Show EOD RAINED U tu uw COPYRIGHT WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE SERVICE or kansas her rustlers r chaswick en ran brand and his orden to jeff gray rey reassured her ler father at supper ruth introduces jeff to her lather and brand and in stora later she speaks cordially to curly connor coming out 0 the store they are greeted by sudden gunplay lee Is wounded and jeff gray appears with a smoking revolver two days later ruth tells her ather of her projected elopement and her disillusionment later ruth meets jeff gray whom she thinks tried to kui her father buth accidentally wounds jeff she takes mm to pat Sor leys camp ruth Is credulous of hefft story of shooting at the assassin rather than at her father and later pleads with lea to listen to him when lee arrives at pat Sor leys camp he finds only a note to pat from jeff meanwhile jeff rides into tall holt and sends word to howard he wants to see him he shows howard a poster with his picture with the name ot clant doke wanted as the leader ol 01 a band of outlaws the rest of the band arrives jeff shows the outlaws the poster and asks their confidence and tells them euth shot him they agree to allow him to stay another raid on the L C cattle causes lee to line up hla men in pursuit and to send his son frank to town to CHAPTER V 8 ill fand out what I 1 can frank L said abe careful about asking ques and dont get into trouble with f thieves it anyone wants to anro what you are doing there say you have come to meet a buyer we are expecting from new mexico frank cut back to the ranch while the others rode up box canyon it was already beginning to drizzle when the posse pushed into the high lands above the gorge before night fell it was raining steadily ahls wick made camp on stampede creek well up toward the headwaters all through the rain poured down the campers rose in the morning wet and stiff they warmed themselves at the fire dried off as best they could and saddled as a chill sun broke through the mist i chaswick divided his men one half of them he sent with dan brand to comb the flat tops his son bob j stayed with him they ped in on half a dozen rhoun mn ranches on the tar chance they might hear or see something of the s missing stock the owners of two or three of these were away from home the others showed no pleasure at sight of the L C men lee questioned them sharply the answers were either evasive or sulky they had no information to give him for all he knew his cattle might be hidden in some gulch or hollow less than a mile distant late in the day he joined brand and his men at an appointed spot the foreman had made a wide sweep of country without seeing any L C stuff wearily the riders returned to the ranch getting in late at night kuth knew from her father dejection that they had been unsuccessful cess ful she waited until after he had eaten to ask questions while he smoked his pipe be told her of the expedition this fellow gray was in it he said abruptly when be bad apparently finished she was clearing away the dishes and turned slim figure alertly poised to fand out how he knew pat had checked up on his horse and knew the chaswick explained they must have sent him ahme ahead of them to locate a good bunch to run off jand I 1 believed his lies ruth bald bitterly dont blame yourself for that he might have fooled me too the fellow looks you right in the eye when he talks he look like a sneaking coyote well we live and learn girl frank chaswick took a room at ma the only place at tall holt which offered accommodations dat ions he could see that he was eyed with surprise by one or two men who knew him but he took no overt notice of that to curly he mentioned casually that he was waiting for an expected cattle buyer whom he was going to take back with him to the ranch this information he felt sure would reach howard and his rustler friends Iri ends once he caught sight of lou howard to the distance and at that k young mana strutting arrogance felt his elsts involuntarily clinch he had an urge to change the contour temporarily of the man vapid good looking face but he was under orders to keep out of trouble at the end of the second day he went back to bis boarding bouse completely bored he washed up and went down or supper at the long table in tha dining room ma put him next a crook nosed stranger with reddish hair presently the man mentioned amiably that his name was gray the words were a little shock to frank his swift gaze swept the man down and up he noted a certain lightness of body a hard recklessness of lace A chill ran through young hit first impulse was to fling out a challenge but he remembered his fathers instructions he was not to get into trouble with their enem leai stiffly he answered iron la bis voice 1 I am prank two or three of those at the table were watching them 1 I reckon you dont feel friendly mr chiswick drawled gray would you expect mo to feel friendly with a man who tried to murder my father and later helped to rustle bis cattle frank asked harshly youve certainly got me wrong sir gray replied with unhurried courtesy but I 1 dont expect I 1 can convince you of it not in a hundred years frank retorted hotly 1 I dont wish to talk with you sir or to know you when we meet short and sweet gray said with a smile his manner cheerfully indifferent its a blow but I 1 expect ill have to get along without knowing mr frank he turned and began to talk with the man on the other side of him As soon as supper was over frank went to the landlady and asked her to change his seat to the other end of the table the day after frank reached tail holt he saw morgan morris and mile high jog into town and tie at the to front of the golden nugget young chiswick sauntered up the street and turned in at curt dubbs place he knew he would not be exactly welcome there but the objection to his patronage would probably be expressed only in pointed hints morris and mile high were at the bar slaking thirst after a short visit to a hidden cache A poker game was in progress but the wheel and the faro table were both deserted it was too early in the day tor them inside of an hour they would be going full blast around the poker table sat six men curly and jeff gray were two of them to mile high his companion said out of the corner ot his mouth tall holt sure is being honored these days mile high glanced at chiswick hastily to see if he had caught the slur batin you morg he said hastily no use raisin a rookus am I 1 raisin a rookus because im grateful the big moguls have started drapp ln in on us be asked offensively frank moved away he heard norris say without troubling to lower his voice 1 I was alman to ask him how bis old man is getting along putting down