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Show SOUTH CACHE COURIER Release his warriors onto the border. Thats what I want. Because by then Ill be working somewhere else. And you want me to take em on the other side is that the idee? I want three dollars a head, American gold, paid off as the cattle come out of the water Ropers ways of gathering his wild bunch were diverse, as diverse as the saddle men he gathered. One way or another, picking up a man here, three more there, he got all he needed, and more. But certain other things had to be done, in order that the wild bunch would have work to do, planned in such a way that something would be accomplished that would stay acCHAPTER VII complished. On a steamy afternoon early in These men whom Roper notV gath ered about him hated a particular July, Bill Roper sat in Fred Maxman, not only as lawless as them- ims San Antonio law office. Maxim selves, but a man who was more was an attorney who, some thought, than one man. Ben Thorpe was a had worked under a different name, thousand men; operating under somewhere before; but here, assurCleve Tanner in the south, and Walk edly he was in no ones pay. Lasham in the north, his innumer Im not asking the likes of you able retainers filamented the plains whats what, Bill Roper said. I from the Rio Grande to the Big Horn. That Ropers men hated Ben Thorpe was no coincidence; Roper had picked men of personal grudge Most of them had first been outlawed because they had not suited a the organizasingle organization tion of Ben Thorpe. Up and down and across half of Texas, constantly in the saddle, Bill Roper threaded his new organization. Sometimes Dry Camp Pierce was with him; more often he traveled alone. These famous gunfight ers and outlawed men whom Roper gathered were just youngsters, mostly. Some of them were true killers; some merely reckless kids who had got off on the wrong foot. All of them were badly wanted by what little law there was. Dry Camp Pierce he was called that because he hated to camp too near to water went to work for Bill Roper as he had never worked before; and thus the king of cow thieves, the brand changer extraor dinary, for once aligned on the side of the law that was not. Ten rustlers camps hooked into INSTALLMENT 5 THE STORY SO FAR: Dusty King and Lew Gordon were joint owners of the vast range which stretched from Texas to Montana. When building up this string of ranches, they continually had to fight the unscrupulous Ben In wealth Thorpe. He rivaled and power, but had gained his position through wholesale cattle rustling and gunplay. One afternoon King was killed by Thorpe and his two assistants, Cleve Tanner and Walk Lasham. King's adopted son. Bill Roper, decided to start a cattle war against Thorpe in Texas. He made this decision against the strong opposition of his partner. Lew Gordon. Bills sweetheart, Jody Gordon, pleaded frantically with him to turn back, but could not change his grim determination. King-Gordo- n ... King-Gordo- n , Thorpe-Tann- territory er . . . But Dry Camp also helped in other ways. A hot June dusk, five days after the meeting at Whipper Forks, found Bill Roper at the Dry Saddle Crossing, where he was to meet Lee Har-nisand this meeting, too, was arranged by Dry Camp Pierce, though by this time Pierce was already far away. Here ran the broad, river, dividing two countries a river whose split wanderings made two miles of intermittent shallows. At this border of a vast, imperceptibly rolling prairie stood a narrow string of adobe shacks. That was the Dry Saddle Crossing. Two men Bill Roper and Lee Harnish sat in front of one of those abandoned shacks, and tried to get together. Ive always understood, Roper said, that you were acquainted some, below the line. Harnishs hard eyes studied Roper, and for a little while nothing could be heard except the mourning of doves in the willow scrub by the water. Next to Dry Camp Pierce, Lee Harnish was the oldest of those to join Roper; he was twenty-eigh- t. ald He was tall and lank, most to the color of an Indian; his green eyes were curiously blank, impenetrable, and he liked to look his man in the eye with the peculiar fixity seen in the gaze of hawks. Ive been down there some, he admitted. Ive made a few drives into Chihuahua; one drive to Mexico City. If you had a big wet herd run to you just below the line, would you know ho to get rid of it? I cant make out your hand, n Harnish said. never the swung long rope yet, that I heard of. n now. My Im not stunt is to smash Cleve Tanner; and I dont care what it costs. Whats wrong with backing him if thats what you