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Show J SPEARMAN I B COPYRIGHT FRANK H. SPEARMAN W.N.U. SERVICe SYNOPSIS Sleepy Cat, desert town of the Southwest, Is celebrating the Fourth of July. Jane Van Tambel, beautiful daughter of Gui Vrn Tambel, hated owner of Gunlock ranch, has arrived ar-rived from the East for the first time. She watches the Frontier Day celebration In company with Dr. Carpy, crusty, tender-hearted friend of the community. Henry Sawdy of the Circle Dot ranch, tricked in a fake horse race the day before by Dave McCrossen, foreman at Gun-lock, Gun-lock, plans revenge. He enters BUI Denison, a handsome young Texas wrangler, In the rodeo which McCrossen Mc-Crossen Is favored to win, and lays heavy bets on him. Unknown to the crowd, Denison is a champion horseman. horse-man. McCrossen and the young stranger tie in the various events. Denison drops a cigarette carelessly. Racing down the track full tilt, he picks up the cigarette. The verdict goes to Denison when McCrossen refuses re-fuses to attempt the stunt. Entreated Entreat-ed by the crowd, Denison agrees to perform another trick. Jane Is asked for her bracelet, and throws it on the track. Just as Denison rides to pick it up a yell from Barney Bar-ney Rebstock, a McCrossen henchman, hench-man, scares the pony, nearly costing the rider his life. Gun play is prevented pre-vented by the Intervention of Dr. Carpy. Back on Gunlock ranch after aft-er two years in Chicago, because of her father's Illness, Jane gets lost riding In the hills and meets Denison, Deni-son, now a neighbor, who guides her home. Not knowing her identity, he speaks bitterly of Van Tambel. She tells McCrossen who brought her home and he denounces Denison as a cattle thief. Later she asks Dr. Carpy why her father Is unpopular and he tells her it is because of Van Tambel's ruthless and unscrupulous character. Later McCrossen tries to woo Jane, but is sharply rebuffed. Once again she loses her way in the hills and meets Denison. On impulse im-pulse she gives him her bracelet for guiding her home. CHAPTER IV Continued 6 "Well, It happened I was just thinking about the other times we met, and wondering whether I'd ever see you again, when you dropped down out of the sky on me just now. It took my breath. On your way to town? So am I. Do you mind If I ride along with you?" "I might mind If you didn't In fact. If you don't mind a confession, I hurried a little to catch up. You were so kind before " "Nothing at all" " and you gave me such good advice that I haven't been lost since. But I do feel safer, riding with company. So thank you again If you're not terribly tired of being be-ing thanked." "Just as much as you like, If you'll remember you're thanking me for nothing. I was afraid you'd gone back to Chicago." "Where have you been all this time? I certainly couldn't have missed you, If you ride this trail as often as I do." "I've been away down at Medicine Medi-cine Bend. How long Is It since that day?" "Oh, I haven't an Idea. It was an awfully hot day, as I remember. Wasn't It?" "I can't remember a thing about the weather. If I measured the time by my feelings. It would be about three years. "How perfectly ridiculous 1" pouted pout-ed Jane. "What I was afraid of was, you'd gone back to Chicago and I'd never see you again. Then I figured that If you went back to Chicago, I'd look there next winter for a circus Job and try to get Into the same show with you." ' She looked at him, frankly amused. "Now wasn't that nice of you? Really, Mr. Denison, you make me perfectly ashamed of myself, my-self, will you get mad now If I confess again? No, you mustn't. I Just won't have It. But I was kidding kid-ding about being a circus rider." He repressed a smile. She saw It. "What amused you?" she asked. "Nothing at all." "Oh, yes It was. What?" "You won't get mad?" "Oh," she responded airily, "I never get mad." "Well, I knew you were kidding because that time you rode up to Spring Ranch, I happened to see you come down the valley. It was after I'd heard these stories about circus riding. I said to myself, 'If that young lady ever rode In a circus, cir-cus, they'd have to tie her on.' " Jane dklu't like It no girl could. But It gave her precisely the opening open-ing she wanted. "Now," she said with an attempted laugh, "it's my lurn, and I hope you wou't get mad." "Try me nothlng'd make me mad." Then, "You mustn't hate me because be-cause I am not some one you might have thought I was. I am Jane Van Tambel. My nnme Is Jane not Marie. I know you and Father haven't got aiong . . ." CHAPTER V TpWO days passed. Jane ordered - up her pony. "What's takin' you into town today?" asked McCrossen suspiciously. Bull came up with the pony. Jane tossed the question : "I forgot some errands the other day. I shan't be gone long." "Who's goln' with you?" "No one. The boys are busy. T shall not need the wagon today." She had ridden some two miles toward town, when a turn In the trail brought In sight a man riding out of the woods. He checked his horse and waited for Jane. His face was expectant. Jane's cheeks flushed In spite of herself. "I hope I havent kept you waiting long," she stammered. He smiled and shook his head as If perfectly per-fectly satisfied. "I came early," he confessed.' "But I'd have hung around all night for this and not thought it long. Are we going up in the hills?" "Not today. We at least I am going Into town." Jane had private feelings of reserve about riding Into the