Show d RIDE IJ ERNEST HAYCOX wu TUB TUE STORY so 80 JAR FAR be lie b is also a Cia Clay Morgan decides to 0 1 eay a loa lose loaa hand 1111 Den Ben Dr feces feces- Heredeen does another rancher be wb Ie is to 0 torun run the tile eaU cattle 7 his hi own owe iray wy 01 III at old ss friends only Hack Li UD swi on OD his lat side fide Id The Ibe Ta others other Uk IDI like OurS Gard LI Life White sad and Charley RID flU Louis Louis-ar e are supporting more mo or le toss lell la in self eU U defense Gird Oord Grants Ori Grant slate lIte liter Catherine CadlIne Is II I ID in 10 love with Clay CIal Cl Cland sad and I is a at his hi lat ranch eb be when flack nack rides up ap followed by It 11 White sod aDd OurS Gord Cadle Catherine bides hide Ita but OurS Curd recognize her ber bo horse hone n rende continues hi his bb war ar oo on netter nester ete ai aDd squatters b by arala warning dI the Gale to 0 ae jet jeto olf o the die an range ranee Now with Ith the die to story tory CHAPTER VI Morgan entered enlaced War Pass In first darkness putting up at Gentry Gentrys Gentry's There would be supper tor for him at Ann McGarrah s a but for tor some rca reI recon I son that wasn t very clear dear to him I he went to the Long Grade saloon found Hack Breathitt and took him huto to the hotel for tor a meal When he got to Ann McGarrah's McGarrah he found her kneeling before Janet adjusting the pleats of Janet a dress Ann McGarrah said I U n get you youa u s a meal ClayNo ClayNo Clay ClayNo No he said I didn t want to bother I ate at the hotel She showed him a quick faintly 7 hurt surprise but covered it up at tonce t once We should be starting for forthe forthe the school in a 8 little while Am I taking you to the dance T She said You hadn tasked t I asked So So now I II U ask Morgan and Janet passed through the store and sat on the porch steps watching the crowd roll ron along the th street treeL Ann McGarrah presently came out dressed In a 8 pearl white gown It made her eyes darker it made her black hair shine by contrast Standing before her marveling at atthe atthe it the change he reflected that she was different from the women of othis this town The gentle flow of the crowd car carried ned them up the hill to the school At Atthe Atthe Athe the door Janet left them and Morgan found two seats near the front of a newly made platform Breathitt stood in tn the rear of the room crowd crowded crowded crowded ed between other townsmen He H caught Breathitt s a eye but Hack only shook his head unsmiling and clear clearly ly Iy ruffled by something I It went by grades some singing some dancing some reciting He H was nervous not realizing it When Janet came forward to the edge of o obis the stage a fine sweat broke across his bis forehead and he pushed his legs leg against the floor trying to remember remember ber what the first line Ime of her poem i was Afterwards she made a quick curtsy and her vOice came over the room precise as it always was and qUite sure When she was through i he sat still not looking around atthe at atthe athe the other people Ann said some some- tl tI ing mg to him turn turning him She was wag wai smiling with that brightness whIch 1 comes so cl se to tears He mur I inured mund yes aid ar d was thinking olLila of Lila who would have been h hippy happy to have seen this This was about aU all he heard of the program for tor it was soon over Hack Breathitt went directly into the Long Grade and saw a solid line at the bar Nearest him were a group of ot Grant s Crowfoot riders all of them his friends Billy Mc McQUire McQuire QUire said Step in here Hackbut Hack Hackbut Hackbut but Breathitt shook his head and bal on his ills heels his face cool and sm am oth and tough Herendeen g 8 amen men had gathered at the far end of at attl ofU U tl e b Ir r and these he watched sol aol solemnly Liard Connor and Bones Mc Gen Geeo were side by side at the bar turned trim fn m bin hm but he knew they had him spotted in iii the back bar mir mirror mirror He lie pushed up his hat and walked on n aking a turn behind these two There wasn t any space between them b bit bl t he came against them and shoved them aside He stared straight ahead Into the mirror Their faces came canle around to him with the reserve he had seen many times before in moments m ments of trouble He lie knew what the expression expression expression sion meant The barkeep came down h s a way waiting for his chOIce Breathitt said gently Not now Sam When I dr it 11 Il be bf in better bet better better ter company It was a B sound that traveled around him The talk In the saloon faded a little and he saw still watch watching watching mg ing the mirror men s a hats and heads sWing awing Liard C pulled his arm aside Bones McGeen suddenly grinned over his whisky glass In Hack s voice was ass the flat mel melody melody melody ody of a man on edge Maybe it Il was just an accident when you boys bumped into me down by the hotel Maybe If there s a