Show GUNLOCK CSC RANCH SYNOPSIS Sleepy Cat desert town of the tho South- South wet Is celebrating tho the Fourth of ot July June Jane Van beautiful daughter of ot Gus Van hated owner of ot Gunlock ranch has arrived from the East for tor the first r t time thane She watches tho the Frontier Day celebration In company with Dr Carpy crusty crust tender hearted friend of ot tho the community Henry of or the Circle Dot ranch tricked In a n fake horse horae race the day before by Dave I McCrossen foreman foreman- at Gunlock plans revenge CHAPTER I Continued I-Continued 2 2 The TIle noon train from Medicine Bend brought a few more visitors to the Fairgrounds These made Just about n a load for tor Jim McAlpin's bus To one Medicine Bend end man Jim paid particular lar deference culling calling him kiln frequently by his first name but doing most of ot the talking himself all nil the way from the depot for his friend like most words sporting snorting men was spare of ot Bat But the moment McAlpin's favored passenger had paid his fair tipped the thc Scotch liveryman generously and l walked w toward the grandstand pin confided to those about him that this was the Ule celebrated Harry Tenison big tune gambler from Medicine Bend who talked of opening a 1 place in Sleepy Cat Sti and Lefever were In moody confab con tab behind the grandstand when the dapper Tenison approached pick- pick pickIng pickIng Ing lag his steps with disgust through the dust eyes lighted on the new arrival first He gave a great reat start Harry I he cried For the love o 0 women I Of Ot all men youre you're sent this minute from heaven How much Is this to cost Henry I asked Tenison pausing to dust eJust his shoes with an Immaculate silk handkerchief Lefever too beamed on Tenison Harry narry I he shouted For the love loveo o o 0 Mike how bow come comet comer Two of ot you commented Tenison calmly The clouds are I supposed youve you've been cleaned by this Sleepy Cat bunch and want me for a pay ofT Harry murmured lower- lower voiced and very sober Ill admit I couldn't have said It better myself Come this way Talk low The three found a quiet spot back backof of ot the grandstand The story of the cowmen was soon told It went Into sympathetic and unhesitating ears As with all gamblers who play big Ten Ten- TenIson's Tenson's sons lson's mind was soon made up I dont don't bank bant much on sure things but you two seem to know what youre you're about How much do you boys want A H A thousand Harry Barr Tenison thought a minute Is Jake Spotts In n town Here on the grounds If hes he's not up at the saloon Hunt him up Hell He'll have a few tew hun hun- dred Ive I've got a few tew In my pocket Wheres Where's the boy that pulls this stuff for ol you 7 Come over to the horses and meet Bill Denison Were We're keeping him dark darl They think hes he's a hostler bostler Tenison when Introduced looked over oyer hope In his usual cold cold- blooded fashion Jake Spotts the pro pro- profane profane profane fane shop barber magnate ap ap- appeared appeared appeared meantime Tenison asked for tor six hundred dollars Jake counted his roll He showed four hundred odd Give me the four Jake said Tenison calmly I cn get nil all nl you want up at the bar Harry suggested Spotts thin tall bald beaded bald headed Jawed hollow-Jawed and hollow- hollow eyed Theres no time to make the trip Jake Interposed nervous The races are pretty near over and the trick ridin comes next No matter interposed Tenison Ill borrow a couple hundred from Harry noland Boland Why Bolands Boland's the Gunlock outfit All AH the better Id I'd Just like Uke to dou dou- cross ble-cross the Within the next five minutes he was talking to Boland Bolan 11 next on the program asked the Medicine Bend gambler after the preliminaries Trick ridin said bland Boland Chance to lick Ick up any money mone on onIt onit It Sure It If you can place any money Bet net on McCrossen ridin for Gunlock Gu lock The rustler rm Hell hes he's foreman at ut Gunlock now I suppose Van wouldn't feel easy If he had an honest man for tor him All right If It you OU say sa Its It's Mc Mc- McCrossen McCrossen fc- fc Crossen lend me a couple of hundred Harry Id I'd like to make my fare up hip here anyway Boland counted out two hundred dol dol- dollars dollars dollars lars and handed It over oer Tenison hand hand- handed handed ed half halt of It back to Boland Put this on McCrossen for me me Ill Ill I'll see If I 1 can place the rest on him myself Who's ridin against a him Two or three buckaroos The Circle Dot outfit have entered a young fellow well we'll well we'll clean em same as we did yes yes- yesterday yesterday tenJay predicted Boland BolandI I heard about that that suckers suckers will always fall for it Harry Well Ill I'll go over and talk to and Lefever Lefever- see eee If they got any un money mone left maybe left maybe I T can get a small bet bet Roland Boland was fat and short He lie never breathed easily but he lie would not have been able to breathe at all aJi If he had hall heard the next talk between Tenison and How flow does It look to you Harry blurted out Like many things