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THLRON OF LOST VALLEY
By V1NG1E K. KOE
Author of "The Staid of th6 WhUptHno BUU," "Th tiivt
Tttk GUMPS-And She Laughed t Me
By Sidney Smith
r;
of Night
(CorvrloM, IDiD, by tM, Vfad 4 Co.)
THIS PTAJITB T1IK BTOllY
Tharon T.i is "" A00"'1',''
rtftttrol Wtf .m Last's household, Jim
i , notorious for his sfcl with punt,
imf AM controlled Ifte valUvfor years.
But Courtrey ' ." n,"lu AM
?, aoJ com behind. We od'MWortu
2-r Mat ''" n ttoottnii and hands
cr nl belt of pistols. She seeks to
Uarn. the name of his murderer and
tow? to "act htm.", More cottle have
teen selitd, and Tharon colli t out her
thirty followers to dep Courtrey.
'Ajwi rides El lieu and is chased by
Courtrey. Rhe stops at the cabin of
the man in uniform, icith Courtrey a
ttw voids behind. "That," sho eays,
"is the man I'm going to kill some
day."
m iinnc it oontinckh
tt WAS a gift he had Blvcn her. nothing
-m, and riie made up her mind that
om rAtft should rlecp In peaco under ilio
'Minting pine at Last's Holding and
that hlS CfOHS BIIOUIU Ulu Bimiu uvcivxi
IhoM other two in uie carvcci granite.
, Billy, watching, rean ner miuo wun
Uio half-tragic eyes of love.
...! I .wminirlv unconscious, but
JicAly alive to everything, was at great
ir. imnfd. 'wltli a surging, tenseness,
ii., ii, iM fateful thing was sliding over
into his hands to work out. his and Ban
. ".'.?" "ii: V. full well that he and
Sinner both were Ilka to be slated for
renin, night had fallen when the eav-
. inriii nciin. IIU1 1IT3 Ui IIWW Vll W JI
'ICBulla?d of the OoTd.n Cloud had (he
erica to come out and look at the lltUo
oia man """'fy - "
lone ana laiuimiu. , , , . ,
roinc to Usfs and 'burled him dewntly
t OVn- ,r ... ,.. ...I. ,.. nut
. ' ..'.i. i,.,i Th.iron: Iliouitli
TUAn I MR I IT 1 IILll I .U T1 (( UHU wu
Knt nnd Dllly tried to dissuade her.
Jii CorvgnT nanner went though the
invn llk a wind, asking lor me gun oc
iitry man ho met. By noon every .n
hlVen examined, one shell exploded.
I... I. if ihn nicked, uneven s en
if the mysterious, hamjn which had
Snapped lis death Into Old IWs heart.
When the sun was straight overhead
snd all- Iist Vallcv was sweet with the
Sinmef hare, the Vigilantes, closo pack
Jd and silent, swung out toward the
Stronghold
It was blue-dusk when they drew up
it the corrals beside the fortress house.
Lounging around In cAt.Uke quiet were
ome ililrty men, riders, gunmen,
TNvhIn ' nnr called for Courtrey
,thero wis a sound of boots on the hoard
MOM, tnaioe, a woman n iJ"y" u.w,
and the rattle king came swinging out,
Ms hands at his waist, his two guns
touring the crowd.
Tall. BtralgtH as a tancr, ma iron
cray head uncovered, h was a strlk
tnr figure of a man Ills henchmn
uatelifd him sharply. At his side clung
lh film woman. Ellen htr milky race
thin and tragic. He shook her loose
ind faced the newcomers.
well 7 ne snappen -wnava mist
Courtrey." said Banner, "we're here
In th' name o' th' law. We demand f
n ihfm truns o' yours,"
If tne Knowieage inai Jim imniier whu
l brut man needed confirmation, It had
It In that speech. Pew men In tho
irsrld ceuld havo made It. and gotten
i..: . " r .'... .
ty with It None In a different set
ting. Courtrey heard It, but ho paid
little hed to It at the moment. His
cee went to the face of Tharon Last
and drank In Its heauty hungrily,
rrcsentlv he shifted hie gar.n and
regarded Kensot with a. cold light that
Ml it.
