THE STORY
Garrett O'Hara, young lawyer,
on his way to practice at Con-
cho, wild western town, is shot
at from ambush. He hears the
desperado who fired the shot,
Shep Sanderson, talking to Bar-
bara Steelman, who thought the
AAT~
shot was directed at her,
Judge
rett’'s resemblance to
Warner convinces Barbara that
Sanderson fired at Garrett think-
ing he was Warner, She advises
Garrett not to go to Concho, cen-
ter of a big cattle war, He in-
sists, Shs tells him to see Steve
Worrall, In town Sanderson picks
a fight with Garrett and is get-
ting the worst of it when In-
gram, cattle baron, interrupts.
Worrall tells Garrett about the
cattle war between Ingram and
Steelman.
CHAPTER III
re Bn
“If Not For Us, Against Us”
O'Hara had no difficulty finding the
place for which he was looking. There
were only two large stores in the
town. The one at this end had a long
sign along the front which read:
“INGRAM & HARVEY."
Into the big adobe building O'Hara
walked.
Five or six men were lounging near
the front of the store. All of them
were openly armed. Some wore a
holster swung low on the front thigh.
One had his harnessed to the breast,
Two carried a pair of revolvers. More
than one had a rifle also.
Two men were In the little
shut off from the rest of the
One of them was Ingram. He
to O'Hara.
“Come in. Meet my
Harvey.” To Harvey he said:
this is the man 1 was tellin’
about.”
Harvey was a short, thickset man
with hard, protruding eyes. His face
was pallid, his mouth a slit narrowed
by thin lips tightly pressed together.
A ruthless man, one might guess, but
without the character that gave his
partner individuality.
“Glameechou,” he unlocked his lips
to say, all in one gulped word.
f he was glad he did not look It.
There was no expression whatever in
his chalky eyes.
“Where you
asked Ingram.
The Easterner told him. He an-
swered other questions, put sharpiy
and incisively., Where had he studied
law? Who did he know in Concho?
Why had he come here?
O'Hara had taken an instant dislike
to Harvey, but he did not feel the
same toward his partner. It was odd,
too, he reflected later. Evidently It
was a matter of personality. This
bronzed handsome man, who carried
himself with such lithe ease, came
none too well recommended. He could
snuff out a human life with no regret.
Undoubtedly he was unscrupulous,
probably a cow thief. But he had the
force that goes with a strong
acter, either good or bad. Masterful
he was and always would be.
“How come you to start trouble with
Shep Sanderson?’ asked Harvey,
speaking for the first time since his
word of gulped greeting at intro.
duction,
“Did I'start trouble with him. Mr.
Harvey?" O'Hara replied, a stee'y
note in his voice. “He shot at me
from ambush while I was on the pub-
le road. Later he assaulted me In a
dance hall. Afraid we differ In our
points of view.”
“I'm not chewin' words but talkin’
turkey. Shep's ugly as galvanized sin
when he's sore at anyone. Well, he's
sore at you."
Ingram flung this aside with a £08.
ture. “Forget about Shep. He" lay
off this young fellow. I'll see to that”
He turned abruptly to the lawyer,
“How about you, O'Hara? Can you
live under yore own hat? Will you
stand by yore boss long as there's a
button on Jabe's coat? Have you got
sand in yore craw?"
office
store.
called
partner, Mr.
“Tom,
you
from, Mr. O'Hara?”
char-
O'Hara answered, In the low, gentle
voice that was sometimes so decep-
tive, since it led men to believe that
he was meek, “To take your questions
in order, Mr. Ingram: I do not talk
about my clients’ affairs, if that's
what you mean. Nor do 1 sell out to
the opposition when 1 engage to carry
on legal business. Only time will tell
whether 1 am too timid to live in
Concho.”
“Listen, O'Hara,” sald Ingram. look-
ing straight at him. “Wait till I tell
you the line-up. We're startin’ a finish
fight against Wes Steelman. He's run
the San Marcos country long enough.
He sure can't come up here into the
hills and dictate what's what, It's a
showdown. We're callin’ his hand.
Our friends are his enemies. His
friends are our enemies, Everybody
that amounts to a tinker's dam will
have to choose which side he'll be on."
“Why? Why not be peutral?’
“If you're mot for us you're
against us.”
O'Hara rose from the chair where
he was sitting. “I don't accept that
conclusion, Mr. Ingram. But let me
first reply to your offer. 1 decline it.
