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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1922)
THE NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE Big m Copyright by William MacLeod FOREWORD Tlic driver of the big enr throttled flown. SInco ho hnd swung away from Uio dusty rond to follow a wngon track across the desert, the speedom-, eter hnd registered many miles. His eyes searched the ground In front to see whether the track led up the brow I of Uio hill or dipped Into the sandy wash. On tho breeze there floated to him the faint, Insistent bawl of thirsty cattle. T)io car leaped forward agnln, climbed tho hill, and closed In upon a remuda of horscH watched by two wranglers. The chauffeur stopped tho mnchlno and shouted n question at tho nearest rider, who swung his mount nnd can tered up. lie was n lean, tanned youth In overalls, Jumper, wide sombrero, hjgh-liceled boots, and shiny leather chaps. A girl In tho tonneau appraised wjiUi quick, eager eyes this horseman of the plains. Perhaps she found him loss picturesque than sho had hoped. Ho wns not there for movlng-plcturo purposes. Nothing on horse or man held Its placo for any renson except utility. "Where's the round up?" asked tho driver. Tho coffee-brown youth gave a Httlo lift of his head to tho right, no was apparently a man of few words. Tlio car moved forward to the edge of the mesa and dropped Into tlio val ley. Tho girl In tho back seat gavo a little scream of dollght. Hero at last was the West sho hnd read nbout In books and seen on tho screen. Tills wns Cattlelund's hour of hours. Tho pnrndu grounds were occupied by two circles of cattle, each fenced by eight or ten horsemen. Tho nearer ono was the beef herd, beyond this nnd closer to tho mouth of tho canyon from which they hnd nil recently been driven wns a mnss of closely packed cows and calves, Several men wcro busy branding nnd rnnrklng tho calves dragged to them from tho herd by the horsemen who were roping tho frightened Httlo blat ters. . With n movement of her wrist the girl opened thp door nnd stepped down from the car. A mnn sitting beside the chauffeur turned In his sent. "You'd better stay whore you are, honey." He hnd un Idcn that this wns not exactly the Bccne n girl of seventeen ought to see at close runge. "I want to gut the kinks out of my muscles, Dad," the girl called bnck. "I'll not go far." She walked along a rldgo that ran from the mesa into tho valley uuo an outstretched tongue. There wns a touch of unstudied JnuntlncsR In the way the tips of hw goirten curia cs enped from beneath the Httlo brown toquo sho wore. A young man guard ing the beef herd watched her curi ously. Something In the poise of the light, boyish llguro struck n spark from his Imagination. Ab she stood on the spit of tho ridge, a slim, light figure silhouetted ngnlnst the skyline, the young man guarding the beef herd called something to hor that was lost in the bawling of the cuttle. From the motion of his hand sho know that hujwus telling her to got back to tho car. Hut tho girl saw no reiiBon for obeyhig the orders of n rango-rlder she hud nover seen beforo nnd never expected to seo agnln. No body hnd ever told her that a rider Is fairly sufo among the wildest hill cat (Je, but n man on foot Is llnblo to at tack at any tlmo when a herd Is ex cited. A Bhout of, warning startled her. Abovo tho bellowing of the herd sho heard another yell. "Ul-yl-yn-a I" A red-eyed steer, tall up, wns crash ing through tho small brush toward tho brunders. There was a wild spur ry for safety. Tho men Uropped Iron and ropcB nnd fled to their saddles, De flected by pursuers, tho nulmnl turned. By chance It thundered straight for tho girl on tho sund spit. 