| Show S By DY DAO 0 MOIL o y no B A dH BEGIN r TODAY Buck Boding Bodino new owner ot of the theold theold theold old Webster place In Valley Incites the Basques to blow blowup blowup blowup up a dam built by Dick Acklin big boss bOBS of the Double A ranch During the tho skirmish which rot rot- fol follows lows Esteban Arrascada Is so- so se severely verely wounded BodIne In 10 bose e sith Ith Estebani Esteban sister Mercedes holds bolds her little bun brother d Bu- Bu Batile Ba tile 1110 GS liS hostage and forces torce the gIrl to call at his lila ranch Buck sends a it menage to Mercedes sign signed ed Cd SOW OW OW GO 0 ON WI WIlH ri-i ri STORY roHY Mercedes did not know how long she ohe hid h been asleep when 1 hen she sho was of somo sonic one creeping g stealthily up the thesta lone sta stairs In Irs It was Short Shorty Ho lie had cral Sl pral times tim and noD no D an- an answer ewer had begun the house bent hent on picking picking- up what what- I er eer trifles he lie could find rind and at atthe atthe th the same time Intending to mal make that he hart had not left him I elt open to flodine's Bodines displeasure V h n Mercedea throw threw open her bier door and fad faced ed him he lie was sas as the themore I more morp frightened of ot the tho two Rut But Shorty sea ana truly an m e looking II-looking figure as an she saw him standing In Inthe Inthe I the lI light ht that streamed on him What iou OU want here she de- de demanded d You the Senorita 1 Shorty questioned In turn I I am sin hat Is It sour lour our business I t got cot a letter for l QU u Ho brought it forth for from a II coat pod pocK coat rt ci I been bei n for tor ten tn min minutes utes I t think they was any anyone anyone anyone one hom home Mercedes Merceds read rad tilt the note Bote hastily Her heart hEnt beat heat fister Ister as sho she re rec- rec rec og strange letters II H ass then You Tou are one of ot Dolline's men huh she asked Yes mam Wo 13 bin together a 0 long lone time You You h hue hsie e qc een d n v brother then He l 1 Is not hurt I No Xo He lIe all rr right ht unies unless s hed he'd Cried to death Oh I wish Ish iou ou ou had hall brought hIm h bier fp Mercedes Well lady Buck was WIlS afraid they wouldn't be any thIn loft o 0 othis place I bin hours gittin gitlin here h r roI I got a II rig to tike lIke you OU In Weli Velt haie 11 e to go round b by the tho Inn muco road to make It The girl r weighed what hat she w w doing for all of her he excItement ns as she he followed Shorty dol lr to lila Ills team Sho had good rea rca rca- rca on ton on to feir Bodin but she hat haI halto to toto po to to Bullo At least It would be dawn flawn is 1 when hen hn she arrived d ther thereIn there thereIn In answer r to a a sudden she h snatched a a pin from her dress and as she he stepped i the ic- ic randa M-randa randa she fastened Bodines Bodine s a nor to the door i without attracting Shorts s attention Melody elody oud b sure to find it lucre With Ith a distinct sense sen of or r fear rr r s she e took her seat beside Bodine man alone with him in the ha ha- ha ha clenda with situ th it its old associations an ani 1 familiar objects object to gR Khe h e her hr cour cour- courage cour- cour courage courage age had been ben terrible enough be- be Be ing ing- Being ingin in the open with sith 1 Mm him lm In the dead dad of ot night was Infinitely morn terrifying As they sent nent ent on and anil tho walton wagon continued to rock tacIt rack and fortl fort the girl sirl became Her Ithe Ric I inc gle to keep to her end nd of th the sett began se to cease The man beside her hr Wt was wai no longer the looking evil evil thing he Ie had been Mercedes felt fait felther faither her head bend resting on hi his hia shoulder It sa was M soft sort and 1 com corn comfortable She sIghed filched contentedly By Ily the tho time they eRnie came to the maIn road she slept Shortys Shorty's arm sas around her hr to Keep her hr from rot falling the expression on his face facea ace a an emotionless motionless as ever In Tn this I Creek fashion they tra to Webster ebster They had not et there the I alien cuhen the note 1 1 eTs ha had pin pin- pin pinned ned fled to the lie door of ot the hacienda caught aught had Kents Kent's attention His had escaped and his first thought had been bren of ot the gIrl g and Ba Ulo The destruction of ot the dam cau caus caused ed ell Kent no regret For all of ot his talk Tuscarora a ass ft as a lawless old sou soul D had hol j I more In ii a second than all of or his bh weeks of patient or work nork Acklin InC got what hat he richly deserved deSerted II H might