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Show THE RICH COUNTY REAPER, RANDOLPH. UTAH By ALAN LE MAY INSTALLMENT 7 THE STORY SO FAR: Dusty King and Lew Gordon had built up a vast string of ranches which stretched from Texas to Montana. King was killed by his powerful and unscrupulous competitor, Ben Bill Roper, King's adopted son, Thorpe. undertook to break Thorpes power. His first step was to start a cattle war in Texas. He made this decisicn against the opposition of Lew Gordon and the tearful pleading of his sweetheart, Jody Gordon. With the aid of Dry Camp Pierce and other outlaw gunmen, Roper conducted raid after raid upon Thorpes herds. Cleve Tanner, manager of Thorpes Texas holdings, seemed helpless to stop him. In spite of his daring plans, Ropers resources had dwindled dangerously low by the time winter came. And Thorpe seemed not to feel the losses. CHAPTER X The winter dragged out slowly. Ropers plans, bold as they were, had been well laid. He had perceived from the first that success or failure depended upon whether or not he could make his war with Tanner self sustaining. To gnaw away at the Tanner herds was one thing; to turn their captures into cash was altogether another. Roper had hoped that he could initiate his own drives to the north, but he had found this out of the On the other hand, the question. trail drivers had found themselves so vulnerable that none of them wanted to buy cattle of questionable ownership. The Thorpe-Tannorganization did not have this problem ; they took what they wanted and drove what they wanted, by means of their own trail outfits. But Roper could now only dispose of cattle for the trail through ranchers known to be scrupulous and established men. This was the strategic purpose behind Ropers rehabilitation of the eleven outfits which Tanner had originally seized, and which Roper had now put back into the hands of their proper owners. These ranchers had not only the sympathy but the respect of everyone who knew anything about Texas cattle. Through these men Roper now had a safe and sure outlet for the cattle recovered by Dry Camps experts, while the gunfighters under such men as Nate Liggett, Tex Daniels, and Hat Crick Tommy supplied a er much needed protection until they could get on their feet. But this method, promising as it was, was slow. Of necessity the men whom Roper backed were cowmen without assets other than their disputed claim to their ground. Sometimes by mortgage loans, but principally by silent partnerships, Roper had now obtained interests in nearly a dozen outfits. They should have been thriving outfits. But Roper found his money draining away with unforeseen swiftness, without hope of any financial return until the trail should open in the spring. Only the Mexican border operations, which depended upon Lee Haraish, continued to show a thin trickle of income through the As spring apwinter months. himself near found proached, Roper the end of his string. Early in February, Shoshone Wilce came south seeking Bill Roper, andT found him at the Pot Hook ranch. Find out anything? Roper asked. Shoshone Wilce rubbed his badly shaved chin with horny fingers. I dont know as youre going to like this so very good, Bill. Lets have the bad news first I eat it up. God knows theres enough of it; there aint any other kind to be had. What do you want to know first? Hows Thorpe making out up hes done, this Tanner has put some bunches of Mex renegades up to landing on us, they work with the Yakis, and his Indian scouts have spotted where we make our crossings. Seems like theres anyway a dozen bands of them havent got any' V.N.U. Release thing else to do but lay watching tle in this country than the world those crossings, and wait us out. About half of them is carrying has any use for. I dont think you can bother any man any more, just new American guns and plenty ammunition. They got our hide nailed by fooling with his cattle. Never mind what you think. to the fence all right and we are through. Lets have what you know. I nosed around and tried to find It was a long time before Roper out what promises Tanners been saw Lee Harnish again. He did not making for cattle on spring deliv- accept Hamishs statements offeries. I didnt learn everything. No- hand; but when he had conferred body learns everything. But I got with Dave Shannon, and others of the border men in whom he beenough to total up. Shoshone Wilce hesitated, and lieved, he was forced to accede that g didnt say any more until he had the phase of the at-- " tack on Tanner was done. got a cigarette rolled. In the middle of rolling his cigarette he went As February drew to a close, the into a coughing fit, and spilled the big herds were once more being tobacco, so that he had to start over thrown together for the trail. again. It was deep into March when Tex Cleve Long quit. Bill, he said at last, Tanners going to drive more cattle Tex Long said, look. Look, this year than hes ever drove beHe did not talk easily; whatever fore. In just one bunch alone he he said was matter-of-fac- t, even aims to deliver fifteen thousand head now. I got to pull out of this on the banks of the Red! game. Hes crazy! Roper shouted. "He Bill Roper looked at him, without cant do it its impossible! How much expression. All Well he thinks he can. He you figure I owe right. you? knows his cattle counts better than Tex smiled. Nothing. me. But Ive been all up and down A very rare flush of anger came this country, and I dont see but into Bill Ropers face. Tex, whats what he can. the matter with you? Well, anyway, Roper said, the Tex Long made a quick, futile border gangs are going good. Well with his hands. We used gesture go on with it, and keep going on . . . to be able to jump down on them. Bill, Shoshone said, how long We cant do that now. The Bert can you go on, the way its costing Johnson place is studded with riyou now? fles until a man cant take a step. Not much farther, I guess. Every