| Show I The Deserts Desert's Price By WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE RAINS So I b br R laiD ln SYNOPSIS W M M.-C. M. M Cuia young n Art Arizona ranchman nn AndI ada ax sa old aid rad d. d Jim Yerby with with a bral lof hi Julia Dull Stark of d Stark att enemy el t th th tb McCann la I. with him 01 lull broth broths I to t. nt Wn- Wn Ana Ann Gifford Clfford with h. h her bar young fount oun Itar Ethel are III 10 elieen and an n taa tbt K account OUt popular with wit t ika IL cattlemen N Night leht el rH Irs r a MeC McCann rider Pater Pter McCann lather father off A reward rol I. I for tha th el ii their Ir Identity WU- WU McCann horsewhip J. J Jasper h ha be making practical no Matthew Stark Sark posts t. t notice ha ba win will kill Isal Wilson Wilton McCann on oa night light Ana Ann tragedy li U the tha fata t ol of b. b her har dead dd alit alitar N. N Nora Nor betrayed and nd doo d b br by h. h her har 10 lovar byse J. J Jasper Stark Sleek and nd Carl CI Im knows known ae as a biller r. r hold a crt con con- A Stark rider Tom M AdI la Is ha- ha Laced br by the tha St St. Shark t. t kava Kara been bee killed 10 br by tI the tha McCanna McCann but hut rumor rum links link his hll nama um with wit that thet W ed Nora Nor Gilford Matthw Stark I U II killed Irom from h Julia Julie ands him d dead d d. d with WU Wilson on McCann stooping ever ovar him Sh and nd Phil b. b bar h. younger roun broths brother accuse McCann of 01 tha th killing hi hla hamont dentaL denial Wish la I. shot ihor from om tb tha chapparal while vet ever Mat Mal Ih Sharks Shark's body him dying drill the tho h. h kara hay loll him taken to lo than than- home bom Diva Ov f t bless tone Stark a s T. T Tenn with with a s peter at an a kills killer UI openly nl doubt douht Wilsons Wilson's guilt I Jasper JasperI I la I. br by his hla father will Wilson McCann McConn Mc Mc- Cnn Cann U Is restored torad t. t health Jasper Stark despite da- da spite pia the tha girl 11 aversion Ion eh k la to Ethel Clfford to merry marry hi him holding 0 ova ovar herthe her har harika the ika threat of 1 revealing Ann ee II tha tho II slay nf of Tom Tens McArdle Ann draw him bin from rom the tha ranch defying dolln him Later Latar aha h dmit to Ethel Ethal that 1 she aha killed klud Nor Noraa Nera's betray tra No N. act action Ion aa II to Matthew Stark l killing 1 la I. An As anonymous mou I. I letter ta to the tha charge br Ann with murder murd CHAPTER VIII 9 9 A Quiet Man Talks r Stone hall had killed a o white tailed buck hurk buckin hurkIn In tutu the foothills of ot the UIO Sierras Phil was with Mm him and Julia All Ml three thrle of ot them had left the ranch In the early morning Jorn I OR ng They were homeward bound now with night Impending In the valley darkness was beginning to fall tall but long shafts of ot golden glow v still ran along the mountain ridges rIdge and bathed their the rocky slopes In splendor To Julia Tulla the desert always Itself In III terms of ot life She saw the tho lash nosh of teeth In Its eternal conflict Tills TIll little I man riding beside her r. so 80 lean Ian and sinewy and dangerous so RO effective In meeting the conditions It demanded to endure was Wall a n reflection of ot Its III gaunt aunt persistence All day Phil had been bOn preoccupied with lIh nn on anxiety that now found words 1 Im worried some Rome Sis At Mesa MOM I 1 heard beard gossip Ilp 11 lie Ile stopped then added About Ann Gifford The Texan rid lug beside him him gave l by y no outward action nn any sign sl of ot Interest In Ina terest but somehow Phil knew that he was Intent on catching every ry word e They tiny say sl a Toni Tom McArdle I I Julia Julin Unshed an nn Indignant retort How low outrageous 1 And AntI senseless 1 What object could she possibly have hll They my pay her her ulster slater Nora Norn What do you menu mean h Why hy that Tom sous responsible fJ i Oh Ohi I 1 The Tho girl fell tell silent her hr hert t thoughts fits hll busy knitting together