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Show 1 1 Rimrock Trail I ! By J. ALLAN DUNN ! I B ' Ooprrliht, 153, br J. Atlin Dona j imii ii ai nun i iiiiiiiii i o ;u"ir g 1 mSSSSSSi II IlLSi.'fJi 2?. !5 ''VlM'h U .m-ot-door.-a,,.', .. I u. .Ud tl. won low lilsb .nd dote nc STNOPSIS. To the Three-Bar so rnch, Arliona, owned Jointly by nt Sandy Dourko, "Mormon" Peters i nJ "Boda-Wnter Bam" Manning, , a (Ins collie makes Its way, In the c last stages of exhaustion. Inscrlp- St tlou on Its collar says Ita name ro Is arlt, "property of P. Casey." in Scenting a desert tragedy, Uourke and 8am mount and let the dog ut lead them. Tho two find a dying man, Patrick Casey, pinned under sn an overturned wagon. Kneeling in beside tho wagon la hta young , daughter Molly, fifteen. They ex- nt trlcate th old prospector, who dies br repeating "Molly mines!" "I'll he look out for thnt, partner," says , Sandy. It la agreed that Molly stays as mascot of tho ranch, she 1 and the "Three Musketeers" be- ns coming partners In the mines. lie Sandy Insists upon an education hn for Molly. Jim Pllmsoll. gambler, J " visiting the ranch. Insults Molly. 10 He claims he grubstaked Casey, til which made him tho old man's lex partner. Mormon drives him off. n Starting with a gold eaglo, Molly's , ' luck piece, Sandy, with Sam, plays ,1C faro at Pllmsoll's place, winning ed $10,000. It Is arrangod that Molly shall go East to be "eddlcatcd." A neighbor, Miranda Dalloy, warns ,T the ranchers that Jim Pllmsoll, as 111 Tatrlck Casey's "partner," claims til guardianship of Molly, nnd the au- sll thorltloa stand In with him. Sandy nt, determines to take the girl to New Mexico, to an old friend. Barbara 80 Redding, for advice. Tho throe n men, with the girl, set out Pursued Pur-sued by the sheriff and Pllmsoll, the ranchers separate, Mormon and Sam returning, and Sandy and r0' Molly going on. thi I Clr CHAPTER VIII ml , 7 , sci The Pass of the Goats. In tho thront of tho gorgo tho sun bn shono red on tho tnwny cliffs. It wns wn closo to seven o'clock. Sandy's lenn It face was anxious. Tho girl drooped tin In her seat, tired from the long climb, Tli not yet Inured to the saddle. de Sandy had only once, crossed tho tin Pass of tho Goats and that was years foi before. Thoro had been washouts he: slnco then. Several times they were slo forced to dismount nnd lead tho nerv- foi ns beasts, Sandy doing the coaxing, lea helping Molly over tho dinicult places, on He rodo n rnnro named Goldlo nnd sai tho girl a bay with a whlto blaze that hei Sandy had chosen for tho mountain roi work nnd which had been brought to to them at tho lava strip. Tho rnnro halted, neck stretched set out, turning It to look Inquiringly nt oul her master. A sharp Incline lay ahead, Jos the path llttlo better than one made by tho goats for which tho pass was Qs named. Behind, Molly's mount foi- hln lowed suit, blowing nt tho dust- Sandy 0v( patted tho mare's neck nnd dls- mounted. ns "Yo'ro sure game, Molly," ho said Ba, admiringly; "you must bo clean tuck- no, cred out." nm She shook her head with an attempt mo nt n smile. dcr Til bo glad when wo start goln' tno !a ( tisT n cnange Bh0 admitted, n ig Into the gloomy trough of the kn. in through which the night wind ie icd. . 1 tighten up yoro cinches," said tC0?' y. "Worst of the climb's Jest 1. Then wo start to drop down u :r side. You don't hnvo to git I He tugged at tho leathers, his I) against the bay'a ribs as she v ed. 1 u ain't much furtheh to go, 111 I s," he chatted on, "Downhill nil 1 way soon, an' then a drink to I out yoro mouth an' tho best feed C iroca fo' tho pair of you." I Its dark .mighty quick up here," I the girl. 1 Croat cloud was ballooning abovo I , liko n dlrlglblo that had lost ancy and was bumping along tho I .' rldgo. Its belly was black, Its f cm sldo ruddy In the sunset, ly viewed It apprehensively. Tho