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Show "Please P he exclaimed, rsislng his hnna. &he stopped. Her guide's brow ruffled a little in perplexity. "What is it?" she asked, superciliously super-ciliously impatient. He took his hat off again. "Would it be polite," he ventured, "to ask your name?" "Tell me yours again," she said. "Bill Denison." She allowed her horse to turn into the ranch trail. Denison sat motionless, hat in hand, but looking directly at her. "You haven't told me your name yet," he remonstrated remonstrat-ed quietly. "Oh! It's Marie. Good-bye!" Not till after she had parted from Denison and was riding alone with her thoughts did Jane begin to tee! really frightened. This was the lIsUvlAJrl FRANK H.KjJ ll SPEARMAN J IfQPYBlgHr FRANK H. SPEARMAN WU. SERVICE mm ,M mm mmw by herself and rid herself of her annoyance in the morning air of the high hills. (In and on, Jane rode. The pony was spirited and seemed, like his mistress, to enjoy the jaunt. The farther she rode, the wilder the country coun-try grew, with only small bunches of cattle here and there to remind her of her domain. At length the hills grew too rough for pleasure riding. With her spirits quieted and feeling Invigorated, Jane reined about for the ranch house. Covering considerably more distance, dis-tance, Jane, having grown weary was rejoiced nt last to see the dusty' serpentine foothills roads well below be-low her. Having reached It, she reined into It and jogged along, confident con-fident of reaching home soon. Presently Pres-ently she encountered an Indian family traveling toward her In a wagon. She reined up. "Am I heading right for Gunlock Ranch?" she asked of the man driving. driv-ing. He nodded affirmatively. But a bright-eyed boy In the wagon box made a protest. He jabbered In low tones to his father and, turning to Jane, exclaimed, "Wrong way," and pointed north. The father shook his head, and the dispute grew. Jane, now confused by the uncertainty, thanked the party and rode on south. A few miles farther she met a horseman heading north. As he drew near, Jane thought she recognized recog-nized him as the man who had directed di-rected her back to the ranch a couple cou-ple of weeks before, at the close of a long day of riding through the Gunlock hills. Jane reined up Inquiringly. In-quiringly. "Good-morning, " ventured Jane. "Can you tell me whether I am on the right road to Gunlock ranch?" The man listened but made no effort ef-fort to speak. Instead he looked at the girl silently. His gaze was embarrassing. He Ignored her question and instead in-stead asked one himself: "Aren't you the girl who got lost around here a couple of weeks ago?" "Y-yes," answered Jane. "And aren't you the man who directed me -back?" "Guess I was," the man replied, in an absent-minded way." "I realize that It's stupid of me to lose my way again," she said, "but can you tell me whether I am beading right for the ranch?" He found his tongue and spoke quietly: "Well . . . you'd reach the ranch the way you are going, though probably not today." "Not today?" she asked in amazement. amaze-ment. "You want to reach the ranch house, I suppose?" "I do." "Then you're heading the wrong way." "Will you please set me right?" "You'd better take the back trail. "M'nred Jane, trying t0 ac't Wht T, 8,16 reined " o. o : 7 rv t,,ls couutr? we I'm oert , 'S ti,lle DOt t0 lost-.im lost-.im certainly not a tenderfoot" Thf Sm"ed' b,,t t0 hlmsef- ,e been m here several hill tr Bet ,ost ridinS lD the "Us it s no disgrace for a two-monthser." two-monthser." Jane did not relish being termed !;m0nthser-" "0h' I' been here before," she said airily. He offered no comment Tired waiting for him to say something Jane was nettled by his continued silence. "I see you're wearing your bracelet, brace-let, he remarked of a sudden' The words came, so to speak, out of clear sky. She looked at him just as suddenly sud-denly as he had spoken; and In alarm. ' He was looking straight ahead-Just ahead-Just as If she were not within miles and with the impassive expression of a man riding quite alone. Could he be, she asked herself In a flash of fear, a bad man? Could he mean to rob her of her bracelet and watch? For a moment she was too upset to speak. But her silence seemed not to move her companion. Looking placidly ahead, and after waiting for her to comment, he spoke again: "I might be wrong. But I thought I saw that bracelet about two years ago, Fourth of July" "Oh," exclaimed Jane for want of something better to say. "Anyway," continued her even-speaking even-speaking guide, "I know I couldn't be mistaken about the young lady that wore It. Weren't you visiting here around that time?" "Yes," ventured Jane, stealing a glance at the questioner. His gaze was fixed steadfastly ahead. "Were you at the Frontier Day celebration In Sleepy Cat that Fourth of July?" he continued. "Y-yes," repeated Jane. "W-were you?" "If I hadn't been," he answered dryly, "I shouldn't have seen the bracelet." They were