The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-01-30

| way, tliCll, dll III OLlltIS lSll lIlOTt in debt. No banks would give m, credit. An as I said before, her. am."
 Its tough story, Jess. Tn 5orry. But it doesn't explain how you lost your ranch up in tht Pass"
 T forgot to tell you, I had final | ly to sell for about nothin'." "To PreSton?'
 Sure. No one on the lower range would take it as a gift. It was a poor location, if any other outfit 9ode the Pass"
 "Ahuh! Then as it stands, Pres on about ruined you?"
 No, Rock, I couldn't claim that My deal with Dabb hurt me most jtarted me downhill. Gage Preston never did me any dirt that can actually know. When I went to him an told him his outfit was irwin my stock off the grass an water, he raised the very old Ned with his sons, in particular Ash Preston, who's sure rotten enough o taint the whole other twelve PreStonS."
 So this Ash Preston is rotten?" lueried Rock, deliberately, glad to find one man mot afraid to voice lis convictions.
 Rock, I don't talk behind any ;attfeman's back" returned Slagle, 'orcefully. T told Gage Preston his, an I told Ash to his face'
 Then what happened?"
 Well, the old man stalled off hootin' match, reckon"
 Have you ever met since?"
 Lots of times. But I've never lad the nerve to draw on Ash. I ,now he'd kill me. He knows it, 5oo."
 What you mean by rotten?"
 "Mebbe it's a poor word. But I know what I mean. Did you ever ee slick, cold, shiny rattlesnake, ust after sheddin' his skin, come ;lipin' out, no more afraid of you han hell, sure of himself, an -eady to sting you deep?" {. Reckon have, Jess"
 Well, that's Ash Preston
 "Ahuh! And that's all you nean?"
 Reckon it is, Rock. I've lost cattle the last five years, some hundreds in all. But so has Preston m other ranchers, all the way from Red Butte to the sand. There's rustlin', more perhaps than when you helped us clean out the Iartweu outfit. But sure as I'm alive I never laid any of it to Ash Preston"
 T see," rejoined Rock, studying he others nrask-like face. Glad to ret your angle. I'm goin' to ask Preston for a job."
 T had a hunch you were. I'm wishin' you luck" replied Slagle. My wife-She's my second wife, oy the way-has had little money m a farm left her, in Missouri. We're leavin' before winter sets in"
 Rock had been two hours leis- urely climbing the imperceptible dope up to the mouth of Sunset Pass. It was mid-afternoon.
 At last he entered the wide portal of the Pass, and had clear view of it's magnificent reach and bold wild beauty. The winding Sunset Creek came down like broken ribbon, bright here and dark there, to crawl at hast into gorge on Rocks left The sentinel lines seemed to greet him. They stood as he remembered, first one isolated and stately, then another, and next two, and again one, and so on that way until at the height of the Pass they grew in numbers, yet apart, lording it over the fed cedars on the level bench, and the log cabins strange to Rock, that he knew must be the home of the Prestons. Rock was still mile or more distant slowly he approached. hold ling in the white horse that scented water and grass. The ascent here was gradual as was the construction of the Pass. The breath of sage blew strong, sweet, heavy on the breeze that came through from the west.
 Already the sun hung low, direct ly in the center of the great w. shaped gap which appeared to split the very heart of the mountain range. Preston's ranch, at least the six cabins, occupied the divide, which hid the lower and the larger end of the Pass from Rocks eager gaze.
 Slowly he rode up and entered the beautiful open park. Rock had a glimpse of garden. corrals, fields, and then the purple pass threaded with winding white.
 Some of the cabins were wealth. cred and gray, with more green on the split shingles. They had wide caves and sturdy gray chimneys built outside, and glass windows. Other cabins were new, especially 'A little one, fer over under the