PAGE ETflHT
fEDFOTlT) WATL TTtTBTTNT, AfETtFOTCn, OREGON, SUNDAY. AUGUST 7. "1933
LOVE ON THE RANGE
.BrKUOIdK.
The Story So Far
Someone Ij out to bust the fiat
er T ranch. Under the name of
Abe Streeter, quick-fire "Blur"
Ankrom Hikes a Job there to help
lovely Lee Trone. Ankrom Im
mediately ditliket Halchford, the
sheriff, and when Colonel Strutb-
. ere and hi daughter Betty arrive
for a villi, he recognizee Stmth
ert at an impoiter, Kelton Drean.
Clmydell, a neighboring rancher,
it expected lor a conference at
the Tronet. A thot it tree1 at An
krom in the dark. Another thot
rings out, and a body alle.
Chapter 12
The Dude Is Dead
"rjOOD LORDJ" choked a voice
a girl's voice. "It's Colonel
Btru there!"
It was; Ankrom had known it
instantly.
"Hold this lantern, somebody,"
Ratchford growled, and thrust it
into Ankrom's hands. The sheriff
then dropped to his knees beside
Kelton Drean's form. When Ratch
ford got to his feet, his eyes met
Ankrom's squareiy.
"Prettv auiek." he nM. 'Wre
all going to saunter over to the
house an' go inside an' stay there
until daylight. Meantime, I don't
want to catch anyone trampin
round over by that bunkhouse,
mis strainers dude Is dead.
A heavy sigh reached Ankrom'
ears. It came from a man beside
him. Looking up Ankrom saw that
me man was Trone. The ranch
ers face looked haggard; his
hands were clamped so tightly
about his belt that their knuckles
siooa out line lumps of chalk.
Then Ankrom saw Lpp Tmnm
Betty stood beside her. Lee's face
he thought- a trifle pale but her
eyes were bright with interest
a little norror was in them, too.
Betty's eyes were like burnt holes
In a white counterpane; just now
the rouge upon her cheeks gave
iicr mce a gnasuy appearance.
"Daddy Daddy, it's Daddy!"
iucic wcio tears ana iaugmer in
her voice, and the laugh ran thin
with hysteria. She swayed and
Ankrom sprang to catch her; he
ecoopea ner up in nis arms and
strode angrily toward the house.
eenina mm came Ratchford'
voice: "Trone, you an' the others
ueiier go along, too. I'll be with
you in a minute." .
Lengthening his step to hold his
jeaa, AnKrom gritted fiercely,
juu mue 10011
They were close to the ranch
house now and light from the un
snaaea windows showed Betty'
eyes come swiftlv nnpn "rinn1
scold me please. I had to see you
I've got to talk with you alone
ngnt away "
"We'll get no chance nnw " An
krom cut in gruffly. "That sheriff's
nobody s damn clown. He made
sure tnis wasn t no blufT by sendin
them others with us. What did you
want to taut to me aoout?
She got a hand Inside her dress.
wnen it came out it held a gun
n nnKi-om carried ner Into th
house and laid her on a sofa, she
neia me gun out to mm anxiously.
"Quick take itl You'll have to get
uu uj 11 lur me. i
' "Did you shoot Drean?"
I had to. He wouldn't have
niissea you tne second time." Her
eyes grew large again, filled with
apprehension. "Quick put it out
of sightl The others are comingl"
They were. Ankrom heard their
steps upon the veranda. Hastily he
u ii usi ins weapon a snort-oar
relied .32 out of sight beneath
mo coat. Ana none too soon.
'In This Room'
T EE TRONE came into the room,
' her fflthei anH lh I
hind her. Ankrom lifted a hand
to push back his hot and found his
forehead moist "Gosh," he said.
She keeled right over, didn't
she?"
Lee looked oddly at the girl with
the closed eyes who lay so limply
on the sofa. "I'll get some water,
(he said.
"Poor kid," Old Man Trone
heaved a sigh. "Pretty tough on
jici, uavin ner lamer shot down
like that." The two punchers stood
behind him, looking on with in
terest, hats in hand, mouths open
Ankrom saw that Trone's glance,
resting upon him, held a gleam
of something he could not define.
Clearing his throat Trone said,
Did I understand you to tell the
sheriff someone took a shot at you
Streeter?"
"Someor.e shot a cigarette out
of my mouth, yeah."
"Pretty good shooting for night
work, don't vou think?"
