Show by WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE copyright by william macleod balne tam CHAPTER 11 II continued I 1 3 A tempest ot of impotent anger surged in her ills words were meant to affront and challenge her vot not since she had been in her early teens had bad she felt so uncontrollable an impulse to break out in crackling speech that pelted belted like tan liall what was there in this hateful man that stirred so deeply the wild and lawless elements of her being so long dormant julias glance swept the landscape the last of the three riders was disappearing into an arroyo obligingly mccann pointed him out in a weak voice she called to her brother her companions smile was mocking lemme get him for you before she could stop him tb there ere came from his throat the far carrying yell of the cowpuncher YI TI I 1 she had a shaken sense of stilled pulses the premonition of impending disaster cut but it was too late to ride away now already the three riders were showing darkly in silhouette against the sky line she waited with dread beside this enemy I 1 my of her family while the men rode toward them who Is it jasper stark demanded julia called her name to him she heard him say to his companions jule an doc sanders he was riding in the lead and it was not till he had pulled up his horse that his startled oath announced reco recognition of mccann hurriedly julia explained doctor sanders had to stay fill all night with jim yerby lerby ile he asked mr mccann to see me home since when has wils alls mccann been your friend jule her brother demanded harshly lies no friend of mine I 1 know who lie was till fill he told me just now tile the starks know me well enough to shoot at me but not well enough to pass the time of day mccann added tauntingly an about as well as I 1 want to know most of them ills his gaze moved to the texans kesans gitner was abig a big rangy fellow with the appearance and manner of a bully ue he looked dangerous but not so ranch much so as the man on his right there was a deadly quality about the stillness of stone only the chill light lightblue blue eyes eres were quick with life mccann knew his reputation and one long steady exchange of looks told him this small brown texan would live up to it IL you shoot at him from the mesquite quite jas did you his sister asked been to you about it h has is he be snarled stark well theres to il it I 1 shot to warn him back an hes been bellyaching bell ever since 1 I knew it was something like that the girl replied quickly mccann lau laughed bed softly and derisively ri something amusing you miller gitner wanted anted to 0 know heavy lower jaw thrust forward aggressively the arizonan Arl met him eye to e eye te any law against laughing mr gitner depends how you laugh an where if I 1 could get mr gitner to show me how bow an where stone interrupted Int erupted quietly each drawling word spaced evenly if my name was wag wils mccann id 11 light out now muy pronto 1 I als eyes were slits silts of shining menace julia alarmed moved move A her horse a step or two so that she was between the flying VY rider and his foes yes she said and her voice was not quite steady id go now mr mccann please good advice I 1 reel reckon on he agreed or I 1 might not go at all your friends seem anxious ile he lifted his sombrero in a sweeping bow swung jim dandy and moved away at a road gall gait the thing was done raffis lily and flippantly with obvious intent to irritate julia was relieved when the darkness swallowed him film and his horse wed better go home now she said to her brother jasper r was annoyed and showed it IL ue ile looked at his companions doubtful what to do with a dry ironic smile stone settled the matter they could not go about their errand now since the alie information that they were night riding had become public property why yes jas might as well go home I 1 reckon like miss julle jull tells tell 1 us the little texan said with gentle sarcasm we taken all the ride tonight we need for our health back on III his way back t to 0 the yerby place from the flying next ro morning orning wilson allson mccann passed a sheep ranch on the mesa the place to the gliford sisters they BEGINNING THE STORY drawn by the desert signal of distress wilson mccann young arizona ranchman finds an old friend jim yerby with a broken leg julia stark daughter of 0 matthew stark inveterate enemy ot of the mccanns Uc Canns signaled and la Is rendering render lne first aid taking a note from julia to her lather father wilson Is fired on but la Is unhurt pursuing his assailant to tho the stark ranch mccann finds he Is jasper julias brother stark sr expresses disbelief ot of wilsons Wll Wil sons account ot of the tha shooting on tho the way from place to her home with mccann julia learns his identity and dismisses him in anger the old feud rankling I 1 had inherited it a few years before from a stiff necked uncle who had brought sheep in regardless of opposition from the cattle interests it had been an ill III starred venture followed by qu quarrels warnings raids and bloodshed old andy gifford died while the trouble was at its height and the hostility had been passed on to his nieces but it tool took the form of sullen i aloofness rather than active warfare the neighborhood did not like sheep was disturbed at