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Show g . . . B$ Pet &r B. K$ne ... g Q WN"U Service. Copjrirht. by Peter B. Kyna. Ol I SYNOPSIS At the close of the Mexican war, Robin Kershaw, with his bride, rode Into northeastern California. Here he found an Ideal valley for cattle raisins. rais-ins. They christened It Eden Valley. Below Eden Valley is a less valuable tract which Kershaw's wife names Forlorn Valley. Joel Hensley settles In the lower half of the valley. There .Is bad blood over fences and water. Kershaw kills Hensley and the blood-feud blood-feud Is on. By 1917, Ranee Kershaw, his son Owen, and daughter Iorry are all that remains of one clan. Nate Tlchenor Is the sole survivor on the Hensley side. He goes to help Lorry In her car and finds her father has died of heart disease. Silas Babson, banker, schemes to control the Irrigation Irriga-tion and hydro-electrtc possibilities of Eden Valley. Nate and Owen, Lorry's brother, met In France Just before Owen was killed, and Nate promised , that If he survived Owen he would look after Lorry as a brother might ! do. With money advanced by Nate, J Lorry clears up her Indebtedness to Babson. Nate finds he Is falling In love with Lorry. Babson discovers j Nate is behind a rival power project. I Nate tells Lorry he loves her. She ad- I mlts she loves him, and they become i engaged. Babson orders Joe Brainerd, j editor of the local paper, to attack j Nate as an enemy of the people. This j Brainerd refuses to do. Nate comes to ' Bralnerd's rescue financially! The ed- , ltor celebrates by punching Babson's l head. Pitt River Charley, a half-breed, makes an attempt to assassinate Nate. j CHAPTER X Continued ! -13- ' I "Who hired you, Charley?" Tlche nor kept repeating patiently, while Tenney's arm rose and fell, with a momentary pause to give the killer time to answer. "Babson of the bank." "And the price?" "Five hundred half down." "You killed Jim Hensley eighteen years ago, didn't you?" Silence. "Guilty as h 1," Mr. Tenney murmured. mur-mured. "Court's adjourned. Slip the " loop of the riata offn his bands an' around his neck. I'll hist him, with that boss yonder." "Not for a white man's sins, Rube. He's just fined two hundred and fifty dollars." fie turned to Pitt River Charley. "You beat it the best way j you know how down to Valley Center j and have Doe Donaldson fix you up. ' Tell him to seud the bill to Babson. : And when you're well, fork your horse and get out of this country, because I if I ever catch you inside the limits ! of this county I'm going to pull and get busy on you without further warning. warn-ing. Understood?" The killer nodded humbly, they cast him loose and, sans his rifle, he shambled sham-bled off down the road. "What's Babson got ag'ln you, Nate?" Rube Tenney demanded, v 'Nothing. The poor fool thinks he has." "You'd better let me down an' tunnel tun-nel him," the practical Tenney pleaded. plead-ed. "He sure wants killin' an' when they ask for It that-a-way, I'm In favor of accomodatln' 'em.' "Shut up, you loyal, lovable simpleton, sim-pleton, and ride that horse of Joseph's back to the Circle K. He's cast a shoe. Set It and send him back to Joseph in the morning. Here comes my car. Good night. Rube, and thanks for your assistance. And remember I This thing never happened." "There's fools, an' durned fools an' tarnation eediots, an' imbeeciles," Mr. Tenney roared, "and' you're all four rolled into one." Hope was again springing eternal In the Babson breast. He hoped, dur-i dur-i lng the day, to have good news from 1 Eden Valley, and for a Christian man he was faintly amazed at himself as he considered the fortitude with which he awaited the expected tidings. His poise was considerably shut-, shut-, tered, therefore, when Nate Tiehenor I strolled Into the bank and greeted hi in i cordially. "Nice growing weather, Mr. 1 Babson," he opined, as he took the 1 visitor's chair beside the banker's ! desk. I Babson was wondering if this cool, well-bred worldling had escaped Pitt Elver Charley, and, if so, had Pitt Kivcr Charley told 1 How much did ' this devil, Nate Tiehenor, know? j "Pitt River Charley made my aunt a