Show 94 is STORY re I 1 A L LANGFORD A 0 hc rg 1 J L ftc rk ATE AND VIRGIL D BOYLES ES coper abt by A C 1 C arg lo 10 1 SYNOPSIS cattle threes despo alln rand es of south dakota george wt WI ston small ranchman runs into rendezvous of thieves on island in M 1 river tl TI ey have stolen cattle fro n tl TI ree bar francl langford visits aillston millston Mill vi ston and his bauh ter and wil iston lepor s N I 1 la at I 1 ie e I 1 las as seen to langford Lang tord A I 1 0 detern debern ines to r d country of thieves jesse black hea bea Is out country law lava s 1 engford fal f al s in love w th vv ill s ton tons s daughter but does not tell her so 80 louisa louise dale court apher and niece of judge dale visits kemal jemal at re rp quest of county attorney attorn ei go don to take testimony in prel hearing gordon falls in love N ith her after prelim nary examination williston s home is attacked and defended by I 1 is daughter and him self outlaws fire build ng just as lang ford and his cowboys arrve arr ve outlaw s carry off W 11 ston but langford hresc es the dau daughter ahter 1 without will st on eviden e against black Is meager and case seems to be going against the state gordon takes a night ride and finds williston Wll liston alo wl has escaped from captors TI the courthouse at kemah burns at aint night williston holds a tea party in his room folio follo ving ong court house fire and mary wil wit listen liston and louise dale attend court con venes in the church and Willis tons s tes is introduced by gordon black seeing his cage case lost makes break tor for lib erty and escapes louise from her hotel room in the n gl gi t sees a man in the act of shooting hooting gordon through the window of his room across the street she arouses mary who sl at the would be assas ansas sin but too late tor for gordon is seriously wounded CHAPTER continued doc doc doe lockhart some one send doc doe over here quick gordon gordons s office be quick about it he cried in a loud firm voice then he closed the door and locked it in response to his call footsteps were vere heard run D ng the door was tried then came loud knocking and voice demanding admittance no one can come in but doc cried langford Lang tord through the keyhole send him quick somebody for gods sake where s jim munson he 11 II get him here quick I 1 tell you he hastened back to the side ol 01 his filand and passed his hand gently over the right side to find the place whence came that heartbreaking drip disappointed in their desire to get in men crowded before the window I 1 ouise stepped softly forward and drew the blind between him and the mass of curious faces without she was very pale but q ilet and self possessed bhe she had rallied when langford had whispered to her that gordon s heart was still beating the doctor rapped loudly calling to lang ford to open paul admitted him and then stepped out in full sight of all his hand still on the knob the late moon was just rising A faint light spread out before him BOS boys he cried a great grief in his stern voice it s murder dick gor don s murdered now get you know what for and be quick about it they laid him gently on the floor took off his coat and cut away the blood soaked shirts louise assisted with deft tender hands presently the heavy lids lifted the gray eyes stared vacantly for a moment then smiled paul bent over him hat happi happened ned old man mana the wounded man whispered gropingly it required much effort to say this little and a shadow of pain fell over his face hush dick dear boy said lang ford with a catch in his voice you re all right now but you t talk you re too weak iv e are going to move you across to the hotel put but what happened 7 he insisted I 1 lieu on were shot you know dick keep quiet now I 1 im in going for a stretcher am I 1 done fora the weak voice kept on but there was no fear in it you will be it if you keep on tall ing like that obeying a s agn from the doctor he slipped away and out gordon closed his eyes and was still for a long time his face was white and drawn with s iff ering has he fainted tainted 7 whispered louise the eyes opened quickly they tell fell t pon louise who had not time t to 0 draw away the shadow of the old sweet smile came and hovered around his lips louise he whispered yes it is isi sa s1 she said laying her hand lightly on his forehead lou must be b good until paul gets bad I 1 am m done tor for so the rest of the criminal calendar will have to go over you can go back to god s country sooner than you thought I 1 am not going bad to god s country said louise unexpectedly ah h had not meant to