'J-Sbo stood paralyzed for u moment, Out of the gathering darkness a volco camo to her sharp nnd, clear. "Don't ttdVo'l" It rang so vibrant with crisp command thnt tho girl, poised for flight, stood still und waited In whlto terror whllo tlio hugo steer lumbered toward her. A cow pony, wheeled as on a dol lar, Jumped to an instant gallop. Tho mail rldbjg it wns tho ono who had warned ficr back to tho car, Horse and laalxro pounded over tho ground toward her. Bach stride brought them closer to each other as thoy'convcrged toward the sand spit It camo to her with a gust o panicky despalt that thoy wo rid collide on tho very spot whero slip stood. Yet sho did not run. The rider, lifting his bronco forward at 'full speed, won by a fraction of a SMOod. He guided In such a way as 6 pfing his horse between her and the eteer. Without slackening his pace inathe least as ho swept past, the man Ktooped lowt caught the girl beneath - Town m li bufid by mimnacleodMnelM ... i n iuusiruuons dj Ram the armpits, and swung her In front of him to the back of the horse. The steer pounded past ho close behind that one of Its horns grazed tlio tall of the cow pony. It was a superb piece of horseman ship, perfectly timed, us perfectly exe cuted. The girl luy breathless In the arms of t,1( 'nan, her heurt beating ngnlnst his, her face burled in his shoulder. She was dazed, half fainting from tlio reaction of her fear. The next she remembered clearly was being lowered Into the nrms of her father. lie held her tight, his face tortured with emotion. She was the very light of his soul, and she had shaved death by a hair's breadth. A miracle had saved her, but ho would nover forget the terror that had gripped him. The girl snuggled closer to him, her arms round his neck. A young man descended from the car, handsome, trim, and well got up. lie hnd been tailored by the best man's outfitter In New York. Nobody on Broadwny could order a dinner better than he. The latest dnnces ho could do perfectly. He had the reputation of knowing exactly the best thing to say on every occasion. Now he proceeded to say It. "Corking bit of riding never saw better. I'll give you my hand on that, my mnn." The cowpuncher found a bunch of manicured fingers In his rough, brown paw. Ho found something else, for after the pink nand had gone there He Guided In Such a Way as to Bring His Horse Between Her and the Steer. romulned a llfty-dollar bill. He looked at It helplessly for a moment ; then, beneath tho brown outdoor tan, u Hush of nngcr beat Into his fnco. Without a word ho leaned forwnrd und pressed tho noto Into the mouth of tho bronco. Tho buckskin know Its master for a very good friend. If he gave it some thing to ont well, there wns no hurra in trying it once. The buckskin chowed placidly for n fow seconds, de cided that this was u practical Joke, und ejected from Its mouth slimy green pulp that had recently beou a treasury note. The father stammered his thanks, to Uio rescuer of the girl. "1 don't know what 1 can over do toslot you know ... I don't know how I can over pay you for saving . , , "Forget It I" snapped tho brown man curtly. Ho was an evoH-(empon.Kl youth, us gcnlnWnml friendly as a half grown pup, but Just now tho word "pay" Irritated him as a red rag 'does a sulky bull. "If there's unythtng at nil I can do for you " "Not a thing." Tho Nev Yorker felt thnt ho was not expressing himself at nil happily. wnat no wanted was to Bhow this young follow that ho had put him un der a llfeioug obligation ho could nev er bono to wlno out. "If you ever e'omo to New York" tin not llauio to go these, I don't oolong tnoro any moro than you do hero. Better drift hack to Tucson, stranger. Tako a fool's advlco and hit tho trail for town prouto before you uump uuo moro trouble." Tho tldor swung round his pony and camcreu oncu to ruo ueer herd. Ho left behind him a much-nnnovni clubman, a perplexed and distressed rawer, mm a girt both hurt nnd in. dlgnant nt his brusquo rejection of her fatlfcr's friendly advanoea. Tho episode of Uio ilfty-dollar bill had taken place onUrcly under covor. Tho man who nna givon uio noto and the ono who had refused to accept it wero tho only ones who know of it. Tho girl saw only that this splendid horseman who bad snatched her from under tho very fcot of tlic tntllno hud shown n boor lsU discourtesy. The savor had gone out of her adventure. Her hcurt wno sick wltn disappointment uiid Indignation. CHAPTER I A Stre'ct Twelve Miles Long. "I like yore outfit," Red Holllster grumbled. "You're nice boys, and good to yore mothers what few of you ain't wore their gray hairs to the grave with yore frolicsome ways. You know yore business und you got n good cook. Hut I'm darned if I like this thing of two meals a day, one nt n quurte- to twelve ut night and the other a qunrter pnst twelve, also nnd likewise nt night." Hed's grumbling wns n pretense. He would not have been anywhere else for twice the pny. This wns whnt he lived