Show I 1 0 JIM the CONQUEROR CON U by peter be kyne Ot pyrle by peter W ky iry nu service CHAPTER tl 11 continued 3 atil when you meet the girt TOU ton truly fall desperately in love 1 with and the she reciprocates your paa elon mon she q aoth don jaime miguel Higue higueres nes solemnly hall shall be the mother of my children where here where she he will cay my friend don jaime replied with simple sincerity then jimmy bald said ken nobart hobart 1 1 I hope to or purely selfish reasons knect your fate rate before long and that stall refuse to marry you until you sell this thin ranch and more move to houston or dallas or san altone or the HIgue higueres nes men do not take orders from women don jaime interrupted inter fluted and thie this rancho will never le be eold sold four generation generations of my family have own d it and fought ought for it I 1 love it well when some girl starts lead ine ing you need a good mana ger for this ratch u jimmy I 1 M growing weary of the reckless mod e estly a aly paid life of a ranger at aleast least I 1 could be depended on to a ke keep er the range free of sheep there thre are eleo also bandits from below it tie e border who raid my cattle the cemetery cene tery of the rancho valle verde has ha grown fast of late yeara years dorder border fighting la to right up my alley james old eon son I 1 As a ranger you fight with the law behind you you start with a moral morel victory but ae an manager of thie this ranch which god placed too close to the hlo rio grande for corn com fort you would have to be very careful it la in better to be the head of P mouse than the tall of a lion however r S lond ken if the time should come for me to tie tle myself to a girl a apron strings I 1 shall end send for you don jaime lifted from the floor beside his chair a copy of a pretentious tent ious malazone ua devoted to coun try life in america I 1 here Is a photograph of a girl he said turning the pases pages indolently whose face and figure would cast a halo over texas now if she were as good and sweet and womanly as she la Is beautiful mis miss noberta roberta An antrim trini he interrupted himself to read from the caption one of the en thus lastic members of the weatchel West ches ter county hunt mounted on her crack hunter roy boy I 1 must be an irish hunter don jaime opined look at that ken and see it if you can work up a cheer or two the ranger studied the page casally casually casu u well why dont you pull out for westchester county new york secure an introduction to her and see if too pod to be true or otherwise I 1 one antrim at a time ken when I 1 ive ve disposed die dis rosed of tom it will be time to dream of having a look at noberta roberta you arent afraid related are you don jaime favored bis his guest with a wither lne glance A man named jim dobart was hanged at austin last week he retorted wag was he be a relative of yours this train robber and murderer murder err yeve yes ken hobart at ai evenly he was wits my half halt brother and I 1 tracked and captured him A black sheep will c crop cp P out in the best of regulated families you know known don balmes hand caressed that of his friend 1 I did not know I 1 am sorry my friend ken hobart turned bleak eyes upon his host 1 I want to quit the rangers don jimmy I 1 wasu t jest ing when I 1 said I 1 id d like to be the manager of rancho valle jalle V verde erde if tf you should ever need me you are the man I 1 have been necking seeking ken A ben you reach town tomorrow wire your resignation to the governor of texas and as soon as you are released return here ifopo you 11 II be bere tere when I 1 ar rive jimmy youve got to fight that antrim outfit and when you do for the lord a take sake be careful I 1 really want this J lib jb b if I 1 am still here you will be assistant general manager if not you will be general manager nia nager and execl tor of my estate I 1 will make a new will tonight your salary will never be less than the one you enjoy at write your own ticket e added with a 8 touch of the tremendous prodigality of or his big castillan Castl llan blood a prodigality developed to an excess growth doubtless became of the tre tremendous in consequence of his rugged edyt rosment don jaime made bis ibis will and handed it to ken hobart at break fat fast the following morning your instructions are all in that envelope too he explained ned in case se I 1 should be unfortunate I 1 have some mexican first cousins they re emigres emi gres living in los angeles and ira I 1 m leav lea ing ng them the ranch in trust with you as a trustee and manager the revolutions have ruined them and I 1 support them now socially I 1 m proud of them bat but the fact remains FOR BEGINNERS OF THE STORY As astrina trivA ta cada girt wh 1 1 abrl with bf jor al W wa babi loumus goow b n as croaked 1 ill amig irule alynor 1 a tel farm 9 1 ft jet jila kijuu 0 shelita tl che volle 40 hi in TO 84 W MIM br her kr ker ml lawle tw tom trim has b AWL a felk al at the tb of 0 m it dutt w ir I 1 Is fo 6 lv 1 with kr liw ituarte alir pla to so to te tw tema to venct rc I 1 kw dav te torf 41 st te a la to kr kw cewe 1 I bet to thou mcle of W oh thap antrim gjul kjul to 1 ireae ru so la luid by DM da JI juario ario ko X 11 fobart to ax hd nm doo don jalin memo of astrican As tricas invasion 61 