something in your craw you don t have to go to that trouble I can hear English If you bullheads can talk it- it itI I don t like my feet stepped on I 11 be out on that street all evenin Try il it again He lie withdrew from the bar and stepped to the door with the solid silence of the crowd following him himlie himlie lie batted the doors aside willi his shoulders On the walk he turned qUickly toward hIS hig ho se which was wag wasi wagI I ear tar Gentry s a He seized his gun gui belt from the saddle addle horn and buckled buck buckled buckled led it around him and pulled the of his coat over it One hand resting on the horse he watched the street knowing that the town was v no longer safe for tor him None ot pf f the Herendeen bunch II showed up at the Long Grade door I though he be realized they would be moving his hi way soon oon enough Sher- Sher ill i J ia J Suddenly ly Je Jesse foley Rasey slid sUd front from the and wa was before him Li 10 came Into the light of it the hotel People kept crossing to 1 the Odd Fellows Hall Hail and the music c and the scrape of feet made quit quita quite Jacket a racket and and- and Suddenly Jesse Jeue Busey slid froM trona the shadows and was be- be before before fore him He had the soft of a cat this marshal and eyes that could burn bum through a brick wall wail It gave Hack Breathitt a moment I self affront to think Rusey had come on him thus unawares but he stood fast not saying anything The mar mai marshal s a hand reached out and hit Hack Breathitt s 5 flank where the gun was Afterwards Rusey no man to ask questions made a 0 turning circle on his heels looking the whole street treet tre through He said then Be careful Hack and stepped back into tt the shadows I Parr Gentry called for for a scho achot schottische Lige White came over to claim Ann McGarrah leaving his wife with Clay They went wheeling and dipping around the floor Mrs Mra White very graceful in ill his arms and very pretty but her glance kept following her husband with that tha t calm Indrawn attention Morgan had hac had anti noticed ced so 80 often Herendeen had kept Catherine Grant to himself After the schottische schottische Morgan returned Mrs White e to Lige and stood awhile idly talk talking Ing lag The stag line thickened Gurd 1 Grant was over there and Gurd a i glance was directly on him Mm and an stayed on him without recognition Parr Gentry said Pick your you partners for lor a waltz and the lid dies began tuning up 8 again gam Clay Cla remained In his tracks head down puzzled by Gurd Grant a s cut Something Some Something thing was in the wind He couldn t t catch it with his mind but he knew 7 Herendeen had somehow gotten at a Gurd He debated It coolly trying to th make mak make up un in his mind until mini he ne heard n Ann say What is It Clay Nothing he said Nothing at atall atall alt all Herendeen and Catherine were only a few feet away Catherine s a glance touched him brief and in interested interested and then he ic forgot Gurd and put his hand to Ann McGar McGarrah McGarrah McGarrah rah 8 s elbow and moved her toward Herendeen It amused him to see s ruddy face show In Instant Instant stant Intolerance HP lie said to Cathenne Cath Catherine erme erine Should be o 0 its irs I think and moved away w th her as the waltz began Catherine sa I 1 I wondered if you w uld One n re week werk one more dance War I 1 iss U tl e Burnt Ranch school the old 1 I all at Chickman Creek This gOL gots gors s I t i I i k a long way Do y u ber so many of those dances dunces Clay Yes t I e st Sl d I guess I dowhen dowhen do dowhen when 1 I m dancing w th you These dance n were yere I Ike ke markers lead ng mt ml the b tJ ck rk years tIe He HeI could visualize n st at of ot them he I could remember II 1 c fun of most of them It is an dd U tl tog Ing he said and was puzzled by his own senti sentiment sentiment ment in the matter matte r t 1 ut it seems tobe to tobe tobe be a habit I m ni afraid to stop Like a man that has d s 11 r one thing go 80 long he can t quit w breaking something that hold holds I im n together She murmured Tt Ti is nce lance Clai Cia With with me Ten years of it ii ie le i said We were pretty young and all our friends were your g a and we had bad afine aliMe a fine liMe time As long n nil as we keep on I we ve ye sl st II 11 got s 5 thing t-hing left left of I those times Of ever lung hing that used to be It is a way f r keeping yes yea yesterday yesterday alive I gue guess It will die me Clay I hate to th fit t They were all arou arnu a rou d the hall hail be- be before before be before fore she spoke It iso Ian t the good times you want t ti re rp Clay It is 18 ne I u never want to forget I ko w I watched you youton youton youton ton when Ji tt t I poke I knew what you were th g Not of Janet Jan Janci t ci not f Ok nl n or anybody in intile inthe inthe tile the hall ball It Ii was yas I Ii i Ii wasn t it If Why yes he s-i s I 1 in some sur surprise surprise prise How