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Show A ghh&i Qictfoft S&iial I chcw.-wNU,.c By HAROLD CHANNING WIRE sun when he awoke. Even as he closed his eyes again, reluctant to leave the blankets, his telephone jangled from its post beyond the door. He bounded out barefooted. Cook's voice came over the line. "Hello, Rock House, how is the morning?" "Haven't had a look at it yet." "Then here's something to wake you up. A relay from Lone Tree." "All right," said Breck. "Let's have it." He heard Cook's low chuckle, then: "Saved my life. Will meet you Friday. Party of five." The ranger paused. "It's signed," he continued presently, "but I reckon reck-on the telephone girl got it wrong, or I must have misunderstood in writing writ-ing it down. Looks like 'Old Thing.' " Breck grinned into the little iron box, but agreed solemnly, "That's a mistake, Dad. The name is Sutherland, Suth-erland, you know." "Now then," Cook said, "we've got to work this so you aren't away "Bring "em," Temple repeated. "More the better!" Breck gave his promise, then rode on. Twice on the way down he met salt trains coming up; cowboys with a dozen mules, each mule carrying two hundred and fifty pounds of rock in burlap bags. By evening he was on the last steep slope of the granite wall, with the Mojave Desert stretching away in a purple shadow of the Sierras themselves. At dark he came into the first corrals cor-rals of Dick Divine's pack outfit, and upon crossing a stream rode at once among fires of more cowboys camped near long piles of salt. Dusk hid their faces. Some greeted greet-ed him. Then he passed one alone who glanced up from his solitary blaze of willow twigs, stared and said nothing. Breck raised a hand, though he knew there would be no reply. "Howdy, Art." Shortly after that he approached a small house, strangely neat and white in a garden of flowers, as Breck had watched the swift scene from Divine's cabin, and now saw a girl's hand make a little gesture toward to-ward Art The boy snatched off bis hat, and then as the girl drove on, remained fixed in his saddle, staring star-ing after her. He was still sitting like that, Breck knew.when the roadster slid to a stop at the house and Irene jumped out, laughing and reaching both hands to him. Her words came in staccato gasps: "Gordon! My dear! I should never have known you! You're Why" She paused, surveyed him, ended helplessly, "Why Gordon!" He watched her curiously at first, then warmed to spontaneous response. re-sponse. She stood before him as amazingly beautiful as ever; tall, dark, trimly outfitted In riding breeches, gray silk shirt, black tie, and polished tan boots, all of which were perhaps more stylish than comfortable, yet gave her figure magnetic grace. The sun had burned her cheeks on the drive across the desert, coloring them over olive skin, and the dry wind had cast a sparkle upon her usually languid, dark eyes. Breck laughed into them, returned the pressure of her clasp, and they stood for an Instant, wordless. Inwardly In-wardly he had to admit some of the old feeling. The Senator interrupted, boosting himself from the car. "You're looking look-ing fine, my boy. Fine! Say, I'd give something for your middle!" Breck went to him. "You'll be this way if you live in the mountains moun-tains long enough. I'm glad to see you. Senator." Sutherland shook hands with a hearty campaign grasp, long and full of action. He was short and thick-set, past fifty, with a round face behind which lurked the humor of many good smoking-room stories. In clothes he had not followed Irene's example, but wore a thin suit of white and a limp Panama. They were still in the first exchange ex-change of greetings when a second car swung around a bend of the road and burst through the willows, further scattering Art Tillson's mules. It halted near the roadster, a sedan scarcely showing its occupants occu-pants in the piled-up baggage. He opened the door, and a gray-haired, gray-haired, motherly face peered at him over a canvas roll. "How do you do, Gordon? You'll have to dig me out before I can reach you." The woman's wom-an's voice came cheerily in spite of her cramped position. d: AFTER XVI Continued V 15 smiled grimly. "There aren't "i i tools for the same reason !'