White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-07-14
CHAPTER IV-Continued

Because he found himself weakening
he took refuge in temper. "Well, you'll
not go. You'll stay right here at home.
I'll show you whether I can't go off
this ranch without being tagged by
you or some one else. You drop this
interferin' in my affairs, julie, an be-
have yoreself. I won't have it."
He swung her round by the Shout
ders and started her toward the house.
AS he got into the blackboard Phil
gave him information. RED says he
saw Wills Mccain at the ditch gates
above the Three Cottonwoods. He may
not be alone. Better let me go, too,
Dad"
Matt Stark flung couple of crisp
questions at the cowpuncher and an
nounced his decision. you'll stay
here, Phil. This is my job, an I'm go
ing to attend to it right now If he's
still there. Let CO." This last to the
wrangler at the head Of the dancing
colts.
The young horses dashed down the
road, racing at top sped.
Already Phil was saddling horse
he found in the stable. He rode to the
house, swung off, and ran inside.
Julia met him coming out Of his
room carrying rifle.
"Where you going?" she asked
breathlessly.
evils Mccain Is down above the
Three COttonwoods. Pretends to be
fixin' up the ditch gates. When he
came by awhile ago Red saw him.
Likely he's waitin' to get Dad If he
comes along. I've got to get there
before Dad does, so I'm takln' the hill
trail"
Her heart contracted with swift
spasm of fear. LET me go, too, PHIL
"No. What can you do? Besides, I
can't wait"
He brushed past her, pulled himself
to the saddle, and was off instantly at
q gallop.
For a moment Julia stood, palsied by
dread. Then, with strong resurgence
Of courage she followed Phil out OF
the house and ran to the stable.
"Get my saddle all ready" she cried
to Sam Sharp the wrangler as she
snatched up rope and flew to the
corral.
Julia led her mount to the gate
where the wrangler was waiting with
saddle, bride, and blanket.
The man slapped on the blanket, ad-
justed the saddle, and cinched it ex-
pertly. Julia kept urging him to
hurry.
whats all this racin' an hurry
about?" he wanted to know.
"That Wills Mccain is down the
road waiting for Dad. We just
heard it,
"Where?"
"At the ditch above Three Cotton
woods"
She called this back over her Shout
der as the pony found it's stride.
Julia swung into the cutoff that led
to the hills. She rode fast, not sparing
the horse, for an urgent spur was driv-
ing her. If she could arrive in time
she might avert a tragedy. Just how,
she did not know, but she would find
way. 1t was not possible that they
would kill each other if she flung her
self between them. Surely they would
not do that.
The buckskin she rode was a good
traveller, but she seemed to crawl over
the ground. The hills were steep and
rough. the declivities sharp. She de-
flected, trying to save a few hundred
yards, and presently found herself in
thicket Of cactus and mesquite that
grew more dense as she proceeded.
Out of this she worked, desperately
aware that she had wasted invaluable
minutes. An open draw offered prom
Use of faster progress. This led to a
pocket. the sides of which were pre-
eipitous.
It was just as she reached the sum-
nit that the sound Of shot appalled,
her. She spurred the buckskin in the
direction from which the report had
come, recklessly, careless Of dan
ger Of fall from the plunging horse.
All her being was obsessed by terror.
Fear for those she loved rose In her
and choked her.
The pony swung round clump of
bushes and SHE'D so violently that
Julia was almost unseated. man
was STOPPING over something that lay
huddled on the ground. The girl
dragged the animal to halt and flung
herself from the saddle. AS she ran
back she noticed that the man held a
rifle in his hand. He Strengthened and
turned toward her.
The man was Wilson Mccain.
In his rigid face her fear-filled eyes
read confirmation Of what she had
dreaded. She looked down-and from
her throat there leaped an anguished
cry. The stricken figure at their feet
was that Of her father. In the center