Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1924-08-22
CHAPTER I

Bud Lee. horse foreman of the Blue
Lake ranch, sat upon the gate Of the
home corral, builded cigarette with
slow brown fingers, and stared across
the broken fields Of the upper valley
to the rosy glow above the pine-tim-
bered ridge where the sun was COM
Ing up. His customary gravity was
unusually pronounced.
IT mans got the hunch an egg is
bad" he mused, "is that good and
sufficient reason why he should 60
poking his fingers inside the shell2
want to knowp
Tommy Burkitt, the youngest wage
Garner Of the outfit and profound
admirer Of all that taoiturnity, good
humor and quick capability which
went into the makeup Of Bud Lee, ap-
preached from the ranch-house on the
knoll. "Hi, Budi" he called. "Tre-
vors wants you. On the jump"
Burkitt stopped at the gate, looking
up at Lee. "On the jump, Trsvors
said" he repeated.
For q moment Lee sat still, his
cigarette unlighted, his broad black
hat far back upon his close-cropped
hair, his eyes serenely contemplative
upon the pink Of the sky above the
pines. Then he slipped from his
place and, though each single move
ment gave an impression Of great
lsigurelinsss, 1t was but a fash Of
time until he stood beside Burkitt.
"6tick around a wee bit, laddie," he
said gently, a lean brown hand rest
Ing lightly on the boys square
shoulder. "A man can't see what is
ON the cards until they're tipped, but
IT'S always fair gamble that between
dawn and dusk I'll gather up my
string Of colts and crowd on. II I
do, you'll want to come along"
he smiled at young Burkitt's
eagesness and turned away toward
the ransh-house and Bayne Trsvors
thus putting an early end to an en-
thusiastic aoqufescence.
'They amt no more men ever
foaled like him." meditated Tommy,
10 an approval so profound as to be
little less than out-and-out devotion.
And, indeed, one might ride up and
down the world for many a day and
dot Ahd Q man who was Bud Lees
superior IN "the things that count"
AZ tall 90 most, with sufficient shoul-
dexs, q bender body, narrow-hipped,
he carried himself 40 perhaps his
forsbeAr walked In the days wheI
open forests or sheltered caverns
housed them, with a 1.-the graceful
ness bora Of the perfect play Of su-
pexb physical development. His
muscles, even In the slight movement,
Howsd hqeidly, he had slipped from
his place on he corral gate less like
q man than like some great splendid
cat. TIE skip Of HANDS, face. throat,
was very dayk, whether BY Inheritance
OF because OF long exposure to sun
and wind, II would have been dinacult
10 say. The eyes were dark, very
keeu, and yet reminiscently grave.
From under thelr BLACK brows they
had tho habit Of appearing to bs 70
iuctantly withdsswH from some great
distance TO come to rest. steady and
calm, upon the man with whom he
ohanced to be speaking
The gaunt, sure-footed form was
lost to Tommy's eyes; Lee had passed
beyond the clump Of wild lilacs whose
glistening, heart-shaped leaves
screened the open court about which
the nch-house was built. A strangely
elaborate ranch-house, this one. set
here 30 far apart from the world Of
rich residences. There was score
of rooms in the great, one-story.
rambling edifce Of rudely squared
timbers set In feld-stone and cement,
rooms now closed and lockedI there
were flowsr-Fardens still cultivated