Show OEM halaji U I 1 I 1 rn wi 1 APPLETON CENTURY CO BY H C WIRE S ERVICE B 1 onto his palo J I 1 SO swed followed naw up incautious at first lifting run i an into ao 00 ben bent lav lavic lc was deaf ha ik B close to the man ad crowd sharp were I 1 yes eyes gray ay alos U me pulled down ga P and out cut upon th the e faber ae forked one west one 0 tall gain in wl with th a match held and found fresh tracks track hold ww southward it hward course belr they certain it itwara wa s i hour willow spring ile he iad I ad S 16 to along the dark hollow K cove canio to lk fa miller S no g gently up jetie he dh dismounted mounted as on ao 80 and left tho the palomino day y akst topped out a good nun hun civino black looking ds above w th the e showed nothing clump T indicate 3 life ike either 3 arn to ina er an and d then as gan can or maln human hanlan uncertain waiting for or a ad la gray shape moved a a go the ho edge of trees and near restless thud of a came e the gabad had located the gray nag within live five paces of was to hs the gray head lif lifted ted turned in suspended moment or a it dropped wearily with A gandy took a tree free breath aed ed the corridor be Vom could head see nothing and the trees tight of ithell their trunks made walls farther apart than the no at I 1 teer steer ile he reached a point reflection was dim the poor pools i e the trick of squinting in brought a sharper outline water ater and its surrounding ba W a then the surface broke 1 formed and widened across I 1 at there once disc alt t gray sucking lucking sound as ot of a boot ia rom bom soft mud in less than utes lutes alter after that walt gandy someone imeone was coming stealth along g the black co corridor of tree L time to move aside 0 had id no stood od hands down one lifting buttof autt of his thirty eight then t plan came and he waited ss as the willows themselves human man closeness could almost wt the 8 dim blob of a face emerged to is pitch dark his arms shot clofed bcd instantly he would have ased 1 them for they were locked a the body of a girl she I 1 ill 1 at once limp wj ly a single ingle short outcry and ly knew it was helen cameron lid there hard against him e apke her name but the un I 1 I 1 jar of 0 his lunge reacted in trembling after the momen shock ock and swiftly putting one under ader her knees he lifted the I 1 and d turned to carry her out to K open hill slope at to willow edge she stiffened y to his arms dont stop n wahl get away from the adl a gandy himself a dull bi bit was rising helen had come meet someone he could see else in this secret night ride thai tat one must be stoddard she seea the 77 man yesterday after L L now again by the time he reached the ra I 1 bottom the dull bitterness had wo TO close to a hood flood of anger 4 i set let the girl on her feet and I 1 ased her dropping the gray i reins close to the palominos a 1 moment saying nothing he tihan into the upturned face tea fal before gandy could launch accusation helen cameron i what do you think youre coming here me like this I 1 told orce mice before walt gandy that tilling 9 you do Is all wrong what do you mean following what did you expect to find ishway isy way N 1 stared a at t each other through fague ague light until at lost gandy la i quiet even voice 1 I ex td 1 to fad a traitor to the C C 54 and aad I 1 think I 1 have you s meeting stoddard I 1 was ai meeting I 1 50 it words choked off in a gasp td 3 hand flew to the girls me mouth u tt toyed she stopped stepped back from ohl ih the she uttered and then ho he display of the cameron tern tem so what you thiekl rl i where you hold me in your rl 1 so wing meeting the 77 out herelle here 1 pun u around and would have bu t b his t two wo h hands ands gripped her Is s listen helenl listen what i I 1 meant mean lie he turned her un lt 1 arns ros length she was facing gain I 1 dadalt lint follow you I 1 trailed the 1 it l and thought lavic was rid out tit now its you I 1 found I 1 1 l I 1 to think cant you tell helen wen cant you put me ight ke e loved a little closer to him still with his hands holding boulders ul ders and the flare of terra tern val gone in its place came a els of 0 surrender not to him ol ng he m might ight risk ask but to she was as going to say i walt I 1 wa was 3 not meeting jen jeff y out here and I 1 rode the tag because my man had al biln b ni in ln to F migrant emigrant and back er r voice trailed off the w ending s and yet y hanging anee the night in i a way I 1 boding S ed walt gandy with a dull I 1 it ws a moment before sho she began again 1 I must talk to you walt wait youre right only I 1 dont know how ive been putting it oil off hoping I 1 dont know what for her eyes pierced through the dark to his ile he laughed softly uneasily go ohead ahead I 1 can take it I 1 guess rail all but one thing what Is that she asked quickly never mind ho he evaded out of tho the silence helen asked will you do something for me ile he turned his head to her what it was a 6 wary question regardless of what hat ho he had just felt do as I 1 asked you to do the other day leave this country go now tonight head oil off south where you carno came from surel sure ho he said finer final and have the sheriff of emigrant county on my trail for a year or sol sat she shook her head no bat tie wont trail you I 