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Show - v-;-.. Ilie Big owii Round Up " By WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE Copyright by William Mac Leod Raine her hand. "You got a good man, Kitty. I'm wlshln' you all the Joy la the world." Her eyes flashed softly. "Don't I know I've got a good man, and I'm going to be happier than I deserve." Tim Muldoon, In his shirt-sleeves, was busy over a late breakfast when his mother opened the door of. the flat to let In Clay Lindsay. The policeman took one look at the damaged face and forgot the plate of ham and eggs that had Just been put before him. "Yuh've b-en at It again !" he tried, his Irish eves lighting up with anticipatory antici-patory enjoyment. "I had a little set-to with friend Jerry last night," the westerner explained. ex-plained. "Another? Whut'a the trouble now?" "You heard about the girl abducted In an auto from the Bronx?" "Uh-huhl Was Jerry In that?" "lie was. 111 tell you the whole story, Tim." , "Meet my mother first. Mother-Mr. Mother-Mr. Lindsay. Yuh've heard mo talk av him." Mrs. Muldoon'a blue Irish eyes twinkled. She was a olunio and a ra in Clay. Tin golc to see Collins and have a talk with him." "You can't salve Jhn with soft soap." . ' . "Did I mention soft soapT "I heard some one most killed Jerry Durand last night," said Annie abruptly, abrupt-ly, staring at Lindsay's bruised face. "Was It your " "Yes," said the Arlzonan simply. "Did you get the girl?" "They dropped ner to save themselves. them-selves. My friend found her with a man and took her from him." "I hope you did up Jerry right!" cried Annie, a vindictive flnsh In her dark eyes. haven't called him up this mo'n-ln' mo'n-ln' to see how he's feelln',", said Clay whimsically. "Miss Annie, we're worried wor-ried some about you. Mrs. Muldoon Is right anxious for us to get you to come and stay awhile with her. She's honln' to have a UT girl to mother. Don't you reckon you can go?" "I I wish yuh'd come, Annie," blurted out Tim, looking, down his nose. i "I'm an alley cat you're offerln' to take In and feed, Tim Muldoon' she charged suspiciously. "Yuh're the girl my mother loves." He choked on the Impulsive avowal he music and . the preacher. Mebbeso. ; V ' But It'u liable to be for ftu If ?M monkey with the buzz-saw. Tin no gun harp,, but no man who caul empty a revolver in a shude better than two seconds and put every bullet inside the rim of a cup at fifteen yards wants to ,; throw lead at me. You see, I hang up my hut In Arlxona.. I grew up with a six-gun by my side." "I should worry. This Is little old New York, not Artssonu,". the gnngtnan answered. ' "That's what yore boss Durand thought. What has It .brought, him nut trouble? Leinme give you something some-thing to chew on. New York's the big-- gest city of the biggest, freest country on God's green footstool. You little " ' sewer rats pull wires and think you run It. Get wise, you poor locoed gink. You run It about ns much as that fly on : the wheel of , yore taxi . drives the engine. Durand's the whole works by his way of It, but when some one calls his bluff see where he gets off.". - ; ... . . "He ain't through with you yet," growled "Slim" Jim, sulkily. "Mebbe not, but you you're through with Annie." Clay caught him by the shoulder and swung him round. His ' eyes bored chilly Into t'bo other man, ''' l i fi , "HAD ENOUGH?" , j 8YNOPSIS-A foreword tells this: Motoring through Arizona a party of easterners, father and daughter and a male companion, stop to witness wit-ness a cattle round up. The girl leaves the car and Is attacked by a wild steer. A masterpiece of riding on the part of one ot the cowboys saves her life. Then the story begins: Clay Lindsay, range-rider range-rider on an Arisona ranch, announces an-nounces his intention to visit the "big- town," New York. On the train Clay becomes Interested In a young woman, Kitty Mason, on her way to New York to become uppercut jolted him back. He plunged forward again. They grappled, knocking knock-ing over chairs as they threshed across the room. When they went down Clay was underneath, but as they struck the floor he whirled and landed on top. The man below fought furiously to regain his feet. -Cluy's arm worked like a piston rod with short-arm jolts against the battered face. Gasping for breath, Durand suddenly collapsed. Clay got to