| Show ALAN LE MAY oo 00 W N U SYNOPSIS kentusky Kentur ky jones veteran cowman bowma n attends tho the inquest into the d death ca th ot of john mason banker which la in RuP supposed Posed to have been bean accidental jean daughter of campo ragland na eland owner awner ot of the dar hook ranch where mason met death surreptitiously ol 01 ay passes to jones the bullet ahl which h h had ad killed mason the she having abstracted it from the evidence during tho the inquest kentucky goes to work on the bar alloch lloch ranch the manou verdict la Is accidental death bob hiliot leoti owner of 0 the tha 83 ranch adjoining the dar bar hook drives driven his hl cattle cattie on the bar hook range CHAPTER continued 4 this Is nill bill mccord lee bishop cold in arf an undertone lies lias from roni away lie ile keahi know hlin him it if ho he found you drinking at a crick hed ride through upstream to see if you objected to mud hello mccord lt mccord ignored jones Il howdy lowdy 1 I see youre moving a few head of stock ills bishop I 1 top began figure to I 1 I 1 said mccord the two foremen eyed each leach other A certain amount of humor allowed in the hard seamed lines of mccords accords Mc Cords face but it was the kind of humor that starts trouble and indis in bis green eyes there was no humor at all moving right on through isee I 1 see said eald bishop some day maybe said mccord not this year no I 1 no said mccord hla his voice casual be surprised if weld wed stop and turn free up here ten miles no said bishop nis ills voice too was waa casual ns as it he were answering a question no these cattle arent going to stop and scatter up hero here ten tulle not near nea it you dont mian mean to tell mat said bald mccord why I 1 heard this was open range open said bishop from your nearest water half way over to on our r nearest water and not one calf lump jump more morel it two cowboys ha had left the loafing cattle and were walking their horses toward the parley with a studied detachment mccord now signaled them with a motion pt his head and th they OY came came up to range themselves a little beh behind ind the 88 foren foreman tan both were armed but kentucky recognized neither sol SoM mccord Cord said to bishop so said bishop im sorry to have to set you right on these few mistakes yell byell spare you jou feed aeed when weve bof got feed to spare but lust just now the bar hoak bunches are working down off the tha bench thirell therell be another tour four thousand head on this range right soon mccord grinned hla his eyes unwavering from those of leg lee bishop 1 I aint interested lie he concluded dispassionately PI 1 I got my orders and im carrying lent eni out kentucky stirred uneasily in hla his saddle to see that leo lee bishop was getting madl save yourself trouble bishop wits was saying this herd Is going back into the graze it belongs in and its going deep backson back eon ill I 1 the halt half grin suddenly dropped from bill mcconda Mc Corda face and la in its place flashed an aa III temper exceeding bishops own he kicked a spur into his horse go that it spun a and nd brought up tip with the right side fide of horse and man toward towar d the liar bar hook riders this move e brought squarely into view the bolstered holst cred forty ove five that swung behind bill mcconda Mc Corda right thigh below hla his short shori coat until now tho the 88 foreman had kept his right hand in his pocket but he now brought it to the reins beltis beside hta his left atad am they saw saix that that hla his band was aa why my short friend said gala bill mccord ills his voice hard and even and lie he began to swear slowly and distinctly his green eyes ugly on Ill bishops shoWs face the cursing of Bill McCord was neither varied nor picturesque but it wits was hard bitten personal and direct and its slow ovll toned syllables carried enough ugliness to raise welts nelta or oc the hide of a mule put ybur aur scabby pony up that rima rim bill mccord finished gotell go tell your you rold old man that I 1 put pui your proper name to you and sent you homel home I 1 r for or a momena no one spoke the foreman of the bar hook eat his borso borse like a frozen man apparently to bellive his ears so unexpectedly so sudden sadden lad nee icet wo brenk then the blood rushed to bishops head with a wrench of ills his bit ho he ant hla his horse staggering against Kentuck ys the animal danced crazily mouth high and open oden to the raw jerk of 0 the curb bishop thrust a widespread shaking hand and at ai kentucky gun he stuttered for G ds sake give mo ino gun 1 I got any gun lee for an instant bishop hesitated rigid in the saddle his horse dancing under him then an inarticulate curse broke in his throat he slashed tho the spurs kipurs into hla big pony and it bounded forward at the horse of dill mccord accord kentucky swung himself halt out of the saddle in a wild snatch at lee bishops rein and managed to catch it near the bit bil As the pony whipped to its haunches kentucky struck bishop a terrific wallop on the back with hla his open hand seized his foremans shoulder and shook him hard hold it lee lt it you hear me abruptly leo lee bishop quieted straightened in his saddle ran his gloved hand uncertainty uncertainly ovar over his eyes the color was draining out of his face again