Show MARKED aft or MAN ilk A by H C WIRE service 0 1 D appleton century inc THE STORY STORT THUS FAR summoned to the CC C C ranch rich in central nevada desert wise walt gandy is on his way to help tits his old range partner bill hollister walt Is stopped short by a girl who holds a rule rifle in firing position she knows him tells him how to get to the ranch and tells him that they will meet gain again within a q quarter u arter of a mile from h his destination walt W Is stopped again this time by a grotesque misshapen mis man who tells him to get out and then tells him the C C crew Is in emigrant the closest town for or an inquest someone has been murdered riding to the th inquest in emigrant walt lea leaves ves his horse hors at the livery stable walt learns that cash cameron owner of 0 the C C ranch Is in trouble A hard but honest man cash has many enemies at the inquest walt sees hollister Hol llster ind and e the girl who had stopped him chino china dr drake k former cook at the C C ranch has been murdered and sheriff ed battle Is trying to pin the blame on cash cameron the girl Is called to the stand she ll in helen cameron cashs cachs daughter she sh e seemingly faints and as gandy rushes t to 0 her aid slips something in kits his hand it Is the bullet from drakes body walt rents a post office box and leaves the bullet in it leaving the post office he Is accosted by a dark swarthy man who offers him a lob job he draws the man out finds that he wants to usurp camerons public range land gandy then turns him down in biting fashion the man leaps at walt wait who whips him after a bard battle the man Is pete kelso foreman of the 77 ranch an outfit hostile to cameron gandy Is called to the sherif sheriffs rs office CHAPTER VI continued 4 sheriff battle sat behind an ancient flat topped desk slouched in a swivel chair with a back high enough to support his large head A second man seated on a wall bench running from the desk end was hollister the CC foreman uncrossed long legs and stood up his weathered studious face lighting with a grin this the man you me mean an battle I 1 know this fellow you dont need to search him he turned to walt and held out his hand how are you bill hollister knew nothing about the stolen bullet walt gandy was certain of that as he gave back the handclasp and the grin he looked into the face of this partner who had urged him up from the border across two weeks of hard desert travel and in that silent second he was aware of something bill hollister had changed how he could not say had no time to consider for even as the thought flashed to him he heard battle snap you dont need to tell me what I 1 need to do hollister al yeah said the deputy at gan dys back go through him walt wait jerked around not so fast you he looked into the bore of the deput ys gun aw put that bean shooter away the charge sheriff got a search warrant have you battle had risen drawing his huge weight upward and propping it stiff armed on the desk top you all al the matter with you I 1 said go through him walt laughed he raised his arms and felt the hands move thoroughly through his pockets matches money tobacco his watch his knife a horseshoe nail and his handkerchief nothing more he saw ed battle sink down like the gas going out of a big balloon the sheriff glared at his deputy he seemed to feel it was the mans fault that nothing had been found he hesitated cigar in his teeth frowning with mental effort here away from the eyes of his voters sheriff battle became less a thunderous bull roaring for results and seemed a human being of not too much will easily swayed and at this moment baffled hollister he launched out bluntly im giving you a chance I 1 want you to come in with the law hollister grinned you he em pha sized want me to come ir in with the law where do you figure I 1 am ed up a flagpole and no ladders said battle promptly itu be f for r the good of the C C and the whole emigrant bench he went on sol dmn faced it if you and me can get down on the same footing look out there on the street look at those women they and the kids are the ones who are going to suf fer if our ranchmen ranchman ranch men get to gun fighting with each other im older than you ive seen bloody times and they start from no more than what has happened here right bowl now walt gandy leaned over and studied the floor boards between his boots it came to him that this man showed surprising intelligence after all if he would use itt it cash cameron battle was saying has represented the power in control here with the example of a big fellow like him holding the lid screwed on and able to buy out any man who wanted to quit there been much cause for trouble no need for the little fellows to jump his range rights nor each others but it if the C C crumbles and its grass on public domain and in the national forest is open for anyone to grab theres going to be hell battle roared suddenly 1 I wont have under his heavy brows bill hol hoi lister was no longer smiling youre dead certain are you he asked that the CC C C is going to crumble battle leaned forward over the flat top of his desk yes his eyes narrowed and glittered A man in camerons hole right now dont dare take up a gun even if his range is being crowded in on the C C dont own title to five thousand acres of land