a

is MN ing ale MODI IAS

“He’s on top o’ the bunkhouse,”
“I’m gonna be set fer
him next shot. An’ Jim, fer God's
suke take a new position. They got

yelled Johnny.

yuh figptered,”

The old cattleman swore, but made

no move to push himself to another

point, It was Ronny who darted up

and drew her father away, in spite
of his protests.

At the window corner Johnny sat
tense, his lips in a compressed line,
his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the
top of the bunkhouse, Suddenly he
stiffened and shoved the muzzle of
his rifle through a shattered pane.
His keen glance had caught sight of
a slight movement on that distant
ridgepole, The movement continued
and grew into the shape of a long,
black gun barrel which ‘was being
shoved over and trained on the ranch-
house. Johnny swung his sights into
line, drawing a fine bead just above
that threatening barrel, Cautiously
the upper half of a bared head show-
ed, Johnny held his breath, centred
his bead and pressed the trigger, .

Half the body of a man lurched
into view, then dropped from sight.
The big Sharps rifle teetered on the
ridgepole for 4 moment, then tipped
over and slid halfway down the roof,
where it stuck and held, in plain view
of the exultant Johnny.

“That’s one cannon spiked, I go!
him, Jim. An’ the-big gun’s in plain
sight. on the: roof, where the res
eain't get it.” ”

Johnny’s triumph wag short lived,
Just as Spelle’s cohorts, driven to
madness by the sight of another cas-
ualty on their side, opened up in fury
from all angles, Doe MeMurdo start-
ed to ¢ircle from Delevan’s side to
Johnny, He went down, just opposite
the window, falling at full léngth on
his face. There was a bullet hole
just above his left ear and one in the
side of his neck. He was dead on his
feat. ;

At her father’s side Ronny sagged
in a near faint. Delevan swore help-
lessly, terribly, Johnny, white and
harsh, crouched over and dragged the
body into a dark corner, Then, with-
out a word he padded back to his
window cornet and settled down to
his watching, In that position dark-
ness found them. .

There comes a time in every man’s
life when minutes are hours and
hours untold cons. When suspense
whips the nerve centers taut: and
harsh and sets muscles hard and un-
yielding. At these times ‘the veneer
of civilization melts away and pure
savagery rears it’s head, And if the
suspense endures without breaking,
the animal madness grows until dan-
ger and hand to hand conflict are to
be welcomed with open arms,

Thus felt Johnny Clehoe as mid-
night approached. The -house was in
utter blackness, seeming much deep-
er. than the opaque veil which hovers
over the world without. And- the
Box D ranchhouse had become a
house. of ghosts now: Human bodies
chad no stibstance in that stygian,
acrid gloom: Only human Voices ex-

Usted, low-pitched,. anger-hoarsened
voices, ~ ;

Only when Ronny: crept once ‘to
Johnny's Side with. a: cup of coffee
“which Chang’ had ‘managed ‘to brew
‘by some celestial legerdemain, did -he’

ee cheek. resting 9

gun in each, hand.” :
: realize vioane Again that, he was not -

by L.P. HOLANES|

ny.

there, ;
Presently she stirred.

Tex was here.”
muttered hoarsely.

Tex—he’s like a dad to me.”

ened, bewildered and unutterably
worried child.
“Pore little kid,” murmured John-

He put his freed arm about her
shoulders and she relaxed and rested

“Johnny,”
she whispered, “I’m afraid. They are
going to rush the house soon. I know
it. I feel dt. And I’m afraid. If only

Johnny gulped. “Ain’t I been wish-
in’ an’ prayin’ the same thing,’ he
“God—yes, if'n
Tex was here he’d lick Spelle’s whole
danin outfit. single handed, Good ole

am it skittered and crashed in front
of him. Immediately thosé flaming
guns winked and flared towards him.
* Something struck him low on the
left side, burning across his ribs like
a white hot iron. It spun him half
about, but he steadied and drove two
quick shots in ‘return, holding low
down and between the crimson ares
of flame which spat at him. There
Was a cough, a gurgle and the thud
of a falling body,

“Johnny!” bawled Delevan, “Yuh
got him—yuh got him! 4

In the rear of the house Pink Cros-
by’s Winchester was crashing in a
steady cadence, while: outside. the

'r
“~k,

Flaming guns winked

and flared towards him,

- "I know. He's wonderful. With
his clear old eyes and funny, quirky
smile. Yet I feel that he can be ter-
rible if he’s aroused.”

Long they crouched there in the
dark—two children, 2nd just a wee
bit afraid of a stark, murder-filled
world,

Long after, Jim Delevan stirred in
his chair and cleared. his throat.
“Ronny,” he called softly. “White
are yuh, child?”

