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-. --— I : ; I |ir - J'Æebèss-* V;. ••W'i'ife;.-, ■&% My ALAI SSSÎ J r-' i © Alan Le May WNU Service I SYNOPSIS Billy Wheeler, wealthy young cattle man, arrives at the 94 ranch, sum moned by his friend Horse Dunn, its elderly and quick-tempered owner, be cause 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 enemies, includ ing Link Bender, Pinto Halliday and Sam Caldwell, whom he had defeated in his efforts to build a cattle kingdom. Dunn directs his cow hands, Val Doug las, Tulare Callahan and others to search for the killer's horse. CHAPTER I—Continued —2— 'It means the sheriff is on the ride—he's left Link Bender's, head ed for Short Crick. Maybe you think he's getting a slow start He is. That's the nature of the man. You ready?" "Lead out" said Wheeler, buck ling his chap belt "Wait" Horse Dunn reached down a broad cartridge belt whose holster carried a heavy six-gun, and swung this about his waist. "Pick your self a gun," he told Wheeler. "What's this for?" Wheeler de manded. "In case of boy." Wheeler stared at him. Then he shrugged, picked a weighted gun belt from the wall, and strapped it on. "Bring your saddle.' At the corrals Horse Dunn pointed out a stocky buckskin pony, and when Billy Wheeler had roped and rigged this animal, Dunn led the way out of the layout. Promptly Horse Dunn pushed his own tall sorrel into a hard lamming trot. "I want to join up with the sher iff somewheres about Chuck Box Wash," Dunn explained. "I'm right anxious to be with him when he makes his look-see at Short Crick." "Horse," said Billy Wheeler, "what's happened here?" "You'll see for yourself, better than I can tell you. knowing the lay of country like you do. But I'll tell you what I know." In abrupt sentences he told Wheeler what had happened. Morning of the day before, Horse Dunn had been riding Short Creek in the course of making a cattle count. The range of the 94 was far flung and broken; the first step to ward a count was to read the water holes, to find out what part of the range the big bunches were fre quenting. Reading sign on Short Creek, Dunn had come upon the double trail of a shod horse and an unshod horse, ridden side by side. The trail was going his way. He rode along it without attention—un til he came upon blood-stained ground. "1 studied the ground very care ful, tracing the trails," Dunn said. "In five minutes I knew for sure I'd come on the place where a man met his death." "But there was no body?" Dunn shook his head. "The dead man keeled out of the saddle as he was shot," he reported the sign. "But I guess he got stirrup hung, for he was dragged. His pony pulled him through the crick. 1 followed across, and found where he come loose. But the dead man was no more there." "I don't know as I get this," Wheeler said. Dunn gave it as his opinion that the man on the other horse had fol lowed and picked up his victim. "When I saw that," said Dunn, "I knew I was looking at the beginning of something. Maybe—at the begin ning of the end." For a moment Wheeler stared at Dunn; then the spell broke. To as sume flatly that a man was killed, when even the identity of the vic tim was unknown, seemed to Wheeler an outlandish stretch, even for an old tracker. "This is the darnedest thing I ever beard of, Horse," Wheeler complained. "What — no corpse? What kind of murder is this? Who's missing?" "Nobody's missing, that's known yet. "Well, what I don't see," Wheeler said, "is why you were in such a hurry to report to toe sheriff, with so little known." "I had no choice. I was still look ing over toe ground when I sighted a rider, about a mile off. In a min ute I made out it was Link Bender. Maybe you can remember when , Link's Seven S was bigger than toe 94. Maybe you remember how he tried to pinch out toe 94—almost put Marian's father to the wall. I broke him .of all that! But he's never swallered that he was licked. I've got plenty enemies, Billy; but Link Bender is toe smartest of 'em. Naturally I couldn't leave it so's he could report he seen me sneak ing away. So I had to signal him over and show him what I found." "And he read toe sign toe same as you?" "Billy, I keep telling you! There ain't any other way to read that sign." "Yes, but look here—the supposed 4i|d man's horse—" "Link Bender took off on the trail at the dead man's horse. Hoping to find tbe body, like a tool. I let Urn go. and haven't seen him since. ' So I don't know what he found. But he went and reported to the sheriff, like I knew he would." 'T should think you'd have been some interested in the dead man's caballo yourself." "More interested in the other side of it. The killer's trail took to the crick. Short Crick runs two hands deep on stone for two miles, then disappears in the sand. I took to the crick and hunted for where the killer left it Plenty horse bands water at Short Crick, wading in and out I lost the trail. Horse Dunn fln "So pretty soon,' ished, "I rode back to the ranch. By that time it had come to me whatl might be up against here. So I had a wire sent to you." They trotted two miles in silence. "I've been trying to figure out," Billy Wheeler said at last, "where I fit in this." Dunn was silent for a little way. "I've got enemies, Billy," he said finally. "A few head of -'em," Wheeler agreed. "And you know, too," Dunn re minded him, "the cow country is in terrible bad shape. Everybody has had to borrow, for three years straight. Nobody has borrowed deeper than the 94. Now our debts come due again. I have to go to Las Vegas, maybe to San Francisco. SR m m H j ? J, . "j» 4 'No, I Never Seen Him Before." It's a close caff, by God, to keep toe 94 out of bankruptcy! Now sup pose this coyote ring, with Link Bender at toe head of it, can force some trouble onto the 94. Suppose that trouble is made to look bad enough so that I can't extend those loans—let alone increase 'em? The work of 15 years drops from under like a shot pony!" Wheeler frowned. "There used to be a pretty square bunch running toe county offices at Inspiration." he said. "There was while Tom Amos was alive. He's dead; his boy is sheriff —and he isn't man enough for it. Link Bender's ring runs toe whole show. They're fixed to make a case stick, all right—for a little while— even if it's a poor one. It's going to be almighty necessary that we know more about this than toe other fellers, Billy. I sent for a good man to help us with that end of it. I sent for Old Man Coffee of Mc Tamahan." "I've heard of him. I guess he's pretty good on a trail. But still I don't see where I fit, Horse." "Suppose Link Bender's crowd can work it out to hold me on some trumped-up charge—60, 90 days? Long enough for toe 94 to go to pieces in the face of its called loans? There's going to be more to pulling toe 94 through toe landslide than a wagon boss like Val Douglas can handle. There's got to be a dif ferent man on toe ground—and that man is you." For a moment Wheeler was deeply troubled. If, by any chance. Horse Dunn's prophesies should prove correct, Wheeler did not see how he could refuse the old man toe assistance he asked. But evi dently this would mean that Wheeler would have to sign on to help with toe management of the 94. Thinking of this awkward possibil ity, he thought again of the blue eyes of Marian Dunn, of the strangely lovely glow of her face in the reflected light of the red-gold hills. For him there was a magic in that girl. It was a magic which could humble a man, and break him, heart and soul; taking toe light out of every victory he might win, when only she turned away her face. And he heard her voice, full of that same magic still: "I'm sor ry—truly sorry ..." Far ahead dark specks of horse men showed, emerging from Chuck Box Wash as if from the surface of the plain. 'Dunn booted his pony into a lope. CHAPTER II Walt Amos, sheriff of the Red Hills country, was a youngish man, with a direct but mild gray-green eye. He led a low-headed pony by a rope to his saddle horn. "I'm right glad you rode over, he said when the 94 men ''You'll be able to Horse,' had drawn up. help Link, here, recall how the sign looked when you first seen it.'' Behind him, lounging in their sad dles, sat three others. These, Wheeler knew, were Link Bender, tall, hawk - faced, close - lipped; Link's son, a lanky, weasel-faced youth whom Wheeler knew only as "the Kid"; and Cayuse Cayetano, a saffron-faced Indian breed who wore a circular shield marked "Indian Police" upon a green and black checked shirt These three had nodded in greet ing, but said nothing; and now there was a moment's awkward pause. In the silence could be heard an irregular moaning sound some where far to the north—the bellow ing of cattle working themselves into a state of mind over some un known thing. "I was figuring to ride over to your place later, anyway, Dunn," the sheriff said. "I was especially kind of hoping you'd recognize this horse." "Link Bender—" Dunn said slow ly—"he found him, did he?" "He found the horse—this horse; not the man." Dunn studied the led horse at the sheriff's flank. "So this," Dunn said, "is the horse a feller got killed on.' The horse the sheriff led was a runty bay of the wild pony type which infests the intermountain ranges from border to border. It bore no brand; but broad on the withers and extending downward on the off side almost to the knee were the dust-crusted stains of yester day's blood. Dunn leaned low to study the feet of the led horse. "It's the horse from Short Crick, all right," he said at last. "No, I never seen him be fore." The sheriff looked hopefully at Wheeler, but Billy Wheeler shook his head. "Nobody knows the damn ani mal!" the sheriff burst out fretfully. "I'd have thought you fellers would know every horse in the country by this time. "You get around as much as any body," Dunn grunted. "Where's the saddle?" "Link didn't find any saddle. Dunn glanced at toe dark, lean Dead man visaged Link Bender, must have taken his saddle with him across toe big divide," he com mented sarcastically. Sheriff Amos looked irritated. "Well, come on; we'll look over toe ground." They turned and rode northward at a jog. A curious tension had come over them for no plain reason. They were nearing Short Creek; and toe bellowing of cattle had be come near and strong—a fantastic deep booming broken by whistling soprano squalls. "What toe devil them steers raising hell about?" Amos demanded querulously. Nobody answered him. They rode in a peculiarly oppressive silence, a silence somehow unnatural and omi nous, even among these naturally quiet men. Now as they rounded the shoulder of Two Bull Butte they sighted toe disturbed cattle at toe quarter mile, a dark milling knot, restless with tossing horns. Link Bender raised his clenched hands to toe sky and swore abrupt ly, savagely, sign! There goes your evidence, and your trails!" Billy Wheeler's scalp crawled; men might misread toe sign, but toe cattle knew. One of toe sträng There goes your Ughi Beam Devised to Project Sleep . Walkers; Is Suggested for Hospitals I A safeguard for sleep walkers, ty ing them to bed with intangible and almost invisible light beams instead of ropes or strips of bedcloths, has been devised by a British manu facturer of photo-electric cells and similar devices, states a London correspondent of the Chicago Trib une. One or more light beams of dim blue or red light are directed across the bed from special lamps and re flectors like miniature searchlights. These beams enter one or more light-sensitive cells, which give an electric current so long as the light beam enters them. If anything in terrupts the light, beam, even for a small fraction of a second, the electric signal ceases. This stoppage may be made to sound an alarm or to work any other kind of electric apparatus. When the sleeper retires this light beam system is switched on. If then the sleeper gets out of bed or even sits up in bed, his body must cut one' or more of the light beams passing across the bed. This casts a shadow on toe light-sensitive cells, stops for an instant the electric current from est things of the range, and the source of many a weird legend, was the way the big white-faced range steers would come for miles to mark the place of a killing, bawling and pawing, and throwing the dirt over their backs. r,,. . .. . .. *» strange "Sure The fool Sure it s the place! The fool cnt ters have swarmed in on the smell of blood!" Wheeler heard Horse Dunn curse between his teeth. The Old Man jumped his pony forward, whipping up side and side, and charged down upon the milling cattle. The others, joined him, whooping and whipping up their ponies. The steer bunch broke reluctant ly, half inclined to face out the charging riders. Wheeler had been less interested in the running off of the cattle than in the reactions of the riders. All sign would have been obliterated: he was anxious now to see who would be exasperated and who different. Watching, he noted the conspicuous fury of Link Bender, the red-eyed anger of Horse Dunn— and the watchful detachment of Cayuse, the Indian. The riders were gathering again, disgruntled as they focused upon the stretch of creek the cattle had trampled. Horse Dunn circled a little and brought them to Short Creek again 200 yards up-stream. "Here you see my trail as I come up to the crick," he said; "it's the trail of the same horse I'm riding today . . . Here you see the trail of the two horses of the killer and the feller that was killed, riding side by side along the rim of the Right here my trail comes on You, Amos—notice that my trail is 20 hours younger'n the r.inir Bender The sheriff hesitated, studying the tracks glumly from the saddle. He What do you cut. to theirs. other two. "I'm not so sure, said. turned to the Indian. say, Cayuse? Cayuse Cayetano spoke briefly) "Thisi and promptly in Spanish, horse of Dunn's came yesterday,"! The other two horses, Not the 1 he said. maybe one day before, same time." "That Indian's a deer hunter," "When Cayuse Sheriff Amos said, says he knows, he knows. We'll let it stand at that." "You'll have to take my word for it from here on," Dunn told them. "The cattle sure smeared it up. But anyway—here the two-horse trail dropped down into the crick bed. So did I." He led them down into the cut and ! , _ . . along the margin of the water. Dunn moved a hundred yards down stream, checked his Iand marks and stopped* Here 8 wh H the feller was shot, he said, he keeled out of the saddle. His horse stampeded across the crick, running some sideways The feller was be mg dragged, like from the stirrup." Dunn turned and led across toe shallow water. As I rode up this bank, he told the sheriff, I seen H 13 * the .v, tra l tbe * llIer t was j o1 : lowing the trail of the stampeded horse—the same as I. He led onL another 50 yards across a maze of catUe tranriplmgs. Here, he said finally "is where ttm feller broke loose front! the sadd e. "How d you know he fell loose here. Amos asked. Because he wasnt dragged no further, Dunn said s J For a moment now J*ey aa * star ' mg morosely at a shallow bowl-like Plt t+i Wh L Ch ^ dusty pawing of tbe catue had dug. „ This what you saw. Link. Sher-1 iff Amos asked. Bender nodded. So far." (TO BE CONTINUED) _ this device and sounds whatever that has been kind of alarm provided. In hospitals the device is sug-|His gested to watch over restless or de- j lirious patients not attended con tinually by a nurse. Any move of the patient to get out of bed instant ly flashes a signal to the nurse in charge of the ward. For sleep walkers who want to break their habit or to guard against hurting themselves, the alarm may be arranged to ring al bell if the sleeper arises and thus to wake him up to turn on the befi-l lights to lock the door auto matically, to call some other mem ber of the family or to do anything else that may be desired to protect the sleeper room Attractive Church to Mexico The Great Church of Santa Prisca, at Taxco, Mexico, built in 1757 is reminiscent of some of the wonder fully picturesque places in Spain, with its huge dome decorated in glazed tiles in vivid ultramarine, orange, green and white sparkling in the intense sunlight. IM 'I © $ . 1 National Topics Interpreted by William Bruckart Nations! Pres» Building Washington, C, <J Washington.—WaD Street and the securities market generally have D , , been undergoing a oad Case of bad case of the Jitters jitters. It has been several years j since those dealing in money and shares of stock have been so un certain as to the future and this uncertainty obviously is the cause of tbe jitters among all people who dabble in ^ stock market> whet her 016 dabbling be small or large, on margin or f h It seems a proper time, there fore, to examine the picture and try to see what lies beneath. And, let me hasten to say at the very out set that anyone who makes a posi tive statement about the securities . . „ ar , these days must be either * :1001 or 8 superman—and thus far the supermen who have lived on this earth number only one. But that fact does not destroy the of an u examination of a con ™* blcb exist . s 88 « fact - . In ' 1 thmk a review of the various toflu f nc ®* at w0) * now , pr 8 clarification of gen in-ff* 1 c ® nd 1 ltio " s even though it may 'fail utterly to show why mea and women act as they do with respect to stock market investments. First, it should be said that Wall as the term is commonly used, is not unanimous within it [ self. The violent fluctuation of mar ket securities in the last several weeks might easily be said to be due to the war crises in Europe and in the Far East Only, those fluctu ations are not traceable to war con ditions. Rather, the war conditions are used by some individuals as an excuse—an alibi to themselves be cause they fail to fathom the vari ous influences and factors now at work. unanimity within itself. That is true because within Wall Street there are aU kinds of selfish groups oper ating. For example, an influence like inflation is highly pleasing to the brokers and dealers in shares while the same influence frightens bankers and likewise gives a sick eQ ing feeling to those who must buy raw products. Bankers and I said that Wall Street lacked sound investors as well as tax pay ers generally would be quite happy to see 016 Federal Treasury's budget balanced because if that were done there would be a much greater sense of security, of safety for those stock market investments. • • A dozen other illustrations could be given to thus illustrate the point and show why Black Case Wall Street involved not agree. They do not show, how ever, why there is so much uncer tainty and why the bulls or the .bears have been unable to adjust themselves to the future probabili ties. The reasons, therefore, must lie deeper _ Jt is possible that the appointment of Hug0 Black of Ala . bama as an ass0 ciate justice of U e Supreme court of the United gt a | es bas had more effect on the business world than any of us real . ize . j have heard a number of cor . poration ti that can say hope they w j U never be involved in I ütig a tion which will carry their cor porations before the court on which I Mr Black sits If entertained hat fear before undoubtedly the fear is deep er-seated and more wid e S p r e ad now that Mr j us tice Black has been publicly accuse(J pf holding a life membership in toe Ku ^ ^ Certainly the expose of the typhoon that is swirling around head of the new associate jus . tice cannot have any soothing ef feet upon the minds of those busi negs men who> ag corporation exec . utives, are trustees of vast sums of toe people's money. Undoubtedly. Mr Black can prove that he is not affi i iated with th e Ku Klux Klan, few litigants will teel safe be fore toe Supreme court Then, there comes toe resignation mission which regulates operations of the great stock exchanges. Mr. Landis has been regarded as rather fair, rather just, in his dealings re lating to stock market operations. retirement to return to a pro fessorship in Harvard, of course, opens up the question as to his suc cessor. This is to say that most of the financial world «hoping an d praying that the new chairman will not g0 off at a tangent; that he will avoid extreme radicahsin and that b ewill not blametoe whole finan cial structure for toe crookedness of a part of lt this minor factor may have weight with some individuals dealing in corporate shares and bonds. Wil liam O. Douglas, a member of the commission, has been slated to be come chairman but developments in recent weeks give considerable doubt over that result. Mr. Doug las is recorded as being a radical. Bankers and investors, in many parts of toe country fear that if he is made chairman he will become not unlike the famous bull in a china cabinet. But, according to the un dercurrent of gossip around Wash ington Mr. Douglas has done some Thus, it becomes easy to see how thing to offend Postmaster Genera! Farley, and no man can draw an appointment as important as the