Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-03-07

4
shred of truth I'm the reuprL hut these
very natural denials had served only
To strengthen mems belief In The truth
OF the report and inevitably they had
established hard line that cut OF
the men so named from the rest of
the countryside.
Harris knew that his own life was
forfeit any time he Glanced TO ride
alone. lie bud not q doubt but that
| Slnde had pnf price on his head and
that perhaps dozen men were pa
| tiently whiting for chance Of him
| ANY man whose hume appeared on
| the black list which he WAS supposed
| to have sponsored would overlook no
opportunity to retaliate In kind. In
addition TO this there was always the
chance OF swift raid on the men who
had filed their homestead rights In
the valley.
AS consequence Harris had taken
every possible precaution. The full
force of Three Bar hands had been
kept on the pay roll instead OF being
LET of immediately after the beef was
shipped. These riders were stationed
In line camps nut on the range, their
osfensibe purpose being to hold all
Three Bar cows close to the home
ranch but In reality they served two
ends. acting as a Gordon of guards
as we'll.
Three times In MS many weeks stran
gers drifting In from other localities
stopped In tndriver and profaneIy re-
ported the faet that for no reason
whatever, while passing through the
Three Bar range. they had been held
up and forced 10 state their business
In that neighhnrhood.
Hostiliies had ceased The Three
Bar girl had anticipated series of
raids against the cows wearing her
brand, swift foruys In isoIuted points
Of her range, buI no stock losses were
reported. On the surface II appeared
that Slade had given up all thought
of harassing tile Three Bar. But the
girl had come to know. Slade lie
would never recede from his former
stand. She noted that Harris vigil.
lance was never for dn instant relaxed
and II was gradually impressed upon
her that the cessation of petty annoy
ances held nore of menace than OF
assurance Slade had seen TINT the
Three b r was not TO be discouraged
In its course and he now waited for
an opportunity to launch blow that
would cripple. striking simultaneously
at every exposed point and delaying
only for a propitious time. In the
face OF continued Immunity she was
filled with q growing conviction of Inn
pending trouble
Christmas had found the range GOV. i
cred with fresh tracking snow which
precluded possibility Of a raid and ali
hands had been summoned to the home
ranch for two-day rest The frolic |
was over and the hands back on the
range. Harris sal with Billie before
her fire.
They'll he satisfied for another two
llfoulHSt HC Sulu. iSll we ~ lHfE ~
coll them In for another spree"
This evening conference before the
fire had come t be nightly occurrence
Together they went over the details
of the work accomplished during the
day and mapped out those for the
next.
Another two months and the cab
ins will be rooted and finished Har-
ris said "Then we'll be through till
the frost Is out Of the ground Wen
start building fence as soon as you
can sink a post hole, and we'll have
time to break out another two hun
dred acres of ground before time to
seed II down.
The girl nodded without comment.
content to leave him to his thoughts.
her mind pleasantly occupied with her
own. For long her evenings had been
lonely but now she had come to look
forward 10 the conferences before the
blazing logs. She had made no at
tempt to anayze the reasons for the
new contentment which had trans
formed her evenings, formerly periods
Of drab reflections. into the most
pleasant portion of each day.
The weekly letters still came from
Deane The girl valued Harris as
friend and partner without apparent
trace of more intimate regard. lie
which would prevail, the
ties which bound her to the life she
had always known or the lure OF the
new life which becEoned
ITO BE CONTINUED