Show A delapl ERIDE RIDE 1 77 X by ERNEST HAYCOX x jo t THE STORY SO 60 FAR clay morgan hen has hai d decided e elded to play a lone hand ag against insa bea 1 ferer ideen is a rancher bent on sud maning mailing the cattle country ids his ow own way the leafor two men ba v e be nem years having first rt ought fought over clays wife lila who died hating bating him and believing the she should have married Here herendeen adeen li morgan forgan li Is a solitary figure devoted to his oia olal daughter janet although tw two women catherine grant and ann bt mccarrah cG orrah are in love with him they know ho he cannot forget atla of ahli former ormer friends only lack hack breathitt has ba not gone aver over to side ilde seen camping camal g wl with th pete borders border a rustler rustier he la Is a fugitive agi U from men gard curd grant C catherine brother hesitated about joining He Heron deeo s buebe but became bjorg morgans aus dworn war n enem enemy when he discovered vered that catherine had been to din h his ran ranch when he be learns that keren dean lich has a sent meat a party out to find hack back breathitt a and n d kill him clay starts out to find him f arct 1 r 6 t be finds him at freeport heron d e e n a arrives and there Is a free for all fight men are driven off but hack Is forced to bid hide in the hills clay li Is warned by fox hlll ing a nest naster nc ster e r he once befriended that someone Is stealing his cattle meanwhile hacks biding place li is discovered charley hillhouse Hlll house foreman tides ride into the potholes potholed Pot holes after him with a party including gurd grant now continue with the malty C CHAPTER XIV the potholes potholed Pot holes was wag a action ol of land perhaps ten miles square composed of gulches and ridges shapelessly twisted as though in olden time an of the earths lower levels had lifted and dropped this crust grant didat know the region well enough to orient himself but charley hillhouse was thoroughly at home selecting the trails without pause as he came to them C crossing a creek that rose in the potholes potholed Pot holes an and it died in them they reached a meadow and carefully skirted its edge beyond this meadow the land again broke up charley hillhouse Hlll house lifted a hand over his head signaling caution a mile forward coming to the lip of a deep glen he waved his arm by way of command grant stopped watching hillhouse Hlll house step from his bis horse and go forward y grant dismounted and led the other men down the trail to the bottom of the glen he climbed the tar far side slowly abreast hillhouse hillhouse pointed ahead yonder in a cup shaped depression as large as a small corral stood hack Breath itts horse there was a dead fire in the middle of the depression and hacks saddle gear hack lay beside a log sound asleep with his hat pulled over his lp M head T grant dropped at the right of hillhouse house the two other riders crawled to the foremans left and thus the four of them watched the loose sprawled shape of hack breathitt the three pines foreman had let his gun and arm drop along the gro ground un d and on his bis face lay shadows ft darker than the dull light of the pot r holes yet on that face was no particular sadness and no visible eagerness all gurd grant saw was a gray steadfast certainty then hillhouse lifted the gun sighted it on breathitt and spoke quietly it is a hell of a time to be pound to in your ear hack wake up soft as the call was hack breath itts awaken ingi was instant all in a motion he flung his bis blanket aside sprang upright and wheeled around reaching for his gun Hill houses flat warning stopped Breath itts draw cut that out youre covered four ays this was a wrong guess on charley Hill houses part for only three of them had drawn on breathitt gurd grant rising as the others rose held his arms beside him Breath itts horse grunted when rl ri ley heaved up the latigo strap A crows strident squawking echoed through the timber shade pressed around them and even though the day was half warm gurd grant felt a growing chill chili in his stomach along his big nerves he could not he help lp asking his question what are you going to do charley 1 ey 11 hillhouse ignored the question whereupon Breath itts grin showed very white against his steel black stubble breathitt reached into his bis shirt pocket producing cigarette material he rolled a smoke still showing that thin lipped amusement he lighted the cigarette and dragged in a deep breath ot of smoke you wont get tar far with a jury son you know that yes said hillhouse 1 I know it riley bring me his rope i riley released the rope from the ta thong of Breath itts saddle he came across the depression at a slow bowlegged straddle and handed the rope to hillhouse Hlll house hillhouse Hlll house hooked it over one arm keeping his gun free he looked upward at the trees a moment then back to breathitt better get on your horse hack no said hack 1 I guess not listen said aid hillhouse in a lumpy jumpy hard pressed tone make it easy tor for a man what you think im th chinkin inkin about now hack what you suppose I 1 feel breathitt showed his old partner an iron Insole insolence a black cutting wisdom there was something in that look which none of them long as they lived could ever answer or cr ever forget hack said theres there a knot in your head bead and bothin bothi can change it but put this in your book 1 he fired three times kid youve got a damned good memory too and this Is something you wont shake loose go to bed with you and kill your sleep and make your grub taste like sawdust and all the drinkin drink ln inthe in the world wont drown it take a good long look at your peace of mind charley its the last ever see of it get on the horse said hillhouse hack smoked his cigarette to the bitter end tossed it into the dust before the weeks out wish w I 1 sh to god you were in my place never mind the horse charley hillhouse pulled his feet beet together and dropped the rope his chin came up and the gun slowly rose in his hand he fired three times sli shoving oving the gun toward his bis target as though he could not get it done dome quickly enough shocked windless gurd grant saw the foremans lips pull back at each shot saw his face snap into grotesque and openmouthed expressions ot of craziness such as he had never seen on any mans lace face before the shot echoes pounded along the corridors of the pine forest hack bowed his head and bent his knees as though to kneel half kneeling he tell fell forward hillhouse walked toward