his feet and waited for him to rise. ; Ilis enemy rolled over and groaned. "Had enough?" demanded the west- bushes bordering an unfrequented path heard the "HI yl yl" of Arizona Arizo-na and gave a faint cry for help. That call reached Johnnie and brought him on the run. A man beside the girl Jumped up with a snarl, gun in hand. But the Bunt had caught a sight of Kitty. A file of fixed bayonets could not have kept him from trying to rescue res-cue her. He dived through the brush like a football tackier. A gun barked. The little man did not even know It. . He and the thug went down together, rolled over, clawed furiously at each other, and a motion-picture actress. She is marked as a fair prey by 'a fellow traveler, Jerry Durand, gang politl-' politl-' clan and ex-prise fighter. Clay provokes a quarrel and throws Iu-rant Iu-rant from the train. On his first day in New York Clay is uplashed with water by a Janitor. That Individual In-dividual the range-rider punishes and leaves tied to a fire hydrant. A young woman who sees the oc- II currence Invites Clay Into . her house and hides him from the police. po-lice. Clay's "rescuer" introduces herself as Beatrice Whltford. Lindsay Lind-say meets her father, Colin Whit-ford. Whit-ford. He meets Kitty Mason by accident She has been disappointed in her stage aspirations. Clay visits her. Kitty is insulted by a customer. Clay punishes the an-noyer. an-noyer. Outside, he is attacked by Jerry Durand and a companion and beaten Insensible. Clay's acquaintance ac-quaintance with Beatrice Whltford ripens. His "side partner" on the Arizona ranch, Johnnie Green, comes to the "big town." The two take an apartment together. Word comes that Kitty Mason is in trouble. Clay goes to the rescue and Is helped by Annie Mlllikan. He comes on a party of "gunmen." obviously waiting for his appearand. appear-and. Clay. "gets the drop" on the thugs, locks them In a room and escapes. With a theater party, which Includes the Whltfords, Clay meets Kitty Mason, friendless an 1 erner. . No answer came, except the heavy, Irregular breathing of the man on the floor, who was clawing for air In his lungs. "I'll ask you once more where Kitty Mason is. And you'll tell me unless you want me to begin on you all over again." The beaten pugilist sat up, leaning against the wall. He felt ashamed, and disgraced by his defeat. Life for him had lost its savor, for he had met his master. "She got away." . "How?" "They turned her loose, to duck the bulls," came the slow, sullen answer. "Where?" . "In Central park." Trobably this was the truth, Clay reflected. He could take the man's word or not as he pleased. There was no way to disprove it now. He recovered his revolver, threw the automatic out of the window and walked to the door. "Joe's tied up In a back room," he said over .his shoulder. Thirty seconds later Clay stepped into the street. He walked across to a suhwav station and took an uptown got to tneir feet simultaneously. But the cowpuncher held the gun now. The crook glared at him for a moment, and bolted for the safety of the bushes In wild flight. Johnnie fired once, then forgot all about the private little war he had started. For his arms were full of a sobbing Kitty, who clung to him while she wept and talked and exclaimed all In a breath. "I knew you'd come, Johnnie.' ! knew you would you or Clay. They left me here with him while they got away from the police. . . , Oh, I've been so scared. I didn't know I thought" " 'S all right. 'S all right. HT girl Don't you cry, Kitty. Me 'n' Clay won't let 'em hurt you none. We sure won't." . She nestled closer, and Johnnie's heart lost a beat. He had become aware of a dull pain in the shoulder and of something wet trickling down his shoulder. But what Is one little bullet in your geography when the sweetest girl In the world is in your arms? ' "I ain't nothin but a hammered-down hammered-down UT haysed of a cowpuncher," he told her, his voice trembling, "an' "Don't you forget to remember not to forget that. Let her alone. Don't go . near her or play any tricks to hurt , her. Lay off for good. If you don't ; well, you'll pay heavy. I'll be on the job personal to collect." Clay swung away and strode down the street, light-heeled and lithe, tha sap of vital youth in every rippling muscle, , . ; f r- "Slim" Jim watched him, snarling hatred. If ever he got