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Show CHAPTER XIV Continued 13 "Just Tfht I've always saldl" cried geiwood delightedly, "I knew tliat long ,go There's one or two who do pass BJUSterher foreman and that black fievll froin Telns' Sud I'rovlne. The re9t are city stuff." "They are, without exception, crlml-nais crlml-nais who have been defended by one of the ablest lawyers In New York and acquitted. They owe him a lot and he has something more on each ,ne of them, so thut they are his henchmen In every Instance. This Ban is Lawrence Arnold." "Kate Cathrew's partner 1 lie owns half of Sky Line!" "Exactly. When he gets hold of a Bian he wants to use, he seems to send him here. 1 have recognized three of these riders already, though none of them knew me." "Excuse me, mister," said Selwood, "but how do you happen to know so much?" "That question Is your right, and 1 will answer It. Kate Cathrew was a New York woman I knew her there some six years ago. She was clever then and unscrupulous, always playing play-ing for her own advancement. It was along that line that she did the deed for which I have hunted her down and found her at last. What deed that was I am not ready to say, nor to whom It was done. It must suffice for the present to tell you that it ruined one life and bade fair to ruin another until I stepped In to take a hand. These two lives were very near my own and for their sake I hare become a wanderer, a homeless tramp, searching the lone places of the West to find this woman and make her pay to bring her to justice. I watched Lawrence Arnold for three jears before I started and i knew he was In touch with her, that between them some way they were making money, but I could never get track of ', her through him. He was too sharp for me. I have visited every cattle ranch owned by a woman In the whole United States, It seems to me. I found seven in Texas, two In Montana, Mon-tana, aud more in Idaho. I have ridden rid-den this little chap thousands of miles; shipped him with me by rail thousands thou-sands more. I knew it was cattle stuff from some of Arnold's deals, but where they came from has been a mystery until two months ago. 'Now you know what I am and why I'm on Cattle Kate's trail like a nemesis. I think. If we work together, we'll land her soon and land her hard and fast where she belongs." "Ameu to that," said Selwood fervently. The summer drowsed along on Nameless, sweet with sun and the little winds that stirred the pine tops, greeu with verdure and starred with wild flowers. The lonesome world of the jumbled hills was fair as Paradise, Para-dise, wistful with silence, mysterious with its suggestion of eternal waiting. To Nance Allison, sitting listlessly on her doorstep, it seemed strangely empty. There was nothing to do, now that the heavy labor of the haying was over. She watched her three big stacks with somber eyes, expecting each morning to find them destroyed, bui nothing happened to them. Bud carried his father's liile now 8ii(l day after day he went morosely Into ihe hills after venison. "(lot to hang enougli meat for winter," win-ter," he told Nance when she looked t him with troubled eyes. "Got to remember that Commnnd-nient Commnnd-nient which says, "Thou shalt not ''ill.' " she answered. "Brand said to carry the gun." "Brand said 'defend' not 'murder.' j Hohl hard, Bud. We've kept clean so far." "Yes and what've we got? A grave and this." He shrugged his sagging shoulder. ! Quick tears came In Nance's eyes j 8nd she laid a hand upon It with in-I in-I Cnite tenderness. j I know," 6he said, "'but somehow I ! 8(111 have faith. We'll come out free ! 6me day." perhaps free like our pappy." "God forbid!" said the girl with ! trembling ups. I CHAPTER XV The Flange in Rainbow Cliff. j 't was getting along Into August. i n every cup and hollow of the Deep j "eirt hills the forage was deep and j'11"1"'. Cattle, scattered through I . ' brukeu country, waxed sleek and . They hud nothing to do but fill ; '"fir paunches In the sunlit glades ' " e,iew thr-ir cuds on the shadowed . slopes. "SNick, riding his range one dav, i """e upon Big Busford and Sud Prone Pro-ne ambling clcn toward the upper pieties of Nameless. ( Jheir horses were tired, giving evl-'"'"'e evl-'"'"'e of hard going, and the cattle-u'" cattle-u'" stopued and looked at them with nstile eyes. 1 rptty rar olT your stamping . r"u:id, aim you?" he asked. ; I'rovine grinned. 