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Show THE RICH COUNTY REAPER RANDOLPH. UTAH I guess it could be done, Red Kane said nastily. Leathers ignored this, and Red I Kane disappeared. This time the door shut after him. I Leathers said, Get me a drink. bota out set Marquita unhurriedly tle and a glass on the table beside Jim Leathers elhow. A deck of cards, Leathers said. " INSTALLMENT 16 THE STORY SO FAR: Dusty King and Lew Gordon had built up a vast string of ranches. King was killed by his powerful and unscrupulous competitor, Ben Thorpe, Bill Roper, Kings adopted son, was determined to avenge his death in spite of the opposition of his sweetheart, Jody Gordon, and her father. After break ing Thorpe In Texas, Roper conducted a great raid upon Thorpes vast herds In Mon tana. Jody was captured by seven of Thorpe's men. Roper and Shoshone Wilce rescued her In a surprise attack. Shoshone and Jody rode to a prearranged spot, but Roper was captured while fighting a rear guard action to assure their escape. While waiting for Roper to meet them at their secret hiding place, Jody saw Shoshone fall down, dead. - CHAPTER XXII Were making a big mistake, not to hang him and be done with it, Red Kane said. They were two days from Fork Creek now. This long and narrow room, which Jim Leathers paced so restlessly, was the kitchen of the main house at Walk Lashams southwest camp a convenient stop-ovon the way to Sundance, where Roper was to be turned over to Ben Thorpe. The quicker we hang him, the better well be off, Red Kane said again. Wearily, doggedly, Jim Leathers rolled a cigarette. He took his time about replying. Seems like you already said that once before. Im liable to keep on saying it, Red Kane told him. Things is different now. In the doorway, behind the two men who watched Bill Roper, a girl now appeared, a slim, girl, whose dark, slanting eyes had sometimes troubled Bill Roper before now. He had not been surprised to find Marquita here in Walk Lashams southwest cow camp, to which his captors had brought him. He had guessed, when he had last talked to her in Miles City, that she was Walk Lashams girl; and in spite of her expressed eagerness to leave Lash-aand ride with Roper, he realized that Marquita still had to live in some way. Girls of her stamp could not afford to throw down such a man as er full-breast- ed m camp. The news that had reached Lashams southwest camp was broken, and seemed to have been little understood by the men who had brought, it; but Roper, with his inside knowledge of the force he had turned loose against Lasham, could piece together its meaning well enough. Lashams southwest outpost, with its big herds of picked cattle wintering in this deepest and richest of the Montana grass, had been more powerfully manned than any other Lasham camp. But twice in the past week frantic calls for reinforcements from the outfits to the east had drained most of this man power away first five picked gunfighters, then a dozen cowboys more, until only five men had been She produced this, too. Marquita strolled over to Leathers, the high heels of her slippers clicking lazily on the puncheon floor. Why are you so cross with me? she asked reproachfully. She moved behind Jim Leathers, and slowly ran her fingers through his hair. Aint going to get you a thing, Jim Leathers said sourly. No? said Marquita. For a moment one hand was lost in the folds of her skirt; then deftly, unhurriedly, she planted the muzzle of a .38 against the back of Jim Leathers neck: There was a moment of absolute silence, absolute immobility, Jim left. Leathers eyes were perfectly still The messengers who had killed upon Bill face, as still as their ponies to come for help had his hands, Ropers in one of which a playing brought the camp a fragmentary card hung suspended. But though story which gave Roper the deep- his face did not notably change, est satisfaction. Marquita, with her .38 pressed hard In their tales of incredible losses, against the back of the gunmans of raiders who struck night after neck, had turned white; her mouth night at far separated points, driv- worked as she tried to speak, and distances to her wide eyes were upon Bill Roper ing cattle unheard-o- f disappear weirdly in the northern in terrified appeal. Perhaps no more wastes, Roper read the success of than a second could have passed in his Great Raid. that way, but to them all it seemed Dry Camp Pierce was sweeping as if time had stopped, so that that westward across Montana like a de- little fraction