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Show I I CROOKFD TRAILS I I STRAIGHT B COPYRIGHT.BV G .VA. DI LLiTMG HAJ4 COIlgWNraT B I,,., MM 1 tammmm i ll II I T 8YNOP8IS. H Part CHATTER I. Advonturous and reck M las, rntlior than criminal, and excited by m liquor. Curly Flamlrnu and his clium, B Mac. both practically mero boys, liccomo B Involved In a horse-stcnllriK adventure. H Disposing: of the stolen stock In the town H of tingunche, Ariz., the bund separates, B Curly and his partner staying In town. M They nro awakened and told a posse Is M In town In pursuit of them. They elude M their pursuers. Overtaken next day, Mao M Is killed by the posse and Curly made M captive, after lie has shot one and him- H self been wounded. The man shot Is B Luck Culllson. H CILATT15R Il.-Culllson's friends, all B cattlemen, dctermlno to lynch Curly as B an oxampla to cuttle thieves. With the BBV rope around his neck ho is saved by the B Intervention of Kato Culllson, Luck's H dauffhtor. H CHATTER III. Ills wound dressed, 'and further violence not apprehended, B Curly Is sent for by Culllson. He mien- M tlons tho hoy concerning a. notorious out LLm law, Sonpy Stone, real leader of the rus- BBB tiers who had beon Curly's undoing. BBB Flamlrnu lenrna thai Soapy Btone Is Cul. M Ilson'n bitter enemy and exorcises a bale I BBB ful lnlhicnco over tho ex-sheriff's son BBB Hum, who has quarroled with his father. BBB Culllson coes ball for Curly. BB H CJiAPTKR IV. Curly roscuen Soapy BBB Stone frnm a bear trap Into which he has BBB stumbled, and discovers that the outlaw BBB Is younjr Sam's rival for the hand of Uiu LLm ra London. Sho rIvcs Curly a nolo to BBB deliver to Sam, and Klandrau and Stone BBB act out for tho latter's ranch. H CHAPTER V.-Thcro Curly meets his BBB companions of the rustling expedition and LLM delivers Laura'n nolo to Sum. Young: BBB Culllson believes Stono la his friend and B says ho will slick by him. Flamlrnu sees LLm some movo Is being planned and becomes LLm convinced It Is train robbery, Sam leaves B the ranch to ko to Suuuaclie. Curly ac B companies him. H CHAPTER VI. Eavcsdropplnj; at a m meeting place, Curly hears Btone and his LLW lieutenant. Lute Dlackwell. nrrange to B liold up tho train at a crossing known as B Tin Cup, and after the robbery shoot H young Culllson and leave his body on tho M acene, Stono thus glutting his revenge on H tho ex-sherlff through his son's death and M disgrace Curly is accused by Btone of B being a spy of Luck Culllson'a. They are B separated, but part with Ue understand B lnc that their next meeting will mean a BBB fight to the death. Curly makes a con BBB fldant of Dick Maloney, cattleman, and BBB they Inform Luck Culllson of Stone's plot BBB against his son. H PART II U.-- Luck., -v H J CHAPTER I. H At the Roundup Club. H A bis cumo lind been In progress all H night at the Roundup club. Now Uio H carlBli light of day streamed throut'h H the windows, but tho electric cluster H Htlll IIuiik down Ita yellow glare upon H the tublc. The men were In their H shirtsleeves. Rig broad-shouldered fcl- H lows they were, with the marks of tho H outdoors bnrd-rldliiR West upon them. H Ko lonKer young, they were still full H of the vigor and energy of unflacgtng H Htrcngth. From bronzed fncoe looked . Hj steady unwinking eyes with humorous E creuscs around the corners, Imrd eyes H that Judged a man and his claims bbbH nhrewdly and with good temper. Most H of them had mado good In the land, H and their cattle fed upon a thousand H 1' Tho least among them physically H was Luck Culllson, yet he was their M recognized leader. There wns somo H lnnato quality In this man with the H gray, steel-chilled eyes that marked H him ns llrat In whatever company he M chose to frequent. A good friend and H a good foe, men thought seriously be- M fore they opposed him. He had mado H himself n power in the Southwest be M cause ho was the typo that goes the 1 limit when aroused. H While Alec