Show besett the by hat hal 9 evarts 11 copyright by hl hal 0 carta service CHAPTER XII continued 24 for the first unie time in her life all was glad to be sheltered and pam as were other girls but there was a growing restlessness restless neBs within her a vague dissatisfaction for which she could not account she groped tor for an answer but the analysis c e not be expressed or definitely cleared in ID her mind deane planned with her of evenings but the planning was all of play no word of work crept into it it only he be would accept tier her as wholly into that part of his life as he did into the rest and suddenly she longed to sit tor for just one evening before the fire und ind plan real work with cul cal harris he de bad been the one man luau she had known who had asked that site she work with him or that ile be should work for tier her slie she had bad drifted along expecting aba hal that some same state of affairs would go on indefinitely believing that he filled the void left by old cut cul warren rut but now she knew he be held that place he had created for himself they had worked together and she had deserted the sinking ship to play the pari part of the tinsel queen she was conscious of a flare halt half of resentment halt half of toward harris for not having sent a word of affairs at the ranch judge colton entered the room and ana interrupted her reverie by hanc hanfling ting her a paper in the first black headline she ebe saw slades name and harris an announcement of the aas chapter of the three bar war the first line of the article stated staled that slade the cattle king had been released there insufficient proof to convict on any count she felt a curious little shiver of tear fear for harris harrig with slade once more at large the article retold the old tale of the fight and portrayed slade on his release 1 ease viewing the range which he had bad once controlled and finding a squatter family on every available ranch site she had a flash of sympathy tor for slade as she thought his icum must have been similar to her bar when nv kien she had looked upon the ruins amas of tile three car bar put but tills this was b lat ted led out by the knowledge that tie he pad had only met the same treatment he be pad handed to so many others chati tie he had dropped into the trap he I 1 hao bat built tor for her she found no do real YM pamily tor for slade only fear fea r tor or kheiri aar ris ria since slade was as treed free a the wd sense of responsibility tor for her brand b nd had been worn too long to be shea at will she knew that now dow 1 I suppose sup poe be surprised edl to hear bear that im going back she suld her fathers old friend smiled smiled across at tier her and puffed his pipe edl he be sold said IN why lly ive known all along be go going in blue back before long I 1 could have hav e told t 0 I 1 you on that when you stepped off the train t r I 1 ile he left her alone with deane de one w ell the younger man arrived arr bed cue be plunged into her subject at once j im sorry she said but im going home im not dot cut 0 out ut tor for 4 its not tor for long at one time lime I 1 want wanto 0 swell the roundup round up fire and slip twine on a three bar calf to oink iny leg across a horse and an ride aap and feel the hind m ind tearing past it I 1 will A at a ways be like that with me so this g 3 Is goodby good by I 1 four days later in tile early evening the stage pulled into Col drIveT with a single passenger the boyl boyte were in a faolu a hundred bundred miles aroun arouni 11 fl for one last spree before roundup round up u time As the stage rolled doun th t lie ingle cingle street the festivities were tia tul full swing from one lighted ac d door way came the blare of a piano accompanied by th the e scrape aru 01 tecc feet the sound of 0 drunk drunken i volcey raised in song from the lie next the shrill laughter of a dance ball girl the purr of the ivory ball and the I 1 huff clatter of chips the ponies drowsing at the hitch rails tile the full length of the street the pealing yelp of soine overt elf busl ustle citizen night it was wag to howl all ali these were evidences ol of the wide difference between her present surroundings and those ot of the last eight inu months she gazed eagerly out of the stage window it was good to set get back As the stage neared tile he rambling ram blin lug log hotel where she would put up for or the night a compact group of lidert swung down the street laer heart seemed to stop atop as she recognized the big paint horse at their head she had not fully realized how much she longed to see bee cal harris instead ini lear of dismounting in a group they suddenly split spill up as it if at a given signal scattering the length of 0 the block and dismounting singly there was wa something purposeful in this act and a vague apprehension superseded the rush of gl gladness adners gho had experienced with the first inex ported view of the three bar crew men who stood on the board mido walks turned hastily inside the open doors as they glimpsed the alie riders spreading the news that the thre par bar had come to town the driver pulled up op in front of the one hotel corne come olt oft right now he sold said slades SI ades in town sure the guard replied eliy else would ib ride in ID at olgh night like this dunlea in answer to Ri flade aties threat to shata him dim down on sight eight gf the the reamos the scattering was wae wv clow clear to tier ncr slade ou on tile ills re po had bad announced that tie he would kill harris on eight whenever he ap feared in town slade hod had many friends the three bar men were scattered the length of the street to enforce fair play the guard opened the door and motioned her out but she shook her head tin im going to stay here she asserted her answer informed him ot of the fact act that site she was no casual visitor but one who vilio knew the signs find and would insist on seeing it through he be nodded find shut the door harris barris had dismounted at the tar far end of the block and was strolling slowly down the board sidewalk on tile opposite side groups of men mel packed the doorways each one striving to appear unconcerned as it if hip hi presence there was an accident instead ot of being occasioned by knowledge that something of interest would soon transpire A roan man she knew for or a slade rider moved out to the edge of the sidewalk across the street from harris burris she saw the lumbering form of waddles edging up beside him he met her at the mouth of the lane other three bar boys were watching every man who showed a disposition to detach himself from the groups in ill the doors the blare of the piano and all sounds of revelry had bad hushed bushed the girl felt the clutch of stark fear ear at her heart she had come too late harris was to meet slade it seemed that she elie must die with him if he be should pass out before she could speak to him again and tell him she was back slie she had bad a wild desire to run to him at least to lean from the window and call out to him to mount calico and ride away cut but a she he knew he would not she was frontier bred even the knowledge that she was waa in town might unsteady him now DOW she sat without a move and the driver