Show i I I t I I Judith of Blue Lake Ranch RanchI I l i By By JACKSON GREGORY i r Copyright bt by Charles ScrIbners ScrIbner's Sons N I. I DAVID BURRILL LEE 0 SYNOPSIS Bud Bud Lee horse foreman of the Blue Lake ranch convinced Bayne manager manager manager man man- ager Is deliberately wrecking the property owned by Judith th Sanford a young woman her cousin Pollock Hampton and Timothy Gray Oray decides to throw up his job fob Judith arrives and announces she has hns b bought Grays Gray's share In the ranch and will run It She discharges after shooting him twice In self de The The Themen men men on the ranch dislike taking orders orders from from froma a girl but by sl subduing a vicious horse hone and proving her thorough knowledge of ranch life Judith wins the best of ot them over Lee decides to stay for tor a while at least Judith becomes convinced that her v veterinarian Bill Crowdy Crowdy Crowdy Crow- Crow dy Is treacherous She discharges him and gets back Doc Tripp her dead fathers father's man Pollock Hampton part owner comes to tay stay for tor good acc accepts Hamptons Hampton's Invitation to visit the ranch Judiths Judith's messenger I 15 is held up and robbed of of the monthly pay roll Bud Lee Les goes to the city olty for tor more mone money getting back safely with It though his horse Is killed under him Both he and Judith see hand handin in the crime CH CHAPTER PTER V V- V Continued V-Continued 6 In the clump dump of brush close to t the outer fringe behind a low bro broad d' d boulder a man ha had lain Iain on h his s bel belly y yno no longer ag ago than yesterday Broken I twigs showed It a small brush hrush crushed down told of It the marks of his toes teres in some of or the softer soil solI proclaimed it lt eloquently And had other signs been required there they were two empty brass cartridges where the automatic ejector eject r r. r lad had d. d thrown them several feet fee away While Judith visualized just what had occur occurred ed saw saw the tall man man- m man nhe n- n he must have been tall for h his s boot bot b- b ot toes to scratch the earth yonder while while his rifle-barrel rifle lay ay for support support a across the boulder In front resting front resting his his' hisgun gun and firing down Into the canyon Lee canyon Lee was back at her side saying shortly What do you think Theres There's d if plain trail up here old as the hills but top tip-top f for r speedy going And said Judith without looking up It runs down donna Into the next saddIe saddle sad sad- die dle to the north of that ridge curves up ag again ln and with monuments monument a all I along the way runs straight to the Upper End and comes down to the northeast to the lake Its It's the old Indian trail If the m man n we want ant turned east then he be went right onto on to the lake before he stopped putting one foot toot In front of the other Unless he hid out all night which I dont don't be be- lieve What makes you think he went that far Theres no other trail up here that gets get anywhere Now and and she rose ros swiftly confronting him the thing tiling for you to do Bud Lee Is to get back to your your horse borse take the road make time getting to the Upper End and see what you c can n see there Hurrying back bacle to their horses they rode to the ranch house where Judith with no word of adieu left Lee to go to the house Lee made madea a late lunch saddled another horse find and when the house bunk-house clock stood at a quarter of four started for the Upper End That girls girl's got the savvy was his one cne remar to himself f CHAPTER VI Under Fire Lee coming to the waters water's ed edge e sought to guess where the old Indian trail co come e down And IH here re again startling him for a second time JudIth Judith Judith Jud Jud- ith rode up She too had a fresh horse she too pow ow carried a rifle across across her arm Bud Lee frowned I One Of f us he be be said cn calmly I looking her hel straight In the eyes Is going back Which one Neither I she retorted promptly She even smiled confidently at hl him For I wont won't And you ou wont Do you need to be be f told ld he asked her coolly that this this' Is no sort of j Job h tor for a girl Y You'd o d only be Ue In the way wad If I jou OU want glittering generalities she jeered at lam him then listen to this A A mans man's J Job b. b first last and a all l time Is to be chivalrous t tp to a woman And not a bumptious bumptious bumptious' boor bOOl i With that she spurred by y him film taking tak ing Lug the trail traIt which led off to the rIght I and so under the cliffs and rind t to the mouth of or a great ragged chasm In spite of him Bud I. I Lee e grinned after And seeing that she was was was' not to tobe tobe tobe be turned back he followed They left their horses and followed the old footpath made their way Into the the chasm deeper and deeper a and d littie little lit lit- tie tle by little tittle climbed upward The Time climb lImb was less difficult than It looked and fifteen minutes brought them to the upland plateau and anti to the door of Rn nn old cabin made of logs set back In a tiny grove of cedars I I haven't b been en here for tor a year cried til th girl forgetful of the constraint constraint con con- tr which had held them until now Its Itt like gettIng back home for forI I