Show sa N i e AA MAROLD HAROLD Kc C H HANNING NNING f vell r RE pack the VIP ab CHAN N ina WIRE y ie oil SYNOPSIS N J ima 1 il d n it atter 4 forest ranger had been 0 mysteriously killed in the pursuit of his il otlea jordon gordon brock his best friend the th da faaea kes over cotters job hoping to avenge i Ms h mur murder e dad ad cook forest super by y wa warns ns brock that the tillson at mountain mount in moon shiners are apt to glye give mm im tr trouble 0 uble before leaving tor for ls is mountain station breck bu buys a an out alt to and decides to ito attend the public public dance run by tho the Till sons in lone tree brock breck per nets louise temple pretty cow ut hi girl 11 he takes a laki liking 9 un oin known wn to greek brock she Is being co courted un arted by ga ita wt ro t tillson youngest of the three till brothers angered by brecks at 10 jent aa tons lon to the girl iri he picks a light fight which ends indecisively indecisively when someone sets fire are to the hall hal brock and hla his chief set out forthe tor the mountain station halfway the they amr r met by sierra slim mossback moss ba back who Is also in the tha forest learns from sierra that racking jim cotters murderer must bedone cautiously cook brock urock ind sierra continue their ascent of the un talat they sight eight the Till song re their hideaway next day ay J CON 16 ends ds brock breck and sierra in one nl dl repair the telephone line while aade tk another sierra breck louise temple i that kids kid a 00 0 he says he t e also be mattiat at art tillson Is not essentially essen tally ut Is the victim of circum it brock Is directed to go to rock adow clow his permanent base on wythe e Is the target of a pistol shot il fr aronn onn unseen assailant the bullet but his frightened pack animals boltonn bolt bol and brock breck goes in pursuit finding juif cabin he takes shelter sli elter from j the jiin A moment later the three brothers arrive and brock breck hides bides 2 I 1 kin aln the cabin loft breck hears the three discuss against his life waiting his chance brock breck surprises the brothers awa id and holds them at the point of 0 his gun iu Judth ud libe oldest br brother 0 ther offers a bribe if 1 make mak e no trouble breck H pretends pretend to take the offer under consideration era tion lets the men go li breaks duty as i to lo take fAke count at the annual c cattle attle tofake dr delvo ve at rock house meadow there he r masts louise templo temple who Is running her own cattle trapped in a narrow canyon before the onrushing aste iste ra brecks I 1 bon saves savea her from rom being tram ml pled pledze Be 1 I takes her to hla his cabin over art la protest with nightfall louise diw r recovered leaves the cabin and ana ml rn i lAhr ar camp in the meadow later 18 1 g ver over to see it everything Is 11 11 II fi finds ads art tillson who tries to pick a quarrel brock breck rides on and discovers large herd of cattle being run out lUe meadow before the count SM they to jackson cowman who represents re prent all the ranchers in the cattle r run breck tells jackson that the gov I 1 laws are to be enforced the cattle count starts feeling among the J cattlemen Is tense as brock breck turns back all cattle in excess of each mans a allot not tillson confronts him with 13 the bribe he had previously offered CHAPTER XI continued I 1 pid jacksons hands fell angrily b t his saddle horn dam rob they cost twenty five live dollars 4 bailow y j right take them back there jud moved to depart had remained out ol of the deal turning away while the two 4 talked enow now he felt jacksons eyes abir boring llila into 60 him and facing the man it etwas wis is as it if he had been struck no eyes had ever viewed him with such scorn burned into his face tor for a j moment then went to jud pay mie fiji T Two W thousand th ousa nd dollars in yellow b his we ere counted out jud rode of oft a im the herd jackson rolled anoney oney and stuffed it int into 0 his alth with slow tense fingers t he faced breck brack hard eyed jig ped ed ive seen some graft in men he began u beat cm am all to belli h your talk of keepin rules in fin these mountains fair for dy Y by god 11 a minute brock cut in I 1 mind ind 1 explaining what this a out lain in healt dont need more blind und man to see fee what its how come tillson to have h ti so handy of course you row irow in with halml hell no d out our stuff and he just to have two thousand idol dol idyl dyll started to speak but there ie enough for lihn him to offer go into details of the that itself would need heed cone 4 s le explaining and would only beer story to what these men agal against t him tison son he said youre ag 9 me with a lie in tirra we ve itil in n instant the old mans glare me of its hard accusation he wheeled away in si A mounted kit and sat alone alon e ie e last of the herds vanished vanish eci frock house meadow no ilme ame near him nor the one he be watched intently she 1 ed up the cattle he had alta 0 pass and rode her blue beyond the bowl without a akward ick ward CHAPTER all nelse the next morning breck the stars and stripes in front cabin having done that he almost hear a hum of wheels ic 0 click of forest service ma y turning into place ut t seven he opened the iron ad d checked in to headquarters w does the world look