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Show 7 Zatut&i fiction BesUal 0H.c.Wr.-wNu s.r.c. By HAROLD CHANNING WIRE CHAPTER XXI-Continued 19 "Looks like quite a fiesta," the Senator observed, halting beside Breck. The party moved down and was at once engulfed by the fiesta. Eating Eat-ing had already begun, with Temple himself, red-faced, beaming behind his gray beard, master of ceremonies ceremo-nies at the barbecue pit. He wielded a long knife over quarters of beef, raked potatoes from the coals! poured coffee from five-gallon pots! and all the while kept up a running banter with those who passed around him. "Howdy, ranger folks!" he called, brandishing his knife, "grub's up; set in!" Sutherland waved to him. Irene nodded, though her eyes were sweeping over the throng. Breck, too, scanned the faces, looking for Louise. Presently he saw her sitting sit-ting on a log near her cabin, a cowboy cow-boy on either side and two standing in front. AH were thoroughly enjoying en-joying themselves and the sight brought a sudden stab of jealousy. But Breck' s duty was with the Suth-erlands. Suth-erlands. He felt responsible for them, and so while Cook rode off with the horses, he found places where they might sit, then, with the Senator, began to bring food. Irene shrieked at the slabs of meat he brought. "My dear, a whole cow! Please give me just the leg." As men passed with steaks in their hands, or gnawing a roasted rib, she stared in amazement. "I never saw anything like it!" Friendships started easily. In time the Senator had launched an t argument with a storekeeper from Lone Tree, and Mrs. Sutherland and Irene had found another party of tourists. Immediately Breck took advantage of that to go on a quest of his own. But in crossing the grounds he came upon J. G. Jackson Jack-son and some of the cowboys he had not seen since the fight on Black Mountain. And then by the time he could get away, the riding had started. A gun-shot drew men swarming to the corral fence. Inside, horses were being roped and saddled. He saw Louise come from her cabin and vanish through the gate. He stood watching from a distance, dis-tance, his eyes running over lines of men upon the fence and others lounging back in the trees, and it came to him that there was not a Tillson among them. Nor had Sierra Si-erra appeared yet. Abruptly he turned and walked back to the barbecue bar-becue pit where he had last seen Cook. The ranger was still there, having a sociable bite with Temple. Breck motioned to him. Cook approached. "What is it, young fellow?" "What about Slim?" "Ought to be here any minute. He's late, but might have been held in town for some reason." Breck nodded. "And the Till-sons?" Till-sons?" - Cook scowled. "That's different. I was asking Tom if he'd seen 'em. They haven't been around, and I can't figure it out." "You don't think it looks bad for Sierra?" "No, not that. They're up to some other kind of a deal." "Yes, and it's going to be from the bottom of the stack!" Breck asserted. as-serted. "Anything you want me to do?" "Just go on with the show, young fellow." But Breck lost interest in the show as the afternoon passed and Sierra did not appear. Cook was right; Slim could take care of himself, and they could do no better than wait; yet inaction became unbearable. Breck watched the rodeo with sightless sight-less eyes, knowing vaguely that wild horses were being ridden and men thrown, but his thoughts could not be centered there. At dusk he sought Cook again, having woriteu uiiiiti - turbulence. The ranger checked him with a look. "Unstring yourself," he said. "No need to worry about Sierra, and you're missing a lot of fun around here. God knows you may need it. Have you seen Louy?" He had not. Cook grinned. "There's going to be a dance, you know." Relieved by the old ranger's unperturbed un-perturbed manner, Breck went at once in search of Louise. Temple said she was in her cabin, fixing up. Breck knocked on the door. "Just a minute," she called out; then womanlike took half an hour. When she appeared, she had changed into a dress of something pink, and, as once before, he felt he was gazing at a new girl, almost al-most a stranger. -Do you see a ghost? she teased. "No; an angel." "Now, now!" Breck smiled and Uok her hand. You're real enough. I've come to fill my dance card. Every otner number, Louise." Tmean it; I'm that selfish. Will you save