Show entil u mu willa LE aad MAW D ERNEST X wnm I 1 A I 1 THE STORY TOR Y SO 80 fart FAR theres there solas going to be war in the cattle country war between the big bl ranchers like bennieren ben letren deen anil and the little rl lowi clay moran morn n Is I 1 an important ranh rancher abut but he b ga like method and hesitate to say ay so 10 A solitar y figure who cannot forget th the ewite wile who d died ed hating hini hin i morian adorgan is I 1 devoted to his bl nine year old daus daughter janet he fie has ba br 0 aught her into town law with him where ollie jacki jack a rustier ruit ler Is on trial for stealing tte allne cattle jacks Is reed freed by th the eJury jury but as he steps bout onto the courthouse cour thoune steps everyone knows know he be ti is a dead man now continue with the story CHAPTER it II the long silence held on as though everybody waited for something to come ollie jacks reached at his shirt pocket and produced his tobacco clay he said 1 I never did you no wrong did IV I 1 not that I 1 know of sweat ran ra n its oil shine across 01 lie jacks face his lips were small and sharp and his eyes not eyes that any man could trust clung to morgan all I 1 want is a chance to ride out of this town he said herendeen said in his bluntly unanswerable manner b been een talking about things being legal aa 1 so we made this legal and see what happened we wont make that mistake again youre on the wrong wl ong toot foot clay better get right never mind said morgan they saw him now as he seldom was the quick angles ot of his face showing up the change was instant he had no smoothness no reasonableness what he said was a challenge he meant it that way and wanted them to know it he swung around speak ing to ollie jacks youre all tight right an in town ollie but when you leave your grief choal said herendeen ill make what damned trouble I 1 please morgan came ab about fast enough to make lige white jerk his head aside morgan mor gar said all right ben it if you want it you can have ii it now it shocked everybody still this challenge so unexpected and so deadly in a quick tempered country it caught herendeen with his guard down herendeen stepped away from the locust tree the bright blight flame of anger in his eyes ive got some business to finish during the ahe week morgan borgar when done ill see s enyou you that is all icare I carito care to say fine answered morgan and walked away behind him bim the astonished toni shed silence still held he passed the courthouse and went into the post office rapping at the wicket un tilFred until fred rich came out of the back rabih room no notice yet on government V valley a no said the he postmaster iti 1 I want lantto to know when it comes ill post it on one odthe buildings in we the valley thais regulation 1 the sun was gone from desert ind and sky eky leaving a soft blue running light behind the supper triangle began to beat up its iron clanging from the porch of the mountain house hotel the red canyon stage rolled rolle dout butof of the hills made a howling swing into main street and anda stopped before the hotel in eddies of dust morgan left the post office doorway still interested in the way the three pines riders heren deens outfit scattered themselves along the street janet had appeared at McGar doorway and was calling his name she took his hand they went on through the store into the back quarters yellow lani lamplight plight poured I 1 on the checkered ruc tablecloth splintering brilliantly agali against the athe glass cruets bruets ann mcgarrah was W ai in fw the kitchen dishing the meal he passed on to the rear porch took off his coat and scrubbed away the riding dust when he returned to the dining room they were waiting fig for or him janet and ann they ate idly talking idly arguing the druggists boy fred tanner came to the back yard and called janeas name janet moved restlessly in her seat until morgan M nodded As soon as she had gone ann am mcgarrah said be riding a lot this week let janet stay here morgan smiled what is it this time ann theres always something she said candidly A new dress bay clay and her hair he said 1 I iguess guess there are some things I 1 cant defor do for her 1 I can do those things for her I 1 like 36 to I 1 want lantto wan tto to 11 but butchen when sloe she said this her manner changed and her eyes were cool and her voice pushed him away 1 I dont mean that the way it sounds for her clay not for you his head was lifted and he was listening to the thinned report of a mans loud bolce on the street i i he was straight in his chair his mind ad and temper changing back to the world out there she knew kneir what helas he was thinking for she had lieen been on the porch when he had challenged herendeen she said in a subdued voice I 1 im not surprised you were willing to quarrel with him it goes back a long way you never forget anything i he said thanks for or the supper ann band 1 and walked on through the tore store to the tha front porch she fol V V 14 A 1 1 ai 04 1 J 4 he was listening to the thinned report of a mans loud voice alls lowed him she was beside him when he paused on the street janet ran forward from tho the stores back alley out of breath and laughing at this moment morgans interest was wholly on the street ann mcgar rah saw how closely he studied the roundabout shadows it was a carefulness that he had always had as though the need of it had been burned in him since the beginning darkness rolled tidally down the hills filling war pass lights glint ed through window and doorway and made yellow pools on the walks and the night breeze bore in sage scent and pine scent from the upper coun country try the burnt ranch stage stood before the hotel ready to go morgans attention clung to the dark area around gentrys Gent rys corral a long while afterwards he said to janet youre staying hero here for a few faw days lets take a little walk before I 1 start home ann mcgarrah knew where they were going paused by the stores doorway she watched these two the tall shape of the man and the slender figure of the girl side by side go down into old town jan ets small hand gripping her fathers ther s one light illumined them a mom moment ent then they were lost beyond old town as they walked toward the cemetery beyond old town a creek came out of the hills and crossed under the road with altha a liquid jap lapping ping past the creek the round topped wooden headboards of the cemetery glowed