Show th lg R 0 t 0 W AM t bt cla low y A ROMANCE by ZANE GREY f by harper and Br olbers BUT YOURE NO thoroughbred MAJESTY HAMMOND for a moment madeline sat on her horse with shut eye ele she dreaded the light 0 now you can cant t say youve never teen been kissed siewart said his voice seemed a long way ivay off but that was coming to you so be game here she felt fell something hard and cold and metallic thrust into her hand he made her fi ingers close over it if hold it the feel of the thing revived her she opened her eyes stewart scar had given her his gun lie he stood with his broad breast against her knee and she looked up to see that old mocking smile on his face go ahead throw my gun on me be a thoroughbred thorough bredl madeline did vot not yet grasp his meaning you can put pul me down in that quiet place on the hill hili beside be tida monty price madeline dropped the gun with a shuddering cry of horror the sense of his words the memory of monty the certainty that she would k all siewart if she held the gun an instant longer tortured the sell self accusing cry from her stewart steuart stopped to pick up the ike weapon you might have saved me a h I 1 1 of a lot of trouble he said with another flash fash of the mocking smile you re beautiful and sweet and proud but youre no thoroughbred thorough bredl majesty hammond adissi A bit tempestuous well rather but it its only one dramatic situa von lion in a red blooded tory lory of the cattle range near the mexican border there are others plenty aplenty a madeline hammond owns own her Maje majela Ma jely rancho tad stewart is i her foreman she it is a transplanted eastern sir girl who has ha come to love life under the light of the western start stars the life of the range has hai recreated a wealthy spoiled society girl into a fine women woman and her influence has hai saved aved stewart a wildo wild him diome brave dissolute efficient cowboy st a college man and a gentleman once of course coure they fall in love but he glories in it while rhile she he is i slow low to admit it even to herself her telf of course coune also alio they ilah two dominant personalities and then the girl Is ii jealous whereupon hereupon there it is the dickens dicken to pay and what a dramatic ending endi nirl the author why zane grey that should be enough to guarantee a stirring dirring tir ring tale with color and adventure and swift actions action he s the writer of the hour for outdoor western Vex tern tories stories with success after success to his hil credit CHAPTER I 1 A gentleman of the range when madeline hammond stepped itom om the train at el cajon new ket mex mem bafo 0 it was mas nearly midnight and her akst impression was of a huge dark space of cool windy empt emptiness lues strange and silent stretching away under great blinking white stars miss theres no one to meet you yon said the conductor anxiously 1 I wired my brother she replied lie ile will be here presently but if he should not come surely I 1 can find a hotel 7 theres lodgings to be had bad it if excuse me ine this Is no place for a lady like you to be alone at night its a rough little town mostly mexicans miners cowboys and they carouse a lot besides the revolution across the border has stirred up some excitement along the line miss I 1 guess its sale safe enough if you thank you I 1 am not in the least afraid As the train started to glide away miss hammond walked toward the dimly lighted station she entered the empty waiting room an oil lamp gave out a thick yellow light A telegraph instrument clicked faintly madeline madeine hammond crossed the waiting room to a window and holding aside her veil looked out at first she could descry only a few dim lights and these blurred in her sight As her eyes grew accustomed to the darkness she saw a superbly built horse standing near the window beyond was a bare square through a hole in the window glass came a cool breeze and on it breathed a sound that struck coarsely upon her ear a discordant mingling of laughter and ridout and the tramp ot of boots to the hard music ot of a phonograph western revelry mused miss hammond as she left the window now what to do ill wait here perhaps the station agent will return soon boon or alfred will come for me As she sat down to wait she reviewed the causes which accounted for the remarkable situation in which she found herself that madeline hammond IIa nimond should be alone at a late hour in a dingy little western estern railroad station was indeed extraordinary the close of her debutante year had been marred by the only unhappy experience of her life the flie disgrace of her brother and his leaving home she dated the he beginning of a certain thoughtful habit of 0 mind from that time and a dissatisfaction with the brilliant brIl Hant life society offered her there had been months ot of unrest of curiously painful wonderment that her position her wealth her popularity no longer sufficed she believed she had lived through the dreams and fancies of a girl to become a woman of the world and she had gone on as before a part dart of the guttering glittering show but no longer blind to the truth that there was nothing in her luxurious life to make it mg eig and at last she knew what she needed to be alone to brood for long hours to gaze out on lonely silent darkening