him the gun sagging at full arms length he removed his hat and stood this way staring down at the dead breathitt he said well he had the last word like always and then his lips framed silent words the vitality left his face when he be looked around to the othe others rs he seemed faintly dazed he said well take him back to the ranch ran ch and get a wagon and run him into war pass his family are all burled in the cemetery which is where he should be these potholes potholed Pot holes aint fit for any white man gurd grant swung around physically sick and slid down the ravine he had to stop here long enough to lose his bis breakfast and catch his bis wind climbing out of the ravine he reached his bis horse and turned it back on the trail this was pretty much a w wilderness ild erness to him but he was wag so a 0 absorbed by what he had seen that he let the horse have its own head and so eventually he came au out t of the potholes potholed Pot holes on heren deens deen a range turning right he threaded through the Hay Haye creek reek hills and reached his own place he left the horse in front of the house going up the stairs he heard caprine catherine call from the kitchen she came to the hall and saw his bis dead white face swing around gurd the matter nothing he said nothing youre lying let me alone he rasped out and went up the stairs he locked the door of his big room slowly pacing back and forth lige white who loved hunting as he loved few things returned to his ranch that day and turned a tat fat mule deer over to the cook he had been gone from the house since two that morning riding down some of the constant physical restlessness which seldom permitted him to remain long in one spot he ate a late dinner in the kitchen and afterwards sat on the front porch to smoke a cigar mean meanwhile listening to the soft step of his wile wife as she moved around the second floor of the house engaged in those endless little occupations which seemed to fill her day any he pitched the cigar across the porch and entered the house she was on the second floor moving around from room to room but when he be went up the stairs he found her seated in her own bedroom with a pile of darning on her lap she had heard him come and this was her way of throwing up a guard against him he stood halt half across the room black haired and smiling favorable enough to in the eyes of most women watching her face come up from the pretense of work her voice cool as it was never failed to stir him did you have good luck nice tat fat one he said old girl youre a heu bell of a good looking woman do you know her voice woul woman boulant ant t let the silence remain reff iaia it hurried back to him the gun toward his target the peaches should be picked I 1 think ill turn joe loose on them tomorrow well can a lot ot of them of course cours e but it would be nice if you loaded up a wagon ol of them and went around to the neighbors what neighbors he said shaking his head it Is a poor word to describe what they are now to each ther other 0 herendeen and morgan are re Is ready to fight at the drop ot of a hat at burds got it in for morgan over something I 1 dont know what we are going to have a fight and I 1 hate to t 0 consider it she said you should shoula know the reason tor for it lige why yes he answered herendeen wants to clean up the range and morgan is a little shy on cornin comin corni comi I 1 to in she said no lige in the beginning it was over a woman llla lila and now it is over another woman catherine he looked down at her closely thinking it over llla lila maybe yes but catherine I 1 doubt that hes closer to the mcgarrah girl theres one thing you dont know lige catherine was his first girl even before llla lila she still is I 1 dont know if he realizes that I 1 dont know if he understands why he Is so bitter against herendeen or why herendeen hates him so it Is catherine lige he said youre damned pretty sitting there she gathered up the darning and rose turning to a corner ot of the room 1 I ought to go down and see what chins cooking for or dinner he came over the room hearing his bis quick steps she swung around her face dark set and stiff lige white showed her his quick smile he showed her the gay excited and unruly expression she knew so well there was that insistence in him that quick need he put his hand on her shoulder compelling her to come toward him he said voice giving him away dont freeze me out grace she whirled back from him retreating until she had reached a 11 wall she put her shoulders to the wall and it was this picture that hurt lige white the sight of his wife shrinking away actually in fear with that darkness on her face and that adamant pride in her eyes as though she hated the things in his bis mind then it took all the drive out of him it swung him around at the door he turned once more covering up his feelings speaking as a though none of this had bad happened im going over to see herendeen and maybe gurd probably be gone 0 overnight ver night she remained by the wall until he had left the room listening to the crush of his feet on the stairs afterwards posted at a corner of the win dow so that he see her she watched him ride out of the yard and settle the horse into a single footed dancing across the fan alango desert As long as he was in sight she stood by the window when th the a corrals and barns cut him from view she dropped the darning material from her hands and crossed to the bureau mirror she placed her hands on the bureau top watching the way her face re bained set and dark she said why Is it always like that and 6 slowly lowly turned from the room chin had left a broom and pan in the hall she bent to pick up the p pan an and saw the uncollected dust along the floor she went down to the kitchen and filled a pall pail with water and got a rag from a closet and lugged the pail up the stairs kneel ing on the hau hall she had forgotten about her dr dress e r 0 or r she care she arenc drenched h e d the rag and slowly scrubbed the floor not with very much method she kept pushing the rag around and around the same spot and her lips were tight placed and tears showed in her eyes she said this started long ago why do I 1 always push him away I 1 always did now he goes somewhere else it is too late she moved along the hall water wair r staining ta ining her dress her hair loosened at the edges coming across her forehead chin called up the stairs miss lige white what you yo u do d 0 there she cried get back to the kitch en and was openly crying tto ITO BE |