Show cod lu L AM macleod RAINE rolce installment SEVENTEEN THE STOUT STORY SO fart babl ellen carey of texas ex peace officers 8 to invade the ders atleri comes to help them li Is wounded woon ded n I 1 interested I 1 te rested in two rien jeff brand coun countryside de and kill without trial all after their rescue terry and larry are rustler u tier and calhoun terry ranch manager suspected rustlers by mistake terry arrested by the sheriff for safekeeping four rust leis leve bad been mystery and hla his foreman lo rcman larry are attacked attached by a mob threatening to lynch them b be e bously killed the big ranchers much the invaders Inva invaders lers and they run to cover in cause causa of the big rancher activities s over otar terrys protest hired an army a little cabin jeff thinking them rus ellen seeks leeks jeffs aid CHAPTER roan alford helped brand put on his coat jeff sat on the bed gripping the covers to steady himself gamme my gun belt he said you dont need no gun tonight jeff roan told him you use one good it if you needed it and you wont ill take the belt roan I 1 t feel dressed without it alford buckled the belt around him lane carey walked into the room they supported him to the wagon and helped him to get into the hay filled bed ellen arranged a pillow which she had brought from the hotel she said in a low voice to tier her father 1 I want to go with you no brand said I 1 we wont have a girl in this wo its a mans g game al ae jeff Is right carey agreed you stay here honey and dont worry well work this out somehow ellen moved to one side her heart filled with a leaden despair and watched the wagon rou roll down the street but she could not go back into the round top hotel and sit there quietly while the man she loved was being lynched at least she could return to the holden house which was much nearer the jail ellen had come to a street meet corner from which she could see a segment of the milling crowd every step she took now toward her hotel would carry her farther from the jail she found she could not do it she could not walk away and leave calhoun terry to his late lane carey drove the team through the square and down the road leading to the jail help get us through carey urged ive I 1 ve got jeff brand here hes he s wounded and cant get to the front afoot but he be has something to say its important the pack around the jail door was more dense somebody had been sent for an axe and those nearest were already throwing their weight against the door the sheriff shouted down a warning A lot of you are going to get killed boys terry and richards are armed we mean to fight he was standing on a little railed balcony which faced the street terry r and richards joined him terry flung out the palm of his hand as a signal that he wanted to speak the thunder of the mob redoubled started to die down swelled out again in crescendo terry waited his lean strong face showing no sign of fear the voices stilled at last terrys scornful gaze swept the crowd no iise use to td tell you im against this invasion ot of the texans he began no use to tell you that im responsible lor for the breaking up the first of the big ranches in this district and that on my advice the owners of the diamond reverse B are dividing it to sell to small settlers you brains enough to take in a simple little thing like that he was interrupted by yells but his strong clear voice ma made de itself heard above them 1 ill I U tell you something you can understand the stairway Is barricaded barricades barrica ded before you sooim storm it we can shoot down eight or ten of you think that over and then listen to my proposition to hell with yore proposition someone shouted were gonna string you up to a telegraph pole from the wagon seat carey shouted another opinion sure well we 11 listen go ahead cal 1 I im the man you lunk heads I 1 kanj want terry went on taking his time larry t a thing to do with this hes only a hired hand and today he saved jeff brands brand s life hie from these texans you haven t a thing against him all he did was take a job at punching cow when he needed one and sheriff hart is a good man he means to do his duty and do jend us very likely he will oe de killed that would be a pity heres here a my proposition ill I 1 U der if you 11 let larry go larrys larryp voice rang out instantly no I 1 wont have it that way jl if you mutton heads dont don t know or any ny better than to kill cal terry you will have to kill me too all right have it yore own way lets go boys heres here s the axe the sheriff called down an a answer 11 to that he knew the voice come out into the open lee it if youre you re so anxious to have good men killed do dont nt stand away back were bere but step out and lead the attack somebody laughed at that and mo ment arlly eased the tension assisted by roan boan alford the wounded man in the wagon jot got to his feet it took him a moment to clear his bis head from the unsteadiness that went over him like a wave good old jeff I 1 a black headed youth shouted they get you this time it 11 they did cripple you the lightheadedness light headedness head edness had passed ana jeff had found his voice why they beasker he be asked Elli ellisonsr sons gunmen were plugging at me plenty and I 1 a chance to get away this fellow ellow youre joing going to hang this bird terry ran out from the cabin where the texans were shooting at him and larry and he carried me back to cover while these hired warriors shot at him it ff you au all had the sense ol of a rabbit you would know neither one ot of these two men up there are friends of ellisonsr Elli sons crowd the texans shot a horse under larry today while he was trying to escape and now you feeble minded jackasses jac kasses want to hang hi him in what jeff had said ca came me to most ot of those present as a complete earn surprise the men who had brought jeff to town had departed almost at once to join those in the field and they had not had time to tell tho the story to many how do we know these texans shot a horse under la larry r ry rich ards somebody shouted lee hart saw terry and richards ride in on one horse with these birds chasing them like a bunch ot of that right lee 1 I saw someone come riding in th ataway two guys on one horse but I 1 dont know who they were jeff you be leadin us jeff red bed said making ot of the statement a question why would I 1 brand flung at him 1 I dont like a hair ot of this bird terrys head twice I 1 came near bumping him off but im