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Show UTILWS mi E1EI 1 e$2j ii IPETEE S3. KYME p. b i; SYNOPSIS Ranceford Kershaw, last male mem. bor of the Kershaw clan, dies suddenly sudden-ly while riding with hl.s daughter. Ior-ry. Ior-ry. At the close of the Mexican war, Itobln Kershaw, with hi a bride, rode into northeastern California. Here he found an ideal valley for cattle raising:. rais-ing:. They christened It Eden Valley. Below Eden Valley Is loss valuable tract which Kershaw's wife christens Forlorn Valley. Joel Hensley, a Texan, nettles in the lower hair of the valley. val-ley. There la bad blood over fences and water for Irrigation. Kershaw kills Hensloy and the blood-feud Is on. IS y 1917. Kance Kershaw, his son Owen, and daughter Lorry are all that roirmlns of one clan. Nate Tlchenor la 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 liabson, Forlorn Valley banker, schemes to control the Irrigation Irriga-tion and hydro-electric possibilities of Edon Valley. CHAPTER IV Continued 4 Flavin decided upon Ills course of nclion, Hanson fell Into a refreshing slumber; ttie next morning he was down at the bank at ei;;ht o'clock, looking quite his old self and wearing a white rose In his lapel. Emblematic of hope, doubtless. Shortly after the bank had opened crippled Ranee Kershaw limped In to borrow a thousand dollars to meet his monthly payroll. Babson demurred to loaning It, but finally compromised with a warning that such Indiscriminate Indiscrim-inate borrowing would have to cease very soon. "By the way," he said, as he Initialed In-itialed his approval on the note, "are you going to retain your lease of the Bar H ranch?" "I think not," Kershaw replied. "It expires next month, but I'll be hanged If I know where I can get the money to pay for a year In advance." "Bettor retrench," Babson advised. "Let the Bar H ranch go, sell off half your cattle, even at the present low prices, get out of debt, quit paying interest in-terest and be happy. Where does Nate Ticheiior reside now?" "I don't know. I only know his lawyer's law-yer's address. Why do you ask?" "There was a man from San Francisco Fran-cisco In here some time back. He'd been looking at the Bar H ranch and had a notion he'd like to buy It. I thought perhaps I might get in touch with Tlchenor, negotiate a sale of his ranch for him and clean up a few dollars dol-lars In commission. And yet, if you renew the lease It may militate against a sale." "Go ahead," Ranee Kershaw replied re-plied sadly. "I'm not going to renew the lease. You've been pretty good to me, Silas, and I won't stand In the way o' your turnin' a profit." "Thanks," Babson murmured. "And this lawyer's address?" Kershaw gave It to him, and a week later an attorney In San Francisco wrote Nate Tichenor, In care of the latter's attorney, requesting a price on the Bar H ranch in behalf of a client of his. Ten days later Babson knew that the Bar II ranch was not for sale ; whereat the banker had an immediate return of his former nervousness and depression and went home at noon. The situation was thoroughly beyond his comprehension; he had decided Nate Tichenor would sell the Bar H ranch and Nate Tichenor had disappointed disap-pointed him. Of course. In a larger sense, Nate Tichenor's decision not to sell could not affect the interests of the Forlorn For-lorn Valley Irrigation district (Mr. Babson had decided to call it that), since the district could acquire the property via the condemnation suit route. Immediately after church the following follow-ing Sunday he motored up to Eden Valley, ostensibly to fish but with the Intention of spending several hours inspecting the dam-site and lake-site. To his signal perturbation he discovered discov-ered In the gorge a camp of three tents, a motor chuck-wagon, and five Blurt-sleeved young men playing a modest game of poker under the shade of a Cottonwood tree. Under an adjacent ad-jacent tree afield drafting table stood ; It had a sheet of tracing paper tacked to it and hard by this table a surveying sur-veying instrument was set up. "Hello," Babson hailed them cheerfully, cheer-fully, confident that his rod and creel would excuse him of undue Inquisl-tiveness Inquisl-tiveness In penetrating to the camp. "What are you boys doing here?" . "Playing poker, sir. How about taking tak-ing a hand? Twenty-five cent ante and a dollar limit." Mr. Babson. not being accustomed to such gentle rebukes, flushed and passed on down the creek, leaving the engineering engi-neering crew to their non-sabbatical pleasure. Evidently Tichenor had sold, or was about to sell, his dam-site and lake-site lake-site to a' power company, which had sent an engineering crew to make a preliminary survey and report before deciding to close the deiri. His curiosity curi-osity aroused. Babson crossed the creek, climbed the side of the hill, and was rewarded by finding the stakes or the engineering party. He followed them readily; they led him over the approximate route which any man with t fair eye for contours would have selected for the ditch to lead the water to the penstocks. As a