Show TE T E h 4 y K H SPEARMAN copyright FRANK H SPEARMAN W N U SERVICE CHAPTER VIII continued to 10 part ot what ties hes done ito me hes stole my cattle be asides iJ eldes mccrossen Is the only man sabat stayed by me through h thick land and thin McCros sens the right nan man for you yoa you can get married tomorrow it if you want to 01 1 I tile the slightest idea of getting married tomorrow father land aad it if mr air mccrossen CrosseD Mc were the only man lefts left I 1 certainly should 9 never marry theres not a straight aar dair la in his bis head bead IT sounds like that skunk denti tons gons been oiling your ears for YOU bill Deni sons barely ever men McCros sens name dame to me i well keep away from denison for good lt dont forget that jane jade flinched inwardly but spoke low and clearly 1 I cant promise that father why not 1 I dont think its right aint I 1 your father yes aint a parent a coln to be obeyed it if lie he Is reasonable im in not a child father he grew furious 1 I dont give a damn what you are youre not goto goin to take up with any enemy edemy of i mine n you might just as well know it now rind and ill see that you dont van Tand tonibel Tn nibel lel quitting the house rode with aice mccrossen essen over the hills burned the day before to determine what further measures should be taken to insure safety for tho the rinch buildings the two men halt led ed at the foot of gunlock knob SA A lot of good timber gone in that blaze van muttered mccrossen Crossen SIc P van cambel was silent for a mo anent the ranch aint worth as iauch much as it was yesterday ir anre sure he be said at last then after another pause 1 I mind ithe timber it if the damned fire had bad held on till it cleaned out denison Den lson eboth both were looking down on the neighbors elgh bors ranch 1 I wish I 1 was rid of 0 that fellow van cambels Tam bels words fairly grated out of his harsh throat why that blamed fire have cleaned out his buildings yesterday r it was a close scratch if the wind had bad shifted always blows the wrong way for me I 1 dont mind losing the timber if it had caught him rd id he checked himself suddenly look T here he jerked why cant we help the wind along next nest night theres a illow blow just give things a start down there what ayou mean burn him out I 1 why not mccrossen took the cigarette from his mouth but said nothing f well sputtered van cambel why Y dont you talk 1 I dont fancy that kind of a job lt mccrossen shifted moodily in lit his 8 saddle addle till bill denison and I 1 have got our differences plenty of em some day I 1 ex expect hect to iron em out ilith him but be done in daylight i van cambel sneered look out ont he dont get you and the girl b both f well the words came reluctantly ly ill talk to barney 1 1 boull have laidve to pay him well after van cambel came back from the hospital he be reopened his 7 alce in sleepy cat S 1 I thought you said the old devil get well complained par flamoe aloe to dr carpy i carpy was laconic he cant some lay day hell crack up sudden but van cambel kept jane so 1010 closely selY under ills his eye that she had no chance to see denison Den lson one day her father took her in howll on business tho the volunteer lire fighters were clamoring for their pay and jane knowing the details of the agreement with par as to how much beer and S grub should be provided plus their pay rode with her father to town own to settle with Par daloe bill she bhe said to Par daloe when the e accounts had been straightened gout out i want to ask a question and I 1 want the truth Par daloe looked at her with shrewd benevolence fire away girl p 1 I 1 why does my father hate dill bill denison ho fco Par daloe shifted uneasily you wont like the truth ilass jane whether I 1 like it or not I 1 want you to tell me bill she said y wells well your dad wants tile the spring ranch started a light fight for it at the medicine bend land office bill beat amia tilts there so he goes up to wash end and bill has to sell it off bis big cows to get money to light fight and pa pay y lawyers fore he be got through the boy had bad to sell everything everi thing i to keep his end up it was tough assented jane grimly her eyes were half closed and tier her lips compressed as if to shut out unpleasant details Par daloe warmed to his big story if it want you miss jane an your own dad id call a roan man act that way well wonder to me Is bill never plugged him now dont cry I 1 told you you like it jane shook her head and brushed the tears from her eyes with a gesture of defiance dont mind a little shower bill youve youre told me what I 1 asked for the truth now I 1 want to tell you something but please keep my secret will you bill shoot w was a g all he said swiftly she he told him of her first meeting with denison Den lson and of their rides together she described how lie he had bad saved her life and how bow afterward tier lier father had bad ridden over to the denison ranch with dave SIc Crossen created a scene and forbade tier her ever again to see denison Den lson im watched now like a two year old child she concluded and im rebellious Par daloe looked at her appeals angly he observed the animation of her ber manner and the flash of her eye eve he listened to the rapid flow of tier her