Flandrau shufllcd and H dealt, tho players relaxed. Cigars were relit, drinks ordered. Couversa H tlon reverted to tho ordtnary topics H that Interested Cattleland. Tho price M of cows, tho good rains, the time of H tho fall roundup, wcro touched upon. M The door opened to let In a new- B comer, u slim, graceful man much m younger than the others present, and M ouo whoso costume and manner M brought additional color Into the pic ture. Flandrau, senior, continued to i Hj shufllo without turning his head. Cul , M llson also had his hnck to the door, H but the man hung his broad-rlmmcd Hj gray hat on tho ruck beside nn ex- B actly similar one that belonged to the , M owner of tho Clrclo C and moved , H leisurely forward till ho was within m rnngo of his vision. I M "Going to provo up soon on Uie Dol H Oro claim of yours, Luckr asked fl Flandrau. H no was now dealing, his eyes on B the cards, so that ho missed tho cm M barrassment In tho faces of thoso H about him. H "On Thursday, the first dny the law H allows," Culllson ausworcd quietly. H Flandrau chuckled. "I reckon Cass fl Fcndrlck will be some sore." 1 Something In tho strained silence B struck tho dealer as unusual. Ho H looked up and showed a momentary H confusion, B "Didn't know you were there, Oass. m Looks like I put myi foot -In It suro that time. I co'talnly thought you H were an absentee," ho apologized. "Or you wouldn't have been talking fl About me." retorted Fcndrlck acldljy H fJliaiaMBBMaiiaBaBBaMHBMMaBMaisaHH -.aaaBBH-ajBaa-aMaBHt-BaMiHsJ "Or You Wouldn't Have Been Talking About Me," Retorted Fendrlck. Tho words were flung nt Flandrau, but plainly they wcro meant ns a challenge for Culllson. Fcndrlck passed to tho rear room for a drink. Ills Impudence needed fortifying, for he know that since he had embarked in the sheep business he wns not welcome nt this club, that in fact certain members hnd suggested his name bo dropped from tho books. Before ho returned to tho poker tnblo tho drink he hnd ordered became three. Tho game wns over and accounts were being straightened. Culllson was tho heavy loser. Tho settlement snowcu mat. me owner ol me vjircie i C was twenty-flvo hundred dollars behind be-hind tho game. Ho owed Mackenzie twelve hundred, Flandrau four hundred, hun-dred, and three hundred to Ycslcr. With Fcndrlck Bitting in nn easy chair just across tho room, he found It a Ilttlo dlfllcult to say whnt otherwise other-wise would have- been a matter of course. "My bunk's busted Just now, boys. Ilnvo to nsk you to let It stand for a few dnyB say till tho end of the week." Fcndrlck laughed behind tho paper he was pretending to rend. He knew quite well thnt Luck's word was ns good as his bond, but he choso to suggest sug-gest a doubt. ".Maybe you'll explain the Joko to us, Ouss," tho owner of the Circle 0 said very quietly. "Oh, I was Just laughing at the things I see, Luck," returned the younger mnn witn airy ouensc, . eyes on tho printed sheet. "Any law ugalust laughing?" Culllson turned his bnck on htm. "Sec you on Thursday If that's soon enough, boys." Without looking ngnln ut Fendrlck ho led tho way to the street. The young man, left nlone, cursed softly to himself and ordered another drink. Ho knew ho was overdoing It, but tho meeting with Culllson hud an" noyed him exceedingly. Tho men had never been friends, and of late years they had been lenders of hostile camps. Roth of them could bo overbearing, anil there was scarcely a week but their Interests overlapped. Finally had come open hostility. Cass leased from the forestry department tho land upon which Culllson's cnttlo had always al-ways run free of expense. Upon this he had put sheep, n thing In Itself of great Injury to tho cattle Interests. The stockmen had all been banded together to-gether In opposition to the forestry ad ministration of tho new regime, und Luck regarded Fcndrlck's action ns trenchery to tho common cause. I 'He struck hard. In Arizona tho l open rungo Is valuable