.y ere aren't half enough trails, i nough telephone sets, half i miles of wire to protect this Come right down to it, we .n't get the money. What do int in politics anyway? e this seventy-eight dollars joke of. Now I've never been shington, but I reckon here's y of it. The talk gets around 1 opriations for the forest serv-Ijtaybe serv-Ijtaybe they see I'm asking for ndred dollars to build trails, ho's this Cook?' someone '' j ; ranger in the Sierras.' w many votes out there?' ,: c' I ve hundred dollars for six f My God I' So in the end I 1 5 trails on seventy-eight dol- y. shrugged, adding, "Nothing the gentlemen who hold "ybs by their votes. But they I o see our side of it. I reckon ! ink we want trails to go joy-k joy-k on, and telephones to gossip ind tools to dig in the gar- h jh silence that followed, Breck ed his pipe, lighted it, let it in his hand. A thought had .vith Cook's first words. He " ct it from his mind. But the C: was in his pocket He e t;ed off the feeling that it had f Pressed upon him by Fate, k-ed to argue within himself. 'S;and would do nothing. Yet c"-w Sutherland was fair-mind-:only bringing him would not 'bringing Irene also. She did DJ ong here. er-!lt jealous of his life; it was Jk:i. He knew too well how she s:psurp it Again the picture of Ed -ne before his eyes; a beauti-is beauti-is c 1, drawing him even in a ViT- or.t:k," he said abruptly, "you rd::t a letter from down below is:p friend of mine whose father 3. Ltor Sutherland. There's a lch : that I could get them up r.3 ; i a vacation. I'm not sure it nujielp the service, and yet he's ; i::;.cian and plays the game." ier ;ht get down the guest books," ,w goffered, "and show him how e- hundred tourists come v;ii these parts. Then name a i laughed. "You're not so .rSlim! The Sutherland Trail. CS;: pretty good, doesn't it?" (Je:-. remained thoughtful over , jvuffs from his pipe. "Son," ve ;I at last, "I've never played . i5;.:, but if there's any way in irld to get what we need for iuntains, I'll learn the game. ; know much about talking Senator." Breck raised a hand, though he knew there would be n reply. "Howdy, Art." from the station more than two nights. Understand me?" "Easy." "All right Friday Is two days off. You start out tomorrow morning morn-ing and make Dick Divine's camp by dark. Then if your folks come any time at all before noon Friday you can pack them as far as Summit Sum-mit and camp. That will put you in Rock House again Saturday." "OK," Breck answered. After breakfast he dedicated his time to making tenderfoot tourists less tender. He could visualize the party of five arriving after their day and a half in the saddle the Sena- contrasted to the mule corrals and rough life about it. Dick Divine came to the door, holding up a lantern lan-tern as he peered out His face showed wrinkled and toothless, with sharp eyes looking from under long gray brows. "Who's yere?" he demanded. "Ranger from Rock House." "Well howdy, Ranger. Are you puttin' up?" "For one night," Breck answered. He swung to the ground, and presently, pres-ently, having explained what he wanted and turned his animals loose with hobbles, he came back to find a meal fixed for him on the packer's pack-er's table. Art Tillson was still in camp the next morning. Rigging saddles for the tourists to come, Breck saw other oth-er cowmen load their strings of mules and vanish up the mountain. But Art single-handed, was later than the rest It was almost noon before he had his salt train ready. His mules were bunched, and mounted, he was trying to rush them into line, when abruptly a roadster shot through the willow thicket. His animals plunged from the car, bucking at their packs as they scattered. Art wheeled his horse savagely as the car halted near him. The chauffeur came from in front to help him; a short, spare man who had been in the family always. In a moment they had the Senator's wife out. She gave Breck an impulsive im-pulsive hug, then stood off considering consid-ering him from Stetson hat to service serv-ice boots. "You're a good-looking ranger, Gordon," was her verdict "I must say that!" "My thanks," he answered, smiling smil-ing upon her. Of the Sutherland