Show artil WI AM RANU a 40 by FRANK H SPEARMAN I 1 copyright frank H spearman service service Cg CHAPTER ArTEn VIL continued to cross the wide belt of pine their course 3 lay obliquely downhill if anything were needed to spur them on the thunder of the fire sweeping down the forest behind served as a dread warning that they had bad only n minutes left to escape disaster halfway down the ridge denison gon paused to rest jane in his arms she was panting like an antelope brave girl he murmured not a sob not a tear but we must hurry bill she panted get a little breath for the next run ran can we make it bill dear weve got to make it he muttered til save you jane if its itis the last thing I 1 do in life tont dont save me unless you save yourself remember that 11 come we must make the spring the spring the timber was thinning the ground growing rougher the frontiersman and cowman who had gone through every adventure that befalls a man in a life of danger and escape made little of finding we safe footing from rock to rock he himself saw before jane realized it that the end of her strength was at hand striving vainly to keep up she stumbled and with a little moan fell forward on an the ground denison picked her up in his arms She could not speak only panted put me down bill 1 put me down she sobbed when she could breathe and form the words you must save yourself Is the spring far now not far clasp your arms tight around my neck was all he said leaping along you cant save us both save yourself you are dearer to me than ray my life bill aso so are you to me hang on he panted ill never put you down after another run he be paused till bill I 1 can run a little now let me try it please dear let me try he shook his head and struggled on the fire was only minutes behind him its ita roar deafening A cry roused jane in his arms the spring she cried to him in happy answer there was not an instant to spare he slid down the steep side of the hollow that encols ed the spring jane still in his arms he rolled into the pool and lay panting beside her the shock of the icy water revived her he soused doused her head into the water the pool was wide enough to submerge jane but not himself he rolled in the shallower edge wet himself all over and holding her head just clear of the surface as she sputtered arai and coughed gave her orders keep your face down dont don t open your eyes youre safe isyou you do exactly as I 1 say the heart of the fire was on them they could no longer hear or think flame bellied and danced tongues of fire licked at their hiding heads denison mechanically dipped water into janes hair j consciousness was nearly gone conly only the effort to live and the fierce instinct to protect animated him with their trial of endurance almost at an end a sudden explosion burst in the air above them dentson forgetting his caution opened his eyes in the fear that a tree was falling his eyeballs were scorched in a fraction of a second he dashed his face back into the water but mischief had been done at last the terrific outburst abated with the hope of life re animated the two rose in the pool in their steaming clothing darkness fell from the sky above but the forest was lighted with smoking and burning tree torches the afterglow of its destruction the two who had passed through and escaped a hideous catastrophe stood clasped in each others arms thanking god mid and delerous del irous in a newfound new found intimate happiness water exclaimed denison im perishing in spite of my cold bath arent you thirsty yes but not suffering I 1 have to carry you you know moving a few feet up to the basin of the spring itself they pushed aside debris from the waters surface drank from their cupped hands and dashed water over their faces jane said denison when he frose rose again it was almost worth it for the way its brought you and me together it was she whispered ive given you my trust for all time jane for all time bill nothing i shall ever part us now cela CHAPTER PTER vin VIM picking their way haltingly and cautiously down through smoking pines dodging burning limbs that snapped and crackled menacingly overhead or crashed to the ground about them the refugees emerged from the forest and could see that Deni sons ranch buildings had escaped the flames the instant they reached the ranch house denison ran to the well filled the water bucket and carried it to jane sitting on the ground bareheaded they slaked their thirst out of the dipper together denison turned to the corral jane who had gone into the house had got the fire going and was slicing bacon when she heard the clatter of hoofs outside and angry voices wheres my daughter y you 0 u damned scoundrel were the first words she made out the sound of the voice that uttered them sent her running the knife still in her hand to the door amazed to dumbness she saw her father and mccrossen in the saddle facing denison who stood at the gate of his corral van cambel denison spoke apol e carefully youre too old a man for me to quarrel with just remember youre on my p property and keep a civil tongue in your head I 1 1 I dont want no truck with you denison shouted van gambal laging sherea Wh erea my girl mccrossen had reined about and was vas starting for the house swing back here I 1 mccrossen denis jn in sang out sharply stop right cibere you are my cabins not open to public inspection 1 I dont give a damn for your cabin theres jane the foreman shouted standing in the doorway jane ran across the yard to the angry men father she cried what in the world are you doing here what brought you from the hospital her fathers dee deep P set piggy eyes flashed his bis fury on her you living with this man are you father outraged womanhood never spoke the word more stingingly Is it possible you insult me so vilely before you have heard a single word she said what have I 1 to do with your grudges and quarrels rigid and erect storming within and striking with white hot