diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | 41926-0.txt | 389 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41926-0.zip | bin | 289352 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41926-8.txt | 14525 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41926-8.zip | bin | 285155 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41926-h.zip | bin | 603734 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41926-h/41926-h.htm | 417 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41926.txt | 14525 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41926.zip | bin | 285130 -> 0 bytes |
8 files changed, 5 insertions, 29851 deletions
diff --git a/41926-0.txt b/41926-0.txt index ee6472f..04da53b 100644 --- a/41926-0.txt +++ b/41926-0.txt @@ -1,34 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Friar Tuck, by Robert Alexander Wason - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Friar Tuck - -Author: Robert Alexander Wason - -Illustrator: Stanley L. Wood - -Release Date: January 27, 2013 [EBook #41926] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRIAR TUCK *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41926 *** [Illustration: He shot his hand across an’ pulled his gun quick as a flash; but Horace didn’t move, he just sat still, with a friendly @@ -14167,359 +14137,4 @@ up, Horace, was the keynote of it all.” End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Friar Tuck, by Robert Alexander Wason -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRIAR TUCK *** - -***** This file should be named 41926-0.txt or 41926-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/9/2/41926/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41926 *** diff --git a/41926-0.zip b/41926-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5268f67..0000000 --- a/41926-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/41926-8.txt b/41926-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 68c5312..0000000 --- a/41926-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14525 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Friar Tuck, by Robert Alexander Wason - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Friar Tuck - -Author: Robert Alexander Wason - -Illustrator: Stanley L. Wood - -Release Date: January 27, 2013 [EBook #41926] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRIAR TUCK *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - -[Illustration: He shot his hand across an' pulled his gun quick as a -flash; but Horace didn't move, he just sat still, with a friendly -smile on his face] - - - - - FRIAR TUCK - - BEING THE CHRONICLES OF THE REVEREND - JOHN CARMICHAEL, OF WYOMING, U.S.A., - - AS SET FORTH AND EMBELLISHED BY - HIS FRIEND AND ADMIRER - HAPPY HAWKINS - - AND HERE RECORDED BY - ROBERT ALEXANDER WASON - - AUTHOR OF - HAPPY HAWKINS, - THE KNIGHT-ERRANT, ETC. - - ILLUSTRATED BY - STANLEY L. WOOD - - NEW YORK - GROSSET & DUNLAP - PUBLISHERS - - - - - Copyright, 1912 - By Small, Maynard and Company - (Incorporated) - - Entered at Stationers' Hall - Published, September 7, 1912; - Sixth edition, November, 1912 - - - - -Many there are who respond to the commonplace, monotonous call of -Duty, and year after year uncomplainingly spend their lives on the -treadmill of Routine; but who still feel in their hearts the call of -the open road, the music of the stars, the wine of the western wind, -and the thrilling abandon of a mad gallop out beyond speed limits and -grass signs to where life has ceased to be a series of cogs and--a man -is still a man. - -To the members of this fraternity, whose emblem, hidden behind deep -and steadfast eyes, is often missed by man, but always recognized by -dogs and horses, I dedicate this book, in the hope that for an hour or -two it may lift the pressure a little. - - R. A. W. - - - - -JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME - -Reviews are not infrequently colored by a temporary elevation of the -critic's mind (or a temporary depression of the critic's liver), -advertisements are not invariably free from bias; so, perhaps, a few -words of friendly warning will not be considered impertinent. - -Whosoever is squeamishly sensitive as to the formal technique of -literary construction will save himself positive irritation by -avoiding this book. It is a told, rather than a written story; and -this is a compromise which defies Art and frankly turns to the more -elastic methods of Nature. - -It is supposed to be told by an outdoor man in those delightful -moments of relaxation when the restraint of self-consciousness is -dropped, and the spirit flows forth with a freedom difficult to find, -outside the egoism of childhood. This general suggestion is easily -tossed out; but the reader must supply the details--the night camps -with the pipes sending up incense about the tiny fires, the winter -evenings when the still cold lurks at the threshold or the blizzard -howls around the log corners; or those still more elusive moments when -the riding man shifts his weight to a single thigh, and tells the -inner story which has been rising from his open heart to his closed -lips for many a long mile. - -Nor will these details suffice to complete the atmosphere in which, -bit by bit, the story is told. The greatest charm in the told story -comes direct from the teller; and, toil as we will over printed pages, -they obstinately refuse to reproduce the twinkle of bright, deep-set -eyes, the whimsical twist which gives character to a commonplace word, -the subtile modulations of a mellow voice, the discriminating accent -which makes a sentence fire when spoken, and only ashes when written; -or, hardest of all, those eloquent pauses and illuminating gestures -which convey a climax neither tongue nor pen dare attempt. - -Happy Hawkins is complex, but the basic foundation of his character is -simplicity. His audience is usually a mixed one, men of the range and -an Easterner or two, fortunate enough to find the way into his -confidence. Occasionally he amuses himself by talking to the one group -over the heads of the other; but even then, his own simplicity is but -thinly veiled. The phases of life which he holds lightly are exploited -with riotous recklessness; but whoever would visit his private shrines -must tread with reverent step. - -His exaggerations are not to deceive, but to magnify--an adjunct to -expression invariably found among primitive people. A brass monkey is -really not sensitive to variations of temperature; and yet, even among -the civilized, a peculiarly vivid impression is conveyed by stating -that a particular cold snap has had a disintegrating effect upon the -integrity of a brass monkey. There is a philosophy of exaggeration -which is no kin to falsehood. - -Happy has an eager, hungry, active mind, a mind worthy of careful -cultivation; but forced by circumstances to gather its nourishment -along lines similar to those adopted by the meek and lowly sponge. A -sponge is earnest, patient, and industrious; but, fixed to a submerged -stone as it is, it is hampered by limitations which no amount of -personal ambition is quite able to overcome. As Happy himself was fond -of saying: "The thing 'at sets most strangers again each other, is the -fact that each insists on judgin' everything from his own standpoint. -A cow-puncher gets the idee that because an Eastener can't sit -comfortable on a bronco when it's sunfishin' or twistin' ends, he jes -nachely ain't fit to clutter up the surface o' the earth; while the -Eastener is inclined to estimate the puncher an' his pony as bein' on -the same intellectual level. If they'd just open up an' examine each -other impartial, they'd mighty soon see 'at the difference in 'em came -from what they did, instead o' the choice o' their lines o' business -dependin' on their natural make-up. I once had a no-account pinto -which refused to squat back on the rope, and I rejoiced exceeding when -I got seventy-five bucks for him; but the feller I took advantage of -clipped his mane, docked his tail, introduced him into swell-society, -and got three hundred for him as a polo pony; which all goes to -show--" (The finish of this is an expansive wave of the hand, a tilt -of the head to the right, and an indescribably droll expression.) - -The above is a fair sample of the leisurely way in which Happy Hawkins -tells a story. This is not the proper way to tell a story. A story -should travel an air-line and not stop at the smaller stations, while -Happy prefers to take his bed along on a spare horse and camp out -wherever the mood strikes him. The reader who delights in a story -which speeds along like a limited, will probably be disappointed in -this book; while, on the other hand, the reader who enjoys the -intimate association which is lighted with the evening camp fire, runs -a risk of finding some relaxation in taking another little trip with -Happy Hawkins. - - R. A. W. - - - - -CONTENTS - CHAPTER ONE--THE MEETING - CHAPTER TWO--THE BETTIN' BARBER O' BOGGS - CHAPTER THREE--ABOVE THE DUST - CHAPTER FOUR--TY JONES - CHAPTER FIVE--THE HOLD-UP - CHAPTER SIX--A REMINISCENCE - CHAPTER SEVEN--HORACE WALPOLE BRADFORD - CHAPTER EIGHT--A CASE OF NERVES - CHAPTER NINE--TREATING THE CASE - CHAPTER TEN--INJUNS! - CHAPTER ELEVEN--BENEFITS OF FASTING - CHAPTER TWELVE--A COMPLETE CURE - CHAPTER THIRTEEN--AN UNEXPECTED CACHE - CHAPTER FOURTEEN--HAPPY'S NEW AMBITION - CHAPTER FIFTEEN--TENDER FEELINGS - CHAPTER SIXTEEN--THEMIS IN THE ROCKIES - CHAPTER SEVENTEEN--KIT MURRAY - CHAPTER EIGHTEEN--TESTING THE FRIAR'S NERVE - CHAPTER NINETEEN--OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS - CHAPTER TWENTY--QUARRELING FOR PEACE - CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE--PEACE TO START A QUARREL - CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO--A PROGRESSIVE HUNT - CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE--A LITTLE GUN-PLAY - CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR--NIGHT-PROWLERS - CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE--THE TRADE-RAT'S CHRISTMAS-GIFT - CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX--A CONTESTED LIFE-TITLE - CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN--A STRANGE ALLIANCE - CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT--THE HEART OF HAPPY HAWKINS - CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE--THE LITTLE TOWN OF BOSCO - CHAPTER THIRTY--TY JONES GETS A WOMAN - CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE--JUSTICE UNDELAYED - CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO--THE FRIAR GOES ALONE - CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE--THE FRIAR GIVEN TWO WEEKS - CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR--A CROSS FOR EVERY MAN - CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE--THE FRIAR A COMPLICATION - CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX--A SIDE-TRIP TO SKELTY'S - CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN--PROMOTHEUS IN THE TOILS - CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT--OLAF RUNS THE BLOCKADE - CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE--SKIRMISHES - CHAPTER FORTY--AN IRRITATING GRIN - CHAPTER FORTY-ONE--THE NIGHT-ATTACK - CHAPTER FORTY-TWO--HAND TO HAND - CHAPTER FORTY-THREE--THE GIFT OF THE DAWN - CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR--TY JONES NODS HIS HEAD - CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE--THE LITTLE GUST O' WIND - CHAPTER FORTY-SIX--THE FINAL MOVES - - - - -CHAPTER ONE - -THE MEETING - - -It's a curious thing--life. Ya might just as well ask a kitten to -chase her own tail or a dog to bay at the evenin' star, or a -periodical spring to run constant, as to ask a feller right out to -tell a story. Some things can only be done spontaneous. - -Friar Tuck used to say 'at whenever he could cut it, he allus got on -the lee side o' human nature and let it blow down on him natural; and -my way o' gettin' to the lee side o' human nature in story-tellin' is -not to ask for a story, but to start tellin' one myself. And it's a -good plan not to put over too good a one either; 'cause if it seems as -though a feller is short run on stories, some listener is likely to -take pity on him and fit him out with a new assortment so as he won't -be such bad company for himself when he's alone again. This is the way -I've picked up most o' my stories. - -Then again, it's allus hard for me to tell what is the true beginnin' -of a story. It's easy enough to tell cream from milk--after the milk -has stood long enough for the cream to rise to the top; but the great -trouble is, that a man's own recollections haven't stood long enough -for him to skim out just what part he might be in need of. - -Without meanin' the least mite o' disrespect to any one, it does seem -to me that if I was able to plan out any sort of a memory at all, I -could have made a few improvements on the ones we now have. - -My own memory is as stubborn as a mule and as grippy as a bulldog. -What it does remember, it calls up in the shape o' pictures; and I see -old things just as plain as livin', breathin' beings; but try as I -would, I never could keep my memory from loadin' herself down with so -many trifles that sometimes I've had to spade it over as many as six -times to turn up some important item which I was actually in need of. -When my memory's in a good humor, I like to start a pipe and lean back -and just watch old scenes over again, the same as if I was in a -the-ater; and I can see every twinkle in a pair o' well-known eyes, -which have been lookin' up through six feet of earth for this many a -long year, and I can hear--actually hear--the half tones ripplin' -through voices which have no more part in my to-day than the perfume -o' last year's flowers; and then, like as not, my memory'll lay her -ears back and refuse to confide what I did with my shavin' soap. - -When I look back at my own life and compare it with others, it seems -like a curious, patch-worky sort of affair, and not much more my own -than the lives o' those others with which I compare it. I allus liked -my work, and yet it never attracted my attention much. Side-trips and -such-like stand out plain as figures in a hand-painted picture, such -as I've seen in hotels down at Frisco; but the work part is just a -blotchy, colorless sort of smudge, the same as the background o' one -o' these pictures. - -When I first took on with Jabez--every one called him ol' Cast Steel -Judson at this time--they wanted to know if I could ride. I was -nothin' but a regular kid then, so I handed in a purty high average as -to my ridin' ability; though, truth to tell, I wasn't no bronco buster -those days. They gave me a genuwine mean one as a starter, and told me -to ride him clean or step off and walk. - -At that time I didn't even know how to discard a hoss when I couldn't -stand the poundin' any longer; so when I felt my backbone gettin' -wedged too far into my skull, I made a grab for the horn. My luck was -on the job that day and I got the quirt, instead. At his next pitch, -my hand went up as natural as ever, and I slammed down the quirt as -hard as I could. It landed on a ticklish spot and before he had time -to make up his mind, the cayuse had started to run, me whalin' him at -every jump and givin' thanks between 'em. I rode him good and out as -soon as he started to stampede, and they all thought I was a real -rider. Well, this gave me a lot o' trouble--tryin' to live up to my -reputation--but that's a good sort o' trouble for a kid to have. - -Now I can feel all the sensations o' this ride as plain as though it -was this mornin'; but the's a thousand rides since then which have all -melted an' run together. The same with most o' the rest o' my work: I -allus aimed to do my bit a little quicker and cleaner 'n the rest; but -as soon as I learned all the tricks of it, it fell into a rut, like -breathin' and seein'. Easteners seem to have an idee that our life -must be as carefree and joyous as goin' to a different circus every -day in the year; but it ain't: it's work, just like all other work. -We're a good bit like our ridin' ponies: when we're in the thick of it -we're too busy to take notice; and when we're through, we're -hungry--and that's about the whole story. - -Jabez Judson was a high peak, and once a feller knew him, he never ran -any risk o' gettin' him mixed up with any one else. He was the settest -in his ways of any man I ever had much doin's with; but he didn't -change about any--if he faced north on a question one day, he faced -north on it always; so a feller could tell just how any action would -strike him, and this made livin' with him as accurate as workin' out a -problem in multiplication, which I claim to hold qualities o' comfort. - -His daughter, Barbie, was a little tot when I first took on; and she -was the apple of ol' Cast Steel's eye; an' his curb bit, and his spurs -as well. Barbie and I were pals from one end o' the trail to the -other, and this explains a lot o' my life which otherwise wouldn't -have any answer. My ordinary work at the Diamond Dot wasn't -out-standin' enough to give me any special privileges; but I happened -to come back one time when the Brophy gang was about to clean things -out, and Jabez gave me credit for savin' Barbie's life; so 'at he -didn't check up my time any and I did purty much as I pleased, only -quittin' him when I couldn't put up with his set ways any longer. I -aimed to play fair with Jabez, and he with me; but once in a while we -locked horns, though not often, takin' everything into account. - -It was shortly after ol' Cast Steel had bought in the D lazy L brand, -an' we was still pickin' up strays here an' there. Whenever he bought -up a brand he allus put the Diamond Dot on the stuff as soon as he -could, his mark commandin' more respect than some o' the little -fellers'. - -When I'd get tired o' loafing about the home place, I'd take one o' -the boys an' we'd start out to look for stray hosses. Spider Kelley -was with me this time, an' we had meandered here an' there until we -had picked up a big enough string to stand as an excuse for our trip, -and were about minded to start back. - -We had just forded a little crick when we heard a man's voice singin' -off to the right. The' was a mess o' cottonwoods between us, an' we -stopped to listen. Now I had never heard that voice before, an' I had -never seen the man who was running it; but right then I was ready to -believe anything he had a mind to tell me. It was a deep, rich voice; -but mellow an' tender, an' a feller could tell that he was singin' -simply because he couldn't help it. - -Spider looked at me with his face shinin', an' I could feel a sort o' -pleasant heat in my own face. The' was a lift an' a swing, and a sort -of rally-around-the-flag to this voice which got right into ya, an' -made you want to do something. - - "'T is thine to save from perils of perdition - The souls for whom the Lord His life laid down; - Beware, lest, slothful to fulfill thy mission, - Thou lose one jewel that should deck His crown. - Publish glad tidings; tidings of peace; - Tidings of Jesus, redemption and release." - -"That feller can sing some," sez Spider Kelley; but just then the -ponies turned back on us an' by the time we had started 'em on again, -the singer had passed on up the trail, so I didn't make any reply. - -I was tryin' to figure out whether it was the words or the tune or the -voice, or what it was that had made my whole body vibrate like a -fiddle string. As I said before, I see things in pictures an' I also -remember 'em in pictures: a sound generally calls up a picture to me -an' it ain't allus a picture anyways connected with the sound itself. -This song, for instance, had called to my mind a long procession of -marchin' men with banners wavin' an' set faces, shinin' with a glad -sort o' recklessness. There ain't no accountin' for the human mind: I -had never seen such a procession in real life, nor even in a picture; -but that was what this song out there on the open range suggested to -me, an' I hurried out o' the cottonwoods eager to measure the singer -with my open eyes. - -When we climbed up out of the woods, we saw him goin' up the pass -ahead of us with our ponies followin' behind as though they was part -of his outfit. We could just catch glimpses of him; enough to show -that he was a big man on a big roan hoss, an' that he was a ridin' man -in spite o' the fact that he was wearin' black clothes made up Eastern -style. He was still singin' his song, an' I straightened up in my -saddle, an' beat time with my hand as though I held a genuwine sword -in it; which is a tool I've never had much doin's with. - -We scrambled on up the trail, an' when we reached the top we found a -little park with the grass knee high an' a fringe o' spruce trees -about it. The song had come to a sudden end, an' we found the singer -on foot with a noose about his neck an' nine rather tough-lookin' -citizens holdin' a parley with him. We came to the same sort of a stop -the song had, an' Spider Kelley sez in a low tone, "What do ya suppose -this is?" - -"I don't know," sez I, touchin' my pony, "but I'm with the singer"; so -me an' Spider rode on down to 'em. - -I purty well sensed what it was: the' was a heap o' rebrandin' bein' -done at that time, an' stringin' a man up was supposed to be the only -cure; but I was willin' to bet my roll that this singer wasn't a -rustler. The feller in charge o' the posse was an evil-lookin' cuss, -an' if he'd 'a' had the rope around his neck, it wouldn't have looked -so misplaced. He was ridin' a Cross brand hoss; so I guessed him to -belong to the Tyrrel Jones outfit. Most o' the others in the posse was -ridin' the same brand o' hosses an' wearin' the same brand of -expressions. It was a tough-lookin' bunch. - -We came up to 'em an' they looked our ponies an' us over an' nodded. -We nodded back an' I asked 'em what seemed to be the trouble. - -"We've finally got the feller who has been doin' the rustlin' out this -way," sez the leader, whose name was Flannigan, Badger-face Flannigan. - -"That's good," sez I; "but he don't look the part." - -"He acts it all right," growls Badger-face, showin' his fangs in what -was meant for a grin. "He's ridin' one of our hosses, an' leadin' a -string o' D lazy Ls." - -"Leadin' 'em?" sez I. - -"Yes, he's got some sort of a charm in his voice. Whiskers, here, saw -him go up on foot an' rope this colt an' lead him off the same as a -plow hoss." - -"Did Whiskers, here, see him charm the loose string, too?" I asked. - -"No, he came in an' collected the posse, an' we decided that this -would be a good place to try him; so we cut up the other pass an' -waited for him. When he came up, this bunch o' ponies was taggin' -after him." - -I looked at the man with the noose about his neck, an' he was grinnin' -as easy an' comfortable as I ever saw a man grin in my life. He was -wearin' a vest without buttons an' a gray flannel shirt. He had a -rifle on his saddle an' a sixshooter on his right hip. He had big gray -eyes set wide apart under heavy brows, an' they were dancin' with -laughter. I grinned into 'em without intendin' to, an' sez: "Well, I -don't really think he charmed these loose ponies intentional. Me an' -Spider was takin' 'em in to the Diamond Dot an' we had a hard time -makin' 'em ford the crick. I'm some thankful to him for tollin' 'em up -the pass." - -Badger-face scowled. "Well, anyhow, he charmed the beast he's ridin, -all right; an' he has to swing for it." - -"Are you all done with tryin' him," sez I. - -"What's the use of a trial?" snarled Badger-face. "Ain't he ridin' a -Cross brand hoss, ain't the brand unvented, don't every one know that -we never sell a hoss without ventin' the brand, an' can't any one see -'at this hoss was never rode before?" - -"Got anything to say for yourself, stranger?" I asked. - -"Not much," sez the prisoner. "I have an appointment to keep at -Laramie; my hoss gave out; so I just caught a fresh one an' started -on." - -"What more do you want?" asked Badger-face of me. - -"Well, now, the' ain't any particular hurry; an' I'm kind o' curious -to learn a little more of his methods," sez I impartial. "Don't ya -know 'at this is what they call hoss-stealin' out this way?" I asked -of the stranger. - -"No, this is not stealin'," he replied. "I turned another hoss loose -that I had picked up a hundred miles or so farther back; and I should -have turned this one adrift as soon as he had tired. They allus wander -back to their own range." - -This wasn't no unheard-of custom to practice out our way; but it was a -new sort o' defence for a man with a noose about his neck to put up, -an' I see that some o' the others was gettin' interested. The big man -had a smile like a boy, an' steady eyes, an' a clear skin; an' he -didn't look at all the kind of a man to really need stretchin'. - -"What's your plan for earnin' a livin'?" I asked. - -"I am a kind of apostle," sez he, "an' I live on the bounty of -others." - -"Do you mean 'at you're a preacher?" asked Badger-face. - -"Yes," the stranger replied with a smile. - -[Illustration: We found the singer on foot with a noose about his neck -an' nine rather tough-lookin' citizens holdin' a parley with him] - -"Well, I never see a preacher with as short hair as yours, nor one who -carried so much artillery, nor one who made a practice o' pickin' up a -fresh hoss whenever he felt like it. Where'd you learn to ride, an' -where'd you learn to rope?" - -"Eastern Colorado. I lived there four years, an' travelled on -hossback," sez the stranger. - -"I'll bet you left there mighty sudden," sez Badger-face with an evil -leer. - -"Yes," replied the stranger, with a grin, "an' I also left on -hossback." - -"Well, ya satisfied now?" grunted Badger-face to me. - -Livin' out doors the way I had, I naturally had a big respect for -brands. It's mighty comfortin' to feel that ya can turn your stuff -loose an' know that it's not likely to be bothered; so I was up -something of a stump about this new doctrine. "Where'd you get your -commission from to pick up a hoss whenever you feel like it?" sez I to -the stranger. - -He had a little leather sack hangin' from his saddle horn, an' he -reached into it an' fished out a small book with a soft leather cover. -The feller 'at was holdin' his hoss eyed him mighty close for fear it -was some sort of a gun; but the stranger ran over the leaves with his -fingers as ready as a man would step into the home corral an' rope his -favorite ridin' pony. - -"Here's my commission," sez he, as self-satisfied as though he was -holdin' a government document; an' then he read aloud with that deep, -mellow voice o' his, the story of the time the Lord was minded to let -himself out a little an' came into Jerusalem in state. He read it all, -an' then he paused, looked about, holdin' each man's eyes with his own -for a second, an' then he read once more the part where the Lord had -sent in a couple of his hands after the colt that no man had ever -backed before--an' then he closed the book, patted it gentle an' -shoved it back into the leather bag. I looked around on the posse, an' -most of 'em was rubbin' their chins, an' studyin'. I've noticed that -while the earth is purty well cluttered up with pale-blooded an' -partially ossified Christians, the's mighty few out an' out atheists -among 'em. - -"That don't go," sez Badger-face, after he'd taken time to pump up his -nerve a little. - -No one said anything for a space, an' then the stranger put a little -edge on his voice, but spoke in a lower tone than before: "That does -go," he said. "No matter what else in life may be questioned, no -matter how hard and fast a title may stick, it must crumble to dust -when one comes and says, 'The Lord hath need of this.' It may be your -life or it may be your property or it may be the one being you love -most in all the world; but when the Lord hath need, your own needs -must fall away. - -"Now, boys, I love the West, I glory in the fact that I can lay -something down and go on about my business an' come back a month later -and find it just where I left it; and if I was takin' these hosses to -sell or trade or use for my own selfish ends, why, I wouldn't have a -word to say again' your stringin' me up. I brought my own hoss into -this country and when it gave out I didn't have time to barter an' -trade for another one; so I just caught one, and when it grew weary, I -turned it adrift. I don't claim the hosses I ride; I don't want to own -them; I simply borrow them for a while because my Lord hath need of -them. I treat them well, and when they weary, send 'em back to their -own range with a pat, and pick up another. The next fellow who rides -that hoss will find it a little less trouble than if I hadn't used it, -and there's no harm done at all. I'm working with you, I'm going to -make your own work easier out here by raisin' the respect for brands, -not by makin' property rights any looser; and you are goin' to work -with me--whether you want to or not. Now then, how much longer are you -goin' to keep this fool noose about my neck?" - -That posse wasn't easy minded, not by a jugful. This stranger was -speakin' as though he had power an' authority an' public opinion all -on his side, and they felt consid'able like the tenderfoot who'd roped -the buffalo--they was willin' to quit any time he was. - -The Cross brand boys were purty sullen an' moody; but four o' the -posse belonged to another outfit, an' they couldn't stand the strain. -One of 'em, a grizzled old codger with one lamp missin', lifted the -noose from the prisoner's neck, an' sez most respectful: "Parson, I'm -an old man. I ain't heard a sermon for forty years, an' I'd be right -obliged to ya if you'd make us one." - -Badger-face, he snorted scornful; but the rest of the posse was -scattered all the way from repentance to sheepishness, an' the -stranger he stepped to a little rise an' he certainly did speak us a -sermon. First off, he sang us St. Andrew's hymn--I got to learn a good -many of his songs after this, but o' course at that time I was as shy -on hymns as the rest o' the crowd. - -I tell you it was wonderful up in that little park, with the lush -grass for a carpet, the spruce trees for panelin', the bare peaks -stickin' out for rafter-beams, the blue sky above for ceiling, and -that soft, deep voice fillin' the whole place an' yet stealin' into a -feller's heart as easy an' gentle as a woman's whisper. He sort o' -beat time as though playin' on an instrument, until before he was -through we were all hummin' in time with him--an' then he preached. - -He told us about the fisher folks an' how they lived out doors under -the stars the same as we did; and that this was probably why the Lord -had chose 'em first to follow him. He said that city folks got to -relyin' on themselves so much 'at they was likely to forget that the -whole earth was still held in the hollow of the hand which had created -it; but that men who lived with nature, out under the sun and the -stars, through the heat and the cold, the wind and the rain, the -chinook and the blizzard, felt the forces and the mysteries all about -them and this kept 'em in touch, even when they didn't know it -themselves, with the great central Intelligence back o' these forces -and mysteries. Then he told 'em how grand their lives might be if they -would only give up their nasty little habits of thought, and learn to -think broad and free and deep, the same as they breathed. - -He told 'em 'at their minds could breathe the inspiration of God as -easy as their lungs could breathe the pure air o' the mountains, if -they'd only form the habit. Then he talked to 'em friendly an' -confidential about their natural devilment. He didn't talk like a -saint speakin' out through a crack in the gates o' Paradise, like most -preachers do. He called the turn on the actual way they cut up when -they went to town, and just how it hurt 'em body an' soul; and his -face grew set and earnest, and his eyes blazed; and then he said a few -words about mothers an' children and such, and wound up with a short -prayer. - -Well two o' those fellers owned up right out in public and said that -from that on they was goin' to lead a decent sort of life; and one -other said 'at he didn't have any faith in himself any longer; but he -insisted on signin' the pledge, and said if that worked, why, he'd go -on an' try the rest of it. - -The preacher shook hands with 'em all around--he had a grip 'at -wouldn't be no disgrace for a silver-tip--an' then he sez that if any -of 'em has the notion that bein' a Christian makes a weakling of a -man, why, he's willin' to wrastle or box or run a race or shoot at a -mark or do any other sort of a stunt to show 'at he's in good order; -but they size him up and take his word for it. - -"Now, boys," sez he, "I hope we'll meet often. I'm your friend, and I -want you to use me any time you get a chance. Any time or any place -that I can serve one of you, just get me word and I'll do the best I -can. It don't matter what sort o' trouble you get into, get me word -and I'll help--if I can find a way. And I wish 'at you'd speak it -around that I'm hard on hosses, so that the other fellows will -understand when I pick one up, and not cause any delay. I'll have to -hurry along now. Good-bye; I'm sorry I've been a bother to ya." - -He swung up on the big roan, waved his hand and trotted out o' the -park; and just as he went down the pass on the other side, it seemed -that he couldn't hold it in any longer; so he opened up his voice in -his marchin' song again, an' we all stayed silent as long as we could -hear the sound of it. - -"Well we are a lot of soft marks!" sez Badger-face at last. - -"That there is a true man," replied old Grizzly, shakin' his head, -"an' I'll bet my boots on it." - -This seemed to be the general verdict, an' the Cross brand fellers -went off discussin' the parson, an' me an' Spider Kelley collected our -ponies an' went along to the ranch, also discussin' him. - -That was the first time I ever saw Friar Tuck; I made up my mind about -him just from hearin' his voice, an' before I ever saw him; but I -never had to make it up any different. New lead an' new steel look -consid'able alike; but the more ya wear on lead, the sooner it wears -out, while the more you wear on steel, the brighter it gets. The Friar -was steel, an' mighty well tempered. - - - - -CHAPTER TWO - -THE BETTIN' BARBER O' BOGGS - - -Yes, this was about the time I got interested in the bettin' barber -over at Boggs. He hasn't anything to do with this story I'm about to -tell ya, except that it was him 'at give the Friar his name; so I'll -just skim through this part as hasty as possible. When a feller is -tellin' me a story, I want him to stick to the trail of it; but it -seems like when I try to tell one, myself, some feller is allus askin' -me a question 'at takes me clear out o' range. - -All barbers are more or less different, except in what might be called -the gift o' gab. This one came out to Boggs station, an' started a -shop. His name was Eugene, an' he was a little man with two rollin' -curls to his front hair, which he wore short behind. A curious thing -about little men is, that they don't never find it out. A little man -produces more opinions 'n airy other kind, an' being small, they -haven't no place to store 'em up until they get time to ripen. A -little man gives out his opinion an' then looks savage--just as if -he'd get a switch an' make ya believe it, whether you wanted to or -not. - -Eugene had come from every city the' is in the world, an' he used to -tell scandalous tales about the prominent people who lived in 'em -whose hair he had cut. He was also familiar with the other things -which had happened since they've begun to write history, an' if any -one would doubt one of his statements, he'd whirl about holding up his -razor, an' say: "I'll bet ya a dollar I can prove it." - -All of us fellers used to go in as often as we got a chance to get our -chins shaved an' our hair shampooed--just to hear Eugene get indignant -about things which wasn't none of our business. We used to bet with -him a lot, just for the fun o' makin' him prove up things; which he -did by writin' letters to somebody an' gettin' back the answers he -wanted. We didn't have any way to prove our side; so Eugene got the -money an' we had the fun. - -Ol' man Dort ran the general store and kept a pet squirrel in a -whirlabout cage, which was the biggest squirrel I ever see, an' had -its tail gnawed off by a rat, or something, before Eugene came. Ol' -man Dort had a reputation for arguin', which spread all over our part -of the earth. We had made a habit o' goin' to him to get our -discussions settled an' when we began to pass him up for Eugene, he -foamed about it free an' frank. - -He wore a prodigious tangle o' hair and a bunch o' grizzled whiskers, -about as fine an' smooth as a clump o' grease-wood. He used to brag -that razor nor scissors hadn't touched his hide for twenty years, an' -one of us boys would allus add, "Nor soap nor water, neither," an' ol' -man Dort would grin proud, 'cause it was a point of honor with him. - -Eugene used to send out for his wearin' an' sech, so ol' man Dort -didn't get a whack at him in his store; ol' man Dort batched, an' -Eugene boarded, so they didn't clash up at their meals; an' finally -ol' man Dort swore a big oath that he was goin' to be barbered. The -news got out an' the boys came in for forty miles to see the fun--an' -it was worth it. - -We went early to the shop an' planted ourselves, lookin' solemn an' -not sayin' anything to put Eugene on his guard. When at last ol' man -Dort hove in sight with his brows scowled down an' his jaws set under -his shrubbery, we all bit our lips; an' Eugene stopped tellin' us -about the hair-roots o' the Prince of Wales, an' stood lookin' at ol' -man Dort with his mouth gapped wide open. - -The ol' man came in, shut the door careful behind him, glared at -Eugene, as though darin' him to do his worst, an' said: "I want my -hair shamped, an' my whiskers shaved off." - -"If you expected to get it all done in one day, you should ought to -have come earlier," sez Eugene soberly, but tossin' us a side wink. - -"Well, you do as much as you can to-day, an' we'll finish up -to-morrow," sez ol' man Dort, not seein' the joke. - -Ol' man Dort peeled off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, an' climbed -into the chair as if he thought it was liable to buck him off. Then he -settled back with a grunt, an' Eugene tucked the bib in around his -neck, combed his fingers through ol' man Dort's hair a minute, an' -sez; "Your hair's startin' to come out. You should ought to use a -tonic." - -"Tonic, hell!" snaps the ol' man. "My hair sheds out twice a year, -same as the rest o' the animals." - -"Then you should ought to comb it," sez Eugene. "I've got some hair -here in my hand which was shed out two years ago. Leavin' dead hair -an' such rubbish as that layin' around on your scalp is what kills the -hair globules." - -"It don't either; it acts like fertilizer, the same as dead grass -does," sez ol' man Dort. He had made up his mind to take the contrary -side of everything 'at Eugene said, an' it was more fun than a dog -fight. - -Eugene started in by mowin' away the whiskers, an' it was a long an' -painful job; 'cause it was almost impossible to tell where they left -off an' ol' man Dort began, an' then they was so cluttered up with -grit an' dead hair and kindry deb-ris that his scissors would choke up -an' pull, an' then ol' man Dort would bob up his head an' yell out a -bunch o' profanity, and Eugene would stand back an' say that he was a -barber, not a clearer of new ground, an' that the job ought to be done -with a scythe and hoe, not with scissors an' razor. Eugene wasn't -covetous of ol' man Dort's trade an' didn't care whether he insulted -him or not. - -The most fun came, though, after Eugene had got down to where he could -tell the outline of ol' man Dort's face. First he soaked it with -lather, combin' it in with a comb, an' puttin' hot towels on it to -draw out the alkalie grit an' give his razors some show. - -One of ol' man Dort's manias was, that a man ought to pay his debts, -whether it killed him or not; so as soon as Eugene had him steamin' -under the towels we begun to talk about a man's first duty bein' -toward his kin, an' that if he couldn't pay his debts without bother, -he ought to let the debts go an' show his relatives a good time while -they was still on earth an' able to enjoy themselves. - -Ol' man Dort couldn't stand it, an' tried to answer back from under -the towels; but got his mouth full o' suds, an' choked on the corner -of a towel until Eugene said that if he couldn't sit still an' behave -himself he could go out to some alfalfa farmer to get his tonsoral -work completed. - -It wasn't the ol' man's fault--he simply couldn't help it. Touch him -up on a ticklish subject, an' he just had to come back at ya, same as -a rattler. Finally, however, Eugene had the stubble wore down an' -softened until he decided that he stood a chance again' it, an' then -he lathered an' rubbed, an' lathered an' rubbed, until nothin' stuck -out below ol' man Dort's eyes except the peak of his nose; an' then us -boys pulled out our trump card an' played it strong. We began to talk -about red squirrels. - -Now, we didn't know anything professional about squirrels, except what -ol' man Dort had told us; but we slewed his talk around this way an' -that as if it was our own private opinions; an' the ol' man began to -groan audible. He gritted his teeth, though, an' bore up under it like -a hero, until Eugene begin to chip in with what he knew about -squirrels. - -Eugene was never content to just speak of a thing in a general -way--his main method of convincin' us was to allus fall back on his -own personal experience; so this time he began to tell of squirrels -what he had been full acquainted with. He called 'em by name an' told -how they would run to meet him an' climb up on his shoulders an' -chatter for nuts, an' so on; until the ol' man's ears turned red with -the strain he was under. And then, we got to discussin' the size o' -squirrels. - -We told about squirrels we had heard about, an' contested again' each -other to see which had heard o' the biggest one; but we never even -mentioned ol' man Dort's squirrel. Eugene had shaved his way down to -below the lobe of ol' man Dort's right ear, slippin' in a side remark -to our talk every minute or so; an' purty soon he sez 'at he knows a -squirrel by the name o' Daniel Webster back in Montpelier, Vermont, -which was a full half inch longer 'n airy red squirrel we had spoke -of. The ol' man couldn't stand this. His head bobbed up, cuttin' a -gash on the crook of his jaw, and as soon as he could blow the foam -out of his mouth, he sez, "I'll stake my life, the' ain't another -squirrel in this country as big as my own Ben Butler." - -Eugene put his hand on ol' man Dort's forehead an' pushed him back -into the headrest. "You lie there," sez he, "until I get done shavin' -ya. Then, I'll bet ya a dollar that I can produce a livin' squirrel -which'll out-stand, outweigh, an' out-fight your squirrel--an' I ain't -never seen your squirrel." - -"A dollar!" snorts the ol' man, flickin' up his head. "I wouldn't -bother wakin' Ben Butler up for a measly dollar. I'll bet ya ten -dollars." - -"Get back on that headrest," orders Eugene. "Ten dollars looks a heap -sight better to me than one, an' I'll be mighty glad to accommodate -ya." - -Eugene took his fire-stick an' burned the ol' man's cut, an' the ol' -man had to scruge up his shoulders with the pain of it; but he did it -without noticin', 'cause his mind was on squirrels. "What breed o' -squirrels is yours?" he asked. - -"If you don't keep your head where I put it, I'll throw up the job an' -let you go forth lookin' like the lost Goog o' Mayhan," sez Eugene, -raisin' his voice. Ol' man Dort was a whalin' big man, an' it tickled -us a heap to see little Eugene givin' him directions, like as if he -was nothin' but a pup dog. - -Ol' man Dort settled back with a sigh, an' Eugene leathered up his -razor without sayin' anything for a minute or two. Then he sez, as he -begins shavin' again: "That squirrel I have in mind for ring contests -is the short-tailed grizzly ground-squirrel; and it's the biggest -breed of squirrels the' is." - -"The' ain't no such a breed of squirrel as that!" yells ol' man Dort, -springing erect in his chair, an' dullin' Eugene's razor by the -operation. - -Eugene stepped back an' looked at the blood flowin' from the fresh -cut, an' he sez slow an' sarcastic; "If it don't make any difference -to you whether you have any skin on your face or not, why I'll just -peel it off an' tack it on a board to shave it; but hanged if I'm -goin' to duck around tryin' to shave you on the jump. The' is too -grizzly ground-squirrels." - -Well, that's the way they had it back and forth: every time they would -settle down to business an' Eugene would get a square inch o' the ol' -man's face cleared up, one of us boys would speak something in a low -tone about there bein' rumors of an uncommon big squirrel out at some -ranch house a hundred miles or so from there. Eugene would ask what -breed of squirrel it was, an' then decide that it couldn't be a -patchin' on a genuwine short-tailed grizzly ground-squirrel, an' then -ol' man Dort couldn't stand it no longer an' he would forget what he -was doin', bob up in his chair, an' lose some more of his life fluid. - -Eugene scraped down both sides o' the ol' man's face, givin' all of -his razors a chance to take part in the job, an' then he set his lips -an' started in on the chin. - -"What does short-tailed grizzly ground-squirrels eat, Eugene?" asked -Spider Kelley, as innocent as an infant pigeon. - -"They eat chickens,--" began Eugene, but ol' man Dort flew clean out -o' the chair an' stood over Eugene shakin' with rage. - -"Chickens?" he roars. "Chickens! The' never was a squirrel foaled into -this world what et chickens." - -Eugene looked at ol' man Dort, an' then he wiped his razor an' sat -down on a chair, so full of disgust that he could hardly breathe. - -"I wish you'd take off that apron an' bleed into the spittoon," he -said as calm as he could. "I've got customers whose patronage is what -makes up my living expenses; an' I don't want 'em to come in here an' -see the whole place a welter of gore. - -"What do you think this shop is, anyway?" yelled Eugene springing to -his feet an' entirely losin' his patience. "Do you think that I make -my livin' by grubbin' down wire grass which has been let grow for -fifty years, an' educatin' ignoramuses in the knowledge of squirrels? -I don't care whether you believe in short-tailed grizzly -ground-squirrels or not; but if you don't let me tie your head down to -that chair, I won't shave another sprout off your chin. I take some -pride in my profession, an' I don't intend to have no man go out o' my -shop leavin' a trail o' blood which will draw all the dogs for miles -around. Now, you can take your choice." - -Ol' man Dort had to give in that this was reasonable enough; so he -climbed back into the chair, an' Eugene tied down his head an' -finished him off without any more trouble. As soon as he had stopped -the bleedin' an' put on the perfume an' oil an' powder, he sez: "Now, -what I am goin' to do is to get some nourishment to recuperate back my -strength, an' if you want the waste products washed out o' your hair, -you come back here at one o'clock prompt." - -"I want to settle on that bet first," said ol' man Dort, who was just -as pernicious as Eugene, once you got him riled up. - -"I'll make that bet with you after dinner," sez Eugene, "but first off -I got to have food; I'm faint with weakness. Now, I'm goin' to lock up -my shop." - -After Eugene had marched off to his boardin' house, we all gathered -around ol' man Dort, an' complimented him on his improved appearance, -though to be strictly honest, the' was considerable doubts about it. -He had two teeth out in front, an' the tobacco habit; and now, with no -shrubbery to catch the spray, he spluttered terrible when he tried to -talk fast. He said, though, that as long as he had started in he -intended to take the full course, an' was comin' back, as soon as he'd -had a bite to eat, to get his hair laundried an' trimmed up some -around the edges; an' then he was goin' to make that bet about the -squirrels. - -It was some amusin' to see the ol' man get his hair sluiced out, but -not near as much fun as seein' him shaved. Whenever Eugene found any -stray product, he'd call us all over an' show it to us, an' this riled -the ol' man up considerable; but the best joke was when Eugene found a -woman's hairpin. - -The ol' man vowed an' declared an' carried on somethin' fierce; but -there was the hairpin, an' we made him pay for three rounds on the -strength of it. As soon as Eugene was all through, the ol' man settled -the bill, payin' for a full day's work like a regular sport, an' not -tryin' to beg off at the ordinary retail price; and then he hardened -his face an' sez: "Now I bet you ten dollars, that you can't bring -forward a squirrel as big as my Ben Butler." - -"I'll take that bet," sez Eugene, "but you got to give me time to -locate a short-tailed grizzly. It's the scarcest breed the' is, an' -it'll probably cost me twice the sum to get one, but I don't care -about that. What I want is to vindicate myself. I'd like to see that -squirrel o' yours." - -"You come right along," sez ol' man Dort, glowin' with pride. "I -reckon when you see him, you'll just hand over the money at once--That -is, if you know anything at all about squirrels." - -We all marched around to the general store, an' ol' man Dort pounded -on the cage. When Ben Butler sat up an' looked around to see what was -up, the ol' man waved his hand at him, looked down at Eugene, an' sez: -"Well?" He said it just like that: "Wu-el?" - -Ben Butler was rollin' fat, an' he certainly did look like some -squirrel to us; but Eugene merely glanced at him, an' sez: "Hum, what -we call a dwarf red squirrel, up in Nova Scotia. They have tails, -though, up there." - -The ol' man spluttered till we had to pound him on the back. "Dwarf?" -he chokes out. "Dwarf! You produce a squirrel to match him, will ya, -or else you pack up your truck an' move on. I don't intend to have -no--" - -"See here, ol' man," sez Eugene, pointin' a finger at him the same as -if he'd been a naughty child. "A short-tailed grizzly ground-squirrel -is from two to four times as big as this one, so if you want to -sidestep the bet, you can do it; but if you want to have some show for -your money, I bet you fifty to ten that I can get a squirrel three -times as big as this one. I own up that for its kind, this squirrel is -of fair, average growth; but--" - -"I'll take that bet!" yelled the old man. "We'll put up our money with -Ike Spargle this minute; but I don't want your odds. I'll bet you even -money." - -Eugene shook his head as if he pitied the ol' man, an' he sez, -"Haven't you never travelled none, or seen a zoological garden?" - -"Yes, I've travelled some, an' I've seen all kinds o' gardens," flares -back the ol' man; "but what I want now is to fix up this bet." - -"Who'll be the judges?" sez Eugene. - -"I don't care a snap. Any man who can see through the holes in a -ladder'll be able to decide between the claims o' two squirrels. Ike -Spargle an' Bill Thompson can be the judges." - -"There has to be three," sez Eugene. "We'll have Dan Stedman be the -other." - -So they put up the money an' Eugene was to have six weeks to get his -squirrel; an' from that on we begun to divide up into rival camps. -The' wasn't any tree squirrels out in that neck o' the woods, an' we -had all forgot what wild squirrels really was like. We knew the' was -ground-squirrels, red squirrels, gray squirrels, an' -flyin'-squirrels--although an argument was started about there bein' -flyin'-fish all right, but no flyin'-squirrels, which would have ended -in warfare if Eugene hadn't been handy to settle it. - -You wouldn't think that a little thing like a bet about the size of a -squirrel would take the way it did; but Eugene was so confident on his -side, an' ol' man Dort was so dead sure of Ben Butler, that the rest -of us split up an' we each had a little side bet on the outcome. It -seemed a tarnation long time while we was waitin'; but in a little -over a month, Eugene got a big box which he took into his back room -without lettin' even the fellers who had backed his squirrel get a -peep at it. - -From that on we got shaved twice a day an' our heads washed till the -hair started to change color; so that Eugene's trade was so improved -that even if he lost the bet, he was money ahead; but he scoffed the -idy o' losin' the bet, even after his squirrel arrived; and as he was -the only man who had seen both the contestants, he had the whole -country up in the air. - -Ol' man Dort had made his squirrel run around the wheel four hours a -day, pokin' him up with a stick when he got lazy; an' this gave Ben -Butler sech a prodigious appetite that the ol' man had to set up late -at night to give him an extra meal. As the day o' settlement came -closer, the ol' man tapered off on the exercise, an' doubled up on the -feed, until Ben Butler looked a full size larger, an' us fellers who -had our money on Eugene's squirrel began to get shaky. If it had been -just an even race, it would have been a fair deal; but to have to show -a squirrel three times larger than Ben Butler seemed an impossibility. - -Eugene had been fussin' over his entry too, an' we used to sneak up -behind his shop at nights to listen to him. We could hear him snippin' -with scissors and pullin' stoppers out o' bottles and when he was -through he'd say: "Stand up there, Columbus"--which was the name of -his champion, an' then he would seem to pass in a bunch o' feed, an' -say--"Good boy, Columbus! that dwarf red squirrel can turn a double -handspring in your shadder." - -This used to hearten us up again, and we'd lay a little more money on -Eugene's squirrel. Ike, an' Bill, an' Dan--the judges--said that they -didn't claim to know anything about the breeds o' squirrels, an' all -they was to judge on was the size, which would be settled by weight if -the' was any dispute. They got kind o' nervous toward the end, 'cause -the fellers were all on edge, an' a rank decision meant trouble in -bunches. - -When the final day o' settlement arrived, Boggs was seven deep with -fellers on edge to see the outcome. Most of us had all we could spare -hung up in bets; but the' was still a lot o' coin in the crowd, and a -crew came over from Cheyenne to take charge of it. - -They had a game which certainly was attractive, I'll say that much for -it. It was a round board full o' numbers, and up the middle was a -tower with slopin' sides covered with nails. A marble was dropped into -a hole at the top and bobbled on the nails until it went into a row of -holes at the bottom, and came out in a groove leadin' to one o' the -numbers. Some o' these numbers doubled the player's money, some of 'em -paid it over to the table; but most of 'em was neutral, and a feller -had to double what he already had up, in order to stand a show. It was -an innocent-appearin' game, but deceptive. When a feller had up all he -could raise, some stranger would offer him two bits for his chance, -put up the doublin' money--and win. This was a capper o' course; but -crowds don't have any sense when they start gamblin', and this crew -was cleanin' us out until, all of a sudden, I heard a clear, low-toned -voice say: "If one o' you boys would upset that table, you'd see the -lever which controls the marble." - -I glanced up, and there was the Singin' Parson, as cool as a frozen -fish. Ol' Tom Williams, commonly known as "Tank," had just lost six -dollars, and he upset the table and saw just how tight braced the -blame game was. Then he unlimbered his gun, and suggested that he -would feel calmer if he had the six dollars back, and the Cheyenne -gambler looked into Tank's free eye, which was pointin' at the -ceilin', and he seconded Tank's motion. After this the rest o' the -boys collected what they felt was due 'em, and the Cheyenne crowd had -to fall back on charity for their noon lunch. - -Just about one o'clock, the head crook saw the Singin' Parson standin' -close to Eugene's barber shop. The shop was locked, and the crowd -around was lookin' at it. The crook didn't want to attract any -attention; so, instead o' usin' a gun, he struck at the Parson with a -club. He miscalculated, and hit the shoulder instead o' the head. The -Parson whirled, grabbed the club with his left hand, and the crook's -shirt collar with his right. The crook started to pull; but we settled -down on him, and were all ready to serve out justice, when the Parson -interrupted to say that it was none of our business, and if we'd just -form a ring, he'd settle it to everybody's satisfaction. He said he -expected to live among us for the rest of his life, and this would be -a good time to introduce his methods. - -We took off the crook's weapons, and then formed a big ring. The -Parson was smilin' a business-like smile, while the crook was palin' -up noticeable. "I am convinced that a man must settle some things, -himself, in a new country," sez the Parson. "I am larger than you, so -it is fair for you to use this club; but I warn you in advance that I -understand how to guard again' clubs, so do your best. I'm ready, -begin." - -It was quite eddifyin' to behold: the crook made a vicious smash at -the Parson's head, the Parson bent his arm at the elbow, muscle out, -so the bone wouldn't get bruised, stepped in, and hit the crook a -swing in the short ribs. Some say it lifted him ten feet, some say -only eight; but any way, when he lit, he gave a grunt like an empty -barrel, and the Parson had no trouble in layin' him over his knee and -givin' him the most liberal spankin' with that club I ever was -spectator to; while the crowd howled itself hoarse in the throat. - -Now the Parson wasn't angry, he grinned all the way through, and when -he had taken as much exercise as he felt was good for him, he set the -crook on his feet, and talked fatherly advice to him as sober an' -dignified as was possible--considerin' the fact that the crook was -dancin' about like a spider on a hot skillet, and rubbin' the part -which had got most intimate with the club. - -Eugene had seen it all through his window, and when it was over, he -came out and shook the Parson's hand, and said he was just the kind -needed in such an ungodly community, and that he reminded him for all -the world of Friar Tuck in Robin Hood. Now, we hadn't none of us heard -of Friar Tuck up to that time; but it was a name well fitted to the -tongue, and from the way Eugene said it, we elected it was a -compliment; so we gave it to the Singin' Parson on the spot, and it -soaked into his bones, and he hasn't needed any other since. - -This little incident kept us all in a good humor until three o'clock, -which was the fatal hour for the squirrel-contest. - -Then ol' man Dort marched to the center o' the street, carryin' his -cage as though it was full o' diamonds; an' Ben Butler sat up an' -chattered as if he was darin' the whole race o' squirrels to bring -forth his equal. - -"I don't reckon a squirrel could get three times as big as him without -explodin'," sez Spider Kelley, who also had his money on Eugene's -squirrel. - -"Here comes Eugene with Columbus," sez I, not carin' to waste breath -on an opinion I had backed up with good money. - -Eugene came down the street carryin' one end of a box, with Doc Forbes -carryin' the other. The box was covered with a clean apron, an' Eugene -wasn't lookin' down in the mouth or discouraged. - -"From the size o' that box, we're goin' to have a run for our money," -sez Spider. "If Columbus just looks good enough to make 'em settle by -the scales, I haven't any kick comin'." - -Well, as Eugene drew closer, that crowd fell into a silence until all -a body could hear was Ben Butler braggin' about all the nuts he had -et, an' what a prodigious big squirrel he was; but Eugene never -faltered. He walked up an' set his box down careful, motioned Doc over -to the side lines, made a graceful motion to ol' man Dort, an' sez: -"As yours is the local champion you introduce him first, an' make your -claim." - -Ol' man Dort removed his tobacco, wiped his forehead, an' sez: "Feller -citizens, I make the claim that Ben Butler is the biggest full-blooded -squirrel ever sent to enlighten the solitude of lonely humanity. This -is him." - -The ol' man looked lovin'ly down at his squirrel, an' we every one of -us gave a rousin' cheer. It was all the family the ol' man had, an' it -meant more to him 'n a body who hadn't never tried standin' his own -company months at a time could realize. Ol' man Dort thrust some new -tobacco into his face, bit his lips, winked his eyes rapid, an' bowed -to us, almost overcome. - -Then Eugene stepped a space to the front, bowed to the crowd in -several directions, an' sez: "Gentlemen, an' feller citizens--From -Iceland's icy mountains to India's coral strands an' Afric's sunny -fountains, every nation an' every clime has produced some peculiar -product o' nature which lifts it above an' sets it apart from all the -other localities of the globe. When you speak of the succulent banana, -the golden orange, or the prickly pineapple, Nova Scotia remains -silent; but when you speak of varmints, she rears up on her hind legs -and with a glad shout of triumph, she hands forth the short-tailed -grizzly ground-squirrel, an' sez, 'Give me the blue ribbons, the gold -medals, an' the laurel crowns of victory.' I have the rare pleasure -an' the distinctive honor of presenting to your notice Columbus, the -hugest squirrel ever exhibited within the confines of captivity." - -We was so took by Eugene's eloquence that we hardly noticed him slip -the apron from in front of his cage; but when we did look, we could -hardly get our breath. I was standin' close to the Friar; and at first -he looked puzzled, and then his face lit up with a regular boy's grin; -but he didn't say a word. - -Columbus was certainly a giant; he stood full two feet tall as he sat -up an' scrutinized around with a bossy sort of grin. He was dappled -fawn color on the sides with a curly black streak down the back an' -sort o' chestnut-red below, with a short tail an' teeth like chisels. -He won so blame easy that even us what had bet on him didn't cheer. - -Ol' man Dort give a grin, thinkin' Ben Butler must have won, an' then -he stepped around an' looked into Eugene's cage. He looked first at -Columbus, an' then at Ben Butler, then he looked again. "That damned -thing ain't alive," he sez. "It's made up out o' wool yarn. Poke it up -an' let me see it move." - -"Poke it yourself," sez Eugene. He was one o' these cold-blooded -gamblers who ain't got one speck o' decent sentimentality; an' he was -mad 'cause we hadn't cheered. - -Ol' man Dort took a stick an' poked Columbus, an' Columbus give a -threatenin' grin, chattered savage, an' bit the stick in two. "Give -him the money, Ike," sez ol' man Dort. "I own up I never was in Nova -Scotia, an' I never supposed that such squirrels as this grew on the -face o' the whole earth. What'll you take for him?" he sez to Eugene. - -"It ain't your fault that you didn't know about him," sez Eugene, -thawin' a little humanity into himself. "I don't want to rub it in on -nobody; and I'll give you this here squirrel free gratis, 'cause I -admit that you know more about squirrels 'n anybody else what ever I -met; an' you have the biggest red squirrel the' is in the world." - -Then we did give Eugene a cheer, an' everything loosened up, an' we -all crowded into Ike Spargle's so that them what won could spend a -little money on them what lost. - -After a time, ol' man Dort got up on a chair, an' sez: "I want you -fellers to know that Columbus won't never be my pet. Ben Butler has -been the squarest squirrel ever was, an' he continues to remain my -pet; but I'll study feedin' this condemned foreign squirrel, an' give -him a fair show; so that if any outsiders come around makin' brags, we -will have a home squirrel to enter again' 'em an' get their money." - -Eugene led the cheerin' this time, which made Eugene solider than ever -with the boys, an' when Spider an' me got ready to ride home, he an' -ol' man Dort had their arms around each other tryin' to sing the Star -Spangled Banner. - -Spider talked about Columbus most o' the way home, but I was still. -The' was somethin' peculiar about the Friar's grin when he first -sighted Columbus, and the' was somethin' familiar about that squirrel, -an' I was tryin' to adjust myself. Just as we swung to the west on the -last turn, I sez to Spider: "Spider, I don't know what I ought to do -about this?" - -"About what?" sez Spider. - -"About this bet?" - -"Well, it was a fair bet, wasn't it? Columbus is full four times as -big as Ben Butler." - -"Yes," sez I, "but he ain't no squirrel." - -Spider pulled up to a stop. "Ain't no squirrel?" he sez. "What do you -take me for, didn't I see him myself? What is he then?" - -"He's a woodchuck, that's what he is," sez I. "He's a genuwine ground -hog with his hair cut stylish and died accordin' to Eugene's idy of -high art. I remember now that I used to see 'em when I was a little -shaver back on my dad's farm in Indiana." - -Spider give a whoop, an' then he laughed, an' then he sobered up, an' -sez: "Well, you can't do nothin' now, anyway. The judges have decided -it, ol' man Dort has give it up, it ain't your game nohow, an' if you -was to try to equal back those bets after they have been paid an' -mostly spent, you'd start a heap o' blood-spillin'; an' furthermore, -as far as I'm concerned, I ain't right sure but what a woodchuck, as -you call it, ain't some kind of a squirrel. We'll just let this go an' -wait for a chance to put something over on Eugene." - -So that's what we made up to do; but this gives you an idy of how fine -a line the Friar drew on questions o' sport. He knew 'at we weren't -full fledged angels, and that we had to have our little diversities; -but when any professional hold-up men tried to ring in a brace game on -us, he couldn't see any joke in it, and he upset the money-changers' -tables, the same as they was upset that time, long ago, in the temple. - - - - -CHAPTER THREE - -ABOVE THE DUST - - -I'm only about twice as old as I feel; but I've certainly seen a lot -o' changes take place out this way. I can look back to the time when -what most of us called a town was nothin' but a log shack with a -barrel of cheap whiskey and a mail-bag wanderin' in once a month or -so, from goodness-knows-where. I've seen the cattle kings when they -set their own bounds, made their own laws, and cared as little for -government-title as they did for an Injun's. Then, I've seen the sheep -men creep in an inch at a time until they ate the range away from the -cattle and began to jump claims an' tyrannize as free and joyous as -the cattle men had. Next came the dry farmer, and he was as comical as -a bum lamb when he first hove into sight; but I reckon that sooner or -later he'll be the one to write the final laws for this section. - -We're gettin' a good many towns on our map nowadays, we're puttin' up -a lot o' hay, we're drinkin' cow milk, and we're eatin' garden truck -in the summer. The old West has dried up and blown away before our -very eyes, and a few of us old timers are beginnin' to feel like the -last o' the buffalo. The's more money nowadays in boardin' dudes 'n -the' is in herdin' cattle, an' that's the short of a long, long story. - -But still we hammered out this country from the rough, and no one can -take that away from us. The flag follers trouble, an' business follers -the flag, an' law follers business, an' trouble follers the law; but -always the first trouble was kicked up by boys who had got so 'at they -couldn't digest home cookin' any longer and just nachely had to get -out an' tussle with nature an' the heathen. - -They're a tough, careless lot, these young adventurers; an' they're -always in a state of panic lest the earth get so crowded the' won't be -room enough to roll over in bed without askin' permission; so they -kill each other off as soon as possible, and thus make room for the -patienter ones who follow after. From what I've heard tell of history, -this has been about the way that the white race has managed from the -very beginning. - -As a general rule it has been purt' nigh a drawn fight between the -dark-skins an' the wild animals; then the lads who had to have more -elbow-room came along, and the dark-skins and the wild animals had to -be put onto reservations to preserve a few specimens as curiosities, -while the lads fussed among themselves, each one tryin' to settle down -peaceable with his dooryard lappin' over the horizon in all -directions. Room, room, room--that was their constant cry. As soon as -one would get a neighbor within a day's ride, he'd begin to feel shut -in an' smothered. - -Tyrrel Jones was one o' the worst o' this breed. He came out at an -early date, climbed the highest peak he could find, and claimed -everything 'at his gaze could reach in every direction. Then he -invented the Cross brand, put it on a few cows, and made ready to -defend his rights. The Cross brand was a simple one, just one straight -line crossin' another; and it could be put on in about one second with -a ventin' iron, or anything else which happened to be handy. Tyrrel -thought a heap o' this brand, an' he didn't lose any chances of -puttin' it onto saleable property. His herd grew from the very -beginning. - -His home ranch was something over a hundred miles northwest o' the -Diamond Dot; but I allus suspicioned that a lot of our doggies had the -Cross branded on to 'em. Tyrrel was mighty particular in the kind o' -punchers he hired. He liked fellers who had got into trouble, an' the -deeper they was in, the better he liked 'em. Character seeks its -level, the same as water; so that Tyrrel had no trouble in gettin' as -many o' the breed he wanted as he had place for. They did his -devilment free and hearty, and when they had a little spare time, they -used to devil on their own hook in a way to shame an Injun. - -The sayin' was, that a Cross brand puncher could digest every sort o' -beef in the land except Cross brand beef. Tyrrel used to grin at this -sayin' as though it was a sort of compliment; but some o' the little -fellers got purty bitter about it. When a small outfit located on a -nice piece o' water, it paid 'em to be well out o' Ty's neighborhood. -No one ever had any luck who got in his road; but his own luck boomed -right along year after year. He allus kept more men than he needed; -an' about once a month he'd knock in the head of a barrel o' whiskey, -an' the tales they used to tell about these times was enough to raise -the hair. Ty would work night an' day to get one of his men out of a -scrape; but once a man played him false, he either had to move or get -buried. He wasn't a bad lookin' man, except that he allus seemed keyed -up an' ready to spring. - -His men all had to be top-notch riders, because he hadn't any use for -a gentle hoss; he didn't want his hosses trained, he wanted 'em -busted, an' the cavey he'd send along for a round-up would be about as -gentle and reliable as a band o' hungry wolves. If a man killed a -hoss, why Ty seemed to think it a good joke, an' this was his gait all -the way along--the rougher the men were, the better they suited him. -He kept a pack o' dogs, and the men were encouraged to kick an' abuse -'em; but if one of 'em petted a dog, he was fired that instant--or -else lured into a quarrel. The' didn't seem to be one single soft spot -left in the man, an' when they got to callin' him Tyrant Jones instead -of Tyrrel, why, it suited him all over, an' he used it himself once in -a while. - -The next time I saw Friar Tuck, he recognized me at first glance, an' -his face lit up as though we had been out on some prank together an' -was the best pals in the world ever since. He wanted to know all I -knew about the crowd that had started to string him up; and when I had -finished paintin' 'em as black as I could, what did he do but say that -he was goin' up their way to have a talk with 'em. - -I told him right out that it was simply wastin' time; but he was set -in his ways, so I decided to ride part way with him. He had two hosses -along this trip, with his bed an' grub tied on the spare one; and on -the second day we reached a little park just as the sun was setting. -It was one o' the most beautiful spots I ever saw, high enough to get -a grand view off to the west, but all the rest shut in like a little -room. He jumped from his hoss, had his saddle off as soon as I did, -and also helped me with the pack. Then he looked about the place. - -"What a grand cathedral this is, Happy!" he sez after a minute. - -I didn't sense what he meant right at first, and went on makin' camp, -until I happened to notice his expression. He was lookin' off to the -west with the level rays of the sun as it sank down behind a distant -range full in his face. The twilight had already fallen over the low -land and all the hazy blues an' purples an' lavenders seemed to be -floatin' in a misty sea, with here an' there the black shadows of -peaks stickin' out like islands. It really was gorgeous when you -stopped to give time to it. - -It had been gruelin' hot all day, an' was just beginnin' to get cool -an' restful, and I was feelin' the jerk of my appetite; but when I -noticed his face I forgot all about it. I stood a bit back of him, -half watchin' him, an' half watchin' the landscape. Just as the sun -sank, he raised his hands and chanted, with his great, soft voice -booming out over the hills: "The Lord is in His holy temple--let all -the earth keep silence before Him." - -He bent his head, an' I bent mine--I'd have done it if the'd been a -knife-point stickin' again' my chin. I tell you, it was solemn! It -grew dark in a few moments an' the evening star came out in all her -glory. It was a still, clear night without a speck in the air, and she -was the only star in sight; but she made up for it, all right, by -throwing out spikes a yard long. - -He looked up at it for a moment, and then sang a simple little hymn -beginnin', "Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh; shadows of the -evening steal across the sky." It didn't have the ring to it of most -of his songs; it was just close an' friendly, and filled a feller with -peace. It spoke o' the little children, and those watchin' in pain, -and the sailors tossin' on the deep blue sea, and those who planned -evil--rounded 'em all up and bespoke a soothin' night for 'em; and I -venture to say that it did a heap o' good. - -Then he pitched in an' helped me get supper. This was his way; he -didn't wear a long face and talk doleful; he was full o' life an' -boilin' over with it every minute, and he'd turn his hand to whatever -came up an' joke an' be the best company in the world; but he never -got far from the Lord; and when he'd stop to worship, why, the whole -world seemed to stop and worship with him. - -We had a merry meal and had started to wash up the dishes when he -happened to glance up again. He had just been tellin' me a droll story -about the first camp he'd ever made, and how he had tied on his pack -so 'at the hoss couldn't comfortably use his hind legs and had bucked -all his stuff into a crick, an' I was still laughin'; but when he -looked up, my gaze followed his. It was plumb dark by now, an' that -evening star was fair bustin' herself, and the light of it turned the -peaks a glisteny, shadowy silver. He raised his hands again and -chanted one beginning: "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is -within me, praise His holy name." - -The' was a part in this one which called upon all the works o' the -Lord to praise Him, and I glanced about to see what was happenin'. A -faint breeze had sprung up and the spruce trees were bowin' over -reverently, the ponies had raised their heads and their eyes were -shinin' soft and bright in the firelight as they looked curiously at -the singer; and as I stood there with a greasy skillet in my hand, -something inside of me seemed to get down on its knees, to worship -with the other works o' the Lord. - -It was one o' those wonderful moments which seem to brand themselves -on a feller's memory, and I can see it all now, and hear the Friar's -voice as it floated away into the hills until it seemed to be caught -up by other voices rather than to die away. - -Well, we sat up about the fire a long time that night. He didn't fuss -with me about my soul, or gettin' saved, or such things. I told him -the things I didn't understand, and he told me the things he didn't -understand; and I told him about some o' my scrapes, and he told me -about some o' his, and--well, I can't see where it was so different -from a lot of other nights; but I suppose I'd be sitting there yet if -he hadn't finally said it was bedtime. - -He stood up and looked at the star again, and chanted the one which -begins: "Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace"; after which he -pulled off some of his clothes and crawled into the tarp. I crawled in -beside him about two minutes later; but he was already asleep, while I -lay there thinkin' for the best part of an hour. - -Next mornin' he awakened me by singin', "Brightest and best of the -sons of the morning"; and after that we got breakfast, and he started -on to Ty Jones's while I turned back to the Diamond Dot. I didn't -think he'd be able to do much with that gang; but after the talk I'd -had with him the night before, I saw 'at they couldn't do much to him, -either. I had got sort of a hint at his scheme of life; and there -isn't much you can do to a man who doesn't value his flesh more 'n the -Friar did his. - - - - -CHAPTER FOUR - -TY JONES - - -Ty stood in his door as the Friar rode up, and he recognized him from -the description Badger-face had turned in. Badger-face had been purty -freely tongue-handled for not havin' lynched the Friar, and Ty Jones -was disposed to tilt his welcome even farther back than usual; so he -set his pack on the Friar. He had six dogs at this time, mastiffs with -a wolf-cross in 'em which about filled out his notion o' what a dog -ought to be. - -The Friar had noticed the dogs, but he didn't have an idee that any -man would set such creatures on another man; so he had dismounted to -get a drink o' water from the crick, it havin' been a hot ride. The -pack came surgin' down on him while he was lyin' flat an' drinkin' out -o' the crick. His ponies were grazin' close by, and as soon as he saw -'at the dogs meant business, he vaulted into the saddle just in time -to escape 'em. - -They leaped at him as fast as they came up, and he hit 'em with the -loaded end of his quirt as thorough as was possible. He was ridin' a -line buckskin with a nervous disposition, and the pony kicked one or -two on his own hook; but as the Friar leaned over in puttin' down the -fifth, the sixth jumped from the opposite side, got a holt on his arm -just at the shoulder, an' upset him out of the saddle. In the fall the -dog's grip was broke an' he and the Friar faced each other for a -moment, the Friar squattin' on one knee with his fists close to his -throat, the dog crouchin' an' snarlin'. - -As the dog sprang, the Friar upper-cut him in the throat with his left -hand and when he straightened up, hit him over the heart with his -right. He says that a dog's heart is poorly protected. Anything 'at -didn't have steel over it was poorly protected when the Friar struck -with his right in earnest. The dog was killed. One o' the dogs the -pony had kicked was also killed, but the other four was able to get up -and crawl away. - -The Friar shook himself and went on to where Ty Jones and a few of his -men were standin'. "That's a nice lively bunch o' dogs you have," sez -he, smilin' as pleasant as usual; "but they need trainin'." - -"They suit me all right," growls Ty, "except that they're too blame -clumsy." - -The Friar looked at him a minute, and then said drily, "Yes, that's -what I said; they need trainin'." - -Ty Jones scowled: "They don't get practice enough," sez he. "It's most -generally known that I ain't a-hankerin' for company; so folks don't -usually come here, unless they're sure of a welcome." - -"I can well believe you," said the Friar, laughin', "and I hope the -next time I come I'll be sure of a welcome." - -"It's not likely," sez Ty shortly. - -The Friar just stood and looked at him curiously. He didn't believe -that Ty could really mean it. The' wasn't a streak of anything in his -own make-up to throw light on a human actin' the way 'at Ty Jones -acted; so he just stood and examined him. Ty stared back with a sneer -on his face, and I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to see 'em -eyein' each other. - -"Do you really mean," sez the Friar at last, "that you hate your -fellow humans so, that you'd drive a perfect stranger away from your -door?" - -"I haven't any use for hoss-thieves," sez Ty. - -The Friars face lighted. "Oh, that's all right," sez he in a relieved -tone. "As long as you have a special grievance again' me, why, it's -perfectly natural for you to act up to it. It wouldn't be natural for -most men to act up to it in just this way, but still it's normal; -while for a man to set his dogs on a total stranger would be -monstrous. I'm glad to know 'at you had some excuse; but as far as -hoss-stealin' goes, that roan is back with your band again. I saw him -as I came along." - -Ty was somewhat flabbergasted. He wasn't used to havin' folks try out -his conduct and comment on it right to his face; and especially was he -shocked to have his morals praised by a preacher. He knew 'at such a -reception as had just been handed to the Friar would have taken the -starch out o' most men an' filled 'em with a desire for revenge ever -after; but he could see that the Friar was not thinkin' of what had -been handed to him, he was actually interested in himself, Ty Jones, -and was honestly tryin' to see how it was possible for such a -condition to exist; and this set Ty Jones back on his haunches for -true. - -"For all time to come," he sez slow and raspy, "I want you to leave my -stuff alone. If you ever catch up and ride one of my hosses again, -I'll get your hide; and I don't even want you on my land." - -Then the Friar stiffened up; any one in the world, or any thing, had -the right to impose upon the Friar as a man; but when they tried to -interfere with what he spoke of as his callin', why, he swelled up -noticeable. The Friar's humility was genuine, all right; but it was -about four times stiffer an' spikier than any pride I've ever met up -with yet. - -"I shall not ride your hosses," sez he, scornful, "nor shall I tread -upon your land, nor shall I breathe your air, nor drink your water; -but in the future, as in the past, I shall use for the Lord only those -things which belong to the Lord. The things which are the Lord's were -His from the beginning, the things which you call yours are merely -entrusted to your care for a day or an hour or a moment. I do not -covet your paltry treasures, I covet your soul and I intend to fight -you for it from this day forward." - -The Friar spoke in a low, earnest tone; and Ty Jones stared at him. Ya -know how earnest an insane man gets? Well, the' was something o' this -in the Friar when he was talkin' business. You felt that he believed -that what he was sayin' was the truth, and you felt that if it was the -truth, it was mighty well worth heedin', and you also felt that in -spite of its bein' so everlastin' different from the usual view o' -things, it might actually be the truth after all and a risky thing to -pass up careless. - -After waitin' a minute without gettin' a reply, the Friar turned on -his heel to walk away, stumbled, and slipped to the ground, and then -they noticed a pool of blood which had dripped from him as he stood. -He had forgotten that the dog had torn him, an' the men had looked -into his eyes, as men always did when he talked, and they had forgot -it, too. Now, when he fell, Olaf the Swede stepped forward to help him -up. - -Olaf was the best man 'at Ty Jones had, from Ty's own standpoint. Ty -had happened to be over at Skelty's one night when Skelty was givin' a -dance. Skelty had six girls at this time, an' he used to give a dance -about once a week. Along about midnight, they got to be purty lively -affairs. This night Skelty had bragged what a fine shot he was, an' -the boys were kiddin' him about it, because Skelty wasn't no shot at -all as a rule. It was a moonlight night, and while they was sheepin' -Skelty about his shootin', two strangers rode up, tied their hosses to -the corral, an' started up the path toward the door. - -Skelty looked at 'em an' sez, "Why, if I had a mind to, I could pick -one o' those fellers off with this gun as easy as I could scratch my -nose." He pulled his gun and held it over his shoulder. - -All the boys fair hooted, an' Skelty dropped his gun an' shot one o' -the strangers dead in his tracks. The other came along on the run with -Skelty shootin' at him as fast as he could pop; but he only shot him -once, through the leg, and he limped in an' made for Skelty with his -bare hands. Skelty hit him in the forehead, knocked him down an' -jumped on him. He kept on beatin' him over the head until the stranger -managed to get a grip on his wrists. He held one hand still, an' -puttin' the other into his mouth, bit off the thumb. - -The's somethin' about bein' bit on the thumb which melts a man's -nerve; and in about five minutes, the stranger had Skelty's head -between his knees, and was makin' him eat his own gun. It must have -been a hideous sight! Some say that he actually did make Skelty eat -it, and some say that he only tore through the throat; but anyway, -Skelty didn't quite survive it, and Ty Jones hired the stranger, which -was Olaf the Swede. - -Olaf was one o' those Swedes which seem a mite too big for their -skins. The bones in his head stuck out, his jaws stuck out prodigious, -his shoulders stuck out, his hands stuck out--he fair loomed up and -seemed to crowd the landscape, and he was stouter 'n a bull. When he -let himself go he allus broke somethin'; but he had a soft streak in -him for animals, an' Ty never could break him from bein' gentle with -hosses, nor keep him from pettin' the dogs once in a while. Olaf -hadn't no more morals 'n a snake at this time, an' when it came to -dealin' with humans, he suited Ty to the minute; but he just simply -wouldn't torture an animal, and that was the end of it. Olaf wasn't a -talkin' man; he never used a word where a grunt would do, and he was -miserly about them; but he certainly was set in his ways. - -The Friar hadn't fainted, he had just gone dizzy; so when Olaf gave -him a lift he got to his feet and walked to his horse. He allus -carried some liniment an' such in his saddle bags, an' he pulled off -his shirt and cleaned out the wound and tied it up, with Olaf standin' -by and tryin' to help. Now, it made something of a murmur, when the -Friar took off his shirt. In the first place, the dog had give him an -awful tear, and for the rest, the Friar was a wonderful sight to -behold. He was as strong as Olaf without bein' bulgey, and his skin -was as white and smooth as ivory. He was all curves and tapers with -medium small hands and feet, and a throat clean cut and shapely like -the throat of a high-bred mare. Olaf looked at him, and nodded his -head solemnly. Badger-face hated Olaf, because Olaf had a curious way -of estimatin' things and havin' 'em turn out to be so, which made Ty -Jones put faith in what Olaf said, over and above what any one else -said. - -As soon as the Friar had finished tyin' up the wound, he turned and -walked up to Ty Jones. "Friend," he said, "I don't bear you a grain o' -malice, and nothing you can ever do to me will make me bear you a -grain o' malice. I know a lot about medicine, and perhaps I can help -you that way sometime. I want to get a start with you some way; I want -to be welcome here, and I wish 'at you'd give me a chance." - -"Oh, hell!" sneered Ty Jones. "Do you think you can soft-soap me as -easy as you did the boys? You're not welcome here now, and you never -will be. I've heard all this religious chatter, and there's nothin' in -it. The world was always held by the strong, by the men who hated -their enemies and stamped them out as fast as they got a chance; and -it always will be held by the strong. Your religion is only for -weaklings and hypocrits." - -The Friar's face lighted. "Will you discuss these things with me?" he -asked. "I shall not eat until this scratch is healed, I have my own -bed and will not bother you; won't you just be decent enough to invite -me to camp here, give me free use of water, and grass for my hosses, -while you and I discuss these things fully?" - -"I told you I didn't want you about, and I don't," sez Ty. "The's -nothin' on earth so useless as a preacher, and I can't stand 'em." - -"Let me work for you," persisted the Friar. "All I ask is a chance to -show 'at I'm able to do a man's work, and all the pay I ask is a -chance to hold service here on Sundays. If I don't do my work well, -then you can make me the laughin' stock o' the country; but I tell you -right now that if you turn me away without a show, it will do you a -lot more harm than it will me." - -Ty thought 'at probably the Friar had got wind o' some of his -devilment, and was hintin' that his own neck depended on his men -keepin' faith with him; so he stared at the Friar to see if it was a -threat. - -The Friar looked back into his eyes with hope beamin' in his own; but -after a time Ty Jones scowled down his brows an' pointed the way 'at -the Friar had come. "Go," sez he, stiff as ever. "The' ain't any room -for you on the Cross brand range; and if ya try anything underhanded, -I'll hunt ya down and put ya plumb out o' the way." - -So the Friar he caught his ponies and hit the back trail; but still it -had been purty much of a drawn battle, for Ty Jones's men had used -their eyes and their ears, and they had to give in to themselves 'at -the preacher had measured big any way ya looked at him; while their -own boss had dogged it in the manger to a higher degree 'n even they -could take glory in. - -As the Friar rode away, he sagged in his saddle with his head bent -over; and they thought him faint from his wound; but the truth was, -that he was only a little sad to think 'at he had lost. He was human, -the Friar was; he used to chide himself for presumptin' to be -impatient; but at the same time he used to fidget like a nervous hoss -when things seemed to stick in the sand; and he didn't sing a note as -long as he was on the Cross brand range--which same was an uncommon -state for the Friar to be in, him generally marchin' to music. - - - - -CHAPTER FIVE - -THE HOLD-UP - - -This was the way the Friar started out with us; and year after year, -this was the way he kept up. He was friendly with every one, and most -every one was friendly with him. Some o' the boys got the idea that he -packed his guns along as a bluff; so they put up a joke on him. - -They lay in wait for him one night as he was comin' up the goose neck. -I, myself, didn't rightly savvy just how he did stand with regard to -the takin' of human life in self-defence; but I knew mighty well 'at -he wasn't no bluffer, so I didn't join in with the boys, nor I didn't -warn him; I just scouted along on the watch and got up the hill out o' -range to see what would happen. - -He came up the hill in the twilight, singin' one of his favorite -marchin' songs. I've heard it hundreds of times since then, and I've -often found myself singin' it softly to myself when I had a long, -lonely ride to make. That was a curious thing about the Friar: he -didn't seem to be tampin' any of his idees into a feller, but first -thing the feller knew, he had picked up some o' the Friar's ways; and, -as the Friar confided to me once, a good habit is as easy learned as a -bad, and twice as comfortin'. - -Well, he came up the pass shufflin' along at a steady Spanish trot as -was usual with him when not overly rushed, and singin': - - "Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah! - Pilgrim through this barren land; - I am weak, but Thou art mighty; - Hold me with Thy powerful hand." - -He came up out of the pass with his head thrown back, and his boy's -face shinin' with that radiatin' joy I haven't ever seen in another -face, exceptin' it first caught the reflection from the Friar's; and -the notion about died out o' the boys' minds. They were all friends of -his and wouldn't have hurt his feelin's for a lot; but they had itched -about his weapons for such a spell that they finally had to have it -out; so when he rounded a point o' rock, they stepped out and told him -to put his hands up. - -They were masked and had him covered, and his hands shot up with a -jerk; but he didn't stop his singin', and his voice didn't take on a -single waver. Fact was, it seemed if possible a shade more jubilant. -He had reached the verse which sez: - - "Feed me with the heavenly manna - In this barren wilderness; - Be my sword and shield and banner, - Be the Lord my Righteousness"; - -and as he sang with his hands held high above his head, he waved 'em -back and forth, playin' notes in the air with his fingers, the way he -did frequent; and it was one o' the most divertin' sights I ever saw. - -Those blame scamps had all they could do to keep from hummin' time to -his song; for I swear to you in earnest that the Friar could play on a -man's heart the same as if it was a fiddle. He kept on an' finished -the last verse while I crouched above 'em behind a big rock, and -fairly hugged myself with the joy of it. Ol' Tank Williams was a big -man and had been chosen out to be the leader an' do the talkin', but -he hadn't the heart to jab into the Friar's singin'; so he waited -until it was all over. Then he cleared his throat as though settin' -off a blast of dynamite, and growls out: "Here, you, give us your -money." - -Ten six-shooters were pointin' at the Friar, but I reckon if he had -known it would of exploded all of 'em, he'd have had to laugh. He -threw back his head and his big free laugh rolled out into the hills, -until I had to gnaw at a corner o' the stone to keep from joinin' in. -"My money!" sez he as soon as he could catch his breath. "Well, boys, -boys, whatever put such a notion as that into your heads. Take it, -take it, you're welcome to it; and if you are able to find more than -two bits, why, I congratulate you most hearty; because two bits was -all I could find this morning, and that will only be a nickle apiece, -and five cents is small pay for robbin' a volunteer missionary." - -Ol' Tank Williams was a serious-minded old relic, and he was feelin' -so sheepish just then that it seemed to him as though the Friar had -imposed on him by lurin' him into such a fix; so he roars out in -earnest: "If you ain't got no money, why the deuce do ya tote those -guns about with ya all the time?" - -"Would you just as soon tie me to a tree, or take some other measures -of defence?" asked the Friar politely. "My arms are gettin' weary and -I could talk more comfortable with 'em hanging' down." - -"Aw put 'em down, and talk on," sez George Hendricks. - -"Thank you," sez the Friar. "Well, now, boys, the man who doesn't take -the time to put a value on his own life, isn't likely to make that -life very much worth while. He mustn't overvalue it to such an extent -that he becomes a coward, nor he mustn't undervalue it to such an -extent that he becomes reckless--he must take full time to estimate -himself as near as he is able. - -"I don't know that I can allus keep from judgin' my fellow men; but I -am sure that I would not judge one to the extent of sayin' that my -life was worth more than his, so I should never use a gun merely to -save my own life by takin' away the life of another man--much less -would I use a gun in defence of money; but I am a purty good shot, and -sometimes I can get a man interested by shootin' at a mark with him. -This is why I carry firearms. Do you want the two bits?" - -"Aw, go on," yells ol' Tank, madder at himself 'n ever. "We didn't -intend to rob ya. All we wanted was to hear ya sing and preach a bit"; -and he pulled off his mask and shook the Friar's hand. All the rest o' -the boys did the same; and I clumb up on my rock, flapped my wings, -and crowed like a rooster. - -Well, we sat on the ground, and he sang for us; and then he sobered -and began to talk about cussin'. It used to hurt the Friar to hear -some o' the double-jointed swear words we used when excited. He tried -not to show it, because he didn't want anything to shut us away from -him at any time; but whiles his face would wrinkle into lines of -actual pain. - -"Now, boys," he began, "I know, 'at you don't mean what you say in a -profane way. You call each other terrible names, and condemn each -other to eternal punishment; and if a man said these things in -earnest, his life would be forfeit; but you take it merely as a joke. -Now, I do not know just how wicked this is. I know that it is -forbidden to take the name o' the Lord thy God in vain; so it is a -dangerous thing to be profane even in thoughtlessness; but I have -heard the Lord's name used by the perfectly respectable in a way which -must have hurt his tender nature more. - -"Once in the crowded slum district of a large eastern city, I saw a -freight car back down on a child and kill it. The mother was frantic; -she was a foreigner and extra emotional, and she screamed, and cursed -the railroad. A man had come to comfort her, and he put his hand on -her arm and said, 'My dear woman, you must not carry on this way. We -must always bow our heads in submission to the Lord's will.' - -"For years the poor people o' that neighborhood had begged protection -for their children; and I cannot believe that it was the Lord's will -that even one o' the least of 'em should have been slain in order to -drive the lesson a little deeper home; so, as I said before, I am not -going to talk to you of the wickedness of swearing--but I am goin' to -talk about its foolishness, its vulgarity, and its brutality." - -He went on showin' that swearin' was foolish because it wasn't givin' -a man's thought on things in a man's way; but merely howlin' it out -the way wolves and wild-cats had to, on account o' their not havin' a -civilized language with which to express the devilment which was in -'em. He showed how it made a feller lazy; because instead of tryin' to -sort out words which would tell exactly what he meant, he made a lot -of noises which had no more real meanin' than a bunch o' -fire-crackers. - -Then his voice got low and serious, and he said 'at the worst thing -about cussin' was, that it led a feller into speakin' lightly about -the sacred things of life. "When you speak the word 'son,'" he said, -"you are bound to also call up the thought of 'mother'; and I want to -say to you right now that any one who can be coarse and nasty in -thinkin' or speakin' about maternity, is not a man at all--or even a -decent brute--but has some sort of soul-sickness which is more -horrible than insanity. Always be square with women--all women, good -and bad. I know your temptations, and I know theirs. Woman has a heavy -cross to carry, and the least we can do, is to play fair." - -Then he sprang some of his curious theories on us: told us how the -body was full of poisons and remedies; and it depended on our plan of -livin', whether we used the one or the other. He said he allus cut out -food and tobacco on Fridays, and if he didn't feel bright and clear -and bubblin' over with vitality, he fasted until he felt able to eat a -rubber boot, and then he knew he had cleaned all the waste products -out of him, and could live at top speed again. He finished up by -tellin' of a cross old doctor he once knew, who used to say 'at cattle -and kings didn't have to control themselves; but all ordinary men had -to use self-denial, even in matters of pleasure. - -It was more the way the Friar said things than what he said; his voice -and his eyes helped a lot; but the thing 'at counted for most was the -fact 'at you knew it wasn't none of it put on. He loved to joke when -it was a jokin' matter; but he was stiff as stone with what he called -the foundations of life. A man, you know, as a rule, is mighty timid -about the things which lie close to his heart, no matter how bold and -free he'll talk about other things; but the Friar was like a little -child, an' he'd speak out as bold and frank as one, about the things -he loved and hated, until he finally put a few drops o' this queer -brand o' courage into our own hearts. - -Of course we didn't get to be troubled with wing-growth or anything -like that; but a short time after this fake hold-up, ol' Tank Williams -went in to fill up with picklin'-fluid, and he started in on Monday -and kept fightin' it all that week until Friday. Then he said that he -wouldn't neither eat, drink, nor smoke on that day; and they couldn't -make him do it. He started in on Saturday to continue what had started -out to be one o' the best benders he had ever took; but the first -quart made him sick as a dog, and he came out to the ranch and said -'at the Friar had made him a temperate man, and for the rest of his -life he intended to set aside one day a week in the Friar's favor. - -After the boys had started for the ranch, the Friar invited me to -spend the night with him; so we unpacked his bed from the lead-hoss -and we built a little fire and had a right sociable time of it. Me and -him was good pals by this time. He had said to me once: "Happy, you do -more general thinkin' than some varsity men I've known." - -"I reckon," sez I, modest as I could, "that a man who has bossed a -dozen men and ten thousand cattle through a three days' blizzard, has -to be able to think some like a general." - -Then he explained to me that general thinkin' meant to think about -stars an' flowers an' the human race an' the past an' the future, an' -such things, and not to be all the time lookin' at life just from the -way it touched a feller himself. This was another thing I liked about -him. Most Easteners is so polite that they haven't the heart to set a -feller right when he has the wrong notion; but the Friar would divvy -up on his knowledge as free as he would on his bacon or tobacco; so I -opened myself up to him until he knew as much about me as I did -myself. - -He didn't have much use for the shut-eye this night, nor he wasn't as -talky as common; so we sat smokin' and lookin' into the fire for a -long time. Once in a while he'd speak a verse about some big deed a -man had done years ago, or else one describin' the mountains or -something like that; until finally I asked him how it came that a man -who loved adventure an' fightin' an' feats of skill, the way he did, -had selected to be a preacher. - -"We don't select our lives, Happy," sez he. "You're surely philosopher -enough to see that. As far as we can see, it is like that gamblin' -game; we roll down through a lot o' little pegs bobbin' off from one -to another until finally we pop into a little hole at the bottom; but -we didn't pick out that hole. No, we didn't pick out that hole." - -So I up and asked him to tell me somethin' about his start. - - - - -CHAPTER SIX - -A REMINISCENCE - - -I pity the man who has never slept out doors in the Rocky Mountains. -Swingin' around with the earth, away up there in the starlight, he -fills himself full o' new life with every breath; and no matter how -tough the day has been, he is bound to wake up the next mornin' plumb -rested, and with strength and energy fair dancin' through his veins. -For it to be perfect, a feller has to have a pipe, a fire, and some -one close and chummy to chat with. This night me an' the Friar both -went down to the crick and washed our feet. We sat on a log side by -side and made noises like a flock of bewildered geese when we first -stuck our feet into the icy water; but by the time we had raced back -and crawled into his bed, we were glowin' all over. - -We didn't cover up right away, because the Friar just simply couldn't -seem to get sleepy that night; and after a minute he put some more -wood on the fire, filled his pipe again, and said: "So you want me to -tell you about my story, huh? Well, I believe I will tell you about my -boyhood." - -So I filled my pipe, and we lay half under the tarp with our heads on -our hands and our elbows on our boots, which were waitin' to be -pillows, and he told me about the early days, talkin' more to himself -than to me. - -"My mother died when I was six years old, my father divided his time -between cleanin' out saloons, beatin' me, an' livin' in the -work-house," began the Friar, and it give me kind of a shock. I'd had -a notion that such-like kids wasn't likely to grow up into preachers; -and I'd allus supposed 'at the Friar had had a soft, gentle youth. "I -was a tough, sturdy urchin," he went on, "but I allus had a soft heart -for animals. I used to fight several times a day; but mostly because -the other kids used to stone cats and tie tin cans on dogs' tails. I -used to shine shoes, pass papers, run errands, and do any other odd -job for a few pennies, and at night I slept wherever I could. I had a -big dry-goods-box all to myself for several months, once, and I still -look back to it as being a fine, comfortable bedroom. - -"One morning I was down at the Union Depot when a farmer drove up a -big Norman hoss hitched to a surrey. Some o' the other kids joshed -him, called the hoss an elephant and asked where the rest o' the show -was. The man was big, well fed, and comfortable lookin', same as the -hoss, and he didn't pay any heed to the kids except to call one of 'em -up to hold the hoss while he went into the depot. The kid wanted to -know first what he was goin' to be paid, and he haggled so long 'at -the farmer beckoned to me to come up. 