Show 1 I 0 t th he surviving of arica erica too tit lit to torm form a society there merles Bi being aa a few g of the later onea ones left let they cou could id w wll 40 h include iad aa kandall adall 16 a and d give alv ra the position post tion historian n of 0 the ari 04 imerson dy the death Ern ereon hough wai was a distinct loc loss to 1 0 that narrow circle of writing men who have m made a d e a il tudy of lot the old wet wes and even accompanied if its 00 diminishing frontier randall par rish rah Is 1 one of the cow t w remaining who ho saw a con sid Id erable portion W et of the untamed i region west and P southwest of the missouri Par risho experience with the wet west goes roe back to 1879 when he entered the of law lit ill a port portion upon 0 of kama kansas still till associated with the santa kant fe trail and partaking of the wild characteristics of that celebrated thoroughfare of the cattle budner bL aIness it in all probability the country grew too tame iame or hie his chosen profession prolee ilon too pr O 0 1 abc tor for he deserted both in the arar aly beigh ties and mind became a prospector I 1 la nw now mexico exico and arizona A an the number slumber ot of newspapers new papers increased in the tacit V est the demand grew grow for men cam familiar r with the country who aleo also could write parrish entered the profession clon of c journalism and followed it for a considerable period a career which eventually led him into prominent con with dally daily paper papers in denver sioux city omaha and land chicago out of a rich and varied experience accompanied a acom panted by natural power powers of mar atlon came the ble urge to write and novel novels ilia jus first book appeared in 1864 and has ha been followed by sue a list x t ot of works a appealing pealing to a c constantly 0 a widen circa circle of read erg hat he stands and well we 9 I 1 toward the t top among american writer writers in the me matten matters of output and popularity 0 UI Arity it he I 1 li s an apostle of the virile and thrill inc and divide divides his hi ability about equally y between detective stories borle and ro mantle iniX western tales sometimes ho comb combinas inos the two as a in gift of the denert desert a a thoroughly aly western tory story in which appear an entirely nw now type of ecret service mn u CHAPTER I 1 the choice wae was a wooer tui 4 to 0 be twenty three fail of 0 hope ana end a abbl ibl un aad in the wide out of doors core more wonderful still to the glorious lOri oua memory ot of nearly two years in the hoP hospital pItal of france MX aft months of that time juet just behind the american fighting line yet the girl as not thinking of thia this then an she he eat sat there thorel alone at the edge of the ravine tax ln ing silently ellent ly off across the dull leagues ef of desert to where a distant bluet wise rate of mountain mountains cut off the view with their ragged summits while arching over all hung the clear arizona eky sky slowly turning tarol nr to purple she me coni pared that clr kissed vieta vista with other sunsets in feanie and ger many when the ground was yet red with the blood of sacrificed manhood her heart ached till still with the mad ad memory that would not die hours of oll scenes of suffering but this dibel A bad had also passed away and now although her eyes were still apoi upon that outspread picture below her thought had centered upon the present in a dull wonderment at the strange situation surrounding her why bad had ehe she ever listened to the plea of old tom li meager feager back there in chicago and finally partially from pity partially from that new love of adventure en gendered tendered within her by service across the water agreed come west est with him of course she he never reyer had dreamed what it really would be like life on this vast Is ted ranch along the southern on thero bort doriler bo ler riler ith the drear wrt drenching trenching tren ching ably on every side aroln this little oale oasis of nater and gr bvm had never told the ie ft hole tory story he bed nd dwelt on the loneliness lonell nei of his sick nick wife the chalice she he had of regaining health with proper nursing and care the rare beauty of the sunsets sun sete the wonderful how of the cool desert detert nights the wild id free existence of ot the range billea with excitement and find a dish aish of danger it all 11 II 4 had appealed t bolier vier strangely the e service sem ice the complete comp lete change in en Tiron ment the escape from the hum 1 drum m life of the marine hospital the ally was wa good the opportunity excellent and ahe she had said yea yes without a realizing then what it all mant biant but she he realized re allied now those first few w week weeks had been glorious indeed rhe found und everything new ut attractive 9 with romance and color she k ed mra meager and discovered I 1 her r ink to be an easy one her time largely nt at her own disposal but blit it ih a lonely terribly lonely and after 0 as to fielt few fow weeks nothing seemed it ocr cur to break the dun dull monotony a ty miles oyer over a half oalif rated d desert ert trail troll to the nearest near est town i that at little atle mor more ahn ha a ditore t a general Bc 1 a 4 cattle corral the link linn only h lit there and the