w Y Id s u know that Slowly turning with l t e swing awing of the waltz he saw Harry Jump come up the staIrs stair and m ve ye through the lOitering stags at the tile edge of ot the floor Harry Jump was here when tie he should boWd have been bee forty mile mUe out in the Moguls Mogul Morgan wheeled around losing Harry ry Jump and catching him t again Jump saw aw aw him and showed mowed n BO DO ex a n of ot any kind It was a sig nal nat like Morgan said Bald Maybe you'd a drink of water She had been too long in the coun- coun country try not to know She slipped clipped her ber h harm arm through his elbow and they left leithe the floor passing Harry Jump with with- without without out giving him klan notice They went down the stairs Into the soft dark shadows Harry Jump a s boots boob scuffed the stairs following lie He passed them saying from the side of big hig hi mouth Not here Clay They followed him as far aa as Gets Gen Gentry try s a and stopped before him AU All r rIght ht said M You sure aure said Harry Jump staring at Catherine I II Il go she saul said Never mind answered Morgan You know better Harry Well then I rode through Go emment Gov Gov- Government Valley before dark tonight There s a notice posted nested on the build build- ing tog The land office 1 is selling the thi valley at auction tomorrow after afternoon afternoon noon at four o 0 clock In Sage City He He waited k fot- fot Morgan to speak and when Morgan kept silent he added That notice should have hav been posted a month before the sale Somebody s a got at somebody to hold hol oft off of until It was too late for you It s a anine nine 0 o clock now Eighteen hours hour until tour lour tomorrow Hundred and an ninety miles to go Morgan said I talked to Fred FredRich FredRich Fre Rich at the post office a few days day ago and he knew nothing He HeI H I drove his hands in his pockets he h had his head up he was watching I the mouth of the Odd Fellows doorway doorway door doorway way w wisp wasn rv t seeing It it Calls Cath Catherine erine realized re d He lie was a long still stil shape in hi the shadows quietly considering con considering side ring this little treachery H He had a way of absorbing trouble and an 1 punishment without showing emo- emo emotIOn emotion tIOn lion he had a way of storing these things In his isis mind He said AU All Allright Al right Harry warry I I He turned back with Catherine She said Speculators Clay Or OrBen OrBen Ben She knew how he be felt about Government Valley The music had stopped slopped Coming up the stairs they saw Herendeen and Ann standing a at t the edge of the hall neither one liking the other enough to keep up conversation Herendeen never bothered to con conceal conceal conceal ceal his feelings He displayed re resentment resentment resentment now as they came for forward forward ward He ducked his head at Catherine Cath Cathenne erme erine My dance he said and led her away Out on the floor he looked toward M a thoughtful thoughtfulness thoughtfulness ness 01 or his cheeks checks Ann Aon said Don t mike me dance with him again agam He lie said I I guess I I ve ye got tc take v y u home I I II 11 have to ride rider r co coH ii it H got her at once and they went down the stairs The sense of wasting time pushed Mar Mor Margan Morgan Morgan gan along making Ann McGarrah walk qu te to fast On the store porch he tho ight to I 1 ft tt his hig hat Tell TeU Janet I I 11 II be bick to take her home on Wednesday he said and swung away a way For Ann McGarrah the evening went yent flat as she witched him go gohe gohe gohe he had not thanked her he had not fbI even thought of Ier ier these last mo mo- moments mo- mo moments moments ments he had not taken her Into his confidence and mentioned the trouble that now made him disappear disappear pear at the head of the street Still and dark and hurt she lo 10 ked down at the smooth front of her dress dressI knowing that she was pretty and andI knowing she had f f r r a a moment I warmed his 1 t cart eart And then thu had gone She t t of af Catherine coolly and critically and turned I the store Janet was asleep tog Ing over the bed in the dark room Ann McGarrah watched Janet small sweetly ma mature ture face see seeing jj there so much couch of her mother This Thu was the secure grip Lila held on Clay Morgan th s 5 s was Lila a s power poyer this was her way of f f rover rever remind reminding ng log Cia Cla Clat of the past ind th s s was washer her way of tId 1 h t- Id ng og h m to an un unreal unreal unreal real Un 1st obi git or 01 Thinking OJ oi all th s 5 Ai At r i Mc 1 Met arr h hated with a t I iss iss fullness She turned back the extra coven from the child and end left the room Going up Stage Street Clay Mar Mor Margan Morgan Morgan gan reached Harley Stewart s a hous at the top of the hill hilt When came to the door Morgan said aid Come down to the bank Harle Harley I vc ye got to have some money of ot fifteen minute TO BE CONTINUED |