I won't be anybody's man and wear a
ollar round my neck. I'll not engage
po support a cause beyond the point
where it seems to me just. You want
me to be your lawyer and yet tie me
hand and foot. I can’t do it. No man
of spirit could.”
“Then you'd better get right out of
Concho. You're not wanted here”
Ingram sald bluntly,
“Why? I'm not In this fight. I've
nothing to do with it. I don't Intend
to have.”
“You chuckle-headed fool, you'll be
in it an’ out of it tuside of three days
“Shep
All
If you stay,” Harvey jeered.
Sanderson will take care of that.
we've got to do Is say the word.”
“Why should you say It?" asked
O'Hara, his eyes steadily on Ingram.
“I've done you no harm. I'm not in
this fight against you. ' I'm a stranger
here and intend to take no part in it.”
Ingram gave a short scornful bark
of laughter, “You're one of these fel-
lows that know it all an’ can't be told
anything. All right, Play yore own
hand. Suits me if it does you. But
before you walk out of this room listen
to me. It's good medicine, what I'm
tellin’ you. There's not a gather of
beeves In this country that either
Wes Steelman or I haven't a hand in,
not a ton of freight moves that one of
us ain't Interested In directly or in-
directly. If you can read yore title
clear to practice law here an' not do
business with the one or the other of
us you'll sure have to be fed by the
ravens. You got to make yore cholce
if you stay here—him or me, one.”
The other partner cut In unpleas.
antiy: “Maybe he's made It, Dave.
I reckon he's already tied up with
Steelman.”
O'Hara looked at
never even met him,”
touch of anger.
“You might of met his agent where
you come from. We'll know right
soon where you're at, young fellow.”
The jeering voice was an Insult
The lawyer's jaw set. “I don't have
to explain my private business to you,
Mr. Harvey. I'm a citizen of a
country.”
At which Harvey laughed maliclous-
ly. “All right, Mr. Free Citizen, go
right on down the road an’ see where
you head in"
There was something inhu-
man, about that laughter. It was with-
out any of the milk of natural kind-
ness in it. Later, remembering It,
O'Hara was able better to understand
some of the events that followed.
Ingram rose. “All right. 'Nough
said. Adios, Mr. O'Hara,” he cut in
by way of curt dismissal.
O'Hara turned away, not without
regret. He had made the only choice
possible to him. None the less, he
was sorry. The personality of this
strong fighting cattle man rather fas-
cinated him.
He caught sight the Innocent
Bystander and stopped to say “Good
morning.” Worrall was standing in
the road, one foot on the hub of a
wagon wheel, He was giving instrue-
tions to a mule skinner about to start
on a two-hundred-and-fifty miles drive
to the rallroad. He finished what he
had to say to the teamster and then
strolled over toward the Gold Nugget,
in front of which O'Hara was waiting,
Out of the Gold Nugget came a
young man. He was a slight boyish
fellow in the garb of a cowboy: high-
heeled boots, flannel shirt, open waist.
coat, wide gray hat, and two six
shooters. His eyes were a very light
cold blue, his chin receded, two prom.
inent buck teeth showed. He seemed
friendly and amiable, and on the whole
was not bad looking. O'Hara remem-
bered him as one of the young fel-
lows In Ingram's store.
He stopped to grin at Worrall
“How's the temperature up where you
live, Shorty 7
The freighter smiled down at him
from his six feet plus. “Meet Mr.
Harvey, ‘I've
he sald with a
free
cruel,
of
“We're Startin’ a Finish Fight
Against Wes Steelman.”
O'Hara, Bob. Mr. O'Hara,
hands with Bob Quantrell.”
This ceremony concluded, Quantrell
remarked that It was right hot for so
early In the summer and continued,
spurs trailing, on his casual way,
Worrall lowered his volee. “You
may like to know that you've Just
shaken hands with a real killer. Bob
Quantrell has bumped off a heap of
men in his time."
O'Hara was amazed. “That boy?
Why, he can't be more than nineteen
or twenty."
“Eighteen last month. He told me
#0 himself, I can name seven or
eight he's killed, an’ the story Is
that's not more’n half of those he has
got.”
“He doesn't look like a desperate
character.”
“I didn't say he was” Worrall fa
shake
murred. “But he sure would make
yore friend Shep Sanderson look like
a nickel Mex If they got In a rumpus.