to you ccook cook asked er brook answered in his report last night ho he had told the men and had cursed the job that forced him to mako make enemies in line for today ho he continued patrol no im not sending you on the trail until tomorrow look over your fire tools sharpen up your axes and brush hooks and get things in good shape you might not have time later get yourself settled and feeling at home suits me brock breck agreed ile he spent the day with grindstone and flies putting a razor edge on double bitted axes and making the long curved brush hooks fit for any man mans a war at noon his horses and mule came to the fence gate nearby thrust their necks over tho the top and said something about lunch he fed them barley and they went off to nibble at flowers in the be fore night he had his tool box arranged for or action next morning talking to headquarters lie he asked cook to send him on patrol to sulphur creek take your time son the ranger answered were not ready for or that today you might as well ride the kern river trail look over the country west of you all that lying between sulphur and the potholes potholed Pot holes theres your worst fire hazard find some tourist camps on the river go in and say howdy breck obeyed orders inwardly revolting vol ting though he knew the old ranger was guided by wisdom of experience peri ence so day by day he was forced to put p ut down his impatience Impat lenca and work at the forests job he explored his district west and south talked with tourists over their mid midday day fires climbed high peaks and from that vantage studied the I 1 geography eo graphy of the maze of streams and interlocking ridges As he became more and more familiar with tills this root roof land the sierra nevadas lost some of the forbidding aspect they had presented at first the approach of july meant spring in the top country days were warm though nights remained close to freezing now he rode through meadows purple with larkspur climbed long rock ridges in a blaze of red snow flowers at dusk he returned to his cabin with eve ning primroses prim roses opened in yellow cups underfoot filling the air with sweet delicate perfume repeatedly he found his thoughts traveling eastward beyond the bowl of rock house ills his gaze went often to a trail that led up the notch toward a certain camp fifteen miles distant it seemed as if dad cook had read his wish when ho he gave t the he order one morning 6 you had better swing around by temple meadow today there was a blazed trail from rock house to temples camp but brock breck was in a hurry burry somehow and rode kit up a ridge and along its crest on a route of his own it was half an hour before noon as he crossed the last summit and de scented into a wide strip of grassland A sag flag of cabin smoke came from a clump of trees at the further end tie he rode toward it rapidly h his is eyes searching for a cowboy who wa was s not a cowboy at all all two cabins stood in the trees one old and weathered with a low sheet iron roof the other of logs new within the past three years yeara for hewn surfaces still showed bright yellow checked curtains in the window ot of this last told that a woman lived in it and the whole look around the outside was of a 8 wymans comans womans neatness with saddle gear hung on wooden horses lariats coiled pack canvas folded and piled in the shelter of a pine the other was as plainly a mans shanty where a man could kick things about and enjoy the mess one window pane was broken and stuffed with a gunny sack A black bear pelt freshly skinned and salted was nailed on the logs of the front end A low bench stood near the door with tobacco cans can uttering the ground under it it was from this cabin that breck brack saw smoke rising A door opened as ho he came out of the woods and crossed a short clearing he lecoq decoi re coi 4 nihed louise temple though not the girl he had been picturing she wore a dress today something short dark green like the forest with the red of snow flowers cowers in it and somehow he was meeting her all over again she smiled holding up ner hand to him even before he dismounted de mounted hello chello ranger sorry I 1 see you after the count he wondered it if she meant it 1 I was pretty busy he sal sa salars daa dRs if the explanation should come from him things were happening that day yes he swung down and met her anxiously you think louise checked him with ita aa lm patient wave of her hand sometimes I 1 fand it best not to think at all ones mind Is never blank mine Is of often terill but youre bound to hank once in a while brock laughed then added seriously 1 I dont want you to believe what jackson has said of me A searching look cams came into the girls eyes tho the cattlemen think it and what you ought to consider 11 lot let them brock answered right now I 1 value your opinion not theirs sharply louise shook her brown head M mv opinion Is the least important gordon brock breck impatience Impat ienco that was so much a part of her nu turo flared dared der stand that you cant work up here with these men against you they may bo be wrong but powerful if youre a square shoot or er youve got to prove it if greek brock stared at her in some way he could not tell how perhaps in hei eyes or voice he caught a meaning beyond her words she