Show zen y OD w A ve v e OF r I 1 ll 11 l L la robert ra ert sted J 0 or THE COW l rac OF a STEAD chapter two continued breakfast ie Is ulan boya boys be he bald said and led them back into the room where they had had sapper supper the previous eve eye nine ning YD ate with them but the meal was served by the chinese boy in the yard all was jingling excite ment the men of tb the YD were fraternally ter nally ass latine suns gang in hitching up and betting getting away and there was much bustling activity to an accompaniment of friendly profanity it waa was not yet six but the sun woe was well up over the eastern ridges a that fringed the valley and to the west the snowcapped enow snow capped summits of the mountains mount alua shone like polished ivory the exhilaration in the air was almost intoxicating under linder quickly converted the op ap parent chaos of horses wagons and implements into order Tra nalcy had a last word with TD YD and tre rancher shouting good luck boyal bayal make it a it thousand tone tons or more waved them away binder Lindet gi glanced an f ad back it the house the bright eunah lne had not awakened it it lay dreaming in ita its grove of coot cool green tree the trail lay not op up the valley but across cross a the wedge of foothills which divided the south YD from the parent stream etre aro the ascent was therefore much more rapid than then the tralle bach followed the general coune course of the stream huge bills shouldering together left at time times only wagon track room between betwee zi I 1 at other places they skirted dangerous cutbacks cut banka banks worn by spring freshens freshets fresh ets and again trekked for long di distances dist stane ancee over gently curving up lands in an hour the horses were bowing showing the strain of it t and under linder halted them zor for a momentary rest it was at that moment that drask rode up hij his face tace a tody study in obvious annoyance danged if tf I X aint left that pete rete hones horses blanket dowa down at the YD he exclaimed oh well you cm can easily ride back for it and catch up on us this afternoon fluid said under who was not in the least deceived thanks un lin eald emd draak ill 11 beat it down art an catch up on you this afternoon ore sure and be was off down don the trail as fast as ax that rete pete horse could carry him at the YD george conducted the search for Ms borso blanket in the strangest angest places it took him mainly about the yard of the bouse house and even to the kitchen door where ho he interviewed the chinese boy you catchen horse blanket around here he inquired InquIre 4 with appropriate gesticulations tou you losee boss blan blanket ketr yeo yen what kind kina noes noss olan blan ketr jus a brown blanket for that pete horse whose hoesr mine aline proudly where you catch cat cheeT It alsed him good hoss you botcho huh I 1 clause you no horse blanket hey r T nol not said tho the chinaman whose manner instantly changed in this brief conversation he had classified deark and classified him correctly you catchen him though some h 1 I to vu lound here beat it and draak found the kitchen door closed in his face drlik wandered slowly around the aide side of tb ehouse and wae was not above a surreptitious glanco glance through the windows they revealed nothing he ue followed a path out by a little fate gate ills ruse had bad proven a blind trail and there wae was nothing to do but go down to the stables take the horse blanket from the peg where be he had bad hung it IL and set out again for the south YD As an he turned a corner of the fence the t lie sight of a young woman burst upon him she w was hatless and fac ehg the sun drack for all his admiration mi ral ration of the sex ser had bad little eye for retail A sort of chestnut about sixteen hands high and with the look of a thoroughbred ho afterwards after warde described her to under she turned at the tile sound of hie his foot steps and instantly sum summoned boned a smirk which set hie his homely face beaming with good humor pardon me maam he be said with an elaborate bow 1 I nm am mr draak mr georgo george draak mr assistant al no doubt he spoke of me she nas aa inside the inclosure formed by the thi fence and he outside she turned on him eyes which set dranks pulses strangely tingle a and subjected him to a deliberate deU berate but not unfriendly inspection no I 1 dont believe be did she said at length draak cautiously approached as though wondering how near he could come without It hout frightening her away he ile reached the tho fence and leaned his elbows on it she showed no disposition to move ile cautiously raised one foot and rested it on the lower rail its a fine morning maam he ventured rather sho she replied why arent you with mr Tran ganer gang the question gave