"Depends. I was lightm' the cig
arette. I'd say I made a pretty fair
tars?t-"
'Do you think the same man
fired both shots the one at you
and the one that downed the col
onel?" "Kind of hard to say," Ankrom
evaded, and felt relieved when the
sheriff came striding into the
room. Le came, too, bringing a
towel and water. She passed An
krom without a look and. bendinR
above the sofa, began bathing
Betty's forehead. "She looks aw
fully white," Lee said.
Ratchford flung the girls a dis
interested glance, cleared his
threat and looked at Trone. "Sit
down, boys," he growled, the
words smacking mors of a com
mand than of an Invitation. "We'll
be here quite some spell' an' I
reckon we might as well be com
fortable. Be at least four hdurs till
daylight an' I make it nearer Ave."
For a moment it seemed to An
krom that Trone was about to ex
plode. Veins swelled in his neck
and forehead before he eot him.
self in hand. Then he said vibrant
ly: "its been a long time since a
Ratchford cave an order on the
Rafter T. 'Stead o' making your
authority felt you'be be doing
more good if you went after that
killerP
"My ol man didn't brine me
up to trail skunks in the dark,"
natcniora j lazy drawl cnucKed
back. His eyes were on the old
man. "nesides, i ain't at all sure
it'll be waslin' time if wa sit
around nere lor a spell. '
Lee Trone looked up from the
sora. "wnat do you mean?"
'To my notion the killer of that
Sitruthers dude is in this room,"
he said, and his lips tightened up
formidably.
A startled light flashed Into
Trone's eyes that made Ankrom
wonder. He saw the rancher's body
brace Itself as for a blow. Trone's
voice was a bit unsteady, hie
cheeks looked a little gray. "In
this room," he said mechanically.
"In thlM rnnm?"
STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX
For further proof address the author, Inclosing a stamped envelope tor reply. Reg. V. 8. Pat Off.
In this room7'
"Yeah " the sheriff's
drooped; "right nowl"
lips
Antagonism
TN the silence following Ratch-
ford's portentous words some
one's breath came raspingly. To
Ankrom the temperature seemed
to have dropped visibly in the last
half second. This cold silence
cocked his muscles, set his teeth
on edge. The air seemed to be
tightening up, strangling these
people who stood about like so
many carven statues. Armn th
stillness stolo the low, vibrant pur
ring or an automooile motor.
Louder and louder it crew, then
suddenly ceased in the varrf mil.
side to the squeal of brakes. Gra
vel cruncnea, Doot-neels thudded
across the veranda and a man
stepped through the open door.
It was Claydell, and his smiling
lips grew stiff as his eyes took in
the scene before him. His cI.mr-
darted to the sheriff.
"What's wrong, Ratchford?"
There was antagonism in th
sheriff's eyes. "The Struthers dude
got in tne way of a blue whistler,"
no saia soiuy. layaeu, let s sea
your gun.
A nusn snapped into the bronze
of Claydell's cheeks. "Ratchford,"
ne said, you have a nasty mind
one of the nastiest it has ever
been mv misfortune to enrnnntor
Just what's the reason for that de
mand?
A man s been murdered hpr
an- i m in tne process of checking
-C .mi.uium b wuiug wciQ lliea-
surcd. ' Murder is a naslv ihino
Claydell, an' it won't surprise me
I it takes a nasty mind to solve
i. ieia see that gun.
"Why, you damned fool I
wasn t even here.
Can vou Drove It?
Ankrom saw that Clavdell's Una
wi-ie buuui 10 tra me a snaro
retort, then abruDtlv clamnpH
uuwn iignu - inis man, Ankrom
thought, "is more daneeroua than
Ratchford. He's a gent that knows
wnen to talk an when to keen hi
mouth shut." He looked at the
rancner more carefully. He looked
at Trone, too. and for the first
time realized that Lee'a father hH
been drinking. There was that
bleary look about the eyes, and
the hand that Trone had Dronned
against the wall was shaking.
Ankrom glanced toward the
sofa and saw that Betty was sitting
up; that Lee was eyeing the sher
iff with hostility. He looked again
at Ratchford: Ratchford's eves
were on Claydell.
"Can you Drove vou wann't
here?"
I'm not SO sure that 1 pin "
Clavdell finally aid. "I vp nppn
driving for several hours. I've
been to El Paso since I saw you
this afternoon "
Ratchford cut In, "Can you
prove that? Who riirl vmi tall.
with?"
