Show GUNLOCK U RANCH SYNOPSIS sleepy cot cat desert town of the he southwest Is celebrating the fourth ot of july jane vo van beautiful daughter of 0 gus GUI VL van T tarn I 1 ki hated owner of gunlock ranch has bas arrived how the exit east to for r the first fint time lime she watches I 1 do j frontier day eele celebration bration in company with bector carpy crusty tenderhearted tender hearted friend of the community henry sa dy of the or cir aia 1 dot ranch tricked in a take fake horse hone race this day before by dave mccrossen foreman ff at t gunlock r plan no revenge he enter anteri kill bill f deni demure 10 n a band handsome some young texas wrangler in the rodeo which mccrossen is is favored to win via and lays lay heavy bets bet on an him unknown n so the crowd denison Is a champion horse hone I 1 jattan inan Me mccrossen Crossen and the young stranger tie ja in the various events denison then drops a cigarette carelessly racing down tile the track tau fall tut tilt he picks up the cigarette the ver hixt goes to denison when McCross cn refuses refuse ato ift attempt the stunt entreated by the crowd venison denison agrees to perform another trick jane van cambel it Is asked for her tra trac celet clet and i throws throw it on the track just as denison rides J to pick it up a yell from barney ff is mccrossen henchman starts scares the pony acar ly cost costing nir the rider his life gun play is prevented by the intervention of doctor carry carpy back on gunlock ranch after two years in 1 chicago because of her fathers illness jane r gets lost riding in the hills and meets denisce benr now a neighbor who guides her home not kot knowing her identity he be speaks bitterly of van cambel she tells mccrossen ho J fc rought her home and he be denounces denison a cattle thief later the she asks doctor carpy why her father is unpopular and he tells her it la in because of van tambers Tam bels ruthless and an scrupulous character mccrossen tries to woo jane but is sharply rebuffed once again she he loses lose her way in the hills and meets den ajon on impulse she gives him her bracelet sor lor aiding her home their interest in each s ther growing she reveals her identity to urn him jane is distressed to learn from carpy that her father h bad ad wronged deni denison a the tex U n bad worked at gunlock as foreman and I 1 been promised a share in the profits when he be quit ait van cambel reneged renewed ren eged in reprisal denison lias has been running cattle oft off gunlock ranch ohamed and humiliated humi hated jane avoids denison Dc oison but longa long to see him when at length the they week be confesses his love CHAPTER V continued how Is mccrossen Uc Crossen coming coining on doctor asked jane hell be up in a few days now the infection Is disappearing how are you youre the one im interested in Fol following lowin orders like a lamb doch tor dont you see bow brown im ai letting getting r 0 i yes outside but what about in side aldel where I 1 want you to get 1 I brown by the way your friend 13 bill tf 11 denison was in to see me the other B day iles hes been up north with the fire 2 fighters way up on tha th crazy woman at jim Lara Laram lea ranch lo 10 look ok here girl he continued what are you do ing tomorrow we are going to have a moose binler dt nier ever eat moose 1 7 come in and try IV it jane hesitated oh I 1 dont know cone come along therell be nobody else there it if what youre afraid of sleepy cat looked deserted when jane rode in next nest day jane asked mcalpen at the barn where all the men were vere up north fire fight fighting fightlin ln Is it as bad as that P 1 I never saw it so BO bad in the twenty years ayears ive lived here and at calabasas Cala basas I 1 athey they brought in a ad yester a day of 0 the worst burnt men I 1 ever teen seen in my life the hospitals pretty I 1 near full doe doc carpy was waa there all A 1 night 1 jane was tor for going home she walked up to the hotel and talked with causs puss the housekeeper dont you co 11 counseled puss it if the doctors expecting to see you hell be all up set et it if you dont stay but with all these men in the hospital id rather wait till he has a tree day suggested jane the housekeeper laughed it if you wait for a free day for the doctor wait till judgment day and he might inight be buster busier then than he Is now theres a preacher in town this week baptizing folks down in the river cording to what he says therell be a lot more sleepy cat fire fighters needing help judgment day than it Is it now come in here and take ot off your things ja when jane sat down with the doctor f in his private dining room for the j dinner he made light of the alre situation as well as of his labors I 1 all in the days work puss Is an i alarmist ashes always telling me im working too hard j t j jane repeated the anecdote of the preacher and puss application of it 4 to the doctor himself on judgment day I 1 I 1 carpy laughed panama i thes talking about aboaf puss la Is powerful if afraid of him who Is be why f 1 a pretty good fellow used to be an t auctioneer and all round gambler got k W converted preaches up and down the it 1 line from medicine bend to sleepy cat but he volunteered for fire fighting res one of the men got burnt