| Show L' L TT L N d OF F THE THEBy x By HAS HAL y COPYRIGHT t by y HAL c WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE At Atthe the tho Warren ranch th th- th Three Bar a stranger applied ap plied piled for work as 88 a 8 rider Wll WIl Ann Warren known to all as Billie Is the owner of 0 the ranch The girls girl's father al 31 al Warren had been heen the original original original nal owner The newcomer Is putto pUtto put putto to work Cattle hav been troubling the ranch owners The rhe new hand gives his name a aal asal at- at al nl Harris By hi his announcement announcement announce announce- ment In favor Cavor of oC squatters hf he ln Incurs the enmity of a known as RS Morrow The will mad mart by Cal Warren stipulated that half hair the property should go II 1 the he son of his old friend WIllian Harris under tinder certain conditions The rhe new arrival Is the man man an and he discloses the fart fact to 10 BUM Billie Slade a ranchman n with an nn un a t ory ory reputation visits Billie endeavoring to mille Billie la le Interrupted by Harrl farrie While the riders are at thel evening e meal far out on th range fange six outsiders Join loin them Billie knows v them to be rus tiers ro To test Harris Harris' courage th Ih girl I appoints I him temporary tore Core ore oreman man runn suggesting that he order ordet I Ithe the visitors to leave to 10 her surprise he does does so Tt Tr- men depart making threats RI BP RIlie lie Ile makes Harris permanent fore CorE foreman foreman man an Catching Morrow lea vir I cattle where they can cnn be stolen stoJen Harris Burls discharges him Hiding with a man presumably Morrow shoots at Harris Three liar Bar riders start starl In pursuit or 01 Morrow lorrow One of them Bangs Bang IF Is and killed Harris outlines outlines' out lines lines' hits plans for Cor bringing s ref Opt t- t tiers into Inlo the country BUlle Billie de de- to write to her la lather Collon for tor advice L CH CHAPTER PTER V Continued V-Continued Continued r 12 12 XII II try Iry II it she said I 1 know thu ii I Warren 1 ren would rather ruther see the rhe lures te go BurJO Bur go JO to pieces from Its lis own lighting from trout the Inside tr to I t ul n. J-n. n to ro see see it II whittled flown from t h e outsIde wll without trout hOUI our fighting tin II Hl r ic y She eitt ci ed to 10 her lIer teepee to write the lire u risking Judge adhe ad tir he e on in which would mean the Ille turning point In Three Bar Bur affairs An All hour later Home Horne rode aW away from fromi i the lie wagon wt his bed roll packed on a 8 aled led le-iJ horse e heading for tor Drills Brills with the message tt that nl meant so much to 10 the Three Bar Bor As s he left letl Harris handed him two letters he had written weeks t. t before leaving the he ranch ranh only oily the rhe thre of them know knew of the Intended move but In the course of the the next few days It II had become rumored among the tire men Ulen that He Bar was to 10 turn Into a O The girl learned learnell that thai r l f i was the source of these whispers i Ever since s e the departure of at Morrow sup 1 had IUd been sullen Twice he had ll taken exceptions to some seine order ol ot Harris but bUI the tyre new foreman had pa hotly overlooked r the he fact falt However on nn the fifth du day after aner the departure of Home with tire the letter to Judge e Col V I lUll ion Harris whirled on the roan man as aR he h. an anil sg squatter atter remark when fI the kinds were gathered for 11 the noon meal be rill all he said Ill III fi figure urr till out your lime Ihne You Vou took thongs things up Ul where left i nIT olT li Now you jou lU can III canKO KO tiri u hunt hum him up liP n and d compare notes inn ant n a n man speak hl his mind millin I mi 1111 demanded t lIe He can nn talk his head off Il sold said Hut But nt overlook nay any Hm eal CS ion on on his circle while Im I'm th the layout layout Morrow v tried fried t h 1 on nn while he was breaking von vou In In 1 I Tarp arp arll urn sun surveyed eyed the faces ol of the men toil iud Ird to III speak but bin changed chanced hi hits mid and headed for flit the n rope pe ail 1111 t hats harp going lIllIg to 0 leave e us liS short Harris said to the girl Irl I v earp arp nod Bangs ought hl In to el hack bath rl I Morne gel Kel from today e V ve only olliS one more tso go 80 I guess ue we can cun worry orry l T How Ilov did yoU Suu she asked rui urr I I mL mean ar I 11 0 c 1 in tutu him overlooking n M w with I t I calves I I I 1 munch lIl ol ot co c f I ves I Ir fI explained iLi Is worl worth h par n y 0 i Home tame irne 1 me ba back k from ruin