Show y 1 AC FV MI A MH H ET B othnell r RM ir HE iliin a 10 M al 10 E GREGORY GRE GREGORY COSky RELEASE THE STORY SO 60 FARI arriving omni tame on ay at the fang cote cole ranch ann ain lee lt a and 4 cole cosy cody discovered old oil early bill cole cola had made two identical wills ono OB leaving all hla his money and the ranch to ann ana and the other living giving theriane the iane money and property to cole ranc banco wl WAI drun dron at the ranch since old bollt death and posing as a we his nephew questioned the lamity of old bill and aad the tee legality ol of the two wills it wa wai nearly noon when they returned to ran ranch h head bead quartel quarten qu arten that evening they lu all retired early that Is I 1 all except aunt je jenifer alfer who stole out under a large oak cau tree and watched rance bance help a strange lurching man out of the house now continue coit loue with the story CHAPTER XII aunt Jenifer Jenife rw went ent straight to cole codys clodys outside door and hammered at it hard with her knuckles pe ae was asleep but came awake instantly and called out chos there wanted its me Jenifer edwards dress dres S quick and come out here bring your gun too well he demanded when he stepped out close to aunt jeni fers shadowy form 1 I dont know she said calmly if eagerly 1 I dont trust that ranee rance waldron hes got a mean eye all day long he has kept his door locked and all day ive known that he had somebody hes been hiding ive been watching figuring with all this secrecy hed be anxious to get his friend out of the house when he was sure everybody was in bed just now he and another man sneaked out and went to their horses that were saddled and hidden in a willow thicket what about it demanded cody about as amiable as most men rudely awakened from a deep sleep all for the sake of et mere trifle what affair is it of mine or of yours either part of it is this ranee rance waldron has had this man hid in the house behind a locked door all day a mystery young man and I 1 dont like mysteries then its shady their sneaking out of the house this time of night speaking in whispers and someone shot early bill a few days ago and in case there was no will ranco rance waldron would have inherited ranch cash and everything h ing another thing the stage was h held eld up yesterday by someone who knew that bucktooth jenkins was bringing ten thousand dollars in cash to early bill cole and you fired a few shots at the robbers and thought you lait bitone one of them A ad n d the man with so bad that he could hardly walk Is that an earful or just childs chatter which way did they ride asked cody grown brisk now straight north along the creek on this side better get to bed aunt jenifer its dawning on me that youre a pretty wonderful woman but you cant keep going day and night I 1 you bet ill go tomy to my room bill cole cody and lock my door darn it im so scared ared and you corn come e back as soon as you can ill hear you and ill creep out into the living room to mike make sure it is you now poke along he hurried down to the ranch buil buildings dinis for a word with cal roundtree and a horse cal wakened and apprised of the situation was out of the door still buttoning his overalls and drawing his hia belt abo about ut his lean middle cole cody was ahead of him at the stable they saddled swiftly and took the trail aunt jenifer had bad specified north along ithe the creek it if they want to hide hide they can make themselves hard to find in this country said cal roundtree I 1 know the most likely place to look for them since they must have thought that n no aone one had seen their getaway and so no one would be following them so soon likely get under a root roof tonight anyhow and maybe poke on tomorrow night As they rode cole cody told cal in detail aunt jesifers Jeni fers information her suspicions and surmises cal led the way and the darkness did not matter to him moreover his horse soon discovered where he was going and thereafter needed no touch on the reins they kept close to the creek for a mile and though they rode swiftly they heard no sound of hoof beats ahead then cal swung to the right where a i small tributary brook came t tumbling bling down and presently they passed into the mouth of a steep steel walled ravine it was about a half hour after entering the ravine that cal roundtree called softly over his shoulder weve run em cm down pardner theres a log cabin up there at the head of the canyon where an old prospector used to hang out no blodys been in it for three four year but theres a light there now they rode slowly keeping their horses in the deep grass at the sides of the trail so that all hoof beats were muffled thus they drew within a hundred yards of the log cabin there cal roundtree gave a signal to stop and both dismounted they led their horses a score of paces into the thick timber fringing the creek and removed their spurs to hang them on their saddle horns then walking in silence lifting their booted feet as does a cat in wet grass they drew diew near the cabin vv A voice not ranee rance Wal drons was speaking and it was rough and querulous and came near being threatening and so there you let me rot all day damn you I 1 might of biedl I 1 might die yet for all the doctoring im getting ILY by god ranee rance ive got a notion and ana a good notion better keep your mouth shut tom old man before you talk yourself into more trouble than you can ever crawl out of there spoke ranee rance waldron and his voice was arrogant contemptuous revealing a man very sure of himself get it into your head ranee rance that things have changed plenty you had me down good and plenty you you could have waggled your finger and sent me to the pen you he laughed not any more eidl ive thought it over from all angles ranee rance you wont do any an y squealing on md me because at the tha end youve let your foot slip be squealing on yourself the same as on me what ive did you paid me for the other job with me getting shot up you and me did together and I 1 can prove idill it I 1 there was a breathless stillness there in the cabin then ranee rance waldron spoke again and there was a marked change in his tone all the and threat th beati all the and contempt had gone out of it you are right tom we have gone into this thing together and we had better see it through 41 he lawrance saw ranee Rance waldron clearly in the candle light er and ill even grant you that I 1 no longer have any hold on you if you are big enough fool for it you can leave me flat an and d go your own way for the rest of your life knowing that you dont have to be