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Show THE RICH COUNTY REAPER, RANDOLPH. UTAH n Everybody who knew at aU knew the story of Bill Roper and Dusty King. Fifteen years ago, at the age of five, - BiU Roper had been found hiding in the brush, Uke a little rabbit, beside a wrecked outfit on the old trail to SedaUa. It was Dusty King who had found him there; and it was Dusty King who body had buried the of Bills father beside that traiL In the fifteen years since then, BiU Roper had learned guns and horses and cattle, and the tricks of the traU as only Dusty King knew them. He had been able to read prairie signs before he could read print, and if it had not been for tomato can labels, perhaps would never have learned to read print at aU. Everything he knew he had learned with Dusty King. There was every reason that he should have grown to look something like the great traU driver who had brought him up. Now, as they made their way down the muddy street, before the d wooden buUdings, half the cowmen that thronged OgaUala hailed Dusty with comradeship and delight; so that his progress was that of a celebrated character, already famous. The other half they were Ben Thorpe men seemed not to see him at aU. It was hard to teU which tickled Dusty King more the warmth of his many friends, or the bitterness of his innumerable enemies. The bidding for the Crying Wol! ands was being held in a disusec store, and here the sidewalk anc lalf the street were fiUed with knotted groups. Through this crowc Dusty King and BiU Roper waded. Dusty trying to look like something bewildered, from the taU country. Beside the door was, posted a hand-biin black type, giving due lega notice of the auction of leases, anc Dusty stopped to study this with a grave empty face, af if he had never heard of it before. King-Gordo- BvALAN LE MAY INSTALLMENT CHAPTER I W. N.U. Release raided the cross timbers with him in the old days; the only two he can 1 really trust, now. Its natural that Walk Lasham This was the crisis the climax of all that long war. Here they sat, should be here, Lew Gordon conthese men who had fought a common ceded; but Cleve Tanner, all the enemy for so long : Dusty King, who, way up from the Big Bend with the hoofs of countless cattle, Shows you, Dusty King said, had carved many a Great Plains what store they set on the Crying trail deep into the short grass; young Wolf lands. Ben Thorpe is sold Bill Roper, who had begun follow- mighty deep into next years deliveries. Already hes committed for ing those trails with Dusty King before he was big enough to hold a more northern-fe- d cattle than he can horse; and old Lew Gordon, Texas show unless he can get the Crying man, whose wild marketless herds Wolf. had been the roots of fortune. Slowly Lew Gordon got a frayed Dusty King and Lew Gordon con- tally book out of his back pocket. Lew Gordons voice The survey stituted the famous was bewildered with that had its hard curiously developed partnership the great cattle trails; until now to believe theres any land as good as this. their many brands marked herds beyond estimate.' They Their private survey had been were here because of tomorrows made by BiU Roper; it represented auction of land leases. Under the weeks of hard riding, and shrewd hammer would go the grazing rights calculation of the strength and depth on the Crying Wolf Indian lands of the feed upon the surface of the those miles and miles of stirrup-dee- p broken land. n wantgrass that One place here reads fifty head ed, and that Ben Thorpe had to have. to the section, Lew safd wonder-inglIt was curious that their long war Fifty head of cattle grazing with Ben Thorpe should have met its true climax here. The three in this room understood that the outcome would rest upon what the two older men decided here. Possession of the Crying Wolf meant dominance in the north to or to Ben Thorpe; there was no longer going to be room for both. King-Gordo- n, far-scatter- ed King-Gordo- y. King-Gordo- n, This is an old fight, Lew, Dusty It goes back as far as King said. that first time you backed me with a little herd, to see if I could make it through to Abilene. Dont hardly seem like we better draw back now. Lew Gordon stirred, swaying his shoulders imperceptibly, like a stubborn bear. Credits going to be terrible hard, this coming year, he said at last. Dusty King seemed to sprawl a little more loosely; he was playing poker in a way of his own. Swaggering, spendthrift he still was a man who believed invincibly in himself. I