words and the spirited way in which he be spoke them the old frontiersman looked at her as an artist might look iok on a flower he could see but quite understand der stand all that was hidden within it IL 1 I wish said jane musing almost as much to herself as to wardloe rard loe 1 I knew just what to do do bothin suggested sag Par daloe jane bridled do nothing that very pleasant to think about youve got to realize your circumstances cum stances lie he returned in the mess you youre re in all around out there aber re its best for you to sit tight n do you dont know it but youre settin oo on a box bos of dynamite do you expect me to act as peacemaker bill 1 I say that be no sort of use therell be peace there when bobcats gr go back on jack rabbits voil sighed jane reluctant you 11 know now best sir air Par daloe l bill you know best bill I 1 may want to talk to you again any time honey riding home with her father who rode slowly she had plenty ot of time to think and her thoughts were sober hued mccrossen was a thorn in her side to meet him every day and be halfway pleasant was wa a dally daily strain ile he tried to make up to her 1 I got off on the wrong toot foot with you yon jane he said one day the two were standing near cear the ranch house door in the sunshine 1 I know that all right all I 1 can say is if theres any anything thin I 1 can do to square myself im ready to do it whenever you say the word Is 19 that fair janenas jane was looking up at the mountains she answered without rancor a mild manner must be her cue now A week p passed assed van cambel lay in bed ile he had to send jane to medicine bond bend to attend to some bank business there to keep her under surveillance van cambel ordered mccrossen to ride to sleepy cat with her when jane heard of the arrangements she flatly r refused to 10 go 90 a matter with you you damned cantankerous thing demanded her father huskily aint my foreman good enough tor for you to ald ride with janes features set bet 1 I wont ride with him she declared crisply Y why not thundered her father rising in bed jane drew herself up tip the least bit her fathers rudeness stiffened her attitude if you want to know the real reason I 1 dont want him trying to kiss me on the way home after hes had too many drinks in the red front saloon I 1 wont ride with him if he goes I 1 dont finally bull page was assigned to escort the wayward jane and the two set off for town jane was most interested to get some be news from dull cull page about denison Den lson but hull bull had neither seen nor dor heard of him since the gurdock knob fire in medicine bend jane extended abote a note drew some money paid the hospital bills and waited for the afternoon lain honie home when she got to sleepy cat it was ten at night and no rig was wag at the station from the ranch she was compelled to spend uie the night at the hotel it was a long time after waid before she realized that the whole trip had been planned by her father and INIc mccrossen Crossen for a purpose she rose early breakfasted alone and started oat to pay the few remaining maln inz lire fire bills she went first to spotts place to pay for the beer spotts spoils was out ought to be back pretty soon said bald oscar lies got to bo be here pretty soon to let the bartender out for breakfast ive an order to leave at dos said jane ill be back she walked over to tile the general store left tier her provision order for the wagon to pick up and returned to spotts barber shop jake ills his crutches at lilg ills side was sitting 11 ID life 13 barber chair hello there aless well hows th things out at gunlek gun lok about as usual jake ive come to pay for the beer no more fires bother both erinT ln not at present how much was the beer no hurry about that yes res but I 1 want to clean it up thank you radam said the saloon keeper and barber as jane counted out and handed banded him the money it if I 1 could only call my old side partner back out of it spotts shook his head none of us will vill ever forget panama jake the damnedest meanest arnert est cst fires that ever swept them hills said spotts counting over the money perfunctorily done X 41 VJ aft ut t mp 0 11 15 I 1 some day I 1 expect to iron en em out with him more damage to the range not t to speak of losan the best man we had in sleepy cat and ur up the best man we had bad in the hills who was that jake why bill denison Ue nison jane started visibly bill den isoel she echoed in consternation what do you mean well you know hes in the hospital 1 I know nothing of the kind exclaimed jane sharply she stood white as a sheet what has happened tell met mel why you yon know his eyes is gone to hell what do you mean what has happened tell me spotts started violently out of his torpor as he saw with amazement the effect of ills his news on his visitor why doc carpy says that his big eyes got burned some gettin through that gunlock knob fire then some son jake checked himself somebody set his ranch house afire last night and nearly burned him up ask carpy hell tell you she hurried to the hotel the doctor was out on a call jane hurried to barn where she had bad left her pony and rode straight up the hill to the hospital CHAPTER IX tit HERE is 13 he sister VV ills room Is on the second floor shall