“She's here, Jim,” answered -John-
ny. “She’s asleep on my shoulder.
Pore little kid, she’s havin! a tough
time ’ it,”

yuh, son,”
Johnny's arm tightened around the
sleeping girl. She stirred and moan-
ed a little, like an infant plagued
with dreams, ;

. The air was stark with the chill of
early morning, It seemed to Johnny
that the murk outside was thinning,
somewhat, Dawn was not so very far
away.- Then the storm broke.

From all sides of-the house a-tor-
rent of yells shattered the silence.
And with them came the ‘rumble anid
thunder of shots, There’ was a clatter
of boots upon the. porch’ and “some-,
thing crashed ‘at. one. porch’ window,
tearing. away gash, and. splintered Tem--
nants of glass in a flurry: of blows,
Then through the opening gatapulted
a dark, ‘malignant: fae

1 “Johnny—dad—where. are you?”

‘Tm glad she's asleep. ‘She likes .
|hurt, you're hurt!”

yells had doubled -in ferocity and the
gunfire rolled to a shattering, sus-
tained roar, .

There came. a ‘rus*’¢, of skir ts, and
Ronny’s voice, fearful and. broken,
carried through the darkness, |‘

“We're all right, child,” boamed

do you hear: “Lay onthe floor. ”

But Rontiy did nothing of the icind,
She stumbled through the darkness
until her hands rested on Johnny.
She felt the warm stickiness of blood
running down his side.

“Johnny!” “she -gasped, “you? te
Oh-—dad—he's
falling, ”

“Johnny, was not” ‘exactly falling,
but: he was slumping slowly down-
ward, his shoulders against the. wall.
— Dy a’right,” he muttered hoarse-:
ly; “A yight—jest a little dizzy. A
little dizzy,”

* He ® ‘ended a) finally, ‘half’ lying,
half. sitting againat the wall,
jerouched beside ‘him, her.anmg about

praying at the same time,
‘Abruptly he- stiffened.
Listen!” he gasped.

fl 8

“Listen=—I

Texas: prunal:.T a” Tex--it's Tex.” The.
ole. gray wolf's: come: ¥¢. look after: his |
cubs.’ Now: ‘Spelle—dainn yuh—hete's
wh re yuh-—get—yore—needin’s. 9,
‘So’ saying,” Johnny: dumped’, “tor: fe

“der, much 3 as

Tex, “yuh. didn’t. leave much fer Al

fr “Son, yuh shove didi vHe wos layin!

_[ Takin’ it by an’ al] it’s been quite

., Women,are., dowporgkt.. touchy, ‘phont

Delevan. “You: keep. down-—do vn— | -

—don’t keep yore. future husband
waitin’)

where she halted and looked back.

‘Ronny |.” :

Tex. “jim: we're -danged Teeny men? fo
him fiercely. She was sobbing, ‘and |.
there’ Le bey leetle; _fellers - later son |:
leetle. pudgy” fellers « to. “tug” ana [|
us ‘ole. wolves around, i.

hear ’em—I hear: ‘em. Texas guns—| —
ours. are the real quil

face.” Stooping above him was the
|. “Tex,” murmured Johnny, “Tex—
yuh came in time. I knew it was you.
I heard ’em roar——thdse Texas guns.”

“Yuh: danged young. hellion;” said

an’ Utah an’ me to finish.”
“But yuh got Spelle,” protested
Johnny, a,
“Nope—not us. You “got “him, ”.
“y did? | I don't get’cha. ”

jest outside that front window on, the
porch with a, .45. between his eyes,
An’ that thievin’ four-fingered half-
breed son o’ his was the two-gun
man yuh downed in the room. Ole
Jim told me all about it.” :

“How about you—did. yuh get them
cattle?” asked Johnny.
“Yore danged right we did, We
had a little trouble finding ’em but
we finally located .'em in a little val-
ley about fifty miles north o’ the
railroad. The Box D iron was blotted
out on every critter, turned into a
Gridiron P. An’ a lot o’ it was mighty
sketchy work, We cornered. the jas
per who claimed to own ’em an’ a
leetle questionin’ got him so tangled
uphe didn’t know what his own name.
was, Utah an’ Al an’ me declared. a
showdown an’ the tustier ‘boss an’ his
gang elected to shoot it out, It’ was.
their mistake.. We Bot the whole stop
from. one -o' them what was due to
cash, He came clean, Like we figger-
ed, Spelle was behind the whole deal,

some storm. But the air "s cleaned
up an’ we can settle down to honest
cattle raisin’ now.’ ;

