The Coolidge examiner., 1932-10-28
CHAPTER XI-Continued
-16-

coming to Dunwig's park were not
overwelcOme. They had to come
well recommended as bad citizens.
The Starks were not that, In spite
of the lawless streak in them.
Don't worry about JAS" his COM
panion said, Fastening TO reassure
Dunwig. Hes all right" The par
ticular emphasis he gave the words
meant that he was all wrong.
Better fall off an light their
host suggested.
They cared for their horses and
entered the cabin.
Before he slept that night JAS
per was committed to new source
of crime. He did not pledge him
self to 1t of his own choice, for he
felt 1t was dangerous. But Gitner
knew too much about him. 1t was
too late to draw back now. He had
forfeited the option Of being his
own master.
For almost a year there had been
systematic rustling in the hills. The
cattlemen had at first been loath
TO believe 1t. Even after the evil
dence was too plain TO deny, they
had been inclined to think the Of
fender must be some Mexican nest
er. But of late the number of miss
ing cattle pointed to organized rob
berry. Some one was running stock
across the border and selling 1t.
1t was a mark Of Jasper Stark's
declension that his reluctance to
joining the rustlers was due to no
moral scruples. Yet he had been
brought up in a country where the
crime ranked as a capital one. All
the teaching of his youth reinforced
this view. A rustler was a stink
ing coyote of the desert, to be shot
down or hanged If caught red-hand-
ed. He had hotly argued this more
than once. Now he had slid into
that company OF the furtive-eyed
who ride crooked trails and look
upon all honest folk as potential
enemies.
"We'll make stake. settle our
scores with Wilson McCann, an
maybe Dave Stone, too, then light
out for Sonora" Gitner predicted.
With few drinks under his belt
II was easy for Jasper TO believe
that this would come true. He
would get away from this part of
the country where he had been
forced to get In so bad and he would
make fresh start in another land.
Ue would have enough to buy a ha-
cienda, maybe not large place but
q comfortable one, he would marry
a soft-eyed senorita, and the years
of his life would unroll as pleas
ant vista of happiness. So he de-
luded himself. as so many of us do,
with the hallucination that the Joy
OF living comes from outward cir
cumStances rather than from within
The method used by the rustlers
OF Dunwig's park was simple one.
They stole only cattle running in
the hills within a days drive of
their holing place. Most of their
work was done at night. No brands
were altered till they reached the
safety of the pasture ground at the
end of the hidden canyon. Here
the rustled stock was kept until a
dark night made it comparatively
safe TO rush them over Horse Thief
pass and down across the border
To avert suspicion, Gitner and
Jasper bought a few mining tools
and some dynamite for blasting.
Occasionally they rode down to
Mesa and spent day or two there
Both at Pedro's place and at the
Gilt Edge they heard stories of the
rustling that was depicting the
herds of the cattlemen.
The Cattlemen's association do
ing anything about il or just shoot
IN off its mOuth?" Jasper asked
when the subject was mentioned at
Basford's emporium.
Simp Shell answered. 81 under
stand they've put ii in the hands of
committee TO investigate. wills
McCann is at the head of the COM
mittee. an he's some go-getter. that
boy is" Simp's bland smile denied
any specific meaning to this. An
yore brother Phil is a member of it.
too. The talk is that they mean
business"
"Since when has Phil been kow-
towin' to wills McCann?" Jasper de-
manded angrily. "If my father had
been living Phil wouldn't he doing
business with the McCanns That's
cinch."
You got the wrong angle TO this
thing. JAS" the fat man told him
amiably. The time for feuds in
this part of the country is past. I've
not heard that Phil an Wills have
shook hands. but if so they surely
have done right. They're both
mighty nice boys. an there's no
reason in the world why they
shouldn't be friends.
Except that wills McCann killed