Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-01-11

IeuJ1Ou 10 Qer morse. but IndI is mere
~ a trifing coincidence. The thing he
had to decide was far more eompli-
Gated than Billy Louise's problem.
Should he go straight to Seabeck and
tell him what he had found out? He
did not know Seabeck, except as he
had met him once or twice on the trail
and exchanged trivial greetings and a
few words about the weather. Besides,
Seabeck would very soon find out
There it stood at his shoulder, grim
ming at him maleyolently-his past. 1t
tied his hands. Buck Olney he could
deal with single handed, for Olney had
the fear Of him that is born of a
guilty conscience. He could send Buck
lover the road whenever he chose to
tell some things he knew. He could do
1t without any compunctions too. Buck
Olney, the stock inspector, deserved no
mercy at Wards hands and would get
o if eve they met where Ward
would have a chance at him.
Olney he could deal with alone, but
with the evidence of those rebranded
cattle and the testimony of two men,
together with the damning testimony
of his past Ward lifted his head and
stared heavily at the pine slope before
him. He could not go to Seabeck and
tell him anything. In the black hour
of that ride he could not think of any
thing that he could do that would
save him.
And then quite suddenly in his des-
peration he decided upon something.
He laughed hardly, turned Rather back
from the homeward trail and returned
to the corral In the canyon. "They
started this game, and they've put 1t
up to me- he told himself grimly,
land they needn't squeal If they burn
their own fingers"
He hurried, for he had some work
ahead of him, and the sun was sliding
past the noon mark already. He reach
ed the corral and ven about what he
had to do as If he were working for
wages and wanted to give good meas
ure.
First he rebuilt the little fire just
outside the corral where the cattle
could not trample 1t, but where one
might thrust a branding iron into its
midst from between the rails. When
it was going properly he searched GER
tain likely hiding places and found an
iron still warm from previous service.
He thrust it into heat, led Rather into
the corral and closed the gate securely
behind him. Then he mounted, took
down his rope and widened the loop,
while his angry eyes singled out the
animal he wanted first.
Ward was not an adept with q run
ming iron" He was honest, whatever
men might say of him. But he knew
how to tie down an animal, and he
sacrificed part of his lariat to get the
short rope he needed to tie their feet
together. He worked fast-no telling
what minute some one might come and
catch him-and he did his work well,
far better and heater than had his
predecessors.
When he left that corral he smiled.
Before he had ridden very far up the
bluff he stopped, looked down at the
long suffering cattle and smiled again
sardonically. One could read their
brands easily from where he sat on his
horse. They were not blotched; they
were very distinct. But they were not
Yes within that corral. There were
other brands which might be made OF
a Y6 monogram by the judicious adj
dition of a mark here and a mark
there.
There, hang yuh, chew on that
awhiler' he a~postrophized the absent
three. He turned away and rode back
onee more toward home.
Rather turned naturally into the trail
which ran up the creek to the ranch.
but Ward Immediately turned him out
of 1t. 1--WE aren't going to overlook
any bets, old timer" he said grimly
and crossed the creek at a point where
it was too rocky to leave any hoof
prints behind them. He rode up the
lower point of the ridge beyond and
followed the crest of it on the side
away from the valley. When he reach
ed a point nearly opposite his cabin he
~dismounted, unbuckled his spurs and
slipped their chains over the saddle
horn. Then he went forward afoot to
reconnoiter. He was careful to avoid
rock or gravelly patches and to walk
always on the soft grass, which muf-
fed his steps.
In this wise he made his way to the
top of the ridge, where he could look
down upon the cabin and stable and
cOrrals and see also the creek trail for
a good quarter of a mile. The little
valley lay quiet. His team fed undis-
turbed by the creek not far from the
corral, which treasured Ward more
than anything. Still, he waited until
he had made reasonably sure that the
bluff held no watcher concealed before
he went back to where Rather waited
patiently.
II guess they didn't plan to stir
things up till they got those critters
planted where they wanted them," he