have looked be be- before before fore tore they dont don't always look 1001 so good after arter Heres Here's Jakes Jake's four hun bun tired dred Im I'm addin six hundred that hundred that by H. H Spearman Copyright Frank Fr H. H Si Spearman n Service makes your our thousand I dont don't know about that cigarette cI arette trick I never lIer lIe r saw It done but once Where was that In Madison l Square Garden Who pulled It A t young oung fellow f fellow n a Texan Texan Texan-I I didn't get his name From the thc judges judges' stand came the I clang of the boll bell The Jockeys jocke's rode up to hear henr the decision When they the had hall ridden away awn the announcing judge jud e called for tor the contestant In the next t event event the the fancy fanc riding Four entries rode up and were checked In First came Caine McCrossen Gunlock foreman tall taJi and spare long longhaired haired and antI straight as a n statue riding the Identical mare that had taken the Circle Dot money mone the day before Next for entry came a n Gunlock brave bran accoutered with banded hair In scant Indian fashion The Thc third hope was a local boy In brave apparel The fourth to ride up was the night wrangler of oC the Circle Dot outfit not outfit not an nn alarming threat either In looks or orIn orIn orin In reputation lie He rode the horse on which he lie had hall been so badly beaten the day before Lefevers Lefever's little chestnut gelding Ills his personal rig was Incon Incon- Having been worn the whole way on the thc drive from the Rio Grande wear and find travel stain had hind made them them- themselves themselves themselves selves sensibly felt on It Three judges had been chosen to name the victor victor JIm Jim Laramie a north north- country cattleman himself a n rider of ot no mean ability John Selwood a n min min- mining mining ing man who likewise knew how to toI toI toD toW D W d G J Y 1 t tt t JI I Suppose Youve You've Been Cleaned by This Sleepy Cat Bunch ride and an sheriff ex Bill now now a deputy and deputy and who rode like a n tub but matched any man In the moun moun- mountains talus as a connoisseur of ot decent liquor li liquor li- li liquor quor and who would drink nowhere In Sleepy Cat except Jake Spotts' Spotts The first test came In style Indian riding This meant bareback first with bridle stripped then with bridle The Reservation atlon entry was at home in this It made a pretty picture the half half- naked young oung brave racing around the track throwing himself from side to side sille and backward and forward on his pony gave him a hundred points and waited for the next man The local boy passed out on this test McCrossen made a splendid showing but hut his size was against a him for that style st le of horse horse- manship The wrangler almost as has large a man seemed able better letter to twist t and ane wind himself around his gelding The last time he raced down the course cOUlse It looked at a distance from the grand grand- grandstand grandstand stand as If the horse had lost his rider so completely did dill the wrangler hide himself on the opposite side The judges at least decided that no buck they the had ever er seen ride could coule hide himself more effectually from a foe they foe they gave ga the Texan lexan par with the buck McCrossen fell fel a 11 few points un un- under under un- un under der the two t Wild West Nest riding followed In this McCrossen made malJe a perfect score Ills His long lithe litho body In action his perfect ease and his striking garb brought en en- enthusiastic enthusiastic applause The fhe he wrangler now well wel thought of was a disappointment In this test lIe He got through all alJ the work but seemingly unevenly and with an effort ellort He Ile dropped led to eighty points with McCrossen at par Even the local boy and the Indian I dlan passed him Looks like yesterday over o again said Harry bland Boland disposed to jeer at Guess your our boy shot his bolt bolton on the first round The laugh seemed to bore Into Saw Saw- dy We Ve dont don't quit yet he ho blurted out like one burned baffled but not beaten heaten though Ill I'll say sa I have seen the boy ride a whole lot better What do you OU think Harry Barry Boland was appealing now to Tenison who stood near at hand Loop Looks like the wrangler Is through assented Tenison Backing Hacking then to one side and speaking loud loue to bland Koland he added Put that money of ot mine on McCrossen hes he's he's hes got the act In the bag Well better luck next time Henry said Boland resuming his prodding of ot I dont don't ask any better luck retort retort- ed My Iy boy bo Is the best rider In this bunch hunch an I know it it Henry asked Boland bland hn have c you got any money that says that fairly hated the sound bound of ot the fellows fellow's sneering voice olce The boys boy's Just Navin an off spell spell might might be all right next event ent But Jilt you wouldn't bet on n It In looked at his tormentor grave rl ly Iy You want n bet het eh eli Sounds like it don't dont It What you jou give Boland turned to to laugh lauh Heres a n man with the best fancy rider