OCR Text |
Show ! W 1 1 Tf R 9 T1T) rR (R 7? 1 SYNOPSIS Jim Wall, youiiR enwpunclier from WyomiiiB, seeks a new field In Utah. He meets Hank Hays, who admits bolns a robber, and tells Wall ha Is working for an Englishman named Herrlck, who has located a big ranch In the mountains. Herrlck has employed a small army of rustlers and Kun-llghters, and Hays and others are plotting to steal their employer's cattle and money. Hays gets Into an argument with a gambler gam-bler over a poker game. Wall saves Hank's life by blurting the gambler out of shooting. With Hays and two other rustlers, Happy Jack nnd Lincoln, Lin-coln, Jim Wall starts out for Her-rlck's Her-rlck's ranch. business. Ten miles down from the head of the valley a pine-wooded bench, almost reaching the dignity of a promontory, projected from the great slope of the mountain. Here where the pines straggled down stood the long, low cabin of peeled logs, yellow In the sunlight Below, on the flat, extended the numerous barns, sheds, corrals. Somewhat apart from both the corrals and outbuildings on the flat stood a new log cabin, hurriedly built, with chinks still unfilled. The roof extended out on three sides over wide porches, where Wall observed ob-served three or four beds, a number draw, as there wasn't a man livin' who could set at a table an' beat him to a gun." "Most obligin' an' kind of you, Wall," remarked Smoky, with sarcasm, sar-casm, as he looked Jim over with unsatisfied eyes. "If you was so all-fired all-fired certain of thet, why'd you tip him off?" "I never shoot a man just because be-cause the chance offers," rejoined Jim coldly. There was a subtle Intimation In this, probably not lost upon Slocum. The greatest gunmen were quiet, soft-spoken, sober, Individuals who never sought Quarrels. Jim knew "Hays has suggested making you his foreman." "That Is satisfactory to ma" "You are better educated than these other men. It will be part of your duties to keep my books." "I've tackled that job before." "So I was tellin' the boys," Interposed Inter-posed Hays. "As I understand ranching," went on FTerrick, "a foreman handles han-dles the riders. Now, as this ranching game Is strange to me I'm glad to have a foreman of experience. experi-ence. My Idea was to hire some gunmen along with the cowboys. Hays' name was given me at Grand that his reply would make an enemy, even If Slocum were not instinctively instinctive-ly one on sight. Respect could scarcely be felt by men like Slocum. Like a weasel he sniffed around Jim. "You don't, eh?" he queried. "Wal, you strike me unfavorable." "Smoky," said Hays, "I won't have no grudges in this outfit I've got the biggest deal on I ever worked out. There's got to be harmony har-mony among us. But Smoky bobbin' up agin my new man that's serious. se-rious. Now let's lay the cards on the table. . . . Jim, do you want to declare yourself?" of saddles and other riders para- t phernalia. The rear of the cabin ( backed against the rooks. Jim un- j derstood that nays had thrown up , this abode, rather than dwell too j close to the other employees of Herriek. From the front porch one could drop a stone Into the brook, or fish for trout. The pines trooped down on the edge of the brook. Naturally no single place In all that valley could have been utterly devoid of the charm and beauty nature na-ture had lavished there, but this situation was Ideal for riders. Hays even had a private corral. As Jim rode up to this habitation his quick eye caught sight of curious, still-eyed men on the porch. "Wal, here we air," announced Hays. "An' if you don't like it you're shore hard to please. Finest of water, beef, lamb, venison, bear meat. Butter for our biscuits. An' best of all not very much work. Haw I Haw I" "Where do we bunk?" asked Jim, presently. "On the porch. I took to the attic at-tic myself." "If you don't mind, I'll keep my pack inside, but sleep out under the pines," responded Wall. When at length Jim carried his effects up on the porch Hays spoke up: "Jim, here's the rest of my outfit. . . . Fellers, scrape acquain- tance with Jim Wall, late of Wyoming." CHAPTER III 