only so long ns the water holes also are common 1 property or a private supply avail-I avail-I able. Tho Circle C cnttlo and thoso of Fendrlck enmo down from tho range I to the Del Oro to water at n point 1 whore the cnuyou walls opened to n spreading valley. This bit of meadow Luck homesteuded and fenced on tho north side, thus cutting tho cattle of IiIh eneniv from tho river. Cass was furious. Ho promptly tore down the fence to let his cuttle and sheep through. Culllson rebuilt It, put up n shack ut a point which commanded command-ed tho approach, and set a guard upon It day and night. Open warfare had ensued, and one of tho sheep herders had been beuten bccatise he persisted In crossing- tho dead line. Now Culllson was go'ug to put tho legal seul on tho mutter by making final proof on his homestead. Cass know that If he did so it would practically prac-tically put him out of business. He would bo at tho mercy of hN foe, who (Continued on page seven.) (Continued from previous pagoj ' ' ' 6 fr fr&fr8,'frfrOfrfrfrfr$$frfrOfr ii Crooked I A I; Trails I : : and : : 1 Straight I William MacLeod Ralne CoprrlghUOT 0 W OUltasBim Oompam A ouli! ruin uliti If he pleus. Lack iwould be In n position to dictate terms absolutely. Fendrlck felt that there must be some way out of the trap If he could only find It. Whenever the thought of ntlng humble pie to Luck came Into his mind tire rage boiled In him. He swore he would not do It. Better a hundred times to see the thing out to a lighting tlnlsh. Taking the broad-brimmed gray bat he found on the rack Oass passed out of the clubhouse nnd into the sunbathed sun-bathed street. Culllson nnd his friends proceeded down Pnpago street to the old plaza where their hotel wns located. All along the route they scattered nods of recognition, friendly greetings nnd cental banter. One of them the man who had formerly been the hard-rid-'' tng, quick-shooting sheriff of the coun ty met also scowls once or twice, to ' which he was entirely indifferent. He had made enemies, desperutc and unscrupulous un-scrupulous ones, who had sworn to wipe him from among the living, and one of these he wns now to meet for the first time since the man had stood handcuffed before him, livid with fury, and had sworn to cut his heart out at the earliest chance. It was In the lobby of the hotel that 3ulllson came plump against Lute Blnckwcll. For just a moment they stared nt each other before the former sheriff spoke. "Out ngaln, eh, Blackwelft" ho said aslly. Prom the bloodshot eyes one could have told at a glance the man had been drinking heavily. From whisky he had imbibed a Dutch couruge Just hold enough to be dangerous. "Yes, I'm out and back ugaln, Just as I promised, Mr. Sheriff," he threatened. threat-ened. The cattleman ignored his manner. "Then I'll give you a piece of advice gratis. Papago county has grown away from' the old days. It has got past the two-gun man. He's gono to Join the nntetOpe and the painted Indian." In-dian." The fellow leaned forward, sneerliig so that his ugly mouth looked like u crooked gash. "How nbout the one-gun one-gun man, Mr. Sheriff?" "He doesn't last long now." "Doesn't he?" The mnn's rage boiled over. But Luck was far nnd away the quicker of the two. His left hand shot forward for-ward and gripped the rising wrist, his right caught the hairy throat and tightened on It Ho shook the convict con-vict as If he hnd been n child, and flung him, black in the' face, against the wall, where he hung, strangling Und sputtering. "I I'll get you yet," the rulllnn panted. But he did not again attempt to rench for the weapon In his hip pocket. "You talk too much with your mouth." With superb contempt Luck slapped him, turned on his heel, and moved nwny, regardless of the raw, stark lust to kill that was waring this man's elemental brain. The paroled convict recovered his breath and slunk out of the hotel. , Blllle Mackenzie, owner of the Fid-dlebnck Fid-dlebnck ranch, laughed even while