I 1 show you the way it if you please sister I 1 learned only a moment ago that he was here ive heard beard of this dreadful ranch hoose bouse tire only this minute did he tell you how it happened sister ue ile has hardly spoken since they brought him in but mr scott e said aid it was getting out of the bur burning rang ranch house do you think there Is any chance to save his big sight ob sister can you imagine how I 1 feel dear heart I 1 do know how you feel of course I 1 dont know a thin tiling about the case except that dr D carpy has given very strict orders about his care she was too considerate si to tell how worried she knew carpy to be of course his room Is dark and his eyes are bandaged we like mr denison dellson so much hes always been kokind soki nil to us with nice gifts this Is ills his room the nurse laid her hand on the knob of the door shall I 1 go in with you do sister said jane sister opened tile the door conod morning mr denison Den lson good morning sister Si jane walking in on oil tiptoe behind her guide hoard hear liis ills answer chos that mill inith you sister jane had ste viled as lightly ns as possible but his ears had detected tier her footsteps ive brought you a visitor I 1 hope youre not cross she added bantering banteringly gly who Is visiting me he be asked jane had been gra gradually duall drawing closer cloer to him bill he started violently for an instant he was silent as it if listening for more then he responded low ind and strangely jane yes bill in the dark her hand ban touched bisard his arm ile he caught both her hands crushing thoin them with ills his own and drew one and am the other hungrily to his big lips sister lie he said aid composed yet eager can you find a chair in the daik for miss va van n Ta mbel with the nurse sliding gliding out of the ro room om janes hands crept over his shoulders around its his neck and as ills his arms en folded her their lips met 1 I want you to hear that I 1 was in trouble till we knew more about it how did you find out I 1 was here jane jake spotts bill I 1 never dreamed of such a thing she said tremulously ile he told me the ranch house honse was burned last night oh bill I 1 1 I think maybe my eyes will be all right in a couple of days ben page has been working for me for a while ne he got hold of bob scott to bring me in to see doe doc corpy carpy and the doctor sent me here lie ile felt her warts tears a against alast his check he kissed them wy way from her eyes dont cryl cry I 1 theres nothing to cry over ill be all right when my eyes get better doctor says that wont be long on I 1 wish you heard of it 11 1 I wish never heard of me bill to think of it that I 1 should 1 have been the cause of starting all this trouble oh why I 1 have stayed home that dreadful lay day instead of riding into danger ill never never forgive myself and im ashamed to say it dill bill but the real reason I 1 rode up there was because I 1 was just hungry for a sight of you denison only laughed dont think youre the only one that was hungry for a sight if I 1 baan t been scouting around the knob trail where I 1 knew you liked so much to ride id never have caught sight of you what then why jane it if you were burning in a fire why I 1 jump in after you what would be left for me do your eyes hurl hurt terribly MI bill not when youre here jane oh ob I 1 know better I 1 know they do and I 1 can do do nothing to help I 1 he be made light of tier her worry there were more furtive tears more earnest prayers mor more submission from jane wore more happy laughs more ardent embraces more carefree cheer from denison why bill she protested at ten length tb one would think there was nothing the matter with you and 1 am frightened to death 1 I was frightened to death myself till you came its not much fun sitting alone here in the dark what frightens me most Is the thought that it if the worst should come id lose you you ton can never lose me bill remember that yes tes but a mind blind matil man I 1 he exclaimed desperately jane I 1 never could ask you to marry me blind theres only one way to keep me from marrying that good for nothing bill denison to kill me and make me into dust even then id tremble under its his feet I 1 would just to annoy him her tongue was light and happy when she said goodby good by but her heart was dread with fear she rode straight to carlys office luckily she found him in Doc doctor torl 1 im so about mr air denison 7 so am L I 1 you know what happened said he got trapped lo in the ranch house fire yes but it was trying to save my life when ills his eyes first got hurt never said a blamed word about that 1 I was up on gunlock knob and he rode up to get me through the fire doctor she asked unsteadily il cant you save his eyes jane my girl give we me another two weeks if I 1 thought anybody anywhere would do anything mori more than im doing id put him on the cars tonight its time jane time it if jane expected to get muc much 1 information about the denison dellson fire at home she was disappointed when she reported it to her father h he was ly silent allent professing still to feel outraged at tier her insubordination ilc bic crossen crossed was more communicative even sympathetic but he be knew little about the fire TO BE CONTINUED |