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Show ' lS,''''"B - : Or 1) M w m 05 9 777) q? I u w iu J ) i r- " 1 ssaaiaarjaisfcssj '" THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING Utah'Tieou'nruX"" T, Wyom.n. Bcek, a now floM , h I" working for n li 'obber. and tells Wall Hay, ami others ,r onnl , o .tin? , S who,h" "ted a blB ranch. Wall Bavo, i,nk'8 lire , by lin.l ,. 1 Ul,e,lr emlloyer'8 cattle and money. Lincoln, Wall arrive, at Icrr ck'a rnB? W1,h Hnys' H Jack PoaaeBBlon of Hcrrlck's 00 Lh i, 75 ""folds his plan for gettlns rids away t0 rlv. off ' r ? StC.k- He R"d hi8 """tenant, hoot it out. If necessary wUh Heeseman '1 benlnd to rustlers. Iloexenmn tell, Wall H ' ' Hftyf , rlval Rmon th cattle and double-crossed him. H.rr Ick" elfaatV. ncVl13 Heoseman'.) partner meet Helen, Herrlck', sister Jim .f n t0 BO to Grand Junction to tl.nt he (Jim) , R aepe "ao fhi T!' yUnS cwboy, to tell her Blrl treats the Informal liRhUv On hu" BarnM does so' b"' th Jim i, confronted by H,v, I L, " h'S arrlval at "18 with Helen, Miss Herrlck. Jim pe rlnTnK w?.h usl"l Interest in the coming of Helen with his revolver .hooMni He'rl and ereatly Impresses I ;ER VI Continued - 7 ., k took to the West-ike West-ike a duck to water. it. Moreover, that splr-- splr-- she had hinted certaln-. certaln-. her. More than once alone, riding like the ipon one of those occa-v occa-v S the cowboys till dnrk flint with Hank Hays 1 1n (hero to see her gnl-vscorted! gnl-vscorted! Herrlck did s, 'nlmJ' j Jim Wall was con- ,ner, these rides with , j him upon the love : come to consume him; vcml she took alone I torturing because they r of Hank Hays. It ascertained whether or ,'iilowed her, but when ; ie that Jim discovered j n riding the trails fre-: fre-: Miss Herrlck, it j to act . 1 j Jim In a worse quan-vet, quan-vet, for a man of his ' i ,pch a time and place, v 'v one thing. But how i his leader upon mere I ' sinister Intent to kld-,S kld-,S i? It was a predlca-i predlca-i man who had always alike to honest friend 1 i:ally. that led along the brook. Suddenly he espied a compact group of mounted mount-ed riders coming down the road beyond be-yond Hays' cabin. Smoky's outfit ! Hays stood out in front of the cabin, bareheaded, his legs spread apart as If to anchor himself solidly, solid-ly, his hands at his hips, his sandy hair standing up ruffled like a mane. "Huh ! The boss Isn't mad. Oh, no!" soliloquized Jim. "Small wonder. won-der. Smoky's outfit has busted loose, or Is going to Well, now, I've a hunch there's luck In this for me." Hank Hays sat upon the bench, his shaggy head against the wall, his pale eyes blazing at the row of men leaning on the porch rail. Smoky was lighting a cigarette, not In the least perturbed, but his eyes had a hard, steely gleam. Brad Lincoln sat back on the rail, eyeing the chief with a sardonic grin. Mac appeared more than usually ghoulish ghoul-ish ; Bridges and Sparrowhawk Latimer Lat-imer betrayed extreme nervousness. nervous-ness. "Hello, men. What's the mix? Am I In or out?" returned Jim, sharply. "I reckon you're In," replied Slo-cum. Slo-cum. "Hank Is the only one thet's out. . . . Hyar, Jim, ketch this." He drew a dark green bundle from a bulging pocket and tossed It to Here the hounds Jumped a herd of deer. Despite the yelling of the cowboys cow-boys they dashed up the ridge with a chorus of wild yelps and barks. They all passed out of hearing. Jim caught up with Miss Herrlck who waited In an open spot anion" the pines. Flushed and disheveled, with her sombrero on the pommel! panting from the arduous ride, she made a distracting picture. "Hunt's off for us, Miss Herrlck" said Jim. "Too bad! But wasn't It fun wJille it lnsted?" she replied gavly. "Let us rest the horse, I'm out of breath myself." Jim dismounted to tighten his saddle sad-dle cinches. "Wall, take a look at my cinches," Jim a large, heavy roll or greenbacks green-backs tied with a buckskin thong. 