Brills Brill's In I Ibe ht Ill I'll early rl e evening Ir and another wan man rode rodt with hurt him nUll Billie said 1 Alden Allien what wha I t hp j l herta h lu rl IT is 18 11 fining doing II out here iere sheriff r stripped d the till The runt runt horse p and the Hie wrangler swooped lawn down to haze he animal in iii wll wino II till he us Alden tied th the girl lie He was vas a 8 tall tail gaunt man with a 0 slight hl stoop Ills ms keen III lnA Ia eyes t os peered f forth t rth from a 11 m maze nl III sun IIII vi surmounted by hl 1 hy nv eye tiye brows the rhe drooping dr gray r y mustache U III h- h tJ rather ru tile I haD del det from I the hI IH 81 strength th of emote OUBre dropped JId a 8 name DalUe e He Ue hand On the Hie ls l's shoulder hI ulder r and looked gh gills gill's down at ather her things S breaking h t bow V uw al nl agar tints this sea sen senj j a sun sort he asked l running smooth About the snare same she said They were old friends rind and tine the girl knew that Alden Ahlen would help her in any pus pos possible IOS slide sible way The rhe sherin turned to Harris BurrIs I see youve you've settled down to n steady Job Cal al ai Instead of browsing around the hills alone I run nun across Home Borne at al Brills Brill's and he wits tellIng lolling me tie about ahun some slime one gunning for you Ou from the brush hrush Morrow v he says SUS Do 00 you yon want me to tu pick Morrow up It II would only waste your our Untie time Harris said We Ve couldn't prove It ti lIon on him the him the way things are Filet Fact Fact Alden agreed nut Bui I 1 could hold him till after atter youre you're back at lit the ranch Some come lay day folks tolk may tray wake up marl need a 0 sheriff Its It's hard to say The men had finished working th the herd and were crowding tro around the wagon foi fot h their lr meal You Vou go o ahead and ond cat eat AI Al Alden den nien sold said CIlI nl al and Ill I'll re feed n 11 per r iI Will Tr Try It It She Said later Inter on Ive I've v got a fuss to pick with Crt Cal al mille left them together and ond the sheriff squatted on his heels What s this rumor about your you farming the Three Bar he u asked ked kert Home said nil all the hands were Jue guess g. g Ing lag but hut I haven't heard anything about It outside And I h dont don't want 1111 It leaking out ou before be hl fore tore we shirt sturl Harris said Dui Bui were we're going to break out the lint I t had the plans all oil laid haul and sent fent won ward off Things are ure moving toward Ube the start sturl right now stir thongs things up Alden predict ed one hue he lie raced u 11 design In the Ihl he dust duM then theu blotted it iI out Ill iII 11 play pia In w with YOU vou the Ibe bust besl I run can I un Weve e grin got to to mike make a II clean spilt plit Harris said Opt Get the wild ones dell deft tritely set sel apart Theo Then u they hey Y can CUD bt bf- bf Alden was rl regarding old tile Rile irister iris Kos lei ter who had hind dra drawn vu apart truno the rest and was eat eating log his meal In Inn toll roll tunic tude The old man unit lIall taken a Il hoot ii cl from his JIg Ikel and 11 teas nt In lug Ing It II n Its If fascinated by the 1 II It rut Jon rl l-rl In n him biro AMen shook shank his head u as us he h ruse rose and toward the thc w Horne Home was teas telling me nine aboul R Bangs too till he said fur for File Kile WitS was as close as os father and ami von son those lunge two IWO wo Harris and the lu joined the rust sl at iiI dm line wagon und and held tall mil plates rind and tips to lu Waddles The Tine girl Irl va wu oddly excited anxious fill foi tine the shirt now now unit that the th decision lun had h been ell made How 1111 lung long will willI It I take to gel get things moving after we get gel el hack bick she us asked d. d Not Nol mote ban u a week at nl he the out outside side lIle Harris said less less Yot Tot dont don't mean that she sine stated I 1 to r the te truth You Yuu hove have It It he a B d her tier I 1 hud hind the plans all nil laid Our crew IB la 91 ready headed for th the Ba Bar Before they get there every n teen n will hu have tiled filed on a n quarter I designated I for him hum Inside a Q week well we'll have I covered the tine Un hilL Long after the hands hud find turned In fur for the night she heard faint a murmur lOUr mur mur of voices and looked from frum her tier teepee The he brilliant moonlight showed Harris and anal the sheriff sitting ofT off by hy themselves For no apparent reason she site thought of ot Carlos Deane mid and point by pooh point she contrasted led him with the man who sat talking