CHAPTER m
Synopsis
Lee Hollister, returning un
expectedly from a trip abroad
to the Circle V ranch, his home
from childhood, is troubled by
signs of neglect. He is upset,
too, when he meets Slanty
Gano. a trouble maker whom
Matt Blair, owner of the ranch,
had run off the land in times
past. Slanty is now manager
for the old Ceballos place.
Joey, prospector befriended by
Matt, breaks the news that
Matt is dead; he had killed
himself. Joey says the ranch is
going to ruin under Lawler,
manager appointed by Virginia,
Matt's daughter, who Is living
in New York with her aunt and
uncle. Lee goes east to get her.
All day long she had been rush
ing from one thing to another,
riding, swimming, aquaplaning,
lunching with a crowd at the
beach club, off to the country
club to watch the tennis tryouts,
dancing, meeting new men, off to
somebody's house, and more
dancing, and everybody drinking
too much. In a little while she
would be dressing again for din
ner and a moonlight cruise on
Mr. Bradish's new yacht.
She tossed her hat on a chair,
kicked off her pumps, slid out of
her dress and left it in a heap on
the floor, and for the first time
relaxed with a long sigh of relief.
What was the sense of tearing
around all day, meeting a lot of
people you only half liked, and
never having a minute to your
self? She stared moodily at the
floor.
Although no one outside would
have guessed it, this was one of
the grey days, when everything
was flat and futile and there was
a sickening emptiness where one
part of her life had been.
On the table beside her bed lay
a little pile of papers. There was
a scrawled report from Lawler,
the new manager, there were be
wildering columns of figures
which represented Matt Blair's
confused affairs; there was a let
ter urgently advising her to sell
before the deterioration of a once
prosperous property became too
evident. Beside them was a mem
orandum of Milton Bradish's of
fer, the whim of a rich man to
lavish money on a show ranch in
the place where he had once been
poor.
There was a tap at the door.
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She said "Come!'' and Anna ap
appeared, visibly flustered.
"There's a genteman down
stairs, Miss Virginia—"
"But I said that I wouldn't see
anybody."
"Yes, Miss Virginia, but —"
Anna hesitated and looked wor
ried. Callers at the Archer home
politely accepted the dictum de
livered at the door, but this one,
in spite of the fact that he had
come on foot instead of in the
latest model roadster, and wore a
good but undeniably ready-made
suit of clothes, had somehow an
air of taking it for granted that
his wishes would be complied
with.
"lie said he hoped you would
be home pretty soon, because he
had come a long way to see you.
He said to tell you it was Lee
Hollister."
"Oh —Lee!" Virginia sat up
sudenly. "Why didn't you tell me
before? Tell him—no, help me,
Anna. I'm in a frightful hurry."
Downstairs Lee looked critically
around the room into which the
maid had reluctantly shown him.
Everything spoke eloquently of
well served ease and expensive
idleness. Not at home! He was
certain she was and he meant to
stay until he saw her. He sta
tioned himself at a window look
ing out on the semi-circular
drive.
"Making sure that I don't run
away?"
He swung about quickly. "I
wasn't taking chances," he
drawled.
Outlined against the dull blue
hangings he saw a slim and
lovely figure, a girl with hair of
burnished copper, dark-lashed
eyes of clearest grey and a vivid
mouth.
She met him with both hands
out. impulsively.
"I had just come in," she ex
plained confidentially, "and told
Anna that I wouldn't see any
body." He mouth dropped sud
denly. "Oh, Lee, I haven't seen
you since—since it happened."
"I didn't know anything about
it, or I'd have come before this.
I've come to take you home, Vir
ginia."
"Oh, no!" She looked faintly
startled and drew back.
"Why not?" he asked bluntly.
"It doesn't need me!" She
shook her head vehemently. "It
needs father, and he's gone. What
do I know of ranches and cat
tle?"
"You'll learn, and you'll have
friends to help you. I can tell you
some things about the Circle V
right now. I don't think you can
possibly know about them, or
you'd never let them go on."
There was a shade of annoy
ance in the lift of Virginia's deli
cate brows.
"You're just the same Lee,
aren't you? All right, let's sit
down and get it over . What am
I to be scolded about?"
The light tone warned him that
Virginia didn't mean to be scold
ed at all, and' he grinned back at
her. Virginia hadn't changed
much. He leaned forward and
began to tell her of the condi
tions that he had found at the
Circle V.
"I know it needs your father,"
he finished, "but Matt is gone,
and it's your responsibility now.
The Cirvle V needs somebody
with a real interest, and not a
shiftless loafer who either can't
or won't see that he is running
it into the ground."
"Really!" Virginia was angry
and hurt. "I employed Mr. Law
ler on the advice of my friends
and see no reason to question
either their motives or his. How
ever, it scarcely matters. I have
a good offer for the place and I
expect to sell. I suppose that you
will at least concede my right to
dispose of my own property?"
"Absolutely. But I have a right
as Matt's friend to tell you that
your loyalty to him can't amount
to much if in a few months you
can throw aside the work of his
lifetime, the land he labored and
fought for, and loved beter than
anything on earth—except you!"
He heard her quick gasp.
"And you're going to sell him
out for a little pocket money—
for this!" His brief gesture con
temptuously indicated the room,
the house, all of her life here.
"That's the best you can do for
him, after all that he sacrificed
for you."