of eternity held them stroying wind; by unexpected dar- motionless forever. Bill Roper, moving up and foring, by speed of movement, by wild ward, exploded into action smoothly, like a cat. It was the length of the room between them that saved Jim Leathers then. ','. Leathers twisted, lightning fast. Marquitas gun blazed into the floor as her wrist swept down in the grip of Leathers left hand; and Bill Roper checked a yard from the table as Leathers gun flashed into sight, becoming instantly steady. Marquita sagged away from Leathers, and her gun clattered upon the puncheons; but although Leathers whole attention was concentrated upon Roper, Marquitas wrist remained locked in his grasp. The gunfighters voice was more hard and cold than the steel of his gun; it was as hard and cold as his eyes. Get back there where you was. Bill Roper shrugged and moved diate disturbance. Troubled, he wished to shake his head, of in some other way caution her that she must make no attempt to interfere. Roper had no intention of ever coming into the hands of Ben Thorpe alive. Somewhere between this place and Sundance, where Thorpe waited, he would make his play, however slim the chance. Yet he would rather take his chances with some unforeseen opportunity later, when they were again on the trail, than to be plunged into some helpfully intended situation which the girl might devise with danger to herself and questionable advantage to him. He was unable, however, with the eyes of his two enemies upon him, to signal her in any way. It was typical of the quality of his captors that his hands were not tied or manacled. They told him where to sit and they made him stay put, and they were careful that no opportunity was given him to snatch a gun from an unwary holster; but these were merely the routine precautions of sensible men. For these riders were the picked gunfighters of Ben Thorpes scores of outfits. They did not fear Roper, would not have feared him had he been armed. Bill Roper had no doubt that Red Kane and perhaps one or two of the others would kill a doomed prisoner for no more reason than Jim Leathers had suggested. The Lasham camp had been boiling with news as Jim Leathers men had ridden in at dusk with their prisoner. Much had happened on the range while Leathers had waited out Bill Roper at the Fork Creek 7 Aaowsn. The Questions When did the Seminole war 1. end? A quiz with answers offering ? ! (b(W(W(W(W(W(ii(W the United States antedate the Union Jack of Great Britain? ' The Answers What is the worlds oldest 1. Formal fighting-- , terminated jewel? 1841 in the second Seminole around What of 3., king England was but the war has not yet ended beheaded in London? w?r, 4. What is the population of the technically, since no peace treaty has been signed. Philippines? 2 v Amber, gem of the ages. 5. What is the minimum age for 3. Charles I,, in 1649. v a United States senator? 4.. Approximately 16,000,000. 6. Where was the home of the 5. Thirty years old. ancient Etruscans? 6. Italy. 7. ' Does the Stars and Stripes of 7. Yes, by 24 years. 2. i. , . . Lasham, until more interesting opportunities offered. Her face was impassive now, but one of the slanting dark eyes nar- rowed in a definite signal to Roper. Undoubtedly she was capable of a passionate devotion, and an equally passionate cruelty. Anything could happen in a situation which included Marquita with Marquita in love. For a moment Bill Roper resented the fact that he couldnt be interested in any girl except Jody Gordon a' girl who didnt want him or need him. All the worst aspects of his own situation were apparent to him, then. He was. an outlaw wanted the length of the Trail; probably would be an outlaw all the rest of his life, which gave every promise of being a short one. That even Marquita wanted him, or had any use for him, was a gift which he should have been glad to accept. What he had to think of now, though, was that Marquita was extremely likely to precipitate a lot of imme- ASK MS Dry Camp Pierce was sweeping westward across Montana. s riding relays which punished no less than the cattle they drove, Dry Camp was feeding an increasing stream of Lasham beef into the hands of Iron Dogs bands, who spirited the beef forever from the face of Montana. By the very boldness of its conception and the wild savagery of its execution' the unbelievable Great Raid was meeting with success. And nbw Dry Camp had struck even deeper than Roper had planned, lifting the best of Lashams beeves from almost within gunshot of Lashams