'Will you hold my hoss for me a -few minutes?' he asked. - -"That big gray hoss with the dark, gentle eyes seemed to me one of the -most beautiful things I had ever seen, and I was mighty anxious to -have charge of him, even for a few minutes; so I sez, 'You bet I -will.' - -"The other kids roasted me and made all manner o' sport; but they knew -I would fight 'em if they got too superfluous, so after a bit they -went on about their business. The's somethin' about man's love for a -hoss that's a little hard to understand. I had never had no intimate -dealin's with one before, yet somethin' inside me reached out and -entwined itself all about this big, gray, velvet-nosed beauty left in -my charge. I reckon it must be in a man's blood; that's the only -explanation I can find. All the way back along the trail o' history we -find the bones of men and hosses bleachin' together in the same heap; -and about every worthwhile spot on the face o' nature has been fought -over on hossback, so it's small wonder if the feel of a hoss has got -to be part of man's nature. - -"The farmer had had a woman and a little girl in his care, to see off -on the train, and he was gone some time. I had a few pennies in my -pocket, and I bought an apple an' fed it to the hoss, gettin' more -enjoyment out of it than out of airy other apple I'd ever owned. I can -feel right now the strange movin's inside my breast as his moist nose -sniffed at my fingers and his delicate lips picked up the bits of -apple, as careful an' gentle as though my rough, dirty little hand had -been made o' crystal. - -"I was so interested in the hoss that I gave a start of surprise when -the farmer's voice behind me sez: 'You seem to like hosses, son.' - -"'I hadn't no idee 'at a great big one like this could be so smooth -an' gentle,' I said, with my hand rubbin' along the hoss's throat. 'I -think he's a wonder.' - -"'Do you like other animals?' asked the farmer. - -"'I reckon I must be an animal myself,' sez I, 'because I allus get -along well with them, while I have to fight a lot with humans.' - -"'What do you want for tendin' to this hoss?' he asked me. - -"'I don't want nothin',' sez I. 'We've got to be friends, an' I don't -charge nothin' for doin' favors for a friend. Besides, he's got so -much sense, I doubt if he needs much watchin'.' - -"The farmer grinned, looked into my eyes a long time, and gave me a -dollar. 'Now tell me how you'll spend your dollar,' sez he. - -"Well, I was purty well floored. I had never owned a dollar before in -my whole life, my father havin' taken away every cent he had ever -found on me; and I stood lookin' at the coin, and hardly knowin' what -to do. The farmer stood lookin' down at me with his eyes twinklin', -and after a minute, I handed the dollar back to him. 'This is too -much,' I sez. 'A dime would be plenty for the job, even if I didn't -like the hoss; but if my old man would find a dollar on me, he'd give -me a beatin' for hidin' it from him, take it away, get drunk, and then -give me another beatin' for not havin' another dollar.' - -"So he asked me all about my father; and I told about him and about my -mother bein' dead, and the twinkle left his eyes and they grew moist, -so 'at he had to wink mighty fast. - -"He told me that his own boy was dead and his girl married, and that -the' wasn't any children out at the big farm, and asked me if I -wouldn't like to come and live with him. He told me about all the -hosses an' the cows an' the pigs, an' that I could have a clean little -room to sleep in, an' plenty o' food and clothes, and could go to -school. It sounded like a fairy tale to me, and I sez, 'Aw go on, -you're just joshin' me'; but he meant it; so I got on the seat beside -him, and as soon as we got out o' town he let me drive the big gray -hoss--and I entered into a real world more wonderful than any fairy -tale ever was. - -"When we drove up the shady lane and into the big barn lot, a little -old lady with sad eyes came to the door, and sez: 'Now, John, who is -that with you?' and my heart sank, for I thought she wasn't goin' to -stand for me; but he took me by the hand and led me up to the door, -put his arm about the little woman's shoulder, and sez with a tremble -in his voice: 'This here is a little feller I've brought out to be -company for ya, mother. He hasn't any folks, and he is fond of -animals, and, and--his name is John, too.' - -"At first she shook her head and shut her lips tight; but all of a -sudden the tears came to her eyes, and she put her arms about me--and -I had found a real home. - -"Those were wonderful years, Happy, wonderful; and I have the -satisfaction o' knowin' that I did them about as much good as they did -me. Their hearts had been wrapped up in the boy, and he must have been -a fine feller; but just when he had been promoted out o' the grammar -grade at the head of his class, he had took the scarlet fever an' -died. I wasn't used to kindness when I went there; so I never noticed -'at they kept me out o' the inner circle o' their hearts at first. I -called the little woman Mrs. Carmichael for some time; but one day -after I'd brought home a good report from school, I called her this, -and she spoke to me sharp--I never knew any soft-hearted person in the -world who got so much solid satisfaction out of actin' cross as she -did. Well, she spoke to me sharp, and sez: 'John Carmichael, why don't -you call me Mother?' - -"I looked into her face, and it didn't look old any longer, and the -sad look had left her eyes, and they were black and snappy an' full o' -life; so I tried it; and we both broke into tears, but they were tears -o' joy; and then he insisted that I call him Dad, and we became a -family; and about the happiest one in the world, I reckon. - -"I rode the hosses bareback, shot hawks with my rifle, picked berries, -did a lot o' chores, and worked hard with my books. It was a full, -round life with lots of love and happiness in it, and I grew, body and -mind and spirit, as free and natural as the big oak trees in the woods -pasture. - -"Mr. Carmichael had looked up my blood father and had done what he -could for him; but it was no use, and one winter's morning he was -found frozen in an alley. I didn't learn of it until the next June -when he took me down to the city cemetery where my father and mother -lay side by side. I did feel downcast as we all do in the presence of -death; but it wasn't my real father and mother who were lyin' there -beneath the quiet mounds. Fatherhood and motherhood are somethin' more -than mere physical processes. The real fathers and mothers are those -who put the best part o' their lives into makin' the big, gloomy world -into a tender home for _all_ the little ones; and after my visit -to the graveyard I felt drawn even closer to Dad and Mother than I had -before. - -"Children ought to have dogs and hosses and plenty of air and soil -about 'em, Happy. We don't learn from preachin', we learn from -example; and we can learn a heap from the animals. We talk about our -sanitary systems; but we allus mean the sanitary systems outside our -bodies. Now, the animals have sanitary systems, but they are inside -their own skins, where they rightly belong. Look at the beautiful -teeth of a dog--These come from eatin' proper food at the proper time -and in proper quantities. If a dog isn't hungry, the dog won't eat. If -a child isn't hungry, it is fed candy in a lot o' cases, and this is -downright wicked. Of course the animals find it hard to live, crowded -up the way man allus fixes things; but as a rule animals are temperate -and clean, patient and honest, wise and strong; and I wish we'd use -'em more as instructors for the young. Most mothers think a dog's -tongue is dirty--Why, a dog's tongue is chemically clean, and healin' -in its action; while the human mouth is generally poisonous--ask a -dentist. - -"And a cow's breath, after she has rolled in with sweetly solemn -dignity from the clover field--Ah, that's a pleasant memory! I'll -venture to say 'at mighty few monarchs have been as worthy o' bein' -kissed before breakfast, as Nebukaneezer was while he was undergoin' -punishment for his sins. I had gone to that farm with my soul all -stunted and gnarly; but it straightened out and shot its little stems -up toward the blue, the same as the stalks o' corn did. - -"All I had as a start was a love of animals; and this is why I allus -try to find the one soft spot in a man's nature--Even if it's a secret -vice, it is something to work on. This is what makes such a problem of -Tyrrel Jones. I can't find out a single soft place in him; but I'm -goin' to get into the heart of him yet, if I can find the way. - -"Well, Dad and Mother passed away within a week of each other a short -time after I had been graduated. I had made up my mind to stay on the -farm with 'em as long as they stayed; although all sorts of voices -were callin' to me from the big outer world; but their daughter lived -in the city, and had been weaned away from the farm, so she sold it, -and I started on my pilgrimage. - -"They had left me an income of three hundred and fifty dollars a year; -and I determined to go to college. When I thought of how rich and full -my own life had been made, after its stunted beginning, I wanted to do -all I could to make the whole earth like that farm had been, and it -seemed to me that the best way was to become a priest of the Lord. I -tried my best; but I have been consid'able of a failure, Happy. Now, I -hardly know where I stand. I am sort of an outcast now, and just doing -what seems best on my own hook. - -"A lot of my ideals have been lost, a lot of my hopes have faded, a -lot of my work has seemed like sweeping back the waves of the sea; but -for all I have lost, new things have taken their place, and I have -never lost my faith in the Lord. Now, I am weak in doctrine and a -stranger to dogma; and the things for which I fight with all my soul -and heart and strength, are kindliness and decency. - -"As long as one bein' in the world is cold or hungry or diseased, -every other bein' is liable to become hungry and cold and diseased. -What I am fighting for is a world without poverty. Most o' the ills of -life spring from poverty, and poverty is the result of selfishness and -greed. The earth is reeking with riches, but its bounty is not divided -fairly. - -"Happy, if I could only hold up the Lord, so that all men might see -the beauty and fullness of Him, the glory and grandeur of His simple -life and His majestic self-sacrifice, the fleeting cheapness of -material things would sink to their real value, and we would all -become one great family, workin' together in peace and contentment. -Now, go on to sleep." - -It was purty late by this time sure enough, and I fell asleep soon -after this; but I awakened durin' the night and found myself alone. It -was cold when I stuck my nose out from under the tarp, but it was a -wonderful night, clear and still, with the stars swingin' big and -bright just above my reach. - -As I lay there, I heard Friar Tuck singin' softly to himself out where -the trail dipped down into the valley: - - "The night is dark, and I am far from home, - Lead Thou me on! - Keep Thou my feet: I do not ask to see - The distant scene,--one step enough for me." - -I had never heard his voice so wonderfully beautiful before; but, my -stars, the sadness of it made me choke! It wasn't just a song, it was -a cry; and I knew that it came from a lonely, bleedin' heart. I put my -head under the covers again, puzzlin' over what was on his mind; but -first thing I knew I was awakened by the glad voice of the old Friar -Tuck, singin' his favorite mornin' hymn: "Brightest and best of the -sons of the morning"; so I cooked breakfast, and he went his way, and -I went mine. - - - - -CHAPTER SEVEN - -HORACE WALPOLE BRADFORD - - -The Diamond Dot, while it was about the idealest ranch in the West -from most standpoints, was run a little loose. Jabez didn't have any -luxurious tastes, and he wasn't miserly; so he didn't strain things -down to the last penny--not by a whole lot. All he asked was to have -his own way and be comfortable; and so he allus kept more punchers 'n -he had actual need of, and unless they got jubilant over imposin' on -him, he just shut his eyes and grinned about it. - -Takin' his location and outfit into account, and he just simply -couldn't help but make money; so we all had a fairly easy time of it -and grew tender feelin's, the same as spoiled children; which is why -we sometimes quit, for we never had any other excuse for it. - -Barbie was a notice-takin' child, if ever the' was one; and she stood -out for company as a general and standin' order. Company didn't affect -ol' Cast Steel one way or the other; they were just the same to him as -a couple o' hundred head o' ponies, more or less; and so the news got -out that we allus had a lot of extra beds made up and any one was -welcome to stretch out in 'em who wanted to. The result o' this was, -'at we drew visitors as easy as molasses draws flies. I lived at the -home house on account o' bein' Barbie's pal, and so I got into the -habit o' bein' a sort of permanent reception committee. Some o' these -visitors was a plague to me; but Jabez didn't like to run any risk of -havin' 'em ruined beyond repair, so it was generally understood that I -had to use ex-treme caution when I started in to file the clutch off -their welcome. - -This spring 'at I have in mind, we had as visitor one o' the -easternest dudes I was ever tangled up with. He came out for his -health, which is the excuse most of 'em gives; but this one took more -ways of avoidin' health 'n airy other of 'em I ever saw. He smoked -cigars all day long, big black ones, strong enough to run a sawmill, -he ate fattenin' food from mornin' till night, and when he drove out -in the buckboard to take his exercise, he suffered from what he called -fatigue. He used to sit up as wide awake as an owl till along about -ten every night; and half the time he didn't crawl out until near -seven in the mornin'. He certainly was a pest! - -What he complained of most, was his nerves; and he'd sit for hours, -talkin' about 'em to anything 'at had ears. He said the worst of it -was, he couldn't sleep nights. I had, of course, heard o' nerves -before ever I saw him; but I had never heard of 'em turnin' to and -devilin' a man, the way his did; so at first I was honestly -interested, and asked him all I could think up about 'em; but after a -day or so, I'd 'a' been perfectly willin' to put up the coin out o' my -own pocket to have him go to a dentist and have every last one of his -nerves pulled. - -I don't begrudge sympathy to any afflicted individual; but the more I -sympathized with this feller, the more affectionate toward me he got; -and he used to trot about after me, warbilin' out dirges about his -nerves until I was tempted to tie a stone around his neck and lose him -down the cistern. - -He ran to language, too, this one did. His conversation was so full of -it that a feller could scarcely understand what he was tryin' to say. -He was ferociously interested in the ancient Greeks; and if a man -succeeded in wedgin' him away from his nerves, he began immediate to -discourse about these ancient Greeks. Now, I didn't have a single -thing again' any o' these ancient Greeks before this Dude struck us, -none of 'em ever havin' crossed my trail before; but they sure did -have a rotten outfit o' names, and they were the most infernal liars -'at ever existed. Three-headed dogs, and women with snakes for hair, -were as common in their tales as thieves among the Sioux. Barbie -didn't have any use for this Eastener either; so I decided to fit him -out with a deep-rooted desire for home influences. - -I took ol' Tank Williams into my confidence, he bein' the most -gruesome lookin' creature we had in our parts. He was a big man of -curious construction and he had one eye which ran wild. Tank never -knew what this free eye was up to; and while he would be examinin' the -ground, the free eye would be gazin' up at a tree as intent as though -he had set it to watch for a crow. Durin' his younger days, Tank had -formed the habit of indulgin' in gang fights as much as possible, and -all of his features had been stampeded out o' their natural orbits; -but this free eye beat anything I ever see. - -They had him down on his back one time, and he was gnawin' away -contentedly at some feller's thumb, when the feller reached up his -trigger finger and scooped out Tank's eye. The shape and color weren't -hurt a bit; but some o' the workin' parts got disconnected, so that he -couldn't see with it; but it appeared to be full as good an eye as the -one he looked with. - -All the sleep Tank ever wanted was six hours out o' the twenty-four, -and he didn't care how he got 'em--ten minutes at a time, or all in -one lump. He could sleep sittin' up straight, or ridin', or stretched -out in bed, or most any way. I think he could sleep while walkin,' -though I was never able to surprise him at it. He agreed to back me -up, and Spider Kelley also said he was willin' to do everything in his -power to furnish our guest some pleasant recollections after he'd gone -back to a groove which fitted him better. - -As soon as I began to plan my trip, I started to rehearse curious -secrets about Tank to the Eastener, whose name was Horace Walpole -Bradford. I told Horace that Tank had a case o' nerves which made his -'n seem like a bundle of old shoe-laces; and that if something wasn't -done for him soon, I feared he was goin' to develop insanity. I said -that even now, it wasn't safe to contrary him none, and that I'd be a -heap easier in my own mind if Tank was coralled up in a cell -somewhere, with irons on. - -I didn't tell Tank what sort of a disposition I was supplyin' him with -for fear he'd overdo it. Tank didn't know a nerve from an ingrowin' -hair; but when he and Horace paired off to tell each other their -symptoms, I'll have to own up that his tales of anguish an' sufferin' -made Horace's troubles sound like dance music. - -I told Horace that a trip through the mountains would soothe and -invigorate him, until he'd be able to sleep, hangin' by his toes like -a bat; but the trouble was to find something which interested him -enough to lure him on the trip. There was a patent medicine almanac at -the place, and I studied up its learnin' until I had it at my tongue's -end, and I also used a lot o' Friar Tuck's health theories; so that I -got Horace interested enough to talk my eardrums callous; but not -enough to take the trip. - -I didn't know much about nerves; but I was as familiar with sleep as -though I had graduated from eleven medical colleges, and I knew if he -would just follow my directions, it would give him such an appetite -for slumber that he'd drop into it without rememberin' to close his -eyelids. Ol' Jabez happened to mention an Injun buryin' ground with -the members reposin' on top o' pole scaffolds, and this proved to be -the bait. Horace wanted to see this, and it was a four days' drive by -buckboard; so I heaved a sigh o' relief and prepared to do my duty. - -When all was ready, we packed our stuff in the good buckboard, putting -in an extra saddle for the accident we felt sure was goin' to happen. -Spider started as driver, while I rode behind, leadin' a horse with -Tank's saddle on, though Horace thought it was Spider's. We had told -him that it made our backs ache to ride in a buckboard all day, so we -would change off once in a while. Horace wanted to do the drivin' -himself; but we pointed out that he wasn't used to our kind o' roads, -and consequently favored the little hills too much. He was inhumanly -innocent, and it was almost like feedin' a baby chalk and water. - -We trotted along gentle, until the rear spring came loose goin' down a -little dip to a dry crick bed, about ten miles out. We talked it over -and decided 'at the best plan would be for Spider to drive back and -get the old buckboard; so after unloadin' our stuff, I took the tap -out o' my pocket, fixed the spring, tied a rope about it to deceive -Horace, and Spider drove back for the old buckboard which had been -discarded years before, but which we had fixed up for this trip and -painted until it looked almost safe to use. - -Before long we saw the buckboard comin' back; but much to our -surprise, Tank Williams was drivin' it, an' givin' what he thought was -the imitation of a nervous man. He would stand up an' yell, crack his -mule-skinner, and send the ponies along on a dead run. He came up to -us, and said that he had had an attack o' nerves, hadn't slept a wink -the night before; and when Spider Kelley had refused to let him go in -his place, he had torn him from the seat an' had trampled him. - -"I trampled him," sez Tank solemnly, his free eye lookin' straight -into the sun. "I hope I didn't destroy him; but in my frenzy I -trampled him." - -Horace looked worried. "Tank," sez I soothin'ly, "we don't really need -any one else along. You just help us to load, an' then go back, like a -good feller." - -Tank stood up on the seat, an' held the whip ready. "My life depends -on me takin' this trip!" he yelled. "My life depends on it; it depends -on it, I tell you. My life depends on me takin' this trip!" - -He went on repeatin' about his life dependin' on his takin' that trip, -until I made a sign to Horace, and said 'at we'd better let him go -along. Horace wasn't ambitious to be trampled; so he concluded to -concur, an' climbed into the seat beside Tank. Any one else would 'a' -noticed that it was Tank's saddle on the hoss I was leadin'; but -Horace never noticed anything which wasn't directly connected with his -own body. He didn't even have any idee that the sun had set habits in -the matter o' risin' an' settin'--which was another fact I had took -into account. - -We were drivin' four broncs to the buckboard, an' they was new to the -game and in high spirits. Tank was also in high spirits, an' we went -at a clip which was inspirin', even to sound nerves. We did our level -best to give Horace somethin' real to worry about, an' from the very -start his nerves was so busy handin' in idees an' sensations that his -mind was took up with these instead of with the nerves themselves as -was usual. - -Well, we sure had a delightful ride that afternoon: every time 'at -Horace would beseech Tank to be more careful in swingin' around -down-hill curves, Tank would seize him by the arm with his full -squeezin' grip, an' moan: "It's my nerves, my pore nerves. This is one -o' the times when I'm restive, I got to have action; my very life -depends on it! Whoop, hit 'em up--Whee!" an' he'd crack his -mule-skinner about the ears o' the ponies, an' we'd have another -runaway for a spell. - -Horace hadn't the mite of an idee in which direction he was travelin'; -all he did was to hang on and hope. The confounded buckboard was -tougher 'n we had figured on, and it didn't bust until near dark. As -they went up the slope, I could see the left hind wheel weavin' purty -rapid, an' as they tore down the grade to Cottonwood Crick, things -began to creak an' rattle most threatenin'. We had decided to camp on -the crick, an' Tank swung up his team with a flourish. The hind wheel -couldn't stand the strain, an' when it crumbled, Horace, an' the rest -o' the baggage, whip-crackered off like a pinwheel. Of course when one -wheel went, the others dished in company, an' the whole thing was a -wreck. - -The ponies were comfortable weary, an' after I had roped one an' the -rest had fallen over him, we soothed 'em down without much trouble, -an' started to make camp. Horace was all in, an' was minded to sit on -his shoulder blades an' rest; but this wasn't part o' the plan, an' we -made him hustle like a new camp-boy. As soon as supper was over, he -lit a cigar, an' prepared to take a rest. We had decided that those -big, black cigars wasn't best for his nerves, so we had smuggled out -the box, an' had worked a little sulphur into all but the top row. He -lit his cigar and gave us one apiece, but he was so sleepy he couldn't -keep his on fire; and it was comical to watch him. - -Every time he'd nod off, Tank would utter an exclamation, an' walk up -an' down, rubbin' his hands an' cussin' about his nerves. Horace was -dead tired from bein' jounced about on the buckboard all day; but he -was worried about Tank, an' this would wake him effectual. - -About ten o'clock I sez: "Tank, what happened that night when you got -nervous up in the Spider Water country?" - -"Oh, don't ask me, don't ask me," sez Tank, gittin' up an' walkin' off -into the darkness. - -"I wish to glory he hadn't come along," I sez to Horace. "I fear we're -goin' to have trouble; but chances are that a good night's rest'll -quiet him, all right." - -Purty soon Tank came back, lit his pipe, an' sat facin' Horace with -his lookin' eye, an' everything else in the landscape with his free -one. "You know how it is with nerves," he sez to Horace. "You perhaps, -of all them I have ever met up with, know how strained and twisted -nerves fill a man's heart with murder, set his teeth on edge and put -the taste of blood in his throat; so I'm goin' to tell the whole o' -that horrid experience, which I have never yet confided to a livin' -soul before. Have you got a match?" - -Tank's pipe allus went out at the most interestin' times; and he -couldn't no wise talk without smokin'. We all knew this; so whenever -Tank got headed away on a tale, we heaved questions at him, just to -see how many matches we could make him burn. He'd light a match and -hold it to his pipe; but he allus lit off an idee with the match, and -when he'd speak out the idee, he'd blow out the match. Or else he'd be -so took up by his own talkin', he'd hold the match until it burnt his -fingers; then, without shuttin' off his discourse, he'd moisten the -fingers on his other hand, take the burnt end of the match careful, -and hold it until it was plumb burnt up, without ever puttin' it to -his pipe. I didn't want to waste matches on this trip so I told Horace -to hand Tank his cigar. Horace had already wasted two cigars, besides -the ones he had given us; and I wanted him to get to the sulphur ones -as soon as convenient. - -Tank's mind was preoccupied with the tale we had made up; so he took -Horace's fresh cigar, lit his pipe by it, threw the cigar into the -fire, and said moodily: "He was unobligin'. Yes, that cross-grained -old miner was unobligin'. Of course, I wouldn't have done it if I -hadn't been nervous; but I say now, as I've allus thought, that he -brought it on himself by bein' unobligin'." - -Tank's gloomy tones had wakened Horace up complete; and as he started -to light another cigar, I got ready for bed. "You two have already got -nerves," I sez to 'em; "but I don't want to catch 'em, so I'll sleep -alone, and you can bunk together." I unrolled my tarp close to the -fire and crawled into it, intendin' to take my rest while I listened -to Tank unfold his story. - -It was a clean, fresh night, just right for sleepin'; and it almost -seemed a shame to put that innocent little Eastener through his -treatment; but it was for his own good so I stretched out with a sigh -o' content, and looked at the other two by the fire. - -Horace was short and fat around the middle with stringy arms and legs. -He wore some stuff he called side-burns on his face. They started up -by his ears, curved along his jaws and were fastened to the ends of -his stubby mustache. He kept 'em cropped short and, truth to tell, -they were an evil-lookin' disfigurement, though he didn't seem to feel -a mite o' shame at wearin' 'em. His face was full o' trouble, and yet -he was so sleepy he had to hitch his eyebrows clear up to his hair to -keep his eyes open. Tank's face never did have what could rightly be -called expressions. His features used to fall into different kinds o' -convulsions; but they were so mussed up it was impossible to read 'em. -I looked at these two a minute, and then I had to pull my head under -the tarp to keep from laughin'. - - - - -CHAPTER EIGHT - -A CASE OF NERVES - - -"I was all alone," sez Tank. "I had been up in the Spider Water -country lookin' for a favorite ridin' pony; but my hoss broke a leg, -and I packed my saddle and stuff on my head until my nerves began to -swell. Then I threw the stuff away and hunted for a human. I roamed -for weeks without comin' across a white man, and my nerves got worse -an' worse. You know how it is with nerves; how they set up that dull -ache along the back o' your spinal cord until you get desperate, and -long to bite and scratch and tear your feller-bein's to pieces--well, -I had 'em worse this time 'n ever I had 'em before; and they loosened -up my brain-cells until my self-control oozed out and I longed to -fling myself over a cliff. Have you got a match?" - -Horace passed over his fresh cigar, and Tank lit his pipe and tossed -this cigar into the fire also. Horace looked at it sadly for a moment; -but he was game, and lit another. - -"Finally," sez Tank, "I came upon a lonely cabin at the bottom of a -gorge; and in it was a little man who was minin' for gold. He was -about your build, except that toilin' with pick and shovel had -distributed his meat around to a better advantage, and he wore his -whiskers complete, without any patch scraped off the chin. It was just -night when I reached the cabin, and he invited me in to eat; which I -am free to say I did until I was stuffed up to my swaller, and then we -prepared to sleep. - -"Now, a feller would nachely think I'd 'a' gone right to sleep; but -instead o' this, my nerves began to twist an' squirm an' gnaw at me -until I was almost beside myself; and after fightin' it for several -hours, I woke up the miner, and asked him as polite as a lady, if he -wouldn't rub my brow for a few minutes. Seems like when I'm nervous, -the' won't nothin' soothe me so quick as to have my brow rubbed; but -this little coyote refused pointblank to do it. - -"I finally got down on my knees and begged him to; but he still -refused. He said he had fed me six meals at once and given me shelter, -and this was as far as he'd go if my confounded nerves exploded and -blew the place up. I was meek about it, I tried my best to ward off -trouble; but just then a nerve up under my ear gave a wrench which -twisted me all out o' shape, and I lost patience. I seized that little -cuss by the beard and I yanked him out on the floor, and I said to -him--" - -Tank had once been unusual gifted in framin' up bright-colored -profanity, but he had been shuttin' down on it since the night he had -helped to fake the hold-up on the Friar, and I thought he had lost the -knack. This night, though, he seemed to find a spiritual uplift in -tellin' to Horace exactly what he had said to the lonely miner. Before -he finished this part, he had used up all of Horace's good cigars, as -lighters, and the Eastener's face had turned a palish blue. I'd be -willin' to bet that Tank made the swearin' record that night; though -of course, the' ain't any way to prove it. - -When Tank couldn't think of any new combinations, he covered his face -and broke into tears. Horace sat and looked at him with his eyes -poppin' out. "Don't you think you could go to sleep?" he asked after a -bit. - -"Sleep!" yelled Tank. "Sleep? I doubt if I ever do sleep again. I feel -worse right now 'n I did that night in the gorge." - -"What did you finally do that time?" asked Horace. - -"I hate to think of it," sez Tank; and he put his elbows on his knees, -his chin in his hands, and stared into the fire as though seein' -ghosts. - -Horace watched him a while, and then he lit a cigar out of the second -layer. He took one puff and then removed the cigar and stared at it. -He tried another puff, and then threw it into the fire, where it -spluttered up in a blue flame. He tried six more, and then said -somethin' I couldn't quite catch and threw the whole box into the -fire; while Tank continued to stare into it as though he had forgot -the' was any one else on earth. - -"Let's go to bed," sez Horace. - -"Have you got a match?" sez Tank, lookin' around with a start. Horace -took a burnin' stick from the fire, and Tank lit his pipe with it; and -from that on Horace kept a lighted stick handy. - -"How in thunder did you get to sleep that night in the gorge?" -demanded Horace, who was gettin' impatient. - -"Well," sez Tank, "after I had told this unobligin' little cuss -exactly what I thought of him, he pulled out a gun and tried to shoot -me--actually tried to shoot me in his own cabin, where I was his -guest. My feelin's were hurt worse 'n they'd ever been hurt before; -but still I tried to calm myself; and if it hadn't been for my nerves, -I'd have gone out into that gorge in the dead o' night, and never set -eyes on his evil face again; but I couldn't get control of myself, so -I took his gun away from him and knocked him down with it. When he -regained consciousness, he was in a repentant mood; and he consented -to rub my head. - -"He rubbed my head a while an' I sank into a dreamless, health-given -repose; but as soon as I was asleep, the traitorious sneak crept out -an' started to run. I fled after him as swift as I could, an' caught -him about two A. M. I had to twist his arms to make him come back with -me; but when I had once got him back to the shack, I tied him good an' -tight, an' made him rub my brow again. When he'd rub slow an' gentle, -I'd sleep peaceful an' quiet; but the minute he'd quit, why, I'd wake -up again; so he rubbed an' rubbed an' rubbed"--Tank smoothed his left -hand gentle with his right, an' spoke slow an' whispery--"an' I slept -an' slept an' slept an'--" - -The darn cuss said it so soothin' an' natural, that hanged if I didn't -fall asleep myself, though the last I remember, I was bitin' my lips -so I could stay awake an' see the fun. I must have been asleep full an -hour before I was woke up by Tank's voice, raised in anger. I stuck my -nose out o' the tarp, an' there was Tank kneelin' straddle o' the -other bed which he had rolled up in the shape of a man. Horace was -standin' close by with his hands on his hips an' lookin' altogether -droopy. - -"I raised his head from the floor, like this," said Tank, illustratin' -with the bed, "an' then I beat it down on the planks o' the floor; an' -then I raised it up again, an' then I beat it down, an' then I raised -it up--" - -I had to stuff a corner o' the soogan into my mouth to keep from -laughin' out loud at the expression in Horace's eyes; but Tank kept -raisin' that poor head an' beatin' it down again for so long that I -fell asleep again without intendin' to. - -The next time I woke up Horace was speakin'. He was so earnest about -it that at first I thought he had been weepin'; but he was simply -tryin' to make his voice winnin' an' persuadish. - -"I'll rub it," he sez. "I'll rub it soft an' gentle, just like you say -you want it rubbed. Come on, let me rub it." I looked at Tank with his -free eye rollin' about as though it was follerin' the antics of a -delirious mosquito; and I'd just about as soon have rubbed the brow of -a porcupine; but Horace was all perked up with sympathy. - -"No," sez Tank, sadly. "You're a guest, an' it wouldn't be polite. If -you was a stranger, now, why, I'd choke your heart out but what I made -you rub it; but not a guest. No, I couldn't do that. I'd wake Happy up -an' make him rub it; but he allus sleeps with a gun under his head, -an' he's apt to shoot before he's full awake." - -"Well, just let me try it a while," sez Horace. - -"I'm feared to," sez Tank, beginnin' to weaken. "If you was to start, -an' I was to fall asleep, an' you was to quit, I might dream 'at you -was that unobligin' man which betrayed me back in the lonely shack; -an' I might strangle you or somethin' before I came to my senses. -Nope, the best plan is just to sit an' chat here till daylight. My -nerves is allus better after sun-up." - -"I don't think I can stay awake much longer," sez Horace, almost -whimperin'. - -"What?" sez Tank in surprise. "You claim to have nerves, an' yet you -can talk o' fallin' asleep at this time o' night. Great Scott, man, -you ain't got no nerves! You are as flebmatic as a horn toad. Oh, I -wish I could just fall sleepy for one minute." - -"Let me try rubbin' your brow," sez Horace, whose eyes were blinkin' -for sleep, but whose face was all screwed up into lines of worry at -what was goin' to happen to him after he had finally give in an' -drifted off. - -"Well," sez Tank, "I'll let you try; but if you're already sleepy, I -doubt if any good comes of it. You sit there at the head o' the bed, -an' I'll lay my head in your lap, an' you rub my brow soft an' gentle. -If I do get to sleepin' natural, why o' course the' won't be no harm -done in you takin' a few winks; but for the love o' peace, don't sleep -sound." - -I blame near choked while they were gettin' settled, 'cause Horace was -one o' those finicky cusses, an' Tank's head looked like a moth-eaten -buffalo robe. Finally, however, Tank stretched out with the covers up -around his neck an' his head pillowed in Horace's lap, and then Horace -began to rub his brow as soft an' gentle as he knew how. - -"You don't do it clingy enough," sez Tank. "You want to just rest your -fingers lightly, but still have 'em draw along so 'at they'll give a -little tingle. There, that's better. Now then, I'll lay as quiet as I -can, an' try to go to sleep." Tank was doin' such an earnest job, he -had plumb fooled himself into believin' it was mostly true. - -He gave a start after layin' quiet for five or ten minutes, an' this -put Horace on edge again; but Tank didn't wake up. Horace had a saddle -blanket around his shoulders; and the last I saw just before I fell -asleep, myself, was Horace gently rubbin' Tank's brow, an' lookin' -down careful for a change of expression. They made a curious sight -with the firelight back of 'em. - -It was grayin' up for the dawn next time I woke up; and I'd had my -sleep out, but when I stuck my nose out from under the tarp, I found -it purty tol'able frosty. I knew it was my duty to roust out an' keep -Horace from gettin' more sleep 'n my treatment for his nerves called -for; but I was too comfortable, to pay much heed to the still, small -voice of duty. At the same time I was curious to see what my boon -comrades was up to, so I stretched my neck an' took a look at 'em. - -Horace had keeled over so that his elbow rested on Tank's chest an' -his head rested on his hand; but the other hand was still on Tank's -brow, an' I reckon Horace must have rubbed until he didn't care -whether it was sleep or death he drew, just so he got rid o' keepin' -awake. Tank had reached up one hand so it circled Horace's waist; and -they made the most lovable group a body ever see. - -While I was still watchin' 'em, Horace's arm gave out, an' he settled -down on top o' Tank's nose. In about two minutes Tank came to with a -jump, an' heaved Horace to the foot of the bed. Tank was really -startled, an' he came to his feet glarin'. "You blame little squab, -you!" he yelled. "What are you tryin' to do--smother me?" - -Horace staggered to his feet, but he couldn't get his eyes open more -'n a narrow slit. "I didn't do it on purpose, Mr. Williams," he -blubbled like a drunk man. "I rubbed until I thought my hand would -fall off at the wrist; but I reckon I must 'a' dropped asleep. Lie -down again, an' I'll rub you some more." - -"Too late," sez Tank, "too late, too late. I never can sleep while -daylight's burnin'; but still, my nerves don't get so dangerous until -after nightfall; so we'll just turn to an' get breakfast." - -Well, I got up after yawnin' a few times; and after askin' if they had -had a restful night, I started to get breakfast. Horace staggered -about, gettin' wood an' water an' doin' what he was able to, while -Tank wrangled in the hosses. - -After breakfast, which I must say for Horace, he et in able shape, we -started to saddle up, puttin' the spare saddle on the hoss I had rode -the day before. "Which one o' you is goin' back after the other -buckboard?" asked Horace. - -"Why, we ain't goin' back at all," sez I. "It's full fifty miles, an' -we can't keep switchin' buckboards every day on a trip like this. -We'll just ride the ponies the rest o' the way." - -"Ride?" sez Horace. "Ride!" - - - - -CHAPTER NINE - -TREATING THE CASE - - -Horace started to enlarge on how much he didn't know about ridin'; but -Tank breaks in with a plea for his nerves. "Look here," he said, -scowlin' at Horace with his good eye, while the free one rove around -wild in his face, "your nerves are a little out o' fix, an' mine is -plumb tied into knots. This here outin' will be the best thing we can -do for ourselves, an' you got to come along. No matter which way you -go, you got to ride; so the' ain't no sense in makin' a fuss about it. -We'll mount you up on as gentle a cayuse as the' is in the West; an' -we won't tell no one if you hang on to the saddle horn goin' down -hill." - -"That's right, Mr. Bradford," sez I respectful. "You'd have to ride -back anyway, so you might as well come on with us an' have a pleasant -outing." - -"Besides," sez Tank, "up there in the Wind River country we stand a -chance o' gettin' somethin' for our nerves, if the Injuns happen to be -in a good humor. Those Injun doctors know all about hurbs an' which -diseases they grow for, an' when they're in a good humor, they'll sell -ya some." - -"What'll they do if they're not in a good humor?" asked Horace. - -"Well, that's the beatin'est question I've yet heard!" sez Tank. "How -does any one know what an Injun'll do when he's not in a good humor? I -don't reckon any one ever tried to learn the answer to that question. -When an Injun's not in a good humor, either you've got to kill him or -he'll kill you. If we hear tell 'at they're out o' humor, we'll simply -scurry back at the first hint, an' don't you forget it." - -Horace wasn't resigned yet; so he kept sawin' away with his questions -all the time we were tyin' on the beds an' grub. The grass had been -purty brown down below, but it was fat an' green up above, an' the -ponies felt fine. We had picked out good ones, an' it took some time -to get 'em wore down to where they was willin' to pack; but by seven -o'clock we were ready to start, an' then Tank lifted Horace into the -saddle, while I held the pony's head. We had chose a steady old feller -for Horace, because we didn't want any serious accidents. Ol' Cast -Steel was dead again' sheepin' the Easteners, an' I knew they'd be -doin's about what we'd done already, let alone havin' any sort of a -mishap. - -We told Horace just what to do to save himself, an' we fixed his -stirrups to just fit him; but he took it purty hard. It takes a -ridin'-man a couple o' weeks to harden up after he's laid off a spell; -but when a man begins to do his first ridin' at forty, it comes -ex-tremely awkward. Horace was the first feller I ever saw get -sea-sick on hossback; but he certainly did have a bad attack. I -suppose it was the best thing 'at could have happened to him, an' -after he was emptied out, he rode some easier. We only covered about -thirty miles that day altogether, an' Tank had plenty o' time to get -all the sleep he could use; but when he came to lift Horace down from -the saddle, Horace couldn't make his legs stiff enough to stand on. - -We let him stretch out while we were makin' camp; but he fell asleep, -so we had to wake him up to help get supper. I was beginnin' to feel -sorry for him, but he had pestered us regardless about his nerves, an' -I knew 'at pity for him now would be the worse for him in the long -run. - -After supper, Horace spent consid'able time in bewailin' his fate -because he had got disgusted an' thrown his whole box o' cigars into -the fire. "I've got an extra pipe, if you'd like to try that," sez -Tank. "It's lots better for the nerves than cigars--though from what I -can tell o' you, you ain't bothered much with nerves. I wish to glory -I was in your skin." - -"Oh, man," sez Horace, "you can't imagine how I suffer. I ache like a -sore tooth all over, an' it gives me a cute pain just to sit here on -the grass." - -"Sit on the saddle-blankets," sez Tank, sympathetic. As soon as Horace -had piled up the blankets an' sat down on 'em, groanin' most bitter, -Tank sez with feelin': "Gee, how I envy you. You have nothin' but a -few muscle-aches and chafed skin an' such, while my nerves is -beginnin' to threaten me again. I'm not goin' to bother either o' you -fellers, though. I'm goin' to have you tie me to a tree to-night if I -can't sleep." - -Horace filled the pipe, which was an ancient one, bitter as gall; but -when he began to smoke, his face became almost satisfied. The pipe was -purty well choked up, so that he had some bother in keepin' it goin', -but after we'd run a grass stem through it, it worked purty well, an' -we was right sociable until along about nine o'clock, when I got -sleepy, myself. Then Tank began to worry about his nerves. Horace had -about forgot his own nerves, he was sufferin' so from Tank's. - -When we see that Horace couldn't keep awake any longer without bein' -tortured, Tank began to carry on fiercer. He rumpled up his hair, gave -starts an' jerks, but the thing 'at worked best, was just to sit an' -look at his fingers, an' pick at 'em. He'd form a circle with his left -thumb and forefinger, then poke his right finger through this circle -and try to grab it with his right hand before it could back out. It -was the craziest thing I'd ever seen; but before long Horace got to -tryin' it himself. While Tank was lookin' at his fingers with his good -eye, the free one rambled around, an' half the time it rested on -Horace, an' fair gave him the creeps; but when I couldn't stay awake -myself, I gave Tank the sign, an' he got delirious. - -"I can't sleep," he wailed, "I can't sleep! My nerves, oh, my nerves! -One minute they're like hot wires, an' the next they're like streaks -of ice. You'll have to tie me up, boys, you certainly will have to tie -me up." - -I argued again' it as bein' inhuman; but Tank begged so that finally I -gave in, an' we tied him to a down pine tree. Horace helped to tie -him, an' he sure did his best to make a good job of it. I was a little -doubtful, myself, about Tank gettin' loose; but he had blowed up his -muscles, an' he coughed me the all-right signal, so me an' Horace -turned in. - -Horace groaned consid'able while stretchin' out; but he began to snore -before I had got through findin' the soft place. When I first go to -bed, I like to roll about a bit, an' stretch, an' loosen up my -muscles--I like to stay awake long enough to feel the tired spots sink -down again' the earth, an' sort o' ooze into it; and before I had -drifted off, Horace was buzzin' away at a log in great shape. - -I must 'a' slept an hour when I was wakened by a bright light, an' -lookin' out, I saw Tank Williams standin' with his back to the fire -an' glowerin' down at Horace. "As soon as this log burns off, I'm -goin' to get you," sez Tank between set teeth. - -"What are you goin' to get me for?" asked Horace. "You asked me to tie -you to it. I didn't want to tie you to it, but you insisted. I'll -untie you if you want me to, and rub your brow again." - -"It's too late," muttered Tank. "It's too infernal late. Nothin' could -put me to sleep now. As soon as this log burns off, I'm goin' to get -you. You was the one which brought back my nerve trouble, an' you are -the one what has to suffer." - -Tank hadn't been able to free himself from the pine tree; so he had -dragged it in an' across the fire. It wasn't such a big one as trees -go; but it was a mighty big one for a man, tied to it as he was, to -tote along. Horace reasoned with him a while longer, an' then when he -saw that the trunk was about burned through, he got purty well off to -one side, an' threw a chunk at me. I popped out of bed on the instant, -an' began to shoot about promiscuous; so as to live up to my -reputation. - -When I'd emptied my gun, I looked at Tank, as though seein' him for -the first time, an' sez: "What in thunder da you mean, by raisin' all -this havoc?" - -"My nerves," sez Tank, "my pore nerves. I can't sleep, an' I can't -keep my senses if I'm left tied to this tree any longer. It's all his -fault, an' as soon as this log burns up, I'm goin' ta hunt him down." - -Tank an' I argued fierce as long as we could think of anything to say; -an' just as the dead pine was gettin' too hot for Tank to stand it any -longer, Horace calls in from the darkness, "Don't you want me to rub -your brow a while an' see if that won't put you to sleep?" - -"Come in here," I sez, cross. "This man is liable to kill himself, an' -you know more about nerves 'n I do." - -Horace crawled out from behind a big rock, came in, shiverin' with the -cold; an' we untied Tank from the log. He had managed to get his feet -loose; but his hands had been tied behind him an' when they got cold, -he couldn't make a go of it. "Well," sez I, as soon as Tank was free, -"what are you goin' to do now?" - -"I move we get up the hosses, an' start at once," sez Tank. "I don't -trust myself any longer, an' we can ride faster at night. My one hope, -is to get to an Injun doctor, or else get so tired out that I can fall -into a dreamless sleep." - -"Why don't you ride alone?" demanded Horace with a sudden burst of -intelligence. "Why don't you ride alone; an' then you could ride as -fast as you wanted to, an' if you found the Injuns out o' humor, you -could come back an' let us know." - -This set us back for a minute: we had been playin' Horace for bein' -utterly thought-loose; but he had figured out the best plan the' was, -an' his eyes were bright an' eager. - -"Take the hoss that's fastened on the rope here," Horace went on; "an' -we can take the manacled hosses in the mornin' and foller ya. Yes, -that's the best plan." - -You see the fact was, we were only twenty or twenty-five miles from -the ranch house. We had been circlin' an' zig-zaggin' through the -hills, an' at night we hung up Horace's pony on a picket an' put -hobbles on the balance. Bein' fooled on direction wasn't any sign of -Horace bein' a complete lunkhead; I've known a heap o' wise ones get -balled up in the mountains. - -Tank stood puzzlin' over it with his free eye trottin' about in a -circle; but he couldn't think any way out of it. "All right," sez he, -"if you two can get along without me, why, I'll risk my life by bein' -a scout." - -"Nonsense," sez Horace; "the Injuns haven't riz for years, an' they're -not likely to again." - -Tank only winked his lookin' eye, an' proceeded to fling the saddle on -the picketed hoss. Horace was smilin' purty contented with himself, -until I sez: "Which hoss are you goin' to ride to-morrow, Mr. -Bradford?" - -Then his face went blank as he recalled the blow-up we'd had that -mornin' gettin' the pack ponies contented with their loads. "By Jove, -I can't ride any of them!" he exclaims. "It would kill me to have a -hoss buck with me. I'm so sore now I can hardly move." - -"You don't look as nervous as you did, though," I sez to him for -comfort. - -He didn't pay me no heed. "Here, Williams," he calls, "you can't take -that hoss. He's the only one I can ride, and you'll have to catch -another." - -"You ort have thought o' that before," sez Tank, goin' on with his -arrangements, but movin' slow. - -"Well, you two straighten it out among yourselves," sez I. "I'm goin' -back to bed. No wonder you're nervous. It would make a saw-horse -nervous to jibe around the way you two do." - -I went off grumblin', an' I went to sleep before they settled it; but -Tank stretched it out as much as he could, an' Horace didn't oversleep -any that night. Next mornin' when I looked out, I saw him tied up with -his back again' a tree, an' Tank's head in his lap. He was swathed in -his slicker an' saddle-blanket to keep warm, an' was sound asleep. He -looked purty well hammered out, but hanged if he didn't look a lot -more worth while 'n he did when he started to take my treatment. - -It seemed a shame to do it, as it was just gettin' into the gray; but -I woke him up, an' asked him in a whisper what he was doin'. He sat -an' blinked at me for a full minute before he remembered what or where -he was, an' then he told me that he finally induced Tank to try havin' -his head rubbed again, by lettin' Tank truss him up so he couldn't -keel over on him. "Gee, but I'm cold an' stiff," he sez in a husky, -raspin' voice. "I don't see how it can be so hot daytimes, an' so cold -nights." - -"This'll do you a world of good, Mr. Bradford," sez I. "You see, you -swell up with the heat daytimes, an' crimp down with the cold nights; -an' this will goad on your circulation, fry the lard out o' ya, an' -give your nerves a chance to get toned up." I quoted from the patent -medicine almanac occasional, just so he wouldn't forget he was takin' -treatment. - -"I can't possibly ride, to-day," he sez, shakin' his head. "Honest, -I'm in agony." - -"That's just 'cause you're stiff," sez I, kindly. "That'll all wear -off when the sun softens up your joint-oil. Why, man, you'll look back -on this trip as one o' the brightest spots in your whole life." - -"I got hit in the back o' the head with a golf ball once," he flares -back real angry; "an' that showed me a lot o' brightness, too. I don't -want no more brightness, an' I don't intend to ride to-day." - -I was especial pleased at the human traits he was displayin'. He -hadn't acted so healthy an' natural since he'd been with us, an' I was -encouraged to keep on with the treatment. "You will have to ride with -us, even if we have to tie you on," I sez. "We are now close to the -Injun country, an' we're responsible for you. O' course the' ain't any -danger from regular war parties; but Injun boys is just as full o' -devilment as white boys, an' they haven't as many safety valves. -They're all the time sneakin' off an' playin' at war, an' they play a -purty stiff game, too, believe me. If a dozen o' these voting bucks, -eighteen or twenty years old, was to stalk us, they'd try most earnest -to lift our hair." - -"I'd as soon be killed one way as another," he sez. "I can't stand it -to ride, an' that's all the' is to it." - -Here was a queer thing: the little cuss actually wasn't afeared of -Injuns, which I had counted on as my big card. Nerves or no nerves, -Horace Walpole Bradford wasn't no coward; 'cause we are all afeared o' -crazy folks, an' he thought Tank was crazy. If Tank had had two good -eyes, chances are he wouldn't 'a' feared him; so I kicked Tank in the -side an' woke him up. - - - - -CHAPTER TEN - -INJUNS! - - -Well, we sure had a hard time gettin' Horace in the saddle that day. -He was some like a burro, small but strong minded. Finally he agreed -to try it if we would put the saddle-blanket on top the saddle instead -of underneath. - -"The hoss don't need it as bad as I do," sez he; "'cause he's covered -all over with hoss-hide an' has hair for paddin' besides; and -furthermore, the saddle is lined with sheepskin underneath, while it's -as hard as iron on top; and I'm just like a boil wherever I touch it." - -We told him that a hard saddle was lots the easiest as soon as a -feller got used to it; but he broke in an' said he didn't expect to -live that long, an' that we could take our choice of leavin' him, or -puttin' the saddle-blanket on top. The's lots of folks with the notion -that a soft saddle or a soft chair or a soft bed is the easiest; an' -it ain't much use to argue with 'em, though the truth is, that if a -feller lived on goslin' down, he'd get stuck with a pin feather some -day an' die o' loss of blood; while if he lived on jagged stones, he'd -finally wear into 'em until he had a smooth, perfect fittin' mold for -his body. Still, the truth is only the truth to them 'at can see it; -so we put the blanket on top, an' perched Horace astride it. - -He stood it two hours, an' then said it was stretchin' his legs so 'at -he was afeared a sudden jerk would split him to the chin; an' then we -put the saddle on right, an' he found it full as easy as it had been -the day before. The best way, an' the easiest an' the quickest, to -toughen up, is just to toughen up. The human body can stand almost -anything in the way o' hardship. After it has sent up word, hour after -hour, that it is bein' hurt, an' no attention gets paid to it, why, it -sets to work to remedy things on its own hook. In order to ride -comfortable, a lot of muscles have to loosen an' stretch. Most o' the -pain in ridin' comes from ridin' with set muscles. A feller can't -balance easy with set muscles, it's just one strainin' jerk after -another, an' the trick o' ridin' is to move with the horse. Just as -soon as ya get to goin' right along with the hoss, loose an' rubbery, -you take the strain off o' both you an' him; but while you're bumpin' -again' him, it's painful for both. - -We rode about forty miles that day; and at the end of it Horace wasn't -complainin' any worse 'n at the start. Well, he couldn't, as far as -that goes; but his body had already begun to find the motion o' the -hoss. Of course he hadn't learned to balance, an' he still rode rigid; -but we had give him an easy-gaited old hammock, an' when we drew up to -make camp, he sat on his hoss without holdin' to the horn, an' said he -was beginnin' to like it. When Tank lifted him down, though, his legs -wobbled under him like rubber an' he squashed down in a heap, -groanin'. We let him sleep where he lit while we were gettin' supper; -'cause we was sure he would need it before mornin'. He wasn't nervous -any longer; all he wanted was food, sleep, an' a lung full o' tobacco -smoke. I felt rather proud o' my treatment. - -Tank had to boot him about purty freely to waken him up enough to take -his vittles; but he took a good lot of 'em, an' I was glad of it, -'cause this was the night the Injuns were goin' to attack us, an' he -wasn't scheduled to have any more solid nourishment until we got back -to the ranch house. After supper he went to his pipe like a young duck -to a puddle o' water. He hadn't learned to handle his moisture while -smokin' a pipe, an' when the pipe began to gargle, he muttered a -little cuss-word under his breath. H. Walpole Bradford was comin' out -wonderful. - -The stiffenin' had all blew out o' the rim of his hat, givin' the sun -full swing at him, an' his nose looked like a weakly tomato flung in a -bed o' geraniums. He had wrinkled up his face around where his glasses -fit, an' now with the sun gone down his skin had loosened up again, -showin' the unburned wrinkles like painted marks. He sure did look -tough! He was wearin' a gray suit with a belt around the middle an' -canvas leggins. - -Along about nine o'clock he nodded over into the fire, right at the -most excitin' part of an Injun tale which Tank was makin' up for his -especial benefit. We fished him out an' shook him awake; but he came -to as cross as a hornet, an' swore he was goin' to sleep right where -he was with all his clothes on. - -"You're a wise pigeon to sleep with your clothes on, to-night," sez -Tank; "'cause this is the Injun country, an' ya can't tell what'll -happen; but the best plan for us to do is to divide up an' keep watch -durin' the night." - -"Keep watch!" yells Horace, glarin' at Tank. "I wouldn't keep watch -to-night if I was bound to a torture stake. You can keep watch if you -want to--an' it wouldn't discommode you no more 'n if you was an owl. -Your dog-gone, doubly condemned nerves won't let you nor any one else -sleep--but I'm goin' to get some rest if I die for it." - -"You're a nice one, you are!" sez Tank. "This here expedition was got -up just on account o' your nerves, an' now that we've come to the most -important point of all, why, you flam out an' put all the risk on us." - -"You make me tired," sez Horace, scowlin' at Tank as fierce as a -cornered mouse. "If you're so everlastin' feared o' the Injuns--what -ya got this bloomin' fire for?" - -"We don't intend to sleep near the fire, Mr. Bradford," sez I, -soothin'. "We intend to roll up our beds like as if we was in 'em an' -then sneak off into the bushes an' sleep. We don't want any trouble if -we can avoid it. If you'll notice, you'll see we haven't turned the -hosses out to-night." - -"These here Injuns is livin' on a reservation," sez he, "an' I don't -believe 'at they'd dare outrage us." - -I was indignant with the little cuss for not bein' afeared of Injuns. -My theory was, 'at nerves was a lot like hosses: keep a hoss shut up -an' he'll get bad an' kick an' raise Cain; but take him out an' ride -his hide loose, an' he'll simmer down consid'able. I wanted to give -Horace's nerves such a complete stringin' out that they wouldn't worry -him any more for a year; an' here he was, not carin' a hang for -Injuns. "Beliefs is all right to the believers," sez I, stiffenin' up; -"but facts is facts whether you believe in 'em or not. Every Injun -outrage since the Civil War was planned on a reservation, an' we can't -take no chances." - -While he was studyin' over this with a pouty look on his face, Tank -sez: "It's time we fixed up an' moved out into the dark"; so we put -rolls o' brush in the beds, an' went on up the side o' the rise where -the' was a level spot I knew of, Horace stumblin' an' grumblin' every -step o' the way. We were about two hundred yards from the fire an' it -looked cozy an' cheerful, dancin' away beside the tarps. I was half a -mind to join in with Horace, an' go on back; but our plans were all -laid, an' besides, I had a little bet up with Spider Kelley, that I'd -return Horace in such fine condition that he'd be willin' to drink -blood or milk a cow calf-fashion. - -"You go to sleep first," sez Tank to Horace; "I'll watch till I get -sleepy an' then I'll call Happy, he'll watch two hours, an' if it -ain't dawn by that time, he'll call you. I may not get sleepy at all, -but you know how nerves is. I stayed awake ninety-six hours once, an' -couldn't get a speck sleepy. Then I decided to stay out the even -hundred an' see how far I could jump after stayin' awake a hundred -hours. I went to sleep in ten minutes an' didn't wake up for two -days--so I'm liable to be took sleepy to-night." - -We had brought the slickers up, an' Horace rolled up in one, under a -low evergreen, and began to snore in half a minute. As soon as he had -got to wrastlin' with his breath in earnest, I went to the head o' the -trail an' whistled for Spider Kelley. He an' four others were there, -an' I told 'em it was all right to start in an hour, an' then I came -back to Horace chucklin'. Spider enjoyed anything like this, an' he -had fixed up the boys with feathers an' fringe an' smears o' chalk an' -raspberry jam, till they looked as evil-minded as any Injuns I'd ever -seen. - -We set Horace's watch ahead five hours. Tank curled up an' went to -sleep, an' then I started to wake Horace up. It took so long; to get -him to consciousness that I feared the hour would be up; but he -finally got so he remembered what he was, an' then I told him not to -make any fuss if he saw any Injuns, but to just wake us up. I tried to -get him to take one o' my guns, but I didn't wear triggers on 'em an' -he didn't savvy snap-shootin', so he took a club in his hand an' -started to parade. - -He looked at his watch while I was stretchin' out in his warm spot, -an' he looked at it again before I was through loosenin' up my -muscles. It beats the world how slow time crawls to a man on watch. I -was sleepy myself, but I'd have bit out my tongue before I'd have give -in. I lay half on my right side with my hat drawn down, watchin' -Horace. After about ten minutes, he pulled out his watch again an' -looked at it. He pulled out the snap to set it ahead, in order to fool -us, but he was troubled with too much morality, so he snapped it shut -an' spoke to himself between his set teeth for several moments. - -I reckon he must have kept on his feet for twenty minutes, an' then he -settled down with his face to the fire, which I had fed up on my way -back from seein' Spider, an' said loud enough for me to hear: "This is -all damn foolishness." - -He said it so slow an' solemn an' earnest, that I purt nigh choked; -but I kept still, he kept still, an' the fire kept dancin' before him. -His breathin' grew deep an' steady, his nerves was all coiled up -comfortable; and tired muscles don't make a feller wakeful. Purty soon -Horace began to gargle his palate, an' then I was ready for Spider -Kelley. - -The plan was for him to come up close so as to entertain Horace while -his braves sneaked on to the dummies in the tarps; but the' was no -occasion for sneakin'. Horace had turned over the camp to fate, an' he -wasn't worryin' his head about what was goin' to happen to it. - -Finally, Spider got disgusted an' he went down an' joined the others, -an' they sure raised a riot; but all the time, Horace slumbered on. -Spider caught up our hosses, put our saddles an' packs on 'em, threw -some pieces of old canvas he brought along on the fire; and he an' the -rest raised a wild warwhoop and galloped away; but Horace was too busy -to pay any attention. Spider an' the boys had to work next day, an' -they was some put out not to have a little more fun for their trouble. -It was all Spider could do to keep 'em from sneakin' back an' -kidnappin' Horace, but this was liable to give the whole thing away, -so he talked 'em out of it. As soon as the noise had died down, I set -Horace's watch back five hours, an' then I went to sleep myself. It -was purty chilly, and I wasn't quite sure who the joke was on. - -When Tank woke up, he started in on Horace; but his noise wakened me -up first. When Horace saw what had happened to the camp, he was about -wordless; but after we had called him down about it for five or ten -minutes, he flared up an' talked back as harsh as we did. He said 'at -he had kept guard for over three hours, fightin' off sleep by walkin' -back an' forth; and hadn't sat down until it had started to lighten in -the sky. He stuck to this tale, and I'm sure he believed it himself. -He'd been so sleepy the night before that he couldn't have told a -dream from an actual happenin', so when he began to get excited, we -dropped it. - -"All right," sez Tank at last; "you've put us into a nice fix, but -the' ain't no use tryin' to pickle yesterday. What we've got to do is -to hoof it back, an' we might as well begin. We're in a nice fix: -nothin' to eat, not a single cabin on the road back, an' for all we -know the's a pack of Injuns watchin' us this blessid moment." - -"How do ya know it was Injuns?" sez Horace. - -"Look there, an' there, an' there," sez Tank, pointin' at moccasin -prints an' feathers. "Then besides, no white men would 'a' burned up -the tarps." - -"Do you mean to say 'at we got to walk all the way back?" sez Horace. - -"All the way, an' without no grub," sez Tank. - -Horace sat down on the end of a charred log. "Well, I'll die right -here," sez he. "This spot suits me as well as any other." - -"You don't have to die at all," sez I. "A body can go forty days -without food, an' it does more good than harm." Friar Tuck had told me -a lot about fastin', an' I was keen to try it out on Horace. From all -I could see from the theory o' fastin', it was just what was needed -for Horace's nerves. - -"Look at me," sez Horace, pullin' at the waist of his clothes. "I bet -I've lost twenty pounds already, on this fool trip. Twenty pounds more -would make me a corpse, an' I'd just as soon be made one here as -anywhere. As soon as I rest up a little, I'm goin' to begin to yell -until I draw those blame Injuns back, an' have 'em finish the job in -short order." - -He wasn't bluffin', he was simply desp'rit. "You'll have to walk with -us," sez I; "come on." - -Tank took one arm, an' I took the other, an' we started forth. For the -first hour he hung back, and then he began to step out on his own -hook. When we rested at noon, he was the freshest one of us. Tank an' -I had ridin' boots, an' ridin' muscles; while he had walkin' shoes, -an' no muscles at all worth mentionin'. "I can play at this game as -well as any one," sez Horace, chewin' a blade o' grass, an' lookin' -proud of himself. - -Tank was purty well fussed up; he wasn't workin' out any theories, he -had just come along to help pester Horace an' have a little amusement; -but it began to appear to him that his fun was comin' high-priced. - -By nightfall we was all tol'able hungry; but Horace was so set up over -bein' able to put over a full day's walk on nothin' to eat that he was -purty speechy, an' it was nine o'clock before he went to sleep. As -soon as he had dropped off, I went down to meet Spider Kelley an' get -the grub he had brought out for me 'n' Tank. He said 'at the other -boys wasn't braggin' none about their trip the night before; but they -were all ready to roast me an' Tank as soon as we got in. We'd had it -fixed that Spider an' the rest was to take turns worryin' Horace on -the back trip; but Spider said that it looked to him as if I'd win the -bet anyway, so he intended to play neutral from that on. As soon as me -an' Tank had eaten, we turned in, an' all of us slept like logs. - - - - -CHAPTER ELEVEN - -BENEFITS OF FASTING - - -The next day Horace walked easier 'n any of us. Now I'm tellin' this -to ya straight 'n' you can believe it or not just as ya please; but -that little cuss stepped right along, began to notice the scenery, an' -even cracked a few jokes now an' again; while me an' Tank just plodded -with our minds fixed on the meal we were goin' to get that night. -Horace had give up all thought o' meals, so they didn't pester him -any. - -At the end of the third day Horace had lost his appetite complete. -Friar Tuck had swore that hunger didn't worry a man more 'n three -days, an' sure enough, it didn't. Horace didn't care whether he ever -et again or not. He'd get a little dizzy when he'd start out, an' once -in a while he'd feel a bit fainty; but as far as bein' ravenous went, -me an Tank had him beat a mile. - -"Where is the joke o' this fool trip?" growled Tank to me on the -evenin' of the fourth day as we were eatin' the supper Spider Kelley -had brought out. "He ain't a human at all, Horace ain't; he's a -reptile, an' can live without food." - -Spider was tickled a lot, and said he didn't care if he did lose his -bet, that it was worth it to find how everlastin' tough a little -half-hand like Horace could be when drove to it. I'd been thinkin' it -over all day, but I didn't say anything. - -Friar Tuck had said it was a question of will power, more 'n anything -else: that if a man just held his thoughts away from food it wouldn't -bother him; but if he kept thinkin' of it, the digestin' juices would -flow into his stomach an' make him think he was starvin'; so I was -minded to try a new plan next day. - -"Spider," I sez, "you put a cow an' calf up in Nufty's Corral"--which -was the name of a little shut-in park we would go through the next -afternoon. "Put 'em there in the mornin', a cow with an off brand, if -you can find one, an' trim their hoofs down close, so they won't go -back to the bunch. Remember 'at we're on foot, an' trim 'em close -enough to make it hurt 'em to walk. I'm goin' to make Horace hungry if -I can." - -"I hate to play again' him and my own bet," sez Spider; "but I'll have -the cow there, just to see what you're up to. If you're goin' to -butcher it, though, I don't see why a young steer wouldn't be better." - -"I'll count on you havin' it there," sez I; an' then Spider rode back -to the ranch house, an' me an' Tank went to sleep. - -Next mornin' me an' Tank put the cartridges out of our belts into our -pockets. As soon as we started to walk I began to talk about my -hunger, an' weakness, an' the empty feelin' in my head an' stomach. At -first Horace didn't pay any heed; but from the start, ol' Tank -Williams caught every symptom I suggested; until I feared he'd curl up -on the trail an' die o' starvation. Finally, though, Horace began to -pay heed to my suggestions, an' to sigh an' moan a little. What -finally got him was my gnawin' at my rope an' gauntlet. Tank an' I had -saved our ropes, 'cause we expected to have need of 'em; and when noon -came an' I sat with a stupid look in my face, chewin' first the rope, -an' then the wrist o' the gauntlet, Horace began to have some of the -symptoms I was fishin' for. Finally he borrowed one o' my gauntlets, -an' after he had munched on it a while, he was as hungry as any one -could wish. - -"I can't go another peg," he sez when I got up to start on again. - -"How does that come?" I asked him. "When we stopped to rest you was -feelin' more chipper 'n any of us." - -"I'm dyin' o' hunger," he replied, solemn. "I've got a gnawin' pain in -my stomach, an' I'm all in. I fear my stomach is punctured or stuck -together or somethin'." - -I had had a lot o' discussions with Friar Tuck about the power o' -suggestion; but I had never took much stock in it. I could see now, -though, that it actually did work. As long as Horace was tellin' -himself that everything was all right, why, it was all right. Then -when I suggested 'at we were dyin' of hunger, why, he actually began -to die of hunger; an' it was wonderful to see the change in him. He -showed us how he had ganted down; and the fact was, his bones had -become purty prominent without any help from suggestin'. He didn't -have any more belly 'n a snake; but his eyes were bright, an' his skin -clear, except that it was peelin' off purty splotchy, from sun-burn. - -We finally left him an' started on; and after we'd got some distance, -he staggered after us; but he was just goin' on his nerve now, an' not -gettin' much joy out of existence. - -About four in the afternoon, we reached Nufty's Corral, a fine little -park with only a narrow entrance at each end. Horace was up with us by -this time, an' we were all ploddin' along head down. Suddenly Horace -grabbed us by the arms. "Hush!" he sez. - -"What's up?" sez I, lookin' at him. - -"Look," he whispers, pointin' at the cow an' calf; "there's food." - -We drew back an' consulted about it. "The great danger after a fast," -I sez in warnin', "lies in overeatin'. All we can do is to drink a -little blood for the first few hours." - -"Why can't we broil a steak over some coals?" sez Horace. - -"It would kill us to eat steak now," sez I. - -He held out for the steak; but I finally sez that if he won't promise -to be temperate an' eat only what I tell him, I'll drive off the cow; -and then he comes around, and agrees to it. - -"You sneak around to the far openin', Tank," I sez, then I pauses, an' -looks at him as though shocked. "Where's your cartridges, man?" I -asked. - -Tank felt of his belt, and seemed plumb beat out, then he looked at -mine, an' yelled, "Where's yours?" - -We both sat down on stones an' went over what we had done every minute -o' the time since we had started out; until Horace became frantic, an' -sez: "What's the difference what became of 'em? Your revolvers are -loaded. You can sure kill one cow out o' twenty-four shots." - -"Twenty shots," I corrected. "We allus carry the hammer on an empty -chamber; an' I'm so bloomin' weak I doubt if I could hit a cow in ten -shots." - -Horace turned loose an' told us what he thought of us, an' it was -edifyin' to hearken to him--he hit the nail on the head so often. -Finally I sez: "Well, a man can do no more than try--Go ahead, Tank, -but don't let her get by you, whatever happens." - -The cow, which was a homely grade-whiteface with a splotch on her nose -which made it look as if most of the nose had been cut off, stood in -the center of the park, an' she was beginnin' to get uneasy, although -the wind was from her way. - -As soon as Tank got to his entrance he shot in the air; an' she came -chargin' down on me. I shot over her, an' she charged back. We kept -this up until Horace lost patience an' called me a confounded dub. -"Here," sez I, "the's two cartridges left. You fire 'em, I won't." - -At first he refused, but he was desperate, and finally after I'd told -him to use both hands, he took a shot. The cow was standin' closest to -us, but lookin' Tank's way, an' Horace nicked her in the ham. Instead -of chargin' Tank, like a sensible cow, she came for us head on. Now, -when a bull charges, he picks out somethin' to steer for, then closes -his eyes, and sets sail; but a cow keeps her eyes open, an' she don't -aim to waste any plunges either. Horace stood out in the center of the -entrance an' banged away again, strikin' the ground about ten feet in -front of him. - -"Run!" I yells to him, jumpin' back behind a big rock, "Run!" - -He forgot all about bein' hungry, an' he started to backtrail like a -scared jack-rabbit. The cow had forgot all about havin' had her hoofs -pared, an' she took after him like a hungry coyote. As she passed me, -I roped her, took a snub around the rock, an' flopped her; but she did -just what I thought she'd do--rolled to her feet an' took after me. -She was angry. I'd have given right smart for a tough little pony -between my knees. - -[Illustration: The cow had forgot all about havin' had her hoofs -pared, an' she took after him like a hungry coyote] - -The rock was too big to get a half hitch over, so I just ran at right -angles from her, hopin' to stretch out more rope 'n she could cover. I -did it by a few feet; but she swung around into my rope head on, an' -this flung me up again' her side. I managed to hang on to the rope, -however, an' this fixed her, 'cause she'd have had to pull that rock -over before she could 'a' come any farther. Horace had stopped an' was -gappin' at us from a safe distance; but Tank arrived by this time an' -put another rope on her an' we had her cross-tied between two big -rocks by the time Horace arrived. - -"What ya goin' to kill her with?" he asked, his eyes dancin' like an -Injun's at the beef whack-up. - -"My cartridges are all gone," sez Tank. - -"Mine too," sez I. - -"Can't you use a knife, or a stone?" sez Horace, the dude. - -"You can try it if you want to," sez I; "but hanged if I will." - -He took a big stone an' walked to the head of the cow, but his nerve -gave out, an' he threw down the stone. "What in thunder did you tie -her up for, then?" sez he. - -"I beg your pardon," sez I, "but I thought perhaps she might be a -little vexed with you on account o' your shootin' her up. She was -headed your way." - -He sat down on a stone an' looked at the cow resentful. Suddenly his -face lit up. "Why don't you milk her?" sez he. "We can live on milk -for weeks." - -It's funny how much alike hungry animals look. As Horace sat on the -stone with his anxious face, his poppin' eyes, his mussed up -side-burns, an' the water drippin' from his mouth at thought o' the -milk, he looked so much like a setter pup I once knew that it was all -I could do to hold a straight face. - -"Do you know how to milk, Tank?" I sez. - -"I don't," sez Tank; "nor I don't know what it tastes like." - -"Go ahead an' milk her, Mr. Bradford," I sez. "You're the only one -what knows how to milk, or who cares to drink it. What you goin' to -milk it in?" - -"I never milked in my life," sez he; "but I saw it done once when I -was a boy, an' I'm goin' to try to milk in my hat." - -He had a bad time of it; but he only got kicked twice, an' both times -it was short, glancin' blows, not much more 'n shoves. Finally, he -came over to where me an' Tank was settin' an' flopped himself down -beside