'Tours on the divvy, Jim," went on Smoky. "Don't count It now. There's a heap of small bills inside an' If you untie them hyar there'll be a mess. But It's a square divvy to the last dollar." "Thet's a hefty roll, Smoky, for a man to get for nothing," observed ob-served Jim, dubiously. He then noticed that a roll of fury was as swift. He half Intercepted Inter-cepted a second blow, which stung his neck, and snatching the quirt from her hand he flung It away. Then his Iron clutch fastened in her blouse. One lunge dragged her out of the saddle. He wrapped his other arm around her and bent her back so quickly that when she began a furious struggle it was too late. His mouth hard pressed on hers stilled any but smothered cries. There was a moment's wrestling. She was no weakling, but she was In the arms of a maddened giant Repeatedly he kissed her lips, long, hard, passionate kisses. Suddenly she collapsed heavily in his arms. The shock of that Its meaning pierced Wall with something some-thing Infinitely more imperious and staggering than bitter wrath, ne let go of her. There was blood on her lips and cheeks; otherwise her face was like alabaster. "I think I must have been In love with you and wanted to protect you from men worse than myself," he went on, huskily. "I hope this will be a lesson to you. . . . Your brother was crazy to come here crazier to let you come. Go home! Go before it's too late. Make him go. He will be ruined shortly." She wiped the blood from her cheeks, and then shudderingly from her lips "You did that to frighten me?" she presently whispered, in horror, yet as if fascinated by something looming. "Get on your horse and ride ahead of me," he ordered, curtly. "Now, Miss Helen Herrick, one last word : Don't tell your brother what I did to you till after I'm gone. ... If you do I'll kill him!" She left a glove lying on the ground. Jim made no effort to recover re-cover it His horse had grazed a few paces away, and when he had reached him and mounted Miss Herrick Her-rick was in her saddle. Jim let her get a few rods In advance before ha followed. The excess of his emotion wore off, leaving him composed, and sternly glad the Issue had developed devel-oped as It had. The situation had become Intolerable for him. It mocked him that he had actually ; under the dark shelter-,ren shelter-,ren tle dead of night when t,ut ;re been sleeping. Days nroi ilthout his once seeking ,an6 master; and he had not e to ause he knew it was no m , ;h to be with his blond ilPnt Irresistible. More than njrc i caught himself In the ,ons, 3aring Impulse to tell rap i that he loved her. The ile. --eer madness. Yet the flUI ited, and when he tried en. the result was It grew mosl a haunting maddening id tl be ;;t next morning Hays ibass ie fact that Smoky had na' :e for over two weeks. incl : comin' to a head," he th tl ooniilj. er e ey ought to have made pote y now," rejoined Happy i down the valley yes-legal yes-legal or ten miles. Cattle tpan boss. Any cowboy with s in :sck of his head would is bd ;? now." j Haven't I kept them irplaf -ere. But I've no con-anvtj con-anvtj 3 hossback rldin' after cn'rl :erty soon Herrick will (jsp. down Limestone way. nire Vll be out." nnt wouldn't know the dif-:tj, dif-:tj, -rposed Jim. rg i't care," replied Hays, mc(j : that finality Intimated lrthe " till Smoky's outfit sne said. "May I ask you not to call me Wall? I must remind you I'm no butler." "Pray pardon me," she rejoined, In surprise, "I presume I should address you as Mr. Wall?" "Yes, If you're too stuck up to call me Jim," he said. She lifted her chin and deigned no reply. And that infuriated him. "While I'm at It I'll tell you this, too," he went on doggedly. "You must not ride around alone again. I've had no chance to speak with you. But I told your brother. He laughed In my face. He Is a fool." "Mr. Wall, I will not listen to such talk," she spoke up, spiritedly. "Oh, yes, you will," he flashed, striding over to her horse. "You're not In an English drawing room now, confronted by a disrespectful butler. You're in Utah, girl. And