THE CENTRE THE STORY Garrett O'Hara, on his way to Concho, wild western town, Is shot at from ambush by Shep Sanderson, who mistakes him for Judge Warner, whom certain cattle Interests wish to prevent holding court. Barbara Steelman, who thought the shot was di- rected at her, warns Garrett not to go to Concho because of the big cattle war. Steve Worrall tells Garrett about the cattle war between Ingram and Steel- man, father of Barbara. Garrett tells Ingram he desires to re- main neutral, but the latter de- clares there can be no neutral- ity. Bob Quantrell, young killer for Ingram, saves Garrett and an Englishman, Smith-Beresford, from being shot by Sanderson. The three become friends. Gar- rett accidentally witnesses a meeting between Barbara and Ingram. They are lovers. Garrett and the Englishman buy a ranch with Steelman as silent partner Fitch, Steelman man, kills an In. gram follower. A p« includ- ing Quantrell and Sanderson, capture and t g Fitch. Sander- son starts a fight at the ranch and Garrett and the Englishman are wounded. Ingram and Bar- bara appear and put an end to the fight Quantrell changes sides 1 joins with the two “tenderfeet.” A lull in the cattle war follow Quantre Sanderson and another gunman, young lawyer, practice at use, 1 I kills ingram CHAPTER VII—Continued a He could not leave the subject on that note. It was incongruous that all the splendid life of her should be sub- merged in a shame born of an un- happy experience for which he did not feel her to blame. He looked away at broken line of the silhouetted hills pushing their crests skyward. Pres- ently he sald, as though the comment were a “I wouldn't think much of a man who couldn't do some- thing foolish {f—Iif he was fond of— of some one." “You mean of a girl,” she specified. “Say of a girl,” he admitted, and the color came again into his face. Never before had he talked about such things to a woman, “Yes, but a girl is know that well enough. It's her place to be modest and wait. She mustn't show her feelings, If she's nice she's not to till O'Hara summoned his courage and blurted what was in mind. “You couldn't be anything but sweet and good. | wish—I wish you wouldn't talk that way. All you've done 1s what I'd want you to do {f—if— © He stopped. The hot blood stained his face from throat to forehead. Barbara's ) ) shinir casual one, different. You R11 E ep ha v ' 11 supposed have any-—not till— : out his eyes 18 “I'm glad you came she said softly, He for be much She d already he more than that. - did not let his eyes meet hers wns afraid they 1 i hi ”~ Oliere war 1 » Jofr } County } issne had be Both ves In come 10 local factions w y ju ving long lett ; themse newspapers, The territori favored Steel man bes tions, and Si} i (8% bh moved on a nected wi his bond. the feud had reached Washing. ton talk of national interference, Ingram’s warriors had “jumped™ two of Steelman’s cowboys while they were branding a calf claimed by the Diamond Tail. There had been a fight and the two Hashknife riders had been left dead beside their fire In reprisal the Hashknife forces had captured Houck, a notorions gunman from the Indian territory employed by Ingram, and had left his body in a draw, Smith Beresford promise to Steelman. “What say Garrett and 1 ride and have a cozy little talk with gram? Might make the fellow reason. Eh, what?” Steelman reflected that it could do hart, Moreover, It would be a good talking point later to be able to say that he and his partners had tried to arrange a compromise. Also, there was urgent need of peace financially if it could be brought about. “Sults me, Lyulph,” he said. “Question is about a compromise. What can we offer him?” “What had you thought of offering?” Steelman usked, a flicker of cynical humor in his eyes. He had not faith in the success of this mission. “He'll think you've come to tell him we've had enough an’ want to quit. But have it yore own way, boys. Go talk with him. Make yore proposition an’ see what it gets you.” The three men talked terms while Barbara listened. One thing Steelman lusisted upon. There could be no set tiement of the trouble until Ingram moved his men bag and baggage from the Hughes place. If be would do that it would be evidence that he really wanted peace, The three men drafted a letter and sent it to Ingram by one of the Hash knife riders. Word of what was in the alr spread and Bob Quantrell sug. gested to O'Hara that he would be glad to go to town with him to meet Ingram, “Much obliged, Bob, but 1 don't thing that would be wise,” O'Hara told him promptly, “Since our latest trip to town I expect you'd be like a nent connec ad been technicali cot tumor even here and was suggested com over In- see 0 to a bull as far as Ingram ” red rag goes, No, we'll leave you at home. “Some of his warriors are liable to make trouble. Who do you aim to take along with you?" “Nobody but Lyulph. We want to make it plain that this is to be a peace powwow. [Perhaps