Show I RANC 1 1 p pr 4 w r Ell e- e I 7 I r- r M V I l lI I I I I f y 1 z zI j I v- v ert er t curt W 4 a rY I CHAPTER V. V i Tho The Devils of Doubt and Wolverine Wolver Wolver- spring had come Me TIFF ine Inc canyon canon with the lie sun Iun shining down aslant into Its Us depths was wasA A tl picturesque gash In the hills wild enough in all aU conscience l but ut to the thet t normal person not in the least degree gloomy The Thc jutting crags were sunlit sunlit sunlit sun sun- lit and warm The cherry thickets whispered In tn a light and shel sheltered shel birds that sang sans In perfect content con con- tent tent- Not a gloomy place surely sorely when Its h fhe he pence peace of a sunny SODDY morning laid spell upon the land Hilly Billy Louise however did not re- re pond to the canyons canyon's enticements She brooded over her ber own discouragements end the tantalizing little which somehow would not len tend lend themselves to tony any ny convincing solution solution- She was In tO that condition of nervous depression where she saw her finest cows dead by bT bloat In the tho alfalfa meadows end how boW would she pay that machinery note then She saw John Pringle calling and insistently for tor his time and where would she find another another an an- other man whom she sho could trust oat oct of her bel sight John Pringle was stoW slow and nd he was stupid and growled at poor Phoebe boebe till Billy BUly Louise wanted to shake him but he be was steady stead and that hat one virtue covers many a 11 mana aults cults and keeps him drawing wages regularly Her IIer mother had bad been more and more morn Inclined to worry as the hot bot weather came cam on Lately her anxiety over small things 8 had rather got upon the tile nerves nerves erv of Billy Louise She felt ill W used and downhearted and as If It nothIng nothing noth ing mattered much an anyway y She passed passed passed pass pass- ed her cave with a mere glance and scowl for the memories or of golden gomen lays days In is her lonely childhood that slang along around It ItI I She was in this particularly dissatisfied fied fled mood when she of ot the Ute canyon at Its upper opper end where the hills folded softly down into grassy valleys where her ber cattle loved loyed best togra to gra praise graze Since the grass had hila started Inthe Inthe In hi hithe the spring she had kept her little herd tip up lp here amon among amons the lower hills bUls and by riding along Iong the higher ridges every everyday everyday day la or so and turning back a wanderIng wandering wander wander- ing animal now and then she had held them Vt hi a comparatively small area where they would be easily gathered in inthe inthe the thc fall Call A few head of Seabeck's stock Lad had wandered in among amonA hers hera and some of And there was a big roan steer that bore the brand of Johnson over on Snake river Billy Louise knew them all as a housewife knows her ber flock lock of chickens and if it she missed seeing certain lenders leaders In hi the scattered groups she rode until she found them Two old cows and one big bil red steer that seemed always to have a following following follow fonow- ing wore bells heUs that tinkled pleasant little finis sounds in the alder thickets along the creek as she passed by I She r rode e up the long ridge which gave lier hel hera a wide view of ot the surrounding surround surround- ing hills hUls and stopped Blue while she stared moodily at the familiar shadow splotched expanse of or high piled plied ridges es with deep green valleys and deeper doover hued canyons between She loved them them every one But Dut today they fall fall- ed to steep her senses In hi that deep contend con con- tend with life which only the great out out- doors poors can give to one who has learned how low satisfying is the draft and how bow soothing Far ar over to the eastward a black dot moved up n l green leen een slope and slid sUd out of or sight Right beyond That might be Ward Vard taking a short cut cat across the tho hill bill to his claim beyond tho the pine dotted e that looked purple in the tho distance nUl Billy Louise sighed with a vague disquiet and turned to look n away way to tho the north where the jumble of high hills MUs grew more ragged rugged with willi the valleys narrower narrow narrow- er and deeper Hero nere came camo two other dots larger and more clearly defined as hoi horsemen semen From mere objects that stood hi higher her than any animal and moved with willi a purposeful directness they presently became men who rode with the easy swing of habit which has become u a nature They must have seen her sitting slUing still upon her horse In the tho midst of that high sunny plateau for they turned and rode up the slope toward to to- ward rivard her tier DUly Billy Louise waited too depressed to wonder greatly who they were Seabeck Sea Sea- beck eck riders probably And BO so they proved A At t least one of them was a man Floyd man Floyd CarS Carson l who had talked with her bel at her own gate cate and Lad had told her of or the suspected cattle The Tho other Ither man was a a. stranger stran stran- ger whom I Introduced as Mr CD t I They