Show OH AL Wr HARy RI SINCLAIR Da Il AGO GO f SINCLAIR oIo dOlPH MOtU I tW COPYRIGHT opy KU Hal I BY ey HC Ne A INC IN BEGIN HERE TODAY Acklin boss ol ot the tho Double A ranch and new owner o ot o ghe ho old Webster place plo plot to- to together to together gether to strati l the water supply from rom the tho Basques or of o Paradise Vat Vat- Val at Valley atley ley Jose Joso J oso Arrascada I Is shot am and I killed from rom ambush and I loaves leaves a t I Mercedes and ind nd 1 two lao 0 sons daughter and little blind Kildare one ono or of o Acklin s 5 men tall fall In lose lovo 10 e with Ith Merced Merced- Bo stes steals cattle from nod thu latter blames the Basques tor for ht his lo loss TOR 1 GO 0 ON WITH R Till SlonY Somebody's running in an trout troll on or our 01 over In to the Batus he ht hurst burst out They're OV l us and em cm out 1 r lias s U 1 ui to the Needles this s noo noon t hat wed we'd have to do to that t old ok road it if we he e wanted canted an ted to use It to tc I haul rock I pot got ot d a sight lIght ot or the hombres from there I I Acklin uncrossed his leg lazily lull Guess e 11 put a stop to that In a hur hurry Better Detter send i 1 couple or of the boys bos bo s over oser there to dr- dr camp cam camp p nd Ind Y Kildare the only sober one In tho the bunch I the tho foreman mut muttered scorn scornfully Cull The Big Ble Boss I hIs eyes Send end bend him he ordered H Hys Hy's 5 been spotted by the Basques by now O Cash sh I Y reckon ho wont won vOn t como come back until lIea bOR he got his m min minI n vt I et Melody go BO along Morrow started out out when AclIn called him back About the ro rock k ho began Ve Welo 10 going to need It The foreman a D mouth opened In What hat he cried Were Wert goin to- to Build our dam Cash flopped Into a chair In hl ae- ae actual ac actual tua I ph physical weakness When hen do we ac e ben he Inal finally asked In tn an a awed aced cd voice Tod Today Y Im I'm going gol ngo to to town n to- to tonight tonight night to-night night to get the stuff stutt started on Its way ay Kildare was glad or of o the chance to be he on Ills his own Ranging through the Buttes could oud give him himan himin himan in an opportunity to rec reconnoiter the mysterious house houe on Webster Creo being seenA seen sen seenA A glince at Melody showed that weary man swaying from side to tolido side lido as It if he ie slept But he man man- managed managed aged to keep one eo c o open as he rodo rodd along Guess the bed would look mighty good g to you iou 00 right this Blaze laughed Melad pulled his hh Ingersoll chair sod and nil all from an Inside rest lest cst pocket That's mv my alee alec he asserted as 05 asse he se held up the tho charm that dangled dan from the tho end ot of o his chain for Glares Glare's Inspection ma Blaze Blase e felt fell his pulse jump lump as he cau caught ht sight of it Beyond B yond the tho of i t doubt it was oas the charm harm that had mide the Impression Impression sion don In the sand Band on the rock rim rim e abo abose Canon Whored d you ou get pet this demanded anxiously I suppose It Us s yours ours the other other lashed backI back I know What hat rm talking about talking did y iou ou 00 pic pick It uP J A couple o days ago ngo In tn the theland out out- outside side out sand land around the post hitchin-post side ide the door at lit th the Bulls Bull sHead 3 Head Blase Bla la e handed handel back back his watch catch rio Im I'm goin eoln to keep this just juet be- be because be because cause ause Ho He held the charm harm in n his open pen palm paint The rhe red haired red red-h one had iad caught something between the lines Ines Blaze glanced at him him- Th The Theman man nan that owns this he lio went on on killed Old Ironsides CHAPTER CC The Cattle Hustlers With mth A slow of oC the team en by the slower I nosing mo Wash the destiny destiny- of oC Para Para- Paradise disc dise was as Indissolubly linked Inked Cash had bad the road In shape hope Where STere Martin Canon oar oar- narro nar narrowed rowed ro ed a cable had been een strung tom bank to bank bani The actual building o of tho the dam dons only awaited tho he arrival of or Wash and his pro pre probus precious pre precious cious bus load ot or dynamite I By means mean or of o a flume nume the creek had iad been diverted around the dam damo So o In complete safety far Car from Crom pr It log Ing eyes the tho structure too took In Corm orm In a bight in the shoulder of one of f tho Tumbled rumbled Buttes Buck and Shorty horty and Gloomy were ere busl bushy en- en en engaged aged in m a work cork ork that was as nothing hort I hort ot or art The good grass in tho he buttes lured the tho cattle there thereAs As is Cash had said Eald the steers were early leady for or the tho market This In inlay inlay- Inter sting fact tact had been perceived percel a y I hr astute stute Buck some Borne time back backis He is was now taking king advantage ad of oft It t to his own 0 n particular profit One or of o his first frt acts ac acon on taking 0 user er the Webster ebster ranch wa was to egister his brand a 0 circle Ircle W SP with Bae Back or of o his choosing this brand was woi concentration or f a n high order as will be observed I Running as many man cattle as they did lid the Double A branding was as bt al alwis l s carefully done There There- Therefore Therefore I fore ore about es 1 every cry fifth steer car car- carried car carried ried ried his Double Do ubi A mark slantwise 1 t N e tat i s f tl I II I I IThe The Tho hc boy hov v haul lial hI In tn truth troth beo become me methe the leader r 01 of his Ills people All AU took orders front flom young Esteban or even upside down But stop atop to contemplate th the metamorphosis that took look place when hEn one of ot