for. Johnnie Green, commonly known ns "Uio Hunt," helped himself to another llnnk steak. He was not much of a cow-hand, but when it enme to eating Johnnie was ulways conscientiously on the Job. "These here New Yorkers must bo awful hardy," he ventured, npropos of nothing. "Seems like they're night birds for fnlr. Never do go to bod, far as I can mnke out. They tramp tho streets nil day and dance nt tnem cabby-rets ull night. My feet would bo all wore out." Stnco Wnllls grinned. "So would my pocketbook. I've heard tell how a fel low can pay as high as four or five dollars for un cat at them places." Clay Lindsay laughed. "You boys know n lot about New York, Just about as much as I do. I've read that a guy cun drop a, hundred dollars n night In n enburet if ho has n friend or two along, nnd never make a ripple on Brondwny." "Well, I rend there's n street there twelve miles long. If n fellow started at one end of that street with a thirst ho'd sure be salivated beforo ho readied tho other end of it," Stace said with a grin. "Wonder if n fellow could get a Job there. They wouldn't be no use for a puncher, I reckon," Slim drawled. "Bctchn Clay could get a Job all right," answered Johnnie Gr,cen promptly. "He'd be top hand any where, Clay would." Johnnie wns the lost dog of the B-ln-n-Box ranch. It wns his nature to follow somebody nnd lick hi" hnnd whenover It wns permitted. The some body he followed wns Clay 'Lindsay. Johnnlo wns his slnve, the echo of his opinions, the booster of his merits. He asked no greater happiness than to trail in the wake of his friend and get a kind word occasionally. Tho Hunt had chosen as his Admir able Crlchtwn a most engaging youth. it never had been hard for uny girl to look nt Clny Lindsay. His sun tnwncd good looks, tho warmth of his gay smile, the poise nnd the ensy stride of him, mnde Lindsay a marked man even in a country where men of splen did physique were no exception. Ills eyes new were watching tho leap of the fire glow. The talk of Now York hnd carried him back to a night on tlio round-up three years before. He was thinking ubout n slim girl standing on a sand spit with a wild steer rushing toward her, of her warm, slender body lying in his nrms for Ave Immortal seconds, of her dnrk, shy eyes shining out of the dusk nt him llko live coals. Ho remembered and It hurt him to recall It how his wounded prido had lashed out In resentment of the pntron agu of these New Yorkers. The young er mun hnd Insulted him, but he knew In his heart now that the girl's father had meant nothing of the kind. Of course the girl had forgotten him long since. "Question Is, could you land a Job In Now York If you wanted one," ex plained Staco to the dreamer. "If It's neck meat or nothln' a fel low can 'most always get somethln' to do," said Lindsay In the gcntlo voice ho used. The vaguo Impulses of many days crystallzed suddenly into a reso lution. "Anyhow I'm goin' to try. Soon as tho rodeo Is over I'm goln' to hit tho .trail for the big town." "Tucson?" Interpreted Johnnie dubi ously. "Now York." Tlio bow-legged little puncher looked ut his friend and gasped. Clny flushed on him the warm smile Umt endeared htm to all his friends. "I'm goln' to rldo dowu Broadway and shoot up tho town, Johnnie. Want to come along?" CHAPTER II Clay Appoints Himself Chaperon. As ho traveled east Cluy began 'to slough Uio outwurd marks of his call ing. Ho gavo his spurs to Johnnlo bV foro ho left the ranch. At Tucsou ho shed his chaps nnd left them In caro of a friend ut tho Longhom corral. Tho six-gun with which ho had shot rattlesnakes ho paeked Into his suit case at El 1'aso. Hta wldc-rlmmed felt hat flew off whllo tho head beneath U was stuck out of a window of Uio coach somewhere south of Denver. Be fore ho passed under tho Welcome inch in Uiat city tho silk kerchief had been removed from his brown neck nu'd retired to the hip pocket which formerly hold his forty-flve. Tho young catUeman began to flutter himself Uiat nobody could now tell ho was a wild mnn from the hills who had nover been curried. Ho might imvo spared himself the illusion. The lightness of his stride, tho breadth of tho woll-pncked shoulders, tho frank ness of tho steady eyes, all advertised him as a Bon of Arlzoini. It was Just beforo noon nt ono of the small plains towns east of Denver.thnt a girl got on the