spoke of cattlemen but it was as it if she were asking him to prove his square dealing to them and to hersell herself why do you talk to me like this he asked with a quick little laugh she lifted tier her face to him because you are so 80 be helpless helpless ile he had the impulse to kiss her mouth and then spank her so that was you take a big chance young lady ho he grinned do I 1 look so weak she answered with dark eyes sweeping over him eagerly no I 1 cant say you dolt dol they both turned as a horseman trotted out of the timber and rode toward them then louise louisa parted darted into the cabin brock breck heard a rattling of stove lids end and saw smoke increase from the chimney buster she said gold on coming in g back hungry as a co coyote yote and on time to the dot lies hea my father maybe youve heard him called tom temple remembering that temple was an invalid breck watched with considerable sid erable wonder as the man halted at a tie rack threw himself from his saddle and reached the ground on one foot while bearing most of his weight with a grip on the horses mane the old dear louise said devotedly vot edly he does get around she waved as her father looked up come along basterl steaks on the fire and weve got company tor for dinner templo temple turned his horse horsa into the pasture picked up a cane and approached pro ached across the clearing clearl ng howdy ranger he said offering his hand with no word of introduction 1 I was th chinkin inkin you ought to come and give us a call glad to do it brock breck returned and at once he knew where louise acquired her warm personality torn tom temple was the sort to be marked in any gathering although an injury to his left hip ftp drew him a little to that side he still retained a vigorous beail bearing ng and when he sat upon the bench showed none of his handicap but the lines of hla his face even when he smiled told of suffering and his hair was snow w white hite breck could sense the battle of a hardworking hard working man suddenly reduced to camp chores he wondered it if temple had ever gone to a good surgeon there was an army friend of his who had done marvelous things with fractured bones and a case like this ill if you men dont come and get it ill throw it had entered the cabin ahead bhend of them she stood now in the door nn art apron over her dress threatening with a bread knife temple laughed she means that tool wed better go in and cat dinner was set on the bare boards board of a slab table A platter full of thick shenks a bowl of mashed po matoes then canned fruit and big round loaves of homemade home homo made broad bread grub for a n mant brock felt that food had never looked nor tasted lasted so good ile he sat across from louise tom tern pie at tho the end and they talked ot of many things but not of cattle and grazing there was vas a reason brock surmised though if the man held any hard feeling over enforcement of the permit rule ho he covered it well beneath his hospitality the manner louise louisa had with her fattier father gave brock a now new perception ot of herself she was sympathetic understanding yet never once panl pam him in ways that would only have emphasized his crippled condition ion and temple was proud of his girl ills his eyes followed her always bright with a strange eagerness over their dessert of canned peaches ho he said a d you wont find adm many a n y cowhands like the one ive got ranger hanger arlt brock breck looked across at louisa laughingly though serious in his answer im beginning to believe it aint no man on the range can beat her or roeln temple went on just you wait till wo have a rodeo after time always in the top money tho she Is now duster buster louise checked him be careful you know lost last year they judged you wrong kidell temple declared hotly where do you have this rodeo brock asked here on the meadow end of this month or first part of august every outfit in the mountains rides a man or two detter better aim to be on hand breck promised he would they sat at the table until tho the sun had passed the door and was beginning to slant through a western window reluctantly brock thought of the trail to rock house hate to do it he said at lasts last but ill have to move on As the girls father stood up and walked from via the door brock breck lingered with louise helped clear the table and watched with a growing intensity of feeling as she paused before the mirror to give a little indefinite push and pat to her brown hair then she came to him and they went outside together toge thee temple was not around but breck saw a thick canvas roll tied on his saddle skirt and knew that it was the cattle count rys goodwill cofler ing a present of fresh beet beef ile ho could count this man his friend after untying kit he walked with louise toward a gate in the fence that circled the cabins her face was averted and she did not speak as they approached the opening brock breck reached to pull back the bars lifted one and put it down he slipped his hand down over hers bers and the pressure of bis fingers was answered he could have taken her in his arms but she gently moved away and pushed back the poles it seemed a gesture for him to go mounting he rode through said goodby good by and passed on toward the forest at inq lt edge he looked back |