ROBBERS' I ROOST by Zane Grey r Copyright.?WNU Service SYNOPSIS Jim Wall, young cowpuncher from Wyoming, In the early days of the cat tle Industry, seeks a new field In Utah. He meets Hank Hays, who admits be ing a robber, and tells Wall he is working for an Englishman, Herrlck, who has located a big ranch In the mountains. Herrlck has employed a small army' of rustlers and gun-fight ers, and Hays and others^are plotting to steal their employer's cattle and money. Hays gets into an argument with a gambler over a poker game. Wall saves Hank's life by blufllng the gambler out of shooting. CHAPTER II?Continued "H?1?you say," panted Stud, But that ringing taUnt had cut the force of his purpose. "You've got a gun In each Inside vest pocket," said Wall, contemptu ously. The gambler let his hands relax and slide off the table. Stud shuffled to his feet, malignant and beaten for the moment "Hays, you an' me are even," he said, gruffly. "But I'll meet your new pard some other time and then there'll be a show-down." "Shore, Stud. No hard feelln's on my side," drawled Hays. The little gambler stalked to the bar, drank and left the saloon. Hank Hays turned round. "Jim, thet feller did have two guns Inside bis vest I never saw them, till you gave It away. He?would have killed me." "I think he would, Hays," returned Wall. "You were sitting bad for ac tion." "Right yOu are, Jim, and I'm much obliged to you. I'd like to know some thin'." "What's that?" "Did you bluff him?" "Hardly. I had him figured. It was a pretty good bet he wouldn't try to draw. But If he had made a move?" "Ahuh. It'd been all day with him. . . . This gambler Stud has a name out here for beln' swift on the draw. He's killed?" "Bah 1" cut In Wall, good-humoredly. "Men who can handle guns don't pack them that way." Presently they bade Red good night and went outside. "Where you sleepin'?" asked Hays. "Left my pack In the stall out back with my horse. What do we do to morrow?" "I was thlnkln' of thet We'll shake the dust of Green River. I reckon to morrow we'd better stock up on every thin' an' hit the trail for the Henrys." "Suits me," replied Wall. "Wal, then, good night Breakfast here early," concluded Hays A red sunrise greeted Wall upon his awakening. When, a little later, he presented himself at the back of Red's house for breakfast he was to find Hays, Happy Jack and Brad Lincoln ahead of him. They had breakfast. "Brad, you fetch your pack horses round back," ordered the leader, when they got outside. "Happy, you get yourself a hoss. Then meet us at the store quick as you can get there.. . . Jim, you come with me." "Hays, Tm In need of some things," said Wall. Hays drew out a handful of bills and pressed them upon Wall. "Shore. Buy what outfit you need an' don't forget a lot of shells," re plied Hays. "If I don't miss my guess well have a smoky summer. Haw 1 Haw! . . . Here's the store." A bright young fellow, who looked to be the son of the proprietor, took charge of Wall. A new saddle blan ket was Wall's first choice, after which he bought horseshoes and nails, a hammer and file, articles he had long needed, and the lack of which had made Bay lame. After that he select ed a complete new outfit of wearing apparel, a new tarpaulin, a blanket, rope, and wound up with a goodly sup-_ ply oTshell!7o?Tiis .45"revolver. ~EilTe wlse fie got some boxes of .44 rifle shells. " Half an hour later the four men, driving five packed horses and two nnpacked, rode off behind the town across the flat toward the west Com ing to a road, Hays led on that for a mile or so. and then branched off on a seldom-used trail. Towards sunset they drew down to the center of a vast swale, where the green Intensified, and the eye of the range rider could see the Influence of water. Hays halted for camp at a swampy sedge plot where water oozed out and grass was thick enough to hold the horses. "Aha I Good to be out again, boys," said Hays, heartily. "Throw saddles an' packs. Turn the bosses loose. Happy, you're elected cook. Rest of os rustle somethln' to burn." Jim rambled far afield to collect an armload of dead stalks of cactus, grease-wood, sunflower; and dusk was mantling the desert when he got back to camp. Happy Jack was whistling about a little fire; Hays knelt before a pan of dough, which he was knead ing; Llnclon was busy at some camp chore. "Wall, I don't like store bread," Hays was saying. "Give me sour dough biscuits. . . . How about you, Jim?" "Me, too. And I'd like some