Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-04-18

r,
The
Settling
of the Sage
By
HAL @. EVART0
Copyright b. Hal q 1varts
WNU ssrv1sa
THE STORY

CHAPTER LAT the warren ranch.
the Three Bar" on the fringe OF TIE
'eoy country" . stranger .sppiiss t TOR
S owner As w fGsT Ms ina
known to ali as "Biilis." The girls "a:
Their. Cal Warren. had been the Original
owner OF the place. The question
Cow country" or be opened to settle
ment 10 . troublesome one.
CHAPTER n-Cattls .rustlsrs"
have been troubling the ranch owners.
the Three Bar, with . girl boss. hav-
ing suffered more than others. The
new hand gives his name as Cal Har.
ris. By his announcement In favor OF
"squatters" he incurs the enmity of a
rider known az Morrow. The will made
by Cal Warren stipulated that half the
oS sh %asS 90 E. sas Sna.e
tain conditions. The new arrival IL the
man. and he discloses the fact to Bill
lie. The girl Is suspicious of her new
the ranch cook. "Waddles" He ouiets
her fears-
CHAPTER uL-Harris' method of
wearing the inevitable gun" rather
excites the girls derision. though to
herself she admits she IL impressed by
his manner. Slade, q ranchman with an
visits Billie. He has long wanted to
marry her, but she dislikes and fears
him. Slade, endeavoring to embrace
mem meme on the vsrss Of ~ gun play. are
quieted by Billie. but mutual enmity
Is established. Harris half testing pro-
posal that the girl marry him and 80
ship. is Indignantly rejected. but the
man declares he will remain on the
place and restore its prosperity. waning
under Billie's rule.
CHAPTER Iv.-The regular calf
roundup Is begun. While the riders
the range. six outsiders Join them. BIZ
under the leadership of Slade and
aaaIen Three Bar eae To test ss
ris' courage the girl appoints him
order the visitors to leave. Somewhat
depart making threats. Billie makes
Harris permanent foreman. Catching
Morrow leaving cattle where they can be
row leaves. and Harris realizes he has
made a deadly enemy. Also. he knows
that Harper. Slade, and the rest Of the
Tusters now win know with whom
they have to deal
Continued from last weekly
They hung their spurs into their
mounts and the horses plunged down
the steeply-pitching bottoms, vaulting
sage clumps and bounding along the
COW trails that threaded the brush.
Two hundred yards below the COW
the draw made an elbow bend. The
girl rounded 1t and as Harris fol-
lowed a jump behind he felt a
Earring tug at the cantle Of his
saddle and the thin, sharp crack Of a
. rife reached him. The gulch made
reverse bend and as they swept
around it Harris swung sidewise in
the saddle and looked back. They
were entirely sheltered from any
point on the divide six hundred yards
behind them. He pulled his horse to
swinging trot and they rode down
: the sloping meadow that led straight
to the main valley.
I'VE didn't get started any too
soon," Harris said. His horse wasn't
more than q hundred feet beyond the
notch when he blew off and warned
us-not time for me to get cached
and drop him as he topped the ridge"
F, The girls eyes suddenly riveted on
a small round hole in the cantle Of his
saddle where the ball had entered.
On the inside and far to the left ex-
tren,ity Of the cantle a ragged cash
showed where it had passed out. The
ball had not missed his left hip to ex-
coed an inch.
She started her horse so suddenly
that before he realized her purpose
she was well in the lead and going
at a dead run toward the mouth of
the gulch where it opened out into
the main bottoms two hundred yards
beyond.
From the opposite slope riders were
hazing cows out Of their respective
draws. The running horse caught ev.
cry mans eyes as the girl careened
out into the center Of the valley, rose
in her stirrups and waved an arm In q
circle above her head. In five seconds
riders were whirling In behind her
from all directions as she headed for
the wagon.
She waved those already on the spot
toward the rope corral.
Change horses!" she called, and as
each man rode in he caught up q
fresh horse.
Scatter out; some Of you below
where we came down, some above"
she said. give hundred to the man
that brings Morrow in"
Its no use, Billie" Harris coun-
seled mildly. Hes plum out Of the
country by now. It'll be dark In three
Scientists are working to create a