Show OF F T ri effle DF or LK I 1 b mria L by WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE w M 9 a rv I 1 e copyright by william CHAPTER IV continued 5 with jingling spur he moved across the room how are you dad fat like a match ahad you know new not much gather of beeves on poison creek next inci month nth some more rustling up la in the hills they say mccann chatted easily casually with the nester ignoring the burning resentment that held the girl passionately silent ills his manner was coolly indifferent but not for a moment was he off guard watching him covertly julia saw a sudden change in the lounging figure the back straightened and the muscles grew taut every sense was quickened to life for some one was inas coming up the path toward the house julia moved quickly to the door then drew a breath of relief she had dreaded and halt half expected to see her father but the approaching figure was that of a young woman the new arrival was ann gifford GIf rord she had brought with her a cake since accident she had been in the habit of coming every day to supply the simple needs even her fierce aloofness had not been proof against the little mans good will nobody who knew him could continue to dislike jim yerby meet hiss julia stark miss gifford their host said and after pronouncing the formula added miss julia ashes jest back from los angeles where ashes learned most everything they ts is to know outa them schoolbooks I 1 reckon julia laughed at this testimonial as she stepped forward to shake hands she had wanted to meet the gifford girls ever since her return ann was still holding the cake and 1 I she did not put it down coldly she bowed 1 1 I I called the other day miss gifford but you at b borne ome julia said may I 1 come again some day soon were often out with the sheep ann replied it was a rebuff but julia refused to accept it you cant be out all the time ill try my luck again she said yerby tried to cover anns discourtesy curtesy by a flux flus of words misa julla julia she was jest to read to me from this here david dickens book david copperfield julia corrected sure enough dickens hes bes the fellow that owns the brand well I 1 was sayin that this Ste erforth duck the one that done lil III emily dirt why some one had orta hung his hide out to dry seems like I 1 dont hold with dry mulching you understand but theres times the nester lester stopped abruptly ate the I 1 springs of his garrulity dried up A glance at ann giffords frozen face had done it IL ile he recalled the rumors that had come to him as to the reason why nora had gone to los angeles and embarrassment flamed in his bis countenance mccann rescued him by commenting on the number of characters in the book 1 I never did see so many footloose foot loose folks tr trall allin ln around theres david an peggotty an miss bliss betsy an the Murd stones an barkis oll looks books like hed have trouble with all them folks millin around in his hold hald whilst he be was the old timer roused aloud abut but this dickens guy sure knows how to throw a rope so as to cut out any of em cm from the herd when hes good an ready ann gifford did not stay her manner implied that she wanted to have nothing to do with any of them except yerby r the nester spoke first id like I 1 right well to do something for her an her lils lil sister lster if I 1 knew ghavi what he said eald wrinkling his forehead in thought 0 course sheep are pests 1 I aint deny in that none but seems seeds like these girls aint hardly to blame because old andy gifford was so nean mean and obstinate he be plumb contented till hed started trouble exactly how bow I 1 feel mccann agreed julia had opened her lips to say gay substantially the same thing but the closed aborn again without SPeak speaking IlIg she did not intend to be i of the same opinion as wilson mei mci cann od on any subject Is nevertheless everth eless she had a word to say bay to him film and before she left she sold old it lie had stepped out bobrin to bring i g a bucket of water from the spring she met him under a live oak a few yards from the house bouse you know my father fa therIs Is looking tor for you she mie said abruptly some one did mention that to ie he be said why dont you go away why dont dollt you leave the country she ibe demanded dem because mutt fatt stark Star khas lii served bouce 0 ceon on me of his bis Intent lous he BEGINNING THE STORY drawn by the desert signal of distress wilson mccann mccand young arizona ranchman finds an old friend jim yerby with a broken leg julia stark daughter of matthew stark inveterate enemy of 0 the mccanns Is rendering first aid taking a message from julia to her father wilson Is fired alred on but Is unhurt pursuing his assailant to the stark ranch mccann finds he Is jasper julias brother stark sr expresses disbelief ot of wilsons Wll Wil sona sons account ot of the shooting on the way from place to her home borne with mccann julia learns his identity and dismisses him in anger the old feud rankling wilson calls on ann alfford sheep rancher and on that account unpopular with the cattlemen to tell her ot of accident night riders burn a cabin and shoot a mccann ranch hand band peter mccann Wil wilsons sons father offers a reward for or the disclosure ot of their identity jasper stark tears the placard down