cake," ; replied Jim. dropping bis load. "Cake! Wal, listen to our new hand. Jack, can you bake cake?" "Sure. We got flour an' sugar an' milk. Did you fetch some eggs?" "Haw! Haw! . . . Thet reminds me. though. We'll get eggs over at Star ranch. None of you ever seen such a ranch. Why, fellers, Herrlck's bought every dura' hoss, burro, sow, I steer, chicken In the whole country." "So you said before," returned Lin coln. "I'm sure curious to see this Gngllsher. Must have more money than brains." "He hasn't got any sense. But Lordy, the money he's spent!" Jim sat down to rest and listen. "Queer deal?a rich Englishman hirln' men like us to run his outfit," pondered Lincoln, In a puzzled tone. "I don't understand It." "Wal, who does? I can't, thet's shore. But It's a fact, an' we're goin' to be so rich pronto thet we'll Jest about kill each other." "More truth than fun In thet. Hank, old boy, an' don't you forget It," re joined Lincoln. "How do you aim to get rich?" "Shore, I've no Idee. Thet'U all come. I've got the step on Heeseman an' his pards." "He'll be aimin' at precisely the same deal as you." . "Shore. We'll have to kill Heese man an' Progar, sooner or later. I'd like it sooner." "I don't like the deal," concluded Lincoln, forcibly. Presently they sat to their meal, and ate almost In silence. Darkness settled down. One by one they sought their beds, and Wall was the last. Dawn found them up and doing. Wall fetched In some of the horses; Lincoln the others. By sunrise they were on the trail, which about mid afternoon led down through high gravel banks {o a wide stream bed, dry except In the middle of the sandy waste. "This here's the Muddy," announced Hays for Jim's benefit. "Bad enough when the water's up. But nothln' to the Dirty Devil. Nothln' at all." "What's the Dirty Devil?" asked Jim. "It's a river an' It's well named, you can gamble on that. We'll cross It tomorrow some time." Next camp was on higher ground above the Muddy. Here Hays and Lincoln renewed their argument about the Herrlck ranch deaL It proved what Wall had divined?this Brad Lincoln was shrewd, cold, doubt ful and aggressive. Hays was not distinguished for any cleverness. He was merely an unscrupulous robber. These men were going to clash. That was Inevitable, Jim calculated. Early the next day Jim Wall had reason to be curious about the Dirty Devil river, for the descent Into the defiles of desert to reach It was a most remarkable one. The trail, now only a few dim old hoof tracks, wound tortuously down and down Into deep canyons. The tracks Hays was following failed and he got lost In a labyrinthine mare of deep washes Impossible to escape from. Lincoln: got off his horse and went down the canyon, evidently search ing for a place to climb up to the rim above. He returned In an as sertive manner and. mounting, called for the others to follow. "I hear the river an' I'm makin' for It," said Lincoln. Jim had heard a faint, low mur mur, which had pzzulcd him, and which he had not recognized They all followed Lincoln. Eventually he led them Into a narrow, hlgh-walled canyon where ran the Dirty Devil. The water was muddy, but as It was shallow the riders forded It without more mishap than a wetting. Still they were lost. There was nothing to do, however, but work up ? side canyon. Hays led them to a camp-site that never could have been expected there. "Fellers, 111 bet you somethln'," be said, before dismounting. "There's a roost down In thet country where never In Gawd's world could anybody And us." "Ha! An' when they did lt'd be only our bleached bones," scoffed Lincoln. There never had been any love lost between these two men, Jim conjec tured. After supper Jim strolled away from camp, down to where the can yon opened upon a nothingness of space and blackness and depth. The hour hung suspended between dusk and night He felt an overpowering sense of the Immensity of this region of mountain, gorge, plain and butte. While Jim Wall meditated there in the gathering darkness he was vis ited by an inexplicable reluctance to go on with this adventure. CHAPTER III Nert morning they got a late start. Nevertheless Hays assured Jim that they would reach Star ranch towards evening. The trail led up a wide, shallow, gravelly canyon full of green growths. They rode on side by side. The trail led Into a wider one, coming around from the northeast. Jim did not miss fresh hoof tracks, and Hays was not far behind In discovering them. "Woods full of riders," he