The Kevin review., 1924-10-23

when l work for a manor ,
woman" he added gravely, II DON
hold back anything"
"All right. Then start in right nov
and tell me about the gang Trevor!
has taken on. Are they all crooks
That little gray, quick-spoken mar
with the smelly pipe-he's straight
isn't hep
'That would be old Carson? Yes
he's a good man. You won't find 8
better"
rs he going to quit, too? Just be-
cause I've come? Has he any love
for Bayne Trevors?"
Maybe you'd better ask Carson"
In flash she was on her feet and
had gone to the door. "Carson! she
called loudly. "Come here will your
There was little silence, low
sound of laughter, then Carson's
sharp voice answering: I'm coming p
Judith went back to her chair.
She did not speak until Carson's
wiry form slipped through the door
way. Then with the old cattleman's
shrewd, hard eyes upon her she
turned from a clip full of papers she
had been looking through and spoke
to him quietly:
You used to work for the Granite
Canyon crowd, didn't you. Carson?'
|. "Yes'm," he answered.
Cattle foreman there for several
years?"
"Yes'm."
Helped clean out the Roaring
Creek gang, didn't you, Carson p
Carson shifted a bit, colored under
her fixed eyes, and finally admitted:
"Yes'm."
Haven't had real first-class figh.
for quite bit, have you, Carson? Not
since that cash on your jaw healed
Not since you and Scotty Webb mixed
with the Roaring CreekersY
Carson rubbed his jaw, flashed a
quick look at Bud Lee as though for
moral support, looked still further
embarrassed, and finally choked over
his brief: "No'm."
Judith sat smiling brightly up at
his hard features. "Ive heard dad talk
about that" she said thoughtfully. II
guess I've got at least one real man
on the ranch, Carson. Oh, don't dodge
like that Pm not going to put my
arms around you and kiss you on the
top of your head But l do love a
man that loves fair fight. +. Lee
here, has given me his promise to
stick on the job for ten days or SO,
to give me time to get some one else
to look after my horses"
"Yes'm," said Carson, lingering his
pipe and looking down.
For few moments the girl sat still, |
now and then flashing a quick, keen |
look from one to the other of her two1
foremen. Then, abruptly, her eyes on
Carson, she snapped: you've found |
out, more or less recently, haven't you,
that Bayne Trevors is crook? You've
perhaps even guessed that he's been
taking money from me with one hand
and from the Western Lumber with
he other?"
"Yes'm,D said Carson, 81 doped it
1p like that"
"Why," cried the girl, "he's fired all
# the old men and heaven knows
low many of his sort he's put in their
,laces Help me clean 'em out, Car
on! Where will we begin? I've
hucked Trevors and Ward Harmon.
Who goes next, Carson?"
Benny the cook" said Carson
emily. AN I'd be obliged, ma am, if
ou'd let me go boot him off'n the
anch."
That's talking" she said enthu-
"You can attend to him.
ny one else?"
Carson shook his head 81 got my
he said. "But that's all
m dead sure on"
1.-THE others can wait then. Now,
m taking a gamble on you and Lee.
ou have all kinds of chances to
ouble-cross me. But I've got to tell
ou something: Trevors' is trying to l
I'll me out to the Western Lumber
eople. He is one Of their crowd and s
as been since they bought him up
K months ago. The ranch, outside g
le stock we've got running on it, is S
orth a clean million dollars if it is
orth a nickel. Well, the Western S
umber company has offered US ex- b
.tly two hundred and fifty thousand P
ne-quarter Of what it's worth They I
low we're mortgaged they know the
terest we have to pay is heavy; b
ey know that Pollock Hampton, h
r one, is a spender who knows moth h
g about big business; they think t
at l, because I'm a girl, am a fool t.
looks to them like melon easy Il
cut and ripe for the sIicing." t
She paused a moment, frowning d
at the floor. Then sud- W
My she lifted her eyes to Carsons v
ying crisply: "Trevors took time at n
e end to tell me something. That
was that he was going to II
axe me sell. He even threatened, n