us. "Can't you strangle her with those ropes?" he sez, in what -might well be called deadly earnest. - -We shook our heads, an' continued to sit there lookin' at the cow as -though we expected she'd point the way out of our trouble. Presently -the calf remembered his own appetite, an' rushed up an' gave a -demonstration of what neat an' orderly milkin' was. Horace sighed. -"Gee, I bet that's good," he said, the water drippin' from his lips -again. He had been four days without food, walkin' all that time -through the mountains, sleepin' out doors with no cover but a slicker; -and he had about burned up all his waste products, which Friar Tuck -said was a city man's greatest handicap. His eyes got a little red as -he watched the calf, an' I saw that he meant to slaughter it; so I sez -to him: "That's the way to milk, Mr. Bradford. Why don't you sneak up -on the other side an' try it that way, the same time the calf is?" - -He studied a moment, an' then shook his head. "No, she could tell me -from the calf," he said sorrowful. "Our foreheads are shaped -different, an' I'd have to get down on my hands and knees. She'd tell -me in a minute, an' I don't want to be on my hands an' knees when she -kicks me." - -"We could throw an' hog-tie her," sez Tank; "and you could get it easy -an' comfortable. Would you want us to do that, Mr. Bradford?" - -Horace jumped to his feet an' shook his fist in Tank's face. "Don't -call me Mister again," he yelled. "I'm plumb sick of it. If I ever -live to get another bath an' back East where the's food in plenty, -why, I'll take up the Mister again; but now that I've got to a point -where I have to suck milk from a hog-tied cow, you call me Horace, or -even Dinky--which was my nickname at school. Yes, for heaven's sake, -tie the cow. I have to have milk, an' that's the only way I see to get -it." - -Well, Tank an' I was so full o' laugh we could hardly truss up the -cow; but we finally got her on her back so 'at she couldn't do nothin' -but snap her tail, an' then Horace threw his hat on the ground, an' -started in. I was entirely joyful: I knew 'at Spider Kelley, an' as -many o' the boys as could sneak away, were watchin' us from up on the -hill, an' this was the grand triumph of my treatment for nerves. - -Horace approached the cow with consid'able caution, as she was in an -awkward position. The calf had been interrupted in his meal, before he -had squenched his thirst, an' he was still prospectin' about on his -own hook. - -"Here," said Horace, givin' him a push, "this is my turn." - -You know how a calf is: a calf ain't afeared o' nothin' except hunger. -Here was his food-supply bein' robbed, right when he was needin' it. -He blatted down in his throat, an' tried to nose Horace out of the -way. Horace was findin' that milk the best stuff he had ever tasted, -an' he fought off the calf with his right hand, while he steadied -himself by puttin' his left on the hind leg o' the calf's mother, an' -got a nice coat o' creamy froth in his side-burns. He was so blame -hungry he didn't see a speck o' humor in it; but me an' Tank nearly -died. - -"Say," sez Horace, raisin' his head, the milk drippin' from his lips, -"can't one o' you fellers fend off this calf till I finish?" - -Tank held the calf while I advised Horace to be temperate, an' after a -bit he gave a sigh an' said, that that was all he could hold just -then, but not to let the cow escape. We loosened her, left one o' the -ropes on for a drag picket, an' took off the other. She was purty well -subdued; but we refused to give Horace any more milk that night, an' -he went to sleep before we had a fire built. Spider Kelley was -wabblin' with laughter when he brought us our supper. He had been the -only one who could stay after bringin' up the cow; but he said he -wouldn't 'a' missed it for three jobs. - - - - -CHAPTER TWELVE - -A COMPLETE CURE - - -Next mornin' we fed Horace all the milk he could hold, an' tried to -drive the cow along with us; but her hoofs had been pared so thin that -it made her cross an' we had to give that projec' up. - -"How far are we from the ranch house?" asked Horace. - -"About sixty miles," sez Tank. - -"That's what I thought," sez he. "Now, I can't see any sense in all of -us hoofin' that distance. I'd go if I knew the way; but one of you -could go, an' the other stay with me an' the cow. Then the one which -went could bring back food on the buckboard, and it would be as good -as if we all went." - -Now this was a fine scheme; but neither Tank nor I had thought of it. -We had intended to follow our own windin' circle back every step o' -the way; but when the milk set Horace's brain to pumpin', he fetched -up this idee which saved us all a lot o' bother. - -"I shall go myself," sez Tank; "weak as I am, I'll go myself." - -It was only about fifteen or twenty miles by the short cut, an' this -would get him back to regular meals in short order; so he left me his -rope an' set out. Horace helped me with the cow that night, an' he -proved purty able help. He was feelin' fine, an' the milk had filled -him out wonderful. He said he hadn't felt so rough 'n' ready for -twenty years; but Spider Kelley failed to arrive with my meal that -night, and I went to bed feelin' purty well disgusted. Tank had met -him before noon that day, an' he had gone in for a hoss; and they had -decided that it would be a good stunt to give me some o' my own -treatment. - -Next mornin' I felt as empty as a balloon; so after Horace had enjoyed -himself, I took a little o' the same, myself; but I didn't take it -like he did. I held my mouth open an' squirted it in, an' it was -mighty refreshin'. - -"Huh," sez Horace, "you're mightily stuck up. The calf's way is good -enough for me." - -"I got a split lip," I sez, half ashamed o' myself. - -They left us there three days to allow for the time it would have -taken Tank to walk if it had been as far as we claimed it was; and -then Tillte Dutch drove out the buckboard. He said 'at Spider an' Tank -had quit and gone into Boggs for a little recreation; but after I had -eaten my first meal out o' the grub he brought, I didn't bear 'em any -ill will. The joke was on me as much as it was on Horace; but I'd 'a' -gone through twice as much to test that theory, an' I'd had the full -worth o' my bother. Horace was a new man: he was full o' vim an' snap, -an' he gave me credit for it an' became mighty friendly an' -confidential. - -He stood up in the buckboard an' made a farewell speech to the cow -which lasted ten minutes. He also apologized to the calf, an' told him -that when he got back East, he would raise his hat every time he -passed a milk wagon. He sure felt in high spirits, and made up a -ramblin' sort of a song which lasted all the way back to the house. It -had the handiest tune ever invented and he got a lot o' fun out of it. -It began: - - "Oh we walked a thousand miles without eatin' any food, - An' then we met a cow an' calf, an' gee, but they looked good! - Her eyes like ancient Juno's were so in-o-cent an' mild, - We couldn't bear to take her life, we only robbed her child. - She strove to save the lactual juice to feed her darling boy; - So we had to fling her on her back to fill our souls with joy. - Now Tank an' Happy were too proud to compete with a calf, - So they sat them down an' dined on wind, while they weakly - tried to laugh. - I'm but a simple-minded cuss, not proud like one of these; - So I filled myself so full of milk, I'm now a cottage cheese." - -Horace was as proud o' this song as though it was the first one ever -sung. He used the same tune on it that blind men on corners use. I -reckon that tune fits most any sort of a song; it's more like the -"Wearin' of the Green" than anything else but ten times sadder an' -more monotonous. He said he had once wrote a Greek song at college but -it wasn't a patch on this one, and hadn't got him nothin' but a medal. -I used to know twelve or eighteen verses, but I've forgot most of it. -It was a hard one to remember because the verses wasn't of the same -length. Sometimes a feller would have to stretch a word all out of -shape to make it cover the wave o' the tune, an' sometimes you'd have -to huddle the words all up into a bunch. Horace said that all high -class music was this way; but it made it lots more bother to learn -than hymns. - -The verse which pleased me the most was the forty-third. Horace -himself said 'at this was about as good as any, though he liked the -seventy-ninth one a shade better, himself. The forty-third one ran: - - "A cow-boy does not live on milk, that's all a boy-cow'll drink; - But the cow-ma loves the last the most, which seems a funny think, - I do not care for milk in pans with yellow scum o'er-smeared. - I like to gather mine myself; and strain it through my beard." - -I never felt better over anything in my life than I did over returnin' -Horace in this condition. It was some risk to experiment with such a -treatment as mine on a feller who regarded himself as an invalid; but -here he was, comin' back solid an' hearty, with his shape shrunk down -to normal, an' full o' jokes an' song. - -Tillte Dutch had been one o' the braves in Spider's Injun party; so -when we got in, about ten in the evenin', he lured the rest o' the -pack out to the corral, an' we agreed not to make the details of our -trip public. The ol' man wouldn't have made a whole lot o' fuss seein' -as it had turned out all right; but still, he was dead set on what he -called courtesy to guests; and he might 'a' thought that we had played -Horace a leetle mite strong. Barbie noticed the change in Horace and, -o' course, she pumped most o' the story out o' me. - -Horace himself was as game a little rooster as I ever saw. He follered -me around like a dog after that, helpin' with my chores, an' ridin' -every chance he had. He got confidential, an' told me a lot about -himself. He said that he hadn't never had any boyhood, that his mother -was a rich widow, an' was ambitious to make a scholar out of him; that -she had sent him to all kinds o' schools an' colleges an' -universities, and had had private tutors for him, and had jammed his -head so full o' learnin' that the' wasn't room for his brain to beat; -so it had just lain smotherin' amidst a reek of all kinds o' musty old -facts. He said that he never had had time for exercise, and had never -needed money; so he had just settled into a groove lined with books -an' not leadin' anywhere at all. He said that since his mother's death -he had been livin' like a regular recluse, thinkin' dead thoughts in -dead languages, an' not takin' much interest in anything which had -happened since the fall o' Rome; but now that he had learned for the -first time what a world of enjoyment the' was in just feelin' real -life poundin' through his veins, he intended to plunge about in a way -to increase the quality, quantity, and circulation of his blood. - -Ya couldn't help likin' a feller who took things the way he did--we -all liked him. He told us to treat him just as if he was a -fourteen-year-old boy, which we did, an' the' wasn't nothin' in the -way of a joke that he wasn't up against before the summer was over; -but he came back at us now an' again, good an' plenty. - -Tank an' Spider tossin' up their jobs had left me with more work on my -hands 'n I generally liked, so I had to stick purty close to the line -until they went broke an' took on again. Then one day me an' Horace -took a ride up into the hills. We had some lunch along and about noon -we sat down in a grassy spot to eat it. We had just finished and had -lighted our pipes for a little smoke when we heard Friar Tuck comin' -up the trail. I hadn't seen him for months, an' I was mighty glad to -hear him again. He was fair shoutin', so I knew 'at things was right -side up with him. He was singin' the one which begins: "Oh, come, all -ye faithful, joyful an' triumphant," and he shook the echoes loose -with it. - -Horace turned to me with a surprised look on his face; "Who's that?" -he sez. - -"That's Friar Tuck," sez I, "an' if you've got any troubles tell 'em -to him." - -"Well, wouldn't that beat ya!" exclaimed Horace, an' just then the -Friar came onto our level with his hat off an' his head thrown back. -He was leadin' a spare hoss, an' seemed at peace with all the world. - -When he spied me, he headed in our direction, an' as soon as he had -finished the chorus, he called: "Hello, Happy! What are you hidin' -from up here?" - -I jumped to my feet, an' Horace got to his feet, too, an' bowed an' -said: "How do ya do, Mr. Carmichael?" - -A quick change came over the Friar's face. It got cold an' haughty; -and I was flabbergasted, because I had never seen it get that way -before. "How do you do," he said, as cheery an' chummy as a -hail-storm. - -But he didn't need to go to the trouble o' freezin' himself solid; -Horace was just as thin skinned as he was when it was necessary, an' -he slipped on a snuffer over his welcomin' smile full as gloomy as was -the Friar's. I was disgusted: nothin' pesters me worse 'n to think a -lot o' two people who can't bear each other. It leaves it so blame -uncertain which one of us has poor taste. - -Well, we had one o' those delightful conflabs about the weather an' -"how hot it was daytimes, but so cool an' refreshin' nights," an', "I -must be goin' now," an' "oh, what's the use o' goin' so soon"--and so -on. Then Horace an' the Friar bowed an' the Friar rode away as silent -an' dignified as a dog which has been sent back home. - -"Well," sez Horace, after we'd seated ourselves again, "I never -expected to see that man out here. I wouldn't 'a' been more surprised -to have seen a blue fish with yaller goggles on, come swimmin' up the -pass." - -"Oh, wouldn't ya?" sez I. "Well, that man ain't no more like a blue -fish with goggles on than you are. He's ace high anywhere you put him, -an' don't you forget that." - -"You needn't arch up your back about it," he sez. "I haven't said -anything again' him. I gave up goin' to church on his account." - -"That's nothin' to brag about," sez I. "A man'll give up goin' to -church simply because they hold it on Sunday, which is the one day o' -the week when he feels most like stackin' up his feet on top o' -somethin' an' smokin' a pipe. A man who couldn't plan out an excuse -for not goin' to church wouldn't be enough intelligent to know when he -was hungry." - -"You must 'a' set up late last night to whet your sarcasm!" sez -Horace, swellin' up a little. "Why don't you run along and hold up a -screen, so 'at folks can't look at your parson." - -"How'd you happen to quit church on his account?" sez I. - -"He was only a curate, when I first knew him," sez Horace. - -"He's a curate yet," sez I. "I tried one of his cures myself, lately; -an' it worked like a charm." I turned my head away so 'at Horace -wouldn't guess 'at he was the cuss I had tried it on. - -"A curate hasn't nothin' to do with doctorin'," sez Horace. "A curate -is only the assistant of the regular preacher which is called a -rector. The curate does the hard work an' the rector gets the big -pay." - -"That's the way with all assistants," sez I; "so don't bother with any -more details. Why did you quit goin' to church?" - -"I quit because he quit," sez Horace. - -"What did he quit for," sez I; "just to bust up the church by drawin' -your patronage away from it?" - -"He quit on account of a girl," sez Horace; an' then I stopped my -foolishness, an' settled down to get the story out of him. Here I'd -been wonderin' for years about Friar Tuck; an' all those weeks I had -been with Horace I had never once thought o' tryin' to see what he -might know. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTEEN - -AN UNEXPECTED CACHE - - -Humans is the most disappointin' of all the animals: when a mule opens -his mouth, you know what sort of a noise is about to happen, an' can -brace yourself accordin'; an' the same is true o' screech-owls, an' -guinea-hens an' such; but no one can prepare for what is to come forth -when a human opens his mouth. You meet up with a professor what knows -all about the stars an' the waterlines in the hills an' the petrified -fishes, an' such; but his method o' bein' friendly an' agreeable is to -sing comic songs like a squeaky saw, an' dance jigs as graceful as a -store box; while the fellow what can sing an' dance is forever tryin' -to lecture about stuff he is densely ignorant of. - -The other animals is willin' to do what they can do, an' they take -pride in seein' how well they can do it; but not so a human. He only -takes pride in tryin' to do the things he can't do. A hog don't try to -fly, nor a butterfly don't try to play the cornet, nor a cow don't set -an' fret because she can't climb trees like a squirrel; but not so -with man: he has to try everything 'at anything else ever tried, an' -he don't care what it costs nor who gets killed in the attempt. -Sometimes you hear a wise guy say: "No, no that's contrary to human -nature." This is so simple minded it allus makes me silent. Human -nature is so blame contrary, itself, that nothin' else could possibly -be contrary to it. To think of Horace knowin' about the Friar, an' yet -doggin' me all over the map with that song of his, was enough to make -me shake him; but I didn't. I wanted the story, so I pumped him for -it, patient an' persistent. - -"I never was very religious," began Horace. Most people begin stories -about other people, by tellin' you a lot about themselves, so I had my -resignation braced for this. "I allus liked the Greek religion better -'n airy other," he went on. "It was a fine, free, joyous religion, -founded on Art an' music, an' symmetry--" - -I was willin' to stand for his own biography; but after waitin' this -long for a clue to the Friar's past, I wasn't resigned to hearin' a -joint debate on the different religions; so I interrupted, by askin' -if him believin' in the Greek religion was what had made Friar Tuck -throw up his job. - -"No, you chump,"--me an' Horace was such good friends by this time -that we didn't have any regard for one another's feelin's. "No, you -chump," he sez, "I told you he quit on account of a girl. I don't look -like a girl, do I?" - -"Well," sez I, studying him sober, "those side-burns look as if they -might 'a' been bangs which had lost their holt in front an' slipped -down to your lip; but aside from this you don't resemble a girl enough -to drive a man out o' church." - -I allus had better luck with Horace after I'd spurred him up a bit. - -"You see, Friar Tuck, as you call him, was a good deal of a fanatic, -those days," sez Horace, after he'd thrown a stone at me. "He took his -religion serious, an' wanted to transform the world into what it would -be if all people tried their best to live actual Christ-like lives. He -was a big country boy, fresh from college, an' full of ideals, an' -feelin' strong enough to hammer things out accordin' to the pattern he -had chose. - -"It was his voice which got him his place. He had a perfectly -marvelous voice, an' I never heard any one else read the service like -he did. This was what took me to church, and I'd have gone as long as -he stayed. You see, Happy, life is really made up of sensations an' -emotions; and it used to lift me into the clouds to see his shinin' -youth robed in white, an' hear that wonderful voice of his fillin' the -great, soft-lighted church with melody an' mystery. It was all I asked -of religion an' it filled me with peace an' inspiration. Of course, -from a philosophical standpoint, the Greek religion--" - -"Did the girl believe in the Greek religion?" I asked to switch him -back. - -"No, no," he snapped. "This Greek religion that I'm speakin' of died -out two thousand years ago." - -"Then let's let it rest in peace," sez I, "an' go on with your story." - -"You understand that this was a fashionable church," sez Horace. "They -was willin' to pay any sum for music an' fine readin' an' all that; -but they wasn't minded to carry out young Carmichaels plan in the -matter of Christianizin' the world. They was respectable, an' they -insisted that all who joined in with 'em must be respectable, too; -while he discovered that a lot o' the most persistent sinners wasn't -respectable at all. His theory was, that religion was for the vulgar -sinners, full as much as for the respectable ones; so he made a -round-up an' wrangled in as choice a lot o' sinners as a body ever -saw; but his bosses wouldn't stand for his corralin' 'em up in that -fashionable church. - -"He stood out for the sinners; an' finally they compromised by gettin' -him a little chapel in the slums, an' lettin' him go as far as he -liked with the tough sinners down there through the week; but readin' -the service on Sundays to the respectable sinners in the big church. -This plan worked smooth as ice, until they felt the need of a soprano -singer who could scrape a little harder again' the ceilin' than the -one they already had. Then Carmichael told 'em that he had discovered -a girl with a phe-nominal voice, an' had been teachin' her music for -some time. He brought her up an' gave her a trial--" - -"An' she was the girl, huh?" I interrupted. - -"She had a wonderful voice, all right," sez Horace, not heedin' me; -"but she wasn't as well trained as that church demanded; so they hired -her for twenty-five dollars a Sunday on the condition that she take -lessons from a professor who charged ten dollars an hour. She was -game, though, an' took the job, an' made good with it, too, improvin' -right along until it was discovered that she was singin' weeknights in -a caf, from six to eight in the evenin', an' from ten to twelve at -night. - -"The girl had been singin' with a screen o' flowers in front of her; -and some o' the fashionable male sinners from the big church had been -goin' there right along to hear her sing; but they couldn't work any -plan to get acquainted with her, and this made her a mystery, and drew -'em in crowds. Finally, as her voice got better with the trainin', -critics admitted 'at she could make an agreeable noise; and the common -sinners was tickled to have their judgement backed up, so they began -to brag about it. The result o' this was, that one ol' weasel had to -swaller his extra-work-at-the-office excuse, and take his own wife to -hear the singer. Then the jig was up. The woman recognized the voice -first pop; and within a week it was known that Carmichael had been -goin' home with her every night. - -"Now, you may be so simple-minded that you don't know it; but really, -this was a perfectly scandalous state of affairs, and the whole -congregation began to buzz like a swarm of angry bees. Carmichael was -as handsome a young feller as was ever seen; but he had never taken -kindly to afternoon teas and such-like functions, which is supposed to -be part of a curate's duties; so now, when they found he had been -goin' home nights with a girl 'at sang in a caf it like to have -started an epidemic of hysteria. - -"They found that the girl lived in a poor part o' the town, and -supported her mother who was sickly, that they were strangers to the -city, and also not minded to furnish much in the way o' past history. -They insisted upon her givin' up the caf-singin' at once; and from -what I've heard, they turned up their noses when they said it. - -"Carmichael pointed out that she was givin' up twenty a week for -lessons which they had insisted upon; and asked 'em if they were sure -a girl could be any more, respectable, supportin' a sickly mother on -five a week, than if she added fifteen to it by singin' in a caf. He -got right uppish about it and said right out that he couldn't see -where it was one bit more hellish for her to sing at the caf than for -other Christians to pay for a chance to listen to her. - -"This tangled 'em up in their own ropes consid'able; but what finally -settled it was, 'at their richest member up and died, and they simply -had to have a sky-scrapin' soprano to start him off in good style; so -they gave her twenty a week and paid for her lessons. The caf people -soon found what a card she'd been and they offered her fifty a week; -but she was game and stuck to the agreement." - -"How did you find out all this, Horace?" I asked. - -"A friend o' mine belonged to the vestry," sez Horace; "and he kept me -posted to the minute. This was his first term at it, and it was his -last; but he was a lucky cuss to get the chance just when he did. I -have since won him over to see the beauty o' the Greek religion." - -"What became o' the girl?" sez I with some impatience, for I didn't -care as much as a single cuss-word for the Greek religion. - -"Carmichael was a gentle spoken young feller," sez Horace, "but for -all that, he wasn't a doormat by inheritance nor choice, and he kept -on payin' attention to the girl, and got her to sing at his annex in -the slums. Night after night he filled the place with the best -assortment o' last-chance sinners 'at that locality could furnish; and -he an' the girl an' the sinners all pitched in and offered up song -music to make the stars rock; but St. Holiernthou wasn't the sort of a -parish to sit back and let a slum outfit put over as swell a line o' -melody as they were servin', themselves; so they ordered Carmichael to -cut her off his list. He tried to get 'em to hire another curate, and -let him have full swing at the annex; but they told him they'd close -it up first. - -"Next, a delegation o' brave an' inspired women took it upon 'emselves -to call on the girl. They pointed out that she was standin' in the way -o' Carmichael's career, that, under good conditions, his advance was -certain; but that a false step at the start would ruin it all. They -went on and hinted that if it wasn't for her, he might have married an -heiress, and grow up to be one o' the leadin' ministers o' the whole -country." - -"What did she do, Horace?" sez I. - -"The girl was proud; she thanked the delegation for takin' so much -interest in her--and said that she would not detain 'em any longer; -but would think it over as careful as she could. Then she walked out -o' the room; and the delegation strutted off with their faces shinin' -like a cavey o' prosperous cats. The girl vanished, just simply -vanished. She wrote Carmichael a letter, and that was the end of it. -Some say she committed suicide, and some say she went to Europe and -became a preemie donner--a star singer--but anyway, that was the end -of her, as far as that region was concerned." - -"She was a fine girl," sez I; "though I wish that instead of slippin' -off that way, she had asked me to drown the members o' that delegation -as inconspicuous as possible. I wouldn't put on mournin', if the whole -outfit of 'em was in the same fix your confounded Greek Religion is. -What was her name, Horace?" - -"Janet Morris," sez he. - -I said it over a time or two to myself; and it seemed to fit her. "I -like that name," sez I. "Now tell me the way 'at the Friar cut loose -and tied into that vestry. I bet he made trade boom for hospitals and -undertakers." - - - - -CHAPTER FOURTEEN - -HAPPY'S NEW AMBITION - - -Ol' Tank Williams allus maintained that I had a memory like the Lord; -but this ain't so. What I do remember, I actually see in pictures, -just like I told you; but what my memory chooses to discard is as far -out o' my reach as the smoke o' last year's fire. I've worked at my -memory from the day I was weaned, not bein' enough edicated to know -'at the proper way is to put your memory in a book--and then not lose -the book. I've missed a lot through not gettin' on friendly terms with -books earlier in life; but then I've had a lot o' fun with my memory -to even things up. - -This part about the Friar, though, isn't a fair test. Horace's -vestry-man friend was what is known as a short-hand reporter. -Short-hand writin' is merely a lot o' dabs and slips which'd strain a -Chinaman; but Horace said it was as plain to read as print letters, -and as fast to write as spoke words. Hugo took it down right as it was -given; and Horace had a copy which I made him go over with me until I -had scratched it into the hardest part o' my memory; and now it is -just the same as if I had seen it with my own eyes--me knowin' every -tone in the Friar's voice, and the way his eyes shine; yes, and the -way his jaws snap off the words when he's puttin' his heart into a -thing. - -Horace sat thinkin', before he started on with his tale; and I sat -watchin' his face. It was just all I could do to make out the old -lines which had give me the creeps a few weeks before. Now, it had a -fine, solid tan, the eyes were full o' fire, and he looked as free -from nerves as a line buckskin. The Friar sez we're all just bits o' -glass through which the spirit shines; and now that I had cleaned -Horace up with my nerve treatment, the' was a right smart of spirit -shinin' out through him, and I warmed my hands at it. He simply could -not learn to roll a cigarette with one hand; but in most things, he -was as able a little chap as ever I took the kinks out of. - -"I'm sorry I didn't belong to that vestry," sez Horace, after a bit. -"When I look back at all the sportin' chances I've missed, I feel like -kickin' myself up to the North Pole and back. From now on I intend to -mix into every bloomin' jambaree 'at exposes itself to the vision of -my gaze. I'm goin' to ride an' shoot an' wrestle an' box an' gamble -an' fight, and get every last sensation I'm entitled to--but I'll -never have another chance at a vestry-meetin' like the one I'm about -to tell you of. - -"You saw how toppy Carmichael got this afternoon; so you can guess -purty close how he looked when he lined up this vestry." - -"Oh, I've seen the Friar in action," sez I; "and you can't tell me -anything about his style. All you can tell is the details. So go to -'em without wastin' any more time." - -"How comes it you call such a man as him Friar Tuck?" asked Horace, -who allus was as hard to drive as an only son burro. - -"Well, I don't approve of it," sez I, "and I kicked about it to the -Friar; but he only laughed, and said 'at one name was as good as -another. A bettin' barber over at Boggs give it to him for admonishin' -a gambler from Cheyenne." - -"Was he severe?" asked Horace. - -"Depends on how you look at it," sez I. "He took a club away from the -gambler an' spanked him with it; but he didn't injure him a mite." - -"Humph," sez Horace, "I guess the name won't rust much while it's in -his keepin'. He took other methods at this vestry meetin', though I -don't say they were any more befittin'. Hugo--such was the name of my -friend--said it was the quietest, but the most dramatic thing he ever -saw. - -"They started in by treatin' him like the boy he was, gave him a lot -o' copy-book advice, especially as to the value o' patience, how that -Paul was to do the plantin', Appolinaris, the waterin'; but that the -size an' time o' the harvest depended on the Lord, Himself; and that -it was vanity to think 'at a young boy just out o' college could rush -things through the way he was tryin' to. - -"The' was a hurt look about Carmichael's eyes; but the hurt had come -from the letter, not from them, so he sat quiet and smiled down at 'em -in a sort of super-human calmness. They thought he was bluffed -speechless, so they girded up their loins, an' tied into him a little -harder, tellin' him that his conduct in walkin' home nights with a -caf-singer was little short of immoral, although they wouldn't make -no pointed charge again' the woman herself. Then they wound up by -sayin' 'at they feared he was too young to spend so much time amid the -environs o' sin, and that they would put an older man in charge o' the -annex, and this would leave him free to attend strictly to cu-ratin'. - -"When they had spoke their piece, they were all beamin' with the -upliftin' effect of it; and they settled back with beautiful smiles o' -satisfaction to listen to Carmichael's thanks and repentance. He sat -there smilin' too--not smilin' the brand o' smiles 'at they were, but -still smilin'. It would strain a dictionary to tell all there is in -some smiles. - -"Presently he rose up, swept his eyes over 'em for a time, and said in -a low tone: 'Then I am to understand that I am to follow in the -Master's footsteps only as far as personal chastity goes?' said he. -'That I may respectably pity the weak and sinful from a distance; but -must not dismount from my exalted pedestal to take 'em by the hand an' -lift 'em up--Is that what you mean?' sez he. - -"They still thought he was whipped, so one of 'em pulled a little -sarcasm on him: 'Takin' the weak an' sinful by the hand an' liftin' -'em up is all right,' said he; 'but it's not necessary to go home with -'em after midnight.' - -"Carmichael bit his lips; he tried to hold himself down, he honestly -tried for some time; but he wasn't quite able. His hands trembled an' -his lip trembled while he was fightin' himself; but when he kicked off -his hobbles an' sailed into 'em, his tremblin' stopped an' the words -shot forth, clear an' hot an' bitish. Hugo sat back in a corner durin' -this meetin', without speakin' a single word; and he was glad of it. -It saved him from gettin' his feelin's kicked into flinders about him, -an' interferin' with the view; and it gave him a chance to take his -notes. - -"'As a matter o' faith,' said Carmichael, 'we believe that Jesus never -sinned; but we cannot know this as a matter of fact. Yet we can know, -and we do know, as a matter of history, that He mingled an' had -fellowship with the fallen, the sinful, the outcast, and the -disreputable. With these He lived, and with these and for these He -left the power and the life and the glory of His religion--and you say -that I must live in a glass case, may only look in holy dignity down -at the weak and sinful; but that I mustn't go home with 'em after -midnight. With God, a thousand years is but as a day--and yet it would -be wrong for me to be in a sinner's company after midnight!' - -"Carmichael paused here to give 'em a comeback at him; but their -mouths were dry, and they only hemmed an' hawed. 'Every Sunday, in the -service of this refined an' respectable church, hunderds of you admit -that you have no health because of your sins--and yet, because of my -youth, you say I must remain with you where sin is robed in silk and -broadcloth, and not risk my soul where sin is robed in rags.' - -"He paused again, and this time his eyes began to shoot -jerk-lightning, an' when he started to speak his deep voice shook the -room like the low notes of a big organ. 'No,' he said, 'I am not -content to walk with the Lord, only on the day of His triumph--The -very ones who strewed the pathway of His majesty with palms, and -filled the air with hosaners, deserted Him at the cross--but I must -walk with Him every step of the way. I do not pray that my earthly -garments be spotless, I do not pray that my sandals be unworn an' free -from mud; but I do pray that when I stand on my own Calvery I may -stand with those who bear crosses, not with those who have spent their -lives in learnin' to wear crowns.' - -"Carmichael had discarded that entire vestry by this time, and he -didn't care a blue-bottle fly what they thought of him. He towered -above them with his face shinin', and his voice rolled down over 'em -like a Norther sweepin' through the hills. 'Many there were,' he went -on, 'who cried to Him, Lord, Lord; but after the tomb was sealed, it -was the Magdalene whose faith never faltered, it was to her He first -appeared; and on the final resurrection morning, I hope the lesser -Magdalenes of all the ages, and from all the nasty corners of the -world into which man's greed has crowded 'em, will know that I am -their brother, and, save for a lovin' hand at the right moment, one of -them to the last sordid detail.' - -"Carmichael stopped after this, and the room was so quiet you could -hear the consciences o' that vestry floppin' up and down again' their -pocketbooks. When he began again his voice was soft, an' the -bitterness had given way to sadness. 'The old way was best, after -all,' he said. 'When you pay a priest a salary, you hire him and he -becomes your servant. The custom is, for masters to dictate to their -servants; it is an old, old custom, and hard to break. I think I could -suit you; but I do not think I shall try. The roots of my own life -lead back to the gutter, and through these roots shall I draw strength -to lift others from the gutter. I do not value my voice as a means to -amuse those already weary of amusement: I look upon it as a tool to -help clean up the world. You are already so clean that you fear I may -defile you by contagion. You do not need me; and with all your careful -business methods, you have not money enough to hire me. - -"'What you need here, is a diplomat; while I yearn to be on the firm' -line. I care little for the etiquette of religion, I want to get down -where the fightin' is fierce an' primitive--so I hereby resign. - -"'This girl whom you have driven out of my life, needs no defence from -me or any man. I have known her since she was a little child; poverty -was her lot, and self-sacrifice has become her second nature. We are -forbidden to judge; so I judge neither her nor you; but I will say -that often I have stood silent before the beauty of her character, and -often my face has burned at the tainted money you have put on the -plate. Part of this money comes from the rental of dives. I have seen -the dives themselves, I have seen their fearful product; and I cannot -believe that profit wrung from a helpless slave can find its way to -God--even on the contribution plate. - -"'I love the music an' the service an' the vestments o' this church; -and I hope I need not give them up; but my heart is in rebellion, and -from this time on I take the full responsibility of my acts. I shall -not choose my path; but will go as the spirit moves me; and if ever I -find one single spot which seems too dark for the Light of the world -to enter, then shall the soul in me shrivel and die, and I shall -become a beast, howling in the jungle.'" - -Horace said that after the Friar had left the room, those vestry -fellers sat in a sort of daze for some time, and then got up an' -sneaked out one at a time, lookin' exceeding thoughtful; while Hugo -had hustled around to his room to read off his notes. - -We sat there on the hill until dark, me tryin' to pump him for more -details, but he didn't have 'em. He said the Friar had started to work -in the slums; but was soon lost sight of, and the first he had heard -of him for years was when he had come up the pass, singin' his -marchin' song. Course, I'd liked it some better if the Friar had -knocked their heads together; but still, takin' his eyes an' voice -into consideration, it must 'a' been a fine sight; and if ever I get -the chance, I'm goin' to take on as a vestry-man, myself, for at least -one term. - - - - -CHAPTER FIFTEEN - -TENDER FEELINGS - - -Me an' Horace was regular chums after this. I had got to likin' him -after he had showed up good stuff under treatment; but I never took -him serious until he got enthusiastic about Friar Tuck. This proved -him to have desirable qualities and made him altogether worth while. A -man never gets too old to dote on flattery; but the older he gets the -more particular he is about its quality. It's just like tobacco an' -pie an' whiskey an' such things: we start out hungry for 'em an' take -a lot o' trouble to get 'em in quantity; but after a time we'd sooner -go without altogether than not to have a superior article; an' it's -just the same way with flattery. - -I took Horace into my most thoughtful moods as soon as I found out -that he was as sound as a nut at heart, an' that it wasn't altogether -his fault that he had been a pest to me at first. The human mind is -like new land, some of it's rich an' some poor. Facts is like manure, -idees is like seed, an' education is like spadin' up an' hoein' an' -rakin'. Rich soil is bound to raise somethin', even if it's nothin' -but weeds; but poor soil needs special care, or it won't even raise -weeds. Now, manure can be put on so thick it will turn ground sour, -an' seeds can be sowed so thick they will choke each other, an' a -green hand will sometimes hoe up the vegetables an' cultivate the -weeds; but the soil ain't to blame for this. - -Poor Horace's mind had been bungled to an infernal degree; an' it kept -me busy rootin' up sprouts o' Greek religion. I'd have stood this -better if the Greek gods an' godduses had had Christian names; 'cause -I own up 'at some o' his tales of 'em was interestin'; but I couldn't -keep track of 'em, an' so I made him discard 'em in his conversations -with me; an' the way he flattered me was, to reform himself accordin' -to what I demanded. - -I was teachin' him how to shoot, an' he was enjoyin' it a lot. He had -plenty o' money, and took pleasure in spendin' it. This was good, -'cause it costs a lot o' money to become a good shot. I'm glad I don't -know what it cost me to learn how to shoot a man through both ears -after doin' the double reverse roll. I never had but one fit chance to -use this, an' then I shot Frenchy through his ears without rememberin' -to use the roll. I allus felt bad about this, 'cause I had a good -audience, an' nothin' saves a man from the necessity o' shootin' his -fellows, so much as havin' it well advertised that he is thoroughly -qualified to do it in proper style. I kept up my own practicin' while -teachin' Horace, an' we had right sociable times. - -He could throw up a tin can with his left hand, pull his gun and, -about once out o' ten shots, hit the can before it fell; which is -purty fair shootin'; but he was beginnin' to suspect that he was a -regular gun-man; which is a dangerous idee for any one to get into his -head. I tried to weight down his head a little to keep him sensible, -but instead o' thankin' me he went off with Tank, who shot up a lot of -his cartridges at target practice; and in return, puffed up the -top-heavy opinion Horace already had of himself. - -He took Horace down to a warm caon where the' was a lot o' -rattlesnakes, claimin' it was necessary to test him out an' see if he -had nerve on a livin' creature. He shot off the heads o' three snakes, -hand-runnin', an' it nearly broke his hatband. - -When he told me about it, I let him know 'at Tank was only workin' -him. "A rattlesnake will strike at a flash, Horace," sez I; "an' it -was the snake's eyes which were accurate, not yours." This cut him up -an' made him a little offish with me for a few days, until he found I -had told him the truth. Ol' Tank Williams wasn't no fancy shot; but -I'd rather have tackled Horace with a gun, cocked in his hand, than -ol' Tank, with his gun asleep in its holster. - -After Horace had made the test of shootin' at dead snakes an' had -found that he couldn't pop off three heads hand-runnin', he simmered -down a little an' paid more heed to what I told him; but after I had -proved that I told him straighter stuff 'n Tank did, I decided it -would be necessary to punish him a little. I didn't get downright cold -with him, because I didn't want to exaggerate his vanity any more 'n -it already was; but I made it a point to do my loafin' with Spider -Kelley. Horace was crazy to go bear-huntin'; but I didn't seem -interested, an' I recommended ol' Tank Williams as bein' some the best -bear-hunter the' was in existence. I wasn't jealous of Horace goin' -off shootin' with Tank; but still if a feller chooses to dispense with -my company, I allus like to show him 'at I can stand it as long as he -can. - -Quite a string o' years had slipped away since the bettin' barber o' -Boggs had strung ol' man Dort; so I reminded Spider 'at we had agreed -to help even that up sometime; and Spider, he said he was ready to do -his part, whatever it happened to be; so we planned idees out among -ourselves, while Horace hung around lookin' wishful. - -We had never given it away about the woodchuck not bein' a regular -squirrel; so the boys still used to congregate together purty often at -ol' man Dort's to marvel at the way Columbus had filled out an' took -on flesh. He had got rough an' blotchy soon after he had won the -contest from Ben Butler, the red squirrel, an' it was plain to all -that Eugene had done some high-toned barberin' on him before the day -o' the show. - -Ol' man Dort didn't have no affection for Columbus--fact is, he sort -o' hated him for bein' bigger 'n Ben Butler; but he kept him fat an' -fit so as to be ready to enter in a contest the minute any feller came -along with a squirrel he thought was big enough to back up with a bet. -The trouble was, that mighty few fellers out that way owned any -squirrels, an' as the years dragged by without him gettin' any pastime -out o' Columbus, ol' man Dort's affection for him grew thinner an' -thinner. Some o' the boys discovered him to be a woodchuck; but no one -told of it for fear the old man would slaughter Eugene. - -The old man kept on gettin' barbered, so as to have the chance o' -clashin' with Eugene about every subject which came up; but finally he -got so he could be shaved in a decent, orderly manner without havin' -his head tied down to the rest. Him an' Eugene was the most -antagonistic fellers I ever met up with; but it was a long time before -me an' Spider could think up a way to get 'em fairly at it again. - -One day Spider came ridin' in from Danders, bubblin' over with -excitement, and yells out--"Pete Peabody's got a freak guinea-pig." - -"That's glorious news," sez I. "Let's get all the boys together an' -hold a celebration." - -"I guess a freak guinea-pig's as worthy o' bein' commented on as airy -other kind of freak," sez Spider, stridin' off to the corral, purty -well pouted up. - -He hadn't more 'n reached it before an idee reached me, an' I ran -after him. "What is the' freakish about this guinea-pig, Spider?" sez -I. - -"He's got a tail," snapped Spider. - -"Ain't they all got tails?" sez I. - -"You know they ain't," he sez. "You remember what that feller from the -East said last spring--if you hold up a guinea-pig by the tail, his -eyes fall out, an' then when we didn't believe it, he told us they -didn't have no tails. Pete sez that this guinea-pig is the only one in -the world what has a tail." - -"Do you reckon he'd sell it?" - -"He'd sell the hair off his head," sez Spider. - -"Well, you go back there an'--But say, has Pete got any others?" - -"He had ten when I left, an' no knowin' how many he's got by this -time. Pete sez 'at guinea-pigs is the prolificest things the' is," sez -Spider. - -"You buy three of 'em, Spider," sez I; "a male one an' a female one, -an' this here freak." - -"What do I want with 'em?" sez Spider. - -"I'll pay half, an' show you how to make money out of 'em," sez I. - -"I don't want to tinker with no such cattle as them," sez Spider. - -"You get a fresh pony, an' it won't take you no time at all," sez I. - -So Spider got the pony an' went off grumblin'. When he brought 'em -back he had 'em in a small box an' they certainly was curious lookin' -insects. "I paid four bits apiece for the male an' the female," sez -Spider, "an' twenty-five real dollars for the freak." - -"If that's the way prices run," sez I, "it ain't no wonder that -guinea-pigs what are ambitious to be popular, are willin' to give up -the luxury o' tails." - -"Now then, what in thunder are we goin' to do with 'em?" sez Spider. - -"Get a fresh pony," sez I, "an' we'll go on over to Boggs." - -"You go to the equator!" yells Spider. "I ain't had no sleep for a -week." - -"Sleep," sez I, "what's the use o' botherin' about sleep? You keep on -losin' your strength this way, an' in about a year they'll be -trundlin' you around in a baby cart. All right then, you stay home an' -be company for the freak. We'll hide him up in the attic so the rats -can't get him." - -"Oh I could stand it to go without sleep, if I saw any sense in it," -sez Spider; "but hanged if I'm goin' to ride my bones through my skin -just to please you." - -"Suit yourself," sez I. "We'll put the freak in the tin cake-box an' -punch a few holes in it to give him air. I'll do that while you're -makin' up your mind about goin' along to Boggs." - -"What you goin' to do with the male an' the female?" sez Spider as I -started away. - -"I'm goin' to sell 'em to Eugene," I calls back over my shoulder, an' -then I knew I'd have company. - -"I thought you was goin' to Boggs," sez Spider as soon as we had -settled into a travelin' trot. I allus find that I get along easier -with people if I just leave 'em one or two items to puzzle over. - -"Webb Station is closer," sez I; "an' if this deal causes any hard -feelin' it will be just as well not to be mixed up in it ourselves." - -"I thought you was goin' to sell these to Eugene?" sez Spider. - -"If you'd just go to sleep, Spider," sez I, "it would save your brain -the trouble o' thinkin' up a lot o' thoughts which ain't no use -anyhow. I'm goin' to let Shorty take 'em over this evenin' an' sell -'em to Eugene." - -"How do you know he wants 'em?" - -"'Cause I know Eugene," sez I. "I'll fix up Shorty's tale for him." - -Well, we explained to Shorty the bettin' principle of guinea-pigs, an' -gave him the pigs, tellin' him he could have all he won from Eugene on -the first bet; but to then sell 'em to Eugene without lettin' any o' -the other fellers know anything about it, an' to make Eugene think -that he had picked 'em up from a train passenger, not from us. - -Shorty said that he'd go over that afternoon as soon as the passenger -had gone--Shorty was the telegraph operator--so Spider an' I came -back, he sleepin' all the way. - -"Where do we come in on this deal?" sez Spider next day. - -"We'll give Eugene a chance to cut their hair a new way, an' then -we'll go over to Boggs an' line things up." - -"I'm beginnin' to see how it could be worked out," sez Spider, -grinnin'. - -In about a week we went over to Boggs, an' found the town purty well -deserted. We dropped into ol' man Dort's to compliment Columbus some -an' sympathize with Ben Butler a little, while tryin' to hear if -Eugene had made his play yet. The ol' man was gloatin' over the fact -that Eugene wasn't havin' much trade, but he didn't mention anything -about guinea-pigs. - -"You don't seem rushed, yourself," sez I. - -"Course I ain't," he flares back. "Most o' the fellers are still -roundin' up, an' the rest are out huntin' for Red Erickson." - -"Red been gettin' thoughtless again?" sez I. Red Erickson was a big -Dane who had the habit o' runnin off stock an' shootin' any one who -disagreed with him. - -The ol' man merely pointed to a paper pinned up on the wall offerin' -fifteen hundred dollars for Red, dead or alive. He hadn't been -operatin' on Diamond Dot stuff, so we hadn't paid much heed to him. - -We strolled on over to Eugene's an' found him sittin' down an' talkin' -about the peculiar custom o' guinea-pigs; so we knew that he had -swallered the bait; but he didn't offer to bet with us. - -Then we went back an' asked ol' man Dort if he believed that a -guinea-pig's eyes would fall out if he was held up by the tail. - -"It's all rot!" sez the ol' man, indignant. "Any one who sez such -nonsense never studied the way eyes is fastened in. The tail ain't got -nothin' to do with it." - -"What kind o' tails has guinea-pigs got?" sez I. - -"Why they got--?" sez the ol' man, an' then stopped an' looked blank. -"What kind o' tails have they got?" - -"They haven't got any," sez I. "Now listen; would you be willin' to -risk a little money to even up with Eugene?" - -"I'd risk every thing I got, down to my very hide," sez the ol' man, -earnest to a degree. - -"Well, then, you play careful an' we'll provide you with the cards," -sez I. "Eugene has some guinea-pigs, an' he is plannin' to string you -on a bet. You come right along just as though you was as ignorant as -you look, have a day fixed to decide the bet, let us know, an' for the -small sum of fifty dollars we'll provide you with a guinea-pig which -has a tail." - -"I'll make a pauper out of him," sez the ol' man. "I haven't had a -chance to get a bet on Columbus since I owned him." - -"You just land Eugene," sez I, "an' that'll be sport enough for one -while." - -"I got shaved twice to-day," sez the ol' man feelin' his chin, "'cause -we got into a discussion about comets; but I reckon I can stand -another to-morrow." - -The next day the old man asked Eugene what all kind o' game grew in -Africa. "Elephants, hippopotamusses an' guinea-pigs," sez Eugene. - -"Guinea-pigs?" sez the ol' man. - -"Yes, they're the most curious animals the' is in existence," sez -Eugene. - -"How big are they?" asked ol' man Dort. He hadn't an idea in the -world, an' was beginnin' to think that if they sized up with elephants -an' hippopotamusses, he didn't want to have to lift one by the tail to -win his bet. - -"They ain't any bigger 'n young rabbits," sez Eugene, stroppin' his -razor; "but the curious part of 'em is that if you hold up one by the -tail, his eyes'll drop out." - -"I'll bet a hundred dollars they wouldn't do it," sez the ol' man. - -"That's a safe enough bet," sez Eugene, calm an' easy. "They're worth -all the way up to five hundred dollars a pair, an' it ain't likely -that a man would invest that amount in something, just to win a -hundred-dollar bet." - -They sparred back an' forth for a couple o' days until finally Eugene -bet nine hundred in cash--all he had in the world--an' his shop an' -fixin's, again' eleven hundred dollars, that the old man couldn't lift -a guinea-pig by the tail without his eyes fallin' out. If the ol' man -didn't lift one by the tail, he lost the bet. They set the date for a -week ahead, an' the ol' man bet Eugene three hundred dollars that he'd -win the bet, takin' Eugene's promissory agreement for his end of it. - -We brought in the freak the day before the contest an' the ol' man's -eyes lit up when he see the tail. It wasn't much of a tail at that; -but it was a sure enough tail an' plenty long enough to lift him by, -an' strong enough too, an' the' was regular bones in it, just like any -tail. - -The' was only a fair sized crowd of us on hand to see the test; but -Eugene went through all the preliminaries, an' then took the cover off -his box an' pointed to the guinea-pigs. He had shaved the parts of 'em -where tails naturally belong, an' when the boys see that they didn't -have no tails, they howled with laughter an' began to hoot ol' man -Dort; an' Eugene confided to 'em the plans he had for spendin' the -money he'd won. - -Ol' man Dort, he walked calmly up to the box, examined the -guinea-pigs, an' sez: "These here is not the full-blooded guinea-pigs. -The full-blooded ones live in a mountainous? country an' use their -tails to steer with when they jump from rock to rock; while this kind -live in swamps an' the young alligators keep on eatin' off their tails -until they don't have any. I'll go get a thoroughbred an' do my -liftin' on him." - -Well this set 'em back a good ways; an' as the ol' man was walkin' off -to get his own speciment, a good many bets was put up, but Eugene -didn't take any. - -Purty soon, back come the ol' man; an' hanged if he hadn't clipped the -hair off o' his one's tail too. He reached in his hand an' stroked the -long-faced little duffer, an' sez: "Gently, George the Third, gently." -Then he put on an anxious look an' picked up the guinea-pig by the -tail, holdin' his other hand underneath to catch any eyes what -happened to spill out. They didn't none drop out, an' the crowd give a -cheer; but Eugene was all in. - -He was a bad loser was Eugene, an' he didn't join in the festivities -any. He just took up his two guineas an' went back to his shop, while -the rest of us celebrated a few. After a time me an' Spider went to -console with him a little. He was so infernally down in the mouth that -I began to get a little conscience-struck. Eugene said he had been -savin' up his money to pay off the mortgage on his birthplace; an' he -made a purty sad story out of it. Fact was, that he made so sad a -story out of it that I decided to get him back his tools and give him -a new start. - - - - -CHAPTER SIXTEEN - -THEMIS IN THE ROCKIES - - -"How much money you got, Spider?" I sez. - -"I reckon I got sixty dollars," sez Spider. - -"I don't mean just what you got with ya, I mean how much cash do you -possess in the world." - -"I suppose I could raise a hundred an' fifteen," sez Spider, after -thinkin' a while. "What do you want to know for?" - -"We got to give Eugene a start," sez I. - -Spider looked at me until he saw I was in earnest, an' then he talked -out loud. "What's the matter with you?" he yells. "We haven't adopted -Eugene, have we? Why-for do we have to give him a start? Didn't he -lose at his own game. Great Snakes! You make me tired!" - -"That was a low-down trick we played," sez I. - -"It wasn't no lower down 'n him ringin' in a woodchuck on the old man; -and all we did it for was to square things up." - -"Yes," sez I; "but it took us some several years to square it up, and -I don't intend to have Eugene's moanful voice surgin' through my ears -until I'm able to think up a come-back for him. I'm goin' to give him -a start, and if you don't feel like riskin' your money, I'll do it -alone." - -"Do you mean 'at you're just goin' to pay over the price of his tools, -an' let it go at that?" sez Spider. - -"That wouldn't be any fun," sez I. "I'm goin' to get the tools; but I -intend to get 'em for as little expense as possible, and if I can have -a little fun out of it, I don't intend to pass it up." - -Spider studied it over a while. "Well, I'll risk fifty," he sez after -a bit; so we went back to Eugene's. - -"Would you be willin' to do a stunt to get back your tools?" sez I. - -He raised a pair o' weepy eyes to me an' sez: "Aw, the' ain't no show. -I've a good mind to kill myself." - -"Please don't do that," sez Spider, who never could stand a bad loser. -"When you lose your money, you allus stand a chance to win more money; -but when you lose your life, why, the' ain't nothin' left except to go -up an' find out what reward it earned for you." - -"Aw hell," muttered Eugene. - -"Ye-es," agreed Spider, talkin' through his nose, like a missionary -preacher, "I reckon that is about what you'd draw, if you was to cash -in now; but if you stick around an' do your duty, you run the risk o' -havin' better luck later on." - -After Spider had insulted Eugene until he began to sass back a little, -I broke in and sez that if Eugene will agree to do what I tell him, -I'll agree to get him back his outfit; so then he wants to know what I -have in mind. - -"Are you willin' to disguise yourself as a genuwine mountain trapper?" -sez I. - -When I sez this, Spider exploded a laugh which would 'a' hurt the -feelin's of a sheep, and Eugene tied into us as wordy as a fox -terrier; but I soothed him down an' told him I was in earnest. "I'm -willin' to do most anything to get my tools back," sez Eugene; "but I -don't see how I can make myself look like a genuwine trapper." - -"Have you got any false wigs and beards?" sez I. - -"No, I haven't," sez he; "but I saved up the stuff I reaped off o' ol' -man Dort, and I reckon I could make some." - -"The very thing!" sez I. "You fix up a rig that'll make you look to be -a hundred years old; and we'll hunt up clothes for ya. All you'll have -to do will be to guide a green Eastener out to shoot a bear, and we'll -have the bear and everything ready for ya." - -"No, ya don't," sez Eugene. "I don't fool around no bears." - -"I thought you was tired o' life," sez Spider. - -"Well, I'm not so tired of it that I'm willin' to have it squeezed out -o' me by a bear," sez Eugene. - -"This won't be a real bear," sez I; "and anyhow, they'll be a ravine -between you and it. You claimed once to be a show actor, and all -you'll have to do will be to pertend 'at you're actin'." - -"I once was a genuwine amateur actor," sez Eugene, "and if you'll make -it clear to me that there ain't no danger, I'll take the job." - -Then I explained just what he had to do; and after this me an' Spider, -who was now keen for the outcome, went around to dicker with ol' man -Dort. He was bumpin' around among the clouds, so we didn't have any -trouble in buyin' back Eugene's stuff on time. When I asked him what -he'd charge for Columbus, the woodchuck, he gave a snort, and said -he'd throw him in for good measure; so I told him to just keep him out -o' sight for a few days, and we started back to Eugene's. - -"What do you want with that dog-gone woodchuck?" asked Spider. - -"I want him to take the part of a grizzly bear," sez I. - -Spider stopped an' looked at me. "This is goin' too far," sez he. -"It's bad enough to try to fool some one into believin' 'at Eugene's a -genuwine trapper; but you couldn't make a rag doll believe 'at -Columbus was a grizzly bear." - -"You go borrow that squaw dress from Ike Spargle, an' then we'll see -how much like a trapper Eugene'll look," sez I. - -I went on an' found 'at Eugene had done a master job o' wig makin', -even fixin' false eyebrows, an' when he put on ol' man Dort's -hair-crop he locked older 'n the human race. As soon as Spider came in -with the squaw dress, we put it on Eugene; and while he didn't look -like anything I'd ever seen before, he looked more like the first man -'at ever started trappin' than like anything else, an' Spider Kelley -nearly had a convulsion. - -We bunked with Eugene that night; but he kept us awake bemoanin' his -cruel fate until Spider threatened to drown him head first in a bucket -o' water and after that we had a little go at slumberin'. I routed 'em -out about two an' drilled 'em up to the high ground above Spear Crick, -where we waited until sun-up. Eugene was wearin' his trapper riggin', -and in the starlight, he sure was a ghastly sight. - -Just across from us on the other side o' the crick was Sholte's Knoll, -and when the sun rose, I lined us up to be just in a direct line with -it across the knoll. Both Eugene, and Spider bothered me with -questions and discouragin' kicks; but I felt purty sure my scheme -would work, and only told 'em what was really for their good. - -The crick ran south in a gorge, and just below us it ran into Rock -River, which came from the east and made a sharp turn to the south -just where Spear Crick ran into it. After the sun was up, we climbed -down a circlin' trail until we came to Rock River. Eugene refused to -try to ford it; but Spider and I went across and up to Ivan's Knoll. -Rock River was bigger than Spear Crick, and Ivan's Knoll was bigger -than Sholte's Knoll; but not one tenderfoot in a million could have -told 'em apart, and Spider got gleeful at the plan--except that he -kept at me to know who I was tryin' to land. Back of Ivan's Knoll was -a round hole about ten feet across, called the Bottomless Pit, because -the' was no bottom to it. After examinin' this place, we went on and -crossed Rock River again until we came out at Sholte's Knoll across -from where the shootin' was to be done. - -"What you are to do, Spider," sez I, "is to be at this place before -dawn with Columbus tied by a stout cord. Tie him to the rock at the -south end of the knoll by a weak cord, then pass your stout cord up -over that jag o' rock at the top, and just as soon as the sun hits the -knoll, pull hard enough to break the weak cord, lead him gently up the -slope until he has been shot at several times, then--" - -"Is Eugene, that genuwine, ancient trapper goin' to do the shootin'?" -interrupted Spider. - -"He is not," sez I. "If Columbus gets shot, all you'll have to do will -be to wind around to Boggs and meet me there. If he don't get shot, -you can either turn him adrift, kill him yourself, or pack him back to -ol' man Dort's, accordin' to the dictates o' your own conscience. I'll -bring the party 'at does the shootin' up to Ivan's Knoll, an' make him -think the bear has fallen down the Bottomless Pit after he was shot." - -"Happy," sez Spider, "hanged if I believe it'll go through; and I -won't be a sucker unless you tell me who is to do the shootin'." - -"Horace," sez I, "Horace Walpole Bradford." - -Spider's face changed expression a half dozen times in two moments; -but he didn't have any more kicks; so we went back to Eugene, and took -him up to a deserted cabin, where he was to stay until needed. I left -him and Spider to fix up the cabin, while I went back to the Dot to -fix up Horace. Horace had a lot o' money; but it did go again' me to -make him pay for Eugene's outfit by puttin' up a practical joke on -him. Still, I felt called upon to square it up with Eugene, and this -seemed the fairest way. - -When I reached the Dot, Horace came forth to meet me; and he was so -glad to see me 'at I purt' nigh gave up the scheme; but I had gone too -far to back out now, so I acted cool, and cut him short with my -answers. - -After supper I got Tank started on bear. He saw I had something up my -sleeve, so he talked bear until Horace's mouth began to water. "I'd -give a hundred dollars, just to get a shot at a bear," sez Horace. - -"This ain't the time o' the year to hunt bear," sez I. "Food's so -common at this season that a bear spends most of his time loafin'; and -it's hard to get sight o' one. Course, if you was to go to a -professional hunter, he'd know where bears were spendin' their -vacation; but it might take a month for one of us to root one out." - -"Do you know of any professional hunters?" sez he. - -I didn't say nothin', and Tank told of some he knew several hundred -miles off. After Tank had talked himself out, I mentioned careless -like that old Pierre La Blanc was livin' less 'n twenty miles away; -but that I doubted if he'd take a bear-huntin' job. I went on to state -that he had money saved up, and it would take a sight o' coin to tempt -him. - -"I'd give five hundred dollars for a shot at a real grizzly," sez -Horace. - -"Did you ever use a rifle?" sez I. - -"Ask Tank," sez Horace. - -Tank told about Horace havin' borrowed ol' Cast Steel's -forty-five-seventy, and that he had learned to hit a mark with it in -able shape. Before we turned in that night, I had let Horace tease me -into takin' him over to Pierre's next day. - -We reached the old cabin next afternoon, and found it lookin' purty -comfortable. Eugene had soiled his hands and what part of his face -showed; and he certainly did look outlandish. He could act some, I'll -say that for him; and he pertended so natural that it took Tank a half -hour to tell who he was. He didn't talk much, but when he did he used -broken French, and he made a contract with Horace to get the five -hundred as soon as he had showed him the bear, Tank to hold the check. - -Eugene couldn't get food through his whiskers; so he said most of his -teeth were gone, and et his supper in private. After supper, I stole -down the gulch and found Spider waitin'. He promised to be on hand the -next mornin' and we turned in early. - -Next mornin' we started at three, and took up our place at the mark I -had made across from Sholte's Knoll. Horace thought it perfectly -wonderful that the old trapper would know exactly where a grizzly bear -would be at sun-up; and he chattered constant in a hushed voice. We -told him it was a full quarter across to the knoll, and he had a -regular ecstasy about how deceivin' the atmosphere was--which was rank -libel, the atmosphere bein' about the least deceivin' member o' that -party. - -Presently, I caught the smell o' dawn, and I told Horace to keep his -eyes glued on Chimney Peak, a little over twenty miles to the west. He -did so, and in about five minutes, a gob o' rich crimson splashed on -it, rippled down the sides, and poured along the foothills at the -bottom. Horace gave a gasp. You don't see such a dawn as that with -your eyes alone; you see it with somethin' inside your bosom; and when -I saw the gleam in Horace's eyes, it made me feel ashamed of what I -was up to; but I couldn't stop just for this; so I nudged Eugene, and -that hoary old trapper growled out to Horace to watch the knoll, or -he'd miss his chance. - -Horace was surprised to see the east still in a black shadow. He -started to speak words about it, but just then the sun, lookin' like -an acre of red fire, jumped up from behind Sholte's Knoll like a -sacred jack-rabbit. - -The knoll was consid'able higher than us, and just as the sun was -half-circle behind it, a gigantic form started to walk across it from -south to north. I knew, positive, that this was Columbus the -woodchuck; but it was just all I could do to believe it, myself, and -Horace thought it was the biggest silver-tip in creation. I didn't -think the woodchuck ran much risk of gettin' shot; but Horace didn't -lose his nerve a particle. He banged away, Columbus gave a lurch, took -a snap at his side, and rolled out o' sight behind the knoll, as -natural as a fried egg. - -Horace jumped up and down, hugged himself, slapped us on the back, and -almost knocked the aged trapper's fur off; but if he had, I doubt if -he would have noticed it, he was so eager to get to his first bear. - -We wound down the path, and he complained about it bein' so much -farther 'n he had expected; but I spoke a few words about the -atmosphere, and he was soothed. When we struck Rock River, he was -surprised to see how much wider it was than it looked from where he'd -shot; but he didn't falter none about goin' in; while I purt' nigh had -to twist off the seasoned trapper's arm before he'd get his feet wet. -The water was purty high, and Tank and I had our hands full gettin' -'em across. - -We climbed the trail on the other side to Ivan's Knoll. This was about -a mile south o' Sholte's Knoll, and naturally I didn't expect to find -any game on the other side of it; so you can judge my feelin's when we -got around to the other side, and saw that woodchuck's carcass, lyin' -flat on its back with its front feet folded across a piece o' paper. - -Horace saw it, too; but he wasn't interested at first, and dove all -about, lookin' for his bear. He was plumb wild; but finally he picked -up the piece o' paper, and read what was wrote on it in scrawly -letters, which I knew to be the work o' Spider Kelley: "Before I was -shot I was a grizzly bar but it made me feel so small to get shot by a -tender-foot that I have shrank to what you see befor you." - -That confounded Kelley hadn't been able to resist workin' the joke -back on me; so he had toted Columbus down from Sholte's Knoll, and -then skipped. I knew I wouldn't see him for some time--but I also knew -I wouldn't forget what was comin' to him when I did. - -Horace read the note through in silence, then he looked at the remains -of the woodchuck, then he read the note again, and his face got like a -sunset. He read the note once more, and then he leaped through the air -for that veteran trapper, and grabbed him by the beard. The beard and -wig came off in his hands, and Eugene started to flee, with Horace a -close second, kickin' the seat o' that squaw dress at every jump. -Horace was in able shape, and Eugene was flimsy; so when he tripped -and rolled over, Horace got him by the ears, and proceeded to beat his -head on a stone, the way Tank had told about doin' to the unobligin' -old miner. - -I pulled Horace off to save Eugene's life, and then Horace pulled out -a gun and tried to take my life. It took us two solid hours to cool -Horace down below the boilin' point; and then he started off alone -with his lips set and his eyebrows pulled down to the bridge of his -nose. I liked him better 'n ever. He was as game as they made 'em, and -had even forgot the check 'at ol' Tank Williams was still holdin'; but -I was honestly worried about Eugene. - -Part of it may have been due to havin' his head beat mellow on a -stone; but still he allus did lack sand when he was losin', and now he -sat tuggin' at his real hair an' swearin' he was ruined, and would -take his own life the first chance he had. It was partly my fault; so -I made Tank help me tote back Eugene's needin's from the deserted -cabin to his shop, Eugene goin' along in a stupor and repeatin' to us -constant that he intended to drink his own heart's blood. - -I sent Tank back to the Dot to see what he could do toward pacifyin' -Horace, and then I returned the squaw dress to Ike Spargle. He broke -into a side-split when I stepped into his place, and fairly deluged me -with liquor; but I wasn't in no mood for it. Ike told me 'at Spider -had gone out to the Dot to notify that he had quit temporary; and then -he was goin' out to hunt down Red Erickson for the bounty. Ike was -equally willin' to talk about bears or Red Erickson; but I wasn't -conversational, so I went back to Eugene's. - -He had his door locked, and at first refused me admittance; but -finally he let me in, and I told him I would let him have his outfit -on time. He wouldn't scarcely listen to me; so the best I could do was -to get his promise that he wouldn't slay himself inside the house, as -the boys were superstitious again' it, and would burn it down. As it -was again' my credit at ol' man Dort's, I felt more agreeable toward -payin' for a standin' house, than for just the ashes of one. - -"When I'm gone, Happy," sez Eugene, "I want you to send my watch back -to Sommersville, Connecticut. That's all I ask of ya. You've been as -near a friend to me as any one in this ungodly community has, and I -don't bear ya no ill will. If I could just have paid off that -mortgage--" - -I shook hands with him and went outside, where I settled myself -comfortable and made ready to keep watch on him until he started to -drink. I felt sure that if he'd once get to elevatin' a bottle, it -would take his mind off suicide; but he paced up and down inside his -room until I was purt' nigh out o' my own head. - -It must have been nine in the evenin' when he stole out his side door -with a forty-five under his coat; and started up the ravine which -opens west o' town, and I follered like a coyote. - -He went up it about a mile, an' then he stopped an' I flattened out -an' crept closer an' closer. I knew he would make a few remarks first, -even though he was alone, an' I judged I could wriggle up close enough -to grab him in the act. - -He fished out his gun, an' I see that he didn't savvy the use of it, -which put a little uncertainty into my end o' the game. - -"Farewell, cruel world," he muttered mournfully, usin' his gun to -gesture with. "Farewell, sweet dreams of childhood; farewell ambition -an' love an' dear tyranic duty; farewell moon an' stars an' gentle -breezes, farewell--" - -Eugene would probably have gone on sayin' farewell to each particular -thing in the world until he talked himself to sleep, but just then a -pebble slipped from the side o' the ravine and rolled to his feet, and -he stopped with a jerk an' listened. Then he straightened himself an' -sez in a determined tone: "Nobody can't prevent me. I shall end it -now." - -Before I could move, he placed the muzzle to his forehead an' fired, -rollin' over on his back. I heard a sort of cough, like when a man -hits his best with an ax, an' somethin' came plumpin' down the ravine -like an avalanche. - -I rushed up, lit a match, an' there on his back was Eugene, a small -red welt on his forehead, but looking calm and satisfied, while almost -on top of him lay a man in a heap. I straightened him out, lit another -match, an' looked at the stranger. His hair was flamin' red an' you -could have tied his red mustaches around the back of his neck. He was -shot through the forehead an' plumb dead. - -I saw how it was in a flash: Eugene had almost missed himself, but had -shot Red Erickson, who had been hidin' up the side of the ravine -behind him. I slipped Red's empty gun into his hand, emptied Eugene's -gun; an' then I tore for town, gathered up the boys an' told 'em that -Eugene had gone up the ravine bent on mischief. We got a lantern and -hurried up the ravine where Eugene was just comin' back to genuwine -consciousness again. - -He sat there with his head in his hands tryin' to cheer himself with -some o' the mournfullest moanin' ever I heard. I held the lantern to -Red's face a moment an' bawled out: "Boys, this is Red Erickson! Him -an' Eugene has been duelin', an' they have killed each other." - -This gave Eugene his cue--an' a cue was all Eugene ever needed. He -pulled himself together, took plenty o' time to get the lay o' the -land; an' then he gave us a tale o' that fight which laid over -anything I ever heard in that line. - -We carried 'em back to town, an' Eugene was a hero for true. He got -the reward all right, paid off his debts, an' kept addin' details to -that fight until it was enough to keep a feller awake nights. His -reputation picked up right along until even ol' man Dort had to admit -the' was more to Eugene than he had allowed. - -Next day when I got back to the Diamond Dot, I found Horace all packed -up for leavin'; and it made me feel mournful to the bones o' my soul. -I didn't know how much I thought of him until he started to pull out; -and I felt so ashamed at what I had done, that I offered to let him -kick me all about the place if he'd just forget about it and stick -along. - -But Horace had a stiff neck, all right, and he wouldn't give in. Tank -had had all he could do to get Horace to take the check back; and now, -try as I would, I couldn't get him to stay. I drove over to the -station with him, and we had a long talk together. He was in a good -humor when he left, and I could see he was wishful to stay; but havin' -made up his mind, he stuck to it. He said he had had more fun while -with us than durin' all the procedure of his life; and that if we had -just kept the joke among us Dotters, he wouldn't have felt so cut up -about it. I told him he had acted just right and that I had acted dead -wrong, although it was him takin' Tank's word above mine which had -first made me sore. - -This was new light to him, and he softened up immediate. Fact was, we -got purt' nigh girlish before the train pulled out with him wavin' his -handkerchief from the back porch. - -I still feel some shame about this episode; and if any o' you fellers -ask any more questions to lead me into tellin' of my own silly pranks, -why, I'll drive you off the place, and then get my lips sewed shut. - - - - -CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - -KIT MURRAY - - -Horace had left, I felt purty lonely for a while. It's hard for me to -look back and keep things in regular order; because the different -lines cross each other and get mixed up. Always, little Barbie's -affairs came first with me; but I reckon most of you have heard her -story, so I'm keepin' shy of it this time. First of all there was my -innermost life, which would have been mostly mine no matter where I'd -gone; then there was the part of my life which touched Barbie's, and -this was the best and the highest part of it; and then there was the -part which touched Friar Tuck an' a lot of others, each one of which -helped to make me what I am; but back of it all was my work; so it's -not strange if I find it hard to stick to the trail of a story. - -Anyway, it was while I was feelin' lonesome about Horace leavin' that -the Friar first began to use me as a trump card, and called on me for -whatever he happened to want done. I was mighty fond o' bein' with the -Friar; so I lent myself to him whenever I could, and we got mighty -well acquainted. He loved fun of a quiet kind; but the' was allus a -sadness in his eyes which toned down my natural devilment and softened -me. The' was lots o' things I used to enjoy doin', which I just -couldn't do after havin' been with the Friar a spell, until I had give -myself a good shakin', like a dog comin' up out o' water. - -For several quiet years about this time, I used to act as scout for -him, now and again, goin' ahead to round up a bunch when he had time -to give 'em a preachin'; or goin' after him when some one who couldn't -afford a doctor was took sick. We talked about purt' nigh everything, -except that some way, we didn't talk much about women; so I was never -able to pump his own story out of him, though he knew exactly how I -felt toward Barbie, long before I did myself. - -Durin' these years, the Friar tried his best to get on terms with the -Ty Jones crowd; but they refused to get friendly, and the more he did -to make things better in the territory, the more they hated him. - -It was right after the spring round-up that I first heard the Friar's -name mixed up with a woman. This allus makes me madder 'n about -anything else. When a man and a woman sin, why, it's bad enough, and -I'm not upholdin' it; but still in a way it's natural, the same as a -wolf killin' a calf. It's the cow-puncher's business to kill the wolf -if he can, and he ought to do it as prompt as possible. This is all -right; but gossip and scandal is never all right. - -Gossip and scandal is like supposin' the wolf had only wounded the -calf a little, and a posse would gather and tie the two of 'em -together, the wolf and the wounded calf; and take 'em into the center -square of a town and keep 'em tied there for all to see until they had -starved to death; and then to keep on stirrin' up the carrion day -after day as long as a shred of it remained. - -The Friar was allus a great one to be talkin' about the power of -habits. He said that if folks would just get into the habit of lookin' -for sunshiny days, an' smilin' faces an' noble deeds, and such like, -that first thing they knew they'd think the whole world had changed -for the better; but instead o' this they got into the habit of lookin' -for evil, and as that was what they were on the watch for, o' course -they found it. He said it was like a cat watchin' for a mouse. The cat -would plant herself in front of the mouse hole and not do anything -else but just watch for the mouse. While she would be on guard, a king -might be assassinated, a city might fall in an earthquake, and a -ship-load o' people go down at sea; but if the mouse came out and the -cat got it, she would amuse herself with it a while, eat it and then -curl up before the fire and purr about what a fine day it had been, -all because she had got what she had been lookin' for; and the's a lot -in this. - -Now, when I came to think it over, I hadn't heard the Friar express -himself very free on women. I had heard him say to allus treat 'em -kind an' square, the good ones and the bad; but when ya come to ponder -over this, it wasn't no-wise definite. Still I couldn't believe ill of -him; so I took a vacation an' started to hunt him up. - -The feller who had told me didn't know much about it, but the feller -who had told him knew it all. When I found this feller, he was in the -same fix; and he sent me along to the one who had told him. They were -all a lot alike in not knowin' it all; but I finally found out who the -girl was. - -She was a girl named Kit Murray, and she allus had been a lively young -thing with a purty face, an' could ride an' shoot like a man. She had -took part in a couple o' frontier-day exhibitions, and it had turned -her head, and she had gone out with a show. When she had come back, -she had put on more airs 'n ever, and naturally the boys were some -wild about her--though I hadn't seen her myself. - -News o' this kind travels fast, and I heard buzzin' about it -everywhere; but it was just like all other scandal. Most people, when -they gossip, believe an' tell the story which comes closest to what -they'd 'a' done if they'd had the same chance; and what I figured out -to be true was, that Olaf the Swede and another Cross-brander by the -name o' Bud Fisher had scrapped about the girl, Olaf near killin' the -kid and the girl runnin' off to the Friar. Now, all the good deeds 'at -the Friar had done hadn't caused much talk; but this news spread like -wild-fire; and a lot o' those he had helped the most turned again' him -and said they wished they could find out where he was hidin'. - -I took it just the other way; I knew the Friar purty well, and what I -feared most was, that he wasn't hidin' at all, and that Olaf would -find him before I could give him warnin'. It was two weeks before I -found the Friar; but once I came upon Olaf, face to face, and we eyed -each other purty close. This was the first time I ever noticed his -eyes. They were the queerest eyes I ever saw, a sort of blue; but a -deeper blue, a bluer blue 'n anything I had ever seen outside a -flower. The's a flower on the benches in June just the color of his -eyes, a soft, velvety flower; but Olaf's eyes weren't soft and velvety -the day we met, and they gave me a queer, creepy feelin'. I hope I -didn't show it any; but I did feel relieved after I'd passed him. - -Finally I found the Friar, just as I might have expected--by the sound -of his voice. I had got clear over into the Basin and was crossin' -through Carter Pass when I heard his voice above me, singin' one of -his marchin' songs. I was mightily rejoiced to find him; but I had -that all out of my face by the time I had wound around up to him. He -was totin' a log on his shoulder, and struttin' along as jaunty as -though the whole earth was simply his backyard. - -"Here," I growls to him, indignant, "what do you mean by makin' such a -noise? Haven't you got a grain o' gumption!" - -He looked up at me with the surprise stickin' out from under his grin. -"Well, well, well!" sez he. "Who are you--the special officer for the -prevention of noise?" - -"I ain't no special officer of anything," I answers; "but the's people -lookin' for you, and you ought to have sense enough to keep quiet." - -"And I'm lookin' for people," sez he, grinnin' like a boy; "and the -best way to find 'em is by makin' a noise. The' ain't any rules again' -walkin' on the grass up here, is there?" - -"Olaf the Swede is after you on account o' the gal," I blunted; "and -he ain't no bluffer. He intends to do away with you for good and all; -and you'd better be makin' your plans." - -"Goin' to do away with me for good an' all," he repeats, smilin'. -"Well, Olaf the Swede is a gross materialist. The worst he can do will -be to tear off my wrapper and leave me free to find out a lot of -things I'm deeply interested in. Why, Happy, you're all worked up! -You've lost your philosophy, you've become a frettish old woman. What -you need is a right good scare to straighten you up again. This Olaf -the Swede is part of Ty Jones's outfit, isn't he?" - -"He is," I replied, shakin' my head in warnin', "and the whole gang'll -back him up in this." - -"Good!" sez the Friar, smackin' his hand. "I've wanted an openin' -wedge into that outfit ever since I came out here. Of a truth, the -Lord doth move in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform." - -"Well, he certainly will have to perform some mysterious wonders to -get you out of this scrape," I said. I was put out at the way he took -it. - -"Don't be irreverent, Happy," sez he, the joy-lights dancin' in his -eyes. "We are all merely instruments, and why should an instrument -take it upon itself to question the way it is used. Where is this -Olaf?" - -"I met him yesterday; and for all I know, he's been followin' me." - -"Fine, fine!" sez the Friar. "Now, you go on back to the Diamond Dot, -and I'll go back over your trail and save Olaf as much bother as -possible." - -"I'm goin' along with you," I sez. - -"No," sez he. - -"Yes," sez I. - -"It'll make folks think 'at I'm afraid for my skin, and have you along -for protection," sez he, gettin' earnest. - -"If you had good judgment, you would be afraid for your skin," sez I. -"I tell you that Olaf is after your blood. He's one o' the worst; he -kills with his bare hands when he gets the chance." - -"Fine, fine!" sez the Friar again, his eyes glowin' joyous. "I'd have -a right to defend myself with my hands, Happy. I would have a right to -do this, for the sake of Olaf, you see--to prevent him from risking -his own soul by committin' murder. This is a great chance for me, -Happy; now, please, please, go on back like a good fellow." - -I was secretly tickled at the argument the Friar had put up for a -chance at physical warfare--and a barehand fight between him and Olaf -would have been worth goin' a long way to see--but I was as obstinate -as either of 'em; so I just said 'at I was goin' along. - -"Well, you're not goin' with, me," sez the Friar, as pouty as a -schoolboy. "I'll not speak to ya, and I'll not have a thing to do with -ya"; and he threw down his log and glared at me. - -I took a certain amount o' pride because the Friar lived up to his own -standards; but I also found a certain deep-rooted amusement in havin' -him slip out from under 'em for a spell and display a human -disposition which was purty much kindred to my own. "What do you -purpose doin' with that club, Friar?" I asked, pointin' to the log he -had flung down. - -He pulled in his glare and looked to be a little discomposed. "Why -I--I'm livin' in a cave I got back there." - -"Are you dead set again' havin' a little company?" sez I, slow an' -insinuatin', "or are ya livin' alone?" - -First off, he was inclined to be resentful, then he grinned, -shouldered his log again, and said: "Come and see." - -I follered him back into the hills until we came to a little park in -which his ponies were grazin', and then I hobbled mine, cached my gear -alongside his, and trailed after him again. His path turned a crag and -then skirted along the edge of a cliff as straight up and down as the -real truth. The path kept gettin' narrower, until every time the Friar -turned a corner ahead of me, I expected to see him walkin' off in the -air with the log still on his shoulder. - -Presently I turned a corner around which he had disappeared, and there -wasn't a soul in sight. The ledge still led along the cliff; but it -had got thinner than a lawyer's excuse, and a worm couldn't have -walked along it without hangin' on. While I stood there puzzlin' about -it, a hand reached out o' the side of the cliff, and the Friar's voice -said mockingly: "Take my hand, little one; and then shut your eyes for -fear you might get dizzy." - -Then I saw a jag of rock stickin' out just above my head, I grabbed it -with my left hand, and swung around into what was the mouth of a cave. -It was nothin' but a crack about eighteen inches wide, and the far -side was sunk in enough to keep it hid from where I was standin'. The -Friar was standin' a few feet back in the entrance with his log -leanin' up again' the side. "I know not what other animals may have -sought shelter here," he said, "but for the past three years this has -been my castle, and, Happy Hawkins,"--here the Friar bowed -low--"obstinate and unreasonable as you are, I offer you a hearty -welcome." - -The Friar said this in fun, but the' was an undertone to it which -tightened the laces around my heart consid'able. Well, that cave was a -sure enough surprise; he had three or four pelts and a couple of Injun -blankets on the floor, he had a couple o' barrels fixed to catch snow -water, he had some cookin' tools; and books! Say, he must have had as -many as a hundred books, all of 'em hard-shells, and lookin' so -edicated an' officious that I had to take off my hat before I had -nerve enough to begin readin' the titles. - -After I'd taken everything in, I sat down in an easy chair he'd made -out o' saplin's and rawhide, and looked all about; but I couldn't see -any signs of their bein' any other rooms to this cave; and then I -jumped square for the mark, and sez: "Friar, the's a lot o' talk about -you havin' run off with Kit Murray. Now I want the straight of it." - -His face went grave and a little hurt. "It's strange," he said after a -time, "how hard it is for a man to believe in his own guilt, and how -easy for him to believe in the guilt of his neighbor. Have you had any -dinner?" - -"Yes," sez I. "I didn't know just where I was headin'; so I et three -different times this mornin' to make sure of havin' enough to run on -in case of emergency." - -"It's a fine thing to be an outdoor animal," sez the Friar, smilin'. -"Well then, I've made up my mind to take you to see Kit Murray." - -He didn't waste any time askin' me not to talk about what was other -folks' affairs; he just went to the door, grabbed the jag of rock, -swung around to the ledge, and I follered after. - -We saddled up, rode down a windin' path 'at I'd never heard of before, -and then rode up again until we came to a little clump o' swamp -shrubbery, backed up again' the north face o' Mount Mizner. We -follered a twisty path through this and finally came out on an open -space in which stood a fair-sized cabin. He whistled a five-note call, -and the door was opened by an old woman who was a stranger to me. -"Mother Shipley, this is Happy Hawkins," sez he. "How's Kit?" - -The old woman gave me a gimlet look, and then her sharp features -expanded to a smile, and she bobbed her head. "Kit's gettin' hard to -manage," sez she. - -We went into the cabin, and found Kit with