george an opening well sou see be said its a all U on account of that pete horse him down doin there them I 1 rode away this morning and plumb forgot his blanket so when mr seen it he says draak take the day off an go back for your blan blanket keLl he says theres no hurry he be bays says under ilander an me III 11 manage he a ohio oh 1 so here I 1 am he glanced at her again she wae was showing allowing no disposition to run away she v aa as about two yards from him along the fence draak wondered how long it would take him to bridge that dis distance even as he looked she leaned her elbow elbows on the fence and rested one of her feet on the lower rail draak fancied he saw the muscles about her mouth pulling her face into little laughing curve curves but she was gazing soberly into the distance hea hes some horse that pete horse he said taking up the subject which lay moat most ready to his hi tongue hes lies sure some horse borm 1 I have no doubt doubts yep continued him 1 on an me h has seen some times whew I 1 things I 1 couldn tell you about aboul at all fill well arent you going to tor draak glanced at her curiously this girl showed signs of leading him out of his depth but it was a very sensation to feol feel one self golf 40 boutot nn ny IDY SUCH u eirl girl her face was wits motion motionless lens her tier eyes fixed dreamily upon tile tl brown prairies that ept up the flunks of ahe ho foothills to the far and away on their curving crests the dark snake unc of cuttit could be seen apparently motionless on the tile rim of the horizon hor lion druck changed his foot on the nil rail nod and the motion brought him film six inches nearer her well fr rr instance ho h enid spurring hie fits into action there waft n tho the fellow I 1 run donn dotin en fan shot in the cypress giuli shot 1 she slie and tho tile note of admiration in her tier stirred him film to 0 further nights begs lie h conti continued proudly shot I 1 an burled ried him there aln re right by the road where he lie fell only nio me un an that mat pete borso know known tho the spot george sighed its awful lad and havin to kill a man ho lie went on an it makes you feel strange aw an creepy specialty at nights that ie is tile first one affects you that vay uny but you eoon soon get used to it IL you see he insulted the first one have you killed more than oner on el oh yes lots of them A man liko like me what knocks around all over oer with all sorts of people hae has to do it then there theres the police after you kill a fow few men nn trally the police begins to worry you I 1 always bate hate to kill a policeman it must be nn an interesting life it ie Is but it lax a hord hard one be he sold said after a pause during which ho he had changed feet again and taken up another elx six inches of the distance which separated them lie ile was almost afraid to continue the ile was finding progress BO so much asler easier than be he bad had expected it was evident that be bg had made a tremendous hit with ith YD s x daughter what a etory story to teu tell binder 1 what would Tra naley say bayt ile was alth excitement ite its an awful hard life ho he went on an there comes a time miss when a man cants ta it IL there com a time when hen every decent man want wants to settle don doun I 1 been th inkin about that a lot lately what do you think about it draak had gone white ile felt that ho lie actually had proposed to her be a good idea sho she replied demurely ile changed feet again ile hod had gone too far to top stop lie ile must strike the iron when it was hot hol of course he bad no desire to stop but it was man all so wonderful he lie could speak to her now in a u whisper how ITOW about you miss how about you nn an me jus down she did not answer for a moment then in a low voice it nt be fair to accept you like uke this ar dr you dont know anything about me m e an I 1 dont want to I 1 mean I 1 dont car care what about you but it be fair until you know she the continued there are 1 71 but it bo be fair until you know she continued things id have to tell you and I 1 dont like to she was v as looking downward now and he tie fancied he lie could see the color rising about her tier cheeks and her tier frame trembling turned toward her and extended his ills arms tell me tell bour own deorr eche he coned maed no she he said with 3 sudden rigidity 1 I CA cant t confess come on he pleaded teu tell me ive rye bee been lh a bad man too she seemed to be weighing the mat ter it if I 1 tell yoo you you will never never mention it to anyone never I 1 swear it to you dra matl mati cally raising hie his hand I 1 well ehe she aid said looking down bashfully and making little mark marks with her fingernail finger nail nall in the polo dole on which they were leaning 1 I never told anyone before and