its using close to a hundred thousand all public every man who rode in to the inquest today is figuring on just that get the C C tangled with the law get you people tied up in court and you might as well start raising hogs on your five thousand acres because your power on the open catle tle range is gone and nobody will b be e afraid to crowd you wait battle waved his cigar as hollister started to speak the power on this range has shifted from camerons hands now back into mine where it belongs and im going to use it to the advantage of everybody big man and little man alike you people cant even chew what youve bit off out there let alone it I 1 guess ranger powell was beginning to see that himself when he announced the C C allotment in the national forest is going to be cut next summer battle clamped his cigar righteously saying around the end time for the little fellow to have a show here and im seeing that he gets itt it I 1 little fellows bill hollisters Hol listers quiet voice asked like the battle stiffened his smoking stopped hollister uncrossed his knees and the C C foreman and the sheriff of emigrant county traded long measuring looks what do you mean by that asked the sheriff evenly this hollister stated funny thing it that every man t woman and child on the emigrant bench from here north to salt flat and west to the barricades came to the hearing today everyone except those from the still sitting stiffly upright battle made no reply youre right about what is is going in g to happen here hollister went on this range is over stocked someone has got to move out there enough land here of any sort private public or national forest to hold the flood of animals that has been poured onto the bench lately too almighty truet true but dont you talk to me about the little fellows he eyed ed battle took a long breath and rocked his body forward in a lightly balanced motion cash cameron has played square with them he figured when he bought a mans brand taking his ca cows ws he bought range rights too custom but no these little fellows have hung on getti getting ng a few more cows and only waiting to jump his grass at any chance little fellows it took bill hollister some time to get warmed up he was hot now look at em out there on the street surel sure A pack of wolves licking their chops eyeing each other to see who is going to lead in a rush onto the C C give them a leader and the rest will follow au all right and you battle you know who bet bel ed battle seemed set against answering hollister flared everyone came in today to see how the inquest was going to fall to see if cameron was going to get properly tied up only I 1 the 77 wheres stoddard his 77 is the biggest contender for range rights that we control but they arent troubled about how this inquest will fall the 77 knows meaning that ive been bought huh battle asked suddenly meaning said hollister that someone who keeps his nane name off the records is part owner of the 77 brand visibly the tension went out of I 1 sheriff ed battle he relaxed shaking his head nope you guessed wrong that time I 1 own nary a cow in any size shape or form not on paper nor on the 77 if jeff stoddard and his bunch come in today they had their own jasons reasons he gave hollister a placating grin but were sort of wrangling ourselves off the track arent we I 1 called you in here to make a proposition for the good of everybody want to listen with an abruptness of action not usual in him bill hollister r rose ose and his lank form towered battle he said evenly youre a plain white ribbed skunk 1 your baits good all right but it stinks of next elections elec tiona votes vote sll color flooded hotly into the fleshy face of sheriff battle he gripped his desk edge control over some quick and revealing retort came only after a minute of struggle when at last he got up tip onto his feet the red flood of anger had drained I 1 away he looked out with cold hard eyes 1 I said I 1 had another piece of evidence hollister something I 1 bring up at the inquest his ponderous figure came around to the open floor watching walt gandy wondered battles gaze went down came back hollister he asked why did you have paul champion run water into that corn row where chino drake was lying dead at ed battles questioning thrust 0 hollisters Hol listers jaw had sprung shut muscles bulged he stood planted as if to take a blow a fighting man yet to walt gandy it seemed the dogged courage of someone plodding on grimly to an end without fire nor vital care for what would come after that end was reached whatever had happened to biu bill hollister had struck him at the roots battle had the knife in and he gouged with it well want me to say why you had that corn row flooded to cover some boot tracks some almighty big ones again the sheriffs eyes went downward and following them walt gandys candys rested upon the black stitched boots that bill hollister wore they were big number elevens these that he had on today were brand new the trouble with that trick said battle was that you slipped up I 1 75 ri r I I 1 wl W l 17 ive gone all through the house again dad one track get flooded my deputy ran cement into it and I 1 ive ve got the cast never mind about the pair of boots that left the track weve probably got those too CHAPTER VII s was wrong at