I am Jim Wall." "That last Is obvious, to my regret," re-gret," she returned coldly. "Will you please be so kind as to tighten my cinches? It will be the last service I shall require of you." "Thank the Lord !" ejaculated Jim, In grim heartiness. "All the same I'll tell you. If you were an American tenderfoot. It wouldn't be hard to make you understand. If you were western, you would not need to be told. But as an English lady of quality, who thinks her class will protect her anywhere you need to be jarred. . . . It's wrong for Colors From the Earth Some of the loveliest, softest shades for walla und woodwork are borrowed from Bagcbrush, tha desert sand and the gray of lava. ' Even ore contains rich purples and reds. Siennas and nnibers corne from the ea-Lh itself. 11 e.u ne J mlng when Jim rode j torrals he fell back un-rs un-rs tli'of something sweeter ts o The sunny hours with jubtej ' ahead, the fragrant tionsptfng hounds, and al-Itnl.vT al-Itnl.vT ;ront this bright-haired thre !t'y different from the 'in tl "ten the day was done. ,ve o f humility, engendered ppurs ;r emotions this girl pir o' clasped to his breast U-ho be was protecting her jrepiu :'len- suhm another of the cow-nost cow-nost en the horses for the this '.! the house. To Jim's wn t' t he espied Helen rld-cost rld-cost ( th the cowboys behind if th!' brother's mount. Her-ittles' Her-ittles' coming. t looked far less proud lation ..,e n the bQy,s ricing hrse 1 adopted. Moreover.lt eenici aej herj ye(. her (em. i tl,! red more provoklngly 'e vv ' ever. si10''1 med Herrick's horse 3 "I'T-ble boy, and with his f cn'1' -il In behind Miss Her-ird Her-ird to ie out upon the vauey. ist tn Hiem.and they trotted iped 1 '.opother. derrick come?" asked niiUlin ffn' with Heeseman," stPd t ' soberly. f Cm fy What about?" ,vnl nl !oo't know. They shet -,sals t along," returned the l,Pr tl 'I seen enough to cal-to cal-to n n'' wrong. They was repln ; Herrlck looked sort ',0fW-t ;'6 didn't want his sls-t'l,e sls-t'l,e t,a ;n' today, I heard thet. ends' ' right pert she was to in" vhcthfi ;'eeseman look?" went v-tlcn tangly. short 'lis, like he was tryln' the nrbe boss to somethln'." billty J1 Into silence. What st lineUltairg take next? It ion OV' Warm around Star you to ride around alone on this range like any wild tomboy." "Why?" "Some of these men might kidnap kid-nap you for ransom." "Nonsense," she retorted, contemptuously. con-temptuously. "What do you say, Miss Herrick, when I tell you that Hank Hays has been watching you from the ridges, riding the lonely trails, biding his chance to waylay you?" She paled at that "I don't believe it," she said, presently. pres-ently. And you'll go on riding alone when It suits your royal fancy?" he queried witheringly. "That Is no longer any concern of yours," she replied, at last stung. "But I certainly shall ride when and how I please." "Then you're as big a fool as your brother," declared Jim hotly. "Here I am, the only man In this Star outfit out-fit with honesty enough to tell you the truth. And I get Insulted and fired for my pains." She sat her horse mute. Jim laid a strong hand on her pommel and shook It "Your saddle's loose. V HI you oblige me by getting off?" "I can ride it back," she replied, Icily "But your blanket will slip out The saddle might turn with you." She removed her foot from the stirrup. stir-rup. "Tighten the cinches then and hurry." Jim complied expeditiously enough, but In doing so he accidentally touched her. Something like Are shot through him at the contact Under its stimulus he looked up to say a few more words to her. words to mitigate his offense and protest his sincerity. But they were never uttered. She had bent over to fasten fas-ten a bice of her boot, and when Jim raised his head It was to find his face scarcely a foot from her red Hps. Without a thought, n a flash, he kissed them, and then drew desired to appear well In the eyes of this girl. How ridiculous that one of a robber gang should be vain I But he was not