words at her parents base tion ion jane silenced the men about her by her outraged dignity what shameful words have you icard heard and from wh whom orrill sh she e barely indicated her fathers companion by a lightning flash of her eye that put such vile thoughts into your head she waited for no answer 1 I rode to the peak of gunlock knob to see how the fire was li heading cading it has threatened gunlock ranch for two days when I 1 tried to ride down this afternoon the fire cut me off I 1 should have been burned to death where I 1 stood on the peak if bill denison ridden up through another fire to save me and now after fighting our way for hours through smoke and flame he brings me down by the only possible way to hear me foully insulted by my own father this is too much look here jane bellowed her father in retreat you come out here for your health you 1 I come out here to be grossly insulted she retorted wheres your pony Hea heavens ens knows where it is or where bill Deni sons I 1 is I 1 hope not burned up well come along home mccrossen will lend you his horse he I 1 will walk home just as soon as I 1 have cooked some bacon for bill denison come along now did you hear me ill come home each word was defiantly emphasized when I 1 have made coffee and cooked bacon for bill denison when you get home be kind enough to ask bull page to saddle a horse for me and bring it over with this jane walked swiftly back to the cabin van cambel in a muttering rage followed by mccrossen started home A slender supper was at length got together then jane made denison lie back in a chair and submit to cold compresses on his bis eyes waiting for bull page proved no hardship but when the hands of Deni sons little alarm clock pointed to midnight it dawned on jane that her request had been ignored and that her father or mccrossen McCross cn had meant she should walk home or compromise herself by staying all night at Deni sons she boiled a bit inside when she realized the situation but prepared to walk to this denison would not lot listen he got up two ponies he ie had but one extra saddle and despite her objections and protests insisted on riding home with her it needed no announcer in the morning to tell jane that her father had come home she lay ex hausted and with every bone in her body aching beyond her usual rising time but there was an unusual scurrying about outside her room quong old and wrinkled was the only man of the household not in the least perturbed by the surprise return of van cambel jane came to the table as her father was leaving it 1 I want to see you after breakfast was the gruff greeting he vouchsafed jane she found van cambel seated at his desk in his bedroom looking over bills jane went up to him 1 I could hardly believe my eyes when I 1 saw you yesterday father she said coldly did the doctor give you permission to come home after af ter a shuffling of papers came the first shot at jane what did you fire mccrossen for because he refused to obey orders she retorted instantly whose orders my imy orders who owns this ranch you do arid and she added keen eyed you made me manager ill take that job off your shoulders mccrossen is foreman here now and I 1 am boss now what wha t about this skunk denison what about mr denison father hes a crook and as long as you live keep away from him what has he ever done to you wrong father he and his brothers been trying for five years to beat me out of gunlock spring and andall all that ranch land back of it part of what hes done to me hes stole my cattle besides mccrossen is the only man that stayed by me through thick and thin McCros sens the right man for you you can get married tomorrow if you want to 1 I the slightest idea of getting married tomorrow father and if mr mccrossen were the only man left I 1 certainly should never marry theres nota not a straight hair in his head sounds like that skunk deni sons been filling your ears for I 1 you bill Deni sons barely ever mentioned McCros sens name to me well keep away from denison for good dont forget that jane flinched inwardly but spoke low and clearly 1 I cant promise that father why not 1 I dont think its right aint I 1 your father yes agnf a parent a goin to be obeyed if he is reasonable im not a child father he grew furious 1 I dont give a damn what you are you youre re not goin to take up with any enemy of mine ire n you might just as well know it now and ill see that you dont van cambel quitting the house I 1 rode with mccrossen over the hills burned the day before to determine what further measures should be taken to insure safety for the ranch buildings the two men halted baited at the foot of gunlock knob A lot of good timber gone in that blaze van muttered mccrossen van cambel was silent for a moment the ranch aint worth as much as it was yesterday sure he said at last then after another pause 1 I mind the timber if the damned f fire ire had held on till it cleaned out denison both were looking down on the neighbors ranch 1 I wish I 1 was rid of that fellow van cambels Tam bels words fairly grated out of his harsh throat why that blamed fire have cleaned out his buildings yesterday it was a close scratch if the wind had shifted always blows the wrong way for me I 1 dont mind losing the timber if it had caught him id 2 he checked himself suddenly look here he jerked why cant we help the wind along next night theres a blow just give things a start down there what ayou mean bum him out why not mccrossen took the cigarette from his mouth but said nothing wen well sputtered van cambel why don dont it you talk 1 I dont fancy that kind of a I 1 job mccrossen shifted moodily in his saddle bill denison and I 1 have got our differences plenty of em some day I 1 expect to iro iron em out with him but be done in daylight van cambel sneered look out he dont get you and the girl both well the words came reluctantly rii ill talk to bey barney B ey have to pay him well to be continued |