PAGE TWELVE
MEPPORD MATL TRFBITNTC, MEDFOTtD, OREGON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1938.
LOVE ON THE RANGE
.irnuiitnt.
The Story So Far
Trouble it brewing on the
Rafter T. Quick-fire "Blur" An.
krom, under the name ot Abe
Streeter, takes a lob on the ranch
to help lonely Lee Trone. He hat
a run-In with Che ranoe boss,
Moso Ilackett, and meets Batch
ford, the sheriff, and CUydell, a
neiohbortno rancher. Colonel
Strutheri and his daughter Betty
arrive for a visit, and Ankrom
recognizee Struthere as Kelton
Drean, cousin ot the man he
killed to avenge his other's denth.
Chapter 11
Licking Flame
A NKROM threw iwiv his cisa
rette and yawned. "You boy
(oin' to the dance In Peso fintor
"Might if they hev good Ilk'
ker."
His Dardner grunted. "I don1
like that town. Too crowded an'
too partial tuh dudes. I get in I
fight ever' time I get within gun1
inot or tne placer
Ratchford's lins moved faintly,
sardonically, in the gloom. One of
the punchers said, timer of you
two gents wanta sit in on a game
of stud7"
Ankrom shook his head. Ratch
ford said, "Not me, fella. I've
played cards with you before.
The two men got up and
tramped inside. A moment later
Ankrom heard the scraping of a
match. A flicker of light came
through the window; grew steady
ana m-ignienea, rie ncara tne men
dragging chairs and, a little later,
me nap 01 cards.
"Funny Trone never wired any
of these buildings but the ranch-
"Yeah. Where does he get his
Juicer Ankrom asked.
"He sent to El Paso for a gen
erator an' some other doo-hickies
couple years back. Said he might s
well keep up to date. I reckon it
was bee put the idee In his head.
He'd just about cut his neck off for
that girl an she for him, Katch
ford sighed. "They're pretty close.
mem two.
"Seen Trone yet?"
"No," the sheriff answered.
"Reckon it s about time I saun
tered over to the house an' had my
talk. I been hopin' them friends
of his would drift oir to bed. Id
prefer to see the Or Man alone.
"You'll have a long wait if you're
waitin lor Mem to go to bed. City
folks sit up all night. They go to
Deu witn tne owls, AnKrom said.
"Do you think there's anythin' in
this rustling talk?
Ratchford fingered his chin.
"Don't seem to be any other out
fits losin' critters. They might be
keepin it to themselves, of course.
Again, there might really be some
atealin' going i an Trone be the
only gent that's gettin' hit." With
a grunt he rose to his feet, peered
down at Ankrom. "You heard
what that puncher said.
The sound of voices came to
Ankrom from the card players.
Now that Ratchford was standing,
radiance from the lamp illumined
nis lace, weariness was written
there: in the creases of the 1nwls.
in the maze of criss-crossed lines
about the eyes. His gaze was mel
ancholy, Brooding. "You see. It all
ties up with that damn gab that's
going round 'bout me bein" out to
vretta ine nailer l.
"Well, there would seem to be
fome substance for the rumor,"
Ankrom murmured gently.
The sheriff stiffened. "Yeah
that's why I'd like to get my hands
around the neck of the gent that's
bnckin' it. Because my or man an'
Trone burnt gunpowder years ago
folks are willin to swaller any
kind of hog-wash that tends to
gleture me lookin' for revenge.
iamn 'em! I believe in lettin'
leepin' dogs sleep!"
Sense Of Evil
ANKROM watched the sheriff
strike out across the yard to
where lights revealed the uncur
tained windows of the ranch
house. As he watched Ratchford's
broad back, sharp and black
against those lights, conflicting
thoughts struggled to adjust them
selves upon his mind.
There was much about this
herifl he did not understand, he
told himself. A vital, magnetic fig
ure, there was yet something about
him, some latent force, some inde
finable sense of evil, that made a
man hesitate to trust him far or
to put faith in his words.
Just why this was, Ankrom could
not say. But the feeling lingered.
He could not shake it. Some way.
big and magnetic as he was, Tom
Ratchford measured short in An
krom's estimation.
He wondered if Ratchford had
been trying to talk him into some
thing: if Ratchford in springing
Bandera's name had hoped to take
him by surprise. How much did
tliis sheriff suspect? How much
did he know? Did he really con
nect Abe Streeter with the Arizona
iniukeroo. Blur Ankrom? Or was
he ?
