Show pa AL I 1 SPEAR N T frank ti SPEARMAN IN N U SERVICE CHAPTER XI continued 13 yes you can damn you and you will lot let me put that bandage hack back where it belongs and you keep it there D nt talk about eye sight unless you want it back where the hell do I 1 come in what am I 1 getting out of ibis it was a battle between two strong wills and it was long in the waging hut but when carpy wiping the sweat from his forehead rod and himself almost unstrung left Deni sons side his patient had ridden out the storm and had promise quiet till the two could think of what might be done pledging in the internal mutual and absolute secrecy secrecy however well pledged grows more difficult to control in proportion to the number of persons plad pledged ed carpy swore abdy and lefever to it very easily mcalpin and ben page were warned that if the story leaked out it might become un pleasant for both As for bob scott no one was ever known to worm a E secret out of him barney of ol 01 course dared not talk yet it will easily be understood that too many people had the story and only the continual efforts of oi dr carpy in silencing through threats of what might happen to tc them one or another of the con spira aspirators tors kept it under cover jane aher after the usual storm with tier her father who knew what she was doing rode next morning into town to make her visit to the hospital denison was a poor actor in his endeavor to make jane feel there had bad been nothing to upset him be W was a over solicitous carpy did better but lie he was compelled to admit that denison had bad not been doing in quite so well since jane could see that for herself her father continued taciturn and aloof jane knew she was defying him film liy by continuing to visit denison yet being ot of much the same tenacious will as tier her father himself she reckoned little of it but her visits and ministrations to the injured neighbor of gunlock ranch became so frequent and she herself was so wholly indifferent to comment that the situation became food for local gossip here was van cambel a deadly enemy of 0 Deni sons with his daughter openly showing a very special interest in Deni sons condition condi tiou at the hospital carrying to him delicacies cies and spending with him half her time in town things were at this pass when one day van cambel told his daughter he must go to medicine bend on some bank business jane knew that he be was not able to make the trip carpy had told her more than once that the old mans life hung by a thread she pleaded with her father found out what the business was and offered to go in his stead she took the morning train for medicine bend secured the fur furber tier time on his notes at the bank spent the night at the mountain house and took the afternoon train west for sleepy cat the pullman cars were crowded jane was forced to find a sent seat in a day coach here she placed her handbag in the seat beside her bought a magazine and resigned herself to a long afternoon and evening two men had bad taken the seat directly behind her jane resumed her reading until la in the conversation between the two men her attention was attracted by catching the name of bill denison her curiosity once aroused it was easy to follow the drift of their talk presently abe heard beard mention of tier her fathers name aroused now to keen interest jane was torn between the feeling that she ought not hot to listed and the impulse that she ebe must of course nobody can prove it were the w words she heard 1 I say eay they could that old bird knows too well bow to cover his tracks but everybody knows how bow he deviled denison Deni sons a brother when he be lived there tried to buy him out then scare him out and then smoke him out the old devil I 1 has been crazy ever since he be owned gunlock to get hold of that little spring panch nanch why account of the water its the biggest in the hills bills now that hes back from the hospital the first thing he thinks of la Is to get hold bold of 7 that aprin jane listened with bated breath why by its common talk in sleepy cat the narrator went on that he be paid barney to set bills ranch house altre afire and came damned near burning bill up in it ner heart stopped beating as she beard the dreadful recital deiv ered ns as calmly as the merest bit of current gossip would be discussed on a street corner conar according to what I 1 hear bear continued the narrator and some of 0 nills bills friends choked the story out or of barney pot got cut up in the fracas with him film was laid up in the hospital ho for a month barneys barneis Bar a mean devil with a knife the train was pulling into sleepy cat jane rousing herself from a stupor her breath choking her her heart ready to burst with every beat staggered to her feet dazed and supporting herself along the aisle with tier her hands bands alternately on the backs of the seats stepped blindly down to the platform bull page win who was in with the team and buckboard to take her home reached for her handbag no bull jane said quietly im not going out tonight not going out im staying in town Stay ln in town stammered