"None of your damned busi
ness. Clavdell tossed the wnrH
out coldly.
"I'll take that gun then, mister.
You can have it back when I get
the murderer."
Claydell reached Inside his
coat and took from some place a
.38 Police Positive. He held it
out toward Ratchford. Ratchford
grinned with mockery. "You can
put it on the floor, brother. I
wasn't born yesterday."
If Claydell felt resentful he hid
1 well. Ankrom watched him bend
forward and lay the gun before
the sheriff's booted feet Ratchford
shoved the weapon under the ta
ble with the toe nf hi hnnt "I'll
look it over later." he said.
"So Struthers has been killed
and you don't know who killed
him, eh?" Claydell spoke.
"When you came in I had jusi
finished saying that it was my no
tion that Struthers' killer was In
this room. I still think so. Your
comin ain't changed my mind a
bit.
tCetvrttti. !.. ,V,, C. JViW
The net tlshteni around Ankrom.
tomorrow.
(wbuft&uneco)
K&ScMpHnbTRuc
COLOR.
tj v rsnuvc
fO tUROPt
prToMcTloN Of $U6hR FROM
IS fWiNCS Wftf 1H&
ttAWtt of WfcR BfiTvOSEM I
1HW CaWm bND HGLfcND
Trie franca fcoVcoTreo tN&uol
cm -suGftR fcHPtuRNet? torn
VROPUCTIOHOfPKl
(0K-I3)
m MOST DEADLY RRTrlteHhKB
trie wesfiiRM vmow-dPM
(Crotalws JtroX)
ftfCM P CIRCUS WftfiON THEfle
VfflO,4?rXtPVMfOrVfM4
v N. Y. DepiHij BoXim commmoaer,
SL WtlNS&EP 30,000 $0UT4
1 w 75,000 rounds of
I deWH6INt2ilM6eee
II liaodjxi I
Lady Gets Knockout Shock
On Opening Stolen Package
TACOMA, Aug. 6 -p Thli la the
one-iyllable itory of a wry special
oat named Alice.
Alice It red long and happy life
with ft racoma mistress, and when
she died she was mourned because
of nelKhboit.ood objection, the Ia4j
had no place nir her home to bur
Alice. So she put Alice In a shoe box
and tied a olue ribbon around tt.
ecause Alice vu a special cat. Then
the lady put the box In her an torn i
bile and started across town to a
place suitable for the o-irial of
very nice kitty.
On the way. she stopped hfr au
tomobile near a department sore snd '
did some shopping. 1
The box with Alice In it as ,n Hie I
back seat 0 the automoDUs when '
the lady started shopping. When she
returned, Alice and her box were
mlAAing,
The bereaved lady grieved. To sev
ersl bystanders In turn, he inqutr
ed:
"Has anybody aren my shoe Oct
wan a blue ribbon on it?"
Nobody had. The box was stolen.
Just then, out of the department
store a clerk ruhed.
"Call the ambulance." he called,
"somebody Just fainted In the ladles
rest room."
The bereaved lady went In. A p
lloe officer went In. There on the
floor was a shoe box with t Hue rib
bon near It. There on H e flo r was
Alice. There on the lloi. fainted
dead away, a young woman who cor-1
Escaped Snakes
Second largest rattlesnake In North
America and most deadly In point
of number of fatalities resulting
from lte bite Is the Western Dia
mond-back, known to scientists as
Crotalus atrox atrox.
The deadly reptile, which grows
to a length of six or seven feet,
wilt weigh more than IS pounds,
Is common to Texas and northern
Mexico, being essentially a "south
erly" rattler.
Yet, strange as It seems, a colony
of Western Diamond-backs was dis
covered to have made Its home far 1
north In the state of Wisconsin, a
location widely separated from Its
natural habitat.
By checking over past records, it
was found that In 1920 several
snakes of this species had escaped
from a - traveling circus near Pltts
vllle In Wood County, Wis. These,
according to T. B. Pope, curator of
reptiles of the Milwaukee public
museum, made their home in a
ridge of limestone hills in the west
ern part of that state.
Strange
The Sugar War
as It seems, the conflict
Syndics 1m.
raging between Prance and England
In the early nineteenth century
gave Franc an Industry she might
not otherwise have had.
At the -uggestion of Napoleon, a
boycott was placed on cane sugar,
then raised primarily in the British
owned -.iciles. Scientists were
sent to Silesia to learn how to
make sugar from beets Instead.