widow, and I've been trying to figure out why you sent him to make me Joiu my ancestors," said Nate. "1 think I j know the reason. You're nfraid of me. You think that with me out of the way I you can get the Eden Valley water ! without fuss and feathers." i "I I 1 don't know what you're talking about, Nate." "Well, listen to me Just the same. If you want a tight, you can have It, j and I'll be sporty about It, too. I'll not put Pitt River Charley In the wit- , ness chair. Word of honor, I'll not. i I'll light you on the merits of the case i and may the best man win. But don't ; send another killer after me. Do you ; kuow what I'm talking about now?" ! "I think I do. Tiehenor." i "After a while you'll be sure of It. Remember, whatever you do. short of murder, is O. I. with me. I'm more than nine years old nnd can take care j ot mysrlt'. Well, cood-hy. I'll see you at the n::i.-s meeting this after-hiiun." after-hiiun." I'.v the time the bank closed at twelve o'clock, Babson had recovered his composure. Strange fellow, this Nate Tiehenor. So he was going to fight the fight on its merits, eh? Well, If he'd stick to that resolve Babson knew be would defeat him. . . . Said he'd be at the mass meeting, eh? "Henry," Babson called In dulcet tones, "come here." Mr. Rookby obediently reported at his master's desk. "Henry, tills fellow Nate Tiehenor Is going to fight us all over the lot this afternoon if we give him half a chance," he began. "He must not have that chance. 1 want you to scatter around in the crowd and plant quite a number of hecklers and Interrupters. Inter-rupters. I'll open the meeting and before be-fore I get through with Tlchenor they'll want to lynch him. Then when he tries to address the crowd I want him cried down, booed off the platform, rough-housed, if necessary." "Leave It to me," Mr. Rookby assured as-sured Babson. "I owe the skunk a poke myself. I know Just what to do." Shortly after luncheon at the Circle K ranch as Lorry Kershaw was about to enter her coupe and drive to Valley Center, Rube Tenney came out of the house with two six-shooters In shoulder shoul-der holsters under his arms. Lorry saw them as he struggled Into his coat. "Well, who are you out to kill today, to-day, Rube?" she queried Jocularly. "Nobody, I hope, but somebody If I have to. You heeled, Miss Lorry?" "Certainly not Why should I be?" "You're goin' down to that mass meetlu' In Valley Center, ain't you?" "Yes." "So's Nate Tiehenor. I listened to some talk while I was In town the other day an' it seems folks got an Idea Nate's goin' to try to keep from Forlorn Valley the water they're fixin' to grab out of Eden' Valley creek. Somebody's worked up a undercurrent feelin' ag'ln Nate. I'm sorter cautious; I like to have a few capable friends In a crowd that ain't friendly to me.'' Lorry got out of the car, entered the house, strapped a six-shooter, with a full belt of cartridges, around her waist, slipped on a light coat to conceal con-ceal her armament and got behind the wheel again. Rube Tenney slipped in beside her, and they rolled away for Valley Center. A crowd of perhaps five hundred persons occupied the temporary board benches Babson had provided In the plaza and Babson was on a raised platform Just opening the meeting when Rube and Lorry arrived. He was a good speaker, clear and incisive, and had a trick of uttering those catch phrases which aroused the unthinking. Babson proceeded to outline out-line the method of organizing an irrigation irri-gation district, reminded his listeners that there was but one source of supply, sup-ply, to wit, the waters of Eden Valley Val-ley creek, down which hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water went to waste annually, as well they knew. More applause. Babson next proceeded proceed-ed to dilate on his plan for tapping Eden Valley creek in the Handle, leading lead-ing it to the natural reservoir he had discovered and thence down Into Forlorn For-lorn Valley. Adroitly he painted a picture of future prosperity, of bumper crops, of increased land values, of happy homes and the smiling faces of little children. And then, suddenly clenching his fist, he