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About Vernonia eagle. (Vernonia, Or.) 1922-1974 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1936)
VERNONIA EAGLE, VERNONIA, OREGON GUNLOCK RANCH b WNU Service Copyright Frank H. Spearman SYNOPSIS Sleepy Cat, desert town of the Southwest, is celebrating the Fourth ot July. Jane Van Tambel, beautiful daughter ot Gus Van Tambel, hated owner ot Gunlock ranch, lias ar rived from the East tor the first time. She watches the Frontier Day celebration in company with Dr. Carpy, crusty, tender-hearted friend ot the community. Henry Sawdy ot the Circle Dot ranch, tricked in a fake horse race the day before by Dave McCrossen, foreman at Gun lock, plans revenge. He enters Bill Denison, a handsome young Texas wrangler, In the rodeo which Mc Crossen is favored to win, and lays heavy bets on him. Unknown to the crowd, Denison is a champion horse man. McCrossen and the young stranger tie in the various events. Denison drops a cigarette carelessly. Racing down the track full tilt, he picks up the cigarette. The verdict goes to Denison when McCrossen re fuses to attempt the stunt. Entreat ed by the crowd, Denison agrees to perform another trick. Jane is asked for her bracelet, and throws it on the track. Just as Denison rides to pick it up a yell from Bar ney Rebstock, a McCrossen hench man, scares the pony, nearly costing the rider his life. Gun play is pre vented by the intervention of Dr. Carpy. Back ¿tn Gunlock ranch aft er two years in Chicago, because of her father's illness, Jane gets lost riding in the hills and meets Deni son, now a neighbor, who guides her home. Not knowing her identity, he speaks bitterly of Van Tambel. She tells McCrossen who brought her home and he denounces Denison as a cattle thief. Later she asks Dr. Carpy why her father is unpopular and he tells her it is because of Van Tantbel’s ruthless and unscrupulous character. Visiting her father in the hospital, Jane is warned to be wary of McCrossen’s honesty, but her father urges her to be nice to him. might come up through the floor boards.” Her response was chilly. “My feet will be all right where they are.” “O. K., Jane! But you’re about the sweetest girl I ever saw in the world." Suiting action to these words, McCrossen put his arm swiftly around the girl and pulled her to ward him for a kiss. He failed to get one. Instead, he got a smart slap from Jane'r gloved hand. “Please mlna your business. Dave, and attend to your driving,” said Jane collectedly. The night was an unquiet one for Jane’s pillow. The more she thought about her surprise admirer and his crude advances, the angrier she grew. In the morning she break fasted and ordered her saddle pony. She meant to take a long ride all by herself and rid herself of her annoyance in the morning air of the high hills. On and on, Jane rode. The pony was spirited and seemed, like his mistress, to enjoy the jaunt. The farther she rode,the wilder the coun try grew, with only small bunches of cattle here and there to remind her of her domain. At length the hills grew too rough for pleasure riding. With her spirits quieted and feeling invigorated, Jane reined about for the ranch house. Covering considerably more dis tance, Jane, having grown weary, was rejoiced at last to see the dusty, serpentine foothills roads well be low her. Having reached It, she CHAPTER IV—Continued —5— “I piled the house supplies In the hack.” explained McCrossen, "so you’d better ride with me. "Brought you an extra-heavy coat over,” he added. “Thought you might need it. Will you put it on now?' His voice, never harsh, sounded solicitous. Jane thought she would put the coat on. Her foreman, sit ting beside her, helped her get into It. His manner was tender. His hands, as he straightened the coat collar, lingered a moment on her shoulders, Jane shook her shoulders slightly to draw them away. “Your father's a great man, Jane,” he said. "No use talkin'.” "I’m glad to hear some one say a good word for him,” returned Jane dryly. "Oh, he’s got his enemies, I know. But from the first minute I ever saw you. girl, when you got off the train that mornin’ in Sleepy Cat” —McCrossen inclined in friendly fashion toward his tight-sitting lit tle companion to emphasize his words—“from the very first minute I saw you, I said to myself. 'There’s a girl with all the grit and sand of her father.’ ” “Hadn’t you better drive a little faster!” suggested Miss Tight Sit ter. casually. "I'm afraid to push the old buck board over this part of the road. So I said to myself,” he continued, “ There's a girl with her father’s grit and her mother's beauty.' Jane” —he lowered his voice, becoming ly— are you warm?” “Quite.” “And comfortable?” “Perfectly. But I should like to get on faster.” McCrossen brought the horses to a stop. “What's the matter?” asked his companion rather tartly. “This is Gunlock Ford. The creek was runnln’ kind of high when I drove through after supper, and it's been rainin' all evenin'. We don’t want to get caught in the water. I’ll get out and see how things look. Take the lines a minute. "It’s safe, I reckon.” he reported, returning soon to the rig. “But you'd better put your feet in my lap till we get across. The water The Farther She Rode, the Wilder the Country Grew. reined into it and jogged along, con fident of reaching home soon. Pres ently she encountered an Indian family traveling toward her In a wagon. She reined up. "Am I heading right for Gunlock Ranch?” she asked of the man driv ing. He nodded affirmatively. But a bright-eyed boy in the wagon box made a protest. He jabbered in low tones to his father and, turning to Jane, exclaimed, "Wrong way,” and pointed north. The father shook his head, and the dispute grew. Jane, now confused by the uncertainty, thanked the party and rode on south. A few miles farther she met a horseman heading north. As he drew near, Jane thought she recog nized him as the man who had di rected her back to the ranch a cou ple of weeks before, at the close of a long day of riding through the Gunlock hills. Jane reined up in quiringly. "Good-morning,” ventured Jane. “Can you tell me whether I am on the right road to Gunlock ranch?” The man listened but made no ef fort to speak. Instead he looked at the girl silently. His gaze was embarrassing. He ignored her question and in stead asked one himself: "Aren't you the girl who got lost around here a couple of weeks ago?” “Y-yes,” answered Jane. “And aren’t you the man who directed me back?” "Guess I was,” the man replied, In an absent-minded way.” "I realize that It’s stupid of me to lose my way again,” she said, “but can you tell me whether I am heading right for the ranch?” He found his tongue and spoke quietly: “Well . . . you’d reach the ranch the way you are going, though probably not today.” “Not today?” she asked in amaze ment. "You want to reach the ranch house, I suppose?” “I do.” "Then you’re heading the wrong way.” “Will you please set me right?” "You'd better take the back trail. You’re going away from the ranch bouse now.” Jane exclaimed in surprise. “Why, how is that? Are you sure?” "Dead sure.” A suspicion ot hu mor crept into the words. Confused at being caught wrong, Jane flushed. The man, silent, just looked at her. She did not like it; he might be laughing at her. Fac ing him more sternly, she asked with helpless annoyance in her words, “What am I to do?” “Back trail.” “What does that mean?” she asked tartly. "Turn around.” “Where am I?” "Pretty well out on the Gunlock Indian Reservation.” "I’ve never felt so stupid In my life,” declared Jane, trying to act at ease as she reined about. "I thought I knew this country well enough by this time not to get lost. I’m certainly not a tenderfoot.” The man smiled, but to himself "There’s been men here severa years who get lost riding in tin hills. It's no disgrace for a two monthser.” Jane did not relish being termed a “two-monthser.” “Oh, I've been here before,” she said airily. He offered no comment Tired waiting for him to say something Jane was nettled by his continued silence. “I see you’re wearing your brace let,” he remarked of a sudden. Thi words came, so to speak, out of a clear sky. She looked at him just as sud denly as he had spoken; and in alarm. He was looking straight ahead— just as if she were not within miles —and with the Impassive expression of a man riding quite alone. Could he be, she asked herself in a flash of fear, a bad man? Could he mean to rob her of her bracelet and watch? For a moment she was too upset to speak. But her silence seemed not to move her companion. Looking placidly ahead, and after waiting for her to comment, he spoke again: "I might be wrong. But I thought I saw that bracelet about two years ago, Fourth of July—” “Oh,” exclaimed Jane for want of something better to say. “Anyway,” continued her even speaklug guide, "I know I couldn't be mistaken about the young lady that wore it. Weren't you visiting here around that time?” "Yes,” ventured Jane, stealing’s glance at the questioner. His gaze was fixed steadfastly ahead. “Were you at the Frontier Day celebration in Sleepy Cat that Fourth of July?” he continued. “Y-yes,” repeated Jane. "W-were yon?” “If I hadn't been,” he answered dryly, “I shouldn't have seen the bracelet.” They were jogging along pleas antly enough, and as the man didn't actually demand her bracelet or watch, her panic subsided. “Stopping over at the ranch for a while, are you?” “For a while, yes.” “Some of the boys over at your ranch were telling In town they had a young lady over at Gunlock that used to ride in a circus. I suppose It was you.” “I’m the only woman, young or old, over there.” “What circus did you work with?” “Oh, several circuses,” said Jane recklessly. "What were some of them?” Jane, growing flighty, named one of the big ones whose shows she bad attended in Chicago. “What year were you with that show?” She was growing desperate. With affected embarrassment she turned full on him. “You mustn’t ask me that. Women are sensitive about their