ho disapproved. "Some day, Luck, you'll get yours when you are throwing throw-ing chnnces at n, coyote like this. going to tuck nwny about tlnee hours of sleep. So long." And with a nod he was gone to his room. "All the same Luck's, too domed j rash," Flnndrnu commented. "And ho ( hadn't ought to be sitting In these big I gumes. He's hard up. Owes a good ! bit here and there. Always wns n ' spender. First thing he'll have to sell the Circle C to square things. He'll pny us tills week like he said he would. That's dead sure. But 1 swear I don't know where he'll raise thu price. ' Money Is so tight right now." I That afternoon Luck called nt every i bank In Sagunclie. All of the bankers J knew him nnd were friendly to him, but In splto of their personal regard they could do nothing for him. j "It's this stringency, Luck," Jordan I of the Cattlemen's National explained to him. "I'd let you hnvo It If I dared. Why, we're running close to tho wind. Public confidence Is n mighty ticklish thing. If I didn't have twenty thousand thou-sand coming from El I'nso on the Flyer tonight I'd bo uneasy for tho bank." "Twenty thousand on the Flyer. 1 reckon you ship by express, don't you?" "Yes. Don't mention it to anyone. . That twenty thousand would ' come hnndy to a good many people In this country those times." "It would como right hnndy to me," Luck laughed ruefully. "I need every cent of It. After the beef roundup I'll bo on Easy street, but It's going to he ( hard sledding to keep going till then." "You'll make a turn somehow. It will work out. Mnybe when money Isn't so tight I'll bo able to do something some-thing for you." j Luck returned to tho hotel morosely and tried to figure a way out of his difficulties. He wns not going to be beaten. He never hud accepted defeat. He would not lose out after all these years of fighting. It hnd been his dos-; peratc need of money that had made , Iilm sit In last night's poker game But he had succeeded only In making n bad situation worse. Ho knew his debts by heart, hut he Jotted them down on the back of an envelope and added them again. ! Mortgage on ranch (due Oct 1) 113,000 Koto to First National 3.C00 , Note to Reynolds 1,7W I O U to Mackenzie 1,200 Same to Flandrau 400 Same to Ycalor 300 Total fJO.lK) Twenty thousand was the sum he i needed, and mighty badly, too. Absent-' tnlndcdly ho turned the envelope over ' and Jotted down one or two other i things. Twenty thousand dollars I Just the sum Jordan had coming to the I bank on the Flyer. Subconsciously, Luck's fingers gave expression to his thoughts. Twenty thousand dollars, j naif n dozen times they penciled It, i and Just below the figures, "V. & S. Er. Co." Flnnlly they wrote automatically auto-matically tho one word, "Tonight" Luck looked nt what lie had written, laughed grimly, nnd tore tho envelopo In two. lie threw the pieces ia the wnste paper basket. CHAPTER II. An Initialed Hat Mackcnzlo was reading the Sentinel while he ntc a lato breakfast. He hnd It propped against tho wnter bottle, so that It need not interfere with the j transportation of sausages, fried potatoes, po-tatoes, hot cakes and coffee to their common destination. ! Trying to do two things nt once has Its disadvantages. A startling headline head-line caught his eyes Just as the cup wns at his lips. Hot eolfee, precipitately precipi-tately swallowed, scalded his tongue ' and throat. He set down the cup, I swore mildly, nnd gave his attention j to the news that had excited him: "While tho citizens of Saguncho were peacefully sleeping last night, n lone bandit held up the messengers of tho Western & Southern Express company, com-pany, nnd relieved them of twenty thousand dollars just received from El Paso on the Flyer. "Perry nawley, the local manager of the company, together with Len Kogers. the nrnied guard, had Just returned re-turned from the depot, where the I money hnd been turned over to them and receipted for. Hawley had unlocked un-locked the