Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-03-21
The
Settling
Of the Sage
By
HAL g. EVARTS
Copyright By Hal q. Dvarts
wNU Service
THE STORY

THE STORY
CHAPTER lat the Warren ranch.
the Three Bar" on the fringe of the
work as q rider. He is engaged by the
s %1sr to w ali as Siili. Tn. sirs Ia
Their. Cal Warren. had been the original
owner of the place. The question
COW country" or be opened to settle
ment Is q troublesome one.
have been troubling the ranch owners.
the Three Bar. with a girl boss hav-
ing suffered more than others. The
new hand gives his name as Ca! Har,
"squatters" he incurs the enmity of a
rider known as Morrow. The will made
by Cal Warren stipulated that half the
old friend sH William Harris. under cer-
tain conditions. The new arrival Is the
man. and he discloses the fact tc Bill
rider and takes counsel with her friend
the ranch cook. "Waddles." He ouiets
her fears.
Continued from last weekly
He stood in the door, half facing
them, his left side Quartering toward
Slade To the girl 1t appeared that
the strange pose was for the purpose
of enabling him to take q quick step
to the right and spring outside If
Slade should make move and she
felt tinge Of scOrn at his precaution
even though she knew that 1t would
avail him nothing If SHADES deadly
temper were reused by the insult.
Slade, who had killed many, would
add Harris to his list before he could
move.
SHADES understanding of the quar-
tering position and the odd sling of
Harris gun was entirely different and
as he shifted his feet until he faced
the man In the door, his movements
were slow and deliberate, nothing that
could be misconstrued.
"Who summoned you in here" he
demanded.
Harris did not reply but stood wait
ing for some word from the girl. She
had a sudden sick dread that Slade
would kill him and was surprised at
the sentiment, for no longer than an
hour before she had wished him dead.
She made belated answer to his orig
inal question.
NO." she said. go on out, please"
He turned his back on Slade and
went out.
"And you," she said to Slade, "you'd
best be going too. We've been too
good neighbors to quarrel-unless you
come over again with the same idea
you did today"
At sunset the girl called to Han Is
and he repaired to the house aad
found her putting hot meal for two
on the end of the long pine table, the
first time she had deigned to eat with
him.
There's no use of our going on like
this" she said. "We've two years of
1t to face; so it's best to get on some
kind of neutral footing"
For her own peace of mind she had
tried to smother her dislike of him
and he was very careful to avoid any
topic that would rekindle it. They
washed the dishes together, and from
that hour their relations, to all out
ward appearance, were friendly or at
least devoid of open hostility. But
he knew that she was merely strug-
Cling to make the best of a matter
that was distasteful, that her opinion
of him was unaltered. Her bitterness
could not be entirely concealed. and
she frequently touched on some fresh
point that added to her distrust of his
nd hnn
belief in his doubledealing in the past.
There were so many of these points !;
his refusal to accept her offer to
give him his half-interest If he would
stay off the place; his weak insinua-
tions that there was some reason why
he must spend two years on the Three
Bar; his providing the country for
year spying on the methods she fol-
lowed in running the outfit, half Of
which would soon be his; his buying
the school section and filing on quar-
ter of land. the location blocking the
lower end of the Three Bar valley.
Whenever she mentioned one of these
he refused to take issue with her.
And one night she touched on still
another point.
"What was the reason for your first
idea-of coming here under another
Names" she demanded.
II thought maybe others knew I'd
been left a part interest" he said,
"and it might be embarrassing. The
way it is, with only the two of us
knowing the inside, l can stay on as
a regular hand until the time is up"
You're so plausible" she said.
"You put it as favor to me. Did it
ever strike you that II the truth were
known it might also be uncomfortable
for yOu?
"Well - said Sam. "Ah like him all