Show LANGFORD oaf the THREE BARS sy KATE AND VIRGIL D BOYLES copyright by A C mcclara A co aw SYNOPSIS george a poor high minded and cultured searches tor cattle missing from his ranch the lazy b on a wooded spot in the river a bed that would have been an island had the missouri been at high water he discovers a band of horse engaged in working over brands on cattle lie creeps near enough to note the changing of the three bars brand on one ateer to the J R brand paul langford the rich owner ot the three bars is informed of the operations of the gang of cattle thieves a band ot outlaw headed by jesse black who long have defied the law and authorities of kemah county south dakota langbord Lang tord Is struck with the beauty ot mary commonly known as a little louise dale an expert court stenographer who had followed her uncle judge hammond dale from the east to the Dakota hs and who la living with him at wind city la requested by the county attorney richard gordon to come to kemah and take testimony in the preliminary hearing of jesse black jim blunson ll unson in waiting at the train tor louise looks at a herd of cattle being shipped by bill brown and there detects old mag a well known emery steer belonging to his employer of the three bars ranch munson and louise start for kemah crowds assemble in justice james R court or the preliminary hearing jesse black springs the first of many great rises waiving examination through ake sanderson a member of the outlaw gang he had learned that the steer mag had been recovered and thus saw the uselessness of against being bound over richard gordon the county attorney who Is unpopular because of his many failures to secure convictions in court wins the admiration of louise which Is mutual county attorney gordon accompanies louise dale on her return to wind city he tells her of the disappointments of his office of witnesses that can be bribed and of the system of tampering with justice which prevents him from securing a conviction he has the girls sympathy while stands in the light in his door at night a shot Is fired at him the house Is attacked and a battle en euel between Wll liston and his daughter on one side and the outlaws on tha other CHAPTER IX continued As her strained sight stared out to to the darkness it was borne to her intuitively it may be that something was creeping up on her she could see nothing and yet knew it to be true every fiber ot her being tingled with the certainty of it it was corn ing closer and closer she felt it like an actual presence her eyes shifted here there swept her hal circle searchingly stared and stared still nothing moved and yet the nearness of some unseen thing grew more and more palpable if she could not see it soon she must scream aloud she breathed in little quickened gasps soon very soon she would scream ah A shadow down by the biggest cottonwood it badly sought a and a smaller trunk another slink ing shadow glided behind the vacated position it was a ghastly presenta alon of pussy wants a corner played in nightmare but at last it was something tangible something to do away with that frightful sensation of that crawling creeping twisting worming insinuating nearer and nearer so near now that it beat upon her unseen presence she pressed her finger to the trigger to shoot at the tangible shadows and dispel that enveloping choking blanket horror when god knows what stayed the action of her fingers call it instinct what you will her hand was stayed even before her physical eye was caught and held by a blot darker still than the night over to her right farah est from the spring it lay perfectly still it came to her the wily plan with startling clearness the blot was waiting for her to fire at grinning shadows among the trees and under cover of her engrossed at insinuate its treacherous body the farther forward then the play would go merrily on till the end she turned the barrel of her rifle slowly and deliberately away from the moving shapes among the cottonwood clump sighted truly the motionless blur to her right and fired once twice three times the completeness of the surprise seemed to inspire the attackers with a hellish fury they returned the fire rapidly and at will remaining under cover the while shrinking low at her window her eyes glued on the still black mass out yonder mary wonder ed it it were dead she prayed pas slona tely that it might be and yet it Is a dreadful thing to kill once more the wild firing ceased mary responded once or twice just to keep the deadly chill from returning it that were possible under cover of the desperadoes fire at obtuse angles with the first attempt a second blot began its tor twisting it accomplished a space stopped pulled itself its length stopped walteen watchful eyes on the window whence came mary s scatter I 1 d firing still into the clump of trees they bad drawn her close regard at last would it hold out forward again crawling flat on the around ever advancing slowly very but also very surely creeping creeping creeping now stopping now creeping stopping creeping all the gun play began again sharp quick from the spring from the sheds the blot lay perfect ly still for a moment waiting watch ing the plucky little rifle was silent but so it had been before quarter length halt whole length cautiously with frequent stops eyes 30 steely so intent could it be possible that this gun was really silence dout of the race it would not do to trust too much the blot waited scarcely breathed crept forward again A sudden bright light flashed up through ahe darkness under the unprotected wall to marys left almost simultaneously a kindred light sprang into being from the region of the cat tie sheds the men down there had been waiting tor this signal it meant that for some reason the second effort to creep up unobserved to alre the house bad been successful the flare grew and spread it became a glare when the whole cabin seemed