Show WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINEYS RAINES U alue WWI jui atik COPYRIGHT WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE SERVICE SYNOPSIS ruth chiswick of L C ranch obsessed b by y tear fear of danger to her outspoken father faher t lee from a band of 0 lawless rustlers beaded beaded by sherm howard decides to save him by eloping with young lou howard cherms son eon end and co comes mes to the jovn of tall tail holt to meet him while in yell store a crook nosed stranger en enters sizes up the situation and wh when e n a drunken cowboy jim pender fender rid rides 0 S in and starts shooting protects ruth euth while lou howard hides bides disgusted with lous loua cowardice ruth calls off the elope elopement meat and sends the stronger stranger for her father at the gambling house aar across 0 so the street there the stranger calling himself jeff gray meets morgan norris a killer curly connor kansas mue mile high sid hunt and oth other er rustlers and sherm howard lee C biswick enters with his foreman dan brand and tells sherm howard of 0 his orders to shoot rustlers at sight jeff gray returns return to ruth and coldly reassures her of hor her fathers safety at supper ruth introduces jeff to her father and brand and in store later she speaks cordially to curly connor coming out of the store they are 9 greeted ee e by sudden g gunplay play lee a Is wounded and jeff eff gray appears with a smoking g revolver two days later ruth ut to tells her father of her P rejected projected e elopement e ent and her disillusionment ent later at r ruth th meets jeff gray whom she thinks k tried led to k kill her father when he tries to hold her bridle ruth accidentally presses the trigger of her gun and wounds jeff she takes him to pat Sor leys camp talking over the shooting with ruth Is credulous of jeffs jeff s story of shooting at the al assassin lasIn rather than at her father and later lt pleads a d 0 with lee e to listen to him when I 1 lee r arrives at pat Sor leys yi camp he finds only a note to pat from jeff meanwhile jeff rides into tall tail holt anil and sends word to sherm howard he wants to see ee him CHAPTER IV continued he pulled on his boots and swiftly examined his revolver that the weapon rested lightly in its holster so that there would be no hindrance to a quick draw he made sure this invasion in force might or might not mean trouble curly had probably come with a chip on his shoulder norris was a killer of the worst kind on the other hand sherman howard had the reputation of doing his fighting by proxy he might have brought baroug ht morg merely as a defensive precaution jeff hoped if they did not open up with a blast of guns to talk them out of any thought ot of vengeance it would not be easy now not with curly all hot to rub him out in his throat there beat the pulse of excitement that al always W ays accompanied deadly danger his fingers trembled A knock on the door sounded grays nervousness vanished instantly st he said come in his drawling voice cool as ice water CHAPTER V their host maneuvered norris to a rocking chair howard to a straight backed one curly he seated at the foot ot of the bed gray stood in a shadowy corner farthest from the window he was giving himself the best chance possible of the three visitors norris was probably abl Y the most dangerous gunman and a rocking chair is not the most advantageous spot for swift and accurate shooting A little crowded in here gen gents t s 11 gray said lightly hope you dont mind sitting on the bed mr connor ini im short of chairs suits me curly answered gray nodded turned his attention to the big man 1 I hated to trouble you to come here mr howard he said apologetically but I 1 have a busted leg that interferes with walking 1 I mind coming I 1 busy howards leaden opaque eyes never lifted from the stranger just reached town and I 1 thought id better see see you gray mentioned slumped in the chair the gross weight of the man overflowing howard reminded gray of a prize hog howard said nothing he waited tor for the situation to develop the man had a capacity for effective silence figuring I 1 might want to stay around tall tail holt awhile gray went on easily 11 Ws its a free country howards voice was suave for some folks norris added with an insolent laugh gray smiled my idea to too mr norris I 1 want to find olit out if 11 im one of those folks last time I 1 saw you you that roan was foggin it outa cuts town fast norris taunted you looked ai like e you had hurry up business anywhere but here mr gray it if what you call yo 1 I changed my mind 11 gray sold said why howard asked bluntly got a busted leg shot up the other day in front ot of the golden nugget norris inquired