Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 106: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ee aay te tre ees CR © te A 0 96 THE ARGOSY. in the depths. It appeared that the men who had fought Lawler in the past were now careful to do nothing that would bring upon them a demonstration of his new power. Gary Warden, however, was not fearful of Lawler’s official power. In fact, he was openly, contemptuous when Lawler’s name was mentioned in his presence. Face to face with Lawler, he was afflicted with an emotion that was akin to fear, though with it was mingled the passionate hatred he had always felt for the man, _ While Lawler had been at the Circle L Warden had fought him secretly, with mo- tives that arose from a determination to- control the cattle industry. Warden had had behind him the secret power of the. State Government and the clandestine co-. operation of the railroad company. His fight against Lawler had been in the na- ture of business, in which the advantage had been all on his side. Now, however, intense personal feeling dominated Warden. Lawler had beaten him, so far, and the knowledge intensified the man’s rage against his conqueror. The railroad company’s corral had yawned emptily during the entire fall season. Not a hoof had been shipped through Willets. All the cattlemen of the district had driven their stock to Red Rock. And Warden no longer smiled at the empty corral. Looking out of one of his office windows this morning Warden scowled. He re- membered a day, a year or so ago, when he had stood at one of the windows of his office watching Della Wharton wave a handkerchief at Lawler. She had been rid- ing out of town in a buckboard, with Aunt Hannah beside her, and Lawler had just come from the railroad station. That incident had spread the poison of jealousy in Warden’s veins; the recollec- tion of it had caused him to doubt Della’s story of what had happened at the line cabin during the blizzard of the preced- ing winter; it had filled him with the mad- dening conviction that Lawler had deliber- ately tried to alienate Della’s affections— that Lawler, knowing Della to be vain and frivolous, had intentionally planned the girl’s visit to the line cabin. He did not blame Della for what had happened. Lawler had been at the bottom of the affair; Lawler had planned it all, merely to be reyenged upon him for his refusal to keep the agreement that had been made with Lefingwell. Lawler, despite his reputation for square dealing, had struck at him underhandedly, viciously. Warden sneered as his thoughts went to that day in Jordan’s office when Lawler, a deadly threat in his eyes, had leaned close to him to warn him. Warden remembered the words—they bad flamed in his con- sciousness since. | ‘ But get this straight,’ Lawler had said. “'You’ve got to fight me/ Understand? You'll drag no woman into it. You went to Hamlin’s ranch the other day. God’s grace and a woman’s mercy permitted you to get away, alive. Just so sure as you mo- lest a woman in the section, just so sure will I kill you, no matter who your friends are!”’ Apparently, in Lawler’s code of morals, it was one thing to force one’s attentions upon a pretty woman. and another thing to steal the affections of a woman promised to an- other man. But Warden’s passion permitted him to make no distinction. And his rage was based upon the premise that Lawler was guilty. Warden’s thoughts grew abysmal - as he stood at the window; and considera- tions of business became unimportant in his mind as a satanic impulse seized him. He stood for a long time at the window, and when he finally seized hat and coat and went down into the street he was mut- tering, savagely: “God’s grace. and a woman’s mercy. Bah! Damn you, Lawler; I’ll make you squirm!” CHAPTER XXXVII. THE JAWS OF THE WOLF. OR more than a month—or from a few days following the night on which she had seen her father talking with Dave Sin- gleton—Ruth Hamlin had been aware that her parent was acting strangely. There had been an interval—directly after that wy