Show N G et s by EUGENE cunningmam CUNNINGHA L 0 EUGENE cunningham W hl U EA 5 1 F TUB THE STORY BO 50 fart farl forced to too run from 0 the law to save live his we ule con coa cam V L con is if anxious to prove his bli honesty hon hone eity styf arrests d ai murler and robbery so 1111 ac 1 hect e became 0 of I 1 his aroc ic ladon with the battler he was wai la in danger ot of being hanged as 1 l comanche linn in spite ol of the face act that he had bid recently saved the life UI of at the mar mirihm hal nevil LOWS loire US be escaped from rom ig all with jeff allows and 4 joined dud Par Para amores k gang fadi but broke with paramjit Para mote when dud bad attempted to kidnap lowes sister janet janel he be saved janet and later oiled duds attempt to rob the bank at civan when he be to bonni fonni 1 jeff shot hot by dud dad he left a note telling the story SUB still a fugitive tui lUve but ant near nearer e if the law con li Is going with his pei pali car caramba a m be vear to work lor for topeka lopeka tenison Ten lion 0 owner wn r ol of the broken wheel the most powertan po wertal fal ranch to in that part of till the country A at Cara carambat Caram bai suggestion con is I 1 calling himself twenty johnon san the they y are meanwhile acting as ai detec detective lor for a rancher named wuey wiley who li in a member ol of an association or candied to break up a band of cattle An itlen T e nason Is I 1 a member r ot of the 97 an so 80 li nov neall U lowe while they are talking to bealson they meet janet lows lowe who recognizes con but says ayi nothing she calls calli Ter ilson uncle peek 11 on the way to Ten lioni ranch they are topped stopped by monk irby who li Is out to get con for or knoll a nan named though con only ahoi hot in self ell de delenie 1 ease 1 its if con or irby this time and C con knocks knock him out but kill him now continue with the story CHAPTER XIII con went quickly to the still figure stopped and un uri buckled irbye belt then stopped to jerk oil off his bis boots caramba came grinning to help between them with con beginning to laugh they got him into his saddle pant facing south BS as caramba put it chokingly and barefooted package of trash for gloomy me beath the printed legend ran with the broken wheel brand tor for s signature gna he went abruptly over to explore irbye alfor alforjas alf Jag one of the leather saddle pockets held a pint of whisky a can of matches some bacon and a blackened length of telegraph wire with ralth short stick tor for handle the rus skiers flexible iron tor for altering brands in the other alforja was an old shirt some coffee cartridges and a piece of dirty greasy cloth at which con stared frowningly before he held it up for caramba to see miral now the rat get this motto hes been using for a gun rag god bless our home pj from the looks of the corners he jerked it off some wall bad luck monk I 1 like tearing up a bible for cigarette papers they started the horse along the trail to the boulders it went steadily as if knowing the way then they had a drink apiece and another and smoked quietly the sun was dropping behind the western ridge and all the land was clear in a light that had a tinge of blackness in it it was very still wonder when topeka and the girl will come out caramba drawled as they swung in into to their saddles not likely catch up with us them in a buckboard even if we have killed plenty time awful dead they went at the walk along the dim ranch road caramba hummed and sang snatches of a dozen songs con looked to right and left content to go slowly and watch the range abruptly both turned to listen por for diesl seems your guess was poor con said as behind them hoot hoof beats pounded the old man bayl it if hes really coming hes rolling up the distl the hoof beats now blended with the dry whirring of wheels and thundered closer and as they made out the mass of horses and buckboard topeka Teril sons voice lifted calling them the hurry con answered jumping pancho into a lope and leaning to the buckboard as it came up to him Meg megeath eathl bendson told him harshly hes up to something we left town after you all just be tore fore sundown janet looked back megeath and a bunch Is coming hell bell bent cant be too much behind mechanically con looked at janet ets face a white blur in the dark he wondered it if she understood what topeka was making so plain to him that gloomy megeath was on her trail not he put out a hand and it touched her arm A thought came he grinned one sid ald adly and wondered how she would avy deceive receive it before he could speak caramba voice it from beside tenison leave the girl berel you go on with the buckboard nickety brindled well put her off sate safe to one side shell be out of sight well wawa with gloomy and his bis outfit a spell even it they stampede around us naturally figure that ashes still with you boll right after you when you hit bit the house send us out some of your best fire snort ers but janet beran gaspingly but surely its the best con assured her face ace almost against hers janet stood and stepped into the stirrup that con cleared for her then swung up to sit behind him arms about his waist Ter tenison ilson lashed the team off and caramba facing the rear called that he could hear the megeath men con rode to the side toward the f f 0 o then he felt a terri terrific flo blow upon his left breast long arroyo which the road paralleled be all right he told her you can sit down and take it easy in the arroyo never guess youre here he jumped to scramble up again the shooting was a steady rattle now there were yells too caramba he could tell from the flashes was on the ground ride over hintel someone yelled savagely come con did not mount he could see the bulk of 0 men and this time he had no slightest compunction about shooting at riders instead of horses he shot his carbine empty with a raking fire along the line of the flashes that answered ca then he reloaded quickly and turned to the quiet sorrel in the saddle he yelled ferociously he sent pancho charging up the trail before caramba could get on his horse the thundering drum of hoof beats paced him on the left he spurred pancho and the stocky horse lengthened his stride and ran like a racer he passed the leading horses of party and rode tor for two or three minutes with face on his shoulder estimating distance then he pulled in what the megeath side thought he could only guess at he could see that under tire fire from front and rear they broke and ran caramba