Show T hir flame e was legion 9 COURTNEY RYLEY COOPER 0 by the bell syndicate inc service CHAPTER 11 II 2 A new marshal barts interview with leon barrows hail had been but little different from others in the past that harrows barrows lind refused to tell the identity of the person who had furnished tile tho money to sustain franklin rogers during the days when tits ills son had been bield lei lit in hospital after hospital did not surprise bart in the least the true amazement was the fact that lie he and his 1119 fattier hit had possessed a friend who desired to remain in the dark for friends with them had been very few seven years before they had come west to play with fate in tile the tilling of a quarter section of dry sandy soil they had fought for their witter water rights and obtained them at last then they had worked as only a father and son can work when there Is perfect communion A dry winter lu in the mountains with a consequent dwindling irrigation supply had taken their savings in one olle summer cummer then a crop bountiful und marketed at high prices lind had lifted them thein to the pinnacle only to be followed by war more than two years after the ending ot of the war bart lind had been allowed to come home and start on the winning road in spite of tin an invalid father and the pressure of debt only to find a mystery at the bottom of it all who hall had been the man who had taken notes only as a formality who had entered into a pact with his father bart pave gave it up tip and joined a little group in front of the polling place who alio surrounded tom jordan tile the apparently successful candidate bart looked around for the other aspirant broad shouldered blustering bull franal ston eton hut but failed to see him film instead lie he moved forward quietly ns as a girl came around the corner a rather childish appearing and wistful featured girl who hesitated then turned toward the bent angular figure of tin an old man who followed her and who hastened to her side with a sort of doglike log dog like devotion in obedience to lier her silent command coming for the results miss fran nl ston he questioned yes she smiled quickly who won they finished counting the ballots in here yet tile the other four precincts gave fi a majority af pf t about to tom jordan pid did they honestly bart rogers believed lie caught a tone of hope in tier her voice olce then mien then fathers beaten it looks that way im so sorry bart rogers looked at her quickly wondering if what she sald bald were the truth it if youre oure sorry iro im sorry too miss Fr anniston ile he moved moed closer to her but to tell the truth I 1 voted tile the other way wa il 1 I I 1 understand she hesitated lint and turned away as though to tilde hide the expression which a bitter inen memory jory hail had brought to her features then the doglike dog like old jim once more following tier her she bhe went on lint but bart rogers watched after her to him site she represented more ahrin a pretty likable girl she was nil all and nothing an unattainable ideal to him she represented the gup gap the near hatred which stood between him blin and bull Fr anniston tier her fattier father a gap which dated back to the night ile he fore bart had left for france lie ile had been walking along the roll road toward town when suddenly he had stopped nt at the sound of it a girlish scream followed by the hoarse anger burdened voice olce of a man mail lie ile had turned and running back the road had leaped toward a man and a girl the girl cringing and frightened the man bellowing over tier her flat clenched for another blow then bart rogers had find fought fou glit fought with all the strength in him fought against superior odds and lie he had bad won while in the background the frightened girl lind had crouched in the arms of a whimpering prematurely aged man only to learn learh when once victory atory lind been his that lie had fought a fattier to prevent biro bint from beating ills hie own daughter more than once had bart rogers lingers wondered if hull bull Fr annIston still borop ve to bent beat tits his daughter find and if old jim shrunk whimpering and helpless liel pless in the background more than once too foo hall had lie he dr dreamed earned of the time chii i e when the load of debt which now was ills his could be lifted that lie he might think of other things than work ofa of a girl perhaps a n girl for whom he might strive that the frightened wistful glance might depart from tier her eyes forever and glowing happiness beam there instead but tile the dream had not couie coue tn so now as ai in the he past lie was w a watcher look looking ang after them ns as as they a made their way down the street the crowd at the curbing moved forward the lie workers surging about the red faced somewhat docile appearing tom jordan us as lie he went forward to receive the verdict tile election judge grinned find and put forth a hand so im mayor ell eh genial easygoing old tom jordan ex cattleman merely stood rind and grinned gosh 1 then