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Show H$N le may THE STORY FROM THE OPENING CHAPTER tain .. """" lS1 it the inquest Into the death of John Mason, banker, Jean, daughter of -l151 J Raglan", owner of the Bar Hook ranch, where Mason met deatn - ft!!tltiously passes to Kentucky Jones the bullet which had killed Ma- "I ,M having abstracted It from the evidence. Kentucky goes to work on Rr Honk ranch. The Mason verdict Is accidental death. Bob Elliot , the "SS" ranch, adjoining the Bar Hook, drives his cattle on the ThooH land. Lee Bishop, Ragland s ranch boss, expostulates, and Bill itions ' u.rnrd Elliot's foreman. Insults him. Bishop and Jones are astounded bv Aland's indifference to Elliots action. Jones tells Jenn Elliot knows she ,'oined the bullet at the Inquest, which Jones has eot rid of. Her re- hs lT j on cystines him. Zack Sanders, cook at the Bar Hook ranch, Is found , Ai Je d murdered. Sheriff Hopper announces his knowledge that Mason also P,ease tafoi Vmrdered. In a gun fight with riders of the "SS" ranch Jim Humphreys, - RW or Hook cowboy, Is killed, and Billy Petersen wounded. Jones sends for billing cowmen, but Ragland countermands the order. Jones seeks to r . '' e the ownership of a gun found on Zack Sanders, as a bearing on the -)-To bearjH in'tery. Jean sells him her share In the Bar Honk ranch, thus giving him enlarwm.,,' ,'free hand with Elliot. Jones finds proof that Jean has concealed evidence i Npv.,T smected with Mason's death. A gunsmith whom he had engaged to trace er ftj, ;iitrs, gu Bays he sold the weapon to a Bar Hook cowboy, Joe St , Mln- Rtfs fttit Jones questions St. Marie without avail. Lee Bishop goes "gunning" T.. L rMcCord. Knowing Bishop will not be given fair play, Jones sets out !):tr Mm. The foreman U shot from ambush. Jones carries him to shelter. " 5i;hop dies. t l CHAPTER X Continued Her words tumbled out of her Infill In-fill coherently. "It's because Bob Elliot I us close to the Bar Hook when III I Mason was billed. Poor Lee Bishop I'll ;Setv that though I don't think he I ;w that he knew it I " I Kentucky Jones said, "Bishop told a a that he knew." H "And now," said Jean, "now I've g at to tell you that I've known this ' S :11 along almost from the first And CE i "Jollre sure y0D want t0 te" jf te this, Jean?" ' I "I have to tell you you make me TL B tell you " J?j "All right," he said. "What, ex- SS55hi ' sctly. is Bob Elliot holding over gSpgpgl your father?" rgspgji "Somehow he's guessed the truth : '-p iat-whoever killed Mason killed 3sfr? to wltb my father's rifle. I knew r'-vSliS ,w wliei1 1 Dut tne bullet lnt your Stf m at the inquest; I've known for 1 ! that yoo must know that, too, 'f''!iStfl t yon said nothing to me." W "les." he admitted, "I figured out "m Bob E,Iiot knows it I'm f ( 71 3 mtaiD he knows lt Thol,Sn 1 swear wA know how he ls 80 sure-" XMtl B' you J'ourself are sure that it Yni 'S tne that the murderer used Jrilj A ir Other's rifle?" lofj "Ille-the-yes; I'm virtually cer- ,.,')' (,D of that And my father knows U3 ,j It He-" . k "If e m talked this over with Bf "Xohow could I? It's changed :.-3f an so I hardly know him. He used f hve a terrible fighting temper ;51 "here Is It now? He doesn't ""W to a showdown with El-'V'3 El-'V'3 'it;, he'8 afraid of the effect the t""- k would have on my mother." "4SV I "Ki on you." J .J0" ny mother," she repeated. WMl ,"l sn'1 dare face " out because t3M I f: But just as he won't fight tf ' ecause of that-somethlng In JJjm makeup keeps him from protect-Timl protect-Timl 1 ?Self' t0- Nothlng would 'iMJ i 8 m t0 hlde evidencethough evidence might turn against " as we as against the true arer. He must have known-" -u Sa,d Kentcky. "his alibi being somewhere else at the 2 Maso was killed ls not so Tin S,me people have been led "suppose?" "77 1 W of 1?''. My testimony In sup- h tbUt mne- They'll discount KV Zl th6y don,t breafc test!