Evening star., 1940-04-30

are over"
"Mr. Silcott has reformed too.
expect you'll both be pillars OF the
church soon."
Jim, he needs a lot more reform
ing than do," Rufe said. "Why,
l just been reading in the Sentinel
how he got into an unfortunate
shooting affair only this week. He's
sure wild coot."
II didn't get into it because I
wanted to-" Silcott justified him.
self. ut was forced on me-"
Keys Mosely Worried.
"I'd never know it from reading
what it says in the Sentinel Jelks
replied dryly. II hear Russ Mosely
was figuring on buying the paper.
Maybe he has done bought it al
ready"
Anne agreed with him warmly.
"That's what I told Mr.. Silcott. I
wrote an article that called spade
spade, but he talked me into run
ming this milk-and-water one he
cooked up. Now I wished I hadn't
listened to him."
"Oh, reckon Jim Is right" Rufe
conceded. Russ won't know why
you held back. He'll mill it over in
his mind, and he'll know that If ever
you get riled at him you can blast
loose with the whole story"
Would Mr.. MoSly care much If
I did?"
considerable. He's bullheaded,
and he's going his own way regard
less. But he likes folks to think
he's a good citizen, the way the
Big Mogul in the district ought to
be-. Kinda funny too. You wouldn't
expect the boss of a hell-roaring
outfit like the Hat T to be thin
skinned. But Russ isn't any Jud
Prentiss. When he pulls of his
dirty work he likes it to be all
nicely covered up:
Anne smiled. you don't like
him much, do you?"
mot so you could notice it. How
about you, Miss Elliott"
Hes very good-looking," she said
judicially. And he told me him.
self he was good citizen"
From the blackboard he had just
driven into the Hat T plaza, Russell
Mosely descended and flung the
lines to a stable boy.
Send Jud to me-and Pesky
Kennedy, if he is here"
He strobe to the main house.
walked up the porch steps, and
vanished inside the house, long
low structure which occupied one
side of the square. The bunkhouses
Of the men and the mess hall faced
it. On one flank were the store, the
blacksmith shop, and an old adobe
building used for piling up saddles,
brides, harness, and ranch imple-
ments. On the other, more adobe,
shacks, the stables and back of
these a corral.
The Hat T home ranch was
squalid enough place, entirely with
out any attempt to make it present.
able. It's owner had been too occu-
pied with making money to have
any pride about keeping up appear
ances. Some day he meant to build
a big house, marry, and found a
dynasty. But there was still plenty
of time for that. He was not quite
33, and as yet had not found a
chance to enjoy life. Since the age
of 10 he had been making his own
way in the world, and it had been
hammered into him that the way
to power and place in the land was
to hold large possessions in his
grasp.
Mosely Is Dissatisfied.
For the first time today, as he
had looked down on the ram
shackle buildings and their desolate
background from the road which
dipped in long slope to the ranch,
there had risen in him a feeling of
distaste for the ugliness of the
scene. He was thinking Of how it
would appear to the eye of a young
woman used to the neat houses and
orderly lawns of a little Ohio town.
The stable boy went to the black
smith shop where Prentiss was
supervising the shoeing of a horse.
AS he approached, the boy heard
the heavy voice of the foreman
shouting at the man fitting the
shoes.
Anybody with a lick of sense
knows how easy it is to ruin a good
horse with shoes that don't fit. I
dunno who ever told you that you
are blacksmith, Dunn"
When the stable boy delivered his
message, Prentiss seemed to pay no
attention. He kept on roughly
criticizing the smith, then in his
heavy flat-footed way clumped
across the square to the house.
Mean as bear with a sore paw
today" the wrangler said, his eyes
following the heavy awkward figure.
why say today in PARTICULAR"
Dunn wanted to know. Did you
ever know him in a decent temper?
One of these days I'll let him have
hammer on that thick skull of his.
To hear him you'd think we were
all slaves"
The boy departed to get Pesky.
He found the range rider in the
bunk house. Pesky was a short,
crook-nosed man with rusty hair
and a sulky face.
Decides to Wait.
whats Russ want with me
now?" Kennedy was disturbed. Hes
got kick about something. That's
cinch. Darned if I stay on a
ranch where you get hauled up on
the carpet for every doggoned thing
you do"
"Jud is with him." the boy volun-
teered.
The cowboy glanced at the bed
roll on the bunk which he had just
brought in with him. There was
something in it which might come
in handy if they started to ride him
(See TRAILS END, Page B-16)