Show HUR W N U service THE SO fall sidney lander a big outdoor out door I 1 women men love lov girl also loves love lander engineer its he la Is edgag engaged ed she disappears lander finds Sa plane it was wa sockeye sock eye i a friend ile he ining salaria larla trumbull buU whose ano rich father ather barbara misinterprets the thought it was wa a plant plane lie ile Trum relicue and ra ira tho the mining elalio ot of carol flings away her engagement told them trumbull had tent sent erie eric the eftig ring lan teacher at lander der and carol fly to Cha kitana batna red hed tor for dirty work eric the red hed had Trum buU salaria bryson of her claim someone shoots annoyed carol on several oc eloi and jtb at the threatened her installment vill 3 the dig squaw he said unmistakable note of trl irl n bl his voice I 1 I 1 could see ee in the distance meandering ean dering ribbon of water riale thread ot of water muddy facial silt as aa it twisted be rock and gravel beds with dwarfed birch trees and blue lue shadowed distance lost jost a what must have been a ke ike pe els no plane plan 9 at cranberry il I 1 heard him r say MY and the all ill mines nine 1 5 shut hut down every empty ty there or e looped ped and handed me the pointing atit tin ig into the valley I 1 nada out the mine buildings i a and d idle die and in au all the terrain beyond them I 1 could of life 10 0 sign it understand this lander his b reached for the glasses and even as he bo spoke a hat t was neither a whine nor lie smote on my ears A t later ater tho the so sound und was repeat wed by the splash ot a but bul dinst st the rock on which lan i standing back ne he called out to me low wn drop from the tha rock top abrupt that the binoculars my feet ile he motioned me another bullet whined over latt ats how bow they welcome as his eyes narrowed and slight alight with a grim another nobe humor bullet cut across the the rock behind which we d yare are getting their range my ite ate sardonically observed who la is it I 1 gasped Vs s what ive got to find out rider as he reached for his e but instead of bringing it e he crowned the barrel end Is s hat and slowly lifted it ie e top of our sheltering rock was a far off report and the ie hat that had bad been on the die end whisked ten feet away when he guardedly found a bullet hole through e ot of the felt brim he looked inactively then he be put the k c on his head t in the rock shadow shado yf study wide amphitheater of run rid id canyo ned mountain slope rounded grounded us U I 1 crawl back he quietly an and come on him from quarter whom rhom I 1 queried trying in natch match quietness with quiet man chos trying to murder as s landers curt reply however turned quartering bartering and cautious aut lous ad once ince we had climbed to high und adi we crept forward in IA a ly direction crawling clos closer to the heights over the big squaw aad the amp a buildings 9 lad glad to sit pit and rest while crawled cautiously forward ough brough that tangle of willow Y studied the valley beneath he studied it for a long time e crept back to my side his r eyes quite without any look sf action 8 tat eat he said as he reached discarded shoulder pack actively I 1 looked about for ut I 1 he stopped me with a r we squatted on ky 7 floor of a sheltering bowl e as the shadows shifted and d warbler twittered and between the clump willows 11 P have to stay here lan ld ive got a little scouting if t anY anything thins should happen e a e couple 0 of signal rhods at six gun of yours H I 1 can go where you go I 1 ined 1 r studied my face then he I 1 a 8 little ont at want you in this he th w a quiet but steely firm 1 if its dangerous f tor or yo you u I 1 0 be in it i persisted ow low what im doing he and ana youve still got to b be m me even say goodby lie he cupped supped over ever the edge of the nd d lost him himself self in the fire anc balsam fringing the that went singing down into wet valley ched ached behind my clump wll wil arching MJ g tw for so sole me sign ot of him 1 l nam t at last flattened indian i n a 8 narrow arrow crevasse as hed ed his way down into that certainty dainty he went very m heart leaped into my A rifle shot echoed through beyo bev ana tearing na a hole 1 iri the 0 O sill A rid nd becq before its echoes died id is still followed follow cd bj b another another r gander lander drop beside a boul S 3 1 t for or one fra antic tic M athe he had down gone bullet a I 1 rough gh hla his boy body but s 6 him edge of u be UP P over the ed ea boulder bogold with his rifle pointing across a rock stippled stadium to where a small whiff of smoke was drifting oft off between a sprinkling of hardheads hard heads 1 I could see him suddenly bend low and run toward the shelter of a larger boulder where he again guardedly trained his rifle and alred at some un decipherable target I 1 forgot my trail mates warning and went scrambling over the shelf edge groping for my six gun as I 1 went I 1 knew it was dangerous but I 1 much care all ali I 1 remembered was that I 1 was alaska born and my blood was up I 1 see a man killed tor for a cause that was essen trally mine to stand aside at such a time was more than cowardly I 1 disregarded landera shout of warning and ran on scarcely thinking of cover then an odd thing happened instead of the bark baik ot of a rifle I 1 heard tho the bark of a voice half in protest and halt half in anger sockeye was the shout that fell on my ears it came from the tall figure which was no longer crouching behind its rock shelter to stand aside at such a time was more than cowardly and that I 1 knew was lander a startled and indignant lander who even trying to wave me back sockeye sock eye you old fool stop it was the repeated shout that echoed across the valley and it was answered a moment later by a call that was halfway between the howl of a timber wolf and the kl of a happy cowboy I 1 could see the shaggy old figure that emerged from its hiding biding place and stood in startled wonder staring at his equally startled enemy TU ill be b horns wiggled if it aint sid lander cried the embattled old timer as he lowered his firearm and me a bryin t blow him oui out 