Boy's Cinema (1935-39)

22 ranch to-day, and tlie honsekceppr there told me that Mary had left foi the north." The younger man nodded. "That's right, judge," he said, "And right now she's up at old man Hudson's place. Delaney and two of his men are with her, and so are the Hidden Valley boys and her chiwn Helen Moore." "Aw, then that's okaj'," declared Holmes. "I kind of got the idea she might be alone, and I rounded up m3' own hands in order to come and look for her. I figured it was pretty dan- gerous for her to be gallivanting around with so many outlaws and renegade Indians on the rampage, and seeing she's the daughter of a man who was one of my greatest friends "' Buck interrupted him grimly. "Judge," he stated, "it's a good thing you took the trail. Mary Grayson's far from being alone, but nevertheless, she's in danger. You see, we located her father's mine and took a shipment of gold out of it—under the eyes of a bunch of rustlers who'll stop at nothing to get their clutches on it!" As briefly as possible he related all that had occurred, and when he had heard the Ranger's story, the expres- sion on Holmes' face was stern. "And you think the outlaws will have enough nerve to attack Hudson's liiace ?" he asked. "Yes," Buck rejoined, "because there's one or two fellers in Mary's crowd that I'm not altogether sure about. But if it comes to a fight, judge; you and your men can swing the odds in our favour." Holmes gave a hitch to the gim-belt that he was Avearing under his jacket. "You can depend on us. Buck," he said. "Come on, men, let's go!" A The Missing Gold LL was quiet at the Hudson ranch, and the men detailed to aet as sentinels and give warning of anv BOY'S CINEMA attack were, for the most part, begin- ning to imagine that there was little like- lihood of the enemy risking an en- gagement. Two of the cowboys who had been posted as look-outs held a very different view, however. They were Tex and Mulford, the 'punchers in Harvey Delaney's employ, and as they squatted in the shadow of a mesquite clump on, the north side of the outfit, thej' talked of their arrangement with Dirk's gang in low and guarded tones. "I wonder when they'll show up," breathed Mulford. "Pretty soon now," Tex opined. " They musta settled with Grant by this time, and they was to come back here directly afterwards. When they do, our job is to sit tight and let 'em past." Mulford uttered a grunt. " Even then they're liable to run into a good deal o' trouble." he said. " Hudson's three cow-hands and them Hidden Valley hombres will put up a good fight, vou can depend on that, Tex." "Maybe they will," the other re- joined. "But if Dirk and the gang play their cards right and make the most of the element o' surprise, they oughta wipe out all opposition." 'There was a silence, and then Mulford spoke again. "Y'know. Tox," he mentioned, "I've been thinkin' things over, and I've got a lumch that might "turn out to be some helpful to Dirk. Supposin' we was to slip back and stampede all the horses outa the corral behind the ranch-house? That would give everybody here some- thing to take their minds off a night- attack, and while they was tryin' to round up the animiles Dirk and the boys could bear down on 'em." Tex was listening to him interestedly, and it was clear that he was impressed by the scheme. "Mvdford," he declared, "that's a smart idea, and it's worth tryin'. We'll Every Tuesday put it up to Dirk and the gang when thej' arrive." Huddled in the shadow of the mesquite clump, they spent the next teo ' or fifteen minutes in scanning the ground in front of them, and presently they fancied thej' detected movements in a thicket some little distance away. A few seconds later they knew that they had not been mistaken, for all at once they saw a file of men sneak from the brushwood and crawl into an arroyo that led towards the ranch. Those men were the outlaws whoih Tex and Mulford were expecting, and without a word the treacherous cowboys crejit across to the dry, ragged hollow in order to intercept them. They came face to face with Dirk and five rustlers, and Tex spoke in a whisper. "IJid you get Grant?" he demanded, "No," growled Dirk. "He gave iis the slip, and we couldn't afford to lose time chasin' him. &vo we back-tracked and then made a wide circle to approach the Hudson outfit from the north, accordin' to plan. Is • everythin' set?" Tex laid a hand on his arm. "Just a minute, pardner," he said. " Mulford here has got a hunch, and I think it's a good one. Listen while I tell yuh." He outlined the other cowboy's scheme, and Dirk nodded appreciatively when it had been explained to him. "Sounds okay," lie murmured. "Does the chief know about it?" "No. But I reckon he'll thank Mul- ford when he hears of it. Now, you tellers stay here until we've turned them horses loose. Then come a-runniu', see?" Dirk and his associates answered in chorus, and Delaney's two employees then slmik out of the arroyo and made for a fenced-in enclosure at the rear of the Hudson ranch-house. Here thie ponies of the old cattleman's visitors had been corralled, and, on reaching tlio Oclober eitli, IBSC Buck and his comrade forced the gangsters back against the wall.