Show MAN I 1 1 I brumo serial 0 C wk W by HAROLD CHANNING WIRE SYNOPSIS cotow Cot tW forest ranger had been slowly ous killed e in n the e p pursuit rau 0 his gordon or on breck rec h his best friend over i cotterli Cot otter terii jol job hoping to h his murder u ader dad ad C COOK orest forest ton warns reek breck that the brothers bretho mountain moon shiners t tov lve hl him trouble before fou hl mountain station Bt atlon breck and decides to attend flejance dance run by the Till sons I 1 tribe ck dances dance e with louise ati cowgirl for or whom he I 1 gingi unknown to breck she g t d by art tillson young tillson brothers br KJ byS by brecka attentions to the a fight which ends in fly ly W hon someone sets seta ire fire to 11 breck and his chief set out mountain station halfway th they 11 at by sierra slim moss mos mossback bac back ian itnyer ertho who Is also alio in the orest forest 4 Breck learns from sierra that 9 down jim cotters murderer tx don cautiously cook breck ara continue their ascent of the ans they sight eight the TUla Till ons sons re I 1 to their hideaway terre next day lends breck and sierra in one n tocie to repair pair the telephone line to ha takes takei another sierra tells more about louise temple that 1 thoroughbred he says bays lie ile f aleye that art tillson Is not esly find but la is the victim of stances stance breck Is directed to go to house hour meadow his permanent n husway hi ht sway way he la is the target 0 of a shot from an unseen assailant allet misses alises but his frightened animals bolt and breck goes in binding rinding a deserted cabin he shelter h paig it from m the rain A moment he ha i i three I 1 nilson brothers arrive ock cell hides hide in the cabin loft breck I 1 1 I th disc discuss a plot against wal his hi cha chance n L e breck sur uw brothers and holds h ids them at apt his gun jud the oldest bribe it if breck will no irble breck pretends pretends to 1 under consid consideration ration lets ift 4 s duty Is to take at tt r 6 tre annual nu cattle drive at aou R oves sa badow there he be meets Tm who la is running her own 01 tn in a narrow canyon be to nah n g steers brocks brecks quick save siber ber from being trampled tes e chor baito 1 ato his cabin over ari art a cotest tt aa n 1 war X continued 8 started at the sound of her ames ame softly ottly spoken her dark netha net searchingly why nee breck Rikk realized there was reason for or his as ev 4 he Hi hesitated and louise rr pity thank you I 1 fish etian a ranch woman now in 4 going to make money at it sure the most tant ant t thang anyway k answered bluntly from the ochla own experience it iu W AW I 1 seem eem to 10 know 9 leaned back from the table iway lafrom him color of ex her cheeks her eyes level gaze ahre freyou ar eyou you she asked why hotel othera oT herc regret breck k felt their warm 11 oan 0 common interest slip ama ilin a forest ranger he d or 9 at my job wide e a thunder der of hoots hoofs sound tah meadow badow he stood up cried the e door the drive was t through the opposite canyon lip spreading reading in a great dark e bowl until reaching ce e it halted ahe he bunk and stood be 1 I guess your job has rid adi and mine too his Is cabin over to you aak k offered rest 00 staak 11 think t ive learned my back on a y face la is to the stars stairs addling thanks lust just indian boy Is bring pack ack I 1 always spread reek above Us this sta ds s camp on the mead beyne e before dark lead aulo the girls blue horse alfed her ride up stream 11 figure vanished la in roine e ewurs urs while he moved 13 into his room he rumble of cattle en it was eight i e the last of them d cowboys fires bethe shadows 1 dark had come he telephone el ephone hung in its post just outside the ranke ranJi ed I 1 four our rings ring s to arters ers and when cook ve his report the ad d im going out now wing ing around the rangers voice ree circle ought to be w yourself in a few athern know youre at up mounted kit and the meadow bo bowl wl ere re mostly at the furr where the black ma mass against the drift fence pu those camps then ack ck of the station fell ne and not tar away I 1 watched the light one ne figure crossed in lames flames then another d 1 his horse stopped business who was up hould nt see the girl I 1 but that feeling of n i was still stil 1 upon hi him m le e ile he moved ahead would only ride by on at hla his side aide the stream talked nois lly human in its wide range of tone from low guttural voices to silvery laughter it covered the sound of his horses hoots and also any words that might have come from the camp until abruptly a mans quick retort broke through there was anger in its suddenness and a threat in the silence that followed with no hesitation brock pushed past the thicket and into the girls camp ile he saw louise sitting on her saddle chin propped in both hands art tillson standing before her tin till son whirled as he approached and on an his face was jealous rago rage brock looked it at the girl garl how are you louise ashes all lightf art cut in dont need anything now with scoffing sarcasm ho he added thanks for comin cupl then he turned his back louise lifted her face to brock breck but he could not read through the A 1 Y S 71 V F 0 i tro 1 ian I 1 P 01 0 o v 41 1 N W X A I 1 an 1 I 4 16 white faces swung in his direction shadows upon it she might be telling him to go art wheeled well he shap snapped ped breck dismounted dropped his reins and cost cast a casual gaze about the girl had a comfortable camp bed roll laid on dry pine needles a small ore fire tor for cooking lighted between two rocks and a larger blaze for or warmth when his eyes returned to art tillson he saw a set determination tightening on the boys law jaw it if youve been sn sneak eakin ln around art blurted 1 I suppose you heard what I 1 said just now brock breck had heard only indistinct words and the heated retort but replied it if you dont want the whole meadow to know your business dont yen yell so loud art took a step toward him with fists doubled all right I 1 meant what you heard suppose we settle it here just take off your badge and ill muss up that smooth face of yours there aint anyone to pull the lights out on us like they did down below well go through with brock breck guessed what he was sup posed to have overheard some jealous boast before louise he looked at young tillson more amused than angry there was little enough to be jealous about what could be set tied by a fist fight nothing