Show GUNLOCK RANCH 9 by FRANK H. H SPEARMAN V AW AWa IJ a Copyright Frank H. H Spearman Service SYNOPSIS 5 Sleepy Cat desert town of the South- South Southwest Southwest west Is celebrating the Fourth of July Jane Van beautiful daughter of Gus Gu Van hated owner of Gunlock ranch has arrived from tho ho East Fast for the first time She watches tho the Frontier Day celebration In company compan with Dr Carp Carpy crusty tender-hearted tender friend of the community Henry of the Circle Dot ranch tricked In to a fake horse race the day d y before by Dave Dav s McCrossen foreman at Gunlock plans revenge He enters Bill Dill Denison a handsome Young Texas wrangler In Inthe Inthe inthe the rodeo which McCrossen is favored to win and and lays heavy l av bets bets betson on hi hl Unknown to the crowd r I is s isa s sa a champion horseman horsem n- n n MC McA st 1 s and the young strang lie tte in roof 01 r ra 1 a n re various events iRs hand hand- handkerchief handkerchief handkerchief iii j a kerchief from theo round ding l full fult speed facing facing- backward Denison as easily easIly ily follows suit enlson enison then drops a cigarette carelessly careless Racing down the lie track full tilt lu picks up UI the tho ciga ciga- rette Tho The verdict goes to Denison Den Ison when McCrossen 1 refuses to attempt the stunt Entreated by the ilia crowd son lion agrees to perform another trick Jane Van is asked for Cor her bracelet and throws it on the thc track Just as Denison rides to pick It up a yell from Barney a Mc Me- McCrossen Ie- Ie Crossen henchman scares the pony pon nearly costing the rider his life Ilfe Gun play is prevented by b the tho Intervention Inter Inter- Intervention Intervention of Dr Carpy The young stranger returns the bracelet to Jane Back on Gunlock ranch after two years In Chicago because of her fathers father's Ill Illness ill ill- illness ness Jane gets lost riding In the hills hillsand hillsand hillsand and meets Denison now a neighbor who guides her home Not knowing her Identity he speaks bitterly of ot Van She tells McCrossen who brought her home and he denounces Denison as aa a cattle c. thief CHAPTER III III Continued Continued S 5 5 SIt It nettled her foreman lIes Hes the worst enemy your our father ever had In Inthis InthIs inthis this whole country countr Hes He's probably stole more Gunlock cattle than all the rustlers In the hills Bills I dont don't believe It i. i All A right dont don't exclaimed Mc- Mc McCrossen Ic- Ic j Crossen nettled Just ask any of the boys boys around the ranch Jane rode rote Into Sleepy Cat next morn morn- morning Ins ing with Lull Hull Page and when she had bad dispatched her business at the bank banle she walked up street to Carpy's s hotel She asked for Doctor Carpy whom she remembered from her visit two years before The doctor had a private office entered both from the hotel lob lob- lobby lobby lobby by and the street The doctor was somewhat surprised at the sight of trim erect girl eighteen or nineteen years ears of age ae and seemingly a stranger facing him Ob Ob- Obviously Obviously she was a newcomer to Sleepy Cat the doctor did di d not at n t once place her But his glance swept s everything thing about her like a flash her flash her cowboy hat her red open neck open neck blouse with Its dark flowing tie her sloping feminine shoulders delicate pleasing bosom and slender rounded hips tier her short brown riding skirt shirt and her soft tan boots The rig seemed right for her brown hair and blue eyes Doctor Carpy her voice was clear and her manner possessed Carpy nodded Despite his years the sight tight of trim girlish womanhood al- al always ways WIlS stirred the blunt old surgeon to graciousness The doctor doffed dotted his hat and set his bag down on the desk with an air of ot satisfaction Im Doctor Carpy But Im I'm glad to see you dont don't need me or any other doctor Why Doctor P Jane de de- demurely There was a sophistication In Inthe Inthe Inthe the delicate droop of her eyelids as she protested that did not escape the doctor It deceived him only as to her age hardly complimentary Doctor Carpy she ran ron on Have you forgotten Frontier day two years ago when hen we sat here on the porch to to- together together together gether and In the rickety grandstand to o see the riding Her Ifer eyes were laughing Doctor Carpy was flustered What Is your our name Not a very popular one in this coun coun- try Im I'm Jane Van lie He knit his brows Why that's maybe two years ago and It was a little girl that I talked to here on the Porch and took to the races Ill I'll be hanged I 1 Two years And youve you've sprung Into nto full bloom Full bloom oom 1 repeated Carpy in undisguised admiration you been ever since In Chicago You look exactly the same lame Doctor Cant say I feel exactly the same Jane ne ne he g saId His eyes still rested on her How lIow long were you sou out last tune time Only two months or so But nut Im I'm out B Low w to stay perhaps I I heard something lately about some women ROmen folks over r to Gunlock Gu lock but I didn't hear of ot you being over there there If It I I i had Id I'd have been over there myself S So 0 youre you're ure oure Gus Gus' daughter he mused p im I Dl his only child Doctor Never knew he had a child till yon u came out the first time You threw your bracelet out on the track n t you That Jat was partly your fault Doctor as It Well you got It lt back ack I dud but I r never learned the name Of K the e tuna man that picked It up All I It It IL l t L 1 could find out when I asked was waa that lint he was a rustler rustier You dont don't remember ber him do you jou ou Of course I do rho Who vho the hell said he lie was a rustler rUstle Why that's what they the told me at the ranch after we got gilt home homo Well ell youve you've got some sonic able bodied able liars at Gunlock one Gunlock one l.