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Show . I gir.HT FRASK H.SPfARMAN VN-U. SERVICE sn-L-.-s".,., tIie """cat," al.Ty. CurW. B'-lnnlns half ami- way "Csre d?-",S t,,in"3 11,3 l.n,',t S' e0c'n,'mM!d' 1:!,lorinS the Lu i0inK tl,pm at 'l" Mostly that, I guess" "M"Stly r4""1'" nKrep(i Jne. "1 .V 1 have "And you going on nineteen. And, She straightened up. -Tve worked every t a f D)y J high school at fifteen" "What for?" "Helping support Mother" Carpy Hashed with anger. "Do you mean to tell me that old curmudgeon cur-mudgeon father of yours didn't sup-Port sup-Port you and your mother?" Jane's eyes fell. She crimsoned Then, collecting herself, she said, I did not mean to tell you, Doctor. It slipped out. We've nearly always al-ways had to look out for ourselves but I hate to talk about It, Doctor Father says he's sorry. When I telegraphed tel-egraphed him about Mother's death he was all broken up and sent me so much money for the expenses that I didn't know what to do with It though it was too late to do poor Mother any good. I know Father's Fa-ther's eccentric, Doctor," Jane continued con-tinued gravely. "But that doesn't explain, to me, why everybody out here hates him. And that's what I've wanted to ask somebody like you, Doctor, somebody who would tell me the truth. Why Is Father so disliked? Is It because he is so rich?" Dr. Carpy was taken aback. Here was an innocent and charming girl budding Into a lovely womanhood, the daughter of an unscrupulous criminal and thoroughly detested cattle king, asking him to tell her why her father was so hated along the Spanish Sinks. "Well, Jane," he said at length slowly, "many a rich man is hated without good reason." But if he thought he could get off with such a general observation he was mistaken. Jane pursued him. "Was that the case with Father?" she asked bluntly. "Other rich men are hated," continued con-tinued Carpy, unmoved, "not because be-cause they're rich, but because of the way they got rich !" The force of his words was not lost on his listener. "And if a man does get rich here or anywhere else, they don't lose any time hatching up lies about ing Innocence, "try to think of the name of the man who will give that more favorable opinion." While Bull waited for his mistress during her talk with Carpy, he dropped Into Jake Spotts' barber shop for a shave. Spotts, who was bald as a billiard bil-liard ball, expressed surprise when Bull ga-ve his order. "Whiskers off?" he exclaimed. "Take 'em off," repeated Bull doggedly. "Must be goln' to get married?" "Well, not exactly," explained Bui. "We got wimmen folks out to Gunloek now, 'n' the boys are sprucing spruc-ing up." "What wimmen folks?" "Ain't you heard? Got a girl there, daughter of old Gus." "Is that damned old critter down at the Medicine Bend hospital yet?" demanded Spotts but his expletives were much more ferocious. A heavy bass voice was heard from the second chair, where Oscar was shaving a man. "Slow, Jake," protested the man In the chair, "go slow don't get to cussin' out old Van Tambel." "All right, Panama ; all right," returned re-turned Spotts, resignedly, "I plum forgot you were there." "That man," gravely continued the man addressed as "Panama" and referring to Van Tambel, "will keep more Sleepy Cat folks out of heaven than the devil himself." "How's that?" asked Spotts. "Why? Because everybody cusses him so terrible whenever his name comes up." "I guess that's right," agreed Spotts. "Anyway, there's more damned blaspheemin' goin' on in this town " "Careful, Jake; careful," admonished admon-ished Panama. "All right, Panama," grumbled the notoriously profane barber. Then, under his breath, so Panama could not hear, "It's got so a man can't say a damned word any more. What's the girl like, Bull?" he asked. "Well," responded the Gunloek hearty, "she's comin' around eighteen eigh-teen or twenty; lively as a cricket and straight as a ramrod." "Is