- Hy n 60oe other way." A !.Vj lnot stP to tell her that ,v k e v by this that her support of !al',blhad "een perjury. In 7 ; k e!fed "er. "How many peo- k";VhatCamp0yourfather- 5 W ,km B0b E1Ilot tBe day 1!00 ws killed?" ft ( it with a shudder In f 'Boh p'm U even know thatr I I Ci 01 t0ld me ttat.- he said i,;tal,Rag,!1I11 'oked dizzy, and Rk 'h ean te hw many m - ?"b Em"t has told?" t Ci rny peopie'" Ken- fell , Ut,lowly- "d0 you th'nk can Iflj Her vo "f man from 8 Shost?" Ill ' ' ."""red Irregularly, no W' 'K1 y nnder' her control. 3? J w,. 1 00 5'ou mean?" ' tnneuleUSRed t0 be a picture hang- 3' ' l;fntuekv k ranch house," ood fransaid- "A Picture In a dark f!l n,e- That picture was stolen tMn,STbdy th0UKht it had f case u-i do with the Mason : fere ffas"en you saw that pic-) pic-) ' 1 v"'(kt!B Stolen yu were panlc- sa '" ml , hld the en"ity trme ! k'ellvn,. ' Now rm oing 'sT'Lh I "Von . " that plcture was"" T0W I "It you "ever saw" Wse wi, pictl,re of a man on a J t'kinre e" you a''st looked at that as8 ttialhoi fr"ed t0 he an enlarged F'1U 'ol ed .,0b K"i0t- OQly-when ,7' k' Jul, , u Se' 11 was not Elliot, j )ean,lu ilasoo. Do you deny that, "if sSa!i Jean nilserably. "You S' Just M I said. Nothing escapes you, nothing's able to hide Itself away from you. That that's the rest of the case against my father. fa-ther. Lee Bishop didn't know who It was he saw near the Bar Hook when he thought he saw Mason, and Joe St. Marie only thought he saw Mason's ghost. But when they rested sideways In their saddles with their faces hidden, a long way off or In the dark anybody could could mistake Bob Elliot for Mason." Ma-son." "Or," he said, "an angry man might Just possibly mistake Mason Ma-son for Elliot." She stared at him blankly for a long moment. "Oh, dear Lord," she said at last In a broken voice. "Why did I ever try to hide anything from you?" She did not avert her face from him. sitting very straight in the saddle. "Yes, I hid It. Campo must have known at once that Mason Ma-son was killed with his rifle; but do you think anything In the world could have persuaded him to do away with that rifle, to pitch It Into the bottom of some canyon?" Watching her face In half profile he saw her begin to cry, silently, and without tears. "Is that all?" he said. "That's one side of It." She stead-led stead-led herself. "And what's the other side?" "The other side Is that he he thinks that that you might have killed Mason, Kentucky." He said slowly, "Jean, are you lying ly-ing to me?" She rushed ahead, a little of her color returning. "With everything against my father, what could I do but keep silent?" "And hide what evidence you could," said Kentucky. "And now you want me to jump this country." "For your own sake," she said quickly. "I swear to G d, Kentucky, it's for your own sake I want you to do that. All the time he's spent In Waterman, when we didn't know what he was doing, he's been trying try-ing to build a case against yon. Everybody knows you were at the house at about the time Mason was killed. Campo's figured all along that only one thing was lacking to to Implicate you so deeply In the death of Mason that yon could never " "And that one thing lacking was my reason for killing Mason." "Yes, of course and now he thinks he has It." "Jean, do you think be believes I killed Mason?" This time she averted her face; when she spoke her voice was hardly hard-ly audible. "I only know that he would be glad to believe It If he could." "If he could," repeated Kentucky. He turned his horse toward the Bar Hook with a savage twist of the bit Jean cried out, "Where are you going?" "I'm going to hang me the man that killed Old Ironsides." "Kentucky, wait!" She booted her horse against his and caught his arm In both hands. "Kentucky. If It weren't for me you'd never have been In this. Thla Isn't your fight It's never been your fight It's mine and my father's. You're not tied Into It as we are. You" "I'm tied Into It now." "No, no! Take your horse and ride out Take" "I'll go." he told her. "when I ve done this Job of work. I'm going to clear this thing If it splits the rim-rock rim-rock wide open." CHAPTER XI T7" EVTUOKY JONES cnme Into IN- the Bar Honk layout on the dead run. dropped off his horse at the door and went pushing mo the house. He made his y strai-ht to the little crank-sided wail telephone, and belled Water "Twits one of the deputies who. after a prolonged delay, finally w- sfiwe,-ed from Sheriff Hopper's of-Per of-Per left yet?