vaguely white under the moonlight following the irre irregular gulai row morgan stopped before his cifes grave janeas hand gripped his fingers more more tightly and she stood quite close to him he heard her soft long sigh it would be so niceto nice to have a mother this was the thing that hit bit him so hard harchis his daughters loneliness lon eUness for ii a ri mother other he ha stood at we thi foot of the grave with his hat removed thinking back to that long gone night when lila durrie so full of life and laughter and recklessness had smiled to him across the dance halls width putting everything into her round black eyes at eighteen a man was like the blowing wind he had gone over knowing there would be a fight ben herendeen had brought her to the dance and ben herendeen stood by quietly raging when the he music started lila durrie looked up at the sullen herendeen laughed at him and took clay morgans arm dancing away at the doorway they had stepped out down by the row of buggies in tile tho bland black night they had stood a moment no longer cool and no longer laughing even now morgan remembered the sharpness the wild intensity of his feelings as he kissed her tind and heard her whisper in his ears clay clay do you love roe they had gone immediately to his rig at daylight they were married there been time for a picture or tor for much of anything n 9 el else se at that time he owned a small ranch in the lost loit hills and ran a few cows on it this was where they set up housekeeping a long way from town a long way from dances or from her friends she had been used to better things and help remembering it she was a stormy girl so rash in anger so quick to seek laughter by turns so I 1 terribly forlorn and so tempestuously happy four months after their marriage herendeen rode up to the place and stepped from the saddle from arom the far corner of the mead ow clay had seen this when he reached the house herendeen was laughing and she was laughing but that laughter stopped soon enough for herendeen said why stick so close to the house clay dont you trust your wife morgan drew the cigar from his mouth feeling some of the fury of that fight lie he had rushed against herendeen hearing his cifes scream of protest herendeen started laughing again but when they were finished both exhausted and drained dry and badly beaten there was no amusement in herendeen that hurt still came back to plague morgan even now he remembered how he walked to the corral and hugghis hun ghis elbows against it to keep from falling failing and how blindly herendeen staggered toward his horse he had whipped herendeen in that fight and yet he had lost for five months later shortly after janeas birth lila had looked up from her bed white and all her love gone and whispered 1 I should tell you something clay I 1 made a mistake it was ben I 1 wanted to marry you and I 1 are not at all alike and so she had died lie ile had turned away but to he turned back holding the warm wann r small mal lhand hand of his daughter within his own big fingers knowing that in his daughters head was a wistful and wonderful image of her heir mother an image made out of a childs longing like a fairy tale he thought that had to be bd bright and always fair he was thinking of this pleased by her pleasure when he saw a low bent and shadowy shape run from the alley adjoining the mountain house hotel and whip across the street toward mike Boy boyans lans blacksmith shop this was in n thi the corner building of old town and mike boylan late working had hung a lantern above the shops wide double door A saddle horse stood loose before boyland Boy lans rack toward which the running man aimed farther up the street somebody shouted a warning and a i three pines rider rushed forward from McGar store slowly pacing forward toward mike boyland Boy lans shop morgan identified the runner as soon as the latter entered the yellow the lanterns light it was ouie ollie jaks jacks ouie ollie jacks breath was a lunging painful sound in the night as he rushed against the horse threw himself into the saddle and clawed at the re reins ins for a brief moment his face came around and morgan saw the constricted desperation on it then ouie ollie jacks slashed the horse away from the blacksmith shop turned into the gap between old town and McGar store storey and raced down slope into the desert janeas hand gripped clay morgans ainge fingers irs the matter daddy nothing lio thing he said nothing but ollie jacks having some fun he quickened his hii step coming into the gap and halting there as a pair of three pines men reached it heren heran deen arrived saying get your horses and then these men were facing clay morgan one of them had drawn his gun to take a shot at the retreating ouie ollie jacks ahe he held the gun half out of the hol holster SteT staring at morgan but ouie ollie jacks was gone and it was too late and he let the gun drop back shrugging his shoulders three pines men were riding up behind herendeen and Heren deens face was red and round the echo of ouie ollie jacks horse made a dying tattoo in the blackness out in the desert other three pines riders were rushing from town by the stage road morgan said courteous and quiet maybe janet and I 1 are in your way well step iside aside no said herendeen rage running behind his false cool tone there is nothing to hurry about theres Th eires a time for everything clay good evening janet janit janet said in her precise little womans comans voice good evening 11 morgan pulled her gently on to mc garraha Gar porch ann mcgarrah waited there part of the three pines crew galloped toward the desert after ouie ollie jacks He herendeen 13 walked up th the e street ids his boots lifting dust morgan said sald ill ride along honey be ba back in a few days you have a good time he reached down and kissed her feeling the warmth of her hands as she held them at the back of his neck he was smiling as he straightened smiling at janet and then at ann McGar attentive eyes out on the desert far out a gunshot sounded quick and faint and was echo echoed edby by two other shots vat that was au all ann mcgarrah saw the smile dle die and saw the flame of temper in his eyes they both knew ouie ollie jacks was dead herendeen had respected morgans challenge chaU enge i that and nothing more morgan lifted his hat noting how ann garraha arm rested on janeas shoulder he said good night and turned into the street TO BE CONTINUED |