Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

Every Tuesday unscrupulous rustler's plans. He lay in \ hiding a long time, waiting in vain for a, .sight o£ the rustlers, and returned to the town very late, too late to see the judge that night. Bruce Reed was before him in the morning. Very early an angry party of .cattlemen assembled at Judge Sheldon's house. The owner of the runaway horses had discovered his loss, and he came to the judge with his friends, raging with iuiger. "Guess it's time wc took the law in cur own hands," he cried. '■Yeah. It's time for the rope and the nearest tree !" shouted another. The judge himself was furious with rage and despair, for he had just found Lightning lame in his box. "Somctiiing hapi)ened to my horse in the night," he stormed. "Some skunk .got at him." "Say, judge, if that ain't too bad," 'said Bruce, coming up. "Now, boys, listeu; I've got a hunch I know who's rustling the stock." "Who?" yelled a dozen voices. " I caught that young fellow who says he conies from Arizona driving those '■horses away last night," stated Bruce impressively. "Why didn't you plug the skunk, Bruce T' shouted a, voice. ■ "I took a shot, boys, but I'm ashamed to say I missed." "Just as well, perhaps," said a rancher. '"We'll go and bring hini in, and the judge can try him proper 'cord- ing to law, and then we'll string him up." " Where's the fellow now V asked a cattleman. "He put up at Granny Wilson's," said Reed. "Get your horses and we'll go fetch him." Doris Sheldon had stood by while the angry men talked. She knew that Bruce Roed was lying, but she saw that it would be useless to appeal to the en- raged cattlemen whom the brutal BOY'S CINEMA rancher had so easily convinced. She slipped silently away while the talk was still going on, and ran at top speed over the open ground behind the house towards the road which led to Granny Wilson's. "I'll save him!" she gasped as she ran. " I'll save him yet !" In Hiding. THE little inn where Jack Allen had put up was a couple of miles from the town, and Doris Sheldon's only hope was to meet the Riding Kid on the road before the horsemen came along, for she remembered that he had pro- mised to call at the judge's house about nine o'clock. She ran swiftly along the road beneath some trees, and in a minute or two a solitary rider came in sight. It was Jack Allen, and the girl rushed up to him in eager ha.ste. "Quick, Jack, get in amongst the trees!" she gasped. "They're after you !" ■'Who's after me, Doris?" asked Jack in amazement, as he drew his horse out of sight of the road into the wood. "They mean to use the rope!" ex- claimed Doris. "Youmust go away at once !" "To use the rope?" said Jack slowly. "What do they think I've done?" "They think you rustled the cattle and those horses last night !" "Who says so?" demanded Jack angrily. "You <lon't believe that, Doris, do you ?" ■'Of cour.sc not!" exclaimed the girl indignantly. " But Bruce Reed has con- vinced them you did it. Save yourself, Jack, quick ! " "Bruce Reed, eli ? I'm going back to face that skunk and make him prove it." "That will never do," cried Doris anxiously. "They'll string you up before you've time to speak. They're mad with "rage." "Well, I'll go, Dons, if you say sc. .21 said Jack quietly, "But I'll come back to-night to see you—and thank you !" "Okay !" crieti Doris. "Only be very careful. I'll meet you down by the river crossing if I can. I'll whistle, and you wait for my signal. Now go at once." Jack rode off hurriedly through the wood just in time. A moment later Doris, cowering behind a fallen tree, saw a crowd of ranchers go at full gallop down the road towards the inn, where their search, of course, was in vain. All that day they hunte<l the district for Jack, but failed to find any trace of him, and Reed went oft' to his hide-out on Fire Mountain that evening in a very angry mood. Meanwhile Jack iiad ridden rapidly away across the plain, and on ncaring the mountain lie happened to pass the spot where he had first seen the white horse. To his astonishment the animal was there again, but this time .standing quietly under a tree. Jack dismounted as soon as he saw it, tethered his own horse to a brsuich. and crept up quietly, taking a spare bridle with him. Jack knew that if he scared the white horse it would be off and away in a second. It eyed him uneasily as he came up. but he talked to it gently and caressed it, and soon he was on its back, trotting down the glade. Pre- sently ho urged it to a gallop at full speed, and a.* he turned and sped back to the wood he knew that under him was the swiftest horse he had ever ridden in his long experience of all sorts of steeds. "Now for a real good hide-out," mut- tered Jack. "Reckon I'll try the river bank amongst the willows." After some searching he found a thick clump of willows beyond some marshy ground liy the river's edge, and there he took the two horses «ind lay hidden all day. Doris Sheldon passed the day in alter- nate hope and fear, afraid at times that " Here we are ! " cried the rancher with the ear-phones. " They've done twelve miles ! Only two left in the race ! Bruce Reed and Jack Allen. All the others are out of it.'! August Stb, 19»1,