hills with Bill Denison. "In the hills we might get lost," she suggested, sug-gested, naively. "I might: but not In the way you mean. I'm lost right now. I've been lost for two days. Something came into my life two days ago that I hope will keep me dreaming the rest of my life." "Don't talk nonsense." "You don't dare ask what I was dreaming about?" "Was It about another dreamer?" "It was." "I know who, then." He looked at her with pathetic hope. "It was about McCrossen," she added heartlessly. "Never I It was" 'Let's gallop," she exclaimed, cutting cut-ting him squarely off. "I feel Just like riding fast. I can beat you to that big pine!" When she pulled up after a brisk run, her face was flushed, her eyes dancing, her lips parted In laughter. laugh-ter. Denison was Just behind her. "Why, you didn't race at all," she complained, looking around at him. "Why didn't you try to pass me Instead In-stead of sticking at my heels all the time?" "If I passed you, how In the world could I see you? I wish It was fifty miles more to Sleepy Cat don't you?" "No." "Well, don't you wish It was Just a few miles farther?" "No." "Not even two miles?" "What a persistent tease! Well two, then. And no more." "We could make It two by riding a little farther Into the hills." "You might ride up that way by yourself." "I'm just a groom. I have to follow fol-low my mistress." "Oh, no! We mustn't ride Into town together. You gallop ahead." Jane lunched that day at Dr. Car-py's Car-py's hotel, hoping she might see Carpy himself. Fortune favored her. The doctor was In the office when she came. "By the way, Doctor," she said, "I rode Into town, part of the way, this morning with a neighbor of ours who doesn't bear a very favorable favor-able reputation at Gunlock, but" "What's his nnme?" "Bill Denison." Carpy laughed his dry little laugh. "Well 1" he exclaimed benevolently. benev-olently. "You did pick a real outsider, out-sider, didn't you? What did you think of the brute?" In her confusion, Jane hesitated. "Why I thought him not bad at all," she declared with spirit. "What do you think of him?" "Why, to speak just offhand, Jane, I'd say Bill Denison had his enemies; ene-mies; but I think he's about as square and open-and above-board a young fellow as lives In the hills. I don't suppose any of your father's following would agree with me." "He struck me, too. Doctor, as Just such a man," Interposed Jane impulsively. "What do yon know about things like that?" asked Carpy Jocularly. "You're Just a kid! He might be a horse thief for all you could tell, girl." Jane drew herself up. "Don't be so sure about every girl's being a f00l some of them might fool you ! He told me he used to work at Gun-lock. Gun-lock. What was the quarrel between be-tween him and Father?" Dr. Carpy laid his cigar on the ede of the" table and braced him-seff. him-seff. "It's a kind of long story," he began, not knowing exactly how to tackle a delicate subject, "I've lots of time," remarked Jane disconcertingly. "To begin with, your father was always a grabber, Jane. Probably couldn't help it Just built that way. I suppose that hurts your feelings?" The girl winced a little. "Whether it does or does not. Doctor, I want to hear both sides." Her appeal was not unheeded. "You're a kind of surprise, Jane," continued the doctor slowly, "for in spite of the fact that the family name Is not very popular In this country, everybody is talking about you. "Just to show you, Jane, how feeling has been: we've got an ex-sheriff ex-sheriff out here, one of the best and biggest-hearted men In the mountains. moun-tains. He's a character. He happened hap-pened In to the hotel the other day, and we got to talking about you now don't blush or get confused, girl you're entitled to a good send-off, send-off, and I gave you a good one. "Old Bill Pardaloe set where you're setting, with his feet on the table, chewing tobacco, listening to every word and never, all the time, saying one word himself. When I got through, I told him about you, and that you had an aunt in Chicago Chica-go who'd been out here a regular sport and no fancy airs because she had a rich brother. "Pardaloe now I'm telling you this, Jane, only to show you how some of us felt Paraloe shifted his quid and says, 'Doc, It's kind of hard for "me to believe there's one decent Van Tambel In the world; I'm damned If I'll ever believe there's two.' " "Oh, Doctor!" "Bill Denison worked awhile for your father; he was foreman at Gunlock. Your father thought Denison Den-ison was just about right. He could do everything and do It well. He made so much money for your father fa-ther that he gave him a share in the cattle, a tenth, I believe It was. When he quit, Denison asked for a settlement on his share. Your father fa-ther told him he didn't have no share. They went to law about It Denison got beat he didn't have anything but a verbal contract So Bill went back to live on his own ranch next to the Reservation. It's small but has plenty of good water from a big spring that makes It valuable. val-uable. Then he began running off enough Gunlock cattle In small bunches cattle he claimed belonged to him, anyway to pay what your father owed him. "So Bill was cussed by your father fa-ther as a rustler. It made cattlemen cattle-men laugh, thinking of your father's own reputation In that respect. And the old man brought a lawsuit against Bill to oust him from the little ranch, account bad title. That suit Is still pending In the land office