'je was a slow-moving Individual a bud black eye and a reputa-'on reputa-'on with the gun that always rode : "ls "lisn, though he had been mild . Woueh on Nameless. It was the little ni.Ie of ti ailing whispers which had i " into the country bohinri him that 1 put the brand upon him. j 7' s.' be answered InsoleUj, By V1MGIE E. ROE Copyrliht by th. McCall Company WNU Servlc. "but hit's free range land at that, ain't It?" "In theory, yes," said Bosslck, "but Its about time practice changed matters. mat-ters. I'm about fed up on theory and so are a few others In this man's country. I'd take It well If you and all your outfit stayed on the south side of Mystery where you belong. lour stock don't range this far In the Upper Up-per country." "Is that so," drawled the other, "an' who says so?" "I do," said Bosslck quietly, "and I'm only giving you a warning, Pro-vine, Pro-vine, which you'd better heed. You enn take the word to Kate Cathrew, too. Her high-handed methods don't set any too well with us and we don't care who knows It." "To h 1 with you and your warnings warn-ings 1" flared Big Busford, his ugly temper rising. "Sky Line's too strong for any d d bunch of backwoods buckaroos, an' don't you forget It ' We're" "Shut tip!" snapped Provine, and rode away. "Selwood's right," mused Bosslck as he looked after them, "they're a precious pre-cious lot of cut-throats." At Sky Lille ranch there was activity. ac-tivity. Kate Cathrew was gathering beef. Riders were coming in dally with little bunches of cattle, all in good condition, which they herded into the corrals. Day and night the air was resonant with the endless bawling. It was a little early for the drive but then Cattle Kate was always early. And this year she had a particular reason for precipitancy. One of those New York letters had said, " would like to come a little sooner, if possible, pos-sible, so let's clean up promptly." The word of those letters was law to her. If they had said "ship" In December, De-cember, she would have tried to do so. Now she was out on Bluefiie from dawn to dark herself, and there was little or nothing escaped Iwr eyes. She knew to a nicety how many yearlings year-lings were on the slopes of Mystery, the number of weaning calves, the steers that were ready for shipping and those that were not. When Provine carried her Bossick's message verbatim the red flush of anger rose In her face again, and she struck the stallion a vicious cut with her quirt. Bluefire rose on his hind legs, pawing, paw-ing, and shook his head in rage, the wild blood struggling with the tame In him. "If Eosslck ever speaks to you again," said Kate, "you tell him to go to h 1, and that Kate Cathrew said so." "I did," sai-d B-asford, grinning, "and SHd objected." "Where's your allegiance to Sky Line?" she asked Provine Instantly, "must Basford show you loyalty?" "I can show him discretion," said Provine, evenly, "an' hit don't take much brains to see that. Do you want these ranchers t' begin ridin' hard on us nights, for Instance, an' now?" Kate frowned and tapped her boot. "The devil his due," she said presently, pres-ently, "you're right, Provine," and turned away. The corrals were choked with cattle. Sky Line was ready for Its drive. On the last night before the start there was a peculiar tenseness in everything ev-erything about the busy, place. Kate Cathrew was everywhere. She saw what horses were ready for use. spoke sharply with every rider to make sure he knew what he was to do, and told Rod Stone once more to get out of the kitchen. The boy laughed, but Minnie Pine glanced after her with smouldering eyes. "She's a devil the boss," she told Josefa, "I hate her." After the early supper Caldwell. Provine, Basford and four others, saddled fresh horses and rode away. It was dark of the moon as it was always when Sky Line gathered beef a soft windy dark, ideal for the concealment con-cealment of rides, the disguising of sounds. They dropped down the mountain at an angle, heading northwest to circle the end of Mystery, and they followed no trail. They were all armed and all wore dark clothing. Caldwell, leading, kept well up on the slope above the river and after two hours' hard going they weie well around the northwest end of Mystery ridge which flared like a lady's old-fashioned old-fashioned skirt, and bonding down into the glades that broke the jumbled ridges of the Cpper country. Here Bossick, a rich man, ran hi cattle and had his holdings. ' His ranch lay well back from the river and up, but his stock ranged down. That was why it had been easy prey for the mysterious rustlers of Nameless river. These men did not talk. They rode with a purpose and they were alert to every sound, their nerves were taut as fiddle strings. As they trotted up the glade the little wind that drew from the canyon can-yon at Its head brought the scent of cattle, and presently they came upon horse and rider standicg like a statue In the shadow i Caldwell drew rein sharply. "Dickson?" he asked In a low yoice. 