© Alan Le May
WNU Service
SYNOPSIS
Billy Wheeler, wealthy young cattleman,
arrives at the 94 ranch, summoned by his
friend Horse Dunn, its elderly and quick-
tempered owner, because of a mysterious
murder. Billy is In love with Dunn's niece
Marian, whom he has not seen for two
years. She had rejected his suit and is still
aloof. Dunn's ranch is surrounded by ene-
mies, including Link Bender, Pinto Halliday
and Sam Caldwell, whom he has defeated in
his efforts to build a cattle kingdom. Dunn
directs his cow hands, Val Douglas, Tulare
Callahan and others to search for the killer's
horse. He explains to Billy that the morn.
ing before he had come upon bloodstained
ground at Short Creek and found the trail of
a shod and unshod horse. The shod horse's
rider had been killed. The
appeared. Link Bender had at the
scene and read the signs the ay he had
Dunn reveals that because of a financial
crisis ranch may be in jeopardy: his
enemies may make trouble since Sheriff
Walt Amos is friendly with them
he has asked Old Mar
best trailer, to join them. Dunn and Billy
meet Amos, Link Bender, his son “the Kid"
and Cayuse Cayetano, an Indian traile
at Short Creek. Bender has found the si
man's horse, but the saddle is missing.
Imost supernaturally, cattle attracted to
the scene by the blood-stained ground,
stamp out all the traces. Dunn is angered
when Amos tells him not to leave the
county. Following an argument, Bender
draws his gun, but Dunn wounds him in
the arm. Back at the ranch Old Man Coffee
4 unds Coffee goes
in se: nan’'s saddle. Dunn
tells Billy that Marian is incensed at him
for trying to settle disputes by bloodshed,
He reveals that the ranch is really hers,
also that he recently sold his own ranch
in Arizona and that his partner, Bob
Flagg. is en route with the money. Billy
accom ies Marian on a ride to Short
Creek, "Kid'' Bender, now a depuly, rides
4
up. They have an argument
body had dis.
arrived
the
CHAPTER 111—Continued
ee
flashed to his gun.
time in two days Wheeler" forgot
nis own unaccustomed weapon. The
horses were neck to neck, facing
each other; and now Wheeler, slam-
ming the rowels into his own pony,
grabbed at the spade bit of Kid
Bender's horse.
ward as the Kid's horse reared
straight up, driven over backwards
by the plunge of Wheeler's pony
against the cruel bit. For an in-
balance on its hind legs. Then to-
gether horse and man went down.
Wheeler whirled his pony aside;
and now he drew at last, and turned
the muzzle of his cocked gun up-
ward, ready.
Bender's horse struggled up and
bolted, bucking against the loosened
saddle; but the man lay quiet where
he had gone down.
CHAPTER IV
94, leaned against the red rock fire-
place of the main room of the ranch
house, and looked at Billy Wheeler
without admiration. ‘‘Now you've
done it,"”" he said; ‘‘oh, you've done
it now, all right!”
“I won't ask you what you'd have
done in my place,” Wheeler said,
“because I don’t give a hoot. But
I'll say this—if you had done much
differently it would be because
you're a worse fool than I thought.”
Wheeler had upset Kid Bender's
horse, pinning that
ted Hills country now lay cool and
lingering upon the range. But re-
absence.
Horse Dunn and his wagon boss
had now heard the story of the or-
der Kid Bender had given Wheeler,
and Wheeler's refusal; and of how
the Kid had tried to trick Wheeler
into glancing away while he drew.
There had been a bad moment for
Wheeler after he had overthrown
the Kid's horse, for at first Kid
Bender had looked as if he might
be dead, saddle - crushed by his
fallen mount.
Kid Bender, though, had come to
with only a broken leg and a dirty
crack on the head to show. And
Pinto Halliday, shifty-eyed, lanky,
had appeared from the Short Creek
cuts to take Kid Bender off of
Wheeler's embarrassed hands. Hal-
liday, it appeared, was another
newly-made deputy. Evidently he
had been the other half of the Short
Creek patrol.
“No show-off play like that ever
does any good,” Douglas said. “It
only stacks trouble onto plenty we
already got.”
At the window Horse Dunn stirred
impatiently. ‘Understand this,
Val,” he said. “Billy done just
what | would have done in a like
case. I'll back Billy's play to the
limit, and that goes for any other
play he wants to make!”
“Sure,” said Douglas. “What else
can we do?”
Wheeler sat up, angering again.
“Now just a minute!”