door of the ofilec and had stepped In, followed by Uogers, when n mnsked desperado appeared suddenly sudden-ly out of tho darkness, disarmed the, guard and manager, took tho money, I passed through the door and locked It after him, nnd vanished as silently as he , had come. Before leaving, he warned his victims thnt the place would be covered for ten minutes and at any attempt to call for help they would bo shot. Notwithstanding this, the Imprisoned men risked their lives by raising the alarm." Further down the page Mackenzie discovered that tho desperado wns still at large, but that Sheriff Bolt expect-, ed shortly to lay hands on him. He folded the paper nnd returned to his room to make preparation to return re-turn to his ranch. The buzz of the telephone called him to the receiver. Tho voice of Culllson reached him. "That you, Mac? I'll be right up. No, don't come down. I'd rather see you alone." Tho owner of the Circle O came right to business. "I've made n raise. Mac, and while I've got It I'm going to i skin off what's coming to you." He had taken n big roll of bills from, his pocket, and was counting off what ' he had lost to his friend. The latter I noticed that It all seemed to be in twenties. "Twelve hundred. That squares us, Mnc." The Scotsman was vaguely uneasy I without a definite reason for his anxiety. anx-iety. Only last night Culllson had told him not n single bank In town would advance him a dollar. Now he had money In plenty. Where had he got It? Mackenzie's eye fell on a copy of the Sentinel protruding from the other's oth-er's pocket. "Head about tho holdup of tho V. & S. express? That fellow had his nerve with him." "Shol This holdup gameS the easiest yet. lie got the drop on them, and there was nothing to It." "How did he know there was money coming In last night?" "There's always a leak nbout things of that sort. Somebody talks. I knew It myself, for thnt matter." "You knew I Who told you?" "That's n secret. Mnc. Come to think of It, I wish you wouldn't tell anybody that I knew. I don't want to get the man who told me In trouble." "Sure I won't." Ho pnssed to another an-other plinen of the subject, '"'"he Sentinel Sen-tinel snys Bolt expects to catch the robber. Think he will?" "Not If tho fellow knows his business. busi-ness. Bolt has nothing to go on. He has tho whole Southwest to pick from. For all, ho knows, It was you " "Yes, but" "Or more likely me." The gray eyes of tho former sheriff held a frosty smile. In spite of thnt smile, or perhaps because of It, Mackcnzlo felt ngnln that Hash of doubt. "What's the use of talking foolishness, Luck? Course you didn't do It. I know you too well." But tho trouble was Mackenzie did not know him well enough. Culllson wns hard up, closo to the wall. How far would ho go to save himself? In his slow, troubled fnshIon,,Mnc wondered won-dered If his old side partner's streak of lawlessness would take him as far as a holdup. Of course It would not he assured himself; but he could not get the ridiculous notion out of his head. Mackenzie drifted to the courthouse. He found Sheriff Bolt In his office. The Scotsman wanted to discuss the robbery, rob-bery, but wns shy about attacking the subject While he boggled nt It, Bolt was off on another tack. , Inside of a quarter of an hour the sheriff hnd found out all he wanted to know about the poker game, Culllson's financial difficulties, nnd the news thnt "Ever See This Before?" I Luck had liquidated his poker debt I since brenkfast. Moreover, he had talked so casually that his visitor had ! no suspicion of what he'wns driving j at. Mackenzie attempted n little sleuthing sleuth-ing of his own. "This holdup fellow kind of slipped ono over on you Inst night, Bolt." "Maybe so, and maybe not" "Got n clue, have you?" "Oh, yes yes." The sheriff looked straight at him. Tti a notion his Initials urc L. a" i Blllle felt himself flushing. "What! mnkes you think that, Nick?" Bolt walked to n cupboard and un-' locked