country banker Silas Babson had a far better knowledge of the law than most laymen; hence he realized now that If Nate Tichenor's dam-site and lake-site had been acquired by a power company, which Is a public service corporation, no other public service corporation could condemn Its property I Hence once more the Babson Bab-son soul was steeped In despair. The following morning Mr. Henry Itookby, his cashler-paylng-tellerre-ceiving-teller and confidential man, came to Babsou's desk and laid upon It a copy of the latest edition of the Gold Run Nugget Mr. Rookby had marked. In blue crayon, an Item under the head of Real-Estate Transfers. The item recorded the transfer by deed of gift, of four thousand acres, more or less, or certain lands, from Ranceford Kershaw to Lorraine Kershaw. Ker-shaw. "Can't be a portion of the Circle ranch," Babson decided, and drew down from Its case a map of the county. Mr. Babson made a most surprising discovery. He had always assumed that Ranee Kershaw owned no land east of the fence that divided the Circle K from the Bar H. To his amazement he had now discovered that Lorry Kershaw was the owner of four thousand acres, more or less. In that portion of Eden Valley which, In the event of a dam being built In the gorge, must constitute all or the greater portion of the area that must be Inundated when the dam filled up! And Bahson had always thought Nate Tichenor owned that land! He could have cheered. No matter what Nate Tichenor might do with his dam-site now, he would have to consult con-sult Lorry Kershaw before selling It to a power company, and Bahson thought he knew what the girl's answer an-swer would be. A deadlock between the two survivors of the feud ! "Got to get that four thousand acres more or less," Mr. Babson exulted. "The girl will sell to me. You bet she will. And then I'll do some trading with Nate Tichenor." Within the week he had arranged his personal finances and purchased from the Savings Bank of San Francisco Fran-cisco the first mortgage that the latter institution held on the Circle K ranch. With the mortgage In his possession, Babson dictated to Ranceford Kershaw Ker-shaw a letter as firm as granite and as cold as a penguin's tail. He informed in-formed Kershaw that unless the mortgage mort-gage was paid within five days a suit in foreclosure would be Instituted. Then he dictated another letter, which he signed as president of the Bank of Valley Center, calling some thirty thousand dollars of Kershaw's notes. He wns striking at Ranee Kershaw over the shoulder of the latter's daughter, daugh-ter, quite confident that she would protect pro-tect her father when Babson suggested that, in return for a renewal of the unsecured notes and mortgage, she should sell him at a reasonable price that four thousand acres with which he planned to embarrass Nate Tichenor Tiche-nor 1 He realized he must keep such a deal in abeyance until he could organize or-ganize the Forlorn Valley Irrigation district, for, with the district formed before Nate Tichenor could complete his deal with the power company, the district could enter a condemnation suit against Tichenor, and thus block the aspirations of the power company. He distrusted- the local legal talent In a crisis loaded with potential legal dynamite, so that night he went to "Better Retrench," Babson Advised. "Let the Bar H Ranch Go." San Francisco to engage the services of a legal firm noted throughout the state for its knowledge of water law. Indeed, Babson was rather In a hurry to get out of town, for he considered it good strategy to be absent when old Ranee Kershaw should come into the hank . to argue and plead. Leave a frightened, worried man alone for four days and he's much easier to handle on the fifth. So Babson departed, unconscious un-conscious of the fact that his bluff, complicated with the sudden renirn of Nathan Tichenor to Edon Valley, was to kill Ranee Kershaw and turu tiie current of the Kershaw hatred upon Silas Babson and all his works and pomps. CHAPTER V Nate Tichenor, from early boyhood, had had more than his share of experience experi-ence with sudden death and tragedy, and It had developed In him a certain stolidity and philosopny In such emergencies. emer-gencies. For ten minutes he held Lorry Kershaw's head against his shoulder and neither spoke nor moved. "Now, then, Miss Kershaw," he soothed presently, "this is no time for v eakness. You're a Kershaw and none of your clan ever needed time out for that. You said you wanted to take your father home?" She nodded drearily. The Kershaws, like the Hensleys, always buried their own dead. "And I wouldn't, If 1 were you, permit per-mit my mind to dwell on the thought of your absolute aloneuess In the world," he continued. "That way madness mad-ness lies. I know. I've been through all that. After two years In the A. E. F., where, it seemed to me, I lost every comrade I managed to achieve an affection for; after losing my mother moth-er and aunts while 1 was in France and realizing 1 hadn't a single friend in the community where 1 was born and raised, I found myself, when