Show AC TH am arm E 0 L JACKSON ACKSON GREGORY 0 RELEASE tile THE STORY SO CO fani faill am aim me and C coll 01 10 cody beneficiaries under two didenti cal al wills ol of old bill i cole were attempting to discover who had bad fired the bullet which caused his deth death suspicion eta en terca around ra bacce a ce waldron 1 who n int la its i old bills bill 1 nephew disappeared alter after be h bud bad been spied pled upon by cody at a deserted rieter ted cabin to in conversation with the th notorious Botor lom character tom gough doe doc joe and the judie judge commissioned by old bill to carry out his last lait wishes were turning bome from the th ranch each with a will in hi his pocket for safekeeping W when h 0 0 they were held up by a maikel banat la in the skirmish they recognized a as life bl slipped now continue with the th story CHAPTER XVI cole cody and ann were standing together he looked down upon the soft loveliness of her curly hair as she blinking her eyes furiously looked um unseeingly down at the ground and the queer designs the mens boots had made it its so terrible she said her voice quivering and he saw how bar bps breast filled to a deep draught of air its awful said cody simply yes it is awful everything has been awful it since why since you and I 1 first saw each other cole cody I 1 and somehow you and I 1 seem to be to blame for it and then for the first time he did think of the two wills and a new light flashed into his eyes maybe you and I 1 are somehow to blame he said and she looked up at him swiftly near frightened by his tone and maybe it was robbery and maybe two men had a hand to in it and one of them got awall away what makes you talk like that tha t she drew back a step or two from him his eyes fiscina fascinated ted her holding in 9 her gaze hypnotically 11 it just dawned on me he said cutting across her rush of words that you gave a certain document to doci doc joe to keep for you and I 1 gave ranee rance Waldro nl nt she gasped and forgot herself and her pet feud so far as to clutch his arm tight in both hands if you guessed right you know what this is going to mean dont you he said if waldron staged this affair it was b because because somehow though im hanged if I 1 can figure it out he learned that the ahe two old boys had the two wills along with them and if he got away with them well then its goodby for keeps to any hope of yours of ever coming to own this outfits out fitl darn the outfit and all that goes with she exclaimed passionately 1 I dont care what happens to it now how its just those two dear old men why shake cried cole cody end and shot his hand out and before she ehe knew it her hand had sped to a meeting with his to be clasped tight held hard hand in hand there was almost a smile in their eyes though trouble lay back of it slowly their hands fell apart and her eyes drifted away 1 I guess ill drift along he said he was turning away when she called after him sounding excited 11 Co 1 lelIt was ranee rance Waldro nt I 1 kne knew wit it at first and I 1 know it better tiow now I 1 and I 1 know how he found out about the wills I 1 I 1 told him myself I 1 oh ch I 1 was right about that other thing somehow you and 1 I or one of us seem to be to blame for everything ery thing hingl when ranee rance waldron was battering at our door I 1 called to him that I 1 was going to hand over my will to doc joe the very first chance I 1 got L I 1 wish I 1 had bit my tongue out forstl dont you see he have known that the ludge judge but he would figure that if he had the one only yours he could maybe dicker but dont you go blam ing yourself ann lee girl I 1 ten tell you things like this are either in the cards or not and all there Is to it you are going to town he hesitated then shook his head bill cole cody rode straight to the lonely abandoned cabin 1 in the mountain ravine to which he and cal roundtree had followed ranee rance waldron and tom gough he had no great hope of finding fin dizig waldron lingering lingerin I 1 1 on here now that the judge find doc joe had been cut down and robbed now that tom gough was dead an and d in all likelihood would be judged the sole high highwayman and killer jilce yet ranee rance must be somewhere and cody meant to find him and here wan waa las as likely a place to look as any the shadows were long across the mountain mounia ln slopes the pines growing black in the deep dusk in the ravines and there was no sign of life no up drifting smoke from the rock chimney when cody came within sight of it he dismounted and went to the door his hand on the butt of his bia gun the door was ajar he threw it open and looked the place over staring frowningly into its thickening gloom ile he saw a pile of blankets on the one bunk other blankets on the floor some scraps of bf food on a sagging shelf that I 1 was all he went back to his horse rode out of the ravine and into the golden sunshine again crossed the creek and struck across country toward town it was his thought that he might possibly have word of waldron there if not he could join jo alit roundtree and discuss the new setup with him cody dismounted in front of the i hotel tied his horse at the hitching rail and moved softly and silently as others were moving seeking some sign of cal roundtree he was conscious of eyes following hm him and knew that he drew interest here nt this hour because he was a stranger because these men steadily gathering in numbers were w ere distrustful of strangers cal roundtree wa turning into a saloon two friends fl flanking inking him when he saw Cody he said a word to his companions who went on into the spread eagle and turned back to cody it was tom gough all right light he said the judge and old doe doc fought it out with him like hed know they would if he knew them at all all three dead but heres a sort of 1 funny thing the shot that killed gough must have been fired the same split second that he finished oil off either doe joe or them the judge both the old boys was shot through the head heck man their bullets the last the ones that did the killing hilling on both sides must have passed one another in the cairl listen cal said cody tom gough the only killer out after the old boys its like the stage holdup hold up there were two of them tom gough for one sure the other ranee rance waldron and dont you fool yourself early bills two wills the one to ann lee and the one to me they turned up have tit 1 5 toe the judge and doc jos joe were killed today waldron said cody they not