family she was the one who gave open affection. She babied the Senator Sen-ator and spoiled Irene, and at one time would have spoiled him too. Dick Divine came from his cabin, introduced himself perfunctorily, then added to Breck, "I've got somethin' on the table in there. They can eat while we're packin'." Glancing down, his eye fell on the array of luggage. A startled look crossed his face. Breck laughed. "Can we put this on three mules, Dick?" The old packer blinked hard. "I'd say it ain't all here." "Oh no," Irene agreed. "It isn't You'll find the rest in my roadster." (TO BE CONTINUED) Xi'll find that easy enough. W'o most of it." T('d fellow, is he?" j vn below, yes. I've never im roughing it. His wife is I sport And he'll bring a ECier." -" Sierra exploded. "There ro?ere it. Another woman! Dad, 'uplito me; let's call this off." 0f p:;ave Breck a resentful look he it grave blue eyes. "Pardner, icali Ln't throwin' Louise down? i us. she on the fire line with you evef ght? And didn't she go herself u l'-l of sendin' the Indian? We Temple and he told us. Now ,.mi bringin' " tor, padded in the wrong spot and letting the whole forest know how he hurt; his wife suffering more and saying less about it; Irene a good sport if she cared to be. The other two would be a maid and a chauffeur, chauf-feur, who was also the Senator's handy-man. Preparing camp for them, he put up four tents near the stream and not too far above his cabin. He was on the down trail early next morning, for in the night he had realized it was only fair to stop at Temple Meadow and mention this j U se off. Slim," Cook checked II Uughing. "It's Breck's affair." hell it is! I'm plumb dis-' dis-' j- ted in you, pardner." , rfjjjja stood up and walked from 'bin. It was the most urgent i spii Breck had ever heard him f'E'iind in it he sensed a fierce to Louise Temple, i Vi" said Cook, "maybe we ; jjlpt down to facts. When will "5Jpeople come?" tk glanced at his letter. "This S ritten two weeks ago. They athave other plans." r"e 'em. I left the switches in dquarters. You can get Lone t P(')y phone and have the mes-y mes-y t-elayed from there." ajh paused, drew at his pipe, to 'ontinued with rapid planning. ie detail you to do it up proper, r. them meet you at Dick Di- 'pack camp; that's at the foot rf south trail. They're driving valley, I suppose?" cfth', from Pasadena." Ufll then, bring them here to g House. You've got tents, jjjcyour Senator around while (f on patrol. Give him an idea 0tW!.it we've got and what we need. poes that suit you?" tWjj; right," Breck answered, "if af iy it's part of my job." But yfcply he was dubious. He had l1!? Wanted Irene Sutherland here. !!, 'kidrf CHAPTER XVII niflW ,(;! and Sierra rode back to stfjjuarters that afternoon. Breck iis message by wire, and then, aftg into his bunk while it was fjaylight. slept the clock around, jgnbiu was flooded with morning party to Louise. The corral bars were open and the place apparently deserted when he came into camp. But in a moment Tom Temple opened his cabin door and hobbled out. Almost his first words were, "Louy's gone saltin'." As frankly, Breck answered, "That's too bad. I hoped to see her. Anything you want from the valley? I'm headed out and will be here again Saturday." Temple wagged his gray head. "Thanks, Ranger, but the boys are makin' trips every day now, bring-in' bring-in' up salt. The whole range has it trucked up as far as Divine's, you know, then we pack it. Takes a heap of salt while our stuff is on green grass." Breck hooked one knee around his saddle horn and smoked a cigarette before starting on. "Figurin' to be at the rodeo?" Temple asked. "When is that?" "About a week, soon as saltin' is done and the boys can get together. togeth-er. Better make it. I beef a couple of young steers and have dancin' to music from down below. Folks come up here from Lone Tree some farther." "Sounds like a big time," said Breck. "Count on me. And say, are outsiders allowed? Tourists I mean." "Lord amighty yes! They won't be outsiders when they git here!" "I guess not" Breck grinned. "I'm bringing a party of five back this trip, some friends who'll camp at Rock House. They'd get a big wallop out of your show." |