sa say it but she beant it when she said it come here close to me louise oaid gordol gordo i in a low voice he had forgotten the doctor you had better ill get up it y iou on don dont t closer still I 1 want rant you to kiss in before paul gets bad louise diew white she glanced hes ita tingly at the doctor timidly at the new lover in the old man then ohp sh bent ver him hint where ho he lay stretched str etche ewt on the floor and koed him on the ipa 1 ps A great light came into I 1 is eyes before he closed them contentedly and d into u neon selo asness again langford rounded up jim munson and sent him cibbs u alth with a stretcher and then ran cupsta rs foi fot an extra alanl et off his own bed it ifft A as bitter ly cold and del D ck mist be well meli N 1 al pe I 1 on the upper landi landing nghe en co mary alone something in her desolate attitude stopped him hint what s the matter mar mary 9 be he de banded seizing her hands nothing she anar answered ered d lly ily how is he hea all right I 1 trust and pra pray but hurt terribly hicl w id edly he ile d d not q bite understand D d she loie ione go dona was that fth she looked so I 1 leaito eat t b ol 01 en on tal 1 ing her face in his two hands he comi e led her to 1001 at him straight stia ight now sellme tell ane he said D d I 1 kill him 9 she abl ua ed kill whom why it m jesse black then he dundei stood maly my gul was it ioui oua those last shots oursa all the rl fotous love in him trembled on his tongue k did 19 she persisted god clod grant you did he said sol emaly tl TI ere Is blood outside the window but he is gone I 1 don t like to I 1 ill people she said brokenly why do I 1 always have to do it if he diew her to him strongly stion gly and held her close against his breast you are the bravest and best girl on earth he said my girl you ou are my girl yo i know hereafter I 1 will do all necessary killing for my wife he ile kissed the sweet quivering I 1 ps as he said it why jim cried langford Lang tord in s r prise I 1 thought you had gone with the stretcher I 1 did go said jim swallowing hard he shifted genously fro tale to lat spurred foot to the other att I 1 came hack back he looked at langford beseechingly boss I 1 want to see 5 ou on a min ite ef mary dont don t mind I 1 will come with you jim now said langford Lang tord with qu cl ai al brehen sion mary jim turned away and all d stared unseeingly down the staircase go back to your room for a little while hile I 1 will call for you soon keep up your courage walt wait said mary quietly there were unsounded depths of despair in her voice thought it was so clear and low there was another shot I 1 re member now jim tell me jim turned the rough cowboy cowboys s eyes were wet tor for the first time in many a year the hope he wont die mary girl your father fathers s shot bad but he aln t dead we black it t A I 1 all ZI V the little posse started on its journey after he run fi om oitt gordon s office we found him on the corner langford Lang tord squared his hip broad der put strong protecting arms around mary now was he her all come my darling we WO will go to him together she pushed him from her violently I 1 will go alone why should vou you comee me he is mine he is all I 1 harg have there is no one else why don t yo i goa you are big and strong can cant t you make that man suffer for my father s murder 9 jim take me to him she seized the cowboy s arm and they went out together and on down the sta rs langford Lang tord stood still a moment fol lowing them with his eyes his face was white he bent his head jim looking back saw him thus the dull I 1 from the hall lamp falling upon the bent head and the yellow hair when IN hen langford raised his head his face though yet white bore an ex pres slon of concentrated de tion he too strode quickly down the stairs CHAPTER the outlaws last stand in the morning the sheriff went to the island he reported the place de sorted he made many other trips some times he took a deputy with him more often he rode danied rief ard gordon lay helpless in a burning fever with paul langford Lang tord in constant and untiring attendance upon him george williston was ras a sadly sadi shattered man I 1 met black on the corner west of gordon s office ha hos explained when he could talk I 1 had not been able to sleep and had been walking to tire my nerves into quiet I 1 was coming back to the hotel when I 1 heard black s shot and then mary s I 1 ran forwald d and met black on the corner running he ile stol ped pod ci cued aed out you too damn you and that s the last I 1 knew until the boys picked me up these reze the most