Show T M air eln P m yond 1 I by HAROLD TITUS copyright 1931 1934 harold titus service a 0 man ww 00 0 0 a 00 a NM M 0 CHAPTER X continued 14 the difficulty di brandon you expect to see me this morning why I 1 that Is I 1 thought hen ben stepped close and dropped his voice nearly to a whisper you toil thought I 1 be walking today was that it not walking I 1 dont know what youre talking about tiie the older mans self control was coming back rapidly now that ills his fright had bad passed away 1 I just came in to ger matters straight between us brandon several serious things have happened to tile the loot hoot owl but in of them the aloot owl Is booming now I 1 presume I 1 can look for things to happen to me before anything does because im not rush rash enough to be cocksure that it wont I 1 want you to get me straight the last vestige of his smile was gone by then lie ile stood spread legged hands locked behind ills his back eyes boring into brandona Bran dons gaze im not interested ln in cut but listen listen or ill chioke you until beg for the opportunity to listen brandon listen to me this morning and be the first and last time 1 I know a great deal I 1 can prove but little I 1 know that you started in to run me out by sending duval dural to clean up my camp next nest you tried to cripple my operation by hurling having a firebug touch off the mill next cst you or some of your men stole a piston head out of the express dont go too far young man j 1 I wont the pits of h 1 are the inside limits for you brandona Bran donl after that you timed it nicely and blew up my trestle you almost had bad us two or three times but you flopped I 1 the hoor bloor owl is up on its knees will be on its feet in at a month it if we keep going and be sitting on 00 the world by the time breakup hits us all youve done to the job has only helped IL it that next nest you try to get me thinking probably that it if you knock the skipper off the bridge the craft will founder for certain youre wrong there you cant lick my ru men on because too many for you you cant stop the hoot owl by getting me out of the picture but it if you want to keep on trying g its you own funeral ive only one thing to ask of you try to play the white man brandon and fight your own fights ills face was dark with rage now and he emphasized his last words by downward thrusts of clenched hands along his thighs brandon smiled lightly youre a queer young man he be remarked you dream in broad daylight and with your eyes open A peculiarly detailed dream brandon ive said all I 1 have to say about the job and about myself but there Is another matter left to be mentioned while im here I 1 wont even utter her name in your hearing but any man who would pull a trick like you did and involve a girl brandon a snakes belly la Is sky high compared to youl you 1 and that touched the well springs of rage that had been dammed back bach until the moment you fool the man said heavily the words came like the first break in a levee slow sluggish words aud and then like the following toss of foam was the frothing rage in ills his scream you fool I 1 ill drive you out of this coun country tryl 1 ill hang your operation up for the crows to pick I 1 ill string the bones of this timber and your own bones across this country ile he swung his arms in wide wild gestures tu res lie ile stopped sobbing for breath and his teeth clicked in an agony of 0 passion dawn not mention tier her winic well I 1 will mine you fool body and soul I 1 ashes been min mine e tor for years because she smiled at you because she played nith y you OU dont think ashes interested fool foell ashes ue he swayed backward as billott lurched toward him but their bodies did not lock white and trembling ben stayed his bis own rush nol no I 1 dont want to brawl over her he choked pill but it if you mention her name to me again im likely to lose my head and tear your hide bide oft off your carcass ills rage was so high so BO holy that the fear it inspired carried through Bran brandona dons frenzy and tile the man stood silent client perhaps in give ben relaxed now lie he said quietly ive just 0 one ne thing to ask brandon its this light your own batt battles lesl 1 lie ile turned on ills his heel and slammed the he door behind him CHAPTER XI aed I 1 CD be began all his beirn with the haste of high temper but before lie had finished alile able armitage balled liim him froni from across the street and came hurrying through the rutted SHOW rhe old justices tuce face was maikel by an expression of concern and he came close before he spoke 1 I hear bear red bart delaneyy Dola Dela in town cen ben nodded grimly gramly came to see me yesterday no VI yeah tool took a long iong lac at me over the sights of a rine rifle ben I 1 why son I 1 elliott laughed mirthlessly and told what had happened in the bloor 01 chopping the day before so hes bes gotten don to 0 o the file hiring of a killer able looked anxiously into bens face son it cant po go on timber or rio no timber success or failure for the hoot 0 1 youve got to th ink of I 1 im doing that ive been to soo see brandon find and tried to drive him into the open all I 1 ask of him that he fights fair and if lie ho wont what then ill have to smoke him out I 1 able clicked ills his tongue denny bonny your way vay