Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

8 once more for the wash-basin to remove the remains of the soap. "You know my skin's tender!" Throughout the remainder of that day, Jim was permitted to roam the hollow, but was kept under surveillance. Late in the afternoon ho came upon Ncvady in the farmyard, fixing up his trap. The trigger was touclied by accident, and the jaws of the trap closed mercilessly upon a podgy finger. Ncvady gave vent to a howl of pain. Jim raised his eyebrows, and Nevady scowled at him. "It worked," he said. "I want to catch a skunk in it." "You got one," laughed Jim. "Too bad you didn't'have your neck'in it!" He went into Highpockets' cabin, and tliat lanky caricature of a man found him there tidying up the jjlace—^and st-ared. Ther<»can!e a thump at the door, and ho opened it to find Minnie, a ijlump and middle-aged Indian squaw, who was Helen's faithful cook and housekeeper, ixiering through the window at Jim. "What do ijou want?" growled High- pockets. "Miss Helen, she say tell-the stranger she expecting him to dinner to-night," was the unexpected reply, and Muiuio stepped into the cabin to deliver the message in person, her plaits swinging defiantly. "You tell Miss Helen I'll be de- lighted," said Jim. The squaw retreated, but lingered out- side the door to listen for conniicnts. Highpockets was speechless with indig- na-tion, but Jim said confidentially : "You know. Miss Helen is just the kind of girl I'd like to marry. Just my style !" "Gar!" growled Highpockets, while Minnie ran back to her mistress, laugh- ing as though she had heard a great joke. "Miiniie," said Helen severely, "what is it that's so funny?" "The stranger," cackled Minnie, "he say he like to marry a girl like you. You just his style." "Oh!" exclaimed Helen involuntarily. Arid then : " He looks rather nice now he's shaved, doesn't he'/" she said thoughtfully. "I've seen him several times out of the window. A real man, eh?" "And his chest!" enthused Minnie. "It is so broad! And his jaw, so strong 1 And his eyes, so clear ! I cook a nice dinner I" \ Nevady Remembers. THE dinner was a great success, though it was spied upon through the two windows of the living- room by nearly all the members of the outfit, wiio utterly disapproved of it. Jim and Helen became friendly over the meal, and Jim was enrolled as a member of the gang long before it was over. A measure of intimacy having developed, Jim suggested a stroll in the moonlight, to which Helen quite readily agreed. They walked and talked under the trees—ond Jim appeared to be entirely imconscious of the suspicious men who followed ihcm about at a discreet distance. -As day followed day, Higlipockets and Nevady became more and more con- rorned about the increasing friendship bctwocn their young mistress and tlie stranger. But Jim proved a w-ondorful cowboy and a real help in the running of the ranch; and ho treated Higli- pockets as ft firm chum because he shared his cabin, and Highpockets struggled valiantly not to like him. Bad enough—from the lanky one's point of September 19th, lOSl. BOY'S CINEMA view—that Miss Helen had fallen under the stranger's spell.j A week after Jim's dramatic arrival, he and Helen indulged in a i^ace across the hollow to a fallen tree- on its southenmrost side, one afternoon, and she beat him easily. " Well, you won," laughed Jim, as he arrived ten lengths at least behind Helen. "Yes, I won this time," responded Helen, seating herself on the tree-trunk. "But I wonder if I'll always win?" Jim stood looking down at her. Her cheeks weje flushed, her eyes were very bright. " You're awfully mysterious, Miss Helen,' he told her. "I don't know what you mean." "I mean all this," she replied with a sweeii of her hand. "Living like a hunted beast—outside the law. I'm wondering what the outcome will be." "Well," said Jim gravely, "there's only one end for an outlaw. You know what that is." "Yes, I know," she said quite frankly. "I've thought of it many times. Oh, I'm not thinking of mys»lf, but of Tubby, Highpockets, Nevady and the others. They're outlaws just because of their loyalty to me." At that very moment Tubby, High- pockets and Nevady were watching the pair from a distance, and their view of the situation was summarised by High- pockets thus: "She's invited him to supper five times in succession. I'm wondorin' if she's fallin' for him." "You wonder?" growled Tubby. "I know darned well she is ! Come on— it's not for us to butt in." The three retreated. Jim, dropping down beside Helen, said to her earnestly : " Why didn't you let the