0 the val valley leyl 1 what do you mean by it demanded lander striding toward him sockeye sock eye stood scratching his bis head a picture of bewilderment touched with contrition ills his wandering gaze fell on me and he emitted a second triumphant kayl kl then sockeye sock eye turned back to the taller figure confronting him the squint of incredulity going out of hl his bea eyes as he studied the newcomer then hespah he spat and leaned on his rifle 1 I thought you was that yellow bellied coyote trumbull planted in these parts t f do his dirty work tor for him what coyote questioned lan der that fire batin ericson sockeye answered hes still round this valley tryl bryin n to ease the hate out 0 his dyste system in by lead in folks this fact brought a frown 10 landers face then it was ericson fired on the plane two days ago I 1 could see a look of guile creep over the seamed old face then a smile widened the brown blown stained an and d slowly relent relenting Ipg old mouth 1 I reckon them pot shots came cam e from me all OE right ht he slowly acknowledged 1 I was under the de it was trumbull comin back t trump my ace W when hen I 1 had hini him already licked you might have killed somebody cried lander the be old eyes lost the last of their benevolence theres jus one snake im almin tor for t f 91 git it sockeye sock eye slowly affirmed and right naw hes aidin and hu huggin 9 a rifle between here lake and if you and cranberry dont git him hell sure su git you the landers narrowed eye studied valley bottom why la Is he here I 1 asked chilled all by the thought of unseen menace about us acau because Bc ause c hes fuller 01 0 venom than heads was sock R cage 0 copperheads copper hes heli so eyes deliberated reply plumb sour with hate hale he cant see straight and trumbull cashed in on that thai when he posted him here ns an armed guard t protect his property it was waa like leavin a trap set with aizen bait behind him what did you mean by saying you bad trumbull licked lander demanded still again I 1 saw the look of guile on sock eyes crafty old face ills ilia eyes when lie he spoke were not on lander but on me 1 I aint got college dood engineer engl ifil he said ald least a ways when a high collar crat tries t change the face 0 nature theroa theres always two can play at the same game game what do you mean by that lander questioned 1 I mean mister was sock eyes quiet toned answer that I 1 happened t mush in here afore trumbull and his survey officials dropped into this valley they was bankin on the big squaw IV t show em cm oll ol klondike Co burns claim could nOt ue lie I 1 along the crick bank where his patent sure said she ought t lie I 1 waited tor for sockeye sock eye to go on but as he stood silent for a moment or two with a somber light in nil his crafty old eyes he seemed to be turning a succulent thought over in his mind very much as a squirrel turns a nut over in its paws pawa 1 I reckon a earthquake run rece recent nt through these regions he blandly suggested for there was the ol 01 big squaw right back in the bed where she belonged and when them engineer engl iW sharps got through with their maps and sight in tools they sure had t V tell boss trumbull the mine was located proper and the claim stood as recorded and the ol 01 skunk was wa so sprayed with his own scent that he walt wait a minute interrupted lan der fixing the other with a steady eye illow how much dynamite did you pack into this valley sockeye sock eye scratched his head a and nd spat then his leathery old throat shook with a chuckle 1 I reckon tenderfoot tenderfoot he observed 1 I savvied how t handle bl blastic blast astin ln powder afore you was born 11 then it was you changed the course of the big squaw 1 I put ler er back where she belonged sockeye sock eye eya stubbornly maintained where she was on the original survey but that mean the issues settled contended my champion sure ashes settled sockeye sock eye proclaimed them government go sharps hew flew out three days ago headin tor for juneau t register their findig and confirm the claim IU ill lead you over t the big squaw and show you where your location posts Is au all set and your limits defined why do you say when the coast Is clear lander exacted because Bc ause theres a hate soured son ol 01 0 misery skulk kin ln around behind them rocks he announced and he be aint with love tor for any one ot of us fact Is folks weve got V git under cover he turned and pointed toward a rock ledge that wavered along the water torn mountain slope ive got me a nifty little hideout hide out up that hillside there ashes tarp roofed and bedded down with balsam and plumb out 0 sight from bryin eyes down here I 1 knew a sudden sense of weariness touched with homelessness as I 1 waited for lander to retrieve our overlooked shoulder packs youve had hard coln girlie sockeye sock eye observed after a glance into my face but youve got your mine it seem so important I 1 said out of my backwash of weariness sockeye sock eye wagged a shaggy head 1 I guess youre right girlie it aint the gold that stacks so eo high in th this Is game its the doggoned joy ol 01 0 diggin it out and I 1 may as well teu tell you straight out she aint no el dorado theres a of color all right but ac accord cordin ln t the test pits I 1 put down ashes going to run thinner than your ol 01 pappy counted on lander plainly resented that decision you cant appraise a mine by a scratch or two on the surface he said as we made our way up the broken mountain slope slowly step by step sock E eyes yes gaze gaz e as 03 he be stopped and blinked at the taller man was one of asperity 1 I aint no college dood he be affirmed but I 1 panned these cricks afore you was a infant and I 1 reckon I 1 kin still sniff outa out a payin pocket when ashes under my nose it seemed very futile and foolish and I 1 had trouble irlia ding my footing along the tan fan shaped gravel bed that lay in our path I 1 even staggered a little this girl needs rest and sleep lander said as he shifted his rifle and reached out an arm to hold bold me up I 1 could leel icel that arni arm tighten about my tired body 10 we moved on agal again TO ISE HE |