Show r aff AY or ht 0 4 jyo fo cl of f the r 0 0 th mr M r by ROBERT STEAD author of the chev puncher Prin chee the homesteader r etca etc lit by robat STEAD CHAPTER vill VIII co continued aued ched she came down tier her fitcher tint and mother and were sitting kitting about the table in tit alie living 11 ins room tile the room lung hung with etli trop trophies files of the canse and of coll competition I 1 the room which hild been tile nucleus of the YD estate there wits a colored cover coer on the lie table and tle the shaded oil lump hinic in the center sent a comfortable g filow low of light downward tint and about t file main moth shadows of the three people fell on the log walls darting alien silently ly frons from position to position with their every mo vincnt tier her mother arose ns as zen xen enter entered the and took tier lier hands in III a I 1 warm arm tender grip youre really leaving us she said im not saying iiii ing I 1 object I 1 think mr Triin bley will make you ou a good lius hus bund band lie ile Is n man of energy like ilke your father ile ho will do well you will mill not know tile the hardships that we kne knew tit in our early quarried life their 1 I heir e ef ts met and there was ans a moments pause you will mill not understand for inana years eurs what tills alI ccuin IIII 1 I to n me illi zenith lier hei mother sald and tur turned quickly to tier pince tit nt the table she could not remember whitt chev had tallied about after that slie she ila and leen been cons conscious dous of Tran aps eyes often on iter and of it coremin spiritual exaltation tier her site could not remember what she hall had sald aid hut but slie she knew she ho find talked with badly ancl cli clit orui irin it u us its certain of brilli aneL in tier lier being of which slie lie ila had been unaware aird been suddenly buddi ali opened oin neil to its tier her it was as thou though h she luid in bt been e n intoxicated by it a very ver sti subtle title wine lne hah which did not deliden dei ulen lut but rather quickened quicken pd nil all her afterwards ards site she had spent loing ion among tile foothills und thinking there were ere when hen the lie thinie of that strange exaltation c burned low ion indeed times alit lien n it seemed almost to to eplee altre there were cre hours houri of ittis gIvings slit could not tit alie strange do ellavy which lil cli hud had couie come over lier her the unprecedented willingness wIllIn gnes to have her course courie by another that saramo willingness i into ns as near tp to frightening pvn it us anything lintl lind eer done slie she felt that site she wn ns leonir tarried carried along alon lit in it a stream that site was no resistance that she he had no desire to tip resist she klie hall a str strange tinge fear that onu boniv day she would need of self direction and those hose qualities would uld refuse to arise tit nt tier her command site she did not benr she believed in film blin sit aap bell billed eved in ills hla ability to grapple with etli anything that stood in ills his way to thrust it aside and press on site she respected the judgment of her father and tier her mother anti both of them theia bell believed eved lit in Tran sicy lie ile would succeed lie he would seize the opportunities port vort unities tills this young country afford id eo tin anil rise to power and influence upon them lie ile would be kind lit lie would lie be generous ile he would make tier her proud of him what more could silo want vint wits was just it were duik dark when slie she felt that surely there must be something wore more that than till nil tilts tills she did not know what it wits was she ahlie could not analyze tier lier thoughts or give them definite form forin but in these lark mom moments eilts slip lie feared unit that site she was being tricked that the lie whole thin thing ws was a which slit blo would discover discover mien ft lien it wits was too lute late she bhe did not suspect tier her mother or tier her father or onu one or nil all of being to tills trick silo she twile believed ved that they did not know it existed site she herself did not know it existed tint hut the ivar was there after a i week eek site she admitted II against tier her will that possibly donni son grant ernnt ila lind something to do with it slie site had not seen him since site she lind pi c ills s und tind lie he eliud ridden away throng gli it tile smoke lne of eq li lir L south YD she had dutifully tried tiled it to force him from froin tier mind hut but ly liv wa tild no not stay out of it it was about that fact that tier her inIs misgivings givings seemed its ti center abiell slie sho would ile be thinking nf it tinnsley and bondi wondering ring tho tl r future suddenly sit she would illA cover that slie she was not thinking of Tra tisley but of dennison orant ailese discoveries sho shocked eked and aumill iltem tier lier it wils vios oil an impossible post don she would throw grant forcibly out of tier her mind and turn to and then in an all unguarded eil moment Trun sley would tilde fade front from tier her con se lausness lous ness and she would know again that she was of grunt grant at length she allowed allotted herself tho tha luxury of thinking frankly about den alson grant it was mas a luxury it brought