1 can promise that you canilo yes 0 walt gandy looked down at this puzzling girl helen ho he asked why do you want me to leave because she answered im afraid of you afraid yes you know too much you know about the inq inquest bullet and rne me and youre gathering facts all the time and putting them together walto walt you I 1 listen if you knew bill hollister was clear of all trouble then go you what you came up here for I 1 know well he Is bill Is sate safe walt gandy denied it with a slow movement of his head no he im not convinced that hoi lister Is guilty here but ed battle will do his best to hang it all onto him battlo battle has three bullets now if he has blus bills rifle he the girl spoke so surely that gandy stared into her taco face a moment before demanding how do you know she looked away he all I 1 can tell you gandy stood silent watching her with an ache in his arms did she tah think that he still had only one purpose in being here how could she not knowl He helenl leral he said youre not blinde I 1 came here to help DIU bill hollister but that all of my reason tor for staying why cant you talk to me you know the im going to see this thing through and when that it was not plain to walt gandy himself why he broke off her eyes had dropped quickly from his and sho she stood with head bowed lie he put out a hand to her but she avoided it and suddenly lifted one of her own to her cheek He helenl leril he begged her head jerked up then with a queer short laugh she told him walt youre fine but its no use the other afternoon I 1 said I 1 was working out the C C troubles in my own way I 1 have chave theres going to be no range war and no more killing the only thing ahing Is better go please dont misunderstand me and dont ask me to explain any more A way to keep peace on the emigrant bench was offered an and d I 1 ive ve taken it before the girl finished walt ga candy n knew what she was going to say and he stood with tho the life gone from him heavy and cold while helen camerons voice sounded far off 1 I am going to marry jeff stoddard CHAPTER ALT GANDY stood alone in W WALT the bottom of the dark ravine helen had not wanted him to ride back with her and he was glad that his off offer er had been refused tie ile had to get hold of himself first then reason told him that what the girl h had ad said could never happen she would never marry jeff stoddard no matter in what spirit she had promised herself to the 77 owner the thing was too ungodly unless she loved him clinging to his own hope walt gandy refused to believe that she did in a little W while hile leading the palomino he made his way back to the spring adroitly he realized now helen in had ad evaded answer why she ile he had to had come hero here tonight know there came to mind tile the taint faint sounds he had heard hear d while w waiting alting unaware of who wa was s at the pool and sucking as the rippled surface from mud T the he girl of boots drawn the had warned him away from spot then had given no sign that she might was afraid someone a else come his horse at the willow left F he fe e edge and groped on along the short he warily tree trunk corridor match the disc of water struck a out of and its small basin looped leaped the dark nothing more I 1 one match from another light lighting ng traced and holding the flame low he where the girl had walked once then she had backtracked around the he pool she had sto stopped aped as if for considerable time her boots sinking into his pockets pocket n he went in deep for brought out more mor e matches and IMP imprint rint of now the mud showed an her hand stood he more through a minute might have moves she imagining his own fitting made here and then boots into the holes hers had find left squatted down and felt fell in the dark water only a press of cold ooze touched ills his fingers the shelving bottom was shallow dut but cattle wading hero here had churned a soft pit and suddenly walt gandy knew that the girl had used willow spring to hide a secret could almost say what she had hidden HI H rolled up his sleeves stretched both arms far out and thrust them down it took many minutes ex floring in the slime until its his hands struck something hard and straight ening he tugged upward drawing out at last a mud coated rifle ride there was little need to clean the gun lie ile hunched down again working with slow deliberation on an unwanted job gandy laid the rifle ride down hot hoi listers carried those years they had been on border duty together used up here to shoot a man in the back ile ho sat staring into the black night felt all at once old with knowing too much but it was more than the shooting that put this weight in his feeling against bill hollister hollister must have v V 0 1 I the girl spoke so surely that gaudy gandy stared into her face a moment before demanding how do you know known how desperately the girl was trying to shield litin him did he even know helen had promised to marry stoddard it was plain what she had done no deputy sheriff had taken this rifle from the C C ranch house helen herself had then pretended it had been stolen walt knew now that thai she was hiding it hero here tho the first day they met and had come back tonight to make certain the law had not discovered her secret all to tc shield Holli sterl