Show goo ion AM CLEOD anu RAINE erv cc 1 installment EIGHT TUB STORY 80 50 mariellen PAR FARI ellen carey men dislike three rustlers had been rifle shots had been fired bred at terry while daughter di aber of the postmaster li IS interested shot hot from torn th the back la in retaliation ras lee ho be WAS wai tiding riding and immediately ter for ta in two facto jeff brand r n d san lap hark it a brother of 0 one 1 the victims that two revolver shots were h heard a a rust lerp and cl terry r r r m man takes ia shot from the back at terry black yeager had bad been killed by As aar of the bli big diamond reverse 13 now a fourth man black yeager li in companion terry sends fog or lane carey ranch whom rustlers rust leri and small imah cattle shot hot under peculiar circumstances two and jeff eff brand better sit down gentlemen calhoun cotui said brand looked at him hostility in his hard eyes ill stand the ranch managers gaze met his coldly better take a chair mr brand this a social occasion after we get through with our business you can shoot at me just as properly as you could have be before foret Is it straight goods that black yeager has been killed blurted out jeff yes why I 1 sent for or you who killed him 1 I do dont n t know it looks as though bhe igei had bad been killed by a man supposed to be his friend brand sat down all right spill it ill listen calhoun terry told the story of the tha attack on him CHAPTER XVI jeff brand said ald bluntly your story sounds likely it black and this friend of his were trying to dry gulch you then suddenly the side kick turns on black and blasts him I 1 reckon almost anybody would believe that dont get on the prod jeff the owner of the box 55 suggested mr terry could have burled buried the body if bathed been minded that way he have to send for us and tell a yarn so improbable that I 1 reckon it must be true how could it be true demanded brand have you got any friends who would go out with you to do a job and right when you were doing it pour slugs into you 1 I hope not carey said but 1 im not black yeager he was a tough surly hombre bombere and there might be one of his bis so called friends waiting to get a chance at him so he rode with black for a couple of hours and crack down on him till he knew there wa was s a witness in the neighborhood to testily testify against him later maybe too thin lane im not that easy the rustler swung round on the diamond reverse B manager sharply ly what was the idea in sending tor for me the frosty blue eyes of terry met those of the outlaw steadily the idea is to havi have you examine the ground and see tor for yourself I 1 dont enjoy the reputation of being a man who kills from ambush did you bring the body in mr terry carey asked 1 no I 1 thought it better tor for you to see it on the ground he added two of my riders are camping out in the grove to keep off wild animals we cant read sign till IIII morning you had bad better turn in and get some sleep well have breakfast early and take off by daybreak good medicine carey agreed how about it jeff no obligations on either side mr brand his host said As imen tinned before a strictly business transaction there will still be an ope open n season on me brand and carey followed terry to the dining room jim wong had bad set two places there were sandwiches on a platter and a pot of cot cof tee fee beside some cups A bottle ot of whiskey and glasses were on the sideboard youve had a long ride in the rain the foreman said jim wong fixed you up a little refreshment ill have your horses looked after while you eat he left his two guests to them selves terry is no more guilty than I 1 am carey said at least I 1 dont think so but well know more about this tomorrow lane leaned forward and spoke I 1 almost in a murmur has it ever struck you jeff that the big cow outfits may have stock detectives right in our midst you mean some of the their it own cowboys no I 1 dont somebody closer to the rustlers one who sees them oftener and maybe rides around with them A nester nestar perhaps brand thought it over might be so if I 1 could prove it on one I 1 would sure give him a quick ticket to kingdom come but what has ban that got to do with this affair might have nothing to do with it might have a jot lot A spy like that who could be hired to give away his friends would not stop at murder from rom ambush the three thee men breakfasted early I 1 a and nd were on their way before sunup they took with them a packhorse to bring back the body during the night the rain had bad spent itself and there wa was s n now ow not a cloud in the sky the diamond reverse B riders joined them at the edge of the grove tracks of the horses are still till showing one of them said 1 I was scared the rain might wash them out but it come down hard bard enough carey and brand examined the body bodi it told a story of unexpected death the powder burn on the face showed that the revolver had been fired very close to the victim lemme lemma see that note the fellow pinned to blacks coat jeff said calhoun took it from his pocketbook and handed it to the rustler brand studied it for or several minutes ive seen writing like that somewhere but I 1 cant just remember when he mentioned to carey look how he makes his ss Bs with the tails flying away brand put the note in his pocket mind it if I 1 keep it he said to terry insolently not at all nate hart may want to keep it but you fix that up with him terrys voice was scornfully u ily polite on the way back to the ranch carey rode beside terry and brand with the two cowboys 1 I reckon we e have come to the same opinion as you did cal the man from black butte told his companion what opinion terry inquired that this killing was done by a cattle detective hired by some of the big outfits my opinion to is it the diamond reverse B manager asked sarcastically 1 I think so it explains the facts better than anything else I 1 can figure out my notion is you wanted to put us on our guard against this fellow even if I 1 was employing him 1 I dont believe you are in this at all but I 1 expect you can give a good guess who hired this killer terry said tonelessly 1 I dont know anything about it well ill leave it there cal lane carey concluded A wink