It. His back was toward the j cattleman, but the latter could see him tnke something from a shelf. Turning quickly, the sheriff tossed a hat upon the table. "Ever see this before?" i Mac picked It up. Ills fingers won' not quite steady, for a great dread drenched his hcurt like n rush of ! i water. Upon thnt gray felt hat with i the pinched crown wns stnmpcd the In dlvlduallty and tho Initials of Luck Culllson. "Don't know as I recognlzo It," Id- i lied, not very rendlly. "Not to know It. Why?" j "Thought perhaps you might know It The holdup dropped it while get ! ting nwny." , Mackenzie's eyes flinched. "Dropped It. How was that?" "A man happened to come along San ' Miguel street Just as tho robber swung J to his horse. He heard the cries of tho men Inside, guessed what was doing, do-ing, nnd exchanged shots with the miscreant mis-creant He shot this hat off the fellow's fel-low's head." "Who wns tho man that shot the robber?" "Cnss Fendrlck." "But he didn't clnlm to recognize the holdup?" I "Not for certain. He guessed a man whose Initials are the same as those In that hat" "If you mean Luck Culllson. It's n d d He," exploded tho cattleman. He was furious with himself, for he felt now that he had been unsuspectingly unsuspect-ingly helping to certify tho suspicions of the sheriff. Llko an Idiot, he hnd let out much thut told heavily against his friend. "I hope so. What about this hut. with the iwo holes shot through the rim?" "Shol We all wenr lints Just like that. Look at mine." Blllle held It out eagerly. "Has yours nn L. O. stnmpcd In tin-, sweat band?" Bolt nsked with a smile "I know you nln't his friend. N'lik ' But you want to he fair to him even it he did oppose your election." Mnckcii zle laid nn appealing hand on the knee of the mnn seated opposite hint. "I'm sheriff of Papago county. II doesn't make any differences who worked for or ngalnst me, Blllto. I wns elected, and I'm 'going to enforee the Inw. By tho way, I've got to pay for some supplies this morning. Can you cash a check for n hundred?" "I reckon so." Mackenzie drew from his pocket the roll Culllson hnd given him two hours before, lie peeled five twenties from It Tho sheriff observed that the prevailing denomination was the same. "Get theso from Luck?" ho nsked carelessly. The cattleman stared at him, and tho suspicion grew on him thnt he had been trapped again. "Why ilo you ask?" ''Because It happens tho bills stolon from the W. & S. were ull twenties.". From tho office of tho sheriff, Mnc-kcnzlo Mnc-kcnzlo wandered to tho club In search of Luck. He was thoroughly dispirited, both dreaded to meet Luck, and yet was nnxlous to do so. Culllson had left tho club, but Alec Flandrau wns still there. Blllle drew him Into n corner, and learned thnt Luck had just settled with him. "Anyone see him give It to you, Alec?" "No. He took mo upstairs to tho library nnd paid me." "In bills?" "Yes In twenties." "For God's snke, don't tell anybody thnt" In a dozen Jerky sentences the owner of tho Fiddlcbnck told Flandrau of the suspicions of tho sheriff. Together they went in search of Luck. But though they looked for him all day, ho wns not to bo found. The Inst that had been seen of him Luck wns walking along tho plazn toward tho hotel, not n hundred and ' fifty yards from tho latter. A dozen men had spoken to hltn In tlic dlstnnco of a block. But ho had not been seen to rench his hotel. He had not called . for his room key. Somehow he had vanished, nnd none could tell how or where. To Bolt his disappearance wns ns ; good as a confession of guilt Ho searched Luck's room nt tho hotel. Among other things, he found nn old ' envelope with Interesting data penciled pen-ciled on It , Beforo nightfall tho word was whls-' pored nil over Saguache that Luck 1 Culllson, pioneer cattleman and for- mer sheriff, was suspected of tho W. , & S. express robbery nnd had fled to save himself from arrest. At first men marveled that one so well known nnd ' so populnr, one who