Show W N U e BEGINNING THE STORY drawn by the desert signal of distress wilson mccann young arizona ranchman finds an old friend aloi yerby with a broken leg julia stark daughter of matthew stark inveterate enemy of the mccanns signaled and Is rendering first aid taking a note from froin julia to her father wilson Is fired on but Is unhurt CHAPTER I 1 continued 2 the owner of the circle cross looked at him steadily without speaking what are you doing here he demanded at last abruptly why I 1 came to bring a message two of 0 f emin em in ln fact mr stark stark glared down into a face bold and reckless the cool eyes of which met his not interested the old man retorted brusquely still ill deliver em cm now im here first Is that yore no count Jay hawkin son bushwhacked me up there in the pass an addled to save his hide after hed sent a couple blue whIst whistlers at me the cattleman turned to his boie soie so how about that jas there was weakness and vice in the face of young jasper stark slackness in the jaw ile he answered sulkily 1 I aim to kill him shot to warn him to turn back that was why you fired at me again while I 1 was makin for cover was it mccann asked with a little littie skeptical laugh of scorn a ile he the second shot was when you plugged at me the rider from the flying V Y un buckled his bis belt and handed banded it to matthew stark look at my gun an see abos a liar all the chambers are loaded the old man broke the revolver examined it and returned it to its owner dont prove a thing like as notion reloaded it while my hoss boss was battin the high spots bryin to catch that lobe wolf the son of reter peter mccann suggested with obvious sarcasm stark carried the war into the ene mys country you got a nerve to talk alk about bushwhacking bushwhack ln In after what you did to pore tom Me mcardle Ardle he burst out abig angrily the young mans answer was instant tom mcardle would be alive today if lie he died till a flying VY rider killed him dont tell that to me I 1 know you an all yore lying breed stark hung ot bitterly im tellin you that id as soon put faith in a yellow coyote as in any mccann ever born an im word to pete mccann Ble cants that theres a day comin when ill settle with interest plenty aplenty a tor for what he slid to Me mcardle Ardle now fork that fuzzy an light out I 1 dont want you here what about that gunplay up in the pass it goes as it stands the boys story suits me DiX different erent lere here an im ila liable ble to tell hina him so when we me meet again mccann said boldly the old mans eyes blazed like to tell him now maybe the flying VY VT rider looked from stark to the men waiting tensely tor for the word or the lift of a hand that would sere as an order to begin hostilities ills lip curled in an ironic ro ale smile not now gentlemen then hit the dust pronto dont get on the prod mr air stark I 1 unloaded that second message yet its from your daughter from jule wilson could see that the old cattleman had been struck to instant apprehension she has sent word by me to tell you that shed be home late I 1 saw her up at old jim Yer bys iles hes broke his leg the does docs on the way there now youre not to send tor for her miss bliss stark says shell come with doe doc sanders when he leaves place does yerby need any help ill look out tor for him you dont need to worry about yerby none mccann swung without any haste to the saddle glanced coolly from one to another of the watchful silent men and headed jim dandy toward tincup pass to the men of the circle cross still watching him blas as he disappeared there came back the taunting rhythm of a cowboy song roll yore tall and roll her high well all be angels by an by CHAPTER II 11 the giffords GiT fords ding DOCTOR OCTOR SANDERS was smoking a pipe in front of cabin when mccann dismounted bows jim the horseman asked iles hes taking a little nourishment miss bliss julia fixed up tor for him bowd you come out at the circle cross I 1 see they scalp you no mccann said dryly they sent a messenger to meet me the doctors sparkling eyes guaranteed attention he guessed that something interesting had occurred and he was a born gossip jas stark shot at rue me an lit out I 1 followed him lickett spilt spalt to the ranch we had a few plea pleaman pl easan sanf wo words ads the old man an me shot at you ile he ilow how come he be to do that they dont like you a lick of the road you or any of your kin but shooting I 1 who started it in afew a few crisp sentences mccann told th the e story the doctor listened absorbed was this the beginning of the end would the smoldering feud break into open warfare bitter gild and tragic if he be knew the McCanns and he thought he did they were not the kind to take this challenge tamely they came of fighting irish stock upon which had been grafted four generations of american frontier life there were likely to be reprisals even now both camps were waiting tensely for the signal to begin hostilities openly the death of tom mcardle had brought them to the point of war but the doubt as to who had killed him bad made for delay matthew stark had hesitated to give the word while he brood ed willing to let events shape themselves jasper had fired a i wanton shot that might be the first of hundreds tile doctor rose and with a sigh of resignation knocked