SYNOPSIS Ruth Chiswick of L C ranch, obsessed by fear of danger to her outspoken father, Lee, from a band of lawless rustler* headed by Sherm Howard, decides to save him by eloping with young Lou Howard. Sherm'a son, and comes to the town of Tall Holt to meet him. While In Yell Sanger’s store, a crook-nosed stranger enters, sizes up the situation, and when a drunken cowboy. Jim Pender, rides In and starts shooting, pro tects Ruth, while Lou Howard hides. Dis gusted with Lou's cowardice, Ruth calls oft the elopement, and sends the stranger for her father at the gambling house across the street. There the stranger, calling himself Jeff Gray, meets Morgan Norris, a killer, Curly Connor, Kansas, Mile High, Sid Hunt, and other rustlers, and Sherm Howard. Lee Chiswick enters, with his foreman, Dan Brand, and tells Sherm Howard of his or ders to shoot rustlers at sight. Jeff Cray returns to Ruth and coldly reassures her of her father’s safety. At supper. Ruth Intro duces Jeff to her iather und Brand, and In Sanger's store later she speaks cordially to f’urlv' P/SBisr.i- PnmiBd nnf tho tnr» they are greeted by sudden gunplay, Lee is | wounded, and Jeff Cray appears with a smoking revolver. Two days later, Ruth 1 fells her father of her projected elopement and her disillusionment. Later. Ruth meets Jeff Gray, whom she thinks tried to kill her father. Ruth accidentally wounds Jeff. She takes him to Pat Sorley's camp. Ruth Is credulous of Jeff's story of shooting at the assassin rather than at her father, and later pleads with Lee to listen to him. When Lee arrives at Pat Sorley's camp, he finds only a note to Pat -roni Jeff. Meanwhile. Jeff rides Into Tall Holt and sends word to Sherm Howard he wants to see him. He shows Howard a poster with his picture, with the name of Clint Doke, wanted as the leader of a band of outlaws. The rest ot the band arrives Jeff shows the outlaws th? poster and asks their confidence, and tells them Ruth shot him. They agree to allow him io stay. Another raid on the L C cattle causes Lee to fine up hts men In pursuit, ami to send his son Frank to town to reconnoiter. Pat Sorley fines Gray's horse's hootmarks on the trail with the inspected rustlers'. CHAPTER V—Continued "He didn't whop me,” blustered Howard. "Didn’t you hear me say he jumped me when I wasn’t look ing?” "I heard you,” Curly said with a skeptical grin. "I never saw the day I couldn’t comb that bird’s feathers for him,” the damaged man bragged. He finished his drink and went away to repair his wounds. Jeff Gray, watching him, caught the look that passed between young Howard and Morgan Norris. Pres ently the latter left the bar and sauntered back to the wash-room after Lou. Gray also drifted in that direc tion. He sat down at a table close to the washroom wall and began to deal out a hand of solitaire. In tently he listened to catch that might be said b wall. shoulders. But listen [y. You’re go They will try fuss. At the get it. Under you ate supper with 'd tried to gun him erward,” Frank told 'And that you loaded rith lies so she took you r line-camps to be doc ■Tou were with the thieves pe our stuff up Box canyon. Wthe use of pulling this line W when I know you are in ca rwith these rustlers here—with rery scoundrels you are warn ne against?" Kray swept this aside with a ges fe of the revolver. ‘‘All right, 'ave it lay at that. I’m a hired killer and a thief. Say I’m paying off a grudge I owe Lou Howard and Morg Norris. That would make me a double double-crosser. Put It any way you like. But get this through yore noodle. If you stick around here another day, you’ll go home in a wagon covered by a sheet.” “I wouldn’t believe anything in the world you told me," Frank an swered. men aoni neueve u uecauae * tell you. Use yore head. Young Howard is no-account, but right now dangerous as a trapped rat you try to pet. He’s mostly vanity, and you’ve hurt that cruelly. He'd go the limit to get even. Norris is one of these snake-in-the-grass killers, mean all the way through. Boy, I'm going to tell you something I can't prove. Likely you won't believe me. Morg Norris is the man who tried to kill yore father at Tail Holt. I’m ’most sure of that.” “You’re one of this outlaw gang, but don’t mind throwing down on them when it suits you," jeered Chiswick. “Smart as a whip, you are,” Gray drawled. “You’ll never find out whether I am all the kinds of skunk you claim, because inside or 24 hours Morg Norris will blast you off the map.” “Maybe he sent you here to scare me If he did, you go back and tell him I don’t, scare worth a cent." “I give up.” Gray said, potting away his weapon. “When a lunk head has got hell in the neck there’s nothing to do about it. You’re grown tep any attempt of Norris “ Lou ioward to get him into a quarrel, tonight he would stay in his room. It came to him later that per laps Gray had been sent by Sherm Ioward in the hope of driving him >ut of town. There might be some hing doing they did not want him 0 know about. He would stick iround for another day or two at east. After supper a Mexican came with 1 message for him. Lee Chiswick, ;he man said, was at Yell Sanger’s store and wanted to see him at nice. “When did my father reach ;own?” Frank asked. The man shook his head. “No sabe, senor. His horses are at the litchrack in front of Sanger’s." "Not alone, then?” “Senor Brand is with him.” “Tell him I’ll be there pronto.” Frank went back to the bedroom lor his hat. He felt as if a load tiad been rolled from his chest. In spite of what he had told Gray, he sad been worried at the warning. He had wanted to light out for the ranch and only his sense of duty was keeping him in town. Now he could pass his fears to broader | shoulders. He would not have to play a lone hand any longer. A man coming into the house stepped to one side to let Frank out. The man was Jeff Gray. "Wait a minute, Chiswick,'’ he said urgently. ‘They’re aiming to ambush you.” Frank did not answer, nor did he look back. He was not going to let this fellow Influence him. But the heart under his ribs began to pound furiously. Involuntarily he quick ened his pece. “Come back, you fool!" the crook nosed n