mut tered. "How long have you been gone. Hays?" Inquired Jim. "From Star ranch? Let's see. Must be a couple of weeks. Too long, by gosh! Herrlck sent me to Grand Junction. An' on the way back I cir cled. Thet's how I happened to make Green River." "Did you expect to meet Happy Jack and Lincoln there?" "Shore. An' some more of my out fit But I guess you'll more'n make up for the other fellers." "Hope I don't disappoint you," said Jim, dryly. "Well, you haven't so far. Only I'd feel better, Jim, If you'd come clean with who you air an' what you air." "Hays, I didn't ask you to take me on." "Shore, you're right. Reckon I figured everybody knew Hank Hays. Why, there's a town down here named after me, Hankville." "A town? No one would think It" "Wal, It ain't much to brag on. A few cabins, the first of which I threw up with my father years ago. In his later years he was a prospector. We lived there for years. I trapped fur up here In the mountains. In fact I got to know the whole country except thet Black Dragon canyon, an' thet hellhole of the Dirty Devil. . . . My old man was shot by rustlers." "I gathered you'd no use for rus tlers. . . . Well, then, Hays, how'd you fall Into your present line of business?" "Haw 1 Haw 1 Present line. Thet's a good cgie. Now, Jim, what do you reckon thet line Is?" "You seem to be versatile, Hays. But If I was to Judge I'd say you re lieved people of surplus cash." "Very nice put, Jim. I'd hate to be a low-down thief. . . . Jim, I was an honest man once, not so long ago. It was a woman who made me what I am today. Thet's why I'm cold on women." "Were you ever married?" went on Jim, stirred a little by the other's crude pathos. "Thet was the h?1 of It," replied Hays, and he seemed to lose desire to confide further. They rode Into the zone of the foothills, with ever-Increasing evi dence of fertility. But Jim's view had been restricted for several hours, permitting only occasional glimpses up the gray-black slopes of the Henrys and none at all of the low country. inererore Jim wag scarcely pre pared to come rouDd a corner and out Into the open. Stunned by the magniflcence of the scene he would have halted Bay on the spot, but he espied Hays waiting for him ahead. "Wal, pard, this here Is Utah," said Hays, as Jim came up, and his voice held a note of pride. "Round the corner here you can see Herrlck's valley an" ranch. It's a bit of rich land thirty miles long an' half as wide, narrowln' like a wedge. Now let's ride on, Jim, an' have a look at It" Across the mouth of Herrlck's gray ireen valley, which opened under the escarpment from which Jim gazed, extended vasf level green and black lines of range, one above the other, each projecting farther out Into that blue abyss. "Down In there somewhere this Hank Hays will find bis robbers' roost" soliloquized Jim, and turned his horse again Into the trail. Jim Wall had seen as many cattle dotting a verdant grass, watered valley as ever he had viewed In the great herds driven up from Texas to Abilene and Dodge, or on the Wind River Range of Wyoming. A rough estimate exceeded ten thousand head. He had taken Hays with a grain of salt But here was an Incomparable range and here were the cattle. Nc doubt beyond the timbered blult across the valley lay another depres sion like this one. and perhaps there were many extending like spokes of a wheel down from the great huh of the Henry mountains. But where was the market for this unparalleled range? TO BE CONTINUED Real Generosity Our purse should not be so closed that our kind feelings cannot open It nor yet so unfastened that It lies open to all. A limit should be set and II should depend on our means.?Cicero. He Felt an Overpowering Sense of the Immensity of This Region. Frocks for College-Going Girls By CHERIE NICHOLAS WHEN it comet to thrills for the college girl who is selecting her going-away-to-school frocks it is the 1 stunning new and versatile materials which cause hearts to beat faster. To be sure there is everything Im aginable to be had in the way of su per-hue buttons, and other clever gad i gets together with most beguiling neck wear fantasies to help out when j occasion demands, but In the main it's the garment which speaks in terms of handsome material along lines of | studied simplicity which wins the highest number of credits. There is that about the woolens and 1 silks and velvets and synthetic weaves as shown this season which is so in trinsically decorative and satisfying to