only a girl would go to such scheming the gun would never have been found in this pool with cattle tramping it deeper until it rusted away gandy sat unmoving for a long time tr ying trying to see what was ahead tor for him saw only that he would stick and go through to the end once he had sworn that it if hollister Hol llster had done the th e cold blooded killing here hed quit not now at last he got up took the rifle and th thrust rust it back into the mud the green tinted mountain dawn was in his face by the time he reached the C C ground mist was rising through it he saw vague movement of figures i three horses stood saddled at the corral post horsechief Horse thief fisher cams came hurriedly from the bunk shack at sight of him gandy lifted his pony into a lope fisher was armed and at the sudden thudding of hoofs he about faced hand on his gun unusually jumpy where the devil you been he wanted to know as gandy reined his sunspot in close walt cast a quick look over the lot swinging orf 03 beside the brone bronc rider never mind me lie he answered onit anit up it declaration of war boyll boyl horse thief told him im ridin in to get bailey and the buechl Hol hollisters listers order sl he clamped down on the news with grim satisfaction Hol hollisters listers tall black was not among the horses which stood saddled aled nor in the corral meres bill now gandy asked 1 l tode rode off before daybreak said sahl fisher looking worried tor for the moment told me he was going to try tor for a last talk with stoddard to see if his herd be turned back with without out gunfight but I 1 just now saw that bills six shooter aint hangin there at the head of his bunk boy ill bet its more than talk hea gone attell he go alone fisher nodded good loidl gandy burst out 1 I know fisher agreed but bill slammed out of here before anyone figured what h he a was doing As I 1 said I 1 only just now saw his gun was miss iral anyway im dustin for lowral young champion appeared from around the bunk house gandy tossed over the palominos reins feed him paul will Y you ou im rid ing again in th the e act of moving on up slope he be turned and asked over one shoulder what orders did hot hoi lister give you for today rm im to stick right hero here tho the boy sold grave faced ile he was wearing his big fortyune forty five uve with helen ho he finished wheres Wh cros lavic dunno seen him helen was not in sight eight when gandy candy tramped into tho the kitchen to grab a fast breakfast tho the gallon gran ite waro ware coffee pot was simmering on tho the back of the stove ile he poured a mug full drank it while eggs and a round of hatra ham were frying then with those cooked poured moro cof fee got biscuits hot from tho the oven and ate standing at a window overlooking the ranch yard impatience goaded him but it was a safe bet that this meal would bo be his last for many hours ila ho filled up helen camo came into tho the kitchen before he had quite finished ho a promptly stacked his plato plate and cup on the sink board and turned to the outer door wanting no talk with anyone not even the girl it was past time tor for any moro more words but sho she called quickly and what sho she said jerked him around did lavac find you lie ho moved a step nearer and would havo given everything lie he possessed to tell this girl that sho she need worry no more that it was all close to an end Ln lavac Lav vic lc ho he asked looking tor for me what did ho he want 4 1 I dont know the tha poor fellow w was as worked up over something and was hunting every place tor for you have you seen him at all since last night when battlo battle was here impatient to bo be gone and knowing that every minute was carrying hollister closer to an all enemy camp still gandy candy waited feeling an unexplainable portent in what the girl was saying no lie he answered his words hurried 1 I seen him why helen what Is it again she said 1 I dont know bent talk tails to me only 11 with an unexpected movement sho she came across to him at arms length she stopped only walt bent lavic knows I 1 almost think he knows exactly what has happened here and ive tried to make him tell its no secret that he Is terribly bitter and hates dad maybe hollister Hol llster ster too and last night her voice trailed off last night gandy put in you thought lavic was going to talk to me here in the kitchen so you hung around until ho he went I 1 saw that play helen why because J I 1 wanti want him tot he has nothing to tell you nothing I 1 ile he seemed to mind having you here and I 1 saw how ho he looked at you last night when battle battie was talking but he has nothing that you should knowl 1 I know it already helen they were close staring at each other you cant go on with what youre doing gandy said you arent hiding anything from me I 1 found bill hollisters Hol listers rifle there at willow spring she recoiled as if he had struck her one hand against her cheek quickly he added its all right I 1 put it back in the mud no ono one will ever know only you cant go on shielding hollister Hol llster forever girl youve done your parti he turned irom from her reaching for the door do you know that bill Is headed for the 77 right now not nol im trailing him not nol she cried again let mo me got lot let me handle this walt gandy you stay |