unless louise thought he be was a coward she stood up breck shifted his glance to her met her eyes and searched them yet felt nothing in their level gaze look here art he said at last you and I 1 have nothing to settle bettl e with fists one of us gets whipped tonight tomorrow things are back where we started yeah but someone hereabouts would know chos the best man mail brock breck laughed she can probably ten tell that without a battle and it if you want to ask her ill be on my way he paused one toot foot lifted to his bis stirrup just one thing dont say you backed me down have to prove that later art shrugged indifferently argument had cooled him somewhat and had bad drawn the flush of rage from his face he rolled a cigarette and also went to his horse you youre re pretty good at mister he flung back 1 I reckon ill have to go a dictionary instead of a six he mounted in a lithe spring doffed coffed his hat to louise let his horse rear once and dashed away proudly erect and showing his bis full sense of victory As brock breck swung to his saddle louise crossed the firelight to him you did a fine thing just now gordon breck and I 1 thank you for it dont consider why I 1 say so you might only odily make a wrong guess with that she turned away and breck rode from her camp she had thanked him for keeping out cf trouble with art she had bad thanked him tor for arts sakel in spite ot of her asking him not to ho he did consider why she had said it and guessed the only thing possible she was in love with the boy ile he shook off a stab of jealousy why she bo be art was handsome ile he was hotheaded hot headed and looking for trouble most of the time but no tool fool probably would make something of the cattle business it if ho he had the chance ile ho wondered lt if louise knew about the other business ot of course she did truth come came suddenly she knew and was trying to pull him outi ills his hands clenched the saddle horn savagely he asked all this to you you come for a birli ile ho had ridden preoccupied with sight dimmed by visions of a n small dark face until now abruptly something pulled him back to his bis lob job his horse going tor for a time unguided had bad with keen instinct fol lowed fresh marks that would have been undiscovered from the saddle brocks brecks first warning was an odor of dust and sweat chilt pierced the fragrance of pine he halted peering ahead the ridge had come to a short notch with rock house meadow down on the left and a stringer of green running into broken wooded country to the right wind was blowing from the stringer bearing that unmistakable stench of cows still there was no sound of their movement but when he rode out on the strip of grass where trees parted and starlight fell through tracks of many animals were plain enough he followed in the direction they had gone saw the stringer begin to widen with pines sweeping away and a stream forming itself from boggy ground then came suddenly to the edge of a small pothole meadow A black huddle of steers showed against the floor breck approached slowly circling to pick up the night rider these animals were too well quieted to be alone he shifted in his saddle and then like a trumpet blare in the silence an old cow bawled at him white faces swung in his direction horns tossed above the dark mass it began to move suddenly like a great pool of water released he spurred kit upward to prevent tho the drive from going over the saddle simultaneously a rider broke from the herd and dashed into the nearest pines brock raced otter after him blackness of the forest closed in ile he could hear the other horse scramble over rock tried to follow came to a granite barrier A game trail must be there but it was a blind thing and he was blocked behind him a stampede had started in the meadow wheeling ho he cut back across th the e upper end as a wave of reached it and plunging into them turned the rush downward 0 onca nce on the move they were easily han ban died As they quieted to a walk ho he hashed flushed a light on the flanks of those nearest the brands were varied yet one appeared on more than halt half the lot satisfied brock fell back pushed the bunch rapidly down the canyon and in tin an hour shoved them into the main herd at rock house Camp campfires fires still glowed there brock went to one close by gwun swung 9 of oft and squatted on the ground with a half a dozen cowhands A gray whisker offered greetings fr for all howdy ranger hanger ile ho turned to a boy at his side dud cut cut off a steak and stick it on the fire alre 1 I 1 ate awhile ago breck said thanks and to the boy dont don bother son he traded news a moment before asking chos outfit is the the boss bosa repeated jackson john G looking tor for old john G are you yes breck answered id like ilke to see him camped near here A lean woin worn finger pointed into the night yonder see a fire next that rock him brock did not rise at once ile ho wanted the companionship of these men and a share in their talk dut but nono none spoke no one looked his way presently a cowboy stood up went to a bed roll and began to pull off his boots another followed well said breck moving over to his horse sorry I 1 hungry thanks again after he had ridden a short distance from camp he looked back the two cowboys had left their bed rolls and were returning to the fire he found J G jackson sitting with his back against a granite boulder alone a gray haired veteran of the cow country nard laced faced in flicker of firelight but when he dis mounted and camo came close to the man that hardness was gone jacksons greeting was the usual I 1 howdy ranger have you et ct breck sat down across the fir fire from him laughing this sure Is a a well ted fed country ive just turned down one meal aint no call for a man to go hungry up here jackson asserted he paused over lighting his pipe pip e then added no matter who he might be for a moment brock breck hated the thought of duty here was friendliness a time tor for listening to an old timers yarns devil take the cows yet the job drove him jackson he said 1 I have just brought down more than a hundred head from the saddle the old mans eyes twinkled over his pipe bowl that so belll you to have took the trouble 1 I guess strays said breck yeah I 1 reckon so with a night rider behind them jackson put down his pipe Mea IMe anin which they were being shoved out of rock house before the count any of my stuff among lem cm more than hall half the bunch TO BE CONTINUED |