the eye, little or no frills or furbelows j seem to be required to accent the cos tumes they fashion. Which, no doubt, Is the reason why advance fashions i indicate that the college girl's ward robe will, for the most part, be styled on the same smartly simple tailored I lines favored by chic business women. The model to the left in the picture j is a dress of this type. The plaid ' chulla crepe which fashions it is in Itself so attractive and self-sufficient, fussy dressmaker detail would detract from its "classy" simplicity. For serv ice, for looks and for real Joy in the wearing a crepe of this sort Is ideal, and listen to this, ye coeds who needs must watch your budget with an eagle eye, these all-rayon crepe prints are easily washable and iron out smooth and lovely as if by magic?the prob lem of going back and forth to be dry cleaned is entirely done away with. This plaid (brown, egg-shell and rust is its color scheme) two-piece Is cut on the j now-so-vogulsh shirtmaker lines with a neat grosgrain belt, bow tie and j grosgraln-covered buttons (button links on the double cuffs) to set it off. j Speaking of unusual materials, the dress centered in the group, so sophis ticated in its simplicity. Is made of, guess what!?sports tulle. This fabric is so perfectly new It's the "last word." The claim to fame of this novel and ! I very good-looking sports-tulle is based on the delightsome sheerness of Its weave which together with the fact that It lends Itself perfectly to simple lines and classic tailoring assures Its prestige as a medium admirably adapt ed to wear at teas and bridge parties and other smart daytime gatherings. In this model, so simple yet so distinc tive in Its cut, Alls, who created It of sports-tulle in a black and white mixed effect, has certainly contrived to give the college girl or any young woman of fashion for that matter, the Ideal all year-round afternoon dress. A frock of satin and a frock of velvet should by ail means be Included In an up-and-golng-places college girl's wardrobe. The new daytime satins are as practical as they are stunning i In appearance, and so wonderfully slenderizing, fashioned as many of them are with sleek-fitting skirts slit | at the hemline In order to give ease of movement. The model pictured to the right In the group Is styled along ' girlish lines and with Its Jacket be , comes a many-purpose costume which can be tuned at will to street or Indoor afternoon wear. The treatment of I the neckline Is interesting, the collar being formed of loops of white velvet ribbon edged with black. In regard to velvet the big news Is smart trimming suits with narrow skirts and neat-fitting jackets, the ! sort college girls simply adore. 1 ?. Western Newspaper Union. HIGH-STYLE ITEMS Bj CURB IE NICHOLAS ?unien wno neiignr m vens ran wear them to their heart's cortfent, for they are decidedly in the fashion pic ture. Worn with just the right air. veils can be coquettish and glamorous and the newer veils have that way about them. The pointed contour of the veil pictured is a recent accent which will especially delight the young girl who takes delight In an air of sophistication. I-ace slippers for eve ning match the lace frock. I'adova, who created this exquisite type of footwear, has combined black lace and black satin In this model, with white satin under the lace to bring out the delicate patterning. A great vogue Is In promise for this type of luxury foot wear, this coming fall and winter. FALL BRIDAL GOWN HAS HEAVY TRAIN The trains on the new fall wedding gowns mean a heavy day's work for I some bridal attendants. Nine or ten ! feet of shimmering satin will slither down the aisle behind the bride. To dress the bride will be no small ' task, too, if she has chosen Oermaine Montell's favorite wedding robe. This designer has a penchant for trains, surpassed only by her love for j frills and bows. This fall she gives women a chance to wear stiff white j Jabots that protrude four Inches from severe black frocks. And "flsh-tal!" trains. She still likes them, although many designers have chopped them off. A pert little train for evening and a deep skirt slash In front Two-Piece Frock It Due for Popularity Thit Fall Many of the daytime frocks begin ning to appear Jast now contain more -pirtnre ; for the autumn. Two-piece tunic frocks appear at | the smartest places, many of them In silk, making It easy to visualize this fashion in woolens. A typical advanced style frock is a two-piece