Horse Dunn whirled. “Cut it out,”
he snapped. ‘Val, that was Old
Man Coffee just come in; go take
care of his horse, and see that
there's grub laid out at the cook
shack.”
When Val Douglas had gone out
Billy Wheeler's anger left him.
“He's mostly right, Horse,” he said.
Horse Dunn bristled and his voice
roge to its familiar roar. “All I'm
sorry for is you didn’t kill the little
sneak! If T had a couple more rid-
ers with enough guts in their bellies
to—'" His thunder subsided; Wheel-
er noticed how all the hard fire
went out of this old man in the
presence of his niece. Marian Dunn
sat relaxed at the other window,
her eyes in the far hills, and her
profile was as motionless as if she
were carved of cream-colored mar-
ble. Billy Wheeler had that day
seen horror and antipathy in her
eyes after he had downed Kid Bend-
er; and he no longer wondered why
Horse Dunn lost spirit sometimes
when she was there.
Horse Dunn mumbled in obscure
apology, "We're right sorry. Things
But some-
times we can’t help it if they do. If
only Bob Flagg would get here"
Marian Dunn gave no sign of hav-
ing heard, and there was an awk-
ward silence. Then Old Man Coffee
came stalking across from the cor-
rals, dropped a saddle from his hip
to the gallery floor, and let himself
in.
‘Val Douglas
Wheeler, here,
extra hell today,” he
preliminaries.
Horse Dunn grunted, and Wheeler
briefly explained to the old lion
hunter what had happened.
that Billy
up a little
said without
says
stirred
reckon Marian can testify she seen
him go for his gun.”
Marian did not verify this.
a moment Horse Dunn said, *‘I sup-
pose you didn’t find anything, or
you'd be saying so.”
“I'd to catch up with
Coffee said.
sure like
“How'd You Lay Hands
on That?"
| “Today 1 seen him riding a horse
| to death, some northward, toward
| the Red Sleep. I'd sure like to know
{ what he was at.”
“You worry plenty about that In-
dian, don’t you? If-"
“He knows too much, too soon,”
Coffee complained. “Why wasn't
he promoting the Short Crick trails,
like me? Something funny about
this Cayuse, Horse "’
| ‘So you lost out,” Horse accused
| him.
Old Man Coffee eased himself
onto the most uncomfortable chair
in the room, and there draped him-
self angularly. “If there's anything
in the world makes me mad,” he
said morosely, “it's a cussed fool
hound.”
The droop-eared old lion dog
which had followed Coffee in looked
at him mournfully, and flopped to
the floor with a great rattle of el-
bows, but made no remark. “I set
out to trail the killer's horse,” Cof-
fee went on. “‘I took off down-crick:;
Rock seeking the trail where it
come out of the water. Pretty soon
he says he's got it, and sets up a
beller, and away we go, inching
along about two miles an hour. That
fool hound takes anyway six, eight
miles, all the time hollering just
as confident as if he knew what he
was at.”
Old Man Coffee crammed cut plug
into an ancient pipe, the bowl of
which was carved to represent
hearts and flowers.
“Well?” Dunn demanded at last,
“All this time,” Coffee said, ‘1
hadn't been able to make out a de-
cent track; but I was getting kind
of suspicious because of the way
the trail wandered around. Then fi-
nally we come on a soft place,
where I could see plain. And it was
the wrong trail.”
“1 thought this dog couldn't be
fooled,” Dunn grunted.
‘He was sure fooled this time.
The trail your wagon boss showed
me was off a cup-hoofed pony; the
hoofs showed nail splits. But old
Rock took after a pony that was
flat-footed as a duck--his feet wore
down right onto the frog.”
“So,” Horse Dunn said, “you end-
ed up empty-handed, same as us
ordinary folks!”
“Not altogether and complete,”
Coffee retorted. ‘‘Rock quit cold—
wouldn't work no more. But I took
and unraveled the other trail by
hand.” He stepped out onto the gal-
lery and came back with the saddle,
which he now threw down among
them in a tangle of broken strap-
page. “There,” he said casually,
‘is the death saddle you was in-
quiring after.”
Billy Wheeler heard Marian's
breath jerk through her teeth. In
the failing light her eyes looked sur-
prisingly dark.
“Good Lord!” said Dunn. “How'd
you lay hands on that?”
“Why, I followed the trail of the
the place he rolled loose from it.
How'd you suppose?”’
Horse Dunn had dropped to his
knees beside the saddle. None of
them had realized how deep the
room was in twilight until it was
brightened by the flare of the match
he struck. For a long moment
Horse Dunn studied the old worn
leather, until the flame burned to
his finger tips and went out. He
stood up slowly. “You know that
saddle?”
