The Seattle Star Newspaper, February 25, 1922, Page 5

TURDAY, FEBRUARY BY WILLIAM by Whitlam Mt and by special Leod B ne (Continued From Yesterday) CHAPTER XXXVI FIGHTING FIRE Sanders was in the office of the Jackpot looking over blue game in father prints when Joyce inquired Crawford and where her wan. Dad told me something last night, Mr, Sanders, He said I might pass it on to you and Bob, though it isn't to go farther, It's about th ten thousand dollars he paid the bank when it called his loan. He got the money from Buck Byington.” “Buck! exclaimed the young man. He was thinking that the Buck he Wed to know never had ten dollars saved, let alone ten thousand “T_know,” @he exclaimed. “Tha: The money wasn't his. He's @xecutor or something for the chi! @ren of his dead brother. This money had come in from the sale of a farm back in Towa and he was waiting for an order of the court for permission to invest ft in a mort gare. When he heard Dad was so desperately hard up for cash he let him have the money. He knew Dad would pay it back, but seems what he did was against the law, even tho Dad gave him his note and a chattel Mortgage on some cattle which Buck Wasn't to record. Now it has been straightened out. That's why Dad ewuldn't tell where be got the money Buck would have been In trouble. *I see.” A shadow darkened the doorsill amt Bob Hart stepped into the office. Mis first words were ominous, but before he spoke both of those looking at him knew he was the bearer of bed news. There was in his boyish face an unwonted gravity. “Fire in the chaparral, Dave, and going strong. Sanders spoke one word. “Where?” “Started in Rear Canon, but it's damped out into the hills.” Joyee guessed the «ttuation was Is Dad tm dange: “No~—not now, “What can I do to help?" “We'll have hundreds of mon in the field probably, if this fire has a| real start.” Dave told her. “We'll need food and coffee-—lots of it. Or. gantze the women. Make meat sand wiches—hundreds of them. And send out to the Jackpot dorens of coffee pets. Your job is to keep the work ers well fed. Better send out band. ages and salve, in case some get burnt.” Sanders was on the road inside of twenty minutes, a group of horse. ten galloping at his heels. At the Jackpot locations the firefighters equipped themselves with shovels sacks, axes and brush-hooks. - The Party, stil on horseback. rode up ta the mouth of Bear Canon. Thru the smoke the aun was blood-red. The atr was heavy and heated. From the fire line Crawford came to meet these new allies. “We're GUNSIGHT PASS 25, 1922, SAY ~~ ! WHATS “TH’ GAME HERE 2 facLEOD RAINE Raima All Fights reserved ment with Houghton Miffite Com ! could endure, In two or three places went ot Da esas {| THESE APPLES) ARE MADE OF treated to re drifted back fense ¢ After a tim help make the de guinst the plun | devil Jers alone refused to re tire. His parched eyebrows were half gone, Hix clothes hung about him in shredded rags, He was «0 exhausted that he could hardly wield a flail, His logs dragged and his arms hung heavy, But he would not give up even for an hour. Before the light of day broke he knew that he had won, His men had make good the check-trail that held back the fire in the terrain be tween Hear and Cattle Canons, The | fire, worn out and beaten, fell back for lack of fuel upon which to feed. | Dave left the trail in charge of & deputy and staggered down with his men to the camp that had been improvised below He found his horse in the remuda. saddied, and rode over to the en trance to Cattle Canon, | nerwon Crawford was holding | his ground, though barély holding it | He too was grimy, fire-blackened, ex hauated, but he was still fighting to throw back the fire that swept down [the canon at him, | “How are things up above?’ he jasked in a hoarse whisper, “Good, We held the eheck-line.” “Say, eon, look who's here! His thumb hitched toward his right shoulder | Dave looked down the line of fighting line for some hours. Docen't he know about the re/now? ‘They had seon the faint ward K stnoke tt as they rode away, the Yes. He was hidin’ in Malapl| tiumy smoke of a young fire not yet when the call came for men, Says he's no quitter, whatever elxe he is. You bet he ain't, He's worth two of most men at this work. Soon as we get thru he'll be on the dodge |under much headway. Was it rea sonable to suppose that some one else had been camping close to them’? This was possible, but not likely For they would probably jagain, fT reckon, unless Applegate | signs of the other evening camp-fire gets him first. He's a good sport. Eniminating this ponsibility, there anyhow. I'll say that for him.” remained—Dug Dobie. Had Dug Dave rode along the front, study ing the contour of the country and | the chance of defending it. His judg ment was that it coukl not be done| pitty, the greater force it acquired jwith the men on hand. He was not) in nis mind. Dug’s hatred of Craw mure that the line could be held|ford Hart, and especially Sanders even with reinforcements. But there! would be satiated in part at least Was nothing for It but to try. He/|i¢ he could wipe jsent a man to Crawford, urging him }trom the map. to get help to him as soon as pos sible, man. Ho had killed, and might at Then he took command of the/any time kill again. To save the crew already in the field, rearranged | Jackpot from destruction he fired the brush while his companion was saddiing for the start? Th more Shorty considered this their oil bonanza Shorty was an outlaw and a bad would the men so aa to put the larger part | not have made a turn of his hand. ot his force in the most dangerous | put shorty was a cattleman. He locality, and im default of @ sack) had been brought up in the saddle seized a spreading branch as a flail) and had known the whine of the to beat out fire in the high grass/tariat and the dust of the drag | close to San Jacinto. ldrive all hin days. Every man has | An hour later half a dozen strag-| nis code. Three things stood out in jsting men reported for duty. Shorty | that of Shorty. He was loyal to the OUR BOARDING HOUSE Diackened, grimy firefighters and [iow a ae = « R ALERT MARSHAL hig eve fell on Shorty. He was atill = are THAT RAGGED frocks tolgedhentaeeniy tlyye Fra tnd aa as TEY WALKER, CLAPPED HIS EYE ON fat ado Sint, tox ect] JBuster FALLS FOR THE FRUIT TRAP ==: STRANGER THE MINUTE HE JUMPED OFF THE BLIND BAG: festly the man ha on on the! basen chan — holdin’ her here. It's been nip an’| was one of them, tuck. Once 4 thought st ahe'd| It occurred to Dave that if the break thru, but we beat out the| wind changed snddenly and height blaze. I hadn't time to go look,jened, it would sweep a backfire hand that paid him, he stood by hiv pays, and he believed in and after his own fashion loved cattle and the life of which they were the central but I expect she's just a-r’arin’ over the hills. I've had some teams and @@rapers taken up there, Dave. It's Job. Go to it.” determine the extent of the fire, Tave selected his line of defense, a tide of rocky, higher ground cutting | H across from one gulch to the other. Here he set teams to work scraping a fire-break, while men arsiste: Even betore he could spend time to | cinity }round him and cut off the retreat | tact. To destroy the range feed of his crew, He sent a weary lad| wantonly waa a crime so nefariouw jback to keep watch on it and report | that he could not believe Doble guilty jany change of direction im that vil of it. And yet He could let the matter te in | After which he forgot all about! doubt. He left the tendejon and rode chances of danger from the rear./to Steelman'’s house, The door wan hands and mind were more than | opened by Brad Stecimar busy trying to drive back the snarl-| ‘The door of the inner room opened ing, tavenous beast in front of him. | Dug