-11 Ua S"erirf U"P- Ees I. s c.' ' ; Tn Yeah' there "Itnn J n tl,e street." feky veiled Z Th h""'" Ken" your l ,n! nt the "hone- "Shout 3 Z J""? out-but stop him!" Ihore followed a protracted wait t scen ea to Kentucky Jones , ' paSSeJ While he stood at he tele, t,0Ue waiting for the depu- g. n at T BUt the W,re Pened Sen it. i, f' and 11 was not t"e "'' m. i Vame hnck t0 the Phone. ,,JI"' 13 Fl0-Vd HPPer speaking," m n w,Smn" V,Ce from Water man. "Who's that?" Ba7ltok."KentUCky JneS at the "Oh, yeah? What the h-1 do you want?" "I've found out something. Do as I say and you'll have your man In six hours." "Why the devil should I do like you say?" came Hopper's voice SQiirly. "I'll give you proof," said Kentucky. Ken-tucky. "If i-m wrong you can te, me to go to h 1. All 1 ask Is that you test It for yourself." "And when Is all this going to be?" saldthe sheriff. "Right now," said Kentucky. "You can shake down the proof of what I know In less than five minutes from right where you sit. Have you got the bullets that killed Zack Sanders?" "Of course I've got 'em!" 41 1 .1 , aiiu you ve got the gun that was found In Sanders' hand." "Well?" "Take the bullets that killed Sanders San-ders and compare them with the gun that was In Zack Sanders' hand when he was found dead. You'll find that Zack Sanders was killed wltb the gun that was found In his own hand." An Instant's pause was followed by an oath that scorched the wires. "Jones, you fool with me by G d I'll learn you to fool with me!" "All I say Is look at 'em ! It won't cost you the time It took me to get you on the telephone. I'm giving you your chance to get the man that killed Mason. You can do what you want to about It" "I suppose," came Hopper's voice, "you figure Zack Sanders committed suicide!" "Take a look," Kentucky repeat ed. "Fire a bullet from Zack's gun and match It against those he was killed with. If I'm right call me back, and I'll give you the lay. Otherwise, you can go lamming around here blind until It's too late It's all one to me." Kentucky Jones smashed the receiver onto the hook. He turned to find Campo Rag-land Rag-land standing In the doorway. Kentucky Jones leaned against the wall. He crossed his legs, and "What Do You Mean?" rolled a cigarette; and the two looked at each other. "I beard what you said over the phone Just now." Campo's voice was lowered; but he sounded as If he had accused Kentucky of misbranding misbrand-ing a calf. "I knew you were listening. 1 heard you come In." "I suppose," said Campo, 'youve got more guts than any man on the face of this rocky up-ended earth !" "Maybe I have," said Kentucky. "Maybe If I didn't have I wouldn't be here now." "And you'd be better off," Campo told him. -I've heard tell that the West Is dead" Jones said. "And I always thought that was funny, with the lands still here, and the cattle, and the riders working In the saddle like thev always worked. But when tlie owner of a brand sets to work-me work-me In the dark, and shoves one of his own riders Into the noose be-' be-' u,e he's afraid to face out the music hhnself-I guess the West is "one. all right" " ranipo faced him In silence for a ttl'e while, and the blood came up to his head, darkening his wind-reddened wind-reddened face. "Before a man can c,ean a range." he said, his vou-e low. "he must first clean his own lS'"you think said Kentucky, you can convict me of killing John M;Campo snapped at him, "Who .rb'en'ta'ken for a foo,. here." Sald Kentucky. "I expect maybe a fool Is what I am, for I've let my self be used as a fool. Cut Tin not a blind man, and you should have allowed for that. So you think you can make It stick, do you?" He did not miss the Hick ol Campo's eyes as they dropped for an instant to Kentucky's