the ashes out of ills his pipe ile he saw busy days and nights ahead of him well it was in in the hands of the gods or rather of two grim hard men with too much of the desert fierceness fierce liess in their blood lie he was a pan pain in the game they played just as were the rollicking boys who would ride out laughing to meet death at the lift of a hand band no use tellin you so of course but its all wrong wils this putting youl yourselves selves above the law and killing so tree free and easy have I 1 keen killin anybody free and easy doe doc better to jas stark about that you im not meaning you alls alis but some one shot tom meardie mcardle none of our outfit doe doc you dont mean we had anything ans thing to do with it the eyes of the range rider were bleak no wils nothing like that but you know how the starks feel holding it against you boys of tile the plying flying VY sanders knew by the others face that they were no longer alone ile he turned to see julia stark la in the doorway who else would we hold it against doctor site she asked curtly looking straight at th the e younger man there was a thin ironic smile on the brown face of mccann ile he murmured with the drawl of insolence to which he sometimes reverted nobody else would have dry gulcher him would they what ayou mean the girl demanded the man in chaps said nothing but lie he continued to give her that mocking smile it was the doctor who answered at last tom was quite a boy tor for the girls miss julia folks suy say some folks do that maybe some one who was jealous or wanted revenge might have laid for him the girls dark eyebrows eye browa gathered in a frown first ive heard of it that tom was so fond of the girls and if he was it if he be did like them la is that any crime any reason why some one would want to kill him 1 I reckon you know tom very well the doctor said judicially bially with intent to hold an even balance between the stark and the mccann ille he was a mite wild miss julia by the stories ive heard 1 I dont know anything about that I 1 never saw him but once she swept defiant eyes over the rider but I 1 dont believe a word about a private enemy killing him you agreed the younger man the implications of ills his smile stirred her finger anger stiffly she turned and walked into the house those outside beard verby rby dont I 1 hear that flying VY boy chin channin nin with the doe doc yes want to see him 1 I reckon before lie he goes julia made things snug tor for tile the nig night ailt hope have a good night anil and sleep leep well she said ill be fine an dandy he be assured outside the girl spoke indifferently to the night mr bir yerby wants to see you before you go since doctor sanders had just been explaining that he intended d to stay all night with his patient mccann was justified in assuming that tills this impersonal remark was addressed to hirn him lie ile went into the house flow they stack ln old timer ho he asked ill make a hand yet me Is ive got to lie here like a bump on a log an let a kid like ilke you see miss bliss julia home ashes outa onto luck well give my love to pa stark when you get to the circle cross was that what you wanted to te tell 11 me little imps of deviltry danced in the beady eyes no wits wils A wink Is as good as a nod to a blind hoss boss scratch gravel boy you know the ol 01 saying opportunity Is like a bald headed guy with chin whiskers yo can catch him colw but not going mccanns answer was direct im not liable to forget that ashes matt blatt starks daughter so BO you f I 1 dont prove a thing like as not you reloaded it look so e blamed knowin jim I 1 dont like her any moren she does docs me sho I ashes a mighty nice girl an the best look lookin irs one in arizona iou no L stark looks good to me the son of peter mccann said grimly they were taking the short cut across the desert before either of them spoke what did you say your name Is she asked rather imperiously they call me wilson the girl noticed the slight pause before tie lie had drawled the answer it probably was not his right name she reflected A good many men did not use the one to which they were born in that country it was not good forni form to insist on particulars as to who a man had been or from where he had come you ride for the mccanns SIc Canns 11 ile he assented without words silence fell again between them they had come out of the silt and were threading a way among the steel yuccas tile the moon and the stars were out touching the land as by a magic wand all harsh detail was blurred ten thousand years of drought were wiped out A soft koft desert breeze was sighing gently across a sleeping world UIs ills words when at last they came were a surprise why it always like this lie asked speaking almost to himself rather than to her how do you mean like this but blit she knew she hoped site she know knew what he meant before he answered for tile the desert had entered into her life too she sensed its moods and reflected them in her own sometimes it aas a hot devouring monster blasting all living things with its fiery breath again at sunset when light was flooding over the sheen of the mesquite it might be a sliver silver dragon less destructive tive in the moonlight it was kind of lovely all ugliness and threat obliterated A crouching animal slipped