Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-10

He thought of her.. living in this
fe,t1a fepdai hold, mistress Of her riders. her
of the Finger Marks, sweet, fair, whole
hips!
IL only. he. Kenset, could take those
weapons from her clinging hands, could
intent to kill
II was preposterous! It was awful
Bred to another life, another law, an :
other type OF woman. he could not rec
onciie this girl of Lost Valley with
| anything he knew.
He went over in his mind again and
again the serene calmness of her In
his cabin that day of the race with
Courtrey, and shook his head in puzzle
ment
But why should he trouble himself
about her at all?
He had come here in his governments 9
after Its interest.
Why should he bother with the moral
code of Lost Valley?
-, But reason as he might. the face OF
Tharon Last came back to haunt him,
waking or asleep.
He knew that It troubled him and
was In a way ashamed. So he worked
hard at his tasks. relocated boundaries,
marked them with q peculiar blaze In
convenient hours and set up monuments
with odd and undecipherable hieroglyph-
les upon them.
And with each blaze. each mark and
monument and sign he drew closer In
about him the net of suspicion and dis
approval which was weaving In Lost
valley, for there was not one but ran
the gamut OF close inspection and
speculation by Courtrey's men, by the
settlers who came many miles over from
the western side OF the valley for the
purpose, and by Tharon's riders.
Low mutters OF disapproval growled
in the valley.
Who was this upstart, anyway, to
come setting signs and marks in tns
land that had been theirs from time
immemorial? What mattered the little
unprecedented badge on his breast?
what mattered II that he was beginning
to send out word of his desire to work
with and for the cattlemen OF Lost
valley, the settlers, the homesteaders
What was this matter of grazing
permits" Of which he had spoken at
the Stronghold?
Permits?
They had grazed their cattle where
and when they chose--and could-from
their earliest memory.
They asked no leave from govern
ment.
When Kenset rode into Corvan he was
treated with exaggerated politeness by
those with whom he had to deal with
utter unconsciousness by all the rest. To
cattleman and settler alike he was as
II he had not been.
drink.
Serene. quiet soft spoken, he came
and went about his business, and sneers
followed him covertly.
| 1t was not long after Tharon's visit
| 10 the cabin in the glade, that Kenset
riding alone along the twilight land
passed close to the mouth of Black Cou
lee one day at dusk. He rode loosely
slouching sdewlse in his saddle, for h,
had been to Corvan for his monthly mai
and few supplies tied in bag behint
his saddle. and he carried his broad ha
In his hand.
The little cool wind that blew In from
the narrow gorge Of the Bottle Neck ant
spread out like an invisible fan, breathet
on his face with grateful touch. Th
day had been hot. for the summer wa
opening beautifully and he had rdder
Captain far. Therefore he logged ant
rested, his arms hanging listlessiy at hi
sides, his thoughts 1000 miles away.
At the mouth OF Black Coulee, wher
the sinister split of the deep wash cam
| up to the level, there grew q fringe o
wild poplar trees. They were beautiful
things, tall and straight and thickly GOV
| cred with n million shiny leaves tina
whirled and rustled softly in the wind
showing all their soft white silver side
| "Heil tlle DTeele came up from tne BOuti
as 1t did this day. There was water II
Black Coulee, many small springs. no
deep enough nor steady enough to coun
for water In n range country, but suffl
cient to keep the poplars growing oi
the rim OF the great wash. to stant
| them thick on the caving sides. Who'll,
benches OF earth with their trees upor
them slipped down these sides from tim,
| to time, making OF the Coulee a mys
terious labyrinth of thickets and shelves
Of winding ways and secret places.
| Kenset had heard few wild storie!
about Black Coulee. Sam Drake hat
talked a bit more than most men o.
Lost Valley would have talked, and III
| had listened idly.
Now as he rode up along the leveli
and neared the dark mouth of the cut
| he studied It with appraising eyes, |,
was sinister enough. in all trtuh a deep
dark place behind its veil of poplars
| secretive, hushed.
The red light that dyed Lost Valley
| so wondrously at the hour of the suns
sharp decline above the peaks and ridges
of the canyon country was awash In all
under the Rockface where the shadows
were already dark.
Kenset drank in the beauty of the
scene with smiling eyes. Already a
love for this hidden paradise had grown
wonderfully in his heart. He felt as
IL he had never lived before, as IL he
had never known beauty.
And so, dreaming little of other
scenes, smiling to himself, he logged
along. on Captain and was nearly past
when there came the sharp snap of a
rife in the stiffness, and Captain
changed his feet, sagged and quivered,
then caught himself and leaped ahead,
For one amazed moment kenset thought
the horse was hit. Then; as he
Strengthened in his saddle and dropped
his hand to catch up his hanging rein,
he looked quickly down Where he was
accustomed to the smooth feel OF the
pommel beneath his, palm there was a
stood up and a small flare OF leather
hung to one side.
A bullet, singing out OF Black Coulee,
had carried away part of the pommel
Kenset shut his lips In new line,
gathered up his rein and drew the
horse down to walk with an iron
hand
Slowly. without a backward glance.
he rode on across the darkening levels.
He knew he had had his warning.
Very we'll. He would give back his
acceptance of that warning,
He had said to COurtrey that night AZ
the Stronghold that he had come to
stay.
No bunch of lawless bullies were GO
ing to scare him out.
No other shot followed. He had not
expected one.
For a time after that he went about
his work as usual. Nothing happened
he had no outward sign OF the dlstaste
with which he was regarded by all fac
tions alike, It seemed.
He met Courtrey face to face in
| Corvan one day and spoke to him
civilly but Courtrey did not speak
Wylackie Bob did, however, sneer.
ing salutation that was a covert insult
| Kenset touched his hat with dignity