her it a secret happiness she was vas wholly nt ai a loss losa to ti understand but which was na very ery delightful nevertheless she amused herself wit haltli 11 comparing grant with they had two points in common their physical perfection tint and their fearless self confident manner these exceptions they seemed to ile be complete contradictions the llie ambitious ic worshiped success buc coss the grant despised it that difference in attitude toward tile the world orld and its affairs aa vas a separated tho whole current of their lle lives it even in it a way shut one front from the view of the other tit t least it shut grant from the view lew of tran Tri insley dey would never neer understand dundei stand grant lut but grant hil glit all and probably did under danni stand that w it as 4 w why I 1 I 1 y grant gannt was the greater of the two sh slip reproached herself for such a n thought it was disloyal to admit that lint tilts this stranger on oil tile lie landson ranch was it a greater nian man than tier her tobe to be bc anil and yet et honesty honest or perhaps deeper than honesty compelled her to make that admission she ran buck back over oer tile kemem tred herad incidents of tile the night they the had spent together marooned like shipwrecked lip stil sailors lors on oil it a rock in the foot ills attentiveness heness ills his courtesy ills fre freedom edoin from tiny any convent conventional ionni restraint III manly respect blitch was so preato girenti i than conventional restraint all 11 II these came dack back to tier her with it 11 poignant tenderness slie sho pictured tt aured irl Tran in tits his place Tran sl would uld probably have proposed even on before lie be bandaged lier ber ankle orant lino not net sald it word of toe love or even en of affection int aloi ile he lind had talked talili d freely freel of if himself tit nt tier request lint but there find bun nothing alint tint not 1111 alno been ald before tile the world she had find been safe life with grant after she s1 sa e tind ili ought on till this theme for it while zen would acknowledge to herself tint that tile situation vas ius absurd an and Impo impossible sible grant lind had given en no evide eilden nep cp tf of thinking more of bior than of atty uti other girl whom hom lie might lenvi III met P I 1 lie ile been chivalrous hilious ch otla she had sat it up tip with n start nt at tile 1 ought that there might tie bp viv ainther ither or oi there le be no girl grant was an unusual at any am rat iati tile thin thing for lier her to ilo do was to forget him slip should inne have tin nn lit in tier her mind for uny un man but Ti ansley it wits brile lie find bud her hia but slie she 1110 nc lie celi lel tile situation lit in shiell slip she found Ier Iper solf self its as of lier ber slie she had nothing to take lunk blick ali site would go gli with till it on oil the that tile ali any wn to drle drive tin nn out of the liu mind Is to think vigorously about el else ele e zen with platis and dill centering center liff the lle new lionne eliat was to bo lp built lit in town neither tier her father nor transit had as yet let return returned od from brotis tile lie trip un on which they hall had gono anno with ith a view to forming n lill so so there lind had been ito no opportunity to its ills cu cuss the plans for taw lie future but pitt zil Z il took it for granted gi anted that would build lit n town ile hi was ns sip s vil en over oel tile the possibilities of hint young and bustling renter center of if poli tila tion there was no doubt tie he would want to throw in it ills his lot with it this prospect wits was quite pleasing to tn the lie girl it would leave leae her witti within lit ailsy PUS distance of her old home it would introduce tier her to a type of society with which slie she wits well and aishe could do hermit justice and it would not break up tin tile associations of tier young soung life silo she would mould still lie be able now and again to take long rides through the 11 tawny awny foothills to a with her old friends possibly to nial litIn a conle somewhat what sisterly acquaintance with dennison Denn lson grout grant after afier dpn dos days YD alone lie ile tint had scarcely been alle able to bellee tile lie developments which tie ile lind bial seen alca it was as though the sleepy lazy cow colv town had become electrified YD had looked on oil for three days wondering it if lie were mere not in sonie somo kind of a dream from brorn willell which lio lie would awaken presently among tits ills herds in the foothills after three days das lie ile bought a prop eily before lip left ifft lie he sold it tit at a profit greater than the lie earnings 0 of f I 1 ills I 1 Is first live cars on oil tile ra much it would he be indeed a n stubborn confidence which co could uld not be won avon by such art ii epearl nice and before leaving for tile ranch YD lind arranged for T ransley practically tin nn open credit with ith tits ills bunkers bunkem and had undertaken to send down don till nil the and equipment that could be sI spared ared lind had planned to return to tile lie foothills with iab YD but at tile alie lust list moment business matters developed vilich require ills his attention lie placed a tiny package in YD s capacious palm ifor for