"Oh, you're intolerable!" Her
eyes blazed; she spoke in a
breathless, unnatural way. "What
ever I may have done, or failed
to do, is between my father and
myself."
"All right," he said laconically.
"I see I was mistaken. Mistaken
in you. But before I go I want
to give you one question to ask
yourself. Why is it that the Cir
cle V, one of the best ranches in
the state, should be going to
pieces now, just when somebody
else wants to get possession of it?
I'm going back to find the an
swer, if you won't. Good-bye."
He turned with a brief nod, not
even waiting for a reply, and
went out.
As the outer door c'psed after
him he paused with ar deep, re
leasing breath and a frown for his
own hot-headedness.'
A car flashed . into the drive
and a young man stepped out.
The new-comer looked with cas
ual interest at the man who had
just come out, at the straight fig
ure, the ready-made suit, the
bronzed face weather bronze,
not sunbath tan—small things
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that stamped him as ah outland
er and an alien here. Lee re
turned the glance with a brief
stare. Unconsciously, involuntar
ily, it was a measuring glance on
both sides. Each would know the
other again.
In her own room Virginia hurl
ed from her the dress that she
had chosen so carefully. Lee had
been brutal, abominable! How
dared he say that she was not
loyal to her father's memory?
A shirker . . . The land Matt
Blair had labored and fought for
—had died for. The words spun
around in her head, around and
around, endlessly persistent.
Over there was the bell that
would bring Marie, the maid that
she and her aunt shared between
them. Marie would pack for her
swiftly, if she really decided to
go . . .
"Marie, I want you to pack
these—"
She loked up from a reckless
hurling of silken garments. It
was not Marie but Anna who
stood in the door.
"Mr. Stanley Bradisb is below,
Miss Virginia."
Virginia remembered. Stanley
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wanted her to go out on the
yacht with him before the other
guests arrived. x
"Oh! Tell him I'm sorry, but
I can't go."
Mrs. Archer was coming down
the hall. She interposed quickly.
"Surely you can get ready,
darling. It's only a little early.
I'll send Marie to you right
away."
"No, thanks, Aunt Adele. Just
tell him I'm sorry, Anna, but I
can't come at all. I'll write him
and explain."
"Virginia, what can you be
thinking of!"
Virginia's hands clenched at
her sides. The tears still shone
on her lashes. "I'm going west
tomorrow. I've got to. Please
don't ask me to talk about it."
The days and nights on a
transcontinental train were mon
otonous, but they gave Virginia
time for thought. Her first anger
at Lee dwindled and receded as a
clear little brook returns to its
banks after a freshet. She was
coming back, not to obey Lee
Hollister's high-handed com
mands, but to show him that he
was wrong. After that she would
do as she pleased with her own
property.
At Saunders Lawler was there
to meet her, so was Curly, sun
burned and grinning, waiting to
take her checks and help pack
her hand baggage into the old
car that had been good enougn
for Matt while Virginia was
away.
Only once did Lawler, a lank,
big-boned man with pale eyes
and a straggling mustache, prof
fer a remark of any moment.
They were jolting over a peculiar
ly atrocious bit of road.
"Bad goin'." he jerked. "I hope
the millionaire that's buy in' your
place will fix up this road."
"I haven't sold yet," she re
plied coldly.
"Oh, I thought you was goin'
to." A glaze seemed to have
come over Lawler's pale eyes.
1 She did not reply, and they
rattled and lurched on. The foot
hills .were opening up before
them; they dived suddenly from
prismatic brilliance into shadow,
then climbed again, through a
narrow defile to a suddenly
widening sweep, into the Valley
of the Sun. Up there was the
old ranch house and, on the
porch, hobbling excitedly on
rheumatic feet, a little, wizened
old man.
"I knowed ye'd come back,
Honey! I knowed it! There,
there!" For a proud young head
that bowed for no one had drop
ped suddenly against Joey's de
plorable flannel shirt. "There,
there," Joey crooned. "You'll be
glad ye've come. It's been awful
lonesome without ye. If that
ornery young nuisance of a Lee
Hollister hadn't come pesterin'
around again, I'd have gone
plumb out of my head."
The moment of abandon was
brief. She raised her head.
"Oh, is Lee here?"
"Well, he ain't exactly here,
but he drops in on me now and
then."
Joey shot a shrewd glance at
her, but Virginia made no com
ment. Lawler, for the moment
disregarded, had come up with
her bags and was evidently wait-
lng to go In with her. She dis
missed him carelessly. "Thanks,
Lawler. You may ieave the bags
here; Ling will look after them."
She left him, glowering and
discomfited, while she greeted
Ling. Joey followed the manager
with malicious glee.
"Pretty fine to have the boss
back, ain't it?" he asked slyly.
« » *
The afternoon had been long.
Virginia had worked energetical
ly, setting herself to unaccustom
ed tasks. In the midst of un
packing there had been an in
terminable hour of going over
dreary details and bewildering
accounts with Lawler. The Circle
V was not making enough to cov
er operating expenses and the in
terest on a burden of debt.
This was the story again, leav
ing Virginia depressed and dis
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Thursday, January 18, 1940
spirited, and glad to see Lawler
leave, she called back to Ling
that she was going to see Joey,
and walked slowly toward' the
horse corral.
(Continued Next Week)
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