White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-01-18

calves I'LL along tllS uTSt strip ueAt
to SHADES range" Harris said. "Then
some Slade rider happens to drop
along after our wagon has moved on
and he hazes them Off south. Later
another picks them up and shoves
them along another half-day's drive
way beyond where our boys ever work,
even beyond the strip covered by
SHADES north wagon, the only one
that carries a Three Bar rep; what
then"
"The calves would still be with
mothers wearing the Three Bar mark"
she said. "After they leave the cows
they're Sticks, fair game for the first
man that puts his rope on them-and
Slade wouldn't risk running one of
his own brands on them before they
left the cows"
"Not one of his own, no." Harris
said; "only one that's going to be his
later on. Did 1t ever strike you as
queer that Slade. whose way is to
crush every new outfit, should suffer
a soft-hearted streak every year or
so and befriend some party that had
elected to start up for himself right
in the middle of SHADES range? And
later buy him out? That's the way
he came into nearly every brand he
runs. Several of those dinky little
owners have moved out right sudden
with dozen riders from some other
outfit tanning along close behind;
Macarthur didn't even get moved, for
Brandons went on the war trail be-
fore he had time to start. But 1t
transpired that he was all set to 60
because Slade showed bill of sale for
Macs holdings. dated only the day
before. That's how he came to own
every one of those brands that match
up so close with those of every outfit
that overlaps his range"
They had turned their horses down
a long ridge that led to the wagon in
the bottoms.
"I'll mention to the boys that Nor.
row sold out the interests of the
| Three Bar while he was drawing
down your pay. They'll pass sentence
1
now they'll have dry-gulched him so
far from nowhere that even the coy
otes can't find him."
mot that" she said. Turn him
over to the sheriff. You caught him
In the act"
''In the act of missing a few cows
on his detail. The sheriff would
hold him almost an hour before he
let him CO."
"Then give him his check and send
him off the Three Bar range" she
said.
Harris waited till the herd had
been worked and the men had gath
cred round the wagon. Then he
handed Morrow check.
Here's your time" he said. You
can be leaving almost any time now
Every man knew that Morrow had
been caught at some piece of work
contrary to the interests of the Three
Bar. The discharged hand gave q
short ugly laugh.
"As soon as you pussyfooted into
the foreman's job knew 1t was only
a question Of time," he said.
Exactly" Harris returned. "Pacl,
your stuff"
IA foreman has scattering Of q
dozen or so men to back him up.
4 Morrow observed with shtug Of onf
shoulder toward the rest OF the men
Harris turned to the girl;
II resign for about sixty seconds,
he said and swung back toward Nor
row; and again all hands noted his
queer quartering stand. I'm not fore
man right at this minute" he said
$50 If you had anything in particula'
to address to me in personal vein
You can start now. Otherwise you'd
better be packing your stuff"
Morrow turned his back and headed
for the rope corral. When he had
saddled one horse and packed his eff
fects on another he turned to Evans.
"You helped frame this on me-" h.
said 81 thought | saw you messing
over into my detail few days back
One day right soon I'll run across you
again."
Then I'll take to riding with my
head over my shoulder-surveyng
my back-track," Lanky promised. "Be
cause we'll most likely meet from be.
hind"
Morrow started to snarl an answer,
his usual self-repression deserving
him, but Harris waved an impatient
hand.
drag 1t I" he snapped. Get NOV
ing. If had my own way we'd lead
your horse out from under you-an
we will If | ever hear of your turning
up on the Three Bar range again."
(TO BE CONTINUED)