Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-07-25
THE STORY


get away from such scenes Of violence.
but the girls heart is set on the re-
Mobilization Of the ranch, and she puts
him off. At dance given to celebrate
which Billie Is present, Foster kills a
rustler named Garfield, and, Harper.
and Is himself killed as he boasts he
has slain four men to avenge Bangs.
being erected and land plowed for cui.
tivatiOn. The Three Bar beef herd. on
the way to the railroad, is stampeded,
evidently at the instigation>Qf Slade.
but little harm is done. Harris is con,
WINGED a rustler named Lang did the
actual stampeding. Billie makes a grim
determination to wage a fight to the
finish against the outlaws who have
terrorized the law-abiding element of
the community.
Continued from last week.
Harris rose and tlicked the ash from
his cigarette, supp"essing the desire
to take her in his arms, for he knew
that time had not yet come. AS he
opened the door to leave an eddy of
steam curled in at the opening as the
warm air of the room battled on the
threshold with the thirty-belOw tenn
perature of the outside world. She
heard the kissing crunch of his boots
on the frozen crust-and reached for
Dc. mes Christmas letter to reread
it for perhaps the fifth time.
During the night chinook poured
it's warm breath over the hills and
morning found the snow crumpling
before it.
Billie rode with Harris through the
lower field as he pointed out the vari-
Gus fence lines and the lay of the
bitches and laterals which would carry
water to irrigate the meadow, all these
to be installed as soon as winter
should lose It's grip.
AS Harris outlined his plans his
words were tinged with optimism and
he allowed no hint of possible disaster
to creep into his speech. But the girl
was conscious Of that lowering uncer-
tainty, the feeling that the months Of
peace were but to lure her into false
sense of security and that Slade would
pounce on the Three Bar from all
angles at once whenever the time was
right.
She -ound some consolation in the
fact that Lang's men no longer rode
through her range at will, but skirted
it in their trips to and from the
Breaks. She attributed this solely to
Harris precautions in the matter of
Outguards, for of all those within a
hundred miles she was perhaps the
single one who had not heard of the
sinister rumor that was cutting Lang
and his men off from the rest of the
world.
E. Men were discussing it wherever
they met; in COldriver they were
specializing on the possible results, the
same in the railroad towns across the
Idaho line and south into Utah it was
the topic of the day. And the single
patron of Brill's store found the same
question uppermost in his mind.
Carson W; one of the many who
were neither wholly good nor hope
leSSly bad, one who had drifted with
the easy current of the middle course.
And he was wondering if that middle
course would continue to prove safe.
He played solitaire to pass the time.
His horse and saddle had been lost
in a stud-pOker game just prior to
his catching the stage to Brill's,
where his credit had always been
good. He rose, stetched and accOsted
Brill.
"Put me down for quart" he
said.
Whenever you put down the cash."
Brill returned.
whats the matter with my cred
1T" Carson demanded. "Tve always
paid"
Brill reached for book, opened it
and slid it onto tn bar. He tipped
the pages and Indicated number Of
accounts ruled off with red ink.
$50 did Harper" he said. HE al
ways paid; and Canfield-and Magill !;
these others, too. Their credit was
good but they've all gone sOmewheres
1 can't follow to collect. And they
was owing me-" He tapped double
account. Bangs was into me a little.
Old Rile paid up for him and then got
1t in his turn-with his name down for
hundrt on my books. Harris and
Billie Warren paid up for Rile. Now
just whoever do you surmise will pay
up for yOu?"
"Me?" Carson inquired. "Why, l
amt dead. I'm clear alive"
$50 was they when I charged those
accounts" Brill said. "But it looks
like stormy days ahead. sell for
cash."
"I'm not on this death list, If that's
what you're referring to-" Carson an
nOunced.
"But it's easy to get enrolled" Brill
said. "Your names liable to show up
on it any time. Seen Lang in the last
few days?"
"Not in the last few months" Car
son stated. "Nor yet in the next few
years. He's no friend Of mine."
Continued Next Week)