“That shore listens fine,” murniur-
ed Johnny. “I'm dead ‘sick 0° fightin’.
I done had enough roamin’ around.
I want to settle down an’ grow fat
an’ sprout a beard.”
“Yeah?” Tex’s eyes were twink-
ling. “I reckon somebody else will
have . somethin’ ‘to say about, that—
the beard an’ ‘the pay window I mean,
sech things.” ane
* “Ah? grunted | Johnny.
yub’re smart, don’t yuh?”
‘“Nope—jest a ‘prophet, that's all.
An’ T’ll betcha a new hat I'm tight.”
Johnny smiled up at him.
“Wuh'd win the bet, ‘ole timer.
Where is she?” “

“Out on the porch with her dad.
ll sent her dn”

Tex swaggered the length of the
bullpt-scarred porch with ‘mischief
glowing in his eyes, Ronny Deleyan
watched his approach curiously ~snd
was rewarded by having Tex catch
her by both shoulders. and plant: a
resounding; ' shameless kiss on, one
velvety cheek:

“Why—what” stammered the sbe-
wildered girl, “(> > : - sain
“Now don’t ‘get | excited, young
‘un,” chuckled Tex. “I'm jest salutin’

“Think

«| the bride to be, : Ain’t mad! are yuh2"'| ;

_ Ronny’ blushed. furiously. - :
“Who. told you that?” ‘she demand-
ed. my :
“Nobody... Shueks, I ‘got eyes ait
1? By the’ way, “that ‘young ‘cub -o?
mine. wants to see ‘yuh, “Pronto now

Ronny’ scurried” “to “the doorway,

eare-lined visage of his old partner.

of their features to one of mellow
{contentment. -
4 ne (The End)

In spite of : wars. ‘and rumor of war
the world’ moves on just the same,
The : provinéial: legislature. is in ses-
‘sion: and’ “doing quite well in a quiet
way; Vancouver is trying to tap the

ies; Premier King: is back ji in Ottawa;
the King has opened the British par-
liament. and the ‘American’ presiden-
tial election is over. “What more can
one ask for at this time? — ,

‘ tttt

While the politicians in the States
used all the Americar broadeasting
stations, the cheap jazz. bamdy and
sheaper crooners got on the air over
the ‘Canadian Stations—when Cana-
dian stations could be heard ot all.

tttt

A great many acres of land are
being. plowed ,in this immediate dis-
trict. this fall, preparatory. ito: grow-
ing. grain. next year. This. past sea-
son the grain crops did. , remarkably
well, but then,they. always did when
grain seed was planted. -

“tttt
George, Murray, M.L.A,, Lilloett;

of party politics, Last year he went

sion openly opposed -his leader, Mr.
Pattullo, In his first speech of this
session he expressed his opposition
to the provincial treasury paying any
of the bills of the Vancouver Jubilee.
He pointed out that the province had
already given $50,000 to that affair.
The Jubilee was a big thing, he ad-
mitted, “but “Vancouver ‘got all the

rural: ‘district tourists" traffic, « Mr.
Murray pointed’ ‘to all the roads and
other things, which the rural districts
needed, ard: he: wanted all the spare
money the province had to spend to
be spent in the rura] districts rather
than in providing luxurious celebra-
tions for one of the ‘wealthiest cities
in Canada, ** He’ ‘called: ‘on all ‘other
| rural. members to stand with him, .
and it ‘is'to be ‘hoped the ‘members for
Skeena, Omineca, Prince Rypert, At-

Peace River, at least, will listen. to
him, It would be good ‘for ‘the. north
‘if all local. public bodies wrote or

effet, ; ; asking the: support.

ae a“

LOTS 6, 7, 8 GOVERNMENT
. STREET, THE PROPERTY OF
THE HUDSON’S BAY co.
These, lots. are: for sale for the
purpose of building residences
thereon, Apply to ..

Brea % iu Os, |

Of:a sudden, ‘she: dimpled. vosily. yt

_HAZELT ON.

“Tex,” she called, “you win.”

- “They're good kids, Ten rambled
Delevan: finally. Roe

“Yore damn right, Tex, I -hope |.

“They will: be, ‘Jim: | ‘Them k kids 7]

~ Another ong silence.
» "Happy 2% ‘Tumbled Delevan.; ra
ay ‘Hell,” ” sighed Tex. “This is ‘the |;

ight ‘here | ‘ait van’

‘ the: t trail fer me, Right here’ I}.

ae

provincial treasury again for luxur-.

ened, the grim, sculptured harshnesd Ey

finds jt hard to conform to set rules _

contrary to all codes and on occa- |

benefit, wand atvthe expenga of the &%

lin, Cariboo, Prince’ George and the @ .

wired their local members to that.’ -

‘| FOR SALE |}