suspicion in his bis cold gray eyes no out on the L C range while you were gunning tor for lee curly charged no that so norris snarled who did it how come you out there talk last fast fellow curly ordered haith harshly ly miss ruth chiswick did it gray did not look at curly his stonewall gazetas gaze was on the killer norris 1 I was there on personal business ot of my own curly ripped out an angry oath if 11 you hurt miss ruth smoothly howard interrupted let us hear the story curly mr gray sent for us to tell it dont you reckon go ahead Sorrel top 11 norris laughed a derisively well believe every word you say gray told the story of his adventures hi n the L C territory with careful editorial ell elisions they heard it to a finish that chiswick girl airl Is a tough proposition howard said shak shaking in 9 his head gravely shell come to a bad end like enough nothing of the kind retorted curly hotly a mighty talce little lady some hot tempered but with the making of a fine woman in her gray concurred ashes sure a wampas campas cat norris cut in his slurred blurred voice a sneer leave the girl out of this curly snapped mr norris only meant she Is a little lively gray explained 1 I can tell him what I 1 meant fellow without any help from you norris blustered and I 1 bring her name into it she was in the fairy tale this bird has been giving us ignoring norris the crook nosed man spoke to howard 1 I dont claim to be so law abiding myself maybe I 1 left some place in a hurry maybe I 1 thought it good manners to ask a stranger about his past you cant catch a mule without an ear of corn com mr gray the big 0 74 r 0 no objections t to 0 you staying here mr gray man said if I 1 get you right you are asking our help before we give it we have a right to know all about you fine for you the cornered man replied but how about me how do I 1 know some fox wont write a letter and have me dragged back to to some place I 1 dont want to go howard looked affronted I 1 if a man throws in with us we dont betray him Is that a promise gray asked looking to the others for confirmation if were satisfied with yore story curly said if norris accented with an ugly laugh reluctantly gray drew from his pocket the poster still slumped in his chair the big shouldered fat man read it carefully so youre clint doke he said gray did not admit this in words draw yore own conclusions he told howard lemme have a look at it curly said impatiently he read aloud height five foot ten age twenty nine weight about pounds crook nose light red hair gray eyes scar on back of left hand will probably fight desperately before being taken curly lifted his eyes and grinned at gray certainly reads like it might be you unless youve got a twin brother the sp spitting ittin ln image of you eyen to the scar on yore hand 11 norris reached for the poster the picture is sure ugly as galvanized sin he sneered but it looks a heap like this guy ill say that I 1 knew all the time he was from texas says you and these three other fellows are wanted for robbing the texas and southern flyer curly mentioned where are the other guys on the dodge down in the texas brush country how come you pot not to stay there the rangers hangers were after me special gray explained 1 I figured I 1 had better light out norr norris Is looked at the poster his up curled mr doke is real im in texas arizona ure sure ought to give him the glad hand the name is gray in arizona corrected the crook nosed man worth two thousand on the hoot hoof or as meat I 1 reckon down santone way norris continued the other guys who helped rob the train only rate at five hundred apiece but mr doke hes an honest to god jesse james gray ignored the jeer like ike to correct you on one point mr norris two thousand on the hoot hoof not a cent it if shipped down in a coflin coffin ile he thought it lust just as well to stress this to avoid being shot in the back right norris assented 1 I read it careful well weil mr doke gray I 1 mean its a pleasure to meet up with a famous man like you this Is private information the fugitive said 1 I dont expect the word passed around among yore friends im lying low tor for a while you understand it still clear to me what you were doing in the sweet spring valley curly insisted or why you wanted to kill lee chiswick gray smiled 1 I was in the sweet spring valley because I 1 had bad to get out of tail holt in a hurry on account of curly connor making a target out of me be told the black haired man cheerfully me I 1 was going somewhere in a hurry and I 1 happened to land in the L C country about yoro yore other question I 1 never have wanted to kill chis wick you just shot at him for practice curly suggested 1 I shoot at him gray let his