Riders of the Purple Sage

Jane helps Lassiter water his horse, learning that the horse was blinded by a group of Mormon men in revenge against Lassiter. Jane expresses a hope that Mormon men will become kinder one day, but Lassiter insists they never will. Jane invites both Venters and Lassiter to dinner despite their protests that having them to dinner will cause Jane more trouble with Mormon leaders. Jane insists that no one can dictate who she has for dinner in her own home.

Jane feels great affection for Venters, but she finds herself drawn to the danger of Lassiter’s reputation. He is rumored to have killed many Mormon men, and she feels that she is the only woman who can convince him to put his guns down and never kill another Mormon.

As they dine, Jane asks Lassiter what brings him to Cottonwoods. He tells her he is hoping to see the grave of a woman named Milly Erne. Jane tells him that Milly, her good friend, is buried in a secret place on her property. Jane agrees to take Lassiter to the grave the following day while no one is around.

When Lassiter is gone, Venters asks Jane for his guns. Jane tries to refuse, afraid that Venters will attempt to kill Tull, but he convinces her he needs to be able to protect himself. Venters argues that he must leave or Bishop Dyer will order his death. Jane tries to convince him to stay, and Venters argues that she might face the same fate as Milly Erne if she isn’t careful. Jane warns Venters that he isn’t helping himself with Tull and Dyer by making frequent trips to Deception Pass. She asks him to be careful if he insists on spending time in the pass because it is known that Oldring, a cattle rustler, uses the pass to hide stolen cattle. Venter goes into the sage to sleep, and sees Oldring and his gang, including a notorious masked rider who is often with him.

Venters goes to the village and discovers that both Tull’s and Dyer’s homes are dark. He sees Tull and one of his men ride out of town. Venters feels as though something bad is about to happen to Jane, but he also feels hope in Lassiter’s presence. He retreats and goes to a rocky area where he has stashed his belongings and his dogs, Ring and Whitie.

Venters goes to a place that overlooks Jane’s home and Lassiter joins him. He and Lassiter share their opinion of Mormon men as creatures who take advantage of good women. Venters explains that he wanted to kill Tull on many occasions, but Jane convinced him to hand over his guns. He says he’s been practicing in Deception Pass with hidden guns, and he feels if he and Tull ever come face to face again, he will kill him.

Lassiter asks about Milly Erne. Venters tells Lassiter that he believes Milly was a Mormon wife, but he thinks she was driven out by the husband’s other wives. Milly had a daughter, but when she quit the church, the child was lost. Venters says he believes the child was stolen but he can’t prove it. Milly lived in hope of getting her child back, but eventually died from grief. Lassiter asks who the husband was, but Venters says he doesn’t know, but suspects that Jane does.

Lassiter and Venters ride through Jane’s land and meet her. Jane shows Lassiter her horses, especially her favorites, black Arabians named Wrangle, Black Star, Bells, and Night. She then takes him to Milly’s grave. When Jane sees how sad Lassiter is as he stands by the untended grave, she wonders to Venters if Lassiter might be Milly’s husband. As Venters and Jane ride back to the house, leaving Lassiter behind, they see Judkins, one of Jane’s cattle tenders, racing to the barn.

Judkins tells Jane that her riders never showed up the night before and rustlers came to steal the red herd. Judkins tried to stop them, but they shot at him, so he left. Jane worries that her other riders were killed, but Judkins doesn’t believe this is true. Venters believes they were told not to show up by Tull, and he volunteers to track the cattle into the canyons. Jane gives him her horse, Wrangle.

Venters rides away while thinking about the riders he witnessed moving toward Jane’s property the night before. He believes Oldring and his masked rider are working with Tull to punish Jane for her refusal to marry him and for her association with non-Mormon people. Venters doesn’t understand why Oldring would agree to work with the Mormons, and this is something he plans to figure out.

Venters follows the trail of the red herd, and it takes him into Deception Pass, a depressed area filled with canyons. Eventually, he finds a suitable camping spot where grass will hide his tracks. He leaves Wrangle there and continues forward on foot. He stumbles upon a cattle trail with fresh, wet tracks. As he looks around, one of his dogs growls. Venters sees a group of horsemen arrive with pack animals and disappear under a canyon wall. He watches for more riders, and soon sees three more. Venters believes he has found Oldring’s hiding place. As he tries to figure out where the riders are coming from, two riders approach him from behind. One is the masked rider, and they spot Venters, and one fires at him. Pulling his rifle, Venters fires back, shooting both riders.

Venters believes the sound of the gunfire didn’t penetrate the canyon walls, so he takes the time to go check on the shooter whose horse dragged him away. He’s lying in the grass, dead. Venters hides the body and turns to the masked rider. He is surprised to see this rider does not carry a gun. He removes the rider’s hat and mask, surprised by the apparent youth of the rider. Feeling guilty for shooting an unarmed person, Venters is glad to see the rider is still alive. He opens the rider’s shirt to check the wound and is shocked to discover the rider is a woman.

Venters believes the masked rider is dying, but he doesn’t want to leave her alone. He gathers her up and carries her back to his hiding place. He settles in for the night, convinced the girl will die of her wound before morning. He is confused by Oldring’s use of a girl in his gang, especially one who has developed such a reputation as a cruel and heartless cattle rustler. As the night passes and the girl lives, Venters becomes hopeful that she’ll survive her wounds.

Venters leaves the dogs to guard over the girl and goes on foot to explore the area. As he explores, he finds Jane’s red herd in an enclosed valley. Venters wonders what Oldring has been up to lately, as he has heard that he and his men have plenty of gold and are openly spending it in the villages. He concludes that Oldring hides his real life, and that his purpose in Deception Pass is something other than rustling.

Venters follows the path he believes the rustlers that he saw the day before followed, but it appears to end near a waterfall. He realizes the rustlers enter the canyon through this waterfall and this is why there were wet hoof prints further up the canyon. Venters retreats to his hiding place where he discovers the girl is awake. She asks what he plans to do with her. Venters says he will care for her until she heals, then he will take her back to Oldring. The girl asks him not to take her back to the rustlers.