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Show By Hal G.Evarts copvr.oht y WM.ij 5FPviCf: HAL G- EVAR.TS WHAT HAS CONE BZFOR E At the Warren mnch. th-Th th-Th re liar," a atrarmtT applied ap-plied toi work an a rulur W"J I i;tm el te Ann Warn;n, Known Kj all a 8 "Billie," is the o w in' r o t the rnnrh. The girl's fn t h Ji .'.'ill Warren hud tteen the original origi-nal owner The newcomer is pin to work (;ittle "r us iters" ha vf heen troubling the ranch owner The new hand tfiven his name a Harris By his announce merit in fn vor of "so, un 1 1 rrf h-incurs h-incurs the enmity of a rnlei known as Morrow. The will marl-by marl-by Cal Wnrren at i pu la ted I ha half (he property Mhonld no t the Hon of his old friend. Willian Harris, under oeriain corir i tlom The new arrival is the man, nm1 he disclose the fact to Billit .SI ad e, a ra ru hriia n with an tin savory reputation, visits Rilli--Slade, endeavoring to em brae Millie, Is Interrupted by Hnrri? While the riders are at thei evening meal, far out on tin r;tii'e, six ou tsiders Join them Billie knows them to be "nip t lurn " To test Ha rris' cournge t h nirl appoints him temporary Core man. sugj-'est inj that he order the visitors to leave. Somewhn' to her surprise he dues so Tr men depart, making threats Hi' lie makes Harris permanent fore man On tch i tig Morrow lea vir p oat tie w here they can be stolen Harris d isch urges him. Flitf i Nfj with B i 1 1 i e, a man, u res u ma b 1 y Morrow, shoots at H a rris. Three Bar rulers start In pursuJt oi Morrow, ttne of them, Banfi, If ambushed and killed Harris outlines out-lines his plans for bringing settlers set-tlers Into the country. Billie decides de-cides to write to her later j j u ci ge uoi ton. ror a a vice. j j CHAPTER V Continued 12 "We'll try It," she said. "1 know thiit Cul Wurren would rather see the Three Hiir fro to pieces from Its own pressure, fighting from the Inside tr f;rnv, tliim to see it whittled down from the outside without our fighting t)HlU." She crossed to her teepee to write the letter tasking Judge (.'niton's ad vice on tills mutter which would meiin the turning point In Three Dur nffnirs. An hour Inter Home rode uwu.v from the wagon, his bed roll packed on a led horse heading for Brill's wilh the message that meant so much to tin-Three tin-Three Bar. As he left Harris Handed him two letters he had written weeks frnst, before leaving the ranch rresumiihl; uiil.v the three of them knew of the Intended move hut In the course of the next few days tt had become rumored anions the men that the Three Bar was to turn into a farming outfit. The ui rl learned trial f'arpe;;'er was the source of these whispers. ICvei .since the departure of Morrow Curp had been sullen. Twice he had taken exceptions Hp some ordei ot Harris but the new foreman had (in licnll.v overlooked the fact. However on the fifth day after the departure ot Home with the letter to .ludire Col ton. Harris whirled on the man as he made an anti sipiatter remark when Hie hands were gathered for the noon meal. "That'll he all." he said 'Til fi-ure out your time. You took tilings up whore Morrow left off. Now von ran go hunt him up and compare notes." '('ant a man speak his mind? Carp demanded. "He can talk his head off." Ilarrl.-said. Ilarrl.-said. But he can't overlook any Thrpf Bar calves on his circle while I'm running Hip layout. Morrow tried that on while he was breaking von In." Carp surveyed the faces ut the men and started to speak hut rhato.-ed his mind and headed for the rutin corral "That's going to leave us short banded," Harris said to the irirl "Morrow, Carp and Batuis thret-short thret-short Home ought to get hack from Brill's today. We've only one more week out so I guess we can worry th rough " "How did you know?" she asked "About Carp, I mean?" "Lanky caught him overlooking n bunch of cows wllh calves," Harris explained. "I.nnky Is worth double p:ij'" Home came hack from Brill's In the early evening imd another man rode with him. "Allien, ' Billie said "I wondci what the sheriff fs doing out here." The sheriff stripped the saddle from ti is horse and the wrangler swooped down to haze the animal in with the rotunda as Alden ioined Harris am! the girl. He was a tall, gaunt mini Villi a slight stoop. His keen grn.i eyes (icered forth from a maze ol sun prickles surmounted by bushy eye brows, the drooping gray mustache Mcceiittnttitis rather than detracting from the hawklike strength of countenance. counte-nance. Be dropped a hand on the girl's sunDlder and looked down at her. "3ow ar tfilues breaking this sea- sun. Billie?" he asked. "Everything rutinini: smooth?" "About the same," she said. Ttiej were oh) friends and the girl knew that Alden would help her lu any pos sihle way. The sheriff turned to Harris. "1 see you've settled down to a steady ob. Cal, instead of browsing around the hills alone I nil across Home at Brill's and he was telling ine ahoui some one gunning for you from the brush. Morrow, he says Do you want me to pick Morrow up?" "It would only waste your time,' Harris said. "We couldn't prove It on him the way things are." "Fact," Alden agreed. "But I could hold him till after you're back at the ranch Some day folks may wake up anil need a sheriff. It's hard to say.' The men had finished working the ' herd and were crosvding around the wagon fot their meal. "You go ahead and e'at, Billie." Al ilcn said. "Cal and I'll feed a little I wj- 8gr "Will Try It." She Said. later on. I've got a fuss to pick with Cal." Billie left them together and t-he sheriff sipiatted on his heels. "What s this rumor about youi farming the Three Bar?" he asked "Home