a good chance . at him It would be curtains for the guy from Arizona, he swore savagely. CHAPTER XIV Johnnie Says He Is Much Obliged. Beatrice, just back from riding with Bromfleld, stood on the steps In front of the grilled door and stripped the gloves from her hands. "I'm on Are with Impatience, Bee," he told her. "I can hardly wait for that three weeks to pass. The days drag when I'm not with you." Be was standing a stop or two below be-low her,- a graceful, well-groomed fig-ure fig-ure of ease, an altogether desirable -' catch In the matrimonial market His dark hair, parted In the middle.' was beclnnlng to thin, and tiny crow's- had almost made and finished the sentence sen-tence awkwardly. ' ' The girl's face softened. Inside, she was a river of tenderness flowing toward the Irishman. "I'll, go to your mother, Tim, If she really wants me," she said almost In a murmur. "You're shoutln' now, Miss Annie," said Clay, smiling. "She sure wants you. I'll hit the trail to have that talk with Jim Collins," He found "Slim" Jim at his stand. That flashily dressed young crook eyed ihtm with a dogged and wary defiance. He had just come from a call at the bedside of Jerry Durand and he felt a healthy respect for t the man who could do what this light-stepping young fellow had done to the champion cham-pion rough-houser of New York. The story Jerry had told was of an assault from behind with a club, but this Collins Col-lins did not accept at par. There were too many bruises on his sides and cuts on his face to be accounted for In any way except by a hard toe-to-toe flght. "Mo'nln',' Mr. Collins. I left you In a hurry last night and forgot to pay my bill. What's the damage?" asked Clay In his gently Ironic drawl. "Slim" Jim growled something the meaulng of which was drowned In an feet radiated from the eyes, but he retained re-tained the light, slim figure of youth. It ought not to be hard to love Clarendon Claren-don Bromfleld, his fiancee reflected. Yet he disappointingly failed to stir her pulses. She smiled with friendly derlsloa. "Poor Clary l , You don't look like a Vesuvius ready to erupt. You hare such remarkable self-control." . . , i His Smile met hers. "I can't go. up and down the street ringing a bell like a town crier and shouting it out to everybody I meet." . .1 Bound the corner of the house a voice wss lifted In tuneless song. Oh, ' I'm goln' home Bull-whackln' for to spurn; I ain't got a nickel. And 1 don't give a dern. Tls when I meet a pretty girl, . . , r " You bet I will or try, I'll make her my little wife, , , Root hog or die. "You Bats Hlml I can see It In Your Eye!" Cried Muldoon, Pounding tha Table So That tha Dishes Jumped. pie woman, and her handshake was Arm and strong. "I have that. Tim thinks yuh a wonder, Mr. Lindsay." Clay told the story of his encounter with Durand on the train and of his subsequent meetings with him at the Sen Siren and on the night of the poker party. He made elisions and emendations that removed the bedroom bed-room Bcene from the tale. "So that's when yuh met Annie Mlllikan," Mll-likan," Tim said. "I was wonderln' how yuh knew her." "That's when I met her. She's one fine girl, Tim, a sure-enough thoroughbred. thorough-bred. She has fought against heavy odds all her life to keep good and honest hon-est And she's done It." "She has that" agreed Mrs. Muldoon, Mul-doon, heartily. "Annie Is a good girl. I always liked her." "I'd bet my last chip on Annie. So last night I went straight to her. She penniless. Me leaves me party iu take the girl to Ms apartment Beatrice Be-atrice resents Lindsay's Interest In Kitty. The two men part In anger. Hurt and Indignant, Beatrice practically prac-tically proposes marriage to an old admirer, Clarence Bromfleld. wealthy man-aboul-town. Their engagement Is announced. Durand's Du-rand's gang kidnaps Kitty.. Clay appeals to Annie Mlllikan. who tells him where the girl Is likely to be found. There Clay has a . hard gun and fist battle with Durand. Du-rand. "CHAPTER XII Continued. He rushed again. Nothing but his temper, the lack of self-control that made hlra see red and had once put him at the mercy of a first-class ring general with stamina and a punch, had kept Jerry out of a world championship. cham-pionship. He hud everything else needed, but he was the victim of his own passion. It betrayed him now. Ills fighting was that of