riller on earth futh and askin odds on him Askin skin odds on him today only ex ex- explained explained defensively lIes Hes just justoff justoff justoff off color today toda Boland sneered again An there aint oln to be he no trick ridin tomor tomor- row That's a n fine proposition of ot yours Henry Ill have o my boy bay bo In the saddle to to- tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow morrow for any kind of ot ridin you name against any rider you ou name re re- retorted retorted re- re retorted What odds you ou askin asked Boland bland dangerously near to a sneer as he questioned On the the boys boy's made re re- responded responded Impressively and only on the chance he lie can pull himself to to- together together together gether by 11 tomorrow Im I'm askin two to toone one How lIow much do you Jon cover at that All 11 you ou can raise snapped Boland Roland Ill go you a thousand two to one The judges' judges bell clanged changed for the trick rid rid- ing In consternation rushed to toward to- to toward toward ward the stand Hold on on he lie cried throwing up his hands Five minutes gentlemen just gentlemen just five the minutes ho shouted My 1 man Is his hits boots Five minutes please Does Docs It take him five fic minutes to take tale oft off his boots bellowed Bill Pard Pard- aloe I cn kick mine off of In five sec see Start the ridin I ordered Bill clanging the bell hell Impatiently For Tor Gods God's sake Bill 1 l shouted hold on hold on on- on give me at least three minutes If It n a wink from the foot of a two-story two bal bal- balcony balcony balcony cony might be described as stentorian such was the slow agonizing wink that cast up at the Impatient judge looked at his watch Ill rn give you two minutes he said sternly Be De ready read or default But flut both men quite understood that this remark was for tor public consumption rather than lit lit- literal literal eral enforcement raced hastily back to Boland who In fact had followed him part partway partway partway way to the stand You said a thou thou- thousand thousand sand at two to one panted He drew hastily from his pocket a roll rollof rollof of bills and laid the thc money In Tenison's hands Count that that there they're mostly ties Now Boland put up or shut up Just a minute I Boland conferred with his cronies cronies cronies-a a group of ot them were already about him There was a turn turn- turnIng turnIng turning Ing sidewise a digging Into pockets an assembling of ot wads the thousand was hurriedly put Into Tenison's hands Boland was excited particularly particularly calm Boland noland he said saM casually Im hungry What do you OU mean Im hungry for another thousand same odds Like hell I guess pulled from another pocket a second roll of ot bills Put Iut up bland Boland or shut up Justs Just's you like Ill I'll bet you on five hundred more even money mone It was purely a bluff but It t brought an unpleasant sur sur- prise I 1 want to be bc fait fair fa h Harry HalT Boland retorted justs you ou was yes yes- Put up your five fife hundred bud bud- dy Ill I'll cover It It The words were a blow Ilow to Roland Boland s not even cven pausing to Insist on odds as the money went up told him halm that somebody somewhere had loaded something hustled back to the tha stand and winked anew at The bell clanged The fhe contestants rode up The wrangler wran ler now as Jane Van Yan saucily whispered to Dr Carpy sitting next to her was a symphony s in brown from front head to foot foot foot-a a skeleton skeleton skeleton eton brown jockey cap call fitting close-fitting brown Jersey brown Jersey riding trousers and low lo soft brown boots made malle up u his rig McCrossen clung clun to his scarlet sash and silk shirt nor shirt nor had the Indian or orthe orthe the tile local loal boy bo changed As the riding went swiftly forward and the thc feats grew more tho the boy and the Indian were eliminated McCrossen took these stunts readily the wrangler riding fourth and easily In all al the tests after him These two riders seemed Indifferent In all aU the earlier feats They Thc rode standing feet first or head first twirling rilles rifles turn turn- turnIng turning Ing like lightning In the saddle to face forward or backward at full fuU speed The crowd sat bewildered With the struggle gle narrowed to the two seemingly seeDling matched even riders spectators began J nn g-nn to wonder how the thc contest could be decided The judges after conference asked for tor a n further trial of ot the familiar feat of ob ob- objects objects objects from the ground Already these feats teats had been made madea a feature and creditably performed But some word had Ime reached the Judges that there might be further possibilities ties In this field The two contestants were asked askell to propose prO their own stunts tossing for to first choice Mc Mc- McCrossen McCrossen Crossen won A ladys lady's white handkerchief chief was dropped and riding at ut speed sll ed turned backward In the saddle Mc Me- McCrossen Crossen picked It from the ground wrangler followed suit with easy re re- result result sult sulL TO VE BE |