Show the bettl settling in of the sage saak ar WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE at th the 0 wa warren r re n ranch th three do bar r on the ati fringe of 0 th cow country if stranger op plied piled for work na n a rider wll wit tia ann wailen known it I 1 if in 11 us as billie it 1 the owner of 0 the ranch the girls girla father cl cal warren had open the nl net owner the question cheth er the territory Is to cow country or be opened t ti 0 ilont to Is a troublesome one the newcomer la is put out to work cattle rustlers have beai troubling the ranch owners thi th new hand gives elvea his hi name as ca harris by his announcement li it favor of squatters he incur the enmity of a rider known ap a morrow the will made by cal warren that halt th property should go to the he son bon ol of his old friend william harris under certain conditions the new arrival la is the man and he Ir closes the tact fact to billie the girt girl to Is suspicious slade a 9 i aichman anc hman with aith sn an unsavory rep as a bad man visit billie lie he has long a wanted anted to marry her but she dislikes dislike and fears him slade endeavoring to 0 o alle Is interrupted by harris harris half jestingly that the girl marry him and so settle the matter of the ranch ownership CHAPTER ill III continued 6 1 I 1 reckon be blue harris asked of evans and the lanky one nodded the men scattered round the cor ral ml and each watched his bis chance to put his big rope on an sowe some chosen horse the roan court kept others always between himself and boy any man jib a rope but bill at last he passed harris with but one horse between barris hipped flipped his noose across the back ol of the intervene In ing horse and oer the blue roans head bead youe i ouie been bested and rope burnt a time thus or two harris remarked and he be led the horse out to saddle aloa the big blue leaned back crouching on his haunches as the man put on the bac hackamore kamore ills his eyes rolled wick edly as harris barris smoothed the saddle blanket and he flinched away with a whistling snort of fear ills his flaring as the heavy saddle was thrown on ills his back harris barris tightened the front cinch and ami the blue horse braced himself and drew lo in a long deep breath breach right ulue blue you swell ell up and inflate yourself I harrl said ill have to squeeze it put ot of you lie he fuste fastened tied the hind cinch loosely then returned to the frovik tro lt and hauled on the latigo until the pressure forced the horse to release the indrawn breath and it leaked out c of if him with a groaning sigh 1 I 1 wonder now why fi morrow lorrow Is whet ting bis big for me harris barris remarked as 1 be e inspected the big roan youre a hard bard one clue blue ill let that saddle warra warm up on you before I 1 top you off well step up on hini him and lets be going morrow ordered barris took a short hold bold on the rope reins of the elie huc hackamore kamore with its his left hand cramped the llie horses head bead toward him film and gripped the nione inane his right hand on the horn and swung fenily to the saddle easing into it II without a jjr jar EUSY cagy duel bluel he said holding up oil the big roans head dont you hall hany your head bead with me ue ile eased the horop to a jet ity start and they were vere oil off tor for fulls ellla at a shuffling trot three votes times a tle the first tulle mile blue bunched himself nervously and made a few stiff jumps but each time bar via held him steady have made one good little horse clue blue he said it if some soine sport spoiled you on tile the start they left the horses dro drooping tilling at tile several itch rails before the post and la ia loftie softie detached them themselves seles from the lie group arid and occupied themselves yes with writing several started a gume gaine ot of stud poker at one of tile many tables wrote a few letters before join tug ing in tile the play and us lis he looked of up from time dine to time little he be caught mail curious glances leveled upon him morrow hae bac been busily spreading tile lie tidings that a would be squatter was among them and they were curious to see the file wan man who had bad deliberately de fled the unwritten law of the cold river runie rane waddles had instructed evans to start mart the roon men back before the spree had progressed to a point where they would refuse to leave breilid and so leave tile the three cur bur shorthanded short handed at al the end of two hours lie looked at his watch and snapped it shut turn be shouted on you horses if 1 CHAPTER IV it Is said fald that thai there comes a day to in the life of every handler handier of bad horses when be will mount one and ride him out master him and din als mount and forever after decline to ride another niley foster was evl evi deuce delice of this for three years tile nile a and bangs had been inseparable curable rid ing ng together on every J jb b and the shaggy bouth auth topped copped off the he animals la 10 posters string before the older man would mount them As bangs genrl about hla his work bis big bulled blue eyes were ever turned toward the three bur bar boss boas who stood to lo the door of the blacksmith shop the was seas vaguely troubled as the she ted tille bangs Ia iiga and foster foater had rt returned turned for their second season at Us th throe par bur all through the pre ore G copyright copl COPY richt by ui 0 evarta service 1119 ills ibis alons her silent every adoration move the boy his had eyes evidenced follow tile scene round baille was one of isas strenuous every effort be or toward 8 the into fillipe ape for tile the call cal least round up u in the possible space of time green horses were led out one after another to be robetr s saddled for file first time ime and those broken re bangs was topping a horse that strenuously refused to be conquered quiren a few ew workouts to knock the wire edge off their unwillingness to carry a rider after a winter of free dorn dom on the range three men were ere shoeing horses tied to snubbing posts at ten yard inter vals before the shop one animal that had fought viciously against this treatment had been thrown and stretched ills his four feet roped to con posts and while lie he struggled and heaved on tile the ground itile atlle foster calmly nit fitted ed and nailed the shoes on him cal harris finished shoeing the colt lie be was working work ins tile the last touch be said