3 XT EXT morning they got a late L start Neverthless Hays assured as-sured Jim that they would reach Star ranch towards evening. They rode on side by side. The trail led Into a wider one, coming around from the northeast. Jim did not miss fresh hoof tracks, and Hays was not far behind in discovering discov-ering them. "Woods full of riders," he muttered. mut-tered. "How long have you been gone, Hays?" Inquired Jim. "From Star ranch? Let's see. Must be a couple of weeks. Too long, by gosh 1 Herrlck sent me to Grand Junction. An' on the way back I circled. Thet's how I happened hap-pened to make Green River." "Did you expect to meet Happy j Jack and Lincoln there?" "Shore. An' some more of my outfit out-fit But I guess you'll more'n make up for the other fellers." "Hope I don't disappoint you," said Jim, dryly. "Well, you haven't so far. Only Td feel better, Jim, If you'd come clean with who you air an' what you air." "Hays, I didn't ask you to take me on." "Shore, you're right. Reckon I figured everybody knew Hank Hays. Why, there's a town down here named after me, Hankville." "I'm willing to answer questions unless they get nasty," replied Jim, frankly. "You got run out of Wyomin'?" "No. But if I'd stayed on I'd probably stretched hemp." "Hold up a stage or somebody?" "No. Once I helped hold up a bank. That was years ago." "Bank robber 1 You're out of our class, Jim." "Hardly that. It was my first and only crack at a bank. Two of us got away. Then we held up a train blew open the safe In the express ex-press car." "Smoky, I . call it square of Junction as the Hardest nut in eastern east-ern Utah. It got noised about, I presume, for other men with reputations repu-tations calculated to Intimidate thieves applied to me. I took on Heeseman and his friends." "But you really did not need go to the expense and risk, I might add of hiring Heeseman's outfit." "Expense Is no object. Risk, however what do you . mean by risk?" "Between ourselves, I strongly suspect that Heeseman is a rustler." "By Jovel You don't say? This is ripping. Heeseman said the Identical thing about Hays." "Wal, Mr. Herrlck, don't you worry wor-ry none," Interposed Hays, suavely. "Shore I don't take kind to what Heeseman called me to your face, but I can overlook It for the present pres-ent You see, if Heeseman is workin' for you he can't rustle as many cattle as If he wasn't. Any-thin' Any-thin' come of that deal you had on with the Grand Junction outfit?" "Yes. I received their reply the other day," rejoined Herrlck. "By Jove, that reminds me. I had word from my sister, Helen. It came i from St Louis. She Is coming through Denver and will arrive at Grand Junction about the fifteenth." "Young girl If I may ask?" added add-ed Jim. "Young woman. Helen Is twenty-two. "Comln' for a little visit?" asked Hays. "By Jove, It bids fair to be a lifelong life-long one," declared Herrlck, as If pleased. "She wants to make Star ranch her home. We are devoted to each other. If she can stick It out in this bush I'll he jolly glad. Can you drive from Grand Junction Junc-tion In one day?" "Shore. Easy with a buckboard an' a good team," replied Hays. Herriek resumed his walk with Hays, leaving Jim to his own devices. ,:s if5" I EST M&A I l r J - r .v r Jl I ILL That was all the Introduction Hays volunteered. Jim replied: "Howdy," and left a return of their hard scrutiny until some other time. Hays went at once Into low-voiced low-voiced conference with these four men. Happy Jack hauled up the supplies. Brad Lincoln occupied himself with his pack. Jim brought his own outfit to a far corner of the porch. Then he strolled among the pines seeking a satisfactory nook to unroll his bed. Jim, from long habit, generated by a decided need of vigilance, preferred pre-ferred to sleep in coverts like a rabbit, or any other animal that required re-quired protection. At length he found a niche between be-tween two rocks, one of which was shelving, where pine needles furnished fur-nished a soft mat underneath and the murmur of the brook just faintly reached him. Jim would not throw his bed where the noise of rushing