Doble’s big frame filled the en with | He might have found time to take/trance. The eyes of the two gun fhovels and brush hooks to clear a other precautions if he had known | men searched each other. Those of wide path. } that the exhausted boy sent to watch | Dobie asked a question Had it The surface fire on the hills licked against a back-fire had, with the up the brush, mesquite and young! coming of night, fallen asleep in a ome to a showdown? “Lookin’ for me, Shorty he eédars with amazing rapidity. If his draw. | anked. trail-break was built in time, Dave| CHAPTER XXXVII | “You fired Bear Canon,” charged meant to back-fire above it. Steve| SHORTY ASKS A QUESTION = [the cowpuncher Russell was one of his party. Sand. ef appointed him lieutenant and|in Frio Canon he rode incomsapicu: | | When Shorty separated from Dobdle| gor “When I went to saddie went over the ground with him to ously to @ tendejon where he could| pobie's eyes narrowed. “You aim decide exactly where the clearing be snugly hidden from the public in’ to run my business, Shorty?” should run, after which he galloped|gaze and yet meet a few “pals”| Neither man lifted his gaze from back to the mouth of Bear. | whom he could trust at least ax long | ihe other. Each knew that the teat “She's running wild on the hille|as he could keep his eyes on them. | had come i Ther “were and in Cattle Canon,” Dave told| His intention was to have a 00d | both men ir Crawford. and reach San Jacinto. W ve got to hold the mouth of Cattle, build a an. other between Cattle and San Jacin- to. cork her up in San Jacinto, and keep her from jumping to the hills trail between Bear and Cattle. beyond.” “Can we back-fire, do you reckon?” Not with the wind there is above. “She'll sure jump Cattle time in the only way he knew how. | the current phrase of th Another purpose was coupled with | noth had killed this; he waa not going to drink| for an enough to interfere with reasonable community rehed now antage In that ateady duct Both se of th Neither had any fear caution. | The emotions that dominated were Shorty’s dissipated pleasures were | cold rage and caution sense interfered with shortly after mid-land nerve in ¢ focalized to one night. A Mexican came in to the] purpore—to kill without being killed drinking place with news. The world |” “When yore’s ix mine, Dug.” .| was on fire, at least that part of it} “18 this yore's?” unless we have checktrails built which interested the cattlemen of] «gure in I've stood for a heap t. We need several hundred the Malapi district. This was the | trom y I've let yo y temper more meb, and we need them right sum of the news, It was not strict-| ride me. When y | a killed Tim Hartt ly accurate, but it served to rouse} ean you got me in bad. Not the 1, get yore trail built. Bob Shorty at once. He rose and | first time either vt I'm darned if ntta be out soon. I'll put him touched the Mexican on the arm.|j7) ride with coyot w-down ver between Cattle and San Jacin-|“Where you say that fire started, | enough to burn the rani to. Threefour men can hold her| Pedro?” | “No?” here now. move my outfit over) “Bear Canon, senor.” “No.” to the mouth of Cattle.” | “And it's crossed San Jacinto?” From the desk came the Sanders rode up close to the) “Like wildfire.” The slim vaquerojangry bark of a revolver West edge of Bear Canon as he made a gesture all-inclusive felt his hat lift as a bullet tore thru the flames had jumped the wall and runs, senor, like a frightened the rim. His eyes swept to Were trying to make headway in the rabbit. Nothing will atop it—noth man, who had been a secant underbrush of the rocky slope ing. It ise sent by heaven for @| factor in bis calculations that led to a hogback surmounted punishment.” fired again and blew out the light by @ bare rimrock running to the! “Hmp!" Shorty grunted In the darkness Shorty swept out summit, This natural rier would