had been prowling around according to Floyd trying to see what they could see Floyd was one of ot round-faced round round eyed young yellows who do not Rot believe much moch In recy and therefore talk taUe freely when when- iver ver and wherever they dare lie He fald ald that Seabeck Seabed had turned them Jon to tD O cases and see ace if It they couldn't piCK up the tue trail ran ot or these Ulese rustlers rus ruse rustlers who were trying tr to get rich off orr a running iron and a lon long rope If f you yon are arc of the West you know what that means and if you are not you ought to guess that it means stealing cattle and let Jet it go nt at that It was not until he had lied talked for ten minutes or so that Billy Louise became more than Ulan mildly interested in the tIle conversation Say Miss MacDonald Floyd asked by way of beginning a n. new v paragraph how about that thai fellow over on Millcreek Mill bUll Millcreek bUllcreek creek He worked for for you ou folks a year or so ug ago didn't he What does docs he do He has a 4 ranch said Billy Dilly Louise with careful calm Hes lIes been working working work work- In ing on it this summer I believe I Oh Uh h We were over there this morning Them YG YC cattle up above his place are his I reckon Yes said Billy DUly Louise ties Hes been patting putting his wages Into cattle for tor a y year r or so 80 He worked for Junkins' Junkins last hist winter whiter Why 1 Oh flOh nothing I guess only hes he's tho the only oaly stranger in the country and his prosperity aint accounted for for- tor J Oh but It 1st laughed Billy Louise I only wish I had bad half as clear a ticket tick et When he Isn't working out hes he's wol wolfing ng and every dollar he gets sets hold of or he be puts Into that ranch Weve We've known him bun a long time He doesn't Wow blow his money you see sec like most moot fel- fel lowi do Floyd found occasion to have a a. slight Blight argument with his horse hOrB Just then Ho no happened to be one of ot the tho most fellows and the occasion of ot othis his last blowout was fresh In hi his mindWell mindWell mind Well of course course If It you know hes he's all aU straight that settles It But It ft sure seems queer queer- r- r That fellow Is as stra straight nt as a string Dont Don't you suppose its Irs some gang gong over on the river Floyd Id I'd look around over there I 1 believe and try to get a line Hue on the Theres There's a lot of or new settlers come In Just In n the last year or two and there might bo be some tough ones scattered through the bunch Better Detter see l If f thero there Las has been any cattle shipped or driven through that way dont don't you yoo think We can try Floyd assented without without with with- out eagerness But Dut as near as we can figure Its It's too much of or a drib drab proposition for that A cow and calf here bere and there and so on We got wind of it first when we went out to bring in a gentle gentIe cow that the deacon wanted on the ranch We Ve knew where she was only she wasn't there when we went after aner her bel We hunted bunted the hills for a week and couldn't find dad a n sign of her ber or her bel calf call And she had stuck down In hi the creek bottom all the spring so it looked kind a funny He lie twisted In the saddle and looked back at the pine clotted ridge Theres a YG ca calf up there that's a dead ringer for the one weve we've been hunting he lie observed but ut its it's running running run run- ning with a n cow that carIes rles Junkins Junking old brand brund so so He looked apolo apologetically et- et Into the calm eyes of or Billy BUly Louise Of course I 1 dont don't mean menn to say theres there's anything wrong up there he be hastily assured her But that's thata j o e Far Over to the Eastward a Black Dot Moved Up lip the reason I r thought Id I'd ask you about th that t fellow Oh its it's perfectly right to make sure of everybody smiled Billy Louise Id do the same thing myself But you'll find everything's all straight up there We know all aU about him and how and where ho got his few head hend of ot stock and everything But Dut of course you yon could ask if you have any doubt doubt- doubt doubt- Oh well we'll take your word for It I p K fI n l to tn rt kni tai w. w Hes He's a str stranger t to our outfit Ive I've seen him a rew feW I times What's his name name Us boys call cnn him Noisy Its It's like 1110 pulling a 0 wisdom wisdom wisdom wis wis- dom tooth to get et any kind a n talk out of him tie lIe Is awful quiet ass assented ted Billy BUly Louise carelessly But hes he's real steady to work Them quiet fellows generally are put pot in Mr Birken You Yoo run stock Inhere In Inhere Inhere here too do you yoo Miss ac 1 MacDonald 2 The big Ds answered Billy Louise and smiled faintly Tye been range herding heroinA them back buck here in these foothills foot foot- hills bills this summer Do you ou want to look through the bunch 2 Mr Birken blushed Oh no not at atall atall atall all I was wondering If U you had lost any Nobody would rustle rustIe cattle from tram a alady alady arudy lady rudy I hope At any r rite rate te I haven't missed any yet The folks down In the Cove have