Show the i lie settling odthe of the sage by hal ha I 1 g E evarts va arts copyright ly by hal 0 evarts WW service CHAPTER XI continued 22 the girl had find a sickening realization that the work of a year would be blotted out in a space of seconds under odder those churning hoofs it seemed that she must die of sheer grief as she bhe witnessed the complete devastation of the fields she had watched day by day with such loving care the stampede swept the full length of the meadow and held on for the thel bouse the foremost cows struck the corrals nod and they went down with a splintering crash under the pressure from behind me ale looked out on a sea of tossing horns and heaving backs as the herd rushed through the heavy log buildings slin slinking hing from the mass of animals jammed against them and squeezing past the force of the run was spent on the steep slope back of the house bouse and the herd split into detachments and moved off through the hills the west side of the house was windowless a blank wall built against the standing winds waddles was busily engaged in knock knocking log out a patch of chin chinking kirg and endeavoring to work a loophole between the logs harris was similarly engaged he pointed down the valley to the south and she turned mechanically and crossed to that window A few riders showed on the ridges on either flank of the valley they were cached up there to pick Us os off it if we rode down to try aej turn the run lie he said she nodded without apparent interest what might transpire now seemed a matter to be viewed with indifference its time for me to go harris said ill hold bold the bunk house good luck billie well hold bold em off he turned tto to waddles who still worked to make a loophole through the blank wall it if it gets too hot put her outside and tell her to gi ghe e herself up even lang would know that the whole country would be hunting them tomorrow if they touched her they wont if they can help it but this Is their last hope to trust in one final raid go through with it make blake her go outside it if it comes to that he opened the door and leaped across the twenty yards of open space which separated epa rated the main building from the bunk house barred the door cod and looked from the south window the riders along the valley rims had descended to the bottoms smoke was already rising from one homestead cabin and they were riding toward the rest resl two men had bad dismounted by the head bead gate harris cursed himself f for not having anticipated this very thing the whole plan was clear to him slade would hav known that when therow the cowhands came in from the roundup round up there would follow the inevitable night at brills morrow had mapped out the raid long in advance engaging lang to gather the cows throughout the first night the roundup round up crew was to in from the range and hold them a few ralles miles from the ranch lang could not know that slade was locked up and that morrow was dead so BO the raid had gone through as planned smoke was from two ore cabins in the flats and harris re broache himself for another oversight in allowing the wagons to pull out afore the others arrived the crop would have been ruined in any event but with the bands at home they could barp prevented the destruct loi of the cabins ho bo transferred his attention to the long line of lop log buildings a hundred yards to the east the row afforded perfect cover tor for any who choir that route of approach they could walk up to them in absolute safety screened both from himself and those in the main hause As he watched the doors and windows tor for sign of movement within a voice hailed balled the from the shop you might us well com comi i out our it called were going to fire the ilant baut harris stretched prone on the floor a and nd rested the muzzle of his ilde on a crack between the logs it was hard sheeting he was forced to shift the butt end if if the gun moving with it himself to line the sights fights instead of the tree free end of the barrel he trained it on a crack some two feet from the door of the shop behind the aperture the light of a window on the tar far side showed faintly come out I 1 the voice ordered or well cook you inside weve no time to lose rusl it I 1 the light disappeared from the crack nd harris pressed the trigger with the roar of his gun a shape pitched do n across the door of the shop some unseen hands caught the man by the tiet feet ti et and as he was drags dragg C back from sight bight harris saw gaw the red handkerchief which had served as 4 mask from all along the row of buildings it a fire was opened on the bunk house harris clarris threw himself flat against the lower log which barely shielded til him M shreds of dobe chinking uttered littered the room the balls which found an entrance splintered through the bunks and buried themselves vea veu in the logs of the far will one marksman worked on the lower crack puffs of dobe pulverized defore before harris eyes as aa the fire crept toward him down the crack la in six aft inch steps the shooting suddenly ceased ell ue lie warren dazedly indifferent as to abat should happen to the three bar tanco the wreck of the lower field bad roused to action the instant she saw the spurts of chinking fly from the cracks of the bunk house houge before the fusi fusillade llad sent gent after barris she threw open the door and stepped out holding up op ane de hand dont 1111 1 himl she colum commanded if you ore fire another shot at him ill put up very avery dollar I 1 own to hang bang every man that ever rode a toot foot with langl lang I 1 do you hear that langl langs in idaho a voice growled jalily E from the shop chop none of us ever rod with walh lang were from roni every band on the ronge ard and were going to burn you squatters out draw olt off and let us ride away she said you can have the three bar all but harris the voice called back he stays narras knew that the men would not lie be deterred in their purpose would sacrifice her along with the rest it if necessary to accomplish their end get back billie he called from the bunk house you cant do us any 41 