Show 4 1 U le K A M asari ann THE me STORY SO fari fail ellen carey daughter ol of the postmaster Is interested in two men dashing jeff brand sup up a rustler and cal terry man acer rr of 0 the big diamond reverse reverie 13 ranch whom rustlers and small cattle better sit down gentlemen calhoun said brand looked at him hostility in his hard eyes ill stand tile the ranch managers gaze met his coldly better take a chair mr brand this a social occasion after we get through with our business ness you can shoot at me just as properly as you could have be before forel 1 Is it straight goods that black blac yeager has been killed blurted out jeff yes why I 1 sent for you who killed him 1 I dont know it looks as though lie he had been killed by a man sup posed to be his friend brand sat down all right spill it ill listen calhoun terry told the story of the attack on him CHAPTER XVI jeff brand said bluntly your story sounds likely it black and this friend of his were trying to dry gulch you then suddenly the side kick turns on black and blasts him I 1 reckon almost anybody would believe that dont get on the prod jeff the owner of the box 55 suggested mr terry could have buried the body it if he had been minded that way he have to send for us and tell a yarn so BO improbable that I 1 reckon it must be true how could it be true demanded brand have you got any friends who would go out with you to do a job and right when you were doing it pour slugs into you 1 I hope not carey said but im not black yeager he was a tough surly hombre and there might be one of his so called friends waiting to get a chance at him so he rode with black for a couple of hours and crack down on him till he knew there was vas a witness in the neighborhood to testify against him later maybe too thin lane im not that easy the rustler swung round on the diamond reverse B manager sharply what was the idea in sending for me the frosty blue eyes of terry met those of the outlaw steadily the idea is to have you examine the ground allesee and see for yourself I 1 dont enjoy the reputation of being a man who kills from ambush did you bring the body in mr terry carey asked no I 1 thought it better for you to see it on the ground he added two of my riders are camping out in the grove to keep off wild animals we cant read sign till morning you had better turn in and get some sleep well have breakfast ea early aly and t take ake off by daybreak good medicine carey agreed how about it jeff no obligations on either side mr brand his host said As I 1 mentioned before a strictly business bu transaction there will still be an open season on me brand and carey followed terry to the dining room jim wong had set two places there were sandwiches on a ii platter and a pot of coffee beside some cups A bottle of whiskey and glasses were on the sideboard youve had a long ride in the rain the foreman said jim wong fixed you up a little refreshment ill have your horses looked after while you eat he hd left his itao guests to themselves terry is no more guilty than I 1 am carey said at least I 1 dont think so bata but well know moie more about this tomorrow ak lane leaned forward and spoke almost in a murmur has it ever struck you jeff that the big cow outfits may have stock detectives right in our midst you mean some of their own cowboys no I 1 dont Some somebody bodi 0 loser closer to the rustlers one who sees them ot of tener and maybe rides around with them A nester perhaps brand thought it over might be so if I 1 could prove it on one I 1 would sure give him a quick ticket to kingdom come but what has that botao got to do with this affair might have nothing todo to do with it might have a lot A spy like that who could be hired to give away his friends would not stop at murder from ambush the three men breakfasted early and were on their way before sunup they took with thema them a packhorse to bring back the body during the night the rain had spent itself and there was now not a cloud in the sky I 1 the diamond reverse B riders joined them at the edgo edge of the grove tracks of th we e horses are still showing one of them said 1 I was scared the rain might wash them out but it come down hard enough carey and brand examined the body it told a story of unexpected death the powder burns bums on tile face showed that the revolver had been fired very close to the he victim installment EIGHT men dislike three rustlers rustler had bad been shot from the back la in retaliation lee lea hart a brother of 0 one of 0 the victims takes a shot from the back at terry now a fourth man black yeager Is I 1 shot hot under peculiar circumstances circumstance two lemme see that note the fellow pinned to blacks coat jeff said calhoun took it from his pocketbook and handed it to the rustler brand studied it for several minutes ive seen writing like that somewhere but I 1 cant just remember when he mentioned to carey look how he makes his ss with the tails hying flying away brand put the note in his pocket mind if I 1 keep it he said to terry insolently 1 not atall at all nate hart may wa want nt to keep it but you fix that up with wit h him terrys voice wasa was scornfully polite on the way back to the ranch carey rode beside terry and brand with the two cowboys 1 I reckon we have come to the same opinion as you did cal the man from black butte told his companion what opinion terry inquired that this killing was done by a cattle detective hired by some of the big outfits my opinion is it 61 the e diamond reverse B manager asked sarcastically I 1 1 I think so it explains the facts better than anything else I 1 can figure out my notion is you wanted to put us on our guard against this fellow even if I 1 was employing him 1 I dont believe you are in this at all but I 1 expect you can give a good guess who hired this killer said I 1 1 dont terry tonelessly I know anything about it well ill leave it the there cal 1 lane carey concluded A wink ink is cm 0 C Q terry is no more guilty than I 1 am carey said as good as a nod to a blind horse ive a notion you dont like this state of affairs any better than I 1 do J I 1 CHAPTER black yeager was buried at round top