thou though h. h Yes I r heard they had That breed rode rode- over to see If he could get a lineon line lino on them Its It's hard luck That CharlIe Fox seems a fine hard working boy dont don't you think Yes s said Billy DUly Louise shyly he seems real nice She looked away and bit her lip self consciously as she spoke Tho The two men swallowed the bait like liko a hungry fish They glanced at each other and winked knowingly Billy Louise saw them from the tall of her downcast eye and permitted herself herselt a little sigh of or relief They would bethe bethe be bo bothe the more moro ready now to accept at Its face tace value her statement concerning Ward unless they credited her with tho the feat of or being In hi love with the two men at the same time Well Im I'm sorry Charlie Fox has been tapped oft off too Hes He's a n. mighty fine chap decla declared Floyd with transparent trans trans- parent heartiness his round eyes eye dwelling curiously upon the face of ot Billy Louise Yes I must be going said that young woman self rye quite a circle to ride yet I hope you locate the rustlers and it if theres there's anything any thing I can do do it if t I see or hear anything any any- thing thin that seems to be a clew Ill clew Ill I'll let you OU know right 11 away way Ive I've been keepIng keeping keep keep- Ing my eyes open for some trace of ot them and so has Char Char Mr F Fo Fpx x Then she bl blushed and told them good by very hastily and loped oI oft off U up tia v V Bark up that tree for i you yoa u two she said with a twist o cipher r lips Ups when she he was well away mean trea tb them You You jOU you darned idiots togo i prowling around Wards Ward's place Just ast as 03 asIf If t- t take a shot at the nit ho bo catches th thorn them m nosing stocky stock She scowled at a big D fl w that thrust her head out of an on alder aldeF thicket and sent Blue in after her h t. t Frowning she watched the animal gp o lumbering down the hill toward the Wolverine Just Jost because hes he's a stran-J stran tr ger doesn't and-doesn't mix with people and W minds his hia own business and Ls LI try trying g to get a start they're suspicious suspicions as Ita lf It a man has bas no no right to to- to toWell Well I think k kI I managed to head them off orr any anyway y t Her lIer satisfaction lasted while she r rode e eto to the next ridge Then the le devils defils of or doubt came a swarming and a She had said she knew W nil all about Ward Well Vell she did to tofa a greater extent than others knew B Bu But t she wondered If she did not hot know ro too too much or If she knew enough There There were some things things- things s- s 81 She hea headed healed ed Blue down the slope andas and ind an anas indas as straight for tor the tho Big Dig BigHill Hill as s1 is could go There was no trail that w wand why and the rd ridges es were steep and the ca cal circuitous But Blue was a go go 1 d' d horse with plenty of or stamina much experience He lIe carried his lad lady safely and he carried her willing Even her Impatience could find ii Kg fault with the manner in which b he climbed steep sleep pitches slid sUd down slopes ni as steep Jumped n narrow washouts and aud picked his his' way through thickets of ot quaking aspens or over O wide stretch of or shale rock Bud and lava beds Ho lIe wa wad wet to his ears cars when finally he sh shul shuttled shut shut- t- t tIed fled into Wards Ward's trail tran up the creek bottom bote bot- b tom torn but he be breathed evenly and lt 11 carried carded his head bead high and perked his ears knowingly forward when the c corral cor- cor rt ral and haystack came camo into VI view around a sharp bend bend- He lie splashed both front feet Into the creek Just be before I fore the cabin and stopped to drinks drink while white Billy Louise stared at the silent place I fr By t the e tracks along the creek trail t she knew that Ward had come home home hom v vand and she urged Blue lue across the ford and up the bank banI to the cabin Sho She slid sUd sir oft oiT and went In boldly to hide her Inward embarrassment and and she found nothing but emptiness there Billy Louise did not take long to tD investigate in In- in- in The coffee pot was still sUll warm on ou the stove when she sho laid lair ht her r palm against It and she sho imme immediately poured herself a cup of ot coffee cortee A plato plate and a cup on the table indicated that Ward Card ard had eaten a hurried meal and had not taken time to clear away the litter Utter Billy Louise ate what wa was waa j left leCt and mechanically sho washed the dishes and made everything neat before before before be be- fore she went down to look for Rattler nattier She had thought that Ward was out ont somewhere about the tho place and aud would return very soon probably Blue she sho had bad left standing In pi plain aba sight before the cabin so that Ward could see sec hIm bun and know she was there a fact which she re regretted While she was washing dishes and sweeping she had been trying to think of ot some excuse for her presence there It was going to be awkward her coming com com- ing there on ou his heels one ono might soy say TO BE CONTINUED |