'O. K." came the answer as the other moved forward to Join them. "Seventy-one head," he said quietly, "and all ready." "Then let's get busy," said the foreman, fore-man, "and get out of here." With prearranged and concerted action the seven men divided and circled the herd which was bedded and quiet. On the further edge they were joined by another shadowy rider, and with silence and dispatch they got the cattle up and moving. They made little noise, drifting down the level floor of the glade In a close-packed bunch. At its mouth they headed south along the shore of the river and followed along the stream for a matter of several miles. Where the western end of Mystery turned. Nameless curved and went down along the ridge's foot In a wide and placid flow. It was here that the drivers forced the cattle to the water and kept them In it, riding in a string along the edge. This was particular work and took finesse and dispatch. This was the trick which had baffled cattlemen, and It was both easy and clever, comparatively. And so Bossick's seventy-one head of steers were disappearing and there was none to see. That ls, at this stage of the proceedings. pro-ceedings. There was one to see one who had spent many weary weeks of night riding, rid-ing, of patient watching which had seemed likely to be unrewarded He Had Heard a Cattle-Brute Bawl. Sheriff Price Selwood sitting high on the slope above Kate Cathrew's trail, as he had so often, doggedly following follow-ing his "hunch" and the prospector John Smith's discovery. Since that ride up Blue Stone canyon can-yon he had taken turns with Smith In picketing Cattle Kate's outfit, but nothing untoward had taken place. Now he sat In tedious silence, listening lis-tening to the night sounds, unaware that any one was out from Sky Line, since Caldwell and his companions .had dropped diagonally down the slope In their going, passing far above him. For an hour he sat. slouching side-wise side-wise in his saddle, his hat pulled over his eyes. The hay horse stood in hip-dropped hip-dropped rest, drowsing comfortably. It was well after midnight, Judging by the stars in the sky, when Selwood suddenly held the breath he was drawing draw-ing into his lungs. He had heard a cattle-brute bawl. For a moment he was still as death. Then he straightened up, every nerve taut. He heard the sounds of cattle, the crack of whips, the unmistakable commotion com-motion of moving bodies. As it all came nearer below him he caught the swish and splash of water, and knew he was at last witnessing a raid of rustlers, one of the mysterious "disappearances" "disap-pearances" which had puzzled all the Deep Hpnrt country for so long. He wished fervently that Smith were with him that Bossick and Jermyn and ail the rest were there. His heart was beating hard and to save his life lie could not help the excitement ex-citement which took hold upon him. And presently he heard, directly beneath be-neath him where Kale Cathrew's trail crossed Nameless, the trample and crack of myriad hoofs taking to the rocky slope. The riders were turning turn-ing the steers up toward Sky Line ranch ! But what could they do with them there? Where could they hide them? Sheriff Selwood had food for thought but little time to use It. He had only time for decision, and for the action which was to follow swiftlj on that decision. As the cattle came up the slope, pushed by the many horsemen who completely encircled them, they left a broad trail, their tracks all going up vvard aii this passed through his racing mind. What was to prevent him or any i one else from riding straight up to I i their destination by broad daylight? ) And then on the heels of this question ques-tion came like a flash of light on a dark