ka U n k that dd d d spendthrifts and it they bad had their way chiy a d sell 11 tills ranch and the cattle tor for fifty cent cents on the dollar in order to tart start splurging again and a mexican grandee Is I 1 much too it epi to continue on the job indefinitely consequently 1 I with my acquired american conserva cone erva busm must look after the poor devila i don jaime nobart hobart protested 1 I 1 en your employee now ill wire the governor of texas my tion and without waiting for its acceptance cep tance tanco III ride back in time to be when An antrim trIms sheep come to the guarded water holes holca 11 don jaime smiled As yoa yot will ken they rode away into the mouth east together in a clump of cotton wood woods a hundred yards from the sheep camp they parted don jaime waiting while the ranger yde into the camp of the invaders A smallish man who might have been anywhere from forty five to sixty years of age stood under a smoke discolored fly fight to the death for the privilege over a email small barbecue pit upon which a side of mutton was roast ing aa As the ranger rode up this una tann placed his arms ti kimbo and gazed alertly at the stranger all set met for a illicit quick grab for his gun ken hobart reasoned wily old wretch I 1 aloud be he said good morning mr antrim alello yourself antrim ro replied plied with an assumption of heartiness your mane when lunch Is rem ready dy 2 nobart hobart gli grinned nned 1 I m captain ITO hart bart of tre texas hangers rangers I 1 suspected luncheon might be ready about the time I 1 was due to ride by so ive invited myself you re welcome ranger what brings yon you up thil this ayt antrim was suspicious as an a predatory ant mal inal 1 I figured on giving you some gourd advice mr antrim you re trespassing on un the lands isola and don jaime docant doesn t cheer for that it looks like a rate vate war to me and as a ran ranger er I 1 prefer to lip stop a ate war before it starts rather than then after it a start ed toun youre in the wrong mr an trim and I 1 advise you to pull out of here and not come back you come to arrest roe me for trea tres passing antrim asked no of course not nol you yot re graz ing your cheep on sue lands I 1 can t arrest you until you yon drive them on the lands owned bv iv lon don jaime in fee simple anu those land lands surround the ter holes whereby don jaime controls this range even then not airest arrest you on because don jaime refuses to so ask it or swear out a warrant says he ile likes to kill his own rats called me a rat did her an trim a cold pale blue eyes were very bleak not at all that was wa jurt try my way of expressing the situation I 1 was in the vernacular din don jaime tan t epry far from here mr antrim hed fled like to hare have one final talk with you roa he fie armed suppose you drap that gun youre you re wearing and wilk out with roe me to discuss this situation with don jaime reckon I 1 can trust e ranger agrim A grim replied as hoburt fl export his shield lie ile bung blis gun and belt on the projecting snag of a 8 rot conwood and followed tre ranger to where don jaime waited bell ell niguenes antrim saluted him drumy 1 I ire ve come to warn yon not to attempt to water jour your sheep at any of my water holes antrim and it 1 I 1 do dol fight dalit to the death for the privilege well I 1 can do that too how flow do I 1 know you own these water bolcar you have my assurance that I 1 da do if you doubt enat look up the records at the county scat your surveys are wrong 1 I am era not aware of that of course if they are you may water your after youve proved your statement however your ar aument ie in footless foot sc you do not wish to believe me and I 1 believe you under tinder oath so go suppose we have the county surveyor out here to re resu autrey irey all the lands I 1 bold hold in fco fee simple if it he proves proven the old surveys to be erroneous ill pay hta his hill if be drove them thein correct you pay his hi bill move out with your sheep and never come back I 1 1 I ira in not taking from any d n greaser don balmas white teeth flashed in a smile of vast amusement no intelligent inar takes a civet cat in hie his hands bands antrim I 1 have warned you in the presence of captain llo bart not to treat ass on the landa lands I 1 hold in feo fee simple M without a word antrim turned and walked back to his camp it its war said don jaime miguel III gumes the man must t lie ta a a trifle insane don jaime not at all iles running a blut because be thinks I 1 m weak ie ile Is I 1 willing to be arrested tor for trespass providing his sheep nay may drink ue he will ball himself out of jail jall all hie his men toland trespass again and nd the season I 1 to a dry one and nd the teed feed on his ht own range Is depleted ile II 11 must get through the bummer summer some way and hold his flock int ri ct well ride back hone and organize org anlie my defense I 1 do nothing of the sort don jaline I 1 shall As assistant general manager it to 1 my duty to command besides I 1 know how your life Is much too precious to risk it in a brush with these cheep sheep men inen arrest and trials will fol low this fight and if it you are not alle alho to protect your men who then will protect os us inho will ball us out of jail I 1 don jaime smiled his lazy smile