**No,”” said Wheeler. “Do you?”
Behind Horse Dunn's shaggy face
although his features re-
mained in some sense a mask, his
the white heat of the anger which
he could not repress. ‘‘Yes,” he
Yet he did not
swer their unspoken question. He
turned to the window again, and for
a little while stood looking out as if
he could not yet trust himself to
speak. Out behind the barns, Cof-
fee's five other hounds were churn-
ing the quiet twilight with mourn-
ful bellowings, and for a little while
they all seemed to be listening to
that. Then Marian got up and went
EO
the hooks to me," Horse Dunn said
at last—""hunting a strangle holt on
my brand. And it's a shameful
thing that this should come onto us
because somebody rubbed out may-
be the most worthless character
that ever rode the Red Hills range.”
“You know the name?" said Old
Man Coffee.
“What's his name matter?" Horse
Dunn exploded. ‘His name was Lon
Magoon—and what of it? A cow
thief—in a small, cheap way. He'd
go around on different ranges, and
he'd steal a beef here, and another
there; skin 'em and sell 'em to
some butcher a hundred miles away
for half price.”
“Horse,” said Coffee, “who would
have killed this man?”
“Anybody!” Horse Dunn roared.
“Any cowman with enough guts to
rub out a cow thief! I ought to've
killed him myself last time I caught
him with the carcass of a 94 cow!”
“Did you know he was operating
“What's the difference if I did or
not? We know it now.
take that saddle, and kick it under
my bunk!"
“You better turn it in to the sher-
iff, Horse,” Coffee said. “You'll be
suppressing evidence if you keep it
here."
“Damned if I will!” Horse Dunn
said. “All they want is to hang
this thing on the %4—on me. You
think I called you in to help ‘em?
No, by God!"
Tulare Callahan was a small man,
very wiry, with a cheerfully hard
face. He had relieved Steve Hur-
county seat of Inspiration, and he
now came roaring into the 94 lay-
out in Horse Dunn's heavy old tour-
ing car. He was grinning with the
delight of an action-hungry man
who smells smoke at last.
“I hear Billy Wheeler like to mur-
dered a guy,” said he.
“Billy Wheeler slapped Kid Bend-
er with a horse,” Dunn said. “Ybu
come all the way back here to
tell us that?"
“I thought maybe you might
want to hear the upshot,” Tulare
said. ‘The sheriff's coming out to
get Wheeler, either tonight or first
thing in the morning. He's going
to throw him in the jug.”
“What's the charge against
Billy?" Horse asked.
“Assault with a deadly weapon.”
“Billy didn't assault him with
anything!"
“The heck he didn't,” Old Man
Coffee put in. “Didn't he hurl the
Kid's horse at him?"
“The town is full of small-time
cowmen and their professional calf
thieves,’ Tulare reported. “Seems
like every guy in the country that
has it in for the 94 is swarming into
Inspiration. I bet there's 20 guys
that's tried to get themselves made
deputies. If Walt Amos called for a
posse he could easy raise a hundred
men."
“So they figure to
Wheeler,” Dunn said.
“They can't hold him,” Coffee
said. ‘I suppose Kid Bender will
run in Pinto Halliday as a witness,
and they'll all lie to beat the cards.
But what good will it do 'em? Mar-
Billy's got a witness
that can make a fool of 'em in any
court in the werld."”
Marian Dunn said, almost under
her breath but very clearly, “I
can't testify."
Horse Dunn looked startled.
“What's that?’' he demanded.
“1 didn't see anything,’ Marian
said. “I don't know how the fight
started. Billy just suddenly jumped
his horse at the other horse, and
it went over backward. That's all
I saw.”
Horge Dunn turned to her. He
puzzled, but very quiet.
“Marian,” he said, ‘didn’t you hear
Billy tell what happened? How Kid
Bender went for his gun?”
The girl said, “Yes, I heard him.”
“I've known Billy Wheeler since
he had to shin up a horse's leg to get
on. You think he'd lie to us here?”
‘No; 1 didn't say I thought he
lied.”
“Then what's to stop you from
backing him up?”
In the girl's eves showed some-
thing Billy Wheeler had never seen
there before. Her face was as gen-
tle and lucid as the face of a child;
but though her eyes were troubled
there was a sober strength behind
them as immutable in its way as
the rocky will of Horse Dunn.
“l can't swear to something I
didn't see."
Horse Dunn looked at her, then
turned away and let his hands fall
in a gesture of utter futility. His
eyes turned to Billy Wheeler. “You
see?” he said. “You see?”