law take care of all that happened, instead of taking revenge into your own hands?" "The law!" she echoed bitterly. "Do you suppose I wanted to do what I'm doing ? There's never been any law in Lorado Valley—except the law Matt Taylor made. If your father had been shot down in cold blood and your ranch destroyed with fire, what would you have done?" "About the same thing as you did, I guess," admitted Jim. That evening Highpockets, Tubby and Nevady, riding towards the gulch to re- ceive reports from those who guarded it, stared blankly at a wiry, middle-aged man with a chin beard who was gallop- ing in their direction. It was Lynn Alder. "Why, what's the matter?" he cried as he drew near. "You fellows look like you'd seed a ghost!" "That's what we thought you was. for a minute," d(^c!arod Highpockets. "We figgered you was dead." "Yeah," )iut in Tubby. "The fellow who brouglit in the supply-wagon said you'd been busli-whacked." "The heck he did!" laughed Lynn; but offered no further explanation, for Novady's ugly face had become twisted ■with sudden recollection. "It's just come to me!" he cried. " Who that stranger is! He's a Ranger I" Lynn pursed his lips; but High- pockets howled : "What?" "We is that !" insisted Nevady. "Last time I saw him he was handcuffed to a prisoner down in Mexico Joe's place— on the border!" Tubby gave vent to a shrill whistle; Iliphporkets, tugging at. his enormous moustache, said thoughtfully : "A Ranger, eh? That puts us in a Every Tuesday tough spot, boys! We've got no direct quarrel with the law." "No," snorted Nevadj-, "but we got to look after ourselves." " And Miss Helen, too," nodded High- pockets. "I've got a plan, boys. Look! Here they come now. Quick—get out of sight 1" All four scattered, seeking cover be- hind a bush, as Helen and Jim wan- dered up together. " I'm expecting you for diimcr, don't forget," said Helen, and turned in the direction of the ranch-house. Jim leaned against a tree-trunk, and was rolling a cigarette when the four bobbed up from behind the bush, with their guns in their hands. "What's up?" inquired Jim—and grinned at Lynn Alder. They surrounded him, and High- pockets assumed the role of spokesman. He informed Jim that they all knew now that he was a Ranger; and he did not deny the accusation. "I gotta proposition to make," said Highpockets. " We got no quarrel w-ith the Rangers, and we'd like to avoid having any. Give us your word of honour you'll leave and forget every- thing, and you'll ride out a free man." "Thanks!" said Jim gruffly. "And I wish I could; but it's not on the cards, boys. I've already given my word of honour'—to the Rangers." "Well, there's only one course left," declared Highpockets significantly. " I understand," nodded Jim re- signcdlj'. "Do what you're going to do—hut don't let Miss Helen know who I am." "We've decided that ! We'll fix things so that you just naturally disappearl"' and we'll tell her you deserted." "Thanks!" said Jim ironically. "Come on, fellows," barked High- pockets. " We gotta lot to do." Jim was conveyed Isack to the cabin and made a prisoner in it; and at least five men mounted guard over him to see that he did not escape. But Minnie came to announce that dinner was ready —and this was «. contingency for which Helen's devoted followers had not provided. "Well, I guess you better go through with it," decided Highpockets gloomily. "We'll wait till after you've ate. But don't try anything funny, young fellow —we'll be watching you from every window." "Yeah," drawled Nevady, "and you'd better make the most o' this meal. Ranger, 'cause it's j'our last one on this earth !" "Eat hearty, too," added Tubby. "They tell me the devil don't overfeed his guests!" In the Hands of the Enemy. IT was a remarkable meal that followed. Jim was escorted to the ranchhouse, and in the living-room he sat beside Helen at table; but his appetite was conspicuous by its absence. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and every other minute he glanced frorii one window to another, wondering if the watchers would decide to shoot him while he offered so conspicuous a target,^ instead of waiting till the meal was over, as promised. "What's the matter?" asked Helen. "You're the mysterious oiie to-night! Is it too hot in "here? Shall I open a window ?" "No," said Jim hastily. "I—er—I just had a kink in my neck. A man gets it once in a lifetime, you know." Somehow he managed to swallow some fooirl, though he felt that it would choke him. And once when he looked at a window, Nevady displayed his clasp-knife as though he were slitting a