| Show as SERIAL min S STORY q of the e M 73 4 ta B A R kb S by my KATE AND VIRGIL D BOYLES ceper abt t by A C alec arg ao 1907 07 SYNOPSIS george williston a poor ranchman high minded and cultured seaphes sea rhes cattle missing from his rand th the e lazy S on a wooded spot in tl e riv river ers bed that would have been an island had the missouri been at high water he dis covers a band of horse th eves engaged in working 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 bang lang ford the rich owner of the three bars Is informed intern orned ed of the operations of the gang of cattle thieves a band of t outlaws headed by jesse back who long have defied the law and autuori ties of remah county south dakota Tang I 1 engford ford Is struck with the beauty of mary commonly I 1 as williston Wll liston a little girl louise dale an expert court stenographer who had fo followed her uncle judge hammond dale from the east to the Dakota hs and who is 1 living with him at wind city Is requested q u ested by tl it e county attorney richard 1 hard gordon to come to kemah and 14 S take testimony in the preliminary hearing of jesse black jim munson in 4 waiting at the train for louise bools 1001 s at a herd of eattle cattle being shipped by bill brown and there detects old E mag a well known onery steer be a longing long ng to his employer of the three iva bars ranch munson and louise start tor for kemah crowds assemble in justice ifs james R mcallisters McAll McAlli lster s court tor for the ft preliminary hear ng jesse back cpr r the first of many great surer ses daiv n ng e examination through jake sanderson 9 a member of the outlaw gang he be I 1 ad learned that the steer mag had been re covered and thus saw the uselessness ot of fighting against being bound over county attorney gordon accompanies louse dale on her return to wind city while williston Wll liston stands in the I 1 in his door at night a shot is fired at him the house Is attacked and a battle ensues between will ston and his daughter on one side and the outlaws on the other the house Is set on fire Ys ks an outlaw raises his rifle to shoot williston Wll liston a shot from an un known source pierces his arms and the rifle falls to the ground aid has come to williston but he and his dau daughter daugn gAter ter are captured and borne away by the outlaws jim munson late at night heard the sl SI discos ered tle tl e attack n will ston s house hurried to the three bars ranch and sum langford and his brave men to the rescue it was langford who fired the shot which saved williston s ife 1 fe langford Lang tord rescues mary from her captor langford takes mary to the home of mrs white her arm has been broken by a shot she grows del de and receives medical at CHAPTER XII continued after a gallant and claunt dauntless less search which lasted through the best days ot of september langford was forced to let cold ason have its sway he had thought honestly that the ruffians would not dare commit murder know ing that they were being pursued but now he was forced to the opinion that they had dared the worst after all for though it would be hard to hide all trace of a dead man infinitely greater would be the difficulty in cov ering the trail ot of a living one one who must eat and drink who had a mouth to be silenced and strength to be restrained it came gradually to him the beliet belief that williston Wll liston was dead but it came surely with it came the jeer ot of the specter that would not let him forget that be he should have foreseen what would surely happen with it came also a great tenderness tor for mary and a re doubled vigilance to beep keep his unruly tongue from blurting out th things that would hurt her who was looking to him in the serene confidence in his good friendship for brotherly counsel and comfort in the first dark days of his new be hot he spoke to gordon and the young lawyer had written a second letter to the gal reporter in re she came at once to kemah and from thence to the white home stead in the boss s own private this time the boss did the driving himself bringing consternation to the heart of one jim munson cow punch er who viewed the advent of her and her mouse colored hair with serious trepidation and alarm what he had dreaded had come to pass but a step now to the three bars A fus sy woman would be the mea means its of again losing man his eden it was monstrous he sulked systematically louise slipped into the sad life at the whites easily sweetly adaptable adapt ably mary rallied under her gentle min s orations trat lons ions there was would ever be a haunting pathos in the dark eyes but she arose from her bed grateful tor for any kindness shown her strong in her determination not be a trouble to any one by giving way to weal and unavailing tears mary because of her abounding health healed of her wound rapidly langford took advantage of the girls absorption in each other others s company con pany to ride often and at length on quests of his own on creation with october louise must join judge dale for the f autumn term of court he ile haunted the hills he ile was not oking now tor for a living man he was seeking a cleverly concealed grave he flouted the opinion held by many that the body had been thrown antl inti the alts MIS and would wash ashore some I 1 later day many and many a mila pila be T low he held firmly to his fixed idea that impenetrable mystery c oua ng the ultimate close of williston Wll liston s earth ly career was the sought aim of his murderers and they would risk no river a giving up its abad to their un doing it had been ascertained beyond rea that williston could not have left the country in any of the anual modes his description was at al all the stations along the line er or with the theory that he would be leaving under compulsion meanwhile gordon had buckled down for the big fight he was sadly handicapped with the whole prop of his testimony struck from under him by Willis tons disappearance how ever those who ho knew him best the number was ras not large looked for things to happen in those days they the few the courageous minority through all the ups and downs with the balance in favor of the downs most of the time fline of the hardest fought battle of bis his life the end of which left him gray at the temples ma maintained a deep and abiding faith in this quiet unassuming young man who had squared his shoulders to this new paralyzing blow and refused to be knocked out who walked with them and talked with them but kept his own counsel abided his time and in the meantime worked one day langford Lang tord was closeted with him tor for a long two hours in his