to rh the sheriff Erich Each was tins almost super super- In Lila his own chosen line and she sine caught herself wondering what whar each one would do If It suddenly transplanted trans trailS transplanted planted to ro the thc environment of at the theother other Then her mind mild o occupied Itself with wilh Harris who would soon break breakout breakout out the plow furrow tint that badeer had bad ever er scarred the range within a ra fa radius I dillS dius ol of fifty fitly miles and she pictured again n a sign sign she had seen that day I I Iel your our wagon wheels keep I 1 I turning I CHAPTER VI Three heavy y wagons each ench drawn drown by lIy friar four big mules traveled north along the stage trail troll Every wagon was WitS loaded to the brim of ot the triple box Two men were mounted on each wagon seat seaL the mon man b beside tine tile driver balancing a rifle across his bis I i knees Nice place to camp comp Tiny said the guard on the lead lend wagon Ele Ile pointed off across a nut flint beside the road t toward toward to to- ward a sign that loomed roomed In the cen ren ter The Tine black black giant glunt designated designated us as Tiny Tny swung the mules off the road roud and headed for the sign The rhe three wn wagons were drawn up some fifteen fifteen fifo teen yards apart In the shape shupe of ot a triangle tri UI angle le the mules unhitched and given givena a 8 feed of ut grain from nose nose hags tied to the wagons and supplied with baled bule hay Tiny walked over and viewed the sign Squatter dont don't let sunset find Lind you here he lie read Its about that hint tune time now he ob observed served lt squinting over o his shoulder lid be he u a mistake to leave evidence like that thul around He Be tore tore down the sign mud aud worked It Into od with un ail ux ax Now Nov they cant can't do nothing to 10 us tor for drifting In here by error he remarked to his bis companions r It wouldn't be he fair fuir In lu the morning the three wagons lumbered 11 on Oil Near Neur sunset they passed rowdier sign where the Three Bar road wad branched off olT to the left Tiny pulled up the mules Uproot that little beauty Hus Russet et j I he advised Were getting close to home hotine The haired carrot guard des descended ended and threw his weight against the tire sign siga working It from side to side until the posts were loosened In tine Uie ground round pried It II up and loaded It on the wagon Quick work Muss Huss the tine big man complimented Fur For or u It little lillie sawed sawed ofT j I runt youre you're reul real spry und and active He Ue clucked to the routes mules and they settled steadily Into luto the collars cullars and aud moved on to lu the Three Gar Dar The lie Three Bur Bar ur weir men vIewed th the freighters curiously us as they swung the mule team In fu front of at the blacksmith black smith shop noted the rille rifle In the Hie hands bunds ot of each euch guard un und and a second one olle in lu easy rell reach h of ur each driver They knew what this tills portended The rhe freighters hud had stripped oft the lashed across ucross the top top ol of each ludl loud load und the Three Bar Ear men moved lu casually u ll toward the tie wagons I curious to view the tine contents oil You ou bu boys get el to 10 knowing each cinch other oth uth uther tb er Harris said Th These e mule skin nw's will be bc hanging bunging out OUI ut ul tine tile Th Thet et liar Bur from frum now nil on un All down liun-II the line the Bat Bui men were ere getting with the freighters A thousand pounds r f ol of outs oats were tossed from the top of ol the the til-sI til wu wagon and when tine the cuu concealing sacks sere ere cleared u WilY away there re were wert three heavy plows S showing under underneath neath the he spaces between hem with shining culls colls of offence If fence wire Slue Tilt Lin Inn second loud load consisted ol ril II e u of lun long shovels els drill u crate lung und and lJur more ba rued wh ethe Iiii bird rd held helda I a rake ruke und and a II mowing machine more wire kegs hugs of fence staples s and u II forks dozen i iThe The Three e Bur thin will be he the tine middle middlepoint point of If u c Moore I IliS us liS he viewed the III Implements Just Justus us soon us as this leaks leak out II Wo We C fetched our cyclone c openers openers wit with hils us us Muss Itus assured assured him hlin Let l hei het I buck bark From the cook shack door dour the girl v td I I these preparations then I turned her e eyes es to the hurl Hal und rind j jit I II it I with a II carpet carrel of ur rippling hay I TO 10 BE BL CONTINUED I 1 n I |
