Show 4 f of BLUE A LAKE L V ja A I 1 k RANCH DY SYNOPSIS 1 dud lae I 1 horr horns foreman forman 4 or of the ulue blue aake tench convinced dayne trevore ma manader la Is deliberately libera tely the property tolly owned by judith sanford anford fl li ti youn woman her cousin pollock bampton and timothy ory gray decide decides to up 09 his job judith arrives and announces anno ir stas bought gray grays hare share in tae anch ranch and rill run it 11 oh she arv x N CHAPTER althe arn in n oi iho ranch taking orders from a cirl girl b but U by subduing a vicious hori horse and nd p r ing her thorough fh at f ran ranch 0 it life judith wine wins ht pt C over 1 UP lec decides Ides to aj n IZZ convinced her vt yet eri ri narlan bill crowdy Is treacherous erous judith discharges him re 1 an old id 0 of jica her fat faters hrs poo poe CHAPTER 11 IV pollock hampton with a party of friends cornei comes to the ranch to fy stay permanently trevor accepts hamptons invitation to visit the ra ranch nc h judith judiths mess in held up and robbed of the mo monthly enfer th y py par roll talt V bud lee sow goes to the city for more money o 0 atin back baroll lately with tt it though to hie m g hor orse Is kille under him film both it he aad and judith see trevore hand in the crime aoa 11 1 0 cholm cholera n hard to account for breaks out 11 9 on n the ranch judith and i iz lee anve inott ati WA casinir the cene scene of the holdup climit a mountain where the robber must have giddan i it came about quite ne as matters often do that at the three mlle distant ranch it was one who knew little of the thep way ways of ihle this port part of the world who wae uns first to suspect that hot all was not well with judith sanford Sanfo nl to pollock bampton her failure to appear at dinner was sig nIll cant ho ile learned from mrs simpson that la U tho the afternoon judith after a bar ried lunch find taken her hgr rifle and a ridden nay any where mrs simpson did nat know hurried lunch eald said hampton nar opton took ook her rifle did sher t ills 1 ees find grown gronn very serious an as he stared down into mrs concerned face ace 16 www w gampton bent sent to the gifts quarters qu artery word for carson earson and lee to come to the house he ile strode up and down the office the th e frown catherine upon his usually A r I 1 e A 2 ro I 1 hampton strode up and down the de office el 11 brown brows plainly if something had happened to judith the present lay upon his tits boulders shoulders as next in authority here I 1 announced unno carson briefly what 1 is itt 1 I am a little worried carson bold said hampton about iniss sanford im afraid klAf iid afraid of what you dont think she site eloped with our ur jap or iole ma spoons do you your snapped carson I 1 he had been interrupted at the crucial point in a game of crib huge with poker face and the cattle mans weak spot was cribbage ue he glared at hampton belligerently where Is 1 leel lee questioned harop ton sharply why he comer dunno answered curson carson still without interest 1 I 1 seen him film jn for upper supper 1 I tell you cried hampton at carsons quiet acceptance of facts which to him were darkly significant he be too was wax out with ills tits rifle today i saw him myself now he het falla falls to show up cupl I 1 dont sou fee see ahat liat all this points to 4 carson who seldom lost his poise with one half of his brain still given over to the hand he meant to play with poker face merely sighed ant and shook his tits head hampton came swiftly to carsons side they left the lower end this utter noon and came on here then both armed they rode away again at t four or five I T tell you man Ill ethIng has happened to 0 o them dont believe it retorted carson wot not for one little half minute I 1 dont to happen huh ruh you know as well us I 1 do what eort sort of character characters are about the man inan who robbed charlie miller who shot at rud nud lee choal Wh hoar oal grinned carson dont you so 0 and fool yourself that stick up cent zent la Is a clean hundred miles from here right now an still going real lively if any other jasper lent him a 11 liand and why hes lies on his tits way too not stopping lo 10 pick flowers its the tile uy them kind plas tho tile game carson was so jo cheerfully certain so at the thought of bud lee and judith sanford requiring assistance si stance so confident concerning con cernin the methods of outlaws that finally Ilan ipton sent him awny away balf assured and went himself to his tits friends in the lining ili ing room he IN 16 half an hour slip by in restless inactivity for no matter what curson curion might say or these people here do judith had not yet come in ha mp tofi left them thein and went to his room for a und and cartridge belt he ile in to slip out qu lelly marcia met hiat 4 W th the e hall she hud had heard his and guessed that he be was wait coln going out