a wild cave man, blind, furious, damaging. He train. Men looked at him curiously. His face was .bruised and bleeding, his clothes disheveled, his hat torn. Clay grinned and thought of the old answer: "They'd ought, to see the oilier man." One young fellow, apparently a college col-lege boy, who had looked upon the wine when It was red, was moved to come over and offer condolence. "Say, I don't want to butt in or anything, any-thing, but he didn't do a thing to you, did he?" "I hit the edge of a door In the dark." explained Clay solemnly,. "That door must have had several edges." The youth made a confidential confiden-tial admission. "I've got an edge on myself, sort of." "Not really?" murmured Clay politely. po-litely. "Surest thing you know. Say, was It a good scrap?" "I'd hate to mix In a better one." "Wish I'd been there." The student fumbleXl for a card. "Didn't catch you're awful pretty an' an' " A flag of color fluttered to her soft cheeks. The silken lashes fell shyly. "I think you're fine and dandy, the bravest man that ever was." "Do you figure you could ? I I I don't reckon you could ever" He stopped, abashed. To him this creature of soft curves was of heavensent heaven-sent charm. All the beauty aud vitality vital-ity of her youth called to him. It Earned to Johnnie that God spoke through her. Which Is another way of saying that he was In love with her. She made a rustling little stir in his arms and lifted a flushed face very tender and appealing. In the darkness her Hps slowly turned to his. Johnnie chose that Inopportune moment mo-ment to get sick at the stomach. "I I'm goln to faint," he announced, an-nounced, and did. When he returned to his love-story Johnnie's head was In Kltty'e lap and a mounted policeman was In the foreground fore-ground of the scene. Ills face was wet from the mist of fine rain falling. oath. "You say It was a free ride? Much obliged. That's sure fair enough," Clay went on easily. "Well, I didn't come to talk to you about that. I've got other business with you this mo'nln'." mo'n-ln'." ' The chauffeur looked at hlra sullenly sullen-ly and silently. . ; "Suppose we get Inside the cab, where we can talk comfortably," Clay proposed. "Slim" Jim stepped Into the cab and sat down. Clay followed him, closing the door. "nave you seen Jerry Dnrand this sunny mo'nin'?" asked Lindsay, with surface amiability. "Wot's It to you?" demanded Collins. Col-lins. "Not a thing. Nothin' a-tall," agreed Clay. "But It may be somethln' to you. I'm klnda wonderln' whether I'll have to do to you what I did to him." "Slim" Jim reached for the door hastily. A strong, sinewy hand fell on his "You see Johnnie Isn't ashamed to shout out hl good Intentions," she said. - - "Johnnie Isn't engaged to the loveliest' love-liest' creature under heaven.- Tie ' "Don't move. Some one went ior a car," she whispered, bending over him so that flying tendrils of her hair brushed his cheek. "Are you badly hurt?" He snorted. "I'm a . false alarm. Nothin a-tall. He Jes' creased me." "You're so brave," she cried, admiringly. ad-miringly. He had never been told this before. He suspected it was not true, but to hear her say It was manna to his nun-gry nun-gry soul. The cab stopped at the house of a doctor and the shoulder was dressed j The doctor made one pardonable mistake. mis-take. "Get your wife to give you this sleeping powder if you find you can't sleep," be said. "Y'beteha," answered Johnnie cheerfully. cheer-fully. Kitty looked at . him repronciuUoj and blushed. She scolded him about It after they reached the apartment where they lived. Her new fiance defended himself. "He's only a day or two prema-chure, honey. It wasn't hardly worth while explnlnln'." he claimed. "A day or two. Oh, Johnnie !" "Sure. I ain't gonna wait. Wba's the matter with tomorrow?" "I haven't uny clothes made," she evaded, nnd added by way of diversion. diver-sion. "I always liked that klnda gold- wouldn't throw down 'Slim' Jim, but she gave me an address. I went there and met Durand." . "With his gang?" asked Tim. "No; I waited till they hail gone. I locked myself In a room alone with him. He took eight shots at me In the dark and then we mixed." "You bate hlra I I can see In In your eye!" cried Muldoon, pounding the table so that the dishes jumped. "You'll have to ask him about that." Clay passed to more Important facts. "When I