of dolog doing things scares me why tills this cant go on oil it 1 its your own affair tor for sure when lie tried to shoot you down but maybe perhaps possibly im going to beg iou to be careful so long as de laneys landys in the country youve got to keep low get back to camp stay there let us pick some man I 1 can trust to follow bart and brandon night flight and day so not be caught no hen shook his head resolutely ill go on about my business as I 1 should ive never run yet and dont like ilke to start any fast foot work now but its your life at stake slake ben I 1 dont be silly what recklessness Is downright silly 1 via ts not like you why riot not raking precautions in this thin thing Is like with a high tension wire no good able I 1 hold up my head if I 1 hid out after the play ive made so atle alle was forced to give up after a time and shuffled up the street drawing off ills his mitten again and rubbing his face briskly with his palm lie be had only reached his office and was unlocking tile the door when aunt em walking grimly as if with a definite purpose approached good morning 2 he began forget the palaver able armitage 1 the woman said sharply youre in trouble so are we all maybe why I 1 came to see you Is it true what they say that this red bart delaney has slimier up here in Tl teacup acup As true as disease or death or anything else unpleasant what id beard 1 do I 1 have to guess why hes come able untied his scarf and shook his head sadly no em your tour first guess will be right and he took a shot at denny benny yesterday and missed id judge from the look of him just now but it if iles hes still here therell be a next time rime and he wont miss then did you do your duty and send the boy to some safe place able sl sighed hed and told her of his talk with ben so you make him listen to reason she muttered well it if you cant I 1 cant and us falling failing theres only one other who would have a ghost of a show dawn she nodded dawn could but she wont she wont go to him film now she even listen to me talk about him ashes in such a state ashes up to the ears in love with ben el ilota or ive got three legs I 1 and then to have that scandalous woman do what site she did and upset it all she sat down heavily in a chair and drew a great breath 1 I dont have to ask you or any other man about ben elliott El llott able I 1 I 1 know the clean and decent folks when I 1 see em id bet my reputation as a christian woman oman on that boyl boy that piece of play acting at the dance was some of nick brandona Uran Bran dons work you can bet your last red cent I 1 I 1 had to give him a piece of my mind just for relief the other day and goodness me nhat a look lie he give too uel I 1 why able that mans worse than ever I 1 thought I 1 sly aly oh h my I 1 ile he gaie gae me a look that like to froze the blood alood right in a my eins after all the years of palaver find and soft ive listened to from him I 1 well what im gettan at la is this tile the boys in danger of byln murdered murder ci every minute of day and night unless lie he t takes ikes bour our advice theres no one I 1 left to try to talk him into being careful but dawn and how nm am I 1 going to get tier her to see her duty when she goes into a bryin fit ct every time ills names mentioned yes sir every time she hears his name she yet see that the affair was as a put up job then see sec she cant see anything able armitage Arnil tage put yourself in her place suppose you were a youns young girl chos had tile the things to bear that she has all her lire life and suppose you fell la in love for the first time and suppose that young dian was accused or of such nastiness right in public with everybody ll listening and would you stop to figure that the reason he seemed guilty was as natural that the thing was so far fetched from the truth and such a shock that he was all ed I 1 should say you do just what ashes doin make yourself all sick with chills find and fever by cr coin in VI she twitched at the sa s1 skirts of her clook cloak inita bly and ga glared ared at the old justice as though lie he ere a sworn enemy instead of a friend what ails her Is shock she aint got over tile the shock yet nod and every time ills his name or anything else about him Is mentioned it sets tier her oft off again shell get et over it give her time cut but then shell ea I 1 be so humiliated to think she use tier her reason that she wont be herself for another spoil spell handshe should be herself nw now I 1 there aint any time to lose she should patch up her misunderstanding with him right today right this hour and use her influence to persuade him to keep low put gut how its to fo be done id like he to know for lords sake able aint you got a single suggestion the justice had been stuffing ng aig light lit wood into his stove store during this now lie he touched a gatch match to the under tinder opened the drafts arid and stood vi alth jib hands bands behind him rusty overcoat unbuttoned and drooping deep in thought its difficult to get anyone in tier her state to use reason llaine the shock of knowing that liens bens life Is in danger would be a counter irritant to this other shock maybe not if the affair of last week could be cleared up it dawn could be shown that this lydia woman was only carrying out a plan put