she anythin' like old Van Tambel?" Tam-bel?" "Not a bit. She's as nice and tidy a miss as you'd want to set eyes on, Jake." "Then there's one grand big mistake mis-take somewheres," declared Spotts, definitely. "That damned old critter crit-ter couldn't be the father of a girl like that." "Tut, tut, Jake," interposed Panama, Pan-ama, rising solemnly from the chair and reaching for his collar and tie. "You promised to give up swearing." "Well, hell, I can't quit all at once, can I?" demanded Spotts testily. testi-ly. "Ain't I doln' better every day?" "Got to watch you, though, I guess," observed Panama shrewdly. Bull caught sight of the man out of the corner of his eye. He was almost gigantic in proportions. Tall, stout, erect, with leonine features, shaggy brows and a heavy mop of coarse, straight, black hair, worn long and cut flatly across the back of his neck." "Who is that man?" asked Bull as Panama left the shop. "Why, you ought to know that man, Bull. He's an old-time Sleepy Cat gambler and confidence man up to every game they ever played from here to Frisco." "What's his name?" "They used to call him Big Bill Hayes." "I heard that name." "Guess you did guess everybody's every-body's heard It." "But he made a trip to Panama when the French outfit was runnin' things there. He cleaned up on the Frenchmen, and they run him out of town. He says he got the dysentery dysen-tery down there. Anyway, he got away before they strung him up for a cardsharp. Now everybody calls him Panama." "What's he doin' here now?" "Why, the damned critter got religion re-ligion somehow, and he's the kindest, kind-est, best preacher that ever talked in Sleepy Cat. He's doin' a world of good." CHAPTER IV JANE made It a practice to visit her father at the Medicine Bend hospital at least every two weeks. She spent the day at the hospital hospi-tal with her father, ate an early supper with him, and took Number One back to Sleepy Cat. Her father fa-ther asked a good many questions about McCrossen. "A good man," Van Tambel said wheezily of him again and again. "His only trouble is gambling he will gamble." "I'm sorry, father," returned Jane with asperity it was not the first time he had made the same remark "but I don't quite see how I can watch him, do you?" "Well, keep track of the shipments ship-ments this month. The steers will be going out right along now good deal of money coming in. See that he don't get too much away from you, under one pretext or another. When he wants money to gamble, he won't stop at nothing. And It won't do a bit of hurt to be kind of nice to him yourself." Hints such as these failed to move Jane. Indeed, they aroused an antagonism. When the train pulled into Sleepy Cut late that night it was cold; a north wind was spittlns "in. M-v Yon was on hand with the liv-v rented buckho.-tnl. lie met Jan at the Pullman step and hurried her rhn.ugii the s;.n..k:e across llie platform t'1 !'"' r-- (TO HE COM IMIO nTiTi m rH aw Vt- ' ) SYN0PSIS ... drc town of the , f rtiebratlns the Fourth " v.n Tambel, beautiful ! -"J1 Van Tambel, hated v '" , b ranch, has nr- tt( "" :S. ches the Frontier Pay .company with Dr. i':V tender-hearted friend ' : ity Henry Sawdy of ""t ranch, tricked In a .!"Dr fc. the day before by "en foreman at Gun- .venge. He enters Bill . ' - Udsome young Texas :. V the rodeo which Mc-: Mc-: "voted to win, and lays ' th;x. Unknown to the ,ion is a champion horse-. horse-. sse and the young ; :,ie In the various events. , " Is a cigarette carelessly. .' ;'Pntne track full tilt he 'rte cigarette. The verdict - "won when McCrossen re-.lUe"nipt re-.lUe"nipt the stunt. Entreat- - ... crowd Denison agrees to ' .'mother trick. Jane Is ' . her bracelet, and throws :, track. Just as Denison ; ."nick It up a yell from Bar-".'ucli Bar-".'ucli a McCrossen hench-" hench-" '.'lathe pony, nearly costing ' J Us life. Gun play Is pre-the pre-the intervention of Dr. Sack on Gunloek