the presence of t these ilese hoofed locusts eating up the range yet could not bring itself to the point of driving out three defenseless fen seless women when their uncle di died ed ann gifford had bad been twenty two nora past nineteen and ethel sixteen far from friends on the ed edge e of the desert the life of the girls was a I 1 V I 1 sea wo resentment at lifes injustice marred her dark good looks lonely one the ran ranchman ranchmen ranch climen men of the district looked upon them with ill III concealed resentment their wives and daughters paid no friendly visits cut but in a mans ans country these three attractive girls were a mam magnet not to be resisted A few cow punchers met them and broke down the barrier rumors began to floi fly as they must when presentable young women are visited only by men at last the wagging tongue 0 of gossip found something tangible to whisper ann and nora gifford had taken the train for los angeles Ange ItS while the younger of the thred was attending school at Tuc tucson sn some months later the older sister returned alone bard eyed closemouthed no ko letters from nora ever came caine to the ranch it was observed at the post office where was she what had become of her during anns absence a band of sheep had been harried and driven over a cliff by night riders anns lips shut tighter the unes lines about them grew harder since her return she and ethel lived alone mccann lined lifted his hat 11 miss bliss gifford tile the good word be asked ann gifford cifford was thin brown dry as a chip tier iler eyes blazed a burning bitterness resentment at wes lifes injustice marred her dark good looks what can I 1 do tor for you she said bluntly F for or me nothing maam he replied disconcerted 1 I reckoned there might be so methin I 1 could do tor for you when theres no do men folks on a place a husky willing lad comes in handy bandy sometimes it if you need me we dont now or any time lime why not now or any time she snapped mccann was embarrassed but persistent ue lie had met the gifford Gl flord girls only two or three aliree times and then casually but he had thought a good deal about the hard ila lines es into billeb their lives had fallen td id be pleased to help any way I 1 could well not trouble you thanks refusal of 0 his offer had the crack of a this was definite enouf enough gh mccann is searched sea relied for some meaningless phrase to soften what she had said well its on an open offer maam ill be movin on now jim done broke his bis leg an im kanda ianda lookin ok after him als glance picked up the figure of a young girl in the doorway a boft round little person with dimpled cheeks in and out ot of which the pink could pour at the least excuse the mouth was childishly sweet the hair abundant and fluffy men instinctively grew tender and protective when they looked at shy eyed ethel gifford again mccann mccand bowed this time to the girl in the doorway ann faced him inflexibly hostile she did not speak well so long iong jim daudy dandy felt the abl e rein on his neck and turned toward the trail F from rom the ridge above mccann looked down on the low buildings of the sheep ranch ethel was sull still standing where he had last seen her she seemed to him a lonely and pathetic figure robbed ot of the joys of youth yerby was inclined to be querulous does docs belen been worry ln tor for tear fear you come boy been keepin you had to fix alsa a fence pedro bring my roll an some grub last night sure did well son now youre here make yo esef to home wilson turned jim dandy into the corral ile he saddled doctor sanders horse and brought it to the door yore hossli boss Is served doc mccann called in course I 1 dont aim to drag you away from any hammered down lil runt you may have for a patient take yore time ile he cant moren talk an arm oft off you the old timer snorted ever see the beat of them kids doc they dont know sic em cm an they dont want to learn from them that does know doctor sanders laughed ile he knew yerby enjoyed rough repartee you act like abair a pair of kids it if you ask me dont forget to give jim one of these powders every tour four hours wils he added his so long and bustled out to the horse before he left mccann offered a suggestion ile he did not quite know the spring of the impulse that impelled it IL wisht you say anything about that gunplay at tincup pass doc no use st artial ln trouble before it has to come sanders assented Me mccanns Canns eyes followed him as he dipped into the arroyo that would bring him to tile the mesa upon which was tile the sheep ranch the young man smiled rue ruefully full v ile he was thinking about the gifford sisters it seemed to him that their ii lives yes were involved in tragedy why should they be pariahs paria hs outcasts from the society of those living near what had they done to deserve it t that they ran sheep was an unfortunate incident and had nothing to do what they were no wonder ann had become em embla bit at the destiny that pressed upon them nora bad vanished the bloom brushed from her life if the dark rumors he heard were tree true but his thou thoughts ilits dwelt on ethel so unfit to cope with the harshness ol of this dry and cruel land CHAPTER III wils mccann uses his quirt N TUE TUB porch in front of bas 0 ON fords cords emporium which was also the