loose ends of ot gossip 0 she had bad heard Who says so she demanded s The ho boy hesitated l. l He lie could rouM talk i freely before Stone llIn for hard and nI tough though bough the Texan was sons an nn accredited y v L 1 killer both these young younK people sensed In him the same some loyalty that bound l' l h. h Client to tn i Jas Mas for fur one gulped out V Jas Jasi I Julia pulled up her horse ab ab- s' s What hat does dols he Know about It IU i J T Claims ClaIm he hI practically saw V her ber dof doIt do i J It II It him an Gitner f I v Stone spoke for tor the first time f you ou hear bear tills this Phil full In 10 town n. n Everybody J knows It J They say when Hank flank Ie Le Pago iago went j i. i j to tier ber out place she he wouldn't e even e en deny U It ills told him to pro prove It If he c could lint Hut I Ja-I I dont don't understand Jf It t lie be Sll saw w her ber do It It or felt sure slip had hadI I done clone It 11 why did he watt wait nearly three months to tell It HT Why hy didn't he lie tell It Il then or not at ut nil all nil Julia Julin asked f t I dont don't know answered Hut But 1 I what t won wor won 8 a S me Is that Chat the story is liable to be true ll She h might aright done a-done It She's Out of ot the night lame canto the Texans Texan's s low drawl You needn't to worry none boy Sh She didn't do It It You think she didn't Phil turned with relief to Stones Stone I dont don't think I 1 know Julia turned white You dont don't mean leaD that that that-Jas Jas did It IU No Hut But you know who ho did dhU I CI sure do And you'll t tell S Yes maam I was try In to shield him hint for Tom McArdle certainly ne need need- 1 t- t ed eod killin Hut But now that Miss l Gilford's name ha has been brou brought ht Into It I reckon t 1 hell he'll ha have ve to stand the lime gaff galT Roth Both of the young joung Starks wanted to tn ask hIm who hall had done It More than titan once onro the question passed l Julias Julia's lips nut Hut there was something In the little mans man's manner that restrained t her If It he wanted her to know he would tell her Well Im I'm glad glud Ann Gifford Clifford didn't do It It she said The poor girls girl's had hall enl enough u h trouble It If she wasn't so stiff with 1 me me me-It If shed she'd only meet rue me a quarter quarter luar ter of ot the way way way-I'd Id I'd ride over o tomorrow and ami see her ber Just to show her we wo be be- f l in her tier Id d. d do that anyway the tile Texan t r nh said Mid It would be right kind of you fOU 6 Khe sure needs a woman friend Old OldIn Jim Yerby I. I about the only one she he nel neighbors with a a tail Will you IOU go with me Julia asked Stone You u ed to know her ber Ill go with you It If Im I'm footloose he promised rather evasively She laughed I believe youre you're afraid tl to go 10 Thai Tims no Josh Miss MIs Julia ara scare re me me Some Mome ladles she corrected I 1 notice notice no no- tice I dont don't scare Inre you any Snatches of ot thought began begau tl to race In the girls girl's brain Usually when a aman aman aman man was wal afraid of ot a woman unless he was her husband and had given offense offense of of- to her It was because he was wu attracted to her She had observed a painful shyness on the part of the youths about her ber as a torn of or suppressed emotion motion It was an au unconscious warning they flung nung out to Julia to trim the stills sails of ot her manner to them This Texan would not exhibit any awkward bashfulness hl lie He was too self self contained too much ma master ler of every nerve and anti muscle None the less he might within be as much disturbed disturbed dis dis- as ns they were Why shouldn't he be In love with Ann She guessed bl his age ngn shout about forty and In a aman aman aman man that Is still young lie He had walked talked dangerous trails had hod done dreadful things If It rumors were true she he knew In Instinctively that there still burned Burnett In him that dy dy- spars