we'll go ab- solutely unarmed.” “Hmp! You've still got a lot of those fool notions you brought West with you. There will be a dozen In- gram men in town, every last one of 'em armed, What guarantee you got that Ingram or his pardner Tom Har- vey won't sic’ some of 'em on you like Harvey did those fellows on me?” “We'll have to take a chance on that.” jut after O'Hara had talked the matter over with his two partners it was decided that the envoys should wear thelr revolvers, not as a threat but because it was the habit of cow- boys and cattle men to carry them. There was always a chance that the fact they had them In plain sight might them from attack. nzram and Harvey, of the came young fellow who had moved to the territory for lung trouble. His name was Millikan, “They're alone,” he reported. “Just rode up to the Concho house and have gone They for two- three minutes at the Longhorn corral before they went to the hotel.” not with them, siive To the office their clerks, a recently in of sitting store, one inside, stopped “Steelman then?” “No, sir" “Drift out make ‘em. an' Join into the street sure none of their men After the clerk had gone Ingram turned to his partoer. “We'll let ‘em wait a Tom. Don't want ‘em to get the notion we're anxious for a while, compromise.’ Harvey agreed, but added a rider: “Just I reckon we better meet ‘em halfway. If this war goes on much longer we'll he busted higher than a Kite, you an’ me.” Ingram looked out of the window at the red hill shoulder dotted with jack pines. Reluctantly he admitted to himself that what Harvey was true. The expense of the same said maintaining the little army of gunmen had been high. Trade had fallen off. It was a bad year for cattle from the market point of view. He had been forced to carry the the Moreover, to meet Steelman’s en- his ranchers In allies, hills. croachments he had borrowed heavily short-time notes were falling The his He owner of the Hashknife had had busi- ness with most the territory and th to him rather than to his enemies in this f Add all this the facet that was talk of intervention from Washington, If soldiers came in from the fort was littl ioubt that would I nd Colonel Rar the and due. could borrow no more. of the bankers In ¢y were friendly end. there there they support Steelman dal ph had Civil y¥ side In war the field Ingram coul He was not disturbes l ling alwars that the In own. abo ft come in id read of generals who the thought of comp 1 Was won The hitter him, f he new ha i Steelman must every battle war to made accept it. Yet he the possibili “How an?’ } ald. “He must near the end of his rope, too. His ex- penges are heavier than ours. It hasn't heen any better year for cows for him than it has for us. He's bor rowed more than we have, don't you oer reckon? was relopetant to admit even defeat about Steein he “Maybeso. But he's got more money backing him than we have. Far as we ean Dave, we're down to the ianket.” “Well, let's hear what these fellows have got to propose” Ingram and Harvey walked down the street to the Concho house. The fat hotel keeper Brad Helm waddled forward and wheezed a greeting. “The other gents are waitin’ you in the dining room,” he The cattle man moved with strong tread into the dining His cool flinty eyes fastened two men sitting at the table, them greet the though of them shake “Glad to see you, gentlemen.” Smith- leresford said genially, “Make your. selves comfortable. Cigars? Whisky? jeer?” “Nothing, thanks,” Ingram answered brasquely. “You have a proposition to make, 1 understand.” “About time we have a talk. Eh, what? Sit down gentlemen.” Ingram flung himself carelessly Into a chair. “I'm ready to listen,” be sald. O'Hara opened the conference. “I don't know what you think, Mr. In- gram, but as law-abiding citizens Mr. Smith-Beresford and [| feel that the present conditions are outrageous and deplorable.” “Are you talkin' for yoreselves or for Wes Steelman?’ asked Ingram curtly. “We're talking for him and for our selves, too. He Is ready to patch up a peace If you are” “Had enough, has he?’ jeered Har vey. O'Hara looked at him. “If that's the spirit in which you are coming to this conference, Mr. Harvey, I'm afrald we won't get far,” he sald. “Say, young fellow, you're a fine bird to come here preachin’ to us” Ingrom's partner retorted angrily. “Why, you've done more to make trouble than any other gunman on the See . for added. light room, on the Both of newcomers, offered to to neither hunds, rose ry Willaim MacLeod Raine Copyright by William Macleod Raine WNU Service maybe yore sidekick Bob Quantrell. Who jumped pore Shep Sanderson an’ devilled him an’ finally got yore hired killer to bump off both him an’ the Texas Kid? Who tried to stop a posse from doing its duty an’ killed Brad Sowers an’ shot up three more deputies? Who egged on Wes Steelman to all the deviltry that's been going on all over the range, dry-gulchin' an’ what not?" “That's bally