ute ch illation had t left to the e east eastward waird were the rails of the nilla a tl ID ny 7 by r deo dc I 1 J lie week hollowing following eek aw i tho the hamd faces heard beard ule the voices rule riders from the outer brin CA la ill with their reports 11 gIlle parthe the flee of il w tu strayed lato into tho th dwart 1 Uh believer the could ahe she rode iode about abou with old tom meager in aali an out the ravines and ani occasionally far beyond into the vast sand mains listening to his quaint take tales of adventures and helping him round up tip of forayed stock she became expert in the maddle learned to use a gun skillfully and even picked up some keovil edge of the lariat thus little T little she bad had adapted herself to the boulli life determined to keep hir word but nevertheless growing constantly stant ls etiore and more heartsick I 1 shen hen tom meager came to his death riding home lt alone lor from nogales pt rt night in the dark of silver canyon his horse slipped and anti fell and meager lay there on the rock motionless A packer found hia his body the next day ond and brought it on to the ranch in some a may the message of t the old man a 8 raising crossed the border line down fur far into od id mexico 31 exico until it readied the ears 01 ol his son I 1 i god alone icons here where three days after the burial this wanderer of many years returned droe ills his saddle horse I 1 into tho the corral and assumed control whatever be his legal right there m ana as none to oppose his boll bol I 1 assumption of authority or management tho the widow lay helpless hel ples on her bed she was not the boy boys mother and lie ile never so much as crossed the thresh bid d of ot hr room it if there had been a wilt wil no one searched scar clied for it or made inquiries by sheer force and au all rob bob meager took command asking permission ic tf nj na one for some daye days after ahli archa the girl did lot een encounter new master from dawn to dail he was in the saddle familiarizing himself with every detail of oe his new dons she bad had no desire to meet mm him for long ago his sto sta stoy y had been told to her not by tiff tid tom who never bloke his NOD sons Z nawt nan or the patient invalid wife alfe but by other others jong in the meager service glad now of an 0 r unity to gossip with a stran stranger fer if waa t mici of ol 01 bae base ingratitude verging on crime oi ot sudden of vague rumor rumors flo atlig back from here and there bearlie be arLig the tale of a wild dl 1111 reputable life to her bob dob meager had become the synonym of all that was evil in this borderland yet now ilow through some strange play of fate he waa was here u at she was left loft helplessly in his power under his hi orders wholly holl dependent on him for employment the thought was almost maddening they finally net met the tile morning of the fifth day unexpectedly when without even knocking the fellow strode into the widows 8 room unceremoniously the girl in her lier nurse nurses uniform arose hastily to her feet ind and confronted the rude intruder indignantly her eye eyes blazing with sudden antagonism who are your he asree gruffly grof fly I 1 t 1 1 who are you he asked gruffly Gruft ly of doubt in the yet with a measure tone some poor POO I 1 rela re lather tiser that she it an n bad fig not jot quite as n rell relating eating hi his bannert yet en deavo ring ng to control her speech I 1 am mr Irea geen nurse nurle s urel ur el he sneered sarcastically ti cally I 1 good lord so OIL 41 man stood for tha I 1 did lie lvell OU con hardly expect me to it is more than MY mother eser had DO ou inov to I 1 am r presume you it mu st be nobert meager you gued guessed right rish t and I 1 ive va come co back here I 1 to run natlae rall ranch ch oa ou get mer A quite t learly aps yee oh you dt bya b wee ill en YOU youre un MM light lighten you att nurse you said 1 p soft job jok is sn t it i bt don t belle believe then there will aay X welt s for her having a nurse very long V ahat hat a you aw namer debarth meredith Mere dUh white 11 laughed teeth bowl a row of em sounds so and alk like a etory story book when where ud did the ou man pick plot aou ou up cpr my home Is n chicago its he r showed owed good t tal n t bay that for him YOU ro fire re some clait looker 1001 deborah borah meredith stale I 1 M dd d d lt if I 1 don t rather 1 like yow your H glance stared at her insolently his hi form ani out feature features auch much ai as be he might tae in the points ot of tome some animal he purchasing the 91 gid ia face aw flushed in but her eyes neier fell yo xou it sure do look rood good to me be h announced finally and I 1 don I 1 t belle believe e III fire you not yet anyhow it will III n not ot be at all ilece arT the she ald aid quietly 1 I shall hall attend to that for myself lou loll me ij you will 1 I 1 certainly shall oh h I 1 il I 1 spunky little tigress bin aint t sout aou 1 I reckon III hae halte me tiling thing to pay about eliat you mean you compel me to remain whether I 1 ufah wl h to or fotr not she he asked in surprise hy that cannot be done I 1 am not a slap it cant hey do ou on know where villere you aber certainly I 1 do by ck 0 d I 1 doubt it this Is the monger meager ranch in arizona there 0 aint another outfit within fifty in