train nnd "wns tnken by Uie porter to a section bnck of Clny Lindsay. Tho man from Arlzbnn no- tlced that sho was refreshingly pretty in an unsophlsUcatcd way. A little later he had a chance to confirm this Judgment, for the dining car manager seated her opposite him at a table for two. When Clay handed her the menu enrd she murmured "Thank youl" with a rusti of color to lier cheeks and looked helplessly at Uie list In her hand. Quite plainly she was taking her first long Journey. The cow puncher helped her fill the order card. She put herself entirely In tils hands and was willing to ent what ever he suggested unblused by prefer ences of her own. She was a round, soft, little person with constant IntlmnUons of a child hood not long outgrown. During Uie course of luncli she confided that her name was Kitty Mason, thut she was an orpnnn, and that sho was on her way to Now York to study at a school for moving-picture actresses. "I sent my photograph and the mnn agcr wrote back that my face was one hundred per cent perfect for the movies," Uie girl explained. It was clear that she was expecting to be manufactured, into a film star In a week or two. After they had finished eaUng, the range-rider turned in at the smoking compartment and enjoyed a cigar. He fell Into casual talk with an army ofil cor who had served In the Southwest, and It was three hours later when he returned to his own seat In the car. A hard-faced man In a suit of checks more than a shade too loud was sit ting In the secUon beside the girl from Brush. He wns making talk in nn as sured, famlllur way, nnd tho girl was listening to hlra shyly and yet eagerfy. The man was a variation of a type known to Lindsay. That type was Uie Arizona bad-man. If this expensively dressed fellow was not the eastern equivalent of the western gunman, Clay's experience was bndly nt fault. Clny hnd nlrcndy mado friends with Ute I'ullman conductor. He drifted to him now on the search for Informa tion. "The hard-faced guy with the Httlo girl?" he asked casually after the proffer of a cigar. "The one with the muscles! bulging out all over him who Is he?" ' "Ho comes by that tough mug hon estly. That's Jerry Durand." "The prize-fighter?" "Yep. Used to be. He's a gang leader In New York now. Runs a gambling house of Ids own, I've heard. You can't prove it by me.'' When Lindsay returned to his place he settled himself with a magazine In a seat where ho could sec Kitty and her new friend. The very vitality of . Uie girl's young life was no doubt a temptation to this man. The soft, rounded throat line, the oval cheek's rich coloring so easily moved to abb Wand flow, the carmine of the full red Hps; every detail helped to confirm Uio Impression of a sensuous young crea ture,, Innocent ns n wild thing of the forests and as yet almost, as un splrltunl. Durand took the girl In to dinner with liliu nnd they sat not far from Lindsay. Kitty was lost to nny mem- Kltty Was Lost to Any Memory ef Those About Her. pry of those nbout her. She wns flirt lug Joyously wltji a' sense of newly awakened powers. Tho man from Gra ham county, Arizona, felt uneasy in his mind. Tho girl was flushed with life. In a way she was celebrating her es cape from Uie narrow horizon In which she had lived. In her unsopliistlcation danger lay. For sho was plainly easily Influenced, and in tho beat of her healthy young blood probably there was latent passion. They left Uio diner before Clay. He passed them lator in Uie vestibule of tho sleeper. They were looking out to gcUter on tho moonlit plain through which Uio train was rushing. Tho arm of tho man was stretched behind her to the ratling and with the motion of Uio car the girl swayed back slightly against him. Again Clay Bqught the smoking com partment and was led Into talk' by the ofllcer. It wns well post eleven when ho rose, yawned, and announced, "I'm goin' to hit Uie hay." Most of the berUis wero made up nnd it wns with a Httlo shock of sur prlso Uiat his eyes fell' on Kitty Mason mnl her new friend, tho sleek black head of tho man close to her fair cuns, his steady eyes holding her llko a charmed bird while his caressing volco wove the fairy tale of Now York to which sho yielded herself In strange delight. "Don't you-all want yo berth made up lady?" It wns the Impatient porter who in terrupted them. The girl sprang up