them?" She hesitateH. "You aon t want every o'ther dance with me. That wouldn't be fair to your guest" "I think my guest understands." Louise shook her head. "No; I can't promise you." "Then the first and third," he de manded. "'.Ye can see about the rest later." A fire of logs in a clearing beyond the cabins lighted the whole camp, bringing fences, tree trunks, people into red relief against the blackness outside. Three cowboys with a sax-aphone, sax-aphone, a fiddle, and guitar marched toward the fire and sat on stumps nearby. Men and girls surged onto a square of hard-packed ground and, with partners chosen, waited for the music to begin. Breck turned, laughing, as he drew Louise to him. At the same moment he saw Irene watching from a distance. A cowboy stood at her side. She held back a minute, min-ute, looking across, then stiffly took his arm. The music was all but lost In the "That was cheap, Irene! Cheapens Cheap-ens me and makes you low in the eyes of everyone here! Not a girl out there would do it. Not like that!" Irene faced him defiantly. "Oh good Lord! Since when have you turned Puritan? Of course you have never kissed at a dance beforel" "These people are different," Breck flared. "They take things in a different way. And you knew it." "Well?" Breck stared at her. "We know each other pretty well, Irene. But I never thought you would try to make me a fool among my friends." "No, Gordon, someone else has done that." Her hand reached toward to-ward him. He avoided it "So you're saving me?" Irene shrugged. "Thanks," Breck finished. "You might have taken a better time and place." "Run along!" Irene retorted, with head up, lips in a sarcastic smile. 4 ' 3rVfe. .al T fr M r v tr w By the time he could get away the riding had started. shuffling and babble of voices. Yet the guitar strummed out its rhythm, and there was plenty of space about the blazing logs. Breck found himself him-self moving with Louise as if in some firelight promenade. They danced in silence. Tonight there was that sweet, yielding quality qual-ity about Louise which made conversation con-versation needless. She seemed content held close in his arms as they slowly circled. Breck felt a quick, new thrill sweeping his thoughts clear of all troubles. The music stopped. Louise drew away. Breck came back to. realities reali-ties at the sound of his own voice. "That was an awfully short dance." She smiled up in complete understanding. under-standing. "Wasn't it, though." The second began at once and a jovial-faced cowhand from Jackson's Jack-son's outfit rushed up to claim her. "Remember," Breck called in parting, "we're next again." He strode away to where he had last seen Irene, wondering how she would meet him, being prepared for petulance, or disdain, or even flat cutting. Yet she turned from her first partner part-ner with a gay laugh, sent the boy off grinning and held out her two hands. "Gordon; isn't this wild! Don't you adore it? I'm having simply a grand time!" She slipped into his arms readily. "Don't let's miss anything!" any-thing!" Surprised, though concealing it, Breck tried to enter her talkative i u7 rfiPfprpnt from the last i dance where nothing need be said. He made conversation to continue Irene's frivolous banter. She closed her eyes dreamily and when they passed Louise the first time was apparently unaware of it. Then other couples swept about them and for several minutes they were among strangers. Irene clung close to him. Once she looked into his face, half explaining, ex-plaining, "The ground is getting rough." When Louise again approached from beyond the fire, Breck unconsciously uncon-sciously moved from Irene's grasp. She glanced up. "Is the dance ended Gordon?" She was tall and now. tilting her head, brought her lips almost to his. jf "No," he answered, "but . . . Swiftly she silenced him with a kiss, long, warm, full upon his mouth. He threw his head back, halting. Cowhands grinned. Louise, passing near his shoulder, stared once and turned away. He pushed out to the throngs ede and releasing Irene, save for his" hand clenched about one wrist, ! whirled her savagely into the 'shadows of the p;nes. Fury choked htm Words burst uncontrolled. "My cowboy friend has this next, and I know she's waiting for you." The dance had ended. Breck returned re-turned into the light. Louise was standing away from the crowd. He wanted to rush to her, take her