ranch aft-;ars aft-;ars in Chicago, because of ' rs Illness, Jane gets lost ''the hills and meets Denl-' Denl-' -a neighbor, who guides her : a knowing her identity, he . , ;.;tterly o( Van Tambel. ;PTER 111 Continued ;;;it have been trying not to " .'said Jane coldly. Without . :im she resented the fact . : lad got lost and not been '. : Ion nil. ( were you?" asked the ::. sitting down. j . Bills. You've always been it to ride where I pleased . there was no danger be-". be-". ;.j'4 pick me up. I guess . mla didn't work." ' ;ed this time. There's ai any trouble locatin' you But it won't happen again. : fast wandered away and :-l borne again?'' i: not wander home. I was :: tome." i brought you?" '. "olson." itaDnon cracker had been binder McCrossen, it could :;f been more sensational a answer. He caught his : 'iH a gulp. That fellow ! things 'do beat the doesn't seem to sit very lJ you," observed Jane bird's name doesn't sit very 1 anyone at Gunloek." med willing to pursue the : "Why not?" she asked lan- sipped her coffee. Mt? There's more reasons J ;;t Denison is a rustler, if ; ;; what that means." He . 'flse!" she asked in the ;d manner. ;4j her foreman. "He's ; -1 enemy your father ever ; whole country. He's We more Gunloek cattle ' rustlers In the hills." ; into Sleepy Cat next ; b Bun Page, and when ;tched her business at walked up street to for Dr. Carpy, whom from her visit two ,'? "as somewhat sur-' sur-' 7e,8'ght this trim, iS teen or nineteen h'il seetnIlSly a stran-;( stran-;( J' Obviously she was . Sleepy cat; the doc-3 doc-3 , ' once place her. But ..: jept everything about J'-Cm hereowbyhat,her ,ta h blouse with its dark ;'Npi!r.Sl0pinS feminine , , "Ka,e. Pleasing bosom uncled hips; her ':i g skirt an(3 ;tj "Stan boots. The rig :.e t for her brown hair L Dr' CarPy?" her i ' m manner h b'S hat and t n the desk with an , -;la;C on' "I'm Dr. Carpy. yton don't need ', rj, doctor." l T"ere 'Xclalmed Jane h uewas a sophistica- ' ,s n f dr0p of ' . ' s to W ' 14 deceived ('J:El,,1raenhrt,aie- "That's -oa. Jlntary. Dr. Carpy," t0 f yU forS"en 18 ag0 when ' ':trlet, 1 POrch together .' ne stand to see : s er,ere !aus"- "Not a very popular one in this country. I'm jm,e Van Tambel." He knit his brows. "Why, that's maybe two years ago, and it was a little girl that I talked to here on the porch and took to the races I'll be hanged! Two years! And you've sprung into full bloom. Full bloom!" repeated Carpy In undisguised undis-guised admiration. "Where've you been ever since?" "In Chicago. You look exactly the same, Doctor." "Can't say I feel exactly the same, Jane," he said. His eyes still rested on her. "How long were you out last time?" "Only two months or so. But I'm out now to stay, perhaps." "I heard something lately about some women folks over to Gunloek, but I didn't hear of you being over there. If I bad, I'd have been over there myself. So you're Gus' daughter," daugh-ter," he mused. "Never knew he had a child till you came out the first time. You threw your bracelet out on the track, didn't you?'J "That was partly your fault, Doctor." Doc-tor." "Was it? Well, you got it back." "I did, but I never learned the name of the man that picked it up. All I could find out, when I asked, was that he was a rustler. You don't remember him, do you?" "Of course I do. Who the hell said he was a rustler?" "Why, that's what they told me at the ranch after we got home." "Well, you've got some able-bodied liars at Gunloek one in particular." "Who's that?" "No need to specify." "Well, what's the name of the wonderful rider who picked up the bracelet? And the cigarette?" "It was Bill Denison." Jane started imperceptibly. "He's living here now on his brother's hill ranch brother's dead. Well, Jane, what in the world brought you out here?" "Why, because Father's so ill." Dr. Carpy nodded. "You took care of him, Doctor, and recommended his going to Medicine Bend " "It was pretty