holstered gun. "What I can make stick and what won't stick," Campo said. "I don't pretend like I know. I only know what. I'm convinced of in my own mind." "As, for Instance?" "As, for instance," repeated Cam po, his eyes red and steady on Ken tucky's face, "that you like to ruin us all when you shot John Mason down." They looked at each other for a moment more, then Kentucky Jones moved his hands to the buckle of his belt He saw the quick start of Campo Ragland's right hand toward his holster; but Kentucky only loosed his belt and tossed it aside. "You needn't fret yourself," said Kentucky, "You're never going to get a gunfight out of me, Campo." Campo said. "I expect not. But If you're holding off because you're gone on my girl, you can pick your gun belt up again. Because no d n sneaking killer ls fit to so much as walk where her shadow's been." In the little pause Kentucky heard the outer door of the kitchen open and close, and knew that Jean had come. "Maybe you're right," he said. "Maybe I couldn't ever bring myself to gun you, because of the reason you've named. .Maybe, if it vaau l iur just mat one tning, you a have been talking for your life, Campo, these many days ago." Campo Ragland's voice rose hard and tight. "If you think you can" He checked himself. "I don't think about what I could have done, because that's past. But I'm asking myself why you don't sing mighty small." "What's the meaning of that?" Ragland snarled. "I'll give you Just one little pointer point-er as to what's the meaning of that. Where's the rifle that killed John Mason? You don't know. But I know! And I could lay hands on it now." The rounded receding sweep of Campo's forehead was marked with tortuous distended veins that stood out In bold relief in the unfavorable slant of the light. "Bring It out, then," Campo cried out "If you think I'm afraid to have that rifle brought out " "No," said Kentucky. "It Isn't me that you're afraid of. It wasn't that, that sent you prowling around In the dark trying to find a way to deliver up another man. It's the man that's swamping your range, while you sit by and watch your riders go out and get shot." "If you mean I'm afraid of Bob Elliot," said Campo, "you lie, and I put it to your face. And when it comes to you come out with what you've got, and all you've got! I'd rather be dead than think you held back from it for the sake of for the reason you're trying to make me think." "Put that reason out of your head," said Kentucky. "When this thing's over I'm going to turn my back on the batch of you, and move on." "No," said Campo, his voice very deep and strong, but shaken with a repressed turbulence, "you'll never be moving on." He came Into the room and stood close in front of Kentucky, red-eyed as a roused bear. "Not any more," - he said. "You hear me? I've found out what you supposed nobody would ever find out. I found out that you had more reason to kill Mason than any living man !" "And I'll make it easy for you," said Kentucky. "I'll admit It." Ragland stared at him a moment, thunder-struck. "You you what?" Suddenly Kentucky laughed in his face, silently, with an ugly twist of the mouth. "You're a fool, Campo," he said. Campo Ragland blew up. "I've stood enough," he shouted, his voice rising In a shuddering gust He snatched up Kentucky's gun belt and tried to thrust It Into his hands. "Take your gun belt, and I'll give you the break ! Take It and draw !" "And If I don't," said Kentucky. "Then Til see you crack your neck at the end of a rope!" There was a small sound behind Campo Ragland, voiced Inarticulately, Inarticulate-ly, like a word that had tried to make itself heard and could not. Looking past Campo, Kentucky saw that Jean was standing there. In the doorway where her father had stood. Her words broke throatily. Jerked and twisted, forced their way out against an all but overmastering emotion. Yet they carried no Inflection of appeal, but Instead were bitter with an. -Insupportable conviction. ' "No I No, no, no! You'll never do that!" (TO BE COXTIM'ED) |