interested langford gordon hilliston WH Ail liston had they been in the coi cot nt rit things jaa in have been d tt it Is very pi le a posse would have been formed for im fin mediate pursuit 13 it others m do what I 1 ad been better done had it not been for those slots in the daik there was blood outside gaidon dons s win dow i 3 et black had not crawled home I 1 to d e he ile had not gone home at all a least that Is what the sheriff said no one had seen the convicted man after his desperate and spectacular exit from the court room no one at least but lo 10 use iise mary and her fath er maly s shot had not killed him but it had saved richard gordon gordons s life which was a far better thing it was impossible to track him out outs of town for the cattle had trampled the snow in every direction the authorities could gather no out side information the outlying claims and rA ranches refuted indignantly any hint of their haling ghen aid or shelter to the fugitte or of having any cognizance whatsoever regarding his possible whereabouts so the pur suit at first hot and excited gradual ly wearied of following false leads contented itself with desultory journ eys ays when prodded thereto by the corn pell poll ng power of p opinion fin ally ceased altogether even as a pre tence one of the first things done follow ing the dramatic day in court had been to send the officers out to the little shanty in the valley where the half breed lay dead across the thresh old A watch was also set upon this place bt bit t no one ever came there august had come again and judge dale was I 1 i i kemah to hear a court case langford Lang tord had udden in from the ranch on purpose to see judge dale his clothes were spattered with mud there had been a success on of storms lasting for several days last night a cloud had burst out west some where all th tha creeks were swollen judge I 1 believe jese black has been on that island of aphis all the time what makes you think so lang ford because our sheriff is four flush ing he always was in sympathy with the gang you know besides where else can black be bea dale p picketed ackel ed his lips tho lightf ully tully what have you heard he asked rumors are getting pretty thick that he has been seen in that neigh boyhood on several occasions it is my honest belief he has neer never left it what did you think of doing about it Langford 9 I 1 want you to give me a bench war rant judge adge I 1 am confident that I 1 ban get him it Is the shame of the coun ty that he is still at large you have to deal with one of the worst and most desperate outlaws in the united states you must know it will be a very hazardous undertaking granting your surmises to be correct and f fraight ra ight N with ith grave peril tor for some one I 1 understand that fully this d ity is another s not yours but that other is incompetent my aly dear fellow said the judge rising and laying his hand on lang ford s big shoulder do you really want to undertake this I 1 certainly do then I 1 will give you the warrant gladly you are the one man in the state to do it unless I 1 except the gal lant little deputy marshal you know the danger I 1 admire your grit my boy get him if you can scan but put take care of yourself yo ir life is worth so do much more than his who will you take with you oua munson of course he ile will go in spite of the devil and he s the best man I 1 know for anything like this then I 1 thought of taking the deputy sheriff hes he s been true blue all along and has done the ery iery best besk possible inder the conditions V deiy ei y good take johnson too hell be glad to go he s the pluck pluckiest lest little fighter figl ter in the world not a cowardly hair fair in his head so it was agreed and the next morning bright and early the little posse reinforced by others who had earnestly solicited the privilege of going along started out on its journey the rams were 01 er but the roads were heavy in many places they were forced to walk their mounts no one but the initiated know what bum bo mud means until they took to the hills the horses could scarcely lift their feet so great would be the weight of the s icky black earth which clung in immense chunks to their hoofs when they struck the hills it was better and they pressed forward rapidly once only the tife sheriff had as sorted that he had run across the famous outlaw black had resisted sav say abely and had escaped sending back the bold taunt that he would never be taken alive such a message might mean death to some of the pluck pos se now making for the oli time haunts of the desperado to be continued |