Show MOUNTAIN IN MAN M 4 34 1 I sonnet lotion serial wj ion C by HAROLD CHANNING WIRE t 4 h 1 i l j 41 forest crest had been f gotten coan i ranger riou rl sir vied killed in the pursuit of his hi 1 t gordon breck his best beat friend over cotters job job hoping to avenge adad jad cook forest bu super r lent jent warns breck areck that tho the 71 kluson irs rs m mountain acain moonstOne rs are apt me n hami I 1 I 1 trouble uble before leaving tor for buntain sta station on areck buys an out I 1 deci to attend the public dance V in lone tree at the brek breck dances with louise temple cowgirl beirl for or whom he t takes akes a unknown to breck she to Is being id byArt by art tillson youngest of the f H j brothers angered by ff attentions to the girl he picks a chich ends nd indecisively v when some gome jig hi an ar to tho ha hall U breck eck and his et out for the mountain station ay they are met by sierra sum back mountaineer alneer who Is also in rest service around the campfire ight amk learns from sierra that nt g down t jim Cott cotters ets murderer r b done cautiously and by devious ds cook breck and sierra con their cent of the mountains ng nf to TON they tight sight the Till sons wit S to their r hideaway next da day crt 0 ends baeck k and sierra in one dl A to mrtle the telephone une line while ino her er over the cam campure 0 rt 1 tells breck more about u t TO t that kids a thorough I 1 he say i lie he also believes that awa to Is not essentially bad but shu od circumstances return I 1 cook imp amp breck Is directed to meadow his perma lse a ettOn on his way he Is the target hatol shot khot from rom an unseen assail 66 bat misses but his right fright als bolt and breck goes ling ing a deserted cabin he jm ra the rain A agent moment art UM tillson brothers arrive reek rack md hldi in the cabin loft then breck hears the discuss a plot against ig his chance breck sur our ith era rs and holds them at the 46 i jud the oldest broth Is it if breck will make no ng 9 tor for time breck pre I 1 i t the me he offer under con co naldera sidera t U n go brecks duty to Is to aunt n ate a annual cattle drive at Hou Meadow there he be meets w W sst R IX continued itow 7 nger ig mo louise alse ulse said riding V 11 I dodi it believe ihnow your 11 ad 11 4 rec eck k she repeated ot of you before neth ard warning ning urged him to pre tha thaU U thought surely she had n ji C ater and jim had his name perhaps ched air close friendship he oti to make the con yli m n JL 40 1 UP WOn gloved hand toward ly ervi efa animals he asked this drive is yours afe 67 11 aai uy eyou like she said im nally 11 11 sh shant ant call you mis and then in the same offhand off hand e eriL il 1 lim tn allowed six hundred on permit erelt but I 1 think aleyen rL eyen hundred ck a to her with a short 1 hsybs inq S eyes met his gravely decided whether she kim or not his laugh matching her own se said 1 I can let you f x 4 fiig n dred and twenty no w id wai what about the other ck shrugged arent arent yo you U a hard b boiled oiled it bwy hi agreed y had foot hot ridden far together turned in her the right canyon breck hollowed loll owed her eyes A ac of at sta had left the main and working toward a billt I 1 I 1 P T aped her hands 11 4 llan ian boy started to he him back but he A e i strays swung up ul run oh loidl IV sprang prang beneath her 1 ng 1 and raced up be ircle cle around and get tit m sh emust jump a hat at had bad cut its steep the he ravine bottom is she dashed to the se refused to make ap i ashe j she forced him furto ak k the bank again 6 ad 1 in that instant of Js 9 momentum when sh was spent legs his belly struck 10 i he reared hind k earn am forefeet pawing p for one tense sec became overbalanced over balanced tied ened in a moment 1 his pack line and toward ward the coulee he p from the saddle and cross the alie water the als elised bcd her eath escaped in a then his bis eye caught M racing through the he a canyon bank the a ad sent his dog was n now to come back jahe the black beast clr cir d turned them sent is s he sprang in with 1 at the laggards not conscious of gaug he only knew that the was still above shed his horse toward re e was no time to help id d swung to the ground d was not fifty yards mine e in a wedge a huge in the lead that was hla his target ile he fired twice waited fired again when the steer ateer tried to rise others behind that one swerved yet only for a few steps kit danced from the oncoming lines and snort ed at the carcass in front of him with one arm breck held tho the girl between hla body and the horses flank and as the herd hard poured about him sought to shield her from their crush tho the first passed hoofs pounded beside his feet shaggy coats brushed him horns grazed within a hands breadth of his back then came one brute that would not give over llis his low broad shoulder charged into kits swung out a little from the impact then raked full length of the horse breck pushed out against it the shoulder bone missed him but he caught the whole force of the puffed barrel ills his arms yield ed ile he was crushing the girl for an instant it seemed they were being mashed together the steer rushed on one word came with his regained breath louise she lifted her head bead but was speechless the pallor of her face filled him with sudden fear lie he put her upon u pon kit mounted the saddle himself and shifted her into his bis arms gently he ran his fingers down her side nothing broken she whispered but im im pretty sick she re labed and lay back against him before he had reached the drive another rider raced up reining his horse in suddenly happened here he demanded clouy louy are you hurt breck looked over the top of the girls head into art Till sons arrogant eyes ashes had a little trouble ir im ii taking her to rock