these upside down brands was retouched A circle burnt around the Inverted letters letteri made them look Ionic like a W The deft placing of ot the arrow In di- di direct di dl direct contact contat with the bars of or the double A left no trace of or Acklin s i 0 a sucker AclIn Acklin t Is Bo- Bo Bo dine Eo-dine dine chuckled as ho he burned his hh points Into the snorting steer on VI which hleb he knelt Shorty and Gloomy loosened their ropes Buck kicked the steer II In Inthe the tho ribs and It dashed down the tho arro o Three tulles miles to the north or of o them P Peak ak raised Its rocky head On Its flat Clat surface a field field- glass field glass lass to h his Is eyes lay re Kildare Ideon das dais Melody and he had roamed the Buttes Glasses to his ee eyes Blaze red re- re re resumed his sweeping Inspection He again acain aln caught a hint ot or smoke to O the south A second and second and It was Iono ono But as he be watched a a tiny Mack black cloud rose into tho the sky and hung pendant He handed the lasses to Melody as another patch o yf smoke moke went vent up Somebody a fire tiro out lawn down there Melody muttered as ashe asse ashe he se looked Kildare was vas putting his saddle on s h its horse They are better than an hour head ahead or of o us is It'll HU be bo black night In in the canon canons In t two too 0 hours We Ve got of to be In the open before then It it s a just a chance let lets s a pound leather eather CHAPTER An Offer for or the No 0 hint of or the building of the thelam lam dam had reached Kildare 1 and Mel Mel- Melody Mel Melody ody dy 0 Ing to Morrows Morrow's vigilance and old ild Wash's rash's fondness for the tho might dollar no word or of t e wor work work had had bad passed the Double A Owing O to Mercedes care Este- Este bran Este-bran bran iran was as as well ell a as ever He kept ept the he hacienda d with Ith enough water rater for tor the baro bare necessities o 0 life liCe ife by sinking shallow wells In inthe tho he bed of or the cree creek Mercedes 1 had gone to the cemetery cemetery tery ery and was on her way nay home then hen she came cane upon Acklin look pretty bad down here sere Mercedes he be said with w a ashow sho host of or 0 I suppose YOU are re pretty well discouraged 1 My Jy people v were acre ere never cagily ca lly dis- dis dis discouraged In the t past Senor she ered with stith pride What v we e had tad wo we made for tor But But I don tnt t C wint nt to fight right lou ou Acklin continued In that same low uncompromising tone I ll II buy the tancho Hancho and gl gise 0 you vou ou a good 1 price t tIce nice Ice whit t h 1 Id d give aD anybody body else No No To 10 o We may starve yoU mAy rid even esen take the Rancho away root rom us by force But c will not sell dV Here comes comE'S Kent and your now nos You talk It over oser with I II stand by my Iny prom prom- promIse promise ise e Hello Miss l Mercedes Tusca- Tusca Tuscarora rora rora ora called out Without any preamble Joe moped jumped on the tho thing thine that was nos as on onis his is mind Brand and I got to the tho bottom ottom of ot this fight a little sooner onI I than han we ne e expected He stopped to regard the Dig Big Boss Ross ou ton pia play v it whole hole hog hoe or none don On t you Acklin a answer was as his stock grin ri n This This fight fl ht goes way be beyond ond allY fly question of ot water Tuscarora We We I toUn t oUn to suit iou Sou 00 It didn dida t matter as aft long longas longs as s our crowd was vas doing dolne the count count- countIn count In In a But with Brand gettin ready to o check up each vole sole ote and see that It went cent to the man mun it was cast calt for tor torwell roll had to bo be done SoI So I ou hit upon this scheme to grab thin In sight and starve stane us out tit of Or th county count at tho the same time It I o b been done before I CH CH P I Building the DamI DarnOld Darn Dam I Old Ironsides son moved mosed about 1st ton town n dv gh Ing log his commands with witha a new dignity that was as subtly reminIscent or of o his other father Romeo I dS as pushed aside ho took his Ills or orders ders ens from Esteban Tho fhe boy had in truth become the he leader or of o his people That evening in an hour before upset sunset thoy they were to strike In orderly they mot mosed ed edon on n the Double uble A wire When they ero ere within a mile roUe of It spread pread out to attack It ItI I tom rom the west nest and south bouth Guns were acre ere ready the will ill to do door dor door or r die dlo In their hearts hearth but not a 11 ashot ahot shot hot was tired fired The fence fonce was as unguarded A quick use uso of nippers and the theire ire ire was waa dov down n In double file ClIe I they ley trilled trailed up the dry bed of th the tream ream their Runs guns held ready Twenty wenty minutes brought them within sight of oC tho rho dead trees that thai I the this confluence confluence- of oC the Web Web- Webster Weber Webster ster er and tho the Rebel They stopped I Horses were acre left leCt behind here hereIn heres hereIn In s Indian fashion they swarmed I Iut list tho the face fice of or the mesa m on which 1 had lain the night the theaster thew water aster I dl diverted Esteban posted hi his outlooks eke and shovels took the tho of t guns With muscles primed tor r their task and a 0 will to fire them on they attacked the barrier lot had Impoverished them thorn The rhe very intentness with which they toy applied themselves kept them I rom om a miracle that was happening even ven as us they worked the swift current of or the Rebel ebel dropped to No I longer nger did It dash into the mouth or of ester The change chango was has slow and but over at BodIne In It lied been appallingly sud sudden j I den n Continued In Our Next Neat Issue I |