Show A AXIN RM MAN MM ift AM A 14 iati oM 9 serial d CH c wire sarak by HAROLD CHANNING WIRE X XV XVI I Continued 15 t k smiled grimly there arent 1 ih h tools for the same reason here here arent bolt balf enough trails enough dough telephone sets holt half ah i miles of wire to protect this come right down to it wo we ant t got get the money what do in politics anyway ke e this seventy eight dollars poke of now ive never been is ashington hington but I 1 reckon heres ay of it the talk gets around for the forest maybe they see im asking tor for dollars to build trails chos this cook someone ranger in the Sl sierras erras low many votes out there x ive hundred dollars tor for six I 1 my godl so in the end I 1 trails on seventy eight dol k shrugged adding nothing st A the gentlemen who hold lobs jobs by their weir votes voies but cui they mey weir cui mey I 1 1 to see sec our side of it I 1 reckon think iak we want trails to go joy on and te telephones le phones to gossip and tools to dig in the garthe 1 silence that followed breck aced iced Us pipe lighted it let it it in his hand A thought had with cooks first words ile he iut at it from his mind but the was in his pocket ile he ged fd off the feeling that it had pressed upon him by fate tried ried to argue within himself rland would do nothing yet jew sutherland was fair mind af only bringing him would not bringing irene also she did elong here felt jealous of his life it was wn he knew too well how she 1 usurp it again the picture of arne ame before his eyes a irl drawing him even in a ook ok he ha said abruptly you hi a lattur lett r from down below a friend of mine whose father sutherland theres a ce e that I 1 could get them up in a vacation im not sure it I 1 help the service and ye yet t hes and plays the game get down the guest books a i offered and show him how hundred tourists come h these parts then name a after him 10 i eck ck laughed youre not so slim I 1 the sutherland trail ds s pretty good it ok k remained thoughtful over puffs from his pipe son aid id at last ive never played acs ics s but it if theres any way in horld fored to get what we need for ill learn the game nt t know much about talking a a senator aull ull find that easy enough jo do most of it od fellow is he wn below yes ive never hini aim roughing it his wife Is od d sport and hell bring a ahter ter 1 lit I 1 sierra exploded irh there ere ave ve it another bomani dad to me lets call this off have gave breck a resentful look i grave blue eyes pardner rint aint th throw rowin ln louise down t the she on the fire line with you sight and she go he herself ad ot of the indian we ed d temple and he told us now re e br braingin Ingin 11 ase off slim cook checked laughing its brecks brecka affair ile he hell it 1st im plumb dis tinted in you pard pardner nerl arra ara stood up and walked from cabin abin it was the most urgent ich ich by breck ck had ever heard beard him and n in n it t he sensed a fierce ity V to louise temple low ow said cook maybe we get down to facts when will 6 people come eck glanced at his letter this written two weeks ago they it t have other plans yire ire em I 1 left the switches in iad ad quarters you can get lone by phone and have the mes relayed from there ok paused drew at his pipe continued with rapid planning detail you to do it up proper e them meet you at dick dl Is s pack camp at the foot e south trail driving he ie valley I 1 suppose fes es from pasadena vell ell then bring them here to house youve got tents your senator around while r e on patrol give him an idea hat at weve got and what we need does that suit you di 11 right breck answered if lay ay its part of my job B but pt ardly he was dubious he h had ad wanted anted irene sutherland here CHAPTER allt k and sierra rode back to quarters lu arters that afternoon brock breck his 3 message by wire and then ng into his hunk bunk while it W was as cayll ht slept the dock cock around abin was flooded with morning sun when ho he woke awoke a even as he closed his eyes again reluctant to leave tho the blankets his telephone jangled from its post beyond the door lie ile bounded out barefooted cooks voice come came over the line hello rock house how Is tho the morning had a look at it yet yeto then heres something to wako wake you up A relay from lone tree all right said areck lets have it ile ho heard cooks low chuckle then saved my life will meet you friday party of five 11 the ranger paused its signed ho he continued presently but I 1 reckon the telephone girl got it wrong or of I 1 must have misunderstood in writing it down looks like old thing brock grinned into the little iron box but agreed solemnly a mistake dad the name Is sutherland you know now then cook said weve got to work this so you arent away bring oem em temple repeated I 1 more alore the bentert bett crl ert breck gave his promise then rode on twice on the way down he met salt trains coming up cowboys with a dozen mules each mulo mule carrying two hundred and fifty pounds of rock in burlap bags by evening ho he was on the last steep slope of the granite wall with the mojave desert stretching away in a purple shidow shadow of the sierras themselves at dark he come came into the first corrals ot of dick divines pack outfit and upon crossing a stream rode tit nt once among fires ot of more cowboys camped near long piles of salt dusk hid their faces some greeted him then he passed one alone who glanced up from his solitary blaze of willow twigs stared and said nothing breck raised a hand though he knew there would be no reply howdy lowdy I art shortly after that he approached i a small house strangely neat and white in a garden of flowers as IAP JA W 4 1 A ra I 1 z 0 I 1 0 I dt O 10 lot 1 je breck raised a hand though lie ae knew there would be no n reply howdy art from the station more than two nights understand me easy all right friday Is two days off you start out tomorrow morning and make dick divines camp by dark then it if your folks come any time at all before noon friday you can pack them as far as summit and camp that will put you in rock house again saturday OK breck answered after