house the hell you arel arc I 1 if ashes hurt ill go back with her to temples camp 0 breck rode on 1 I dont think its that serious anyway my sta tion Is closer art drew in his horse and let himself over into one stirrup until he was near breck ilia 1113 mouth tight ened with swift rage TU ill 11 save III breck cut in this Is no time for a rowl halt half a doz enother dozen other men rode up he repeated the same thing to them not badly hurt im taking her to rock house an hour later he passed the narrow entrance to rock house mead ow and abruptly the wide boz bowl spread before him emerald green grass sloped up to the dark pine rim and at the western edge stood the cabin his cabin I 1 not one of cold rock but of warm weathered logs small certainly yet snug compact a home for a man often la in days past breck had thought of it had anticipated moving to a station of his own budnev but never had bad he pictured himself riding to the door with a girl held in his bis armst CHAPTER X breck entered the one room spread a canvas on the boxed pine needle bunk and placed louise there keep quiet for a while he be advised her you were pretty badly jolted in your fall and then that steer they look like balloons but lord bardl after building a fire in the small iron stove in one corner he brought water from the stream then left her and went out to take off his packs when he returned bringing tea and canned soup for a quick meal he discovered that even a mountain girl is forever feminine wake sh was propped plopped up against the end logs trying to ft fix her hair it was cut almost to a mans shortness lying close to her small head and to creeks brecks eyo eye needed no adjust ing A little later though he was aware that some magic transformation had truly taken place perhaps it was the way she had brushed the dark waves from her forehead bringing out a finely modeled profile with something aristocratic in its clean lines or perhaps it was a sudden realization within himself they were so alone here in the cabin she thought nothing of it apparently but he did and was a little disturbed then shamed that he could not feel equally as casual to hide bide it it he worked hard at boiling tea water and warming tomato soup even made mada toast holding slices of bread over the fire with things ready ho he moved a table to the bunk and put his bis chair opposite louise she remained allent for a time until he wondered it if the accident had hurt her more than sho she admitted how do you feel now he be asked she smiled across her tin cup very ivery much a lady it has been a long time since anyone served mo me afternoon teal breck waited to hear a girls voice was a pleasant treat ile he groped for something ot of mutual interest to lead her on im sorry I 1 had bad to shoot that steer louise shrugged nothing lost well need meat for or the boys boya tonight one steer wont go far with thirty cowhands she gave the information without interest breck tried again how long have you been in this ranch coun country trYVe born bom here and that was a long time ago ages but we dont have to talk ranches nor cows nor how much it is going to rain this summer unless you really want to breck laughed what then louise spread her hands in a little gesture almost of c despair anything but me this toast for example I 1 know a man could make it less than an inch inah thick where did you learn sierra slim had said this girl once studied painting As far back as new york city breck deliberately gave the name of a village club where you may fix your own dishes it was nas a gathering place for student artists he had bad often gone there with friends 1 the old soaks cellar louise lifted her eyes color flowed into her checks but sho she said nothing and turned from him to stare out of the window it faced west down a stringer of open meadow and framed many miles across tho the range the triple peaks of the mist of tho th canyons caught each shado shade of sunset violet deepening into vibrant red tho the kawcak kaweah tops themselves rising golden against an opal sky the picture was and breck said so louise faced him sharply her lips parted in a breathless question you dont dont paint no sometimes I 1 wish I 1 did I 1 certainly would point paint this range why Is it so many artists study tho the coast it is beautiful but so much the same always blue w water ater brown rocks fans of white surf but this out thero look at itt of she shook her head III 1 I cant breck averted his eyes from hers hera aware that ho he had probed something deep and painful iia would havo have turned their talk from pictures but her own words rushed to him you may think im luyt but youve just expressed what I 1 have always wanted to do paint the high sierras I 1 and your talk of the lb 4 10 tz PAWL for an instant it seemed they were being mashed together old soaks cellar dont I 1 know it where you bring your own bread and butter and fry things and it if you n quarter for the gas meter theres jimmy valentine himself to show you how to work a slug bleecker Dle ecker street with its italian push carts and a bus top ride up fifth av avenue e nue tor for ten cen cental ts I 1 AM and d 0 even ve a greenwich village Vil lagel 1 I know youre wondering how I 1 can fall for its sham they work so hard at being a sham why I 1 admire hard bard work and some of them paint I 1 tried to and had to give it up out here I 1 whirl a lass rope and wear chaps but ive got an old orange smock down at the ranch II louise broke off and stared at breck through the du dusk sk that almost hid her face 1 I think I 1 understand he said quietly q you have an old smock some day go back to it do you think so do you oh if I 1 could belleve believe that with sudden impulse breck leaned across the table to her you must believe it louise TO BE CONTINUED |