Show k AN AC IE T ACKSON GREGORY 0 W TUB THE STORY SO 50 FARI FAB old hill colt cole fatally shot hot by an n unknown assailant made two tiro identical 1041 ing AU U big bl money slid nd the king aln cole col ranch to ann ana L Us and to cole col cody children of til his two old cronies cron let dusty le Us abid butic cody ban rance waldron WAld roa who claimed relationship appeared at ur the ranch just juit prior to old DUI bill d dui 0 Men Nian while ann anil and cole col were on their way to the ranch by state coach peter ur the tor state driver was wa aug I 1 brault the atin m during a hold bold holdup up so la colo col cody took his bli picie on co th the dri er eit at where h he was vai joined by ann finally they arrived at bald ertle emle watts cody met Por porfillo firlo loper lope now continue with the story i I 1 CHAPTER VI Por porfillo firlo snatched up his glass we drink together you and me senor to one gr reat gentle maill roan I 1 to one of the soldiers of the good god himself I 1 to don senor early bill colel cole I 1 to him forever and ever salud y peseta sl t to don senor early bill colel cole I 1 then cole cody forgetting other things gripped him by the thin shoulders what are you talking about he demanded sharply early bill cole of the king cole ranche you say he is dead only two days ago don coulto codito but I 1 had a letter from him porfirio only a few days agol and I 1 dead bowl here was newel cole cody stood frowning at nothing telling himself that all along this had been a funny howdy do first the letter from old early bill which he had been utterly unable to explain now the violent removal of the only man who could tell him well hed go to the hotel over naghi then in the morning turn tall and leave baldeagle bald eagle and aad a lot of unanswered questions behind him along with a girl he never wanted to see again he lifted his glass we drink together to don senor early bill colel cried little por for firlo and snatched off his bis hat the two of us together it was far too early for bed so cody and Por porfillo firlo lopez dawdled over their supper in one of bald eagles little restaurants for the better part of an hour and thereafter set out to see the town cody was about to call it a night and go off to bed when he was accosted by a lean and wiry old man with a mane of snowy hair and a mum mammoth motif white ivete mustache with a broad and battered old black hat and sleek high heeled boots and a lonk long tailed black coat none other in fact than mr arthur henry pope the judge mr william cole cody I 1 be bileve he said sonorously my name sir he said and 1 I sir am arthur henry pope I 1 know something about you not much but something id like a few words with you mr cody said the judge in private what Is ia it ft asked cody 1 I have taken a room for you at the hotel where want to stay overnight will you step over with me im with altha a friend the matter la is of importance also of an entirely private nature P igo go long with him don coulto said Por porfillo firlo and began a discreet withdrawal he is a man they call the judge here ile he is all right you will cee bee because they tell me he was waa a very good friend of don senor early bill cole then Por porfillo firlo bolted headed for the bar again flourishing his colorful baila bandana certainly agreed cody fiscu his curiosity now riding high and the two went out together A 6 bit earlier in the evening the judge and doc joe having a few moments together an on their porch after doc joe had tinkered with his nav new patients as best he could and got th them CM off to their beds the judge had been beeh led to remark with a snort old early bill confound his ornery hide having sworn by all that was good and holy hed got him his fun after he was dead ought to be laughing his fool heed head off in his hip turn doc joe had snorted the bithe fools were vere you and me judge he growled two softies lofties ties a couple of mush hearted sissies sis sies we ought to have stood up on our hind logs and told him to go to the devil devi V all this was because before his demise old early bill had instructed this precious duo laying down the law to them and exacting their promises to carry out his bidding if he dieg died before his heirs arrived the judge and doc joe were to look out for the two and were to tell thom tho m just as much as early bill wanted told not a single syllable more doc joe was to explain matters hersto to the girl the tha judge was to do likewise for young gody cody and thy wre amere not unduly to stick their noses into subsequent happenings let nature take its coursel old king cole had bad chuckled andl and now the judge and doc joe having iri ir due course learned that both colo cole cody and ann lee were on the tha stage were faithfully if jr ir carrying out orders thua while doc joe joa was expounding to a round eyed breathless girl mid and her quietly attentive aunt jenifer ic 11 one ona room of tha bald eaje eagle hotel the judge was wa letting head and cats at c I 1 the cat out of the bag for the astounding of william cole cody in another room and the way of it concluded doc joe glad to be at the end of the cracy business arid and opened a carpetbag carpet bag at his feet took from it an old iron box from which 1 long ago the black paint had scaled and set it down on miss ann lees knees but but the girl sputtered 1 I cant understand ill this mr early bill cole you are talking about why I 1 dont know himl him I 1 I 1 never saw him even in my liet I 1 never heard of himi him I 1 of course doctor there is some come mistake it mastbe some other girl some other girl maybe named lee maybe even named there may be a lot of mistakes in this whole deal the old doctor grunted but that not one of them youre the girl all 11 right say you got the beyll key I 1 1 the keyl why of course I 1 havet havel she jumped up the box in her hands and ran to the walnut bureau she pulled and tugged until she got the lopsided lop sided top drawer open and extracted het her purse here is the keyl he sent it to me with a letter that made me terribly curious saying some things half say ing some leaving out the things I 1 was dying to knowl that would be old early bill for or you said doc joe tartly and I 1 reckon the key all right you might try it she got the key in one of the locks it fitted it turned easily it is the right keyl she exclaimed and tried it in the other 1 look lock she withdrew the key looked r S you take mighty good care of that box bliss alias ann he be said hurriedly at it stooped over the box again tossing her head impatiently to throw the hair back from falling over her eyes Something Some things a the matter with the crazy thing she said baffled will you try it doctor he shook his head no use miss ann alan one thing I 1 te tell 11 you your key fits only one ona of the two looks