into a shoot-ou- t, want? That comes later. If I bust Tanner I can bust Thorpe. But if Tanner is gunned before hes busted, Thorpe will take over in Texas, and the chance to break up his Texas layout will be gone. You aint going to bust him by running off a few head of cattle. This river crossing is slow work, h; -- many-chan-nel- ed Ropers ways of gathering his wild bunch were diverse. want to know who' actually owns range rights on the Graham stand. The hard-bitte- n little man across the desk from Roper was still cadgy: When it comes to ousting a man r ' l from possession1 You know who ousted Bob Graham and his family from possession. Cleve Tanner took over that outfit n by main power, without decent cause or reason. Everybody knows that. Im asking you . horse-and-gu- now Taylor and Graves are already doing everything that can be done to regain possession of Grahams outfit, Maxim said, smiling. It was the smile that Roper liked. 'Suppose I hold the Bob Graham lands, and Bob Grahams family are living on it. Bob Graham hasnt got possession, Maxim said. Suppose he did have? could Never Ben happen. said, Well, what seems to be your offer? I guess you already know Bob You know Graham, Roper said. how a warrior gang of Cleve Tanners jumped down on him, on some thin excuse, and run him off his range. They even took over his house and his windmill and his corrals. Now, I aim to hand back that range to Bob Graham; hes waiting in Bigspring for the word. Your part of the job is simple enough you just go and take it away from the King-Gordo- A Quiz With Answers Offering Information on Various Subjects The Questions The Answers How many times has the National league pennant gone to the New York Giants? 2. In old romances, the lady Fifteen times. Griselda was proverbial for her patience. 3. Northern Africa (modern Mocalled Griselda is proverbial for rocco and part of Algeria). 4. According to St. Thomas her what? Tanner bunch. coun3. Where was the ancient Aquinas, the seven capital sins are Simple, huh? Just how do you avarice, gluttony, lust, Mauritania? called vainglory, figure this simple trick is to be try4. and anger. sloth, sins? are the envy What capital done? 5. Brian Boru was the king and 5. Boru was king and hero Brian A lawyer in San Antonio kept of the Irish (1002-14the Rangers off when Tanner hero of what people? 6. 6. A temperature of 134 degrees jumped Graham. Now weve got an- ture What is the highest temperaGreenland ranch, Death Valley, ever at recorded the weather by other better lawyer in San Antonio Calif., on July 10, 1913. to keep them off when Graham bureau in the United States? jumps Tanner. The only question is, whos got enough salt to grab that range and then hang onto it? And what do we get out of all 1. 2. 1. . ). Embroideries to Make You Proud this? Graham takes over the outfit and runs it. You hang around and help him, and see that he doesnt get run off again. For that you get a half interest in the outfit. You split it among you any way you see fit. Ill back Graham with cattle, and what other stuff he needs. Nate Liggett said, Bill, I dont see where we come in for no advantage. If youre satisfied with the lone wolf stuff youve been pulling, I havent got anything to offer you, But Ill tell you Roper admitted. this the boys that string with me now will see the day when theyll run Texas; and Cleve Tanner, anc Ben Thorpe, too, will be busted up and forgot! Its a hefty order! Maybe it is. This Graham busi ness is a kind of experiment; itI work if you make it work. But if DLEASANT dreams are assured it goes through okay its only the when sheets and pillow cases beginning, you hear me? You string are embroidered with these lovely with me a little while; and maybe, by God, well show a couple of people something flower motifs. The crocheted edging will be found easy, too. contains a transfer pattern 19 Vi inches; 2 motifs 7 Va by 12Vi inches; directions for edging; illustrations of stitches; materials needed. Send your order to: Pattern 6893 of a motif 7,i by Sewing Circle Needlecraft Dept. New York Eighth Ave. Enclose 15 cents m coins for Pattern No 82 Name Address Manners of Country There ought to be a system of manners in every nation which a d mind would be disposed to relish. To make us love our country, our country ought to be lovely. Burke. well-forme- ... CHAPTER VIII Hot, (fry days of early August As the first sun struck with a red sS heat across the plains, the Tanner men who held the Graham ranch were already saddling. All over Texas, cowmen were throwing toKISSING THE BRIDE! gether the last trail herds of the Since Colonial days it