passed Ben Thorpe in the road, He was looking today, he said. mighty prosperous. I bet he weighs two hundred and twenty-fiv- e pounds now, with his stomach pulled in. easy-goin- ed God-forsak- en false-fronte- U Mr. King, somebody theyve been waiting for you, said, fuUy an hour. Then he Dusty looked blank. clutched his hat to his head in a startled way, and rushed inside with a clownish representation ' of haste. g, Within, the crowd of plains-coun-t- ry men bronzed men, saddle-face- d men, sometimes bearded men gave way as King, foUowed by BiU Roper, shouldered his way to the back. Is this the place, King asked, where the feUer is selUng the His backing is terrible strong, Lew Gordon said, his eyes on the floor. No one knew better than Lew Gordon that Dusty King, in tackling the impossible a hundred times, had a hundred times shown the way for the rest. But Gordon remembered too the poverty of the cattle-poo- r days before any outlet was found for Texas beef. To risk all they had won, in a single slashing stroke at an old enemy, was almost more than Gordon could bear. You know why Ben Thorpes strong, Dusty King said. And you know how he got his start. We know why it is that so many Texas outfits stand in Ben Thorpes name; and how many different ways hes found to jump down on little lonely Texan cowmen and leave them broke or dead. And we know whats happened to many a little outfit that started north, but never brought their cattle through, nor got home. Every year, Dusty King said, since we began driving up the big trails, weve locked horns in one way or another with this one gang. Im not forgetting who started the Red Crick stampede where Dave and Bob Henry died under piled up cattle; nor the Tularosa shootings, with four more of my boys dead. Theres some good cowboys under the prairie, Lew. Gordon said almost inaudibly, Never could prove anything. His herds have grown faster than ours have grown, Dusty Kings expressionless voice droned on. Hes as big as we are; hell be bigger soon. From the Big Bend to the Tetons, he owns more outfits than he knows the names of. Hes never run an honest deal where he could run a crooked one, nor a square trick where he could play a mean one; its a long time since he rode all night with his rifle in his hands, but Lew, if he isnt stopped theres plenty he can hire to do his stuff now. Dusty, Lew Gordon said, weve blocked him every way we could. Thats why hell get you, and me too, in the end." Again the silence closed, with behind it the perpetual bawling of the cattle, far off in the spring night. Dusty King said casually, Cleve buUet-shatter- Maybe thirty-fiv- e acre. cents an one section of land! Its past belief. This isnt TexasLew. I figure we might pay as high as thirty cents to the acre, Gordon said, by the years lease. A flicker like that of heat lightning showed for a moment behind Dusty Kings eyes; but. his voice was low and monotonous as before. Thirty cents be damned, he said. Lew Gordon looked at him for a long time. How deep you figure to go? Get the land, Dusty King said. Ben Thorpe is liable to go crazy and bid his head off. Were looking down his throat, King said for the second time. The least the deputy commissioner can accept is drafts on Kansas City. Ben Thorpe hasnt realized the value of the land. Well catch him short and force him off the board. At what cost to ourselves? don demanded. At all costs. Slowly Lew Gordon Maybe thirty-fiv- e head. acre. Gor- shook his cents an Dusty Kings voice rose explosively for the first time. Thirty-fiv- e or fifty cents, cents," he echoed or seventy-fivor a dollar! Get the land! Lew Gordon sighed, and he looked like a man who was weary and old You want that land, Gordon said even if--" At all costs, Dusty King said again. Gordon looked his partner in the eyes. Go in and bid! e, Swinging down the board walks of Ogallala in the cool spring sunlight Dusty King and BiU Roper looked a whole lot alike. The more than twenty years difference in their ages had not changed Dusty d Kings swagger, the rakish cock of his old soft hat, nor the cracking ring of the spurs he was believed to in. sleep The trail years had leathered his face, but they could not diminish his gay exuberance; just as Tanners here. prosperity was unable to take from him the look Bill Roper saw Lew Gordons eyes of the trail. Whatever Dusty ibng flick up to look at Dusty King. wore, he always appeared to be Cleve Tanner? wearing disreputable saddle clothes Here in Ogallala. Perhaps young BUI Roper had What the