arster f day and hes up with ane rest of em cm at t the hospital 4 the ex sheriff bill Par daloe rode out to gunlock two days later and conscripted the men to fight fire coming down the crazy woman and ahr threaten eaten ice ng sleepy cat I 1 the quiet of that day and the next was ra like a calm before a storm after j upper supper jane ordered her pony saddled 0 and rode clear up to the so summit mit of gunlock gonlock knob where she cou could id see 1 the northern country for many miles when she reached the top she was f borry she bad attempted the climb the spectacle was swe we but terrifying flying far beyond the hills bills and all along 1 the northern horizon the site saw patched y of 0 dull silent red slowly rising and falling at nin moments ments increasing and y again subsiding she fell asleep early but after mid night she anke the sky was fairly f clear arid she could hear the wind singing in the pines about the ranch by frank he H spearman copyright brank H Spa rinaa service house bouse she was roused from her thoughts by the approaching clatter of 0 galloping hoots hoofs raising herself to support her head on her elbow site she listened the clatter came nearer the galloping faster in a moment she heard a man pull its his horse sharply up and spring from the saddle under her window miss janel jane f he called wake up pl please easel she knew the voice im awake bull what Is it the boys are aldin in behind me I 1 all of them everybody ever body be here inside twenty minutes what time is it bull from the moon about two the boyell want so methin to eat right out again ill call quong the matter bull what are they riding out again for the fire has crossed the river CHAPTER VZ VI bull page the messenger of alarm turned in with quong and jane to make ready a hasty supper for the hungry weary men mccrossen was in command of the fire bre fighters and at the head of the table looked his part As he be rose from the supper table his eyes were never brighter as he be walked smoky and cov ered with the marks of the days hard bar d fight but smiling and fresh over to where jane was standing while jane asked questions mccrossen lighted a cigarette not a bit of danger jane to gunlock not while I 1 can get out on the fire line anyway ive fought these infernal blazes all m my y life and I 1 dont figure this ones coln to leat beat me tile the only thin thing that worries me jane Is to think of your abeln here alone at home while were fire fightlin fish figh tin 1 of course I 1 cant help some worry now with the ranch threatened she returned thoughtfully jane he said impressively you worry I 1 like to fight for a girl like you while im able to raise an arm jane ill be out there th chinkin inkin of you ills hands bands closed firmly on her shoulders she shrugged them and edged uneasily away saddles boys I 1 shouted Nie mccrossen Crossen in his rich hearty voice look alive there every everybody bodyl come over to where my horse Is jane I 1 want you to say goodbye good bye to us I 1 give the boys a word of cheer where are you going she asked over ore r the divide I 1 want want to do some backfiring north of the pastures come along girl tie he insisted taking her arm firmly all at once he caught her in a viselike grip of his arms and kissed her twice before she could escape she slapped him indignantly and pushed him violently away mccrossen laughed slap me again jane that was worth a string of slaps girl but why riot not take a little practice get to like it same as I 1 do 1 toward the night of the second day the fire crew straggled back to the ranch house mccrossen at their bead the store of beer prudently laid in from town was rapidly depleted clr circumstances seeming to forbid the restrictions strict ions that jane usually imposed next morning the s sun un rose hot and in an atmosphere without a breath of wind faces were brighter but after breakfast the mall mail carrier ignace from the reservation on his way to town brought disquieting news A fire had bad broken out in the timber along the eastern boundary and every buck had bad been called out to fight tt it mccrossen listened carefully which way was the wind ignace when you left from the east nells bells bells exclaimed mccrossen just where we dont want it he efe questioned the carrier closely the big ranch was now threatened on the southeast and mccrossen started with the freshest of his bis men for the new danger point in the afternoon jane rode into town to order tome some supplies sent out while she was in dos a white man from the reservation come came in the clerk who waited on him asked him about the fires down his way not so good said the man A new one broke out this morning between the reservation timber and bill Deni sons ranch bills in getting men together now june jane in another aisle and unobserved walked quietly outdoors anti and down the street for livery barn mose she said gold to the hostler on duty 1 I la bill denison 1 in town tow he Is ills his horse music Is here bill rode in pretty fast an I 1 been rubbin music down bill says hose I 1 want to see go op at the street and see if you can find him tell him I 1 want to see him and ill be up at the hotel botel half an hour later jane sitting with the door open in doctor