stretches to watch the stars to race her soul to find her real self balf then it was she had first thought of evI plaiting alting the brother who had bad gone west to cast his fortune with the cattlemen As it happened she had friends who were on the eve of starting for california and she made a quick decision to travel with them when aben she calmly announced her intention of going out west her mother had exclaimed in consternation and her father surprised into pathetic memory of the black sheep of the family had bad stared at her with glistening eyes why Made madeline linet 1 you want to see that wild boy then he had reverted to the anger he be still felt tor for ills his wayward son and he had forbidden madeline to go her mother forgot her haughty and dignity madeline stood her ground even to reminding them that she was twenty four and her own mistress in the end she had prevailed madeline had planned to arrive in el cajon on october 3 her brothers birthday and she had succeeded though her arrival occurred at the twenty fourth hour her train had bad been several hours late whether or not the message had reached alfreds hands she had no means of telling and the thing which concerned her now was the fact that she had arrived and he was not there to meet her As madeline sat waiting la is tho the yellow gloom she ghe heard tho the taint faint intermittent click of the telegraph instrument the low hum of wires the occasional stamp of an iron shod hoof and a distant vacant laugh rising above the sounds of the dance she became conscious of a slight quickening of her pulse madeline had bad only a limited knowledge of the tha west like aake all of her class she had traveled europe and had neglected america she had been astounded at the interminable distance she had traveled and if there had been anything attractive to look at in all that journey she had passed it in the night A faint sound like the rattling of thin chains diverted attention at first she imagined it was wag made by the telegraph wires then she hoard heard a step the door swung wide nide a tall man entered and with him came the clinking rattle she realized then that the sound came from his spurs will you please direct me to a hotel asked Madel madeline lne rising the cowboy removed his sombrero and the sweep lie he made with it and the accompanying bow despite their exaggeration had a kind of rude grace lie ile took two long strides to toward ard her ludy lady are you married in the past miss hammonds IIara monds sense of humor had often helped her to over look critical exactions natural to her br breeding eIng she kept silence and she imagined it was just as well that her veil hid bid her face at the moment she had been prepared to find cowboys rather striking and she had been warned not to laugh at them this gentleman of the range ranee deliberately reached down and took up her left hand before she recovered from her start of amaze he had stripped off her glove fine spark but no wedding ring he drawled lady im glad to see youre not married ile he released her hand band and returned the glove you tou see tho the only hotel in fix this here town Is against boarding married women bad business for hotels to have married women keeps the boys away you see this reno then he laughed rather boyishly and from that and the way he slouched on his sombrero madeline realized he was half drunk As she instinctively recoiled she not only gave him a keener glance elance but stepped into a position where a better light ahone on his big fam face it was like red bronze bold raw sharp like that of all women whose beauty and charm had brought them much before the world miss bliss hammonds intuition had been developed until she had n delicate and exquisitely sensitive perception of the nature of men and of her effect upon them this crude cowboy under the influence of drink had affronted her nevertheless whatever was in his mind he meant no insult 1 I shall be greatly obliged to you if you will show me to the hotel she said lady you yon wait here he replied slowly as aa it if his thought did did not come swiftly ill go fetch the porter she thanked him and as he went out closing the door she sat down in relief it occurred to her that she sha should have mentioned her brothers name then she fell to wondering wandering what living with such uncouth cowboys had done to alfred she alone of her family had ever believed in any latent good in alfred hammond and her faith had scarcely survived the two years of silence waiting there she again found herself ll to the moan of the wind through the wires then madeline heard a rapid pattering low at first and growing louder which presently she recognized as the galloping or of horses she went to the window thinking hoping her brother had arrived but aa 29 the clatter increased to it a roar shadows sped by lean horses flying manes ind and tails soro riders all strange and wild in her sight recalling ne calling what the conductor had said she sha was at some pains to quell her uneasiness then out of the gloom two figures appeared one tall the other slight the cowboy entered pulling a disheveled figure that of a priest a padre whose mantle had bad manifestly been disarranged by the rude grasp of his big captor plain it was that the padre was extremely terrified madeline Madel lne