the war ended, the loneliest human being Imaginable. Often I wanted- to come hack to Eden Valley and know you better but " "Yes, I understand. Father was what he was, poor dear." "Well, be that as It may, you're not nearly so badly off as you- think you are, and one of these days, when you have time to think about it, I'll tell you why." He was almost abrupt. "I suppose sup-pose we'd better get along." "Yes, I suppose so," she agreed and started her motor. Nate Tichenor followed fol-lowed in his car. Arrived at the Circle Cir-cle K headquarters no men came out to meet them. "Where are your riders?" he queried. "They started with the cattle drive up into the forest reserve this morning." morn-ing." He lifted Ranee Kershaw's body out of the car, carried It Into the house and disposed it on Kershaw's bed. He drew a sheet over the corpse and rejoined the girl in the living room. "I reckon," he said. In the homely mountain idiom, "you Kershaws never have any truck .with undertakers. Seems to me the Kershaws don't use preachers, either." "No. we just read the service ourselves." our-selves." "The Hensleys always did. too. Lock the house up and drive in to Valley Center with me in my car. Have you In mind some woman friend you can bring back with you to keep you company?" com-pany?" "I have no friends, Nate Tichenor." He frowned, then smiled faintly. "I forgot we're the last survivors of two clans that were beyond the pale. Well, we'll hire somebody. There must be a practical nurse In Valley Center. When we get there I'll telegraph my old superintendent, Rube Tenney, to come up here with his wife and two children." She yielded without argument to his suggestions commands, rather. Doctor Donaldson marie no comment when, in his office an hour later. Lorry Kershaw informed him of her father's death. He readily issued a death certificate. cer-tificate. He was a gruff old fellow and not In the least politic, as Tichenor realized when Donaldson growled: "So you two have buried the hatchet, eh?" lie flushed as Tichenor's bleak blue eyes rebuked him. "It's none of my business, or course," Donaldson apologized. "I merely hoped for Miss Lorry's sake " Nate Tichenor smiled at him. "1 understand, doctor. No offense If your intentions were kindly." "Thank you, they were. When will the funeral take place?" "Tomorrow, at two o'clock," Lorry answered him. "I'll telephone the coroner," Donaldson Donald-son went on. "He'll take my word for It that an Inquest Isn't necessary, and Issue the burial permit." While Lorry Kershaw waited In the car, Nate Tichenor scouted around town and succeeded in engaging the services of a Miss Lizzie Bachman, who In her youth had almost graduated gradu-ated from a nurse's training school In San Francisco. Not for considerable would Miss Bachman have missed this assignment. It was too meaty with gossip. Nate Tichenor dancing attendance on Lorry Kershaw I Tichenor's next action was to call upon the editor of the local weekly paper, the 'Valley Center Register. "I He Lifted Ranee Kershaw's Body Out of the Car. am Nathan Tichenor, of Eden Valley," he announced. "1 do not seem to remember re-member you. Apparently you came to Valley Center after I left Eden Valley." Val-ley." The editor said his name was Joe Brainerd and that be was pleased to meet Mr. Tichenor. "Mr. Ranceford Kershaw died about three hours ago, very suddenly, Mr. Brainerd," Nate told him. "No, I didn't kill him. He perished of heart disease and will be buried in the Kershaw Ker-shaw family cemetery in Eden Valley at two p. m. tomorrow. Friends and neighbors are invited to attend. And may I ask, Mr. Brainerd, as a special favor to Miss Lorry Kershaw and myself, my-self, that you do not take this opportunity oppor-tunity to print a couple of columns of ancient history? Although you do not know It, the Hensley-Kershaw feud ended In 1917. Both Miss Kershaw and I would like to think that the matter is by way of being forgotten and we'll both be very grateful for your co-operation." "My dear sir," Brainerd replied with dignity, "you mustn't presume to formulate form-ulate my editorial policy." Nate Tichenor looked Brainerd over bleakly. "Very well, run It Next week there'll be another newspaper In this town, with a real newspaper man in charge, and you'll have a taste of active competition. And now that we understand each other, I want you to ran off a hundred black-bordered death notices and send a man to paste them up in various conspicuous places around the town. That used to be the custom in this country. A few people might like to know of Ranee Kershaw's Ker-shaw's death, so they can come to his funeral as advertised." He wrote out the copy for the job-printer, job-printer, paid his bill and departed without further conversation. The editor put on his hat and walked over to the local hotel upon the veranda of which sat Mr. William Rooney, the deputy sheriff of the Valley Center district. dis-trict. "Bill," he queried, "what do yon know about Nathan Tlchenor?" "Nothing bad. Why?" "Would you say that a threat of his should be taken seriously?" TO BE CONTINUED. |