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Show II RJDER.QF WILLIAM PATTERSON WHITE ' ,-feaBBS Litdi bSZnUl Cbnpny xrw I BEGTX HERB TODAY BILIT tfcTNOO, good-natured and youthful range-rider of Golden Bar. disappoints the pang of cattle thieves and politicals who elected him sheriff when they thought ho was too easy-going to interfere with their law-breaking. II After Hazel Walton has saved hlin from being shot from ambush. Billy quarrels with Hazel, who wants him to resign from the office In order to escape danger. RAFE TTJCKLETON, wealthy cattlo thief, hires ' DAN SLIK K. professional gunman, to kill Tom Walton. Hazels on. le, and Billy Wingo. Judge Driver and District Attorney Rale are . partner In Tuckleton's scheme. TIT iVOORMAX, political leader, refuses re-fuses to have part in It and condemns con-demns the suggested murder. Simon Reclinot. another one of the cattle thieves, notifies BUI) that two of his cows haw been shot nnd requests an Immediate investigation. Something In his attitude makes Billy suspicious. GO ON Wn II THE STORY "No," he resumed, in a tone that wa. unmistakably re!leel, ' it don't pay to go off half-cocked." "No, it don't.." concurred Billy, won-I won-I derlnc greatly, both at the chance in I1 Simon's expression nml il.e r. not in 1 his tone. Why? lie desired to know why. For among his other vices. Simon Sim-on was friendly with Rafe Tucklcton and his precious gang. Billy Vln20 slouched casually past the window (brought which Simon was looking. He perceived, kicking his way through the snow. Mr Tom Driver, Driv-er, tho local justice of the peace. There was no one else in sight. Entered the Judge "Good morn-Ins, morn-Ins, gentlemen" was the Judicial greeting. greet-ing. "You're nt going anywhere, are you Bill?" he Inquired. "Roelfoot's had two cows shot," explained Billy. "Shotgun and I are going to seo about It." " nly two cows." Raid the Judge. "You can send Riley Tyler instead. 1 have a little business to go over with von. Bill a county matter. And " "All right. I'll stay Riley. I guess you'd better go with Shotgun." It was pure chance that enabled Billy to catch the gleam of satisfaction satisfac-tion in Reelfoot'a eyes. Whyl was Shnon glad that he, Billy Wingo. was not goinr with him on the tran of the beef-killers? When Shotgun and Riley were gone away with Rfelfoot. Billy looked look-ed across at the judge and nodded. "What's It all about?" he asked curiously. "Jake Kilroe." replied Judge Driver. "He's been selling liquor to the Indians." In-dians." "He always has " "I know ho has And it's a disgrace dis-grace to the community. It's got to stop." The door opened and Skinny STilndlo entered. He laid a note on the desk in front of BI1 "T stopped ;it Walton'' said Shindle "and Tom's niece gimme this. She said I wan to be surf end give it to you as noon as I could." "When did she give you the note0" Billy inquired r.-i-ually. "Oh. round half-past two " Without another word Shindle turned turn-ed and walked out. Hilly WIngo opened open-ed the rote. "Dear Billy: "Please come out hre as soon as you can. Come tonight without fall. I need you.'" It was signed with Hazel Walton's I full name. Billy unfolded Ihe nnt read It I again, then tossed If into the card-I card-I board box that served for a waste-J waste-J paper basket He crossed the room to an open I door giving Into one of the Inner room. Passing through the doorway he pushed the door partly behind him. ' Billy applied his eye to the crack between be-tween the door and the jamb! Billy saw the judge lean forward, iduck the note from the box and dive noiselessly across the room to i the stove. The judge opened the fsiovo door and dropped the letter on the top of the blazing wood. Closing the door noiselessly as he hail j pened It, the judge returned to his 'chair, sat down and crossed one knee over the other. j Billy returned to the office. The Judge mad'1 to rise ' Well, I ' won't keep you any longer. We'll let I the KUroe business wait over a few I days " "Sir- down. Judge." Billy Wingo murmured softly, his hand resting ns if b chance on the butt of the six-shooter, Sit down, do." "Judge," he remarked suddenly, "deceit and fraud should bo remedied reme-died on all occasions. Tell me why 'you put that letter In the fire?" "Give it any name you like," replied re-plied the jurist carelessly. "I don't feel like answering your questions " i "Tel h i while back you didn't mind answering any questions I felt 1 like asking. Was it to gain time, Judge to gain time till Skinny i Shindle came in and did his part with the note from Miss Walton? Dumb, huh'' Perhaps you'd rather tell me Why Simon Keelfoot acted about the ! same Way. 1 expect you were do- layed getting here, huh- Judge Simon k P' looking out of the window I alia time. I remember" 4UUl Bill -.t tin- judge pluck the note from the box. "Be advised." said the judge suddenly. sud-denly. "You can't buck us alone. You shouid know that. ' "I should maybe," returned Bill Wingo. "But I feel like taking a i ml k- with you So Instead of going go-ing to Kilroe's we'll do what the letter let-ter said and go out to Walton's today." to-day." The Judge lilted his eyebrows, We .'" "We," confirmed Billy calmly "You're going with me." "No," said the judge. "Yes." Insisted Billy Wingo. 