Say, I got news for you. There's an.
other stranger In town, an' the boys
are expectin’ some fun. He's a belted
earl.”
“A what?"
“That's what we call these rich Eng-
lishmen that maverick around.”
“What's he doling here?”
“I dunno. He'll go Into cattle an’
drop a fortune. They all do. Condi-
tions here ain't what they been nsed
to. He parts his name in the middle,
Smith-Beresford Is what he calls him-
self.”
At dinner, which of course was In
the middie of the day, O'Hara had his
first opportunity to see the English-
man, Smith-Beresford was a round
ruddy man In riding boots and
breeches, He had the clean scrubbed
look characteristic of some of his race.
Job Quantrell came into the hotel
to get dinner and sat down in the only
vacant chair at the long table, It hap.
pened to be next to Smith-Beresford,
and the Englishman at once engaged
him In talk.
O'Hara noticed that Quantrell's
voice was low and soft. At first he
was Inclined to be reserved, but evi-
dently the overseas man took
fancy, for he warmed up and ceased
to answer In
dinner was over he and the English.
man had thelr heads together and
were planning a bear hunt, Afterward
the two disappeared. Smith-Beresford
hand taken the young fellow to his
room to show him lection of
hunting guns he had brought. Later
they came back to the lobby, the Brit-
isher guest to the
front door.
“We'll have a jolly good hunt,
chap,” he said. “I'll depend on you to
look after the horses and that sort of
thing. I suppose you know a
horse when you see one.”
“I think so.”
“Then, by Jove,
pin’ time.”
O'Hara departed. he
met Steve Worrall, The owner of the
Longhorn corral wasted no words In
greeting.
“Judge Warner
pected an’
administrator
Hughes,
was wearin®' an arsenal,
a dozen
his
monosyliabiles, lefore
the colle
accompanying his
old
good
we'll have a rip-
On the street
come through as ex-
appointed Wes Steelman
of the estate of Jess
‘Most every man in the room
Wes had half
gunmen with him an' so did
Dave. Wouldn't have surprised me
if war had started right there an’
then, but I reckon the orders were for
none of the boys to make a play.
Well, soon now, That's ny guess.”
Worrall spoke In a low voice, for
walls sometimes had ears. Concho
was & town divided against itself.
Sples and partisans were everywhere,
“Isn't there any way of stopping it?
Couldn't they compromise?”
“They could, but they won't.” Wor-
rall answered. “Miss Barbara, she's
worked on Wes consid'rable, but he's
stubborn as a government mule. An’
talkin’ about angels, If we can't hear
the rustle of their wings. Look who's
sashayin’ down the road.”
O'Hara looked. A party of riders
was coming down the dusty street.
Those in advance were a grizzled,
heavy-set man In his late forties and
a young woman whom O'Hara at once
recognized at Barbara Steelman.
Miss Steelman spoke to the man be.
side her and the party drew up be-
side Worrall and the lawyer. There
were seven men In the group, all
armed with rifles as well as six.
shooters,
“This is Mr.
woman said,
father,
you ™
Wesley Steelman's strong face had
O'Hara,” the young
“Mr. O'Hara, this is my
I've been tellin’ him about
Confirming the honeybee’s reputa.
tion for diligence, the United States
Department of Agriculture recently
learned that a bee will sometimes fly
as much as eight miles and return with
its minute load. Under such circum.
stances a gingle pound of honey would
represent approximately 18.000 trips of
16 miles each, or nearly 300,000 miles
of flight by bees,
In a locality in Wyoming where irri-
gated alfalfa Is virtually the only
source of honey the department placed
some hives eight miles from the near.
est nectar supply. The bees made
dally trips to the alfalfa, loaded with
honey, and returned. Since the bees
flew this distance regularly, the de-
Helpful Hint
“Here! now!” yelled Constable
Slackputer of Petunia. “What In tor
ment d' ye mean fiddling and phil
andering all over the streets with that
automobile the way you've been a-do-
ing today?"
“This Is my first car,” answered the
offender, “and I baven't more than
half learned how to drive it yet. I
want to turn around, but there doesn't
seem to be room enough in any of the
streets here”
“Well, you just drive over to Tor
pidville, six miles away, elrcumnavi-
‘gate the public square there, come
back here and you'll be turned around.”
wKanuas City Star
tanned to a leathery brown by a thou-
sand summer suns and winter winds.