has been year; it was time for these Tanner men to roll their chuck wagons a good American custom to kiss the blushing bride after the again, to round up the last of the trail-fi- t stock that remained in the minister has said "I now herds which had belonged to Bob pronounce you man and wife". Graham. And it s an equally good and equally Out from what had been the Grapleasant American custom to enjoy ham corral, three riders swept fine full flavor and mild frathe through the dusty dawn; but they grance of King Edward, Americas had hardly left the pole fences bemost popular cigar. Try King hind when six other riders confrontim Edward today and be convinced. ed them, rising into their saddles like Comanches, out of the brush. The strangers closed in a semi-circlunhurriedly, their carbines in their hands. In another minute or two the three Tanner riders were grouped in a defensive knot, while of the raiders from the semi-circl- e Nate Liggett jogged forward to talk it over. I dont think you want to go on, he said. Our Existence I dont even think you dure as long as we remain AmerRome endured as long as there ican in spirit and in thought. Dawant to work for this outfit any were Romans. America will en vid Starr Jordan. more. P ... ' for e, mm Two nights later, one hundred and fifty miles away With the approach of dusk, a peculiar light lay upon the valley of the Potreros. In a reach of open grass a herd of five hundred head bunched loosely tame, heavy cattle, already well removed by breeding from the old, wild, long-hostrain. But they had not bunched voluntarily. They shuffled restlessly, watching the brush! something was happening around them that they did not understand. As the light failed, the figures of horsemen emerged from the brush, shadows into the cutting mile-lon- g flat rays of sunset; the huge, man who signaled to his spread-ou- t cowboys by turning his horse this way or that, in Indian horse language, was Dave Shannon. They did not harass the cattle. Only, between sunset and the next daylight, no cow took a step other than in the direction of the Mexican border Thorpe Shut up a minute, Roper said. Im not asking you to put Graham back in possession of his range. Im not asking you to save him from being put off again in the way he was before. What I want to know is, can you head off some cooked-u- p legal interference with Graham, after hes in possession again? Fred Maxim thought it over. I can only promise you that I can cause considerable delay, he said. Months of delay? Providing you can show possession Ill keep you clear until hell freezes. Thats all I want Still July, at Willow Creek A barren range of hiUs, sand hills; golden in the dawn, purple in the twilight, barren always. Beneath them, what had been the Willow Creek camp of the old season; Texas scorched by In the bunkhouse nearest the river, the hot winds five men lounging around a little All across the southern ranges a room. thing was happening. As peculiar All right, you hard guys, Bill word spread from twenty points of Roper said; you know who told you disturbance, certain of the older catto come here. Dry Camp Pierce tlemen began to sense that there told you to come here. Maybe he was a curious, almost systematic told you what you could look for order to what in itself seemed a here, huh? widespread disruption. All over the These four gunfighters who met Big Bend country, eastward almost Roper here were none of them older to the well settled Nueces, westkid. than Bill; yet each was famous as a ward beyond the barren Pecos, I figure to cross five thousand killer in his own right. Of them all northward to the fever line, was head within the next three months, Bill Roper alone had no name, no breaking a spotty wave of raids of Roper told him. reputation. Yet, in respect for the an unparalleled boldness. Far apart, Five thousand head wont even name of Dusty King, they had come but almost simultaneously, hell had scratch the hide of Thorpe and Tan- to hear him out. busted loose in a great number of Nate Liggett, a round-face- d ner, son." kid places, covering more than half of I know that as well as you. What with eyelashes that looked as if they Texas. it will do, itll draw Tanner to throw had been powdered with white dust. (TO BE CONTINUED) sun-bake- ? ASK ME ANOTHER If you bake Vi at home, use IL m heavy-shoulder- ... King-Gordo- ... King-Gordo- n. Dry-gras- s w lOootf Ito&ekteplnfl BureAii W 1 ed FtCls Uj & ft ?V The nt.j Household Favorite 'Wi, of Four Generations! 'el'f (hit, nr T 9 it v- "i BIG 11-OUN- i CE BOTTLE OF HONEY & ALMOND CREAM Regular 1 size limited time only i |