tremulously to uccept. "Oh. please. Is It late?" Her glance swept dewu the car and took In Uio fact that her section alone was not made up. "I didn't know why, what time Is It?" "Most twelve, ma'am," replied the aggrieved porter severely. She Hashed a look of reproach at h(r companion and blushed agnln as she lied with her hag to the Indies' dressing room. The train wus rolling through Uie cornfields of Uie Middle West when the Arlzonan invoke. He wus up early, but not long before Kitty Mason, who wns Joined at once by Durand. "Shucks! Nothln' to ltn-tnll," Uie range-rider assured himself. "That 111' girl must have the number of this guy. She's fllrtln' with him to bent three of a kind, but I'll bet a dogle she knows right where she's at." Clny did not In the least believe his own nrgument. If he had come from a city he would have dismissed the mat ter as none of his business. But he came from the clean Southwest where every straight girl Is under the pro tection of every decent man. If she wns In danger because of her Inno cence It was up to him to lok after her. There was no more competent man In Grnham county than Clay Lindsay, but ho recognized thnt this was a dellcnte nffnlr In which he must move wnrlly. On his way to the diner at noon the range-rider nnssed her aaln. She was nlone for the moment nnd as she leaned bnck her soft round throat showed a beating pulse. Her cheeks were burning nnd her stnrry eyes were looking Into the future with n happy smile. "You poie HtUe maverick," the man commented silently. jjj The two had the table opposite him. As the wheels raced over a culvert to Uio comparative quiet of the ballasted track beyond, the words of Uie man reached Clay. ". . . and we'll have all day to sec the city, Kid." Kitty shook her head. There was hesitation in her manner, and Uie man was quick to mnke the most of It. "And It won't cost you a cent, girlie," he added. But the long lashes of the girl lifted and her baby-blue eyes met his with shy reproach. "I don't think I ought," she breathed, color sweeping her face in a vivid flame. -'You should worry," he scoffed. Lindsay knew the girl was weaken ing. She was no match for this big, dominant, two-fisted man. The Jaw of the cow puncher set. This child was not fair game for a man llko Durand. When Clay roso to leave the diner he knew "that he meant to sit Id and take a hand. The train was creeping through "the thickly setUed quarter wliere the poor er people ore herded when Clay touched Durand on the shoulder. "Like to see you a moment, In the vestibule," he said la his gentle voice. The eyes of Uie two men mot and the gambler knew at once that Uils man and he were destined to be en emies. No mnn had ever said that Jerry Durand was not game. He rose prompt ly and followed tho. westerner from the car, swinging along with the -light, cat like tread acquired by many pugilists. Tlio floor of the vestibule had Been raised and the outer door of the car opened. Durand found time to won der why. . The cowpuncher turned on him with an abrupt question. "Can you swim?" The eyes of Uie ward boss narrowed. ''What's Uiat to yoiiT' he demanded truculenUy. "Nothln' to me, but a good deal to you. I'm almln' to drop you in the river when wo cross." "Is that so?" snarled Durand. "You're quite a'Joker, ain't you? Well, suit me. But let's get this clear so we'll know where we're at. What'o allln' you, rube?"' "I don't llko the color of yore hair or the cut of yoro clothed,"' d-awled Lindsay. "You've got a sure-enough bad eye, and I'm tired of travelin' in yore company. Let's get off, me or you one." In the slltted eyes of Uio Bowery graduate there was no heat at all. They were bleak as a heavy winter morn. "Suits me fine. You'll not travel with mo much farUier. Here's where you beat Uio place." The' professional lashed out sudden ly with his left But Clay was not at tho receiving end of Uio blow. Always quick as lightning, he had ducked and clinched. His steel-muscled arms tight ened about the waist of the oUi'er. A short-arm Jolt to the cheek ho disre garded. ' Beforo Durand had set himself to meet tho plunge he found .himself fly ing through space. Tho gambler caught at tho rail, missed It, landed on the cinders besldo tho roadbed, was flung Instantly from his feet, and rolled over and over down an incline to a muddy gully. Clay, hanging to