reached home Kitty was there. They had dropped her in the park to make a safe getaway." "That's good." "But Tim when Annie Mlllikan gave me the address where Jerry Durand Du-rand was, the driver of my taxi saw her. The man was 'Slim' Jim." Muldoon sat up, a serious look on his face. "Man, yuh spiii W beaus that time, llow'd you ever come to do It? They'll take It out on Annie, the dogs." The eyes of the policeman blazed. "Unless we stand by her. First we've got to get her away from there to some decent place whore she'll be safe." ' Mrs. Muldoon spoke up. "And that's easy. She'll Just take our spare bedroom and welcome. Sure the girl needs a. mother and a home. An I don't doubt that she'll pay her way." arm and tightened, slightly twisting the flesh as the fingers sank deeper. Collins let out a yell. "Gawd i Don't do that You're klllin' me." "Beg yore pardon. An accident If I gdt annoyed I'm liable to hurt without with-out j meanin to," apologized Clay, suavely. "I'll come right down to brass tacks, Mr. Collins. " You're through with Annie Mlllikan. Understand?" "Say, wot fell's this stuff you're plp-ln'? plp-ln'? Who d' you fink youse are?" "Never you mind who I am. YouH keep away from Annie from now on absolutely. If you bother her If anything any-thing huppens to her well, you go and take a good long look at Durand before you make any mistakes." "You touch me an' I'll croak you. Seel" hissed Collins. "A gun-play?" asked Clay pleasantly. pleasant-ly. "Say, there's a shootln'-gallery round the corner. Cou.e alu&. Z wnntta show you somethln'." "Aw, go to h II" The sinewy hnnd moved again toward to-ward the aching muscles of the gunman. gun-man. Collins changed his mind hurriedly. hur-riedly. "All right. I'll come," he growled. Clay tossed a dollar down on the counter, took a .22 and ulmed at the row of ducks sailing across the gallery gal-lery pool. Each duck went down as It iipK-uied. He picked up n second rifle nnd knock el over seven or eight mice your name7 Clay had no Intention of giving his name Just now to any casual stranger. He laughed and hummed the chorus of an old range ditty. CHAPTER XIII Johnnie Comes Into His Own. ' When Clay shot off at a tangent from the car and ceased to function as a passenger, Johnnie made an effort to descend and Join bis friend, tout already al-ready the taxi was traveling at a speed that made this dangerous. He leaned out of the open door and shouted shout-ed to the driver. "Say, lemtne out, doggone you. I j wantta get out right here." , The chauffeur paid not the least attention at-tention to him. He skidded round a corner, 7rnlnt the curb, and put his foot on the accelerator. The cur Jumped forward, sweeping down the wet street now and agnln skidding dangerously. It swung Into Fourth avenue, slowing to take the curve. At the widest sweep of the arc Johnnie stepped down. His feet slid from under un-der him and he rolled to the curb across the wet asphalt. Slowly he got up and tested himself for brokwi bones. He was sure be had dislocated a few hips and It took him some time to persunde himself be was all right, except for some brulsos. It Ought Not to Be Hard to Lovi Clarendon BromfiHd, Hit FiancH Reflected. Yet He Disappointingly Failed to Stir Her Pulses. He Threw Away His Science and His Skill In Order to Destroy the Man He Hated. threw away bis science and his skill In order to destroy the man be bated. He rained blows on him fought with head and knee and fist, was on top of him every moment, controlled by one dominating purpose lo make that dancing figure take the dust. Cluy was cool, quite master of himself. him-self. Before the fight had gone three oilnutcs lie knew that, barring H .hnnre blow, some foul play, or a bit if bad tifk, he would win. He was - ov.