and guard outside supposed her merely ly a curious onlooker on looker interested in the scene A hundred on harris the driver offered the guard grunted a refusal id bet that way myself tie be said bald from tills fhe knew that the two men were hoping harris would bv be the one to survive but the fact that thai their proffered bets bucked backed their sentiments was no proof that they tell felt the conviction of their besl desire re she knew tile the men of their breed N no 0 matter bluffer how flow small the life chance their muney would be laid ou OD the side of their v ashes ile beier er against them as if the wagering of a tong long shot was proof of their co confidence nil dence and might to in some way exercise a fa a V arable influence on 00 the out outcome couie no man had ever stood against slade site she noted harris gun he curried carried it with tile the same awkward sling as 88 of old on the len left side in III front from with the butt to the right fifty on slade a voice offered offe reil from the doorway of the hotel hie file guard started for the spot but tile the bet was snapped up by another wild fighting rage swept through her ELI at the thought that to all these men it was but a sporting event her eyes oever never once left as tie he came down the street when almost abreast of 0 the stage slade stepped from roin the doorway twenty feet feel la before him bini and stopped in hie big tracks clarris turned on one heel beel mid and stood with his left side quartering toward slade the old pose she remembered so well there was a tense quiet the length of the street those you bl hire re do poor work from behind harris said gold maybe you take a chance yourself and work from in front his thumb vlas ua hooked in ID the opening of bla big shirt glubt aboe ubbie the butt bull of his gun gua slade held a cigarette in III bis big right band and raised it slowly to his lips ge be removed it and flicked the ash itroia the end then inspected the re putts foults and snapped it again and the downward move of bis big wrist was carried ried through in a smooth sweep for ila 41 gun it flashed bashed into ills his bond band but bui tili its knees sagged under him as 0 corty five alve slug struck hlin film ao all inch bell above the buckle of his bis belt oven so an be toppled topp ed forward be fired bred and Li harris arris gun burled again then the three ahree bar men were vaulting to their saddles evant evans careened down the street leading the paint horse borse and within thirty seconds after slades first move tor for ills bis gun a dozen riders were turning the tb earner corner on the run ron before ot spectators pec ba uwe time to realize that it was war over the three bar men were gone slade had bad many friends in town the girl irl bad seen been harris draw merely a single pull from left to right and by bis bin quartering pose the gun had bad been trained on slade at the instant it cleared the holster bolster not one superfluous move even to the straightening of bis big wrist the drivers voice reached her fastest draw to in the world for or the few that con can use it he sold the guard opened the door the girl was sitting with her head bowed in tier her hands bands dont take it that way maani maam he counseled he was a bard one slade but he be had misread his signs she felt no regret for slade only a wave of thankfulness so BO powerful as almost to unnerve her over harris escape untouched she accused herself of callousness but the spring ot of her sympathy usually so ready seemed dry as dust when she would hove have wasted a few drops on slade the dext text day in the late afternoon harris looked up and saw a chap clad rider on the edge of the valley she had bad ridden over unannounced on a horse she had borrowed from brill she answered the wave of his hat bat and urged the horse down the slope be met her at the mouth of the lone lan and together they walked back to the new buildings of the ranch the men breaking horses in the new corrals were the same old hands the same old waddles presided over the new cook shack her old things rescued from the fire were arranged in the living room of the new house A row of new storerooms store rooms and the shop stood on the site of the old and in the midst of all the improvements the old cabin first erected on the three bar stood protected by a picket fence on which a few vines were already beginning to climb after the men bad quit work to greet the returning three ear bar boss she went over every detail of the new house the big living room and if tire place were modeled closely along the lines of her old quarters heads beads and furs were ere on oil the walls pelts and indian ru rus rugs s on the floors running water hd had been piped down from a spring the new house was modernized then harris saddled calico and papoose and they rode down to the fields As they turned into the lane they heard the twang of waddles guitar from the cook shack the booming voice raised in song in a thing heretofore unheard of in the annals of three bar life therell be one rel feast tonight harris prophesied waddles will spread bim himself self they rode past the meadow covered with a knee dep stand of alfalfa hay it was only trampled down he said she came up in one fine shape this spring well put up a 8 thousand tons of hay bay ile be held straight on past the meadow turned off below the lower fence and angled southwest across the range the calves and yearlings yearnings year lings along their route gave proof that the grading up of the three bar herds berds was already having its effect ninety per cent were straight red stock with only a few throwbacks throw backs to off color strains the two spoke but little and near sunset they rode out and dismounted on an the ridge from which almost a year before they bad viewed the first move of organized law in the Col driver strip A white topped wagon came toward th thorn m up the valley along the same route followed by the file of dusty riders oo on that other day A woman held the reins over the team and a curly haired youngster jostled about on the sent seat by her side A man wrangled a nondescript drove of horsep horse unit and cows in the rear the way we both came into this country first you and L I 1 barrio said just like that little shaver of on the seat will they find a place to sett settle lel she asked with a sudden hope that tile the newcomers would find a suitable site for it a lionie home maybe not close around here tie he said most of the good sites you can get water on are picked up but find a place either here or somewhere else if a little further on lie ile slipped an arm about her shaul ders lits its been lonesome without a little partner to talk it all over with ill night he said have you come back for keeps to help me make the three bar the best outfit la in three states I 1 cant bold down that job alone she nodded and leaned against him what they wanted old bill 11 and nd cal slie she said but its nice dee that eliut we want it too ive come foy fo keeps and the road to the outside la Is closed they stood and watched the sun pitch over the far ar edge of the world and down in the valley below thorn them the hopeful squatters were looking for a place to camp TUB END |