Old Man Coffee broke the awk-
“Look here,” he said.
“There's something about this I
don't get. Yesterday you shot Link
Bender through the arm, Horse,
right before the sheriff's eyes. Noth-
ing comes of that. How is it the
sheriff lets that pass, yet jumps in
with both feet the minute Billy
Wheeler raises his hand in self de-
fense?"
“You want to know the answer?”
Horse Dunn demanded. ‘‘He didn't
take me because he hasn't got the
guts to take me. What, haul me in
on a charge like that? He knows it
can’t be done! What he fails to al-
low for now is that the 84 will
back Billy Wheeler just the same as
if he'd been here all his life. When
he finds that out you'll see him drop
back!”
“I'm not so sure,” said Old Man
Coffee again.
“You're not sure?
gr
man:
arrest Billy
Look at it,
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Diving for pearls in the Gulf of
Lower California is carried on by
“skin’’ divers in the same way in
which their ancestors sought for
pearls in the days long before the
Spanish conquest. Doubtless the
pearls, “big as pigeon eggs,” that
were found among the jade and
gold ornaments in the tomb of an
Indian chief opened at Monte Alban
during 1931, were taken from the
waters of this gulf, observes a writ-
er in the New York Times. In re-
cent years pearls found in these
waters have equaled those found at
Monte Alban in beauty but not in
size,
The divers, armed only with a
knife, descend feet first to a dis-
tance about twice their own height,
then turn and swim to the bottom.
Some can stay submerged for two
to three minutes at a depth of
about 100 feet, but the average div-
er does not remain under water
for more than a minute at a time.
It is a hazardous life, for not only
is there extreme physical hardship
but also constant danger from
sharks and octopuses.
The physical hardship has brought
about the introduction of a simple
diving suit that not only allows the
diver a longer time to gather oyster
shells but lessens the danger of
paralysis. Too, sharks are more
easily eluded by the man in a
diver's suit. But these suits are
relatively expensive and boys most
often start as ‘“‘skin” divers. Any
day may bring wealth to the diver,
so there is a certain elan in the air
that is felt through the time when
diving brings merely a bare liv-
ing.
Mexican government experts are
supervising the propagation of pearl
oysters in the bay near La Paz.
It takes years for the tiny granule
of sand or parasite which is the
base of the pearl to be coated with
SE
what
WW ihinks
about:
The Big Book Craze.
ANTA
novel longer than any yet—say
that won’t reduce the gross ton-
words.
I can't take it. While still con-
valescent from ‘‘Anthony Adverse,”
I was stricken down
by “Gone With the
Wind" and had such
a relapse that even
now 1 barely can
hold on my stomach
such comparatively
light and trifling
stuff as volume VET
to ZYM of the en-
cyclopedia
When reading this
modern bulk
ture, it upsets me to
find my going
to sleep before I do
stant pressure makes
my second mezzanine |
I admit these Nass
books serve nicely as door st
and for pressing wild flowers. I
also heard of a chap who detected
a prowler under his and
dropped a frothy > work of fic-
tion weighing slightly less than nine
pounds on the
neck,
At last ac gs, the surgeons we
picking long jagged
out of his spine
In my present mood
is the romantic
in which
was wont
sad!"
violet n
happenec
anyhow?
litera-
; Irvin 8. Cobb
legs
And the ¢
IT
caillouses on
on~
production
ppers
window
back of the fellow's
$501
disiocating
ng three vertebrae.
Our
An Actor's Temperament,
'VE all been waiting
but
remail
top 11,
best wheeze nonth
the one that was
paid gagster, but
hand at one of
Leslie Howard refused to go on
making a picture group of
distinguished vis
Charles Norris,
been shooed off the set
“He ain't sore at you gents,”
ed the stage-hand to the ouste
ties, “but he's been playin’
let’ on the regular stage and he
used to havin’ a crowd watchi
while he's actin'.”
If Mr. Norris and his friends want
ed to see some really great acting
they should have pa pr
fessional wrestling matches. That's
where they put on the heavy dra-
matic stuff —beautifully rehearsed,
perfectly done
. ® »
Children’s Education
| LIKE the way the wealthy
classes in England rear their
children. Little Rosemary doesn’t
recite for the company after dinner,
and if Master Jones-Terwillager Mi-
nor gets uppity at school, he gets
thrashed.