jogging along pleasantly pleas-antly enough, and as the man didn't actually demand her bracelet or watch, her panic subsided. "Stopping over" at the ranch for a while, are you?" "For a while, yes." "Some of the boys over at your ranch were telling In town they had a young lady over at Gunlock that used to ride in a circus. I suppose It was you." "I'm the only woman, young or old, over there." "What circus did you work with?" . "Oh, several circuses," said Jane recklessly. "What were some of them?" Jane, growing flighty, named one of the big ones whose shows she had attended In Chicago. "What year were you with that show?" She was growing desperate. With affected embarrassment she turned full on him. "You mustn't ask me that Women are sensitive about their age, don't you know?" For the first time he turned his eyes directly toward hers. "I've heard some women are that way," he went on, "but I shouldn't call you a woman." "Oh, my I Why not?" "Well, I'd call you a girl." The reason I asked was, because I was with that show one season myself." This was growing terrifying. Jane made an effort to change the line of talk; but her stranger was Interested. In-terested. "Did you ever happen to ride in Madison Square .Garden?" "N-no! Did you?" "I rode there one winter when we showed there." "Did you like circus work?" she asked offhand. "Can't say I did. I never worked In a circus except that one season. It was only because I needed money bad, and it was big money to me. Then the lawyers got It all. Here's the fork for Gunlock ranch." He pointed. They were at the parting of their ways. A saucy impulse seized Jane. She was given to impulses and to doing whatever thing flashed Into her head. She checked her horse, lifted her forearm, fore-arm, and unclasped the bracelet. "Since you've been so kind " The man had halted his horse. "Nothing at all !" he protested. I'd like yon," she went on, paying no attention to his disclaimer disclaim-er "to have a souvenir this brace-lei" brace-lei" She held It out to him. He looked flabbergasted. "For what?" he stammered. His embarrassment seemed to communicate -itself to Jane-she could not have told why. "I'm grateful grate-ful for your putting me on my way today and that other night when I got lost, If you remember," she went on. He swallowed. She was secretly delighted with his confusion. "Well, that certainly Is mighty kind," he said haltingly. "But I couldn t accept ac-cept such a beautiful thing for doing do-ing nothing at all." "I've got lots of bracelets. -But sometime I've got to find something I can really do for you She laid the bracelet In his outstretched out-stretched hand. .I certainly thank you a thousand thou-sand times." His slow response left no Libt of what he felt. Her aim now was to escape his protes.a-Uons. protes.a-Uons. He put on his hat. She started start-ed to go. j; SYNOPSIS . r-it. desert town of the f, py i.. lebratlnsr the Fourth f: Jane Van Tambel, beautiful -. t'1"'.' of Gus Van Tambel, hated C li Gunlock ranch, Una ar- ? "f from E;,st f0r the flrst che watches the Frontier Day 'J!:,!i(,n In company with Dr. t ruy, tender-hearted friend S community. Henry Sawdy of '' '!tt,r"e Dot ranch, tricked In a '" horse race the day before by McCrossen, foreman at Gun-- Gun-- n'lans revenge. He enters Bill a handsome young Texas ',le'r In the rodeo which Mc- 1 -iVen is favored to win, and lays I bets on him. Unknown to the DVd Denison Is a champion horse-'1 horse-'1 ' McCrossen and the young ier tie In the various events. ':; -ison drops a cigarette carelessly. 5; i-iig down the track full tilt, he tj up the cigarette. The verdict It1 to Denison when McCrossen re- ;-7es to attempt the stunt. Entreat-j Entreat-j by the crowd, Denison agrees to ..rform another trick. Jane Is 'lti for her bracelet, and throws & iT on the track. Just as Denison to pick it up a yell from Bar- '"' Rebstock, a McCrossen henoh-jj henoh-jj scares the pony, nearly costing rider his life. Gun play Is pre- :e iioled by the Intervention of Dr. (mi- B301 on Gunlock ranch aft-irlwo aft-irlwo years In Chicago, because of tr father's, illness, Jane gets lost R iJiif In the hills and meets Denies Deni-es now a neighbor, who guides her Not knowing her Identity, he Jipaks bitterly of Van Tambel. She :!lls McCrossen who brought her :ie and he denounces Denison as m i tattle thief. Later she asks Dr. N, Carpjr why her father Is unpopular ill isibe tells her It Is because of Van j.: Rebel's ruthless and unscrupulous 1 iaracter. Visiting her father In JJ 4i hospital, Jane Is warned to be sir of McCrossen's honesty, but " father urges her to be nice to CHAPTER IV Continued 5 111 piled the house supplies In aback," explained McCrossen, "so fii'd better ride with me. "Brought you an extra-heary coat he added. "Thought you iM need it. Will you put It on :swr His voice, never harsh, sounded sMtous. Jane thought she would ;it the coat on. Her foreman, slt-JM slt-JM beside her, helped her get Into rA ' His manner was tender. His -inds, as he straightened the coat slat, lingered a moment on her fliers, Jane shook her shoulders Sightly to draw them away. 