it wn was easy to see bo he was very fond of the ranger Is in sound ren son in your argument he admitted hocart hobart rent went ca 00 permit tue me to return to the hacienda and organize your forces don jaime meanwhile yon you ride on to los algodones Alg and file iny toy tele graphic resignation to the governor here it Is it requests immediate acceptance by wire welt walt for the answer meanwhile make your ar or ranee range ments to provide ball for twelve of auar men what men do you advise for this expedition don jaime named them promptly now vow then hobart continued ivere re going to lick the antrim crowd and some of them and perhaps some of us are going tu apt killed more of them I 1 think the ou Iscra till will prefer a linree of murder analyst any of the men they have bare recognized during the fight and the ball will be about twenty ove thousand dollars each in rash cash or fifty tho thousand ulland in bonds we will assume that four of our men imen will be recognized that means you roust must provide one hundred thousand in cash or two hundred thousand la in bonds bonde 1 1 I in rood good for that in bonds well then make your strange menan in st nee with tho district attorney be in los alio alga denes donee this afternoon all night sand tomorrow forenoon tomorrow aft ernson you will ride bach back with the lT fr who will be the on his way out to your ranch to err your men you will have bave a perfect all bt because this fight will bare hare been pulled off in 10 your absent so 80 vou YOU will be quire quite free to look aate the comforts of your defenders don jaime ponde pondered redl he lie much preferred when bis life men were in danger defending the master w inter eats to share that darger darter with them on the other band he real tied that the israe was not to be fought entirely at the water holes that in the courts tie he would be needed much rauch more than in any other arena of battle tie fie knew ken 10 lo hart bart wt wf talking cense sense and that the sel sensible isible thing to do would be to heed bis him so he heeded it very well ken he agreed 1 P n rico Carsi caraveo veo my ams bossk knows every foot toot of this ranee ransel once he locate locates tho the sheep hell know what crater water they mill ill try for this eve nine the reet rest I 1 leare leave to you per hapa haps you had better loan me your rifle ride in care I 1 should run into some of antrim a herder herders after leaving 11 you here lie ile helped hini self to the rangers rifle and scabbard end and fastened it alone along hia his saddle it was wan a saulor carbine cod and the ammunition wai carried la to clips 0 five in to pocket pockets on a buckskin vest don jaime donned the rest vest end and with a nod to the ranger headed his horse across country la to the direction of loi los al codones go donca dones it was come some months since be had ridden a honn horm for many years lit his trips around the ranch between his ranch and the county seat cat had been made by automobile he ile paused now thinking of the twenty mile ride back to the ranch deriding be he would spare himself that he shouted to hobart obart II ken end send one of the boys into los Algo donta with the motor and the horse trailer att attached sched to brine bring my horse and me home I 1 seguro hobart shouted back CHAPTER III I 1 IT T WAS true that the lands whereon the antrim cheep sheep grated grazed were oot not tho the property of don jaime miguel they the were state lands for texas never surrendered her public lands to the federal government ern ment and undoubtedly antrim bad as an leial a right to grato hie his sheep there aa an jaime had to graw bla big cattle nevertheless by cu at 0 in and barge it had come to be known as an the range grandfather had purchased aed kb ith cheap land script the acreage along the watercourses and around arouni the springs anil and by this control of the water the Hl EUdes dynasty for generations exercised nominal control over the public land lands adjacent thereto and since this wag a coro mon practice regarded as an an on adroit business move tnt put never as a wanton usurpation of the public domain cattlemen and moat most sheep men bad had respected the control for the crasa grams on this controlled range the family paid nothing to the states feeble charge of trespass by the Ill RUenes aenes cattle the reigning a had always replied with a offer to benr half of the expense of fencing the lands it held in fee contiguous to the state lands and thoa thus prevent trespass the state discovered that the expense of many miles of fence would not be warranted on tho hy by poth po thesta ests that any revenue would subsequently aub accrue by reason of I 1 the sale of brazing permits on the feneck lands of tho the state since with 1 the family controlling all the waterway waterways and water holes no man would he foolish to tn eek it a gearing eraring permit I 1 the ad Jus Just nent of thia this ancient dispute therefore the matter slumbered nm dally and dun don bjalme muruel neglected to fence his f fee landol contiguous to the water also iso he neglected to supply herders tn to confine his file cattle to his life fee too lands wherefore they wandered over the state lands nt at will I 1 of this situation wily old tom antrim had decided to take adran |