Show R ja 1 e 13 Z A N E 1 G REY R EY COPYRIGHT CHAPTER VIII continued 10 that night jim moved his bed closer to the grove farther from the campfire and it commanded a view of the rise of ground where anyone passing could ha be detected above the horizon even after lie he had crawled under tinder his blanket he watched ne he fell asleep and dreamed that he be was eding a gigantic black horse with ebes of fire and that there was a white flower growing out from a precipice and in a strange reckless desire to pluck it he fell into the abyss down down don he plunged into the mackness blackness and suddenly a piercing terrible cry rose from the depths jim was sitting up in bed his brow clammy with sweat his heart clamped as in a cold vise what had awakened him the night was silent melancholy fateful lie he swore that a soul wracking cry had broken his slumber then he remembered the dream he was not subject to dreams the rest of the night he dozed at intervals haunted by he know not what one by one the members of the gang appeared at happy jacks c calls ails to breakfast jim was the last to arrive except hays who had bad not yet appeared after the meal jim as was his custom hurried toward the shelf where latimer lay lie ile had gotten halt balf way when slocum caught up with him jim you look like the wrath of bawd tills this moraln smoky I 1 sleep well im cross and I 1 reckon I 1 need a shave wal it if all say jim did you hear the gurl scream last night scream did she huh hub it if she ive shore got the jIm jimjames jimjams jams sly bawd look at por poor latimer their patient had wrestled off his bed out into the grass they rushed to lift him back and make him comfortable he appeared to be burning up with fever and alarmingly bright eyed but he was conscious and asked for water jim hurried to fetch some how I 1 rolled out there I 1 dont know said latimer utter after lie had drunk thirstily reckon you was delirious sparrow replied smoky no sir air I 1 was seared scared seared scared you thera funny rejoined smoky looking across ailt at jim what seared scared aou ou old man queried jim it was after I 1 got my sleep have been late ter fer I 1 always am dead to the world ter fer five or six hours I 1 was wide awake it was shore a lonesome still night debbe my sins weighed wel glied on me but all of a sudden I 1 heard beard a cry it seared scared we me so I 1 jumped right ot my bed hurt me too an I 1 try to get back ilabe ma be it was a coyote ri right bt by close returned jim fellers ill bet find thet gurl dead murdered I 1 concluded latimer hoarsely sparrow you dont look flighty replied jim gravely cut but your talk Is 1 alse ise youve a reason to think it shore I 1 have rejoined latimer lowering his voice to a whisper alays beat an robbed herrick I 1 taets part I 1 wanted to tell you it if I 1 was goin to croak put cut I 1 gotta tell it anyhow an I 1 ask you both as pals to keep what I 1 tell 3 ou secret till im dead 1 I swear sparrow said smoky huskily you tou can trust me too added jim wal thevis theta why I 1 feel nank hank must have done ter fer the girl too robbed II errick 1 exclaimed slocum incredulously was there a fight yes cut but hank might have avoided it ile ha drove the man crazy fellers hayse steal coppers oft off a dead mans eyes shore but what he sold said he wanted was the gurl ter fer ransom yet he picked a fight with an beat him with a gun sparrow how come you tell us before asked smoky sternly im beholden to nank hank cut but I 1 will say thet it if rd id knowel his Is game id never have gone with him after it was too late wal I 1 stuck an ive kept it secret hut but I 1 feel in my bones im done ler fer so ira im squeal ln an im doln it begasse bee auge hays double crossed you all reckon id have done the same it if hank had a hold on me conceded smoky generously suppose you take ft a nip of whisky and tell us what happened im lot enough without liquor but ill tell you gamme some more water after a moment latimer drew a long iong breath and resumed hank picked me because lie he had a hold on me after you tellers left thet night hank went out an got another boss lie ile had a saddle hid somewhere we took them bosses up tip the bench back of the house an tied them then we went down toward the house ahue hed had this deal in mind all the time thue said smoky nodding his bis head yes before we got to the house lie told me he meant to hold iier her rick up ter fer what money he had on hand then steal the gurl ter fer ransom I 1 opened my trap to kick again the gurl part of 0 it anyway but he cussed me fierce I 1 seen then lie he was blood set on it so I 1 shet abet up herrick was in the livin room we walked round the house an hank showed me the gurls winder which was open wal we went back an up on the porch an into the livin room when herrick errick II looked up hank threw a gun on him keep quiet an shell out your money nank hank ordered thet faze the englishman ile he jumped up thundering thun derin road mad hank hit him over the head cuttin a gosh gash thet knock herrick out but it made him f ight fight till hank jot got him good an hard then he opened his desk an threw out some packages of greenbacks green backs after thet he slid to the floor next hank ordered me to go out an round to the gurls winder it was bright moonlight locate