I 1 was soggy with moisture. Burst- M It would send torrents roaring i every ravine, wash out weath- E masses of earth, sweep all belt be-lt as It gathered forces and ed out on tho desert, nero Molly and Sandy rodo they exposed to tho first drench of a dbnrst " wdy examined his own cinch nnd toed It beforo ho mounted. And f Wpered something in tho mnro's 1! mat caused her to lip hla sleeve. ... W yore hawss havo his own way, , . he said. "I'm lottln Goldlo Plckln' fo' tho lead. Ready?" Browing cold in the twilight. ns i ! nhcn(1 Slowed golden. The er 4 down uPn lt K'oomlng tin Nowing on its sunset side. Tho ch J rfPPed U as It gilded thi t irf T3 knlfe of n dlvcr ,n the tm nitt.li rk- A co,d wlntl b,0W flB "etlvenmnss. Then enmo the if, ban the eady patter bognn to thi t el Ba!.K0 volco ot torrents thi Cot in a lft8' roP,d8 r,8,nfe Kl1 U4 th4 ?.eep gorges. The wetness tel & tode -L"aPped Mony'B vitality, ge S W h. i ,hands on th0 8ddlo hibowod' wntr stream-fl stream-fl !,Em 5 her stetson, tho S tlo! her Urc(1 fcouWen KllCa .1. 0 Baw Sandy "head, litS?"1 8host' tw8ted In a tcain her, ho "luci, luu uuu bo narrow mat w and then her elbow dug Into tho ft stuff. Tho light rnyed upward an ncuto angle. In a few moments would ho dark. But they were so to tho top. Tho mare already sod on a level ledgo of side-Jutting ck, from which ono could look down to tho canyon of tho oaks and the ifnltlng stream. Sandy heard a cry from Molly nnd w, through tho curtain of tho fall-B fall-B rain, tho wldc-flnred nostrils of r horse, Its eyes protruding ns tho ute, with tho ground slopping away neath him, slid slowly down toward e gutf, tho girl, hor weight flung for-ird for-ird on tho withers, her face white paper, turning to him mutely for lp. It was a bad moment Sandy d no space to .turn In, no chnnco whirl his lariat, even for a sldo row. There was no time to spin a p. But his hand detached tho rope, lng fingers found tho freo end as pivoted In the saddle, thighs weld-to weld-to tho mare. "Take a turn about tho horn!" ho outcd. "Hang to tho end yo'so'fl" ) sent tho lino Jerking back, whls-ng whls-ng as It streaked across Uio girl's oulders. Sho clutched for It, with mty of slock, snubbed It nbout tho Idle horn, clung to tho end, made lilght of It about her body. Sandy spoke to tho mare. 'Steady, li'l lady, steady I" Tho ?o was about his own horn; he inked God thnt ho had examined the iches of Molly's saddle. Tho bay is cat-footed; with tho help of tho ire Sandy believed lie could dig and npo nnd climb to safety. Ho felt Goldlo stiffen bencnth him, iced against tho strain sho knew s coming. Tho taut lariat hummed, bruised into Sandy's thigh. Behind, ) bay snorted, struggling gallantly, ey wcro poised on the brink of ith for a moment, two three nnd m tho mnro began to movo slowly : ward, neck curved, cars cocked to i r mnster's urging, whllo the bay shed through tho treacherous muck, : ind footholdi lost It, made a frantic p, nnother, nnd landed trembling tho ledge. Sandy leaped from his Idle and caught Molly, sliding from sent In sheer exhaustion and tho ; ulslon of terror, clinging closely him. 'I'm all right," she said. "I was i red an' yet I know you'd pull mo :. I'm plumb shamed of myself, i it like n d d gel to net that way." ShuckB I Tou wasn't half as scared 1 tho bay. Wonder did he strain ( isclf?" Ho passed clever hnnds t r tho bay's legs, talking to it To'ro nil right, ol' surelegs. Bight ' rain." Sandy recoiled "his lariat, 1 0 Molly a hand to her foot to lift to her saddle, mounted himself, 1 1 they rodo slowly down. Tho tur- c II of running wnters far below bur- t ed tho night, but tho dnnger from storm wns over. c 'rain tlmo was long past- Sandy J iw nothing of tho change of sched- 1 , but ho wns conlldent of winning v ir. Ho knew a mnn In tho llttlo b n they wcro aiming for whose llv- y e Rode With Hands on the