the lie girl tie lie said 1 I should deliver it myself but explain YD fumbled the tiny package into a vest pocket sure ill attend to that lie promised much of these fancy trI when I 1 nettled sett leof into double harness but lots of things liag has changed since then he be out soon just as soon as business will stand for it not it a minute longer on his fits return home YD after maintaining an exasperating silence until supper was finished casually handed the package to tits his daughter some trinket Tian siley sent out lie explained hell lie be here himself as soon as business permits she took tile lie package with a glow of expectancy started to open it then folded tile the paper again and ran up lip to she took the package with a glow of expectancy tier her room here slie site te tempted apted herself fur for minutes before site mould finally pell it whetting tile the appetite of an to tile the full the geri gem justified justl fled her little play it wits was mag nal nfl nt more beautiful and more ex e emhe than an anything tiling tier her father ever e lind had bought glit lier she hesitated strangely putting tin it on to zen it seemed that the putting on of Tran ring bould lie a 11 voluntary olun tao net act symbolizing tier her ac cep tallef of I 1 if she frh had fiat li lin been n garried orr tier her feet swept into the position in which slip found that explanation would not lipply apply to the deil dellb berato placing of ills his ring upon tier ber finger there would bf be no eccie eci ie abe lita could never again pled that all lie imd 1 been cli tile the victim is af f TItI sIVY 1111 pie 0 tills this would lie be deliberate and slie must do d it he hereld relf she rattier rather blamed Tran for foi not having left ifft ills old business aall come collie to perform tills this rite as lip lie should li have lone done whitt what atis ns one den if r io business more or lets yet zen slithered no lilet fl aiom oln lint that always alii js with Tran liley birtus biM would tild conte come first it was us syl lolic prophetic but shedid not see the sign nor understand the prophecy sit sin held the ring between tier her finger i slipped it olt and on liar little littie fingers beld it so thu the ailys of tile the sun hun faill ft 11 ll through tile the winlow it and danced before her eyes lit in all alier primal colors c ol ors 1 I have to put tilts tills on sho sti s add pursing tier her lips illis firmly ala und for set get about dennison Dennl sun grant crawl por for a long time she thought of that and till nil it meant then she raised tit tl jewel to tier lier lips help me help mo mile ahe mur aured with a quick little impetuous matlou site she drew it on to the linger finger where it belonged there site gabed upon it for it 0 moment as though fascinated cinat ted by it then she fell upon tier bed and iny motionless until long lifter after the valley wits was wrapped in shadow tho the events of these days had almost driven from zens wind mind the tragedy of george drnek ac when slip she thought of it tit at nil all it presented ted such n grot grotesque eulue unreality it was such an thing that it assumed the lie vague qualities of ri dream it was something unreal and very cry enuch better forgotten antl it was only by nn an unwilling effort nt at such tittles times t that hut she he could bring herself to know that it was not unreal it was a matter that concerned tier her tremendously sooner or litter inter dranks Draz ks disappearance must bo noted perhaps body would lip he found und while she had little fear that undone anyone would associate tier her with the tragedy it was ft a most unpleasant thing to think about some time i silo she wondered it if silo should not tell her liar father or just what luid had but she alie shrank from doing doln so ns its from the confession of a crime mostly she was able to think of other ni matter titters tier her father hi ought brought it tip p in a star aling way nt at breakfast brenk fast absolutely Alsol out of n blue sky he said did you know zen that drnek has disappeared Tr tells me you ou were in it a awit in aliu or perhaps I 1 should say lie he was In ln in you zen was so overcome by tills this startling change in tile the conversation that she was unable to answer the color went front from tier face and she ehe leaned low over tier plate to conceal her agitation yep continued YD with no more concern than it a steer had been lost from the herd said to tell you drack had disappeared an he be reckoned you be bothered any more inore with him drazic was nothing to roe me she managed to say illow how can you think th ink lie he was wow now who said he be was tier her father fattier retorted for a young woman with tile tho price of a lierd herd of steers on her third fin linger finer er youre oure sort V 0 short this now ow im jus won wonderlin derin how far you sou can see through a board fence zen are you sou surprised that drnek hns has disappeared she wits entirely at a loss to understand the lie drift of her fat fathers tiers talk lie ile could not connect tier her with drazos disappearance or he would not ap the matter with such unconcern that was unthinkable neither could Tri insley or he would not have sent so brutal H R message and ana yet set it was clear that they thought ahe |