rollee ile and el cle us but desert there aln aint t no nater water an and I 1 no grass rm i i thing things here and nd you bet I 1 know how to run them you get me tm pm the boss before another weeks out every white lwhite roan mail on thia this will be hunting a ix job and therell there 11 be in their places I 1 know how to handle ilex do what I 1 say you bet they will so 1 deborah meredith how la Is it youre going to quit before ever I 1 say lion ou can aim alta to conf it across the alkali to nogales Iogal paT ten miles 0 that tut stuff would break your heart you bettar think it over she MW him clearly in the light of 0 the window and in spite of nf her nat ural courage the girls girl heart tank sunk alas as there any act of brutality the man would be In caps of ott he tie WM wu big burly with mith broe ra and a deep chest almost a ft yant I 1 I 1 ant or of a man but it was the face lil a bespoke 11 character brate brute waa was written plainly all over it seemingly tm im printed on ba every fearura fe atura yet at the moment the did not fear him film in n the he felt the coward toward skulk ing back of his bratis liness t F t 1 I prefer dihe h said quietly not ta duss the matter nor nov surely enfa was not why you came in it II 11 your nerve nerv e I 1 littley it Is I 1 ac le admitted no I 1 auxt 1 t come exactly for that but what wha teler Tr brouger me ive changed my rolph we well 11 ae 11 shingi go on just as a thel 66 on at ht I 1 reckon but don dont I 1 yop yon ever imagine I 1 am wu with al you law don dont t count for much muck out lierle titter sister an what I 1 ay goes esI I 1 she watched him ai as he danief and went ent out the door her hands clenched a ware wave of intense hatred after fter her yet in another moment she he ha amo conquered herself here elf and sad inove quiet back to the ide side of the bed on oil her patient lay sobbing she bent berit above the distressed woman 4 he 1114 Is woree worse even thou I 1 thought though tg she he eald said unable wholly to hide her distress dle trea what caused him to coin coral in heredo here da you t he lie came to sead me away it in wend the ober o ber clasping the birli hands I 1 I 1 knew know it would woula not be long be he hae has disliked me alfaye I 1 send you swirl why hy you cere iere hie his fa fahrs wife even if there wa wn no will aou nut have dower right rights la a the stat surely barely that I 1 li 8 the law I 1 11 II 1 I do not know wearily tom never explained anything te to me but but I 1 am afraid of bob meager D buot cros cross him dont don t arder himi 1 dangerous and I 1 am afraid ot of barit fop for i our take sake aa as well a ai my own I 1 what do you want me t to 0 do dot the firl questioned influenced by the timidity of the other let that beast have his own way with me met no so no not that but bt treat him fairly miss meredith he ile will not always be as he fie Is 1 today A As he ho said you yon cannot fight or run way ayt til depends on winning inning hl his favor then sometime there will III be a chance ll 11 V e mu cibit qt wait rd watch until 1 b in a mood to let us both go but even if there was a way for you o 0 to t escape alone you could not leave ir jr here in hie his power you fear bilm like if I 1 stand bet between beten en the man and thia this fortune I 1 h his father left my life Is worth nothing nothings noth ingI I 1 know that and deborah meredith looking down into the white face lying on the dillow made her choice CHAPTER 11 II 4 meager staso sta his ht it was the meriol roe oioi of t thi thil cene her promise to mrs meace and her dislike of bob mb meager abbell bat th girl unobservant of the he desert view outspread below and anti ot th 9 descending night she had sought this spot to be alone to escape all any jr possibility 11 of encountering hot and to turn over once more in hr h r mind the he condition s which rad tad made her there had t td aci d virtually a R aa L express IO 10 II 1 roana mans eye eyes ua that had frightened her more than alist bh herself an a insolent confess to would ere eren c bolA nells a sneed sneering ng dominance domi do naLce wych which haunted her memory with if its sinister inister threat he be was playing with ith with a mouse bid cut cat play plays her as a athe attl ife the r time to knew kw be he could afford ta t wait that alto N W WM RR utterly in hie his power als 1 very lence an and ll 11 loof friess nea increased her alarm h her dread of the morrow not IR day passed 1 without atness It ness loi a change in the per of th ranch she might not riot have observed thia bet but for her own personal per lional ukia don clon old tom meager world 04 never employ a mexican 1111 CAll on the place n not or trust them but now one liy 6 one ones the old harm hands appeared while swarthy SkIll skinned ned bjers appeared mysteriously to take their place places NN euthin I 1 rix days lay the transformation w wax a s practically ca complete and hub bob meager was surrounded by the of his hi own kind creatures of his will of that world he knew best ehte change to deborah mind ominous ot t evil it Ini her fear and rendered more t any possibility of tie tle aall wa alca her more tightly in what did this man plan to do with alth her the question coull not be nn an she he could only wait malt fearfully for his hi |