Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-04-30


~ notorious for his skill pith guns,
n,d has controlled the Gaiiey for
Gears. Buck Courtrey seeks to oust
Ein. Jim ts shot fron, behind. nc
1dyss Tharon her last lesson IN shoot:
NO end hands 70 ncr ,on m' ,ns eom no,o. Q.
~ MS murderer and Votcs TO get
T,rO Thdror takes her first ride on
Ei Rey. She Is Uatched by a rider on
a bucksktn horse A stranger comes
to Lost Valley wedr1no leather odr-
Neuts.
, AND HEBE 1T CONTINUES
s.T KNowED I wasn't welcome in tn
Valley when hadn't been here
n,ore,n six months. Tn first leetle string
a. fence put up fer corrals went down,
nysterious. as fast as I could fix It.
TIL woman's garden was broke open
an trampied to dust by cattle, drove
In. Winter kotched us with mighty
leetle e eat in tn way o. truck Next
wear she guarded It herself some nights
s,eepin' by day. an oncet she took q
shot at some one that come prowin'
around. They let her fence alone after
that, but what'd they do outside? Killed
all tn hogs we had one night an piled
,ern in a heap in tn front door yard
That was hint enough, but 1 KEEP a
thinkin' that ef we behaved decent like,
an minded our own business we ssr-
tsinly must win out.
I'VE did," he added grimly after a
little pause, "like he'll. An how many
others OF tn settlers has gone through
m like? We amt no tin gods ourselves,
own, but we got to fight fire with fre,
Only ! amt got no more lightwood,'
he finished auaintly. II got TO quit.
There was another silence while the
tree-toads sang. Then the man held out
his hand, hardened and warped with
Good bye. Eharon,' he said IL wisht
linn Last was here. With him gone
Lost Valleys In Courtrey'ss hand an no
mistake. He was tn only man dared
hi only head tn weaker faction had. its
master their only leader. While he
lived we had some show, us leetle fell
iers Now there amt no leader: TIL
ranchers'll go out fast now lt'n be a
one-man valley"
extended hand, held It a moment and
laid her other one upon H.
John Dement," she quietly said. u
want you TO go home an bar your house
for fsht Fix up your fences, unpack
your duffie. In the morning my riders
o cattle. You put your brand on 'em.
There's goin' to be no one-man doin's
IN Lost Valley yet awhile--not while
Jim Lasts daughter lives. See,' sns
dropped his hand and pointed 70 the
east where the tall pine. lifted to tn,
stars. "out yonder there'S a cross a,
Jim Lasts grave---an' there's my mark
on II. Tn settlers have a leader still
an name myself that leader. I'm
set against Courtrey, now an forever
a.-l.s IL 49, ~ Lao i,kn =.
ground in Lost Valley, tn last word o
law. tn last drop O. blood, both his an
mine. You go down among 'em--th
settlers--an' take 'em that word fron
ma Tell em Jim Lasts daughte
stands facin' Courtrey. an she'll need a
Valley that ain't a coward"
When the settler had gone. incoheren
and half-incredulous. Conford drew ;
long breath and looked at his mistres
In the dusk.
"Tharon, dear" he said so gently tina
his words were like a caress. your,
Test a.breakin' your riders hearts
You're heapin' anxiety on US mountain
high. Now what on earth'll we do?"
Ysung Billy Brent pushed near an,
Ills eyss were sparkling like harbo
lights. his voice was like the sound o
"Do?' he cried. DO? Well stan,
behind her so tight they can't see day
far her sysy neh a e that sHs way We ever
word o. that law, every drop O. tina
blood Who says Lasts aln't on TIL
rap in Lost Valley?" Tharon smilet
and touched him again.
Billy" she said softly. you're afte
my own heart. Now get to bed
want l. think
Spring was warming swiftly int,
summer. Where the gently slopin
ranges went up In waves and swell
toward the uplands at the east, tn
darker shade. The tiny purple an
white flowers had disappeared TO Civ
place to sturder ones OF crimson an
gold. The veil of water that fel
1000 feet at the valleys southern en-,
had thnned to sheerest sauze. In tn
Canyon Country the snow had dis
appeared from most of the high points
ted. black, yellow, the great face o
the encircling wall stood in everlasting
majesty. looking down upon the leve
cup OF Lost Valley. The unspeakabl
uphsaval of peaks and crags of cAnon
ana splits and unfathomable depths
was almost a sealed book to the deni
nens OF the valley. There were thos
who knew False Ridge.
There were those who said they knew
more Many man had adventuret
therein. and few had returned to tel
or their adventures.
/, canyon Jim had not returned No
mat he was loss to the community
or that they mourned him, but hi
ABSENCE pointed again TO the formidabl,
secretive power of the Canyon Country
Inaron Last. standing in her western
door. could look across the valleys de
ceptiVe miles and see the huge blacl
lace. These splits and canyons wer,
peculiar IN that none came down to TIL
valleys floor their yawning doorway
peinE IN every instance, Set from 90
TO 800 feet UP the wall
often the girl watched them in tn
changing lights and her active min,
them.
Some day" she told young Pauls
~ 60 into the Canyon Country and Sc,
Saints forbid, senorita!" said Paula
VINO mad no love for the mysterious. an,
VINO was more Mexic than Pomo. "ther
are demons and devils therel"
,Tharon grimly, "They say Courtre
SHOWS IN canyons. an when he's there
Ns peopled an no mistake
Why-there's 100 feet OF crevasse o.
every hand, know, steps an benche
an weathered faces that no man ca
climb They say there's bright water
mat tumble down like tn Vestal's Vel
ana sink into holes without an outie
Just go away In the rock There
strange flowers an stunted trees. Ar
they tell OF tn Cup of Gold, a hiddel
slade 30 beautiful that tn eye OF ma
mas never seen its like All my life It.
called me, tn Canon Country.
Don't you believe, Paula, tina
tnere's somethin' there for me2 Som
reason why | know / must some da
20 into its heart an give myself u
90 y for a timeY II was free" sh
finished with a sigh 'if l was my owr
woman. wholly, I'd go soon. There