had bad cut away from the trail as soon as he found himself with an empty winchester he joined con now drawing rein with a long sighing whistle and that huh he said 1 I 1 have got some new ai in my stetson and if ary one of that crowd could shoot I 1 would have more than a crease on the left hip and a stripe on my spareribs spare ribs you get hurt never touched mel me I 1 but I 1 be surprised if my shirt was teed fixed up tor for a hot summer too but ne mindl im going to see it if I 1 can catch up with topeka you hightail back and ride herd on janet will you over the rim of the arroyo he could see flashes they were answered by flashes from three or tour four points above con yelled like ten and charged the besiegers waving his carbine indian fashion but it was the attacking party which had the advantage now they were on the ground con in movement his hat was thumped from his head A r slug gug balanced off his saddle fork and cut overalls and skin on his bis right thigh then he felt a terrific blow upon his bis left breasts breast with stinging pain and gasped tor for breath the grold ground seemed to rise and take him from the saddle he sprawled gagging A tiny voice was calling but it was too tar far away to be understood when he tried to answer his tongue was dead the voice became louder someone was calling his bis name asking how he be was and where he was he could breathe more freely hear caramba and tenison talking then janeas anxious voice con made mumbling noises when they lifted him his left side seemed aflame pow that numbness was going L left eft side he muttered knocked me over he got to his bis feet and staggered against pancho then janeas arm went around him as he be held to the saddle horn bora caramba brought a clean shirt torn into strips they managed a wadded bandage then con got painfully into the saddle then tenison called impatiently and caparn caramba ba rode over to con they trailed the buckboard tenison drove fast to the broken wheel house there was wag a light in the long bunkhouse and a yell brought out the tell tall grim goree and two cowboys gloomy megeath and some trash chased us out of town tenison told him briefly these two men I 1 hired ern em today stood oft off gloomy and got skinned up some roust out tour four five of 0 the boys and ride down the arroyo toward the tine line see if any ot of that gangs on the ground but dont go past the rocks gale con and caramba watched the party go fast and eagerly off then topeka tenison showed them bunks and they crawled wearily into bed con tell fell asleep in spite of the sting of his wounds while caramba was wai telling the cook about their fight the pounding ot of a triangle waked con and when he be moved in the bunk his stiffened side twigged painfully he sat lat up and faced caramba who was examining his hii own burns and yawning they went out to a long trough behind the bunk house and con washed his bis side and re bandaged the long shallow gash now it if somebody bring on about half a cow he be said ill be ready to take care of it they found the long bunkhouse table set gale goree sat at the head of it and he grinned at them well hows the young gladiators plato plain hell bell us missing out on a squabble that was right on our stepstone they finished breakfast and as they ate gores goree set the cowboys to jobs tor for the day con listened and watched appreciatively goree marshaled his men like a general with quick sure orders that showed how he held every detail of the broken wheel work in mind con found that his ugly gash and the weal across his right thigh hardly I 1 y slowed him to in the dusty c contusion of the round corral on the wise pancho he be fore footed his first colt and dragged it to the wrestlers wrest lers goree watched down his nose lids s sagging apparently half a sleep asleep where he be leaned against the logs 1091 but when con had roped his bis fifth surer and faster with the practice the lanky texan nodded slightly and went off to other affairs As con went after his bis sixth colt he saw the heads of topeka tent son and janet above the corral top he grinned faintly at sight of them there were many things about the business of a working ranch which he had yet to learn mostly dull practical details connected with the business of profitably growing steaks and roasts on the hoot hoof goree knew these things tenison Ten lson of course knew even more or knew the business more completely but the spectacular part of a cowboys work the riding and roping con could do more expertly than most range bred cowboys for around the stockyards stock yards he had done more roping ridden more dangerous horses than the average working cowboy so he looped the colt deftly and hummed to himself he was anxious to show his ability because of the broken wheels name tor for hard efficiency if perch were something unusual with a rope and he be could match him that would be a good start as a wheeler too it might make goree and tenison less critical of what he lacked in general knowledge of range business so he be ignored twinges of pain from his side and concentrated on making every catch perfect As the morning wore on the branding crew forgot to look critically at his work their faces grew strained and tired con knew that be had never done better roping at last the sixty fourth colt was wearing the odd broken wheel brand and con by way of bravado spun out a county loop that enclosed U him crooked a leg around his saddle horn bom and put on his molt most respectful expression for gores goree if perch or somebody will just show me a few of the fine points about roping he said ill try to earn my way 1 I reckon you done all right goree admitted AU all right one of the branders grunted heill you never run th the 21 iron on colts that fast on the wheel since it had an arlel perch never seen the day he could spin the twine with this boy gale he had bad us yelling calf ropel a time or two hell maybe make a hand yet goree said grinning this it is lust just short grass country you know you boys better eat we never stopped you account its the first good mornings work any of you done in a month of sundays then I 1 want you skeet to take twenty and caramba over to red mesa johnny dutch is by his himself self be the last horses you bring in he turned away then turned back keep your eyes peeled that no account hellico canyon outfit might just accidental bulge over toward the mesa with tour four of you you ought to do but take aplenty shells shell sl 1 TO BE CONTINUED |