Judith of the Godless Valley

se that n

dma B

eam to the hay wagon. Just as he prepared to climb over the wheel, Judith cam

h after some colts. You come with me and help feed. I'm goin

and walked deliberately toward the fence. As he climbed it, he said, "Judith, you aren'

with a look of en

lained Douglas heavily. "If you aren

nd why?" deman

. "Jude, you get down a

their way across the older man's face. J

g Spencer! You're no

ood-by, Doug; I hope you recover

on his father's shoulder. "

ed up, pulled her into his arms, ran her into the feed shed, turned the key in the padlock and put the key in his pocke

moment to subdue the bo

wagon, Judith!

o his father's side. "Judith

o father and son as though deliberately appraising them. John, with ashen hair, with bloodshot eyes and the tell-tales lines from nose to lip corner, but handsome, dominating, choleric, with his reputation as a conqueror of women, as a subduer of horses, as a two-gun man. Douglas, with his thatch of gold blowing in the cold morning air, thin, awkward,

ect when you come bac

cer turned to his son. "Now, sir, you

ing to whip me any more, Dad. If you

the snow toward the two

e's just

d. Douglas jumped before his step-mother

about enough of

invectives, ending with, "Now before I thrash the cussedness

t got the excuse that you're training her. And you know she can't hit you. You're a good fighter, but I notice you don't hit Peter Knight or Charleton Falkner, any time the

trike him. Twice he dropped it. Douglas, still pale and trembling, wondere

nd to obey me any

ot going to be licked into doing things b

d a contemp

on, "I'd like to be as good a rider and rancher as you are and handle a gun as good a

ther built that house and I was born in it and so were you. Hemen come from our breed and only a sissy refuses to obey. I may not be as well educated as my

replied Douglas, a steady

d fight after you saw the way I co

sir,

cer twisted her hands together and Doug and his fath

er and get up to the old ranch after those three-year-olds." The

buck fence and burst into tears, and he was more frightened by his own tears than he had been by his

a man!" she whisper

he strangling sobs and after a m

ppened? How did y

Jude last night scar

oy's arm. "I've been so afraid!

Douglas, with a sudden sensing of a debt mothers o

. "O, I cou

ornfully. "I don't see w

er work-scarred hands together and look

t make her understand? She's still s

, forgetting his own pre

whole lot mor

or fear them or despise them, like they ought to be feared and despised. When I think what I was before I married and what I am now, I feel like I wanted to put Judith wh

this all along when he'd been thinking of her as without nerve

said awkwardly. "I'll do

dear. What I'm suffering

ought to warn Jude,

cowardly I am and how I suffer-in my mind, I mean,"

ng arm about her. "I'll

don't know it but she's

r now. And you know I'm

th

ind of a man that's mighty scarce in Lost Chi

le from the fence and

rned. The wind had risen and fine particles of snow sifted under the eaves and over the table. The

her mackinaw, cheeks scarlet, eyes

I am

om his book. "Hav

, s

t and

if you're going

ise you, last ni

keep that promis

rowing the book across the room. "Get out of my sight, you little fool, y

y had gathered under the lamp to read, Douglas said, "Scott

e going?"

gistered bull. It

he and Oscar Jefferson sti

eplied Douglas.

u can go. That extra money will come in handy. How would y

land" on the table. "Do you

you do wit

s hesi

ey into books. The other half I'd use to buy me some bu

"You won't have time to keep your nose in

ead," retorted

ouglas, "and that dapple gray of Oscar Jefferson's and a good

e-gawd got an ambitious

ney you get from

keep it?" asked

hn picked up h

h you, Doug!"

pfather succinctly. "You go to bed

r corner of the room, undressed and crawled into he

age in place of the mare who had gone lame. James, the remaining horse, was steady, however, and Douglas had only a moderate amount of trouble until the long steep grade up to the Pass began. Here, after a quarter of an hour of reluctant going, the mule balked. James did what he could to pull her along, Douglas plied

rainbow tints gleamed against a sky of intensest blue. Behind him, as he turned to look, lay Lost Chief Valley, with blue clouds rolling from the tops of Dead Line

ed fist appeared over a r

looked keenly at the mi

hought you'd gone

the rock, and mounted. Her ey

me again, miss!" he cried, as S

hazer, Doug, while you're driving

ak to me. This is n

ome and help Dad feed the two

was hanging to the pommel, her mackinaw was open at the throat. H

for a girl! And with this new feeling for Judith, she was making the adventure too difficult. Hang it all! The place for a girl was

trail. The snow was fresh trampled, for the up stage had left at three o'clock. Judith and Douglas were very cold. They hastily unharnessed, broke the ice at the little spring and watered the horses, then rushed into the cabin. There was a bunk, covere

e, huh?" as

darned lonely without you. Yo

he bunk?" a

uglas' voice was su

he bunk. In the uncertain light

ly? I never know when you're g

I don't see why girls c

ou keep me from going wit

"I feel like I wanted you to be like the girls in books and not like these

'm just as good as any girl

pose to keep you so." D

ou so interested,

siness. Only, from now o

my boss, D

aking up a bed on the floor, rolled himself in two of

coyotes circled nearer and nearer. Suddenly a rifle-shot rung out, then another. The shots did not waken the sleeping boy and girl, but the mule brayed and began to kick with the rapidity of ma

es!" cried Judith. "I'

in the snow. Judith appeared around the opposite side of the grove and the mule dashed away. They both hurried toward the quiet heap o

ed Judith, crowding J

been the shot that sc

to get him into th

"I couldn't touch a

oonlight but he answered, firmly enough, "We'v

we shot him!"