now clearly though she w ft she nas as delighted with him film he ile had never thrilled her tier like this before she site had never guessed that pollock hampton could be so stern stem faced so purposeful she whispered sn n entreaty that he be careful alien nc six he lie went out ran back to the eyes shining ock la Is going to see what Is the matter she excitedly fl frampton ampton passed swiftly through the contard cor tard he lie saw the light of the hujik house gleaming Kleam lne brightly on his way down low the knoll be he came upon tommy hurkett kitt le in it mr ll ampton tasked asked tommy coming close in the tits darkness to per vr at him ye what if 12 it at who are YOU im tommy burkitt yoo you know bud ioe lops helper 1 I 1 I rm afdahl something hue hus happened loe lee hublit coti comein seln 3 et they tried to pick hint him off once already aou ou know neither has ling ellms sauford cone come la in bald M quickly sensing 1 here her 0 at lost last a fear that was wit fallow to hie film own they rode toward the lie upper end you know the way uny burkitt lie ile moved on conrd the tho egal turned and baltie alth him surf sure I 1 know the trull trail muttered tommy youre to see nami ron alth attil em mise judy tool toot my 0 d firing ring out a couple of 0 horses Il cr imply weve lost bitne enough already til ill go tell carson in tin the boy boys 1 I have already told cars carson n he lie says its it all nonsense iise leave ailin it nl I 1 one tommy boy that he wits asked no further urther quest lone but run ran ahead and brought out two horses in a twinkling he lie had addled them and the torl two riders ders each with ith a rifle across hie his arm were hurrying hurr hurrIl jing ng over the mountain trail in the blackness which lay iny alone along the upper rier hampton cave gave his ills horse a free rein and let it follow at tommy tommys heele beels when finally they drew rein under the cliffs at the hikes jakes edgo edge all was silent vivo for or uie the faint distant booming of the river below them now which bayr way whispered hampton tommy was shaking his head in un certainty when suddenly from above thero there came caine to them the sharp report of a rifle 1 then like a bundle of fire crackers a volley of half a dozen stac cuto cato abote listen to that burkitt muttered 11 nt at it now were on time tummy slipped from the saddle wordlessly came to Ilam side iside and tugged gently at his leg whisper ing for him to get down don leaving their horses there they slipped into the utter darkness of the narrow chasm in the rocks which gue gae access to the plateau aboe now cautioned tommy guardedly as s they came to the top beep close to me if you dont want vant to take a header about a shousan tho usan feet look I 1 ue lie nudged IIa and pointed there are horses across yonder buds an miss audys roost most likely Z humpton hampton did not see them did not seek to see them something new vl vi tal big had swept suddenly into jia 14 life ha 11 a was as ut at grips farat hand will wit il all unmasked pulsing forces it now nowr I 1 he lie whispered to burkitt burkit men es and it girl were shooting not at just wooden and paper target but at tit other meril alinen who shot sho I 1 I 1 baack and shot to kill I 1 listen Ll said burkitt somebody lie in the old cabin outside which ie Is aich we got to be awful careful they began a slow cautious approach slipping from bush to busl from tree to tree standing motionless lem now and then to frown into the folk of the nights curtains abruptly the 04 fl ring censed ceased they made out haguel 1 X the mu forms of the attackers having located them a moment ngo by the spurting flames from their guns then got ot enough in there came the snarl ing olce of quinnion Quinn lon if you ha ent im going to burn you out an be dd to you he ile got ao an answer he little expected 1 for par hampton Har opton running out into the open now that he anew that bud and judith must be in the cabin was firina as us le lie came Bur burkitts kItts rifle spoke aln his run for it shorty 1 yelled quit nion won you know where were aw 9 against the blue lake boy boys bud shouted tommy ob oc bud lin the cabin came buds ringing answer give lem em li 4 I 1 bonamy I 1 CO with his words came the sound of the door snapping back against the wall the reports of tommys rifle 1 and andl hamptons laro pumping hot lead after two racing forms get awall shouted hamp ton a sudden red rage upon him hirm curse itt it I 1 its too dark then tommy gave ave over shooting shoo abo and yelled to lee to hold his fire for instead of two there were three flying forms three fast racing blurring blar rint shadowy shapes merging with the night pollock hampton his bit rifle clubbed in his hand was running with a college sprinters speed after quin nion rilon and shorty calling breathlessly look out get awall hampton come back I 1 shouted lee