post office mesa and it the h e adjoining country met to discuss tile the news and formulate views today conversation was engrossing but guarded for tile the feud between the starks and the mccanns trad irad broken out again during the night a cabin tar far from the main ranch house of the flying VY lad had been raided and burned by armed horsemen two punchers had been sleeping there and in trying to escape through the window one had been wounded lie ile had bad slipped away into the chaparral and hidden after daybreak daybre alt his companion had brought help from the flying VY and carried him to the ranch peter mccann two of his bis sons and his foreman wes tapscott were in town they came to in force I 1 so the story ran to find out what the sheriff intended to do about tt it curt quinn to two safe friends confidentially summed up public opinion old man mccann aint esc pectin hank flank to do anything I 1 dont reckon bank got elected sheriff to pick a row with tile the starks ue wont look doncet at the circle cross ranch in an I 1 dont blame him nor old wont blame him film elther either ue he i come to the law to make tile hie pr proper oper bluff but hed be plumb disappio disappointed int it if it interfered in his own little private feud the mccanns will play out the hand their own selves tile the town looked with respect act and awe upon the tour four lean brown men who dismounted at the sheriffs of fice all ot of them carried rifles as well as side arms peter hard bard eyed and imperious a tighter fighter biorn his youth asked no odds ot of any man it if he was a leader it was not by chance but by reason of the dominant force in him hawk nosed and shaggy the chief of the mccanns bore in his face the look of heady and ungovernable temper one glance at the three was enough to show from whom his bis little lithe and keen eyed sons had inherited chips of th the old block wils alis an lyn are about as tough propositions to bump into as a fellows liable to meet simp shell commented as he watched the four riders leave the sheriffs office he was a middle a aged ed man with no business except business except the old min man iles hes got a beetle the edge of the boys yet when lie gets on the hook book I 1 ceta certainly want to be lookin for a tree to climb ilow how about except in matt stark an them texans stone an gil GIt ner nerI basford murmured significantly theys no pil pilgrims rims admitted simp the quartette of riders swung from the saddles and grounded the reins peter mccann nodded grimly to those on the porch and walked into the store tapscott followed him the others stayed to exchange csc bange a word with quinn and shell lyn sat on his heels and from his hip pocket drew the makings there was nothing to show he be was not at perfect ease with the world except the long rifle he be had just propped against th the wall ile he was a good looking lad ind just turned twenty slender and graceful as one of models the talk drifted then from out of the store came peter mccann with a square of wrapping pap paper er a hammer and some tacks to the wall he nailed the coarse paper those on the porch watched him silently and read the notice roughly printed there 1000 REWARD roil for information identifying all or any ot of the night riders who shot joo joe walters at the cass cabin will be paid by PETER mccann this called for comment after a long ion moment of waiting quinn spoke how Is joe hell make it doc says good iles hes one tough custo customer mer joe is I 1 kinda figured be hed d tool fool em nell was al lowin to ride over today an see if they was anything she could do not a thing curt but tell her much obliged that was all mccanns SIc Canns spurs jingled down the steps ills his sons and his foreman followed they swung into their saddles and rode away short an sudden commented simp the old man dont orate much but his actions talk mighty loud I 1 notice he aint ferin olT of crin no reward for the arrest an conviction of them night riders not none ile he rims alms to do all the ar arrest ln needed an he dont reckon any con vic tin will be required quinn nodded ile he was of the same opinion mccann would go ills his own way regardless of the law if anyone protested he could coln out how he had bad first appealed to it for protection but there would be a grim ironic light in his eyes when ile he mentioned the fact the mccanns had not been out of mesa ten minutes when Iti another oller group of horsemen were seen a approaching P pro aching by the tincup 11 pass ass r road oad in a cloud of dust the they adrew drew up in front of the gilt edge saloon jasper stark straddled into the gambling house his brother and carl aitner at his heels stone stood on the porch and looked round leisurely in his bis coot cool measured way before lie he passed through the door into the gilt edge killer he might be but lie he was an individual first UC lie did not follow at any mans beck come an wash the dust outa yore throat dave invited jasper in no subdued voice its on me today bet yore boots stones cold blue eyes looked at jasper with no warmth in them As a boy tile the texan had ridden with mosby in his border raids there were rumors that at one time he had been one of Quan guerll las the habit of his life was to consort with danger it seemed to him childs play and |