Show ago T I 1 N M N 1 I dawie sexual by HAROLD CHANNING WIRE 0 H C alro service SYNOPSIS jim cotter forest ranger had beer been mysteriously s killed in the pursuit of his duties gordon breck his best friend takes over cotters job hoping to avenge his bis murder dad cook forest superintendent in warns breck that the tillson brothers mountain moon shiners are apt to give him trouble before leaving for his mountain station breck buys an outfit and decides to attend the public dance run by the Till sons in lone tree at the dance breck dances with louise temple r e cowgirl tor for whom he takes a E aretty k king in alg unknown to breck she Is being courted by bv art tillson youngest of the three tillson brothers angered by brecks attentions to the girl he picks a fight which ends indecisively when someone sets fire to the hall breck and his chief chic se set a out t for the mountain station elation halfway they are met by sierra sum slim mossback moss back mountaineer who Is also in the forest service around the campf campi lre that night breck learns from sierra that tracking down jim cotters murderer must be done c cautiously and by devious methods cook coo k breck and sierra continue their ascent of the mountains stopping to rest they sight the sons returning to their hideaway next day cook ands breck and sierra in one direction to repair the telephone line while he ta takes kes another over the cam campf fire lre arout at night sierra tells breck more ore about louise temple that kids a thoroughbred he says he also believes th that bat art tillson Is not essentially bad but t Is the victim of circumstances returning to cooks camp breck Is directed to go to rock house meadow his permanent base on his way he Is the target of a pistol shot from an unseen assailant the bullet misses but his frightened pack animals bolt and breck goes in pursuit finding a deserted cabin he be takes lakes shelter from the rain A moment later two of the tillson brothers arrive and breck hides in the cabin loft then art tillson nilson arrives breck hears bears the three Till sons discuss a plot against his life waiting his chance breck surprises the brothers and holds them at the point of his gun jud the oldest brother offers a bribe it if breck will make no trouble playing tor for time breck pretends to take the offer oder under consideration lets the men go brecks duty Is to take count at the annual cattle drive at rock house meadow there he meets louise temple CHAPTER IX continued 7 ranger louise said riding close 1 I dont believe I 1 know your name he told her gordon breck she repeated I 1 heard of ct you before let me think inward warning urged him to prevent that thought surely she had known jim cotter and jim had probably spoken his name perhaps mentioned their close friendship he did not want her to make the connection tion sweeping a gloved hand toward the river of animals he asked what part of this drive Is yours miss temple louy it if you tike like she said impersonally perso naly 1 I shant call you mister and then in the same offhand off hand manner 1 I am allowed six hundred head on my permit but I 1 think there are seven hundred breck turned to her with a short laugh her eyes met his gravely and he was undecided whether she was spoofing spooning fing him or not his laughter died and matching her own serious look he said 1 I can let you have six hundred and twenty no more and what about the other eighty breck shrugged my arent you a hard boiled ranger I 1 very he agreed they had not ridden tar far together when she suddenly turned in her saddle looking up the right canyon bank breck followed her eyes A bunch of steers had left the main drive and were working toward a side coulee the girl cupped her hands palo A an indian boy started to her she waved him back but he only halted the strays swung up the coulee at a run oh loidl the blue horse sprang beneath her knowing his job and raced up behind the cattle in order to circle around and get in front of them she must jump a narrow creek that had cut its ste steep cp banks along the ravine bottom breck watched as she dashed to the edge the horse refused to make the leap there she forced him further on and back to the bank again he hesitated and in that instant of wavering lost his momentum when he sprang apran his rush was spent legs clawed the air his belly struck the opposite rim he reared hind feet in the stream forefeet pawing at the bank top tor for one tense second then he be became overbalanced over balanced and tell fell it all happened in a moment momen L breck dropped his pack line and wheeled kit toward the coulee he saw louise slip from the saddle and hurl herself across the water the falling horse missed her brecks breath escaped in a thankful gasp then his eye caught a black shape racing through the pines along the canyon bank the indian boy had sent his dog was yelling at him now to come back but aut too late the black beast circled the herd turned them sent lem down as he sprang in with laws snapping at the laggards breck was not conscious of gauging distance ile he only knew that the rr first 4 of the steers was still above louise he lashed his horse toward her saw there was no time to help her mount and swung to the ground the red flood was not fifty yards u way it came in a wedge a huge white faced animal in the lead that thai was his target he fired twice waited fired again when the steer tried to rise others behind that one swerved yet only tor for a lew few steps kit danced from the oncoming lines and snorted at the carcass in front ot of him with one arm breck held the girl between his body and the horses flank and as the herd poured about him sought to shield her from their crush the first passed hoots hoofs pounded beside his feet shaggy coats brushed him horns grazed wa within a hands breadth ot of his bis back then came one brute that would not give over his low broad shoulder charged into kits swung out a little from the impact then raked full length ot of the horse breck pushed out against it the shoulder bone missed him but he caught the whole force of the puffed barrel his arms yielded eu lie he was crushing the girl for an instant it seemed they were being mashed together the steer rushed on one word came