"Shucks," Ankrom muttered.
"Looks like I'm tryin' to develop
a case of nerves."
Then he chuckled softly as he
recalled the sheriff's statement
that Bandera was lined up against
the Trones. That would mean that
Bandera either was in the country I
now or would shortly be coming
in. It had been well over a year
since his and Bandera's trails had
crossed. In old Nogales it had hap
pened. He remembered the cir
cumstances well. He had taken ma
licious pleasure that night in up
setting a little deal the Mexican
had been striving to bring off. An
amusing case of "biter-bit" he'd
made it, leaving Bandera seething
with fury, swearing revenge by
every saint in the calendar.
With another chuckle Ankrom
rose to his feet, lounged against
the shadowed wall while he fished
the makings from his pocket and
rolled a cigarette. He would have
a final smoke, and then go hunt
his bunk. His left hand rolled the
quirley while his right sought the
band about his hat, procured a
match and struck it. The bursting
flame illumined his face and
brought out the sharp angles of it
Even as the match burst into
flame, another flame licked out
from the shadows beneath an an
cient pepper tree thirty yards
away. The cigarette ripped from
Ankrom's mouth, so close had been
the miss. A report smashed loudly
on the stillness, flattened out across
the yard, beat up against the
buildings. And on its heels an
other, even as Ankrom whirled,
his hand streaking to the waist
band of his trousers. A blur of mo
tion stirred the shadows beneath
the foliage: something dropped
heavily in the dust. ,
With gun held ready In his hand
Ankrom sprinted forward. He
jerked to a stop before the tree as
a vague white figure snapped up
from the ground to confront him.
It was the figure of a girl.
Duck Out Of This'
'ITHO who are you?"
"Abe. Streeter. ma'am. Was
that you doing that shooting?"
"No yesl Nol No, of course
not!"
Desoite the a citation In her voice
Ankrom realized that this was
not Lee Trone. Therefore, he rea
soned it must be the golden-haired
creature posing as Betty Struthers.
What was she doing hero7 What
was that thing in her hand? An
krom leaned closer and saw that it
was a pistol; he saw also that with
her other hand the girl was press
ing something to her breast-
something that looked like folded
papers.
What are you doing here?" he
whispered. "What have vou got
in your hands?"
She drew back. The hand with
the papers disappeared inside the
neckline of her dress and came out
empty. Ankrom heard the sound
of running footsteps. Peonle would
soon be upon them, hurling ques'
Hons.
"Duck out of this." he said. "I'll
see you later.
She peered at him strancelv.
Then suddenly she turned and
ran.
A man came Bounding uo.
grabbed Ankrom by the arm.
"What's goin' on?" ne growled.
"What was all that shootin'?" Be
fore Ankrom could answer, the
man turned his head, bellowed
across his shoulder: "Get a lan
tern, somebodvl We sot to have
a light here!"
Ankrom saw one of the running
ngures wniri ana retrace its stem.
The others came on and grouped
themselves about Ankrom and the
burly man who held. him. A hand
felt down his wrist and closed upon
the barrel uf his gun. "I'll take
this," the heavy voice said. An
krom, recognizing now the sheriff
in the man who held him. relin
quished his weapon.
speaK up, you. Lt s near your
name.
Ankrom said, "Abe Streeter.
Ho felt tho sheriff's erin relax.
Oh well, who in hell was vou
shootin' at?"
I wasn t. Somebodv else was
doing that shooting. Ratchford."
natchford showed impatience.
Is the fella's name a secret?"
Reckon so leastwavs. he d dn t
leave me any card."
"wnere was you standln 7
"By the bunkhouse." Ankrom
said. "I was liehtin' a ciearette
That shot came along an' snicked
it right out of my mouth.
Kinda close, ehr
"Well. I don't know. The fellow
might have been aimln' to have
some fun with me. I mean he
might have done it on pur
pose "
"Ain't no one round here could
shoot that good." Ratchford
grunted. "Excepting maybe
Claydell. An' Claydell hasn't got
here yet. Prob'ly changed nl
mind an' decldec' to postpone his
visit till tomorrow" he cleared
his throat. "This where vou fig
ured them shots come from?"
One. anvwav. First one. I
think. I ain't sure about the sec
ond. When that cigarette went
kallv-hootiir I whirled an' saw a
blur among the shadows here un
der this tree an' came pelting over
Hadn't had a chance to make out
anything when up comes you an'
these others."