quickly across the trail into the chaparral coyote she asked wildcat he be answered then with unexpected bitterness the desert for you again she understood what he meant and again asked what do you mean survival of the fit P that true everywhere maybe so but tile the conditions are different everything that lives live liere shere Is born and bred in hardship trained for attack an defense no escape from it all the plants have thick an callous rinds they have thorns that sting they have to push their roots way into the ground to get water it if they dont toughen tou glien they die III thas allin us humans were desert bred arent people the same everywhere she asked no alere we have to fight or go under fight the drought anil and heat of matute we ve fight ench other for the water holes if we dont we lose out consequence Is we get fierce and savage like that wildcat yes she admitted with a sigh were all under the spell poll of 0 it all hard and relentless kinda but we dont have to be what la is it you called that wildcat ferocious and sly the desert shows its teeth most of the time its full of sting and barb an and d thorn but S only one side of it all the time its trying to tell us something uese else it ills brooding eyes rested on her so she too felt it this wild young thing so full of contrary impulses of passionate resentments presentments resent ments of brave elusive dreams of mysterious arav ings for goodness and beauty ile he forgot that she wils was of the enemy something primeval stirred in him a joy old as the race that waltzed walked with adam and eve in the garden without taking thought of it he knew that they rode alone in a world wonderful it bryin to tell us he asked in his low gentle voice 1 I dont know quite but something good and hopeful the lovely flowers of the yucca and the cactus arent they a promise to us she laughed at herself soft eyed maybe that seems silly to you but its the way I 1 feel tonight now in all tills this still moonlight the desert threatening us ns Is it they were drawing up into a country of creased arroyos on the crest of a hillock they stopp stopped and and looked back across the painted desert the roan man was for a moment carried out of himself looking at this starry eyed girl eirl clean and innocent and rhythmic in the freshness of her youth it seemed possible to escape the inheritance of his dark environment there was something tn in life deeper than hate and selfishness and revenge it if he could only find it it down the wind came drumming the sound of hoofs the two listened in silence each sitting poised and alert on their mounts knew that several horses with riders were moving rapidly toward them the fact had its signi significance fleance in a country where one might travel a day without meeting a human being voices became clear a snatch of laughter an oath silhouetted against gains the skyline three cow ponies moved along the ridge across the arroyo julla julia gave a little cry of greeting lost in the ClI clip clop pelop of the hoots hoofs and the ch chaffing chuffing uffing of the saddle leather she turned to her companion to suggest that they canter down and intercept the riders but the words dlee diet on her lips the man beside her was watching the riders as they descended from the ridge and disappeared ile he sat crouched eyes narrowed d to t 0 hard shining slits of light teeth clamped like a vice the change in him shocked her ile he had become a machine designed to stalk and kill a desert animal savage and ferocious the deadlier for the stillness of his emotion did you know who they were she asked tile the eyes that looked at her were chill lie he nodded without speech 1 I reckon dad sent them to brin bring me home she knew lie he would not accept that explanation since she could not believe it herself they had come through tincup pass and were headed south moreover they carried rifles why what did they want with them does it need three men to bring you home two texas hired killers like stone an altner as well as yore brother Ki killers lIers I 1 who says my fathers men are killers she flamed who are you anyhow wils mccann he flung back at her ue could see her recoil and stiffen 1 I might have known it you liar she threw the epithet like a missile in his face if I 1 N viere ere a man mail youve got an able bodied brother he be suggested ironically ilabe you could hire him to take a crack at me from the mesquite lie ile might have better luck next nest time 1 I dont know what youre talking about the girl said scornfully ask him when you see him again ile he lie III jasper iles hes a stark you yon know she swung her horse horsa and gave it a touch of the spur before it had gone twenty steps the man was ivas riding beside her hit bit the trail 1 she ordered hotly boll y 1 I dont need your help to get gei home 1 I reckon not lie he drawled but I 1 promised doe so ill mosey along she pulled up a diamond hard bard glitter in her eyes im going to my brother id advise you yon to light out after I 1 know youre sate safe his voice was cool and dry his gaze level and unwavering if I 1 tell dave stone and that gitner what you called them killers why then prove it to you right there lie he cut in with a jeering laugh seeing Is believing they claim we owe ens em one for torn tom Me mcardle Ardle |