devils the meaning of picked up a lot of Dusty Kings charthat? acteristics in the course of Cleve and Walk Lasham are the i:sM only two of Ben Thorpes men that ong as BUI life. dark-of-the-mo- on loose-jointe- Ropers J t, horse? . . The deputy commissioner took his feet off his table. The sale was supposed to start at two oclock, he complained. A little tribute, there. The commissioner perhaps already in Ben Thorpes pay hardly dared start an important sale, without present this slouching, nondescript-lookin- g sentative of King-Gordo- repre- Ught-color- ed ed King-Gordo- n. Thick-shoulder- now, he was today more than ever a power feared in the cattle country stiU unscrupulous, still menacing, but now of a different sort a power of wealth, of organization, and of bought-u- p law. Beside him, the taU man, lean and narrow-bodie- d as a slat, was Cleve Tanner; a hawk-face- d man, keeneyed, so cleanly shaven that the tight skin of his jaws seemed to shine. Cleve Tanner was manager of Ben Thorpes Texas holdings, the breeding grounds ' from which whole Thorpes organization drew its strength. The other, the man who seemed uncommonly dark, even among these men, was Walk Lasham. He was Ben Thorpes manager in the north, now; under his poker-face- d watchfulness lay Ben Thorpes northern holdings, the feeding grounds now necessary to any wide operation in the cattle trade. The deputy commissioner raised his voice. This, he said, is a federal auction, to place by public bidding certain lands in the charge of the Indian Department, by the authority of the Secretary of the Interior and the President of the United States ; namely certain heavy-bodie- d, ded. I shouldnt think, said the deputy commissioner, we need hear any bid of less than ten; cents per year, per acre. There was a moments silence, and the deputy commissioner got out a big silk handkerchief and mopped his head, as King now let a slow smile come to the surface of his impassive face. A curious rumble ran over the room, and the crowd seemed to sway. I got a proposition, Dusty King said. Nobody is bidding on this land but just us two; nobody means to bid. Throw the whole thing in one pot and well bid on the works. IU agree to that, Thorpe decided. The black anger in his face had submerged again, so that he was poker-eyeThe deputy commissioner was beginning to look like a man who wished he were some place else. d. If there are no objections . Fifty cents, said Dusty King. Ben Thorpes face had turned a curious color, not gray, certainly not bloodless; an odd congested colFifty-fivor, like dark sand. he Uncle Phil Says: A GOOD merhory test is try-in- g to remember the things we worried over yesterday. Human nature is strange; the head never swells till the brain stops growing . One fellow to sidestep is the fellow whose Is are too close together. The question is not when did civilization begin, but when will it. Even with the multitude of taxes, its easier to live within an income than to live without one. One good way to flatter a man is to tell him he is the type that cant be flattered. Where Anger Is a Crime Returned to his home in Mont11 years missionary work in the Arctic, Father Stephen Bazin says he had great difficulty in explaining the war to the Eskimos. They could not imagine anyone angry enough to fight. He told them the war started because one people tried to steal anothers property. VThe Eskimos who, I believe, are the most peace-lovinhappiest people in the world, know now that a war is going on, though they still think it is strange, he says. By nature they are calm and patient. Anger is a grave crime with them. They spend hours laughing and talking, and have really no worries. There is no such thing as a sad Eskimo. real after g, e, said. Sixty Sixty-fiv- PROFITS Make and sell famous Shampoo and Hand Lotion. Profits big. Rasy to make as mixing a cake. Send $1 each for simple recipe and direction for making. Your profits will buy some of the things youve always wanted. MAR-V- e. A A dollar, said Dusty King. A dollar, five. Just in confidence between you ORDER NOW and me, Dusty King said; Mr. PRODUCTS, Bex 267. Fresas, CaM. Thorpe cant pay that. I think my name is good anywhere in the cow country, Thorpe Effect of Study said to the commissioner. As some insects are said to deIt aint good here, said King. rive their color from the leaf upon The deputy commissioner slapped which they feed, so do minds of his pen down on the table. Gentlemen assume their hue from the men, he said, Im sorry to do this; studies