place youll find out its the You going to have to quit? same. There isnt going to be anyIll never thing more we can do. We went Roper shook his head. quit now, Shoshone; I cant quit. good for a while. But they got or- ' border-runnin- Haraish took to the brush and the hills. While Ive got one rider left with me, or no riders. Ill still be working on Cleve Tanner. But I think were going to beat him, Wilce. After all, the border gangs we can count on them. Roper continued to count on his border gangs for two weeks more. Then, in the middle of February, he learned that Lee Harnish was through. The first word of difficulty came when Dave Shannon pushed a little bunch of seven hundred head through the river at Mudcat Turn, and found no vaqueros waiting on the other side. Shannon waited three days before he was forced to turn the cattle free and ride. The complete news of what had happened never really came. What Roper learned came in bit by bit, by way of random riders who had talked with a vaquero here, another there. Lee Harnish had been pressing south with a herd of twelve hundred head. He was two days into Mexico, and supposed that he was clear ; he had never had much trouble, once he was well below the line. But now, one moonless night, a band reported as of at least sixty men struck from no place, scattering the herd, and blazing down on Harnishs riders almost before they could take to the saddle. There had been a sharp running fight as Harnish and n his boys took to the brush and the hills. Unsatisfied with seizure of the herd, the unknown band had spent three days trying to hunt down Harnishs riders. Lee Harnish himself, wounded in the first skirmish, had had a hard time getting clear; it was not known whether or not all of his riders were elsewhere accounted for. After an elapse of several weeks, vaquero came huntan Indian-face- d Bill Roper; he carried a writing ten message from Lee Harnish: above? I saw him in Dodge City; he was throwing money around with a shovel in each hand. You know what I think? I think he can go away and forget Tanner, and write everything he has in Texas right off the books, and never know the difference! Roper locked his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. Sometimes it seemed to him that trying to break Tanner was like trying to empty the Rio Grande with a hand dipper. The apparently unbounded resources of Ben Thorpe in the middle country and in the north, out of reach of the south Texas war, made up a vast reservoir which Tanner could draw on without limit. How is Tanner himself making out? Bill, Ive been all up and down the north and east part of Texas; and I cant see where weve accomplished a damned thing. You dont know what youre talkThis thing is finished up. Dont ' ing about! let Wilce think? I anybody tell you it was Cleve what know You men busted into us. What Tanners cat I think theres more half-doze- persisted. ganized, now. Were through. Tex Long was only one of Bill Ropers picked gunfighters, but he was one of the best. As March drew on, Roper lost four more. Into the Big Bend, into the valley of the Nueces, Cleve Tanner had flooded such a power of gunfighters as Bill Roper would not have believed. He had supposed that he could outplace and outsmart Tanners warrior outfits. But now his raiding forces met everywhere a stubborn resistance. Roper had discounted the quit of Tex Long; but now other news was coming in. The Graham outfit the first of all those that the Roper men had taken was again in the hands of Cleve Tanner; and Nate Liggett, assigned to protect Graham, had headed for the tall without even a report. Hat Crick Tommy was three weeks missing. The Davis outfit, left under his protection, had gone the way of all loose outfits, and Tanners cowboys rode the range. Dry Camp Pierce was almost the last to come in of those who came in at all. Pierce rode into the Pot Hook Camp early in April. He was the same, small wiry man he always had been his eyes watery, his jaws poorly shaven. Bill, I cant carry these camps no more. God knows we strung with you while we could. Weve et beef, beef, beef without salt or flour, weve et bobcat meat. But Bill, theres no lead in our guns, and theres no patches in our pants, and its time I got to let the boys go, to make out any way they can. 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April melted into May, and Roper had nothing to fight with any more-Thos- units of his wild bunch that to had not quit had not been heard from at all; he knew already that the ones who had completely failed., Cleve Tanner prospered, seemingly;' and all was well with Ben Thorpe. Bill Roper waited at the Pot Hook now, trying to think of some way n that he had missed. denied him, and Lew Gordon expressedly would advance nothing more against Dusty Kings share o 0the partnership which had been br ken by death King-Gordo- -- j Address un-hap- py Kid, I tell , Minna St. Name you were beat, and were lonf ' (TO BE CONTINUED ) e fox-tro- t, n, ... Two-Ste- p Open I dont know what now? Well? We arent any place! Offering Information on Various Subjects chuck-wills-wido- you had, made men like Lee Harnish and Dave Shannon and Nate Liggett throw in with you, but they did the damnedest wild bunch Texas ever seen. Half the renegades of the Long Trail, and your part of has gone into beating Cleve Tanner. And where are we King-Gordo- A Quiz With Answers The Questions it by the weather. I understand Okay, he said. how you feel, Dry Camp. Look you here, Dry Camp said. Ive strung with you when I wouldnt have strung with any other man, let alone an upstart kid. Ill say this for you youve made a game fight. But kid, take my word for it theyre too big, and theyre too strong. You think so? Bill Roper said. I know so. ? ASK ME ANOTHER Another national custom is ? enjoy- ment of the full, fine flavor of Americas most popular cigar real smoking King Edward. For Edward today. pleasure, try a King 3H WORLDS aHs gaiiD |