yelled: "But this silver cloud we see before us has a dark and dismal lining, my friends. We have In Eden Valley three riparian owners. Nathan Tiehenor, the Mountain Valley Power company, of which this same Tiehenor is also sole owner, and Miss Lorraine Kershaw, sole heir to the Circle K ranch. They have conspired to deprive us of those waste waters for their own selfish ends. Nate Tiehenor informs me that his company plans to erect a power station below his proposed dam and manufacture hydro-electric power. I say, here and now, to Nate Tlchenor, that 1 think he lies. He proposes erecting that dam for the purpose of Impounding the flood waters and sell- ing them to Forlorn Valley at an exorbitant ex-orbitant rate. "I have here a petition to the county board of supervisors, requesting permission per-mission to organize the Forlorn Valley Irrigation district. It Is necessary that every farmer in the valley whose lands are susceptible to Inclusion within the district should sign the petition peti-tion before this meeting adjourns. This way, my friends. Don't crowd." Nate Tiehenor walked quietly upon the platform, bowed to Babson, and then to the crowd. "I am that Nate Tlchenor of whom you have Just heard," he began. "Throw him out I" a voice cried harshly. A dead cat sailed over the heads of the crowd and struck Nate In the face. Overripe tomatoes and cante-loupes cante-loupes followed In a veritable barrage and, as with one voice, the crowd shouted : "Throw the outlaw out. . . . The dirty killer, throw him out Does he think we're crazy? Kill blm. Lynch him. Tar and feather him!" "That's right" a voice cried shrilly. It was Henry Rookby's. "We haven't any tar handy, but up the street a block they're spreading crude oil to bind the top dressing of gravel on the highway. Give him a bath in that, spill a feather mattress over him and send him back to Eden Valley." There was a rush of a dozen men toward Tiehenor. They swarmed over him, punching and kicking him; presently, pres-ently, bloody and disheveled, he wa on their shoulders and they were running run-ning up Valley Center boulevard with him, with the crowd following. At the tall of the crowd Henry Rookby flitted, cheering on the work. "So you organized this, did you?" Lorry Kershaw's voice spoke In his ear. "Tag I You're out!" And she brought the barrel of her pistol down on his head. He screamed and staggered stag-gered and with the fury of a vixen she struck bim again and felled him to the pavement Then a huge form thrust into the crowd. "Gangway, animals," Rube Tenney was roaring, striking out left and right with his guns and clearing a path for himself and Lorry, who, with drawn pistol, guarded her henchman's rear. A man grabbed at her weapon and instantly in-stantly she fired, the bullet taking effect in the man's leg. At the sound of the shot the crowd scattered like quaiL To left and right they fled, into shops and vacant lots; and up the street Tenney and Lorry saw a dozen men spilling crude oil over Nate Tlchenor, while another stood by ripping open a pillow. This one Lorry Kershaw dropped where he stood, while Rube Tenney ran forward for-ward and commenced smashing Into them. They dropped their victim and closed in on Rube; they got one of his guns and beat him over the head with it; when he fell tbey kicked him. But not for long. Lorry Kershaw, standing stand-ing forty feet away, brought her gun up five times; five times she fired and in the center of Valley boulevard boule-vard Rube Tenney lay, face down, with five men stretched around him. Behind the girl Henry Rookby and one other man were stretched. Swiftly the girl reloaded her gun and came down the street, seeking In the crowd on each side for Silas Babson. Bab-son. They knew whom she was seeking, seek-ing, knew that the blood of generations genera-tions of fighting Kershaws flamed In her veins and that, if she found Bab-' son, she would kill him. From his office in the little town calaboose Bill Rooney waddled forth, six-shooter In hand. "Put up that gun, Miss Kershaw," he commanded. "You're under arrest." "So you took pains to hide yourself while this outrage was being consummated, con-summated, didn't you, Rooney? You knew it was going to happen. The whole thing was planned." She brought her gun up and fired ; Rooney's high pinched hat flew off his head and he scuttled back to the haven of his jail office, leaving Lorry Kershaw to parade down one side of Valley boule- ,-r--::--!