to is C terry Is no more guilty than I 1 am carey a said aid as good as a a nod to a blind horse ive a notion you dont like this state of affairs any better than I 1 do CHAPTER black yeager was buried at round top and his funeral was the largest ever held in the county the feel eel ing was very bitter and it was al most unanimous against the big bif ranches among those at the graveyard even the people who did not justify rustling resented this highhanded destruction of suspected men who had not been found guilty by a jury among the rustlers themselves a mounting tear fear lay jay back of their furious rage A killer was loose in the land and he might strike at any one of them next several men without property slipped away quietly bart dennison Denn lson pulled his freight last night lee hart said lett left on the train tor for cheyenne jeff brands laughter was brittle some folks scare easily he said through the window his words reached ellen she had no doubt he be was a thief but she applauded the spirit ol of his bis defiance what he be had bad told her about pete tolman was even more true of himself he had lived fully physically at least there was in him a deep capacity tor for enjoyment joy ment A rider was dismounting at the hitch bitch rack they watched him walk across the dusty road to join them the man was roan alford cuth rogers got in from elk creek an hour or so ago he mentioned says jim mcfaddin McFadd ln of 0 the flying VC was shot yesterday shot demanded the crook nosed turley you mean on purpose yep some of the riders of his bis ranch heard the shooting a and nd came a running they found h him I 1 m dead he had his bis six gun out oin and had fired bred it twice fellow had sent a revolver bullet right spang through the heart brand asked a question I 1 was mcfaddin shot h t from behind I 1 cuth ro rogers 0 gers says not answered alford he saw the body says it been a duel the bullet came from directly in front and there was no brush for several hundred yards tunny funny commented turley looks like it may have bave been one of his own men bumped him they got into a quarrel maybe the story Is that it one of the flying V C men did it alford said they are all accounted tor for and the man was tracked tor for several miles something queer about this turley cut in frowning 1 I dont get it if the fellow who did it was one of our friends say he of shot it out in the open that away he would of waited to get a crack a at t him from the brush would he brand asked maybe not maybe he wanted to show the big outfits that we had the nerve to do our killing in the open ellen felt a fluttering heart beat a against her ribs she was wai we watching aching jeff he had spoken carelessly b but lut in his bis slurring drawl she had read an undertone implacable and deadly she knew as well as one could know without evidence to back it that he had been the other party to that duel the way you talk sounds dumb to me jeff snarled lee hart what you expect expects a fellow to do buck have any chance did he be not on yore tintype they rubbed him out when he expecting it why I 1 do the same with one of them hard eyed brand looked at he hart it im not telling you what you ought to do I 1 dont give a damn wh what at im pointing out is how a white man would want to settle a difficulty fi dark blood mantled harts flat featured face if you claim im not 0 t a white man he blustered A faint expression of contempt kindled in the narrowed eyes of jeff 1 I be interested he said his bis voice insolent and dry ellen had work to do at the house and as soon as she had turned over the of office f cc to her father she left jeff brand was waiting outside he rose to join her reaching his feet la in one swift movement of rippling ease youre certainly the work ingest girl I 1 ever saw he told her theres a proverb about that all ali wa work rk and no play mak makes as jeff a dull boy so you think im dun dull she said no no im dull when you work too long have you ever thought that maybe in sixty or seventy years year we may be too old to play we have to leave some time tor for love and kisses you know she was not up to nonsense today it was not worth trying not while she had this queer feeling of suffocation in her breast why do you go out of your way to insult men who are dangerous in men an like lee hart she asked he looked at her surprised IS so 0 you heard 1 I help hearing you pack a lot in one little question tao n he said first off I 1 go out of my way to insult lee hart I 1 thinking about him when I 1 spoke though he is sure wel come to take it likes for the tact fact Is I 1 cant stand the fellow hes lowdown low down mean As to his being dangerous I 1 dont reckon he be is long as he be to is in front of y you au he spoke carelessly as if the matter were not important you look to me like a man who Is dooming himself she said soberly with a kind of proud defiance you frighten me as if as if 11 you yon were walking on your own 11 grave would you feel badly if jou you knew I 1 were he be asked in a low voice she did not look at him but the blood was beating stormily through her heart 1 I would feel eel sorry tor for any young man condemned to death she said 1 I see he said dryly yore christian duty I 1 would want a girl to give me more than that she turned on him courage in her eyes like a banner what would you expect to give her in return she demanded it if she was the right girl I 1 might give her a lover A lover she said scornfully he surprised himself in his bis answer A husband then them it was the last thing he be had expected to say that would be a fine gilt gift she told him what kind of a girl could keep step with you do you think a w wife ife would be happy waiting at home in terror for fear you were being shot or hanged arent men supposed to settle down when they marry you arent even thinking of it your mind Is full of revenge and hatred excitement was carrying her much farther than she had bad in tended it had lit an explosive spa spark A in her breast where were you yesterday afternoon what were you doing but no dont tell mel I 1 dont want to know she flung out a hand band in a gesture of hopelessness and turned a way away running up the porch steps swiftly into the house ato RE |