| Show pv 0 B B E S 9 OOST ky 3 A SYNOPSIS jim wall young cowpuncher from wyoming seeks 9 a new field in utah he meets m L is hank hays who tells him he Is working for or an englishman herrick hays and others are plotting to steal their employers cattle and money with hays jim wall ROCS goes to herricks ranch hays and his lieutenants drive oft off a bunch 0 of cattle heegeman Hc Hee eseman Is hays rival among the cattle rustlers jim Is sent to meet miss herrick Herr lck hays betrays unusual interest in the girls coming wall finds himself falling failing in love with helen and he fears hays has designs on tho the girl jim coaches her in riding western style and finally kisses kiss es her she Is angry and dismisses him but relents and asks ka him not to leave the ranch hays men return from the drive having the money A quick getaw getaway Is imperative hays tells thorn them to go BO on ahead that he wll will join oln them ile he comes with helen herrick a captive hays explains that he stole helen for or ransom realizing that hat helen will be worse oft it if the she falls into heesemann Hee Ilee semans clutches jim wall does nothing noth lne heesemann Hee semans riders come in pursuit hays leads the kans gang into a canyon retreat the robbers roo roost I 1 in th the e roost jim keeps a watchful eye e ye on helen heesemann Hee Hees semans omans riders appear helen to Is taken to a cave and hays and his followers prepare tor for the coming battle CHAPTER X continued 16 scarcely had he gotten out of sight when jim thought of the field gla glass SS smoky should have taken it jim risked going back to his pack to secure it it and had the fun of dodging another bullet what had become of hays waiting alone among these deflecting bullets wore on jims mood lie ile decided to peep out of the hole again to this end he climbed to the shelf rifle in hand and the glass slung around his neck lie ile could command every point with the aid of the field glass without exposing his head an instant later a far off shot thrilled jim that might be smoky suddenly a dark form staggered up flinging arms aloft silhouetted black against tile the sky that must be the sharpshooter smoky had reached him headlong he pitched off the cliff to plunge sheer into the wash below smoky had at least carried out his idea suddenly jim espied hays itaas bold boldly y mounting the slope but it appeared that he had not been discovered yet those on top were facing the unseen peril to the west jim marveled at the purpose of the robber chief still another shot from smoky the bastl but hays had readied reached high enough to see over leveling the rifle he took deliberate aim then he fired heeseman hissed jim as sure as it if he himself had held that gun hays working the lever of his rifle bounded back and aside shots boomed one knocked him to his knees but he lunged up to fire again again he was hit or the rifle was for it broke from his hands drawing his two revolvers he leveled them and as lie fired one then the other he be backed against the last broken section of the wall jim saw the red dust spatter from the rock above the shots thinned out and ceased hays was turning to the left his remaining gun lowered lie ile was aiming down the slope on the other side lie ile fired again then no more those who were left of Ilee semans outfit had taken night flight hays watched them strode to the side of the big rock and kept on watching them soon he be turned back and sheathing one gun took to reloading the other it was at this moment that jim relinquished quis squished lied the field glass to take up tip his rifle with naked eyes through the aperture in the brush he could see hays finish loading his gun this moment to jims avid mind was the one in which to kill the robber lie he drew a bead on lays hays breast but he could not press the trigger lowering the hammer jim watched hays stride up among the rocks to disappear jim leaped up out of the hole to have a better look par far beyond the red ridge he discerned men running alona alone the white wash there were three of them scattered A fourth appeared from behind a bank and he was crippled ile he waved frantically to tile the comrades who had bad left him to fare for himself they were headed tor for the cove where the horses still stood and their precipitate flight attested to the end of that battle and as surely to the last of heesemann Hee semans outfit CHAPTER XI jim picked up the field glass and slinging clingi ng it on his elbow essayed a descent into the cave on tile the shelf he hesitated and sat a moment locked in thought A second time he started down only to halt straddling the notch the battle had worked out fatefully fute fully and fatally would he be see smoky again yet nothing had changed the issue the end was n not ot yet with his blood surging back to his hearth heart jim leaped down to meet the robber chief wheres sherea Wh erea smoky called jim his lynx eyes on hays right hand cashed in boomed hays fastening great hollow bollow eyes of pale fire upon jim ile he had cover ile he plugged I 1 dont don t know how many but marleys Mor levs leys outfit had thrower in with an when thet gambler stud broke an an smoky had to head him orf ore they llad each cacti other who got away I 1 saw four men s irla crippled pled orley an montano montana fer two I 1 aby bazane ZANE GREY w service recognize the others they shore run th throwing throw rowin ln rifles away they were making for their horses tied half a mile back sherell Wh erell they go nays hays for fer more men morley Is most as stubborn as Uc Bee eseman an once hes seen this roost of ours hell want it an to wipe out left of us hueseman Hc eseman wal owal he run jim hawl bawl hes dead the chief strode to the mouth of the care and stared around jim remained at the spot he had selected to one side between the robber and helens covert jack an ilac too he ejaculated in amaze how come no more in ore of thet outfit sneaked down in ayar mae mac stuck his noodle too far out of that hole in the cave care and happy jack stopped a glancing bullet theres just two of us left hays by the way you going to bury your dead no if I 1 do any anything thin at all be for fer my gurl them stiffs aint a pretty sight bight if jim wall needed any galvanizing shock to nerve him to the deed he had resolved upon that tingle single possessive word was enough ill bury them later he said good im all in I 1 climbed moren a mile to git to them tellers fellers hays sat down heavily and ran his ls right flesh wound to fuss fus over this