locks theres another key it its being kept by someone else A man that old early bill trusted it to you cant open your box until he shows up why isan that funny who is this man Is he here in bald eagle when will he give me the other key doc joe was already edging toward the door you take mighty good care of that box miss ann he said hurriedly just you remember that its ita arth worth a power of money the whole king cole ranch is in there and ahe apol of goldana gol gold dand and greenbacks green backs bes besides idest Just you take mighty good care of it miss ann and now good night to you miss and to you also miss aliss jenifer he said and ducked out and fled and in that other room roo under the same roof the judge bad finished imparting to young cody on all tho the fac facts tsin in the case which he had been authorized to make fairly clear cody had heard him out in silence his 1 eyes dark between narrowed his face stilled to and when the judge too grew silent cody still sat on a moment or two pondering thanks judge he be said 1 11 I guess all youve got to tell me do much good to start asking questions the judge rather liked him for that ile he shook his head ready to go come to roe me later isyou if you want to he said im hoping that things w will ill work out all right for you maybe they will what that wernal infernal old devil wanted upon its gentle knoll its whitewashed adobe walls a snowy gleam n ing white in the distance wider till eastern sun the old casa of th estradas the home for many a yeat of bill cole of king cole ranch wa we wat t like an alabaster palace out of ft A fairy tale the low massive building was wad surrounded by a wall akin in construction st to itself awall of adobe whitewashed white washed topped with warm red tiles ann lee leading the way her carpetbag carpet bag containing the precious iron box caught tight under her arm threw open a gate and hurried along one of the paths radiating from the old home and aunt jenifer her cheeks almost as pink as her nieces her eyes almost as bright came hurrying after her the place seemed deserted the two women came to the patio and stood very still it was as though they found in the silence a gentle command for like silence on their part aunt jenifer reached for the bell cord and gave it an emphatic yank setting the bell echoing through the house A mans voice they were sure they had brought him rudely out of sound sleep called out 1 hello chos there and then without awaiting an answer answer walt wait a shake ill be right out they had to wait more than a minute at long last they heard a heavy bar let down and the door opened slowly only a dozen inches or so eo A tall young man looked out ai at them good morning ladies I 1 this is a sur surprise 1 youre twice as welcome as the birds in spring come in wont you they entered just a trifle hesitantly the house was so dark and at the moment somehow sinister and forbidding but that was only because oil all the shades had been drawn down and it was dark in here after the sunshine outside he said pleas antly just a second and well have some light in and went to one window after another flipping up the shades the sunlight streamed in joyously of a sudden with the dark put to flight it became a genial and friendly room and now they could see ranee rance waldron clearly 1 I am ann leo lee and this is my aunt miss jenifer edwards we had an invitation from from mr william cole to visit him here we got to bald eagle only last right land jand now well and she ahe too smiled unified faintly here we arel 1 I am taking care of things right now he said 1 I was lucky to get here just before my uncle died your uncle T spoke up aunt jen iter ifer old BW bill cole was your uncle rance made a little deprecatory gesture ive always alway called him that he said easily not an uncle e exactly but related I 1 am I 1 believe h hi next of kin his only kinsman in ia tact fact I 1 am ranee rance waldron my mother and the old mari man weri wera cousins its Ital because of that and he lifted his broad shoulders in the hint of a shrug that I 1 am at staying on here unless there is a w will ion and I 1 dont belleve believe he ever made a will I 1 suppose I 1 am the next owner here at the mention of a will anns lips were parted to speak up but by the time he had added a final clause she had become conscious of aunt jesifers Jeni fers eyes stabbing warn angly at her 4 aunt jenifer said its a mighty nice place out here lie he wanted us to visit him for a while weve come a long way too over a hundred miles we got to town last night on the stage what she was driving at was wa obvious enough and there seem very much he be could do about it had it ju just st been the older woman alone ranee rance waldron might have been the man for putt putting ingher her out bodal bodily y his hia L yes eyes however quitted her face while she was still speaking and drifted openly admiring to anns ann he said with a semblance of heard ness well the thing that counts is that youre here bowl and I 1 am glad that I 1 happened to be ii on hand to welcome you in my uncles place and ill bet you even had breakfast yet I 1 know I 1 will you show me the way to the ithe kitchen kinchent kit chenT asked aunt jenifer TU ill be glad to get breakfast for s you say greata said ranee rance he showed them the kitchen a ro room om big enough for a barn bam with an enormous cook stove which early bill had had installed here many a year ago and which had had scant use for a dozen years and there were ample provisions now 11 said aunt jenifer sleeves rolled back on a pair of pretty white arms and a clean sugar sack pinned about her waist you can and ill call you when things are ready fair enough said ranee rance ill go clean up a speck even washed my face or combed mj hair yet I 1 and he hurried away they heard his boots echoing through th big rooms with their bare floors and few scatter rugs they heard a door close then from se room another door TO DE BE CONTU 1 al W A NEW DISCOVERY of perfection in baking results is 9 being made by the hundreds of women who are turning every OL day to the file baking powder that has been the baking day fa fayo yorito rit of millions for years and years year HUMAN CO TERRE HAUTE IND founded in 1848 DONT let our fi fighting agn ting boys do down subscribe NOW for Us so S war bonds JOL eren the school cooking teacher sold they were the beat rous she ever ate 01 MARYs she should know the new way I 1 made theina no kneading knes dIng mind you and extra vitan lins in them too aben you use when its so easy MM to put vitamins A and D F aa aeu as and 0 into bread why not use 40 ME axx OF its 0 the only yeast with all those vita SCAP rolls aa PS PO for YOU it copy P 1 0 standard bramm maw us extra SOA far wash AU the vitamins in ington street amb go into us with NOW yok to great 1 in the avent |