conscious that being a thief made any difference differ-ence In a man's feeling about women. wom-en. He knew that he could not command respect or love; but that In no wise inhibited his own feelings. Strange, he had Indeed fallen in love with Helen Herrick. She rode on slowly down the ridge without looking to right or left. Her gaze appeared to be lowered. low-ered. The ranch-house came In right. Miss Herrlck saw it and halted a moment, to let Jim catch up with her. "Can you be gentleman enough to tell me the truth?" she asked. "I have not lied to you," replied Jim. "That that first time you kissed me-was It honestly unpremeditated?" unpremeditat-ed?" "Miss Herrlck, I don't know what to swear by. But, yes, I have. My mother! I swear by memory of her that I never dreamed of Insulting you I looked up. There your face was close. Your lips red I And I kissed them." They went on for perhaps ton paces, as far as the road, before she spoke again. "I believe you," she said, without a tremor of the rich, low voice, though It was evident evi-dent her emotion was deeply stirred. "Your action was Inexcusable, unforgivable. un-forgivable. But I should not have struck you with the whip. . . . That, nnd your passion to frighten me, perhaps justified your brutality. brutal-ity. ... I shall not tell. . . . Don't leave Star ranch." For an Instant Jim felt as If he were upon the verge of a precipice. But her change from revulsion to inscrutable generosity called to all that was good within him. "Miss Herrlck, I'm sorry, but I must leave," he replied, sadly. "I m only a wandering rider a gun-finger gun-finger and a member of a gars of robbers. And I was mad enough "But I Certainly Shall Rido When and How I Please." bills, Identical with the one he had just received, lay on the floor. "You double-crossed me!" burst out Hays, at length. "Wal, thet's accordin' to how you look at It," retorted Slocum. "Things came up at Grand Junction. Junc-tion. Wre seen some of Hccscman's outfit. They're onto us, or will be pronto. So we jest took a vote, an' every one of us stood for one big drive Instead of small drives. An' we made It. Your buyers swore they was short of money an' would pay twelve dollars a head. Talk about robbers! Wal, I took thet an' said I liked It. . . ." "You disobeyed orders." 'Tut It up to Jim, hyar. What do you say, Jim?" Thus appealed to, Jim addressed Hays point-blank. "Smoky's right. If you meant to clean out Herrlck, that was the way to do It" Aw shore, you'd side with them I" "I wouldn't do anything of the kind If I thought they were wrong," retorted Jim, nngrily. Here was a chance to Inflame ITnys that he jumped at. If the robber could be drawn Into a fight, when his own men were against him, the situation for the Hcrricks could be made easier for the present You'd better shet up." T won't shet up, Hays. Some one has to foil you. And I'm that fellow. fel-low. There's no hand out against you' In this outfit 'ever heard of a bunch of riders who'd work like dogs while the boss was twiddling his thumbs and talking mysterious." "I ain't ready to leave Star ranch an' now I'll have to I" "Why ain't you ready?" queried Smoky" curiously. "Our work's ail done." We've cleaned out the ranch, except for a few thousand head. We've got the long green. You ought to be tickled to death." TO BE CONTTNl'EQ. t Pens i the a irmiies out the hounds val aC J,te from a clump of ' took the lead, then Hctrlck, while Jim rear. It wan a long. ow'ryour she cried, .n In- Cny'lfln"- 'I'rswung her leather quirt and struck him across the mouth. The Id sourted. The leap of Jlm to fall In love with you. . . . t r-et r-et it . Go home to England. But If Vou won't do that-never ride out. alone again." He spurred his horso and PI-IopPd PI-IopPd down the road, hy the barns and across the court Into the lane Mothers Diappointmeat Jud Tunkins says mothers are toriKdimes disappointed becau.-- a boy insists en trying to be a plain, astful citizen instead of imiUitkiij the hero of her favori'.e novel. |