but I 1 wonder aunt em eal stiffened in her chair she looked hard at able and tier her eyes narrow el a trifle you see he resumed if the girl hold on able Annl Arral tagel she cut in holding up a hand in warning hold on now bowl I 1 ive got to think got to think I 1 tell you youl I 1 and I 1 cant think while you carry on your gabble 1 you leave me alone now keep bour tongue still they say a womans comans tongue Is hung in the middle and loose at both ends but yum 1 I As she pressed one liana hand over tier her eyes her words dwindled to unintelligible ive got it she cried excitedly after a moment ive got it now cow you stay right here abbel you stay until I 1 came back if it works it works if it dont be time to talk some more she moved resolutely to the door left the office and strode down the street people of 0 tincup watched v tier her pass people she had known for years spoke to tier lier and drew no response not even so much as a glance or a nod on past the bank the post office the pool room on beyond all tile the stores store on down to the depot there on the platform slie site stood a long iong internal across the tracks to that short row of house on section thirty seven the station agent came out of the office and looked at ern em in surprise hello lie he cried what brings you down liere here before Il homer lomer she cut in grimly in which 1111 Cl one of them nasty places does this lydia woman lne wh why why why now should I 1 know lie he evaded as a red hush flush crept up from ills his collar coll lr in tile the one at this hits end I 1 think im not sure of course I 1 think she does though site she lut but he no longer had a intoner ener resolutely slowly with something like bellant majesty the alie woman crossed the trucks tracks with never another word nord to tier her informant and never a look to right or left her head was vas up her mouth set and her long nose wrinkled ni as if at a i SYNOPSIS lien ben gillott II llott from yonder arrives at the lumbering town of 0 tincup with don stuart old very m man an whom h he 6 has befriended nicholas br brandon andon the lie towns leading citizen resents stuarts stuarta presence pre banco trying to force him film to leave and elliott El llott resenting tile the act knocks him down judge ablo able Annl Almi tago hires him to run the one lumber camp the hoot owl that brandon liaa has not boon been able to grab this belongs to dawn mcmanus whose father has disappeared with a murder charge hanging over his head blandon sends duval to beat up don ben and boi bet throws him out of camp don stuart dies leaving s a letter tor for elliott 14 I 1 to 0 be used when the going becomes too tough ben refuses to open the letter bo lieving he can win the light by his own efforts fire breaks out in the mill uon ben when the flames are subdued discovers it was started with gasoline elliott billott gets an offer tor for logs that will provide money to tide him over but a definite time iq 19 bet act ben discovers pawn dawn ii not a child as ho he had hut but a beautiful young woman the railroad bridge over oer which the hoot owl lumber must pass pasa la 14 blown up dy by superhuman efforts ben builds a now bridge and himself drives the train over lie hie rickety structure to tincup malting making the delivery with only a few minutes to spare brandon compels a woman known as lydia Ly dla who Is in his power to accuse elliott of misconduct with a girl at a dance to which billott escorts dawn lydia makes makei public her charges overwhelmed elliott can only make a feeble dental dawn apparently bellev ing ine him guilty leaves the lance fiance without waiting for him film while in the woods 1 I eiliott Is fired on and droeg seemingly dead but his fall has been a ruse duap t to 0 mako make his enemy believe him dead the would bo be killer Is proved to be lied lin harl rt delaney notorious desperado disgusting odor A woman up by the stores shaded her eyes and peered at the moving figure and stared and stopped aunt ern em coburn headed for thirty seven senen wily why it hel bet but aunt em ein mounted the steps site she rapped at length and vigorously on tile the scarred panel of the door she went within leaving a dozen long distance watchers at ebers to wonder it was long before she emerged and then ali ah then tincup had a sight to see a subject for speculation for by aunt kins ems side moved tile the woman lydia collar of tier lier fur coat high about her lace face HS as if to little the traces of tears which hastily applied powder could not eradicate tears from those hard eyes nothing in less I 1 for women know women and before aunt em had talked to this outcast lie flie minutes she had biad discovered the weakness in tier hor shame tile the clean spot left in tier her heart and how emma coburn could talk I 1 she tallied talked that clean spot to co a growing glowing glorious thin thing she talked lydia out of her house across the tracks talked her into that slow unashamed almost flagrant march up the main street talked tier her out of all but bur one look of misgiving at the windows of nicholas Nich oliv Bran brandona dons offices and ground around the corner and in beneath the hemlocks which whispered above the snug white house they entered where dan 1101 anus had hidden since the womans comans words |