this outcast five minutes she bad discovered the weakness In her shame the clean spot left In her heart And how Emma Coburn burn could conJ 1 talk I She talked 1 that clean spot to a growing rowIn glowing glorious glorious glori glori- ous thing She talked Ly Lydia out of or her house bouse across the traces talked her Into that slow v unashamed unashamed un un- un- un ashamed almost flagrant march up the tIle main street talked her out of ot all but one look of ot misgiving at atthe atthe atthe the windows of ot Nicholas Brandon's offices An And 1 around 1 the corner and In beneath the hemlocks which whispered 1 above the snug white house They entered 1 where Dawn McManus Ic had hidden since the he womans woman's wor words sent her flying from the dance hall to the sanctuary of or Aunt Ems Em's understanding arms S f fAU All AU the way out to camp Dawn snuggled snuggle 1 close again Able In his worn old buffalo coat Now nn and 1 again ln she trembled a n bit once she cried 1 softly a few Cew minutes But Dut much of the time she talked To think It was the thc man I used to call Uncle who did that thing she cried Why haven't you tol told me me Able Why haven't you warned me met me What hes he's done what hes he's been what he Is were no thIn things s for you Dawn girl Irl Pre Ive Just tried to stan stand 1 between you aI and 1 many unpleasant unpleasant unpleasant un un- pleasant things Youve You've had bad your share as It was I 1 could have ha stood this one onea a f r r 1 11 a aa a Homer In Which One of Them Nasty Places Does This Lydia Woman Live more she replied stoutly enough It hasn't been heen so bad these last few v years knowing that everybody thinks my father a murderer Id I'd Just gotten myself above that and now nn and 1 now What now Able asked 1 gently She looked at him through tears When a n man loves lores a girl that girl cant can't let Jet herself love lore him can she when she's under a n cloud 1 herself herself her her- self She cant can't bring a n mans man's dren Into the world and have them whispered 1 about as the thc grandchildren dren of ot a murderer Dawn 1 Dawn girl dont don't think that J Why its it's Its It's But nut Its It's so Able I dont don't wa wa- want to talk about It All AIl I can cando cando cando do for tor Ben now Is to let him know bow how weak I 1 was to doubt him nn and to use all any Influence I may may hn have e to protect him from rom this terrible dan dnn- ger I will do that I must do that because It Is duty But It t must stop there It cant can't go on you OU see sec Not ot while I have nothing more than Just my faith In my fathers father's good name Able the wise man that he be was did not force tho the argument lIe He brought his team to a n halt before the thc Hoot Owl gave the reins to Dawn and stepped out Martin the bookkeeper was the only occupant of ot the place Wheres Ben Den he n acted te 1 The benr bearded man looked over his shoulder recognized Able and then his till gaze went past the man to the waiting cutter where Dawn sat Hes It seemed 1 as ns thou though h Martins Martin's voice oIce failed 1 after that wor word 1 He half started from his chair and nud the pen dropped from flexed lingers fingers ers rolled 1 across the Jell ledger er sheet He ne made matIo a faint sound and In his eyes ees appeared 1 an nn expression that startled Able Ahle wrong Martin he asked 1 In alarm stepping quickly Into the room Sick 1 No all aU right now the other other other oth oth- er sal said 1 as If It with great effort Ben Uen In the mill I think He Ile picked 1 up his pen then nn and 1 bent over his work Able cros crossed ed the yard mill looking for Ben Hen and as he went Martin rose cautiously from his chair mon moved d quietly to be In line tIne with the window window window win win- dow and stared for tor n a lon long Interval at the thc girl huddled In the robes His hands worked 1 and his breath was uneven unO Dawn Is here to see sec you Able said s. simply as ns he lIe encountered 1 Ben Hen She had me bring her out ont so she could talk to you She's waiting over o by hy the office Elliott stood hesitant for an Instant instant In In- stant then turned and walked swiftly along the pond He De gave e eno no sign of or reco recognition as ns he approached approached ap ap- the cutter made no salutatIon salutation salu salu- tation as he came near the girl Irl who sat watching him so steadily Deonly He De only spoke her ber name when be he was wasat wasat wasat at her sl side She gave ga him a n small gloved c 1 hand 1 and smiled wanly I 1 have ha come to say many things |