"Who wants 'em?' he asked draw-
llntlv,
We do"
'Hell! Want Courtrey's guns! You're
jnouest, Jim. ,
"An what do you want. Tnaronv
In Milln of the tenseness of tho
rtoment the olce that had laughed at
ittatli and torture in Hound Valley be
rime melting soft as It addressed the
tin
"taw:" said Tharon "Iiw th' law l
promised ou on Baston's porch!"
its.' An now oo oy mint jouu
ll that? If t nod my head we'll drive
inie buncn o' epawn out o" here so
nmeK it it make your Heart awtm. What
oo you tmnk you re uoln'7
"I don't think. T know now Know
what we can dowhat th' law means."
f.ourtrey glanced again nt Kenset.
"Col ftnmn lmnftrtarl knnu1iltr T
Me It
"Take It or leave It ! Show us them
tuna!" cried Tharon harshly.
'I don't think .so," said Court
rtv, nodding
Like a Dalr of nnaken !Mlnc- tnr.
ward, Wylackle Bob and the ArUona
alranger were suddenly in the fore
ground, hands hanging apparently loose
MS carels, In reality tense aa strung
''. ready to snap with flro and lead.
mo moinani was pregnant. The very
eeath.
I -I ".., n. oyfti,o uu, Aiiaruu
"i swung siaewne from her saddle,
fr all the world as If she were break
er under the strain, leaned far over
WRtya shoulder, and the next moment
lllnnsm Bh0t' ,naW'n ,n th
dyVJ'J?. n oa.ln "-nd a 1,,rch Courtrey
iS5 kward' tossed up his right arm.
k .1, - .i. v,u? "'sieii. uis bail went
wih In the nlr. wild. The blood from
wl. Jwfsc'lJBll.th?-nl .IP" over
liiYi j "' . """u" nini, ine gun It
M4 held went huttllnE away nlonir lh.
nn. ------
tim,ki.v ."" "" w i mo seiners
.MhH,,?,n hls saddle poor Thomas
Sektiwi1' ttr .58 .one' thundered
tot.ih?rU.to..th5 wy doowtop, pressed
nr Ilk'e rciirton.1"' V"a 0I Ken8tt
"fetOn!" h r,t A . KJ..U -1 a at
hr that Tu8nWUnr oft h,s nor t0 ,eP
ut another was before him.
eSS.hVKML. of 5"W'!IJ"1" ng
gJWjtd it Wm the spot IS'Tt SS3
Wk irii ,.. ',nostJln h rose
he aSJi tt WB tfnt1 w th purple.
faced rh.mpway,nB on ner " ond
"I in",9 -pu.1 ,he. 5Vn. to. her tempi
e!
all eT;i.T .- T"V.n-..f. X Tor." si
she
rev's n. V. ?: '"l".u".y..
"hilt f-rtllr.
', you don't
ulef."
a worth whit T mi
clear out I'll pull th'
S blMe"eli.,i'f VJthlU ltsftlf- .
t" light ;12"JI hinda W8re o thin
tlim"'1" seemed to shine hpm,R
'kern,
li
to shine
I'er long whlt
I'.'f-'orrn.
"--- "-' vimiik id na
oress clunar to her
'"' fence Cliv? wRf l"lcls by the cor-
e She hlH '?oked at hr th wide
p....:" i
crim. ey and
the J..i." " "" Ol
nuDHinnntA hai..j -a
him. Now" .h. i. i'-1:
"113 arA 1 ..".'
vuiypn
U4JI wi", '"". U1KB I !ovr1 lm
tnletake!" Pln " hor heart, an- no
kt tad.!8..1' "omethlng stronr wlil.ln
s.'r.&SS:
..w!'n one irrnrff0 w"an.UIHra !
Mmi: . exncctinr ..ATT '.-.-""""
"iSCWS &!& W ESK"
i.y,n one iiff.,1 r , X "" .ver seen.
"tat it"?54.h: S;ot T-ma.
,.m
Bu.1 acroes hri
arAtinj 9 'he CArnp '.,.
S ' ', ;WiW7 ,.
i i . ." naii.uiiir
with il bPat us to in ni"?' da'ned
V'. B'heJn'3;,?01"' f move down
Wind," ttc.
X
and grlpBcrt his arm In tt strong
fingers.
"Shut up, Jim Banner." she said
tensely. "ou' enly begun. That's
in- gun, i mako no doubt, an' .Ellen
knew itbut If w'r worth klllln'
w'll dg Into thin harder'n ever. Here's
poor Thomas, makes one moro notch on
my record. I'm not sayln' quit I An'
you'ro th' bravest man In Con an, tool"
At Last's Holding the Vigilantes
nioppcu iot real ana rooa.
They, had boon In saddlo the better
part of forlyelght hours.