The rustler fell into a somber sil-|poth guns and fired. Hia first twe black the fire on the west, just as ence. A problem had pushed itself | shots were directed toward the m the burnt-over area would protect the For the present at least the north fire-fighters could forts to the south confine their ef. and east, the Jackpot. A shift in the wind would change the situation, and if i came in time would probably save the oll property. where the spread of the blaze would involve #) ADVENTURES OF NE Ty into his consciousness, one he could| behind the desk not brush aside or ignore If the fire had started , the next two at t spot where Doble had been standing k of} Another gun was booming in Bear Canon, what agency had set it| room, . perhaps two. Yellow going? He and Doble had camped | fiashes ripped the blackness, 1 last night at that very spot. If there| ghorty whipped open the door at ti had been a fire there during the| his back, «lid thru it, and kie it known it. Then | «hut with his foot as he leaped from started? And/the parch. At the same moment he ———~ | thought he eard a groan | Swiftly he ran to the |where he had left his horse ted. He swung to the ye and galloped out of town. night he must have fire when had the cottonwood CHAPTER XXXVIII THE SEATTLE STAR BY AHERN , AND BUS |S SUPPOSED TO BE ON A DIET TO, REDUCE ~ EVEN “TH CHERRIES ON TH WALLPAPER IN HIS ROOM GIVE HIM AN APPETITE =TRY A WAX BANANA BUS=THEY RE SKIN. GAME THE OLD HOME TOWN BY STANLEY oD ER > NEWT-SHES A REARIN HA-HA- MRS. HOOPLE CAUGHT TH’ FIRST FISH WITH THAT BASKET OF FAKE FRurr ! = SHE GoT UP MAT TRICK TO BREAK | TH’ HABIT OF DUMS FRISKING TH’ FRUIT AFTER CHOW HOURS «/ Wilbur Comes To PAUNDRESS COME. WU TODAY AO) DOINGS OF THE DUFFS You SAY You’RE GOING TO HAVE YouR NEW DRESS MADE WITH A RUSSIAN BLOUSE - AND HOW ARE YOU GOING To KAVE IT TRIMMED P y, IT'S GOING To BE ‘ EMBROIDERED IN WOOL YARN-THE NEWEST THING! IF ANYBODY WOULD HAVE TOLD ME A YEAR AGO THAT | WOULD COME. TO THIS | WOULD HAVE SAID THEY WERE CRAZY- PLAIN NO, TELL THE FELLOWS I'M SORRY- THANKS JUST THE SAME ~- NO- SOME OTHER TIME~ NO~NOT TONIGHT ~ 30 LONG. IM). 22 y RA tarsal ? : 2 ne : Worle ancted ea hi FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS The Difference Is in Who Does 1 aX "Taco “ pre r IN-N2 WAT DID TAG. S MOM ee a ccootws |B YEAN- BEHANE YouRSELE, Do TWAT HE SHOULDNT Core WT PRECKES P api om earth could be convinced thal he had not killed Steelman. He must get away from the place at once | © poured himself half a tum whisky and dr wet go, but he m SS r Se tle «+ t eat. Yes, | a as weil} * with him any money Steelman + fin the safe | ws] or « By abel Cleland _»% Mister Ttus, MeerT THe DISTINGUISHED MISTER WHITFLER. ure, A buneh | An oldfash:|f gy corner back stood in he joble stooped in front} foe it S waites for an toatasg to ‘age 609 ‘ |make sure nobody was coming. He THE MINISTER'S LITTLE GIRL ane » poten trying the keys, one “It was August,” went on the, light to point it out to us. OA hap ith He turned it and {| minister's little girl, “August,| “We had no carriage—our |ewung n the door. Behind a pack 1863. All thru the valley and all) wagon was without springs or | age of abstracts he found « bunch of | lereenbacks tied together by a rubber along the rough roads to Steila-| cover or seats. Unless one could lasik ak Gils Gaal By eee || coom what had been mud and| call @ board laid across a seat. \chowed that the denomination was|{ splashy pools of water in the| But we liked going. Htifty dollars. Doble investigated no ruts, was dust | (sae Wi Qrove allie, Cather whe aa poe sii Rages Erm 9 telling motirer about Seattle: ‘I } “All around the house in every age mto hig inside coat pocket and A i oe mee , | will go over there and preach,’ he clearing, chickens scratched and rose owt: lock nd apened the vag | said, ‘but I doubt if the place ever Yves HEA ED gytidnay — eas 4 ap n “ee |], children played in dust. It was) said, ie a et tmacs! ALL WHS EveR DID, sine and thé open beyond to make a dry summer—and for the Puget | amounts to anything. Howevee, To “DISTIN Susu” sure that neither bis enemy nor a Sound country a very hot one. | @ dirty, dusty little sawdust iat se sheriff's posse was lurking m the “Mother's face was all flushed| town? nothing to it, nothing to |brush for him. He crept out to the and tired-looking as she fastened} build on.’ stable, revolver in hand. Leading th the door behind her, and helped| “When we got to the hore of horse out into the mesquite, heewung | ddle and rode away |] the last freshly-washed and! the bride, we found a bit of a He was still in the saddle when!) combed and starched child into) *,ouse perched high on posts, as if | the peaks above caught the morning tha waste, it wore ‘walking on. etlita: sun glow in a shaft of golden light other hadn't lived all her life “All about it was an untidy in a pioneer country and she had! clearing, and contentedly rooting her own ideas about how people! and grunting, pigs wandered be- should look and behave at a wed-| neath it. In a pocket of the hills Doble un- addled. He hobbled his horse and turned it loose to graze while he lay j}down under a pine | Revenge! The thought of it spurred | him every waking hour, roweling his | wounded pride y. There was} a way within reach of his hand, or uted by Steelman's whisperings, | udvocated by the} ding. “We went up the narrow steps and began to talk about the wed- ding, Mother looked us over pridefully and I sat primly down to wait crue “‘Now you children keep still,’ ‘And welves dirty, she said, don’t get 1 want you to look your. | us tho never openly | | Nancy and Nick ran to chemommeiiae We could pull out one “i Dug Dobi Rides Inte ie ee she sep pene prreie pe dnioe 4 i) all nice and sweet for the wed “T had a small brother who felt And got their golowben, then back to them, y Ginedr/” sald’ Nasioy. “It! jie esa pefety, Batietiod that. ail| vanity peraunded him that out of evilff ding.’ | no sort of interest in weddings, [|she thought she would rave. Her| “A—a hundred and eighty—and | gad sere ip fo pA doesn't lo ho it could bend} was eel, he tarned to the figure|might come good. He could make | “It was cool and shady driving| Who hated a white suit, who did J] beautiful, carefully-chosen, painstak- | the tax," breathed Polly. 4 Fone i ical "Mus as had gone, | without bri leet 1 on the floor with outflung|the girl love him, 80 her punish thru the narrow road inthe for.| "° like to be washed and || ingly supervised Paverel frock! And vi whistled Paul and fell but in his place was a littk branch! But searcely had whe spoken when | arms j ment would bring her Joy in the end | est, and dew sparkled where the lors vetanetiealh 7 og tua jee rete. bei hen gar Nag Saent | Polly was so h she dared it Teta with ote on the end the feather instantly tied itself into Dead as a stuck mote,” he enld| As for Crawford and Sanders, his | st, contented pigs as we came in, | ere eli—there was simply rart jared say pg 9 Pw a ; th ee : ; knot, then inte bow r a} Nously aft he had turned the} au « would be such bitter medi. |f early sun sent a slender finger of | (To Be Continued no use expecting a man to under-| nothing for fear of tears—or an Nene are ed It und out tefl atiby |atraightentng itself did a ‘series ot|bedy over. “Got him plumb thru|oine to them that time would never Rn ed | HUN dress. Polly wows heartsick. [aNBrY Outhurst. She began putting | ad feather, There wan a note, too,|gymnastica that was quite sston-|the forehead—in the dark, too. Some| wear away the taste of It : What is it, dear—don’t look like | the frock back into its Lox, hd Amer ya aoe” shtidoaee | anand hootin’, Shorty | At dusk he rose and renuddied. Un-| i oe wrt ing: ‘teoen Hae iclen of vonthiie, “erat | tas. Le TON te nate. al} “Of course it's all right, Sescy tee Seat "no your guide| “It must be magical!’ declarea| It any one had heard the shots| der the stars he rode back to Matapt, | tion of a ) just to took at the dec| yur cone need dene eee ne put} cutie, 1 bet you'll look a’ dream in | sald Paul. “Vio Rand knows He 14 te bee a= ws so in, douts | Maney es ee and he were found here now, no jury | te: Or Continent) li fc ako ht sftle the rich tint it arranged,” : - ee ern maaike," Any drome: ook | 5d at rag trp ve old it before you when in doubt | Nanc | ane _.. |lictous e . the ric : awell,”" la swell little dud. new and zo in the direction it bends.) “Very magical,” agroed Nick of it, the way ft “almost stood alone” | “Now—behold!* She. drew back,| “But—Oh, Paul-" Polly could | would—" bey: Affectionately yours, The Magical| Suddenly the red feather bent to. ° as she propped it on the bed—like | waiting. hardly keep the tears out of her his was too much, H Mushroom.” [Ward ie Bast and stayed that. way and Paull Al d Paris Aunt Sue's “best black” that had) ‘Paul turned, approached the dress | voice, “—don't you understand; it is| “Miss Rand had nothing to do with Nick put the feather In his pocket hat’s the direction we must go © V |iasted 30 years casually, pinched the sleeve between |the Taverel. I supposo it looks to/it,” blazed Polly, “I'd rather wear but Nancy was more curious. “Let's|to find the lost record,” pointed By Zoe Beckley Polly could hardly wait for Paul to| his thumb and finger. “It’s a nice; you like a cheap little handme-down |a potato-sack than have her choose Igok at it, Nickie,” she cried. “If it| Nancy. “It’s showing us the way | (Copyright, 1922, by The Seattle Star) come home and be shown the master: {little dress—put it on.’ from a department store, and it's one | my clothes! It's cruel of you to-nugy elbeenisag va etary Daag nd UNE I yew a ged by ME vig piece, Of course It had cost a lot.) “Rut—but Paul! Don't you like it, /of the loveliest models Paverel had, | gest that she knows more than T do, qyem other feathers?’ Bo Nick tool OTe oe oe nore,"*| PRE . 117 But when you paid a lot and got | gear Why, it—it cost a perfect fortune!’ |about what's right for me, It out : inted Nick. “Let's start | CHAPTER XXI—THE PAVEREL FROCK something for it, there wasn't a feel] “sure Ido, But I can't tet! much} Paul looked blank, He said noth: |her—I hate hér—1 hate her!” re y Wee Nery RES nen te rer: Sue spell pointe ppuontse A ROO : sccisiedd trodk okaie ¢ had watched every stage of its |ing of guilt till you wear it. Does brown suit|ing but examined the frock again,| Polly turned suddenly, catching im tnekeee aes, Debete the that seen Aare Ce seats Oe | eee Ve enn ore ; progress from. its silken lining, so She heard her hushand’s step. Be-|you? When will the one from Pav: | clumsily. |her breath, and darted into the little Uitte feather ‘Wie MAC UP Ot ee eter ey ees evar, ue [home from. Paverel's, and Polly took |hiesn in ated to her allm figure, to|fore he Cube open’ the door, Polly |ctel’a’ be ready?” “What do you call a fortune?” He |dressing room. Paul fled after Here) nd tiny bara, sharp ae the ifirst of the mountains, altho it) 1 rom ita tissue. wrappings with | ie” acca of ite finish, And it|ushed the dress out.of sight, Polly tried to speak, but could only | figured hastily what he paid for bis | But the key turned in the Joek, Pe. pecan Na but mt 80 firm y to seemed oe a Si ane |trembling fingers. Shoe could not af} was, «he told herself holding it up| “Oh, Paul, I've got something to] manage a gasp. She sat dere apick, own suits momethiig between $60 Go oy Stem ether that not the strongest blac q geet ! ‘ aus Pe : > sabe with the greatest grippers in (Copyright, 1922, by Seattle Star) ford to have this ove go wrong. against her, a perfect thing—a ere |show youl She drew back, beam-'ly in the nearest chair, An jana $80 perhaps— 1 Copyright, x Stan