Show A YAK A ROLLIN BROWN f I 1 t Z CA fl v FEATURES CHAPTER I 1 far to the west doane could trace the highland divides and peaks of the sierra nueva marking the boundary ot of the state and the san loreto county line the ranges had the mirage like quality of seeming to float ridge on ridge upon some upper crystalline stratum of the atmosphere low lying miles ot of dust haze concealed the massive base 0 of the foothills sierra nueva held for or him a strange magical fascination as it held for anyone who looked upon it but the fascination lay really in the tact fact that the mountains were real and not another of the false shirting desert mirages that termed formed and faded ceaselessly in other quarters ol of the compass doane could trace the blue black creases of 0 canyons in the skyline divides water ran down those canyons in his fevered imagination doane could hear the ue life giving gurgling music ot of it his parched throat cried lor for its taste he resolutely turned his eyes away the upper ranges he saw so clearly were all ot of thirty airline air line miles away traveling to them the distance would be twice that tar far two days march over the desert tor for a strong roan man with plenty ot of food and water doane had bad neither and be was no longer strong the instant his fevered brain forgot that and his legs turned west he was gone that thought in itself was steadying in the quart canteen at his bis hip bip there remained perhaps two full swallows of warm stale water he could sometimes hear the faint swish of the infinitely precious stuff within the canteen doane was a man of strong will he knew the utter necessity ot of holding one thought and determination he had to hold out lor for twelve or fifteen hours longer walking continuously to the south perhaps it would take eighteen or twenty hours he had to make it to the south lay the railroad junction ot of sand wells and the distance could not be more than twenty five miles now he should walk two miles an hour as an average A strong man went twice that fast frequent rest doane told these things in spasmodic reassurance at sundown he would drink the rest the chill chili of the desert night would help him on uncontrollably his mind began to center on one thing on the single swallow ot of brackish water he would allow himself at sundown one swallows swall owl he could taste it now feel it run deliciously down his agonized throat drop by drop he caught himself pulling at the canteen stopper in the act of lifting it to his lips the hour was not yet much past middle afternoon he cursed himself softly half a mile ahead a little le n nubbin of rock thrust itself above others on the desert floor doane studied it ile he measured the distance mentally half a milel mile A fiftieth of the distance back to sand wells he began to count paces one two three tour four five nineteen twenty twenty one fifty lour four fifty five thaes madness mad 1 doane muttered through his stiff ups lips get hold of yourself man mani his stride became more determined ter mined and steady with the hard driving force of his will behind it but it seemed that the count would continue in the very beat of his pulse miraculously after a quarter of an hour the count popped into his bis brain one thou thousand sandl he must have underestimated the distance for or the rocky nubbin seemed as far away again he stumbled anger at himself flooded through his brain he pushed himself up stood there trembling flats fists clenched he was giving fatigued ati gued muscles weary flesh the upper hand that sinewy bard young body of his that had once been so strong was betraying him no it doane give up he had bad never given up he gloried in that as other men did doane tall fall he moved on OIL after a while he stumbled again the desert can strike with appalling swiftness it was in tact fact less than forty eight hours earlier that an eastbound train had made the customary halt at the sand wells tanks for water As the train moved on again tour four men stepped from the dusk shadows along the track and swung gingerly onto the rear platform of the last car one moved swiftly through the train until he stood at an entrance tour four cars ahead the man who followed on his heels caught the conductor and the brakeman forcing them into a washroom at the point ol of his gun the porters were vere intimidated as easily as the passengers the four rear cars were plundered with a swift effi efficiency clency A hatful at feminine jewelry was flung into the bandits stetsons the final checkup of 0 the currency taken totaled better than three thousand dollars the jewelry estimate ran almost as high two miles out of sand wells the emergency cord was pulled and the train screamed to a sudden halt the tour four bandits dropped as suddenly from the coaches and melted into the night the ile alarm of course had been swift and sand wells was an isolated point railroad detectives closed in on the two ends of the line possible roads of escape were carefully blocked distant city newspapers next morning ran lurid accounts of the daring crime arrest of the tour four highwaymen the papers stated was momentarily expected but sheriff sam flick reading the headlines in his office as sure as the editors about that Shuck sl he had said when the alarm reached him at eight on the evening of the crime Shuck sl st mighty little use watch in the roads all ali them railroad do is to pull half a dozen assorted bums and hoboes hobles oft off the freights the outfit that pulled this trick looked harthern far thern its nose flick sent a hurry call for help to the one man he wanted above all others on this job he sent tor for jim doane when that lanky gray eyed individual sauntered into the office two hours later the sheriff of san loreto county leaped to his leet feet so here you are you loafer you NJ 41 A R I 1 0 6 t 1 11 I gotta have you on this case dad busted globe trotters hold up your handl bandl do you solemnly swear wait a minute wait a minute nol no I 1 dont