A bobbing light showed An
krom a man runninff toward them
with a lantern. Ratchford took the
lantern from him and held it high
bove his head. In the sand a short
three feet away a shape lay mo
tionless.
fcVW. K!l. Nihn C.
Ratrhford swings Into notion, to
morrow.
EXCUSE FOR
IS
BUTTE. Mont. (T) A yeat ro.
when street clock dtMppctrd myi
trrtoiurly from in front of a business
NOnblifthmf nt whrre It had ttood for
ypars, Clock Watchers, Inc., organised
nd the members announced they
were campaigning for a new clock to
replace the mi wing one.
For year they carried on their
campaign. They threatened almost
dally to the merchant that unlet
the clock waft replaced "itepe will be
taken."
The Clock Watchers finally won
their point.
"Which mean the Clock Watcher
will be mlmia a worn -out excuse for
being lata for work," at Id the merchant.
FOR FRENCH MOTHERS
WASHINOTOrr. Ji Frsnoe la do
ing something about her missing
population.
The American commercial attache
In Psrls reports that the Kronen are
using a system ot family allotments,
to encourage larger families.
Under the system, a family's In
come Is Increased by specific amounts
according to the number of children
supported. A recent survey showing
that births declined In France by
310.000 between 1930 and Iu37 has
led to an Increase In allotments dur
ing last year by more than a percent
4
Jras In Germany may not employ
In domestic service OenUle females
STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX
For further proof address the author, tncloitnf stamped nrelope for reply, Eef . V. 8. Pat Oft
PffFeOPNTOF
CZECHOSLOVAKIA,
m WW KNOWN m vrolni, '
Ae-I&LN MOfcCQ UnUrtTud
MtXlCftMSPIflfORflRCWoop
frtev PtecoveR root? of ine
DESERT MKpUiTE PLftHT
, WICK Often $eWS6lrNT
. RoolS bO FEET Pom
WrYlER
Ms chwtXzo Tne f loons of h?r
H-room House WITH ?2
MbHY b FEBT WIDE
MP MONUMBN& H0NOREP
C&l MfM?E OVEr? ZOO RUGS,
RfcfWlNG OW ONE'S Pfi
Am weftR out.,. gs
- WOOD i
Rug Maker
Women of New England are noted
for their thrift, and Mrs. Mar Cor
son B6, of Rochester. New Hampshire,
la no exception From discarded
clothing she has supplied her home
with attractive and durable rugs
slrico 1877.
Not once during the past 6J years
has Mrs. Corson spent money for a
store rug; yet her 11 -room home Is
amply carpeted. Her floors are cov
ered with 03 rugs of various shapes
and sizes. Some are hooked rugs of Ulcal career, falsified his name seven
conventional design; othera are
braided, ranging from small mats to
six feet across. During her lifetime
she has made over 300 rugs
Eduard Benes
Instrumental In securing the In
dependence of Czechiwlovakla after
the World war was Ekluard Benes,
now president of that republic.
Strange as It seems, President
Benes, during the .course of his pol-
dlfferent times to gain entry Into
foreign countries In the Interests of
Czechoslovakia.
His forged passports carried the
names Spolny, Belsky. Berger, Novot
ny, Konog, Slcha. and Leblanc. In
England he was arrested for forging
his papers, but, strange as It seems,
six months -later one of his official
duties in the new Czechoslovakia n
government was the signing of of
ficial passports for his country!
OF
ARE BEING MOUNTED
WASHINGTON. (P) Over at
Smithsonian Institution, the scient
ists are working out their largest
Jig-saw puzzle.
They are piecing together the fos
silized bones of a tttanosauer dis
covered last summer In Utah by Dr.
Charles W. Ollmore. curator of ver
tebrate paleontology.
This little fellow was more than
one-half block long (170 feet), he
probably weighed between 15 and 30
tons, and stood 1ft feet above the
ground. He ale only plants.
MOVIES GET MOST
OF
WASHINGTON. (P) Movies
draw more family dimes In U. S
Tillages and small towns than any
other form of amusement.
The U. 8. bureau of home eco
nomics finds that non-relief families
spend 30 cents out of every amuse
ment dollar for moving picture shows
In typical villages throughout, tho
country. In the southeast It's even
higher 38 cents out of the dollar.
Leaves Out Knots.
CLEMSON COLLEGE, 8. 0. (IP) It
takes no longer to grow a pine- tree
free of knots In its trunk than it
does one filled with knotholes. There
fore, D. B. Brewster, extension for
ester. Is advising tlmbermen to prune
their pine trees and produce clear
lumber which sells for about twice
as much as tho knotty kind.
BYSTANDER
By GLUYAS WILLIAMS
IS AVU51H6 HIMSELF 08
WESlDEUnlK, BIG
60V5 5UPDErJLV SrtOlW
l6 1b CHfrSE -THftf
R)lA BPLL
TEllA THEM -To CHASE
IT1hEM5EI.6, HE'S
AREP OT SUNN)H6
ATTeRBAUS fORfriEM
OtUER BRO-frlERIrlREJrf-EMJ
tbOSE FORCE. SfKfA
RELUC-fAKlW AFfER frlE
BALL
STOPS HALWAVTo
warn them this is
The last bull he is
60IN6 To CHASE
lsTOLD1tSfOPAR6U
Irte. STARTS ON SLOWlV,
AMID SHOUTS To HUR-RYUPAWDSfSPOrllT
siu
tUJU.li
CAU.5) HE CAN'T FIND SEES BALL 8l)T?RETrtDS WATCHES THEM RE
BALL AMP RECEIVES HE D0E6N'f. WALKS A- TURN TO 8 ALL Fip-D,
EXPLICIT AKP IMPATIENT ROUND IN riRCLESj HEAT) 6WE5 THEM A LOUD,
DIRECTIONS OFOUST BENT, HUTU BlC BOVS DERISIVE BIRD, AND
WHERE IT UNDED 6ET BALL THEMSELVES DASHES. ?0J? HOME
(Gopyriglit, 1938, by The Bell Syndicate, Inc.
3 MATTER POI
PAYNF
By 0. M.
?V4euu No, TTi SP -And So,t4-e. """
vJ wHaTcJ T4AT '"filT I OokV v Vr-
Vir (PlKlEAPPLE'NAPPLi
(ihieA"PPi.a'M'APPLaPiE)Av ' r''
r
Ioyea flyaillcste, Inc.)'' C-3
TAILSPIN T9MMY-C0I. Hall Acts Confused 1
By HAL FORREP"
KM U RfKcSriSMf X APSeilLCLKoTBUT-f ISTfew' 'rr niA -h-hprum! but off wml
TMREB-POINT MERCURY ,1 DBACl J I ' I V tSOi A CTAlJriNel &J? M,U-Ki"' COuOMElH MY BOY. I IVEOoA
''Sv is still ooo, awo I - -J ; PTWI? nSmbI xpi? ?r, 5SiJ?UT-TH'NI 'twill voDh Ship to
H , ANVOM6 VlrVIO OAVS IT gJ.V' C2 JV , 6Et VV,1, AMO DIDNY KNOWVOO ) BE A GRAND PLY. AMO ONLY
' ' , 'A HrfT IS A ACS J?W' C Sfl QUAUFY. g" THAT J OAY FOR THE AN HOUR TO
f j 11 gUALiPrOrm
BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER-
By EDWIN ALOER
BEN'S TAXICAB HOVE IN SIGHT AS WILFRED
JIPPEM, RUBBING A VERY SORE JAW, WAS
PICKING HIMSELF UP-RUSTy, P10DD1NS
AHEAD, WAS HIDDEN BY A TURN IN THE ROAD-
...nu, wkiyck,
thaVs not the
boy-but stop
there for a
SECOND,
ANYWAY
ML
:
1 f
HAVE YOU SEEN
RUSTY MeSURK
ALONG HERE?
AHA, SO HE'S ANXIOUS
I m FMh TUAT
RED -HEADED PUHK,
7 tH( I SHOULD
J 1 HELP HIM!
YEAH, HE WAS BY HERE TEN
MINUTES AGO, TURNED AROUND,
WENT BACK, AND I SEEN HIM
TAKE THAT CROSSROAD" BACK
THERE GOIN THAT WAY
(JHANKSJ
THE NEBBS Whnt Now?
By SOL HESS
NELUE., WHEM 1 FIRST"
1HE HEAVEMS OPENJEQ UP
.ONJ ME UKE RMKJ TO
t-:. .hi.
S.g.lAi.-J II
jnr-z m m'"ss?it ' crv s to j 1v;.m.(:v i ra
(.mr. j r f.'i t;:i va w-a wouo ruiirpc-vi ' -a
under the age of it. 1