Saddle c Horn, Her Head Bowed, Water c Streaming From the Rim of Her Stetson. ( r stnblo was, In tho march of tho I les, divided between horses and tunings. tun-ings. There ho expected to put up e horses until they could bo ro- t nod to Threo Star, and there ho ured on hiring a car and u driver i as ho anticipated, there wcro no ( ro trnlns thnt night. Ho believed t it Mormon and Sam hull delayed f ) sheriff. Probably the latter had i ren up the chase, but there was no ling. They should lose no tlmo In ttlng out of the stnto. i CHAPTER IX 1 Caroca. Bandy led the way on the rnnro to i shelving bench, a placo where he d camped once long before and, 1 never forgotten. Molly was tired almost al-most to Insensibility as to what might bo going on, soaked and chilled to limpness. Sandy got her cut of tho saddlo and Into n shallow cavo In a sandy bank. Tho next thing sho knew n fire was leaping and sending light nnd wnnnth Into her nook. "Eat this, Molly, an wo got to bo on our way." Sandy wns handing her n cupful of hot, savory stow, nindo for the trip, warmed up hastily, the best kind of a meal after their strenuous stren-uous experience, though Snndy bemoaned be-moaned Its quality. "FIggercd you an' mo 'ud cat on tho Pullman ternlght," he said. "But this snack'll do us no harm. Wo'll git a cup of coffco In Caroca if there's n chnnco." Sho gulped tho reviving food gratefully, grate-fully, strength coming back with the fuel that gavo both warmth nnd mo-tlvo mo-tlvo power. Soon they wcro Jogging on down tho wide trough of the canyon. can-yon. They crossed a whlto road, un-fenced un-fenced but evidently n main sourco of travel though now deserted. "County lino runs plumb down tho mlddlo of tho road," announced Sandy. "There's tho lights of Caroca bllnkln' away to tho lofti Too "had we missed tho train. Sleepy?' "Some," she admitted. "Me, too," lied Sandy companion-nbly. companion-nbly. Coming down from tho mesa ho had talked with her about Barbara Bedding, Bed-ding, how wclcomo she would ruako Molly and what she would do for her. Molly had listened silently. They entered tho llttlo town, once n cnttlo station, now renamed In musical mu-sical Spanish, Caroca A Caress a spot where fruits were grown and flowers bloomed tho year round wherever wher-ever tho water caressed tho earth. Sandy rode tho mnro Into tho livery where the Inst skirmish between hoof nnd rim, iron nnd rubber tiro, was being fought, nnd cnlled for "Chuck" Goodwin. A stout man enmo out, not so heavy, not so big as Mormon, but sheathed In flesh with tho armor of ease and good living. Ho peered up nt Snndy, then let out n dhout. "Vou long-legged, ornery, freckle-faced, freckle-faced, gun-pnckln' galoot, Sandy Bourkol Light off n that cayuse. you an yoro Indy friend. Where In tlmo did you-nll drop from?" "Como across tho mesa, Like to Sit washed across through Paso Cabras," said Sandy. "Miss Casey, let mo mako you 'qualnted with Chuck 3oodwln, ono tlmo tho best hawss-ihocr hawss-ihocr In tho seven Cactus states, now icllln oil un' gnsollno nt fancy prices, lot to mention machines fo' which ho s agent." "Got n few oats left fo' yoro lawsses, Sandy. Miss, won't you :omo insldo tho offlco? Where you ound, Sandy?" "Wo was aimln' to catch the seven ('clock train east, makln' fo' New Jexlco an' tho Redding ranch, where diss Casey is to visit fo' a spell, but vo found tho trail bad an' n cloud-iust cloud-iust finally set us back so we quit mrryln' nn loafed in. Chuck, hnvo ou got a machlno you c'ud rent us, rtth a driver?" 