Young Taula, Jose and Anita set up
a steaming meal, und they ate like
fAmlshcd men, bv rolays at tho big
(able In the dining room.
Tharon. Last sat quietly ut the
board's head throughout tho meal,
pcnslyo, thinking of Dilen, but grimly
planning for the future.
And Billy and Kenset watched her,
eai h with a secret pain at his heart.
"Lord, Lord," Bald Billy to himself,
"shos llstenln' when ho speaks like efte
never listened to uny ono before I"
In Kensel's mind drilled over and oer'
again tho ceaseless thought "A hand or
a neari sne could nit them both with
ease. Its true, true she's a gun
woman I Oh. Tharon, Tharon t" and he
did not know ho spoke her name be
neath hlu breath.
But other things were crowding for
wardho was leaning forward telling
that clrtlo of irrlm. lenn fnron tliat ir
Mhey could not handle this thing them-
nciicr, moro were mono in tno Dig world
of below who could that there were
mon of the secret service who could find
that gun no matter where Courtrey or
ISIlcn hid It, that Lost Valley, no mat
ter what Its Isolation or Its history, was
yet In the United States of America, anu
could be tamod.
Then the Vlgllanteo wero gone with
Jangle of spur and blt-chaln, and he
wa the last to go, standing by Captain
In the dim starlight. Tharon stood be
side him, and for some unaccountable,
reason the grim purposo of tholr
acquaintance pcenied to drift away, to
leao them together, alone under the
stars, a mim and a maid. Kensot stood
for a long moment and looked at the
faint outline of her face. Sho was still
In her riding clothes, her head baro with
is ribbon half untied in tho nape ut
her slender neck.
Tho tree-toads were singing ort by the
spring-house and thft cattle In the big
corrals made the low, ceasetesB night
sounds common tu a herd.
Tho riders wr-ro gone, the vaquoroe;
wero at their posts around the retting
slock, tho low adobe house was settling
Into ther.qulot of the night.
Ml&erably Kenunt Innlto.l at l hi. .un
Of a girl.
anc was .strange to him, unfathom
able. There wern rlenflin hmnalli l!i
changing blue eyeo which appalled him
How, would he fool toward her when
me ining was qone when she had kill
ed Courtrey?
nut she rnut not be allowed to do
It Not though It took his life.
If she was pledged to this thing, he
w as no less pledged to Its prevention.
He felt a sadness within him as he
saw tho soft curve of her cheek, tho
outline of her tawny head.
With an Impulse which he could not
govern he reached out suddenly and
took her hands In his and pressed them
against hlo heart. The pounding of
that heart was notlccablo through her
hands Into his.
But he did not .speak h could not.
but he had no need. He could hae
said nothing that would have cleared
the situation would hae told himself
or her what was in that pounding heart
or nia for to save his llfo he did not
Know.
And- Tharon frowned In the darkness
anu drew her hands from under those
prenning ones,
"Mr. Kennpt " hn hsM aiAnti.t
"'you're always tryln' to make me weak,'
iu urcait me uown wun words an looks
n luucncs. jnce nnnas p yours-
ynuiii em. iney no maito me weak I
Don t put 'em on mo again!"
And with a sudden, sharp savagery
she struck his handa off his brcabt,
whirled away In tho darkness and was
gone.
Kenset, tw o days later, gave Sam
Drake a check for 9500 and a letter,
Unpotmarked but sealed with tape and
wax. Prake, who owned somo half
breed tronwoods. rode the beat one down
tho. Wall.
Kmset had cautioned him not to talk
before he left he feared Drake's
propensity for speech. But he was the
only man In Lost Valley whom he felt
he could approach.
With tho courier's departure h rod'
back to the Holding and told Tharon
and Conford what ho had done
"These men are the best to he had."
he said, "and they will go anywhere on
earth for money.'1
out inaron rrowned and struck a
fist Into a bo ft palm.
. ,"w.hat you mean." shs cried, "by
takln' my work out of my hands like
tllf I won't havo It! I won't wait!"
What I meant whn t taiii,t ....-.
bridle that day In the glade," answered
the man : "to stop you from bloodshed."
Then ho went bark In Mn .-ohlr. n.,j
his Interrupted work and eet himself to
"u in pauence ror tne return of
Drake.
Ilut In boat Vftllrv 9 li,n ,. i.
in, ii nau oegun insidiously to work
with the nnnmrani'n nf li".n., i
Tharon's band at Courtrey's doorstep.