swear a thing not nol blame your hide sheriff eating you im not ready to go to work least ot of all on an outfit of wristwatch thieves let the railroad round up its own bad men no but jim pleaded the sheriff 1 I gotta have you on this case I 1 know you said six months ago you going to spend your life hunting down your fellow citizens you FOU said that when you resigned and went east but now youre back and I 1 gotta have help the sheriff dropped back into his chair why did this have to happen to me Suf dufferin Su flerin ferin wildcats if pulled it a mile down the track been in the next county only lust just a milel he jumped up and paced the boor turning fuming while doane dropped into a chair without warning flick stopped dead in the middle of the room and shot a question youre going to do just one little scout down that end of the county tor for old sam aint you jim raise your yo ur right hand do you solemnly swear jim doane leaned back in his chair and laughed heartily you know sam he be said at length if you were a girl and this was leap year have me bothered you sure look bothered yourself now just supposing I 1 took this case tor for you which im not saying I 1 will mind you what would you want this one man posse to do raise your right handl tell papa the A broad grin of relief swept over the sheriffs leathery face ace he wiped his bis forehead with an old red bandana 1 I knowel stand by the old man jim so I 1 talked with the railroad got a box car over on the siding lor for you right now get your hoss boss and a spare mount it if you want it an git aboard in half an hour the eastbound east bound hound express pick you up drop you oil at Max mammilla milla city oil off the end ol of the express some time before midnight from there if this division superintendent aint a liar you get your own engine down over the cutoff cut off to the other straightaway an so back to sand wells you aughta get there by sunup tomorrow youre in a powerful hurry sam all the rush flick stared into empty space for or a minute then turned to his prospective spec tive deputy with the expression of a man about to make a clean breast of things Shuck sl st I 1 hate to tell you jim for a tact fact I 1 do truth is some 0 them big eastern papers Is plumb anxious to get my personal opinion on this holdup an if I 1 told em cm id be a laughin stock from here to both coasts the folks around hered laugh themselves sick what is there in a holdup to laugh at flick fidgeted fact Is I 1 got a hunch that a girls had a hand in this job an everybody else that knows about its got the same breed 0 hunch you know that alvaro girl that make some juicy copy for them papers if it turned out to be true something So methin like southwest sheriff foiled by schoolgirl what say an what all thin kirt why all the rush jim doane he ran a warm and trembling finger around his wilted collar ashes been raisin cain jim all the time you been east star la rue was in to see me again about her just last week he claims ashes run off half his tat fat beef stock this spring an about two thirds of his calf crop as well stars got some good hard ridin cowhands himself but just tied to a hole in the ground when it comes to cat catchin catch chita ln her anyhow one 0 ne of us is just about forced to pay a visit down there pretty soon doane if only to stuff so methin in star la rues mouth an shut him up why I 1 sent fer you youre the only one of that worthless bunch I 1 can count on I 1 doane stared at him the alvaro giell you think the alvaro girl was mixed up in a train holdup shucks sam I 1 know that kid I 1 met her at a dance once she dance with me and I 1 never found out why but she stick up a train anyhow all the passengers say it was tour four men nobody saw any girl what about that the sheriff answered with a question of his own reckon youve heard mention of the old rancho de los tres hermanos debbe so youve heard the name of senor don plo pio miguel alvaro bis bissell self in connection tion eh yeah sure drawled doane he was her father he sold the ranch to la rue I 1 know all about that there Is some that says old plo miguel alvaro exactly sell to la rue said flick slowly his eyes glued on doanes expressionless face them same hints at some thin else that la rue might even a stole the place more or less that aint ex exactly aly neither here nor there fars this bustness business is concerned but I 1 reckon you might as well do some th inkin bout the connection between old grandee plo pio miguel alvaro and this here daughter 0 his youre goin after also bout some 0 the things star la rue has been right determined to impress on me star says she ashes 3 got some of the old time vaqueros ros from rancho de los tres hermanos ridin with her II if so be pretty smart lemen mighty likely be smart in other ways too ysee debbe things going so good with this here miss alvaro debbe them riders is back in their wages debbe with the right sort 0 brain em cm lust just how it aughta be worked they might be smart enough to hop the express as it pulls outa sand wells yeah I 1 guess that might happen doane replied but shucks sheriff a rustled herd of 0 stock or two is one thing il if ashes sore at star la rue about ahat ranch business whatever it Is but sticking up a train is something else again even it if she has a little nerve A uttley litt lel interrupted flick say it if you think ashes some gome sort 0 common spineless mex you got another think comin colln the alvaros were spanish ameri americans cans which Is as white of 0 skin as you and me a sight handsomer an pounds prouder by disposition no matter replied doane lets say the girl has nerve and friends down there ashes known as an alvaro which means things she engineers a lob job or two 0 stock rus ahn from star la rue because ashes sore he owns the old alvaro ranch she gets her friends to do the work figurin gurin fl she can use the head then comes the big idea of a full fledged train robbery that what youre trying to te tell U me TO BE CONTINUED |