'Tou can havo anything I got In tho ilaco with lalgs or wheels, an' wel-ome. wel-ome. Goln to the old Bedding anch? Give my howdedo to Miss Inrbara, or Mrs. Barbara as sho Is iow. But" Ho looked at tho wall lock. "It's n quarter of ten. Yoro rain's been altered to suit mnln lino chcdules. Sho don't como through 111 nine-thirty ansho's gen'nlly lnte iakln' tho grade. I ain't heard her rtilstlo yet. Hop In my car an' wo'll est about mako her. Sho don't do iiuch morc'n hesitate at Caroca when ho's behind tlmo." Ho hurried them out on tho street o whero n car stood by the curb, lolly nnd her few belongings got in ohlnd, Snndy mounted with Goodwin. "You'll take good caro of tho lawsses, Chuck?" ho said. "I'll prob-bly prob-bly bo back for 'em myso'f In three-o' three-o' dnys." "Seguro." Goodwin stepped on his tarter and tho flywheel whirred to puttering explosions. Another enr nmo limping down tho street, lint on 10th rims of one side, Its pnlnt pins-cred pins-cred with mud, ono light out, tho ither dimmed with mire. Tho driver Tilled to Goodwin. "Which wny to tho depot?" Goodwin, his hand on tho lever, oot on tho clutch, wns nstounded to lear Sandy hissing out: "Don't tell 'em. Scoot ahead full ipeed." Then, over his shoulder to he girl, "Crouch down there, Molly." !3oodwln was still a man of action ind ho know Snndy Bourko of old. Dut came tho pedal, tho gears engnged ind tho car shot ahead, beneath n twinging nrc light. Sandy's hnt-rlm lid not sufllclently ahndo his face or Molly's action had not been swift jnough. There came u yell and n jtrlng of curses from tho crippled car, which backed and turned nnd followed, fol-lowed, Its torn treads flapping. Goodwin asked no questions of Sandy. If the latter wantod ever to tell him why he required a quick exit out of Caroca, or why he was followed, fol-lowed, ho could. If not, never mind. around corners recklessly. A red lai tern showed nhcad In the mlddlo tho road.' They crashed through light obstruction of bonrds nnd trc ties, overturning tho lantern, nt plowed on over rough stones. "I'm mayor," said Goodwin with grin. "Breakln' my own, rules but Agger that broken stono'll bother 'e some. We'll chnnco it" They lunged through, regnrdlcss i tires, nnd, behind them, tho pursuit car rattled, lurched, skidded. A tli blew out and as Goodwin swung corner wJth two wheels In tho air tl sheriffs machlno smnshed vicious ncross tho sidewalk, poking Its crura ling radiator Into a Cottonwood. "Brazen bulls 1" shouted Goodwl "Thero sho blows I You got to run Tho depot wns ahead, to ono sti of tho rond-crosslng. Tho train, I clanging bell slowing for tho sto ground to n halt, the conductor awln "We Take You to Phoenix," He Sal lng from a platform to glanco at tl "clear" board. Ho waved "ahead" Sandy and Molly raced up and clai befred to tho platform from whti tho trainman had dropped off. Nc the latter remounted whllo tho trn restarted, gathered speed. "Whero to?" ho asked Sandy, su vcying tho pair of them curious! "Got reservations?" "Bound for Bovllle, New Mcxlc On tho El Paso and Southwcster What's tho charges? No reservation but wo rodo fifty mile' ncross tli mesa to mako the train." Snndy produced his roll nnd nt tli same tlmo ho grinned In tho light ( tho conductor's lantern. And Sandy smllo was worth much more than o dlnary currency. It stnmped him bon fide, certified his character. The coi doctor's profession mado him apt c such Indorsements. "Wo take you to Phoenix," ho salt "Change there for El Paso. I ca glvo you n spnro upper for tne lady. Molly, all eyes, tired though the were, was starlfv; at tho Pullma Afro-American, flashing eyes an teeth and buttons at her and eve moro nt Sandy. "Flnol" said Sandy. "Smoker good enough fo' me. Ho's got a be for you, Molly. Sco you In tho mora lng." Ho waited, countenancing her whll sho climbed tho short lnddcr to th already curtained berth. Molly's sys tern might be aqulver with wonder bu bIio never showed loss of wits or poise Sho might hnvo traveled so n hundrci times. Back of tho curtain sho' curie op hnlf-undrcsscd but, even ns Sand; registered to himself with a lov chuckle: "She never turned a hair o shied." "Qoldl" he cried. ".They've truck nav rilrt DvnnmltAl" |