to be in flames save the door the dry rude boarding had caught and burned like paper when the heat had become un bearable held out ats hand to his daughter silently As silently she put her hand her left hand in his nor did notice that it was hor left nor bow limply her right arm bung to her side in the glare her face shone colorless but her dark eyes were stars her head was held high with firm step ad danced to the door deliberately he unbarred it as deliberately threw it open and stepped over the threshold they were covered on the instant by four rifles drop your guns called the chief roughly then the desperadoes moved up 1 I take it that I 1 am the one wanted said his voice was calm and scholarly once more in the uselessness of further struggle it had lost the sharp that had been the call to action jt one must die it Is good to die after a brave fight one Is never a coward then s face wore an almost exalted look my daughter is tree to go he asked his first words having met with no response better much bet ter for the make of a man like ton to die in the dignity of silence but tor marys sake he parleyed parl eyed 1 I guess not responded the leader curtly it a hulln idiot haan hadn t missed the broad side of you as pretty a mark this side heaven as man could want then we might talk about the girl she s showed up too damned much like a man now to let her loose his big shuffling form lounged in his saddle he raised his rifle with every appearance of lazy indifference they were to be shot down where they stood now right on t e thres hold of burning homestead wll listen bowed his head to the able tor a moment then raised it proudly to meet the inevitable A rifle shot rang out clear at the very moment the lead ers hawk eye had swept the sight his rifle arm had twitched uncertainly then fallen nerveless to his side while his bullet playing a faltering and discordant second to the first true shot tore up the ground in front of him and swerved harmlessly to one side instantly the wildest contusion reigned shouts curses the plunging of horses with the sharp schack of alre arms the shooting was wild the surprise was too corn for the outlaws to recover at once they had heard no sound of approaching pro aching hoof beats the roaring flames licking up the dry timber and rendering the surrounding darkness the blackter tor the contrast had been of saving grace to the besiegers after all in a moment the desperadoes ral lied they closed in and imposed a cursing malignant wall between the rescuers and the blazing door of the shanty and what stood and lay before it mary had sunk down at her fathers feet and had no cognizance of the herce though brief conflict that ensued presently she was dragged roughly to her feet A big muscular arm had heavy grasp of her make sure of the girl red corn banded a sharp voice near and it was gone out into the night afterward she heard oh many many times in the night watches the berla galloping of horses hoots growing fainter and ever fainter heard it above the madle of trampling horses and men and knew it for what it meant but to ahls evil night she gave but one quick bewildered glance into the sinister face above her and in a soft shuddering voice breathed please don t and fainted CHAPTER X in which the X Y Z figures some what mysteriously jim munson riding his pony over the home trail at a slow walk drooped sleepily in his saddle it was not a weirdly late bedtime half past ten maybe but he would have been sleeping soundly a good hour or more bad this not been his night to go to town if he chose he had chosen he would not have missed hla chance for A a good deal but his dissipation had been light the boss never tolerated much along that line he bad drunk with some congenial cronies from the r circle E complimentary to the futures well being and increasing wealth of this already well known and flourishing cattle ranch of courso he must drink a return compliment to the same rose colored prosperity for the three bars which he did and sighed for more that made two and two were the limit and here was the limit overreached already for there had always to be a last little comforter to keep him from nodding in his siddle it was a sleepy night cool and soft and still he could walk his horse all the way it he wanted to there was no haste the bos would all be in bed they would not even wait up for the mall knowing his jims innate aversion to hurry had he not been so drowsy he would like to have sung a bit but it required a little too much effort he would just plod along must all be in bed at no light anywhere A little short of where the branch left the main trail he halt paused it it were not so late he would ride up and give them a hail but of course they were asleep everything seemed still and dark about the premises he would just plod along hello there you coma from he crded of a sudden and before he had had time to carry bis resolve into action A man on horseback had drawn rein directly in front ot him jim blinked with the suddenness of the shock might ask you the same question responded the other with an easy laugh im for town to see the doctor about my little girl been puny tor a week oh V h ere ou from asked jim with the courteous interest ot his kind new man on the X Y Z answered the other lightly must be OIL worried about my baby girl he touched spurs to bis horse and nf was ott with a friendly so long over his shoulder jim rode on thoughtfully r now dont it beat the hi was thinking how that there cowpuncher struck this trail colln from X Y Z alth the X Y clean f other side 0 town yep it beats the devil VF tor a fac he must be a aldin tor his health it beats the devil this last was long drawn out he rode a little farther it beats the devil he thought again the wonder of it was waking him up how that blamed fool could a struck this here trail a coln for doc at the branch road he stopped irresolutely TO BE CONTINUED |