curtain that old coincidence In time ! When that 90 head had vanished Kate Cathrew had been driving down driving down from Sky Line 300 head of her own stock, all open and above board, properly branded clear and fair! Three hundred head of steers whose moiling hoofs, going down, would trample out all trace of 90 going up! The sheriff's eyes were gleaming In the dark, his lips were a tight line of determination. He was beginning to get hold of the mystery with a vengeance. He thought of the windy passage that opened into Blue Stone canyon. If he could only find Its head he would, as Smith had said, have solved the problem. And unless- he missed his guess by a thousand miles, those steers streaming past him at the moment mo-ment were headed for it now ! Here was the chance to nail her crimes on Cattle Kate Cathrew, to make the "killing" of his years of failure fail-ure In office and Sheriff Price Selwood, Sel-wood, brave man and honest officer of the law, took his ltfe in his hand again, and fell in beside the herd. Dark, quiet, shadowy he was a rider among the riders, to all Intents and purposes one of Kate Cathrew's men and he was helping to drive Bossick's steers up to the foot of Rainbow Rain-bow cliff! From the few low-toned shouts and oaths he was able to Identify the two men nearest him as Sud Provine and Caldwell, the foreman. He thanked his stars for his own dark horse, his inconspicuous clothing. The herd was headed straight for the face of the cliff, and he expected soon to see the riders swing them east toward the corrals of Sky Line, but they did not do so. When the foremost fore-most steers were close under the wall Caldwell rode near and called to him, thinking him one of his men: "Get around to the right," he said, "and keep close to Sud, Bill. I'll lead In myself. Take It slow. Don't want 'em to jam In the neck. When the first ones start behind the Flange let 'em dribble in on their own time. AH ready?" The last two words were a high call addressed to all the men. From all sides of the herd, come to a full stop now, came replies and Selwood saw Caldwell ride away around to the right. Turning his horse the sheriff followed fol-lowed promptly. He was tense as a wire, alert, dreading dread-ing discovery every moment, yet filled with excitement which sent the blood pounding in his ears. As he neared the face of the precipice preci-pice on the right, he saw Provine sitting sit-ting on his horse, saw Caldwell circle in to the wall and cutting in before the massed cattle, go straight along its length. The faint starlight was just sufficient to show up bulk and movement, move-ment, not detail. He heard the foreman fore-man begin to call "Coee coo-ee coo-ee" and the next moment he could not believe his eyes, for horse and rider melted headfirst into the face of Rainbow cliff, as a knife slices Into a surface and disappears! Caldwell Cald-well voice came from the heart of the wall, far away and muffled, calling "Coo-ee coo-ee" Provine edged in against the steers, shouting, he followed fol-lowed suit, as to movement, though he did not speak, and the dark blot of the mass began to flow into the solid rock of the spine that crowned Mystery Mys-tery ridge! Sheriff Selwood had solved the mystery mys-tery of the disappearing steers knew to a certainty who were the rustlers of Nameless river and he could not get away with his knowledge quickly enough. Therefore he reined his horse away to the left, dropped back along the herd, edged off a hit a bit more sidled into a shadow slipped behind the pine that made it and putting the bay to a sharp walk, went down the mountain. As the sounds behind him lessened lie drew a good breath and struck a spur to his horse's flank. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Keep on Keeping On When last 1 went West by way of Ihe Broadway Limited, I was sitting on the observation platform, watching I lie scenery dasli by, when the porter came out to straighten the chairs which had been left in some disorder by a group of young folks. "We don't seem to he going so much faster than an ordinary local train George." I commented. "How. then, can this be the fastest train on earth?" "Willi, suh." replied the African, with a grin, "de fac' is we alis do;in en no faster'n lots of them pesky locals, hut we gits dar in quirk time because we jist keeps on keeping on." W. L liarnhart In Forbes Magazine. |