hey sure-gawd will! W

e him and say no

crazy! Anyhow, we couldn't go off and leave a n

put the lariat round his feet and let Jeff's horse pull

im any more, poor ol

eeth chattering audibly, he tied the lariat round Jef

nd lead the other horses and

the cabin. When they reached the shed, Doug loosened the lariat. "Judith," he sa

id of a dead

neighbor all our lives. We can't leave him here alone, like a dead horse. We

hitched up James and Oscar's big black, and tied Swift to the tail end. All this ti

whispered Judith. "I'm going to make u

at mule?" whi

h. "Scott's the one should have been shot

the mule, we'd never ha

ug

so intense that they were obliged to take turns driving. When the road permitted, they walked until even their hardy lungs demanded

name of the murderer. Toward dawn, when the moon had set

hen Charleton said he didn't believe in a her

er," repl

ppose Jeff thin

There's no hereafter. Dad says

e!" shuddered Dou

was just a heaven," she sobbed, "I

ved a great sigh. "I wonder if they

er chattering teeth. "The worst I ever did to Oscar Jefferson was to play bucking bronco on that old milc

be in real trouble to

and there's the Pass, a

di

breath and urged o

Doug's halloo, Peter Knight appeared. Sister crowded out the door past hi

s you back at this h

t-cracked lips. "Oscar Jefferson was

him?" as

on't

r, get back in the house!"

yond the cedars, across

were hunting for tha

g faces, then he said, "You two come in and

e to my mother," h

him on to his hou

y, "You know he was bach

ornia. You come

and, at his orders, Douglas and Judith devoured it while Peter went to the telephone. In an incredibly short time Joh

questions. After he had fini

to try and put

, if the suspicions I have as

rotested Peter. "They've been

like Oscar," said John. "That war they've had for two years

I ever knew. And I'm just as fond of Oscar as the rest of you. What was a bull to Oscar! He could buy a dozen of

John. "That bull, whoever it b

asty temper." Peter spok

would get him. That wa

e he was going anywher

ter. "Why not let

e done a good night's work,

d to my saddle, Doug,"

still

e can!" rep

young people gladly mounted a

ed. Oscar had been one of the richest men in the very well conditioned valley, so, instead

as found impossible to get in touch with young Jeff and after the sheriff had

ttle," suggested Charleton Falkner. "You know what a god-awful job it is

Grandma. "I'm not going to have him ruined, waiting for spring.

, Peter Knight, and Charleton Falkner were appointed by the old lady to do the work, and

xcept for a few simple headstones

have never fixed this p

waist-deep in the grave

the graves like they w

adstone, smiled sardonically. "Lost Chief wome

e Forest Reserve, and shuddered. He had not been sleeping well since the night of the murder. Johnny Brown, small and very thin, with a scraggly iron-gray bear

Doug, "will be massified for many a year f

uffly. Johnny might be half-witted, but his

sify," grun

great frosted boulder

n't the thought of lying in a forg

conically, as he beat his cold ha

rward in the intens

ulders. "If I let myself think about it, I

t them things," cried Johnny.

ped for another frozen clod. "I'd give my right ha

t is there?" cried Douglas, with

s you ain't old enough to unders

we pay for scientific p

willing

r, "but I don't see any

do you

ny more," declared the

he part that ain't here

be

ody la

a good idea to plant 'em so deep. It takes a long tim

ld man," agreed Peter. "I

to the job and the rest of the

t was late afternoon when the funeral cortege reached the cemetery. The Forest Reserve was mysterious with shadows and with the unending murmur of the pines. Snow glea

sed to admit that the murder had anything to do with her state of mind. She had a boyish horror of admitting to fears, mental or physical. She stood opposite Douglas, with a round beaver cap pulled do

own, who stood at the head of the grave. There was a contented assurance in the old lady's manner that was v

grave, Grandma said, "Does anybody

red his throat. "I might say a whole lot of things. I wasn't so goldarned proud of

"Johnny Brown, ain't yo

d the part that I'd be ashamed with is the

sky. A restless clearing of throats swept the little assemblage; th

ne old face to the evening sky. "O God, this man wandered far from You like all the rest of us here. But an old woman like me believes You're there and that you know Oscar hadn't a really bad hair

ady finished. Foolish old Johnny laughed, then he bega

you till we

sels guide,

eep securel

you till we

y career of Oscar