carlys office off the hotel lobby heard footsteps approaching pro aching and turning saw denison Den lson she rose quickly extended her hand took his without a greeting and spoke rapidly and nervously 1 I heard you were in town she said and that you were in danger at the ranch I 1 suppose for that matter we all are but they said you were taking out meo men and I 1 wanted to see you bill and ask what we could do to help tou lou wont take that amiss amla im sure lure 0 illow how could I 1 take anything amise from you in it a common danger she sao said cald flushing in some confusion and interrupting him to hide bide it we ought to help one another in the hills what Is 1 there I 1 can do what Is the situation bill well I 1 suppose I 1 might say its att like the situation of a man with a loaded pistol pointed at his head bead he answered im all right as long as the gun go off oar the winds got its finger on the trigger and you know how these hill winds are blamed uncertain when they get going but what can we do at the ranch to help make you safe Is there anything bill anything to help both were conscious of slight strain bedison shuffled awkwardly why miss jane P since when miss jane she asked with asperity 1 I know he began neither did I 1 know bill now answer my question it if youre in danger tell me what I 1 can do have the boys keep a close eye on the two reservation fires if either of em cm get gei around gunlock knob be kind of bad tor for both ranches yes tes but bill how am I 1 to know when or whether they do get around the knob ilow am I 1 going to know iN whether hether you yourself need help she was beginning to realize that it was impossible to get anything but evasive generalities out of him tell me this ai if you need help from us will you send me word right away ile he thought tor for a moment ril ill send word over to you at the ranch house jane she could not escape the significance of his tone in utterly uttering her name but she ghe kept her balance and spoke steadily keep your promise bill I 1 shall be waiting for the word when it omes comes c 1 along the hill trail as jane rode home the air was heavy with smoke drifting slowly up from the south it was laden with the pungent smell of brush fire and acrid with the creosote of burned slash ings from cut over lands on the reservation reaching home she was not surprised to find everything there abnormally quiet Ale mccrossen Crossen with most of the men was up in the hills the sole exception to the general atmospheric gloom was quong nothing had yet daunted the busy china boy when jane dressed at daybreak and looked out the wind had ahlf shifted ted ap aad it was blowin blowing fresh from the south Ne mccrossen Crossen and his men were up betimes lie he reported to jane that 1141 L they had checked the fire up toward the pass ue was in good spirits jane went to her breakfast feeling reassured she was finishing her coffee when quong stuck stock his head through the kitchen door into the dining room and said man to seel jane walked to the front door and found a man on horseback what can I 1 do for you ive just come from bill Dent sons he says it if you can spare a dozen men quick he be can maybe save his ganeb buildings tell him ill do everything I 1 can to get them away your name scott mam jane ran over to the corral where mccrossen was waa closing the wire gate bill denison has sent a messenger over 1 I saw him interjected Ble mccrossen McC Crossen rossea curtly 1 asking tor for help jane went on rapidly it if we can get a dozen men over to him quick he can save hla his ranch buildings A lot of gall aint it it bill bedison to gunlock for help no matter what differences there have been insisted jane firmly in the hills were all going to stand together in a time like this get the men together dave and get over quick and do what you can mccrossen drawing from his bla pocket a plug of tobacco bit off a chunk 1 I dont approve of that thal its not a question of your approving dave I 1 want you to go right oil off now mccrossen was in no hurry chos coln to look after gunlock it if I 1 go over to bill Deni sons he asked regarding jane sullenly jane was nob odys fool on the danger of the situation dave she exclaimed impatiently you know the worst threat to us with this wind la Is from the south it if the denison ranch burns were in danger ourselves will you saddle up quick and get over there with the boys she demanded mccrossen made no move to go ill tell you right now ive had a damned sight more experience in these forest fires 6 reg than you have and I 1 say my places right beret berel ile he spoke loudly find and angrily jane grew white 1 I want you to know im boss of this ranch my father ther has told you so and this order Is going to be obeyed or ill know why Uc mccrossen Crossen faced her with as mile much animosity as he be dared show well if you want to know one reason why your order wont be obeyed just look at me im a reason I 1 know where my place Is when gunlocks gunlicks Gun locks in danger be thundered stop your falkl exclaimed jane will you do as I 1 tell you or not 1 I 1 will not then youre discharged as foreman of this ranch take your things and get off it by tomorrow morning like bell I 1 will TO SE BE CONTINUED |