Deep blue eyes looked straight at the
man to whom he was being Introduced,
He had fought his way up from the
ranks, asking no man's favor, rising
by sheer force of will and brain to the
position he held of cattle king of the
San Marcos, Looking at him, O'Hara
could understand why. He was a
man’s man, with a frank and friendly
manner. Probably generous and kindly
to those who supported him,
“Glad to have you with us, Mr.
O'Hara,” he sald heartily, and swung
from the saddle to shake hands with
the lawyer. “My daughter says you
think of stayin’ here. Hope you de-
cide to do 80. We can use some good
citizens.”
“That's not what 1 told him,” Bar-
bara said, smiling at the young man.
“Fact, just the same. Time this
country was gettin' civilized, Mr.
O'Hara, lemme make you acquainted
with my friends. Shake hands with
Jack Phillips an' Texas Jim."
While O'Hara's hand passed from
one strong grip to another he became
aware that another group of horsemen
was approaching, They
abreast, in two rows. Ingram was in
front, Harvey left, and DBob
Quantrell on the right and nearest the
rode three
on his
other group.
As they passed
Insolently, gaily.
good-by to each other” he murmured,
Just loud enough to be heard. “Well,
You never can tell’
Lyulph
Quantrell laughed,
“They're gavin’
Harcourt
came down the street.
Steelman party, Al
the big cattle man
Smith-Beresford
He joined the
ady he had met
and his da
With a lift of the hand toward the
lawyer, Barbara sald: “Make yon sc
quainted with Mr. O'Hara, Mr. Sm
Beresford.”
yh, 8
iter
The two men shook hands,
Mn spoke:
along home,
u out tomorrow mo '. Mr. Smith
Beresford. Better bring Mr. O'Hara
with you. We'll show you some good
huntin' and fishin’,
“Afr: I'd be trouble,
Steelman,” O'Hara sald. much
to accept the Invi
“Not in the
man answered carelessly
if don't want
iid some Ar
desiring
tation,
world,” the eattle.
“We don’
You,
any
nsk you
O'Hara"
“Then I'l}
After the Steelman party had ridden
we
certainly come
away the Englishman dismoun
tied his horse to a hitch rack
“I say, Mr. O'llara, feel like
and 8.
O'Hara did not, but he walked Int
the nearest saloon with the
They down at a smal
table and the Easterner took a sma
glass of beer.
They chatted for a
At first they were al
bartender, but presently three or four
men came in. One of them was young
Bob Quantrell, another San-
derson.
The Ingram men were standing at
the bar, ready to drink. Sanderson
became aware that there were two
other men In the saloon. Scarcely
looking In their direction, he waved
them forward.
“On me. Everybody drink.” There
was arrogance In the Invitation, which
was almost Aa command.
The two men at the table did not
move,
Sanderson swung his head
me? Come an’ drink.”
Then he recognized first O'Hara,
and afterward the Englishman. His
hand slid slowly toward the butt of
his 44 and he moved a step or two
toward the sitting men.
“So it's you, eh?" His shallow cruel
eyes rested on O'Hara. They nar
rowed, taking on a curious glitter.
“Well, you ain't teacher's pet any
longer, young fellow, see, an’ you're
my meat. Me talkin'—Shep Sander.
son. Understand?
Smith-Beresford did
other ten
derfoot. wut
few minutes
e except for the
Shep
“Hear
not, at least,
partment agriculturists assume they
might fly even farther if necessary,
Flying these 16-mile trips, however,
some bees fail to return home because
sand storms overtake them, or head
winds impede them. Laden with
honey, they are forced to rest often on
the way home, particularly when fly-
ing into the wind or in cool weather.
When they reach the hive after such
long trips they often make abnormal
landings and frequently fail to alight
at the entrance of the hive.
— A ———————
Great Medical Discovery
A young Canadian surgeon, Dr. F.
G. Banting, returned from four years
of service at the front in the World
war with the idea of the new remedy,
Insulin. He submitted his plans to
Professor MacLeod of the University
of Toronto, and under the latter's di-
rection, with the assistance of Mr, CO.