ba afraid of me any longer because as you say say I 1 am as deep in this last affair a as you are its your turn to speak up stick along with me and take orders from me and make yourself a big stake if I 1 get away with this jodi joba as im sure I 1 will with you or without you or tuck tu ck your tall tail between your legs and run out on me that sort of talk straight from the shoulder evidently threw tom gough oil off his balance it im with you ranee 11 he said and ad a the belligerent menace had melted out of his tone now what jv hat you holdup hole up here tor for a few days and give that wound a chance to heal meantime ill plan ill learn leam a few things im not sure of yet ill 1 1 I 11 drop in on you late tomorrow night fair enough said tom gough cal roundtree had shoved cind cody y out of his way and was peering in through the open slit between the iwo two logs he saw ranee rance waldron clearly c in the th can dlight jig ht saw him go to the door and past through and close the door behind him and clearly he saw tom gough a man of low squat stature with a thick thatch of black hair and a weeks black bristly growth of whiskers with a brutish flat face and an d a pair of brilliant bri Want close set black eyes and he took particular stock of tom coughs hat it was brand new old clothes ragged boots and a brand new hat ranee rance waldron went on oh his way to his horse tethered near by then down trail returning along the way he had come that man in there that tom gough goligh said iCal Cal is the man that shot old early bill he ha was made to do doit it by ranee rance waldron Wal droh something im pretty certain of and the two of them are the stage robbers something else id bet my boots on you sound like you knew what youre talking about said cody 1 I gather the same idea as you do abo uthe wd d put but how come you cinch the shooting of early ad on tom gough you dont see a man wearing ok new hat every day cody early bill before he checked in his chips told doc joe and the judge how he had changed away at the hom hombre bre that potted him how he had shot the fellers hat off he said watch out for a man with a hat with a hole in it or a man without any hat at all or a man with a brand new hat now climb on your pony and lets travel and at the ranch house while cal roundtree and cole cody were giving their attention to waldron and Tom Cough aunt jenifer was busying herself in her own fashion she scurried posthaste post haste to her own room closed the door and was going to lock it when she discovered there was no key in the lock she hurried to anns room adjoining the door was closed but unlocked no key there either but she thought that waldron YV aldron mans door is locked hes got a key there ought to be others somewhere so carrying her lamp she went prowling through the house key hunting she looked at all locks en passant she opened all drawers in tables and dressers she ran her fingers along cupboard shelves she came to a closed closet and opened it to peer inside and of all places found a key in the lock w within I 1 thin the closet she tried it in her own lock it fitted and she shot the bolt home she locked herself in and went to anns door the farther one upon the corridor it fitted there too another hafl it seemed 8 as though all the locks in the house hetts were the same and right then the inspiration and the temptation assailed her to try her key on still another door if it worked on these locks why wh not on ranee rance caldrone Wal drone drons she scurried to that door through which waldron had passed so many times always locking it behind him and the key fitted the lock and the door opened she was thrilled with a sense of adventure and was also just a mite frightened she entered a bedroom that was in considerable disorder she glanced at the bed itself with its ita covers dragging drig ging on the floor then around the room until her eyes came to a full stop at a table on which there were some papers and a couple of penciled account books she flipped over pages cattle bought and anal sold numbers in the various herds cost and sales prices that sort of thing for the most part among the scattered papers was a new letter signed by andy jenkins it said deer bill I 1 done my job all right better than you speck what I 1 mean is I 1 got the whole tin ten thousand and am bringing it with me only I 1 am staying a day with my relations and will ketch the stage next day yours truly andy jenkins so it aunt jenifer mumbled to herself that waldron devit devil found this letter and got busy him and the man hes been hiding in here all day no wonder he wanted to get rid of us she crumpled the telltale tell tale letter in her hand and hurried into the other room and tried the door leading to the outside again the key fitted she closed the door again and began taking stock of this second rooms contents there was waa a splotch on the floor a rug had evidently been drawn to cover it then than its edge turned over over by a careless foot as the two men departed and that spot looked to aunt jenifer like a blood smear so she leaped to the same conclusion conc luson that had offered itself to cody and roundtree on the next step she was already decided she would unlock th the outside door again leave it unlocked but closed malie make her retreat through Wal drons room slip out of his door that led into the corridor lock that door and carry her key off with her then when he ca came me home a and nd found his outer door unlocked he would have something to think about when he missed the jenkins letter which he had been too great a fool to destroys dest or hide hed have still more matter for thought authere Bu but there be the vaguest h hint int to make him think thit that this had been an inside job and even though for one reason or another he did get the idea that aunt jenifer had had something to do with it he really be convinced and hed be mighty careful about speaking af pf it to her for fear of tipping his hand and watch her play inno inn cent tomor tomorrow rowl I 1 now she wanted to hurry faster than ever for she kept telling herself that sh she e was in a den of murderers yet she kept telling herself also that now was her one and only chance to make a thorough search in these two rooms well she had done all she could now and had better scamper for her own quarters so she did as she had planned unlocked the outer door removed the key and turned to retrace he h steps through ranee rance Wal drons dooz doo and then she stiffened and almost dropped her lamp distinctly xhu ah xh heard rapidly oncoming foot tp outside TO BE CONTINUED f i i |