nonsense, you know, Mr, Harvey,” Smith-Beresford replied. “O'Hara Is as peaceably inclined as 1 am. Both of us would go a long way to stop the wicked foolishness that has started simply because conflicting In terests have not been gensibly adjust ed. You know perfectly well that wanted no trouble with that fellow Sanderson and that neither of structed the posse in its duty, fought for his life” “Let that ride, Tom.” Ingram up. “Let's hear how law-abldin’ Christians range, except he us ob He spoke these two quiet propose to ad Bob Quantrell Roped and Sadadied at the Corral in a Cloud of Dust. conflictin' interests Wes the Knowin' say Just fo I'd down with him.” “Th to start from n« Kt pe he's settle this thing to ur feelings If we get cussing our wrongs o feels complain of, become Steelman * actual business gestions at O'Hara the concessions Steelman q named ithout argument, was willl to make. He would keep his cattle ot the range east of the pass He would San Jacinto market they feave the to gram and his friends if wonld vith him at tt He men against wotdd discharge an % proof Ia cet iAwieus he whom there wa of rustling catt Ag to the of the months, willing to let bygones be bygones Harvey laughed unpleasantly. “He's sure promisin’ a lot. Has our friends shot up by hired killers an’ then is willin' to call It off. Offers to keep outa the San Jacinto market when knows Dave has got it corralied, but wants us to leave him lay at the agency where we've been outsellin’' him right along. Yes, sir, I'd sure call that a Wes Steelman compromise.” “What about the Jerry Hughes place? asked Ingram. “Will he quit gumshoein' around tryin’ to euchre me out of it?" fs tile, HERS past few Wis he | ende “He's willing to leave that to the law,” O'Hara answered, “To the slick judge he bought to make him administrator, Not by a Jugful. The only compromise I'll dis- cuss is where he gives up all claim to the Hughes place. Jerry was my friend. He owed me money when he died. I've a right to run the place till I'm pald what he owes, Steelman butted In without any claim whatever, merely because he wanted to devil me. Well, he won't get away with it.” Ingram slammed his heesvy brown fist down on the table, his eyes gleam Ing savagely. O'Hara said, “Tell us the very best you'll do, the concessions you are will ing to make, inducements Hughes place “No, sir, I'm stayin’ right there, an’ you can the word that he'll the day he an’ his killers try to drive us out.” acne Perhaps we can offer to have you leave the " pass rue O'Hara smiled, the friendly flash of teeth that made him “I haven't got much yet from you that Steelman Haven't 1it white men like will hearing you any ise In your 8% all? We're gupposed to be peace and not wa compron “I'm ready to ti I want {8s my rigt of my iy none + done is defend mysel “That's =o,’ “We're right all the way not lookin’ f« If Dave's agr got no where “An' ahout Ne Sint I'n the west pass side ir let killers he has got the fire t} bunch of hired,” business him ngram sald ‘Will you get rid of yours if he does his, Mr. ith-Beres ford. . *T'Il meet Steelman half way there, too, an’ turn off those I don't need as range riders.™ The difficulties between the fac detail, When Ingram?" asked Sn 8 were talked over Is two irel () partners rose f conference they fel hat as a first had They game trall O'Hara day he first saw ti ley look level Ax smoothed away As they : rider dashed around ti trail and at si horse to a hall e curve ht of them drazoes He was a Me vaquero In a ple str earrings, Wi motion the man The hor air, bucking tered to the grou The Mexican was but the trail as though fired The 8 superh was narrow, [It looked the bucker would piten down the glone. To save himself the man flung his body from the saddle toward the hill, went clambering up a precipitous rocky outerop of gneiss, lost his footing, and sild down again Before he could regain his feet a sharp voice gave orders, “Stick up your hands, business.” O'Hara had slipped from the saddle and run forward, revolver in hand. No funny As a boundary division the “Mason and Dixon” line got its name from the two men who surveyed and established it, Charles Mason and John Dixon. It was run by agreement between the Calverts, of Maryland, and William Penn to settle a controversy regard ing the boundary line between Penn sylvania and Maryland. Mason and Dixon came from England In 1764 for that express purpose. They were both men of scientific attainments, Mason at one time being assistant at the royal observatory at Greenwich. They ran the line with great care, cutting a space eight feet wide through the forest and setting up a stone at the end of each mile. Every fifth stone was larger than the others and had on the north side the arms of William Penn and on the south those of Lord Baltimore. The smaller, Intermediate stones had the letter “P” on the north surface and “M” on the south, for Shakespeare's Income Not nll of the earlier authors