Adventure, December 3, 1920 — page 49: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Law Comes Receiving no answer, he whistled again and rode slowly ahead. Again he halted and sounded his signal. This time an answer came from the cabin. The man spurred his horse. The door of the cabin opened and Bransom’s voice challenged the late arrival. “What vou doing up here?”’ “Never mind that,” said the newcomer as he unsaddi8d and hobbled his horse. “We'll talk in the morning. IJ want some sleep.” Bransom threw open the door of the cabin and the other entered, carrying his saddle. XXIV NEXT morning Condon, lame and stiff | from his work of the day before and the Perf fight in the saloon, was, nevertheless up early and got breakfast. Lang went down and examined his saddle-horse. He found the limp which the animal had developed after the hard trip over the divide had disappeared. “We'll take it easy an’ cut out the work to- day,” said Lang, who himself was feeling the ef- fects of the battle with Bransom.. : “T believe Pll take a little ride around,” said Condon; ‘I’m curious to learn a little more about the country in here.” “Go te it,’ ’ smiled Lang; “‘but don’ t stop to inspect any cattle.” He laughed; but his evident merriment was lacking in genuine mirth. Lang was only mildly curious as to Condon’s desire to familiarize himself with the locality; for he had his own reflections, chief among which was the memory of Alice Thornton as she had looked the last time he jad seen her. now that his horse was in shape again he ques- tioned the wisdom of remaining long in that dis- ~ trict where he had attracted so much attention. He understood now that Bransom’s hatred had been incurred when he had learned of Lang’s meetings with the girl. Bransom was more than merely interested in.Alice. And be- cause of this Lang could not have killed the man when he attempted to draw on him the night before, even if he had so desired. But when he thought of leaving Singing River a strange sadness came over him. He walked idly about the draw, thinking hard in an effort to solve this thing. Condon rode down the trail to Singing River, and then without visiting the store he decided he would return to the dtaw by way of the western ridge. ‘Pherefore he rode west from town and began the ascent of the west slope. On his left he saw a deep, dark cafion, and trailing above it was a thin film of smoke. He rode along the north ridge of the cafion, up the slope, and in this way he came to look down into the canon at a point where he could see a cabin below, almost hid by a shelf of rock. His movement was suddenly arrested, not by Also, ° to Singing River 39 sight of the cabin but because he had seen a figure in the doorway which he recognized even at that distance. He turned aside from the brink and tied his horse in a clump of spruce. Then he crawled cautiously down behind some cedar bushes which served as a screen until he was almost directly over the cabin. In a short time Bransom, Frued, and another man came out. Bransom’s face was cut and swollen and one eye was shut. Frued also dis- played marks of the conflict upon his visage. “Frued will take you out an’ give yeu the lay of the land, Frank,” said Bransom. The man called Frank surveyed Bransem in the bright morning sunlight with a grin. “Gee, he handed you a good one, didn’t her” ‘Never mind that,” snarled Bransom. “You say you’ve got a plan to get the goods en him an’ so have I. this soon enough. Condon was quickly interested. Did the newcomer know Lang Rush? Was he there to “Vou better edge down the timber on this side of the valley and cross at the southern end,” Bransom was saying to Frued. ‘T’ll meet you about sundown.” “An? don’t be late,” said the man Frank. “T’ve got to be on my way.” Frued brought two horses which he and Frank saddled. As they mounted Frank looked at Bransom again with a grin. “Some tough customer, eh? Well, I know how to trim his horns.” Bransom cursed. “It’s funny you can’t let me in en it,” he exclaimed finally. The other merely laughed, and Condon caught a gleam of satisfaction in the man’s eyes. “Better keep under cover,” called Bransom as Frued and his companion rode away down the cafion. “Leave that to yours truly,” Frank sheuted back, still laughing. Bransom stood for a moment looking after the men, and then with a string of curses he turned back into the cabin. Condon crawled back up the steep slepe to the brink of the cafion and ran for his herse. When he emergéd from the spruces he cut down through some light timber to the edge ef the west slope. He continued along the edge ef the timber for two miles north and then cressed the valley and the river and made at a swift gallop for the mouth of the draw. «He did not unsaddle his horse but tied him in the timber on the north side of the draw, away from the meadow where the other horses were feeding. Laps was in the cabin getting the noonday meal. (EO) OOK If either of ’em. pans out I’il forget (C@