bull vastly surprised drive me to the hotel jane said wearily ill take a room there you drive home and come back bach tor for me tomorrow afternoon it was ten assigned to a room jane freshened herself heiselt after the long dusty car ride bathed her f face a ce and temples again and again in a cold water and tried to collect her throbbing thoughts it all seemed lik like e a hideous dream surely it could be shaken off surely men could not be so aen fiendish dish as to plot fire and so horrible a death as would follow to sleeping men tier her father she shuddered this thought was most horrible of all incredible and yet or of one thing she felt certain if it were true she could no longer live lire under the same root roof with him and the terrifying duty of learning the revolting truth from his own I 1 lips confronted tier her and tier her lover bill blinded bill what now dow of him could she ever face him again what would he be say what would he be do ife he knew the lie truth no doubt remained in tier her mind on that point no need now to ask why be seemed worried and changed was lie be only waiting trying to decide how to tell her he be could not marry carry ber that her father had blinded him that they must part she threw open her window and kneel kneeling log before it looked out upon the silent far stretching desert with let me put that bandage back where it belongs its myriad of heavenly lights the cool air cleared her head but what could loosen the deadly grief and shame that clutched at her pounding heart when dr carpy walked into his office from the dining yoom room after breakfast next morning he be taw jane vao van cambel standing before the window looking out why jane he exclaimed what brings you here so early she looked around at him in si lence the doctor walked over to tier her and laid his hands bands on her shou ders jane jade ne asked what has happened girl the gr grief lef in her sunken eyes was too apparent oh doc doctor torl the exclamation came like a burst of su suffering frering long pent 1 I know everything he saw the fat was flatly in the fire indeed he be had too long had only a faint hope bopp of keeping the facts from jane ills hla real hope had bad been that she might not hear the lie truth till he could save Deni sons eyes and thus cushion tho the horrid shock that the facts must bring to an in suffer cir she bad thrown tier lier arms on the table in front of her iler her head hc ad sank between them dr carpy rose walked around to the other side lifted her head ava standing beside tier lier supported it in his arms jane he said slow ly looking down into her pitiful eyes from what you tell me I 1 see that you have heard loose stories floating around you too have haie heard them doctor why oh ob why you tell me jane exclaimed tiie the doctor driven from his last stron stronghold hold of reserve by the poignancy of her grief how the hell could I 1 tell you a story involving those it did in such nt nn affair actually nobody knows just what the facts are now we must get started right first you tell me all you heard then ill tell you all ive heard Is that fair brokenly and pausing nt at inter vals to control her voice jane gave him the train story carpy had bowed his hea head d well he commented as she looked soberly up not tar far from what ive been told myself put but jane im not a bit sure we have the facts in these stories they all depend on the word of one of the worst characters in this country barney neb reb stock hesitate at anything low down in the whole range of crime anybody in town will tell you that hes not only an et convict but the biggest liar in this whole country doctor she said solemnly dries dies bill know all that you and I 1 know jane he be answered in like bill knows all that you and I 1 know oh I 1 knew it it I 1 knew it to think that poor I 1 should have brought this horror into his life jane not so this might all have happened if 1 you never had seen this country 1 I want you to do one last favor for me doctor will you too asked jane 1 what Is it jane jaine 1 I want you yon to say to bill that I 1 freely release him from his prom ise of marriage that I 1 beg him to forgive me all I 1 have innocently caused him to suffer and that I 1 will leave here forever janet jane exclaimed her listener she raised her hand ive not finished yet go co on he snapped bluntly my ily A father has made me his heir to gunlock ranch he has no other heir this morning I 1 will make my will and bequeath whatever I 1 inherit from my father to william denison Den lson to atone as far its as I 1 can for the wrongs my father has dorig done him well remarked carpy coldly that Is all and that Is what you want me to tell bill that doctor Is what I 1 want bill to know oh if I 1 bad ar another iother to do it for me dear doctor I 1 put it on you carpy rose to his feet jane youre sending me on a fools errand but seeing im nothing but an old fool I 1 expect im just the man for the job 1 I can tell you yon now DOW what hell say as well as it if id seen him and given him your message but I 1 know of course that satisfy you so ill go and go now how now