with his regained breath louise she lifted her head but was speechless the pallor ot of her face filled him with sudden fear he put her upon kit mounted the saddle himself and shifted her into his was cut almost to a mans shortness lying close to her small head and to brecks eye needed no adjusting A little later though he was aware that some magic transformation had truly taken place perhaps it was the way she had brushed the dark waves from her forehead bringing out a finely modeled profile with something aristocratic in its clean lines or perhaps it was a sudden realization within himself they were so alone here in the cabin she thought nothing ot of lt it apparently but he be did and was a little disturbed then shamed that he could not feel equally as casual to hide it it he worked hard at boiling tea water and warming tomato soup even made toast holding slices of 0 bread over the fire with things ready he moved a table to the bunk and put his chair opposite louise she remained silent tor for a time until he wondered if 11 the accident had hurt her more than she admitted how do you feel now he asked she smiled across her tin cup very much a lady it has been a long time since anyone served me afternoon teal breck waited to hear a girls voice was a pleasant treat he the old soaks cellar louise lifted her eyes color flowed into her cheeks but she said nothing and turned from him to stare out of the window it faced west down a stringer ot of open meadow and framed many miles across the range the triple peaks of the mist of the canyons caught each shade ol of sunset violet deepening into vibrant red the kaweah tops themselves rising golden against an opal sky the picture was and breck said so louise faced him sharply her lips parted in a breathless question you dont dont paint no sometimes I 1 wish I 1 did I 1 certainly would paint this range why Is it so many artists study the coast it is beautiful but so much the same always blue water brown rocks tans fans of white surf but this out there look at she shook her head 1 I cant breck averted his eyes from hers aware that he had probed something deep and painful he ha would have turned their talk from pictures but her own words rushed to him you may think im siliyl but youve lust just expressed what I 1 have always wanted to do paint the high and your talk ot of the N V nt IOU d P t 07 V I 1 44 for an instant it seemed they were being mashed together arms gently he ran his fingers down own her side nothing broken she whispered but im im frn pretty sick sicil she relaxed and lay back against him before he had reached the drive another rider raced up reining his horse in suddenly happened here he demanded louy are you hurt breck looked over the top ot of the girls head into art Till sons arrogant eyes ashes had a little trouble im taking her to rock house the hell you are it if ashes hurt I 1 IU go back with her to temples camp breck rode oni 1 dont think its that serious anyway my station Is closer art drew in his horse and let himself over into one stirrup until he was near breck his mouth tightened with swill swift rage ill 1 save it breck cut in this Is no time for or a rowl half a dozen other men rode up he repeated the same thing to them not badly hurt im taking her to rock house an hour later he passed the narrow entrance to rock house meadow and abruptly the wide bowl spread before him emerald green grass sloped up to the dark pine rim and at the western edge stood the cabin his cabin not one of cold rock but of warm weathered logs small certainly yet snug compact a home tor for a man often in days past breck had thought of it it had anticipated moving to a station of his own but never had he be pictured himself riding to the door with a girl held in his arms I 1 CHAPTER X breck entered the one room spread a canvas on the boxed pine needle bunk and placed louise there keep quiet tor for a while he advised her you were pretty badly jolted in your tall fall and then that steer they look like balloons but lord bardl alter after building a fire in the small iron stove in one corner he brought water from the stream then left her and went out to take off oa his packs when he returned bringing tea and canned soup tor for a quick meal he discovered that even a mountain girl Is forever feminine lenain me she was propped up against the end logs trying to ox fix her hair it groped tor for something ot of mutual interest to lead her on im sorry I 1 had to shoot that steer louise shrugged nothing lost well need meat for the boys tonight one steer wont go tar far with thirty cowhands she gave the information without interest breck tried again how long have you been in this ranch country born here and that was a long time ago ages but we dont have to talk ranches nor cows nor how much it is going to rain this su summer in unless you really want to breck laughed what then louise spread her hands in a little gesture almost ot of despair anything but me this toast for or example I 1 know a man could make it less than an inch thick where did you learn sierra slim had said this girl once studied painting As tar far back as new york city breck deliberately gave the name of a village club where you may fix your own dishes it was a gathering place tor for student artists he had bad often gone there with friends old soaks cellar dont I 1 know it where you bring your own bread and butter and fry things and it if you a quarter for the gas meter theres jimmy valentine himself to show you how to work a slug bleecker street with its italian push cartal and a bus top ride up fifth avenue tor for ten cents 1 and even greenwich Vil village lagel I 1 1 I know youre wondering how I 1 can tall fail tor for its sham they work so hard at being a sham why I 1 admire hard work and some ot of them paint I 1 tried to and had to give it up out here I 1 whirl a lass rope and wear chaps but ive got an old orange smock down at the ranch P louise broke off and stared at breck through the dusk that almost hid her face 1 I think I 1 understand he be said quietly you have an old smock some day go back to it do you think so do you oh it if I 1 could believe thail with sudden impulse breck leaned across the table to tier her you must believe it it louise TO BE CONTINUED |