Although Napoleon's military for
tunes ended hopelessly, he had es
tablished a nsw Industry p-::uc-tl-n
of beet sugar in which Prance
was destined to lead th9 world.
talnly had really not intended
steal a box with a dead cat In it.
Glad Show Lures
Unexpected Crowd
GRANTS PASS. Aug. 6. (,V) Police
help was called for here today to
clear the streets surrounding the
third annual Grants Pass gladiolus
show as an unexpectedly largo crowd
Jammed in front of the exhibit build
ing. One girl fainted.
Ten thousand spikes of blooms dec
orated building, houses and offices
while the best of the flowers cf south
ern Oregon were being Judged by
Ralph J. Pommert, Pacific, Wash..
Leonard C. Larson, Portland, and L.
E. Weeks, Salem.
. The exhibit closes tomorrow night.
Maytag Workets
Return in Force
NEWTON, la., Aug. 6 (AP) -George
Umbreit. vice-president of
the Maytag Washing Machine com
pany, said 1400 men, almost a full
force, reported for work at the fac
tory today for the first full day of
operations under martial law.
Umbreit Miri th idnn man in
cluded more than 100 foremen. The !
By GLUYAS WILLIAMS
TUP HADI n AT ITC WfiDCT
inc. TTUIVL.1S n i iiij tt vnj i
AFTER VOL) HAVE WrfU SREftf lM6EK)l3ltV CRAMMEP
ALL THE BP65 AND DUFFLE iKfO THE BRS6A6F. CWPARftfEN'U
VOUR WIFE ASK5 WOULD VOU MIND LOOKlKS IN HER SUITCASE
OR ELSE THE BLACK BAfe AND SEE )F HER SLOPES ARE "THESE,
BECAUSE IF-THEV AREN'T SHE MOST HAVE LEFffHEM IH 1ta HOUSE
WILU&tfS
Copyright, 1938, by The BaD'ByndlcaU, Inc.)
S MATTER POf
men entered the plant under the
watchful eyes of 60 national guards
men. Among those returning to
work. Umbreit said, was Wllbert
Allison, president of the CIO union
which yesterday advised its striking
members to return to work.
Use Mail Tribune want Ads.
TAILSPIN TOMMY Betty Figures It Out I
Bv 0 H
By HAL FORREST!
TThe aip. race officials
DISQUALIFIED IOMMyS
SHIP, AFTER SNOOT HAD
REPORTEO THAT THB
PLANE HAD CRASHED,
AND TOMMY, HAVING
FAILED TO NOTIFY THE
DEPARTMENT OF COMMEBCE
OF THE MINOR REPAIRS
TO THE CRAFT, AUIDMATICWY
LOST HIS CERTIFICATE,
eur JUST A3 TOMMY
HAD ABANDONED HOPE
OF Entering the Air
race colonel mall
appeared and tolo
The officials, much
to tommys surprise,
that he had signed a
new certificate on
the mercury
BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER Farewell
' Z II : . (.73 y : r-, JtVl I '-.aW. n-b
-y COLL,WHATAMVtLOU3 'H-H-H-MPhI VOUNs' '-,r . VF&tW.
LM
By EDWIN ALQF
6EE, I HATE TO LEAVE
BEN AND OLD BRIAR!
THEY'RE BOTH SWELL
BUT WHEN A GUVS
OUT HE'S OUT, AN'
V pTHATS ME1 y
r ra r ir? w...i ..... .....n- i :
sun, nEve -umt ,HKtt krv yf ST II S'POSE THAT Y0UN6 f I'LL SUPPOSE 1 POOR RUSTX MEANTIME, WAS NOW FAR BEYONDl Wf
miLco flLKCAU7-An ihis eur rcLLcK WAS ANYTHIN6 ABOUT THE OIPPEM PLACE. AND PmmkWf
ROADS STRAI6HT AS AN I A f I A-SPOOFIN1 VA? I WILFRED OIPPEM! I i W tTElMtemr! WMMi
Slb &Z7 --
V7N -WV i J r ' 7 AMD SEe Not baB TUSM,MGhT y
r?V U T V 1 A sY S smttt. WWAT i whatdo" promt IslJ-,?!!
P.
THE NEBBS Out of the Mouths of Babei
STEVE
wxjovjs the
widovv7 uas
TV.O CWILCQESJ
ANJO MERE
WE MAVEM1M
WER MIS
SRET .Ct
CMIL.DQENJ
By SOL BESS
I
PA7NZ