he first time I I love It it l Bo d dC dc- dc I I. I Le Lee e said sald within himself j 1 Look exclaimed Judith Some Someone one h has s b been en repairing the old cabin Hes He's made a bench yonder under the big tree too And he has walled In the spring with rocks and Who In the world can can It t be Theres There's even a little garden of wild flowers vers I Bud Lee r for r no reason clear to himself himself him him- self flushed He offered no explanation tion a at first Here he spent many manyan an hour when the time was his for Idling here upon many a Sunday when work was slack did he ho come to smoke alone loaf alone read from the few books on the cabins cabin's shelves s. s Maybe he lie suggested suggest d at last when It was clear plear that Judith was going straight to the door this Is where our up stick gents hang out Choice place for a cutthroat to hibernate huh 1 I dont don't believe It answered Judith Judith Ju Tu- positively ely The man man who made his hermitage here Here has n l soul Id I'd rather own this cabin and live here than have bave a palace on oil Fifth r. r avenue She knocked at the door knowing I that silence would answer r her but hoping to have a man man eyed calm-eyed gentle voiced a romantic hermit In a all ail 1 of his c come came me to the thedoor doo door Going In asked Lee In n well sim carelessness No uNo she told him fr Why should I J Would you yon want people poking poking about about In Into o. o your our home home 1st Just because because because be be- cause It was In n the heart of of i a ness and you w weren't rent there ther to to drive them out No answered B Bud d gravely Now that you ask me I wouldn't I Lets Let's go find that trail But But continued Judith not being a fool and realizing that one one of ot the men we want might possibly be e In In hiding ng in here hete I am am to t to peek pe k kI I In n. n Not being b a a foot fool fool he repeated repeat aft after r her adding gently and being a a girl which means fined filled with curiosity cu cu v A disdainful shoulder houlder gave him his his' answer The door was unlocked after Immemorial western custom custom and anil Judith opened It Lee beard her l little tire gasp of pure delight i iBes Hes Bes a dear the man miln man who lives here she announced positively You Sou can just tell by looking at his home L Looking In ove over her shoulder Bu Bud BudLee Lee Iee wondered just what In his one- one room shanty had caught her ent enthus enthus- us- us There was the rock fireplace with an Iron hook protruding from each side for pot coffee and stew-pot stew a bunk with a b blanket smoothed over cedar boughs a shelf with a dozen books little else so fa far as he could see or remember to catch at Judiths Judith's delight Yet she looking through womans woman's eyes eres read In one quick peek the character of the dweller In this abode One who was content with little who loved a clean outdoor life and who was tranquilly above e the thep p pettiness of humanity Judith closed the door softly Going straight across the plateau she showed him where one could clamber up a steep way to the ridge lidge Once up there It was Vas but ten minutes until In a hollow they found the monument marking a trail a stone set upon a boulder It was after five When following the trail back and forth In Its winding along the side of the ridge they found the signs they sought It was wa fast growing dark But there there In Ina Ina Ina a narrow defile where loose loos soil solI had filtered down were tr tracks left by a large boot Lee went down on his hands and knees to study them In the dusk He Be got up with a little grunt and moved down the trail Again he found tracks this time more ore clearly clearl defined So So- dark was It now that the they had lighted c s several veral matches he announced Wonderingly Two men wonder wonder- Fresh trac tracks s too Made this morning or last night Ill I'll b bet t. t One coming east from Indian Head THeother The Theother Theother other coming west from the plateau behind us Who's Vho's he hey Where'd he e come from Hes res r es th the second of the the two men who shot at at you said Judith quickly Dont Don't I know every every trail in this neck of the woods Bud Lee He followed another old worn ou worn out trail on on the south side of the ranch They met met- here heie just as I knew they would WOUld l What for L Lee e frowned through the darkness at her eager face What I at atwould would they want to get together get et together for If they he had any sense they scat scat- t F tel tor and clean out of ot the countr country Unless Judith reminded him im ahe they dont don't Intend to clean out OUti at nil all Unless the they mern to stick sUck to the c cliffs and try their hands again at their sort of of game They'll beyll figure that we will expect thorn to be a long way from here by now now wont won't they Then where here would they be safer than right here In these mountains Give me a rifle anti and something to to eat and and Ill I'll defy defy defy de de- de- de fy an army getting me out of here And think of It If this Is work If It he means 1 business think what two gunmen on these heights could do to us They could pick off ofT offa n a three thousand stallion down downIn I In the pens they could drop mere more I than one prize