leaving it gra gray F for or a moment the man had teen been in sane ill ili take it lee bishop said at last and like it it said bill mccord ill take it and like it said I 1 bishop his eyes expressionless on mccords accords Mc Cords face enjoy it you yon I 1 because never seo see the like of it again 01 bishop turned his horse anh ur crying no ao longer rigid in the saddle and walked his hl pony away kentucky followed but as he turned he saw that there was no satisfaction in bill mccords accords Mc Cords grin rather it seemed to him that the man was disappointed chagrined suddenly he thought he be understood mccords accords Mc Cords deliberate attempt for some defir definite kite reason that remained unknown bill mccord had dono done all he could to make an opportunity to 4 kill lee ee bishop lu in self k defense CHAPTER IV J THE climb to the rim was wag a laborious 1 one and the early dusk was wads no more than an hour away when they again reached the home ranch of the bar hook they were nearly in before lee bishop had bad anything to say 1 I car carried rieda a gun hede he declared since I 1 was a kid except to hunt with andi and I 1 never pulled a gun on a man mac in my life but it id had so BO ouch much as a bean shooter id have killed mccord where he be sat I 1 kentucky tried a shot in the dark lee how long have you known that bill mccord was mixed up in the killing of mason that man has some reason for wanting to down you leo lee ask yourself what you know that good for him bishop didiot did not answer for nearly a quarter of a mile it beats me kentucky I 1 cant think of anything 1 I got on him II if id only had a gun 11 immediately they sought outram po It ragland ailand whom they found moodily swallowing scalding coffee in the kitchen lee bishop briefly told his boss of the drive of twelve hundred head the prompt bold beginning of elliote elliots Elli Bli lots play for the bar hook range of hla his own clash with mccord he m made ada little mccord cussed me out good I 1 would have took a poke at him one time there only kentucky e reached out and kind of steadied my horse borse twelve hundred head bead ragland considered well it if all of era em I 1 suppose the range caw can stand it ive seen worse years for grass f lee bishop at him dumb founded all of lern emt I 1 lie he finally exclaimed of course that aint all ot of deml ond find out that this here la is only a pointer and a beginning the start of a freeze out what it ls Is hell going to load that range taking what death losses he cant get butof out of ills his only chance of hanging on after he loses hla his lease Is to crowd in here before then what weve got herel here Ws its bad all right admitted como come tomorrow lee bishop said 1 I con can take our boys boya and go down there and stop that herd and ana elliot going to draw back hla his cattle hell M then by G d well hrncar into them and put pite ern tn bacaj pistol whip you you yon start that stuffily stuff ill 1 I dont believe lee bishop began then he changed what he had started to say well then I 1 suppose ho be said well just have to pistol whip em cm back me I 1 dont know any other way campo nil slammed his cot I 1 tee fee cup onto the stove 1 I dont w want a nt any of that he said bald old time stura it dont go nowadays nobody ever made anything by any such business yet after all you got to make allowances that brand la Is fighting for its life lee bishop looked at kentucky turned away and hopelessly spread his hands kentucky led the way out it was time to feed hay anyway what the devils got into him said bishop as soon as aa they went outside do you suppose hes going to lay down and quit on nal its ive never pvn been him like this before bishop fell into a moody silence while they walked as far as the hay racks look here ho he said suddenly turning on kentucky you know holding him back bacar no said kentucky honestly 1 I know t I 1 know only too darn well I 1 tell you ills voice stopped as sharply as if he had been struck and he stood staring past kentucky jones jonea spinning on hla big heel to follow bishops eyes kentucky saw that the foreman was staring at a forlorn dun horse which stood low headed before the bars of one of the an arms leng length of broken rein dangled from one side bide of its bridle trailing the ground and it stood spread legged to avoid the chafe of a saddle that was no longer on its back but under its belly so zack Is dead said eald lee bishop slowly at last ills hornef corsel yes res lee bishop and kentucky jones called campo ragland out and the owner of the bar hook examined the horse and its equipment in a black mood unsaddle him and feed oats was all campo said and he returned to the house the other riders as they returned from their work had more to say to these men zack sanders was no mere name some soma of them had known him for a long time worked stock with him often before the fall of his horse had turned him into a cook now they were faced by the assumption that he I 1 I 1 bozack so zack la I 1 dead ead sald said lee le ble bishop hop slowly lay dead in some unknown pa place ace lost in the rocks and snow he sho have tried that trip jim humphreys said 1 I bet you it was his big game leg made him fall 1 I 1 harry wilson a small email man wizened beyond his middle age by many a winter