'And what's more, I'll lend you a suit of my clothes and my white hat and my red-and-whlte pinto W hich there ain't another paint pony colored like mlno In this country; and just to make It a fair deal, I'll wear your buffalo coat and your fur cap. and I'll ride one of your horses." The Judge's face wore a curiously mottled pallor that gave It the hue of a dead fish's belly. "Arc you insane?" in-sane?" he gasped "Not me," denied Billy Wingo For a apace he considered the Judge then he said: "I guess we're ready fur Riley, now." Despite his professional calm the judge almost bounced out of his . hair. "Riley! Where " "In the kitchen with the door open." explained Billy "He didn't g. with Shotgun and Reelfot a-tall. Keelfoot wasn't completely successful success-ful In separating me from my depu-i depu-i tics. " I 'Riley," said Billy Wingo. ' I guess 1 we'll need another witness I won- tier if vou could Rot hold of Guerilla Melody ' "I won't ro." the Judge declared feebly. "You said that before, ' said Blllv Wingo, In no wise moved. "You'll go nil right. Io yon wanna know why? I II tell you. You see, Judge, I know what I'm up .iK.iini I know that the only barrier that stands between be-tween me and the graveyard Is the lead In thlK gun. 1 like llfp. I enjo It. Besides, I'm too young to die and too sinful and all lliul Therefore There-fore it s m business to see I ain't rut off In the flower of my youth, e.t cetera. It's my life or yours, and It's not gonna be mine " CHAPTER IX Guerilla Melody regarded the judge x if riOUl expression "Huh." he grunted, "Huh" "Within the nuartt-r-hour they rode out of a belt of roltonwoodH into the Hlllirvllle trail, three wooden-faced i men and the wretcned judge. The latter rode In front, with head bowed on hunched shpulderi A mile from the ranch house they climbed the shelving side of the draw and rode across the flat to whore a ! RtraKSHnir growth f pine and spruce made a black, pear-shaped blot along the smooth white slope of a saddle-backed saddle-backed hill. Beyond and Deiow thus spruce, where the draw met lower ground and lost Its Identity as a irri, wattle wa-ttle Walton ranch house The four men reached the trei rode among them Thr of them dismounted and tied their horses The fourth remained In the saddle. Said Billy Wingo to the fourth: 'Get down," The Judge got down Swiftly his hands were tied behind hli back, and his ees were thoroughly blind-folded with his own silk handkerchief. Guerilla Melody seized tb Judge's right arm and forced him into motion. mo-tion. Billy Wingo removed his overcoat From a voluminous pocket ho took what appeared to be a roll of cloth He shook out tho roll and discovered tho common or garden variety of cotton nightshirt, size fifty If whoover's In the house can pick me out from tho snow after wearing this, I'll give his credit " ho muttered pulling on the garment In question over his head. He buttoned the nightshirt with meticulous care, fished a washed flour sack from a hip pocket and pulled it over his head. Without any fear of being dls-coered. dls-coered. so confident was he that it would be impossible to see him agulnst the white background, ho approached the right angle end of the kitchen. At tho corner of the kitchen he dropped on his knees and one hano Here behind tho windbreak the snow was no more than two or three Inches deep, and he crawled along the side of the house toward a faintly glowing window that wa-s his goal. Inch by inch BI1IY raised a slow-head slow-head above the window sill For a long time he could soe nothing wlth;n the room but the fire In the fireplace and a big chair over which had been thrown a buffalo robe Then after a time he saw, beyond the chair, the boot soles of a man lying on the floor I The body of the man lay In the shadow shad-ow cast by the big chair. There was something about thoso boot soles that told Billy that tho man was dead. "I figured It would be this Way," Billy told himself. ' I didn't see how i S It could be Damn their souls! They don't stop at anything1!" I ontliraed in Our cxt issnc. |