age, don’t you know?” For the first time he turned his eyes directly toward hers. *I’ve heard some women are that way,” he went on, “but I shouldn’t call you a woman.” “Oh, my! Why not?” “Well, I’d call you a girl. The reason I asked was, because I was with that show one season myself.” This was growing terrifying. Jane made an effort to change the line of talk; but her stranger was in terested. “Did you ever happen to ride in Madison Square Garden?” “N-no! Did you?” "I rode there one winter when we showed there.” “Did you like circus work?” she asked offhand. “Can’t say I did. I never worked in a circus except that one season. It was only because I needed money bad, and it was big money to me. Then the lawyers got it all. Here’s the fork for Gunlock ranch.” He pointed. They were at the parting of their ways. A saucy Impulse seized Jane. She was given to Impulses and to doing whatever thing flashed into her head. She checked her horse, lifted her fore arm, and unclasped the bracelet. "Since you’ve been so kind—” The man had halted his horse. •Nothing at all 1” he protested. “—I’d like you,” she went on, paying no attention to his disclaim er, “to have a souvenir—this brace let.” She held it out to him. He looked flabbergasted. "For what?” he stammered. His embarrassment seemed to communicate Itself to Jane—she could not have told why. “I’m grate ful for your putting me on my way today, and that other night when I got lost, if you remember,” she* 1 went on. He swallowed. She was secretly delighted with his confusion. “Well, that certainly is mighty kind,” he said haltingly. “But I couldn’t ac cept such a beautiful thing for do ing nothing at all.” “I’ve got lots of bracelets.” "But sometime I’ve got to find something I can really do for you.” She laid the bracelet in his out stretched hand. "I certainly thank you a thou sand times.” His slow response left no doubt of what he felt. Her alm now was to escape his protesta tions. He put on his hat She start ed to go. "Please!” he exclaimed, raising his hand. She stopped. Her guide's brow ruffled a little in perplexity. "What is it?” she asked, super ciliously impatient He took his hat off again. “Would it be polite,” he ventured, "to ask your name?" "Tell me yours again,” she said. "Bill Denison.” She allowed her horse to turn into the ranch trail. Denison sat motionless, hat in hand, but looking directly at her. “You haven't told me your name yet” he remonstrat ed quietly. "Ohl It’s Marie. Good-bye I” Not till after she had parted from Denison and was riding alone with her thoughts did Jane begin to feel really frightened. This was the man of whom she had heard lurid tales of rustling, an enemy of her father’s, near-outlaw generally—Bill Denison. She drew a long breath, thinking over her encounter with the re doubtable Bill; what she bad said to him and how she had said It; what he had said to her and how he had said It; recalling his gen eral appearance, his easy manner In the saddle, his peaceable fea tures, and at last his brown eyes. As she drew near the ranch house, she resolutely dismissed him from her mind, or thought she did. "Who was the man that brought you home?” asked McCrossen. “Why, nobody.” “Ben Page said you rode back with a man.” So she had been discovered. No matter. “Oh. that man!” dhe ex- "Who Was the Man That Brought You Home?” Asked McCrossen. claimed, tossing her head. "He was just somebody from the Reserva tion, going to Sleepy Cat.” In the meantime her rebuffs bad not shaken the constancy of her foreman admirer, McCrossen. Whenever McCrossen was going to ride over the ranch, Jane was not so riding. When he was rid ing to town, Jane was riding over the ranch. In fact, chiefly to be rid ot him, Jane spent much time in the saddle. And she developed a particular liking for the hill trail to town; she usually rode that way, either coming or going. What Im pressed itself on her was that rid ing the hill road alone was not quite so exciting as the first time she had ridden it with a guide. But what had become of her guide? She controlled her impatience un tn she could do so no longer. Start ing one day to town with Bull Page, Jane asked discreetly about their neighbor, this man Bill Denison. “Why, Miss Jane,” answered Bull, " 'cordin’ to what I hear, Bill’s been down to Medicine Bend on his law suit.” "But why need a man go down to Medicine Bend for a lawsuit, when there are courts In Sleepy Cat I” "Well, this Is before the U. 8. Land Office; that's different.” Sud denly Bull, peering down the trail, straightened up, "Why, there’s Bill, right now, on his way to town. The critter’s back.” "Where is he? Oh, I see. The man that just rode around the bend?” Jane did some fast and bold thinking. She looked in her purse. "Bull!” she exclaimed In fancied alarm, "I’ve forgotten to bring Quong's grocery list for the kitchen. I'm afraid you'll have to ride back after It” She was soon within speaking dis tance of the horseman ahead. “Good-morning,” she said stiffly. . (TO BE CONTINUED)