sparK or seir respect seir-respect WHICH justl I I fled him tl to himself lie He had bad his stand stand- t a ardi and he played the game by them I She had bad no more doubt of this rule than j she hind had that Hint such a s man as ns Gitner h had ad no standards Ann Gifford Gilford needed some one to 10 take from her shoulder the heavy henvy burden life lite lied had laid upon them Stone was wal such a man man strong quiet selL self He lie was sons dangerous to his bis toes foes but It came to Julia with a flush flash of ot clairvoyance ance once that the very qualities that had made malle his name notorious would be a asure asure asure sure protection to a woman like Ann Stone rode up to the tile office of lank Hank HankLe Le Ie e o la sheriff swung from the saddle saddle sad sad- dle tile and dropped the file bridle reins Le Lo Page looked up from the ledger i In n which he was sons laboriously entering some Items of ot expense Lo Dave i Howg Ilow's everything Flue an au an dandy dandy- The Texan ln found a chair choir a cigarette c and a match For or five Ave minutes there was silence except for tor th the scratching of the sheriffs sheriff's pen lIen and the tho with which he be accompanied the tie manual labor la Is bor bop of ot bookkeeping Then with a sigh of relief rel the dosed closed the heavy volume Anything new Da Dave e t he be asked re re- Not ot a 8 thing with the me Hear you youve you've VI hit lilt n a new trail In the case cuso Looks uy thata Some of you Circle Clr Cir ell cue Cross boys tipped me off that th the e Gifford girl was seen makin a 8 getaway from the place where Tom was shot I went nent out lo to t tope see ee her ber about It II She Sh acted mighty funny tunny How flow Oh defiant The Tho sister broke down an all cried 1 I couldn't get geta a thing outa her either So 0 you ou reckon Miss Ann nn did It It look that way Tom Ton McArdle had ninde malle his brags rag about th tilt the theother e other sister That was Known Shed She'd warned him hint oT oft the tho place inn Ann had hUll Say Ray they meet by lIy chance an quarrel She's got gut n a temper Well Vell Ill I'll say It ripper ripped 1 lo loo loose e nn an she shot him Looks reasonable Only luly trouble Is b. b U It air aint t true n 1 hum sue ne i t Ot 10 ur IC I And again Stone gave ga th the answer h ha h e had given Pull I aint I know The sheriff lost his manner of ot casual ease Old lilt you jou OU say you ou know knew How low do du you know knowl Saw him do it It Who Vho 7 Im I'm Puns to tell you jou lIU hi the prey pres lItI The looked holad at him not without Youve You waited wait ed elt three months to Reckon 1 I can wait walt another r fl II Sure Fact art Is U I l didn't aim slut to tell you a tail Hut when then 1 I fount found out there was talk about Miss lIss Ann why Ann why th s i different rent Might as well 11 begin at the start I 1 usta hats hault around the sheep ranch some l me my may own ot u self spit Knew old Gifford when then he hI lived at Santone so 1 drifted In In a while to advise Miss MUs Ann I got suspicious of ot McArdle Mt He lie was WIlS one of ot these black black- mustached lady killers good un sin glib with his bis tongue Xora was a mighty nice liI lad an I could see lIte she had took look a great fancy to him What I l was worried about was that shed she'd marry him hint but that wasn't what that hap happ If It Id I'd known what I knew later that McArdle r. had hall a wife lit living Ing at lit Prescott well yell Id I'd sure hate p sat In to Inan Inan toan an took a hand band Le he Page nodded l. The looked away dreamily anti and blew smoke sl wreaths Presently he hI took up again his story After Miss MUs Ann nn came back bUlk from Ios Los she wouldn't have hate any of ot ofus ofus otus us around On top of ot the trouble about t her hr sister some Bome Jurn Burn fools tools had killed a bunch of ot her sheep So 0 she he jug Jus' swept us all out Tom had bell rid tidily in In to Tucson to see while she was a at t school