breakfast he dedicated his time to making tenderfoot tourists tourist less tender lie he could visualize the th party of five arriving after their day and a half in the saddle lethe the senator padded in the wrong spot and letting let ting the whole forest know how he hurt his wife suffering more and saying less about it irene a good sport it if she cared to be the other two would be a maid and a chauffeur who was also the senators handy hindy handyman man preparing camp tor for them he put up lour four tents near the stream and not too far above his cabin he was on the down trail early next morning tor for in the night he had realized it was only fair to stop at temple meadow and mention this party to louise the corral bars were open and the place apparently deserted when he came into camp but in a moment tom temple opened his cabin door and hobbled out almost his bis first words were louys gone As A frankly brock breck answered too bad I 1 hoped to see her anything you want from the valley im headed out and will be here again saturday temple wagged his gray head thanks ranger but the boys are makin trips every day now bring in up salt the whole range has it trucked up as far as divines you know then we pack it takes a heap of salt while our stull stuff is on green grass breck hooked one knee around his saddle horn and smoked a cigarette before starting on figurin Fl gurin to be at the rodeo temple asked when is that about a week soon as sal tin is done and the boys can get together better make it I 1 beef a cou couple ale of young steers and have dancin to music from down below folks come up here from lone tree some farther sounds like a big time said breck count on me and say are outsiders allowed tourists I 1 mean lord almighty besl they wo wont nt be outsiders when they hey t git herel 1 I guess not breck grinned im bringing a party of five back this trip som friends camp at rock house get a big wallop out ut of your show contrasted to the mule corrals and rough life about it dick divine came to the door holding up a lantern as he peered out his face showed wrinkled and toothless with sharp eyes looking from under long gray brows chos yere he demanded ranger from rock house well howdy ranger are you putten up for one night breck answered he swung to the ground and presently having explained what he wanted and turned his animals loose with hobbles ho he camo came back to find a meal fixed for him on the packers table art tillson was still in camp the next morning rigging saddles for the tourists to come breck saw other cowmen load their strings of mules and vanish up the mountain but art single handed was later than the rest it was almost noon before he had his salt train ready his mules were bunched and mounted he was trying to rush them into line when abruptly a roadster shot through the willow thicket his animals plunged from the car bucking at their packs as they scattered art wheeled his horse sav savagely abely as the car halted near him breck had watched the swift scene from divines cabin and now saw a girls hand mako make a little gesture toward art the boy snatched off his hat and then as the girl drove on remained fixed in his saddle star ing after her ire ile was still sitting no like that brock knew when the roadster slid to a stop at the house and irene jumped out laughing and reaching both hands to him her words camo came in staccato gasps gordone Gor donl my dearl dcarl I 1 should never have known youl youre why she paused surveyed him ended helplessly why gordone Gor donl dont ile he watched her curiously at first then warmed to spontaneous response she stood before him as aa amazingly beautiful as ever tall dark trimly outfitted in riding breeches gray silk shirt black tie and polished tan boots all of which were perhaps more stylish than comfortable yet gave her figure magnetic grace the sun had burned her cheeks checks on the drive across the desert coloring them over olive skin and the dry wind had cost cast a sparkle upon her usually languid dark eyes breck laughed into them returned the pressure of her clasp and they stood for an instant wordless inwardly lie he had to admit some of the old feeling the senator interrupted boosting himself from the car youre looking fine my boy finet elnel say id give something for your midd lelO areck went to him be this way if you uve live in tho the mountains long enough im glad to see you senator sutherland shook hands with a hearty campaign grasp long and full of action ile he was short and thickset thick set past fifty with a round face behind which lurked the humor of many good smoking room stories in clothes he had not followed irenes example but wore a thin suit of white and a ump limp panama they were still in the first exchange of greetings when a second car swung around a bend of the road and burst through the willows further scattering art Till sona sons mules it halted near the roadster a sedan scarcely showing its occupants in the piled up baggage he opened the door and a gray haired motherly face peered at him over a canvas roll I 1 how do you do gordon have to dig me out before I 1 can reach you tho the wom ans voice came cheerily in spite of her cramped position the chauffeur came from in front to help heinit a short spare man who had been in the family always in a moment they had the senators senator wife out she gave breck on an impulsive hug then stood off considering him from stetson hat to service boots youre a good looking ranger gordon was her hei verdict 1 I must say chati my thanks he answered smiling upon her of the sutherland family she was the one who gave open affection she babied the senator and spoiled irene and at one time would have spoiled him too dick divine came from hla his cabin introduced himself perfunctorily then added to breck ive got so methin on the table in there they can eat cat while were 11 glancing down his bis eye fell on the array of luggage A startled look crossed his face breck laughed can we put this on three mules dick the old packer blinked hard bard id say it aint au all here oh no irene agreed it find the rest in my roadster TO BE CONTINUED |