hammond gazed in bewilderment at the little man so pale and shaken and a protest trembled upon pon her lips but it was never uttered for this half balf drunken cowboy now appeared to be a cool grim smiling devil and stretching out a long arm he grasped her and swung her ber back to the bench you stay therel there 1 he ordered ills voice though neither brutal nor harsh nor crue cruel 1 had the unaccountable effect of making her feel powerless to move no man had ever before addressed her in such a tone it was the woman la her that obeyed not the personality of proud madeline hammond the padre lifted his big clasped hands a aa it if supplicating for his life and began to speak hurriedly in spanish madeline did not understand the language an the tha cowboy pulled out a hure huge gun and brandished brandishes bran dished it in the priests face then lie lowered it apparently to point it at t the tha priests feet there was a red flash and then a tb thundering rep report 0 rt that stunned madeline the room filled with nith smoke and the smell when she could see distinctly all through the smoke she experienced a sensation sens atlon of immeasurable relief that the cowboy had not shot the padre but be was still waving the pin gun and now appeared to be dra dragging his victim toward her what possibly could be the drunken fools intention this must be this surely ams a cowboy trick madeline no sooner booner thought of it than she made certain her brother was introducing her to a wild west amusement she could scarcely believe it yet it must be true probably lie he stood just outside the door or window laughing at her embarrassment anger checked her panic she straightened up with what composure this surprise had left her and started for the door but the cowboy barred her passage grasped her arms then madeline divined that her brother could not have any knowledge of this indignity it was no trick poise dignity culture all the acquired habits babits of character fled before the instinct to fight she was athletic she fought she struggled desperately but he forced her back with hands of iron she had never known a man could be so strong what do you mean she panted dearle dearie ease up a little on the bridle he replied gaily madeline thought she must be dreaming she could not think clearly she not only saw this man but also felt hla his powerful presence and the shaking priest the haze of blue smoke the smell ot of powder these were acre not unreal then close before her eyes burst another blinding red flash and close at her ears bellowed another report unable to stand madeline dipped down onto the bench her drifting faculties refused clearly to lo record what transpired during the next few moments presently however as her mind steadied somewhat she heard though as in a dream the voice of the padre hurrying over strange words it ceased and then the cowboys voice stirred her lady say sl SI sl SI say it quick say it SIV sl from sheer suggestion a force irresistible sis tible at this moment when her will was clamped by panic she spoke the word and now lady so we can finish this properly your name came still obeying mechanically she told him lie ile stared for a while as if the name had amak awakened ened associations in a mind somewhat befogged ile he leaned back unsteadily what name he be demanded madeline Madel lne hammond I 1 am alfred hammonds sister ile he put his hand up and brushed at an imaginary something before his ea aies es youre not majesty hammond ilow how strange stranger than anything that had bad ever happened to her before was it to hear that name on the lips of this cowboy I 1 it was a name dame by which she was familiarly known though only those nearest and dearest to her had the privilege of using it and now it revived her dulled faculties and by an effort she regained control of herself you are majesty hammond and this time he affirmed wonderingly rather than questioned madeline rose and faced him yes I 1 am lie ile slammed his gun back into its holster 1 well veil I 1 reckon we wont go on with it then with what sir arid and why did you force me to say sl to this priest 1 I reckon that was a way I 1 took to show him be willing to get married oh I 1 you you I 1 words failed her this appeared to galvanize the cowboy into action he grasped the padre and led him toward the door cursing g tt 11 i t she sha fought she struggled desper abely and threatening no doubt enjoining secrecy then he pushed him across uie the threshold and stood there breathing hard and wrestling with himself nere here walt wait walt wait a minute miss hammond he said huskily you could fall into worse company than mine though I 1 reckon you sure think not im pretty drunk but rin im all right otherwise just walt wait a minute she stood quivering and blazing blaring with mith wrath and watched this savage fight his drunkenness madeline saw the dark damp hair lift from his bis brows as he be held it up to the cool wind mind the no cowboy turned and began to talk you see I 1 was pretty drunk he be labored there was a flesta and a wedding I 1 do fool things when ren im drunk I 1 made a fool bet id marry the first girl who came to town if you worn that vell veil the fellows wera mere joshing me and rd ed linton was getting married and 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