-one one In particular hos that No need to specify Well what's the name of or the he won won- wonderful rider riler who picked up UI the brace brace- bracelet bracelet let And the cigarette cl arette It was Bill Denison 1 nison Jane Jano started Imperceptibly lIes Hes living Ing here now on his broth brothers brother's brothers brothers ers er's hill ranch brothers brother's brothers brother's dead deall Well Jane what In the world brought you ou out ou t here Why Rhy h because Fathers Father's so Ill Doc tor Carpy nodded You Yon took care of him Doctor and recommended his go- go goIng goIn going i Ing In to Medicine Bend BEnd Bend- BEndIt BendIt It was pretty prett high for him here so so he lie telegraphed for me to come out to look after the ranch ranch- ranch Small girl for big hl Job as the In In- Indians Indians lans would say say Jane Jaue laughed lau what Father said when he lie saw me You know two years jears ago was the first time In his life hed he'd ever seen been me I never ne knew till then the the your the your our fa fa- father father father ther had hal a family Father was peculiar you know A little while after I was born he lie Just disappeared It was years ears before we en e knew know here where u he lie was Then he began be be- began gan sending money back bacle to Mother Iother sometimes sOn 8 but he never neter wrote a line Une Then Mother died nod and I went to live Jive I with my III Aunt Lunt Lou How lIow old are you lane Jane Almost nineteen Well well mused Doctor Carpy still regarding I his Ms caller benevolently So youre you're Van ran daughter I Iguess Iguess Iguess guess you ou take after your jour our mother The rhe doctor spoke evenly e but the Implication lon tion did not pass unnoticed Aunt Lou says I 1 do do she returned with composure So Father said sal too when I went to see him him at the hos- hos In Medicine l Bend last month And Andic he ic told me Doctor to come to see you about his bill I couldn't find one from you ou among the bills at the ranch Did Didou you ou ever send one Hell lIeU Jane I never sent a bill to anybody In my life Doctor exclaimed his caller star star- startled startled startled both at the expletive and the statement I never heard of a doctor who vho didn't sent out bills Carpy laughed uproariously Why that's nothing But she went on you OU took care of Father quite a while He lIe thinks youre you're the best doctor he ever had The sardonic note In the doctors doctor's slight laugh as he suppressed an exclamation ex ex- exclamation exclamation did not escape the girl But everyone out here says sa s 's that or some some- something something something thing just like It so you ou must be used to o It she added Please Pease tell teU ma m now Doctor what the bill Is I want to pay you ou The doctor waved wa Jane off o II When he ic sidestepped she kept after him He lIe dodged and she persisted At last she drew from her purse two one hundred one hundred hundred- dollar bills and laid them on the table In n front of ot him Carpy looked at them In n astonishment Your father hasn't gone out of ot his mind has he No Jane retorted Why That's not enough Is It IU she added shame- shame I didn't know Its at least twice too much Did DidGus DidGus DidGus Gus send this Jane had to fib a bit She had added a hundred dollars herself herselt to what her father had told tod her would be about right If Carpy refused to name the bill He lIe told me he wanted you well paid she answered evasively Carpy pushed one bill back to Jane plenty pent Doctor she exclaimed I wish you'd take this other bill He lIe shook his head Put It back In your our purse purs How Ilow are things out at the ranch You know how It Is when the cats cat's away laughed Jane You must mean the wildcat sug- sug suggested suggested ested Carpy grinning half amiably Everyone doing things his own way she continued Ignoring the thrust Or not doing them at alL aiL Mostly that I guess Mostly that agreed Jane I can cnn see I have plenty of or work ahead And ou going on nineteen And Ill I'll bet never did a days day's work In n your life lite She straightened up Ive worked every day of ot my life Ufe since I left eft high school at fifteen What for Helping support Mother Carpy flashed with anger Do you mean to tell me that old curmudgeon father of or yours ours didn't support you and your mother Janes Jane's eyes fell She ned Then collecting herself she said I did not mean to tell teU you Doctor It slipped sUpped had to look lookout lookout lookout out Weve We've nearly always alwa's out for ourselves ourselves but but I hate to talk about It Doctor lather Father says hes he's sorry When I telegraphed him about Mothers Mother's death he was all broken up and sent me so much money for the expenses