The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1941-08-08
CHAPTER XV-Continued

ton. "Bill Roper sent a man to
your"
II didn't say that. He's a man
who was with Bill Roper in the
Texas Rustlers' War; he doesn't
seem to be in the Montana raids"
"Who was it?" Lew Gordon rum
bled. Whats his name?"
"Shoshone Wilce."
"Wilce! know that name. know
it well. I'd rope and drag him in a
second, if I caught him talking to
you'll"
"This man has talked with Ben
Thorpe in Dodge" Jody told her
father. "a lot of strange news is
working down to Thorpe from up
here in Montana. Some bands of
rustlers are slashing up and down
Montana throwing lead and leather
into the Thorpe outfits under Lash
am; they say he's badly hurt al
ready-nobody will know how badly
until the winter breaks"
Her father waited, his eyes angry.
"The word from Dodge explains
half the trouble that King Gordon is
up against" Jody said. Thorpe
can't believe that one lone cowboy,
deserted by everyone who should
have been his friend, could manage
to smash his Texas holdings, and go
on to cut away his herds in Montana.
He thought that we were backing
Billy Roper in the Texas Rustlers'
War. And he believes that we're
backing him now"
"Well?" Lew Gordon said. "You
mean to say you came all this way
to tell me that?"
"Ben Thorpe means to kill you"
Lew Gordon's face showed no
change of expression. But he did
not reply at once.
II don't doubt it," he said at last;
"what would you expect? You bring
war into range and anybody is
likely to go down."
Jody's face was white.
"You know what's at the bottom
of all the trouble we're having" her
father said. You know as we'll as
I do that two years of nothing but
trouble lays square at the door of
Bill Roper"
Jody sprang up to face him. 81
certainly do not know anything of
the klnd!" she answered him.
Lew Gordon stared at her.
Its an everlasting shame upon
the COW country that Dusty Kings
killers are still in their saddles. l
tell you, Billy Roper is the only
man I've seen with courage enough
to-
And now her father angered as she
had seldom seen him anger. you'll
tell me nothing!" he reared. crop
er! I'm sick of hearing his name-a
dirty outlaw whelp that knows moth
ing but kill and burn and raid!"
Jody's eyes narrowed and filled
with tears. You may as we'll know
this" she told her father. "The day
that Billy Roper dies l want to die
too"
For moment Lew Gordon
seemed bewildered; he stared at his
daughter as if the devil had come up
through the floor. The girl who faced
him was entirely strange to him.
He heard her say, "If you had
stayed by him, as Dusty King would
have done, Thorpe would have been
whipped and through, long ago."
Child" he said queerly, what
are you talking about?"
eff you'd only take Billy Roper
back into King-Gordon-"
"Thatll never happen while l
live" her father said fatty.
A ,.tE ell l.
entl2 broken by the girl. "He asked
me to ride with him once, when he
first took the outlaw trail. l wish
l had. To the last day / live, III
wish I'd ridden with him then. And
now III tell you something more. If
ever he asks me again, III 60"
For several moments he stared at
her, more shaken than he had been
since the death of Dusty King. Then
his face congested, and he rose up
on his boot heels to tower over the
girl.
"By God" he said, his voice I'M
steady with the repression he put
upon it, that closes the deal! I've
kept my riders off him because of
Dusty King, and let him run on
and on, rousing up range war that
has close to busted King-Gordon.
But when it comes to tampering
with you-it's the end I'm through,
you hear me?"
He caught up his battered sombrc-
TO, and his spurs rang as he turned
toward the door.
dad, what are you going TO do?"
Thorpe has a reward on Bill Rop-
er's head. King-Gordon is going 10
double that reward"
He went storming out, his face
black and violent with portent of
war.
For several moments Jody Cor
don stood motionless whore he had
left her. Then she turned and went
out of the house to the long she'd
like stable.
Shoshone Wilce was lettering there
in the shadow of the rear wall, an
uneasy and restless figure.
ffTN;1 c.