were as badly treated as their legends have led the public to believe, Shakespeare, for example, may have been profil gate but he was pot necessarily pen niless. He received about 10 pounds ~the equivalent of $400 today--for each of his plays, and he produced them at the rate of two a year. He also made $800 a year and more as an actor during most of his active career. ~Golden Book. Pennsylvania and Maryland. The line has nothing to do with slavery, except 18 it uitimutely became the boundary line between free states and the slave, though that was not the thought at the time, When the line was established slavery existed in Pennsylvania as it did in the colonies, and was not abol ished in Pennsylvania until 1780 and then only by a law providing that all colored persons thereafter born within the state should be set free at the age of twenty-cight years. Damaged . Potter arrived at his studio one morning and found that during the previous night it had been ruined by fire, Ye at once telephoned to his insur ance agent to come and estimate the damage. An hour later the man arrived. “Now, with regard to these ean: vases?" went on the agent. “You say they cost about $2.50 each” “Ahout that.” “Were they Just plain canvases?’ asked the Insurance man. “No. I'd painted on most of them” Potter returned. “Ah” sald the agent thoughtfully. “Then suppusing we say $1.25 each?” Productive Grapevines Bome varieties of grapevines con. tinue fruitful for at least 300 or 400 years. Up went the Mexican's arms, “Si senor,” he answered submissively, “You're one of Ingram's riders?’ “Si, senor.” “What made you shoot at ns? you been told to kill us at sight?” The man broke into a torrent Spanish, then interpreted it with ex- citable broken Englisii. The 3 O partners understood from what he sald that a battle was Io progress at the Jerry Hughes ranch, A group Hashknife warriors had made a sur- prise attack upon the place and he, Have ture with a bunch of horses, had been fired upon by them and made his es When he had caught sight Circle 8 O partners he had to the conclusion that they there to cut off his retreat. Wherefore he had not walted for them to cape, the Jumped were hostilities told morning was riding down to the valley ranch open “Steelman us this today," “Y og But teelman migl Smith-Beregford O'Hara. thought was } sald, agreed in his mind t have said this He might be with might have ridden that ize the divert +» attackers, or he away, tongue in cheek, knowing his men were going to try to se rancl hi latter alterna not } Hike hin Whatever Hughes tive did ey 3 de- CHAPTER VIII Quantrell’s Posse Rides Bob Quantrell in a cloud milling horses d and saddled at of dust raised Others were rop- The young man ung astride of his horse and looked rope Fore the corral at the same time, and counted ve men were mounted in addition Jin (18% answered {o the upper headed into the meet nped there the an’ pretty.” were crossing ‘ try, filled with ravines sieen ascents Texas Jim « forefront lone bird is down there “Salt back from “An’ roostin’ Sriritieow © 320s Springs od ra the of the line fome sure before a enong nigrerhends” Sommers. His horse picked and slid its way down the face of a bluff, “I been wailtin® here quite some time." he complained “You told you'd be along either last night or be. fore daybreak.” Sommers was a hard-eved, frozen faced specimen. He had been a pro fessional gambler until recently. “1 sald, barrin’ accidents” Quan- trell corrected. “We were held up at the ranch. The belted earl an’ his friend O'Hara were over there to stick around till the Old Man had got off for the lower ranch. We didn't get started till ten o'clock.” As they drew closer to the timber ahove the Hughes place the men rode warily, They might by chance come at any moment on some of the enemy. In the timber, near the upper edge of it, the men dismounted. Boy though he was, Quantreil by common consent took command, They stole forward through the grove, Quantrell and the deputy in the tead. From a bluff well sheltered by brush they could look down on the Hughes ranch house, not more than two hundred yards away. A couple of men were at the stable, sitting in the shade cast by the build. ing. One of them was whittling, the other oiling a revolver. A third man was at the brook which ran back of the house. He was washing some socks and hanging them on the branches of some willows that fringed the stream, “Looks like we'll have to disturb a right happy home” Quantrell mur. mured ironically to the deputy. “Get yore artillery ready, boys, an' we'll send some lead plums down there, I'll take the fellow by the creek. The two sociable guys will he yore meat.” The young killer glanced around at his men. “Are you all ready? TO RAE CONTINUED) me There May be Poison in YOUR Bowels! BTEP out tomorrow morning with the fresh buoyancy and briskness that comes from a clean intestinal tract. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers