The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-03-09
CHAPTER VIII
lyon Wants Get Me Again"

| nou W atIu SCu NlC Again
One day, late in the fall, Ward
was riding the hills off to the
north and west of his claim, look
| ing at the condition of the range
there and keeping an eye out for
Y6 cattle. He had bought anoth-
er dozen head Of mixed stock, over
toward Hardup and they were not
yet past the point of straying off
their new range.
By sheer accident he rode up to
the canyon where the little corral
lay hidden at the end, and looked
down. He saw that there were cat
tie within it, and two men at work
there. And by chance he lifted his
eyes and saw the nose of horse
beyond jutting ledge so yards or
so away, and the crown of a hat
showing just above he ledge; a
lookout. he Judged instantly, and
pulled Rather behind the rock he
had been at some pains to ride
around.
Ward was a cowpuneher. He
| hhC" lito tllthS vi IllC tluuS d.
we'll that he did not wonder what
was going on down there. He
knew.
/ A man walked out into the CEN
ter of the corral and stood there
in the revealing sunlight. Wards
eyes bored like gimlets thru the
space that divided them. Instinct
lively his hand went to the gun on
his hip. But before he could shoot
his trick brain snapped before his
eyes the face of Billy Louise.
He lowered the gun. Billy LOU
Use had talked to him very serious
ly one day about this very posi-
bility. She had made him see
that shooting this man would be
the worst thing he could possibly
do.
He slid the gun back into its
holster, and dismounted, with a
glance toward the place where the
lookout was stationed. He was
sure he had not been seen, and so
he crouched behind a splinter of
rock and watched. He had no
plan, but his instinct impelled him
to closely watch Buck Olney.
Another man came into view,
down there in the corral. Ward
gave little snort of contemptu-
Gus surprise when he recognized
him. The two in the corral came
out and closed the gate behind
them, mounted, and rode up to-
ward where the lookout waited.
After they had gained the top
Ward heard the murmur of their
voices. Once he caught the UNI
mistakable tones of the man he
would like to KILL" Plotting
against some poor devil, as usual,
Ward thought, and wondered If
the man knew he lived In this
part of the country; II he did, 1t
might easily be
"I'll keep cases some myself
you reptile" he muttered under
his breath. you won't get me
again, If that's what you've got
in mind"
They went on, and presently
| Ward was looking at their backs
as they rode over the ridge. Az
ter a minute or so, he mounted
and rode down to the corral.
Five dry cows and two steers
snorted at his approach and
crowded against the further rails.
Ward gave Rather a touch of the
spurs, rode close to the fence, and
stood in his stirrups while he
studded the bunch.
HE'LL" he said, when the in
spection was over, and dropped
back into the saddle while he gaz-
ed unseeingly at the conyon wall.
1t was a very real hell that his
mind saw; a hell made by men,
wherein other men must dwell in
torment.
Seabeck's brand was a big v, a
bad brand to own, since 1t favors
revision at the hands of the I'M
scrupulous. These cattle were
Seabeck's cattle, and their brand
had been altered. For the right
slant of the v had been extended
little and curled into a 6, so
that In time the brand would
stand casual inspection as a Y6
monogram-Ward's own brand.
The work was crude-purposely
crude.
SO he sat there and looked over
the fence and saw himself a con-
victed "rustler." They would be
turned loose on the range near
his claim, and they would be
found before the scabs had haired
over.