-rini? up, letting .the pugilist wear himself out, and tuktng only the punishment pun-ishment he must. But he. was getting home Home lieiivy body Mows that wore ploying the mischief with Jerry's wind. The New orker, nifl"uiji like a sea II. .m, eaiiie out of a rally winded and ipeur. Instantly (lay took the offensive. of-fensive. He vuf a trained boxer as Uell in a lighter, and he. bad been taught how to innke every ounce of his weight count. Hipping in a body b;ov s a feint, I" brought down Durand's fusrd. A .straight left crashed home between the es and a heavy solar plesus shook the man to the heels. Dutiind Ir'.ed to close with him. An doesn't have to lie awake nights for fear the skies will fall and blot him out before his day of bliss." Beatrice dropped a little curtsy. She held out her hand In dismissal. "Till tomorrow, C'lury." As Broinfield turned away, Johnnie cumo round a corner of the house, dragging a garden hose. He was attacking at-tacking another stanza of the song: There's hard tmm on old tiltfr Creok That nver can 0 beat. It was root leg or die t'tnltr every wanon sliest. We el ard up all the Imllans, Inank . . . The puncher stopped abruptly at sight of h mistress. "I'd like to ride with you the rest of your life!" - (TU li''. t 'UN TIN UK. en down on your cheeks. "The stores are full of m. An' we ain't talkln' about my whiskers not right now." "You're a nice old thing," she whispered, whis-pered, flashing Into unexpected dimples, dim-ples, and she rewarded him for his nleeness in a way he thought altogether alto-gether desirable. A crisp, strong step sounded outside. out-side. The dixr opened and Clay came Into the room. lie looked ut Kitty. "Thank heaven, you're safe," he said. "Johnnie rescued nie," she cried. "He got shot In the shoulder." The men looked at each other. "Bud, Johnnie?" "Nope. A plumb 111 scratch. Wha's the matter with you?" A gleam of humor flitted into the eyes of the cattleman. "I ran Into a door." "Say, nay," Johnnie burst out, I betcha can't guess." His friend laughed In amblable derision. de-rision. "Oh. 'u kids In the woods. I knew It soon as I opened the door." He walked up to the girl u.'i "Then that's settled. Will you see Annie, Tim? Or shall I?" "We'll both see her. But there's another thing. Will she be safe here?" "I'm goln' to have a talk with 'Slim' Jim and try to throw a scare Into him. I'll report to you what he says." They took a trolley to the lodging house where Annie lived. The girl looked .ale nnd tired. Clay guessed she had slept little. The memory mem-ory of Slim" Jim's snarling face had stood out in the darkness at the foot of her bed. "Is thH a pinch?" she asked Tim. with n pert little tilt to her chin. "Yuh can call It that, Annie. Mother Moth-er wants yuh to come ami stay with us. Yoti're not safe here. That gang will make yuh pay somehow for what yuh did." "And if yur mother took mo In they'd make her pay. You'd maybe lose your Job." "I'd find another. I'm thinkin' of qulttln', anyhow," . "I doti't think they'd get Tim," put as they scampered across the target screen. With a third gun he snuffed the limning eye from the right to the left side of the face that grinned at him, then with another shot sent It back again. He smashed a few clay pipes by way of variety. To finish off with, he scored six center shots in a target and rang a bell each time. Not one single bullet had failed to reach its mark. The New York gunman had never seen such speed and nccuracy. He wns Impressed In spite of the Insolent sneer that still curled his lip. "Cot a six-shooter a fohty-flve?" asked Cluy of the owner of the gallery. gal-lery. "No." "Sony. I'm not much with a rifle, but I'm n pood average shot with a Kix-gnn. I klnda take to It natural." They turned :nd walked buck to the cab." Collins fell Into the Bowery strut. "Trjin' to throw a scare Into mo, he argued feebly. ''Me? Oh. no. You tnetitiorsl oft Hut Johnnie, free, had no Idea what to do. lie was as helpless as Johnnie Imprisoned In the flying cab. Of what Clay's plan had been he had not the remotest Idea. Yet he could not go home and do nothing. He must keep searching. But where? One thine stuck In his mind. His friend had mentioned that he would like to get a chance to call the police to find out whether Kitty had been rescued. He was anxious on that point himself. At the first cigar store he stopped and was put on the wire with headquarter. headquar-ter. II learned that a car supposed to be the one wanted had been driven Into Central park by the police a few minutes earlier. Johnnie's mind carried him on a straight line to the simplest decision, lie ran across to Fifth avenue and climbed into a bus going uptown. At the Seventy-second street entrance. Johnnie left' the bu nnd plungwd into the park. The Impish gods who delight de-light In turning upside down the best-laid best-laid plans of mlt.Mj and men were working work-ing overtime tonight. They arranged It that a girl cowering among "he wet |