strongest camp. So well had Dry Camp planned, and so steadily did the luck hold, that a full day had passed before the loss inflicted by the raiders was discovered. The five remaining cowboys at the southwest camp were only tightening their cinches as Jim Leathers rode in. Most of the Leathers party had joined the Lasham men in pursuit of Dry Camps raiders. Only Jim Leathers himself and the unwilling Red Kane remained to convoy Roper to Ben Thorpe at Sundance. them-.selve- Because of the confusion involved in the organization of the pursuit, the night was now far gone; already it was long past midnight. Theres still another reason, Red Kane said, why it would be better to hang him now. Suppose that wild bunch of his knows hes here? How the devil would they know that? Leathers said with disgust. Maybe they was scouting us with spy glasses as we come- over the trail today. If they was, they would have landed on us right then, in place of waiting till we got into camp. Maybe the girl run to them The girl! You make me sick. Have it your own way. Youre darned right Ill have it my own way. I dont want to hear no more about it. And Ill tell you this: if your trigger finger gets itchy while youre on watch tonight, you better soak it in a pan of water, and leave the gun be. Because if anything comes up while youre on watch such that you got to shoot him, by God, next thing you got to shoot me you understand? - Two Evils Friends and Books Just as you are pleased at findNext to acquiring good friends, ing faults, you are displeased at the best acquisition is that of good back. Leathers flung Marquita away from him and with his left hand finding perfections. Lavater. picked up her gun as the door of the storeroom was torn open and Red Kane bulged in. What the This thing come behind me and stuck a gun in my neck, Leathers told him. The devil! You hurt? Hell, no! I took it away from her. Gently, tentatively, his long fingers ran over his wounded leg. That bullet wound iri his thigh must have tortured him unspeakably through the two days in the saddle; and it must have been jerking at his nerves now with red-hhooks, roused by the swift action that had preserved books. Colton. ot . his command. v.i His face had turned gray so that the black circles under his eyes made them seem to bum from deaths-hea-d hollows, and his face, which had changed so little in this moment of action was relaxed into an ugly contortion. Slowly the gray color was turning to the purple of a dark and terrible anger, By God, said Red Kane, I told you we should have hung him! You told me right, Jim Leathers said. The burn of his eyes never for a moment left Bill Ropers face. You was right and I was wrong. I should have hung him at the start. A pleasurable hope came into Red Kanes face. Well it aint too - I Slaves Who Fear Strong Gentleness They are slaves who fear to I The power of gentleness is peak for the fallen and the weak. I irresistible. SEES ... snum nre e great American custom whose nation-wid- e popularity dates from Webster's "American SpelfingSoolf' published ini783. This famous moral guide, speller, late! No, it aint too late. and reader sold more than Tie his ftOfiQOflOQ copies in 100 years. Another NATIONAL CUSTOM is smoking big, mild, mellow KING hands. Keeping Roper between himself and Leathers, so that his partners gun bore steadily upon Ropers belt buckle, Kane lashed Ropers hands behind him. The frost-stirope bit EDWARD CIGARS. Try King Edward today and get acquainted with Americas njost popular cigar. ff deep. Tie up this girl, Leathers ordered when Kane had finished. I want her to see this show. Marquita said, Im sorry, Bill. Her voice was broken by hard, jerking sobs, and tears were running down her face; yet somehow her words sounded dull and dead. I did the best I could. You did fine, Roper said. That was a game try. Hobbling on his stiff leg, Leathers moved to the outer door, flung it open; coatless, he stopped and signaled Red Kane back with one hand. Red, get back! Get out of line! With the quick instinct of a man who has always been in trouble, Red Kane jumped back into the room, carrying Bill Roper with him. They all could hear now the sound of running horses. (TO BE CONTINUED) tfip for i GHMie mm srcin?Tl MERCHANTS Your Advertising Dollar buys something more than space and circulation in the columns of this newspaper. It buys space and circulation plus the favorable consideration of our readers for this newspaper and its advertising patrons. LET US TELL YOU MORE ABOUT I1 |