cold eyes rest on norris 1 I reckon not information to yore mends friends meaning me asked norris his eyes meaning only that this has been talked over among you someone took a crack at chiswick whoever it was I 1 could just see his figure in the alley and I 1 ripped loose at him why asked howard had you a any ny chips in the game 11 ive asked myself why often enough since gray replied shaking his head why nary chip mr howard but I 1 had just been eating supper with him as his guest and I 1 reckon my notion must have been to see he got a fair break but that yore notion any longer mr gray howard queried lightly im not drawing a paycheck pay check to be his bodyguard gray drawled Is it straight goods what he says sherm curly demanded 1 I reckon so curly one of the boys got impatient and cut loose at chiswick who 1 1 I dont know who im telling you only what ive heard all ali right norris said this busted leg of his do we have to take it on faith it needs some attention the wounded man replied Is there a doe doc in town no doe doc but sherm here Is almost as good fine would you mind looking at it mr howard gray asked howard examined washed and dressed the wound there could be no doubt it was authentic after he be had bad finished taking care of it the fat man gave a decision no objection to your staying here mr gray this community aim to be hard on a man in trouble of course if lee chiswick finds out you are here as he be is liable to do it will be up to you to look out for yourself gray said he would try to do that tony flores one of the vaqueros ros rode in to the big house with word that there had been another raid on L C stock how do you know lee chis wick demanded ran across the tracks of a bun bunch ch being driven up box canyon the mexican said new tracks id say not more than a day old senor sure they were driven that they strays asked dan brand tony explained that five or six shod horses had followed the cattle too late to catch the thieves thieve or pick up the tha stolen stock brand mourned maybe not lee gave curt orders arm yourselves boys well take off after them ruth help frank rustle grub tor for us enough tor for two three days bob get pat and buck conrad cut across and meet us at the mouth ot of box canyon tell them to bring rifles as well as six guns be there inside of an hour ruth gathered all the food she had cooked had bad nelly grind two packages of coffee chose a side of bacon added flour and corn meal as well as salt pepper and sugar the food she put in gunnysacks gunny sacks her brother roped a pack horsa and put on a crossmuck cross buck with a lash rope he threw a diamond hitch expertly over the supplies bring your slickers the boss snapped no war sacks were traveling light you wont be on your spurs any this trip got to hotfoot hot bot foot it over a cold trall trail at the entrance to box canyon lee found conrad and his son bob waiting for them was sniffing over the ground like a dog looking for a scent the old man was an expert trailer H he e ha had d been a scout in the army d during the geronimo campaigns the cattleman turned his horse over to frank and strode forward to join pat what ayou find he asked about half a dozen dozed of ern em with a bunch of young stuff traveling nickety split said in one hell bell of a hurry heres a big long stepping horse with outsize shoes this one has a broken hoot hoof be pleased to know lee that the lying who calls himself jeff gray is with them must have ridden right over from the line camp sure unless he has loaned his roan to someone else I 1 made it my business to take particular notice of that animal while he was at the line camp the blacksmith who shod that roan was either short of time or nails theres a nail shy in the shoe on the left front hoot hoof take a look at this track lee chiswick studied the footmark here it is again id swear to that on a stack 0 of f bibles grays roan made it empl weve got him at last so he cant lie out of it hes one of the tail holt rustling gang chis wicks salient jaw set 1 I knew he was a bad hombre first minute I 1 clapped eyes on him brand said lee drew frank to one side I 1 son were following a cold trail look at those clouds its going to rain tonight and all tracks will be blotted out might as well hunt a needle in a haystack as these scoundrels I 1 want you to go to tail holt and keep your eyes open there will be a lot of whispered talk among the rustlers there but you wont hear any of that what id like to know is who is in town and who find out who has been away notice who drops in if two or three come together check up on that im pretty sure sherm howard is back of these raids on our stock though of course he be do any night riding himself TO BE CONTINUED |