thet winder quick an at thet I 1 was guided to it by the gurls voice gilme another drink latimer quenched hla his inordinate thirst again while hile jim and smoky exchanged thoughtful glances over him film wal where was I 1 when I 1 straddled thet winder inder sill I 1 seen the gurl up in bed white as the sheets about her hank flank had a gun pointed at her head an 1 he was laytn tf if she yelled hed shoot then he told me to look around ter fer money an jewels I 1 started thet keehln an eye on them the room was as moonlight as outdoors lank hank told her to git up an dress for aldin she refused an he be yanked her clean out ot of bed gurl curl lie he said yore brother Is haw dawg tied down in the living room an if you dont do as I 1 tell you ill kill kl il him im taking you away ter fer ransom an v lien hen he pays up you can come home so longs joure quiet we wont hurt iou 1 at thet she got up an ran into a closet I 1 heard her ile he made her put on ridin clothes an pack what else she wanted meanwhile I 1 found a heap of gold things an diamonds au an a package of money still the wells fargo paper on it these I 1 stuffed in my pockets tin an I 1 shore was a walkin gold mine how flow much was there asked smoky curiously when latimer paused to catch his breath ill come to thet we went out the winder an hank hustled her into the woods with me foller loller ln soon we come to tile the hr bosses r e an hank put the gurl up on the bray gray lie he blindfolded tier her an told me to see she git awa away the girl talked a blue streak but she so seared scared except when we heard a shot then someone on hard bard ground hank conic come back pronto like a lassoed bull tie ile said hed run plump into an another of heesemann Hee semans outfit miss herrick he says them tellers fellers was bent on robbin your brother debbe killin him I 1 shot but the other got away aie he tied the bundle ori on his boss an leadin the gurls gurla boss he rode up the mountain we rode the rest of the night stop stopple stopp pin ln to rest at daylight ayar byarl 1 I turned the money an trinkets over to hank he counted the lie money herrick had turned over so methin moren sixteen thousand but he be neer beier opened the wells fargo package id found in the surls gurls trunk taets nil all tellers fellers we rode till noon buctin you as agreed in the cedars bluit was in aliet wells bargo poo package icare asked smoky after a long pause 31 money oncy hundred dollar bills I 1 tore a corner of the piper paper olt off it was a thick an heavy package A ahab huh so lank hank went south W with ith thet tin an the je jewelry elry yes when he made the divvy ayar he give me his share of thet sixteen thousand its ayar in my coat you an jim air welcome to it cause where im coln 1 I woot wont need any sparrow tt it was a ton ions story for a sick man an hard to tell sald said smoky feelingly jim an me will respect your confidence an if yau pull through as ag I 1 hope you do well neier squeal B edit ut pard dont be surprised at what comes off five days later latimer died during the night after n short interval of improvement which gave his comrades renewed hope ile he passed away alone evidently in agony to judge from his distorted face wal I 1 dont know but thet sparrows better off 10 remarked smoky with pathos they burled him in his tarpaulin on the spot and divided his effects among them by drawing lots you do with the money you found on him queried hays we find none sparrow gave it to me an jim some days ago replied smoky reckon you better divide it ump rejoined smoky nonchalantly his beady little eyes in u tile the chief why not wal sparrow wanted us to have it not I 1 reckon because we took care of him film when you forgot but jost jest because he cottoned to us smoky tell lays hays the other reason spoke up jim Thet ll wait jim no hurry an im not so shore sparrow wanted is to tell hank nays turned livid ahab debbe both be wise to stay shot shet up he said and left fellers said crad brad lincoln turning to the others ive hid had a hunch all along there was a hitch b in this deal air you with me in de mandin a showdown froni from smoky an jim we shore aar rejoined bridges and hue blue and happy jack expressed like loyalty smoky youre square if theres we want to know febbe we can slick it over replied smoky smoothly it if we win all the boss money an hell hel I 1 shore be easy now with thet gurl on his mind 1 I reckon there wont be any sense in tellin at all eh jim 41 1 dont make any rash promises smoky returned jim 1 I admire you a lot slocum but im thinking you run this into the ground in all justice these men ought to be told something 1 I say cards you tellers fellers cant keep it forever rejoined lincoln darkly from that hour dated the grim and passionate gambling in which they all participated with one man on lookout duty the others spent most of the daylight hours sitting at happy jacks jacka table of cottonwood poles jim had separated his money into two parts one consisting of the bills of large denomination and the other of small the latter he kept out tor for gambling intended to quit when it was lost put cut fortune was fickle ile he did not lose it instead he won stead lly fly there was no hope of his getting out of the game so long as he was ahead ue ile wanted to watch think