in the judges and doe doc joes pockets were they not in tom boughs me I 1 dont know I 1 dont even get what youre driving at cody explained swiftly and cal began to nod before he had finished ranee rance waldron is in town right now he said his brows puck puckering dring tight as he tried to make heads and tails of things hes in a back room at the hotel playing poker I 1 saw him there a while ago come ahead in and have a drink before you start anything this wants a bit of thinking cody nodded without saying anything and the two entered the saloon together to range up along the bar with cals two tio friends they downed their liquor the four of them and stood rolling their cigarettes grave thoughtful men we might mosey over to the hotel and see what things look like suggested cody there were several me men I 1 in the hotel lobby a greater number I 1 in the bar upon which a door opened at the side at its rear was another door standing perhaps a a quarter open it was a small room in yonder private or semiprivate semi private tor for gentlemen who wished to withdraw for draw or stud with a look cody asked of cal roundtree in there and with a look cal answered yes cody went to the door and pushed it ei pen open cal and the others keeping three thre 0 or tour four paces I 1 behind him stopping stop ping when he stopped Il hello lello waldron said cody ranee rance waldron looked up from his game and shoved his chair back he make a move to rise and remove his hands from the table top hello hella cody he said wanted if theres anything wrong with I 1 your our eyes im playing cards the judge and doc joe were killed today waldron said cody it was an ugly sort of killing from what I 1 hear murder folks are calling 10 it 1 I heard about it said ranee rance waldron another man got his come up pance the hamd sam time a man name of tom gough maybe you knew him maybe he answered friend of yours who wants to know waldron cocked up his brows been in town all day waldron rance laughed there were two ways to take a thing like this he had his choice rather than lecog nize the broad implication seriously 1 he elected to greet it as funny id like to get along with the game mr cody he said sounding now like a man who meant to remain patient as long as he could but whose patience was fast running out 0 u t no I been in town all day I 1 rode in about two cody heard cal Round trees snort now cody said ranee rance and chose to laugh again ill thank you to get out of here cody obliged him they had progressed as tar far as the lobby when a sharp petulant eager voice called you there Round treel call cal I 1 I 1 want a word with you the speaker wiping his mouth as he came out of the bar behind them was a youngish man in high lopsided boots with a bristle of a scrubby sc rub little black mustache coatless co atliss with his sleeves rolled up on a pair of brawny hairy arms with large dark dar barkand kand and strikingly intelligent eyes cal explained to cole cody its dr parke evans they sent for him over to rim rock as soon as word of a shooting got out doc joe for once not being on tap here in bald eagle and turned toward the rim rock doctor anything private doc he asked 1 I gut got friends with me yes its private and im in a hurry ile he led the way rolling down his sleeves to the stairway leading up ward from the lobby and cal ca climbed along after him wondering as others wondered what parke evans could want with him ha half if way up the staircase he called down to cody stick around cody and wait for me I 1 wont be long then well ritie out to the ranch together so cole cody waited he stood leaning against a post smoking a thoughtful cigarette gazing abstractedly edly at the brightening glitter of the stars hanging over the hills rimming the valley cal roundtree came out he looked to be in a doze daze lie he was like a man walking in his sleep his eyes were wide open they stared straight at cole cody their expression or lack hick ot of expression rather did not alter hello cody said cal dully he stopped and removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair slowly his eyes narrowed to normalcy malc but there remained a queer troubled look in them come ahead kid he said lets go get our horses lets pile out of here for home the two strode along side by side and got their horses they swung up into their saddles and headed down the road by starlight nothing could be made of cals face but his heavy silence was disquieting cody however held his peace if a man wanted to keep his thoughts to himself that was his affair 1 I got to do a bit of thinking said cal presently and I 1 canti im all tangled up im rattled like no man ever was before I 1 got to tell you something cody I 1 got to tell somebody or ill bust and id rather it was you but I 1 dont know how much to spill and how much to hold back because I 1 cant tell it all get me I 1 got to hold part bacal maybe ill go get somebody to cut my tongue out shut up a and let me think let me anyhow try to think they rode for ten or fifteen minutes out across the hoor floor of the valley striking into the little rolling hills before cal spoke again like I 1 said cody I 1 cant spill the whole sack 0 beans though I 1 wish to god I 1 could I 1 and I 1 could kill that hyena laughing old early bill cole only the son a gunstead guns dead alts 1 choat there I 1 go again well heres what I 1 can tell you and you better pull leather whilst you ou listen good else youre apt to fall couin your saddle and here is what cal roundtree held himself free to tell dr parke evans had led the way upstairs to a locked room he had unlocked the door motioned cal roundtree to go in had then closed the door and stood outside guarding against any interruption on the far side of the room with his back turned a man was standing the lamp was turned low cal did not make out at once who it was but when the door had been closed the man moved to the table where the lamp was and turned up the wick he goggled as his first stroke of bewilderment smote him here in the flesh looking very much alive and in fact as he had looked for the twenty years cal had known him save for a terrible grimness on hiis his face was old doc joe doc joe lif lifted teda a sudden warning hand to forestall any explosive utterance fabyn ahe astounded cal roundtree no loud talking cal he said eaid incisively cal swallowed me me I 1 cant talk at allf then a tinge of color angry color came into his darkly weathered face what in hells this mean he demanded TO BE CONTINUED |