hnd been so prom- j Incnt In affairs, could be suspected of such n crime, but ns they listened to the evidence und saw It fnll like blocks of n building Into place, the conviction grew thnt bo was . the j masked bandit wanted by the sheriff. , Hcd-hendod Bob Culllson finished making the diamond hitch nnd proudly ' called his cousin Kate to Inspect tho , puckhorsc. "You novor saw the hitch thrown ' hotter, sis," ho bragged, boylike. "Uncle Luck says I do It well as he can." "It's fine, Bob," his cousin ngrecd, with the proper enthuslnsm In her dnrk eyes. "You'll have to teach me how to do It one of these days." ' She was In n khaki riding skirt, nnd she pulled herself to the snddlo of lujr I own horse. From this position she gave him final Instructions before leaving. leav-ing. ( It had been on Wednesday morning , thut Luck Culllson disappeared from the face of tho enrth. Before twenty-' four hours the gossip was being whls-' pcrod In the most dlstnnt canons' "of Papago county. The riders of tho ' Circle O knew It, hut none of them hnd yet told cither Bob or Kate. Now It was Friday morning nnd Knte was beginning to wonder why her father did not call her up. Could , It bo that Soupy Stone was pulling off his trnln robbery nt Tn Cup and her father so busy that ho could not take time to ride to n telephone station? She did not like to leave tho ranch Just ' now, even for n few hours, but other j business cnllcd her away. Sweeney ' wns holding down the fort nt tho Del ! Oro ugnlnst Fcndrlck's shecpherdora, and his weekly supply of provisions hnd to bo taken to him. Since she I wanted to sco with her own eyes how things were getting along nt tho ennon, ' sho was taking the supplies In person. Silo rodo from sunlight Into shadow I and from shadow to sunlight again, i winding along the hill trail that took j her toward tho Del Oro. After hours ; of travel sho -came to tho saddlo from which ono looked down to the gap in the ennon walls thnt had been tho common com-mon watering plnco of nil men's cat-1 tie, but now was homesteaded by her father. She could sco the hut, the . fenco lino runiflng parallel to tho stream on tho other side, some grazing ' cattle, Sweeney's horse In tho corral, 1 The piteous bleating of a lamb float-1 ed to her. Kate dismounted and made her way toward the sound. A pathetic i llttlo huddle of frightened life tried to ' struggle free nt her approach. Tho , slim leg of the lamb hud become weiged at tho Intersection of soverul I rocks In such n way that It could not j be withdrawn. I ICato pulled the boulder nwuy, and released the 'prisoner. Sho took tho soft woolly creature In her arms, and examined tho wounded limb, nil torn nnd raw from Its efforts to escape. A wound, she recalled, ought to be washed with cold water nnd bound. Returning to her horse, she put the tit-Ho tit-Ho nnlmal In front of tho saddle nnd continued on tho trail that led down to tho river. Sweeney came out from tho cnbln and hailed her. He was a squat weather-beaten man, who had ridden for her father ever slnco she could remember. "What In Mexico you got there?" he ' asked In surprise. She explained tho circumstances un. dcr which sho had found tho lamb. "And what you aiming to do with It?" "I'm going to tic up Its leg and take It ncross the river. Somo of the C. F. herders nro suro to find It before night" "Shol What nro you fooling with Cnss Fcndrlck's sheep for?" he grumbled, "It Isn't n sheep, but n lamb. And I'm not going to see It suffer, no matter mat-ter who owns It I'll just ride across and leave It outsldo the fence," sho said. "Lemmc go. I know the river better." bet-ter." Sweeney did not wnlt for her assent, but swung to the snddle. She handed blm tho lnmb, and ho forded tho stream. Sweeney saw somo ono disappear Into n wash ns ho reached the fence. The rider held up the lamb, jnbbcrod n sentence of broncho Spanish nt the spot whore the mnn hud been, put down his bleating burden, nnd centered cen-tered back to his