in the saddle allowed that this was the bunk it if so how COMO come that streak of blood on the swell of hll saddle fork 7 billy peterson Petera cn the young horse wrangler said maybe he was fixing inato to shoot ai rabbit or something and his bis horse shied and as he be fell the gun went off on P the boy stopped probably there was noone no one there who had not been immediately the parallel between this suggestion and the accepted theory of john joha Ala masons sons death somehow the improbability that this could have happened twice threw doubt doubton on the theory that it had happened at all when tho the other riders had gone about their work of feeding the stock lee bishop took kentucky jones aside the bulky foreman was in a subdued but towering temper when you learn that a boy youve known for a long time Is dead he said but it dont change the other thing Ren kentuck tuck nor take oft off of us what we got to do I 1 dont suppose theres anything we can do for zack sanders now but bu in the meantime bob r allot Is swamping the liar bar hook range we got a fight on our hands kentuck and the next thing curc juat before horse come com e I 1 in 16 h kentucky said you were starting to tell me what was holding campo back theres the kingpin of the situation lee if youre right that you know what it Is lee Bl face took on the stubborn look of a man who thinks he will be disbelieved this may sound funny to you kentuck but ive known these people here bere a ion ions timea sight longer than you have and I 1 know that im dead right kentucky considered this what makes you think so leel there anybody in the world has any influence with rag nag land except jean aall not dot even her mother the rest of us come and 0 jo o and he pays us no more mind than horses but jean she can fan him just as handy as she fans a brone bronc it she makes up op her mind there will be no war with elliot therell there if be no war and campo will watch watch eilot work his ruination and never smoke a gun kentucky jones thought he saw raw the chance to probe a side trail maybe ho he said why he had that big picture of her hanging there in the main room what big picture dont you remember calu kentucky the picture always hung on the wall of the main room right opposite the kitchen door lie ile described the position and app appearance farance of the empty frame which had so startled jean the night before that no picture of jean lust just rome borao guy on a horse what kind of a looking horse just a horse what the h 1 do you care nothing its kind of interesting to see who remembers what here we got a couple of deaths said eald lee bishop disgustedly and a range fight about to make the bar hook book a thing of the past and our old man quits on us and were backed up against the wall and all you yon can find to think about Is some guy had bad his picture took on a horacd i orse I 1 all right said kentucky he picked up the other thread anybody can see jean has a heavy drag with her father and maybe la Is the only one that has bas but slim backing lee for what you said it jean want her father to scrap it out with elliot what do you suppose her reason Is how do I 1 know what her reason Is said lee bishop explosively how does any man know what any homans womans reason Is maybe the trouble weve had here already has made her sick of guns and and ashes afraid that if we stand our ground therell be more of these here empty saddles come in under the bellies of horses have you yon talked with her lees lee lee granted a negative and hesitated best again groping for words look here beret I 1 he burst out at last look here beret I 1 youve got to talk to her me afe theres nobody around here shell pay any attention to io but you some way ashes got a blind on the old mans eyes and ashes keeping him snubbed down helpless kentucky I 1 tell you lee bishop declared savagely it if we make our stand against elliot now it may may bebe be we can turn him and get abt of it cheap but the farther this thing goes the harder it will be for him to draw back it if this thing goes too far there will be no way but to fight it at a deadlock until one or the other Is smashed youve got to talk to that gurll what makes you think I 1 can do anything with her lee lee bishop groped for some way to express a thing he sensed but could not prove she follows you with her eyes he said at last whatever you boti do if 1 you arent looking ba she follows you with her eyes I 1 said eald kenta kentucky ky maybe f but you got I 1 i to do chat what I 1 isay eay anyway anway sald said bishop stubbornly what chance we gothere got here themay the way things stand now you got to talk to that girl gurll I 1 you got to get her to pull out oui of here until this Is over you got to get her out of here had and leave this thing to her old man toworu to work out indis in his own way I 1 1 I see a swell chance to get pop ular with that sald eald kentucky excuse me maam aaro ni kindly maam inaam would you just as leave get the h ha I 1 out of the state talk to her no said kentucky do you think lm im a d n fool yes said bishop kentucky lingered at the corrals however after lee bishop had rid den off to have a look at the con dialon of a waterman road and pres antly as he had more than halt ex es pecked jean ragland kagland came out 1 I want |
