"SECOND TIME WEST"

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 September 1938, Page 10

"SECOND TIME WEST"

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

COPYRIGHT

BY

T. C. BRIDGES

(Author of “Watching Eyes,” “Seven Years’ Sentence,” etc.)

CHAPTER XXI.

“You’ll get your grub if you talk,” Dave told him. “What’s your name?” “Clancy,” the man answered. “I know him now,” Mart put in. Fatlips Clancy they call him. He’s wanted for a rustling job in Arizona. He was one of Parson Jake’s crowd.” “We know where to send him, then,” said Dave, drily. Clancy’s thick cheeks, went white, there was terror in his yellow eyes. “I ain’t going back there,” he vowed. Dave’s eyes hardened. “Then you’ll talk,” he said harshily. “How long have you been with Fame?” “Three or four weeks.” “How many men has he got?” “There was twenty-two sleeping in the bunkhouse.”

“And how many came here last night?” “Fifteen, I reckon.” “Was the raid planned beforehand?” “I don’t reckon so. Lopez come out to the ranch just afore dark and told us to get our guns and come with him. “Did you all come together?” “No. Five was sent round by Last Chance Pass. Lopez reckoned as two men from here might be going round that way.” Jim cut in. . “How did he know that?” “I ain’t sure, but I heard Bolan say as they got word through Miss Chandler. Jim’s face flamed. “The liar!” he exclaimed, so fiercely that Clancy fell back a step. Dave spoke. “No need to get heated up, Grant. Of course, Joan didn’t give you away. What likely happened is that Bignal or. someone saw you going out and her coming in and put two and two together.” The hot colour faded from Jim’s cheeks. “But that mean’s they suspect her.” He turned to Clancy. “Did you see or hear anything of Miss Chandler before you left?” Clancy hesitated. “If I tell you do I get your word as x won’t be sent back to Arizona?” he asked.

“I’ll promise you that much,” Dave said. Clancy’s face showed his relief. “I didn’t see her, but I heard Fame tell Bignal he was going to marry her on Friday, and Bignal was to keep her shut up till then.” Horror dawned in Jim’s eyes. “And today is Thursday,” he said. CHAPTER XXII. “Take him away, Mart,” said Dave. “But keep him locked up. Tell Sam to give him some food. As soon as Ciancy was out of the room Dave turned to Jim. “Don’t look so worried. They can’t make Joan marry against her will.” “You don’t know Fame as I do, Dave,” Jim answered, and the very quietness of his voice told of the strain upon him. “There’s no limit to what he would do. He might even drug her.” Dave pursed his lips. . “Loomis is a tough place but there are limits. Fame daren’t try anything like that.” Jim’s face was like stone. “You heard what Clancy said—that Fame was marrying her on Friday. That’s tomorrow. Dave, I must get her out of Loomis before then.” Dave shook his head.

“You haven’t a hope, son. Every trail will be watched. Still, if you’ve made up your mind to go I’ll come along.” Then as Jim stared at him. “No, I ain’t taking the boys. Wouldn’t be fair. Odds is too long.” Jim’s face changed, softened. He understood that Dave Condon was offering his life to the man who had saved his grandson. Clearly Dave had no belief that Joan could be rescued from Fame —at least by force. But Jim had no notion of letting Dave ride with him. Joan’s rescue was his own business and nobody else’s. He spoke again as quietly as before. “There's no hurry, Dave. “It’s no use starting before dark. And there’s something I meant to ask you. I’d have asked last night, but the excitement put it out of my mind. Who is Fishlock”

“Fishlock?” Dave’s eyes widened, “What’s he got to do with it?”

“That’s what I want-to know. Fame told Lopez that Fishlock was coming to Loomis today. Who is he?” “The oil expert. The agent for Southern Oil. But there ain’t no oil around here.” “I’m not so sure,” Jim said slowly. “I don’t know much about oil, but I remember a bit of a bog in the southwest corner of the Circle O that always had an irridescent scum on the water, and that old prospector, Mike Grundy, once told me it looked like oil. I was a kid then and didn’t give it two thoughts, but it comes up clearly now.” Dave’s forehead creased, his lips tightened.

‘•lf you’re right, Jim, this explains a mighty lot which has had me guessing a long time. I never could think that Murray Fame would have taken the chances he has taken just for the sake of a couple o’ thousand acres of fairly good cow land. But if it’s oil there’d be millions in it.”

“Then, that’s what it is. Dave, we can’t let him get away with this steal.” “We ain’t going to,” Dave answered with decision. “And the first thing is to let Ward know. I’ll send him a letter right away.”

“Too risky. A letter might fall into the wrong hands. See here! I’ll ride over tonight and see Ward.” Dave shook his head. “You couldn’t do it. You wouldn't stand no more chance than an icicle in a furnace.” “Yet you were ready to come with me to Loomis,” Jim reminded him. “If you was set on going I reckon I had to go with you,” Dave said simply. There was silence a moment, then Jim spoke again.

“How were you going to get the letter to Ward Haskell”

“By that Mex boy, Luiz. He’d find his way over the hills afoot by night, and no one would ever see him no more than they would a coyote.” “And he’d go tonight?” Jim questioned.

“That’s so. And I’ll lay Ward will have the letter by sunup tomorrow morning.” Jim nodded. “But if Ward does get the letter, how does that help? Between us we have barely a score, of men, while Fame and Bignal can collect two or three times as many. Loomis is full of their toughs. Also they have the Sheriff with them.” “It’s no use thinking of tackling them in the town,” Dave admitted. “But if we struck at the Kettle Drum that might be different.” His fine old face hardened. “We’ve got to do it, Jim. We got to carry the war right to Fame. We can’t risk another raid like last night. It mightn’t end up so well for us.”

“We have to do it—l see that plainly,” Jim agreed. “But how we’re going to do it is another thing. You say yourself all the trails will be watched.”

“The trails to Loomis,” Dave corrected. “We don’t have to go near Loomis to reach the Kettle Drum.” “That’s a fact,” Jim said. “Then fix it up for tomorrow night.” Dave shot a quick glance at the other.

“That’ll be too late according to your reckoning.” Jim shrugged. “We shall kill Fame. Joan will be a widow before she’s been a wife.” It sounds brutal, but Dave nodded approvingly. “If we have the luck to finish Fame I can see the end of all this trouble. Bignail don’t amount to much without Fame backing him. And as for Grant Garnett, he’s nothing but a windbag. I’ll write the letter straight away. If you sees Luiz send him in to me.”

Jim had every intention of seeing Luiz, he found him working on the North fence, and the two walked back to the ranch together. Luiz was a slim brown lad, tough as wire, loathed Fame, who had driven him and his sister and mother off the patch of ground on Silver Creek where they had squatted, but had an intense admiration of Jim, because he had heard how Jim had knocked out Fame on the previous evening. The two talked hard all the way down, and before they parted, Luiz had agreed to guide Jim over the hills that night and show him a short cut to Loomis. He had also promised not to let Dave or anyone else into the secret of Jim s plan. Jim took things easy that day, for he had a notion there was a pretty strenuous time ahead. Later he went to the corral, roped a sturdy brown gelding, saddled him, and picketed him out among the trees. It wouldn’t do to'ride Gray Boy. His colour made him too conspicuous. Before supper Jim wrote a note for Dave, and left it in his bedroom. He knew he would not find it until late. (To be Continued.)