and wilson wals on mccann horsewhips horse whips him biro stark making practically no resistance matthew disowns hla his son eon for or ills his cowardice and posts notice ho he will kill wilson mccann on sight I 1 asked grimly what kind of a man would I 1 be if I 1 ran away after that am I 1 the one lookin for trouble did I 1 print bills sayin id kill him on sight bight ills his face was bard as hammered iron you tou know why he did that because you jumped on jasper when lie looking and beat him when he defend himself lie he laughed scornfully taits the story hes telling Is it and now nov fathers crazy mad if you dont go away im not going he cut in harshly then some one will be killed she cried despairingly tes his brown competent fingers were on the barrel of the rifle he had been carrying in one hand band there flowed through her a sense of his virile power this man was dangerous his force expressed itself in the cool quiet eyes in the clean lines of the face and figure in a certain wary stillness that meant reserve strength if only go while theres 1 still time P her fler distress touched his not very accessible heart the more because he knew her capable of fierce apil and primitive passion independence and courage were of the essence of her bu but t her pride could not stand out against the shadow of tragedy hovering in the background 1 I cant go what would folks say does it matter what say if you were doing right she asked it would matter to me besides id not be doing right to go this is where I 1 live the only country I 1 know I 1 cant let anyone run me out ive got to go through why have you she pleaded its all wrong this feud it if just go away tor for a while maybe things would quiet down then you could come back ile he shook his bis head no I 1 cant go 0 I 1 dont want to have any trouble with your father but it if hes bent on it why have to come with a little gesture of hopelessness she gave up it was of no use before making the attempt to move him she had known it would be for according to the frontier code he was right none but a weakling could run away after an enemy had served notice that he was lookin looking for him As she turned away his voice stopped her ill promise one thing be a fair right fight far as im concerned no kayin in the bushes an baitin for him her bark dark troubled eyes rested in his their appealing beauty disturbed him he would have liked 0 o give peace to her worried soul but he be could offer no assurance when the hour came it if it lay within his power he be must strike her to the heart hearl much stirred he watched her issom young body as it moved with light ight rhythm toward the house she belonged to the enemy clan but be could not hold her in cold disapproval an AM enemy yest but already he knew her a very dear one whose presence filled the secret places of his heart 0 0 0 0 As jasper stark moved about the streets of mesa ilesa with his slouching galt gait his eyes furtively questioned public opinion to dincov discover e r what it thought of him ola manner of braggadocio still sat on hini him but it was a hollow mockery ile he was full of 0 shame resentment and self pity hatred surged in him 11 ho 0 sent for gitner that hardy ruffian straddled into an upstairs room of the gilt edge and looked at young stark with a scarcely veiled sneer want to see me he asked yep heard the old man say anything about me carl the old man dont mention yore name its understood at the circle cross that matts through with you why sit down jasper groi growled sled with annoyed impatience 1 I kalitta talk ile he pushed the bottle on the table toward the other man gettier took a chair and a drink ile he offered no do comment there was a tactical advantage in forcing the other to lead and he be availed himself of it shove that bottle north or west stark said su rILly and then poured himself a large drink he tossed it down at a gulp and almost at once replenished the tumbler morosely he eyed the file liquor the old man been to town this week no last time he was in it was the day lie read the riot act to you aitner grinned maliciously but hes bes had fletcher fietcher out to the ranch nn an they spent most a whole mornin together jasper gloomed bloomed at his drink and poured it down his throat without visible pleasure he was making a will dont you ree reckon kon he said at last 1 I reckon question Is has he be signed it yet if you want to know why dont you go ask him suggested the texan with sarcasm 1 I dont need to ask him lie he fletcher fietcher would draw it up when he be come back to town that would be the way they fix it nut but fletcher fietcher had to leave thursday 11 i 6 A 9 L they talked in whispers for an hour their heads close and the door locked night again for phoenix to argue a case before the supreme court tie ile lot got back this afternoon no more an an hour ago hell finish writing up the will tomorrow looks like agreed the man front from the file lone star state an hell take it out either in the afternoon or next day sounds reasonable getter better kiss the ranch good goodby by jas the eyes ot of the two met and held fast there was something of crouched significance in jaspers narrowed gaze it brought the other man to a wary and alert attention ne he knew that he was going to find out now w why by he be had been asked