bull or cow i and she added sharply If they thought about girls as some tome men think they could II take a chance on scaring Judi Judith t h Sanford Sanford Sanford San- San ford out of the countr country Lee re Lee stared at at ather her a along ilo Iong g time In n silence I wouldn't have said he offered finally that Bayne Trev ors would make quite so strong a pla play as that You wouldn't I Then look him Inthe In Inthe inthe the eye And Wheres Where's his risk If hes he's picked the right men If he sees them through keeping the back bacle door open when they want to 10 run for It You Just gamble your boots Bud Lee that na Bayne ne ors Tre Without warning without a sound of ot explosion came a wiry whine Into the still air a little venomous ping and a bullet sped b by Just over over their heads But through the gloom they they both saw the flash of the gun as It spat fire and lead and as though one Impulse commanded them Judiths Judith's rifle and Bud Lees Lee's went to their shoulders and two reverberating reports reports re re- re- re por ports s rang out In answer Lie Ue down d n d-n n It I cried Bud Lee Leeto Leeto Leeto to the g girl r at h his s side as again there came the flash from the cliffs cUffs off oft to totne the right and as again he answered It with his rifle r Lie COLle down yourself snapped Ju Ju- And once more moie her rifle with his his For Foj o one e Instant framed against th the the darkening hing sky along the cliff edge tide fIVe hundred yards away to the right they they- saw saw sawa a silhouette ll of- of ofa a man man- I leaping from from one ope bowlder lder to another l a a Ip man n who I 9 looked gigantically l. l big big Ig In the he tin tin- n- n certain light light t They fired fifed he lie j Jumped ug again tn d out Of sight I Got his nerve grunted t. t d Lee as as' he pumped lead at the runn running ng figure As an ans answer there came e the third flash ash the tile bullet striking the trail in I. front ot of them And Arid then en the fourth flash fasli from a ri point a n hundred hu hundred dred yards t t to the left of the other I t J Number Numb r Two muttered Lee They e got us In th the Open oP J I y t rt a aw w Between Them Them Them-a a Man Lay Helplessly Judith Lets Let's beat it back to the cabin Im with you said Judith between between between be be- tween shots Its Just foolishness bang I sticking out here bang I for tor them to pop us off Bang Bang The They ran then Bud slipping In front of her his tall body looming darkly between her and the cliffs whence the shots came He slid along the sharp slope to the plateau putting out his arms toward her And as she came down Bud Lee grunted and cursed under his breath For there had been another flash out of the thickening night this this' one from the refuge toward to which they were run run- ning A third man w was wa's s shooting from the shelter of the cabin walls AndLee And AndLee AndLee Lee had felt a stinging pain as though tl n a hot Iron had scorched Its wa way along the side of his leg Hurt much asked Judith quickly Without waiting f for r an nn answer she pumped two trio shots shots' at the flash b by the cabin I No grunted I Lee Iee e Just scared And now what I want tp know Bud nud Le Lee tn In Inthe the thicker darkness darkness' lying lying ai along ng the edge of the plateau silt with his briCk bock against the rocks rocks' while hil he he- gave s sn swift ift first aid to to- his his- wound He brought Into reu requisition the knotted handkerchief from his throat t hom hound bound d It tightly lightly around n the the c calf lf of his leg feg and said lightly to Judith Just a fool scratch you yon know But Ive I've no nb hankering to dribble out a lot lotof lotof lotof of blood from It ft Judith made no answer Leg Lee took up up his rifle and n turned turned to the spot where she had been standing a I moment moment mo mo- moment ment ago She was not there Gone he grunted fro nl frowning Into tl the e blackness hemming him In In Now what do you jou suppose sh she's s up to Fainted most likely He got up and moved along the die low 10 rock lock wall seeking A spurt of flame fiame from the east corner of the I cabin drew his e eyes es away from his search and he pumped three quick shots In answer I Again he sought Judith calling soft- soft ly There was no answer Once m more re came came the the spurt spurt of flame from the shelter ahel shel ter of the cabin wall Then fifty yards off oll to Lees Lee's right stone some fifty I yards nearer the cabin another shot shot- The first suspicion that one of the the themen men m-eri from the the cliffs cUffs had made his way down to Join Issue at close quarters was was gone In a a cl clear ar understand understanding ng That was th the bark ark of pf Judiths Judith's s rite rifle she had slipped sUpped away fr from m him without with with- out an Instants Instant's delay and was creeping creep creep- lug fug cl closer ser and closer to the cabin c bl J I D n D n the he girl I l cried Lee angrily Shell SheU Shell get get h her r fool self sett killed d j But as he ran forward to Join her he realized d that she was doing the right thing thing the the only thing If they did not want to lie out here all night for the men on on the cliffs cUffs to pt pick k off offIn offin In the n morning morning |