Evening star., 1931-05-16
ROBBERS RoosT
~ ZANE GREY

THANK you, Miss Herrick." he re-
piled, gravely. Don't trust appearances
on our western border. VIII you get
up? We must be going"
And he attempted to assist her inside
the back seat of the blackboard.
IF you are going to drive, I want to
sit in 'front.'" she said, frankly.
= With a bow, he helped her up the
high step, cursing inwardly at Hank
HAYS and Herrick and the inScrutable
fate that had brought this about. For
some way or other he was lost. He
almost forgot to wait for Barnes, who
was saying good-by to a red-cheeked,
wide-eyed girl in the crowd. Barnes
came running to leap into the buck
board, and then Jim got in. Owing TO
the way he had packed the baggage,
| there was not great deal of room in
the front seat. His heavy gun and
sheath bumped against Miss Herrick.
Rather tight quarters with that gun
| there" he remarked, and swung the
sheath around In his lap
do you sleep In it?" she asked, quiz
ideally.
Yes. And never am dressed in the
daytime till it's 5uckled on"
What startling folk, you Western
Americans"
Some Of us are indeed startling, I
6Os
he replied, and, loosening the reins, let
the spirited team go. In a few mo-
ments the noise, dust, heat and the
staring populace Of Grand Junction had
been left far behind and the red and
black ranges lifted above the meadows
and sage.
"Oh, gloriousl" she cried. and gazed
raptly ahead as the curving road
brought into view a wonderful sweep of
Utah.
Jim was hard put to It TO keep the
blacks from breaking out of a brisk
trot. He thought grimly that he would
have liked to let the team run off and
kill them both. Far better that than
what might be! Miss Herrick's photo
graph on her bother's desk fell inf
nitely short of doing her justice. It
failed to give any hint of her color, of
the vivid lips, of the glory and gleam
Of her hair, of the dancing, laughing
violet eyes, Of her pulsing vitality. Jim
Wall felt the abundant life Of this girl.
veins. &NAked his blood.
The wind makes me cry" she saAd,
merrtly. "Or maybe it's because I'm %
happy. You say well get to Star Ranch
Abefore dark?"
Surely"
"Oh, it's been such O long, slow.
tdusky, cramped Journey" she exclaimed.
But now l want to see, to smell, to
Leel. to gloat"
Miss Herrick this is fine country.
Fldt tame compared to that all about
the Henrys. You will see them when
We top the next hill. I've seen most of
the, West. And the canyon desert be-
low. Star Ranch is the widest and most
sublime Of all the West, probably Of
the whole world"
Indeed? You speak strongly, not
to say surprisingly 1t never occurred
to me that gunman-that is what you
are, IS it not--could have any appre-
ciation Of the wonder and beauty of
natureJ'
"A common mistake, Miss Herrick, -
rejoined jim Mature develops the
men who spend their lonely, hard.
bloody lives with her Mostly she makes
them into beasts, with self preservation
the only instinct; but it is conceivable
that one now and then might develop
the opposite way"
you interest me-" she replied, sim
ply: Tell me Of this canyon desert
and such men"
Jim talked for a full hour, inspired
by her unhagging interest He described
the magnificent reaches and escarp-
ments ending in Wild Horse Mesa. and
the unknown canyoned abyss between
it and Navajo Mountains, and, lastly,
the weird, ghastly brakes Of the Dirty
Devil.
ugh, you make me shiver!" she
calculated. But it's wonderful. I'm
sick of people, uf fog, rain, dirt. cold.
noise. I'd like to get lost down in those
red canyons
(To Be Continued.)