tunic town model in beige silk. The line is fairly severe but Is soft ened by an enormous ruffled Jabot cut from the dress fabric and pulled through a ring at the side of the neck line for fastening. Long Saihei, Wide Belts Wide belts are used on the new ' fall sports clothes. And long, bowing sashes, tied In front, are shown on street and afternoon dresses. Tortoise Shell Clips Tortoise shell or crystal hemi spheres rimmed and centered with gold make smart clips designed for winter frocks. NSNSffl I ^puBllc L*"??r | The Great Express Com pany Robbery IT WAS In the early eighties that one of the cleverest crooks In the coun try stood outside of the wired enclos ure of an Adams express office and looked longingly at a package of bank notes on a shelf beyond his reach. It was near the noon hour and most of the clerks were preparing to gc out for lunch. The crook noticed that some of them wore linen dusters and that when they left the enclosure they doffed these of fice coats and tossed them to one side It did not take this gentleman long to come to his determination. The door leading to the enclosute was partly opened. lie slipped Inside and, tossing his bat Into a corner, hastily put on an Ink-smeared linen duster that had been discarded. He stuck a pen behind his ear and In that guise readily resembled one of the regular clerks. He was In the enclosure less thaD a minute, and when he departed he carried with him a package of bonds which was estimated to be worth $10, 000. A few days after this It was report ed that a man entered one of the old est and wealthiest banks In the city of Philadelphia, and by means of s sharpened umbrella pulled out a pack age of money from behind one of the j grilled windows and made his escape with it. The sum was placed at $1,000, but ! that was the least part of it. The audacity of the theft was what caused consternation In the financial ; district. If such things wore possible, then i no Institution would be safe. These two cases were much talked about, and they were especially Inter- j estlng to Francis Kelly, the famous bank detective who patroled the finan cial district In Philadelphia and whose beat Included the custom house, the sub-treasury and the famous banking house of Drexel & Co.. the Philadel phia branch of Drexel, Morgan & Co. Kelly was not only a keen student of human nature, but he knew the ways of the get-rlch-qulck members of the criminal fraternity. He discussed the matter with one of his associates. ?'I'd be willing to stake my reputa tion on the fact that both of these Jobs were done by Chauncey John son," he said. "I know his methods like a book and I don't know another man in the United States who could have pulled them off as neatly as Johnson." Kelly had been In the United States secret service and had also been chief of detectives In Philadelphia, but at that time was In the employ of the houses In the financial district. He acted, as he often said, as a "preventive." The bank crooks knew that he was on the Job there, and as a consequence they gave that section a pretty wide berth. But the moth will hover around the flame, and one morning Kelly noticed a rather striking-looking man in the neighborhood of the Drexel bank. The detective watched him for some moments, and presently the man en tered the portals of the bank. Kelly walked up to him and touched him | on the shoulder. "Good-morning. Chauncey." he said familiarly, "what are you doing here?" "I don't know you." was the gruff reply, "and that's not my name." "Why," was the cheerful reply, "ev I erybody knows Chauncey Johnson, and I'm somebody." It was Impossible to brazen It out any longer, and the famous bank rob ber admitted his Identity. He Insisted, however, that he had no evil Intentions on this particular bank and had walked In for the purpose of looking at the large oil painting of the founder of the house. The explanation was accepted, but the man was taken Into custody and lodged In the city hall. Later he was escorted to New York, where It was said that he was wanted for the Adams Express company rob bery. The moral Is that It is dangerous to take too many chances?even If you are at the head of your profession. WNU 8?rvlc?. Science Witnesses Evolution Scientists are now permitted to see evolution in actual progress because -of the discovery of-mt- qrrrrtt- on *??