an he Ile tried to the ranch Wish Ish Id I'd been there when he showed shoRed up but I 1 wasn't Anyhow Miss Ann gave ave him the gate For that matter mailer the sister stater was plumb through with whit him when she found out what hed he'd done Youre makin a long ong story of ot It It Dave Im comin to business now The mornin Tom was killed four of us from the Circle Cross had a camp near the foot of Hound Top There was Wall Tom an an Jas an an an myself elf We Ve separated to pick up a bunch of ot vacas I to drive back to the ranch Long about sun up I beard heard a shot hot right close to me over to the left lert where there Tom was I rode an met Tom He lIe was laughing fit to kill an right away began to tell me Die the Joke Hed He'd Just seen seln Miss MIM Ann an been de her tier again I didn't say soy a word but listened his lis to him dig his grave gra with hist his r t Ir h h wp C CI I Reckon the Celebration Will Be Oe Later the Man In the Apron Said Significantly tongue What tickled him so much was that hed he'd riled her tier so that shed she'd d shot at him an nn hed he'd pretended to tall fall 1 from hi his horse over a dugway like h he ho e was dead I asked him what hed he'd said d to make snake her so mad U lied Hed d told he hehe her r he was coming up to the ranch to s see seeber her ber hil sister The fhe Texan stopped He lie looked ou out t of ot the open door at nt a freight outfit t coming down the dusty street Th The mule r was u using raucous nm ant t explosive language hive Dave e Stone Slone dl did ti not see him except automatically Another Another An n other picture filled Hied his bis vision Islon The Gilford Gifford woman shot at hint him an an on missed the sheriff prompted Like Lilo I do done no told you jou I said Mid t to o him hint You Yuu dont don't really figure on going g back Ul up to tn the sheep ranch titter after what jou e done Hu lie come como back hack at m me I right quick that he sure FUrl did I taken take takena a hand there an then I said he had another guess comin that I wouldn't wouldn t stand for tor It He lie got flint mad matI on nn wanted d to know what that business It was wn of mine minI Then II be lie to In lay the blame u on un what that had bad happened on ou that Ill girl I ly In Ing In III her hr grave out In California II II I 1 1 told him t what hat he was nn gave e Lilt him u first lest chance to draw Ills gun was In Inthe 1 Ii the open when then I killed hits him It U was vii s me DIe or him hirn nn an I heat beat him to it It alas Jas In Stark and Gitner didn't know knot v jou on did It No I 1 couldn't t prove IO It was W n II fill fair r tight fight so po I rode back Into Inlo the chaparral chaparra 1 when I heard them comin Prett Pretty y soon lIoon I showed up lip nn an they began t to o tell me how hot Miss lIs Ann nn had hul stint shot r. I r tile dIp Id I'd a atol told them how hO It 11 was 1 bu buI but butI t I saw ins Jus wa was as nil all for lm hushin hu it u up p that shed she'd killed him so 1 I Jus' Jus told th the boys I didn't believe shed she'd done It an era an l let et It go at that The Tho sheriff reflected Ill Ili have to lock you OU up Dave Sure Hut Bat Ive I've told you the straight of It Would you rou mind someone some lome someone one out to the Clifford place to tell fell the young ladles that Its It's all right far as they're concerned f fIll Ill send some one soon as I can n Better Jus' Jus put It that we quarreled r elent an an I killed ed him No use them with what I told you I wanted you rou to know the facts but theres there's no need of at spreading em broadcast The sheriff assented A puncher riding the grub line put pasted passed the Circle Cross and stopped at the bunkhouse I I 1 would of ot liked to n got ngot got home butI but I reckon Ill I'll kick In here tonight he told himself plaintively Ja Jasper pcr came to the doorway Lo IA Hud Bud I 1 Light an look at yore ore saddle he Invited Id ItI orta be on my reins the puncher demurred My Iy |