in his arms; but she met him with level, unsmiling eyes. "I think," she said, "this is our dance. I'd rather sit it out." "Sit?" Breck demanded. "You ask me to sit still?" They walked in silence back to a shadowed path. Suddenly he began. "You saw that, of course. I'm sorry. It didn't mean a thing." "Oh, didn't it?" She stopped, her arm remaining impassively in his grasp. "No!" She gave a strained little laugh. "A girl kisses a man, and it doesn't mean a thing! How strange; I always al-ways thought it did." She turned from him; the laughter died from her voice and her next words were tense with controlled feeling. "I'm a girl, with a girl's view. Maybe we are silly sometimes, but no girl would kiss you like that without with-out the right some previous right, I suppose. Now, hadn't you better go back to her?" "Louise," Breck pleaded, "you must understand me. I have known her a long time; once we were engaged. en-gaged. But it was not love and we found it out. You surely realize what happened tonight! Irene did 1 that for a purpose ... in front of you." He looked at her, smiling a little. "I'm a man and not supposed to j know about women's technique; but ! still I'm not blind." She would not face him. "Louise!" he begged, throwing, one arm about her waist. "Stop right there, Rangerl Tva been waiting for that!" The voice came from behind him, somewhere in the dark. Breck whirled, one hand falling to his gun. "Hold it! Keep 'em up!" A mounted mount-ed man burst from the trees. Breck looked up at Art Tillson towering above him, and then into the round black bore of a pistol. The cowboy sat in his saddle unsteadily, un-steadily, his left hand gripping the horn; hatless, without a coat, and his horse was lathered from hard running. "Louise," he said thickly, "you get back!" Breck pushed her into the shadows. shad-ows. Then he faced young Tillson. "Art," he snapped, "you're drunk. Put away that gun and get out of here!" "Wha-a-a-t?" Art leered in mock wonder, leaning far over until his face came close to Breck's. "You tellin' me to get out? So's you can go back to the dance? Nice, all right. You with two women an' me with none. I'm nothin' but a mountain fool that it?" Suddenly his mood changed. His face turned to that of a fiend, set with a cold, bloodless look. Breck heard the gun's hammer click; then a gasp of terror from behind him. "I'm going to kill you!" The words gritted out from clenched teeth. The gun moved. CHAPTER XXII If Breck had not seen the flash, he would have thought the report came from Tillson's pistol But the flare was from one side. Then he saw Art grip his saddle horn with both hands and slump forward. "Grab that horse!" Breck leaped, obeying the voice. He drew the animal down. Art was falling. Then it was Sierra Slim's long arms that reached up, supporting support-ing him before he struck the sjround. "Mighty close, pardner," the slow voice drawled. "You shouldn't a come out like this." sum! wnere . . . i "Can't say now. Here, help me pack hirri." Louise ran from the shadows. "Take him to Dad's cabin," she cried. "Quick!" With Art lying unconscious between be-tween them, Breck and Sierra turned into the back trail The gunshot gun-shot had either gone unheard or was accepted without interest by the dance crowd, for no one had moved from the clearing. But before the party reached Temple's cabin, Cook stepped from a fringe of trees. "What's up?" he began, then his eyes fell upon the form they carried, car-ried, and he strode ahead with no further question. As soon as they had Tillson on a bunk, he closed the door, saying, "No need to have anyone find out if we can help it." His thick brown fingers went with unexpected skill over the boy's body, stripping off his shirt, exposing expos-ing a gash through his right arm and across his chest Abruptly he turned to Louise. "Go get Joe Scott. He's a horse doctor, but he'll do." The girl ran out. Breck poured a basin of water and gave it to Cook. Behind him, Sierra rolled a cigarette ciga-rette and looked on unperturbed. "I been following Art since afternoon," after-noon," he offered. "Found him bust-in' bust-in' around up on the ridge, ridin' like he was loco. He'd come down here, sit lookin' on for awhile, then beat that poor critter of his back up the slope. Drunk, sure. Then about dark I saw him start spottin' you, pardner. Maybe you've got an idea what bit him." (TO BE CONTINUED) |