cinnlt F hand inside his shirt to feel of the bulge on his shoulder jim saw him wince blood had soaked through his shirt you ton got hit bit I 1 see flesh wound to fuss over this minnit an ive got a crease on my head thet hurts like sixty half an inch lower an id have been left lord of robbers Kob bers roost you shore would jim lousy with money an a gurl to look after but it jest happen thet way no it but it will I 1 that cool statement pierced the robbers lethargic mind up went hla his shaggy head and the pale eyes opaque like burned out furnaces took on a tiny curious gleam when his hand band came slowly down from inside his shirt the fingers were stained red what kind of a crack was chett he be demanded puzzled hays you forget youre sore thet I 1 devry square hays I 1 take it you double crossed me same as you did them uh huh buh wal you got me in a corner I 1 reckon athars only two of us left id be crazy to quarrel would athard a third of my money square me no it wal you air almin at a bargain say half then no A tremor ran over the robber frame that was a release of swift passion hot bot blood that leaped again but he controlled himself air you bryin to pick a fight wi with th me at this jim laughed cause it if you air I 1 jest wont won t fight id be senseless you an me can git along I 1 like you well throw together hide bide somewhere a while then build up another outfit it cant be done 4 ill give you two thirds of 0 the money hays I 1 take another dollar from you that you gave willingly it jim had turned his left side slightly toward hays concealing his bis right hand which had find slipped to his gun butt with ills his thumb on the hammert hammer t F for or jim hays was as good as dead all be mine presently he r replied oldIn me up huh bull rasped hays flays learned to be a shore enough robber traille trall trail ln with me huh bull hays I 1 promised smoky rd id kill you which he meant to do it if lie he had bad lived to come back the robbers face grown grewn dirty white under his thin beard at last he understood der stood so much at least what volumes his stupidity spoke for ills ids ab soriA loul it changed jims posture his unseen hand suddenly loomed with tremendous meaning shore thet surprise me admitted the robber when mens fe elins are raw as in a time like this they clash but I 1 did my thare share to clear the air an it if smoky had come back hed have seen it different I 1 could have talked him out of it it tim jim youre shore smart enough to see thet an you oughter aughter be honest enough to admit IV it 1 I daresay you could have won wn smoky back lie ile had a fool worship for you but you cant talk me out of 0 anything 11 why ter fer dawds sak ewhen im givin you all the best of the deal because I 1 want the girl thundered jim A great astonishment held hays strick stricken eiL through it realization filtered thet thet was it all the time he be gasped all the time ilni hank nays hays replied jim steadily and it was the robbers eyes pale fires no longer that he watched for thought and will still he saw the violent muscular quivering which slowly diminished to freeze into rigidity lie he had struck the right chord in whatever way possible hank nays hays loved this woman however it had begun the sordid brutal thing had ended in hays worship of the golden haired sister of herrick jim read this in the extraordinary betraying eyes and read more that it had been helen the robber had fought for not cot his lost caste with his men not the honor of thieves it was wa this that accounted for the infernal fernal blaze of unquenchable hate of courage that death itself could scarcely have stilled all this immediately coalesced into the conscious resolve to act and kiili As the robber sprang up jims first shot ook fook him somewhere in the breast it whirled him halt half around ills gun spouting flame tore up the gravel at jims feet A terrible wound nith its agony a consciousness of its mortality added to the overwhelming ferocity of jealous hate gave the man superhuman physical activity ho he whirled bounding the other way and so swiftly that jims second shot missed him altogether hays gun was booming but it was also describing the same curves and jerks as his body then as passion gave place to desperate need and the gun aligned itself with jim jims third shot de troyed aim force and consciousness hays demoniac face set woodenly Y the gun with hammer up dropped to explode and the robber lodged against the slant of wall dead with the awfulness of his mortal passion stamped upon his bis features it was over jim breathed the hand which held his gun was so wet that he be thought his blood was flowing but it was sweat 1 I wish smoky could know muttered jim over a convulsive jaw ile he shoved hays off the wall wiping his face jim staggered to the 1 rock and sat down spent and leaving he sat there his will operating on a whirling mind it was over the thin thing that had had to come all deada loyal and faithless robbers alike what to do now the girl I 1 escape from that bell hellhole hole soon to be ba besieged again he must pack that very hour and ride ride away with her jim oh biml came a cry from the back of the cave helen its all over he be called hoarsely she appeared in the opening gone she whispered yes tes gone and dead 1 I saw you Is he be dead you bet your life burst out jim his breast oppressed oh help me out I 1 he ran to assist her she came sliding out to fall on her knees clasping jim with fierce arms her head fell against him get up he ordered sharply trying to lift her hut but she was more than a dead weight god bless you I 1 oh god bless you she cried the voice was husky strange yet carried caged the richness and contralto melody that had been one of helens charms dont say that I 1 be h exclaimed aghast jim youve saved me the she whispered jims jimi hands bands plucked at her arms caught them she loosened her hold and raised her head bead to look up at him he saw only her eyes tearless strained in overwhelming wh elming gratitude no not yet he blurted out we must bust hurry out of this she arose still clinging to him forgive me I 1 am ain selfish we can talk some other time I 1 should have realized you would want to leave here at once tell me what to do I 1 will obeys obey jim stepped back and shook himself you kept me from thinking he began yes oyes we must leave here put on your riding clothes pack this dress you have on and all you have take your time were safe for the alie present and dont look out ive got to bury hays and the men TO DB BE |