own sldo of the river. An hour Inter, Kate, on the return trip, topped tho rise where she had found tho lnmb. Pulling up her pony, to rest tho horse from Its climb, sho guzed back across tho river to the rolling roll-ing ridges among which lay tho C. F. ranch. Oddly enough, sho had never scon Cnss Fendrlck. nc had como to Pnpugo county n few yours before, and had bought tho place from nn earlier settlor. In tho disagreement that had fallen between the tivo men, she was wholly on the sldo of her father. Sometimes Some-times she hnd wondered what mnnncr of mnn this Cnss Fendrlck might bo; disagreeable, of course, but after precisely pre-cisely what fashion? "Your property, I believe, Miss Culllson." Cul-llson." Sho turned nt sound of tho suave, amused drawl, and looked upon n dnrk, slim young mnn of plcturcsquo np-penrnnce. np-penrnnce. Ho wus bowing to her with an obvious Intention of ovenlolug It. Uor lnttlnct told tho girl who he wns. Sho did not need to nsk herself any longer what Cass Fendrlck looked like. Ho wns holding out to her the bloodstained blood-stained kerchief that had been tied to tho lamb's leg. "I didn't care to have It returned," sho told him with cold civility. "Now, If you'd only left n noto to say so, It would have saved mo quite n considerable climb," ho suggested, In spite of herself a flicker of amusement lit her eyes. She hnd n sense of humor. "I did not think of that, and since you have troubled to return It to me, I enn only sny thank you." Sho held out her hand for tho kerchief, ker-chief, but ho did not move. "I don't (know but what I'll keep It, after all, for a souvenir." Sho Ignored his sardonic mockery. "I don't let live creatures suffer when I can help It Are you going to glvo mo my handkorchlcf?" "Haven't made up my mind yet. Perhaps I'll have It washed and bring It homo to you." Sho decided he wns trying to flirt with her, uml turned the head of her horse to start. "Now your father has pulled his freight, I expect It will bo safe to call," ho added. Tho brhllo rein tightened. "What nonsense nro you saying ubout my father?" fa-ther?" i 1 "No news, Miss Culllson ; Just what j everybody Is saying, that he has gono I to cover on nccnunt of the holdup." A chill fear drenched her heart "Do 'you mean the boldup'ot'the Lhnltcifnt. Tin Cup?" "No I don't." He looked nt her, Sharply. "Mean to say you haven't hourd of tho holdup of thu W. & S. j Express compuny nt Suguucho?" "No. When was It?" "Tuesday night. The mnn got away with twenty thousand dollars." "And what has my father to do with I that?" sho demanded haughtily. j A satisfied spleen purred In his i voice. "My dear young ludy, that Is I what everyone Is asking." "What do you mean? Say It." There wus fear us well as anger In her voice. Had her father somehow got Into trouble trying to savo Sam? "Oh, I'm saying nothing. But what Sheriff Bolt ineuns Is thut when ho gets his handcuffs on Luck Culllson ho'U have tho mini that can tell him where that twenty thousand Is." "It's a lie." Ho wnved his hand nlrlly, ns ono who declined responsibility In the mnt-ter, mnt-ter, but his dark, saturnine fucc spnrkled with mullce. "Muybe so. Seems to Ufc somo evidence, evi-dence, but I reckon ho can explain that nwny when he comes back. The holflup dropped a hut with tho Initials L. C. In thu band, since Identified us his. Ho hnd lost n lot of money at poker. Next day ho paid It. Ho had no money In the bunk, but mnybe ho found It glowing on a cactus bush." "You llarl" she panted, eyes blazing. blaz-ing. "I'll take thnt from you, my dear, because you look so 'blamed pretty when you're mad ; but I wouldn't tnke It from him from your father, who Is hiding out In thu hills somewhere." Anger uncurbed welled from her In an Inarticulate cry. no hud come 1 iH close to her, and wns standing bosldn H the stirrup,' ne bold hand upon tho H rein. Her quirt went swiftly up and' " H down, cut llko a thin bar of red-hot H Iron ncross his uplifted face. Ho H |