sly ily string Is all set to go you have ove colts gentled for your circle bunch she said but you pick a single cow horse the boys have sorted out the best ones and the few that are area left wont an awer for a man that insists on a gen tied string creamer and calico will do for me he said 1 I 1 broke them myself and mailie mas be I 1 can worry along did you break them like that she asked bangs was topping a horse that strenuously refused to be conquered and as they looked on the animal threw himself like 1 that hat well no not precise ly harris said not break ins ing horses proving that brone bronc feelers peelers that con can ride em before broke A horse started out that way will sill be a brone bronc till 1111 the day he dies three men were lashing their bed rolls and war bags on three park pack horses and when tills this task was coin plated they rode town down the lane each one lending his pa it animal harris knew this as evidence that they would start after the calves on the fol following follo loing Mins day the custom was to exchange representatives to ride with alib ench each wag on within a reasonable distance I 1 the e ohp reps to lonk after tile the interest of brand for which they rode how flow many reps do you trade he asked three she SON said D 1 V L and elih fill st aliide the Iluff moon D lay some soine miles along tile the foot of the elle kills hills the V L the same I 1 like hie west but cached aviu aw HI in a pocket that led ell back into tile the base of tile ilie iange iii iye a compa ru lively small ouilia owned by the Cran dons father and four sons who made every to keep the bulk of their cows in their oun oin home basin and ex changed reps only the three ba bar r chides Slit des home place lay forty nilles miles and 8 little west und and ills cows grazed fur for over it 11 hundred miles re quiring three wagons to cover his hi range ge during the afternoon the three apps came in to replace the men aho he had i left the horses had veen theeo cut out and thrown back on the reuse only those required tor for the revauda remaining in the posture pasture lot I 1 hie lie chuck wagon was wag vt heeled before the cookhouse door and packed for ao an early start before th ch first streaks of dawn the men had saddled anil ant break breakfasted rusted it was turning gral eras in ia the he east when hen four horse forsea tilling rating the attentions of four len were hooked booked to tile the wagon A man hung on the bit of each wheel horse horsa while another grasel the hie bits of the lead fetid team learn its is Wati tries made on last hasty hasiy trip inside this will bo be it rocky rifle for a mile or two he prophesied as tie he mounted the sent seat arid and braced am self these rhese willow tails had on a strop strap of harness for many a montil month all set turn loose 1 tile the men stepP steppie jd back and tile the four horses hit the collars collara raggedly one wheel horse retired and jumped for word ward the off leader dropped his head and pitched shaking blinking himself as if struggling to unseat a rider then the tour four settled into a jerkey run and the heavy wagon clattered and lurched down the lane the wrangler whose duty it was to tend the horse herd by day and the n who would guard it at night sat on their horses at the far end of the corral and urged the herd out as the gates swung back the streamed down the valley the two first riders swinging wide to either lank flank while the nighthawk and wrangler brought up the rear fear shortly before noon the wagon was halted baited in a broad bottom threaded by a tiny spring fed stream the teams team 0 were unhitched mounts were ere unsaddled and thrown into the horse herd which was then headed beaded into the mouth of a brandling branching draw and allowed to graze waddles dumped off the bed rolls that nere piled from the broad lowered tall gate to the wagon top and each man sorted out his own and spread it upon some spot which struck him as a likely her ground it was not long before waddles was dispensing nourishment from the lowered tailgate tall gate ladling food and hot coffee into the plates and cups which the men hell out to him film they drew away aminy and sat eat cross legged on the ground the meal ineal was almost islieb dished when six horsemen rode down the valley and pulled up before the wagon the chance tor for scraps the leader asked step down waddles invited and throw a feed lu in you sties still a steaming bour our of the men differed in no material way from the three bar men in appearance the fifth was a ruffian with little forehead a face of gorilla cost cast stamped with brute ferocity and small intelligence the last of the six els was a stil striking king figure a big man nath pu e white hair and brows his pale eyes peering from a red tam face tile the roasted albino Is harper our leading bad man in these parts evans remarked to harris barris and hie lie human ape Is lang fisher coleman barton and canfield are the rest nice layout of murderers and such tiar harpers pers men ate unconcernedly conscious that they were marked off a men who ito had violated every law on tile the calendar but knowing also trial mat no man would take exceptions to their presence on that general ground alone and as they had neared the wagon each man had scanned the faces of the round up crew to make certain that there were none ant am ing thorn them who might bear some more cine and personal dislike the three par car men chatted and fraternized with them na they would have done with the riders of any legitimate e outfit harper the ibe food fond that waddles tendered them baille warren forced a smile as she nodded to them then hen moved off und sul gut upon a butk some fifty yards aiom tom tile the nugon despising the six men who ate tier her tare fare and inwardly raging at the conditions which forced her to extend the hospitality of the three bar to men of their breed whenever he never they chanced by harris strolled over and sat down r racing leg lier her sitting sifting tobacco into a 8 brown paper and deftly rolling his bla woke ilas haa it been on your mind what I 1 was telling you a few nights bick about how much I 1 was loving you lie he asked you vou hall bud your chance to prove it fly by going uway she sold said and re fused so why bring it up again the next net two it ears irs will be hard fiord enough iahn t my iny Ill ellving ving to li lis lento that TO BE CONTINUED I 1 |