Many a rich American has known
how sharper than a serpent’s tooth
it is to see his daughter grow up a
wanton and his boy turn out a wast
er. Yet, with few exceptions—so
few that the newspapers comment
on them-—it never seems to occur
to these fond fathers that {
thre
tha novels
atronized the pro-
less of
coddling and pampering and spoil-
ing in adolescence and more of
wholesome discipline might produce
a higher average grade of heirs.
What set me to thinking along this
line was being t'other night at a
party where a poor little four-year-
old, having already the pitiable as-
surance of a veteran prima donna,
was fetched in to give impersona-
tions. She never again could imper-
sonate natural babyhood though,
more’'s the pity! And her pert small
brother was encouraged to domi-
nate the talk.
Mark my word for it, that kid is
going to come to no good end--not
even a well-spanked end, which
would help.
* ® »
Mr. Pincus’ Coup.
N THESE topsy-turvy times lib-
eral-minded patriots who are
striving to steer a middle course
between ultraenthusiastic left-wing-
ers and ultraconservative rightists
might do well, methinks, to follow
the example set by Mr. Pincus.
Mr. Pincus had opened a clothing
Immediately on one side of
him was the clothing store of Mr.
Ginsberg and immediately on the
Mr. Dreifus; and three clothing
stores in a row were too many even
for Essex street.
So the adjacent competitors
framed a plot to put the newcomer
out of business. Next morning their
rival, coming down to open up,
found over Mr. Dreifus’ establish-
ment a flaming legend, to wit:
BANKRUPT SALE
And above Mr. Ginsberg's door
was this equally prominent an-
nouncement:
CLOSING OUT SALE
Within an hour, smeared across
the entire front of Mr. Pincus’ store,
exactly in between the other two,
appeared a huge sign reading as
follows:
MAIN ENTRANCE.
IRVIN 8. CORB.
©-WNU Service
Unwanted Effect
Sometimes a soft answer can be
so utterly soft as to loose one's
wrath instead of turning it away.
Yea, tolerance can be mere lazi-
ness.
People do not loosen up on the
purse-sirings until you reach their
heartstrings.
Many may feel that their days
are full of chores and bores.
Two hours to pursue one's ab-
sorbing hobby makes any man’s
day happy.
All flattery is delivered with the
idea of pleasing, which makes it
superior to the kind of converse
spread in the spirit of spite
Peace of mind and approximate
ght perha
ill live a well-nigh
but poor chap
the fortitude to do it.
No man is criticized in trying to
be decent if he will be quiet about
it and not shout.
How many have discretion
enough not to dis ith others
when it doesn’t
happiness mig
man's who w
life; the
agree w
matter?
[liowselold ®
@ Questions
Cleaning Brass.—Never use vin-
gar to clean brass. Though it
it soon
‘ causes
oper materials for
are oil and rotien-
Removing Tobacco Stains.—To-
bacco stains may be removed
from washabl naterials by
moistening 1 juice and
When Preserving.—Don't
jars too tigntly
pack
preserving
Leave a
inch at
when
fruits and
space of at
the top for
es
1. »
+
:
nall an
Egg as Cleanser.—The yolk of
egg may be used for removing
mud, ¢ late or coffee stains
from material ex-
into the stain,
I soapy waler,
hoc
and rinse
Treating Dry Glue. — Vinegar
added to dry glue will
glue fit for use again
WNU Service
Many, Many Women
Say Cardui Helped Them
By taking Cardul, thousands of
women have found they can avoid
much of the mo 1y suffering they
used to endure. Cramping spells,
nagging pain jangled nerves
be loves - either by Cardul
's trea
and
Can
or by a physic
Besides easing certain
dui aids In building up the whole
system by helping w to get
more strength from thelr food
Cardul, with directions for home
mse by women, may be bought at the
drug store. (Pronounced “Cardul”)
tment,
pains, Car-
omen
At Last —RATS and
MICE EXTERMINATED
Abwilute GQuaraniee
MEAL - ROBERT
package. Sam or money order “owl
0 you. New end Dnfferent. Noper F
CHEMICAL CO.
3115 Plankinton Bldg Mitwaukee, Wis.
AGENTE WRIT
GET RID OF
BIG UGLY
PORES
PLENTY OF DATES NOW... DENTON'S
FACIAL MAGNESIA MADE HER
SKIN FRESH, YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL
Romance Luga't « chance who big vl
pores spoil skin-texture. Men love he
smoothness of a fresh young complexion.
Decttorty Racial Mages does 3 iitatinn
unsightly skin. Ugly pores ppear,
skin becomes firm and smooth.
clean. W
. Before vou know it Deston’s
brought you entirely mew skin loveliness.