the workers surged about him while rt at the very age bart rogers stood su smiling illing tin and satisfied ile he had wanted tom jordan to win not that jordan would make a wonderful mayor but rogers knew one thing that tom jordan would try to do the he right tiling thing whether lie he accomplished the font or riot not at last the group about the newly elected mayor parted and bart rogers Ilo gera true to small western town form went ent forward to proffer his congratulations the big cattleman boomed happiness just as he hall had lone done with the others who had shaken ills his liand hand then suddenly lie he sobered hart bart lie he said quietly as he drew him aside re ive had my lily eye on you vou for a long time now I 1 want to ask you vou a personal question are you vou as friendly with bull Fr anniston as you are with ills his daughter 1 I vote for him im not a Fr anniston man sir jordan good enough unit bart I 1 I 1 had a hunch you but I 1 just wanted to be sure you see hart bart im easy coln im the sort of fellow who lets ills his friends play piny with him and do him ur up brown cathern ra thern say no to elit so im loolen for a young fellow with it good strong chin that I 1 can c an an y to here billere res only one job lit in this town that ills has to do with the keeping of tile the pence and tile the marshal im going to give you vou that job I 1 want him the lie kind of a fellow pinch my best friend if lies hes lone done wrong and tell tile me to go to h I 1 if I 1 come along and try to get him out understand exactly all right bart rogers rind and a big friendly fil endly hand found a place on the younger mans man shoulders deis ive been looking over the lierd herd considerable and le ive just about come to tile the conclusion that youre the lie critter I 1 want whal say sav nut but I 1 dont know anything about the job know anything about war until you vou went into it did youl you no true all right the same thing goes here what can I 1 have a little time to think it over sure a week if you want it 1 I guess I 1 ought to know by that time then bart thanked jordan and started barted tar ted to run home A linof rolle mlle and lie dropped into n walk again nyi ln to ease the pull on ills his lungs for the anark of a bullet still remained there unnoticed most of tile the time but ready to probest tit nt tile first heavy strain five hundred yards lie he gained ills his breath again and once more increased his speed only to turn tum suddenly from the roil roaul to stop and to watch with something of amused interest its as it car lurched over it hill bore down upon him then in a swirl of dust passed him on oil the way t to 0 town hull bull Fr anniston mused rogers as lie he eyed the dust haded form of tile lie roan man nt lit the wheel sure Is hurrying guess lie must be beatin beating it into town to find out oui liow how bad lie he got whipped in the election soon however three oliree more machines roared ro past and lie once more resumed r u ils his journey wondering slightly tile the cause of four racing machines each loaded to its limit but only for a moment then the throbbing of other 1 engines from tile the rear caused him again to stand aside in straight succession three blustered by nor did tile lie occupants seen seem to heed his waving signals as hl he strove to flag them at last however ho ever in obedience to ills his frantic abw appeals peals an overloaded vehicle came to a skidding stop and rogers laughl laughing ng ran toward it just dust had to flag you lie he apologized so many blamed machines passing I 1 cant keep to the rondi road 1 well hurry up the river driver was playing with the hand throttle T this ills things to big too miss tiling thing rogers stared what thing happened r Vi lats happened the man at tile the wheel stared blankly at liliie as rogers caught the windshield and clung precariously to a footing on tile the running board us as the machine started again dont you conw oil I 1 that I 1 s happened happen eoll oil you mean over there where been drilling where else do you ou suppose 1 I I 1 dont know A sudden excitement cit ement had swept cool thoughts from the brain of hart bart rogers do you really mean it struck oil over there you mean the derrick over by my place youre rogers arent you tile lie driver looked tit at him with a new interest DOW much fund have you got A hundred undred li and sixty what do you want for it 1 I 1 I dont know tell me about tile the oil there any joke about this la Is there joke of course not dull bull fran alston brought the word the well carne came in about an hour ago its ita a gusher from what he said run barrels a day 1 bart rogers could only repent repeat the shouted announcement of tile the driver ten thousand barrels a day end and the well was na loss less than a half little from his division fennel fennei that meant what did it mean what tt it mein mean 1 oil pools are not select selective lyp tilt nga they extend for miles tind and this hart bart rogers knew As the chugging motor car whizzed away the