It burst up like a mushroom with a
ohanco remark mado by Lola of the
Golden Cloud Lola, who had seen,
since that night In e-pring when Tharon
Last stood in the door and promised to
'get" her father's killer, that Courtrey
was slipping from hor. A woman like
Lola 1b hard to deceive.
Much experience had (aught her to
fee) the chango of winds In tho matter of
allegiance
Sho knew that surely and swiftly this
man had gon down the path of un
reasoning love, that ho would give any
thing ha possessed, do anything potslble
to win for himself this slim mistress of
Last's Holding.
. Thereforo she played the one card ant
held, hoping to rouse the bully, and did
JUBt the thing she wag trying to avert.
"Buck." Klin anlil ho hlaoL. l..J
his shoulder, her dark eyes watching
povertly his careless face, "tho Last girl
Is lost to every Valley man. Sooner or
later she'll leavo the country, mark my
word, with thin VnrtKt Kni-vfxj. .il...
for she's In love with him, though ana
doesn't know It yet."
With a Blow movement CnnHr t.
.. ,un in HDuui juia. anu uiieo ner
from him. His eyes wero narrowed as
he looked Into her face
"For God's sake!" he said, "what
makes you think that?" I
"Knowledge," said Lola, "long knowl
edge of women and men."
"If i thought that." said Courtrey
slowly his eyes losing sight of her as
.il hi. . .u.... ,- ...-.' .'"ye
ua nqciucu iu jouk ucygnu uer, If-I'
uiousiiv u-wiiy, lieu! It njata
truth .Whv t It's th' ftinrl'f"
th
And he rose abruply. though he had
Juat settle himself In Lola's apartment
for a pleasant chat, ne was liln habit
whenever he rodo In from the Strong
hold. '!f,a.:" he "f1'11 Presently. "I might's
w;el tell you that I'm piannln' to hive
this girl for mine, mine, you under-
f.t'!'. ''t,1111- hy '" ' CR't have, her
like I've had you Bho'd blow mv ftfad
off th' first time I stopped holdln' htr
hands." Ho laughed at tho picture lit
had conjured, then went on
"An' so I feel grateful lo you, old
girl, for that remark. It sets me
thlnkln'."
And he stooped and kUeed her an the
lips' The woman returned tho Mas, a
wonderful caress, slow, soft, alluring,
but the men did not notion.
J i i.i race was flushed, ins eyes study-
ing.
Th
'hen he Bwunr nutcklv put i)imii.i.
. t. a ffi1i4A. 1...l bhJ T nf .... '
limply down on a couah and covered
wi niicu uioeM9 w)ui iicr iiHnap
., -.un, muok r- BIK
"Oh. Buck! Buckl
bIib whispered brokenly,
. Courtroy went straight homo, ttlll,
cold, thinking hard. I us henchmen left
him In solitude, after the first word or
two. They knew him well, and that
something1 was brewing.
At midnight that night h r
roustd
vt yiackio. bod, uiaok wart ana the man
who was known aa ArUona, and the four
or mom wont out on mo leveia ror a se
cret talk.
tho next day tno master or the
Stronghold rode away on Bolt As he
loft. Ellen, standing In the doorway like
ay like
a pale ghost, liftod her traglo eyes to
irAVM pat J ( y BR aoiTT Gifts'-J i bS about FofrroKiE
PETEYHc Ought to Use
The Young Lady Aorou tho Way
The young lady across the way
Bays hc looLs best in blur, having
so much color, and she does hopp
the Ited peril will never get a foot
hold in this country.
: , f -VieuL-VHEe Have
tiffiMfr . (VbyT3EEM? we uoovtexAU I
' I '" " I laRtjptaiiMatMMeNWPaifj
I
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w- ,." " ,s"f'..
SOMEBODY'S STENOGShe Gets Her Wish
OTCT
HO HUM -X SURE
The Sprmgos.allriGht
AWtRlGHT ALL RIGHT
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JIMMY SOW BELIEVES THAT
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SCHOOL
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Corrrltht. 1918. by ToB!e Lrtr
Take This
L -r J 11 a in T tZo 1 vv. v,a H
MISS O'FLAGE -
whw body
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BACK NOW AND.'rAerONtVT
- NNKUCOrxAlI.ONperhf.
a, rA r lli o fy aj ft e - . wh
Tnucnrcpi,i s ;
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By C. A. VoiffU
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By Hayicard
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bis faco with the lock of a faithful doj.
8t forged to his aide
(CONTINUED TOMQKflOW)
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