running ir after him but hampton was raining gaining on the heavyset heavy set shorty and had bad no thought of coming back nor a thought of anything in all the wide world just then but overtaking the flying flure figure in front of him shorty stumbled over a fallen log and rose cursing and call ing chris christ 1 lend a hand that little tittle chance of an uprooted tree saved hamptons life that night shorty falling had dropped his gun and hurt his knee for a moment he be groped wildly for the lost rifle 1 then ran off without it hampton cleared the log off and with a yell rather a victorious savage hon than the young man whom mrs longworthy hoped tb call her tier son aon a on threw his long arms about I 1 shortys neck r 1 I got him I 1 shouted framptom by bir glory shorty drove a big brutal flat smashing into lid his captors face dut but humpton merely erly ni lowered hie head hiding it shortys healing shoulders and tightened lightened hie tits trip grip shorty struggled to hie his feet hakim shaking at him tearing at him draina one flat after the other into Ilam body hut but with a of purpose as an new to him ai an wai the whole of tonight adventure linni pion held on judith and lee and burkitt came to them no they were fallone again how now suddenly with other hard hands tipon tip upon on him shorty relaxed and und hampton ampton If till tits face bloody hie film body sore ore rank sank back ho bud find done a annd thing but triumph iny lay in that he lie had done it A man never can tell muttered bud lee alfr with ices logs thought of the tile captive than of the captor anever never can tell ill 1 am thinking eald said judith won derin gly that I 1 never quite did you justice pollock CHAPTER vm just a girl after alt AU Ilam cap capitle tle known to them only as shorty a heavy surly roan man whose small cloae close set cyca eyes burned evilly under hie his pale brons bronx rode that night between hampton and judith loun don to the ranch house bouse he ile main talner a stubborn silence after the first outburst of race rage burkitt and lee despite judiths objections Jec tlona because of lees wounded tec leg remained at the cabin with ith bill crow dy brondy had lost a deal of blood and though be complained of little pain pal nuns N its clearly in sore need of medi cal attention crowdy like shorty refused to talk tail aw h 1 I he grunted as lee demanded what influence had brought him film with shorty and quinnion Quinn lon into this mad project let me alone cant our the events of the rest of the night and of the morrow may be briefly told shortys modest request for a glass of whisky nas as granted him film then his ills hands still bound securely by carson he lie was put in the small grain house a window les ten by ten house of logs an admirable jall this with its heavy padlock snapped into a deeply linked ded staple and the great hasp in place the key safely safety in judiths possession shorty as left to his own thoughts title judith and plumpton went to the house in answer to judiths call doc doe tripp came without delay left brief disconcerting word that without the shadow of a doubt the hogs were stricken with rolern and went on ith his hit little bag to see what his skill could do for bill crody cro dy ought to give him olm sulphur fumes grunted tripp but his him hands were verv very gentle with the wounded bamfor man for nil all that pollock hampton ampton Fl had no thought of sleep thal night so much as an go to bed he lay aa on a couch in the living room and larda langworthy Lung worthy tremendously moved at the recital judith gave of hamptons Haro herol heroism sm fluttered about him playing nurse to her hearts delight mrs langworthy complacently complacent lyA 4 looked into the future and to the maturity of her own plans before daylight light carson with half a dozen men had breakfasted saddled and was as ready to ride to the upper end to begin the search for quinnion Quinn lon but before he rode carson made the discovery ery that during the night the staple and hasp on the grain house door had been wrenched away and that shorty was gone carsons face was a dull brick red not yet had be he brought himself to accept the full sig all nin nit cance leance of events A holdup hold up such as charlie miller had experienced Is one thing a scrip of inci Mont happening happen inc upon the confine counties of the etue lake ranch witte quite another only too plainly he realized realised reali sed thal shorty had had an accomplice at the ranch headquarter who had come to tn his hl aits istance 1 carson bli tined himself for the ea cape haxe line let him 0 loose he mused an 09 bo he went slowly to the house to toll tell judith what had happened an then he might pt if it he lie then who the devil did ct next wook week what about parker he lie hae has bean been located and may inay be soon at the vogue saturday I 1 march lurch 28 10 lt |