water, or anything else, might preclude pre-clude the service of his keen ears. I There was no step on his trail now, but he Instinctively distrusted Lincoln, Lin-coln, and would undoubtedly distrust dis-trust one or more of these other men. Hays exemplified the fact of honor among thieves. Jim had come to that conviction. This robber might turn out big In some ways. But could even he be trusted? Jim resolved to take no chances. Not until the following morning did Jim Wall get a satisfactory Jim strolled around the corrals, thl the sheds, down the lane between tal the pastures, out to the open range, yo This Englishman's sister this yo Helen Herriek she would be com- Ing to a remote, wild and beautiful valley. What would the girl be like? Twenty-two years old, strong, a horsewoman, and handsome very likely blond, as was her brother! And Jim made a mental calculation of the ruffians in Horrick's employ. Eighteen I After supper Hays leaned back and surveyed the company. "Fellers, we've a pow-wow on hand. Clear the table. Fetch another lamp. We'll lay out the cards an' some coin, so we can pretend to be settln' In a little game If anybody happens along. But the game we're really settln' is the biggest ever dealt In Utah. "Talk low, everybody," Instructed Hays. "An' one of you step out on the porch now an' then. Heeseman , might be slick enough to send a i,f nvpr here. 'Cause we're goiu' "A town? No one would think It" "Wal, It ain't much to brag on. A 'ew cabins, the first of which I hrew up with my father years ago. :n his later years he was a pros- Vl lector. We lived there for years. a trapped fur up here In the moun- sl tains. In fact I got to know the h whole country except thet Black 11 Dragon canyon, an' thet hellhole of t the Dirty Devil. ... My old man tl was shot by rustlers." l' "I gathered you'd no use for rustlers. rus-tlers. . . . Well, then, Hays, how'd b you fall Into your present line of f business?" r "Haw ! Haw ! Present line. Thet's J a good one. Now, Jim, what do you reckon thet line Is?" t "You seem to be versatile, Hays, s But if I was to judge I'd say you t relieved people of surplus cash." t "Very nice put, Jim. I'd hate to r be a low-down thief. . . . Jim, I was 1 an honest man once, not so long ago. It was a woman who made me what I am today. Thet's why I'm ' cold on women." ' "Were you ever married?" went 1 on Jim, stirred a little by the other's oth-er's crude pathos. 'Thet was the h 1 of It," replied Hays, and he seemed to lose desire to confide further. They rode Into the zone of the foothills, with ever-increasing evidence evi-dence of fertility. But Jim's view had been restricted for several hours, permitting only occasional glimpses up the gray-back slopes of the Henrys and none at all of the low country. Therefore Jim was scarcely prepared pre-pared to come round a corner and out Info the open. Stunned by the magnificence of the scene he would have halted Bay on the spot, but he espied Hays waiting for him ahead. "Wal, pard, this here Is Utah," said Havs, as Jim came up, nnd bis voice held a note of pride. "Hound the corner here you can see Her-rick's Her-rick's valley an' ranch. It's a bit of rich land thirty miles long an' half i ng wide, nnrrowln' like a wedge. 1 Now let's ride on, Jim, an' have a ! look at It." . . . . ' Jim Gleaned Information From This Rancher. Wall," spoke up Hays. "He shore didn't need to come clean as thet." "It's all right," agreed Slocum, as If forced to fair Judgment. Hays plumped off the porch rail. "Now, fellers, we can get to work. Herrlck puts a lot of things up to me, an' I ain't no cattleman. Jim, do you know the cattle game?" "From A to Z," smiled Wall. "Say, but I'm in luck. We'll rui: to do thet little thing to him. . . . Happy, dig up thet boi of cigars, I've been savin'." "Hank, trot out some champagne," jeered Brad Lincoln. "Nothln' to drink, fellers," returned re-turned Hays. "We're n robber outfit. out-fit. No arguin' or flirbtln'. . . . Any of you who doesn't like thet can walk out now." They were Impressed by his cool force. "All right. Wal an' good. We're set," he went en. "Today I