to come here they talked in whispers for an hour their heads close and the door locked not once though they drank much did their voices lift izmir ft have been noticed ii if anyone had been observing them that gitner left the gilt edge halt half an hour before his companion nobody bu hans the bartender knew that they had been in the room together at the hotel walting waiting tor for him jasper found his sister they walked a 21 little distance down the road to bo be alone no use jas she told him ive fought it out with dad and he wont listen to a word hes hels cutting you out of his will suit you an phil lie sneered what do you care it I 1 do get a rotten deal her scornful eyes flashed anger at him Ti lats a nice thing to co say j after I 1 quarreled with dad about it for you but you you always were a poor loser 1 I lost yet he snarled it if you think ill sit down an let him film cut me outa onto my share of the ranch why youve got another guess ill not stand for it you cant help yourself julia told him curtly ills his bo boasting stang was an old story with her heir and she gave j it no weight who ts the matter with you anyhow jas to Why you stand up and I 1 fight alls me cann S tell rell you he lilt hit me when I 1 lo lookin okill tell you I 1 was dazed an I 1 fell ile he jumped me when I 1 was I 1 down its the honest to god truth t she was convinced he was lying 1 to save ills als face but there was no use telling him so when are you going she asked going where away from here who said I 1 was going why I 1 thought dad said ald 1 I dont care what he said lies not me when I 1 get good n sin n ready maybe ril ill go an maybe I 1 wont she came to a subject that never was long from her thoughts the fact that she mentioned it at all to her brother from whom she could expect no do help showed how much the dread of it obsessed her im worried about dad artly worried every time he rides away from the house my heart sinks if he should meet that wils mccann and of course he will some tini time does he be ride alone not it I 1 can prevent it I 1 go with him when hell let roe me or r phil find and once or twice dave stone but it if dad sees were trying to protect him he gets wild and wont ha have ve it for a minute sure the old man for you well you tell film something for me jule hes eles not the only man lookha for wills me cann her startled eyes fastened to his what do you mean what ayou reckon I 1 mean im a stork stark no matter what the old man says an hes a mccann an on top of that hes done me dirt ill fix him sure as lies hes a foot high but keep it under yore hat bat I 1 aint gettin out any bills about it not none she was torn by conflicting emotions that jasper had bad spirit enough to fight his own battle it if he really meant it and would not weaken when it came to the test was news that warmed her blood the danger in which her father stood might be averted if her brother met uc me cann first yet this was cold comfort after the first flush of gladness for jasper she knew by the chill that drenched her heart how dreadful it would be it if any of her family killed wilson mccann or were killed by him there any way out jas any way at oil all but this she cried almost in a will wail do we have to start this tills awful feud surely there must be some way I 1 could stop it 1 K I 1 only knew how yellow fellow lights gleamed like sinister beacons in his cold eyes no way the mccanns started this S an have to go through now julia turned back toward the hotel botel with sick foreboding in her heart phil was blabbing a calf when his father came out to the porch going to mesa son hook up the team for me wont you the boy before he be went to the stable dodged for a moment into the kitchen julia was making pies hes going to mesa he said quickly julia at once unfastened her apron keep him here till im dressed she told him and moved in her swift light way to the bedroom she used while phil with the assistance of a wrangler was hitching to a buckboard the half balf broken colts his father drove a rider jogged bogged up and stopped to pass word the man worked tor for an outfit down the river 10 lo redl red III phil greeted him how they comin no complaint as ol of man P peters eters said id when his third wife died everything fine an dandy with you red eased his weight in the saddle to relax stiffened muscles and rolled a cigarette aliz rollins jes got back from los angeles and she happened on a piece of news out there right inter destini astin he volunteered she was care of her daughter whilst an interesting inte event was oc currIn they was a nurse there to meet the lii fill stranger the stork was br braingin ingin and it seems she was hired awhile ago to look after nora gifford Gi rford one 0 them sheep ranch women the gifford girl she had a hard bard time of it an died her aw an the baby too folks have kinda figured they was something wrong when the oldest sister bister come back alone theres been right talk phil flushed angrily why dont folks mind their own d d bust business lie be blurted out were in big business when we pick on some lone one girls an make their life hell for them the generous indignation of youth flamed in man right too agreed rel red 1 I knew nora alfford some she was a mighty sweet girl the lobo wolf that ruined her life had ought to bi be |