H. Best and others, experimentsfiyore
begun in May, 1021. After a prelim.
inary trial of the remedy on himself,
Doctor Banting saw the first case of
diabetes to be trested with insulin to
receive his Injection in the Toronto
General hospital, January 10, 1022
This date marks an Important discoy-
ery in modern medicine,
Wall at High Altitude
Some of the mountains over which
the famous Chinese wall was bullt
ranged as high as 5.000 feet,
He rose to his feet. “See here, my
man, you've been drinking. You
mustn't come in and [nterrupt gen.
tlemen-—"
“What!” roared the gunman, “Who
in hot Mexico are you to tell me what
1 must an’ mustn't do? Listen, fel-
low! 1 saw you pow-wowin’ with old
man Steelman a while ago. I'm gonna
make It two right now. Both of you
cash In, you an’ the other tenderfoot,
too, onless you talk me outa the no-
tion, an’ I'll bet my boots you ain't
got a chance In the world te do it.”
Still the Englishman falled to realize
the perilous position in which he and
O'Hara stood. He would not believe
that in a fraction of a second the bar-
rel of the revolver might be thrown
down on him and a finger crooked that
would send death roaring at him. This
fellow Sanderson was a drunken bully
and he did not propose to put up
with it
The plump little man strutted for-
ward, his face flushed with annoyance.
“He'll Give You a Game His Own
Self, Hooray!”
*, my man, If you
rome in here and bully me"
O'Hara interrupted, to cry out shar
ly, “He's not i Neith
I. Both of us unarmed.”
His vol
an appeal,
killer that
o
side the
arm er
© Was a warning rath
It {
y
to slay now
served notice
would be out-
ode, that even his own com
panions would disa
not protect f
pprove and perhaps
him from Steeclman’'s ven-
geance,
Sanderson sputtered fou're pack
fq" ce ores ¥ . n* %
in Aa gun somewhere Aan’ y
to it. You're a
Ire scared
when you
draw )
for
a1 vine
amazing
* man's 44 Jerked up swiftly
Beresford had done an
thing. had thrust
head now his
were end of
the barrel
“Shoot an’ be hanged, you
You haven't the pluck to fire”
O'Hara thought that for one dread.
ful moment his heart bad
pumping. To plunge forward, to make
the least move, would be the siznal
for Sanderson to shoot. He could
only walt helplessly in the heavy
silence while the drama worked it.
self out.
It seemed
son's slow mind made Its choice,
spoke hoarsely, savagely, “Go an’
heeled, both of you, an' when you
fellows.”
laugh rang out
little man his
that
inches from
The
forward,
glx
£0
not the
coward,
stopped
forever before Sander
He
get
S00
me, come a-shootin’,
Quantrell’s boyish
and broke the tension. “He sure went
for you all spraddled out, he
thought you was a big wind pudding
Another minute an’ I reckon he wonld
have crawled yore big frame the way
his friend did Iast night. I'm buyin’
chips, Shep. This gent has got sand
in his craw, an’ he's my friend. Lay
off him”
“This other tenderfoot
too?" Sanderson asked sulkily.
The boy looked at O'Hara
watched this episode with wary,
detachment, and he had seen the law-
yer step forward to join his com.
panion in front of the furious bad
man. Tenderfoot he undoubtedly was
but like the other he had shown cour
age of a high order.
“Lay off him, too, Shep, an’ see you
do or I'll give you a game. I'm yore
loadin’, any jump in the road.” Quan.
trell laid down the law to the other
killer carelessly, almost casually, with
the supreme confidence of one who
knows himself chief,
O'Hara's pride was touched, He did
not want to hide behind an eighteen-
year-old boy. “I don’t know anything
about a gun, but if you'll give me
three weeks I'll get ready for this
man,” he sald,
The young desperados eyes lit
“Good enough, Rhep. Lay off three
weeks, an’ then hop to it if you like
He'll give you a game his own self.
Hooray !"
“Him! That pligrim!
game—me, Shep Sanderson!
talk, That's all it Is"
gnorted contemptuously.
“If it's fool talk maybe he's gansing
it to the capacity of yore understand.
in’, Shep. Sounds like fool talk to
you. But is it? Those who saw him
swarmin' over you lust night, when
you was hollerin' for some one to take
him off, claim he looked like he could
whip a stack of bobtalled wildeate”
“Jumped me when I wasn't lookin,
I tell you,” growled Shep,
“I heard you the first time, Shep.
Well, the boys say he was certainly
sailin’, I'd admire (o see another per
formance,”
“You'll see It. Soon's the bridle Is
off,” Sanderson boasted.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
like
friend,
Yore
He had
cool
Gimme a
Fool
The bad man
Tu
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