not like i A lot of you are g going to get killed boys you dumb geezers geeters I 1 dont need a mule to kick me before I 1 can take a hint terry and ellison are at outs probably because the diamond reverse B Is going to be offered tor for sale to small cowmen the texans lumped jumped these two men up there and drove them into lee harts place they were were emptying a ton ot of lead at them when I 1 drifted into the doings these boys not only yanked me into the cabin they told ellison later when he came with his flag ot of truce offering to let them go and hang me that there was nothing doing since we three were all in the jam together A shrill voice in the background made a contribution he wired the president for or him to send troops from fort garfield to help these hired killers wipe out us boys boy lane carey said his piece 1 I signed that wire brad and you have it wrong we asked the president to stop the fighting I 1 want a lot of your children made orphans jeff is right about the diamond reverse B going on sale youve made a mistake better admit it and call this off or come a jeff told them recklessly count me in with these men upstairs he poured out a dozen blistering epithets at the mob and finished up by telling them they know enough to pound send sand in a rat hole some borne 0 ol 01 I 1 the men in the crowd began to laugh they knew the lynching lunching lyn ching was off and deep down they were glad ot of it all right jeff one ot of them called you have sure given us a good cussin out larry sat rat on the rail ot of the balcony and grinned down at brand heap fine oration jeff im tor for sending you to congress ill bet twist the lions tall tail proper he had grazed death by a iery very close margin and the swift revulsion from despair to joy was flood I 1 ing him 1 I learned how from you fellows today brand said he clutched at roan alford tor for SUPPO support it and slid down to the hay in a taint faint already the crowd was thinning the rest would be anticlimax anti climax ellen came out of her terror to awareness ot of herself she turned and hurried back to the holden house CHAPTER ellen was too excited to sit in her room at the holden house and wait for her father to come and tell her the news A thought flashed to mind her f father a ther would be at the round top hotel where of course he must have driven jeff after the storming of the jail had been abandoned he had told her to stay there so she had better return to it slipping through a side door she walked swiftly down the dark street several men were standing round the doorway of the round top when ellen drew near A buggy pulled up at the door and somebody got out it was doctor harris he ripped out the sense in patching up you dunderheads dunder heads when you start rampaging over the country soon as my back is turned A moment later ellen was face ace to face with calhoun terry none of 0 the tumult that filled her found expression she said in a small murmur Is my father here terry looked at her surprised she ought not to be out alone on a night like this yes hes with jeff ill tell are here better wait in the parlor he led the way closing the door behind them jeff saved our lives with your fathers help he said yes I 1 was there he saved yours as you did his this afternoon you were there he repeated yes jeff and father let me go with them but I 1 keep away A vibrant wire strummed strummer strum med in her voice she wondered it if he could look at her and not know the truth he thought he knew why she had been unable to stay away and he said gently 1 I think jeff will be all right in a few ew days though h his is fever Is high now he was fine be calhoun had a sudden sense of the tragic futility of life she was so young so eternally young arid and she demanded all good things of life the girl was dancing on the sandi of the future the warm hope in hei bet heart ol of a happiness ever after but life would maul her for all his good intentions jeff would fail her because of the fatal lack of stability in his bis character yes and so were you she said he said nothing for a moment but his look gave a significance to his silence that kindled in her bosom a hot excitement yet when he spoke his words ignored this would you like to see jeff from the door I 1 dont suppose the doctor will let you go nearer now because he want him excited not tonight she said ill wait here tor for father ill tell him you are here he returned in a minute your father has to take the wagon back to the corral I 1 have offered to see you to your hotel his restrained manner chilled her As she walked beside him ellen caught herself thinking how strange was a womans comans fancy out of a thousand men it flew fiew to one when his voice was kind it played on n chords in her heart if he walked beside her in friendliness she trod the hilltops hlll tops in a world reborn but when his eyes had no gifts for her she was drenched with woe terry spoke of jeff he is very loyal to his friends and will go to any lengths for them I 1 suppose you know he sent the money found in turleys curleys Tur leys cabin to jim Tet lows wife to support the little children calhoun did not know exactly why he was marshaling talking points in favor of brand unless it was because he had been a little less than fair to him and felt he ought to acknowledge it to the girl who loved the reckless scamp yes ellen agreed listlessly and turned the conversation to the first subject that came into her head what do you think is going to happen when the settlers meet these invaders will there be a battle and a great many men killed he shook his head 1 I dont know your father and I 1 are riding up the buck river valley we are leaving as soon as we hear from washington I 1 dont think we shall get any favorable response from the government ellison arranged tor for it to keep hands off our idea la Is to try to be mediators between the two parties and fix up a settlement of some sort 1 I dont see how bow you can do that with both sides acting outside the taw law trying to destroy their enemy you and father had better not get mixed up in it you will only got get into trouble im glad jeff brand tee feel that way tonight he said smiling a at t her retook a lot more r rish isk than we are going to run he might have done himself great harm perhaps he has though 1 I dont thi think so but he did his lob job just the same they had bad reached the holden house they said good nighia neither ol of them happy in their parting TO BE CONTINUED |