the CC riding abreast but strangely silent for a pair who had not seen each ot herfor two years wa walt it gandy and bill hollister topped the last bench and looked ahead to the home buildings out upon the open flat they had ridden in waning daylight here under the mountain wall night had come darkening the ranch basin and spreading a gray mist close to the ground hollisters Hol listers long legged black caught up beside the palomino the they Y loped through a lane between post corrals passed the saddle sheds and reached an open yard and then almost before seeing them they were upon three men standing motionless ti in fro front t of a bunk house door the door doorways was open no light showed inside k hollister swung off gandy waited then walk walked edin in close behind him cash cameron turned his white head the boy paul champion was on his his left the short figure on his right was one walt could not recall having seen before place has been searched bill said cameron all the buildings someone while we were gone eone until that moment walt did not see a fourth figure which had remained crouched back on the dark doorstep it rose as the ranch owner spoke came out with a scuffling limp imp and the twisted body of the deformed man seemed at night more gruesome than ever he dragged past within touching distance slanted his sunken yes up in a direct stare into gandys candys Gan dys yet showed no recognition walt had thought this afternoon that the man was more than a little off he changed the opinion now something with a worse twist than insanity too looked ked out from those deep eye pits he caught the feeling of a mind as warped as the body what about bent hollister asked indicating the retreating fig of his chin lies ure with a jerk been around alt all day t he be anything to ten tell says he knows nothing about it cameron answered bent boulet coulet coulden couldn t have heard anyone and he was mending the south pasture fence this afternoon so he have seen either if it was somei somebody ody who came in from any other direction only the youngest cowhand paul champion appeared free of whatever it was that gripped these others he swung the knotted end of his halter rope and kept running one hand back to the throat of his horse A grin of repressed excitement looked almost foolish on his boyishly eager face id say we better he began never mind paul cameron stopped him gently walt gandy had begun the making of a cigarette now he flung the unfinished tube away he faced cameron saying theres one thing I 1 guess ought to be made known right now before anybody starts to check up cash camerons white head pivoted 1 I was on your place this afternoon said gandy it was hollisters Hol listers voice snapped out in the dark why you tell me tharl only cash camerons features were visible from where walt stood the others were blotted in the night but he could feel the quick stab of eyes toward him he did not know yet who the tha cowpuncher was making a squat shapeless form at the ranch owners right side camerons mouth opened closed A hand came up and smoothed down the coarse hair of his gray mustache say look herel here gandy blazed but he felt that he was only throwing words against a stone wall the silence of these men was that thick battling a rise of impatient anger he turned from them pulling the tobacco sack from his shirt pocket no lights light sl cameron warned listen then almost at once its au all right go ahead his daughter came abruptly around the bunk shack end she reached cash and standing close up to his rawboned raw boned size seemed to walt gandy once again as she had this afternoon a small and fragile girl in spite of the rough garb in which she clothed herself and far too rare a person to be caught in the black war that was gathering around her ive gone all through the house again dad she said her voice low and controlled whoever did it trying to rob us no said cameron no of course not he asked no further and it was bill hollister who spoke up then theres nothing missing helen slowly she turned and lifted her face to him though in the dark she could not possibly read his features A rifle she said and a pair of boots yours all others stood fixed but the effect of her words upon bill hollister was sudden action almost as if from relief paul he ordered rapidly put up the te horses walt throw your war bag down here you can turn t urn sunspot in the end corral by himself tonight and give him something extra bent lavic will show you the lanterns and where the grain bins are he turned away into the dark alone his voice came back over departing shoulders ill rustle firewood for who evers going to cook As walt kicked straw across the stable floor for sunspots Sun spots bedding he looked at bent davics feet they were big all out of proportion on that shrunken body the boots he wore would be about size eleven cash cameron was in the kitchen trying unfamiliarly to get together t a meal in his own house and as walt gandy entered he asked you know anything about pot bust ing young fellow behind gandy bill hollister came in just then with an armful of wood sure he does bill said 1 I suffered his cooking for a couple of years and lived through guess we can stand it for a few days walt swung around from hanging his hat on a peg near the door hollister |