the rustlers the tall cowpuncher laughed then tried to cover his mirth with a decorous cough chiswick flushed angrily the rage was still simmering in him when he passed the poker table and met the bland smile of gray he felt the disadvantage of youth he was hot philosophical enough to ignore insults without letting them burn him up nor neat enough of tongue to answer them with a stinging retort that could not be construed as a challenge out of the back door frank passed into a night rooted by a star peppered he cut across a vacant lot and walked up the narrow dusty road leading to a crooked canyon the black mouth of which opened in front of hip in the of a cottonwood he saw the figures of a man and a woman locked in embrace the murmur of the mans low voice reached him as he passed at the end of the road where it terminated la a narrow trail running up the canyon frank turned and retraced his steps the girl beneath the cottonwood ran into the adjoining house and the man came out to the road he was just behind chiswick whistling gaily goodby good by my lover goodby his brisk stride presently brought him abreast of frank 10 lo fellow how are cases he asked cheerfully his good spirits subsided abruptly LOU howard did not feel like a conquering hero when he recognized in the man beside him frank ahls wick so youre at it again frank said grimly there was a false note of heartiness in the glib reply of howard 1 I been wanting to have a talk with you prank he said 1 I reckon you have done heard ruths side of the story you know her better than I 1 do how bossy she is when she gats a notion in her head and has to hava her own way I 1 tried to talk her out of this eloping basl ness and finally I 1 did all right told her to go home and behave like a good girl which of course she is come down to brass tacks you liar frank said ho had beard gossip since he came to town howard bristled looky here you cant talk th ataway to me I 1 wont stand it for a minute 1 I am talking that way im telling you that youre a liar and a yellow cur bight now im going to whale the life out of you frank weighed twenty pounds less than the other man he was only nineteen years old and howard was twenty four in actual physical strength he was no match for the tail holt loafer but he had one great asset he yearned to get at this scamp who had according to his view insulted ruth and dragged her name into common talk whereas howard had gone panicky at the thought of a fight dont you monkey with me fellow blustered lou my friends will make you mighty sorry if you try to do me a meanness put up yore dukes frank ordered the larger man backed away protesting that he did not want to fight but youre going to all the same insisted and he drew his hand insultingly across the cheek of the other howard reached tor a gun the fingers of franks left band closed on his wrist and twisted the arm with a yelp of pain howard dropped the revolver to the ground he broke free and tried to run within a dozen strides frank landed on his back and brought him down As he scrambled to his feet chiswick crowded him against an adobe wall and lashed out at his frightened face feebly howard put up his arms to defend himself he took for five minutes a hard drubbing then collapsed to the ground for gods sake doltl he whined ive bad enough youre killing me ive heard about yore talk frank panted still hot with anger listen if you ever mention my sisters name again ill beat you till you cant stand he turned on his heel and walked down the road frank had no feeling of elation at what he had done but he could not blame himself to thrash a man who was too cowardly to fight was no pleasure yet he had at least stopped howard from talking about ruth the fellow would keep his mouth shut alter this it would be better to go back to the rooming house chiswick decided to hang around main street now would be asking or trouble someone very likely would take on the quarrel tor LOIL it so it would ba with guns by morning a more reasonable point of view would obtain Hs turned into main street down the alley beside the golden nugget As he did so he caught sight ot a man at the in front of the gambling house the man was jeff gray frank stopped in the shadow and watched him gray was examining the hoof of a horse he put down the foot of the animal glanced swiftly at the door of the golden nugget and moved to a second horse tied to the rack he stooped and picked up the left hind leg of the cowpony cow pony long and carefully he studied the hoof not forgetting to look occasionally in the direction of the door clearly ha did not want to be caught at this inspection he straightened dusted his hands and walked into the golden nugget on his way to the lodging house frank asked himself questions tha horses at the had been the ones upon which morg norris and mile high had ridden into town a little while ago what was gray trying to find out why was he interested te in these horses more than any others he seemed on friendly terms with the outlaws yet frank bad sensed a latent hostility between the stranger and morgan nor als oh well thieves fell out among themselves frank went to his room and forgot the incident very likely it had no importance five minutes later lou howard pushed open the door of the golden nugget and moved feet dragging to the bar gamme a drink a stiff one he ordered the bartender stared at his bruised and bleeding face holy mackerel you been tangling with a grizzly lou he asked he lumped me when I 1 looking howard said almost weeping with self pity who jumped you Morgan morris wanted to know frank chaswick who A kid norris jeered no such thing an he lit on my back while I 1 was walking down the road then beat me up something awful you sure look like a tiger had clawed you curly said cheerfully frank certainly worked you over considerable he was immensely pleased at the retribution which had fallen on howard time someone cut the comb ot those norris growled ill go along with you any time you say to fix this fellows clock lou how much help do you reckon lou will need morg curly inquired with intent to insult young howard you th rowin in with the chis curly murmured borns derisively would I 1 have to ask yore permission morg the black haired man demanded coolly or am I 1 free white and twenty one the eyes of morgan norris flickered over curly the killer leaned negligently against the bar his body slumped his eyes sleepy but in him was the suggestion ot violent eruption one sees in a crouched tiger 1 I like to know who my friends are curly he said softly dont get you morg when a kid chops whops a loose mouthed scalawag bigger and older than he is do we all have to get on the prod about it TO BE CONTINUED |