plan luck changed eventually and he lost all lie he had won then lie he seesawed for a day before he struck another streak of losing and lost everything im cleaned he said rising put but by gosh I 1 gave you a run im way ahead ill lend you sonic some offered hays no thanks im glad to get off this well ill go up to the rock and send rend mac blac down from now on ill do most of the lookout work nork I 1 like it jim was glad this phase of his connection with the outfit was past ne he had played for days won and lost all in the interest of the scheme fermenting in his mind lie he wanted to be alone it nothing else intervened ter this gambling would lead to the inevitable quarrel whether hays won vion all the money or lost what he had there would be a tight fight at once a restless baffled harried condition of mind seemed to leave jim to face those men hour after hour day after day hiding hla his thoughts had engendered irrl THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING jim fin wall young c cowpuncher buncher cr from seeks a new field in utah J ow he meets hank hays who tolls him ho he Is in working for an englishman herrick Herr lck who hos has located a big ranch hays haya find and others art are plotting to steal their employers cattle and money with hays happy jack and lincoln wall arrives at herricks ranch hays unfolds lats plan tor for getting possession of herricks head of f live stock lie iio and tile his lieutenants ride away to drive oft tho the farst bunch of cattle heeseman hayw hay rival among the cattle rustlers tolls tella wall hays hay was once hla his heesemann Hee semans partner and double crossed him herrick delegates jim to go to grand jun junction atlon to meet helen herricks sister bister jim tries to impress her with tho the fact that he jim la is a desperado of the worst type but the girl treats the information hays betrays unusual interest in the coming of llosa herrick Herr lck jim finds himself falling in love with helen and finally kisses her she sha dismisses him but relents and asks him not to leave the ranch nays hays trien men return having sold the cattle and brought back the money A quick getaway Is imperative hays tells his mon men to go eo on ahead that he will join them later lie he conics with helen li errick a capt captive lve explaining that he robbed herrack and stole helen tor for ransom realizing the girl will be worse oft off if she falls into heeremans clutches jim rides on with I 1 hank ank and his men riders are discovered in pursuit pur cult after a battle in which C h La latemer one of haya men la is wounded leads the ganc bane into a canyon tho robbers Hob bers roast tation when the split came and the shooting began jim wanted to be around lie ile would help it along considerably one day when he was returning to carup somewhat before sunset he heard a shot lie listen fur others ol liera none came the moment he entered the oval to see hays striding for the cabin his hair standing up and his men grouped outside of the camp s shelter helter jim knew that there had been trouble what now smoky hank did for fer brad ilow wily why you tou dont mean hays beat lincoln to a gun V lie ile did jim ejaculated slocum uc lie bored crad brad I 1 was the only teller feller who seen it the rest was buckin what was it about smoky wal brad has been sorer every day an today we cleaned him film brad opened up on hank no doubt deanin to call him ter fit fair r nut but brad git coln good be fore look hank went for his gun smoky he had his mind made up declared declared jim tensely shore ibets the queer part of it hank was not coln to let crad brad spit out much an friend jim taets a hunch fer us ns hays cant beat me to a gun 1 rejoined jim with a cold ring in his bis voice nor me either taets a safe bate bet they reached the camp lincoln lay face down over the table his 00 r 16 keep quiet an shell out your money hank ordered right arm hanging low his gun lying near his hand lend a hand soma of you ordered slocum peremptorily they carried lincoln face down across the oval to the lower side of the cottonwood grove and in halt half an hour he had been consigned to earth and his possessions divided among the men who had burled him grave number two speculated S smoky fellers it runs in my mind thet robbers roost in these next nest twenty years will be sprinkled all over with graves bow so when nobody has any idee where it is heeseman will find it an alor ley an after them many more concluded slocum prophetically lets rustle out of the hole suggested bridges CHAPTER IX T WAS dark by the time happy floppy I 1 IT jack called them to supper jim carried over an armload of brush to make a bright fire by its flare hays was seen approaching and when he drew near he said jim did they tell you straight how bow i I 1 conic come to draw on brad reckon they did replied jim coldly Any anything thin to say no I 1 dont see how you could have acted any differently wal youve coppered it with the ace re the second brad jumped me I 1 seen in his eyes he meant to egg me on to draw so I 1 did it quick jack what you got ter fer supper by tacit consent and without a single word the men avoided happy jacks table that night and ate around the camp tire hays haya stood up smoky sat on a stone 1 jim knelt on one knee and the others adopted |