and his funeral was the largest ever held in the county the feeling was very bitter and it was almost unanimous against the big ranches among those at the graveyard even the people who did not justify rustling resented this highhanded destruction of suspected men who had not been found guilty by a jury among the rustlers themselves a mounting amounting fear lay back of their furious rage A killer was loose in the land and he might strike at any one of them next several men without property slipped away quietly bart dennison pulled his freight last night lee hart said left on the train for cheyenne jeff brands laughter was brittle some folks scare easily he said through the window his words reached ellen she had no doubt he was a thief but she applauded the spirit of his de defiance flance what he had told her about pete tolman was even more true of himself he had lived fully physically at least there was in him a deep capacity for enjoyment joy ment A rider was vas dismounting at the hitch rack they watched him walk across the dusty road to join them the man was roan alford cuth rogers got in from elk creek an hour or so ago he mentioned says jim mcfaddin of the flying V C was shot yesterday shot demanded the crook nosed turley you mean on purpose yep some of the riders of his ranch heard the shooting and came a they found him dead he had his six gun out and had fired it twice fellow had sent a revolver bullet bullat right spang through the heart brand asked a quei question tion was mcfaddin shot from behind cuth rogers says not answered alford he saw the body says it been aduel the bullet came from directly in front and there ther ewas was no brush for several hundred yards i rifle rah shots had been fired at terry while he was riding and immediately after that two revolver shots were heard ulick black yeager had bad been killed by a cOmP companion anlon terry sends lor for lane carey and jeo jeff brand ft Y funny commented tur ley looks like it may have been one of his own men bumped him they got into a quarrel maybe the story Is that it one of the flying V C men did it alford said they are all accounted for and the man was tracked for several miles something queer about this turley cut in frowning 1 I dont get it if the fellow who did it was wag one of our friends spy r ho he of shot it out in theolen the open that away ile he would of waited to get a crack at him from the brush would he brand asked maybe not maybe he wanted to show the big outfits that we had the nerve to do our killing in the open ellen felt a fluttering heart beat against her ribs she was watching jeff lie he hod had spoken carelessly but in his slurring drawl she had read an undertone implacable and deadly she knew as well as one could know without evidence to back it that he had been the other party to that duel 1 the way you talk sounds dumb to 0 me jeff snarled lee hart what you expect a fellow to do buck have any chance did he not on yore tintype they rubbed him out expecting it why I 1 do the same with one of them hard eyed brand looked at hart im not telling you what you ought to do I 1 dont give a damn what im pointing out is how a white man an would want to settle a difficulty fi 11 dark blood mantled harts flat featured face if you claim im not a white man he blustered A faint expression of contempt kindled in the narrowed eyes of jeff 1 I be interested he said his voice insolent and dry ellen ha had work dwork to do at the house and as soon as she had turned over the office to her father she left jeff brand was waiting outside he rose to join her reaching his feet in one swift movement of rippling ease youre certainly the work ingest girl I 1 ever saw he told her theres a proverb about that all work and no play makes jeff a dull boy so you think im dull she said I 1 no no im dull when you work too lon long have yow you ever thought that maybe in sixty or seventy years we may be too old to play behave we have to leave some time for love and kisses you know she was not up to nonsense today it was not worth trying not while she biad had this queer fee feeling lini of suffocation in her breast why itchy do you go out of your way to insult men who are dangerous men like lee hart she asked he looked at her surprised so you heard 1 I help hearing you pack a lot in one little question he said first off I 1 go out of my way to insult lee hart I 1 thinking about him when I 1 spoke though he is sure welcome to take it personal it if he likes for the fact is I 1 cant stand the fellow lies hes lowdown low down mean As to his being dangerous I 1 dont reckon h he e is long as he is in front of you he spoke carelessly as if the matter were not important you look to me like a man who is dooming himself she said soberly with a kind of proud defiance you frighten me as if as if you were walking on your own grave would you feel badly if you knew I 1 were he asked in a low voice she did not look at him but the blood was yas beating bea ling stormily through her heart p 1 I would feel sorry for any yi young dung man condemned to death she said 1 I 1 I see he said dryly yore C christian duty I 1 would want a girl to give me more than that she turned on him courage in her eyes like a banner what would you expect to give her in return she demanded if she was the right girl I 1 might give hera her a lover A lover she said scornfully he surprised himself in his answer A husband then it was the last thing lhing he had expected to say that would be a fine gift s she e told him what kind of a girl could co u ad keep step with you do you think a wife would be happy waiting at home in terror for fear you were being shot or hanged Ar arent eritt men supposed to settle down when they mariy marry you arent even thinking of it your mind is full of revenge and hatred excitement was carrying her much farther than she had intended it had lit an explosive spark in her breast where were you yesterday afternoon what were you doing but no dont tell met mel I 1 dont want tornow to know she flung out a hand in a gesture of ho hopelessness e and turned away running g up the porch steps swiftly into ato the house TO BE CONTINUED I 1 V L |