Uie brass railing, leaned out and looked back. Durand had staggered to his feet, plastered with mud from head to knees, and was shaking furiously a fist at him. The face of tho man wns venomous with rage. Tho cowpuncher waved a debonair hand und mounted tho steps again. Tho poV-terf was standing in Uio vesti bule looking at him wlfh amazement "You tarowed a. man offn'thls -train, mlstah," ho charged. "So I did," admitted Clay, and to save his lifo ho could not keep from smiling. The porter sputtered. This beat any thing hi His previous experience. "But but It ain't allowed to open up Uio cah. Was you-all bavin' trouble?" "No trouble a-tnll. He hot ma a cigar I couldn't put him oft." Cluy palmed a dollar and handed it to the porter ns ho passed Into Uio car. The eyes of that outraged official rolled after him. The book of rules did not say anything about wrestling matches In the vestibule. Besldos, it happened thut Durand had called him down sharply uot un hour before. Ha decided to brush off his passengers and forget whnt he hnd seen." Clny stopped In front of Kitty and said he hoped she would have no trouble making her transfer In Uio city. The girl was no fool. She had sensed the antagonism that had flared up between them In that moment when they hnd faced ench other five minutes before. "Where's Mr. Durand?" she asked. "He got off." "But the train hasn't stopped." "It's Just cruwlin' along, and he was In a hurry." Her gaze rested upon an angry bruise oi. his check. It had not been there whei. last she snw him. "I don't understand It," sho mur mured, hall' to herself. "Why would he get off before we reached tho do pot?" She was full of suspicions, and the bruise on tho westerner's cheek did not tend to allay them. They wero still unsatisfied when tho porter took her to the end of tho car to brush her clothes. The dlscreUon of that young man had Its limits. While ho brushed Uie gJrl ho told her rapidly what ho had seen In the vestibule. "Was he hurt?" she asked breath lessly. "No'm. I looked out and seen him standln' beside the track Jos' a-cussln' a blue streak. He's a sho-'nongh bad actor, that Jerry Durand." Kitty marched straight to her sec tion. Tho eyes of the girl flashed anger. "Please leave my sent, sir," she told Clay. The Arlzonan rose at once. Ho know that she knew. "I was lntendln' t help you off with yore grips," he said She flamed into passionate resent ment of his interference. "I'll attend to them. I can look out for myself, sir." With that she turned her back on him. CHAPTER III The Big Town. When Clay stepped from the staUon at tho Thirty-fourth Street entrance New York burst upon him with what seemed almost a Uirent. Ho could hear Uie roar of It like a river rushing down a canyon. Clay had faced a catUe stampede. He had. ridden out a bliz zard hunched up with the drifting herd. He had lived rough all his young and joyous Ufa But for a moment ho felt a chill drench at his heart Uiat was almost dread. Ho did not know a soul In, this vast populace. He was alono among seven or eight million crazy Human beings. He had checked his suitcase to ba free to look about. He had no desUna Uon and was In no hurry. All Uie day was before him, all of many days. He drifted down the street and across to Sixth avenue. Chance swept him up, Sixth to Her ald square. He was caught In tho river of humanity Uiat races up Broad way. He wondered where all Uils rush of people was going. What crazy Im pulses sent tliem surging to and fro? And Uie girls Clay surrendered to them at discretion. He had not sup posed there were so many pretty, well dressed girls in the world. "FJj-st off I'm goln' to get me a real city suit of clothes," he promised him self. "This here wrinkled outfit la some too woolly for Uie big town. If a a good suit yet 'most as good as when I bought It at the Boston store In Tucson three years ago. But I reckon I'll savo It to go home In." He stopped in front of a storo above which was tho legend "L Bernstein, "Might You Would Want a Good 8ult of Quality Clothes, My Frtendt?' He Suggested. Men's Garments." A small man with sharp HtUe eyes and well-doflned noso was standing In the doorway. "MlgJit you would want a good suit of quality clothes, my frlendt," he sug gested. "Tou'.vc pegged me right," agreed the westerner with his ready smllo "Lead me to U." TO BH CONTINUED