ex ex- expenses that I didn't know v what to do with It though It-though though It was too late to do poor Mother any good I know Fa loa Fathers Father's loathers Fa- Fa Fathers Father's ther's eccentric Doctor Jane contin contin- continued continued continued gravely But that doesn't ex explain ex- ex explain out here plain to me why everybody hates him And that's what Ive I've want want- wanted wanted wanted ed to ask somebody like you Doctor somebody who would tell t me the truth Why Is Father so disliked Is It be be- because because because cause he be Is so rich f aback Here Hers Dr D Carpy was taken I In was an n Innocent and charming girl bud- bud budding buddIng budding ding Into n a lovely womanhood the daughter of ot an unscrupulous criminal and thoroughly detested cattle king tell her tier why her fa- fa asking asking- him to tier ther was so hated along the Spanish Sinks length lent b slow slow- I Well Jane he be said at I a rich man Is hated without good reason rea un nut Hut If Ir he lie thought ho lie could get gt off with such a general observation he lie was mistaken Jane pursued him Was Vas that lint the case with Father Fn flier she bluntly bl v vOther Other rich men nien are arc hated con k tinned Carpy unmoved not because they're thero rich but hut because of the way they thoy got rich J The force of or lily his II words was not lost loston loston loston on ills Ids listener And if It a 1 man does get rich here or anywhere else they dont don't lose Jose any anytime anytime anytime time hatching up lies about him do they she said Indignantly Father warned me when hen I saw him at the hospital that Id I'd hear stories about him But there are arc always two sides to stories She spoke with a fire that surprised even her listener who WAS WI seasoned to surprises Theres a chip of the theold theold theold old block he lie said to himself He lIe re re- regretted regretted re- re regretted he had Insinuated so much But while he tie tried to soften the im impact im- im impact pact of ot his words he would not en en- entirely entirely retreat I probably ought to say Jane that I raj myself self didn't get on well with your father So my verdict might not be bea a fair one Another man might give given a n more favorable opinion What other man Doctor she asked so coolly that she upset the doc doctor do doc doc- doctor tor again Why offhand I couldn't say right now Jane Tane Doctor said Van daugh daugh- daughter ter rising suddenly he thought her still angry but she really wasn't wasn't- may I come again Just to talk with you rou perhaps get a little advice a come advice come without excuse at all to see you you just just plain come come she asked stiffly but im Im- pu si Why of course you may Jane Why not Come any time all times times times-my my always out for tor you declared de de- declared declared Carpy swayed by b an admira admira- admiration admiration tion he lie could not resist And Anil you wont won't harbor any feelings against me just because you dont don't like my father How lIow could I Doctor Carpy almost gasped with surprise at her poise Jane he said taking her hand feel Im I'm your friend I friend I mean It Sick or well Ill I'll be with you I dont don't care carea a damn who your father Is or was was was-is hr that plain girl Im awfully a grateful Doctor she said collectedly If I get Into a tight place or Into trouble Ill I'll know where Ill I'll have a friend to turn to Dont be afraid 1 I exclaimed Carpy emphatically find you'll make male plenty of friends out here just as soon as you ou get acquainted acquainted dont don't dont be afraid I he repeated Jane was at the door She turned And Doctor she said with seeming Innocence try to think of ot the tile name of ot the man who will give that more fa fay favorable opinion While Bull waited for his mistress during her talk with Carpy he dropped Into Jake Spotts' Spotts barber shop for a shave Spotts who was bald as a billiard ball expressed surprise when Bull gave his order Whiskers off ocr he ex ex- claimed calmed Take em ofT off repeated Bull dog dog- godly gedly Must be to get married Well not exactly explained Bull We got folks out to Gunlock now n the boys are up up What folks Aint you heard Got a girl there daughter of ot old Gus Is 18 that damned old critter down at atthe atthe atthe the Medicine Bend hospital yet yeU de- de demanded Spotts but Spotts-but but his expletives were much more ferocious A heavy bass voice volee was heard from the second chair where Oscar was Vas shaving a man Slow Sow Jake protested the man in the chair go slow slow slow-don't don't dont get to cussin out old Van All right Panama all right re re- returned returned re- re returned turned Spotts resignedly I plum for for- forgot forgot forgot got you were there That man gravely continued the theman theman theman man addressed as Panama and re re- referring referring referring ferring to Van Yan will keep more Sleepy Cat folks out of ot heaven hemen than the devil himself Hows that asked Spotts Why Because everybody cusses him so terrible whenever his hl name comes up up I guess that's right agreed Spotts Anyway theres there's more damned blas- blas on In this town town town- Careful Jake careful admonished Panama All right Panama grumbled the notoriously profane barber Then un |