chairmanship of a great commis sion without Mr. Farley's approval. Aside from personalities, various phases of President Roosevelt's monetary policies continue to be dis turbing and in addition to these there is the certainty that new taxes must be levied. That is, new taxes must be levied if we are ever going to balance the federal budget and begin paying off the gigantic nation al debt which now amounts to more than 38 billion. With a debt at the highest point our United States ever has known, a great many people, including bankers, have become fearful of whàt they might get for United States bonds that they now hold. It is obvious that this influ ence adds to the general uncertainty although it is difficult to measure the exact influence of this condition, or to see whether it is a major or a minor factor. * .* * Having enumerated a few of the influences known to be at work, we come now to that condition which Conditions heretofore always has been basic. I refer to general business conditions. Business New Deal press agents have tried valiantly to make it appear that business is booming; that prosperity is here instead of around the cor ner; and that the country has noth ing to fear. Careful examination of official figures, however, show the prosperity statements to be true only in parts. The official statistics disclose very definitely how some lines of business are enjoying a vol ume of trade or production higher even than 1929. They show on the other hand a vast number of fail ures, an increasing number of big businesses which are barely getting by—which can continue providing their present volume of business is maintained. If the volume of busi ness slips, however, that category of business is going into a tailspin as sure as the sun shines. If a part of the business of the country begins to sink—well, a part of it began to sink in August, 1929, and within two years the whole struc ture had fallen like a house of cards. I am not saying that we are con fronted with another depression. I do say, however, that we are facing a condition that is not at all satis factory—a condition that can lead to a depression as easily as it can lead to sound prosperity in com merce and industry. Astute observers and business men in the larger centers decide their courses upon the outlook for the whole country, not for any par ticular line of business or any par ticular section. The number of in dividuals who see the picture I have attempted to outline in the above paragraph is increasing. As that number increases obviously the wave of uncertainty expands. So, if one is compelled to make a guess why Wall Street is so con cerned or so jittery, it would seem that the explanation must lie in the combination of circumstances. No one of them, except possibly the ad verse business outlook, could ac complish as much doubt about the future. Anyone talking with a hundred different individuals will hear these various factors and influences men tioned. He will hear different weight given by each individual to each factor. a a a We have been dealing with causes. Let us look at possible effects. It will be remem bered how Presi Now, as to Effects dent Hoover was blamed for toe de pression. He and toe Republican party were punished on that ac count and badly licked in the elec tions. It ought to be said in Mr. Hoover's behalf that toe conditions which led to the depression had their beginning long before he was elected President. Indeed, they had their real beginning in toe World war. President Roosevelt came into of fice as a result. He started doing things and gaining the confidence of the country to such an extent that he was re-elected last year. Probably he was re-elected largely because of the bulk of toe voters feeling he was restoring prosperity. I doubt, however, that Mr. Roose velt was any more responsible for the return of a superficial prosper ity than Mr. Hoover was responsi ble for toe depression. But we are coming to another election. If conditions should be come worse and business should de cline perceptibly again, Mr. Roose velt will be held responsible just as definitely as was Mr. Hoover. He will be charged with having made a mess of government and any at tempt on his part to prove the con dition was natural will be regardée as an alibi. The whole thing seem; to be in the lap of the gods and n amount of political strategy or a tempts to amend the law of suppi and demand will alter events. ® Western Newspaper Union. Cut work That Is Anything but Work "Cutwork without bars? actly—and that's the very reason this lovely Wild Rose design for doilies or buffet set is so easy to do. So encouraging, too, for the beginner who'd like to try her hand at it. Aren't they life-like— — TT-pt Mi? ii I» Ex pS A »ÄlV »• & m iV •s * V. Si Pattern 5503. these roses? Delicate shades of pink would be most realistic, of course, but the pattern is no less lovely if worked in thread to match your linen. A refreshment table set with these would be most tempting! In pattern 5503 you will find a transfer pattern of a doilie 11 by 17% inches and one and one reverse doilie 6 by 9 inches; material requirements; il lustrations of all stitches used; color suggestions. 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