'Tour father's a great man, Jane," said. "No use talkln'." "I'm glad to hear some one say a ii word for him," returned Jane , ; "Ob, he's got his enemies, I know. - :JI from the first minute I ever ; wjou, girl, when you got off the ! that mornin' In Sleepy Cat" ;ossen Inclined In friendly - n toward his tight-sitting lit- companion to emphasize his ;Ms-"from the very first minute Jon, I said to myself. There's : M with all the grit and sand of J father.' " yon better drive a little . suggested Miss Tight Sit-J Sit-J :'. casually. afraid to push the old buck- - over this part of the road. So o myself," he continued, e8 a girl with her father's 17 her mother's beauty.' Jane" lowered his voice, becomlng- are yon warm?" "Quite." "pCd wmfortable?" "IJW brought the horses co i ;, ghat's the matter?" asked CTDiD rather rtly. i S,'U,nlockFor(J- e creek ; al " all evenin'. We don't 'setmf ?Dght ln tne water. A :He iani3 S6e how thlDSS look. - .lrslne "nes a minute. ,, s"e, I reckon," he reported, I Lrn ,t0 1116 rig' "Bui ! r PM feet In my :com aCross' The Wflter : UP through the floor- T:ZaSlm- "Mfeet "0. g V where they are." i "S?! IS ?p you're about j , sin i ever saw In the ! ;5a(2n v these wor,3s' : the Biri !? arm swlftly 1 ttt X pulled her to- t Be failed "5 ap frm Jane's gloved Please mi ;) iTy0Ur business. Dave, 4( cllecterJ10Ur drivinS" said 'wEr-?? an nnqulet one for Hher4lLTe,she thought ,;ie advan,P"Se atimlrer and his ' the t the anSrler or en'ng She break" to V T her le Pony, '"ke a lonS ride all "Who Was the Man That Brought You Home?" Asked McCrossen. man of whom she had heard lurid tales of rustling, an enemy of her father's, near-outlaw generally Bill Denison. She drew a long breath, thinking over her encounter with the redoubtable re-doubtable Bill; what she had said to him and how she had said It; what he had said to her and how he had said It; recalling his general gen-eral appearance, his easy manner ln the saddle, his peaceable features, fea-tures, and at last his brown eyes. As she drew near the ranch house, she resolutely dismissed him from her mind, or thought she did. "Who was the man that brought you home?" asked McCrossen. "Why, nobody." "Ben Page said you rode back with a man." .., - So she had been discovered. No matter. "Oh. that man I" she exclaimed, ex-claimed, tossing her head. "He was just somebody from the Reservation, Reserva-tion, going to Sleepy Cat." In the meantime her rebuffs had not shaken the constancy of her foreman admirer, McCrossen. Whenever McCrossen was going to ride over the ranch, Jane was not so riding. When he was riding rid-ing to town, Jane was riding over the ranch. In fact, chiefly to be rid of him, Jane spent much time ln the saddle. And she developed a particular liking for the hill trail to town; she usually rode that way, either coming or going. What impressed im-pressed itself on her was that riding rid-ing the hill road alone was not quite so exciting as the first time she had ridden it with a guide. But what had become of her guide? She controlled her impatience until un-til she could do so no longer. Starting Start-ing one day to town with Bull Page, Jane asked discreetly about their neighbor, this man Bill Denison. "Why, Miss Jane," answered Bull, "'cordln to what I hear, Bill's been down to Medicine Bend on his lawsuit" law-suit" "But why need a man go down to Medicine Bend for a lawsuit, when there are courts in Sleepy Cat?" "Well, this is before the U. S. Land Office; that's different." Suddenly Sud-denly Bull, peering down the trail, straightened up, "Why, there's Bill, right now, on his way to town. The critter's back." "Where is he? Oh, I see. The man that just rode around the bend?" Jane did some fast and bold thinking. She looked In her purse. "Bull!" she exclaimed In fancied alarm, "I've forgotten to bring Quong's grocery list for the kitchen. I'm afraid you'll have to ride back after it" She was soon within speaking distance dis-tance of the horseman ahead. "Good-morning," she said stiffly. Denison looked around, checked his horse, touched his hat, and returned re-turned the greeting. But he was plainly confused, and Jane was cor-j respondingly pleased. "We inoet : again," she said with a superior! air. "And this time I'm not lost." "I'm afraid I am, this time," he j said slowly. j "How so?" (TO BE COST1SIED) j The Farther She Rode, the Wilder the Country Grew. You're going away from the ranch hOUSe nOW." nr,n Jane exclaimed ln surprise. Vny, how is that? Are you sure? "Dead sure." A suspicion of humor hu-mor crept into the words. Confused at being caught wrong, Jane flushed. The man, silent, Just looked at her. She did not like it , he might be laughing at her. Facing Fac-ing him more sternly, she asked with helpless annoyance In ner words, "What am I to do? "Back trail." , "What does that mean? she asked tartly. "Turn around." "Where am I?" |