waddles pumped a mile and C covered ov harris retreat as best beat he could good out there take the little cabin find and sit tight well beat them off she walked to the little cabin that stood isolated and alone the first building ever erected on the three bar and which had bad sheltered the harrises before her father bad taken over the brand from her point of vantage she saw two masked men rise from the brush and run swiftly down toward the main house each carrying a can call she divined their purpose instantly watch the west sidel sh she e called the west side quick the muffled crash of a rifle rolled ailed steadily from the house as wadd waddles les fired at the chinking in an effort to reach the two I 1 men outside but they had accomplished their purpose and retreated the row of buildings was a seething mass of flames rolling up into the black smoke flames hissed and licked hiked up the blank wall of the main house trave ng along the logs on which the two masked raiders had thrown their cans of oil the men outside had only to wait until the occupants were roasted out she knew waddles would corn comi out when it grew too hot the raiders might let him go it was harris they waited for the girl ran across and pounded on the bunkhouse bunk house door r run for it she begged make blake a run for the brush I 1 ill keep between you and them they wont shoot me you can get to the brush theres a chance that way all right old girl harris said in a minute now but you go back billie get the little house bouse As soon as it gets hot ill run tor for it it ive got ten minutes yet before im roasted out ill start as soon as youre inside the house no start bowl she implored run bun cat cal run while youve got a chance she leaned upon the door and beat on it with her fists all right billie he sald said ril ill go you sou stay right where you yon are as if 11 youre talking to me she heard beard him cross the floor he dropped from the window on the far side from the men when be came to la sight of them he was wag running in if 1 ig g leaps for the brush zigzagging in big hl flight half a dozen rifles spurted from two hundred yards up the slope the balls passing him with nasty snaps ue lie reached the edge of the sage and plunged headlong between two rocks waddles pumped a rifle find and covered harris flight ns best lie he could drilling the center of every sage that shook or qui back bach of the house two men turned their attention to the one who handicapped their chances of locating the crawling man and poured fire through the window ue ile dropped to the floor and peered from a crack the firing had suddenly ceased ue saw a hat moving up a coulee a mere flash here and there abbie the sage as the owner of it ran the smoke hurt his eyes and the heat beat seemed tv tu crack his skin he crossed over to ice ee it if harris was down that would account for the sudden cessation of shooting from the hills bills back of the house the raiders to in the lower field were riding swiftly for the far side of the valley one man knelt near the head gate then mounted and jumped his big horse off after the rest waddles put the whole force of his lungs behind one mighty cheer far down along the rim of the valley outlined against the sky tur four mules were running as so many startled deer under the bite of the lash and six men swayed and clung to the wagon that lurched behind three men unloaded from the wagon as it came opposite the cluster of men riding far out across the flats they opened a long range fire at a thousand yards while the others stayed with the wagon as it rocked on toward the burning ranch billie was running to the brush at the spot where harris had bad disappeared he be rose to meet her cal youre not hurt she asked not a scratch he said thanks to you you in her relief she grasped his arm and gave it a fierce little squeeze then its all right she said waddles burst from the door of the burning house his bis arms piled high with salvage well save what we can harris said and started for the house As he ran the valley rocked with a concussion which nearly threw him flat and a column of fragments and trash rose a hundred bundred feet above the spot where the head bead gate had bad been but a second past A dozen running horses flipped over the edge of the hill and plunged down dow n toward the ranch the men were back from brills harris held up his bis hand band to halt the riders as they would have kept on past the house he knew that the raiders stationed behind the ranch had long since reached their horses and were lost in the choppy lills he waved all lands toward the buildings and they swarmed inside carrying out load after load of such articles as could he moved and piling then them out of reach of the flames the girl gir sat apart and watched them work he lethargy had bad returned it seemed a small matter to rescue these trinkets trinket s when the three bar was a total arf arck ek harris c caught two of tho saddled horses that had carried the nen men from brills and crossed over to where the girl sat lets ride down to the field he said an see got to be done I 1 expect 1 weeks work ww will repair that part of it all right she ga faed ed at him in amazement ile he spoke of repairing the damage while the three bar burned before his eyes but she rose and mounted the horse and they rode olt off down what bad once been the lane the fence flattened by the rushing horde borde of cattle that thai had swept through the homestead cabins smoked but still stood intact look I 1 he urged cheerfully those logs were too green to burn we wont even have to rebuild took look a little charred round the edges edge maybe but bat otherwise as good as new were not bad hurt they cant hurt our land id rather have this flat right now the way it stands thau than three thousand head bead of cows on the range and no land at all we can rebuild the place this winter while work Is slack build better than before his enthusiasm failed to touch her for her the three bar was wrecked the old home gone and her gaze kept straying back to the eddying black smoke cloud lit at the foot of the hills TO fro BE CONTINUED |