nobody in the world know known it except ho he and roe me and he know it now either because I 1 killed him film I 1 had to do it IL of course you did dear he murmured it was wonderful to receive 11 I 1 confidence like this 0 yes yen I 1 had find to kill him she he repeat repent ed you see he he proposed to roe rue I 1 without being introduced Introduce dl I 1 I 1 it woe was some ands before arnik felt the blow it caino came to him grad unity like returning consciousness to a man mail who lias line been stunned then anger swept him youre pinyin with me he cried youre makin a fool foot of met roe I 1 oh george dear how could I 1 IT ehe she protested now perhaps you better run along to that pete horse lie he looks lonely all right he eald said striding away angrl angrily ly As he walked hie bla rage deepened and he turned and shook hie lite nt flat at her tier shouting all right but ru 11 get you yet yel see you think youre smart and Tra naley thinks hes amort smart but george draak Is smarter than both of you and hell bell get you yet she waved her hand complacently but bist her composure had already mad bened him ile jerked hie his horse up ro roughly threw himself into the and set met out at a hard gallop along the trail to the south YD it was mid afternoon when hen he lie overtook Tran pye outfit now winding down the southern slope of the tongue of foothills divided the two valleys of the YD pete wet over the flanks pulled up tip of ills own accord beside binders linders wagon magon 10 lo george said under linder your hurry then glancing at his saddle whores wheres your blanket dranks jaw dropped but he lie had a quick wit at although an unbalanced one well lin I 1 clean forgot all about it he admitted with a laugh but when uben a fellow spends the morning chatting with old YD Is s daughter I 1 guess hes allowed to forget a few things oh I 1 Ille reckon ckon you dont believe it eh lin beckon reckon you dont believe I 1 stood an talked for so long I 1 just had to pull myself away you reckon right george was nas thinking fast here was an opportunity to present the incident in a light which bod had not before occurred to him guess you believe she told me her secret told me so some methin thio she had never told anybody else an made me swear not to mention guess you dont believe that nel neither you guess guests right atala binder linder was quite unperturbed he knew know something of dranks gift for romancing draak leaned over in the saddle until he lie could reach binders ear with ith a loud whisper and she called me dear george dear she said sald when I 1 came away the h I 1 she did I 1 said linder at last prodded into interest he considered the george dear idea a daring flight even for draak better not let old YD hear you spinning anything like that george or hell be likely to spoil your youthful beauty oh YM s all right said george knowingly YD s all right well I 1 guess ill let pete feed a bit here and then well go back for his blanket have to excuse me abit a bit these days das lin you know bow how it Is when a fellows in love huh huhl I 1 said linder george dropped behind and an amused smile played on the foremans face he had known draza too long to be much surprised at fat anything he might do it was dranks idea of gal lantry to make love to every girl on sight possibly draak had managed to exchange a word with zen and his imagination would readily expand that into a love scene zen I 1 even the placid balanced binder linder felt a slight leap in the blood at the unusual name which suggested the bright girl alio ho had come into his life the night before not exactly into his life it would bo be fairer to say she had touched the rim of til life perhaps bhe she would neer neter penetrate it further linder rather expected that would be the case As for draak she was in no danger from him drazos Draz irs methods were nero so precipitous that they could be counted upon to defeat themselves below stretched the valley of the south YD almost a duplicate of its northern neighbor the stream hugged the feet of the hills on the northern side of the valley its ribbon of green and gold was like a fringe gathered about the hem of their skirts beyond the stream lay the level plains of the ho valley and miles to the south rose the next ridge of foothills it was from these plains that YD expected his thousand tons of hay bay undeen appreciative eye took in the scene a scene seene of stupendous sizes mazes and magnificent distances As an he slowly turned his hl vision eastward a speck in the distance caught his sight and brought him to his feet feel shading his eyes from the bright afternoon sun he be surveyed it long ions and carefully there was wits no doubt about it a hay bay wax was already at work down the valler to be continued next week |