Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 7, 1925 — page 121: what you’re looking at

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

THE VALLEY OF THE STARS. she realized that Nevins was sitting on a chair close to her, intently os ey ~ watching her. Her first emotion was one Se great as- tonishment. ~“ How on earth did you get here?” she = asked. pose?” He answered a last question. pst “Yes: you are still here,” he said. “TI just happened along, an’ saw Naylor divin’ at you.’ She sat erect, gazing dizzily ae ‘“Where is Naylor now?” she asked. ‘ He’s where he won’t devil a woman again.” ‘* Dead?” He nodded. “T am still in the cabin, I sup- She cringed, horrified, and watched him through a silence. At last, feeling that she ee to ex- plain her presence at the cabin, she told him why she had come, and that on her way back from Willets, Nayler had seized her. = ‘“T reckoned it was somethin’ like that,” he remarked. “I saw your wrists.” He was watching her narrowly, and she thought that in his eyes she could detect a gleam of ad- miration. “So you saw Travis,” he ia. he offer to help you?” ‘Help me!” He smiled without mirth at the scorn in her voice. Travis and related what she had overheard between Travis and Naylor. tire story had been told, she was astonished that Nevins showed no surprise. “You knew Travis?” she asked. knew he was behind those murders?” “No,” he said.‘ But I ain’t surprised. 1d sized Travis up as bein’ that kind of a man.” She observed a troubled light come ‘nia his eyes. = “You shouldn’t have interfered,” said. ‘‘ You shouldn’t have come here. It was a a mighty brave thing to do, but fool- ish. A woman has no PELs ridin’ around this country alone.” She felt the logic of his reproof, but she defiantly told him she did not regret her action. es ess An’ did “Vou She told him of her talk with_ After the en-— he : cumstances,” she declared. let Nellie Porter go with Adams” without 591 ak would do it again, in the same cir- “T could not offering some objection! = “No,” he conceded, the odd glint again ‘In his eyes, “you couldn’t.” He smiled. “But it. can’t be helped now. You've forced Travis to show his hand, an’ now we've got to fight him in the open.” For an _ instant a fire smoldered in his eyes and then died out, an ironic gleam remaining. _ “Tf Travis has thrown his men out, as he told Naylor, we ain’t in shape to dé a terrible lot of fightin’. Travis has about fifty men at his beck an’ call, if we count . those that have been suspected of crooked deals. I- reckon right now Travis has thrown a ring around ibis section, to oe: you from gettin’ away.” “But you got through, » she ‘said Bios fully. : “ve been through,” he answered. “ I’ve been two days gettin’ this far from the Circle Dot. Last night an’ the day before -_¥} was restin’, not fede? very much like ridin’. I en 't half a mile from here. But I was headed for here, knowin’ the place. “This is the old Risnal ranch,” he went “The Rignals lived here until they I came over an’ got Grace. The on. died. house hasn’t been used until now. Though it looks like Travis an’ his gang have been here a lot. While you was unconscious [ was lookin’ around. There’s a big stock of supplies, grub an’ such. They must have stayed here often.” She detected a queer note in his voice, a note that she had not heard while he had been at the Circle Dot, a note that some- how seemed to express weariness or an in- difference far greater than he had ever be- trayed in her presence. She looked at him critically and perceived that his face was strangely flushed and that his eyes were ex- traordinarily bright. He was not aware of her oe and while she watched him he drew out his heavy revolver, stuck it between his knees, opened the cylinder and with his right hand drew out two smoke-blackened, empty cart- ridges. drew two. ee Sides from the belt _ around his waist, inserted them into the Then, still using his ae hand, he (E(0) “comicboo