Show VE ar I 1 A L STORY sa W LANGY LANGFORD A 0 R 1 oaf t the B A RS ay fk KATE AND VIRGIL D BOYLES ES coper glit by A C mcclurg co im SYNOPSIS george williston a poor ranchman high minded and cultured searches for cattle UP in ss ng from his rand the lazy S on a wooded spot in the rivers bed t that hat would have been an island had the missouri been at high water he dis covers a band of horse thieves engaged in Nor working king over brands on cattle he creeps near enough to note the chang ing of the three bars brand on one steer to the J R brand paul lang ford the rich owner of the three bars Is informed of the operations of the gang of cattle thieves a band of outlaws headed by jesse black wl 0 long have hane defied the law and autuori ties of kemah county south dakota langford Lang tord Is struck with the beauty of mary commonly known as will ston s little gl 91 1 J aulse dale an expert court urt stenographer who had folio followed ed co her er uncle judge ha amond dale from from the east to tos the Dako tats ls and who Is living with him at wind city I 1 Is s r requested eques ted by the county attorney richard ichard R gordon to come to kemah and take testimony in the preliminary minar y hearing of jesse black jim munson i in n waiting at the train for louise looks at a a herd of cattle being shipped by bill brown and there detects old mag a well known ornery steer be longing to his employer of the three bars ranch munson and louise start for hen ken ah crowds assemble in justice james R mcallisters McAll McAlli lster s court for the preliminary hearing jesse black springs the first of many great sur arises arises waiving examination through jal e sanderson a member of the out law gang he had learned that the steer mag had been recovered and thus saw the uselessness of fighting against being bound over gordon the county attorney who is unpopular be cause of his many failures to secure con dictions vict ions in court w ns the admiration of louise which Is mutual county attorney gordon accompanies louise dale on her return to wind city he ile tells her of the d engg of his office of witnesses that can be bribed and of the system of tamper ng ditl justice which prevents him from securing a con convict victon on he ile has the gals g rl s sympathy while williston stands in the algi t in his door at n a shot li Is fired at h in the house Is stacked and a battle ensues between will ston and his daggi ter on one s de and the out la vs on the other the house is set on fire As an outlaw raises his rifle to shoot williston a shot from an unknown source pierces his arms and the rifle falls to the ground aid has come to williston Wll liston but he and his daughter captured and borne away by the outlaws CHAPTER X continued it beats the devil for a fac he ile looked helplessly over his shoulder the man was beyond sight and sound if he hadn t said he was goin for doc doe and belonged to the X Y Z he pondered he was swearing because he could not think of a way out of the maze of contradiction he was so seldom at a loss this braggadocio jim well I 1 reckon I 1 wont won t get any he p a here less n I 1 wait here till that son of a gun comes back from scein doc doe lord I 1 d have to camp out all night guess III be a movin on but I 1 m plumb afoot a toot for an idee as to how that got here from the X Y Z he ile shrugged his shoulders and pick ed up the fallen bridle rein he ile kept on straight ahead and it was well for him that he did so it was not the last of the affair the old prosaic trail seemed fairly bristling with ghostly visitants that night he had gone but a scant quarter quart ermile mile when he met a second horseman and this time he would have sworn on oath that the man had not been on the forward trail as long as he should have been to be seen in the starlight jim was not dozing now and he knew what he was about the fellow struck the trail from across country and from the direction of williston s home cat tie tle sheds the devil he muttered and this time he was in deep and terrible earn est hullo the fellow accosted him genially too damned pleasant the whole bunch of em found quick lodgment in jim s active brain aloud he re spondee with answering good nature hullo where ye coln 7 9 asked the other as it if in no particular haste to part company it if he had met with a sur prise he carried it off well home been to town jim was on tender hooks to be off belong to the three bars don dont t you youa yep thought so well good luck to you say said jim suddenly you don t happen to hang out at the X Y Z do youa naw I 1 what dye suppose I 1 id d be doing here this time of night it I 1 did there was scorn in his voice and suspicion too why he asked oh bothin thought I 1 knew your build but I 1 guess I 1 was mistaken so long he ile had an itching desire to it if this night traveler too was in quest of the doctor but caution held him eilent silent he ile had heed to proceed wart war ly he rode baisi ly along until he judged he had gone far enough to allay suspicion then he halted sud denly very wideawake was jim now his hand rested unconsciously on the colt colts s 45 protruding from his loosely hanging belt his impulse w ws sk n ride boldic hark and up to willis i ton s door and thus satisfy himself as to whit was doing so mysteriously tl TI ere was not a i cowardly drop in jim s circulation but it if foul play was abroad for williston that night he jim of course was spotted and would never be permitted to roach reach the house it would mean a useless sac now he needed to bf bp alive there was a crying need for his good and active service afterwards well it was all in the day s work it wouldn t so much matter then it touched spurs lightly bent bis his head against the friction of the air and urged his horse to the maddest wild est race he had ever run since that day long ago to be forgotten by neither when hen he had been broken to his masters master s will paul langford dropped one shoe to the in front of his bed though his bachelor room was plain in most respects plain for the better convenience of the bachelor hands that had it to put in rights every day with the exception of a cook langford langfo rd kept no servant the here an indian blanket thrown over a stiff chair by the table a japanese screen concealing the ugly little sheet iron stove that stood over in its corner all the year round gave evidence that his tastes were really luxurious an oil lamp was burning dimly on the table the soot of many burnings adhered to the chimney chimneys s inner side the found of galloping hoof beats on the hard road below came up to him A solitary horseman was corn com ing that way ana be he was putting his horse to the limit coo who the deuce began langford its it s jim a cow pony as sure as I 1 m a sinner what brings him home at that pace I 1 wondern Is he drunk tie ile peered out indifferently the hoof beats rang nearer and nearer clattered through the stable yards and before they ceased two or three re volver shots rang out in rapid sion jim had fired into