changed my' mind about goln' -blow with this . job." ' ! scrutiny of the four members ot ; Havs' outfit. The eldest, who answered to the name of Mac, was a cadaverous-faced cadaverous-faced man, with eyes like a ghoul. "Whar you from?" he asked Wall. "Wyoming, last," replied Jim, agreeably. Jert Bridges, a sturdy, tow-headed man of forty or thereabouts, had a bluff hearty manner and seemed not to' pry under the surface. "Glad Hank took you on," he said. "We need one cattleman In this outfit, out-fit, an thet's no Joke." Sparrowhawk Latimer, the third of the four, greatly resembled a horse .thief Wall had once seen hanged. . .. the rnnch now. "What'll I do, Hank?" asked Jim. "Wal, you look Uie whole dig-gln'3 dig-gln'3 over." Jim lost no time In complying with his first order from the superintendent super-intendent of Star rnnch. What a monstrous nnd Incredible hoax was being perpetrated upon some foreigner for-eigner I Jim passed cowboys wilh only a word or a nod. lie talked wilh an old man who said he had owned a homestead across the valley, one of those Herriek had gathered In. Jim gleaned Information .from this rancher. Herriek had bought out all the cattle men In the valley, nnd on round the foothill line to Limestone Springs, where the big X Bar outfit began. IUders for these small ranches had gone to work for Herriek ne was told that Heeseman, with ten men, was out on the range. I ITesentlv Jim encountered Hays, accompanied by a tall, floridly blond man, garbed as no westerner h"d ever been. This, of course, must be the I-r.gilshman. He was young, hardly over thirty, and hand-Some hand-Some In a fleshy way. . "Mr. ncrrick, this Is my new hand I w-s tei'in' von r.hmit." announced Ha;;, glibly.' "J:.u Wal! late of WvnmiiV Jim. m-et the h. "How do you do, Mr. Wall," returned re-turned Herrlck. "I h-r-ni you've had wi.la experience or, ranches?" "Yes, sir. I've been rid.:;? '.p range since I was a bey," replied Jim. Jim Wall had a (lash of divination j ns to this sudden right-about face. "Herriek reckons there are up- ; wards of ten thousand head of stork on the rane. Some of these ranch- i ers he bought out sold without a count I bought half a dozen herds ; for Uerrkk. An' I underestimated say, rough ralci'aUu', around two : thousand bead. So there's twelve thousand good. Thet's a herl, fel- ; lers. Air there any of you who wouldn't care to pl.:y a game for twelve thousand head of cattle ct forty dollars per?" There did not apppar U be a stn-le stn-le one. "Al.uh. Wal, thet's okay. :-ow, can e drive surh a b! h-rd?" TO EE CONTiXfKU. I Across the mouth of llerrleK s 1 gray-green valley, which opened un-; un-; der the escarpment from which Jim gazed, extended vast level green nnd black lines of range, one above the other, each projecting farther out Into that blue abyss. ! "Down In there somewhere this Hank Hays will find his robbers roost," soliloquized Jim, nnd turned his horse again Into the trail. r.erore late afternoon of that day ' Tim Wall had seen ns many cattle dotting a verdant grass, watered valley ns ever he had viewed h. the Ireat herds driven up from Texas to Abilene and Dodge, or on the Wind River Ranee of Wyoming. A rough estimate exceeded ten thou- had selected as a site ' for his homo what was undoubted-! undoubted-! the most picturesque point .n the laMPY If not one that had the mos Jl nuK tor the conducting of a ranch Hays had said to Slocum, u. fourth member of this quartet: "Smoky, you an' Wall shore ought to make a pair to draw to." "you mean a pair to draw on," retorted the other. He was slight, wiry, freckled of face and hands, with a cast in one of his light, cold-hlue cold-hlue eyes. "Xo1" snorted the robber. Nut onf Smokv, do yon recollect thet ' gambler, Stud Smith, who works the stage towns, an' Is some-thin1 some-thin1 of a gun-slinger?" "I ain't forgot him." "Wal we set In a poker game wua Mm one night. I was lucky. Stud took his losin' to heart, on' he shore tricd to pick a fight. First he was rroln- to draw on me. then sM d to Jim. An' Jim bluffed h,m out of throwin' a gun." "How?" , . . f. Jim Just said for blud not to |