rant and Ills his bench hench henchmen ench- ench men nun tear their hair but the th dam darn 0 sas gone Some one would pay dea dearly for fo destroying fo it It if he were caught Catching him was something el else e ea claca a Inc aln t Thus in spirIt quite ing 1111 the accomplished d fact act he lie hat rIdden to Buen t Viet The fhe note nole on the door had caught hi his attention Imm immediately It toll him cry ery little If It Basillo tore vere ere at I Kent did not hot mm for a n c glancO LUte Like a Shado hen lie he n gou gone the night I Bodines Bodine's place where were sere liter Mer- Mer I II cds and Esteban He lie wa was sN searching the room rooms when ho he heard some one ride up VIlo Hello there lie he c cd are arc ou That you rora 1 tho the new newcomer newcomer corner comer Questioned anxiously Kent d s olce lIe ran dou do downstairs to meet him Wheres Mercedes and Blae Blare Blae demanded Aint no one hero here but me mn 1 must a a got away asay in time No Xo No no nol Melody brought her I here after acter the Iho lIam dam went out l Kent ent o a eyes widened and told him briefly of ot the n and of ot taking to hel e the held beld out h hope po fOI 01 the boy BodIne promised d to g t ci-t t Basilio to safety exclaimed She didn t know that w n hen Eho sho do dOin doII II here thou though h Guess GuS h he did I an- an an answered snored s Or what do iou OU make maKo cot of thIs Ho lIe produced the tho note I I found it pinned on the tho door ily My Ily God Godl Blaze groaned gone to Bodines Bodine's as sure as tatt atc ilee Hes deco ed her he there with ith thie But what hat happened to Melody He 1111 t hem hl heie when she leeched this note or ole she wouldn't have stuck It up liVe 1110 that It was as meant for tor him all right Damn It Il It Ie h he 1 hadn't hadn't had to fo go back hack to the tanch lanch to get here Id I'd d a been ben In time His jaws ls closed with a click Ito heeled on Kent with sith Ith an angry anbry gilt gUl tei tot tel in hl his hlf eyes ees e eR nn ant ant- an leh for tho the girl Birl matched Let Lets s not waste anY more time Blaze cried as h he flung himself Into his saddle Listen Kent lie sent ent on How long will alIt it take sot 1 to get the sheriff II Ho Ito may be In Paradise noW nowLand I Land nd a S a 0 friend of mini mine I phoned l I II Ind him bim as soon as I X beard heard the rion non He lie won t waste I any time get gt- gettin tin g-ct-tin Un tin up here from Winnemucca Well ell you get pst hint him as quick as that old nag of ot yours will III let lt 0 S Sear ear in all the deputies you cnn can and fan It for tor Bodines Bodine's place There Theres There's going to be bo hell to Pl thero In another hour Acklin I is goIng to S swine suing Ing hint him it If he lie can He He jo means business huh You You bet he does But Jut I J intent i ito to haQ haie ha e something to say aay sa about that I dont don't want him hung This party of Acklin's is going to v the fear tear of ot Go God l into Inlo an on old friend ot of mine Ive I've got to slop stop it some someway wa way Blare Blac wa was thinking of Shorty Still Blaze realized as Kent and he dashed dashel along that If the bIg biff boss and his mer men got to Webster first as was most mot likely the odd odds against being able to play for time until the tho sheriff sherif and hl his posse ar- ar ar rh rheul cd would make the effort almost almot hopeless The Tho CO hov racked hl his brain to invent some sonic game of cro cross s purposes by which he ho could no- no ac na accomplish this tills seeming impossibIlIty Ito He understood l fully too that even Iven lith the there It was no cot cot- certainty that Bodino would not b h It If Acklin Insisted on going through with his threat the tho law would bo ho sorely tried to stop him They came directly to tho the he a the tho road forked Blaze Blaic was ah ahead He drew up until Kent was him I Ii 11 bo there therl tore fore long pert and ond chipper too Tuscarora assured him Dont Dont Don't loss lose a minute Joe Im I'm going to try and catch Mercedes Mercede before she sho gets there It If I dont don't anything Is IR liable to happen Pit Ill stall until you comes come's come Kent did not turn for tor a back back- backi backward ward ivard glance Like a 0 shadow hadow lie he nas gone in the nIght had as rapidly lar r r across the alley the tile same urge for haste huta had taken possession of ot Shorty Ha 10 lashed lila Ills lagging las team tom into a gallop gallop that sent them theta flying over the tho miles overl And while whilo they hurried In the tho hIlls them unseen them unseen and un- un un i |
