Show UV LOC K ranch U by FRANK 19 01 SPEARMAN frank H spear Sp eirman inan service service CHAPTER VM vin continued Conti nuM after van cambel came back froin A the hospital he reopened his office effice in sleepy cat 1 I thought you said the old devil get well comp complained bained par woe daloe to dr carpy carpy caroy was laconic he cant soine day hell crack up sudden but van cambel kept jane so closely under his eye that she had no chance to see denison one day her father took her in the volunteer town on business fire fighters were cIambor clambering clam boring ing for their pay an and d jane knowing the details of the agreement with par much beer and daloe as to how grub should be provided plus their pay rode with her father to town to settle with Par daloe bill she said to Par daloe when the accounts had been straightened ou out 1 I want to ask a question and I 1 want the truth Par daloe looked at her with shrewd benevolence fire away girl why does my father hate bill denison so Par Far daloe shifted uneasily you wont like the truth miss jane whether mether I 1 like it or not I 1 want you to tell me bill she said well your dad wants the spring ranch started a fight for it at the medicine bend land office bill b beat at him there so he goes up to washington and bill has to sell off his bis cows to get money to fight and pay lawyers tore fore he got through the boy had to sell everything to keep his end up it at was tough assented jane grimly her eyes were half closed and her lips compressed as if to shut out unpleasant details Par daloe dalGe warmed to his story if it ft want you miss jane an your own dad rd id call a man act that way well wonder to me is bill never plugged him now dont cry I 1 told you you like it jane shook her head and brushed the tears from her eyes with a gesture of defiance dont mind a little shower bill youve told me what I 1 asked for the truth now I 1 want to tell you something but please keep my secret will you bin bill shoot was all he said swiftly she told him of her first meeting with denison and of their rides together she described how he be had saved her life and how afterward her father had ridden over to the denison ranch with dave Uc mccrossen Crossen created a scene and forbade her ever again to see denison tm watched now like a two year old child she concluded and im rebellious Par daloe looked at her appeals gly he I ie observed the animation of her manner and the flash of her sye eye he listened to the rapid flow of her words and the spirited way it to which she spoke them the old frontiersman looked at her as an artist aist might look on a flower he fould could see but quite understand all that was hidden within in it 1 I wish said jane musing almost as much to herself as to ardlee fard loe 1 I knew just what to do do bothin 11 suggested Par daloe jane bridled do nothing that I 1 ant very pleasant to think about youve got phe t to realize your circumstances cum stances he returned in the mess youre in all around out there its best for you to sit tight n do bothin you dont know it but youre settin on a box of dynamite do you expect me to act as peacemaker bill 1 I say that be no sort of use therell be peace there when bobcats go back on jack rabbits well sighed jane reluctant you know best mr Par daloe bill you know best bill I 1 may want to talk to you again any time honey riding home with her father who rode slowly she had plenty of time to think and her thoughts were sober hued mccrossen was a thorn in her side to meet him every day and be halfway pleasant was a daily strain he tried to make up to her 1 I got off on the wrong foot with you jane he said one day the two were standing near the ranch house door in the sunshine 1 I know that all right all I 1 can say is if theres anything any thin I 1 can do to square myself im ready to do it whenever you say the word Is that fair jane was looking up at the mountains she answered without rancor a mild manner must be her cue now ateeq A weed passed van cambel lay in bed he had to send jane to medicine bend to attend to some bank business there to keep her under surveillance van cambel ordered mccrossen to ride to sleepy cat with her when jane heard of the arrangements she flatly refused to go a matter with you you damned cantankerous thing demanded her father huskily aint my foreman good enough for you to ride with janes features set 1 I wont ride with him she declared crisply why not thundered her father rising in bed jane drew herself up the least bit her fathers rudeness stiffened her attitude if you want to know the real reason Idon I 1 dont want twant him trying to kiss me on the way home after af ter hes had too many drinks in the red front saloon I 1 wont ride with him if he goes I 1 dont finally bull page was assigned to escort the wayward jane and the two setoff set off for town jane was most interested to get some news from bull page about denison but bull had neither seen nor heard of him since the gunlock knob fire in medicine bend jane extended a note drew some money paid hospital bills and waited for the afternoon train home when she got to sleepy cat it was 10 at night and no rig was at the station from the ranch she was compelled to spend the night atthe at the hotel it was a long time af afterward ter before she realized that the whole trip had been planned by her father and mccrossen for a purpose she rose early breakfasted alone and started out to pay the few remaining fire bills she went first to spotts place to pay for the beer spotts was out ought to be back pretty soon said oscar hes got to be here pretty soon to let the bartender out for breakfast ive an order ito leave at rubi dos said jane ill be back she walked over to the general store left her provision order for the wagon to pick up and returned to spotts barber shop jake his crutches at his side bide was sitting in his barber chair hello there miss well hows things out at gunlock about as usual jake ive come to pay for the beer beant no more fires bother in not at present how much was the beer no hurry about that yes but I 1 want to clean hitup it up 11 thank you maam said the saloon 10 on keeper and barber barb cr as jane counted c out and handed him the money if I 1 could only call my old side partner back out of it spotts shook his head none of us will ever forget panama jake the damnedest meanest orn criest fires that ever swept them hills said spotts counting over the money perfunctorily done more damage to the range not to speak of losin the best man we had in sleepy cat and crip plin up the best man we had in inthe the hills who was that jake why bill denison jane started visibly bill denison she echoed in consternation what do you mean well you know hes in the hospital v 1 I know nothing of the kind exclaimed jane sharply she stood white as a sheet what mat has happened tell me why you know his eyes is gone to hell bell what do vou what ho happened tell T eai me I 1 spotts started violently out of his torpor as he saw with amazement the effect of his news on his visitor why doc carpy says that his eyes got burned some gettin through that gunlock knob fire then some son jake checked himself somebody set his ranch house afire last night and nearly burned him up ask carpy hell tell you she hurried to the hotel the doctor was out on a call jane hurried to mcalpine McAlpi ns barn bam where she had left her pony and rode straight up the hill to the hospital CHAPTER IX IEK where is he sister his room is on the second floor shall I 1 show you the way if you please sister I 1 learned only a moment ago that he was here ive heard of this dreadful ranch house fire only this minute did he tell you how it happened sister he has hardly spoken since they brought him in but mr scott said it was getting out of the burning ranch house do you think there is any chance to save his sight oh sister can you imagine how I 1 feel dear heart I 1 do know how you feel of course I 1 dont know a thin thing g about the case except that dr carpy has given very strict orders about his care she was too considerate si to tell how worried she knew carpy to be of course his room is dark and his eyes are bandaged we like mr air denison so much hes always been so kind to us with nice gif gifts ts this is his room the nurse laid her hand on the knob of the door shall I 1 go in with you do sister said jane sister opened the door good morning mr denison good morning sister jane walking in on tiptoe behind her guide heard his answer chos that with you sister jane had stepped as lightly as possible but his ears had detected her footsteps ive brought you a visitor I 1 hope youre not cross she added banteringly who is visiting me he asked jane had been gradually drawing closer to him bill he started violently for an instant he was silent as if listening for more then he responded low and strangely jane yes bill in the dark her hand touched his arm he caught both her hands crushing them with his own and drew one and the other hungrily to his lips sister Si ater he said composed yet eager can you fina find a chair in the dark for miss van cambel Ta mbel with the nurse gliding out of the room janes hands crept over his shoulders around his neck and as his arms en folded her their lips met to be continued |