which they select for it. but in the interests of the governLady Blessington. MfiR-I- ment, and of the Indian Department which I represent, all further bids in this auction will be accepted only as representing American gold. Cash on the nail? King asked, BY YOUR LAXATIVE RELIEVE la. There was no question now CONSTIPATION THIS MODERN WAY about the sweat that stood out on When you feel gassy, headachy, logy the commissioners forehead. due to dogged-ubowels, do as millions do taka at bedtime. Next 'Seventy cents, said King. morning thorough, comfortable relief, Im already bid a dollar, five! helping you start the day full of your normal energy and pep, feeling like a Sure; but we got different rules million! now. God knows Thorpe cant back doesnt disturb your nights rest or interfere with work the a dollar, five in gold. What kind next day. Try the chewing of shenanigan is this, gum laxative, yourselC It tastes good, its anyway? The eyes of the deputy commishandy and economical... a family supply sioner went to Ben Thorpes face again, but there was nothing to be FEEN-A-MIN- T read there. Thorpe seemed so umpishly still that it was not apSwift Report parent that he breathed. Report, that which no evil thing Seventy cents, said Dusty King of any kind is more swift, inagain in the silence. Whoop er creases with travel and gains Ive up, boys only begun! Silence again through the pack of strength by its progress Vergil. those saddle-face- d men; perspiring silence on the part of the deputy DON'T BE BOSSED p Feen-A-Mi- Feen-A-Mi- n. No word has come from your partner at aU, the commissioner said. He aint coming. Three men who sat in chairs grouped around one end of the table looked at each other. They ignored King and Roper, as hostile dogs ignore an enemy of whom they are not yet keenly aware. The big man in the hat was Ben Thorpe the Ben holdThorpe whose ings perhaps already exceeded those of ties of Texas mesquite grass plains, great areas of the middle short-gras- s country, scores of outfits. The struggle between them had developed with the Chisholm trail itself combat between a decade-lon- g men of diametrically opposed principles and methods. And now This land, the deputy commisis thrown into sioner concluded, blocks. I think, gentlemen, you are already familiar with the placement of the lands. Block 1 includes, as previously agreed, an estimated one thouhundred sections, or sixty-fou- r sand acres, known hereinafter as Block 1; bounded on the north by Cleve Tanner leaned close to Ben Thorpe, whispered, and Thorpe nod- nt nt Feen-A-Min- t, To commissioner, dead lumpish on the part of Ben Thorpe. Cleve Tanner, his hands locked back of his neck, looked at the ceiling; Walk Lasham sat motionless, his eyes on the face of his boss. You the deputy commissioner wavered, you you can back this si-en- ce )id in gold? Immediate delivery by Wells argo, King said. Right now. in Ogallala. Mr. Thorpe, the commissioner wavered, Mr. Thorpe, will you do you They waited for what Ben Thorpe would say. His face was expressionless still, as he got up from his chair; but men stumbled over each other to get out of his way, as he walked down the length of that packed room, and out into the street. The deputy commissioner melted down, unrecognizable seemed now as the crisp little man who had opened the bidding. His face was white and set, and his eyes showed fear Well? said King. The Crying Wolf, the commis- s,aid ,,hus,kiIy. the Crying lands there are no other bids go to n . Something like a sigh, a general release of tension, ran through that lands of men. jam He droned through his Close to Dusty Kings ear Bill Ron-epreamble r perfunctorily; everyone in the crowd asked, out of the side of his knew exactly what was involved How high would we-h- ow Something more than land was here mouth, could we have gone? high hands. To hold the Crying changing The mask of Dusty Kings face Wolf would all but mean m the north. But this supremacv broke up; every muscle in his face bigger than that. The two organizS came into action, every tooth showed as he grinned. tions which here clashed the great powers of the again be! Seventy cents, King answered trails; huid each of them were whole coun (TO BE sun-darken- ed Ser, King-Gordo- ... CONTINUED ) HOTEL BOISE BOISE, IDAHO Largest and finest hotel in Idaho. Two hundred beautifully appointed rooms. Only fireproof hotel in Boise. Located in heart of civic, governmental and business district. EXCELLENT FOOD MODERATE RATES MANAGEMENT OF VIRGIL G. MC GEE |