-T--x--:-i-:-:-:-x--:-'x-x- vard and up the other, searching for Silas Babson. Very shortly after the Inception of a riot, a doctor and a newspaper man will be found at the fringe of the disturbance. dis-turbance. Doctor Donaldson, hearing shouts, screams, and pistol shots, locked his office and, familiar black bag In band, descended hurriedly Into Valley boulevard. Joe Brainerd, swept along with the mob, raced for his office and returned with his camera In time to see Lorry Kershaw shoot Bill Rooney's high sombrero off his head. Not realizing that the girl was doing trick shooting, both Brainerd and Donaldson Don-aldson ran after her an action which in all probability, saved Silas Babson's life, for Lorry had located him In the plaza and was hurrying to get to closer range before opening fire on him. Joe Brainerd grasped her shooting shoot-ing arm and Doctor Donaldson grasped her left "No, no," the little editor soothed. "Nothing like that. Miss Kershaw. It's too expensive and, besides, he'll keep." The girl burst Into tears of futile fury and struggled with the two men. "They've killed Nate and Rube, and Babson organized the -killing," she walled. "Let me go, let me go. There'f She Brought Her Gun Up and Fired. nothing left in life for me now except to kill that man. I'll avenge Nate ! I'll avenge him, I tell you. Hear me? I'll even the score If I hang for It Let me go ! This Isn't your party. The Kershaws pay their debts ; Babson said Nate and I were outlaws, and I'll make good on that." "All right but tomorrow, after you've thought It over and made certain cer-tain Nate is dead," the doctor objected. "Come now, don't be a little wildcat. You've killed enough men for today." "I haven't killed anybody. I've Just wlng-tlpped them," Lorry protested sobbingly. "I've run the Kershaw brand on them, so they can't get away and we'll catch them and hang them ; but Babson dies today." The doctor twisted the loaded pistol pis-tol out of her grasp. "He'll keep, I tell you, Miss Kershaw," he roared, and shook her roughly. "And If Tiehenor Tiehe-nor hasn't been killed, Babson belongs to him." Her fury passed as suddenly as It had mounted. "You're right doctor, that scoundrel will keep. No good killing him unless the Job's wortli while." She looked up at him with brimmiag eyes. "But If his people have killed Nate Tiehenor, they'va killed my promised man and If they've killed Rube Tenney they've killed my hired man and that's a killing matter mat-ter with the Clan Kershaw. We don't forget" she panted. "We pay our debts. Oh oh oh, If Owen were only here we'd we'd run this mob Into the hills" "Here's a shoulder to cry on, girl," Joe Brainerd told her. "Doc, on your way. Babson's work Is done and yours Is Just commencing." In a minute Lorry pulled herself together. to-gether. "Cry-baby I I hate cry-babies," she ground out rebelllously. "Give me my gun, Mr. Brainerd" for the doctor bad banded the weapon to the editor "and I'D. promise not to kill anybody except In self-defense." He returned the gun, and the girl started resolutely up the street At the scene of the oll-and-featber episode, epi-sode, Doctor Donaldson, assisted by his lone colleague In Valley Center, was dragging Rube Tenney clear of the fallen; standing aside, swaying on his feet naked to the waist filthy with road oil, disheveled and bloody and swollen of face, Nate Tlchenor stood looking on. Swiftly Lorry ran to him ; dirty, oily, and gory as he was, she took him in her arms and kissed him and Joe Brainerd marveled at the calmness of her tone as she asked: "Are you badly hurt, darling?" "I think I could do with a week In bed," he muttered tnickly. "I'm punched and kicked apart Side and back hurts broken ribs, 1 think." He fingered his nose. "Seems O. K. but J the teeth in my left Jaw tvi loose Who- who did all the shoollng?'" 1 TO BB OO-N'Ti.NL'ELD. |