promise he repeated to in parting partin you will stay right here in this office till I 1 get back but she was III prepared for or what she saw when the office door was open opened d half an hour later and dr carpy pushed De delison tilson ahead of him into the office bills eyes were bandaged lie ile groped a little with his hands while the doctor guided tam him to a chair here he be Is jane announced carpy bluntly he can speak for himself she had bad not an instant to wait no sooner did denison feel himself seated in a chair than he be held field out his arms and said apparently not with deep feeling not with pained emotion but in the most commonplace everyday every day matter 0 f fact manner wheres bueres Wu eres my girl come here the old doctor watched jane run timidly to Deni sons side bill belll I 1 she exclaimed brokenly here I 1 ami ill all this talk I 1 hear bear about your quitting me jane he be asked unsteadily bill I 1 thought you ought at least to have a well elvell ive had my chance 17 I 1 and this is my answer till death us do part nothing less nothing else goesl gresl Is that plain girlie I 1 gave you a chance the other day to quit me what was your answer answerl CHAPTER XII ANE did not go home borne that afternoon i JANE she sent bull and the buckboard hack bac lc with instructs instructions on not to come in for her pam sie she sent word site she wrote a brief note to ler her father merely saving that she had ad attended to his business and would be home in a few days vun van cambel to in art an impatient rage sent bull back with ith an order to jane to come home borne at once the harsh message made less impression pres slon on his bis daughter than lip hp had bad intended bucit did bring back the answer that she would be out soon when the buckboard next day drew up rit at the ranch boup door jine jane alighted with a fast beating heart fortunately when lien she got home her father was vas out to in the hills tier fler welcome came from quong it sort of broke the ice fee of the home bome com ing cut but she went to her room yot vot out her tw two 0 old suitcases dusti dusard d them oft off laid them ou on tier her bed and stripping the he hooks of tier her closet cloret and opening the drawers of iter her dresser began almost furiously to pock pack while she was nt at this she heard the heavy uneven steps of her fa PED t X iq I 1 bill I 1 thought you ought at least to have a ther in the living room and the next minute his huge bulk darkened the open doorway of her bedroom Hel hello lol 1 he snapped she turned Il riello lello father she responded simply what are you doing packing what fr preparing to go into town what you coln to ID town agin fr ive got a job in town and im got going there to work at it what kind of a job lie he snorted 1 I im in going to study nursing at the hospital what the bell you gobol to do that fr because things have been done from here that make this place hateful to me I 1 stand it here any longer what things you about she looked at him steadily im talking about burning bill benl sous sons ranch ranch house whits that got to do with your quitting home bome everything talking about flint fire barney has told that you paid him for ting ore cre to 0 o a neighbors ranch house with men sleeping in it it why that fellows the worst liar in sleepy cit cat nobody believes anything lie he says 1 I can tell you cery eNery bod body Y believes it she elie said tre trembling ablin do you believe it father I 1 nm am forced to unless un ass you can convince me you had bid nothing to do with it 11 this wretch nas had a pocket rui of money van cambel regarded her with perfect poise why I 1 did give I 1 him a little money ill say ive been sorry for him I 1 know he be hates bill denison a good many folks in this count rys got no use for that stop cried jane dont say anything against bill denison Den lson ile de saved my eifel that damned dirty ornery to rustler rustier s and thief janes eyes blazed she stamped her foot dont you yon dare she cried what youre saying about him Is what every one in this country says about you yes theres some damned mean people in this country thundered her father just look out for yourself my lady I 1 dont know any more about that fire than you do it if barney wanted to get even with denison Den lson his business not mine you shut your trap tran not all A more alore lies eh eb mccrossen Afe Crossen has told in town that you once tried to get him to set the house on fire and ho be refused to do it ue lies I 1 he did do it I 1 I 1 gave him five hundred dollars to do tl it lie he agreed to do it and took the money to do it it he be hired barney It ebstock to start the fire his bis lookout 1 I 1 left you here to watch things and mccrossen has haa been running off my steers ever since I 1 went to the hospital tie he knows I 1 know it ne he knows im going to get after him and I 1 will he shouted with a frightful oath out ii now nov look here beret 1 ill tell you where you get off youre not going a step to town I 1 I 1 know your scheme youre going to live with that mav map denison Fa father therl TO BE CONTINUED |