+ southern game preserve. This brick red specimen of the ordinary bob white Is exactly like the rest of the family except as to color. This sub species breeds true to color even when mated with the usual brown and white birds. It is the first time that natural evolution has ever been witnessed and consequently scientists are keeping a close watch on the birds.?Pathfinder Magazine. New Sleeping Luxury Ceiba fiber, the product of a tropical tree already widely used for insulating purposes, now bids fair to replace wool and down in the manufacture of bed quilts and comforters. Testa have proven it to be 22 per cent more efll cient than wool for this purpose and as light in weight as the softest down. In addition this material is said to be naturally moth-proof and resistant to odors and does, not have a tendency tc "ball up'* in the cleaning process as do ordinary comfortable fillers. Housewife's Idea Box Selection of Shortening Some care must be used Id select ing the proper shortening for frying purposes. To fry properly, the short ening must be raised to a high temperature. Some fats smoke be fore they reach this temperature. These fats are not good. As soon as fat smokes it begins to change chemically and quickly becomes rancid. THE HOUSEWIFE. @ Public Ledger, Inc.?WNU Service. Girls Unite Enemy Tribes Through the work of Girl Guides In Africa two native tribes, 180 miles apart, which have been enemies for centuries, have decided to be friends. Each tribe has its Girl Guide com pany. and they decided this year to have a Joint camp. The invitation was sent from tribe number one. The Guides of tribe number two re sponded and walked the entire 180 miles for a fortnight's fellowship. The shyness of the first few hours was soon broken, as with their lead ers they Joined in preparing the common meal and helping the old people in the village. In doing their good deeds they soon became friends. Older members of the tribes liked the friendship idea and adopted it. No More Freckles; Weather-Beaten Skin It is ?o easy now to hare a lovely akin of satin-like texture; to hare smooth, white, flawless new beauty. Just begin tonight r 7*~~ Djr using iamouj . Nadinola Bleach in* f Cream, tested and j trusted for over a generation. The min ute you smooth it on, Nadinola begins to whiten, smooth and clear your skin. Tan and freckles; muddy, sallow color vanish quickly. You feel its tonic effect imme diately and almost overnight you see beneficial results, ra uiaui Btw urauiy in your complexion. No long waiting; no disappoint menu. Money back guarantee. Get a large box of Nadinola Bleaching Cream at your favorite toilet counter, or by mail, postpaid, only 50c. NADINOLA, Box 11. "Paris, Tenn. Ambition's Spar Ambition is a longing that makes some men near great. DO YOO SUFFER FROM NEURITIS? American and European Scien tists Agree That Mineral Water Is Beneficial ? TRY THIS NATURAL WAY People spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year going to the great mineral water health resorts of Europe and America. Many of these people have to travel thousands of miles. Many of them were suffering untold pain from "rheumatic" aches, from arthritis, from neuritis, from gout. Others suffered from certain stomach ail ments or excess acid or sluggishness or a general rundown condition. The scientific and medical records of Europe and America show that a very large percentage of these people gained blessed relief and help by these natural mineral water treat ments. Today, however, you do not have to travel long distances to partake of the healthful qualities of fine natural mineral water. You do not even have to pay the excessive cost of having it shipped to you in quart or gallon con tainers. For Crazy Water Crystals bring to your own home the precious minerals of one of the world's fine mineral waters in crystal form at a great saving in expense. ly nothing is added. you do is add Crazy Water Crystals to your drinking water and you have a great mineral water which has benefited millions. If you, or any of your friends, suf fer from "rheumatic" aches or pains we suggest you investigate Crazy Water Crystals at once. Just ask any of the millions of people who have given them a full and fair trial and you will realize how beneficial they have been to so many sufferers. The standard size box costs only $1.50 and makes enough mineral water for several weeks treatment. Crazy Water Co, Mineral Wells, Texas. fluzy are for sale by dealers displaying the red and green Craxy Water Crystals sign. Get a bo* today.

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