White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-03-08
CHAPTER vII-continued


homestead after it's proved up" he
said. "Half of them would keep their
land"
'Of course" she agreed. "But then
you'd have half instead of nothing at
all. Do you want the world?"
--'1 want you'll" he said, throw In
with me, girl. I'm going to fight these
nesters off-the Three Bar among the
rest If you don't quit. I'll smash the
Three Bar into mincemeat unless you
run this id Harris off and quit this
game"
1t was the first time Slade had
ever threatened. Her spirits had
scared over the prospects of the Three
Bar and she was suddenly afraid for
her brand If Slade, who had whitfield
down dozen outfits at once, should
suddenly turn his whole attention to
the Three Bar.
give got 1t to do" Slade stated.
"Since you've started this deal there's
been nesters filed papers on every
good site in my range, waiting to rush
Al QS SOOa 0S lOSC uly gap DO yOo
think I'll let them crowd me out7 Not
In thousand yearsl I'm telling you
I'll break the Three Bar If you keep
It up"
"All right" she said. "And what
about the homestead LAVISH
"I'm the law out here" he asserted.
1t came to her that Slade was fight
ing on the defensive, that he feared
to let the Three Bar succeed and set
up precedent in defiance of the
signs that dotted the range.
Then it's warl" she said. sand
you'll 60 under yourself, from your
own size, If you haven't the judgment
to hedge yourself now like the rest
The Three Bar is going ahead-and
we're going to win"
She turned her horse but Slade
caught her arm and whirled her
around He jerked a thumb at the
two men down the ridge.
"What can Deane, a half-baked boy.
give you?" he demanded "You want
an outfit of your own. I'll give you
that-the biggest in the state"
She shook her head without an
swering.
"Then I'll break you," he predicted
second time. He drew folded slip
of paper from his pocket and held 1t
out to her. "Thats the exchange slip"
he said. ut calls for three hundred
odd head of mixed stuff. You can
send yours over any time" He turned
his horse and followed after the
ranger while the girl joined Harris
and Deane.
Harris had slipped the strap OF his
glasses and handed them to Deane
who had dismounted and was peering
off at the spot Harris had pointed out
a few scattered shacks, showing as
toy houses from the distance, stood
in the center of a broad open basin.
sheltered on all sides by the choppy
mass of the Breaks. A solid corral,
almost stockade, stood near the
buildings.
"That's Arnold's stockade," Harris
explained to Deane. ARNOLD was an
old-ume rustler that finished at the
end of rope fifteen years ago. Now
all the drifters in the country stop
over here If they want place to hole
up"
"Cant the sheriff clean them out OF
there?" Deane asked.
HE could" Harris said. But no
man will make complaint They
can rustic every steer In the country
and the losers are afraid to nuke q
report Every outfit is supposed to
protect its own. Ii Alden should ride
up to almost any ranch within hun.
dred miles and ask them IT they'd
missed any stock In the last three
years they'd shake their heads and
swear that they hadn't lost boot
But the Three Bar has clean page
we're not afraid he'll get line on us
while we're having him round uL
some one else. The first time we gel
scrap of real evidence on any man
we'll call Alden in"
You told me the Three Bar herds
have been cut in half" Deane said
allow much evidence do you needY
Its like this: Harris explained
"Rustling is about the hardest thing
In the world to prove. There's dozer
ways they can work it. could catch
some of them driving bunch OF
Three Bar cows toward the Idaho line
They'd look up and see me and calm
iy ride on past the cows. They coulC
say the bunch was just drifting aheac
of their lhorses-that they weren't
driving them at all Who can't prove
case of rustling even If you see it
unless you actually catch one alter
ing the brand The only way 10 con
4. vict rustler right now Is to kill thu
and swear that you run up on hin
changing brand l expect that's
what we'll have to do"
Deane looked at the girl to deter
mine how she met this suggestion In
stead of the shiver of distaste which
he rather expected her lips were
pressed tight
"a little OF that would help Slade
too" she said "He told me just nov
that he'd smash the Three Bar"
The man reflected that this sort o
life could not help but wear off some
of her natural fneness and harder
her.
They followed the rims till the.
had cleared the Breaks, then anglet
down to the foothills and headed TO
the Three Bar. They held stead.
gait until half hour after sunse
and camped in the open near tin.