dingy one roomed office on the ground floor the building was a plain wooden at af fair with its square front rising ab above ove the root roof in the rear was a lean to where gordon slept and had his few hours of privacy it wont won t do paul gordon said in conclusion I 1 have thought it all out we have absolutely nothing to go upon nothing at least but our own convictions and a bandaged arm and they won an t hang a man with jesse s diabolical influence nell U e 11 fight it out on the sole question of mag paul after that well who knows some thing else may turn up there may be developments meanwhile just wait there will be justice for williston yet CHAPTER hlll mrs higgins rail es to her colors the kemah county court convened on a tuesday the second week in de cember comber the judge coming with his cour court t re reporter porter to velpen on monday found the river still open december had crept softly to its appointed place in the march of months with a gentle heralding of warm southwest st winds weather breeder said mrs hig gins of the eon bon ami with a mournful shake of her head you mark my you are the best man in all the world words and remember I 1 said it its a s sorry orry day tor for the cows when the riv er s running in december she was serving the judicial party herself and capably too she dearly I 1 1 ved the time the courts met on eith er side of the river it brought many interesting people to the bon ami al though not often the judge his corn com ing tor for supper was a most unusual honor and it was due to louise who had playfully insisted he ile had hum ored her much against his will it must be confessed for he had a deeply worn habit of making straight tor for the hotel from the station and there rt remaining until hank brukbacher Bru ebacher liv eryman who never permitted any thing to interfere with or any one to usurp bis his prerogative of driving his honor to and from kemah when court w was as in session whistled with shame less familiarity the following morning to make bis his honor cognizant of the tact fact that he hank was ready but he had come to the bon don ami because louise wished it and he reflected whimsically on the astonishment amounting almost to horror on the face of his good landlord at the vel pen houe bouce when it became an assured tact fact that he was not and had not been in the dinin dining groom room you are right mrs higgins as dented the judge gravely to her er predictions and the supper you have prepared for us Is worthy the hand that serves it kings and po ten tates could ask no better louise dear child I 1 am jond of you ane u I 1 hope you will never go back east thank you uncle hammond said I 1 ouise who knew that an amusing thought was seeping through this dec la ration of affection I 1 am sorry to give you a heartache but I 1 am go ing back to god gods s country some day nevertheless maybe so maybe not said the judge mrs higgins my good worn wom an how Is our friend the canker worm coming on these days caal er repeated mrs hig gins deanin your honor I 1 just what I 1 say cankerworm canker worm isn t he the worm gnawing in discon disco teat tent at the very verv core of the fair fruit of established order and peace in cow country 9 I 1 I 1 dont understand your hon or faltered the woman in great dation would his honor consider a hopeless but what was man talking louise looked up a flush of color staining her cheeks maybe firebrand would suit you better cadime my young friend the farba fire braid id resumed the judge rising thit th it Is good fire firebrand br and Is he not inciting the populace rop lop ulace to open rebellion false doctrine and Is s it not because of him that roots roofs are bained over the very heads of the helpless homesteader 9 for shame uncle hammond ex claimed louise still flushed and with a mutinous little sparl ie in her eyes lou are poking fun at me you haven t any right to you know but that s your way I 1 don t care bu mrs higgins t understand dont on t you mrs Higgins 9 asked the judge no I 1 don t snapped mrs hig gins and she dian didn t but she thought she did only if you mean mr rich ard gordon tell you now there ain aln t no one in this here god forsaken country who rho can hold a tallow candle to him just put that in your pipe and smoke it will youa she pil d up dishes viciously she did not wait tor for her guests to depart before she began demolishing the table it was a tremendous breach ot 01 etiquette but she t care to have an ideal shattered ruthlessly is ever a heartbreaking heart bi caking thing but my dear mrs higgins ex postulated the judge you t said that lady short ly I 1 don dont t care she went on II 11 the president himself or an archangel from heaven came down here and plastered dick gordon with bad smell in names from the crown of his little toe to the tip of his head I 1 d tell em to their very faces that they didn t know what they was a about and what s more they d better go back to where they belong and not riot come round in other peoples business when they don t understand ono aln single gle mite about it ate e dont don t want em puffin their fingers in our pie when they don dont t know a thing about us or our ways that s my say she closed with appalling sig ance flattering herself that no one could dream but that she waa was dealing in the most offhand general itie she was far too politic to an tag onize and withal too good a worn wom an not to strike for a friend she congratulated herself she had been true to all her gods and she had been louise smiled in complete sampa thy challenging the judge meanwhile with laughing eyes but the judge he was still much ot of a boy in spite of his grave calling and mature yeara years just threw back his blonde head and shouted in rapturous glee he laughed till the very ceiling rang in loud response laughed till the tears shone in his big blue eyes mrs hig gins looked on in undisguised amazement hands on hips dear me suz she sputtered is the man maa gone clean wont ron t you shake hands with me mrs higgins 9 he asked gravely I 1 ask your pardon for my levity and I 1 assure ou there isn t a man in the whole world I 1 esteem more 01 01 hold greater faith in than dick gordon or love so much I 1 thank you tor for your championship of him I 1 would that he had more friends like you louise are ou their walk to the hotel was ras a silent one later as she was leaving him to go to her own room louise laid bei hei head caressingly on her uncles unclog sleeve uncle hammond she said you are incorrigible but you are the best man in all the world the ver besta he asked smiling I 1 ly the very best she repeated firm ly to be continued |