alic last mile the shouting shooting driver told will him of the possible wealth which lay iny for him in the future then tile the car turned the last bend in tile the road and there before him uart bart rogers saw a dream come true the sun was vaa just setting and silhouetted against it was tile lie oil derrick a black sli skeleton eleton like tiling thing spraying toward the sky a spouting stream of ebony which disintegrating all and drifting with the wind caught the sheen of the dying sun and burst into myriad mirdad rainbows A floating mass of colors colora such wits was that spray which lew flew hilgh from the gushing well colors which seemed to wipe wille out for kart bart rogers lily ills colorless past anti and commingle into a painting of happiness for the lie future nearer rind and nearer they came to the derrick and tile the thronging persons about it itchen hurt bart unable to hold himself longer leaped from the running board of tile the car as the machine wallowed lit in a hole and raced toward the deri will it last it seemed to bo be the only question lie ho could think 0 of f as aa he forced ills way may toward the drillers drillars dr illers will it 1 I last I 1 list they looked fit at him with scornful eyes of course hint its just tile beginning tills coun arys going to be it a madhouse of money inside of three months that thata a oil and iv its high gradel grade bart icart rogers turned away pale with ute the realization of what had happened trembling with the excitement of it throbbing with the knowledge that ilia hla troubles and the tiou troubles bles of the man who awaited him in the little cabin ov over erthe the hill were mere over ItIc iucci hl I 1 lie he gasped and there was an instinctive reverence in tile the tone itoch I 1 rich I 1 I 1 lie ile swerved away now running plunging through the irrigation ditch in ili water to ills armpits then dripping scrambled onward neither realizing his wetness nor caring A half mile away lay a little cabin just visible when lie readied reached the top tell of the hill a cabin where the rays of tile the setting sun still had blazed the to ruddy gold as though in ili prophecy and where awaited the ninn man to whom hart bart rogers longed most of aalto all to give the lie news of happiness and of wealth ive got to io he be careful with him lie said to himself oot got to break it easy tnt get him too excited eclied better not tell him the whole truth better let it grow day by day yes it better just tell bell him that brought in oil enough so that we wont have to worry then through sheer will power he restrained himself to n walk go eo that ills his own excitement might not bet betray ray the lie tri true ie importance of ills his mes message sa ge then I 1 ills ks eyes eves beaming what tits his lips could not say lie he forced himself to a leisurely pace and approached the house I hello fello dad I 1 it was the usual evening greeting placing ills hand blind upon the shoulder of tile slumped figure lie waited as lie always lind waited waleed in tile the vain hopp hope that lint this might ile he the night where there would come tin an answer when some faint vocal sound would tell of a return of speech and it a chance for recovery but there was only silence As usual bart patted tile the shoulder lovingly and turning groped through the gathering darkness for the lamp got a little news today dad lie he chatted as lie shook tile the old oil burner and scraped raped tc the lie wick with the burning match they brought in fome bome oil over at the derrick dont think it amounts to so much but whatever it Is it boosts the price of our land anything that looks like oil you know means money of course it may amount to it a lot rind and then it may to not binz so 0 o I 1 guess we th it I 1 get nhoun it lie wiped the chir chimney und adjusted ad lusted it set tile the lamp upon a arable tibble ti ible then ile he went wen t to the clinar which always awaited him the one beside the big comfortable one where rested the invalid yep pud dad whatever jt it Is were hound bound to come 0 out fit ahead oil and lie allowed a bit of I 1 its ills enthusiasm to roll forth tit in a laugh were going to get there yet you find and 1 I just wait and see 1 I ile he stopped ills outstretched hand had touched the placid one of ills his fHt father lier it was cold ghastly cold suddenly trembling ho he rose and faced the form fonn in the chair und dad I 1 lie he called datil but the faint reflected rays of the lamp showed no answering light in the set stare of th alie eyes the mouth was dropped and drawn the features were fixed again burt bart rogers called in a voice that bore a note of if agony feverishly lie he grasped the ley icy hands and rubbed them hoping against hope lit lip burled ills his head against tile the chest where as a tousle headed boy he often had bad rested praying hoping but bart rogers I 1 father was lead dead more complications the hero at war with the heroines hero inet fa therl out but love lova will find a way TO TIM ne CONTINUED |