said all the bands were guessing, guess-ing, but I haven't heard anything about It outside." "And I don't want It leaking out before be-fore we start." Harris said. ''But we're going to break out the tint. I had the plans all laid and sent word olT. Things are moving toward the start right now." "It'll stii things up." Alden predict ed. Willi one forefinger he traced a design in the dust, then blotted it out I II pln in with vou the best I . an.' "We'v got to make a clean split,' Harris said "(let the wild ones deli nilel.v set apart. Then they can hi-bundled." hi-bundled." Allien was regarding old Kile l''os ler who had drawn apart from the rest and was eating Ids meal in soil iude The old man had taken a Hoot heel from his pocket and was study ing it as it fnsrinntcd b the sothtei I'ellertiotis it roused in him Allien shook his henil ns he rose and moveo toward the wagon. 'Home was telling me about Bangs too." he said. "I'relty tough foi Kile I'he.i was as close as father and son fhose two." Harris and the sheriff uined t tie rest at the wagon and held out (dates and cups to Waddles The girl hi I ill excited, anxious for the start now that the decision liad lieen made "How long will it take to gel things moving after we gel hack?- she asked "Not more than a week al the oui side." Harris suld Trohnhly less" "Tou don't mean that" she stated "1 want to know tie truth." "You have It," be assured her. "1 bad the plans all laid. Our crew ts slreauy headed for the Tbres Bar. Before they get there every a-ac Trill have tiled on a quarter I designated for him. Inside a week well have covered the flat." Long after the bauds had turned In for the night she heard a faint murmur mur-mur of voices and looked from her teepee. The brilliant moonlight showed Harris and the sheriff sitting off by themselves. Kor no apparent reason she thought of Carlos Deane and, point by point, she contrasted him with the man who sat talking to the sheriff. Each was almost super eflicient in Ids own chosen line and she caught herself wondering what each one would do If suddenly transplanted trans-planted to the environment of the other. Then her mind occupied Itself with Harris who would soon break out the first plow furrow that had ever scarred the range within a radius ra-dius of fifty miles and she pictured again a sign she had seen that day: ".Squatter le your wugon wheels keep turning." CHAPTER VI Three heavy wagons, each drawn by four big mules, traveled uortL along the Coldrlver stage trail, livery wagon was loaded to the brim of the triple box Two men were mounted on each wagon seat, the man beside the driver balancing a rifle across his knees. "Nice place to camp, Tiny," said the guard on the lead wagon. Fie pointed off across a flat beside the road toward to-ward a sign that loomed In the cen ter. The black-browed giant designated desig-nated as Tiny swung the mules off the road and headed for the sign. The three wagons were drawn up some fifteen fif-teen yards apart in the shape of a triangle, tri-angle, the mules unhitched and given a feed of grain from nose-hags, tied to the wagons and supplied with baled hay. Tiny walked over and viewed the sign. "Squatter don't let sunset find you here," he read. "It's about that time now," he ob served, squinting over his shoulder "It'd he a mistake to leave evidence like that uround." tie tore down the sign and worked It Into firewood with an ax. "Now they can't do nothing to us for drifting in here by error," he remarked to his companions. "It wouldn't be fair." In the morning the three wagons lumbered ou. Near sunset they passed another sign where the Three Bar road branched off to the left. Tiny pulled up the mules. "Uproot that little beauty, Russet," he advised. "We're getting close to home." The carrot-haired guard descended and threw his weight against the sign, working It from side to side until the posts were loosened in the ground, pried it up and loaded It on the wagon. "quick work, Kuss," the big map complimented, "for a little suwed-off runt, you're real spry and active. He clucked to the mules and they settled steadily into the collars and moved ou to the Three Bar. The Three Bar men viewed the freighters curiously as they swung the mule team in front of the blacksmith black-smith shop, noted the ' rille In the hands ot each guard and a second one in easy reach of each driver. They knew what this portended. The freighters had stripped off the wagon-sheet lushed across the top of each load and the Three Bar men moved casually toward the wagocs curious to view the contents. "You boys gel to knowing each otb er," Harris said. "These mule-skin iiers will be hanging out al the Tlire Bat from now on." All down the line the Three Bai men were gel ting acquainted with the freighters A thousand pounds ot oals were tossed from the lop ol tin-lirsl tin-lirsl wagon anil when the concealing sacks were cleared away there wen-three wen-three heavy plows showing undei ueath the spaces between them tilvo with shilling coils ot fence wire. I'hi set ond load MMisisicil ot a disinant lef drill, u crate ot long handled shovels and more barbed wire; the third tielo a rake and a mowing machine, more wire, kegs o fence staples atvl k dozen forks. "The Three Bat will tie the middle' point ot a cyclone, Moore prophesied as tie viewed the Implements. "Jus as soon as this leaks out." "We feiciied our cyclone openers-wit openers-wit h us, " Uu.ss assured him. "I-et her buck." From rlie cook-shuck door the gin viewed these preparations, then turned her eyes lo the tlal and vlsioneo it with a carpel of rippling hay. 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