of-fice at Washington. Now, that's just about the story, Jane." The shock of the doctor's story so humiliated Jane that she wanted only to get back home and hide what she felt to be the shame of her father from everybody. She had promised to ride back the hill trail with Denison ; she felt she just couldn't do it. She took a short cut home across the desert. Her mya ll Jj "What Did You Think of the Brute?" titled and disappointed admirer, after aft-er lingering patiently In the hills till dusk rode Into town only to learn at MeAlpln's barn that Jane had taken her pony out early In the afternoon. aft-ernoon. It was a painful night. She realized real-ized why the name she bore was so unpopular In Sleepy Cat Her depression bore her down ; even Quong saw that something was wrong. He cooked special dishes to tempt Jane's appetite, but her appetite appe-tite could not be tempted. "Why don't you get out and ride any more?" asked Bull Page one day. "You haven't been on a horse for two weeks Just sit moping around the house, eating nothing, talking nothing." "Bull. Just let me alone. I'll be all right." For another two weeks Bull was worried. Then suddenly Jane relented. re-lented. She would take a horseback ride If Bull would ride with her not otherwise. They started together. It was afternoon. aft-ernoon. The air wns thick with a soft haze that tempered the sun's rays. The trail led In and out ot the thin pine wcmls. She began to think her nerrous apprehension of meeting Denison again had boon a wasted worry. In deed, she and her guide were home- ward bound within a mile of the ranch house when both heard the clatter of hoofs behind them. Jane would not have looked around for a million dollars. Bull told her there were two men coming up. "Who are they?" "Looks like Carpy and Bill Denison." Deni-son." Jane's heart raced. However, this seemed not so bad. Three men and one woman were better than one man and one woman. Carpy and Denison approached together. "Where are you riding to today, doctor?" asked Jane. "Gunlock ranch." Jane showed surprise. "Who's sick at the ranch?" "One of the boys," said Carpy. "That's the first I've heard of it," exclaimed Jane. "Who is it?" "One of the boy that got cut up last night downtown ( sewed him up and want to see how he is. Nothing Noth-ing serious, I guess," said Carpy. "Any news In town, doctor?" asked Jane, though not in the least interested In Sleepy Cat news. "Nothing but the brush fires up North. This whole country's dry as as tinder. I hope the winds will keep 'em up North. What do you hear from your father?" asked the doctor In return. "Oh, he's better," said Jane. "He talks about coming home pretty soon." "Well, that's news," commented Dr. Carpy, noncommittally. "He's got a wonderful constitution, that man," thinking to himself that it was much too good. "How have you been yourself, girl?" "Oh, I'm just fine, doctor." "Rarin' to go, eh? Come on, girl, "I'll race you through this pin1; belt." Jane saw her chance to escape an uncomfortable situation, for Denison Deni-son hadn't said a word. She dashed gayly ahead and outran Carpy. But Denison followed her, overtaking her and riding alongside. The spurt couldn't last forever, though Jane prolonged it to the best of her ability. She wondered whether wheth-er she had jumped from the frying pan Into the fire; she was alone now with Denison. When she slackened her pace, out of breath, her cheeks were aglow. "I wouldn't push that pony of yours too hard," suggested Denison incidentally. "He's a nervous critter." crit-ter." "Oh, he's all right," said Jane lightly, "but It does shake one up, doesnt It?" she exclaimed, panting a little. "It does," agreed Denison. "But I got my real shakeup when I spied you on the trail. I've been staking myself out alone on this trail every day for a month or so, hoping to get sight of you." "I haven't felt much like riding lately." "I was afraid you were sick. I watched for the doctor coming out, but I didn't see him. I used to ride up Gunlock Knob every day or two to see If I could see anything of you." "I wish you wouldn't do such things. Where Is Gunlock Knob?" "It's that peak over by the spring. It's really on your father's ranch, I guess, but I'm always careful not to run Into any of your men." "I'm sorry, but you musn't look for me any more please don't." She glanced at him firmly as she spoke. To Denison she had never looked so lovely. "Why?" he demanded. "Have I " "You haven't, but I have I guess that's the way to put it. I mustn't see you any more. I don't expect to remain in this country very long, anyway." "What have I done, Jane?" "Nothing, nothing." "Somebody's been telling lies about me," he declared with some bitterness. "No." "If you'd tell me what they are, I could answer them." "I said, no ! No one has talked about you." His sudden Intensity frightened Jane. She burst Into tears. "Now I've made matters worse !" he exclaimed penitently. "I guess my bark's worse'n nij bite. But It makes me wild to think I've been lied about to you." "You haven't," sputtered poor Jane. "Don't you believe me when I say nobody's been talking about you?" "Please excuse me. then. I do believe be-lieve you. But if you'd give me a chance to, I'd be willing to tell you every mean thing I've done in my life and leave it all to you. Don't condemn me without a hearing that's all I ask." "Nobody is condemning you. I'm only. If anything, condemning myself." my-self." "For what?" he demanded. (TO EE COMiyVED) |