high for him here." " so he telegraphed for me to come out to look after the ranch " "Small girl for big job, as the Indians In-dians would say." Jane laughed. "That's what Father Fa-ther said when he saw me. You know two years ago was the first time in his life he'd ever seen me." "How old are you, Jane?" "Almost nineteen." "Well, well," mused Dr. Carpy Car-py still regarding his caller benevolently. benev-olently. "So you're Van Tambel's daughter. I guess you take after your mother." "Aunt Lou says I do," she returned re-turned with composure. "So Father said, too, when I went to see him at the hospital In Medicine Bend last month. And he told me, Doctor, Doc-tor, to come to see you about his bill. I couldn't find one from you among the bills at the ranch. Did you ever send one?" ' "Hell, Jane, I never rent a bill to anybody in my life." "Doctor!" exclaimed his caller, startled both at the expletive and the statement. "I never heard of a doctor who didn't send out bills!" Carpy laughed uproariously." Why, that's nothing." "But," she went on, "you took care of Father quite a while. He thinks you're the best doctor he ever had." The sardonic note in the doctor's slight laugh as he suppressed an exclamation did not escape the girl. "But everyone out here says that or something just like it, so you must be used to It," she added. "Please tell me now. Doctor, what the bill is; I want to pay you" The doctor waved Jane off. When he sidestepped, she kept after him. He dodged, and site persisted. At last she drew from her purse two one -hundred -dollar bills and laid them on the table in front of him. Carpy looked at them In astonishment. astonish-ment. "Your father hasn't gone out of his mind, has he?" "No" Jane retorted. "Why? That s not enough, is it?" she added shamefacedly. "I didn't know." "It's at least twice too much. Did Gus send this?" Jane had to fib a bit. She had added a hundred dollars herself to what her father had told her would be about right, if Carpy refused to name the bill. "He told me he wanted want-ed you well paid," she answered evasively. Carpy pushed one bill bacK to Jane. "That's plenty." "Doctor," she exclaimed, "I wish you'd take this other bill." He shook his head. "Put It back-In back-In your purse. How are things out at the ranch?" "You know how it is when the cat's away," laughed Jane. "You Must Have Been Trying Not to Find Me," Said Jane Coldly. him, do they?" she said indignantly. "Father warned me when I saw him at the hospital that I'd hear stories about him. But there are always two sides to stories." "I probably ought to say, Jane, that I myself didn't get on well with your father. So my verdict might not be a fair one. Another man might give a more favorable opinion." opin-ion." "What other man, Doctor?" she asked coolly. "Why, offhand, I couldn't say right now, Jane." "Doctor," said Van Tambel's daughter, rising, suddenly; he thought her still angry, but she really real-ly wasn't "may I come again, just to talk with you, perhaps get a little lit-tle advice come without excuse at all to see you?" "Why, of course you may, Jane. Why not? Come any time, all times niy latchstring's always out for you" declared Carpy, swayed by nn admiration he could not resist "4nd you won't harbor any feelings feel-ings against me just because you don't like my father?" "How could I?" Doctor Carpy almost al-most gasped with surprise at her 0'SSe."Jane," he said, taking her hand "just 'feel I'm your friend-I mean It Sick or well, I'll be with vou I don't care a damn who your father is or was-is that plain. gi"I'm awfully grateful, Doctor," she aid collectedly. "If I set into a bt Place, or into troubles 1 11 K Vhere I'll have a friend to tU.r.Don't be afraid!" exclaimed Car-t Car-t nl arically. "You'll find you 11 "s soon as you get acQuamted-L acQuamted-L -f ho nfraid!" he repeated. dj,ne was at the door, she turned. -And "Doctor," she said, wUh seem- |