the air to arouse the house springing from his reeking bronco he ran quickly to the stable and threw wide the door here the boss the first to gain the outside because al at ready dressed found him hastily sad adling a fresh mount langford asked langford rode slightly in advance no question that would come later he stepped silently to sadies sadie s stall in an incredibly short space of time the rest of the boys came leaping out of the ranch house slamming the door behind them to be up and doing was the meat they fed on in less than ten minutes they were all mount ed and ready five of them silent full i to the brim of reckless hardihood prime tor for any adventure that would serve to break the monotony ot of their lives more than that every fiber of 1 their being when touched would respond a tuneful sounding string of loyalty to the traditions of the three 1 bars and to its young master each 1 was fully armed they asked no ques i tion yet there could be no doubt of 1 a surprise when the time came tor for action they were always prepared these boys of the most popular ranch outfit west of the river right in the i face of this popularity perhaps be 1 cause of 0 it they were a bit ing these boys and held fellowship with any outside the three bars a thing not to be lightly entered into it was a alne thing to work for the boss and out of the content accruing sprang a conservatism like that of the proudest aristocrat of the land langford took the trail first jim had said but the one word willis ton it was enough nothing was to be heard but the rapid though reg ular pound of hoof beats on the level trail it is a silent country the cow country and its gravity begets grav ity langford riding slightly in advance was having a bad time with himself the keenest self reproach was stab bing him like a physical pain pala his honor his good honor that he held so high and stainless was his word not given by it that the Willil Willis tons might count on his sure protection 7 what had he done to merit this proud boasts knowing that jesse black was once more at liberty fully realizing of what vast import to the state would be wll wil listens liston a testimony when the rustlers should be brought to trial he had hand sat stupidly back and done nothing and he had promised would williston have bad had the courage without that kroml ea why were not some of his cowboys even now sleeping with an art eye upon that little claim shack where lived that scho scholar larman man who was not fit tor for the rough life of the plains maybe but who had been brave enough and high minded enough I 1 to lay hi W 11 on tl th white altar of teli tel telling I g what he knew tor for rights right a bake sake and the girl god the girl he cried aloud what did you say bossa asked jim pounding alongside nothing said langford Lang tord curtly he spurred his mare savagely in the shock of and the sting that his neglected word brought him he had forgotten the girl Willi storis a little girl with the grave eyes the tho girl who was not 10 but 20 and more the girl who had waited for him ft horn nhom he had sent on her long way alone joyously as one tree free of a duty that promised to be irksome the girl who had brought the blood to his face when ashamed he had galloped off to the spring the girl who had closed her door when a man s curious eyes had roved that way how could be he forget the little cavalcade swept on with increased speed following the lead of the master soon the sound of shooting was borne to them distinctly through the quiet night thank god boys cried langford digging in his spurs once more they the are not surprised edt listen god what a plucky fight if it they can only hold out at that moment a tiny tongue of flame leaped up away to the front of them gleaming in the darkness like a beacon light now there were two they grew sp ead leaped heaven ward in mad revel langford Lang tord s heart sank like lead he ile groaned in an ex beeding bitterness of spirit the worst had happened would they be in timea these claim shanties burn like paper and the girl he ile doubted not that she had sustained her share of the good fight she had fought like a man she must die like a man would be the outlaw s reasoning he ile believed she would die like a man it if that meant bravely but something clutched at his heartstrings heart strings with the thought her big solemn eyes came back to him now as they had looked when she had lifted them to him gravely as he sat his horse and she had said she had waited tor for him kim waa she waiting ng nowa the boys rallied to the new im petus pettis gloriously they knew now phat hat it meant and their hardy hearts thrilled to the excitement of it and the danger they swept from the main trail into the dimmer one leading to williston s without diminution of speed presently the boss drew rein with a suddenness that would have played havoc with the equilibrium ot or less seasoned horsemen than cowboys they followed with the precision and accord of trained cavalrymen now and then could be seen a black sinis ter figure patrolling the burning home stead but hugging closely the outer skirt of darkness waiting tor for the doomed door to open boys began langford Lang tord but he never gave the intended command to charge at once with wild shouting and shooting to frighten away the maraud ers and give warning to the be besieged stegel that rescue was at hand for at thai moment the door opened and willis ton and his daughter stepped out Is it cull full view of raider and rescuer there be parley A man slouching ir it his saddle rode up into the circle 0 lurid light was it jesse blacksher Black Ther Thero was something hauntingly famil familial lai about the droop of the shoulders thai that was all hardly enough to hang a 0 man langford Lang tord raised his rifle quickly his nerves were perfectly steady HI was never truer his ills bullet went straight to the rifle arm of the th dutlaw outlaw with a ringing shout he ral led lied his comrades spurred his pon orward forward and the little party charge chargee ae the astounded raiders with a fury 01 07 shots that made each rustler stane static veil well to his own support leaving the th tons s for the time being tree trea rom their attention the desperadoes were on the run rum rhey they cared to take no risk of cation it was not easy to determine low many there were there seemed i half dozen or more but probably our or five at the most would tev heir their number the flames were sinking willis on had disappeared the boys scat seat ered in wild pursuit wheeling hi borse langford was in time to see a big muscular fellow swing a girlish form to the saddle in front of him quick as a flash he spurred forward lifted his heavy colts revolver higo over his head and brought it down on oi fl the fellow fellows s skull with D a forck that knocked him senseless without time tor for a sigh or moan As his arms fel fell 1 lax tax and he toppled in his saddle langford Lang tord caught the girl and swung her free of entanglement to be continued |