a bandage around her ankle, -sittin' in a rockin' chair, and lookin' patiently disgusted. She was a -fine-lookin' girl, with a fair streak of boy in her, and she had never -had enough practice at bein' an invalid to shine at it. Her face lit -up at the Friar; but her gaze was mighty inquirin' when she turned it -at me. - -"You know Happy Hawkins, don't ya?" sez the Friar. She nodded her -head, and he went on. "Well, he's one o' the fellers you can trust, if -you trust him entire; but he's got such a bump of curiosity that if -you don't tell it all to him in the first place, he can't do no other -work until he finds it out on his own hook. He's my friend, and he'll -be your friend; so I want you to tell him just how things are, and -then he'll be under obligations to do whatever we want him to." - -So Kit cut loose and told me her story. Her father, ol' Jim Murray, -had got crippled up about ten years before, and since then had become -a professional homesteader, nosin' out good places, an' then sellin' -out to the big cattle outfits. He also made it his business to find -ways to drive off genuwine homesteaders; and in addition to this he -was a home tyrant and hard to live with. He allus had plenty o' money, -but was generally dead broke when it came to pleasant words an' -smiles--which was why Kit had gone off with the show. - -While she was away, she had married a low-grade cuss, who had misused -her beyond endurance; so when he had skipped with another woman, she -had come back to the old man. She didn't want folks 'at knew her to -find out how bad hit she'd been; so she had tried to bluff it out; but -the young fellers kept fallin' in love with her and wantin' to marry -her. She hadn't meant no harm; but she had played one again' the -other, hopin' they'd soon have their feelin's hurt and let her alone. -This was a fool notion, but she had been honest in it. - -Bud Fisher, the Texas kid in the Ty Jones outfit, had got daffy about -her; and then one night at a dance she had shot some smiles into the -eyes of Olaf the Swede. She said he was such a glum-lookin' cuss she -had no idee he would take it serious; but he had stood lookin' into -her eyes with his queer blue ones, until she had felt sort o' fainty; -and from that on, he had declared war on all who glanced at her. - -Bud Fisher thought it a fine joke for Olaf to fall in love, and he had -teased him to the limit. This made a bad condition, and all through -the spring round-up, each had done as much dirt as possible to the -other; but Ty was mighty strict about his men fightin' each other; so -they hadn't come to a clash. - -Finally the kid brags that he is goin' to elope with Kit; and then -Olaf kicks off his hobbles an' starts to stampede. The kid was wise -enough to vamoose; so Olaf rides down to ol' man Murray's, and reads -the riot act to him. Kit was hidin' in the back room and heard it all. -He told the old man that he would slaughter any one who eloped with -Kit or who had a hand in it; and then he had gone back to hunt the kid -again. - -The ol' man turned in and gave Kit a complete harrowin' as soon as -Olaf had left and she had told him pointedly that she'd eat dirt -before she'd eat his food again; so she saddled her pony and started -to ride without knowin' where. Her pony had slipped on Carter Pass and -she had sprained her ankle so bad she couldn't stand. Just at this -junction, the Friar had come along, and had put her up on his horse -and held her on with one arm about her, because the pain in her ankle -made her head light. On the way they came smack up again' the kid, and -he gave 'em a grin, and went out without askin' questions. - -He went straight to Olaf, and told him that Kit had eloped with the -Friar. The Friar had brought her up to Shipley's, they havin' been -friends of his in Colorado. They had a daughter livin' up in Billings, -Montana; and as soon as her ankle could stand it, Kit was goin' up to -live with the daughter, she havin' three little children and a -railroad husband who was away from home more 'n half the time. - -This was the whole o' the story; but you can easy see what a fine -prospect it made for gossip, and also what a fine time a young imp -like Bud Fisher could have with a sober feller like Olaf. Olaf -wouldn't have just grounds for makin' away with Bud for doin' nothin' -except grin, so long as the Friar remained alive with the girl in his -keepin'. It was a neat little mess; and from what we found out -afterwards, the kid was as irritatin' as a half-swallered cockle-burr. - -Big, silent fellers like Olaf are just like big, new boilers. A little -leaky boiler fizzes away all the time, but when it comes to explode, -it hasn't anything on hand to explode with; while a big, tight boiler, -when it does go off, generally musses up the landscape consid'able; -and when Olaf started to stampede he made more noise in a week 'n Bud -Fisher had in his whole life. - -When Kit had finished tellin' me the story, I shook hands with her, -and said that while she hadn't used the best judgment the' was, she -had probably used the best she had; and that it was more the men's -fault than hers, so she could count on me as far as I could travel. -Then I went outside while the Friar and ol' Mother Shipley fixed up -her ankle. - -They all seemed pleased about the way it was healin', and after it was -tied up, Kit stood on it and even took a few steps. It twisted her -face a time or two at first; but after she'd gone across the room and -back a few times, she said it felt better 'n it had for years. This -made us all laugh, 'cause fact was, she hadn't been housed in near up -to the average of a sprained ankle. The Friar allowed 'at she'd be fit -to travel day after the next; so it was planned to start in the -evenin', and for both of us to go with her. Then we had an early -supper an' started home. - -On the way, I complained about the foolish way in which Kit had acted, -for the sole purpose of drawin' the Friar out and gettin' his views on -women. Nearly always when I got him started, I was able to pick up -some little sayin' which furnished me with more thought-food than his -blocked-out sermons did. - -"Of course Kit was foolish," he admitted; "but what show has she ever -had? Her father never was fit to bring her up; and he didn't even do -the best he could. A woman has more vital strength than a man, because -the future of the race depends on her; but she also has more emotions, -so 'at the wear an' tear is greater. Man, on the other hand, has more -muscle 'n woman, and more brutality. Foolin' man has been the best way -a woman had to fight for a good many centuries; and this was the way -poor Kit tried to fight. The plain, simple truth generally works best; -but it takes wisdom to see this, and wisdom is seldom anything more -than the dregs o' folly. The' was no one to teach Kit wisdom; so she -has had to strain off her own folly; but she is a fine, brave girl, -and I think she will profit by experience." - -Now this was a new thought to me, about wisdom bein' nothin' but the -dregs o' folly; but it's a good tough thought, and I've had a heap o' -chewin' on it since then; so I feel repaid in havin' took sides again' -Kit and lurin' the Friar into heavin' it at me. - -It was dark when we reached his twistin' path along the ledge, and I -stepped as cautious as a glow-worm in a powder-mill; but as soon as we -had our pipes an' the fire goin', I wouldn't have swapped seats with -the fattest king in the universe. - - - - -CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - -TESTING THE FRIAR'S NERVE - - -As soon as we had eaten breakfast next mornin', the Friar sez: "You, -bein' one o' the earth animals, have never had much chance to see a -view. Yesterday your curiosity was itchin' so 'at I doubt if you could -have told a mountain peak from a Mexican hat; but now that you have -temporarily suppressed your thirst for gossip, had a good sleep, and a -better breakfast, drag yourself out to the front porch and take a -bird's-eye view of the world." - -Well, it was worth it, it certainly was worth it! What he called the -front porch, was the ledge after it had flipped itself around the -jutting; and when a feller stood on it, he felt plenty enough like a -bird to make it interestin'. The Big Horns ran across the top o' the -picture about a hundred an' forty miles to the north, and gettin' all -blended in with the clouds. On the other two sides were different -members of the Shoshone family, most o' which I knew by sight from any -angle; and down below was miles an' miles of country spread out like a -map, but more highly colored. - -"Friar," I sez, "you're a wealthy man." - -This tickled him a lot, 'cause he was as proud o' that view as if he'd -painted it. "I am, Happy," he said, "and I have yielded to a wealthy -man's temptations. Any one who comes here will be welcome; but I own -up, I have kept this place a secret to have it all to myself." - -"A man like you needs some quiet place to consider in," sez I. - -"Get thee behind me, Satan, get thee behind me," cried the Friar. "I -have been on far too friendly terms with that excuse for many a long -month. But I do enjoy this place; so I am going to let you help me lay -in my winter's supply of wood, and then make you a joint member in -full standing." - -We packed wood along that spider thread of a path all morning; and -finally I got so it didn't phaze me any more 'n it did him. He sang at -his work most of the time, and I joined in with him whenever I felt so -moved, though it did strike me 'at this was a funny way to keep a -place secret; and my idee is that he sang to ease his conscience by -showin' it that he wasn't sneakin' about his treasure. - -I remember him mighty plain as he walked before me on the ledge, -totin' a big log on his shoulder, and singin' the one 'at begins, -"Hark, my soul! It is the Lord!" This was one he fair used to raise -himself in, and it seemed as if we two were climbin' right up on the -air, plumb into the sky. When he'd let himself out this way, he'd fill -me so full of a holy kind of devilment, that it would 'a' given me joy -to have leaped off the cliff with him, and take chances on goin' up or -down. - -We had about filled his wood place, and were goin' back after the last -load when just as he swung around a corner, I saw his hand go up as -though warnin' me to stop; and I froze in my tracks. He hadn't been -singin' this trip, for a wonder; but the next moment I heard a sound -which purt nigh jarred me off. It was a low, deep growl which I -instantly recognized as belongin' to Olaf the Swede. Olaf didn't talk -with much brogue, though when he got excited he had his own fashion -for hitchin' words together. - -"Where is the girl?" he asked with quiet fierceness, and for a space I -was sorry my parents hadn't been eagles. There wasn't room to fight -out on that ledge, the Friar didn't have a gun on, I couldn't possibly -shoot around him; and Olaf was seven parts demon when he laid back his -ears and started to kick. - -"Where she cannot be bothered," sez the Friar, full as quiet but -without any fierceness. The' was a little bush about eight feet up, -and I felt sure it would hide me, so I stuck my fingers in the side o' -the cliff and climbed up; but the' was no way for me to get out to the -bush, and I had to drop back to the ledge and stand there with the -sweat tricklin' down between my shoulders until I felt like yellin'. - -"I intend to kill you," said Olaf, as calm as though talkin' about a -sick sheep. - -"It would be a foolish waste of time," replied the Friar, as if he was -advisin' a ten-year-old boy not to fish when the Blue Bull was high -and muddy. "It wouldn't do any good, and I shall not allow it." - -[Illustration: "I intend to kill you," said Olaf, as calm as though -talkin' about a sick sheep. - -"It would be a foolish waste of time," replied the Friar, as if he was -advisin' a ten-year-old boy not to fish when the Blue Bull was high -and muddy. "It wouldn't do any good, and I shall not allow it."] - -I got out my gun, and made ready to do whatever the angels suggested; -but for some time the' was silence, and durin' this time I was keyed -up so tight my muscles began to ache. I knew they were lookin' into -each other's eyes, and I'd have given a finger off each hand to see -how the Friar's steady gray eyes handled those queer blue ones of -Olaf. - -"Is she all right?" asked Olaf, and all the threat had left his voice, -and it had just a glint o' pleadin' in it. I wouldn't have been one -bit more surprised to have seen a prairie-dog come flyin' up the -gorge, blowin' a cornet with his nose. - -"She has sprained her ankle; but aside from this has no physical ill," -sez the Friar. "You men have caused her a lot of worry, and her soul -is sick; but her body is well." - -After another silence, Olaf said slowly: "Yes, yes; I can tell by the -light that you speak true. What do you intend to do with her?" - -"I intend to cure her," sez the Friar. "I intend to help and -strengthen her; and I want you to help her, too. Olaf, she has had a -lot of trouble, and her wild gaiety is only a veil to hide the wounds -in her heart. I want you to help her." - -"I know, I know she is honest," said Olaf, and blamed if his voice -didn't sound like a new boy talkin' to the boss; "but she made me love -her. Yes, I do love her. I must marry her. Yes, this is so." - -"She cannot marry you, or any one else, now," sez the Friar, kindly. -"This is why she has gone from one man to another--to disgust them all -and make them leave her alone." - -"That is a damn devil of a way," cried Olaf in anger. "Why should she -go to dances, and out ridin', and so on, if she wants men to leave her -alone?" - -"She was foolish, she knows that now; but her father is not the right -sort of a man, and her home was not pleasant," said the Friar. - -"I told him I kill him, if she marry any one but me," said Olaf. "I -know he is not honest; but he is afraid of me, and he will not bother -her now. I go to see him again purty soon, and tell him some more. -Won't you tell me where she is?" - -"I want to be your friend, Olaf," said the Friar gently. "I tell you -honest that she cannot marry now. When I see her again, I shall tell -her of meetin' you, and what you have said. I have no desire except to -do the best for all of you, and if you love her truly, all you will -want will be to do that which is best for her." - -The Friar paused, and I pulled my ear clear to the edge o' the rock, -so as not to miss a word. "Olaf," he went on in a low, sorrowful -voice, "the love of a man for a woman is a wonderful thing, a terrible -thing, a soul-testing thing. Don't let your love become common for men -to talk over. In believing what men have told you of me you have -insulted her, by admitting that such a thing is possible. Go back to -your work, kill no man for what he says of her; but keep her pure in -your own heart, and this will be the best way to keep her pure before -the world. Silence the gossips by living above them; and if it becomes -necessary for you to take your own love by the throat, then do it, and -do it for love of her. I shall do all I can to make her worthy of -you." - -You should have heard the Friar's voice when he was sayin' this. I -stood on the little ledge, just breathin' enough to keep my lungs -ventilated, and lookin' out across the landscape--mountains on all -sides of me, and down below the broken ground and the benches, with -the green strips along the cricks lookin' like lazy snakes in the hot -sunshine. I couldn't see a livin' creature, I felt like the last man -on earth; and that deep, musical voice seemed comin' to me from -somewhere out beyond the limits of life. I didn't have any more fear -now: the' wasn't anything in the shape of a human who could have done -violence to the Friar after hearin' him say the words I'd just heard; -so I put up my gun, and listened again. - -"Can't ya tell me why she can't marry me?" asked Olaf, and the' was a -tremble in his voice, almost as though it flowed up from a sob. - -"I think I can trust you to keep her secret," sez the Friar. "She is -married already. The man was a beast and deserted her; but he is still -alive, and she cannot marry again." - -I heard Olaf make a queer, animal sound with his breath, and then he -said: "Yes, you speak true--I can tell by the light; but she loves -me--I can tell that also by the light. Will you tell me when she can -marry?" - -"I will," sez the Friar, and his voice was a pledge. "There's my hand -on it." - -They brought their hands together with a smack I could hear, and then -Olaf turned on the narrow ledge, with the Friar holdin' him on, an' -started off. The Friar went along with him, and I sneaked after, -keepin' a turn between us. Olaf mounted his hoss and rode away without -lookin' back, which, as a matter o' fact, was his way o' doin' things; -and when he was out o' sight, I joined the Friar. - -The' was still a look of sadness in the Friar's face; but back of it, -and shinin' through it, was a quiet satisfaction. He was full o' the -scene he had just gone through; and presently he turned an' said: -"That was a glorious victory he gained over himself, Happy. That man -has a good heart, and who knows but what he will yet be the means of -bringin' me an' Tyrrel Jones together." - -"What do you reckon he meant by the light tellin' him that you were an -honest man?" I asked. This was the most curious part of the whole -thing to me. - -"How can I tell," he sez. "Life is so crowded with wonders that I have -quit wonderin' about 'em; but I always feel a thrill when I see the -stubborn spirit of a strong man melt and run into the mold the Master -has prepared for it." - -"I'll own it was about the weirdest thing I ever saw," sez I; "but I'm -willin' to bet that whatever else Olaf's spirit has molded itself -into, it's not a doormat with 'welcome' wrote on it; as the first -feller 'at fools with that girl is likely to find out." - -"Never doubt the power of the Lord, Happy," sez he. "The hand that -piled up these hills can easy shape even so stubborn a thing as the -human will." - -"Yes," I agreed; "but it generally takes just about the same length of -time to do it, and a man don't usually last that long." - -"Time!" sez he; "what do you know about time? It may have taken ages -to form these hills; and then again, it may have been done in the -twinklin' of an eye. From the way the streaks tilt up, I'm inclined to -think it was done sudden." - -I looked at the lines along the faces o' the hills, and I was inclined -to believe it, too; so I dropped that subject, and we sat down close -together and looked off down the trail where Olaf had vanished. - -We sat in silence a long time, me thinkin' o' what sort of a light -Olaf had seen to make him know 'at the Friar was honest; and of the -way the Friar's voice had gone through me when he had talked of love. - -This was a new idee to me, and one o' the biggest I had ever tried to -grapple with. Before this, my notion o' love was, for a man to get the -girl any way he could; and it took me some time to see the grandness -of a man takin' his own love by the throat for love of a woman. I knew -'at the Friar had done this himself; but it never was clear to me -until I heard the heartache moanin' through his voice as he laid out -this law for Olaf, and Olaf bowed his stiff neck and accepted it. - -I'm purty sure that if I'd 'a' known that day, that a few years later -I would have to take my own love by the throat for the sake of little -Barbie, I wouldn't 'a' had the nerve to go on playin' the game--but -this is life. We pick up a stone here, and another there, and build -them into our wall until the flood comes; and then if the wall isn't -high enough to turn back the flood, all the sting and bitterness comes -from knowin' that we haven't made use of all the stones which came -rollin' down to our feet. - -That night we had an uncommon fine fire in the cave. I used to enjoy -these evenin' fires with the Friar, as much as a dog likes to have his -ears pulled by the hand he loves best. He would tell me tales of all -the ages 'at man has lived on the face of the whole earth, and I'd sit -and smoke my pipe, and make up what I'd 'a' done, myself, if I'd been -one o' these big fellers. These chummy little fire-talks used to -broaden me out and make me feel related to the whole human race, and -it was then 'at I came to know the Friar best--though the' ain't no -way to put this into a story. - -Along about nine o'clock the Friar began to lecture me again' the use -o' violence, pointin' out that war nor gunfightin' nor any other sort -o' violence had ever done any good; and endin' up with the way he had -handled Olaf as illustratin' how much better effects spiritual methods -had. - -"Humph," sez I, "so you're tryin' to put that over as an ordinary -case, are ya? Did you ever before see such eyes in a man's head as -what Olaf has?" - -"Now that you mention it," sez he, "I did notice they were peculiar." - -"I ruhly believe you're right," sez I, sarcastic. "When he said he saw -light he wasn't speakin' in parables. He can see things 'at you nor I -can't see--though I doubt if he understands 'em himself." - -"Still, violence would have spoiled everything," persisted the Friar, -who was as human as a raw bronco when you tried to make him back up. - -"Now, don't forget anything," sez I. "It wasn't my face 'at lit up -when I said 'at he did his killin' with bare hands; nor it wasn't me -who gloated over this as furnishin' an excuse to use my bare hands in -defendin' myself." - -"Oh, Happy, Happy," sez he, with one o' the bursts 'at made ya willin' -to go through fire and water for him. "I'm the entire human race: -there isn't a single sin or weakness which hasn't betrayed me at one -time or another, and yet the wicked pride of me persists in stickin' -up its head an' crowin' every time I take my eyes off it." - -"Well, I like your pride full as well as any other part o' ya," sez I; -"and before you wrangle it into its corral again, I want to say 'at no -other man in the world could 'a' told Olaf what you told him this -mornin', and lived to talk it over around this fire to-night--unless, -he had used the best and the quickest brand o' violence the' is, in -the meantime." - -"Now, that you have succeeded in flatterin' both of us, we'll go to -sleep," sez the Friar, and the' was a deep twinkle in his eyes which -allus rejoiced me to call up. - -Next night soon after dark, we started out with Kit Murray. She rode -like a man and could tick out her fifty or sixty a day right along, -without worryin' her pony. As soon as she was safe located in -Billings, I turned back to the Dot, while the Friar rounded up some -stray sheep he had near the border, and as far as I can recall we -didn't meet again all that summer. - - - - -CHAPTER NINETEEN - -OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS - - -Olaf's theories concernin' violence didn't harmonize complete with the -Friar's; but his method for discouragin' scandal was thorough to a -degree. He silenced the gossipers all right, though so far as I heard, -most of 'em recovered; and the outcome was 'at the Friar stood higher -after the scandal 'n he had before. - -The Cross brand outfit was a good deal like a pack o' dogs: they each -sought Ty Jones's favor, and they were all jealous of each other. Olaf -stood high on account of his mysterious insight; so Badger-face, the -foreman, backed up Bud Fisher to devil Olaf as far as possible without -givin' Olaf what Ty would judge a fit excuse for unscrewin' the kid's -neck; and from the talk I heard, their outfit trotted along as smooth -an' friendly as seven he bears hitched to a freight wagon; but our -trails didn't cross frequent, so it was all hearsay. - -The winter before had been so fierce 'at a lot o' small outfits -couldn't winter through their stock. Towards spring, ol' Cast Steel -had bought in the Half Moon brand for a hundred an' fifty dollars; and -that summer me an' Spider Kelley put in our spare time huntin' strays. -Spider had come back, flat broke and full o' repentance; so after I'd -stood him on his head in a buffalo-wallow full o' mud, I forgave him -free and frank, and this summer we rode together most o' the time. - -Ol' Cast Steel was as lucky as a hump-back cat, and this summer the -grass was fatter 'n ever I'd seen it. We rounded up over five hundred -head o' ponies, and over sixty cows, which was just like bein' caught -out in a gold storm without your slicker on; so we didn't sympathize -any with the old man, but prospected around for pleasure whenever we -felt like it. - -One afternoon after the fall round-up, me an' Spider found ourselves -in a mighty rough bit o' country on the north slope o' the Wind River -range. We had been herdin' six or eight Half Moon ponies before us for -several days, devilin' a parcel of Injuns into thinkin' 'at we was out -tradin'; but we had got weary o' this, an' were just foolin' around -and wishin' 'at somethin' would turn up to amuse us. - -"Aw, let's go on back home," sez Spider, not knowin' he was speakin' -wisdom. "I'd sooner work at work than work at huntin' up somethin' to -amuse myself with." - -"Well," I sez, "we'll finish out this afternoon, an' then if nothin' -turns up, we'll go back, draw our pay an' go into Boggs." - -We saw our ponies start around a butte ahead of us an' stop to examine -somethin'. We followed 'em around the butte, and there below us on a -little level, was a bunch of men--seven of 'em. We drew up an' gave -'em a look-over. - -"What do you make out?" sez I. - -"Olaf the Swede with a rope around his neck, an' Badger-face Flannigan -holdin' the other end o' the rope," sez Spider. "What do you reckon -they're goin' to do to him?" - -"Comb his hair, or fit a new sun-bonnet on him," sez I, sarcastic. -"What else do they put a man's neck in a noose for? Let's go down an' -see what happens." - -"A feller's not sure of a welcome at such times," sez Spider. - -"No," I agreed; "but I want to see Olaf's eyes again, and this may be -my last chance." - -"It may be your last chance to see anything," sez Spider. "The best -thing we can do is just to back-track. We interrupted 'em once before; -and I don't want 'em to get the idee that we spend all our time -doggin' their footsteps for a chance to spoil their fun. This ain't -any of our business." - -"We won't spoil their fun," sez I. "If they get suspicious, we can -take a hand in it, an' that will fix it all right. Olaf ain't nothin' -to us; and I don't intend to risk my fat for him, just 'cause he's got -curious eyes." - -"No, I'm not goin'," sez Spider. - -I looked across at the group again, an' there comin' up the trail -behind 'em was Friar Tuck, ridin' a round little pinto, an' leadin' a -big bay. - -"Well, you just stay here, an' be damned to you," sez I to Spider. -"I'm goin' on down." So me an' Spider rode down together, an' arrived -at just the same time as the Friar did. - -Badger-face looked first at us, an' then at the Friar. "What the hell -do you fellers want this time?" he sez to us in welcome. - -"We just happened along," sez I. "What's goin' on?" - -"You're goin' on yourselves, first thing," sez Badger-face. "That's -what's goin' on." - -"I guess 'at you ain't got neither deeds nor lease to this land," sez -I. "We haven't any intention of interferin' with you; but we don't -intend to be sent where we don't want to go. We've got business here, -huntin' up stray hosses, an' I reckon we'll just stick around." - -"You got business here, too, I suppose?" sez Badger-face, turnin' to -the Friar. - -"Yes," sez the Friar calmly. "I came here entirely by accident; but -now it is my business to inquire into why you have a rope about this -man's neck. You recall havin' put me into a similar perdicament, Mr. -Flannigan." - -"Yes, an' the only thing I regret is, that I was interrupted," growls -Badger-face. "But this time, the' ain't any chance to change the -programme, so you might just as well poke on into some one else's -affairs." - -"What's the matter, Olaf?" asked the Friar. - -Before Olaf could reply, Badger-face gave a jerk on the rope. "You -shut up," sez he. - -"Surely you will give the man a chance to speak," cried the Friar, -indignant. - -"It won't do him no good to speak," sez Badger-face. "He's committed a -murder, but of course he denies it. Now, get out o' here, all three of -ya." - -"Listen," sez the Friar, as steady an' strong as the sweep of a deep -river, "I care more for justice 'n I do for law. I know that hangin' a -man has never done any good; but it is usually regarded as a legal -form of punishment, and the prejudice in its favor is still too strong -for one man to overcome. If you convince me that this man would be -hung by a court, why, I shall never say a word about it; but if you do -not convince me, I shall stir up all the trouble I can. I have quite a -number of friends, Mr. Flannigan." - -Badger-face studied over this a moment; and he saw it had sense. "All -right," sez he, "we'll try him fair an' square; and then you three -will have to help string him, an' I guess that'll keep your mouths -shut." - -"Tell your story, Olaf," sez the Friar. - -"Well," sez Olaf, "we came up short on the round-up, an' the old man -raised Cain about it, an' sent us out to hunt for strays. Badger-face -split us into pairs, an' made me an' Bud Fisher work together. We saw -some cows up on a ledge where we couldn't ride to; so we left the -hosses below, an' climbed to see if they had our brand. If they had, -we intended to ride around and get 'em. If not it would save half a -day. Bud Fisher had a rifle along, hopin' to get a mountain sheep, an' -he insisted on takin' it with him. He climbed up on a ledge, an' I -passed up the rifle to him. It was a long stretch, an' I passed it -muzzle first. The hammer caught on a point of rock, an' shot him -through the stomach. I didn't bear him any ill will any more--I ran -down to the hosses, an' brought up the saddle-blankets an' the -slickers, an' made him as comfortable as I could. Then I hunted up -Badger-face an' told him. When we got back he was dead. This is the -truth." - -"I think it is," sez the Friar. - -"Aw rot!" sez Badger-face. "Come on, now, an' finish it. Every one -knows how they hated each other; and it's plain enough that when the -Swede here got the chance, he just put Bud out o' the way, an' Bud was -one o' the finest boys the' ever was in the world--always full o' fun -an' frolic; while Olaf has allus been sour an' gloomy." - -Most men are as sappy as green grain, an' they bow whichever way the -wind blows. The Cross brand punchers all looked extremely sad when -Badger-face spoke o' what a royal good feller Bud Fisher had been, an' -when he stopped, they all glared at Olaf as friendly as wolves, -especially a skinny feller by the name of Dixon, who had the neck and -disposition of a snake. - -"If you thought 'at Olaf an' Fisher hated each other, why did you make -'em work together?" asked the Friar; and the Cross brand punchers -pricked up their ears an' looked pointedly at Badger-face. - -"I thought they had made it up," sez Badger-face, surprised into -takin' the defensive. - -"I have noticed that you are likely to jump hasty at conclusions," sez -the Friar, speakin' with tantalizin' slowness. He was a fisher of men, -all right, the Friar was; and just then he was fishin' for those Cross -brand punchers. "Did Bud speak before he died, Olaf?" he asked -impartially. - -Olaf hung his head: "All he said was, that she hadn't never cared for -him, an' that he didn't know one thing again' her," said Olaf. - -"Aw, what's the use o' stringin' it out," sez Badger-face. "Let's hang -him and have it over with." - -"Hanging a fellow-bein' is a serious matter, Mr. Flannigan," sez the -Friar. "I am a party to this now, and shall have to assume my share of -the responsibility. I shall never consent to swingin' a man on such -evidence as this. Let us go and examine the spot. The hammer may have -left a scratch, or something. If you convince me that Olaf committed -the murder, I pledge to assist in hangin' him. That's certainly fair, -men," he sez to the Cross-branders, an' they nodded their heads that -it was. - -So we clumb up to the spot where Olaf claimed to have handed the gun; -but the' wasn't any scratch on the rock. "Did he fall from the ledge -when he was shot?" asked the Friar. - -"No," sez one o' the punchers. "He fell on the edge an' hung on." - -"Did the bullet go clean through him?" asked the Friar. - -"Yes, it went clear through," sez the feller. - -"Point with your finger just where it went in, an' just where it came -out," sez the Friar. - -The feller pointed with one finger in front, an' one behind. The Friar -took a rope an' had me hold it behind the feller at just the level of -that finger an' then he made Spider stretch the rope so that it passed -on a line with the finger in front. The whole crowd was interested by -this time. "Now, then," sez the Friar, "where could Olaf have stood to -shoot such a line as that. He could not have shot while he was -climbin' up, nor he couldn't have reached high enough while standin' -below." - -"He could, too," sez Badger-face, "for Bud would have been leanin' -over, reachin' for the gun." - -"If he had been shot while he was reachin' over, he would have fallen -from the ledge," flashed the Friar. - -"Maybe he did," snapped Badger-face, just as quick. "Olaf here is as -strong as a horse, an' maybe he put him back on the ledge. He had -blood on his hands an' you can still see it on his shirt. A man don't -bleed much when shot in the belly." - -Olaf's queer blue eyes turned from one to the other, but his face -didn't change expression much. He had about give up hope in the first -place, an' his face had the look of a hoss, after he's been throwed -four or five times an' just keels over on his side an' sez to himself: -"Well, they've put the kibosh on me, an' I don't intend to make a fool -of myself any more by tryin' to break loose." The rest of us was more -excited about it than Olaf was himself. - -"Which one of us is the nearest size to Bud Fisher?" asked the Friar. - -They all agreed that Spider Kelley was; so the Friar had him coon up -on the ledge. Then he had Olaf take the empty rifle just as he had -held it when he passed it up; but made him give it to Badger-face -himself to pass up. Badger-face passed it up, Spider Kelley reached -for it, took it, and started to straighten up--The hammer caught on -the precise knob that Olaf had said it had, an' snapped hard enough to -set off a cartridge. "There," sez the Friar, sweepin' his hands wide. -We could all see that the bullet would 'a' gone through just where it -did go. - -"Hand back the rifle, an' I'll show ya how he passed it up," said -Badger-face. Spider passed it down, an' we all watched intent. It had -become like a real court o' law; we had forgot what the case was -about, we was so interested in seein' the scrap the lawyers were -puttin' up. - -Badger-face cocked the rifle so slick we didn't see him, called out to -Spider to catch it, an' tossed it up to him. It came just short o' -Spider's hand; and without thinkin' o' what he was doin', Spider -reached for the gun. This brought him squattin' just the time the gun -dropped back into Badger's hands, and quick as a wink, he pulled the -trigger--and hanged if that bullet wouldn't have traveled through the -same hole the first one had made. - -I never saw circumstantial evidence give such a work-out before. If we -had all been fair-minded, it would have puzzled us; but as it was, we -sided accordin' to our prejudices; an' the Cross brand fellers chose -Badger-face to Olaf, Badger-face bein' foreman. The Friar saw he was -stumped. - -"Are there any marks up there?" he asked of Spider. - -"There's some blood streaks on a stone," sez Spider. - -"Did you notice 'em?" asked the Friar of Badger-face. - -"Yes," sez he; "but they don't mean nothin'." - -"Let's go up an' look at 'em," sez the Friar, so we all clumb up. - -They pointed out just where Bud Fisher had laid when they found him; -and close beside him was a smooth white stone with blood marks on it. -The Friar examined the lay o' the ledge; but it didn't tell nothin', -so finally he got down on his knees an' studied the blood-stained -stone. - -Presently he nodded his head and straightened up. "Examine that -stone," he said, pointin' with his fingers. We all crowded about an' -studied it. The' was finger an' thumb prints all over it; but if you -looked close, you could make out the rude image of a man pullin' up a -gun which had exploded on the edge of a ledge. It was a smudgey, -shakey affair, but if ya looked just right you could make it out. Yet, -even this didn't floor Badger-face. - -"The Swede there did that himself," he growled; "and this makes him -out sneakier 'n we thought him. Let's hang him, and get rid o' this -foolishness." - -"Flannigan," sez the Friar in cold, hard tones, "you have gone too far -this time. If you had hung Olaf at first, you might have done it from -a proverted sense o' justice; but to do it now would be murder; and -your own men wouldn't help. Do any of you men chew tobacco?" - -If he had asked for a can o' face-paint, we wouldn't 'a' been more -surprised; but to show the hold the Friar had gained over that crowd, -every feller there but Badger-face held out his plug to him. - -"Make some tobacco juice, Olaf," he said. - -Olaf bit off a hunk the size of a walnut from his own piece, an' -proceeded to make juice, as though his life depended upon the amount -of it. "Wet your thumb and fingers with it, and make marks on the -white stone," commanded the Friar. - -Olaf did so; and when we saw the difference in size and shape, we -savvied the game. - -"Olaf took Bud's hand and made the marks with Bud's own blood," sez -Badger-face. - -"Did any one here ever try to handle a dead man's hand?" asked the -Friar; and that settled it. We all nodded our heads, except -Badger-face, an' he had sense enough to see 'at he had lost the deal, -so he didn't say nothin'. - -"What I can't see is, why he didn't write," sez the Friar. - -"He couldn't write," chirps up two punchers at once, an' then they -took the rope off Olaf's neck. - -They talked it over and decided that the best thing to do was to bury -Bud Fisher right there in the caon. The' was a little cave on the -ledge back o' where we were standin' so two o' the punchers went down -where they had him laid out under the slickers, an' brought him up. We -had to hoist him on ropes, an' the Friar looked a long time into his -face. - -It was just a lad's face: not bad nor hardened; just the face of a -mischievous boy, weary after a day's sport. We all took a look, an' -then put him in the little cave an' heaped clods over him an' piled -stones on until the door was blocked shut again' varmints. - -The Friar sat down on a big rock--he had worked as hard as any of -us--and sat thinkin' with his chin in his hand. The Cross brand -fellers muttered among themselves for a moment, an' then one of 'em -took off his hat, an' sez, "Don't ya think ya'd ought to speak -somethin' over him, parson?" - -"Do you want me to?" asked the Friar. And they all nodded their heads. - -So the Friar, he took off his battered hat and stood up before us an' -spoke a sermon, while we took off our hats, an' sat around on stones -to listen. - -I'm convinced 'at the Friar's long suit lay in the fact 'at he allus -preached at himself. Most preachers have already divided the sheep -from the goats; and they allus herd off contented with the sheep on -green pastures, and preach down at the goats on the barren rocks; but -if the Friar made any division at all, he classed himself in with the -goats. - -You see, in agreein' to help string Olaf should he be convicted, the -Friar had bet his soul on the outcome; and this braced him up in that -crowd as nothin' else would; for they knew that if he had lost, he'd -have pulled harder on the rope 'n any one else. - -It's child's play to put out a funeral talk over some old lady who has -helped the neighbors for seventy or eighty years; but to preach the -need of repentance to the livin', and then to smooth things out for -'em after they've died in their sins, in such a way as it will jolly -up the survivors and give 'em nerve to carve cheerful tidings on the -tombstone, is enough to make a discriminatin' man sweat his hair out. - -The Friar stood with his hands clasped in front of him, and his eyes -fixed sort o' dreamy-like on the distance. It was a perfect day, one -o' those days 'at can't happen anywhere except in our mountains in the -fall o' the year, and my mind drifted off to some lines the Friar was -fond of rehearsin', "Where every prospect pleases, an' only man is -vile." Then I saw a change come to the Friar's face, and he began to -chant the one which begins: "Lord, let me know mine end, and the -number of my days." - -He chanted slow, and the words didn't mean much to us; but the solemn -voice of him dragged across our hearts like a chain. One line of it -has haunted me ever since. It seems to suggest a hundred thoughts -which I can't quite lay my hand on, and every time I get sad or -discouraged, it begins to boom inside me until I see 'at my lot ain't -so much different from the rest; and I buck up and get back in the -game again: "For I am a stranger with Thee and a sojourner as all my -fathers were." - -The Friar didn't preach us a long talk, and most of it circled about -his favorite text, that a man's real children were those who inherited -his character, rather than those who inherited his blood. Once he -raised his finger and pointed it at us and sez: "You were fond o' this -boy; but did you love him for his good, or did you love him for your -own selfishness? I knew him not save through the dark glass of -reputation; yet after looking into his dead features, to-day, I think -I know him well. Death tells, sometimes, what Life has hid away. I did -not see in his face the hard, deep lines of stealthy sin; I saw the -open face of a child, tired out after a day wasted in thoughtless and -impulsive play; but comin' home at nightfall to have his small cares -rubbed away by a lovin' hand--and then, to fall asleep." - -O' course, the Friar landed on us good and plenty; but this was the -part of his talk which stuck to us after the scoldin' part was all -forgotten. When he was through he said a short prayer, and sang in a -low tone the one beginnin', "One sweetly solemn thought." His eyes -were glistenin' through a mist when he finished this, and he climbed -down from the ledge, hurried over to his pinto, and rode off without -sayin' another word. - -We all sat silent for quite a spell, and then Spider and I got up and -nodded good day to 'em. The Cross-branders also got up and shook -'emselves, and started down with us--all except Olaf. He sat there on -a stone with his fingers run into his hair, and his face hid in his -hands. Olaf had had regular religion when he was a child; and it had -come back to him up there on the ledge. They say it's worse 'n a -relapse o' the typhoid fever when it hits ya that way. I know this -much, Olaf was doubled up worse 'n if he'd had the colic; and from -that time on, the Ty Jones outfit looked mighty worldly to him. - -Even Spider Kelley was savin' of his nonsense until we got in sight of -the Diamond Dot again. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY - -QUARRELING FOR PEACE - - -We had a visitor once, which was a business man. One of his chief -diversities was to compare sedentary occupations with what he called -the joyous, carefree outdoor life. He said 'at sedentary came from -sedan-chair, and meant to sit down at your work. I rode the range next -spring until I felt more sedentary 'n an engineer; and sometimes at -night it used to strain my intellect to split the difference between -myself an' my saddle. - -I got out o' humor an' depressed and downright gloomy. Fact is, I was -on the point o' rollin' up my spare socks and givin' Jabez a chance to -save my board money, when I heard a sound 'at jerked me up through the -scum and gave me a glimpse o' the sky again. I was ridin' in about -dusk, and I had hung back o' the dust the other fellers had kicked up, -so I could be alone and enjoy my misery, when I heard this inspirin' -noise. - -Ol' Tank Williams once tried to learn to play on a split clarinet a -feller had give him, and at first I thought he had found where we had -buried it, and had resumed his musical studies; but this outrage came -from an instrument a feller has to be mighty cautious about buryin'. -It was a human voice, and these were the words it was screechin': - - "Fair Hera caught her wayward spouse - With a mortal maid one dawn. - Zeus charmed the maid into a cow, - To save himself a jaw'n'. - This seemed to me a liber-tee - To take with poor I-oh; - But now I find that he was kind,-- - 'T was I who did not know. - For girls use slang and girls chew gum, - And drape their forms in silk; - While cows behave with de-co-rum, - And furnish us with milk." - -Well, I gave a whoop and threw the spurs into my pony. This was the -seventy-ninth verse of Horace's song, and it was his favorite, because -it was founded on the Greek religion. I found him perched up behind a -rock, and he kept on slammin' chunks of his song up again' the welkin -until I shot some dirt loose above his head; and then he climbed down -and reunioned with me. - -He was lookin' fine, except that some of his waist products had come -back, and we talked into each other until the air got too thin to -breathe. Then we suppered up and began talkin' again. He had tried all -sorts of gymnastical games back East, from playin' golf to ridin' -hossback in a park, but it didn't have the right tang. Folks thought -he'd gone insane an' lost his mind, the air didn't taste right, he got -particular about how his vittles were cooked; until finally, his -endurance melted and began to run down the back of his neck. This -decided him 'at he'd had full as much East as was good for him; so he -loaded up a box with firearms, tossed some clothin' into a handbag, -and he said his grin had been gettin' wider all the way out until it -had hooked holes through the window lights on both sides o' the train. - -We were all glad to see him, an' he dove into ranch life like a -bullfrog into a cream jar; and he got toughened to a hard saddle in a -mighty short time for a feller who had got used to upholstery back -East. He said 'at the only thing 'at had kept life in him had been to -sing his song constant; but he denied 'at this was his main excuse for -fleein' from his own range. - -He didn't seem to bear a mite o' malice for the joke I had put up on -him; but still, I have to own up 'at he half pestered the life out of -me with his song. He had what he called a tenor voice; but it was the -dolefullest thing I ever heard, and the more he sang, the more his -notes stuck to him until I coveted to hear a love-sick hound -serenadin' the moon. When he saw it was riskin' his life to drag out -any more o' the song, he would pause temptingly, and then begin a -lecture on the Greek religion. He got me all mussed up in religion. - -Of course, I knew 'at the Injuns had a lot o' sinful religious idees, -and I was prepared to give the other heathens plenty o' room to swing -in; but not even an Injun would 'a' stood for as immoral a lot as the -Greek gods an' goddusses--especially the top one, which Horace called -Zeus an' Jove an' Jupiter. - -This one didn't have as much decency as a male goat, and yet he had -unlimited power. He was allus enticin' some weak-minded human woman -into a scrape; and when his wife, who was called Hera and Juno, would -get onto his tricks, Zeus would snap his fingers, say "Flip!" and -charm the human woman into some sort of an animal. It was a handy -scheme for him, true enough; and he didn't care a scene how -embarrassin' it was for the human women. - -He turned one of 'em into a bear, and, like most other women, she was -feared o' bears an' wolves an' snakes, an' the rest o' the company she -was forced to associate with. She led a perfectly rotten existence -until her own son went bear huntin', and was just on the point of -jabbin' a spear into her, when even Zeus himself admitted 'at this -would be carryin' the joke a leetle too far; so he grabs 'em up and -sticks 'em into the sky as a group o' stars. - -Horace tried to argue 'at this proved Zeus to be merciful; but as far -as I can see it's as idiotic as havin' the law hang a man for murder. -Supposin' some feller had murdered me--would I feel any happier -because this feller who couldn't put up with me in this world, is sent -over to pester me in the next? Course I wouldn't; but if one o' my -friends was murdered, and I had a chance to slay the feller 'at did -it, this would give me a lot o' satisfaction an' joy an' -pleasure--though I don't say it would be just. - -Puttin' the woman an' her son up in the sky didn't square things in -Horace's religion, neither; 'cause he said 'at Hera got jealous of -Zeus for elevatin' the woman and she went to her foster parents who -had charge of the ocean, and made 'em bar this woman and her son from -ever goin' into it, the same as the other stars did, and he could -prove it any clear night. I told him that he might get away with such -a tale as that back East among the indoor people; but that he couldn't -fool a day-old child with it out our way. - -We started this discussion the day after the fall round-up was over, -Horace had toughened up before it began, and he had rode with me all -through it, and takin' it all in all he was more help than bother, -except that he shot too much. When he had come out before, he had been -so blame harmless he couldn't have shot an innocent bystander; but -this trip, he was blazin' away at every livin' thing 'at didn't have a -dollar mark on it, and when these wasn't offered, he'd waste -ammunition on a mark. - -I had some details to tend to after the round-up, so we didn't get a -chance to settle the bet for several days. It was only a dollar bet; -but when the time came, I picked out a couple o' good hosses, bein' -minded to look at the stars from the top o' Cat Head. - -We reached it about dark, made some coffee, an' fried some bacon. Then -we smoked an' talked until it was entirely dark before we ever looked -up at the stars. "Now, bluffer," sez I, "show me your woman-bear." - -He looked up at the sky, an' then moved on out o' the firelight, an' -continued to look at the stars without speakin'. "Don't seem to see -'em, do you?" I taunted. - -He turned to me an' spoke in a hushed voice: "Man," he said, "this is -wonderful. Why, the way those stars seem to be hangin' down from that -velvet dome is simply awe-inspirin'. I've looked through three good -telescopes, but to-night, I seem to be viewin' the heavens for the -first time." - -"I thought you wasn't much familiar with 'em, or you wouldn't have put -out that nonsense about a bear-woman," I sez. - -"That," sez he, pointin' to the best known group o' stars in the sky, -"is Ursa Major." - -"That," sez I, "is the Big Dipper, an' you needn't try to fool me by -givin' it one o' your Greek names." - -He didn't argue with me; but came back to the fire an' fixed some -stones in the shape of the Big Dipper stars, then drew lines with a -stick, an' sez 'at this made up the Great Bear. I looked him between -the eyes, but he held his face, so I knew he was in earnest. "All -right," I sez. "I'll take you huntin' some o' these days, an' if we -chance to come across a silver-tip--a real grizzly, understand, and -not a pet varmint backed up again' the risin' sun--you'll change your -mind about what a bear looks like. If that was all your fool Greeks -knew about wild animals, I wouldn't waste my time to hear what they -had to say about gods an' goddusses. I'm goin' to start back, an' you -can come or not, just as you please." This was the first time I had -hinted about the woodchuck; but I was disgusted at his nonsense. He -took it all right, though, which proves he was game. - -I rode some comin' back, an' he kept tryin' to square himself; but I -didn't heed him. Just before we reached the foothills, we saw a fire, -an' when we reached it, the Friar was just finishin' his supper. He -an' Horace bowed stiffly to each other, an' I was just put out enough -by Horace's star-nonsense to feel like roastin' some one; so I decided -to roast 'em both. - -I sat on my hoss an' looked scornful from one to the other. "Here is -two religious folks," I said, impersonal to the pony, but loud enough -for all to hear. "Here is two genuwine religious folks! One of 'em is -workin' for universal brotherhood, an' the other is peddlin' Greek -religion which he claims to be founded on beauty an' love an' harmony. -They meet in the mountains, an' bow as cordial as a snow-slide. I -think if ever I pick out a religion for myself, I'll choose the -Injun's." - -I couldn't have asked for any two people to look more foolish 'n they -did. Neither one of 'em seemed to have anything to say; so I said to -my pony: "Don't you worry none, Muggins, I got a match o' my own, an' -if we want to set by a fire, why, we can ride on to some place where -wood is free, an' build us one." - -"Will you not dismount an' rest a while at my fire?" sez the Friar, in -a tone meant as a slap at me. - -"No, thank you," sez Horace, "we must be goin'." - -"Yes, Friar," I sez hearty. "Me an' Horace has a bet up, an' you can -decide it. Also, you owe him somethin' on his own hook. You drove him -out o' your religion an' into the Greek religion; an' if that don't -give him a direct call on you, why then you don't realize what a pest -the Greek religion is." - -They were so embarrassed they were awkward an' spluttery; but I was -sure 'at this was good for 'em, so I got off, threw the reins on the -ground, an' warmed my hands at the fire; while Horace apologized for -me not knowin' any better, an' the Friar assured him coldly that -everything was all right, an' he was rejoiced to have a little -company. - -Well, for as much as ten minutes, we sat around enjoyin' what I once -heard a feller call frapayed convivuality, an' then I took pity on 'em -an' loosened things up by tellin' the Friar about the trip me an' Tank -an' Horace had took into the mountains to pacify our nerves, just -before he had stumbled on Horace that other time. O' course I didn't -tell it all, as I didn't want Horace to know any more about it than he -knew already; but I told what a seedy little windfall Horace had been -when we started out, an' how he had come back crackin' jokes an' -singin' the infernalest song 'at ever was made up. I finally got -Horace to sing ten or fifteen minutes o' this song, an' he droned it -out so unusual doleful that he fetched a chuckle out o' the Friar, an' -then we were feelin' easy an' comfortable, like outdoor men again. - -Then I told the Friar what our bet was, expectin' o' course that he'd -back me up; but what did he do but say 'at Horace was right as far as -the stars was concerned. This tickled Horace a lot, an' he began to -crow over me until I concluded to test the Friar; so I sez to Horace -that his religion havin' been endorsed by the Friar himself, I'd -become a Greek the first chance I had. - -Horace didn't take any trouble to hide his satisfaction, an' he began -to expound upon the beauty, an' the art, an' the freedom of the Greek -religion at a great rate. - -"They certainly was free," I sez, "an' easy too, an' I don't deny 'at -they might 'a' been some weight in art an' beauty; but, confound 'em, -they didn't know as much about bears as I know about e-lectricity. I'd -just like to see Zeus himself go up into the Tetons in the early -spring, to hunt for Big Dippers. I'll bet the first hungry grizzly -he'd come across would set him right on the bear question." - -This was a good opener, an' in about two shakes, the Friar an' Horace -had locked horns. Horace was a crafty, sarcastic, cold-blooded little -argufier; while the Friar was warm an' eager an' open as the day. It -was one o' the best gabbin' matches I have ever started. - -They dealt mostly in names I had never heard of before, although once -in a while they'd turn up one a little familiar on account of Horace -havin' told me some tale of it. The Friar knew as much about these -things as Horace did; but he called 'em myths, an' said while they -didn't mean anything when took literal, they had great historical -value when regarded merely as symbols. He said that I-oh--the human -maid which Zeus had turned into a cow--was nothin' but the moon, an' -that Argus of the hundred eyes was simply the sky full o' stars; and -that the old god which ate up his children was nothin' but time. - -I didn't really understand much of what they said; but I did enjoy -watchin' 'em bandy those big words about. We all use a lot o' words we -don't understand; but as long as they sound well an' fill out a gap it -don't much matter. These two, though, seemed to understand all the -words they used, an' I was highly edified. - -As they talked, an' I kept watchin' the Friar's face, I learned -somethin': the Friar had been mighty lonesome with only us rough -fellers to talk with, an' had been hungerin' for just such a confab as -this to loosen up his subsoil a little. - -Every now an' again, I'd cast an eye up to the stars; an' while I -didn't know the religious names of 'em, I knew how to tell time by -'em; an' I knew 'at those two would have a turn when they remembered -to look at their watches. It was full one o'clock when the -conversation came to its first rest, an' then the Friar recalled what -I had said when I had dismounted; so he up an' asked Horace -point-blank what he had had to do with makin' Horace quit the church. - -Horace was minded to sidestep this at first by intimatin' that I was -not responsible for what I said; but he finally came across and told -the Friar that he had give up that church for about the same reason -that the Friar himself had. This set the Friar back purty well on his -haunches, an' put him on the defensive. He had hammered Horace freely -before, but now when he conscientiously tried to defend the gang he -had left, and also excuse himself for leavin', he had some job on his -hands. - -I thought Horace had him when he compared the Golden Age of Greece an' -Plato's Republic with the Dark Ages, which was a stretch of years when -the Christian religion about had its own way; but the Friar admitted -that what he called economical interests had put a smirch on the -church durin' the Dark Ages, an' then he sailed into the Golden Age of -Greece, showin' that slavery was the lot of most o' the decent people -durin' that period. When I fell asleep, they were shakin' their fists -friendly at one another, about Plato's Republic, which I found out -afterwards was only a made-up story. - -Bein' edicated is a good deal like bein' a good shot in a quiet -community--once in a long while it's mighty comfortin', but for the -most part it's nothin' but shootin' at a target. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - -PEACE TO START A QUARREL - - -It was broad day when I woke up--that is, the sun was beginnin' to -rise--an' the fire had dwindled to coals, the breeze had begun to stir -itself, an' I was consid'able chilly. I saw the Friar's nose stickin' -out o' one side of his tarp an' Horace's nose stickin' out the other, -an' I grinned purty contentedly. - -My experience is, that quarrelsome people usually get along well -together an' make good company; but sad, serious, silent, polite folks -is about the wearin'est sort of an affliction a body can have about. - -I once heard a missionary preach about what a noble thing it was to -control the temper. He must have been a good man, 'cause he was -unusual solemn an' wore his hair long an' oily; but he only looked at -one side o' the question. I've known fellers who had such good control -o' their tempers that after they'd once been put out o' humor over -some little thing, they could keep from bein' good tempered again for -a year. And then again, when a feller keeps too tight a holt on his -temper, his hands get numb, an' his temper's liable to shy at some -silly thing an' get clear away from him. - -What I liked about both the Friar an' Horace was, 'at they hadn't -froze up all their feelin's. It was possible to get 'em stirred up -about things, an' this allus struck me as bein' human; so I was glad -to see Horace warmin' his feet in the small o' the Friar's back, an' I -whistled a jig under my breath while gettin' breakfast. - -They grumbled consid'able when I rousted 'em out; but by the time they -had soused their heads in the crick, they were in good humor again; -an' hungry! Say! Ever since I'd give him his treatment, Horace had had -an appetite like a stray dog; while the Friar allus was a full hand at -clearin' tables, except on his one off-day a week. I gave the Friar a -wink just as Horace splashed into his third cup o' coffee, an' sez: -"Friar, you should have seen this creature when he first came out -here. His muscles had all turned to fat, so that he could hardly -wobble from one place to another, an' he was so soft that when he'd -lie down at night, his nerves would stick into him an' keep him awake. -Now, if it wasn't for that fringy thing he wears on his face, he'd -look almost exactly like a small-sized human." - -The only come-back Horace made was to start to sing with his mouth -full o' cornbread an' bacon. This was more 'n any one could stand, so -I tipped him over backward, an' asked the Friar which way he was -headin'. - -The Friar's face went grave at once; and then he began to post me up -on Olaf the Swede. I had heard some rumors that summer, but hadn't -paid much heed to 'em. It now turned out that the Friar and Olaf had -struck up friendly affiliations; so he was able to give me all the -details. - -Badger-face had a disposition like a bilious wolf, and when he was -denied the satisfaction o' jerkin' Olaf out o' this world, he had -turned to with earnest patience to make Olaf regret it as much as he -did. Olaf could stand more 'n the youngest son in a large family o' -mules, but he had his limitations, the same as the rest of us; so when -he saw that Badger was engaged in makin' the earth no fit place for -him to habitate, he began to feel resentful. - -When a boss is mean, he is still the boss and he don't irritate beyond -endurance; but a foreman is nothin' but a fellow worker, after all; so -when he gets mean, he's small and spidery in his meanness; and I -reckon 'at Olaf was justified in tryin' to unjoint Badger-face, -thorough and complete. - -O' course, Ty had to back up Badger for the sake o' discipline; but he -didn't wreak any vengeance on Olaf when he tendered in his -resignation, which proves 'at Ty still was full o' respect for Olaf. -Badger was groanin' on his back when Olaf left; but he called out that -he intended to get square, if he had to wear all the curves off his -own body to do it. - -Olaf had the gift o' sensin' men, all right; but his judgment wasn't -such as to make a yearlin' bull willin' to swap, and what he did was -to take the Pearl Crick Spread as a homestead. It was only about -fifteen miles from the Cross brand ranch house, and it was one o' the -choicest bits in the whole country. This act was on a par with an -infant baby sneakin' into a wolf den to steal meat. The Friar put the -finishin' touch by sayin' that Olaf had bought the old, run-down T -brand, and then I lost patience. - -"Does Olaf sleep with a lightnin' rod connected to the back of his -neck?" I asked as sober as a boil. - -"What do ya mean?" asked the Friar, who was innocent about some -things. - -"Well, that looks like another good way to attract trouble," sez I. - -"Olaf does not want any trouble," sez the Friar with dignity. "All he -wants is an opportunity to work his claim in peace. He has more -self-control 'n airy other man I've ever known." - -"It's a handy thing to have, too," sez I, "providin' a feller knows -how to use it. Why, ya could change a T brand to a Cross quicker 'n a -one-armed Mexican could roll a cigarette. Ty Jones'll get more o' that -brand 'n ever Olaf will. How is Kit Murray gettin' along?" - -"She is a fine girl," sez the Friar, his face lightin'. "She has cut -out all her wild ways, and Mother Shipley sez her daughter thinks as -much of her as if they was sisters. I got word last week 'at her -husband died in a hospital; and I hope she'll marry Olaf some day." - -"Well, I'll bet the liquor again' the bottle 'at she never does it," -sez I. "In the first place, she's got too much style, and in the -second, she's got too much sense. Ty's already got more stuff 'n he -can take care of through a dry summer, and the next one we have, he is -goin' to need Pearl Crick Spread. A grizzly traffics along without -bein' disturbed, until he gets the idee that he owns consid'able -property, and has legal rights. Then one day the' don't seem to be -anything else demandin' attention, so out go a parcel o' men and -harvest the grizzly. That's the way it'll be with Olaf." - -"I advised him to move," sez the Friar; "but he's set in his ways." - -"Self-control," sez I. "I was workin' in a mine once with a mule and a -Hungarian; and both of 'em had an unusual stock o' self-control. One -day right after a fuse had been lit, the mule decided to rest near the -spot; an' the Hun decided to make the mule proceed. We argued with 'em -as long as it was safe; but the mule had his self-control an' all four -feet set, and the Hun was usin' _his_ self-control an' a shovel. -All we ever found was the mule's right hind leg stickin' through the -Hungarian's hat, and we buried these jus' as they was." - -The Friar sighed, pursed up his lips, and sez: "I wish I could help -him." - -"Help him all you can, Friar," sez I; "but after the fuse is burnin', -you pull yourself out to safety. Ty Jones could easy spare you without -goin' into mournin'." - -The Friar rode on about his business, an' me an' Horace went back to -the ranch, him pumpin' me constant for further particulars about Olaf -an' Kit. "Horace," sez I finally, "did you ever see these folks?" - -"I never did," sez he. - -"Then," sez I, "what you got again' 'em 'at you want 'em to marry?" - -"Marriage," sez he with the recklessness common to old bachelors, "is -the proper condition under which humans should live--and besides, I -don't like what you tell about Ty Jones." - -From that on, Horace began to talk hunt; and when Horace talked -anything, he was as hard to forget as a split lip. He had brought out -some rifles which the clerk had told him would kill grizzlies on -sight, and Horace had an awful appetite to wipe out the memory o' that -woodchuck. - -I admit that no one has any right to be surprised at anything some one -else wants to do; but I never did get quite hardened to Horace Walpole -Bradford. When ya looked at him, ya knew he was a middle-aged man with -side-burn whiskers; but when ya listened to his talk, he sounded like -a fourteen-year-old boy who had run away to slaughter Injuns in -wholesale quantities. - -All of his projecs were boyish; he purt' nigh had his backbone bucked -up through the peak of his head before he'd give in that ridin' mean -ones was a trade to itself; and the same with ropin', and several -other things. It ground him bitter because his body hadn't slipped -back as young as his mind, an' he worked at it constant, tryin' to -make it so. - -He wore black angora chaps, two guns, silver spurs, rattlesnake -hat-band, Injun-work gauntlets, silk neckerchief through a silver -slip, leather wristlets, an' as tough an expression as he could work -up; but the one thing of his old life he refused to discard was his -side-burns. Sometimes he'd go without shavin' for two weeks, an' we'd -all think he was raisin' a beard; but one day he'd catch sight of -himself in a lookin'-glass, an' then he'd grub out the new growth an' -leave the hedge to blossom in all its glory. - -We were long handed for the winter as usual, an' the' wasn't any -reason why we couldn't take a hunt; so Tank an' Spider egged him on, -an' I wasn't much set again' it myself. Horace agreed to pay us our -wages while we were away, an' offered Jabez pay for the hosses; but o' -course he wouldn't listen to it; and for a few days he even talked -some o' goin' with us, though he didn't ever care much for huntin'. - -Finally we started out with a big pack train an' enough ammunition for -an army. Besides me an' Horace, the' was Tank, Spider Kelley, Tillte -Dutch, an' Mexican Slim. Slim was to do the cookin', an' the rest of -us were to divvy up on the other chores all alike, Horace not to be -treated much different simply because he was payin' us our wages; but -he was to have the decidin' vote on where we should go an' how long -we'd stay. It was fine weather most o' the time, though now an' again -we'd get snowed up for a day or so in the high parts. - -I had allus felt on friendly terms with the wild creatures; an' I had -told him before we started that I wouldn't have no part in usin' -hosses for bear-bait, nor shootin' bears in traps, nor killin' a lot -o' stuff we had no use for; but Horace turned out to be as decent a -hunter as I ever met up with, an' after the second day out he did as -little silly shootin' as any of us. He wasn't downright blood-thirsty, -like a lot of 'em who get their first taste too late in life. He cared -more for the fun o' campin' out an' stalkin' game than he did for -killin'. We only got one silver-tip, most of 'em havin' holed up; but -we found all the other game we wanted. Horace killed the grizzly, -which was a monster big one, and this wiped the woodchuck off his -record, and inflated his self-respect until the safety valve on his -conceit boiler was fizzin' half the time. - -We made a permanent camp not far from Olaf's shack, an' it didn't take -me long to see 'at the foxy Horace was more interested in Olaf an' his -war with Ty Jones than he was in huntin'. As soon as we had our camp -arranged, he got me to take him over to Pearl Crick Spread to call on -Olaf. I told him that Olaf wasn't what you'd call sociable; but he -insisted, so we went. - -We found Olaf in an infernal temper, an' some tempted to take it out -on the first human he met; but this didn't phaze Horace. He thought he -could start Olaf by tellin' him that Kit Murray was a widow; but the -Friar had already told him and Olaf wouldn't thaw worth a cent. He -kept on askin' questions, even when they wasn't answered, until Olaf -got hungry an' asked us in to eat dinner with him. After we had eaten, -we sat around the fire smokin', an' Horace looked as contented as a -cat. He kept at his questionin' until he got Olaf to talkin' freer 'n -I had supposed he could talk. - -Horace tried him out on all sorts o' things, an' when Olaf snubbed -him, why, he just overlooked it an' tried somethin' else. Finally he -tried his hand at religion, an' this was what loosened Olaf up. Now -Olaf was actually religious, and called himself a Christian, but the' -was a heap o' difference between his brand o' it an' the Friar's. - -Olaf's God took more solid satisfaction in makin' hell utterly -infernal than a civilized community takes in a penitentiary; an' Olaf -was purty certain as to who was goin' there. When he got to talkin' -religion in earnest, his face grew hard an' his eyes bright, an' he -gloated over the souls in torment till he showed his teeth in a grin. -The' wasn't any doubt in his mind that Ty Jones was goin' to be among -those present, an' this led him into tellin' what had put him so far -out o' humor before we'd come along. - -He had found another one of his cows shot an' only a couple o' steaks -cut off. He fair frothed at the mouth when he told us this, an' he -didn't make any bones of givin' Ty the credit for it. He cut loose an' -told us a string o' things 'at he knew about Ty, an' ya couldn't blame -him for feelin' sore. He talked along in a rush after he got started, -tellin' o' the way 'at Ty changed brands an' butchered other fellers' -stock an' wasn't above takin' human life when it stood in his way. "He -made me as big a devil as he is," sez Olaf; "an' now he knows 'at I -can't get any backin'; so he is just persecutin' me; but some o' these -days, I'll get a chance at him." - -Horace had dropped into a silence while Olaf was talkin'; but now he -raised a finger at me, an' said: "I'll tell you what we'll do: instead -of huntin' ordinary wild beasts, we'll just keep watch on Olaf's -stuff, an' when any one bothers it, why, we'll take 'em into some town -with a jail." - -Olaf shook his head, an' I told Horace that the' wasn't any law for -big cattle men; but Horace was all worked up, an' after we'd left Olaf -an' started for camp, he didn't talk of anything else. He put it -before the boys; but they were all again' it, an' told him a lot o' -tales about fellers who had tried to buck the big cattle men. Horace -called us all cowards; but we only laughed at his ignorance an' let -him carry on as far as he liked. He sat up way into the night broodin' -over it, an' from that on he did a lot o' scoutin' on his own hook. We -used to keep an eye on him, though; so after all he had his own way -about it, an' Olaf's stuff was watched purty close. - -The boys was proud of Horace, just as they'd have been proud of a -fightin' terrier; but they was worried about him, too, in just about -the same way. - -"I tell you, that little runt would shoot to kill if he got a chance," -sez Tank Williams, one night while Horace was away. - -"Aw ya can't tell," sez Spider. "He thinks he would; but he's never -been up against it yet, an' ya can't tell." - -"Well, what if he did shoot," sez Slim, "we wouldn't have to mix in, -would we?" - -"You know blame well we'd mix in," sez Tank, "an' you can't tell where -it would end. If Horace had 'a' come out here when he was a kid, he'd -'a' turned out one o' the bad men for true. It's in his blood. Look at -him! when he came here first, he didn't have no more get-up 'n a sofy -piller; but look what he's gone through since. I saw him, myself, -march along without food for four days, an' when we came up with that -cow, he was willin' to help kill her with a rock or strangle her to -death, an' he didn't make no more bones o' calf-milkin' her than a -coyote would. He started out in life with more devilment in him 'n any -of us, an' what he's achin' for now is a mix-in with the Cross brand -outfit. That's my guess." - -"An' that's my guess," I chimed in; but just then we heard two shots -close together, then a pause an' three more shots. We jammed on our -hats an' guns an' rushed outside. It was a moonlight night, an' we -hustled in the direction o' the shots. Before long we made out Horace -an' Tillte Dutch comin' towards us, an' Horace was struttin' like -Cupid the bulldog used to walk, after he'd flung a steer. It was the -first time I'd ever noticed this, but I noticed it plain, out there in -the moonlight. - -"What's up?" I asked. - -"I reckon 'at somebody knows by now that Olaf's stuff is havin' a -little interest took in it," sez Horace. - -We came back into the old log cabin where we was campin', an' Dutch -told about how Horace had got him to walk with him, an' had sat down -on a rock where they could see Olaf's little bunch o' cattle grazin'. -He said 'at Horace sat with his rifle across his lap and kept watch -like an Injun scout. - -After a time they saw two men creep out of a ravine not far from where -they was sittin' an' sneak down on the bunch o' cows. One of 'em had -shot a cow, an' Horace had shot him, bringin' him down, but not -killin' him. The two had run for the ravine, an' Horace had tried to -cut 'em off, an' he had gone along 'cause Horace had; but the two had -got to their hosses first. Each o' the two had taken one shot, an' -Horace had shot back but none o' these last shots had hit anything, -an' the two had got away. - -"I'll bet they haven't got so far away but what we'll hear from 'em -again," sez Tank. - -"The thing for us to do is to start back to the Diamond Dot," sez I. - -"We shall stay here, an' see what happens," sez Horace, lightin' his -pipe. His eyes were dancin' an' he was all puffed up. I didn't say any -more. I just looked at him. He was the same old Horace, side-burns an' -all; but still the' was enough difference for me to begin to regret -havin' give him the treatment. I had cured his nerve so complete it -seemed likely to boss the whole crowd of us into trouble. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - -A PROGRESSIVE HUNT - - -The Friar sez it's all rot about men bein' better for havin' sowed -their wild oats when young. He sez 'at it's utter foolishness to sow -any crop ya don't want to harvest; but I dunno. I don't mind havin' a -colt try to turn himself inside out with me on its back; but I'm some -prejudiced again' an old hoss which is likely to pitch when I've got -other business to attend to. When a young hoss is mean, why, ya can -reason it out of him; but when an old hoss turns bad, you might just -as well put the outlaw label on him an' turn him adrift. - -We couldn't do a thing with Horace after he'd taken his shot at the -feller who potted one of Olaf's cows. Ol' Tank Williams was huge in -size an' had a ponderous deep voice which rumbled around in him like a -bulldog croakin' in a barrel; an' he decided that it was his duty to -be firm with Horace, seein' the way 'at he had bluffed him when we -went on that trip for the nerves; so the follerin' mornin' he put a -scowl on his face, grabbed Horace by the chest of his shirt, lifted -him so 'at nothin' but the tips of his toes touched, an' sez: "Look -here, you little whippersnapper, we agreed to go where you said an' -stay as long as you said; but we meant on a game-huntin' trip. You -haven't any idee what you're up again' out here, an' you got to give -in an' come back with us." - -Tank's free eye rolled about in his head, runnin' wilder 'n I'd ever -seen it; but Horace wasn't as much phazed as if a fly had bit him. He -scowled down his eyebrows, an' piped out in his squeaky tenor: "Take -your hand off me, Tank--and take it off now." - -"I've a notion to raise it up an' squash ya," sez Tank. - -"Yes," sez Horace, without blinkin' a winker, "you've got notions all -right; but they lie so far to the interior of ya that they generally -weaken before they find their way out. Take your hand off me." - -Well, Tank was beat. He gave Horace a shove, but Horace was light on -his feet, an' he never lost his balance. He just danced backward until -he had his brakes set, an' then he fetched up in front o' the fire, -put his fists on his hips, an' stared up at Tank haughty. - -"Ignorance," sez he, "is the trouble with most people. The ignorant -allus judge by appearances. If body-size was what really counted, why, -we'd have an elephant for an emperor. Instead of which we use 'em to -push logs around. Goliath did a lot o' talkin' about squashin' David, -but as soon as David got around to it, he fixed Goliath all ready for -the coroner. Napoleon was of small size, an' fat, an' nervous, but he -didn't count it a fair day's work unless he had presented one of his -relatives with a full-sized kingdom. Where are the buffalos--where are -they--the big clumsy brutes! They're shut up out o' harm's way, that's -where they are; but where are the mosquitoes? Why the mosquitoes are -takin' life easy at all the fashionable summer resorts. If you feel -like freightin' your big, fat carcass back to where it don't run any -risk o' bein' bumped into, why go ahead; but I'm goin' to stick around -here an' see what happens." - -Well, there we were: we didn't none of us have the courage to own up -'at we were afraid of anything 'at Horace wasn't afraid of; so we -decided to stick with him, but that he had to take the blame. It was -Tillte Dutch who said this, an' Horace looked at him an' grinned. -"Take the blame?" sez he. "Why you big chump, it's the small-sized men -who allus take the blame. The big boobs rush about, makin' a lot o' -noise; but they only do what the small-sized men tell 'em to. I'll -take the blame all right, an' if you back me up, you'll be right -pleased to have a share in the kind o' blame the's goin' to be. This -Ty Jones outfit is nothin' but a set o' cowardly bullies who sneak -around in the dark doin' underhanded work; but I intend to let the -daylight in." - -"I'll bet the daylight will be let in, somewhere," sez I; "but I'm -just fool enough to stick with ya." - -Tank was still smartin' from the way it had been handed to him. "Say," -sez he, "p'raps you don't know it; but that David you was cacklin' -about a while ago wasn't nothin' but a sheep-herder." - -"That don't change no brands," sez Horace, who didn't have any more -use for a sheep-herder 'n we did. "He was a small-sized man, an' he -just drove sheep a while to help his father out. Sheep-herdin' wasn't -his regular trade. Bossin' men an' fightin' an' bein' a king was his -natural line o' business. It allus seems to me 'at big, overgrown men -ought to be sheep-herders, so they could drive about in house-wagons, -an' not wear down so many good hosses." - -Ol' Tank slammed about, makin' a lot o' noise; but he had lost this -deal, an' it was plain to see. - -"I'm goin' to ride over to Olaf's, an' tell him about what happened -last night, an' say 'at we'll keep an eye on his stuff if so be he -wants to take a little trip to Billings," said Horace; and when he -started I went along with him. At first Olaf was so white-hot about -havin' another cow killed that he couldn't think; but finally he -looked at Horace a long time, an' said: "You have very brave flame, -an' you speak true. I shall go to Billings, an' trust everything with -you." - -I was flabbergasted clear out o' line at this; but Olaf packed some -stuff on one hoss, flung his saddle on another, an' set off at once. -Now, I knew Olaf to be slow an' stubborn, an' I couldn't see through -this. - -After Olaf had rode out o' sight to the north, Horace sez: "Has he -allus been crazy?" - -"He's not crazy," sez I. - -"Then what did he mean by sayin' I had a very brave flame an' that I -spoke true?" sez Horace. "Course he's crazy. Didn't you notice his -eyes." - -"Yes," I sez, "I've noticed his eyes a lot; but I don't think he's -crazy--except in thinkin' 'at Kit Murray'll marry him. Why, she would -as soon think o' marryin' a he-bear as Olaf." - -"Well, I think they have drove him crazy," sez Horace; "but I'm goin' -to bestir myself in his favor." - -He took himself as serious as if he had been Napoleon an' David both; -an' I could smell trouble plain. We decided to move our camp down to -Olaf's, an' wrangle his herd into the Spread every night. Pearl Crick -Spread was as fine a little valley as a body ever saw; filled with -cottonwoods an' snugglin' down out o' the wind behind high benches. -The crick came in through a gorge, an' went out through a gorge; an' -it was plain to me that the Spread was worth fightin' for. - -When we got back to the camp we found that a couple o' Cross brand -boys had happened along, by accident, of course, an' were tryin' to -swap news o' the weather for news o' the neighbors. Our crowd hadn't -loosened up none; and as soon as we came back the Cross-branders left. - -Horace looked pleased. "I bet I got one of 'em last night," sez he, -shakin' his head. - -Well, we all grinned, we couldn't help it. "I bet you get another -chance at 'em, too," sez Slim. Our outfit had been peaceable for so -long that the prospect of trouble actually made us feel nervous enough -to show it. - -We moved down to Olaf's, and each night we fetched in his little bunch -o' cows, an' allus kept up some hosses in the corral. The -Cross-branders used to wander by our place purty frequent, but allus -in the matter o' business. - -One day, after we'd been livin' at Olaf's about a week, Badger-face -Flannigan, an' a pair of as mean-lookin' Greasers as ever I saw, came -ridin' along. Me an' Horace had been up in the hills after some fresh -meat, an' we see them before they saw us. They were ridin' slow an' -snoopin' about to see what they could pick up, an' when they saw us -they looked a bit shifty for a moment. - -Then Badger wrinkled up his face in what was meant for a friendly -grin, an' sez: "Hello, fellers. Have you-un's bought Olaf out?" - -"Nope," sez I. "We're just out here for a little huntin'; an' Olaf got -us to look after his stuff for a few days while he went visitin'." - -"Wasn't the' any huntin' closer to home?" sez Badger-face, a little -sarcastic. - -"Not the kind o' huntin' we prefer," sez Horace, sort o' dreamy like. - -Badger-face drilled a look into Horace, who had put on his most -no-account expression. "What's your favorite game," sez he, "snow-shoe -rabbits?" - -"Oh, no," drawled Horace as if he felt sleepy, "silver-tips an' humans -is our favorite game; but o' course the spring is the best time--for -silver-tips." - -"Where might you be from?" asked Badger-face. - -"I might be from Arizona or Texas," sez Horace; "but I ain't. I'm a -regular dude. Can't you tell by my whiskers?" - -Badger-face was so puzzled when Horace gave a little rat-laugh that I -had to laugh too; and ya could see the blood come into Badger's -cheeks, but still, he couldn't savvy this sort o' game, so he couldn't -quite figure out how to start anything. - -Horace had practiced what he called a muscle-lift, which he said he -used to see the other kids do on parallel bars; and now he slipped to -the ground an' tightened his cinch an' cussed about the way it had -come loose, as natural as life. Then he put one hand on the horn an' -the other on the cantle an' drew himself up slow. He kept on pushin' -himself after his breast had come above the saddle until he rested at -arm's length. Then he flipped his right leg over, an' took his seat as -though it was nothin' at all. Any one could see it was a genuwine -stunt, though it was of no earthly use to a ridin' man. - -Now, just because the' was no sense to this antic, it made more of an -impression on Badger-face than the fanciest sort o' shootin' or ropin' -would 'a' done; an' he puzzled over what sort of a speciment Horace -might be, till it showed in his face. - -"Come on down an' have supper with us," sez Horace. "You can see for -yourself what the prospect for fresh meat is; so you can be sure of a -welcome." - -"No, we can't very well come this evenin'," sez Badger-face. - -"Why not?" sez Horace. "You look to me like a man who was gettin' -bilious for the want of a little sociability. Come on down an' we'll -swap stories, an' have a few drinks, an' I'll sing ya the best song -you ever hearkened to." - -"No, we got to be goin'," sez Badger-face; an' he an' the Greasers -rode off while Horace chuckled under his breath as merry as a magpie. - -"That's what you call a bad man, is it?" sez he. "I tell you that -feller's a rank coward." - -"Would you have the nerve to pick up a horn-toad?" sez I. - -"No," sez he; "cause they're poison." - -"They ain't no more poison 'n a frog is," I sez; "but most people -thinks they are, an' that is why strangers are afraid of 'em. Now, -Badger-face ain't no coward. He's a shootin' man; but he can't make -you out, an' this is what makes him shy of ya." - -"Well," sez Horace, "I'd rather be a free horn-toad than a mule in -harness. Come on, let's go eat." - -The next afternoon Horace went along to help bring in the bunch o' -cattle; an' some one up on the hill took a shot at him. He couldn't -ride up the hill, so he hopped off the pony, an' started up on foot. -Mexican Slim was closest to him, an' he started after; but the feller -got away without leavin' any trace. Horace was wonderful pleased about -it, an' strutted more than common. - -"There now," sez he after supper; "do you mean to tell me 'at that -feller wasn't a coward? Why the' ain't enough sand in their whole -outfit to blind a flea!" - -We just set an' smoked in silence. When a feller as little as him once -begins to crow, the's nothin' to do but wait till his spurs get -clipped. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - -A LITTLE GUN-PLAY - - -It's curious how hard it is, sometimes, to get trouble started. We all -knew 'at the Cross-branders was ready to clean us out, an' itchin' for -the job; but the's one curious little holdback in the make-up of every -healthy animal in the world. Every sane animal the' is wants -self-defence as his excuse for takin' life. I admit that now and again -beasts an' men both get a sort o' crazy blood-lust, an' just kill for -the sake of it; but it's the rare exception. - -One of us allus made it a point to go along with Horace; an' most -times when we'd meet up with any o' the Cross-branders, they'd never -miss the chance to fling some polite smart talk at him; but the little -cuss could sass back sharper 'n they could, an' I reckon they was -suspicious that he wouldn't 'a' been so cool if he hadn't had bigger -backin' than was in sight. It was perfectly natural to think 'at he -had been sent out as a lure by some big cattle outfit, or even the -government; so they went cautious till they could nose out the game. - -One day Badger-face an' the two Greasers came along when Horace was -out ridin' with Tillte Dutch. Dutch was one o' these innocent-lookin' -Germans--big, wide-open eyes, a half smile, an' a sort of a leanin' to -fat. He never had but one come-back to anything--which was to -splutter; but he was dependable in a pinch. - -"Whatever made you so unspeakable little?" sez Badger-face to Horace. - -Horace looked behind him, an' all about, an' then sez in surprise: -"Who, me?" - -"Yes, you," sez Badger-face. "You seem to dry down a little smaller -each day." - -"Well," sez Horace, speakin' in a low secret-tellin' tone, "I'll tell -ya; but I don't want ya to blab it to every one ya see. When I was a -young chap, I used to go with a big, awkward, potato-brained slob, -about your size. I could out-shoot him, out-ride him, run circles -around him, an' think seven times while he was squeezin' the cells of -his brain so they'd touch up again' each other; but one day he made a -bet that he could eat more hog-meat 'n I could; an' he won the bet. -When I found out that the' was one single thing 'at this big, -loose-jointed galoot could beat me at, I felt so blame small that I -never got over it, an' this is why I disguise myself in these -whiskers." - -The two Greasers couldn't help but grin, an' the fool Dutchman -sniggered. This was more 'n Badger-face could stand. He shot his hand -across an' pulled his gun quick as a flash; but Horace didn't move, he -just sat still, with a friendly smile on his face; an' Badger-face sat -there with his gun in his hand, scowlin' jerk-lightnin' at him. - -Spider an' Slim had gone after meat that day, an' they came into view -with the carcase of a doe, just as Badger drew his gun. Me an' Tank -was listed to wrangle in the bunch, an' we came ridin' along just -after the other two came into view. The Greasers gave a little cough -an' Badger-face looked up an' saw us. It looked like a put-up job, all -right; an' chariots of fire, but he was mad! Pullin' a gun on a man is -the same as shootin' at him. Badger-face had been tricked into givin' -us just grounds to slaughter him, and he wasn't quite sure what move -to make next. Our outfit had been purty well advertized, through -cleanin' out the Brophy gang, me an' Mexican Slim were both two-gun -men an' known to be quick an' accurate, while Tank was ever-lastin'ly -gettin' into trouble, owin' to his friendly feelin's for liquor. As we -drew closer we made our smoke-wagons ready, while his two Greasers -kept their hands in plain view, and harmless. - -Badger had a trapped look in his face; but he didn't say anything, an' -he didn't cover Horace with his gun; he just held it ready. We did the -same with ours, an' it was the foolest lookin' group I was ever part -of. Ol' Tank was the one who finally started things. "Look here, -Badger-face," he bellowed, "if you so much as harm a hair o' those -blamed ol' whiskers, why, we'll have to put ya out o' business." - -Horace turned an' looked at Tank in surprise. "Aw, put up your gun," -he said. "Badger-face ain't in earnest. We had an argument the other -day: I said 'at a man lost time crossin' his hand to pull his gun, an' -he said it could be done quicker that way 'n any other; so to-day he -joked me about bein' as small in the body as he is in the brain, an' I -came back at him, also jokin' in a friendly way; an' he took this -excuse to pull his gun on me, without any ill intent; but only to -prove how quick he could do it. It stuck in his holster, though; an' -if we'd been in earnest, I'd have had to kill him. I've had him -covered all this time; but you can see for yourselves 'at his gun -ain't cocked. Now put up your guns, and next time, don't be silly." - -I know 'at Horace didn't have any gun in his hand when we came up; but -when he stopped speakin', he pulled his hand with a cocked gun in it -out from under his hoss's mane, an' Badger-face was the most surprised -of any of us. - -"Come on down to supper, Badger-face, an' I'll sing ya my song," sez -Horace. "We allus seem to have fresh deer meat when you happen along." - -We all put up our guns along with Badger-face, an' he mumbled some -sort of an excuse an' rode away with the Greasers. O' course we'd -ought to 'a' killed him right then, 'cause he was more full o' hate -than a rattler; but the simple truth was, that Horace had gained -control over us complete, an' we let him have his way. - -"When did you get that gun in your hand, Horace?" I sez to him after -supper. "You didn't have no gun when I rode up." - -"That's what's puzzlin' Badger-face right this minute," sez Horace. "I -didn't draw that gun until Tank made his talk; but at the same time I -wasn't as defenceless as I looked. I have told you all the time 'at -that man didn't have the nerve to harm me. He's a coward." - -"I reckon you'll be killed one o' these days, still believin' that," -sez ol' Tank. "How much fightin' experience have you ever had?" - -"How much did Thesis ever have?" asked Horace. - -"Never heard of him," sez Tank. "Who was he?" - -"He was a Greek hero," sez Horace. "He never had had a fight till he -started out to go to his father; but he cleaned out all the toughs -along the way, an' when he reached his father, who was king of Athens, -he found 'em just ready to send out seven young men an' seven maidens, -which they offered up each year to the Minnietor, which was a beast -with the body of a man, and the head of a bull, just like Badger-face. -Thesis volunteered, an' what he did was to kill the Minnietor an' end -all that nonsense." - -"Well, I never heard tell o' that before, an' I don't more 'n half -believe it now," sez Tank; "but I'm willin' to bet four dollars 'at -the Minnietor didn't know as much about gunfightin' as what -Badger-face does. He'll get ya yet, you see if he don't." - -"Tell ya what I'm game to do," sez Horace. "I'm game to go right to Ty -Jones's ranch house alone. Do ya dare me?" - -"No, you don't do that," sez I. "That's a heap different proposition. -Ty Jones wouldn't pull his gun without shootin'; and besides, he'd -most likely set his dogs on ya." - -"Well, I own up 'at I don't want no dealin's with dogs," sez Horace, -thoughtful. "Dogs haven't enough imagination to work on. If they're -trained to bite, why, that's what they do; but give a human half a -chance, an' he'll imagine a lot o' things which are not so. You -couldn't tell Badger-face a big enough tale about me to make him doubt -it. I tell ya, I got him scared." - -We didn't argue with him none; the' was some doubt about him havin' -Badger-face fooled; but the' wasn't any doubt about him havin' himself -fooled--which is the main thing after all, I reckon. Anyway, we let -Horace sit there the whole evenin', tellin' Greek-hero tales which -must have blistered the imagination o' the feller 'at first made 'em -up. - -Along about nine o'clock we began to stretch an' yawn; but before we -got to bed, Mexican Slim said 'at he heard a noise at the corral, an' -we all looked at one another, thinkin' it was the Cross-branders; but -Horace was the first one to get back into his boots an' belt; an' he -also insisted on bein' the first to open the door, which he did as -soon as we blew out the candle. Then we all filed out an' sneaked down -toward the corral; but first thing we knew, a voice out o' the dark -whispered: "This is me--Olaf. Is everything all right?" - -We told him it was, an' he whistled three times. You could 'a' knocked -me down with a feather when Kit Murray an' the Friar came ridin' up; -an' then we turned the ponies loose an' went into the house. It only -had two rooms, countin' the lean-to kitchen, an' we made consid'able -of a crowd; but we were all in good spirits, on account of Olaf -gettin' the girl an' us bein' able to hand him back his stuff with not -one head missin'. - -It had been some interval since I'd seen Kit Murray, an' I was -surprised to view the change in her. She didn't look so much older, -but all the recklessness had gone out of her face, an' it had a sort -of a quiet, holy look about it. "Kit," I sez, "I wish ya all the joy -the' is; but I'd 'a' been willin' to have bet my eyes 'at you'd never -take Olaf. I was glad to see him go up after ya, 'cause gettin' -knocked on the head is some better 'n bein' kept hangin' on a hook; -but you sure got your nerve with ya. This homestead is purty likely to -get in some other folks' way." - -Kit had as snappy a pair o' black eyes as was ever stuck in a face; -and now they flashed out full power. "I know it's goin' to be hard to -hold this place," sez she, "but I reckon I can help a little. I can -ride an' shoot as well as a man, if I have to, and you know it. I -don't want anything but the quietest sort of a life the' is; but I'm -ready to stand for any sort o' luck 'at comes along. As for Olaf, he's -the only man in the world for me. I saw something o' the big cities -back east, an' Billings, an' the boys on the range here, and out of -'em all, Olaf's my man. The thing I hope more 'n anything else is, -that we can die together." - -Her voice caused a hush to come to the room. I had meant to be jovial -an' hearty; but the' was an undercurrent of earnestness in her voice -which put a tingle into a feller. Kit Murray had changed a heap, but -all for the better. - -Olaf cleared his throat, an' we all took a look at him. He had -changed, too. He had lost the chained-bear look he generally wore, an' -the' was a light o' pride an' satisfaction in his face which was good -to look upon. "Boys," he said, "I've been purty tough an' unsociable, -an' I don't see why you've took so much trouble for me; but I tell ya -right here that I stand ready to square it in any way or at any time I -can. Now, it seems mighty funny 'at Kit Murray should love me, an' I -can't account for it any more 'n you can; but I knew right from the -start that she did love me--I could tell by the light. If ever the -time comes that she don't love me any more, I get out of her way, -that's all about that; but I'm not goin' to make her stay here any -longer 'n I have to. I sell out when I get the first chance. Friar -Tuck, he softened my heart, an' he watched over her. He's a man. -That's all I can say." - -Well, this was an all-around noble speech for a stone image like Olaf -had been, an' we cheered him to the echo; but Horace had sort o' been -jostled to the outside an' forgot. Now, he come forward an' shook Olaf -by the hand an' congratulated him, an' sez: "The's one thing I'd like -mightily to know, an' that is--what the deuce do you mean by this -light you're allus alludin' to?" - -Olaf was some embarrassed; but it never seemed to fuss Horace any when -he had turned all the fur the' was in sight the wrong way; so he just -waited patiently while Olaf spluttered about it. - -"I don't know myself," sez Olaf. "Always, since I was a little child, -I have seen a floating light about people. I thought every one saw -this light an' I spoke of it when I was a child an' asked my mother -about it many times; but at first she thought I lie, an' then she -thought my head was wrong; so I stopped talkin' about it; but always I -see it an' it changes with the feelings and with the health. All the -colors and shades I cannot read, but some I know. I knew that Kit -Murray loved me before she knew it, and I knew that the Friar was a -true man when they told me tales of him. Animals, too, have this -floatin' light about 'em, an' I can tell when they are frightened an' -when they are mean. This is why I handle hosses without trouble. Now I -do not know why my eyes are this way; but I have told you because you -have been good friends to me. I do not want you to tell of this -because it makes people think I am crazy." - -"Course it does," sez Horace. "It made me think you were crazy. I -never heard of anything like this before. Tell me some more about it." - -"There is no more to tell," sez Olaf. "When I see the flame I do not -see the people. The flame wavers about them, and sometimes I have seen -it at night, but not often. I do nothing to make myself see this way. -Always my eyes did this even when I was only a baby." - -"Well, you have everything beat I ever saw yet," sez Horace. "What do -you think o' this, Friar?" - -"I never heard of such a case," sez the Friar; "although it may have -been that many have had this gift to some extent. I think it is due to -the peculiar blue of Olaf's eyes. I think that this blue detects -colors or rays, not visible to ordinary eyes. I wish that some -scientist would study them." - -"I'll pay your way back East, Olaf," sez Horace, "if you'll have your -eyes tested." - -"No, no," sez Olaf, shakin' his head. "I don't want to be a freak. -What is the use? I can not tell how I do it, so it cannot be learned; -and I do not want things put into my eyes for experiments. No, I will -not do it." - -"Tell me how Badger-face looks to you," sez Horace. - -"Oh, he is bad," sez Olaf. "He has the hate color, he loves to kill; -but he is like the wolf; he does not like the fight, he wants always -to kill in secret." - -"I bet my eyes are a little like yours," sez Horace, noddin' his head. -"I knew 'at Badger-face was this way as soon as I saw him." - -"Oh, here now," sez the Friar. "You are puttin' down a special gift to -the level of shrewd character-readin'." - -"What sort of a flame does a dead person have, Olaf?" sez Horace. - -A queer look came into Olaf's face, a half-scared look. "A dead person -has no flame," sez he, with a little shudder. "It is a bad sight. I -have watched; I have seen the soul leave. When a man is killed, the -savage purple color fades into the yellow of fear, then comes the -blue, it gets fainter and fainter around the body; but it gathers like -a cloud above, and then it is silver gray, like moonshine. It is not -in the shape of the body, it is just a cloud. It floats away. That is -all." - -"Well, that's enough," sez Horace. "Can you see any flame about a -sleeping person?" - -"Yes," sez Olaf, "just like about a waking person; and there is marks -over a wound or a sick place." - -"Well, Mrs. Svenson," sez Horace to Kit, "you'll have to be mighty -careful or your husband will find you out." - -"I am perfectly willin'," sez Kit with a proud little smile. She was -game, all right, Kit was. - -"That is why I say it is all right," sez Olaf. "She is young, she -cannot know how she will change. If ever she no longer love me, I will -not bother her. That would be a foolishness; but so long as she love -me, no other man will bother her. That would be devilishness!" - -"You certainly have a nice, simple scheme of life," sez Horace. "If -ever you change your mind, I'll put up the money to take you back -East, an' pay you high wages." - -"No," sez Olaf, "I hate circuses an' shows, an' such things. I not -go." - -"You say you can tell sick places, an' fear, an' hate, an' honesty," -sez Horace. "Now, when I came out here, I was just punk all over. You -give me a look-over, an' tell right out what you see." - -At first Olaf shook his head, but we finally coaxed him into it; an' -he opened his eyes wide an' looked at Horace. As he looked the blue in -his eyes got deeper an' deeper, like the flowers on the benches in -June, then when the pupil was plumb closed, the blue got lighter -again, and he said: "You have not one sick point, you have good -thoughts, you are very brave, you are too brave--you are reckless. You -have very great vitality, an' will live to be very old--unless you get -killed. I knew an old Injun--over a hundred years old he was--he had a -flame like yours. It is strange." - -You could actually see Horace swellin' up with vanity at this; but it -made ol' Tank Williams hot to see such a fuss made about a -small-caliber cuss; so he rumbles around in his throat a minute, an' -sez: "Well, you fellers can fool around all night havin' your souls -made light of, if ya want to; but as for me I'm goin' to bed." - -Kit insisted that we sleep on the floor just as we had been, while she -an' Olaf bunked in the lean-to; but a warm chinook had been blowin' -all day, an' it was soft an' pleasant, so we took our beds out in the -cottonwoods. Horace an' the Friar got clinched into some kind of a -discussion; but the rest of us dropped off about as soon as we -stretched out. The moon was just risin', an' one sharp peak covered -with glitterin' snow stood up back o' the rim. I remember thinkin' it -might be part o' the old earth's shiny soul. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - -NIGHT-PROWLERS - - -Whenever the's anything on my mind I sleep purty light; an' the whole -Cross brand outfit was on my mind that night; so it's not surprisin' -that I woke up after a bit. The moon had climbed consid'able, an' the -stars told me it was about two. I had been sleepin' alone; Horace -havin' decided to crawl in with the Friar so they could quarrel at -short range. - -The Friar's tarp was next to mine, an' I raised myself on my elbow an' -looked at it. I could hear him breathin' natural, an' the bulk of him -was so large that Horace wouldn't have made much of a mound anyway; so -at first I couldn't tell whether he was there or not. I crept out till -I could sit up an' get a clear view; but Horace wasn't there, so I put -on my boots as quick as ever. - -I sneaked over to the Friar's tarp; but Horace's hat was gone, so I -knew he was up to some mischief, an' started for the corral to see if -he had taken a hoss. What I feared was, that he had got to thinkin' -about what a super-wonderful flame he had, and had decided to give it -a fair work-out by sneakin' down to Ty Jones's on his own hook. I was -worried about this because I knew they'd do for him in a minute, if -they'd catch him where they could hide all traces. - -Olaf had built a large square corral an' a smaller round one, to do -his ropin' in; and when I reached the near side o' the square one, I -heard a slight noise near the gate of the round one. I peered through -the poles of the corral, but the dividin' fence got in the road so 'at -I couldn't see, an' I started to prowl around. All of a sudden, -Horace's squeaky tenor piped out: "Halt"; an' I flattened out on the -ground, thinkin' he had spotted me; but just then the' was a smothered -curse from the round corral, an' when I started to get up I saw -Badger-face vault over the fence in the direction of Horace's voice. - -Then I saw Horace standin' behind a clump with his gun on Badger-face. -"Put up your hands," sez Horace. - -Badger was runnin' straight for him; but he put up his hands at this -order, and came to a slow stop about five feet from Horace. The square -corral was still between me an' them, an' I drew my right gun an' -started around, keepin' my eye on 'em as much as I could through the -poles. - -"I reckon I got ya this time," sez Horace, just as I reached the -corner. - -"I reckon you have," sez Badger in a give-up voice; but at the same -moment he took a step forward, threw his body back, an' kicked the gun -out of Horace's hand. Then he lunged forward an' got Horace by the -throat, flung him on his back an' straddled him--an' I broke for 'em -on the run. Just before I reached 'em, the' came a heavy, muffled -report, an' Badger-face fell on his side an' rolled over on his back, -clutchin' at his breast. - -Horace rose to his feet, holdin' a toy pistol, put his hands on his -hips, looked down at Badger-face, an' sez: "If you'd 'a' just asked -Olaf what kind of a light I give out, you'd 'a' stayed at home an' -saved your life." That's how nervous Horace was. - -"Don't stand an' talk to a shot man," I sez. "Allus get his gun -first." - -Horace gave a jump at the sound o' my voice, an' covered me with his -pop-gun. "Oh, it's you, is it?" he sez. "Well, then, you get his gun; -but I don't much think he can use it." - -By the time I had lifted Badger's gun, the other boys were arrivin', -an' when they found that Horace had gone out alone an' shot a hole -through Badger-face, they certainly was some surprised. Purty soon Kit -Murray came out with Olaf, an' then Horace told about not feelin' -sleepy an' bein' so disgusted at the way we were snorin' that he had -got up to take a little stroll. He said he just went toward the corral -'cause that was the least uninterestin' place he could think of, and -that Badger had sneaked down an' started to cut the stirrups off the -saddles right before his eyes. - -"I gave him all the time he wanted," sez Horace, "so 'at there -wouldn't be any doubt as to his intentions. I reckon 'at cuttin' up -saddles in another man's corral is goin' about far enough, ain't it?" - -Just then the Friar finished his examination of Badger, an' went after -his saddle bags for a bandage. "Went clear through his lung," was all -he said as he passed us on the run. - -It was purty chilly at that time o' night; and as the cold began to -eat in, it suddenly came over Horace that no matter how much justified -he was, he had shot an' most likely killed a feller human, an' he -began to shake. He went over to Badger-face an' put his coat over him, -an' sez: "Great heavens! are ya goin' to let this man lie out here in -the cold till he dies? Ain't the' some place we can put him? This is -horrible." - -"Bring him in the house," sez Kit. "He don't deserve it; but we can't -let him lie out here--can we, Olaf?" - -"No," sez Olaf. "If you say bring him in, in he comes." - -"That's right, that's fine. I don't bear him any malice," sez Horace. -"I hope he gets over it an' lives to repent." - -We packed him into the house an' Kit made a fire an' heated some -water. As soon as the water was hot, the Friar cleaned out the wound -with it an' some foamy stuff out of a bottle. Then he dissolved a drab -tablet in some water an' tied up both openings. Horace sat in a corner -durin' this operation, with his head in his hands, shiverin'. The -reaction had set in; an' all of us knew what it was, though I don't -suppose any of us had had the chance to give way to it as free as -Horace did. - -Badger-face was all cut an' scarred when we stripped him; but he -looked as tough an' gnarly as an oak tree, an' the Friar said he had -one chance in a hundred to pull through. He didn't speak to us until -after the Friar had finished with him. Then he said in a low, snarly -voice: "I don't much expect to get over this; but before I slip off, I -wish you'd tell me who the little cuss who got me really is, an' -what's his game." - -We didn't hardly know what to say; but finally Tank sez: "We don't -feel free to tell you who he is, Badger-face; but I'll say this much, -he ain't no officer of the law." - -I thought it would be the quickest way to straighten Horace up, so I -told him 'at Badger-face wanted to talk to him. Sure enough, Horace -took a deep breath an' stiffened his upper lip. Then he walked over to -the bed. "How do ya feel, Badger-face?" sez he. - -"Oh, I been shot before," sez Badger; "but it burns worse 'n usual -this time, an' I reckon you've got me. It grinds me all up to think -'at a little runt like you did it, an' it would soothe me to know 'at -you had some sort of a record." - -Horace looked thoughtful: he wanted to comfort the man he was -responsible for havin' put out o' the game; but he could see that the -whole truth wouldn't in no wise do, so he put on a foxy look an' sez: -"I never worked around these parts none; but if you've ever heard o' -Dinky Bradford, why, that's me. I know just how you feel. You feel as -much put out at bein' bested by a small-like man, as I would at havin' -a big feller get ahead o' me; but you needn't fret yourself. There's -fellers right in this room who have seen me go four days without food -an' then do a stunt which beat anything they'd ever seen. Don't you -worry none. Now that you're down an' out, we all wish ya the best o' -luck." - -Me an' Spider an' Tank had to grin at this; but it was just what -Badger needed to quiet him, an' his face lit up when he asked Horace -how he had managed to shoot him. - -"I used my auxilary armyment," sez Horace, but that's all the -explanation he'd make. I found out afterward that he had a thing -called a derringer, a two-barreled pistol, forty-one caliber, which he -carried in his vest pocket. I told him 'at this sneaky sort of a -weapon would give him a bad name if it was found out on him; but he -said 'at he shot from necessity, not choice, and that when it came to -gettin' shot, he couldn't see why the victim should be so blame -particular what was used--which is sensible enough when you come to -think it over, though I wouldn't pack one o' those guns, myself. - -Badger-face was out of his head next day, and for two weeks followin'. -The Friar an' Kit an' Horace took turns nursin' him, an' they did an -able job of it. Water, plain water an' wind, was about all the Friar -used in treatin' him. Kit wanted to give him soup an' other sorts o' -funnel food; but the Friar said 'at a man could live for weeks on what -was stored up in him; an' Horace backed him up. Kit used to shake her -head at this, an' I know mighty well that down deep in her heart, she -thought they would starve him to death before her very eyes. - -We tore up the old shack on the hill, snaked the poles down with -Olaf's work team, an' set it up in the Spread; so 'at we'd be handy in -case we was needed. A couple o' the Cross-branders drifted by, an' we -gave 'em the news about Badger-face an' Dinky Bradford havin' come -together an' Badger havin' got some the worst of it; but they wouldn't -go in to see him, an' they quit wanderin' by; so 'at we didn't hardly -know what to expect. - -We had hard work thawin' out the clay for chinkin', an' we didn't get -the cabin as tight as we'd 'a' liked; but we had plenty o' wood, so it -didn't much matter as far as warmth was concerned; but we had the -blamedest time with a pack-rat I ever did have. - -I don't know whether pack-rats an' trade-rats is the same varmints or -not; but neither one of 'em has a grain o' sense, though some tries to -stick up for the trade-rats on account o' their tryin' to be honest. A -pack-rat is about three times as big as a barn rat, an' fifteen times -as energetic. His main delight is to move things. Horace said 'at he -was convinced they were the souls o' furniture-movers who had died -without repentin' of all the piano-lamps an' chiny-ware they had -broke. A pack-rat don't care a peg whether he can use an article or -not; all he asks is the privilege of totin' it about somewhere. - -We weren't at all sure 'at we wouldn't be routed out in the night; so -when we went to sleep, we'd stack our boots an' hats where we could -find 'em easy. Sometimes the pack-rat would toil so industrious 'at -he'd wake us up an' we'd try to hive him; but most o' the time he'd -work sly, an' then next mornin' we'd find our boots all in a heap on -the table, or in the corner under the bunk or somewhere clear outside -the shack; until we was tempted to move the shack back where it was, -there not bein' any pack-rats up there. - -Then either the pack-rat reformed into a trade-rat, or else he sold -out his claim to a trade-rat. Anyway, four nights after we'd been -settled, we began to get trades for our stuff. - -Horace was sleepin' this whole night with us, an' next mornin' he -wakened before light an' started to dress so as to relieve the Friar. -He had put his boots on the floor under the head o' his bunk, an' when -he reached down for 'em he found one potato an' the hide of a rabbit. -The rabbit hide had been tossed out two days before, an' it had froze -stiff an' had a most ungainly feel at that hour o' the mornin'. Horace -scrooged back into bed an' pulled all the covers off Tank whom he was -sleepin' with. When Tank awoke, he found Horace sittin' up in the bunk -with the covers wound around him, yellin' for some one to strike a -light. - -We all struck matches an' finally got a candle lit. When Horace saw -what it was, he was hos-tile for true, thinkin' it was a joke one o' -the boys had put up. We had had a hard time convincin' him o' the ways -o' pack-rats, an' now when we sprung trade-rats on him, he thought we -were liars without mercy; but when the Friar came out to learn what -the riot was, an' told Horace it was all so about trade-rats, he had -to give in. - -"Well, they've got a heap o' nerve," sez he, from the center o' the -beddin' which was still wound around him, "to lug off a good pair o' -high-heeled ridin' boots, an' leave an old potato an' the shuck of a -rabbit in place of 'em!" - -After this Horace took a tarp into Badger's room an' bedded himself -down in a corner, which was all around the most handy thing he could -do; but the rest of us had a regular pest of a time with that rat. We -couldn't find out where the deuce he got in; but he distributed our -belongin's constant, an' generally brought us some of Olaf's -grub-stuff in exchange. We couldn't trap him nor bluff him, an' it -generally took a good hour mornin's, to round up our wearin' apparel. - -One night we kept the fire goin' an' changed watchers every two hours. -Ol' Tank was on guard from two to four, an' he woke us up by takin' a -shot. We found him on his back in the middle o' the floor, an' he -claimed he had been settin' in a chair an' had seen the rat walkin' -along the lower side o' the ridgepole with one o' Tillte Dutch's boots -in his mouth. Dutch had the spreadin'est feet in the outfit, an' we -couldn't believe 'at a trade-rat could possibly tote it, hangin' down -from the ridgepole; but Tank showed us a lot o' scratches along the -ridgepole, an' a bruise on his chin where the boot had hit him when -the rat dropped it. The' was also a hole in the boot where his bullet -had gone, but this didn't prove anything. Still, Tank stuck to his -story, so we had to apologize for accusin' him of lettin' his good eye -sleep while he kept watch with his free one. - -We stuffed burlap into the hole about the ridgepole, an' that night -bein' Christmas eve, we all gathered in and held festivities. We -danced an' told tales an' sang until a late hour. None of us were -instrument musicians; but we clapped our hands an' patted with our -feet, an' Kit took turns dancin' with us, till it was most like a -regular party. Mexican Slim bet that he could do a Spanish dance as -long as Horace could sing different verses of his song; but we -suppressed it at the ninety-first verse. Tank wanted to let him -finish, in the hope it might kill the trade-rat; but we couldn't stand -any more, ourselves. - -Then the Friar taught us a song called, "We three Kings of Orient -are"; an' we disbursed for the night. It was a gorgeous night, an' me -an' the Friar took a little walk under the stars. One of 'em rested -just above the glisteny peak up back o' the rim, an' he sang soft an' -low, the "Star of beauty, star of night" part o' this song. He allus -lifted me off the earth when he sang this way. Then he sez to me: -"After all, Happy, life pays big dividends, if we just live it hard -enough"; an' he gave a little sigh an' went in to tend to Badger-face. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - -THE TRADE-RAT'S CHRISTMAS-GIFT - - -Trade-rats haven't as much idee of real music as coyotes have. -Ninety-one verses of that infernal cow-song, sung in Horace's -nose-tenor, was enough to drive bed-bugs out of a lumber-camp; but -that night the trade-rat worked harder than ever. We had hid our stuff -an' fastened it down, an' used every sort of legitimate means to -circumvent the cuss; but he beat us to it every time, an' switched our -stuff around scandalous. - -"Merry Christmas!" yelled Spider Kelley, holdin' up a rusty sardine -can. - -The trade-rat had remembered us all in some the same way, but we -recalled what day it was an' took it in good part; until, all of a -sudden, ol' Tank gave a whoop, an' held up a brown buck-skin bag. We -crowded around an' wanted him to open it up an' see what was inside; -but he said it most probably belonged to Olaf or Kit or the Friar; so -we toted it into the cabin an' asked the one who could identify it to -step out an' claim his diamonds. - -Then we had a surprise--not one o' the bunch could identify the bag! -We stood around an' looked at the bag for as much as five minutes, -tryin' to figure out how the deuce even a trade-rat could spring stuff -on us none of us had ever seen before. - -"This is a real trade, sure enough," sez Horace. - -"I tell ya what this is," sez I. "This is a Christmas-gift for the -Friar. Go on an' open it, Friar." - -The' was some soft, Injun-tanned fawn-skin inside, wrappin' up a -couple o' papers, an' two photographs, and an old faded letter. "I -don't think we have the right to look at these," sez the Friar. - -"How'll we ever find out who they belong to, then?" asked Horace. -"Look at the letter anyway." - -It was in a blank envelope, an' it began, "My dear son," and ended, -"Your lovin' mother." The letter was just the same as all mothers -write to their sons, I reckon: full of heartache, an' tenderness, an' -good advice, an' scoldin'; but nothin' to identify nobody by; so we -said 'at the Friar should read the papers. One of 'em was an honorable -discharge from the army; but all the names an' dates an' localities -had been crossed out. It was what they call an "Excellent" discharge, -which is the best they give, an' you could tell by the thumb print 'at -this part had been read the most by whoever had treasured it. - -The other paper was simply a clippin' from a newspaper. It was a -column of items tellin' about Dovey wishin' to see Tan Shoes at the -same place next Sunday, an' such things. The Friar said 'at this was -the personal column, an' he sure labeled it; 'cause if a feller chose -to guess any, some o' those items was personal enough to make a -bar-tender blush; but they didn't convey any news to us as to where -the trade-rat had procured the buck-skin bag. - -The photographs were wrapped in tissue paper an' then tied together -with pink string, face to each. The Friar balked a little at openin' -'em up; but we deviled him into it. The first he opened was a cheap, -faded little one of an old lady. She had a sad, patient face, an' -white hair. Horace was standin' on a chair, lookin' over the Friar's -shoulder, an' he piped out that the photograph had been took in New -York, an' asked if we knew any one who lived there, which most of us -did; but not the subject of the photograph. - -Then the Friar opened the other one. He took one look at it, an' then -his face turned gray. "This one was took in Rome," sez Horace. "Does -any one here have a list o' friends livin' in Rome, Italy?" - -He hadn't looked at the face on the photograph, nor at the Friar's -face; but when we didn't answer, he looked up, saw that we had sobered -in sympathy with the Friar, an' then he looked at the face on the -photograph an' got down off the chair. The face was of a beautiful -lady in a low-necked, short-sleeved dress. Not as low nor as short as -some dresses I've seen in pictures, but still a purty generous -outlook. - -The Friar's hands shook some; but he gradually got a grip on himself, -an' purty soon, he sez in a steady voice: "This is a picture of -Signorina Morrissena. Does any one here know of her?" - -Well, of course none of us had ever heard of her; so the Friar wrapped -up the package again an' put it back into the buck-skin bag. We had -expected to have some high jinks that day, an' Kit had baked a lot o' -vinegar pies for dinner, we had plenty o' fresh deer-meat, an' we had -agreed to let the Friar hold a regular preachin' first; but when we -saw how the picture had shook him up we drifted back to our own shack -an' sat talkin' about where the deuce that blame trade-rat could -possibly have got a holt o' the buck-skin bag. I was purty sure that -it was a picture o' the Friar's girl, the extra trimmin's on the name -not bein' much in the way of a disguise, an' as soon as I got a chance -to see Horace I questioned him, an' he said it was the girl, all -right; but that she had developed a lot. - -The Friar had taken a hoss an' gone up into the mountains, an' had -left word that he didn't want any dinner. We were as full o' sympathy -with him as we could stand, but not in the mood to sidestep such a -meal as Kit had framed up; so we ate till after three in the -afternoon. We didn't want to do anything to fret him a speck; so we -hardly knew what to do. Generally it tickled him to have us ask him to -preach to us; but we couldn't tell how he'd feel about it now, and we -were still discussin' it about the fire when the Friar came back. - -He looked mighty weary, an' we knew he had been drivin' himself purty -hard, although it wasn't just tiredness which showed in his face. -Still, the' was a sort of peace there, too; so after he'd warmed -himself a while, ol' Tank asked him if he wouldn't like to preach to -us a bit. - -The Friar once said that back East some folks used good manners as -clothin' for their souls, but that out our way good-heartedness was -the clothin', an' good manners nothin' more than a silver band around -the hat. "And some o' the bands are mighty narrow, Friar," I added to -draw him out. "Yes," sez he, "but the hats are mighty broad." - -You just couldn't floor the Friar in a case like this. He knew 'at the -politeness an' the good-heartedness in Tank's request was divided off -about the same as the band an' the hat; and that all we wanted was to -ease off the Friar's mind an' let him feel contented; so he heaved a -sigh and shook his head at Tank. - -When a blacksmith goes out into company, folks don't pester him with -questions as to why tempered steel wasn't stored up in handy caves, -instead of havin' nothin' but rough ore hid away in the cellar of a -mountain; and a carpenter is not held responsible because a sharp saw -cuts better 'n a dull one; but it seems about next to impossible for a -human bein' to pass up a parson without insultin' him a little about -the ways o' Providence, and askin' him a lot o' questions which would -moult feathers out o' the ruggedest angel in the bunch. - -We could all see 'at the Friar had been havin' a rough day of it; so -Tank began by askin' him questions simply to toll him away from -himself; but soon he was shootin' questions into the Friar as rough -shod as though they was both strangers to each other. - -"You say it was sheep-herders what saw the angels that night the Lord -was born," sez Tank. "How come the' wasn't any cow-punchers saw 'em?" -Tank had about the deep-rootedest prejudice again' sheep-herders I -ever saw. - -"The' wasn't any cow-punchers in that land," sez the Friar. "It was a -hilly land an'--" - -"Well I'd like to know," broke in ol' Tank, "why the Lord picked out -such a place as that, when he had the whole world to choose from." - -O' course the Friar tried his best to smooth this out; but by the time -he was through, Tank had got tangled up with another perdicament. -"Then, there was ol' Faro's dream," he said, "the one about the seven -lean cows eatin' the seven fat ones. I've punched cows all my life, -and I saw 'em so thin once, when the snow got crusted an' the chinook -got switched off for a month, that the spikes on their backbones -punched holes through their hides; but they'd as soon thought o' -flyin' up an' grazin' on clouds, as to turn in an' eat one another." - -By the time the Friar had got through explainin' the difference -between dreams and written history, Tank was ready with another query. -"I heard tell once 'at the Bible sez, 'If thy eye offends thee, pluck -it out.' Does the Bible say this?" - -"Well, it does," admitted the Friar; "but you see--" - -"Well, my free eye offends me," broke in Tank. "It never did offend me -until Spike Groogan tried to pluck it out, and it don't offend me now -as much as it does other folks. Still, I got to own up 'at the blame -thing does offend me whenever I meet up with strangers, 'cause it -allus runs wilder in front of a stranger 'n at airy other time. Now, -what I want to know is, why an' when an' how must I pluck out that -eye--specially, when it sez in another place that if a man's eye is -single his whole body is full o' light. My eye is single enough to -suit any one. Fact is, it's so blame single that some folks call it -singular; but the' ain't no more light in my body 'n there is in airy -other man's." - -You couldn't work off any spiritual interpretation stuff on Tank. He -thought an allegory was the varmint which lives in the Florida swamps. -Well, as far as that goes, I did, too, until the Friar pointed out -that it was merely a falsehood used to explain the truth; but Tank, he -didn't join in with any new-fangled notions, an' a feller had to talk -to him as straight out as though talkin' to a hoss. The' was lots of -times I didn't envy the Friar his job. - -But after he had satisfied Tank that it wasn't required of him to -discard either of his lamps, especially the free one, he drifted off -into tellin' us how he had spent the day--and then I envied him a -little, for he certainly did have the gift o' wranglin' words. - -He told about havin' rode up the mountain as far as he could go, and -then climbin' as far as he could on foot. He showed how hard it was to -tell either a man or a mountain by the lines in their faces, and he -went on with this till he made a mountain almost human. Then he -switched around and showed how much a mountain was like life, ambition -bein' like pickin' out the mountain, the easy little foothills bein' -the start, the summit allus hid while a feller was climbin', and each -little plateau urgin' him to give up there and rest. He compared life -and a mountain, until it seemed that all a feller needed for a full -edication, was just to have a mountain handy. Then he wound up by -sayin' that he hadn't been able to reach the peak. He had sat in a -sheltered nook for a time, gazin' up at the face of a cliff with an -overhangin' bank o' snow on top, the wind swirlin' masses o' snow down -about him, and everything tryin' to point out that he had been a -failure, and might as well give up in disgust. He stopped here, and we -were all silent, for, as was usual with him, he had led us along to -where we could see life through his eyes for a space. - -"After a time," sez the Friar as soon as he saw we were in the right -mood, "I caught my breath again and followed the narrow ledge I was on -around to where I could see the highest peak stand out clear and -solitary; and from my side of it, it wasn't possible for any man to -reach it. There was no wind here, the air was as sweet and pure as at -the dawn o' creation, and everywhere I looked I met glory heaped on -glory. A gray cloud rested again' the far side o' the peak, and back -o' this was the sun. Ah, there was a silver and a golden linin' both -to this cloud; and all of a sudden I was comforted. - -"I had done all I could do, and this was my highest peak. Whatever was -the highest peak for others, this was the highest peak for me; and -there was no more bitterness or envy or doubt or fear in my heart. I -stood for a long time lookin' up at the gray cloud with its dazzling -edges, and some very beautiful lines crept into my memory--'The paths -which are trod, by only the evenin' and mornin', and the feet of the -angels of God.'" - -The Friar had let himself out a little at the end, and his eyes were -shinin' when he finished. "I guess I have given you a sermon, after -all, boys," he said, "and I hope you can use it to as good advantage -as I did when it came to me up on the mountain. We all have thoughts -we can't put into words, and so I've failed to give you all 'at was -given me; but it's some comfort to know that, be they big or be they -little, we don't have to climb any mountains but our own, and whether -we reach the top or whether we come to a blind wall first, the main -thing is to climb with all our might and with a certain faith that -those who have earned rest shall find it, after the sun has set." - -This was one of the days when the magic of the Friar's voice did -strange things to a feller's insides. We knew 'at he was talkin' in -parables, an' talkin' mostly to himself; but each one of us knew our -own little mountains, an' it was darn comfortin' to understand that -the Friar could have as tough a time on his as we had on ours. - -We all sat silent, each feller thinkin' over his own problems; and -after a time, the Friar sang the one beginnin', "O little town of -Bethlehem!" It was dark by this time, but the firelight fell on his -face, an' made it so soft-like an' tender that ol' Tank Williams -sniffled audible once, an' when the song was finished he piled a lot -more wood on the fire, an' pertended 'at he was catchin' cold. When -Kit called us in to supper, we all sat still for a full minute, before -we could get back to our appetites again. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - -A CONTESTED LIFE-TITLE - - -The bullet which had gone through Badger-face hadn't touched a single -bone. It had gone through his left lung purty high up, but somethin' -like the pneumonie set in, an' he was a sorry lookin' sight when the -fever started to die out after havin' hung on for two weeks. He had -been drinkin' consid'able beforehand, which made it bad for him, an' -the Friar said it was all a question of reserve. If Badger-face had -enough of his constitution left to tide him over, he stood a good -chance; but otherwise it was his turn. - -He didn't have much blood left in him at the end of two weeks on air -and water, and he didn't have enough fat to pillow his bones on. We -all thought 'at he ought to have something in the way o' feed; but the -Friar wouldn't stand for one single thing except water. He said 'at -food had killed a heap more wounded men 'n bullets ever had; so we let -him engineer it through in his own way. - -When the fever started to leave, he got so weak 'at Horace thought he -was goin' to flicker out, an' he felt purty bad about it. He didn't -regret havin' done it, an' said he would do just the same if he had it -to do over; but it calls up some mighty serious thoughts when a fellow -reflects that he is the one who has pushed another off into the dark. -On the night when it seemed certain that Badger-face would lose his -grip, we all went into his room an' sat around waitin' for the end, to -sort o' cheer him up a little. Life itself is a strange enough -adventure, but death has it beat a mile. - -Along about nine o'clock, Badger said in a low, trembly voice: "What'd -you fellers do to me, if I got well?" - -He didn't even open his eyes; so we didn't pay any heed to him. When -he first got out of his head, he had rambled consid'able. Part o' the -time he seemed to be excusin' himself for what he had done, an' part -o' the time he seemed to be gloatin' over his devilment; but the' -wasn't any thread to his discourse so we didn't set much store by it. -After waitin' a few minutes, he quavered out his question again, an' -the Friar told him not to worry about anything, but just to set his -mind on gettin' well. - -Badger shook his head feebly from side to side an' mumbled, "That -don't go, that don't go with me." He paused here for a rest, an' then -went on. "I've been in my right mind all day, an' I've been thinkin' a -lot, an' tryin' some experiments. I can breathe in a certain way which -makes me easier an' stronger, an' I can breathe in another way which -shuts off my heart. I don't intend to get well merely for the pleasure -o' gettin' lynched; so if that's your game, I intend to shut off my -heart an' quit before I get back the flavor o' life. It don't make -two-bits difference with me either way. What d' ya intend to do?" - -He had been a long time sayin' this, an' we had exchanged glances -purty promiscuous. We hadn't give a thought as to what we would do -with him, providin' he responded to our efforts to save his life; but -it was purty generally understood that Badger had fitted himself to be -strung up, just the same as if he hadn't been shot at all. Now, -though, when we came to consider it, this hardly seemed a square deal. -There wasn't much common sense in chokin' a man's life down his throat -for two weeks, only to jerk it out again at the end of a rope, an' we -found ourselves in somethin' of a complication. - -"What do ya think we ort to do to ya?" asked Tank. - -"Lynch me," sez Badger, without openin' his eyes; "but I don't intend -to wait for it. I don't blame ya none, fellers. I did ya all the dirt -I could; but I don't intend to furnish ya with no circus -performance--I'm goin' on." - -He began to breathe different, an' his face began to get purplish an' -ghastly. "Can he kill himself that way?" I asked the Friar. - -"I don't know," sez the Friar. "I think 'at when he loses -consciousness, nature'll take holt, an' make him breathe the most -comfortable way--but I don't know." - -"Let Olaf take a look at his flame," sez Horace; so Olaf looked at -Badger a long time. - -Olaf hadn't wasted much of his time on Badger. He wasn't long on -forgiveness, Olaf wasn't; an' ever since the time 'at Badger had been -so enthusiastic in tryin' to have him lynched for killin' Bud Fisher, -Olaf had give it out as his opinion that Badger was doomed for hell, -an' he wasn't disposed to take any hand in postponin' his departure. -Olaf was the matter-o'-factest feller I ever knew. The' don't seem to -be much harm in most of our cussin', but when Olaf indulged in -profanity, he was solemn an' earnest, the same as if he was sayin' a -prayer backwards. - -"It don't look like Badger's flame," sez he after a time. "It's -gettin' mighty weak an' blue, an' the's a thick spot over his heart -which shows plainer 'n the one over his wound." - -"I move we give him a fresh start," sez Horace. - -"He'd ort to be lynched," sez Tank. "I don't see why we can't try him -out now, an' if we find him guilty, why he can kill himself if he -wants to, or else get well again an' we'll do it for him." - -Neither what Horace said nor what Tank said called out much response. -We knew the' wasn't any one could say a good word for Badger-face an' -so he well deserved his stretchin'; but on the other hand, there he -was turnin' gray before our eyes, an' it went again' our nature to -discard him, after havin' hung on to him for two weeks. The Friar left -the side of the bed an' retired into a corner, leavin' us free to -express ourselves. - -"I don't see how we can let him go free," sez Tank. "He sez himself -'at he ort to be lynched; an' when a feller can't speak a good word -for himself, I don't see who can." - -"Badger-face," sez Horace, "you're the darnedest bother of a man I -ever saw. First you infest us until we have to shoot a hole through -you, an' then we have to nurse you for two weeks, an' now you're -diggin' your heels into our consciences. I give you my word we won't -lynch you if you get well. We'll turn you over to the law." - -Badger's thin lips fell back over his yellow teeth in the ghastliest -grin a live man ever hung out. "The law," sez he with bitter sarcasm, -"the law! Have you ever been in a penitentiary?" - -"No," sez Horace, "I have not." - -"Well, I have," sez Badger. "I was put in for another feller's deed; -an' they gave me the solitary, the jacket, the bull-rings, the -water-cure, and if you'll roll me over after I'm dead, you can still -see the scars of the whip on my back. I've tried the law, an' I'll see -you all damned before I try it again." - -Badger-face was as game as they generally get. As soon as he stopped -talkin' he began to breathe against his heart again. Horace stood -lookin' at him for a full minute, an' then he lost his temper. - -"You're a coward, that's what you are!" sez Horace. "I said all along -'at you were a coward, an' another feller said so too, an' now you're -provin' it. You can sneak an' kill cows an' cut saddles in the dark, -but you haven't the nerve to face things in the open. Now, you're -sneakin' off into the darkness o' death because you're afraid to face -the light of life." - -This was handin' it to him purty undiluted, an' Badger opened his eyes -an' looked at Horace. His eyes were heavy an' dull, but they didn't -waver any. "Dinky," sez Badger-face, "the only thing I got again' you -is your size. I've been called a lot o' different things in my time; -but you're the first gazabo 'at ever called me a coward--an' you're -about the only one who has a right to, 'cause you put me out fair an' -square. I wish you had traveled my path alongside o' me, though. You -ain't no milksop, but after you'd been given a few o' the deals I've -had, you'd take to the dark too. You can call me a coward if you want -to, or, after I'm gone, you can think of me as just bein' dog tired -an' glad o' the chance to crawl off into the dark to sleep. I don't -want to be on your conscience; that's not my game. All I want is just -to get shut o' the whole blame business." - -He talked broken an' quavery, an' it took him a long time to finish; -but when he did quit, he turned on his bad breathin' again. Horace had -flushed up some when Badger had mentioned milksop; but when he had -finished, Horace took his wasted hand in a hearty grip, an' sez: "I -take it back, Badger. You ain't no coward. I only wanted to taunt you -into stickin' for another round; but I think mighty well o' ya. Will -you agree to cut loose from the Ty Jones crowd an' try to be a man, if -we give you your freedom, a new outfit, and enough money to carry you -out of the country?" - -It was some time before Badger spoke, an' then he said: "Nope, I can't -do it. Ty knows my record, an' he's treated me white; but if I quit -him, he'll get me when I least expect it. Now understand, Dinky, that -I don't hold a thing again' you, you're the squarest feller I've ever -met up with; but I'm not comin' back to life again. From where I am -now, I can see it purty plain, an' it ain't worth the trouble." - -"You could write back to Ty that you made your escape from us," sez -Horace. - -"That's the best idee you've put over," sez Badger, after he'd thought -it out; "but I haven't enough taste for life to make the experiment. -Don't fuss about me any more. I don't suffer a mite. I feel just like -a feller in the Injun country, goin' to sleep on post after days in -the saddle. He knows it'll mean death, but he's too tired out to care -a white bean." - -"Have you ever been in the army?" asked the Friar from his place in -the corner. We all gave a little start at the sound of his voice, for -it came with a snap an' unexpected. - -Badger's lips dropped back for another hideous grin. "Yes," he said, -"I've been in both the penitentiary and the army--and they're a likely -pair." - -"Did you have a buck-skin bag?" asked the Friar, comin' up to the bed. - -Badger-face tried to raise himself on his elbow, but he couldn't quite -make it. "Yes, I did," sez he, droppin' back again. "What became of -it?" - -"I am keepin' it for ya," sez the Friar. "Do you wish to leave any -word in case you do not recover?" - -"No," sez Badger, "the' ain't no one to leave word to. That letter was -from my mother, an' that was her picture. She's been dead a long -string o' years now." - -"There was another picture an' a newspaper clippin'," sez the Friar. - -Badger-face didn't give no heed; an' after a time the Friar sez: "What -shall I do with them?" - -"Throw 'em away," sez Badger-face. "They don't concern me none. I was -more took with that woman's picture 'n airy other I ever saw. That was -all." - -"Where did you get it?" asked the Friar. - -"I got it from a young Dutchy," sez Badger wearily. "He killed a -feller over at Leadville an' came out here an' took on with Ty Jones. -He said she was an opery singer, an' got drugged at a hotel where he -was workin'." - -Badger-face was gettin' purty weak by now, an' he stopped with a sort -of sigh. The Friar took holt of his hand. "I am very much interested -in this woman," he said, lookin' into Badger's face as if tryin' to -give him life enough to go on with. "Can you tell me anything else -about her?" - -"Not much," sez Badger-face. "She was singin' at what he called the -Winter Garden at Berlin, Germany. Some Austrian nobility got mashed on -her an' drugged her at the hotel. Dutchy was mashed on her, too, I -reckon. They had advertised for him in a New York paper, an' when he -got shot, over at Little Monte's dance hall, he asked me to write -about it. His mother had died leavin' property, an' all they wanted -was to round up the heirs. I reckon they were glad enough to have -Dutchy scratched from the list. I don't know why I did keep that -clippin'." - -"Have you any idee how long ago it was 'at the woman was drugged?" -asked the Friar. - -"I haven't any idee," sez Badger-face weakly. "Carl was killed four -years ago this Christmas eve; so it had to be before that." - -"Listen to me, Badger-face," sez the Friar, grippin' his hand tight. -"I want you to get well. I know that all these men will stand by you -and help you to start a new life." - -"How long is it since I've been laid up?" asked Badger. - -"Two weeks," sez the Friar. "This is two days after Christmas." - -"Who tended to me?" asked Badger. - -"We all did," sez the Friar, "and we all stand ready to help you make -a new start." - -"I had a good enough start," sez Badger; "but I fooled it away, an' -I'm too old now to make a new one." - -"Is there any word you want sent to your friends at Ty Jones's?" asked -the Friar. - -Once more Badger skinned his face into the grin. "Friends?" sez he. -"When you trap a wolf, does he send any word to his friends? I haven't -got no friends." - -"Swallow this milk," sez Horace holdin' some of it out to him in a big -spoon. Kit had made Olaf start to milkin' a cow, 'cause she wanted to -use milk in cookin', and intended to make butter when she had the -cream saved up. Badger put the milk in his mouth, an' then spit it out -again. - -"Don't you put anything else in my mouth," he sez. "I told you I was -goin' to die; an' by blank, I am goin' to die." - -"Fellers," sez Horace, turnin' to us, "do you think this man is goin' -to die?" We all nodded our heads. "Then, will you give his life to me, -to do with as I will?" asked Horace; and we nodded our heads again. - -Horace took off his coat, an' rolled up his sleeves, an' then he came -over an' shook Badger-face by the shoulder. "Listen to me," he sez. "I -fought ya once before, for your life, and I'm goin' to fight you for -it now. Do you hear what I say--I'm goin' to fight you for your own -life. I'm goin' to make you swallow milk, if I have to tie you an' -pour it in through a funnel. You can't hold your breath an' fight, an' -I'm goin' to fight you." - -Badger-face opened his eyes an' looked up into Horace's face. He -looked a long time, an' the ghost of a smile crept into his face. -"Well, you're the doggonedest little cuss I ever saw!" he exclaimed. -He waited a long time, an' then set his teeth. "You beat me once," he -muttered. "Now, see if you can beat me again." - -It was after midnight; so when Horace dropped the hint that he -wouldn't need any help except from me an' the Friar, the rest o' the -boys dug out for the bunk shack. Then Horace took us over to the -fireplace an' asked us what was the best thing to do. - -"I do believe 'at you have stumbled on the right plan to save him," -sez the Friar. "He has no fever, the wound is doin' splendid, and he -has a powerful constitution. The trouble is that he does not will to -live. We must spur on his will, and if we can make him fight back, -this'll help. Also we must control him as much as possible through -suggestion. Have you any plan o' your own?" - -"No," sez Horace candidly. Horace didn't need anything for any -emergency except his own nerve. "I am determined that he must live, -but I have no plan." - -"The first thing is to give him a little warm milk," sez the Friar. - -"All right," sez Horace. "You tell me what to do--by signs, as much as -possible--but let me give the orders to Badger-face. My size has made -an impression on him, and we can't afford to lose a single trick." The -Friar agreed to this an' we went back to the bunk. - -"Badger-face," sez Horace, "I'd rather give you this milk peaceful; -but I'm goin' to give it to ya, an' you can bet what ya like on that." - -Badger opened his eyes again, an' they were dull an' glazy. "This -reminds me o' the water-cure at the pen," he said, an' then set his -teeth. - -"Hold his hands, Happy," sez Horace, as full o' fight as a snow-plow. -"Hold his head, Friar. Now then, swallow or drown." - -It looked purty inhuman, but Badger had to swallow after a bit, an' -when we had put as much milk into him as we wanted--only a couple o' -spoonfuls--we let him go, an' he fell asleep, pantin' a little. We -woke him up in half an hour, an' put some more milk into him. When he -slept, his breathin' was more like natural, an' the fourth time, I -didn't have to hold his hands; so I went to sleep myself. - -Well, Horace won this fight, too. In about four days, Badger-face -began to have an appetite, an' then it was all off with him. He -couldn't have died if we'd left him plumb alone; but he hadn't give up -yet. The Friar kept him down to a mighty infan-tile diet, sayin' that -a lung shot was a bad one, an' the pure mountain air was all that had -saved him; but even now fever was likely to come back on him. - -It was close to the tenth o' January when Horace came in from a ride -one evenin', an' went in to see Badger-face, still wearin' his gun. -Quick as a wink, Badger grabbed the gun; but Horace threw himself on -Badger's arm, an' yelled for help. The Friar an' Olaf rushed in from -the lean-to, an' corraled the gun in short order. - -"You blame little bob-cat, you!" sez Badger. "I didn't intend to use -the gun on you." - -"I know what you intended to do," sez Horace; "but you don't win this -deal as easy as all that." - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN - -A STRANGE ALLIANCE - - -After this we tied Badger-face in bed an' kept watch of him. He kept -on gettin' stronger all the time, an' a good percent of his meanness -came back with his strength. Sometimes he'd spend hours tauntin' -Horace an' the Friar; but they didn't mind it any more 'n if Badger -had been a caged beast. Then one night he concluded to try cussin'. He -started in to devise somethin' extra fancy in the way o' high-colored -profanity; but he hadn't gone very far on this path, before Olaf came -in as black as a thunder cloud. - -"Do you want to be whipped with a whip?" he demanded. - -"Naw, I don't want to be whipped with a whip," sez Badger-face. - -"Then you stop swearin'," sez Olaf. "We been to enough trouble about -you, and I don't intend to have my wife listen to any more o' your -swearin'. If you don't stop it, I whip all your skin off. You say you -want to die--I whip you to death before your very eyes." - -Badger heaved at his ropes a time or two, an' then he realized his -weakness, sank back on the bed, an' the tears rolled down his cheeks. -He fair sobbed. "You're a set o' cowards," he yelled, "the whole pack -o' you! You wouldn't let me die, and now you threaten to whip me to -death. I dare any one of ya to shoot me--you yellow-hearted cowards!" - -"I care not for what you say I am," said Olaf. "You know if I am a -coward, and you know if I keep my word. I say to you, slow an' -careful, that if you yell swear words again in my house, I whip your -hide off." - -Well, this had a quietin' influence on Badger's conversation; but he -fretted himself a good deal as to what we intended to do with him. -Finally one day when he began to look a little more like a live man -than a skeleton, Horace sez to him: "Badger, you said you didn't have -any friends, an' it must be true, 'cause not one of your own outfit -has ever been to see you, not even Ty Jones." - -"Ty Jones don't stay out here through the winter," sez Badger-face. -"If he'd been here, he'd have squared things up for this, one way or -another." - -"Where does he go?" asked Horace. - -"I don't know," sez Badger-face. - -Horace asked Olaf about it, and Olaf said 'at Ty Jones allus pulled -out in December, an' didn't come back until March. - -Then Horace came in and sat by Badger again. "I've got a proposition -to make to you," sez he, "and you think it over before you answer. I -have plenty o' money; but I've wasted most o' my life, sittin' down. -If you are sick of livin' like a wolf, I'll pay your expenses and half -again as much as Ty Jones is payin' you, and all you'll have to agree -to is to go along as a sort of handy-man for me. I think we can get to -be purty good friends, but that can wait. I intend to ramble around -wherever my notions take me. If you'll give your word to be as decent -as you can, I'll give my word to stand by you as far as I'm able. Your -life is forfeit to me, an' if you'll do your part, I intend to make -the balance of it worth while to ya. Now, don't answer me; but think -it over an' ask all the questions you want to. I'll answer true what I -do answer; but I won't answer any 'at I don't want to." - -If Horace had crept in an' cut off his two ears, Badger wouldn't have -been any more surprised. Well, none of us would, as far as that goes; -though why we should let anything 'at Horace chose to do surprise us -by this time is more 'n I know. - -He an' Badger talked it over complete for several days, Horace -agreein' that he wouldn't ask Badger to go anywhere the army or the -law was likely to get him an' not to make him do any stunts 'at would -make him look foolish. He told Horace 'at he had served one enlistment -an' got a top-notch discharge, an' had then took on again; but a -drunken officer had him tied on a spare artillery wheel because Badger -had laughed when the officer had fallen off his horse into a mud -puddle. He said they had laid the wheel on the ground and him across -it, the small of his back restin' on the hub o' the wheel, an' his -arms an' legs spread an' tied to the rim, an' had kept him there ten -hours. He said that he had deserted the first chance he got; but he -refused to tell what had happened to the officer afterward. - -Finally Badger said he would take up Horace's proposition; an' Horace -called Olaf in to see if Badger was speakin' true. This was the first -Badger had ever heard about Olaf's eyes seein' soul-flames; but he -said 'at this explained a lot to him he hadn't understood before. Olaf -looked at him careful; an' Badger held up his right hand an' said that -as long as Horace treated him square, he would be square with Horace, -even to the point of givin' up his life for him. - -"He is speakin' true," sez Olaf; and from that very minute, -Badger-face became a different man, an' Horace took off the ropes. - -"You do look some like a badger with that bum beard on," sez Horace; -"but I don't like this name, and I want you to pick out a new one. -Pick out some Christian name, your own or any other; but now that you -are startin' on a new life, it will help to have a new name." - -Badger-face studied over this a long time, but he couldn't root up any -name to suit him so he told Horace to pick out a name, and he'd agree -to wear it. - -"Well," sez Horace, after he'd give it a good thinkin' over, "I think -I'll call you Promotheus." - -Badger looked at him purty skeptical. "I don't intend to take no -Greaser name," sez he. "Is that Mexican?" - -"No," sez Horace. "That's Greek; an' the original Promotheus was an -all around top-notcher. He was a giant, so you couldn't complain none -on your size; he rebelled again' the powers, so you couldn't call him -a dog-robber; but the thing 'at you two are closest together in, is -your infernal stubbornness. They tried to break Promotheus down by -chainin' him to a rock while the vultures fed on his liver, but they -couldn't make him give in. 'Pity the slaves who take the yoke,' sez -he; 'but don't pity me who still have my own self-respect.'" - -Badger-face was so blame weak that his eyes filled up with tears at -this; an' the only way he could straighten himself up was to put a few -florid curses on his own thumby left-handedness; but Olaf had gone -after some wood, so it didn't start anything. "I'll take that name," -sez he, "an' I'll learn how to spell an' pronounce it as soon as I -can; but you've diluted down my blood so confounded thin with your -doggone, sloppy milk diet that I'm a long way from havin' that -feller's grit, right at this minute." - -Horace stood over Badger-face, an' pointed his finger at him, fierce. -"Listen to me," sez he. "The next time you heave out an insult to -milksops or milk diets, I'll sing you my entire song--to the very last -word." - -We set up a howl; but Badger-face didn't realize all he was up against -when he took on with Horace, so he only smiled in a sickly way, an' -looked puzzled. - -"I'll tell ya what I'm willin' to do, Dinky," said he, as soon as we -stopped our noise; "now that I've took a new name, I don't need to -wear this sort of a beard any more, an', if ya want me to, I'll trim -it up the same fool way 'at you wear yours; an' I'll wear glasses, -too, if you say the word." - -"We'll wait first to see how you look in a biled shirt," sez Horace; -"but in honor of your new name, I'm goin' to let you have some -deer-meat soup for your dinner, an' a bone to gnaw on." - -We had a regular feast that day, and called Badger-face Promotheus -every time we could think up an excuse; so as to have practice on the -name. The Friar did his best to take part; but I knew every line in -his face, and it hurt me to see him fightin' at himself. - -After dinner we took a walk together; but we didn't talk none until we -had climbed the rim, fought the wind for a couple of hours, an' -started back again. It was his plan to think of some big, common chunk -of life when he was in trouble, so as to take his mind as much as -possible off himself; and he started to talk about Horace an' -Promotheus. He even laughed a little at the combination which -Promotheus Flannigan an' Horace Walpole Bradford would make when they -settled down on the East again. - -"The more I think it over," said the Friar, "the plainer I can see -that most of our sorrow an' pain and savageness comes from our custom -of punishin' the crops instead of the farmers. Look at the -possibilities the' was in Promotheus when he started out. He has a -strong nature, and in spite of his life, he still has a lot o' decent -humanity in him. Who can tell what he might have been, if his good -qualities had been cultivated instead o' smothered?" - -"That's true enough," sez I; "and look at Horace, too. They simply let -him wither up for forty years, and yet all this time he had in him -full as much devilment as Promotheus himself." - -"Oh, we waste, we waste, we waste!" exclaimed the Friar. "Instead o' -usin' the strength and vigor of our manhood in a noble way, we let -some of it rust and decay, and some of it we use for our own -destruction. The outlaw would have been the hero with the same -opportunity, and who can tell what powers lie hidden behind the mask -of idleness!" - -"Well, that's just it," sez I. "A human bein' is like a keg o' black -stuff. For years it may sit around perfectly harmless; and only when -the right spark pops into it can we tell whether it's black sand or -blastin' powder. Even Horace, himself, thought he was black sand; but -he turned out to be a mighty high grade o' powder." - -We walked on a while without talkin'; but the Friar was wrastlin' with -his own thoughts, an' finally he stopped an' asked me as solemn as -though I was the boss o' that whole country: "If you had started a lot -o' work, and part of it promised to yield a rich harvest with the -right care, and part of it looked as though it might sink back to -worse than it had been in the beginnin'--is there anything in the -world which could make you give it up?" - -The Friar knew my life as well as I did; so I didn't have to do any -pertendin' with him. "Yes," I sez, "the right woman would." - -The Friar didn't do any pertendin' with me either. He stood, shakin' -his head slowly from side to side. "I wish I knew, I wish I knew," he -said. - -We walked on again, an' when we came in sight o' the cabin, I sez to -him, in order to give him a chance to free his mind if he saw fit: -"Horace told me what he knew about it." - -"Yes, I know," sez the Friar; "but no one knew very much. She was a -splendid brave girl, Happy. I had known her when she was a little girl -and I a farmer boy. I was much older than she was, but I was allus -interested in her. There wasn't one thing they could say against -her--and yet they drove her out o' my life. I thought she was dead, I -heard that she was dead; so I buried her in my heart, and came out -here where life was strong and young, because I could not work back -there. I tried to work in the slums of the cities; but I could not -conquer my own bitterness, with the rich wastin' and the poor starvin' -all about me. I have found joy in my life out here; but she has come -to life again with that picture, and once more I am at war with -myself." - -"Well, I'll bet my eyes, Friar," sez I, "that you find the right -answer; but I haven't got nerve enough to advise ya--though I will say -that if it was me, I'd pike out an' look for the girl." - -"I wish I knew, I wish I knew," was all the Friar said. - -Promotheus didn't have any set-backs after this. We talked over -whether it would be better to have him go up to Ty's an' tell the boys -some big tale about Dinky Bradford, or to just pull out an' leave 'em -guessin'; and we finally came to the conclusion 'at the last would be -the best. - -He was still purty weak by the first o' February; but he was beginnin' -to fret at bein' housed up any longer, so we began to get ready to hit -the back-trail. By takin' wide circles we could get through all right, -at this season; but with Promotheus still purty wobbly, it wasn't -likely to be a pleasant trip, an' we didn't hurry none with our -preparations. Horace insisted on payin' Olaf two hundred dollars for -his share o' the bother, an' I'm purty certain he slipped Kit another -hundred. He wasn't no wise scrimpy with money. - -We started on the tenth of February, Promotheus ridin' a quiet old -hoss, an' still lookin' purty much like a bitter recollection. They -were consid'able surprised when we arrived at the Diamond Dot; but we -only told 'em as much of our huntin' as we felt was necessary. - -Horace intended to start for the East at once; but next day when he -put on his dude clothes again, Promotheus purty nigh bucked on him. -Most of Horace's raiment was summer stuff, nachely; but he had a long -checked coat 'at he wore with a double ended cap, which certainly did -look comical. He had cut some fat off his middle, an' had pushed out -his chest an' shoulders consid'able; so that his stuff wrinkled on -him; and it took a full hour to harden Promotheus to the change. - -"Do I have to look like that?" sez he. - -"You conceited ape you!" sez Horace. "You couldn't look like this if -you went to a beauty doctor for the rest o' time; but as soon as we -get where they sell clothes for humans, I'm goin' to provide you with -somethin' in the nature of a disguise." - -Disguise sounded mighty soothin' to Promotheus, so he gritted his -teeth, an' said he wouldn't go back on his word. The fact was, that it -did give ya an awful shock to see Horace as he formerly was. We had -got so used to seein' him gettin' about, able an' free, that it almost -seemed like a funeral to have him drop down to those clothes again. - -The Friar went over to the station with us, and he an' Horace had a -confidential talk; and then Horace and Promotheus got on the train and -scampered off East. - -"I'm goin' to stick right here, Happy," sez the Friar. "I have let my -work get way behind, in tendin' to Promotheus; but from now on I'm -goin' to tie into it again. I'd like to do something to put the cattle -men and the sheep men on better terms; but this seems like a hard -problem." - -"Yes," sez I, "that ain't no job for a preacher, and I'd advise you to -let it alone. The cattle men will put up the same sort of an argument -for their range 'at the Injuns did; but between you and me, I doubt if -they stand much more show in the long run." - -"I can't see why there isn't room for both," sez the Friar. "It seems -to me that the cattle men are too harsh." - -"Nope," sez I, "there ain't room for 'em both, an' the's somethin' -irritatin' about sheep that makes ya want to be harsh with all who -have dealin's with 'em. Hosses can starve out cattle an' sheep can -starve out hosses; but after a sheep has grazed over a place, nothin' -bigger 'n an ant can find any forage left. Cattle are wild an' -tempestus, an' they bellow an' tear around an' fight, and the men who -tend 'em are a good bit like 'em; while sheep just meekly take -whatever you've a mind to give 'em; but they hang on, just the same, -an' multiply a heap faster 'n cattle do. A sheep man is meek--like a -Jew. If a Jew gets what he wants he's satisfied, an' he's willin' to -pertend 'at he's had the worst o' the deal; but a cattle man is never -satisfied unless he has grabbed what he wanted away from some one -else, an' then shot him up a little for kickin' about it. It'll -probably be fifty or a hundred years yet, before the sheep men are -strong enough to worry the cattle men; but they'll sure do it some -day." That's what I told the Friar that time at the station, an' I -guessed the outcome close enough, though I didn't make much of a hit -as to the time it was goin' to take. - -Well, the Friar, he rode away east to Laramie, and I went north to the -Diamond Dot, and got things ready for the summer work. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - -THE HEART OF HAPPY HAWKINS - - -Late the next summer, I got a fine long letter from Horace--and blame -if he didn't succeed in surprisin' me again. He wrote this letter from -Africa, which is about the foreignest parts this world is able to -exhibit, I reckon. He told about the East not findin' favor with -Promotheus, though he had done all he could for him, startin' out with -high society and endin' up by takin' him down one night to a sailor's -saloon and lettin' him mix into a general fight; but that Promotheus -just simply couldn't stand the tameness, and so they had gone to -Africa to hunt big game, and give the folks out our way a chance to -forget there ever had been such a cuss as Badger-face. - -He sent along some photographs, too, and they was as novel as a blue -moon--Horace, Promotheus, and a lot o' naked niggers totin' packs on -their heads. Horace was the funniest lookin' mortal a body ever saw; -but Promotheus had him beat a mile. They both wore bowls on their -heads an' colored glasses; but Promotheus with side-burns was sure -enough to frighten a snake into convulsions! His gnawin' teeth stuck -out through a self-satisfied grin; and I was willin' to bet that as -soon as the heathen saw him, they'd give up bowin' down to wood an' -stone. - -The next time I saw Friar Tuck, he told me about receivin' a letter -from Horace who had gone to Berlin on his way to Africa, but hadn't -been able to learn anything satisfactory. The singer had been the big -card at their concerts, an' there had been some talk about her gettin' -drugged by an Austrian who belonged to the em-bassy; but she had -disappeared complete, an' nobody could be found who seemed to know -anything about it. The Friar kept himself goin' like a steam-engine -these days; but while he became a little more tender if possible, he -lacked something of his old-time spirits. Before this, he used to come -sweepin' along like a big cool breeze, an' a feller's spirits just got -up an' whirled along with him, like dry leaves dancin' in the wind. - -He said 'at since Promotheus had slipped out o' the country, the -Cross-branders hadn't bothered Olaf any; but I called his attention to -the fact that this was a wet spring, an' told him 'at when we had a -long dry spell, Ty Jones would just swallow Olaf like quicksand. - -Things drifted along purty steady in our parts for several years. Once -in a while, the Friar would tell me something about Olaf or something -about Ty Jones; but for the most part, I was too much took up with -other things to care much for even the Friar's doin's. - -I was takin' my own Moses-trip durin' these years; and I say now, as I -allus have said, that it wasn't a square shake to show Moses the -promised land, an' then not let him into it for even one meal o' milk -an' honey. I've handled a small bunch o' men an' trailed cattle with -'em for only three months at a stretch; but I don't mind tellin' you -that the' was times when I had to sit up till after midnight, sewin' -up the rips in my patience--an' we didn't have any women an' children -along either. Moses had forty years of it in the desert; with a whole -blame tribe of Israelites; and yet, instead o' praisin' him for -hangin' on to his sanity with all the odds again' him, he was handed a -tantalizer, simply because he said he couldn't see why somethin' -didn't happen in a natural, orderly way, once in a while, without -everlastingly ringin' in some new kind of a miracle on him. - -If I had to pilot a mob like that through a desert for forty years, -follerin' a cloud by day an' a pillar o' fire by night, havin' dressed -quail an' breakfast-food tossed to me out o' the sky, gettin' my -drinkin' water by knockin' it out of a rock, an' tryin' to satisfy the -tourists that it wasn't altogether my fault that we traveled so -everlastin' slow--I'd 'a' been mad enough to bite all the enamel off -my teeth, and yet as far as I could see, Moses didn't do a single -thing but show out a little peevish once in a while. - -Still, we didn't choose our natures nor the kind o' life to range 'em -over nor the sorts o' temptations we'd prefer to wrastle with; an' -even our own experiences are more 'n we can understand--to say nothin' -o' settin' back an' decidin' upon the deeds of others. My own test -wasn't the one I'd 'a' chosen; and yet, for all I know, it may 'a' -been the very best one, for me. - -Little Barbie had finally grown up through childhood to the gates o' -womanhood--and as generally happens, she had found a man waitin' for -her there. Through all the years of her growin', she had been sendin' -out tendrils which reached over an' wound about my heart, and grew -into it an' through it, and became part of it. If it hadn't 'a' been -for Friar Tuck, I might 'a' married her, myself; for I could have done -it, if all the men I'd had to fight had been other men--but the man I -couldn't overcome, was myself. - -Through all the years I had known Friar Tuck an' rode with him an' -worked with him an' slept out under the stars with him, he had been -quietly trainin' me for the time when it would be my call to take my -own love by the throat, for the sake of the woman I loved. It don't -weaken a man to do this; but it tears him--My God, how it does tear -him! - -I, my own self, brought back the man she loved to her, and gave her -into his arms; and I've never regretted it for one single minute; but -I doubt if I've ever forgot it for much longer 'n this either. - -I did what it seemed to me I had to do--an' the Friar thinks I did -right, which counts a whole lot more with me 'n what others think. I -went through my desert, I climbed my hill, for just one moment I saw -into my promised land--and then I was jerked back, and not even given -promotion into the next world, which Moses drew as his consolation -prize. And yet, takin' it all around, I can see where life has been -mighty kind and generous to me after all, and I'm not kickin' for a -minute. - -The great break in my life came in the fall, and it left ol' Cast -Steel a more changed man 'n it did me. I wanted to swing out wide--to -ride and ride and ride until I forgot who I was and what had happened; -but the ol' man worked on my pity, an' I agreed to stay on with him a -spell. Durin' the three years precedin', I had got into the handlin' -of the ranch, more 'n he had, himself; so I spent the winter makin' my -plans, an' goin' over 'em with him. He came out toward spring and was -more like himself; but when the first flowers blossomed on the -benches, they seemed to be drawin' their life blood out o' my very -heart. All day long I had a burnin' in my eyes, everywhere I went I -missed somethin', until the empty hole in my breast seemed likely to -drive me frantic; an' one day I pertended to be mad about some little -thing, an' threw up my job for good and all. - -The ol' man was as decent as they ever get. He knew how I had been -hit, an' he didn't try any foolishness. He gave me what money I -wanted, told me to go and have it out with myself, an' come back to -him as soon as I could. I rode away without havin' any aim or end in -view, just rode an' rode an' rode with memories crowdin' about me so -thick, I couldn't see the trail I was goin'. - -Then one night I drew up along side o' Friar Tuck's fire, saw the -steady light of his courage blazin' out through his own sadness, the -same as it had done all those years; an' I flopped myself off my hoss, -threw myself flat on the grass, an' only God and the Friar know how -many hours I lay there with his hand restin' light on my shoulder, the -little fire hummin' curious, soothin' words o' comfort, and up above, -the same ol' stars shinin' down clear and unchangin' to point out, -that no matter how the storms rage about the surface o' the earth, -it's allus calm and right, if a feller only gets high enough. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE - -THE LITTLE TOWN OF BOSCO - - -I hadn't done much eatin' or sleepin' on that trip, an' I was plumb -beat out; so after I fell asleep, the Friar put a soogan over me and -left me by the fire. He awakened me next mornin', gettin' breakfast, -and it didn't take him very long to talk me into joinin' on to him for -company. I had been avoidin' humans, for fear I might be tempted to -start trouble and find the easy way out of it all; but his plan was -just the opposite--to dive so deep into humanity that I could catch a -glimpse o' the scheme o' things. - -The Friar held that we all had crosses comin' to us any way. If we -picked 'em up an' put 'em on our own shoulders, we'd still be free, -an' the totin' of our crosses would make us stronger; while if we -tried to run away, we'd be roped an' thrown, an' the crosses chained -on us. I'd a heap sooner be free than a slave; so I decided to carry -mine, head up, an' get right with myself as soon as possible. - -The Friar didn't work off any solemn stuff on me, nor he didn't try to -be funny; he just turned himself into a sun-glass, an' focused enough -sunshine on to me to warm me up without any risk of blisterin'. I got -to know him even better those days than I had before. His hair was -gettin' a bit frosty at the temples; but aside from this, he hadn't -aged none since the first day I had seen him. He was like some big -tree growin' all by itself. Every year it seems a little ruggeder, -every year it seems to offer a little roomier shade; but the wind and -the rain and the hot sun don't seem to make it grow old. They only -seem to make it take a deeper root, and throw out a wider spread o' -boughs. - -He told me o' some o' the scraps between the cattle men an' the sheep -men--the Diamond Dot was out o' the way of sheep at that time. Then I -began to take a little more interest in things, an' after takin' note -for a day or so, I prophesied a dry summer; and this brought us around -to Olaf. - -The Friar warmed up at mention of him. He said 'at he had never seen a -match turn out better 'n Olaf's. He said Kit had just what Olaf -lacked, an' Olaf had just what Kit lacked, an' their boy was just -about the finest kid he knew of anywhere. We decided to head up their -way an' pay a visit. - -As we rode along we took notice of the way things were changin'. We -passed several sheep wagons, five or six irrigation ditches, an' here -and there, we found men who put more faith in alfalfa 'n they did in -stock. The Friar had been well to the north when I happened upon him, -and we traveled a sight o' country before we reached our destination. -Everywhere folks knew him, an' he knew them; and when I saw their -faces light up at sight of him, I had to admit that he had done the -right thing in stickin'. - -Mostly he sang the "Art thou weary," one for his marchin' song, now; -and it got into my blood and did a lot to healthen me up again. I -can't rightly say 'at I ever got religion; but more 'n once religion -has got me an' lifted me up like the Crazy Water in flood, bearin' me -on over rocks an' through whirlpools, an' showin' me what a weak, -useless thing I was at the best. The's somethin' inside me 'at allus -responded to the Friar's music, an' made me willin' to sweep on over -the edge o' the world with him; but when he tried to reason out -religion to me, I have to own up 'at the' was a lot of it I couldn't -see into. - -We passed Skelty's old place on our way in, an' found a red-eyed, -black-headed man runnin' it. His name was Maxwell, but they still -called the place Skelty's. We went in an' had dinner, an' found five -or six Cross-branders there. They were doin' plenty o' drinkin' an' -crackin' idiotic jokes with the girls; but they nodded friendly enough -to us, an' we nodded back. - -As soon as we finished, the Friar went outside for his smoke; but I -leaned back right where I was for mine. One o' the Cross-branders, a -tall, gaunt, squinty cuss by the name o' Dixon, was sittin' near me, -and presently he turned an' sez: "You're Happy Hawkins, ain't ya?" - -"That's me," sez I. - -"Well, on the level," sez he, "what became o' Badger-face?" - -"I've often wondered about that myself," sez I. - -"We supposed he got killed," sez he; "but two fellers claimed they saw -him goin' south in the spring with your huntin' party." - -"What made ya think he got killed?" sez I. - -"'Cause he started over here one night, and never showed up again," -sez he. - -"I don't know what become of him," sez I. "Dinky Bradford said he was -goin' to take him to Africa; but whether he did or not I can't say. I -never felt no call to pry into Dinky's business. Looks to me as though -we were goin' to have an extra dry summer." - -"I say so too," sez Dixon. "Who was this Dinky Bradford?" - -"That's bothered me a heap," sez I. "He claimed to be a Greek hero, -though what sort o' business that is, I can't say. Finished your -round-up yet?" - -"Just got through. Where is this Greek hero these days?" sez he. - -"Can't prove it by me," sez I. "He's one o' these fellers no one seems -to know anything about. I saw him go without eatin' for four days -once, an' he came out of it in better shape 'n he went in. Badger-face -was your foreman, wasn't he?" - -"Yes," sez he. "Ol' Pepper Kendal is foreman now." - -"I should think a foreman would have some load on his shoulders with -the boss gone all winter," sez I. - -"The boss brought a woman back with him this time," sez Dixon. - -"What!" sez I. "You don't mean ta tell me 'at Ty Jones has got him a -woman after all these years?" - -"That's what," sez Dixon. "Somethin' queer about her, too. Ty has had -a new shack built for her up back o' the old house. They don't seem -overly friendly for a bride an' groom." - -"Ain't nothin' overly friendly with Ty, is the'?" sez I. - -"Oh, I dunno," sez he. "Ty ain't as sticky as taffy, but he's a mighty -good man to work for." - -"What sort of a woman did he get?" sez I. - -"She don't show herself much," sez he. "She's tall an' shapely, an' -right smart younger 'n Ty; but she spends most of her time in the new -shack; and from all we can tell, she's froze up tighter 'n Ty is." - -"Well, I guess we'll have to jog on. Good luck," sez I, and me an' the -Friar rode on. He was as much beat out over Ty Jones gettin' a woman -as I was; but first thing he thought of was, 'at this might have a -softenin' effect on Ty, an' give him an openin'. - -We reached Olaf's in time for supper, and found Kit bustlin' about as -happy as a little brown hen. The Friar hadn't sprung it none about the -kid. He was a solid little chunk with a couple o' dimples and all the -signs o' health. I looked careful into his eyes. They were full o' -devilment, an' he scowled his brows down over 'em when I held him; but -they were brown like Kit's. - -"Oh, he's too dirty to touch," sez Kit, beamin' all over with pride. -"I just can't keep him clean, try as I will." - -"Be careful, Happy, and don't soil your hands on that baby!" yells the -Friar as though in a panic. "Let me have him. I was dirty once, -myself." - -It was plain to see 'at the kid an' the Friar were old cronies; and it -was a pleasant sight to see 'em together. The Friar got down on the -floor with him an' played bear an' horse an' the kid entered into it -an' fair howled with merriment. Kit scolded 'em both an' took so much -interest in their antics she hardly knew what she was doin' to the -supper things. - -Before long Olaf came in. He still took up all the space not otherwise -occupied; but he had an altogether-satisfied expression which made ya -forget how everlastin' ugly he really was. He took us out an' showed -us the garden, an' the new wire fencin' an' the baby's swing, an' all -the rest of his treasures. Olaf didn't want any more changes to take -place in the world. If his vote could have made it, things would just -continue as they were until the earth wore out. It made me feel a -little lonely for a moment; but I entered in as hearty as I could. - -Durin' supper I sez to Kit: "Well, Ty Jones has a woman, now; and if -it improves him as much as it has Olaf, he may blossom out into a good -neighbor to you yet." - -"Ty Jones got a woman!" exclaimed Kit. "Well, I'd just like to lay my -eyes on the woman 'at would take Ty Jones." - -"Oh, all women ain't so set on havin' a handsome man as you were," sez -I. - -"Well, I wouldn't have any other kind," sez Kit, an' she gave her head -a toss while Olaf grinned like a full moon. - -They were both purty well beat out to think o' Ty Jones havin' a -woman, an' we all talked it over durin' the rest o' the meal. After -supper, Olaf took the kid on his lap and sat by the fire tellin' us -his plans, while Kit cleared up the dishes an' stuck in a word of her -own now and again. It was plain to see 'at she did full as much o' the -plannin' as he did, an' this was probably what made her so satisfied. -The kid regarded Olaf's mustache as some sort of an exercisin' -machine, an' Olaf had to fight him all the time he was talkin', but he -certainly did set a heap o' store by that boy. - -He told us he had about sixty cows and a fair run o' two an' three -year olds with a high average of calves; but that he intended to sell -the whole run to the Double V outfit up on the Rawhide, and get a -small band of sheep. This flattened me out complete; but he had a lot -of arguments on his side. He was also experimentin' with grain seed -which he had got from Canada, an' he already had a patch of alfalfa -which was doin' fine. He was one o' those fellers who can't tire -'emselves out, an' so just keep on workin' as long as the law allows -'em to use daylight. He had a young Swede workin' for him, but just at -that time, he was off lookin' for the work hosses which had voted -'emselves a vacation, an' had gone up into the hills. - -The Friar wanted to go up into the Basin country next day, so we -bedded down purty early. I lay awake a long time thinkin' over what a -fright Olaf had once been, and how he had straightened out of it. - -Next mornin' we started soon after sun-up. The Friar had a couple o' -women runnin' a Sunday School at Bosco, and he wanted to see how they -were gettin' along. They had belonged to his brand of church clear -back in England, and he set a lot of store by 'em; but owned up that -they had their work cut out for 'em at Bosco; it bein' one o' the most -ungodly little towns in the whole country. - -We nooned on Carter, slipped over Boulder Creek Pass, and reached -Bosco at sun-down. It allus surprised me to see how much travel the -Friar could chalk up, takin' his weight into account; but he was less -irritatin' to a hoss 'n airy other man I ever met up with. The more of -a hurry he was in, the more time he took on the bad hills; and he -never robbed a hoss by sleepin' an hour late in the mornin', an' -makin' the hoss even up by travelin' beyond his gait. - -The husband of one o' these women ran a saloon, the husband of the -other--the women were sisters--was the undertaker and also ran a meat -market. I thought this about the queerest business arrangement I had -ever been confronted against; but the man himself was full as peculiar -as his business. - -I have a game I have played with myself all my life. I call it "why," -an' I suppose it has furnished me more fun 'n anything else has. I -take any proposition I come across an' say all the whys about it I can -think up an' then try to answer 'em. Why did anything ever happen just -as it did happen just when it did happen? This is the joke o' life to -me. I have played it on myself times without end; but only once in a -while even with myself can I follow the line back to common sense. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY - -TY JONES GETS A WOMAN - - -Bosco was a regular town with twenty or thirty houses, a post office, -two general stores, three saloons, an' all such things; and right on a -good stage road runnin' north an' south. We stopped with the -meat-market undertaker, 'cause they didn't think it quite respectable -for the Friar to live off the profits of the liquor traffic; though -the Friar allus said 'at he had a heap more respect for a square -saloon-keeper 'n for a sneaky drygoods merchant. - -Shindy Smith was the saloon-keeper, an' Bill Duff was the undertaker. -Duff was the absent-mindedest man I ever got intimate with, an' about -drove his wife to distraction, she bein' one o' these hustlers who -never make a false move. He had the idee that bein' an undertaker took -away his license to laugh, so he allus walked on his toes an' -disported as solemn a face as nature would allow; but nature had -intended him for a butcher, an' had made his face round and jowly. -Whenever he didn't have anything else to do, he used to sit down an' -practice lookin' solemn. He'd fix his eyes on the ceilin', clasp his -hands across his stomach, pull up his eyebrows, droop his mouth, an' -look for all the world like a man dyin' o' the colic. - -He was so absent-minded that he'd raise his cup to take a drink of -coffee, forget what he had started to do, an' like as not pour it over -his flapjacks for syrup. He started to engineer a funeral once with -his butcher's apron on, and they told all sorts of stories about him -which was shockin' to an extent; though his wife kept such a sharp eye -on him, that I don't believe more 'n half of 'em. Still it wasn't any -sort o' business for an absent-minded man to be in. - -It was an uncertain business. Of course all lines o' trade in a thinly -settled country go by fits an' starts; but his was worst of all. -Sometimes he'd have as many as three funerals a month, and at others -it would take him six weeks to sell out a beef carcass. A feller who -had a spite again' him started the story 'at he soaked his meat in -embalmin' fluid, an' then if they came an extra special rush in both -lines of his business at the same time, he'd--but then his wife kept -such a skeptical eye on him, 'at I don't believe a word of these -stories, an' I'm not goin' to repeat 'em. The worst I had again' him -was that he was so everlastin' careless. I lay awake frettin' about -his carelessness till I couldn't stand it a second longer; and then I -rolled up half the beddin' an' started to sleep on the side porch. - -"Where you goin'?" sez the Friar. - -"This here Bill Duff is too absent-minded an' forgetful for me," sez -I. - -"What do ya mean?" sez the Friar. - -"Well," sez I, "I don't want to make light o' sacred things, nor -nothin' like that; but Bill Duff's got somethin' stored up in this -room which should 'a' been a funeral three weeks ago, and I intend to -sleep outside." - -The Friar chuckled to himself until he shook the whole house; but it -wasn't no joke to me; so I shunted the beddin' out on the roof o' the -porch, which was flat, and prepared to take my rest where the air was -thin enough to flow into my nostrils without scrapin' the lid off o' -what Horace called his ol' factory nerve. - -As soon as the Friar could recover his breath, he staggered to the -window, an' sez: "That's nothin' but cheese, you blame tenderfoot. -Limburger cheese is the food Bill Duff is fondest of, and he has four -boxes of it stored in this room." - -"Then," sez I, comin' in with the beddin', "I'll sleep in the bed, an' -the cheese can sleep on the porch; but hanged if I'll occupy the same -apartment with it." I set the cheese out on the porch--it was the -ripest cheese in the world, I reckon--and it drew all the dogs in town -before mornin'. After they found it was above their reach, I'm -convinced they put up the best fight I ever listened to. - -It took a long time for the memory o' that cheese to find its way out -the window; and I lay thinkin' o' the Friar's work, long after he had -drifted off himself. He wasn't squeamish about small things, the Friar -wasn't, and this was one of his main holts. When we had got ready to -eat that night, Mrs. Duff had tipped Bill a wink to ask the Friar to -say blessin'. Bill was in one of his vacant spells, as usual, so he -looked solemn at the Friar, and sez: "It's your deal, Parson." Now, a -lot o' preachers would 'a' gone blue an' sour at that; but the Friar -never blinked a winker. - -Then after supper, all the young folks o' that locality had swooped in -to play with him. This winnin' o' young folks was a gift with the -Friar, and it used to warm me up to watch him in the midst of a flock -of 'em. He showed 'em all kinds o' tricks with matches an' arithmetic -numbers, an' taught 'em some new games, and then he put up a joke on -'em. He allus put up one joke on 'em each visit. - -This time he puts a glass of water under his hat, looks solemn, and -sez 'at he can drink the water without raisin' the hat. They all bet -he can't, and finally he goes into a corner, makes motions with his -throat, and sez he is now ready to prove it. Half a dozen rush forward -and lift the hat, and he drinks the water, and thanks 'em for liftin' -the hat for him so he could drink the water an' make his word good. - -Some folks used to kick again' him and say he was worldly; but his -methods worked, an' that's a good enough test for me. He took out the -shyness an' the meanness an' the stupidity, and gave the good parts a -chance to grow; which I take it is no more again' religion than the -public school is. Why, he even taught 'em card tricks. - -He could take a deck of cards and turn it into a complete calendar, -leap year and all; and then he could turn it into a bible, showin' -easy ways to learn things, until a feller really could believe 'at -cards was invented by the early Christians who had to live in caves, -as some claim. All the time he was playin' with 'em, he was smugglin' -in wise sayin's with his fun, pointin' out what made the difference -between deceivin' for profit, and deceivin' for a little joke, tellin' -'em how to enjoy life without abusin' it--Why, he even went so far as -to say that if a feller couldn't be religious in a brandin' pen he -couldn't be religious in a cathedral--which is a two-gun church with -fancy trimmin's. - -By the time he had expanded the young folks and made 'em easy and at -home, the older ones had arrived; and then he held a preachin'. The -whole outfit joined in with the singin', and when he began to talk to -'em every eye in the room was glistenin'. You see, he knew them and -their life; and they knew him and his. He had nursed 'em through -sickness, he had tended their babies, he had helped to build their -cabins an' turn 'em into homes; so the words flowed out of his heart -and into theirs without any break between. This was the Friar and this -was his work--but I can't put it into a story. - -The' was a no-account cuss by the name o' Jim Stubbs who lived--if ya -could call it livin'--at Boggs; and the Friar induced him to go along -on one of his trips. When Jim came back he was a made-over man, and -every one asked him if he had religion. "Hell, no," sez Jim, tryin' to -be independent, "I ain't got religion; but a feller catches somethin' -from the Friar the same as if he had the measles; and I don't covet to -be a bum no more." - -This gives ya the best idy of the Friar that I can think of; and I -finally fell asleep there at Bill Duff's, with my mind made up to bury -my own heartache, keep the grave of it green, but live out my life as -hard as the Friar was livin' his. - -We had intended to projec about in the Basin next day to rustle up -some new trade in the Friar's line; but my pony turned up lame, so we -held over to get him shod. When the stage pulled in that evenin', me -an' the Friar went down to see it. A little feller sat on the seat -with the driver. His hat was covered with dust an' pulled down over -his eyes, an' what ya could see of him was the color o' coffee; but -the moment I lay eyes on his side-burns, I grabbed the Friar's arm an' -whispered, "Horace!" and by dad, that's who it was. Promotheus was in -the back seat, an' he looked for all the world like an enlarged copy, -except that his side-burns were red an' gray, while Horace's were -mostly brown. But they were cut exactly the same, startin' from his -ears, runnin' across his cheeks an' lips, an' then curvin' down to the -crook of his jaw, close cropped an' bristly. - -Horace an' Promotheus hit the ground as soon as the stage stopped, an' -me an' the Friar dropped back out o' sight inside the hotel. Horace -gave orders about his two boxes an' started into the hotel. Just as he -came through the door, I stepped out an' gave him a shove. "You can't -come in here," I growled. - -He stepped back as fierce as a rattler. "I can't, huh?" he piped. -"Well, we'll see if I can't." - -Then he recognized me, an' we began to pump hands. He said 'at he and -Promotheus had only reached home three weeks before; but they couldn't -stand it, an' so had made a streak for the West. He said they had been -in Africa an' India, until they had become plumb disgusted with -tropical heat, an' so had come out the northern route, expectin' to -outfit at Bosco an' ride down to the Diamond Dot. - -We suppered with 'em an' next day they bought a string o' hosses, -packed their stuff on 'em, an' said they were ready for some -amusement. Horace had got a little snappier in his talk an' his -movements; but that was about the only change. As soon as we told 'em -about Ty Jones havin' a woman, that settled it. Horace insisted upon -seein' the woman, an' Promotheus echoed anything 'at Horace said, -though his face clouded a bit at the idee of foolin' around the Cross -brand ranch. The Friar didn't feel any call to go along with us; but -it was more to my mind just then 'n his line was, so I jumped at the -chance. - -Horace was also mighty glad to add me to his outfit. He had been used -to havin' a lot o' Zulus an' Hindus waitin' on him, and hadn't -adjusted himself to a small outfit yet. He said he had sent a lot o' -hides an' heads an' horns and other plunder from London, England, to -the Diamond Dot; but had been too busy to write durin' the past few -years. He and the Friar had quite a talk together before we left; but -I could tell from their faces 'at Horace didn't have any news for him. - -We had high jinks when we reached Olaf's; but Horace didn't make any -hit with the kid. The kid had a jack-in-the-box toy 'at looked -consid'able like Horace, an' the kid couldn't square things in his own -mind, to see a big size one, out an' walkin' about like a regular -human; but when he also got to studyin' Promotheus, he was all undone. -Olaf tried to have him make up to Horace, but he wouldn't stand for -it. He'd sit on Olaf's knee and look first at his jack-in-the-box, -then at Horace, and wind up with a long look at Promotheus. Promotheus -would try to smile kind an' invitin', and then the kid would twist -around and bury his face in Olaf's vest. Horace nor Promotheus didn't -mind it any; but as far as that goes, the kid was only actin' honest -an' natural, accordin' to his lights, an' the jack-in-the-box had as -much of a kick comin' as anybody. - -Ty had been down there just the day after we had left, an' had wanted -to buy Olaf's place; but only offered half what it was worth. He had -done this half a dozen times, an' allus insulted Olaf as much as he -could about it. Olaf had wanted to sell out at first; but Kit had been -able to see 'at they had a homestead fit for any thing, and she had -allus insisted that they get full price or hang on. Now, it was -improved way beyond common, an' they were both fond of it; so they had -decided to stick it out. - -"This is goin' to be a dry summer," sez I. - -Olaf's face clouded up but he only shut his lips tighter. We told 'em -we were on our way up to try an' have a look at Ty Jones's woman, and -Olaf said he'd go along if he didn't have to trail his cattle up to -the Raw Hide, this bein' part o' the deal he had made. He said it -would take him about ten days probably, an' wanted us to camp in the -Spread, an' keep an eye on his stuff. Olaf clipped the first joint off -o' Promotheus's name, an' I was glad of it. - -We chucked our stuff into the barn next mornin' an' started to stalk -the Cross brand neighborhood. Horace had a small field glass which was -a wonder, and we worked as careful as we could. It was only fifteen -miles across from Olaf's; but all we were able to do the first day was -to find a little sheltered spot up back o' the ranch buildin's where -we could get a good view of 'em through the field glass. - -Next day Olaf an' Oscar started with the bunch o' cattle, an' we rode -along part way with 'em to give 'em a good start; but Olaf had handled -his stuff so gentle that it was no trouble, an' we turned back an' -took up our watch again. We watched for a week without seein' a thing, -ridin' in each night to sleep back of Olaf's shack. Me an' Theus--I -had seen Olaf's ante an' had raised him one--were gettin' purty weary -o' this sort o' work; but Horace was as patient as a spider. Finally -though, we got a little more risky, and leavin' our hosses up in our -sheltered spot, we follered down a ravine to get nearer to the new -cabin. - -We had caught several glimpses of a woman to prove to us 'at the' was -one there; but that was about all, an' so we went down this ravine, -tryin' to figure out what excuse we'd give if we came across any of Ty -Jones's men. Neither me nor The--Promotheus had said 'at we couldn't -be no politer 'n he could, so he had lopped off the last joint, and -now had as neat a workin' name as any one, although Horace still -insisted on usin' the whole outfit when he had occasion to address -him. Well, neither me nor The felt just easy in our minds at snoopin' -about Ty's when we hadn't any business to, especially The; but Horace -was as selfcomposed as though he was herdin' lions out o' tall grass, -which it seems had been his favorite pastime durin' the last few -years. - -The knew the ravine well; he said it ran full o' water in the spring, -but after that was dry all the year. We got about half-way down it, -an' then we came to a path 'at was plain enough to see. The stopped -an' wagged his head. "No one ever used to use this," sez he. - -"Well, some one uses it purty constant, now," sez I. - -"The woman is the one who uses it," sez Horace. "She's lonely, that's -plain enough. The path climbs the opposite bank--let's cross an' go -up." - -Me an' The bucked at this for some time; but Horace hung out; so we -went along with him. We finally came to a little glen with a spring in -it, an' grass, and in a little clump o' small trees, we came across a -book lyin' face down on a Navajo blanket. - -"That's gettin' close," sez Horace. - -"Yes!" sez we, in low tones. - -We scouted all around; but no one was there, an' then we took a line -on the hill back of us, picked out a likely spot, and returned the way -we had come, this bein' the only direct way. We didn't meet a soul--at -least none wearin' bodies, though from the creepy feelin' I had part -of the time, I won't ever be certain we didn't meet any souls. - -Next day, we circled the peak and got up to the spot we had picked -out. We could see the clump o' trees plain enough; and along about -three in the afternoon, we saw the woman come up the path, walkin' -slow an' actin' weary. She had two big dogs with her, and whenever -she'd stop to rest a bit, she'd pet 'em. "Well," sez The, "things has -changed a heap when ol' Ty Jones stands for havin' his dogs patted." - -We couldn't get a good view of her face from where we were, but we -could get a fine view o' the ranch buildin's. The' didn't seem to be -much work on hand, and we saw eight or ten men foolin' around an' -pretendin' to do chores. The recognized the two Greasers he had been -ridin' with the day he had pulled on Horace, and one or two others; -but most of 'em was strangers to him. He said the Greasers were about -the most devilish speciments he had ever herded with--an' Ty's whole -outfit was made up o' fellers who had qualified to wear hemp. - -Horace was keen to go on down to her an' get a good look; but me an' -The took the bits in our teeth at this. We knew what those dogs were -like, an' refused pointblank to go a peg unless he could think up a -good enough excuse for us to give to Ty Jones--and we wouldn't let -Horace go down alone. - -"The best plan I can see," sez I, pointin' to a cluster o' big rocks -down the slope to the left, "is to circle back to those rocks. We can -see her face plain from there when she comes back the path." - -After examinin' this plan we decided it was the best; but when we went -after our hosses, Horace's had broke his reins an' gone back through -the hills. By the time me an' The had rounded him up, it was too late, -so we had to wait till next day. - -Next day I left the other two at our first look-out and rode on to the -new one. As soon as she came in sight, I waved my hat to 'em and they -sneaked down to the bunch o' rocks. I rode back an' left my hoss with -theirs, an' then joined 'em. - -She didn't come into view till after five o'clock. When she reached -the edge of the ravine an' started down, she paused an' looked off -into the valley with her face in plain view. Horace looked at it -through his glasses, gave a start, and then handed the glasses to The. -"Have you ever seen any one who looked like her?" sez he. - -The looked and broke out into a regular expression. "That's the -original of the photograph I had," sez he. - -"That's the Friar's girl, sure as the sky's above us," sez Horace. - -I grabbed the glass and took a look. She did look like the picture, -but older and more careworn. Some way I had allus thought o' the -Friar's girl as bein' young and full of high spirits, with her head -thrown back an' her eyes dancin'; but just as I looked through the -glasses, she pressed her hands to her head, and her face was wrinkled -with pain. She was better lookin' than common, but most unhappy. - -"That devil, Ty Jones, is mean to her!" I growled between my teeth. - -"Dogs or no dogs, I'm goin' down to have a talk with her," sez Horace. - -He started to get up, but I pulled him back to the ground. I had kept -my eyes on her, and had seen the two dogs turn their heads down the -ravine, and her own head turn with a jerk, as though some one had -called to her. Horace looked through the glasses again, and said he -could see her lips move as though talkin' to some one, and then she -went down into the ravine. We couldn't see the bottom of the ravine -from where we were, nor we couldn't see the ranch buildin's; so we -hustled back through some washes to our look-out, and reached it just -as she and Ty came out at the bottom. - -They were walkin' side by side, but Horace, who was lookin' through -the glasses, said they seemed to be quarrelin'. "It's moonlight -to-night," sez Horace, "and I'm goin' to sneak down and try to see -her." - -We argued again' it all we could, but he stood firm; so all we could -do was to sit there and wait for the lights to go out in the -bunk-house. As she was a reader, we figured 'at she'd be the last one -to turn in; normal habits an' appetites not havin' much effect on -book-readers. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE - -JUSTICE UNDELAYED - - -Human emotions are like clocks: some of 'em will run longer 'n others; -but they'll all run down unless they're wound up again every so often. -Even fear will only run so long, as several late-lamented bullies have -been forced to learn just before they passed over the Great Divide. -After you've scared a feller as bad as he can get, it is well enough -to let him alone. If you keep on addin' horror onto horror, his fear -is likely to run down; and the chances are 'at he'll get irritated, -and slaughter ya. - -I don't know whether or not patience can rightly be called an emotion; -but anyway, mine runs down a little easier 'n airy other o' my -faculties, and sittin' up in the chill an' waitin' for a lot o' -festive fools to go to bed, allus was just the sort o' thing to -disgust me. Those Cross-branders didn't seem to have any more use for -shut-eye that night than a convention o' owls. Some of 'em rode off at -dusk, but more of 'em arrived, and they held some sort of high jinks -in the bunk-house, till I began to talk back at myself loud enough for -all to hear. It was full moon an' we could see dogs loafin' an' -fightin' down at the ranch, the light in the new cabin was the first -to go out, an' for the life of me, I couldn't see where we had a -single pair to stay on; but Horace seemed to accumulate obstinacy with -every breath he drew. The sided with me, but criticizin' Horace went -again' his religion, so he didn't make any more uproar than a gnat -fight. - -Finally I calmed down until I could stretch each word out a full -breath an' sez in my doviest voice: "Horace, will you kindly tell me -what in hell you intend to do?" - -He studied the situation careful, and took all the time he needed to -do it. "I'm goin' back to camp," sez he. "To-morrow night they'll be -sleepy, and we'll have the whole place to ourselves." - -"Hurrah for hot weather! Greece has finally melted!" I yelled, an' we -hustled for our ponies. - -I have a buck-skin riggin' I put on the bridle of a hoss who gets into -the evil way of steppin' on his reins; and I had fixed one on Horace's -hoss to bring him back to his senses should he attempt to play the -same trick he had worked on us the day before. When a hoss wearin' one -o' these contrivances steps on his reins it pinches his ears, down -close to his head where they're tender, and generally works a -reformation in short order. - -We forgot all about this, and when Horace jumped into his saddle, he -gave a jerk on the reins--and got bucked into a clump o' cactus. The -hoss didn't try any runnin', though, which proves he had learned a -proper respect for trailin' reins. Still, Horace wasn't quite in the -mood to see the beauty o' my method, so he insisted upon my swappin' -hosses with him. It was a good two-hours' ride to Olaf's, and by the -time we had changed saddles, and I had convinced the pony that his -idees of buckin' were childish an' fu-tile, and his show of temper had -only given him a hundred an' ninety pounds to carry instead of a -hundred an' twenty, it was after nine o'clock. - -We were hungry enough to call for speed; but still it was eleven by -the time we reached the Spread. We thought we had seen a horseman go -into it from the other direction; but the moon had ducked under a -cloud and we couldn't be certain. - -We didn't intend to waken Kit if we could help it; so we started to -put the hosses into the corral as quiet as possible. Just as we had -thrown our saddles over the top bar, we heard a commotion from the -cabin, and started for it on the run. - -There wasn't any light in the cabin; but we heard Kit screamin', and -before we arrived, we saw a man rush around the corner just as the -door was flung open, and two other men jumped towards him from the -inside. These two had knives in their hands; and the man outside took -a step back. They rushed him, but he hit one with his right fist, and -the other with his left, and curled 'em both up again' the side o' the -house in a way to make a feller's heart dance for joy. Then we saw it -was the Friar himself, and we gave a whoop. - -Kit had banged the door shut, put up the bar, got a rifle and made -ready for what was to come next; but when she heard our whoop, she put -on her wrapper and opened the door. The two men 'at the Friar had -crumpled up were those same two Greasers 'at The had told us were the -meanest pair he had ever herded with. - -We took 'em by the heels an' straightened 'em out, while Kit indulged -in a few little hystericals. The Friar had allus been a great hand to -expound upon moral force an' spiritual force, and such items, and now -when the two Greasers refused to come back an' claim their own bodies, -he got a little fidgetty. - -"Friar," I sez, "I give in to you. Your quiet way o' lettin' the right -work out its own salvation is the surest way I know; and in an -emergency like this, it does full as well as violence." - -The Friar wasn't in no mood for hilarity, though; so after gettin' -their weapons an' tyin' 'em up, we soused the Greasers with water, and -brought 'em back to give an account o' themselves, Kit all the time -tellin' us what had happened. - -It seems 'at Kit had been hoein' in her beloved garden that day an' -had been purty tired at night; so after waitin' for us until she got -exasperated, she had eaten her own supper, put ours on the table, an' -turned in. Olaf had put up another cabin the same size as his first. -He had put 'em side by side with a porch joinin' at their eaves. In -one cabin was the dinin' room an' kitchen, all in one, and in the -other was the bedroom an' settin' room. - -Kit had heard a noise in the settin' room and had opened the door -before she was full awake, thinkin' it was the dog or cat. The minute -she had opened the door they had grabbed her, and she had begun to -scream. They shut off her wind a little; but they wasn't rough with -her--quite the contrary. They leered into her eyes, and patted her on -the shoulders, and made queer, gurglin' noises in their dirty brown -throats; but they didn't speak to her, not one word. - -Kit was strong, an' she had fought 'em to a standstill for what she -thinks was twenty minutes, at least; but she was beginnin' to weaken. -One of 'em kept his arm about her neck, and whenever she tried to -scream, shut off her wind. She had heard the Friar's hoss nicker when -he opened the first pole gate, and this provided her with enough moral -courage to sink her teeth into the wrist of the arm about her neck. -The feller had give a yell, and struck her; but at the same time, she -had opened up a scream of her own which loosened things all over the -neighborhood. - -The Friar had first put for the settin' room door; but they had locked -this door on the inside, intendin' to go out the side door. He savvied -this so he dove into the porch-way between the two cabins, and made a -rattlin' on this door. They had paused at this; but he had to rattle -several times before they took down the front bar. We had been fordin' -the crick about this time. - -The Greasers had tried to get out the window once; but Kit had called -out what they were up to; so they had turned on her an' choked and -beat her scandalous. - -This was Kit's side, and by the time she had finished tellin' it, the -Greasers had begun to moan an' toss. The Friar gave a sigh of relief, -as soon as they came to enough to begin grittin' their teeth. I sat -'em up with their backs again' the side of the cabin, and intimated -that we were ready to receive their last words. - -We had to encourage 'em a bit, one way or another; but we finally got -out of 'em that they had poisoned the dog, and then cut a crack in the -door till they could raise the bar. They said 'at Ty Jones hadn't had -no hand in plannin' their trip; but had offered 'em a hundred apiece -if they could put Olaf in the mood of wishin' he had sold out -peaceable. - -"Well," sez I, as soon as they were through, "shall we finish with 'em -to-night, or give 'em till to-morrow to repent?" - -"We shall of course deliver them to the proper officials to be tried -by due process of law," sez the Friar. - -"What for?" sez I. "Ya never can tell how a trial will turn out; but -we know 'at they have forfeited the right to live; so we'll just give -'em what they've earned and save all fuss." - -"No good ever comes of men taking the law into their own hands," sez -the Friar firmly. - -"How come, then, that you didn't run an' tell some justice o' the -peace, 'at these two snakes was actin' disrespectful--instead of -knockin' 'em up again' the logs?" sez I. - -"I should have done so if I had had time," sez the Friar with dignity. - -"Well, you're better trained 'n we are," sez I; "but it still takes a -little time for you to make your hands mind your self-control, after -you've been het up. You can do it in ten minutes, say; but it takes us -about a week, and by that time the' won't be any need for the law." - -"No," sez the Friar, "I insist that we rely upon the law. We count -ourselves as of the better element; and the most vicious conditions -arise when the better element takes the law into its own hands. When a -vicious man does illegal violence, it does not establish a precedent; -but when the decent man does the same thing, it tears away forms of -civilization which have taken centuries to construct." - -"That sounds like sense," sez I; "and after this is all over, I don't -mind arguin' it out with you; but right now, it would seem to me that -if we went to law about this, it would be because we wanted to -shoulder onto the law the responsibility of doin' what we feel ought -to be done, but which we haven't the nerve to do ourselves." - -"If you attempt to lynch these men, I shall ride at once and give the -alarm," sez the Friar. - -"And when you came back, you would find 'em swingin' from a limb," sez -I. "I'm with you in most things, Friar, and if the' was a shred o' -doubt, I'd be with you in this; but it's too plain a case. I'm willin' -to hold these two in secret until we can collect a posse o' twelve to -give 'em a jury trial; but this is the most I'll do. Ty Jones has got -others of his gang away from the law, but he don't get these two--not -if I can help it." - -Horace sided with me, and so did The, though he didn't have much to -say. He was thinkin' of his own trip to pester Olaf, and it came back -to him purty strong. The Friar finally had to agree not to notify the -law until I'd had time to gather up a posse. I made Horace promise not -to tell the Friar about our seein' the woman back at Ty's, saw that -the Greasers were planted safe in Olaf's log barn, and set out at once -for the Diamond Dot on a fresh hoss. I never want to eat none before -startin' a ride like this. - -I rode all that night through the moonlight; swingin' up over the -passes, fordin' the rivers, and reachin' the Diamond Dot at noon the -next day. I didn't let on to Jabez 'at I was there at all; but I got -Spider Kelley, ol' Tank Williams, Tillte Dutch, and Mexican Slim to -take a vacation and come on back with me. This gave five for the jury, -as I didn't intend to have Horace or The sit on it, not knowin' how -far their prejudice might prevent 'em from executin' my idee of -justice. We set out to return, about five o'clock, and rode into the -Spread at seven the next mornin' with eight other fellers we had -brought along for good measure. - -Old Jimmy Simpson and his four grown sons were in this bunch, and I -was purty well acquainted with 'em. I knew 'at they had been amply -pestered by Ty Jones's outfit, and wouldn't be too particular about -what book-law might have to say on the subject, though ol' man Simpson -was up on book-law. The other three were fellers they knew and were -willin' to guarantee. We were all a little sleepy, so we decided to -hold the trial after dinner. - -The Friar had spent as much time with the Greasers as they'd stand -for; but he hadn't made much impression on 'em. I knew 'at he was -heart-whole in his attitude, an' I hated to cross him; but this was a -case o' principle with me, so when we got ready for the trial, I tried -to get him to take a long walk, but he refused. - -We held the trial in front o' the barn, and it was as legal as any -trial ever was, and as solemn, too. We untied the prisoners, and -called Kit for the first witness. She told it just as she had told it -to us, but her bruised face would have been all that was necessary. -Then we called the Friar and he told his part, and we let him make a -speech in favor o' law and order; and cheered him hearty, too, when he -got through. - -I had just begun to give my part, when Olaf and Oscar rode up. Olaf -sat on his hoss and looked at us a moment, at Kit with her bruised -face, holdin' the boy in her arms, at the prisoners and us; and then -he asked the Friar what it all meant. The Friar was sunonomous with -truth, as far as Olaf was concerned. - -Olaf listened quietly, the dark red risin' in his cheeks bein' about -the only change in him. When the Friar finished, Olaf got off his -hoss. "The' won't be need of any more trial," sez he. "Kit, you go to -the house." - -Kit started for the house, and the Friar asked Olaf what he intended -to do. - -"Kill 'em," sez Olaf, "with my two hands." - -He unbuckled his belt and threw it on the ground, then kicked off his -chaps, and stepped through the ring we had formed. "Stop," said the -Friar. "Olaf, I forbid this." - -"You had better go to the house, Friar," said Olaf with pleadin' in -his voice. "Go in--please go in--an' comfort Kit." - -The Friar made a rush, but we fended him off. The Greasers also tried -to make a get-away; and between the three of 'em we were some busy; -but it didn't last long. When the Greasers saw they couldn't break our -ring, they turned on Olaf like cornered rats. They struck him and they -choked him; but not once did he speak, and whenever his grip closed on -their flesh, he ruined that part forever. It was a horrid sight; but I -couldn't have turned my eyes away if I'd wanted to. In the end he -broke their necks, one after the other, and then he stood up straight -and wiped his forehead. "I take the blame," said he. "I take all the -blame, here and hereafter"; which certainly was a square thing to do, -though we hadn't counted on it, any. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO - -THE FRIAR GOES ALONE - - -The Friar had been in earnest tryin' to get to Olaf; so 'at the four -Simpson boys had finally been forced to throw, an' sit on him. As soon -as it was over, they got up and apologized, offerin' to let him take -out any spite on 'em he saw fit, and promisin' not to feel any -ill-will; but the Friar wasn't angry. He was hurt and sad to think 'at -we'd do such a thing; but he had no resentment towards us. - -"I know most of you men well," said he; "and I know you have done this -because you felt it was right. I don't put you on one side and myself -on the other. I take my full share o' the blame. It merely proves that -my influence with you during the many years we have been together has -not been for the best, and I am very sorry to learn how poor my work -has been." - -He turned and went up to the house; and we all felt nearly as bad -about the way he had taken it as though the confounded Greasers had -got away altogether. We talked it over and finally loaded their bodies -into Olaf's wagon, and hauled 'em up on the rim, where we buried 'em -and heaped a lot o' stones over 'em. We began to feel better after -this, and shook hands all around, and the Simpsons and their three -friends rode away. - -Then we told the others about havin' seen the Friar's girl at Ty -Jones's and held a council as to how we should tell him. We finally -delegated Horace to do it, though he wasn't ambitious for the job. The -Friar had told Kit that it was all over, and had left to take a walk -without eatin' any supper. We still felt purty low-spirited, and we -didn't eat much ourselves; though we felt certain he wouldn't bother -his head much about a couple o' Greasers, as soon as he found out his -own girl was Ty Jones's woman. - -The boys had come light from the Diamond Dot, but Horace had outfitted -way beyond his needs, intendin' to do consid'able campin' around, and -Olaf also had a couple of extra tarps and plenty o' beddin'; so we -fixed up our old bunk-shack which had been left standin', and settled -down as though the interval between our previous visit hadn't been -more 'n ten days. - -The Friar came back about ten o'clock. He came into our shack as quiet -as he could; but Horace was sittin' before the fire waitin' for him. -It was a warm night; but we had built the fire to make it a little -more cheerful, and had left the door wide open. Horace saw the Friar -the minute he reached the doorway, and he got up and went outside with -him. - -They were gone nearly an hour, and then Horace sneaked in, and wakened -me up. I follered him outside; and he said that the Friar intended to -ride down to see Ty Jones as soon as it was day, and that he insisted -on ridin' alone. The Friar was walkin' up and down in the moonlight, -his face was all twisted up, through his tryin' to hold it calm, when -I took my turn at reasonin' with him; but it wasn't any use. - -"Well, you'll not go alone," I said at last; "and you can make up your -mind to that now. We don't know how much Ty already knows about our -puttin' the Greasers out o' the game, and we don't know how much of it -he'll lay to you; but we do know that he hates you, and would wipe -your name off the list the first good chance he had. I'm goin' along." - -The Friar was hot; we stood there in the moonlight facin' each other -and takin' each other's measures. He was a shade taller and some -heavier 'n I was; and ya could see 'at he'd have given right smart to -have felt free to mix it with me. "Do you think I'm a baby?" he burst -out. "Do you think 'at I'm not fit to be trusted out o' your sight? -You take entirely too much on yourself, Happy Hawkins!" - -I didn't want to taunt him to hurt him--I'd rather been kicked by a -hoss than to do this--but I did want to arouse him to a sense o' the -truth. "You have adjusted yourself to this locality purty well, -Friar," sez I; "but the's still a lot you don't quite savvy. Some -cases must be settled by a man himself, but some must be left to the -law. If this woman is the wife o' Ty Jones, he has the law on his -side." - -He turned from me and stamped off into the night with his hands -clenched. He disappeared in the cottonwoods, and I was just beginnin' -to wonder if I hadn't better foller him, when he came back again. "Oh, -I've been a fool, I've been a fool!" he cried. "All my life I have -tried not to judge others, but all my life I have judged them. I have -tried to put myself in their place, but allus I judged and condemned -them for giving way to temptations which I felt that I, in their -place, could have resisted. I have been a fool, and I still am a fool. -I admit that you are right, and I am wrong--but, I am going to Ty -Jones's at dawn, and I'm goin' alone." - -Well, that settled it--me an' the Friar had to buck each other again. -He continued to stalk up an' down through moonlight and shadow; while -I tried to plan a way to head him off. I was dead sleepy, but I went -around and wakened up all the other fellers, and told 'em not to get -up in the mornin' until called; next I got Tank to help me, and we -waited until the Friar had walked in the opposite direction, and then -we took the ponies out o' the corral and headed 'em toward the hills. -The farther we got, the rougher with 'em we got, and then we turned -our own mounts loose, and sent 'em after the bunch. It was a big job -to pack our saddles back on our heads, but we did it, and tore down -the fences to pertend 'at the ponies had vamoosed on their own hook. -Horace was walkin' with the Friar now, arguin' the benefit of a little -sleep, so 'at he'd be at his best. After a time the Friar did go to -bed in Horace's tarp in the corner. - -I didn't wake up till after seven, myself, and all the fellers were -pertendin' to sleep as though it wasn't more 'n three. The Friar -didn't wake up till eight. He was beside himself when he found the -ponies gone; but he ate breakfast as calm as he could, and then set -out with us to wrangle in some hosses on foot. - -Goin' after hosses on foot is sufficiently irritatin' to a ridin' -outfit to make it easy enough to believe 'at this was all an accident, -and we didn't come up with the ponies till nearly noon. When we -cornered 'em up, I never in my life saw as much poor ropin', nor as -much good actin'; but we finally got enough gentle ones to ride -bareback, so we could wrangle in the rest; and after a quick lunch, -the Friar started to make his hoss ready. - -We all started along with him. He stopped and faced on us, givin' us a -long, cold look-over. You can say all you want to again' swearin', but -the's times when it springs out of its own accord in a man, as natural -and beautiful and satisfyin' as the flowers blossom forth on the -cactus plants; and I haven't a shred of doubt that if the Friar had -handed us some o' the remarks that came ready-framed to his tongue -just then, they'd have been well worth storin' up for future needs; -but all he did was to fold his arms, and say: "Your methods are not my -methods. I am not goin' there to start trouble, and I do not even wish -to give them the slightest excuse to start it of their own vo-lition. -If you are my friends, you will respect my wishes." - -"Well, but you'll take at least one of us along, won't ya, Friar?" sez -ol' Tank. "Likely as not we wouldn't take it up, nohow; but still if -they made away with ya, we'd sort o' like to know about it as early as -possible, in order not to feel suspensed any longer 'n was necessary." - -"I should like to take one man along as a guide, as I am not entirely -familiar with the trail from here," sez the Friar, still talkin' to us -as though we were a lot of evil-lookin' strangers. "If one of you were -to go along until we came within sight o' the ranch buildin's--No, -they might see him and get the idee that he had gone back to join a -reserve body, and I do not wish them to have the slightest grounds for -resorting to force on their side. I shall have to go alone." - -"I can see what you've been drivin' at, now," sez Tank, whose face was -so muddled up that no one ever tried to read his thoughts in his -features, and so he could lie with impunity. "Yes, I can see what you -mean, now, and I got to own up 'at you're right about it. Still, you -know, Friar, we're bound to worry about ya. How long do you want us to -wait before we start to projectin' around to get some news of ya?" - -A look of relief came to the Friar's face: "Why, if I don't come back -within a week," sez he, "I haven't any objections to your notifyin' -the legal authorities that you fear something has happened to me--but -don't make much fuss, for it doesn't really matter." - -We all kicked about waitin' a week, but finally compromised on five -days as bein' about the right interval to allow before notifyin' the -legal authorities. Then we advised the Friar to go down by the ravine -as it would take him to the ranch by the back way where he wouldn't be -so likely to attract attention, especially from the dogs. - -He asked Horace to ride with him until he could get a landmark; so -Horace flung his saddle on a hoss an' started along, while the rest of -us made ready to go trout-fishin', or take a snooze, or shake the -cards, accordin' to the way we generally amused ourselves when -loafin'. The Friar turned back once on the pretense that he wanted to -get a good drink o' water before startin'; but he found us scattered -out peaceful an' resigned, so he headed away at good speed. - -Horace took him the open road, while we went mostly through cuts, the -way we had allus gone to our look-out. Our way was some the longer; -but we pushed our hosses a little more, and made the look-out just as -the Friar reached the point where the path went down into the ravine. -Horace had agreed to do all he could to get the Friar to go up to the -clump of bushes where the woman spent her afternoons, though he said -he doubted if the Friar would do it. - -I had the field glasses with me, and kept 'em on the Friar's face when -he paused to examine the spot and make sure he was right. He couldn't -see the ranch buildin's from where he was, nor the path leadin' to the -clump of trees. I could see his face plain through the glasses, and he -had taken the guy ropes off and let it sag into just the way he felt. -It was filled with pain an' sufferin'. - -As soon as Horace came, he and I sneaked down to the bunch o' big -rocks from which we could see the path as it dipped from the opposite -edge of the ravine, leavin' the rest of the boys to watch the ranch -buildin's. We could see them from where we were, and they could see -us, and we had a signal for us to come back, or them to come to us; -and another that the Friar was gettin' it bad down below, and to make -a rush for him. We hadn't seen any one about the buildin's, except the -Chinese cook. Our plan was to not rush the buildin's right away, -unless we saw the Friar gettin' manhandled beyond his endurance. -Horace said 'at the Friar had refused to go to the clump o' trees to -see the woman, as it might give the impression that she had sent word -to him to meet her there, and he wouldn't cast the slightest suspicion -upon her name. - -"Horace," I said, as an awful fear struck me, "supposin' after all, it -ain't the right woman!" - -Horace's eyes stuck out like the tail lights on a freight caboose. -"Oh, I'm sure it's the same woman," sez he. "Course she's changed -some; but we couldn't all three be mistaken." - -"I still think it's the same woman," sez I; "but as far as all three -not bein' mistaken, the's nothin' to that. Half o' the fellers who -make bets are mistaken, and most of us make bets. Still I think she's -the same woman." - -In spite of this doubt, I was feelin' purty comfortable. The other -time we had been there, I hadn't been able to think up any excuse as -to why; but this time I felt I was in right and it left me free to -enjoy the prospects of a little excitement. I allus try to be honest -with myself; and when I'm elated up over anything, I generally aim to -trail back my feelin's to their exact cause. I'm bound to admit that -when I'm certain that any trouble likely to arise will be thrust upon -me in spite of my own moral conduct, I allus take a pleasant -satisfaction in waitin' for it. - -The Friar slid his hoss down the bank o' the ravine, and disappeared -just a few moments before we saw the woman comin' along the path from -the clump of trees. We kept glancin' up at the look-out now and again, -but mostly we glued our eyes on the woman. Horace hogged the field -glasses most o' the time, but my eyes were a blame sight better 'n -his, so I didn't kick about it much. - -When she reached the edge o' the ravine, she paused and gave a little -start. "Does she know him, Horace?" I sez. - -"She don't seem to," sez Horace. "She's speakin' down at him; but her -face looks as though she didn't know him." - -"If it's the wrong woman," sez I, "I'm goin' to start to the North -Pole to locate the fool-killer." - -While I spoke, she started down the path slow and matter o' fact; and -me an' Horace scuttled back to the look-out to be in time to see 'em -come out at the bottom--providin' the Friar went on with her. - -We didn't get there more 'n two minutes before they came out at the -bottom; but it seemed a week. When they finally came into sight, the -Friar was walkin' an' leadin' his hoss, and she was walkin' at his -side about four feet from him with a big dog on each side of her. Just -then we saw six Cross-branders ride in toward the corral. - -"It looks calm an' quiet," drawled ol' Tank, his free eye bouncin' -about like a rubber ball; "but I'll bet two cookies again' the hole in -a doughnut that we have a tol'able fair sized storm before mornin'." - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE - -THE FRIAR GIVEN TWO WEEKS - - -As Friar Tuck and the woman came out of the mouth of the ravine, Ty -Jones came out of the back door of the old cabin. He stopped a moment, -lookin' at 'em, rubbed his eyes an' looked again. Then he walked -towards 'em. He spoke somethin' to the Friar, and the Friar answered -it. The woman didn't pay any heed at all; but went around the new -cabin to the door which was on the other side. Three more -Cross-branders rode in, and Ty Jones shook his fist at the Friar. - -Ol' Tank was cussin' under his breath for comfort, but it didn't keep -him from gettin' fidgetty. "Isn't the' no sort of a tool, Horace," he -blurted out, "that'll stretch out your hearin' the way these field -glasses stretch out your eyesight? I'd be willin' to have one of my -ears run as wild as my free eye, forever after, if it could just hear, -now, what Ty Jones is a-speakin' to the Friar. I'm beginnin' to get -nervous." - -We all felt about the same way; but it was about two miles down to -where they were, so all we could do was to watch. - -Olaf had come with us, leavin' Oscar with Kit, and now Horace turned -to him and said: "You and Promotheus know more about Ty Jones 'n the -rest of us. I have never tried to pump Promotheus, but now I want you -to tell us what you think he'll do with the Friar." - -They said 'at Ty was generally purty cold blooded, and likely to take -enough time in gettin' rid of a feller to make it purty hard to tell -just how it had been done; but that when he once let go of himself, he -didn't care what happened, and if the Friar angered him about the -woman, the chances were 'at the Friar would never leave the ranch -alive. - -The shadows were beginnin' to fall, down in the valley; but Ty and the -Friar kept on talkin', Ty wavin' his hands now and again, while the -Friar stood straight with his hands hangin' easy at his side. I -couldn't stand it any longer. - -"I believe 'at a feller could get almost to 'em without bein' seen, by -goin' along the edge o' the ravine," sez I; "and I'm goin' to do it. -It'll be dark in a few minutes. If you want me to hustle to the Friar, -wave a torch up and down; if you want me to come back here, wave it -sideways." - -"I'm goin', too," sez Horace. - -"So 'm I," sez Olaf and The. - -"Well, that's full enough," sez I, "and the rest of ya keep a sharp -watch, and also keep the hosses ready, in case we need 'em." - -The four of us started down the side o' the slope at good speed. There -were only two places on the way down where we caught sight o' the -ranch buildin's; but just before we reached the top o' the cliff, we -heard a sound down below in the ravine. Glancin' cautious over the -side, I saw the Friar comin' back alone, on foot and leadin' his hoss. - -I drew back and whispered to the others, and we felt purty blame -cheap. We hardly knew what to do, as the Friar was likely to see us if -we tried to run back to our look-out before he reached the place where -the path came up out o' the ravine, and most of all, we didn't want -him to know 'at we were follerin' him. - -He had passed us by this time, so we looked over the edge o' the -ravine at him. He was walkin' slow with his head down, and his hands -in his pockets. "He'll ride home slow," sez I; "and we can easy beat -him." - -"Hush," sez The, draggin' us back from the edge, "the's two fellers -follerin' him." - -"Horace," I said, quick and firm, so as not to have any back-talk, -"you go about forty yards up the ravine, and keep your eyes on these -fellers. Don't shoot 'em unless they try to pass you. Hurry, now! I've -given you the most important post. If you shoot, shoot in earnest." - -Horace stooped over and ran to where a rock jutted out. "Now, then," -sez I, "as soon as these fellers pass us, we'll try to bowl 'em over -with one stone each, and then drop back out o' sight. We don't want to -shoot unless we have to." - -"They're wavin' us to come back," whispered The, who had took a glance -at our look-out. - -"Never mind," sez I, lookin' down and seein' the two fellers crouched -over and sneakin' after the Friar. "Now then, throw and drop back." - -We stood on our knees, threw one stone each, and dropped back. They -rattled in the ravine below, and we heard a sharp yelp of pain. I had -only dodged away from the edge of the ravine and ran to where Horace -was. - -"One feller was hit in the shoulder and knocked down," sez he; "but he -got up again right away, and both of 'em ran back." - -"What did the Friar do?" I asked, not darin' to look over, lest he see -me. - -"He turned around and started back," sez Horace. "I was afraid he'd -see my head again' the sky, so I pulled it back. I haven't heard him -move since those fellers started to run." - -"Well, I don't believe 'at even the Friar would be daffy enough to go -back," sez I; "so we'll just lay here and listen. They signalled us -from above a while back, but they've stopped again." - -We waited some time without hearin' any one pass us, and then we -sneaked up along the edge of the ravine. Before long we saw the Friar -come up the side. He paused on top and looked back, then mounted and -started for Olaf's at a slow shuffle. As soon as he was well under -way, we pushed for the look-out, and mounted. - -"Slim, you and Tillte wouldn't be missed as soon as the rest of us; so -you trail the Friar, while we try to beat him home," sez I. "If you -need us, shoot. Otherwise come in as unnoticeable as you're able." - -We reached Olaf's, had our saddles off and the hosses turned loose -before the Friar rode in. His face was white, but this was the only -thing 'at showed what he was goin' through. We made a big fuss about -his gettin' back all right and asked him plenty o' questions, without -overdoin' it enough to make him suspicious. He answered our questions -right enough, but he didn't open up and talk free. Slim and Tillte -joined us at supper without bein' noticed. - -After supper we gathered around the fire in Olaf's settin' room, and -the Friar gave us a purty complete account of what had happened. He -said that it was his old girl all right; but he said that the' was -somethin' the matter with her, that she didn't recognize him even -after he had made himself known to her. He said she seemed dazed-like -and not to take any interest in anything. - -He said they had walked down the ravine together, and she had told him -that she was comfortable enough but not happy. That she had lost -something which she could not find; but that she was getting stronger -since havin' come out to the mountains. He said 'at when Ty Jones saw -'em together, he had carried on somethin' fierce, and had ordered her -into the house. Then he had turned on the Friar and told him that he -would give him two weeks to leave the state and after that his life -wouldn't be safe in it. He said he had tried to reason with Ty; but it -wasn't any use; so he had just come away. - -"If he had set upon you, would you have shot him?" asked Tank. - -"I didn't have anything to shoot him with," sez the Friar. "I was -careful to leave my weapons behind." - -"Well, you didn't show much judgment in doin' it," sez Tank. "He might -have sent a couple o' fellers after ya, and finished you out in the -dark somewhere so 'at we never could 'a' proved it on him." - -"I did think for a minute that some one was follerin' me," sez the -Friar. "I heard a rattle of stones and a cry a few hundred feet behind -me in the ravine; but I think it was some animal slippin' down the -side." - -"Like as not," sez Tank. "If it had been any o' Ty's gang, they -wouldn't have give it up so easy; but another time we'll some of us go -along with you; so as to get your last words anyhow, if so be 'at -you're bent on suicide. What do you intend to do now?" - -"That's the worst of it," sez the Friar. "I don't know what to do. She -said she did not think she was married; but she was not sure; and Ty -refused to give me any satisfaction about it." - -"Isn't the' any law out here, at all?" sez Horace. "Seems to me as -though there ought to be some way to get at Ty Jones." - -"What would you charge him with?" asked the Friar. "She is not being -abused or kept a prisoner, she says she is comfortable and gettin' -stronger--I can't think of any way to bring him under the law. If you -had not taken the law into your own hands in regard to his two men, we -might have made the claim that he was behind them in this; but really, -I do not see where we have any just grounds to go to law." - -"That little matter o' the Greasers don't hobble us none," sez ol' -Tank. "Don't you get the idee that you're bound in any way by this. -The whole country would uphold us; so if you want to use it as a -lever, just make your claims again' Ty to the law officers, and we'll -tell 'em 'at the Greasers confessed 'at Ty put 'em up to it." - -This seemed to us like sage advice; and we all chipped in and urged -the Friar to act on it. Laws are all right, I haven't a word to say -again' laws. Fact is, I believe 'at we're better off for havin' a few -than not; but after all, laws come under the head of luxuries like -diamonds and elevators and steam heat. We all know there is such -things, and we haven't any objections to those usin' 'em who can -afford it; but most of us have to wear cut-glass, pack in our own -wood, do our climbin' on foot or hossback, and settle our troubles in -our own way with as little bother as possible. When you figure it down -to the foundation, laws depend on public opinion, not public opinion -on laws; and all the public opinion worth takin' into account would -have said 'at we had done the right thing with those Greasers. If -they'd 'a' tried to law us for a little thing like this, it would have -started an upraisin' which would have let the law see how small a -shadow it really does throw when it comes to a show-down. - -The Friar didn't answer us right away, and when he did, it was in the -most discouraged voice I'd ever heard him use. "I'm in the dark, -boys," sez he, "I don't know what to do. Even if I could find some way -to take her away from Ty Jones, I do not know what to do with her. She -is not herself, she needs care and protection--and I am not in a -position to supply them. I have an income of three hundred and fifty -dollars a year, which is much more than enough for my own needs, for I -live mostly upon the hospitality of my friends as you well know"--we -also knew 'at he spent most of his money in helpin' those who never -saw enough money to get on intimate terms with it; while all they gave -him in return was a little meal and bacon for savin' their souls and -doctor-bills. "I don't know what I could do for her, even if I had the -right to take her away from him," continued the Friar. "My life has -been a good deal of a failure; and I--" - -"For the love o' common sense, Friar!" broke in Horace. "You don't -seem to have the smallest degree o' judgment. You know mighty well 'at -I'm bothered to death to know what to do with my money. You get her if -you can, send her to any sort of a sanitarium you want to, and I'll -foot the bills. Don't you ever sit around and whine about money in my -presence again. It worries and disgusts and irritates me--and I came -out here for rest. You talk about faith and takin' no heed for the -morrow, and such things; but you act as though you were riskin' a -man's soul when you gave him a chance to be of some little use in the -world." - -The Friar was purty well overcome at this; but figure on it the best -we were able, we couldn't see just how to get a man's wife away from -him without provin' that he had abused her. It was a complication, any -way we looked at it; so we all went to bed in the hope that one of us -would have a lucky dream. - -We didn't have any more idees next mornin' than we'd had the night -before; so after breakfast, the Friar took a walk and the rest of us -sat around in bunches talkin' it over. About ten o'clock a feller -named Joyce who lived about fifteen miles east of Olaf came by on his -way for a doctor, his boy havin' been kicked above the knee and his -leg broke. The Friar could patch up a human as good as any doctor; so -we went after him, knowin' that this would be the best way to take his -mind off his own troubles, and the' was a look o' relief in the -Friar's face when he rode away with Joyce. - -I never knew any feller yet who didn't spend a lot o' time wishin' he -had a chance to loaf all the laziness out of his system; but the fact -of the matter is, that work gives us more satisfaction than anything -else. A wild animal's life is one long stretch after enough to eat; -but he's full o' health an' joy an' beauty. On the other hand, put one -in a cage and feed it regular and it turns sick immediate. What we -need is plenty o' the kind o' work we are fitted for--this is the -answer to all our discontented feelin'; and what the Friar was best -fitted for, was to help others. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR - -A CROSS FOR EVERY MAN - - -Thinkin', just plain thinkin', is about the hardest work the' is; and -for the next several days, we lay around doin' mighty little else. The -trouble was, 'at we couldn't devise a way to put Ty Jones out o' -business. He wasn't an outlaw; fact was, he stood high with the big -cattle men; and we got light headed tryin' to scare up a plan which -would remove Ty in a decent manner, and leave the Friar free to take -the woman without causin' him any conscience-pains. We were the -mournfulest lookin' bunch o' healthy men ever I saw; and finally I -decided to loaf with Kit and the kid, they not bein' expected to do -any thinkin' and therefore havin' smooth an' pleasant faces. - -Sometimes I wonder if women don't get along just as well without -thinkin' as men do with it. I hadn't talked seven minutes with Kit -before she suggested just what I would have thought up if I'd been -able. She didn't even know she had suggested it; so I didn't call her -attention to it for fear it might up-heave her vanity and give Olaf -bother. I had a plan now and it was of such a nature that I was glad -the Friar wasn't there to mess into it. - -I found Promotheus an' Tank lyin' on the grass along the crick. They -were back to back, and their faces were so lined with genuwine -thought, that they looked like a pair of overgrown nutmegs. I sat down -beside 'em lookin' worried. - -Presently Tank sez: "What ya thinkin' about?" - -I shook my head, and in about half an hour The asked the same -question. I waited a minute, hove out a sigh, and sez: "Gee, I wish I -was you." - -"Why do you wish you was me?" sez he. - -"'Cause," sez I, "you've got a chance to do the biggest deed I know -of." - -"What is it?" sez he, examinin' my face to see if I was sheepin' him. - -"No," sez I, shakin' my head; "I ain't got any right to even think of -it, let alone hint at it. You might think I was buttin' into your -affairs, and then again--No, I refuse to suggest it. If it's your -duty, you'll see it yourself; but I won't take the responsibility of -pointin' it out." - -"What in thunder did you mention it at all for, then?" sez The, -gettin' curious an' exasperated. - -"And then besides," sez I to myself, out loud, "there's Horace. Like -as not he wouldn't allow you to run your head into danger any more." - -"What!" yelled The. "Didn't we run our heads into danger all over the -tropics of the Orient, didn't we goad up danger an' search for it and -roust it out of its hidin' places and--Why, confound you--" - -In about ten minutes I stopped him, an' sez in a quiet voice: "Well, -then, if I was you, I'd go on down to Ty Jones's and take on with him -again." - -We lay on the grass there, along Pearl Crick for some time without -speakin'. Up on the rim, the grass was burned to a crisp; but along -the crick it was still green. Promotheus pulled blade after blade of -it and chewed 'em up in his mouth, while me an' Tank watched him. - -"What you mean, is for me to take on with Ty Jones--and then to act -spy on him. Ain't that what ya mean?" sez The after a time. - -I'd 'a' sooner he hadn't put it into words--it did look rather raw -when he stood it up before us naked. "I don't mean nothin' in -particular, The," sez I. "You and I are different, and what I could do -without feelin'--" - -"That's all right," he broke in. "The' ain't any need to treat me like -an infant baby. Come right out with it--What you want me to do is to -play spy, ain't it?" - -"That's the only way I can see to help the Friar," sez I; "but he -wouldn't want you to do anything for him you didn't feel was right." - -"I know, I know," he sez, lookin' down at his hands. "Ty Jones is as -mean as a snake, and I don't deny it; but he's been square with me, -and once he saved my life. Then again, the Friar has been square with -every one, and if he hadn't nursed me night and day, Horace wouldn't -have had a chance to save my life. If Horace had killed me it would -have spoiled his life; so that the whole thing is held together in a -tangle. I'm willin' to cash in my life for the Friar--it ain't -that--but I do hate to turn again' Ty Jones underhanded." - -"Better just forget I mentioned it," sez I. - -"No," sez Promotheus, "I intend to lay the plan before Horace, and let -him settle on it." - -"That's a good scheme, that's the best way out of it," sez ol' Tank, -and I joined in with him. - -We sat there on the bank a long time, thinkin' the thing over, and -finally just before supper, Horace hove in sight and started to josh -us; but when he saw how sober we were, he settled down, and asked us -what was up. - -"Horace," sez The, "what would you think of my takin' on with Ty -Jones, and playin' the spy on him?" - -"That would be madness!" exclaimed Horace. "He'd see through it and -kill you first pop. I don't know though--you might fix up a tale--but -then it would be too infernal risky. Nope, don't you try it." - -"If it could be done," persisted The, "what would you think of it?" - -"Oh, it would be a great thing for the Friar," sez Horace; "but, -Promotheus, I don't like to have you take the risk." - -"It ain't the risk I'm fussin' about," sez The. "Ty was square to me -in his own way. The Friar has been square to me also, and I know 'at -his way is the best; but at the same time--don't you think it would be -downright snakish for me to go back to Ty, tell him some excuse for my -stayin' away, and then plot again' him while I'm eatin' his vittles?" - -It didn't sound good to us when Promotheus came out with it so -everlastin' unpolluted; but he had worked up a sense of honesty since -bein' with Horace, which wouldn't let him do any pertendin'. Horace -didn't answer, and he went on after waitin' a minute: "I haven't any -prejudices again' fightin' him in the open; but it does go again' my -grain to wear a dog hide when I'm playin' wolf, and Ty Jones was -square to me." - -"Well," sez Horace, "I haven't the heart to advise you to do this, -Promotheus. We'll sure be able to find some other way, and as long as -it goes again' your grain the way it does, I don't want you to do it." - -"Would you think any the less of me if I did?" asked The, his eyes -takin' on a sad, hungry look, like a dog's eyes get when he's worried -over what his master'll say about some trick he's been up to. - -"Course I wouldn't think any less of ya," sez Horace without -hesitatin'; "but hang it, I'm afraid somethin' 'll happen to ya." - -"Would the Friar think any the less of me?" sez The. - -"If the Friar heard about it, he wouldn't let ya go," sez Horace. - -"I've puzzled more about the Friar 'n about airy other man I ever -saw," sez The, thoughtful. "I wanted to lynch Olaf that time, guilty -or not guilty; but the Friar straightened things out by riskin' his -own soul. He hates lynchin', it goes square again' his grain; but he -made a bet with us to help stretch Olaf if we could prove him guilty; -and this has stuck with me. This was a big thing to do, and I'd like -to do somethin' big for the Friar--But I swear it would hurt me to spy -on Ty Jones!" - -We didn't have anything to say on the subject; so we just sat and -chewed grass. - -"I've been thinkin' about that old Greek feller, 'at you named me -after," sez Promotheus at last. "He didn't ask no one else to take the -responsibility of tellin' him what to do. He just decided what was -right, and then did it. If I go to Ty Jones, and he treats me right, -my own thoughts'll tear at me like vultures; but this here other -Promotheus, he stood it, 'cause it was for man's good; and I'm game to -do the same. - -"I don't intend to be any more sneakier 'n I have to be. All I intend -to do is to find out what I can about the woman, and, if Ty ain't -treatin' her right, to help get her away from him; but I want it -understood right now that I'm not goin' to work any tricks on Ty to -get him into the law for what he's done in bygone days. Now then, I -take all the blame on my own shoulders; but we'll have to fix up a -tale to fool a wise one, 'cause Ty won't be took in by chaff." - -We talked things over a long time; but it seemed mighty unreasonable -for Promotheus to have pulled out without sayin' a word, and then to -come back without writin' in the meantime; and we couldn't quite hit -on it. Finally the idee came to me. - -"They're goin' to graze the grass down to the roots, this summer," sez -I; "but still, the' won't be enough to go around. A lot o' cattle will -have to be sold off early, and some will be trailed up into Montana, -and cow-punchers are goin' to be in demand. Ty is long on cattle and -short on grass, and he'll be glad to have extra help he can trust; so -he won't question ya too close. You tell him 'at Horace here was a -government agent, and that he arrested you as a deserter, and took you -to prison where you was given a life sentence; that you broke out a -couple o' months ago, and have been workin' your way back as cautious -as you could." - -"My Lord, I hate to tell him that!" sez The. "It's too infernal much -like what I told him the first time." - -"You got to make up a good story, or else give up your plan," sez I. - -"Yes, that's so," he agreed. "Ty'd believe that, too. What prison had -I better say I've been in?" - -"Which one was you in?" sez I. - -"I never was in any government prison," sez he. "I was in a state -prison." - -"Have ya ever seen a government prison?" sez I. - -"Yes, I've seen two, one in Kansas, and one in Frisco," sez he. - -"Which would be the hardest to get out of?" sez I. - -"The one in Frisco; it's on an island," sez he. - -"Choose that one," sez I; "and make up your escape just as it might -have happened." - -"Ty won't haggle me with questions," sez The sadly. "He'll just -believe me, an' this'll make it ten times as hard." - -"You ought to be paler an' more haggard," sez I; "but I doubt if the's -a way to do it." - -"Keep soakin' his face in hot towels for a few days," sez Horace. -"That'll bleach him out." - -"Are ya goin' foot or hossback?" sez I. - -"I stole a hoss down in Texas the last time I came," sez he, "and -traded him off when he got footsore." - -"We got some hosses with a Nevada brand, over at the Dot," sez I. -"I'll slip over an' get one while you're havin' your complexion -bleached off. They broke out an' got with the herd before we finished -brandin' 'em, and we just let it go. The chances are they haven't been -rebranded yet." - -"All right," sez The. "If I'm to do it at all, I want it to go -through; but I have an idee 'at those vultures pickin' at my liver are -goin' to be mighty unpleasant company." - -Me an' Spider Kelley, Tillte Dutch an' Mexican Slim rode over to the -Dot and found two o' those Nevada hosses, still rangin' with their old -brands untouched; so we roped one, and came back with it, without -havin' word with any of the outfit. The Diamond Dot range was the best -of any we rode over, and they had put up a lot o' hay that summer; but -still I felt sure 'at they would have to cut down purty close, though -I knew 'at Jabez would hold as many as he could for a high price the -followin' year. - -We found The's complexion purty well stewed out and haggard, Kit -havin' put soda in the hot water; so I told him to play sick, and loaf -around the house as long as possible. He agreed to it; but the' was a -settled look o' regret in his face which was a heap different from the -one he had wore when he dismounted from the stage at Bosco. - -"Night and day," sez I, "the'll be at least two of us at the look-out, -and you come up with any news you have. Get into the habit of -whistlin' Horace's tune; so that if ever you'd want to warn us to -vamose rapid, you can whistle it. You might ride that way with some o' -Ty's outfit, or somethin'." - -"It's not likely," sez he. "The's no range up that way, and no trail -leadin' near it; but you fellers want to scatter your tracks all you -can, so as not to make a path." - -We made plans for all the unexpected details we could think up; and -then he started forth one night, meanin' to circle to the southwest, -and come in from that direction. He wore a red handkerchief under his -nose as if to shut out the dust; but shaved clean, and pale as he was, -mighty few would have recognized him either as Badger-face, or as the -feller what had come in with us a few weeks before. We all shook hands -solemn when he left, and promised to be at the look-out the followin' -night, and to be there steady from that on. - -"What makes you fellers trust me?" sez he just as he started. "I came -down here to put Olaf out o' business, and then I turned over to your -side. Now I'm goin' back to Ty's. What makes you think I won't turn -again' ya, if I get into a tight place?" - -Horace went over and took his hand. "Promotheus," sez he, "I've been -with you through hot days and cold nights, I've been with you through -hunger and thirst and danger; and I'd trust you as long as I'd trust -myself. You're not goin' to Ty's because you're a traitor. You're -goin' because you're a changed man, and the new man you've become is -willin' to risk his life for what he thinks is right. No matter what -happens, I'll trust ya; so take that along to think over." - -Promotheus winked his eyes purty fast, then he gave a sigh and rode -off into the night. The' wasn't the hint of a smile about his lips, -nor a glint o' gladness in his eyes; but somethin' in the straight way -'at he held his back let ya know 'at the inside man of him was finally -at peace with what the outside man was doin'--and if ya don't know -what that means, the's no way to tell ya. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE - -THE FRIAR A COMPLICATION - - -We all felt purty down-hearted after Promotheus had rode away, and we -sat before the fire in Olaf's settin' room a good deal the same as if -we were holdin' a wake. - -"Olaf," I sez, "you can't have any finicky notions about treatin' Ty -Jones square, after all the persecutin' he's handed you. Do you know -anything on him you could have him sent to prison for?" - -Olaf shook his head. "He's too clever to get caught in a trap," sez -he. "He scarcely ever gave any orders to have things done. He'd just -say aloud as though talkin' to himself, that some one or other was in -his way; and then his men would begin to take spite on that feller. If -the calf tally showed a hundred percent increase, he would think that -about right, and no questions; but if ever it fell short o' what he -expected, we had it to make up some way. He'd send us out until we had -brought in enough to satisfy; but he'd never give us straight orders -to rustle. He is a smart man. When one of his men got into trouble, he -got him out, no matter what cost; but he expected his men to do what -he wanted, without askin' questions. He has no fear, none at all. I -know, I have seen. He has no fear, and he is very strong. It is bad to -be at war with him; but I should like to have my hands at his throat -once, and none to interfere." - -"Maybe you will, Olaf," sez I, "maybe you will; and I don't mind -sayin' that I hope to be on hand to see it." - -We kept two men allus at the look-out with Horace's field glasses. It -was a queer sort o' summer, the air wasn't clear like it usually is, -but hazy, as though full o' dust; and in lots of places they were -turnin' stock on the grass they generally aimed to save for winter. -There were only a few punchers around the Cross brand ranch houses; -but we saw Promotheus every day. He hobbled about with a stick part o' -the time, holdin' his hand on his back as though he had the rheumatiz, -which was natural enough from bein' shut up in an island prison. Some -days we saw the woman; but she never came up the ravine path any more. - -Promotheus didn't make a report to us for about a week. Then he came -out one night about eleven. He said 'at Ty hadn't doubted a word he'd -said; but had done everything possible to make him comfortable, -tellin' him to just loaf until he got in good order. He said 'at Ty -and the woman didn't have much to do with each other and hadn't had -since she'd come out. He said 'at the woman was kind to all the -animals, in spite of everything 'at Ty could do, and the dogs was -gettin' to act like regular, ordinary dogs. He said all but a few new -pups had remembered him, and one had even wagged his tail, though he -couldn't see any sense in this, he never havin' as much as spoke a -kind word to the dog, so far as he could recollect. - -He said he had held several talks with Ty, and Ty had asked him if he -thought 'at Olaf was in league with any big outfits. He said 'at he -had told Ty that he was sure Olaf had been in league with 'em several -years before, but o' course, he couldn't know anything o' what had -happened since. Ty said he had come to the conclusion that Olaf was -set out for a kind of bait to draw him into trouble, which was why he -had let him alone; but that he was short o' grass this season, and -wanted Pearl Crick Spread bad. He also told The about the two Greasers -disappearin', though he wasn't sure what had happened to 'em. He knew -about us bein' over at Olaf's off and on, and The warned us to be -careful, as Ty expected to have Olaf's place watched as soon as he got -through movin' several bands o' cattle. - -The said 'at the woman had a soft spot for any dumb brute, or even a -human in distress, and that he had touched her by hobblin' around with -the stick. He said she had cooked him some flabby invalid-food with -her own hands, and that it was mighty captivatin'. He said she didn't -speak much; but he was tryin' his best to get on the good side of her. -He said 'at all the boys claimed 'at Ty treated her well; but didn't -seem to care much for her. Horace didn't happen to be with us when The -came; but we said we'd move our camp higher up on the slope, to be on -the safe side when Olaf's was watched, and would have Horace on deck -sure the next time The came out; and we did this the next day. - -The land was all slashed an' twisted around and broken, up west o' the -Cross brand ranch houses. The ravine leadin' down to 'em ran east and -west, the path leadin' up out of it to the trees where we had first -seen the woman wasn't near so steep as the one comin' out of it on the -north side toward the clump o' rocks. After the north path came out, -the ravine narrowed down until it wasn't more than a crack, the south -side not risin' so high as on the north; so that soon the north side -stood up like a cliff above the land leadin' down to the clump of -trees, and the only way we could get over to it was to go down the -ravine and up again on the other side. - -We made our camp consid'able higher than our look-out had been, and it -was a well sheltered spot. An easy slopin' stretch led up to it from -the north, and a ledge skirted the face o' the cliff up back of it, to -the south. We examined this some distance; but it didn't seem to lead -anywhere. We found several dips back in the hills where the snow water -made grazin' for our ponies, and we were as comfortable as it's ever -possible to be while waitin'. - -I know what my plan would be for makin' a hell which would be -punishment for any mortal sin, and yet not severe enough to make me -hate all the peace out o' my own existence. I'd make the wicked sit in -the dark for a hundred years, waitin' to hear what their sentence was. -Then, I'd let 'em into heaven, and I bet they would be in a fair way -to appreciate it. I never met up with any one able to out-wait me -without showin' it more 'n I did; but I'll wager what I got, that the -suspense was gorin' into me worse 'n into them, all the time. - -One evenin', me an' Tank went up to camp after doin' our stunt at the -look-out, and as we went, we caught sight o' two riders headin' our -way. We hastened along so as to be ready to move in case this was a -pair we didn't care to draw to; but by the time we reached camp, they -were close enough to recognize as the Friar and Olaf. The plan was to -keep the Friar in the dark as long as possible, and we waited their -comin' with consid'able interest. - -The Friar had squeezed the whole thing out of Olaf, as we might have -known he would. You couldn't trust Olaf with a secret where the Friar -was concerned. Tank, now, would have sent the Friar off to Bosco or -Laramie as contented as a bug; but just as soon as Olaf was backed -into a corner, he told the truth, and spoiled all our arrangements. - -The Friar rode into our camp, dismounted, threw his reins to the -ground, and sez: "Where is Promotheus?" - -We looked at Olaf, and he nodded his head as sheepish as the under dog -at a bee-swarmin'. "He's down at the ranch," sez Horace. - -"Has he brought any news?" asked the Friar. So we told him all 'at The -had reported. He took a few steps up and down, ponderin'. - -"I can't permit this," he said after a minute. "He is riskin' his life -down there, and I can't allow him to continue." - -The rest all joined in and argued with him; but he was as obstinate as -a burro, once he got his back up; so I didn't say anything. I went off -and started to eat my supper. When I was about half through, Horace -came over and said the Friar was bent on goin' down to Ty's himself. -"Well, let him go," sez I as cool as a snow-slide. - -"Yes, but if he goes, Ty will kill both him and Promotheus!" sez -Horace raisin' his voice. I noticed the others headin' toward us so I -only flung my hands into the air, meanin' that it was none o' my -business. - -"Do you mean to say 'at you back the Friar up in this?" demanded -Horace. - -"Do I look like a fool?" sez I. The Friar's eyes were on me, and I -knew they were cold; but I pertended not to notice him. - -"You don't look like a fool; but you act like one," sez Horace, -gettin' riled. - -"You can't blame me, Horace," I sez in my most drawly voice, "because -the Friar cares more for havin' his own way than he does for human -life." - -"What do you mean by that?" demanded the Friar. - -"Oh, nothin'," sez I, "except that if you go down there, it shows -Prometheus up at once, we'd all have to go along to save Promotheus, -and this would start a fight, with us to blame; and no one knowin' -what the woman is, or how she stands in the matter. She seems -perfectly satisfied with Ty Jones; and no matter how it turned out, -all of us who survived would have to leave the country. I don't intend -to argue with you, or to cross you in any way; but I do intend to -stand by Promotheus, as it was me who first put the idee into his -head." - -I sympathized with the Friar, I knew that he wasn't himself. To find -the woman he loved in the hands of the man who hated him, after all -the years he had been in suspense about her was enough to tip any one -off his balance; and I also knew the Friar. He had trained himself for -eternity so long that some of his earthly idees weren't sound, and the -surest way to bring him to himself was to let him bark his knees a -time or two. Some imported hosses carry their gaze so high they can't -see their footin' but after they've stepped into a few prairie-dog -holes, they learn to take a little more interest in what they're -treadin' on. - -The Friar came over and looked down at me. "I shall wait until -Promotheus comes up here, and then he can stay; and I shall go down," -said the Friar in the voice a man uses when he thinks it's wrong to -show the sarcasm he can't help but feel. "Have you any objection to -this?" - -"I have no objection to anything you choose to do, Friar," I said, -finishin' my supper. - -"Do I understand that you approve?" sez he. - -"Certainlee not," sez I. "Ty would see the connection between you and -Promotheus at once. He knows 'at The was a deserter, and he would set -the law on him in one direction, and try to run him down on his own -hook in the other. If you had been on hand while we were discussin' -the plan, you would have had the right to veto it; but now, it looks -to me as though Prometheus was the one to consider." - -The Friar sat down and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't see -any way out!" he sez at last; "but I'm forced to admit that since -Promotheus has gone down there, it would put him in danger for me to -interfere." - -"Well," sez ol' Tank, "here is The himself. Now, we'll know better -what to do." - -We looked up, and there was Promotheus with a bruise over his eye, -comin' into our little nook. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX - -A SIDE-TRIP TO SKELTY'S - - -We all crowded around him, thinkin' 'at the bruise betokened some sort -of trouble; but he said he'd got afraid they'd begin to suspicion him; -so he had tried to ride a hoss that day, and had let it buck him off. -He said the' wasn't much lettin' needed, as it had been a mean one; -but he had got his forehead grazed, and had lain on the ground, -claimin' his back was hurt. It was only about eight o'clock, and we -wondered how he had the nerve to come so early; but he said they were -havin' a drinkin' bout over havin' dogged a feller by the name o' -Bryce off his claim on Ice Crick, thus gettin' a new outlet to grass -and water. - -He said the woman had been mighty good to him after his fall; but that -he couldn't get her to talk about herself at all. "Have you ever -mentioned the name of Carmichael to her?" I asked. - -"No," sez he, "why should I?" - -"That's the Friar's name," sez I. "He used to preach in a regular -church down east, and she sang in the choir. Next time you get a -chance, try to draw her out about this." - -The Friar told him a lot o' small details to ask her about; and went -part way back with him, as he wouldn't stay long for fear o' bein' -missed. The Friar insisted on stayin' along with us, while Olaf went -back to the Spread. - -Two nights after this Promotheus came up to our camp again. He said he -had had several talks with her, and that she remembered the names and -places, all right, but insisted that Carmichael was dead. She said he -often came to her in her dreams; but that she knew he had died long -ago. - -"Does she ever sing?" asked the Friar. - -"Never," sez The. "She don't even talk much. She has some sort of a -pain in her head, and sometimes she seems to wander; but at other -times she is perfectly clear." - -"Is Ty Jones ever mean to her?" asked the Friar. - -"Never," sez The. "Ty ain't mean to those about him. He has his own -idees--he likes to have his men and dogs and hosses all fierce and -nervy--but he's not mean to 'em. And all the boys treat her -respectful, too. Fact is, I don't see where we got any grounds to take -her away." - -"But she does not care for him," sez the Friar; "she could not care -for him! He must have used trick or force to bring her here; and you -must find out the truth about it. It all depends on you, now." - -"I'm doin' all I can, Friar," sez The; "but it's a hard tangle to see -through." - -When he left to go back, me an' the Friar and Horace went with him. -"Supposin' they should see you comin' back?" sez the Friar. - -"Well," sez The, "Ty don't keep his men in prison, and I'd tell 'em I -was up takin' a little air after bein' shut away from it so long." - -"Supposin' they got suspicious an' follered ya?" asked the Friar. - -"I try to be as careful as I can," sez The; "but I own up I allus feel -a bit nervous till I get back to my bunk." - -"The best plan is for one of us to wait where the path leads down into -the ravine each night at eleven," sez the Friar. "We could go at ten -and wait until twelve. If we went any closer, the dogs might get scent -of us." - -We agreed 'at this would be the best plan; and after this, two of us -made it a point to spend a couple of hours waitin' there, while the -rest stayed at the look-out ready to hustle down if the' was any -excitement; but nothin' happened and we got purty fidgetty. - -"Tank," sez I one afternoon, "let's ride over to Skelty's. The's -generally some Cross-branders there, and perhaps we can find a little -amusement." - -We reached there about seven, and ordered supper. There were five -Cross-branders there already, eatin' and drinkin'; and one of 'em was -the tall feller by the name o' Dixon. I nodded to him when I sat down -and he nodded back. It's funny the way a man feels when he goes into -an unfriendly place to measure an' be measured. It's not like fear, -that is, not like panicky fear; but still I suppose it's something -like what a jack-rabbit feels when the hounds are strung out after -him. He knows well enough what'll happen if he can't run fast -enough--but then he takes a heap of exhilaration in the thought that -he most certainly can run fast enough. - -All those fellers knew something o' me an' ol' Tank; while Dixon was -the only one we knew, the rest bein' mostly young chaps who had taken -on with Ty durin' the last few years; but as most o' Ty's men were -trailed out o' some other state by a posse, it was a safe bet that -they had more or less rattler blood in 'em. They were all on friendly -terms with the girls, and the girls called 'em by name, whenever they -couldn't think up some other term 'at suited their taste better. One -o' these young fellers still had a boy's eyes; but most o' their eyes -were purty hard an' chilly. - -I never did set any store on havin' a strange woman call me "dear"; -and neither did ol' Tank. With his eye runnin' wild, and his mussed-up -features, the term dear fitted him about as snug as false bangs an' -face-powder would; but one o' these young hussies came over an' stood -behind his chair, and sez: "Why hello, dearie, where have you been all -the time?" - -"I've been over teachin' my grandchildren how to play the pianer," sez -Tank. "Have you got any pork an' beans?" - -Most any girl knows 'at most any man'll stand for most anything; so -this one grabbed hold o' Tank's hair and gave it a pull; but she -savvied 'at he didn't have any love for her, so she brought in his -grub, threw it down in front of him, and went back to soft-soapin' the -feller with a boy's eyes. He was still young enough to feel flattered -by it, and truth to tell, she wasn't a bad lookin' girl, except that -she drenched a feller so constant with her feminine charms that she -washed away any hankerin's for 'em he might have had to begin with. - -Any healthy woman has all the allurement she can possibly need, if -she'll just take care of it. I like to see a hoss full o' fire, and I -like to see a woman full of enticement; but I like to see both the -fire an' the enticement kept under good control, and not made to show -out unnecessary. - -Once, when I was in Frisco, I saw a parade of the Friendly Order of -Hindu Cats, and the Grand Thomas Cat o' Creation rode in front on an -old gray hoss. This hoss had feet like worn-out brooms, and the' was -knots all over his legs. All he asked in the way of entertainment was -to pass a peaceful day in a quiet stable, face to face with a bale of -hay; but they had clipped his mane an' tail, hung a beaded belt across -his brisket, put a scarlet blanket on him, and jabbed him with spurs -until he was irritated to a degree. - -The feller ridin' him had learned to ride in a barber's chair; but he -had a heavy frown, and a lot o' gold lace, and a big canoe-shaped hat; -and I have to admit that if they had tied him fast to the saddle, and -put rubber spurs on him, he would have looked the part like a picture. -Every time he'd see one of his friends he'd stab the hoss on the off -side, then jerk back on the curb, and smile benevolent, as though he -intended to save the populace from that fiery steed or sprain every -bone in his face. - -The old gray was as forgivin' a hoss as I ever see; but he had his -limits as well as the rest of us. For the first ten or fifteen blocks, -he'd only swish his tail and prance when his rider jabbed him an order -for a little more fire; but finally his flanks got touchy, and his -sense o' justice began to write the declaration of independence on his -patience. This would have been the time an intelligent human would -have traded off his spurs for an apple or a lump o' sugar, or some -other welcome little peace-offerin'; but just then the parade passed -under a window jammed full o' the Grand Thomas Cat's closest friends, -and o' course, they had to see a little fire. - -He straightened out his legs, and then clamped the spurs into the old -gray's flanks. I had fought my way through the crowd for fifteen -squares just to see it happen, and it was well worth it. The gray was -stiff and awkward, but in his youth he had taken a few lessons in -buckin', and what he lacked in speed and practice, he made up in -earnestness. The Thomas Cat didn't know any more about balancing than -a ball, and the grip of his knees wouldn't have put a dent in a -pullet's egg; the' was no horn to the saddle, and the mane had been -clipped, so all he had to hang on with was the spurs and the curb bit; -and things certainly did happen. - -The old gray pitched and kicked and reared and backed and snorted and -got mixed up with flags and citizens and umbrellas and red-lemonade -stands and policemen; until finally he scraped off the Grand Thomas -Cat of Creation on an awning, and tore off home, jumpin' and kickin'; -while the population threw their hats in the air and yelled their -palates loose. They threw fruit and popcorn and friendly advice at the -Grand Cat as he hung from the awning; but friend or foe, the' wasn't a -soul in that crowd to help him get down; so as soon as he got calm -enough to remember what he was, he dropped the three feet to the -sidewalk, and ran into the store and hid. - -If ya want to fill a crowd with content and satisfaction and joy and -felicity and such-like items, just have some terrible accident happen -to a popular hero, and all the joy-wells'll overflow and gush forth -like fountains--But what made me think o' this little incident was the -fact that this girl at Skelty's put the spurs to her feminine charms a -leetle too continuous. - -Dixon, the Cross-brander, was one o' these lean, skinny ones, and as a -rule, I don't crave to make their acquaintance. His Adam's apple ran -up and down in his neck like a dumbwaiter, and the' was plenty o' -distance for consid'able of a run. If ya looked at just the part of -him between his chin and his shoulders, he resembled an ostrich, -chokin' on an orange; but I decided to be as friendly as possible; so -as soon as I'd filled a cigarette paper, I offered him my sack o' -tobacco. He took it, and while he was rollin' himself a cigarette, he -sez: "I see you've cut loose from your preacher." - -"Nope," sez I, "he cut loose from me." - -"How come you fellers spend so much time out this way?" sez he. - -"Nice country and pleasant folks," sez I. - -"I've heard tell 'at you got so familiar over at the Diamond Dot, that -the old man turned ya loose," sez he. "Is the' anything to it?" - -I didn't reply at once. My first impulse was to see if I couldn't pull -him and his Adam's apple apart; for this wasn't no accident. This was -a studied insult, and every one there was watchin' to see what would -happen; but the' was too much at stake; so I gripped myself until I -had time to put that remark where it wouldn't run any risk o' -spoilin'; and then I sez: "Well, I don't just like to have it put that -way; but I will admit that you haven't missed it so terrible far." - -"Lookin' for a job?" sez he. - -"Oh, I'm not carin' much," sez I. "I'm thinkin' some o' takin' a -homestead, or buyin' some other feller out; but I ain't in any hurry. -I may go on down into Texas, or take on again up here. Any chance for -a job with your outfit?" - -Durin' the time I had been decidin' on what I'd say, Dixon had been -wonderin' how I'd take it; and I don't doubt he was some relieved. -Anyway, he thawed out a little. "Nope, I hardly think so," sez he. -"We've been hard pushed for grass this season; but Ty bought a -water-right on Ice Crick, and things has smoothed out again. Another -thing is, that Badger-face has come back." - -I gave a start as natural as life, and I didn't put it on, neither. I -had no idy he'd mention Badger-face without a lot o' pumpin'. -"Badger-face?" sez I. "Good Lord, I thought he was dead!" - -"Well, we thought so, too," sez Dixon. "We hadn't heard a word from -him; but he showed up a while back, and as soon as he gets able, he'll -take to ridin' again." - -"What's wrong with him?" sez I. - -"He's purty well played out," sez Dixon. "He sez 'at that feller, -Bradford, is some sort of a government agent. Now, we ain't got -nothin' again' the government out this way, so long as it minds its -own business; but when it gets to interferin' with our rights, why it -generally has to find a new agent. You were along with this feller, -Bradford, when he scooped in Badger-face; and I doubt if that has -slipped Badger's mind yet. Badger's memory for such things used to be -purty reliable." - -"Well, if it comes to that," sez I, "I'd rather have Badger-face on my -trail than Dinky Bradford; though I own up, I don't just know what -government position Dinky holds." - -"Ol' man Williams there was along with ya, too, wasn't he?" sez Dixon. - -"Sure he was," sez I. "We got a heap better paid, for that trip 'n we -usually get." - -"Yes," sez he, slow an' drawly, "but a feller can never tell when he's -all paid out for such a trip as that." - -"A feller has to take chances in everything," sez I. "I still got a -little money left to amuse myself with." - -"It don't seem to make ya reckless," sez he. Dixon had been drinkin' -purty freely, and I rather liked the effect liquor had on him. - -"Maxwell," I called, "this is a dry summer. Set up the drinks for the -house." Some saloon-keepers fawn on ya as if they'd melt the money out -o' your clothes while some of 'em are cold and haughty, as though it -was an insult to offer 'em money. Maxwell was one o' this kind. He -glared his red eyes at me as if I'd been rude; but he set out the -drinks all right. - -Tank had been shut away from drink for so long that I had plumb forgot -how he had happened to win his title; but as soon as I had give the -order, I sensed that he was in the mood to sluice himself out -thorough. The very minute we had cooled off from the drinks--Maxwell -kept a brand o' poison which would eat holes in an iron kettle, if you -let it set five minutes--Well, the very instant the steam had stopped -comin' out of our mouths, Tank ordered a round; and before that had -got on good terms with the first drink, Spider Kelley had arrived. - -Mexican Slim had guessed where we were headin' for, and Tank had owned -up to it, and Slim had told Spider, and, o' course, Spider hadn't been -able to stay behind; so when he stuck his nose in the door, Tank sez -'at the drinks was always on the last-comer, and Spider ordered a -round. - -I can journey about with a fair amount o' booze, without lettin' it -splash over into my conversation; but I was there on business, so I -drank as short drinks as would seem sociable. Tank, on the other hand, -had formerly been as immune to liquor as a glass bottle; but he was -out o' practice without realizin' it; and he splashed into Maxwell's -forty-rod as though he was a trout hurryin' back to his native -element. Spider was a wise old rat, and he played safe, the same as -me. O' course, the Cross-branders couldn't stand by and see us -purchase Maxwell's entire stock, without makin' a few bids themselves; -so for a while, we peered at the ceiling purty tol'able frequent. - -The young feller with the boy's eyes was chin-ful to begin with, the -other three Cross-branders were purty well calloused to a liberal -supply o' turpentine; while Dixon would load up his dumb-waiter and -send it down as unconcerned as though his throat was a lead pipe, -connectin' with an irrigation ditch. He had reached the stage where he -was reckless but not thoughtless, and the' didn't seem any way to wash -him down grade any farther. - -"Any more o' you fellers liable to drop in?" sez he, lookin' at me. I -waved my hand towards Spider, as though he, bein' the last to arrive, -would have the latest news; and Spider sez: "Nope, I reckon not. -Leastwise, not so far as I know." - -"Badger-face has come back and taken on with Ty again," sez I. - -"The hell he has!" exclaimed Spider, just as I knew he would. - -"Yes," sez Dixon with an evil chuckle, "he's come back, and I doubt if -he'd feel any sorrow at meetin' up with some o' you boys." - -"As far as I remember," sez ol' Tank, bulkin' up as ponderous as a -justice o' the peace, "I don't recall havin' asked Badger's permission -to do anything in the past, and I don't intend to begin now." - -"Well," sez Dixon, "I don't mind tellin' ya that Ty Jones ain't so -sure o' Badger as he used to be; and nothin' would suit him so well as -to see Badger cut loose and get some o' you fellers for helpin' to -have him railroaded." - -This surprised me. Dixon didn't seem a shade worse 'n he'd been when -Spider arrived, but he'd sure enough leaked out the news I was after. -Ty was suspicious o' Promotheus, and we'd have to finish our job as -soon as possible. I didn't want to start anything at Skelty's so I -proposed a little friendly poker. The Kid was asleep in the corner; so -the seven of us played stud for an hour or so until Tank fell out of -his chair, and then we broke up for the night. - -Tank was all in; so we had to put him to bed, and the Kid had to be -put to bed, also; but Dixon and the other three took a final drink and -started back to Ty's. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN - -PROMOTHEUS IN THE TOILS - - -Tank weighed like a beef when he got liquor-loose, and it was all me -and Spider could do to get him to bed. His legs were like rubber; but -he insisted on tellin' us what he thought about things. He begged us -to start back and let him ride, sayin' that it was only the heat o' -the room, not the drink, which had upset him; but he was in no shape -to ride a hay wagon, so we put him to bed. - -"I think more o' the Friar than of airy other man I know," he sez to -us at the head o' the stairs; "but I own up 'at I don't take kindly to -religion; and I'll tell ya why. The's hundreds an' dozens of hymns to -the doggone sheep-herders; but the' ain't one single one to the -cow-punchers. Now, what I sez is this, if ya want to round me up in a -religion, you got to find one 'at has hymns to cattle men." - -We didn't bother to explain it to him, 'cause he wasn't in condition -to know a parable from a pair o' boots. We dragged him along the hall -and flung him on his bed. By chance we put him on the bed with his -boots on the piller; but he went sound asleep the moment he stretched -out; so we just hung his hat on his toe, folded the blanket over him, -locked the door, put the key in my pocket, and went across the hall to -our own room. - -I didn't want to harbor that liquor any longer 'n I had to, so me an' -Spider slipped down, got some salt an' mustard, soaked it in water, -drenched ourselves--and repented of havin' been such fools. Then we -went up to bed. It had been some time since we had stretched out on -springs, and we were cordial for sleep; so we mingled with it in short -order. - -Still, I wasn't easy in my mind, and twice I woke up and went into the -hall; but I couldn't hear anything, though I had a feelin' that the'd -been some good cause for my wakin' up. I lay on the bed the last time -with my mind made up to watch. Skelty's had allus had the name o' -bein' a tough joint, and this red-eyed Maxwell with his Injun hair -wasn't of the kind to purify it to such an extent that the old -customers wouldn't feel at home. - -As I lay there, I saw the window rise, slow and careful. The' wasn't -any moon; but I could see a hand in the starlight. I made up my mind -to sneak out o' bed, grab the hand, pull it in to the shoulder, and -then throw all my weight on it, and yell for Spider. I got up as -noiseless as cider turnin' into vinegar--and then upset a confounded -chair, which sounded like two houses runnin' together. - -The window dropped with a bang; and at the same moment the' came a -shriek from across the hall, followed by some scufflin' and the sound -o' broken glass. After this all we heard was Tank's voice tryin' to -explain his opinion o' that part o' the country and all its -inhabitants. I had thought that Tank had discarded most of his -profanity; but by the time we had got our guns and crossed the hall to -him, I changed my mind. When I put the key in the lock, he suggested -to us what was likely to happen to any unfriendly individuals who -attempted to enter that particular room. - -I told him gently to stuff the piller into his mouth, if he couldn't -find any other way to stop his yappin'; and then I unlocked the door, -just as Maxwell and his bartender came into the hall. The bartender -had one gun and one candle, and Maxwell had two guns. - -When we opened the door, there was Tank with the blood runnin' down -his leg, while he stood in a corner of the room holdin' his weapon up -above his shoulder. "What's the matter with you?" I sez, a little -cross. - -"I'm homesick, you blame ijiot!" sez Tank. "What else would likely be -the matter with me?" Tank was about as far out o' humor as I ever saw -him get. - -Maxwell came in and looked at the pool of blood. "Don't stand there -and bleed on the floor," sez he. - -Tank looked at him baleful. "What do ya wish me to do--upset your -rotten dive and bleed on the ceilin'?" sez he. "I didn't come here -determined to smear up your place with my life blood; and I want ya to -understand that I didn't punch this hole in myself simply to cool off. -I know what you're afraid of--You're scared that some o' your liquor -has got into my blood, an' that it'll leak out and set your floor on -fire." - -"You run get a bucket for him to bleed into," sez Maxwell to the -bartender. - -"Yes," sez Tank, sarcastic; "and be sure to get a big one, as I am -minded to draw off all o' my blood, just to see how much I have in me -at this time o' the year." - -Sayin' which, Tank walked over an' sittin' on the bed, held out his -boot for me to pull off. He had been stabbed through the leg, through -the thick part o' the calf, and a jet was spoutin' out of the top cut, -and a steady stream oozin' from the bottom one. I put my finger -knuckle above the top jet, and the palm of my other hand over the -lower one, and then sent Maxwell after a small rope and some bandages. - -While he was gone, a couple o' the girls strolled down the hall to see -what the excitement was; but Tank began to lecture about morals and -manners, and they didn't bother us long. We patched Tank up in good -order, and made him lie down again. He said that he had been woke up -when his leg got stabbed, and had grappled with a man; but the man had -got out the window again. - -Skelty had built his place on a side hill. The bar and dinin' hall was -in front, and a small dance hall and kitchen back of it. Upstairs were -bedrooms, and the ground sloped so, that the back rooms were only -about five feet from the ground. This made the downstairs easier to -heat in winter--and it was also convenient for any one who wanted to -get in through a window. - -Me and Spider ate breakfast next mornin'; but we wouldn't let Tank -eat, rememberin' the Friar's rules for wounds. When we started away, -Tank insisted on goin' along; so we had to ride slow. We went north, -instead of in the direction we wanted to go, for fear some one might -be spyin' on us. I was mighty sorry we had come, even though I had -found out that Promotheus was under suspicion; and as soon as we had -come to a pass where we could see a good distance in all directions, I -sent Spider on a circle to tell the boys to bring things to a head as -soon as possible. - -Tank's leg ached him consid'able; and we had to ride purty slow; but -by noon we had come to the Simpsons' cabin. We told 'em that Ty Jones -was suspicious about the Greasers and intended to get square with all -who had took a hand in removin' 'em; so they agreed to stand with us -whenever we were ready to make a raid on Ty. - -I made Tank lie down all afternoon, and drink all the water he could -swallow, but that night when I started to ride over to the look-out, -he insisted on goin' along. It was a hard ride, and I wanted him to -wait until the next night, but he tagged along, so I had to ride slow. -We had figured out that the feller who had tried to get him had seen -the hat on his foot at the head o' the bed; and before he had had time -to locate him proper, the noise the other one had made slammin' the -window to my room had scared him, so he had taken his stab haphazard. - -This must 'a' been the way, 'cause when drinkin', Tank was usually a -regular long range snorer, and only a hurried man would have mistaken -his feet for his head. Tank insisted that he had seen the feller's -outline again' the window, and that it had been Dixon. I doubted this; -but Tank insisted that the feller had had a neck like a beer bottle, -and then I had to give in. - -We didn't reach camp until sun-up, and then we found 'at Promotheus -had been there the night before, with word that he had had a long talk -with the woman, who had been in the most rational mood he had ever -seen her in. He had drawn her into tellin' him all she could remember. -She had told him about havin' her head full o' pictures; but not bein' -able to tell the real ones from those she had dreamed. She said she -had lost the key to them and could not understand 'em, that she -remembered havin' sung on many different platforms, but could not tell -where or when, and could not sing any more, though she sometimes -tried. She said that whenever he said the name Carmichael, she saw the -picture of a young man in white robes, but that he had died. When -Promotheus had tried to make her understand that he was still alive, -she had become frightened, and told him never to speak the name again. - -He asked her about the Winter Garden in Berlin, and she said 'at this -called up the picture of a man with curled-up mustaches, and then she -had covered her eyes, and told him he must not mention this again, -either. Horace was tellin' me all this; and when he finished, I sez: -"Well, if this is the most rational she has ever got, she'd be a nice -one to handle in her usual condition. I don't see what we're to do; -but we have to move fast, as Ty Jones is suspicious." - -The next night the Friar and I were down at the head of the path -leadin' into the ravine when Promotheus came. He said that Dixon had -come in with his face cut, and had told about seein' us over at -Skelty's, and how we had bragged about gettin' him rail-roaded, and -Dixon and the others had told him they were ready to back him up any -time he wanted to go an' get even. He also said 'at Ty had been -roastin' the whole gang of 'em for bein' afraid of Olaf, and advised -us to warn Olaf to be on guard. He said the woman had told him that -day that at all times she had a dull pain in the top part of her head. -The was beginnin' to get worried, this was plain to see, and he didn't -stay very long. - -When we told the others what he had said, we decided it was our duty -to go and tell Olaf that very night, so that he could send over the -next day and get a couple o' the Simpson boys to come over and help -watch his place at night, until we were ready to finish with Ty. We -wanted to put it off as long as possible, as Ty would soon be in the -fall round-up and there wouldn't be so many men at the home place. - -Mexican Slim and Tillte Dutch started to ride to Olaf's; but I was -restless that night, so I rode along with 'em. Just before we reached -the Spread, we saw a bright light at the side o' the cabin. In a -minute two other lights shot up, and we knew they were firin' brush at -the side of it. We threw in the spurs and rode, keepin' close watch. -Two men rode towards us, and we drew off to the side of the road. Just -as they got opposite, we ordered 'em to halt; but they whirled and -fired at us. We fired back, and started after 'em; but it was dark in -the cottonwoods, and they gave us the slip and got away. - -When we reached the cabin, we saw it was doomed. Piles o' brush had -been heaped on all sides of it and fired one after the other. -Everything was so dry that even the dirt on the roof would have -burned, and there was nothing to do. Kit with the boy in her arms, and -Olaf and Oscar beside her were standin' close by, watchin' it burn, -and they felt mighty bitter. We told 'em why we had come, and advised -'em to go and leave Kit with the Simpsons, and come to our camp the -next night. Then we rode back before daylight and told the others what -had happened. We were all purty hosstile. Settin' fire to a cabin with -a sleepin' woman inside wasn't no fair way o' fightin'. - -That afternoon as we were watchin' the ranch through the field -glasses, we saw the woman and Promotheus walkin' together toward a -little open space in the cottonwoods where the' was some grass close -to the edge o' the crick. Thick bushes was all about this place, and -it was cool and pleasant in the heat o' the day. They hadn't been gone -very long when we saw two others sneakin' after them. I looked through -the glasses, and one appeared to be the skinny feller, Dixon, and the -other, the Chinese cook. We saw 'em sneak into the bushes and -disappear close to where the woman and Promotheus were sittin'. Part -o' the time they talked together, and part of the time she read to him -out of a book. - -We fair ached to yell to 'em and put 'em on their guard; but all we -could do was to sit up above in our look-out, feelin' weak and -useless. I suppose we felt like a mother bird when she sees some -inhuman human foolin' about her nest. - -After a time the Chink crept out and scurried along to the old house. -He bounced across the porch, all crouched over, and we knew he had -some evil tale to cheer up his yellow soul with. In half a minute, Ty -came out with him and follered him into the clump o' bushes. We could -see the woman and Promotheus plain, with our naked eyes. It was a good -thing, too; for Horace hung on to his glasses as though they were life -preservers. - -In about ten minutes, the bushes parted, and Ty stepped into the open -space in front of 'em. Promotheus got to his feet slow, but the woman -sat still, and didn't seem much interested. - -Ty glared at Promotheus durin' the few minutes he was questionin' him, -and then they all went back towards the ranch house. The woman went on -to her own cabin, and Ty blew on the horn which hung at the side of -the door, and that sneak of a Dixon came on the run, as though he had -no idee what was wanted. Actin' under orders from Ty, he took The's -gun and then tied his hands behind him and shut him up in an out -buildin' near the stables. There didn't appear to be any one else -about the ranch, and I suggested that we make a rush and take -possession right then. - -While we were debatin' it, we saw the punchers comin' in from the -east, across the crick. There were about a dozen of 'em, strung out -and ridin' hard the way they generally rode. - -"They're likely to string him up this very night," sez I; "and we'll -have to settle this business before sun-up." - -"They are not likely to be in any hurry," sez the Friar. "If we go -to-night it will mean a lot o' bloodshed. To-morrow they will go out -on the range again, and we stand a good chance of rescuing him without -even a fight." - -Olaf, of course, sided with the Friar, Horace sided with me, and we -had a purty heated discussion. The Friar argued that he had the most -at stake and had a right to select the plan with the least risk. I -argued that Promotheus had the most at stake, and we had no right to -take risk into account. We got purty excited, I usin' the word coward -freely, while the Friar stuck to the word folly and kept cooler 'n I -did. He finally won 'em over to a compromise. We were to go down close -and keep watch durin' the night; but not to make a rush until we saw -Promotheus actually in instant danger. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT - -OLAF RUNS THE BLOCKADE - - -Ty Jones had been as wise as a fox when he located his ranch house. It -sat on high ground, while back of it rose a cliff; so 'at the only way -you could get to it without ropes from the back, was through the -little ravine. The cliffs circled around to the crick on both sides, -and the crick was so full o' rocks that the' was only two places a -hoss could cross. He had strung barb wire through the cottonwoods in a -regular tangle along the crick, and the only places he had to watch in -case of an attack, were the ravine and these two fords. He could see -for miles in all directions by goin' to the head o' the ravine; and -you could hardly pick out a purtier place for a last-stand 'n the one -he had selected. - -The new cabin for the woman was right in front o' the mouth o' the -ravine, the old cabin a hundred yards or so farther on, the cook-house -and the Chink's quarters to the north o' this, the mess-hall for the -men to the east of this, the barn, wagon-sheds, workshop, and so on, -some distance to the south, and the bunk-shack a little to the north -of the stables. He had several corrals back o' the barn and a pasture -of about thirty acres shut in by a wire fence. - -After I had cooled off a little, I saw that the Friar was right. The -thing we couldn't tell was, just how much they had forced Promotheus -to confess. If they had simply got Ty jealous that he was tryin' to -get the woman away, we might make it all the worse by chargin' down on -'em; while on the other hand he might have told where we were, and Ty -might take it into his head to try to get us all. This last would have -been the finest thing 'at could happen to us; but the' was no way to -tell; so after eatin' supper, we went down to the edge o' the cliff to -see what we could see. - -We were most of us surprised to see how far the cabin stood from the -cliff. In lookin' down from our look-out, we had failed to take the -slope into account so it had looked as though we had been able to see -the woman the minute she had come out o' the mouth of the ravine, -while the fact was the cabin stood several hundred feet from the -mouth. If it hadn't been for the confounded dogs, we could have gone -down and found out what we wanted to know. We made some remarks about -those dogs which would have seared their hair off if they'd 'a' been a -little closer. - -The light was kept in the mess-hall long after time to finish eatin'; -and we guessed they were tryin' Promotheus, right while we were -lookin' on from above. All of a sudden, Olaf struck his palm with his -fist, and exclaimed: "What a fool I have been! Those dogs remembered -Promotheus, and he never patted 'em. I have patted 'em and spoke -soothin' words to 'em, and they would know me. I shall go down and -listen." - -Now this was a noble thought and we hadn't a word to say again' it; so -Olaf went back to camp, shed his boots and put on moccasins. Slim was -a good shot with a rifle, so he staid with Horace, who had an elephant -gun and a yearnin' to use it, up on the cliff above the mouth o' the -ravine. They had seven rifles of one kind and another, and they -thought they could make a disturbance if Olaf started anything. The -rest of us went down the ravine to the last curve. We tried to get the -Friar to stay behind; but his blood was up, and he wouldn't heed us. -We had it made up to rope and tie him hand and foot, when we were -finally ready to wind things up with Ty Jones. - -Olaf left us with his big, hard face set into rigid lines. He had a -long score to settle with Ty Jones, and he had made a funny gruntin' -hum in his throat every few steps as we had walked down the ravine. We -waited what seemed weeks; but the' was no uproar, and finally, he came -out o' the gloom, and spoke to us in a whisper. We went back with him -to the top o' the path before he told us what he had heard. - -He said they were tryin' to make Promotheus confess who was back of -him; but that Promotheus had steadily refused. He said 'at Ty had told -him over and over that if he would tell him where he could lay hands -on either the Friar or Dinky Bradford, he would give him a month to -get out o' the country himself; but Promotheus had stood firm, and -they had shut him up in the workshop again, tellin' him he would get -nothin' but water until he did confess. - -This made us some easier in our minds. Promotheus had acted so worn -out and done up since his return, that he had fooled Ty; and Ty looked -upon him as a broke-down man, and nothin' but a tool in the hands of -some stronger men. Olaf said 'at Ty acted as though he thought the -Friar had sent in a report to the government, and had got Bradford to -come out here the time that Promotheus had disappeared; and in some -way they had got word o' Horace comin' through Bosco this last time. -Dixon had told about seein' us at Skelty's, and a strange feller told -about bein' shot at, the night Olaf's cabin had been fired. They -bunched all this together, and decided 'at the best thing to do was to -trade Promotheus for Horace or the Friar, if it could be done. I had a -chuckle all to myself, when I pictured Horace as he had been when I -took him in hand, and now with the reputation he hadn't quite earned, -bein' a worry to the Ty Jones outfit. - -"I allus said they were cowards," sez Horace, as soon as Olaf had -finished his tale. "A man's got an imagination, and as soon as he -starts to live like a wolf, this imagination fills the world with -watchdogs. Ty Jones never has fought in the open, and we'll have no -trouble with him as soon as we once get him on the run." - -"Ty Jones has no fear," sez Olaf. "I know; I have seen with my own -eyes. He is too clever to be trapped; but he has no fear." - -"Well, wait and see," sez Horace. - -Me and Tank kept watch on the cliff until mornin' and then as nothin' -had happened, we went up to camp, and Slim and Dutch took watch at our -regular look-out. As we sat down to breakfast, we noticed 'at the -Friar was gone. Several spoke of him havin' been restless the night -before and not turnin' in when the rest did. The Friar allus was -unregular in his habits, especially at night; so we didn't pay much -heed to him when he wrote by the fire, or went off by himself in the -quiet starlight, to sing some o' the pressure off his heart; but at -such a time as this, we anticipated him to be as circumspect as -possible. - -We started to hunt him up, but it didn't take long. Horace found a -note pinned to the Friar's tarp, and the note told us that he had -thought it all over careful durin' the night, and had decided that his -duty compelled him to go down and offer himself in exchange for -Promotheus. He said that when things came to such a tangle that no -human ingenuity could unmix 'em, it was time to put trust in a higher -power; that it was for him that Promotheus had risked his life, and -that he felt he must take his place, as Ty had promised to let -Promotheus go if he would betray him. He said that he could not see -any way to help the woman, and that if he lost his life, for us not to -think of revenge, as it would all turn out for the best in some -mysterious way. The Friar had gone through a lot durin' the last few -years, and it had finally undermined his patience. I knew just how he -felt: he wanted something to happen which would end his suspense, and -he didn't care much what it was. - -As soon as Horace had finished readin'; we all sat around in complete -silence, gawkin' at each other. "Things has finally come to a head," -sez Spider Kelley, solemnly. - -"There now, that's the Christian religion!" exclaimed Horace. "The -Christian religion is founded on self-sacrifice and martyrdom, and all -those who get it bad enough spend the bulk o' their time on the -lookout to be martyrs and sacrifice theirselves for something--and -they don't care much what for. Look at the crusades--the flower o' -Europe was lured into the desert and dumped there like worn-out junk, -even children were offered up in this sacrifice. Nothing but -sentimentality, rank sentimentality. Now, when the ancient Greeks--" - -"The thing for us, is to decide on what we're to do next, not what the -ancient Greeks did a few thousand years before we were born," sez I. -"There is no use hidin' any longer. The strongest card we have up our -sleeve is the fake reputation of Dinky Bradford, and what we must do -is to make up the best plan to play it." - -"Why do you say fake reputation?" demanded Horace. - -"Well, you're not a government agent, are ya?" I asked. - -"No," sez he; "but at the same time--" - -"I didn't say 'at you was a fake, Horace," sez I in a soothin' voice. -"I merely intimated that the things Ty Jones most fears about you are -the things which were not so." - -"I see what you mean," sez Horace, "and it's all right. What's your -plan?" - -"Well, as soon as we are sure 'at the Friar has reached Ty's," sez I, -"we'll send Ty word to deliver him back at once, and to appoint a -meetin' place to explain things to us. Not make any threats nor bluffs -nor nothin'. Just a plain, simple statement of what we want done, and -sign your name to it." - -"I think it would be better to tell him we had his place surrounded," -said Horace. - -"Nope," said I, "your old theory is best: let their imaginations -supply the details. If we put the government into their minds too -strong, they're likely to find some way to deliver Promotheus over to -the law. I have a sort of impediment that The was a little rough with -an officer or two, after he deserted, and Ty knows all about him." - -"How the deuce will we get word to Ty?" sez Horace. "As fast as we'd -send messengers, Ty would shut 'em up." - -"One thing is certain, at least," sez I. "Ty won't string 'em up as -long as he knows he's bein' watched. And another thing is, that all of -Ty's men are wanted for one thing or another, and the longer we keep -'em in suspense, the sooner they'll weaken. We ought to send word to -the Simpson boys. They are at least two to one again' us as we stand -now." - -Just at this junction, Slim arrived with the news that the Friar was -ridin' up to the ford. I was purty sure 'at he wouldn't go down by the -ravine. The Friar might lack judgment in certain matters; but you -could count on him lookin' out for his friends, every time. - -We hustled down to the look-out, and saw the Friar ride out into the -open, and hail the house. In a minute the' was a crowd about him and -they pulled him from his hoss and dragged him toward the mess-hall, -actin' mighty jubilant. The dogs raised a consid'able fuss; but they -didn't let any of 'em get to the Friar this time. I don't know whether -they were tryin' to save the Friar or the dogs. - -They took the Friar into the mess-hall, and kept him there a good long -time; but I felt sure he wouldn't tell more 'n he wanted to. Then they -brought him out and shut him up in the workshop with Promotheus. - -"You don't see 'em turnin' Promotheus loose, do ya?" sez ol' Tank. - -"Ty Jones would cheat himself playin' solitaire," sez Spider Kelley. - -"He didn't agree to turn Promotheus loose if the Friar surrendered," -sez Olaf. "He only said he would if Promotheus enticed the Friar into -a trap." - -Ty Jones certainly did have what ya call personal magnetism. His men -stuck up for him, even when they was willin' to help snuff him out. - -We sent Oscar over to get the Simpson boys; and then we made our -plans. The' was no way to get to our camp from above, and we could -easy guard the two trails 'at led up from below. Nothin' would have -suited us better 'n to have Ty decide to come and get us; so we told -Oscar to make all the fuss he wanted when he came back. - -Nothin' happened down at the ranch that day. The woman drifted about, -the same as usual, not seemin' to observe 'at the' was anything -different from ordinary, and the punchers all stayed in sight. A few -of 'em rode up to high spots across the crick and took gappin's, and a -couple of 'em came up the ravine and examined the ground on top; but -they didn't seem to find anything to interest 'em. - -That night Horace wrote an order on Ty Jones to release the Friar--we -had decided not to mention Promotheus--and Olaf started down with the -message. We posted ourselves the same as we had done before; and after -about an hour, Olaf returned. - -He said he had examined the workshop, which was of logs, the same as -the rest o' the buildin's, and had heard the Friar and Promotheus -talkin'; but hadn't ventured to say anything for fear they were -watched. He said 'at the Friar was holdin' out on the value o' -fastin'; while Promotheus was speakin' in defence of ham an' eggs. -Then he said he had crept up to the front door of the old cabin, and -had fastened up the order with a dagger. - -Olaf looked to me as though he had been enjoyin' himself a little more -'n his tale gave reason for; so I pressed him, and finally he admitted -that there had been a man on watch at the mouth o' the ravine. He said -he had wriggled through it on his belly, thinkin' it too good a place -to be overlooked since the Friar had put 'em on their guard; and after -lyin' still a moment, he had heard the man move. He said he had snaked -up to him, and had got him by the throat. He said he thought it was -Dixon because the' was so much throat to get hold of. Dixon had been -perfectly resigned to havin' Olaf lynched that time and Olaf's memory -was not o' the leaky kind. - -"What became of him, Olaf?" I asked. - -"Oh, he fought some," said Olaf. - -"Did he get away?" I asked. - -"Un, yes--yes he got away," sez Olaf. - -"Where did he go to?" sez I. - -"I think he went down--way down," sez Olaf. - -"Down where?" sez I. "Why don't you tell us what happened to him?" - -Olaf looked down at his right hand. It didn't resemble a hand much; -but it would 'a' been a handy tool to use in maulin' wedges into a -log. "Why," sez he, "he wriggled about, and started to squeak; and -when I squeezed in on his neck to shut off the squeak, why his neck -broke. It was too thin to be stout." - -I held out my hand. "Olaf," I sez, "I want to shake the hand that -shook his neck." - -"Yes," sez Tank, "and by dad, so do I!" Tank's leg was still tender. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE - -SKIRMISHES - - -Oscar arrived durin' the night with the whole four Simpson boys; and -word that Kit and the kid were in fine shape, with ol' man Simpson -keepin' a sharp watch, and Kit ready to take a standpat hand any time -trouble crowded too close. We expected to keep Ty busy, and so didn't -worry any about Kit. Before dawn we started the four Simpsons out to -make a circle and cross the crick, tellin' 'em to use their own -judgment to some extent; but not to run any risk. We wanted 'em to act -like scouts and, if possible, to draw Ty into chasin' 'em, and then to -lead him back to our camp. We could see all of the other side o' the -crick from our look-out. - -By dawn the rest of us were down on the edge of the cliff, and we saw -'em find Dixon's body. They were consid'able excited about it; so we -judged they had also read the notice on the door. - -"What shall we do, to-day?" asked Horace. - -"Shoot dogs," sez I. "There ain't any call to play safe any longer, -and those dogs are the worst bother we have." - -"All right," sez Horace. "This will be a good chance for me to see if -I'm still in practice. I'm a purty good rifle-shot, Happy." - -I never could quite harden myself to Horace. The change in him was -almost as much as that between an egg and a chicken; but yet the' was -still a suggestion of what he had been at first--his side-burns, most -likely--and it allus jarred me to see him steamin' ahead with -self-confidence fizzin' out of his safety valve. He took his elephant -gun and trained it on one o' the dogs which was sniffin' around the -place where Dixon's body had lain. We were purty well off to the north -of the ravine; but it was still a consid'able angle of a down-shot, -and a good long one too. - -"Remember," sez I, "that when shootin' down grade, you are mighty apt -to shoot too high." - -He lowered his gun an' looked at me as though I had called him a girl -baby. "I have shot from every angle the' is," sez he; "and I've shot -big game, too." - -"Ex-cuse _me_!" sez I. "Shoot now, and let's see what happens." - -You had to take off your hat to Horace when it came to a cultivated -taste in firearms. The thing he had got Promotheus with had been small -enough to conceal in your back hair, while his present instrument -wasn't rightly a rifle at all, it was a half-grown cannon. It shot a -bullet as big as your thumb which mushroomed out and exploded, as soon -as it hit. The dog died a merciful death; but he left a mighty -disquietin' bunch o' remains. - -"Good boy, Horace!" I said, slappin' him on the shoulder. "You keep on -removin' the dogs, and I'll go up the slope, and pertect your rear, -should they try to come up the ravine." - -I heartily endorsed this slaughter o' the dogs; but I wasn't ambitious -to see it done. I have been well acquainted with a large number o' -dogs of all sorts and sizes, and I have deep feelin's for dogs. When -it comes to livin' accordin' to a feller's own standard, a dog has us -all beat. When a dog signs up, he don't whisper nothin' under his -breath. He signs up for the full trip, and he don't ask a lot o' -questions about how long the hours'll be, or what sort o' grub and -quarters and pay he'll draw. He just wags his tail, and sez: "This -here feller is my idea of exactly what a feller ought to be; and I'm -for him in all he does. If he wants me to fight, I'm hungry for it, if -he wants me to be polite and swaller a lot o' insults, I'll do it, or -if the time comes when my death is worth more to him 'n my life, why, -I don't know nothin' about future rewards or such truck; but I'm -perfectly willin' to swap life for death in his name, and I'm proud to -take the consequences--so long as he gets the reward." - -I own up 'at a dog has no morality; he's only a reflection of his -master. A decent man has a decent dog, a vicious man has a vicious -dog--and this is why it would have hurt me more to watch Horace -testin' his aim on the dogs 'n it would if he had been minded to pot a -few Cross-branders themselves, especially Ty Jones. - -Now, the sound o' this gun, and the sight of the dead dog made things -buzz down below. The men peered out from all directions, but hardly -knew what to do. I had sent Mexican Slim off to the right, just above -the ravine, to pick off any dogs 'at came in that direction, and soon -after Horace got his, Slim also got one; and Ty whistled the dogs to -come to the house. Here was where his method of treatin' a dog showed -up bad. Any time before this, a dog which so much as set foot on the -porch had been belted with anything capable of inflictin' pain, and -now they refused to go inside. - -The Chink was able to whistle 'em to the cook-house; but that was as -far as they'd go; and while they were standin' in a bunch, Horace and -Slim each got one. Ty was standin' near one o' the poles which upheld -the back porch, and Horace exploded a slab from this pole in such a -way that it knocked Ty down. This put the whole bunch into a -consternation. Horace certainly could shoot some. It made me think o' -the poorhouse, when I reflected on what it had cost him to learn how. - -Nothin' much happened that day. Horace and Slim stuck to their -knittin', and the Simpson boys played their part well. They rode in a -bunch, and when they'd come in sight o' the ranch house, one would -hold the field-glass case to his eyes, as though lookin' through the -field glasses, and another would turn and wave his hands, as though -signallin' to some one up in the hills. Once, two punchers went to the -corral and saddled hosses; but Horace shot one o' the hosses, and both -men flew for the stable without waitin' to take off the saddles. They -had never seen such wounds as Horace's elephant gun created, and it -put 'em in a mighty thoughtful mood. - -The Simpson boys came in soon after dark; and we all held a council of -war while eatin' supper. I was purty certain that we had a better -bunch o' men than those we were fightin'. It is no test of nerve to -kill a man: a lot o' men who got the reputation o' bein' bad were -nothin' but accidents or sneaks; but when you have to stick through a -slow fight without knowin' the odds again' ya, it gives your nerve a -mighty searchin' try-out. I had hopes that after a day or so, they'd -be certain that the hills on all sides of 'em were full of enemies, -and they'd be mighty glad to settle on our terms. I didn't want to -kill a single man more 'n was necessary. Horace also thought we could -wear out their nerve; but Olaf shook his head. - -"Some o' the punchers may desert in the night," sez he; "but as long -as a single one remains to stand back to back with Ty Jones, Ty -Jones'll stay and fight. He has no fear--I have seen." - -"The question is this," sez I, "if those fellers are the kind to get -fiercer the longer they're kept in suspense, the thing to do is to -raid 'em to-night; but, on the other hand, if they're the kind whose -nerve evaporates when it is kept uncovered, the thing to do is to wear -'em down. Let's vote on it." - -We decided to do some more wearin'; so we kept a guard at the camp, -and the rest of us went down to the cliff, and tossed over stones to -where we thought they'd be hid, providin' they had put guards at the -mouth of the ravine. We raised a yelp the first throw, and heard a -rush o' men from the new cabin, though the shadow was so dense down -below we couldn't see a thing. This showed us that some o' the dogs -still survived and were bein' used as guards, and also that there were -men quartered in the woman's cabin. This was a bother, as it would -force us to be careful until we found out where she was livin'. - -We posted a guard at the top of the path leadin' up from the ravine, -another at our camp, and went to sleep, feelin' purty tol'able well -fixed. Nothin' happened that night, and the next day, we made ready to -do about the same as we had done the day before; but when we reached -the cliff, the' wasn't a sign o' life below--not a single, breathin' -thing in sight, not even a hoss in the pasture. - -"They've got away!" exclaimed Horace. - -"Where to?" sez Olaf. "Ty Jones hasn't any more use for the law 'n we -have, and you'll never make me believe 'at he's pulled out and left -all his belongin's for whoever wants 'em." - -"That's so," sez I; "but where the deuce are they?" - -We watched all mornin'; but not a sign, not a bit o' smoke from the -cook-house, just the ranch buildin's settin' there as deserted as the -Garden of Eden. The Simpsons were workin' their stunts across the -crick; so about ten in the mornin', Slim and Dutch rode over to tell -'em to come in, as they would look mighty foolish, providin' they were -makin' signals to one of the hills where the Cross-branders themselves -were hid. - -After eatin' dinner, the rest of us went down to the lookout, Horace -shoulderin' his elephant exterminator, and lookin' peevish and -fretful, 'cause the' was nothin' to shoot at. "Boys," sez I, "do ya -suppose 'at poor old Promotheus has been goin' all this time on -nothin' but water." - -"He's gone longer 'n this on nothing but water," sez Horace; "and so -have I. Over in Africa, once, we sent a tribe o' blacks around to beat -some lions out for us; but they fell in with another tribe who were -not friendly, and they just kept on goin'. Promotheus and I were lost -from everything, and we got into a desert before we found a way out. -We went for I don't know how long without water. Anyway, we went long -enough to get into that numb condition when the earth becomes molten -copper, and the sky a sun glass, and a man himself feels like another -man's nightmare. That tender old Promotheus you're sympathizin' with, -carried me the best part of a day, or a century--time had melted -entirely away--and when we came back to our senses we lay beside a -pool of water. He's tough, Promotheus is." - -"At the same time," sez Tank, "settin' cooped up in a log hut with -nothin' to cheer ya but water, isn't my idy of havin' high jinks." - -"Perhaps, too," sez Spider Kelley, who didn't have enough sense of -fitness to change a nickel, "those mongrel coyotes lynched both him -an' the Friar before they vamosed." - -"They wouldn't do that," sez Olaf; "but I wish we knew what they had -done." - -"Let's go and shoot at the old cabin or the bunk-shack," sez Oscar. - -"I move we wait, and raid 'em to-night," sez I, and this was what we -decided to do. - -The rest of us lolled about purty patient--as active men, an' beasts -too, are likely to do when the's nothin' on hand--but Horace who had -lived in a room most of his life, hadn't quite learned to turn off his -steam when he hadn't any use for it; so he kept bobbin' up and fussin' -about. All of a sudden, he gave a sort of gasp, and pointed up the -slope. - -We looked and saw one man crouched over and runnin' along where the -south trail to our camp swung around a crag; and we sprang to our -feet, and looked up at the camp. As we looked, the face of Ty Jones -with a grin on it, poked up over a stone and leered down at us most -exasperatin'. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY - -AN IRRITATING GRIN - - -Now, you can mighty easy understand that this was a fair sized, -able-bodied, bite-and-kick consternation for us, if ever the' was one -in the world. Our look-out was behind a ridge which sheltered it -complete from below, but left it as open from above as the straw hat -which Stutterin' Sam made the dude crawl through. Up above us, lookin' -down from the rocks in front of our camp was Ty Jones, grinnin' as -self-composed an' satisfied as a cat which has just removed all -evidence of there ever havin' been any Canary birds; and truth to -tell, we felt as indiscriminate and embarrassed as a naked man at a -dance party. - -All we saw was just Ty and his grin. We knew the' was one other man -with him, but that was all we did know; while our strength was as -plain to them, as Tillte Dutch was the time he fell in love and used -iodaform on his hair instead o' perfume. We just stood and looked up -at Ty, and then we turned our heads and looked at each other, and I -never saw as many stupid expressions in one mess. We felt as though -every minute was liable to be our next. - -Whenever ol' Tank Williams was surprised or puzzled or wrastlin' with -his own thoughts, he allus put me in mind of a picture I once saw of a -walrus. The walrus was loungin' up on a rock, and he looked as solemn -and philosophical as though some young snip of a school boy had tested -his intellect by askin' him what two times one made. I never saw Tank -look so much like the walrus as he did this time 'at Ty Jones -surprised us. O' course Tank's teeth was different, but his mustaches -stuck down in much the same way, and when I looked at him, I busted -out laughin', though I own up I was scared enough to stampede the -moment before. When I laughed, it seemed to break the charm, and -before I buttoned up my lips again, Horace had pulled up his elephant -gun, and taken a blast at Ty's grin. Ty pulled down his face behind -the stone as soon as Horace aimed at him; but the range was long -enough to strain even such a devil-tool as this half-grown cannon, so -nothin' came of it. - -After my chuckle, I began to think in streams. The ground to the right -of us--as we looked up towards Ty--was broken, and it occurred to me -that he had been holdin' us with his grin so as to give some of his -men time to sneak down and cut us off, he and the balance were above -us, the ravine to our left, and straight back of us the cliff. We -couldn't stick where we were again' odds, and there wasn't any water -in the clump of rocks which faced the path where it come out of the -ravine. As I ran over these details in my mind, I had as little -temptation to laugh as I ever did have; but the second I thought of -the clump o' rocks facin' the path, I saw that the path itself was the -answer. - -There was no reason to hurry, as far as I could see; they could not -come to us without exposin' themselves, and every moment we waited, -the closer would come Dutch, Slim, and the four Simpson boys. To the -right of us, as I said, the ground was broken, and here was where they -would be most likely to sneak down on us. By goin' in a diagonal -direction, we could get to where we could see straight up the washes -which made up this broken ground, and so know what we had to fight. - -"Come on, fellers," sez I, climbin' up over the ridge. - -"Where ya goin'?" sez Horace. - -I sat down on top o' the ridge. "Have you got any plan?" sez I calmly. - -"No," sez he, "I haven't; but I'd like to know--" - -"If you're willin' to take charge," sez I, "why, go ahead, and I'll -obey orders; but I don't care how small the body is, it can't do quick -work with more 'n one head, as you ought to know better 'n any of -us--it havin' been tried frequent in those Greek tales you're all the -time inflictin' us with." - -Horace put his back up a little. "I'm willin' to agree to anything -reasonable," sez he; "but I don't see any sense in leavin' this spot -until we know where we're goin'." - -I folded my fingers together, set my thumbs to chasin' each other, and -began to whistle. I wasn't jealous of Horace; but it just occurred to -me that I had handled men before he'd mustered up courage enough to -stay out after seven o'clock P. M. without gettin' his mother's -permission, and I wanted to test the others and see if they thought he -had picked up more craft in three years 'n I had in a lifetime; so I -whistled the tune to his song, and looked up at the clouds. - -"What's your idee, Happy?" sez ol' Tank. I had nourished Tank on -thought-food for a good long session, and I knew he'd feel mighty much -like a lost calf if I left him to rustle up his own idees; so I just -gave my hands a little toss and kept on with my whistlin'. - -"Aw, don't be so blame touchy," sez Spider Kelley. I had pulled Spider -through a number o' tight places, also, and I knew he'd soon begin to -feel trapped up and smothery, if I left him to sweat out his own idees -for a few minutes longer; so I gave him the same gesture I had -bestowed on Tank. - -"What do you think we'd better do, Olaf?" sez Horace. - -Olaf looked all around but did not see anything. "They have come up -the ravine, took the path up the other side, through the clump o' -trees, made a wide circle and got to our camp," sez Olaf. "If we try -to get away, they cut us off. If we stay here, we die for want of -water. If we rush up the hill, they shoot us from behind the rocks. -All I can see is to wait until night, and then make a rush for it." - -"Well, that don't look like much of an idee to me," sez Horace. I kept -on whistlin'. - -"I move we foller Happy," sez Spider Kelley. - -"I second the motion," sez Tank. - -"I'm willin' to," sez Olaf, and Oscar nodded his head. This was about -all Oscar ever used his head for except to hang his hat on; but he was -a good boy and sizey. - -"All right," sez Horace. "Now then, Happy Hawkins, the responsibility -is on you." - -"Now, be sure you mean this," sez I; "for my plan is a foolish one, -and I don't care to explain each step. I don't claim 'at my scheme is -the best; but my experience has been, that a poor plan carried out -beats a good plan which never came in. Climb up here, and we'll walk -off in that direction without lookin' behind us." - -They couldn't see any sense in this; but they follered me without -chatterin', and I was satisfied. Horace had the field glasses in his -pocket; so when we had reached the place I thought would do, I set him -to lookin' across the crick careful to see if he could see anything. -All the others watched him, and I got behind and looked up the slope. -I saw several men hidin' in the washes, and I said in a low tone: -"Keep on lookin' across the hill, Horace. Now, you others get out from -behind him. Now, Horace, whirl and examine the washes up the slope and -see how many men you can count." - -Horace whirled, as did all the rest of 'em, and we found seven fellers -in sight. We figured 'at there must be at least fifteen Cross-branders -in the neighborhood, and probably more, and the ones we were able to -see in the washes convinced me 'at Ty had staked everything on gettin' -us cornered. They didn't have enough to split up, so I felt sure they -would leave the ravine open, not thinkin' it likely we'd try to go -down there. - -"Now," sez I, "let's go to that clump o' rocks and hide." They all -came along; but didn't seem enthusiastic, because the washes led down -close to the rocks--we, ourselves, havin' sneaked down 'em while we -were waitin' for the woman that day. We couldn't see the path the boys -would take in comin' up to our camp from across the crick, while the -Cross-branders could see 'em a good part o' the way, and this fretted -me a lot; though I hoped they had heard Horace's elephant gun. - -After a time, Horace, through the glasses, saw a feller's head -watchin' us from our old look-out; so we knew they had crept up along -the back o' that ridge. Then we heard consid'able shootin' off to the -right, and knew the boys had got back. There were several good places -for ambush, and we felt purty blue at what had most likely happened; -but they were on hossback, and would be on their guard after knowin' -'at the Cross-branders were up to some trick; so we hoped for the -best. - -This clump o' rocks we were in was composed of one big crag and a lot -o' little ones. The big one shut off our view, and finally Horace said -it would be a good plan to get on top of it, as the chances were we -could get a good view in all directions. It was fifteen feet up to -where the' was footin', and we didn't see how it could be done; but he -said it was simple; so we let him try it. He made Olaf and Tank face -the rock, holdin' on to each other. Then I climbed to their shoulders -and they passed up Horace. I handed him up as far as I could reach, -and it was as simple as peelin' a banana. The signal was for him to -drop a pebble when he wanted to come down. - -In about two moments a stone the size o' your fist fell on Oscar's -head; which was a good thing, for it might otherwise have hurt a head -we had more use for. We laddered ourselves again' the rock, and Horace -came down without missin' a single one of our ears. When he reached -the level, he put his finger on his lips, and said he had seen ten men -sneakin' up toward the rock and only a few hundred feet away. Oscar -was still holdin' to the lump on his head, so Horace explained 'at -the' hadn't been any pebbles on top the crag. - -"Now, what ya goin' to do?" asked Horace to me. - -"You, Olaf, and Oscar go around the rock to the left," sez I; "and -Tank, Spider, and I'll go around to the right. Each fire only once, -and then run around the rock again and make for the path leadin' down -into the ravine. Keep close together all the way." - -"The ravine!" exclaimed Spider. - -"Sure," sez I. - -"All right," sez Spider, draggin' out the "all" until it would do for -"I told ya so," in case we got pocketed. - -It worked fine; we flew around, surprised 'em, shot a volley into 'em, -made 'em seek cover, and then we flew for the head o' the path. Ol' -Tank, with his damaged prop, was as nimble as a one-legged Norman -hoss, and Horace was loaded down with elephant ammunition; so that it -was wise to have all the time we could get. Ty and five others jumped -up from our look-out, and tried to head us off; but they had to go -twice as far as we did. Ty and two others had rifles, and they stopped -and took shots at us, but nothin' came of it. - -"Hurry on to the ranch buildin's," I called as we went down the path. -Then I turned back, to see what they were doin'. - -"Let me take a shot at 'em," sez Horace's voice at my elbow. - -"Why didn't you go on with the rest?" sez I. "I can give you half way -and beat you runnin'." - -"Let me take just one shot," sez Horace, so I gave in and let him. Two -fellers were runnin' at a long angle toward the mouth o' the ravine to -head us off, and get a shot from above; so I told him to try for one -o' them. He fiddled with his hind sight as calm as though shootin' for -a Christmas turkey, and hanged if he didn't topple one over. The other -stopped, and then ran back with his head ducked low to the ground, -while the wounded one crawled behind a rock. - -"Now dust for the buildin's," sez I; "and don't try any more nonsense. -Let me carry the weapon, and you won't be so overloaded. I'll start -after you in a jiffy." - -When I looked back, I saw that all of 'em had slowed down consid'able, -out o' respect to the elephant gun; but I could still count seventeen, -so we hadn't seen 'em all before. When they started towards the head -of the path again, I took a shot at Ty Jones; but I didn't savvy the -rear sight, and all it did was to make 'em slow down once more. Then I -slid down the path and hot-footed it down the ravine. I saw signs o' -hosses, so I knew they had rode most of their trip, and would be in a -position to circle around all they wanted to. - -I soon caught up with the others, and Tank was puffin' purty freely. -All the rest were runnin' easy, and we came out o' the mouth o' the -ravine without seein' a single soul. Now, we hardly knew what to do. -It was about the same distance from the mouth o' the ravine to the -first curve in it, as it was to the woman's cabin; so I told Spider to -stay at the corner o' the cabin, and watch that curve. - -Then we went around and found the door locked. We called twice to the -woman, but the' was no reply; so Olaf picked up a big stone and -knocked off the lock. We made a quick examination; but the' was no one -there. I posted Horace and Spider in this cabin to watch the mouth o' -the ravine through the window facin' it, and to shoot into 'em, should -they foller us close. - -We next went to the big house, where we had more trouble as everything -was fastened with bars on the inside, except the front door which had -an immense padlock on the outside. We finally broke it off, and out -dashed three o' their confounded dogs. We killed 'em, and went inside; -but the' was no one else there. Next we went to the workshop, and -after breakin' off the padlock, we found the Friar and Promotheus -gagged and tied. The Friar was sad, and Promotheus was mad. We sent -'em up to the cook-shack to get on speakin' terms with food again, and -rummaged the rest o' the buildin's; but could find neither the woman -nor the Chink, and by the time we were through, it was gettin' along -towards dark. - -I set Tank to cookin' a meal while the rest of us carried logs and -piled 'em in the mouth o' the ravine. It would be moonlight up to ten -o'clock, and after that I intended to have a fire to see by. We also -set up some logs at each o' the two fords. After supper we divided -into two equal groups o' four each, to stand guard, each man to watch -two hours, one at the window of the new cabin, the other from the -porch of the old one, where a view across both fords could be had. - -The Friar was purty downcast at our not bein' able to find the woman, -and at our still bein' in a state o' war; but he didn't kick none. He -promised not to go over and surrender himself any more, and said he -would stand guard careful, and warn us the first thing 'at happened. -We decided 'at they would probably attack us that night, and we -finally chose the old shack, as it had water piped into it from a -spring a hundred yards above. I figured 'at they'd be most apt to come -down the ravine, so I picked out the Friar, Olaf, and Tank to help me -watch it, and the others to take turns watchin' the fords. - -About half past nine, we lit the fires and turned in, with Oscar on -the porch, and Olaf at the window of the new cabin. I thought they -wouldn't come before two o'clock, and had it arranged so 'at the last -ford watches would be held by Spider and Promotheus. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-ONE - -THE NIGHT-ATTACK - - -I wasn't sleepy, and lyin' stretched out is the worst cure for -sleeplessness 'at ever I tried; so after twistin' about for a while, I -got up and took a look around. Oscar hadn't seen a thing, which I took -to be a mighty encouragin' sign. Mostly, when you set a boy on guard -he rouses ya out to meet the enemy every fifteen minutes, and then -goes to sleep just before the enemy actually does arrive; but Olaf had -trained Oscar to do what he was told, as he was told--when he was -told--and then not to talk about it for a couple o' years afterward. -Oscar was reliable to a degree; but for conversational purposes, I'd -sooner have been shipwrecked with a brindle bull pup. - -I didn't have any doubts of Olaf; but I dropped in to see what sort of -a view he had, now that it had got dark. The fire was burnin' high, -and the ravine was as bright as day. Enough o' the fire would last -until mornin' to give a good view, so I strolled down around the -bunk-shack and stables. I saw a form movin' in the shadow o' the -cottonwoods, and stalked it careful, finally gettin' close enough to -make out the Friar. - -"Can't ya sleep, Friar?" sez I. - -"No, no, I can't sleep," sez he with a sigh. "Where do you think she -is, Happy?" - -"They probably took her with 'em; and left the Chink to guard her, -back in the hills," sez I. "No matter what happens, they're not liable -to harm her." - -"It's sore hard to be patient," sez the Friar. "I am honestly opposed -to all violence and bloodshed. I have allus believed that all wars -were useless and unnecessary; but it's sometimes hard for me to love -my enemies." - -"You're just worried and can't see clear," sez I soothin'ly. "It's -plain enough if you just think it out--that's the best part o' -religion. One place it sez: 'Love your enemies.' In another it sez: -'Foller the Lord's example.' In still another it sez: 'Whom he loves, -he chasteneth'--which you said meant to punish. Now then, you have it -all worked out: the proper way to love your enemy is to punish him; -and, accordin' to this rule, we're goin' to love the hide off o' one -o' your enemies, if so be we're able to do it." - -But the Friar never would stand for havin' his religion doctored to -suit the taste, he had to take it as stiff and raw as alcohol, where -he was concerned, himself; so he turned in and explained things to me -until from my standpoint, misery was the only religious excuse a -feller had for bein' happy. - -By this, it was time to change watches, so the Friar relieved Olaf, -while Horace and his elephant-pest went out on the front porch to -watch the fords, and I turned in. None of us took our boots off that -night; we had a little fire in the big room, and slept on the floor, -holdin' our belts in our hands. I drowsed off quick enough this time, -knowin' 'at Tank and Promotheus would be next on watch and certain not -to let anything surprise them. - -Sure enough, just about the time we had slept ourselves into complete -forgetfulness, we were all jerked to our feet by the first shot Tank -fired, and this one shot was followed by a bunch of others. The -Cross-branders had crept down the ravine, and a little after three -when the fire had burned low, they had tried to get by unnoticed. Ol' -Tank only had one eye, but it was a workin' eye, if ever the' was one, -and he shot two of 'em with one o' their own rifles, and when they -rushed him in a body, spreadin' out wide, he retreated to the old -cabin, accordin' to directions. - -The old cabin had loopholes in it, and we had found three fairly good -rifles, but not much ammunition. We didn't waste any shots while it -was still dark; but they fired at us now and again. They had brought -the five rifles we had left at our camp, and used 'em freely. Slim had -taken the other rifle with him. - -All durin' that day they broke the monotony by takin' frequent shots -at us; but the logs in the cabin had been matched up for just such a -purpose, and not one of us was even scratched with a splinter. What we -were most afraid of was, 'at they would find some way to set fire to -the cabin, and we counted on that bein' one o' the night's -diversities. - -There were three good sized rooms in the old cabin which was only one -story high. One big room occupied the full south half o' the cabin, a -bedroom was in the northeast corner, and a library in the northwest -corner. Yes, sir, a regular library, and the Friar and Horace both -said it was a choice collection o' books. Horace showed us one book -which had a photograph of the original Prometheus chained to a rock -with the vultures peckin' at his liver, and he certainly must have -been some man to stand it. This picture made The's eyes light up -consid'able. - -The' was also some chromos of naked stone images on the wall, which -the Friar and Horace called mighty fine copies. They were purty well -dumb-founded to find 'at Ty Jones didn't live as much like a bob-cat -as they'd thought. Under the book shelves was a row o' locked drawers. -They stuck out farther than the shelves above 'em, and we wanted to -pry 'em open to see what was inside; but the Friar wouldn't let us. - -That was a wearin' day, and we were all glad when it finally dragged -itself to the lake o' darkness, and dove in. We had our minds made up -for a busy night, but waitin' for trouble is more crampin' to the soul -than bein' in the midst of it, so we felt cheerfuller as soon as night -actually settled down. - -We didn't dare have a fire in the fireplace, for fear it would show -'em our loopholes, and we didn't care to advertise these any more 'n -was necessary; but we set a lighted candle far back in the fireplace, -to see to load by. The fireplace was across the southwest corner o' -the big room. There were no loopholes in the library, but we feared -the light might leak through a chink in the window shutter, so we -didn't have any light there. We kept one man watchin' through -loopholes in the bedroom, and two watchin' in the big room, and were -able to cover the whole neighborhood. - -The cook-shack was the nearest buildin', and only the two loopholes in -the north end o' the bedroom covered that; so we decided to fling the -library window open and fire through that, in case they made a rush -from that direction. We knew they wouldn't be likely to start anything -until after eleven, as the moon wouldn't set until then, so we -stretched out on the floor, leavin' Oscar, Horace, and Spider on -watch. - -When a feller has been keepin' his attention wound up for several -days, his mainspring finally gets strained, and the cogs in his head -get to cuttin' up regardless. I managed to get a purty fair dab o' -sleep; but it seemed as though I dove straight out o' wakefulness into -a dream, and it was some the rottenest dream I ever had. I dreamed -that Ty Jones had come and stooped over me and asked me what I thought -o' the way he had conducted his life. In a dream a feller is apt to do -the foolest things imaginable, so I looked up into Ty's face and told -him my true opinion. I sez to him: "Ty, if your brains were blastin' -powder, they wouldn't make enough explosion to raise your hat." - -Ty didn't take kindly to this opinion; so he jumped into the air and -lightin' on my face, began to trample it with his heels. The -discomfort of this wakened me; but at first I didn't know I was awake. -Several men had been actually tramplin' on me, and the' was a general -fight takin' place in that room which was hard to make head or tail -of. - -In the flickerin' candle rays, it was mighty bothersome to tell who -from which; so the' was no shootin'. Aside from Ty and Pepper Kendal, -we averaged bigger 'n they did, except Horace and Spider. Spider had -length but he ran small in the arms and legs, while Horace was -twenty-two caliber any way you looked at him. They abused Horace some -consid'able, and he got kicked and trampled on purty liberal; but he -was of terrier blood, and the second or third time he got kicked into -a corner, he crawled out on his hands an' knees, picked out a pair o' -legs which was strange to him, wrapped his arms about 'em, and fetched -their owner to the floor with a thump. I spared enough time to knock -the feller on the head; and then Horace played his trick over again. - -Olaf was a mad bull in a mix-up like this--Horace said he had -beershirker blood in him, and this must be good stuff for it made Olaf -grin when Horace accused him of it. O' course the' ain't much head or -tail to such a fight, and in lookin' back on it, it's just like -spurtin' the pages of a picture-book with your thumb and tryin' to -observe the pictures. I saw the Friar leanin' again' the mantel-piece -with a hurt look on his face; and it disgusted me. - -In times o' peace, I respected his prejudice again' violence; but this -was no time for foolishness, and I recall mutterin' to myself a wish -that Horace might have the loan of his big body for the next half -hour. I saw Olaf knock down two men with one blow, I saw The save ol' -Tank's life, just as a half-breed was about to knife him from behind; -but for the most part it was just about as orderly a mess as a -popper-ful o' corn over a bed o' coals. - -The fight didn't last more 'n five or ten minutes. They had banked on -surprisin' us; and when this failed they were ready to back out. I -afterward found out that it was the Friar who had caught sight of 'em -first, he not' bein' able to sleep. - -Ty and Pepper Kendal were the last to leave the big room; and when -their own men were out of it, they opened fire on us; we fired back, -and when they backed into the library where the rest o' their gang had -disappeared, we made a rush for 'em. I supposed they had come in -through the library window, and I called for a candle, hopin' to grab -Ty before he could get out. - -Spider Kelley had already picked up the candle, and he had it in the -doorway in a second. The big drawers at the bottom o' the bookcase -were swung back, showin' a stairway behind 'em, and Ty Jones stood at -the top with Pepper Kendal just behind him. I dove through the air, -catchin' Ty's wrist with my left hand and his throat with my right, -Pepper Kendal bent his gun on me, Olaf grabbed the gun which was fired -just as The grabbed Pepper's arms. It looked to me as though the -bullet must have gone into Olaf's head; but just then we tripped, -rolled down the stairs and the imitation drawers swung to behind us. - -All holts were broke on the way down, and when I reached the bottom, I -lay as quiet as a frozen moonbeam. I heard steps runnin' away from me -in the dark, and presently the legs of the man next to me moved, and -he got up. I rose to a crouchin' position, held my arm above my head, -and whispered, "Who is this?" - -For answer, I got a smash on the arm with the butt of a forty-five -which drove it down again' my head hard enough to bring me to my knees -and wake up my horse-sense. I might 'a' known they'd have a signal. - -I waited with my back again' the wall until the silence began to soak -into my nerve. One o' my guns had got lost durin' the mess upstairs; -but I still had the other, and when I closed my grip around it, it -seemed like I was shakin' hands with my best friend. As far as I could -discover I hadn't been shot; but several knife-cuts and bruises began -to hum little tunes which wasn't in nowise cheerin'. I just simply -don't like to be kept waitin' in the dark! - -After a bit I reached my hand out cautious, and felt the heel of a -ridin' boot. I examined as careful as though the feller inside the -boot was a disguised bear-trap; but the' was no need. His neck was -broke. I felt of his face, and it was soft and smooth. The face of the -young feller with the boy's eyes, I had seen put to bed drunk that -night at Skelty's, flashed across me, and I gave a sigh; but I had too -much on my mind to turn soft, so I began to feel around again. - -Presently my fingers struck the heel of another boot. I shut down on -my bellows until the breath didn't get down past the top inch o' my -neck, and I was as gentle with the heel o' that boot, as though it was -a bitin' man's eyeball; because I sure felt a quiver in it. I slid my -fingers up that boot a quarter inch at a time, and I didn't use no -more rudeness 'n a mouse would use in tryin' to sneak a cheese piller -out from under a sleepin' cat. When my fingers finally struck -corduroy, I purt nigh gave a shout, for this was what Promotheus wore. - -It allus embarrasses a man to be felt over in the dark, so I took my -time with The; but after locatin' both hands and his crooked mouth, I -discovered he'd been knocked out complete. I rubbed his wrists until -he began to moan, and then I pinched his nose until he was able to -notice my name when I whispered. He had bumped his head in fallin', -and it made him sick to the stomach; so while he was gettin' tuned up -again, I prospected around. - -I crawled up the stairs but couldn't hear a sound, I scratched with my -fingers, knocked softly, and pushed until my eyes began to hurt; so I -knew 'at the only way out for us was to follow the Cross-branders. -Things had happened so sudden up above that I hadn't an idy as to how -many were fightin' us; but I was still purty certain that a fair sized -bunch had run out the tunnel just as I dove into it, and I didn't -choose to bump into 'em in the dark. - -When I came down the stairs, The felt able again; so we started to -prospect. We agreed that strikin' our teeth together would be our -signal, and then we made our examination. The right side o' the tunnel -was smooth, the way Nature works, the left side was rough, and -indicated man's doin's. Aside from us two, the only other one in the -tunnel was the boy with the broken neck; but the tunnel opened into a -big cave, and we didn't know what to do about it. - -Finally we started around the right hand wall, me crawlin' first, and -The's fingers touchin' my boot at every move. After goin' some -distance, a great, straggly gray form rose up from the floor o' the -cave, and gave me a shock which stopped my entire works. I kept my -presence o' mind all right; but I'd 'a' been mighty glad to swap it -off for absence of body. This was a most ghastly lookin' form, and I -nestled up again' the side o' the wall, and felt my hand back for The. -He crawled up alongside o' me, and when he spied it, he gave a start -which made his teeth click. "What's that?" he whispered. - -It's funny how the mind works. This form didn't resemble anything -earthly; so I hadn't really tried to figure on it much; but when The -threw his question at me, I looked at the shape more careful, and grew -ashamed o' myself. Here was I, a feller who had spent consid'able time -around mines, and yet had got all balled up over seein' things -underground. - -"That's your old friend, daylight, comin' down through a hole, The," I -whispered so prompt that I doubt if he noticed any gap. - -He gave a sniff through his nose, and then we crept on to where this -light was comin' in through the opposite tunnel. It was mighty weak -and sickly lookin' light, but the outline o' the tunnel mouth soon got -perfectly plain to us. Every few inches we stopped to listen; but we -got clear to the mouth without hearin' anything. Then we paused. Just -at that time, I'd have given right smart to have had my eyes fastened -on like those of a lobster I once saw in a window down at Frisco. This -insect had his eyes fixed to the ends o' fingers which he could -stretch out in any direction. - -To be honest, I felt some reluctant to push my face around that -corner; but when I did there wasn't a thing in sight. The tunnel -stretched ahead of us for what seemed miles, but we couldn't see the -outer openin', although the light was strong enough to recognize each -other by. The was a sight, for the bump on his head had leaked -continuous; but it hadn't disabled him none, so we drew back to -consult a little. - -If we had known whether they were ahead or behind us, it would have -been easy to decide; but under the circumstances, we hardly knew what -to do. Bein' in the dark was one thing; but bein' out where we could -be seen was still another; so we thought full and deep. - -After a few minutes I told The a little story about a feller I helped -to pick up after he had jumped from a thirty-foot ledge onto a pile o' -stone. "Why did you do it?" sez I. He blinked his eyes at me a time 'r -two, hove a long sigh, an' said: "The' was a purple dragon in front o' -me, a lot o' long-legged yaller snakes back o' me, and the peskiest -pink jack-rabbit you ever saw kept swoopin' into my face an' peckin' -at my eyes. If I ever drink another drop, I hope it'll drown me." - -The considered this story careful, an' then we crawled out into the -tunnel, rose to our feet, an' ran along crouchin'. The tunnel ran -upward at a sharp incline, which was why the light came down it so -far. We kept to the right wall, and after goin' some distance, we came -across a small cave. In this we found another dead Cross-brander; but -we weren't enough interested in him to risk strikin' a light; so we -sat down a moment to rest and listen. - -Presently we noticed some curious noises, but for some minutes we -couldn't decide on what they were. Suddenly The grabbed my wrist an' -said: "That's shootin'; that's what that is!" - -It was as plain as home-cookin' the minute he pointed it out; so we -rose to our feet and made a rush for the mouth o' the cave. We came -out about half way up the face o' the cliff; and for a moment we -paused to admire Ty Jones's foxiness. This openin' couldn't be seen -from below, nor noticed from above, and for the most part the whole -tunnel was natural, only havin' been hand-widened in three or four -places. - -The fightin' was goin' on near the face o' the cliff between us an' -the mouth of the ravine; so we circled around until we caught sight of -'em. The first feller we made out was Mexican Slim; so we knew our -boys hadn't been ambushed up above, and this raised our spirits like a -balloon. We crept up until we could get good angle-shots, hid -ourselves, gave the old Diamond Dot yell, and began to shoot. Ty's men -had been losin' their bullet-appetite for some time, and they took us -to be genuwine reinforcements. They were well planted where they were, -but they started to retreat, and we crowded 'em close. - -Then it was that Ty made Olaf's word good: he exposed himself to -shots, he rallied his men, and that wolf-grin never left his face; but -still the tide had changed, and he had to go back with the rest. The -woman, with her hands tied behind her, was in charge o' the Chink, who -was tall and heavy-set with a dark, evil, leathery face. He kept a -grin on his face, too, which reminded me most of a rattlesnake at -sheddin' time. He used the woman as a shield, an' this checked our -fire an' kept us dodgin' for new positions. Still, all in all, this -part o' the fight was about as satisfactory as any I ever took part -in. - -Finally they retreated to the dip where the tunnel came out, and we -had to skirmish up the rocks to keep our vantage. Soon we discovered -that Ty had lost control of his men. He, Pepper Kendal, and two others -stood in the mouth o' the tunnel, and took a few shots at us before -disappearin'; but six of his men ran straight across the dip, and down -the other side toward the crick. Tillte Dutch was standin' close to -me, and I asked him where the hosses were. He said they were tied -across the crick just above the upper ford; so I sent him for 'em full -speed. - -Horace and Tank stayed to watch the mouth o' the openin', while the -rest of us wrangled the six Cross-branders through the cottonwoods. -They had a good start, and so had time to cut the wire and cross the -crick toward some broken land on the left. By this time Tillte had -tied the reins and thrown 'em over the horns o' the saddles so as to -lead a string, and he came lopin' into view. - -Slim, two o' the Simpson boys, Olaf, and myself mounted and cut off -the six Cross-branders, who were too weary to even scatter. They had -had enough and surrendered. We tied their hands, and herded 'em back -to the old shack, where Oscar, Spider, and three disabled -Cross-branders were runnin' a little private hospital. We fixed up -wounds as well as we could, sat the last six on a bench along the -wall, and left Dick Simpson to guard 'em. Spider had been shot and cut -consid'able; but he was able to stagger around some, while Oscar had -been punctured below the ribs, and things looked bad for him. Olaf had -been shot in the head, all right, just as The and I dove down the -stairway the night before, but his skull was bullet-proof, so nothin' -came of it. - -The Friar had been ransackin' the locality, and had found one o' the -Simpson boys dead, and one badly hurt. Badly crippled, as we were, we -didn't see any way to get at Ty except to starve him out. First off, -we made some coffee, and those who weren't hurt dangerous were given -some side-meat and corn bread; for, truth to tell, we were about once -through. We spent the afternoon under a tree half way between the -mouth o' the tunnel, and the old cabin, so as to be handy in case we -were needed. After talkin' it all over, we couldn't quite see why they -had split up, some of 'em tryin' to escape, and some stayin' with Ty. - -Finally I went to the cabin, durin' a time the Friar was on watch at -the cave mouth, and picked out the weakest lookin' of the prisoners. I -brought him down, and we tortured him with questions until he got -fuddled and told us that the two who had stuck to Ty had been so bad -hurt, they couldn't go any farther; but that neither Ty nor Pepper -were hurt to speak of. - -The fact is, that in a general fight a feller loses his aim complete. -We had all aimed at Ty and Pepper the most, and here they were the two -not hurt at all. As darkness fell, the Friar couldn't hold himself in. -All afternoon he had done what he could for the wounded; but at -thought of the woman spendin' another night in the cave with those -men, he became as wild-eyed as a bronc at his first brandin'. Durin' -the afternoon, Tank had stiffened until he couldn't do much travelin'; -but I saw the Friar had his mind made up to take a plunge, so I tried -to fix things to prevent it. - -Olaf, two o' the Simpson boys, Promotheus, Tillte, Slim, Horace, and -myself lined up as bein' still in workin' order; but while he was in -the act of claimin' to be all right, Slim doubled up in a faint, and -we found he had been bad hurt without even himself knowin' of it; so -countin' Horace who had two black eyes and a shot through the -fore-arm, the' was seven of us able to get about purty nimble. Hid -away in the cave, somewhere, were Ty Jones, Pepper Kendal, and the -Chink, unhurt so far as we knew, and two others, still probably able -to help a little. - -We placed a couple o' logs again' the fake drawers in the library, and -left Tank to take charge of the prisoners and the cabin. Then we -rustled up some tarps from the bunk-shack, and prepared to camp near -the openin' with a man allus on guard, to prevent them from comin' -out--and the Friar from goin' in. We kept a lantern lit under shelter -of a rock, and made ready to rest up a bit. - -I had told all the fellers to watch the Friar close, for he just -simply couldn't get the upper hand of himself. He tried his best to -simmer down and go to sleep, but every few minutes he'd boil over -again. I lay awake in my tarp watchin' him for some time; but I was so -sore and weary myself I could scarcely recall what business I was on, -and first I knew I had drifted off--and been shook awake again. - -Promotheus was bendin' over me with the news 'at the Friar had decided -to go into the tunnel, and they couldn't hold him back. I sprang up -and started for the opening with the rest following me. Dan Simpson -had relieved The on watch and when he found what was in the Friar's -mind, he had crept down and told The, who had awakened the rest of us. - -We reached the Friar, just as he was goin' into the openin'. I called -to him in a low tone; but he only shook his head. It was eleven -o'clock, and the shadow from the moon had already crept out from the -base o' the cliff almost to the openin'. I saw that the Friar had took -the bit; so I whispered to the others: "I am goin' in there with him; -but more 'n this would be bad. We'd be in each other's way. Listen and -watch, but do not follow us in." - -"I know the way as well as you, and we could keep side by side," sez -Promotheus; but I shook my head. - -He came over to the openin' and said in a low tone: "I haven't time to -make you understand; but--but I just have to go in with you." - -"If you come, the rest'll come too," sez I, exasperated. - -"You fellers stay here," sez he to them in a pleadin' tone; "but I -have reasons. I just have to go in." - -So we shed our boots and started down the incline after the Friar, -Promotheus touchin' my feet with his fingers at every step I crawled. -I didn't want to be there, I couldn't see how we could do any good; -but the Friar had made my world for me, such as it was, and I -understood better 'n the rest what was gnawin' at his heart; so I -hadn't any choice. I had to go in, and somethin' inside Promotheus -drove him in also. The only crumb o' comfort I could find, lay in the -fact that Horace had been winged, and so couldn't foller us, whether -he wanted to or not. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-TWO - -HAND TO HAND - - -At first it was black as pitch; but I crawled as fast as I could in -the hope of catchin' up with the Friar. It is instinct with most men -to follow the right wall when goin' through a strange place in the -dark, though I never could see why. A man carries his weapon in the -right hand and naturally ought to be as free with it as possible. -Still, most men do it, so I follered the right wall, hopin' each time -I put out my hand it would touch the Friar. - -After a time, I saw a faint glimmer o' light to the left, and I -stopped and pointed it out to The. We came to the conclusion that they -had a candle lighted in the offset where we had come upon the body, -and we discussed whether they were likely to be in there, or had gone -on farther back and left the light to see any one who tried to crawl -after 'em. I held out 'at they wouldn't expect any one to crawl after -'em; but The said 'at Ty would be likely to go into just such a place -himself, and so would expect others to do the same. Ty certainly had -the way of impressin' his own men. - -When we got a little closer, I lay flat and scanned along the floor, -tryin' to make out the Friar between me and the light; but I couldn't -see him, and we went on again. I hope I may never have to do any more -such work as this. Creepin' along in the dark eats up a feller's nerve -like a forest fire. - -When we got so close 'at I could see my hands by the light, I sent The -across to the other side, remindin' him to knock his teeth should he -chance upon the Friar, or in case we come together again, ourselves. - -Then I lay flat with my hat down low, and nudged myself along with my -elbows and toes. I couldn't even make out The across the tunnel, which -was only about twelve feet wide, and just for the fraction of a second -it came across me that he had formerly been a Cross-brander, himself; -but this thought didn't live long enough to draw its second breath. - -Finally I reached the spot where the light threw a splash on the walls -and floor, and I made my gun ready and stuck out my neck in what was -the most breathless silence I ever tried to listen to. Across the -splash o' light in front of me, all was a solid wall o' darkness; and -I'd have paid over quite a sum to know what eyes were lookin' out of -it. - -Farther and farther I pushed myself into the light without seein' a -thing; until finally I saw the candle, itself, and beside it--the -Friar. - -I wriggled across the tunnel just as The crept into the room from his -side, and we felt a little better to be in the light, together again. -The body still lay again' the wall, and The looked at the face; but he -didn't know it. The Friar hadn't seen or heard anything, either; and -we were up a tree to the top branches. We talked it all over, tryin' -to imagine what we would do under the same circumstances, and finally -decided they had gone on down the tunnel, leavin' a man on guard just -below the light, and that the man had gone to sleep. - -"Well," sez I after we had discussed things around in a circle for a -while, "here we are holed up again, as cozy as a cavey o' rats with -traps set at all the openin's and en-thusiastic terrier dogs diggin' -down from above. If it's not bein' too inquisitive, Friar, what plan -did you have in comin' down here?" - -"I wanted to be close to her," sez Friar Tuck. "I kept thinkin' o' how -lonely it must be for her through the dark, and I hoped the' might be -some chance o' helpin' her to escape. I did not have any definite -plan--only faith and hope." - -"Like the shark which swallered the parasol," sez I, for I was -consid'able put out; "he had faith in his digestion and hoped the -parasol was some new sort o' health-food. But to get down to -facts--Have you any weapon with you, and are you willin' to fight?" - -"I have no weapon," sez the Friar; "but I am willin' to do whatever -seems best. I am trusting in the same power which upheld Gideon, and I -ask to see no farther than he saw." - -This was the Friar all right, so I merely swallowed a couple o' times -and didn't say anything. Whether he lived or died was the same to the -Friar, as whether he lived in Idaho or Montana would be to another -man; so I saved myself a certain amount of irritation by just thinkin' -quietly as to what was best for us to try. Fact was, I didn't take, as -much stock in Gideon just then as I did in Ty Jones. - -"I'll tell you what I think is best," I sez after a bit; "for me to -crawl down the hall in the hope that the watcher really has gone to -sleep; while you two stand ready in this offset. If they chase me, -I'll run up the tunnel, and you spring out and take 'em at a -disadvantage as they go by." - -O' course they both wanted to do the crawlin', but it was my plan, so -I stuck out for it, and started. I was really glad to be out o' the -light again, and I crawled as gentle as though crossin' a bridge of -eggs. Before long my fingers struck a boot, and I felt of it -ex-treme-lee careful. If ever I go blind, my experience durin' those -days will help consid'able in transferrin' my eyesight to my fingers. - -The feller had toppled over again' the right wall, and I crept up -alongside, holdin' my gun by the barrel, and ready to swat his head as -soon as I had located it; but the' was no use--the man had already -died. He had been shot twice, but they thought he could last a while -on guard, and this was why we had been able to cross the lighted -place. - -Just beyond this, I came upon another offset, on the opposite side -from where the candle was. We hadn't noticed it that mornin' 'cause we -had gone out along the other wall. I heard some heavy breathin' in -here; but I also heard some one tossin' about an' mutterin', and I -hardly dared risk an examination. I looked back at the splash of -light, and it seemed mighty cheery and sociable, compared with the -darkness and company I was in. - -It's astonishin' the way pictures fly across a feller's mind at such a -time: I saw the boy down at the foot of the stairs, I saw him as he -must have been, a few years before some quick, rash deed of his had -drawn a veil across the laughter in his eyes; I saw the feller in the -offset, and wondered how much it had taken to turn the expression of -his face into that beastlike hunger for revenge, and then dozens of -schemes and plans for capturin' Ty began to flash upon me; but each -time, the presence of the woman spoiled everything. They had used her -for a shield once, they would do it again, and I couldn't see a way to -get around her. - -We knew 'at Ty had vowed he would never be taken alive; and I couldn't -see what we would do with him even if we did take him alive; but I -could see that he would take pleasure in draggin' as big a bunch into -the next world with him as possible, and yet every scheme 'at came to -me was blocked by the presence of the woman. Finally I crept a little -way into the offset. My hand touched a piece of cloth, I felt over it -with nothin' except the ridges on my fingers touchin'; but just when I -made sure it was the Chink, he moved and sat up. I stopped breathin'; -but after a minute, he sighed and settled back. - -I waited a little longer and then crawled back and told what I had -discovered. "If the' was only some way we could throw a light into -that offset," sez I, "I think we could fix 'em." - -We studied over this for some time before the Friar thought up a way -which seemed worth tryin'. I said I'd go back and stay at the far side -o' the openin', and when they brought the rope back, to come right on -with it along the left wall, and I'd knock my teeth together to show -it was me--provided I was still there and able. So the Friar pulled -off his boots, and The kept watch in the offset while the Friar ran -back. I thought it must be several days since we'd come in, but he -looked at his watch before startin', and it was only two o'clock. - -From where I was, I could make out the shape o' the feller they had -put on watch, and knew I could keep cases on all within the little -rock room. After an age, I saw two forms creep like ghosts out of the -dark beyond the candle, and ooze into the offset without makin' a -sound. Then in a moment, Promotheus came stealin' along the wall with -the end of the rope. I made my signal to him, and he went on down the -tunnel, slowly pullin' the rope after him. - -I was mighty curious to see how they had fixed the lantern, which they -were to light with the candle in the offset, and it made me feel a lot -better when it came out of the recess. Horace had done the fixin', I -afterward found out, and it had nearly broke his heart not to come in -with it; but he realized that it was necessary to have an outer guard, -so he had stayed with the two Simpson boys. He had put the lantern -into a box after nailin' a couple o' short pieces of rope on the -bottom for runners; and now it came slidin' along without makin' a -sound. He had sawed a piece out of the side, so that all the light -came up again' the ceilin', and onto the side where the openin' was. - -Slowly it came along, and I stood in the shadow watchin' it. Finally -it fell on the face of the man lyin' near the openin', and I saw he -was one of those who had been at Skelty's that night--for all I know, -it was his hand I had seen raisin' the window to my room. Next, it -lighted up the openin', itself; and then The stopped pullin' and crept -up opposite me. We heard 'em sighin' and groanin', in the recess, and -finally the woman's voice gave a weary moan as she came awake. - -In a second, Ty's voice was heard, askin' what was the matter; and we -all braced up our nerves. A weak, delirious voice started to babble, -but it was broken by a shot, and a bullet ripped through the box, but -without puttin' out the light. I started across the hall; but The had -already seen it, and had taken the rope and ran down the tunnel with -it. He turned the box, so 'at just the left edge o' the light touched -the openin', and then came across to my side. We weren't in a black -shadow now; but still, with the light in their faces, it would have -been hard to see us. - -A hand reached out of the openin', and fired in our direction, I -dropped to my knee and aimed at the hand, but neither shot counted; -and for the next few minutes, all we heard was that weak voice, -babblin' indistinctly. It hadn't worked out as I thought it would. I -figured that they'd be surprised when the light shone in their faces, -and would rush out and give us a chance. Now that it was too late, I -thought up half a dozen better schemes. - -Even while I was thinkin' up a perfect one, I saw a form come out from -the recess, and threw my gun up--but I didn't snap the hammer. It was -the woman, and behind her I could make out the shaved head o' the -Chinaman. - -We all stayed silent for some time, an' then Ty's voice said: "Well, -what kind of a settlement do you fellers want?" - -He spoke as self-composed as though puttin' through a beef-dicker, and -no reply was made for several seconds. Then, as no one else spoke, I -sez: "All we want is just the woman and what's left o' your outfit, -Ty." - -"Who's that speakin'?" sez Ty. - -"He's generally called Happy Hawkins, Ty," sez I. - -"Who's in charge o' your gang?" sez he. - -"Dinky Bradford," sez I after thinkin' a moment; "but I'm delegated to -speak for him." - -"Tell ya what I'll do," sez Ty; "I'll trade ya the woman for Dinky -Bradford an' the Singin' Parson. Send those two in to me, and I'll -send her out to you." - -This was the foolest proposition ever I heard of. The woman wouldn't -'a' been any use to us without the Friar. "Dinky Bradford is guardin' -the mouth o' the tunnel," sez I; "but he wouldn't stand for any such -nonsense, nohow." - -"Is the preacher here?" asked Ty. - -"Yes, I am here," sez the Friar, steppin' out from the offset and -comin' toward us. Olaf, who was with him, caught his arm and kept him -from exposin' himself. - -"Damn you," sez Ty, slow an' deliberate. "I hate you worse 'n any man -in this territory. You're at the bottom of all this kick-up. You're -the one which has turned my own men again' me; and all I ask is a -chance to settle it out with you." - -"You're mistaken if you think that I advised this method," began the -Friar; but Ty broke in, and said: "Never mind any o' that -preacher-talk. I know what's what, and I'm all prepared to have you -hide behind your religion, after havin' started all the trouble. I'll -offer you a plan which any man would accept--but I don't class you as -a man. The fair way to settle this would be for the men who are with -us to empty their guns an' lay 'em on the floor, then you and me strip -to the waist an' fight it out with knives. They haven't anything at -stake; but I suppose you'll be true to your callin', and make them -take all the risk." - -"I want to be true to my callin'," sez the Friar; "and fightin' with -knives isn't part o' my callin'." - -Ty laughed as mean as a man ever did laugh; and both Olaf and I -offered to take the Friar's place; but Ty said he didn't have anything -special again' us any more 'n he'd have again' the Friar's ridin' -hoss; and then he offered to fight the Friar and Dinky Bradford at the -same time. - -He kept on roastin' the Friar till I bet I was blushin'; but the Friar -just stood out straight in the gloom o' the tunnel and shook his head -no. Then the woman took a half step forward, an' the Chink jerked her -back, twistin' her wrist and makin' her give a smothered scream. - -I had moved the box around to give us a little more light; and when -she screamed, I saw the blood rush up the Friar's pale face to his -eyes, where it burst into flame. Livin' fire it was, and in a flash it -had burned away his religion, his scruples again' violence, the whole -outer shell o' civilization, and left him just a male human with his -woman in the power of another. "Strip," he said, and his words rolled -down the tunnel like a growl of a grizzly. "Strip, and fight for your -life, for I intend to destroy you." - -I can still hear the laugh Ty gave when the Friar said this. "Destroy -me?" he said. "Destroy me? That's a good one! Now, do your men agree -to let us go free if I win?" - -"I do," sez The. - -"I do," said I, after I'd taken another look at the Friar, who was -already unbuttonin' his shirt. - -"I do--if you fight fair," said Olaf slowly. - -"Then one of ya hold the lantern while we empty the guns," said Ty. - -I didn't like this part of it; but couldn't see any way out; so while -The held the lantern, one on each side emptied a gun and tossed it to -the center of the tunnel. We emptied all of ours, and they emptied all -of theirs, and then while Ty was takin' off his shirt, I went up to -the Friar. When I saw the taut muscles ripplin' beneath his white -skin, I felt comforted; but when I saw him holdin' his knife point -down, the way they do in the picture-books, I got worried again. - -"Take your knife the other way, Friar," I whispered; "and strike up -under the floatin' ribs on his left side. That's the way to his -heart." - -"I know how to fight with a knife," he snapped; so I didn't say any -more. Horace had become a gun-fighter, here was the Friar claimin' to -know the knife game, and if the woman had stepped out and challenged -the winner to a fight with stones, why, I was so meek I wouldn't 'a' -got het up over it. - -Then Ty Jones came out of the other offset, stripped to the waist also -and holdin' his knife in his left hand. The woman had gone into the -niche on our side, me an' Olaf leaned again' our wall, Pepper Kendal -and the Chink leaned again' the wall opposite us, The held up the -lantern, and for a full minute the only sound was the wounded -Cross-brander, babblin' out his delirium back in the cave-room. - -Ty was a shade beefier 'n the Friar; but his skin was dull, and the -muscles didn't cut off into the tendons so sharp, nor they didn't seem -quite so springy or well oiled; but there was half a dozen knife scars -on his chest, and he had come up our way from Mexico. - -They walked toward each other, Ty's eagle eyes an' wolf-grin tryin' to -beat down the grim set to the Friar's face. They both crouched over -an' circled about each other like a pair o' big cats. Ty made a few -lunges, but the Friar parried 'em as simple as though it was a game, -and purty soon Ty was forced to slip his knife to his right hand with -the blade pointin' up for a rip. When he did this, the Friar smiled, -turned his own knife the same way; and I recalled the Friar havin' -told me about learnin' knife tricks from an I-talian he had helped -back East. - -I don't like knife fightin', and I don't approve of it; but I will say -'at this fight was the cleanest, quickest thing I ever saw. The Friar -was the best man, but Ty was the best posted; and time and again the -Friar saved himself by foot work. The follered 'em close with his -lantern, while Olaf and I kept a half watch on the two opposite us. - -They kept movin' faster and faster and the' was a continuous spattin' -as they parried with their left hands. Finally the Friar grabbed Ty by -the wrist, Ty grabbed the Friar's wrist at the same time, lowered his -head, and butted the Friar in the pit o' the stomach. It looked bad; -but the Friar had raised his knee and caught Ty on the chin; so they -staggered apart and breathed deep for a minute, before beginnin' -again. - -The grin had left Ty's face, and it had settled into black hate. When -they began again, the Friar seized Ty's wrist every chance he got, -twistin' it, bendin' the arm, and tryin' to thrust with his knife; but -Ty was tough and wiry, and managed to twist out every time. At last -the Friar caught Ty's right wrist, dropped his own knife, ran his head -under Ty's right arm, caught the slack of his right pant leg, gave a -heave and threw him over his head. It was a clean throw and the Friar -stooped, picked up his knife and started for Ty before he had time to -get to his feet. Ty rolled to his feet and dodged away as though to -run, whirled, took the blade of his knife between thumb and -forefinger, and spun it through the air. It struck the Friar's -collarbone, cut a gash through his shoulder, and twanged again' the -wall o' the tunnel. - -The two men eyed each other for a moment, the calm of victory in the -Friar's eyes, the red of baffled hate in Ty's. They were about eight -feet apart. "Will you give up?" asked the Friar. - -"No," sez Ty. He doubled up his fists as though to spring, then -whirled and stepped into the offset behind him. In a moment, he came -out with a gun in his hand. - -As soon as he had said no, Pepper Kendal an' the Chink had made a dive -for the offset, and Olaf and I had made a dive for them. I got Pepper -who was old and stiff, and I managed to hit him in the center o' the -forehead just as Ty came out with his gun. Olaf was havin' trouble -with the Chink, and I picked up a gun and tapped Pepper on the head -with it, and then turned to knock the Chink. Just as I turned, I saw -the woman walkin' slowly down the tunnel behind the Friar, and I saw -Ty bend his gun on him. Even then he had to pause a moment to enjoy -his deviltry, and I still see that picture in my dreams--the Friar -standin' silent and proud, with his head thrown back and his level -eyes full on Ty, while back of him stood the woman as unconcerned as a -snow-bird. About six feet beyond 'em stood Promotheus holdin' the -light above his head, while his face seemed frozen with horror. - -For an instant they stood like stone images. Then The lunged forward -and caught Ty's arm, the lantern went out, I heard one clear report, -and one muffled one, and then I started for 'em. I bumped into a heavy -form, two naked arms went around me in a bear-grip, and we rolled to -the floor. The candle in our offset had burned out; but I knew it was -the Friar, 'cause his was the only smooth face among us. "This is -Happy," I muttered, and we rose to our feet. - -A struggle was goin' on beyond us, and I thought it was Olaf and the -Chink; so I lit a match, knowin' that Ty would 'a' had plenty o' time -to get away already. As the match burned up, I saw the Chink lyin' -stretched out, and Olaf and Ty locked together. Olaf had his leg -wrapped around Ty's, and was bendin' his back. Ty's eyes were stickin' -out white an' gruesome, and he was gurglin' in the throat. Suddenly, -somethin' cracked and they both fell to the floor o' the tunnel just -as the match went out. - -I heard hard breathin', and then Olaf's harsh voice came out o' the -darkness. "Well," he said, "I guess that squares things." - -"What's happened, what's happened?" asked a panting voice, and then I -knew 'at Horace hadn't been able to stand it any longer, and had come -in, game wing and all. - -"We've settled up with Ty Jones--that's what's happened," said Olaf; -and as we stood there in the gloom, the drip o' the dawn came rollin' -cold and gray down the slant o' the tunnel; and I shuddered and turned -away to find somethin' for my hands to do. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-THREE - -THE GIFT OF THE DAWN - - -The first thing I did was to light the lantern, for the daylight which -came down there was too much in keepin' with the conditions to suit -me. Promotheus was doubled up an' holdin' his side; so the first thing -I did was to ask him if he was bad hurt. The' was a smile on his lips, -a regular satisfied, self-composed smile, but I didn't just like the -look in his eyes. - -"Nope, I don't ache at all, Happy," he said in a firm voice; "but I -can't move much. Tend to the others first." - -It seems 'at Ty's first shot had hit the woman in the head, and his -next had got The in the side--but The had managed to get the gun away -from him, which is why the rest of us were spared. - -The Friar had carried the woman into our offset, and was rubbin' her -wrists and workin' over her, though the' didn't appear to be much use. -She was still alive; but that was just all, so I left them and -examined the rest. Ty was all twisted out o' shape, and lay with his -eyes open, glassy an' stary and horrible. Olaf hadn't had time to -quite finish the Chink, and he was crawlin' down the tunnel when I -nabbed him. Then Horace took the lantern while Olaf and I hog-tied -Pepper Kendal and the Chink. - -We next examined the cave-room where Ty had made his last stand. It -was fair-sized an' well stocked, and also had half a dozen extra guns -in it. When I saw these fresh guns, I gave a low whistle to think what -a lot o' suckers we'd been to discard our own trumps and set in a game -against a marked deck; but as the Friar allus said: "Wrong feeds on -death and Right feeds on life; so the' can't be no doubt as to the -final result, even though things do look blue sometimes." - -There was a fine spring in the corner o' this room--the same spring -which afterwards came out near the mouth of the ravine and was piped -into the old cabin. The wounded Cross-brander was still babblin', so -we fed him some water and eased him around a little. - -Next we went outside and nailed some pieces to a couple o' light -poles, and we were mighty glad to have enough left to man this vehicle -when it was finished, for we were all purt nigh used up, Tillte, the -two Simpson boys, and myself carried the litter, while Horace ran the -illumination, and Olaf tended to Pepper and the Chink. - -We took 'em all out, even to the dead; and the one at the foot of the -stairs turned out to be the boy, just as I'd thought. Next to the -woman, with the Friar walkin' beside her his head on his breast, this -trip with the boy cut me worse 'n any. Promotheus got off three -average good jokes while we were packin' him out, and cheered us up a -lot; but we put Ty Jones down with the dead. As we straightened him -out he gave a groan which made us all jump. The whole thing had become -a nightmare, and we staggered about like the ingredients of a dream. - -The woman's head was shattered on top an' the' wasn't any hope for -her; but still, it gave the Friar comfort to work over her, so we -acted as though we thought she had a chance. The nearest doctor was at -Meltner's stage station, a full day's ride. Tillte went after him, -while Dan Simpson rode over to his father's to break the news and -bring back Kit. What with the prisoners still on our hands, the dead -to bury, and the wounded to wait on, we were in chin-deep; and the -worst of it was, 'at we didn't want the news to get out. We had tried -to settle things without botherin' the law, and we preferred to finish -that way if possible. - -We buried the four Cross-branders across the crick and down stream -from the lower ford, and we buried Tim Simpson just a little way above -the upper ford. The Friar went along and helped dig the graves and -carry them to it; but he didn't preach nor sing, and his face was -drawn with sorrow. - -By evenin' we had got things to some system. Spider, Tank, Slim, and -Horace were able to help quite a little; but Oscar, Tom Simpson, and -Promotheus were in bad shape; while we had seven prisoners, countin' -the Chink, and seven wounded enemies to look after. The feller Horace -had shot, up on top, got out o' the country, I reckon. Anyway they -left him above with the horses, and we never heard of him again. - -Ol' man Simpson, Kit, and the boy arrived durin' the moonlight, and we -were all mighty glad to see Kit, though we hated to face the old man. -Still, he was game, and took it mighty well. Tillte had got a fresh -hoss at Meltner's and had started right back with the doctor; so they -arrived a little after seven next mornin'. The doctor was purty young -lookin' to me; but he had a bagful o' shiny instruments, and he made -himself at home without any fuss. He had been in a Colorado hospital -for two years, a minin' hospital, and he was as familiar with a -feller's insides, as a pony is with the range he was foaled on. He had -took a claim near Meltner's, and was able to talk a long time on why -it was better for a young doctor to come west. - -He praised the Friar's work to the skies--and then turned in and did -it all over to suit himself. He said that all the wounded stood a good -show except the woman, Promotheus, and Ty Jones. We none of us thought -'at The was in much danger; but the doctor shook his head. Ty's spinal -column had been unjointed near the base, and he was paralyzed from the -hips down; but in all that skirmishin', he was the only one who hadn't -lost a drop o' blood. The Friar, himself, had two flesh-wounds beside -the one Ty had give him. - -I was with the doctor when he started to work on the woman's head; but -I couldn't stand it. I'm not overly squeamish; but I own up I couldn't -stand this; so I backed out, leavin' the Friar with his face like -chalk, to hand instruments while little old Kit held a basin. I hated -to leave 'em; but I didn't take a full breath until I was beside -Promotheus again. - -His voice had got weaker, but the smile never left his lips, and it -was restful just to sit and watch him. Horace hovered over him like a -young hen, and The drank so much water, simply to please Horace, that -I feared his bones would dissolve. Horace had told the doctor he would -pay all the bills, and to go the full limit and not try to economize -none on his patch-work. We put the seven prisoners in the workshop, -and slept in tarps around the door, which was fastened with a chain, -so 'at if they got it open, a board would fall on these sleepin' next, -and wake 'em. - -The Friar was all for notifyin' the authorities; but old man Simpson -had been a notorious public, or some such official, back in Vermont -and naturally he was up on all the twists and windin's of the law. He -said it would take the Su-preme Court itself fifteen years to sift out -the actual legalities of our tangle; and even then he wasn't sure -which side would get the worst of it, so he advised us to just work it -out on our own hook, which we had decided to do anyway. - -For three days, the woman lay in a stupor. Kit had told me that her -skull hadn't been actually shattered--that she had been shot in just -about the same way that Olaf had, but that Nature had counted on Olaf -gettin' into some such a fix, and had provided for it by givin' him a -flint skull, while the woman's skull wasn't of much use except in -times of peace. Kit said the doctor had taken out a few splinters of -bone, and had fastened up the openin', but had said the' wasn't any -show for her. - -On the other hand, Olaf had looked at her careful, and had said that -all the vital part of her was workin' on just this point. He said that -the light about her body was the blue o' weakness; but that just at -this point, the' was a constant bulgin' out o' different colors in a -way he had never before seen. The doctor heaved up his eyebrows at -Olaf's verdict, and looked as though he thought perhaps Olaf's brain -had been shifted a little out o' line, in spite of his flint skull. - -On the third night I was what the doctor called his orderly, and went -on duty at midnight. I was sittin' out on the porch of the old cabin -when the Friar came out holdin' his hand across his eyes. We had moved -the wounded men over to the bunk-shack, and the woman was in Ty's -bedroom. I didn't speak to him, and he stood leanin' against one o' -the posts for some time without seein' me. - -He trembled all over, and his breath came quick and catchy. Finally he -looked up at the stars and said in a low tone, as though speakin' -personal to some one near at hand: "Save me, oh God, from mockery! I -have spoken for others in my vanity; and now that my own hour has -come, oh save me from the rebellion of my flesh; and give me grace to -say in my heart, Thy will be done." - -As he stood with his face upraised, the late moon crept out and shone -full upon it, and the agony in it struck me like a blow; but even as I -looked, the change came. Before my very eyes, I saw the sign of peace -made upon the Friar's brow. A moment before and it had been torn into -wrinkles and covered with beads of sweat; but now it was smooth and -calm. He clasped his hands across his breast, closed his eyes, and -the' came a smile to his lips which drew a mist to my own eyes. I -can't be absolutely certain of it, because o' this blur in my eyes; -but I think, I actually and honestly do think, that I saw white forms -hoverin' in the moonlight above him. - -He drew a full breath and turned to go in, but saw me settin' with my -back again' the wall o' the cabin, and came over and put a hand on my -shoulder. I couldn't say anything. I wanted to say somethin' to -comfort him; but I couldn't speak a word, until he asked me how the -others were gettin' along. I told him they were all doin' fine, and -that even Ty had been restin' well. He turned to go in, and then I -found the nerve to ask him how things were inside. - -"It is all over, Happy," sez he, without even a catch in his voice. -"Just before I came out here, the doctor said the pulse had stopped." - -He caught his breath with a little gasp at this; but that was all. -"What did Olaf say?" I asked. - -"Olaf says that she still lives," he answered; "but I fear that Olaf -is not to be relied upon this time. He has a strange gift; but he does -not understand it himself, and while I know he would not deceive me, I -feel that the doctor must know best." - -"Well, I'll not give up until Olaf does!" I blurted. - -He smiled again and put his hand back on my shoulder. "Come in and -look at her," he said, "she is very beautiful. The strange mask has -fallen from her face, and she is once more as she was in those old, -happy days when we walked together through our own Garden of Eden. -Come in, I want you to see her." - -I went in with him, though I didn't want to. I knew what love did to a -man, and that I hadn't seen the same woman he had; but the' was -another face allus before my eyes, and no one else was beautiful to -me. I didn't want to do any pertendin' to the Friar, even at such a -time as this. - -I follered him inside, feelin' out o' place and embarrassed; but when -I looked down at the quiet face in the bed, I was glad I had come. She -didn't look like the same woman, not at all. All the weary, puzzled -expression had left her face, and in spite of its whiteness, it looked -like the face of a girl. I looked at her a long time and the thought -that came to me over and over was, what a shame she couldn't have had -just a few words with the Friar before she was called on; just a few -words, now that her right mind was back. - -After a time I looked up. Kit sat near the head of the bed, leanin' -over and holdin' a handkerchief to her eyes, Olaf sat near her, a -strange, grim set to his lips. His head was bandaged and he looked -less like a human than usual, as he kept his eyes fixed on the white -face o' the woman. The' was a lamp on the stand and I could see his -eyes. Blue they were, deep blue, like the flowers on the benches in -June, and they didn't move; but kept a steady gaze upon the white, -still face. The doctor sat in a corner, his eyes on the floor. At -first I thought he was asleep, and goodness knows, he was entitled to -it; but just as I looked at him he rubbed his fingers together a -moment and stood up. - -He walked over and put his hand on the Friar's shoulder. "You might as -well all go to sleep, now," he said, gently. "There is nothing more to -do." - -"Are you positive?" asked the Friar. - -"Positive," said the doctor. "There is no heart action, and when I -held a mirror to her lips no vapor was formed." - -"She is still alive," said the deep voice of Olaf, and we all gave a -little start. - -The doctor took a silver quarter and held it to the woman's nose for a -minute, and then looked at it. A puzzled look came to his face, and he -went back and sat down in the corner again. - -"Was it discolored?" asked the Friar. - -"No," sez the doctor slowly; "but I am sure there is no life -remaining. I have seen several cases of suspended animation, but -nothin' like this." - -"She lives, and the light is getting stronger," said Olaf. - -Kit took the handkerchief from her eyes which were still full o' -tears. She wiped them away, and looked first at the woman and then at -Olaf, and then she gave a sigh. The Friar's hands were opening and -shutting. He had fought his fight out on the porch; but the suspense -was beginnin' to undermine him again. - -I went back to the porch and stayed a while. When I went in again, -they were all as I had left them; and after a few minutes I made my -rounds, found everything all right, and came back. I went into the -room several times, and just as I caught the first whiff o' the dawn -breeze, I went in once more, determined to coax the Friar to lie down -and try to sleep. - -They were still in the same positions. Not a line had changed in the -woman's face, the Friar was almost as white as she was but still stood -at the foot o' the bed lookin' down at her; while the wrinkles on -Olaf's set face seemed carved in stone. - -I had just put my hand on the Friar's arm to get his attention when -Olaf rose to his feet, pressed his hand to his blinkin' eyes, and said -wearily: "The blue color is givin' way to pink. She will get well." - -"Don't say it unless you're sure!" cried the Friar, his voice like a -sob. - -For answer Olaf pointed down at the woman's face. A faint color stole -into her cheeks, and as we looked her eyes opened. The first thing -they rested upon was the Friar's face bent above her, and her lips -parted in a wonderin' smile--a smile which lighted her face like the -mornin' sun on ol' Mount Savage, and made her beautiful, to me an' to -all who've ever seen her. - -"Is it you?" she whispered. "Is it really you?" - -A warm, rosy beam of sunshine slipped in through the window and fell -across the bed, and the rest of us tiptoed out, leavin' the Friar -alone with the gift of life which the Dawn had brought back to him. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR - -TY JONES NODS HIS HEAD - - -It was a week after this before Olaf could see properly again. The -doctor was wild to take Olaf back East and hold doin's with him; but -Olaf wouldn't listen to it. He hated to have people take him for a -freak, and said it wasn't any fault of his that he saw the way he did. -The doctor said 'at what Olaf saw was called the aurora; he said that -science had been tryin' to locate it, but hadn't found any way to do -it, and that it was some sort o' rays shootin' out from this which had -put the inflammation into Olaf's eyes. - -Olaf had had one of his teeth filled when he was young, and ever since -that he'd been suspicious o' science; so he just clouded up his face -when they tried to devil him into bein' an experiment, and they -couldn't do anything with him. The Friar might have been able to, but -the Friar would have sent his own eyes East by freight before he'd -have asked Olaf to do a single thing he didn't want to do. The -ignorant allus scoff at the idee of Olaf seein' the soul-flame; but -the edicated allus take a serious interest which seems mighty -funny--don't it? - -From the very moment Janet opened her eyes and smiled up at the Friar -that mornin' she continued to improve. The doctor listened to all that -was told him about her havin' pains in the top of her head and not -bein' right intellectually, and he said she must have had a blow there -at some former time which had probably formed a tumor on the brain or -knocked off a few splinters of bone into it, and that in removin' the -pressure, she had been put into perfect order again. - -She had the smoothest voice I had ever heard, and I just doted on -hearin' her speak the Friar's name, John Carmichael. I had a legal -right to use the name John, myself; but it allus had the feel of a -stiff collar to me, so I was glad enough to have it forgotten. But -when Janet spoke the words John Carmichael, why, it cleared up the -atmosphere and started a little breeze. She didn't recall how she had -come to Cross Crick, nor anything much which had happened to her since -the night in Berlin. She said she had took singin' lessons in a place -called Italy, and had expected to reach grand opery. - -She had sung for pay whenever she got a chance, in order to get money -enough to go on with her studies, and was gettin' what I'd call mighty -lucrative wages at the Winter Garden; but was all the time bothered by -a lot o' foreign dudes who had the desire to make love, but not the -capacity. She said her manager had introduced an Austrian count for -advertizin' purposes, and she had finally consented to eat a meal with -him; but had been taken sick and had fallen. This was when she had -bumped her head and she never got clear in it again until that morning -when she had hovered between goin' out with the night or comin' back -with the dawn. - -She said she had a hazy, dreamlike remembrance of havin' tried all -kinds o' work after this; but couldn't tell the real from the unreal; -and she didn't have any recollection of how she had come to the ranch. -We never mentioned Ty Jones to her for she was comin' along like a -colt on grass, and we didn't want to risk any set-back. She said she -still had it on her mind that she had lost something precious; but she -couldn't make out what it could have been, and the Friar allus told -her not to worry, but to just rest herself back to complete strength. - -Oscar and Tom Simpson had turned the corner, and it was only a -question of time when they'd be all right again--which was true of all -the others except Ty and Prometheus. Ty wouldn't speak to us at all, -though he didn't seem to suffer to amount to anything. The doctor said -he might live for years, or he might slip away at a moment's notice; -but either way, he was doomed to be paralyzed for the rest of his -life; while the' wasn't any hope for Promotheus at all. - -He had been shot through the liver, which pleased him a lot as bein' -so in keepin' with his name; but we couldn't see why a feller who had -survived bein' shot in so many other places, should have to give in on -account of an extra hole in his liver. Horace divided his time between -waitin' on The and spurrin' up the doctor to try some new treatment. -He read aloud to The out o' Ty's books, and he seemed as fond o' those -old Greek fellers as Horace was himself. He was also mighty pleased to -have the Friar read and talk to him, and it softened us all a lot to -see how patient and gentle Promotheus had become. Humanity is about -the finest thing the' is about a human; and all humans have a showin' -growth of it, if ya can just scratch the weeds away and give it a -chance. - -The prisoners bothered us a heap; we feared they might have some -leanin's toward revenge; so we didn't dare turn 'em loose until they -showed some decided symptoms of repentance. Finally we got to bringin' -'em up two at a time to talk with The. At first it didn't do any good, -as Ty sat propped up in a bunk, grinnin' scornful, while The lay flat -on his back lookin' mighty weak and wan; but after several trials at -it, they seemed to pay more heed to what The told 'em. We figured that -Ty must have ten or a dozen men still out on the range somewhere; but -they never showed up. - -In about two weeks, or it might 'a' been three, all the wounded were -able to walk about except Promotheus, Ty Jones, and Oscar. Oscar was -doin' fine; but the noise of the other men bothered The a little at -night, though he denied it up and down. Still, we thought best to move -him and Ty to a couple o' cots at the east end of the mess-hall, which -was large and airy, with a big fireplace for cool nights. By this time -Janet was able to take short walks, leanin' on the Friar's arm; but -the Friar hadn't come any closer to findin' out what it was she had -lost, nor whether or not she was Ty's wife. The only reply Ty ever -made to questions, was to skin back his lips in a wolf-grin. - -The used to lay with his eyes fixed on Ty's face and a look of -hopeless sadness in his own. When we'd come and talk to him, his face -would light up; but as soon as we left him, he would look at Ty again -with a sorrow that fair wrung a feller's heart. I wanted to separate -'em; but when I suggested this to The, he shook his head. "Nope," he -said, "he may speak to me before the vultures finish with my liver; -and if ever the mood crosses his mind for a second, I want to be so -handy 'at he won't have time to change his mind." - -I told The 'at what was worryin' the Friar most was that all the -fightin' had been on his account; but that next to this, it was -because he didn't know whether or not Ty was married to Janet. - -That evenin' just when the thinky time o' twilight came along, I was -settin' by the fire in the mess-hall, where I could see Ty, and his -face didn't have quite so much the eagle look to it as common. The's -eyes rested on Ty's face most o' the time, and he, too, noticed it -bein' a little less fierce than usual. - -"Ty," he said in a low tone, "I was drove into turnin' again' ya. Not -by force, ya understand, nor by fear; but by something which has crept -into me durin' the last few years, and which I can't understand, -myself. Horace and the Friar have been mighty good to me--they saved -my life, ya know, after I had forfeited it by raidin' 'em durin' the -night. I told 'em I wouldn't be a spy on you about anything else -except the woman. You haven't much excuse to bear me any ill will, -seein' as it was your own hand which shot the move-on order into me. -I'm goin' to slip out yonder before long; but the's no knowin' how -long you'll have to sit penned up in a chair." - -The's voice gave out here, and he stopped a few minutes to cough. Ty's -face hadn't changed, and his eyes looked out through the south window -to where the western sky was still lighted into glory by the rays o' -the sun, which had already sunk. - -"I've been locked up in a stone prison, Ty," said Promotheus as soon -as he had quieted down again; "and I want to tell you that the minutes -drag over ya like a spike-tooth harrow, when you haven't nothin' to -look at but four gray walls and the pictures on your memory. A feller -feeds himself on bitter recollections in order to keep his hate lusty; -but all this pilin' up o' hate is just one parchin' hot day after -another--like we've had this summer. Everything green and pleasant in -a feller's nature is burned down to the roots, and in tryin' to hate -all the world, he ends by hatin' himself worst of all. Every kindly -deed he's done seems like a soothin' shower, and counts a lot in -keepin' him from fallin' down below the level o' snakes and coyotes. - -"I'm not preachin' at ya, I'm tellin' you just what I know to be so -from actual experience. I don't bear you no ill will, Ty, whether you -tell me what I want to know, or not; but you have it in your power to -give me more content than airy other man in all the world. Are you -married to the woman, Ty?" - -For a moment Ty didn't move, and then his lips tightened and he nodded -his head. Promotheus gave a sigh and settled back. He stayed quiet for -some time and then said in a weak voice: "Thank ya, Ty. I'm purty -certain that at such a time as this, you wouldn't deceive me. I'm -sorry you are married to her--on the Friar's account, understand--but -I'm mightily obliged to you for tellin' me the truth. The Friar is a -square man, and he's a strong man. He'll be able to fight what he has -to fight; but none of us can fight uncertainty, without losin' our -nerve in the end. I wish you would talk to me, Ty. I thought more o' -you than of airy other man I ever knew, except Horace and the Friar; -and I wish, just for old time's sake, you'd talk to me a little before -I slip away. You can talk, can't ya?" - -"Yes, I can talk," sez Ty Jones, facin' The with a scowl; "but I -haven't any talk I want to waste on traitors. If I was to speak at -all, it would be to ask 'em to separate me from your sloppy yappin'. -You may think 'at you sound as saintly as a white female angel when -you whine about duty and forgiveness and such-like rubbish; but the -more oil you put on your voice, the more I know you to be a sneak, a -hypocrite, and a traitor. I won't ask 'em to move me; because I'm not -in the habit of _askin'_ any man. When I had two legs to stand -on, I gave orders. Now that I can't give orders, I don't speak at all; -but every time you try to speak like a hen-missionary, you can know -that I'm sayin' to myself--sneak, hypocrite, traitor!" - -One thing you'll have to say about Ty Jones, an' that is, that when he -started north, he didn't wobble off to the east or west much, let what -would come in his path. The only reply The made was to sigh; but what -I wanted to do, was to lull Promotheus into a deep sleep, and then to -fasten Ty Jones's neck to a green bronco, and let them two settle it -out between 'em which was the tougher beast. What I did do, was to -steal out and tell Horace what had been said, and I also told him not -to separate Ty and Promotheus as I thought The would set him an -example which might finally soften him a little and make him more fit -to die, when the time came 'at some quick tempered individual lost -patience and tried to knock a little decent conversation out of him -with an ax. - -Horace, though, thought only o' The, and he hurried in and sat beside -him. I also went in and took my seat by the fire again. Horace took -The's hand in one of his and patted it with the other. Horace didn't -have any upliftin' words to match the Friar's; but he had some chirky -little ways which were mighty comfortin' to The, and when Horace would -be with him, all the sadness would leave his eyes, and he would talk -as free as he thought--which, to my mind, is the final test of -genuwine courage. - -Mighty few of us can do it. I know I can't. Time and again, I have had -deep feelin's for some one in trouble; but when I'd try to put 'em -into words, the knees o' my tongue would allus knock together, and I'd -growl out somethin' gruff, cough, blow my nose, and get into a corner -as soon as possible. The Friar was the first man who ever showed me -'at a feller could speak out his softness without losin' any of his -strength, and I have honestly tried to do it myself; but I generally -had to dilute it down over half, and even then, it allus sounded as -though I had wrote it out and learned it by heart. - -The asked Horace to either move him or Ty, said he didn't feel quite -comfortable beside Ty, and made out that it was his own wish; but -Horace vetoed the motion, and pertended to scold The for not havin' a -more forgivin' nature. The thought he had been as circumspect as a -land agent, and when his request rebounded back on him, he found -himself without any dry powder. - -He lay quiet for some time, and then spoke in so low a tone I could -hardly hear him. "I can understand the real Promotheus purty well, -Horace," sez he; "and I've tried to be as game as he was; but I can't -quite understand the One the Friar tells about. I have thought of Him -a heap since I've been laid up this time; but I don't believe I could -bring myself to forgive them who had nailed me on a cross for doin' -nothin' but good--I don't believe I could do that. - -"I can feel things clearer now 'n I ever could before; and when I -picture my own self as hangin' from nails drove through my hands and -feet, it just about takes my breath away. I've been handled purty -rough in my time, but allus when my blood was hot, and pain don't -count then; but to have nails drove--My God, Horace, that's an awful -thought! That's an awful thought. - -"Then, too, I don't feel that any one has ill used me lately. The -treatment I got in the army, and in the pen, was consid'able hellish; -but I haven't had much chance to try forgivin' any one for the last -few years. Horace, you can't imagine all the joy the last part of my -life has been to me. I didn't know what life really was, until you and -the Friar pointed it out to me. I've been so happy sometimes it has -hurt me in the throat; and now that I'm goin' on, I don't want to -cause any one any bother. I asked Ty to tell me if he was married to -the woman, and he did tell me. I'm sorry to say 'at he is married to -her, Horace; but I'm thankful to Ty for tellin' me. He don't feel easy -near me; so I wish you'd move me back to the bunk-shack." - -It was some minutes before Horace could speak, and when he did, he had -to put on pressure to keep his voice steady. "I don't care one single -damn what Ty Jones wants," sez he. "Let him stay right where he is and -learn the meanin' of friendship from the best friend a man ever had." -After which Horace gave The's hand a grip and hurried out of the room. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE - -THE LITTLE GUST O' WIND - - -I have seen some mighty quick changes brought about by flood o' -circumstances breakin' on a man all of a sudden--ol' Cast Steel -Judson, himself, had melted and run into a new mold the night o' -Barbie's weddin'--but I never saw such a complete change as had took -place in The since I'd first seen him. He loved devilment then, like a -bear loves honey; while now he had swung back with the pendulem clear -to the other side, until he was more unworldly 'n the Friar himself. -It wasn't what he said 'at made a feller feel funny inside, it was his -eyes. His eyes were all the time tryin' to tell things 'at his tongue -couldn't frame up, and it acted like brakes on a feller's breathin' -apparatus. - -I asked the Friar about it one evenin' while we were walkin' back -through the ravine. He walked along with his brows wrinkled a few -minutes, and then said: "You see, Happy, the whole human race is made -up o' millions of individuals, and each one is some alike and some -different. A man goes through childhood, youth, his fightin' period, -and old age; and the race has to do the same thing. - -"Now, ages ago when the childhood o' the race began, folks were -downright primitive; they used stone axes, skins for clothing, and ate -raw flesh. They were fierce, impulsive, passionate, just like children -are if you watch 'em close enough; but they lived close to nature, -just like the children do, and their bodies were vigorous, and their -minds were like dry sponges, ready to absorb whatever fell upon 'em. - -"The outdoor man of to-day is still primitive; he delights in his -dissipations, and recklessness, but the grim, set face which he wears, -is a mask. The rich, pure air is all the time washin' his body clean, -his active life keeps his nerves sound and accurate, and his heart is -like the heart of a little child--hungry for good or evil, and needin' -a guiding hand all the time. - -"In the mornin' a child is so full o' life that words don't mean much -to him; but when the play o' the day is over, he comes home, through -the twilight shadows, bruised an' disappointed an' purty well tired -out. All day long he's waged his little wars; but now he is mighty -glad to pillow his head close to his mother's heart; and then it is -that the seeds o' gentleness are easiest sprouted. This is the -twilight time for Promotheus." - -We didn't have anything more to say on this walk; but we both had -plenty to think of. It allus seemed to me that in some curious way, -the Friar, himself, was better 'n his own religion. His religion made -badness a feller's own fault; but after gettin' to know the Friar, it -allus made ya feel more like takin' some share in the other feller's -sin, than like pointin' your finger at him and sayin' he never was any -good, nohow. - -A couple o' days after this, the doctor told us that the sands were -runnin' mighty low in The's hour-glass, and it wouldn't be long to the -end; but still we couldn't believe it. He didn't look bad, nor he -didn't suffer; and we had seen him come back from the grave almost, -that time at Olaf's when Horace had claimed his life, and had saved -him in spite of himself. - -Then again, the doctor had missed it on Janet, and we were all hopin' -he'd get slipped up on again; but The himself seemed to side with the -doctor, and Olaf took one long look, an' then shut his lips tight an' -shook his head. The said he wanted to live, and had done all he could -to get a clinch on life; but that it was slippin' away from him drop -by drop, and he couldn't stay with us much longer. - -He seemed to want us about him, so we dropped in and sat beside him as -long as we could keep cheerful. All through the afternoon he lay with -a serious, gentle smile on his lips, but the sadness was mostly gone, -even from his eyes. I closed my own eyes as I sat beside him, and -called up the picture o' Badger-face the day he had wanted to lynch -Olaf. Then I opened my eyes and looked at the real Promotheus, and I -understood what the Friar meant by bein' born again. - -I spoke o' this to ol' Tank Williams, and he fired up at me as though -I had poured red pepper in the nose of a sleepin' cripple. "You're a -nice one, you are!" sez he. "I'd sooner fill myself with alcohol and -die in a stupor than to call up The's past at such a time as this. You -ought to be ashamed o' yourself." - -The' was no way to make Tank see what I meant so I sent him in to set -with The a while, and took a little walk up the ravine. Every step I -took brought some memory o' the time The and Horace and I had first -started to find out about the woman; and it wasn't long before I was -ready to turn back. - -Janet was quite strong by this time, though she still had to wear a -bandage; and after supper, the Friar took her in to see Promotheus. He -had told her all about him, and she was mighty sorry to think 'at his -end was near. She didn't recall havin' been kind to him when he was -playin' cripple; but the Friar had told her about this, too. Horace -had told the Friar about what Ty had said, and it had cut him purty -deep; but he had braced up better 'n we expected. We didn't any of us -know what effect bringin' Janet in sight o' Ty would have, and when -she came into the mess-hall, we watched purty close. - -Ty sat propped up, with his clenched hand restin' outside the blanket, -and an expression on his face like that of a trapped mountain-lion. He -glared up at her as she came near; but she only looked at him with -pity in her eyes, and she didn't seem to recognize him, at all--just -looked at him as though he was a perfect stranger which she was sorry -for, and Tank, who was settin' next me, gave me a nudge in my short -ribs, which was about as delicate as though it had come from the hind -foot of a mule. "Well?" I whispered. "What do ya mean by that?" - -"Couldn't ya see 'at she didn't know him?" sez Tank. - -"That's nothin'," sez I. "He knew her all right." - -"Yes, but Great Scott," sez he, "a man can't claim that a woman's his -wife if she don't know him, can he?" - -"Pshaw," sez I, "if you'd settle things that way, the' wouldn't be any -married people left. The' ain't one woman in fifty 'at knows her -husband, and the' ain't any men at all who know their wives." - -"You're just dodgin' the question," sez Tank. "I claim that if a man -marries a woman when she's out of her mind, he ain't got any claim on -her when she gets back into her mind again." - -"Look here, Tank," sez I; "you've never had much experience with the -world, 'cause every time you went where experience was to be had, you -got too intoxicated to take notice; but I'm tellin' you the truth when -I say that if women didn't sometimes get out o' their right minds, -they wouldn't get married at all." - -"Aw, shut up," sez Tank. - -Janet had gone over to Promotheus, and was smoothin' his forehead. She -had a beautiful, shapely hand, and it made me feel a little wishful to -watch her. The lay perfectly still, and his sensations must 'a' been -peculiar. Ty Jones didn't even look at 'em. He kept his brows scowled -down and his gaze out the south window. - -Presently Janet turned and walked out to the porch. It was an -unusually warm night, and she sat there alone, while the Friar came -back to The. Horace had gone off by himself to get a grip on his -feelin's; but he came in about nine o'clock, and went up and took -The's hand. "Well," sez he, "have you finally got over your nonsense? -I have a lot o' plans I want to carry out, and you know I can't have -you loafin' much longer." - -Nothin' suited The so well as to have a little joke put at him; but he -didn't have any come-back to this. He caught at his breath a time or -two, and then said: "I can't do it, this time, Horace. I hate to -disappoint ya--I've been countin' on what a good time we were goin' to -have--up there in the hills--but I can't come back this time--I, -can't, quite, make it." - -He ended with a little gurgle and sank back on the pillow. Horace -shook him a little and then flew for the doctor, who was on the porch -o' the old cabin. They were back in half a minute, Horace pushin' the -doctor before him; and we all held our breaths when he felt The's -pulse. The doctor squirted somethin' into The's arm, and after a bit, -he opened his eyes with a long sigh, and when he saw Horace bendin' -over him, he smiled. - -"I mighty near slipped away that time," sez he. "It's not goin' to be -hard, Horace; and I don't want you to worry. I feel as comfortable as -if I was sleepin' on a cloud, and there isn't one, single thing to -grieve about. I've been like one o' those hard little apples which -take so long to ripen. I've hung up on a high bough and the rains beat -on me, and the sun shone on me, and the winds shook me about, and the -birds pecked at me until at last just the right sort o' weather came -along and I became softer and softer, and riper and riper, until now -my hold on the stem begins to weaken. Purty soon a little gust'll come -along and shake me down on the green grass; but this is all right, -this is perfectly natural, and I don't want you to feel bad about it. - -"I own up now, that I've been afraid o' death all my life; but this -has passed. I don't suffer a bit; but I'm tired, just that pleasant -weariness a feller feels when his last pipe has been smoked, and the -glow o' the camp fire begins to form those queer pictures, in which -the doin's o' that day mingle with the doin's of other days. I'm -liable to drop off to sleep at any moment, now; and I'd like--I'd kind -o' like to shake hands with the boys before I go." - -Well, this gave Horace something to do, and he was mighty glad to do -it. After we had all shaken hands with The, he marched up the -prisoners, even to the Chink, and they all shook hands, too; and by -this time Prometheus was purty tired; but he did look unusual -contented. He glanced across at Ty; but Ty had turned his face to the -wall, and The gave a little sigh, settled down into the pillow again, -and closed his eyes. Horace backed around until The couldn't see him, -and shook his fist at Ty, good and earnest. - -Purty soon a regular grin came to The's face, and he opened his eyes -and looked at the Friar with a twinkle in 'em. "Friar Tuck," sez he, -"I don't know as I ever mentioned it before, but I'll confess now that -I'm right glad I didn't lynch you for stealin' those hosses." He lay -there smilin' a minute, and then held out his hand. "Good-bye, -Horace," he said in a firm voice. - -Horace had been doin' uncommon well up to now; but he couldn't stand -this. He threw himself on the bed, took both o' The's hands and looked -down into his face. "Promotheus, Prometheus," he called to him in a -shakin' voice. "Don't give up! You can win if you fight a while -longer. Remember that day in the desert, when I wanted to lie down and -end it all. You said you didn't take any stock in such nonsense; and -you picked me up and carried me over the molten copper, while queer -things came out o' the air and clutched at us. You reached the -water-hole that time, Promotheus, and you can do it again, if you just -use all your might." - -Promotheus opened his eyes and his jagged, gnarly teeth showed in a -smile, weak and trembly, but still game to the last line of it. -"Nope," he said so low we could hardly hear him, "I'm Promotheus, all -right. I hung on as long as I could; but the vultures have finished my -liver at last, Horace--they have finally finished it. I hate to leave -you; but I'll have to be goin' soon. The's only one thing I ask of -ya--don't send a single one o' the boys to the pen. They don't know -what the world really is; but shuttin' 'em out of it won't ever teach -'em. If the's anything you can do to give 'em a little start, it would -be a mighty good thing--a mighty good thing." His voice was gettin' -awful weak, an' he'd have to rest every few words. - -"And Ty Jones, too," he went on, "Ty was square with me in the old -days. Try to make him understand what it was 'at turned me again' him; -and if the's any way to make things easier for Ty, I want you to have -it done. Ty had a lot o' tough times, himself, before he turned all -the hard part of his nature outside. Don't bear him any malice, -Horace. Seventy times seven, the Friar sez we ought to forgive, and -that many'll last a long time, if a feller don't take offence too -easy. The's a lot o' things I don't understand; but some way it seems -to me that if I could just go out feelin' I had squared things with -Ty, I'd be a leetle mite easier in my mind." - -Horace stepped to Ty's bed and shook him by the arm. "Did you hear -what he said?" he demanded. "You know he's achin' to have you speak to -him decent. Why don't ya speak to him?" - -Ty looked cold and stony into Horace's eyes, and then took his left -hand and pushed Horace's grip from off his arm. Horace stood lookin' -at Ty with his fist clinched. The turned and saw it and a troubled -look came into his face. - -"Friar Tuck," he said, "you meant it, didn't ya--that about forgivin' -seventy times seven?" - -"I did," sez the Friar, his voice ringin' out clear and strong in -spite of its bein' low pitched. "Be at peace, Promotheus, the laws of -man are at war with the laws of God; but they're bound to lose in the -end. I want you to know that I forgive Ty Jones as fully as you -do--and I shall do everything in my power to square things up with -him." - -The held out his hand to the Friar, and they clasped in a -comrade-grip. "I can trust you," he said; "and I know you'll do all -you can to make Horace see it that way, too." - -"I forgive him, too, you big goose!" cried Horace. "I promise you that -I'll do all I can for him--on your account. Though I must say--but no, -I mean it, Promotheus. I forgive him from my heart, and I'll be as -good a friend to him as I can." - -"Now, let the little gust o' wind come," sez The. "I'm perfectly ripe -and ready for it, now." - -The' was silence for several minutes; and then Promotheus said in a -faint voice: "Friar, I wish you'd sing to me. All my life I've longed -to hear a cradle-song, a regular baby cradle-song. I know it's a -damn-fool notion; but I never had it so strong as I've got it now--and -I wish you'd sing one to me. My mother was a widow, mostly. She -cleaned out offices at night to earn enough to keep us alive. She -sacrificed her life for me, but I couldn't understand this then. - -"Night after night I used to creep in from the street through dirty, -stinkin' halls, and cry myself to sleep. An achin' came into my heart -then which hasn't never quite left it; and it was this lonesomeness -'at finally made me run away--leavin' her to face it out--all by -herself. - -"My blood has turned to water, I reckon, and I feel like a baby -to-night. I don't suffer, understand; I feel as though I was a little -chap again, and that my mother didn't have to work; but was holdin' me -on her lap. She did hold me that way once--the time the ambulance -brought my old man home--but she couldn't sing then. It seems to me -that if you'd just sing me a regular cradle-song--I could slip away -into pleasant dreams." - -The Friar cleared his throat a time or two before he found his voice; -and then he said in a low tone: "I used to sleep in a store-box, -Promotheus, when I was a lad--and I know exactly what you feel. I'll -sing you a cradle-song, a song for little children of all ages. It is -a great privilege to be a little child, Promotheus, and--and I wish -you pleasant dreams." - -Then Friar Tuck drew a deep, full breath, and held it down until all -the quiver had gone from his lips. When he started to sing, his voice -was low an' soothin', and full o' tenderness; and after the first -line, Promotheus gave a little sigh o' content, nodded his head, and -shut his eyes. - -The' was one tune we every last one of us liked. The Friar generally -sang it to words which began: "Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah"; and he -usually sang it with a swing which was like a call to battle; and this -time he sang the same tune, but soft and close and restful, and the -words he used began: "Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me." These words -sound purty flat when ya give 'em cold; but they didn't sound empty to -us, as we stood lookin' down at Promotheus. All alone, he had taken -his chance when he took on with Ty Jones; and now he was cashin' in -this chance and it made us mighty sober. - -The Friar finished the first four lines alone, and then the angels -seemed to join in with him. We had all been purty certain that the' -wasn't nothin' in the shape of earthly melody fit to hold a candle to -the Friar; but just at this point a new voice joined onto the Friar's -which sent a thrill through us and made us stop breathin'. A queer, -half frightened look crossed the Friar's face for a second; but his -voice didn't waver for a single note. Instead, the' came a new tone of -thanksgivin' and confidence in it which took all the sting out o' -death and made it all right and pleasant, like the cool and -restfulness o' night, after the heat of day. - - "All this day Thy hand has led me, - And I thank Thee for Thy care; - Thou hast warmed me, clothed and fed me; - Listen to my evening prayer," - -went on the song and the' came an expression of wonder and of joy into -The's tired face. - -There are only three little verses to this one, and to fill out the -tune they had to sing the first one over again, soft and low. The -candles threw a soft glow on The's face which hid the pallor of it and -the rough lines, but brought out all the kindly strength we had come -to be so fond of; and when the music died away, we all sat still for -fear o' disturbin' him. - -Horace had been settin' holdin' one of his hands, and after a bit he -leaned forward and whispered, "Was that what you wanted, Promotheus?" - -But the' wasn't any reply. The little gust o' wind had come with the -song--and fully ripe, and soft to the core of his big, warm heart, -Promotheus had loosed his hold on the bough of life, and dropped off -onto the soft, deep grass of eternity. - -"Promotheus! Promotheus!" cried Horace, and then covered his face with -his hands and dropped forward upon The's quiet breast. - -"Badger-face," called a harsh voice, and we looked at Ty Jones and saw -him leanin' towards The. "Wait, Badger-face, wait--I want to speak to -ya. I want to tell you that I lied to ya. Oh Lord, it's too late, it's -too late!" And Ty Jones pressed his hand across his eyes and sank -back. - -Horace whirled to tell Ty what he thought of him; but the Friar placed -his big hand on Horace's shoulder, and pointed down to The's placid -face. Horace gave a shudderin' sob, and settled back into his former -position. - -Janet Morris crossed the floor to the Friar just then and said to him -in a low tone: "I have found it again--my voice has come back to me." - -Ty Jones took his hand down from his eyes and straightened up and -looked at her. All the eagle had gone from his face, and it looked old -and haggard. "Don't you really know who I am?" he asked. - -She looked at him and shook her head. - -"I'm your half-brother," he said. "I'm Tyrell Jones Morris. Your -mother might have been a good woman, but she was not good to me--she -wasn't fair; she prejudiced my father again' me. You were sellin' -tickets at an elevated station in New York when I found you. You -looked a good deal like your mother, for you were weak and sickly. I -didn't know then, whether I brought you back with me because we had -the same blood in our veins, or because I hated you--and I don't know -yet. I'm not tellin' you this now, because I care any thing for you, -or the preacher; but Badger-face was square, and I know now 'at he'd -never have turned again' me if the rest of ya hadn't tampered with -him. I'm sorry I didn't tell him before he died--and that's why I'm -tellin' you now." - -I winked my eyes to the boys, and we filed out and went over to the -bunk-shack. We lighted our pipes and sat a long time smokin' in -silence. One by one they dropped off to bed until only me and ol' Tank -Williams was left. Tank sat with a sour look on his face, and so -deeply buried in thought that the burnt matches around his stool -looked like a wood pile. "What are ya thinkin' of, Tank?" I said to -him. - -"I'm not kickin', understand," sez he; "but it does seem to me that -when all The asked for was a cradle-song, the Friar could 'a' thought -up somethin' besides another one o' those doggone sheep-herder hymns. -The didn't have any more use for sheep-herders 'n I have." - -This was the real Tank, all right. Once an idee took possession of -him, it rode him rough shod till he keeled over with his tongue -hangin' out. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-SIX - -THE FINAL MOVES - - -We buried The by the side o' Tim Simpson. Horace insisted on makin' a -coffin for him--fact was, he wanted to have a regular funeral, but we -talked him out o' this; so he made a coffin himself and lined it with -silk which Ty Jones had brought out for Janet to make dresses of. The -Friar held some short services, but he didn't sing or preach any. Some -way, the' didn't seem to be any need of it. After we had covered him -over we stood around talkin' for quite a while; and then only turned -away because the first rain we had had for months came rattlin' down -from the mountains. - -"Do you see that, now?" asked ol' Tank after we had reached the porch -and were sittin' watchin' it come down in torrents. - -"I'm not totally blind," sez I. - -"Well, I'm not superstitious," sez Tank; "but I'm bettin' that he's -had that tended to, himself. He wasn't one to forget his friends, and -he knew 'at what we needed most was rain--so he's called attention to -it the first chance he's had." - -Fact was, Tank was so everlastin' superstitious that he spelt Tomas -with an "h" in it to keep from havin' thirteen letters in his full -name; but it did seem queer about this rain, because they wasn't any -sane man in the world who would have expected a rain just at this -time. It's astonishin' how many curious things there is if a feller -just takes notice of 'em. - -The Friar and Ty had had a long talk the night 'at Promotheus slipped -away, and the Friar had agreed to settle down at the ranch and do what -he could for Ty. Ty wasn't thankful; but he hadn't much choice, so he -behaved better 'n any one would have expected. The Friar wanted me to -stay and be foreman for him; but I told him I had promised Jabez to -come back as soon as I had got a good holt on myself again; and I -intended to leave for the Diamond Dot the minute things were right at -the Cross brand. The Friar didn't much trust Pepper Kendal for -foreman; but the minute I thought it over, I saw that Olaf was the -very man, and this suited the Friar to a T. - -We brought the prisoners up to Ty and he told 'em how things were and -advised 'em to adjust themselves to new conditions as fast as -possible, and they all agreed to do it and went to work under Olaf. -The Friar knew a preacher at Laramie; so Horace gave Tillte Dutch the -job o' goin' after him, and as soon as he came, the Friar and Janet -were married, and then I made plans to hit the trail for the Diamond -Dot. - -Horace had made up his mind to build himself a cabin up at our old -camp and he tried to hire me for life; but I had taken root at the -Diamond, and when I explained things to him, he owned up I was right. -I suggested to Horace that ol' Tank Williams was the very man for him, -and he admitted, when he came to look it over, that Tank would suit -him a heap better for hired help 'n I would. He even went so far as to -say he never could understand how it came 'at a stiff-necked man like -ol' Jabez could put up with my independent ways. I told Horace the' -was a lot of things it wasn't necessary for him to understand, and -then I whistled to Tank, and he came over and joined us. - -Tank rolled the notion about in his head a while, and then he sez: -"Horace, I'll take ya up. We both got cured up of our nerves on the -same trip, and ever since then I have to own that you've found favor -in my sight; but the one thing 'at counts bigger 'n anything else, is -the fact that, come what will, you'll never have any more hankerin' to -be pestered by a lot o' sheep, than I will." - -Olaf started to get things ready for the round-up and us Diamond Dot -boys, aside from ol' Tank, rode off home, where we found things in -consid'able of a muddle. Durin' the three years previous I had been -takin' more and more o' the responsibility onto my own shoulders, and -ol' Cast Steel found himself purty rusty. We turned to and -straightened things out, and then I settled down to the sober business -o' handlin' a big outfit with a view on the future. - -After this, I didn't do any more skitin' around than my peculiar -nature seemed to insist on; but I did make out to pay the Cross brand -a visit every once in a while. The Friar only intended to stay long -enough to get things to slidin' easy; and then he and Janet were to go -back East and work among the city poor; but the chance never came. - -Janet grew perfectly strong and well again; but the city allus made -her nervous to return to the mountains, and they were kept so busy on -the ranch that the years slipped away without bein' noticed. - -Ty's backbone was all in one piece, and solid--except where Olaf had -unjointed it--and it took years to wear him down to friendliness; but -when the Friar's first baby got big enough to creep, the contrary -little cuss took more interest in ol' Ty Jones, than in airy other -thing the' was on the place. I never saw any one yet who didn't feel -flattered at a baby's endorsement--though why a baby should be -supposed to actually have better judgment than grown folks has never -been fully explained to me yet. - -Horace kept his word to The, and he did all he could for Ty. Ty didn't -like him and he didn't like Ty; but Ty was human, and it made him -lonely to sit in one spot all the time, so that while he refused to be -thankful, he gradually got to relyin' on Horace; and Horace was also -human, and the more he did for Ty on The's account, the more fond he -grew of Ty on his own account. He got him a wheelchair first, and this -was a big help. Then he fixed up a trapeze for Ty to practice on. Ty -got mad about this and said that cripple though he was, no man could -make a monkey of him; but one night when he couldn't sleep he -practiced on it, and it gave him a lot o' relief. - -The name of the Chinaman was Yuen Yick, and he thought 'at Ty Jones -was some sort of a god, and fair worshipped him--every one o' Ty's men -swore by him, even after he turned decent. Ty used to abuse the Chink -all he could and it pleased 'em both; and the Chink saw that Horace -meant well by Ty, so he kept Horace posted on just what Ty did and -thought; and Horace had Janet make some flannel bricks filled with -cotton for Ty to throw at the Chinaman. Ty got a lot o' satisfaction -out o' these bricks, and the exercise helped him too. - -Next, Horace had a wide porch built all around Ty's house, and he -swung ropes with rings on 'em from the ceiling, an equal distance -apart; and Ty got so he could swing from ring to ring, and go all -around the house, and climb ladders, and as the boy got big enough to -become tyrannical, which was soon enough, goodness knows, he made Ty -do all manner o' stunts--throw balls and juggle 'em, tell stories, -draw pictures--Well, the fact was, that between 'em all, they kept Ty -so active that first we knew, the devil had all been worked out of him -and he was as civilized as any of us. One day when Horace was down -visitin' him, he sent in the Chink and had him bring out a set of -ivory figures, carved most beautiful and called chess-men; and he -dared Horace to play him a game, and this was the final surrender of -the old Ty Jones. - -He was a well edicated man, Ty was; and each winter when he had left -the ranch, he had gone to some big city where he had pertended to be a -regular swell. No one ever found out just what had soured him so on -the world, for his nature was to be sociable to a degree. He said that -no one knew the cause of it except ol' Promotheus, and it was mightily -to his credit that he hadn't devulged the secret. - -Ty strung out his surprises quite a while. It seems he was also an -inventor, and had patents which brought him in a lot o' money. He had -found this cave and had just widened it where widenin' was necessary, -and had built his cabin above it. The floor was double and filled with -earth, and the fake drawers were also filled with earth, so 'at no -sound would show that it was hollow underneath. The drawers swung on a -steel piller which could be worked from above by a rope which hung -back o' his bookcase and from below by a lever. - -It was a curious thing to see Ty Jones with his bristly eyebrows and -his eagle's beak of a nose, makin' mechanical toys for the Friar's and -Olaf's children. They didn't put any limit on what he was able to do, -and he used to grumble at 'em as fierce as a grizzly--and then -back-track like an Injun, and do whatever they wanted him to. - -The Friar never quite gave up his plot to go back and work among the -poor; but the' was allus so many things imposed upon him by the home -folks that he was pestered with letters every time he left; and -usually compromised by gatherin' up a bunch o' the poor as hasty as -possible, and bringin' 'em back with him. His head was full of what he -called welfare plans, and he settled the poor along all the likely -cricks he found vacant, and bulldozed 'em into goin' to work. It's a -curious coincident; but most of 'em turned out well. - -The' was a bilious feller out visitin' me once, which called himself a -sosologist. I told him about some o' the Friar's projects; and he said -that the Friar was nothin' but a rank Utopian, and that this sort o' -work would never remove all the evils of the world. - -"You can call him anything ya want to," sez I, "so long as it's a word -I don't understand; but the Friar's not tryin' to remove all the evils -in the world. He only removes those evils he can find by spendin' his -whole life in huntin' for 'em; but he certainly does remove these ones -in quick and able shape." - -Another time, right after the Friar had brought about a settlement -between some sheep and cattle men, a preacher dropped off to give his -appetite a little exercise at the Diamond Dot. He belonged to the same -herd that the Friar had cut out from, and I thought he would be -interested; so I told him consid'able about the Friar. He was a most -judicious-lookin' man, but baggy under the eyes and chin. He got all -fussed up when I spoke well o' the Friar, and said he was -un-co-nonical, said he was unorthodox--Oh, he cut loose and swore at -the Friar in his own tongue 'til I about lost my temper. - -"Look here," I sez to him, "it would take me some months to tell you -all the good deeds the Friar has actually done; but I'll just give you -one single example. If I was to live up to my natural disposition, I'd -wring your neck, or shoot off your ears, or somethin' like that; but -owin' to the Friar havin' taught me self-control, I'm not even goin' -to snap my fingers again' your blue nose. Make yourself perfectly at -home here, and stay as long as the East can spare ya; but you'll have -to excuse me for a while, as the Friar has just written me an order to -go over into the Basin to see what can be done for a young feller who -has been arrested for hoss-stealin'." - -Horace contributes liberally to the Friar's projects; but he don't -take a hand in the game, himself--except with the imported poor which -are gathered at the Cross brand, waitin' to be transplanted. Every -year he seems to shrink about an eighth of an inch smaller, and get -about that much tougher. He lights out for a trip now and again, and -ol' Tank allus tags along, grumblin'. Tank thinks full as much of -Horace as The did; but Tank's a different proposition. The easier his -lot is the more he grumbles; but I like nothin' better than to have a -chat with him over old times. - -One night I was up visitin' Horace, and after supper we got a little -restless and started out for a walk. We sauntered down to our old -look-out and stood gazin' down at the lights of the Cross brand ranch. -Ty had rigged up a water power to manufacture e-lectricity, simply -because the children had needed it to run some o' their idees, but -the' was plenty of it to light the whole place. In token of Ty's -brand, and also as a symbol of his own callin', the Friar had built an -immense cross on the cliff just above the mouth of the ravine, and on -the upright, and at each end o' the cross-piece were big electric -lights. These could be seen for miles, and every one knew 'at whatever -troubles they had, there was allus welcome, cheery hospitality, and -sound advice waitin' for 'em in the shadow of this cross. - -It was a moonlight night, one of those crisp, bright nights, when it -makes a feller feel solemn just to get up high and look down at the -beauty of the old, hard Earth. We had been talkin' o' the old days as -usual; but not talkin' much, for we each saw the same set of pictures -when we looked down from here, and they didn't need many words. - -"Life is like a game o' chess," sez Horace. "The openin' is not so -absolutely vital; but after a time the' comes one little move which is -the keynote of all the balance of the game--and the same is true o' -life. The way things has turned out down yonder seems to be the very -best way they could have turned out; but it's hard to look back and -tell just what was the keynote of it all. Of course -Promotheus--Promotheus was the prime mover; but then all the way along -you can see the Friar's influence. What would you say was the keynote -o' this tangled game, Happy?" - -I looked down at Horace: he was wearin' a battered old hat, rough -clothes and leggins, and smokin' a corncob pipe. "That's an easy one," -sez I, tryin' to shake off a feelin' o' sadness which was beginnin' to -creep over me, in spite of all I could do; "gettin' your nerves cured -up, Horace, was the keynote of it all." - -"That was a long time ago," sez Horace, "a long, long time ago." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Friar Tuck, by Robert Alexander Wason - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRIAR TUCK *** - -***** This file should be named 41926-8.txt or 41926-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/9/2/41926/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/41926-8.zip b/41926-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ffacd12..0000000 --- a/41926-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/41926-h.zip b/41926-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2e4d490..0000000 --- a/41926-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/41926-h/41926-h.htm b/41926-h/41926-h.htm index f8d037a..4c6ef11 100644 --- a/41926-h/41926-h.htm +++ b/41926-h/41926-h.htm @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"/> <meta name='title' content='Friar Tuck'/> <meta name='author' content='Robert Alexander Wason'/> <meta name='date' content='1912'/> @@ -30,45 +30,7 @@ </style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Friar Tuck, by Robert Alexander Wason - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Friar Tuck - -Author: Robert Alexander Wason - -Illustrator: Stanley L. Wood - -Release Date: January 27, 2013 [EBook #41926] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRIAR TUCK *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41926 ***</div> <div id='img1' class="image-center" style='width:400px'> <img src="images/illus-fpc.jpg" height="550" alt=""/> @@ -16053,379 +16015,6 @@ the keynote of it all.”</p> <p>“That was a long time ago,” sez Horace, “a long, long time ago.”</p> - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Friar Tuck, by Robert Alexander Wason - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRIAR TUCK *** - -***** This file should be named 41926-h.htm or 41926-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/9/2/41926/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - -</pre> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41926 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/41926.txt b/41926.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2af4cfe..0000000 --- a/41926.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14525 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Friar Tuck, by Robert Alexander Wason - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Friar Tuck - -Author: Robert Alexander Wason - -Illustrator: Stanley L. Wood - -Release Date: January 27, 2013 [EBook #41926] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRIAR TUCK *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - -[Illustration: He shot his hand across an' pulled his gun quick as a -flash; but Horace didn't move, he just sat still, with a friendly -smile on his face] - - - - - FRIAR TUCK - - BEING THE CHRONICLES OF THE REVEREND - JOHN CARMICHAEL, OF WYOMING, U.S.A., - - AS SET FORTH AND EMBELLISHED BY - HIS FRIEND AND ADMIRER - HAPPY HAWKINS - - AND HERE RECORDED BY - ROBERT ALEXANDER WASON - - AUTHOR OF - HAPPY HAWKINS, - THE KNIGHT-ERRANT, ETC. - - ILLUSTRATED BY - STANLEY L. WOOD - - NEW YORK - GROSSET & DUNLAP - PUBLISHERS - - - - - Copyright, 1912 - By Small, Maynard and Company - (Incorporated) - - Entered at Stationers' Hall - Published, September 7, 1912; - Sixth edition, November, 1912 - - - - -Many there are who respond to the commonplace, monotonous call of -Duty, and year after year uncomplainingly spend their lives on the -treadmill of Routine; but who still feel in their hearts the call of -the open road, the music of the stars, the wine of the western wind, -and the thrilling abandon of a mad gallop out beyond speed limits and -grass signs to where life has ceased to be a series of cogs and--a man -is still a man. - -To the members of this fraternity, whose emblem, hidden behind deep -and steadfast eyes, is often missed by man, but always recognized by -dogs and horses, I dedicate this book, in the hope that for an hour or -two it may lift the pressure a little. - - R. A. W. - - - - -JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME - -Reviews are not infrequently colored by a temporary elevation of the -critic's mind (or a temporary depression of the critic's liver), -advertisements are not invariably free from bias; so, perhaps, a few -words of friendly warning will not be considered impertinent. - -Whosoever is squeamishly sensitive as to the formal technique of -literary construction will save himself positive irritation by -avoiding this book. It is a told, rather than a written story; and -this is a compromise which defies Art and frankly turns to the more -elastic methods of Nature. - -It is supposed to be told by an outdoor man in those delightful -moments of relaxation when the restraint of self-consciousness is -dropped, and the spirit flows forth with a freedom difficult to find, -outside the egoism of childhood. This general suggestion is easily -tossed out; but the reader must supply the details--the night camps -with the pipes sending up incense about the tiny fires, the winter -evenings when the still cold lurks at the threshold or the blizzard -howls around the log corners; or those still more elusive moments when -the riding man shifts his weight to a single thigh, and tells the -inner story which has been rising from his open heart to his closed -lips for many a long mile. - -Nor will these details suffice to complete the atmosphere in which, -bit by bit, the story is told. The greatest charm in the told story -comes direct from the teller; and, toil as we will over printed pages, -they obstinately refuse to reproduce the twinkle of bright, deep-set -eyes, the whimsical twist which gives character to a commonplace word, -the subtile modulations of a mellow voice, the discriminating accent -which makes a sentence fire when spoken, and only ashes when written; -or, hardest of all, those eloquent pauses and illuminating gestures -which convey a climax neither tongue nor pen dare attempt. - -Happy Hawkins is complex, but the basic foundation of his character is -simplicity. His audience is usually a mixed one, men of the range and -an Easterner or two, fortunate enough to find the way into his -confidence. Occasionally he amuses himself by talking to the one group -over the heads of the other; but even then, his own simplicity is but -thinly veiled. The phases of life which he holds lightly are exploited -with riotous recklessness; but whoever would visit his private shrines -must tread with reverent step. - -His exaggerations are not to deceive, but to magnify--an adjunct to -expression invariably found among primitive people. A brass monkey is -really not sensitive to variations of temperature; and yet, even among -the civilized, a peculiarly vivid impression is conveyed by stating -that a particular cold snap has had a disintegrating effect upon the -integrity of a brass monkey. There is a philosophy of exaggeration -which is no kin to falsehood. - -Happy has an eager, hungry, active mind, a mind worthy of careful -cultivation; but forced by circumstances to gather its nourishment -along lines similar to those adopted by the meek and lowly sponge. A -sponge is earnest, patient, and industrious; but, fixed to a submerged -stone as it is, it is hampered by limitations which no amount of -personal ambition is quite able to overcome. As Happy himself was fond -of saying: "The thing 'at sets most strangers again each other, is the -fact that each insists on judgin' everything from his own standpoint. -A cow-puncher gets the idee that because an Eastener can't sit -comfortable on a bronco when it's sunfishin' or twistin' ends, he jes -nachely ain't fit to clutter up the surface o' the earth; while the -Eastener is inclined to estimate the puncher an' his pony as bein' on -the same intellectual level. If they'd just open up an' examine each -other impartial, they'd mighty soon see 'at the difference in 'em came -from what they did, instead o' the choice o' their lines o' business -dependin' on their natural make-up. I once had a no-account pinto -which refused to squat back on the rope, and I rejoiced exceeding when -I got seventy-five bucks for him; but the feller I took advantage of -clipped his mane, docked his tail, introduced him into swell-society, -and got three hundred for him as a polo pony; which all goes to -show--" (The finish of this is an expansive wave of the hand, a tilt -of the head to the right, and an indescribably droll expression.) - -The above is a fair sample of the leisurely way in which Happy Hawkins -tells a story. This is not the proper way to tell a story. A story -should travel an air-line and not stop at the smaller stations, while -Happy prefers to take his bed along on a spare horse and camp out -wherever the mood strikes him. The reader who delights in a story -which speeds along like a limited, will probably be disappointed in -this book; while, on the other hand, the reader who enjoys the -intimate association which is lighted with the evening camp fire, runs -a risk of finding some relaxation in taking another little trip with -Happy Hawkins. - - R. A. W. - - - - -CONTENTS - CHAPTER ONE--THE MEETING - CHAPTER TWO--THE BETTIN' BARBER O' BOGGS - CHAPTER THREE--ABOVE THE DUST - CHAPTER FOUR--TY JONES - CHAPTER FIVE--THE HOLD-UP - CHAPTER SIX--A REMINISCENCE - CHAPTER SEVEN--HORACE WALPOLE BRADFORD - CHAPTER EIGHT--A CASE OF NERVES - CHAPTER NINE--TREATING THE CASE - CHAPTER TEN--INJUNS! - CHAPTER ELEVEN--BENEFITS OF FASTING - CHAPTER TWELVE--A COMPLETE CURE - CHAPTER THIRTEEN--AN UNEXPECTED CACHE - CHAPTER FOURTEEN--HAPPY'S NEW AMBITION - CHAPTER FIFTEEN--TENDER FEELINGS - CHAPTER SIXTEEN--THEMIS IN THE ROCKIES - CHAPTER SEVENTEEN--KIT MURRAY - CHAPTER EIGHTEEN--TESTING THE FRIAR'S NERVE - CHAPTER NINETEEN--OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS - CHAPTER TWENTY--QUARRELING FOR PEACE - CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE--PEACE TO START A QUARREL - CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO--A PROGRESSIVE HUNT - CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE--A LITTLE GUN-PLAY - CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR--NIGHT-PROWLERS - CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE--THE TRADE-RAT'S CHRISTMAS-GIFT - CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX--A CONTESTED LIFE-TITLE - CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN--A STRANGE ALLIANCE - CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT--THE HEART OF HAPPY HAWKINS - CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE--THE LITTLE TOWN OF BOSCO - CHAPTER THIRTY--TY JONES GETS A WOMAN - CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE--JUSTICE UNDELAYED - CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO--THE FRIAR GOES ALONE - CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE--THE FRIAR GIVEN TWO WEEKS - CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR--A CROSS FOR EVERY MAN - CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE--THE FRIAR A COMPLICATION - CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX--A SIDE-TRIP TO SKELTY'S - CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN--PROMOTHEUS IN THE TOILS - CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT--OLAF RUNS THE BLOCKADE - CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE--SKIRMISHES - CHAPTER FORTY--AN IRRITATING GRIN - CHAPTER FORTY-ONE--THE NIGHT-ATTACK - CHAPTER FORTY-TWO--HAND TO HAND - CHAPTER FORTY-THREE--THE GIFT OF THE DAWN - CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR--TY JONES NODS HIS HEAD - CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE--THE LITTLE GUST O' WIND - CHAPTER FORTY-SIX--THE FINAL MOVES - - - - -CHAPTER ONE - -THE MEETING - - -It's a curious thing--life. Ya might just as well ask a kitten to -chase her own tail or a dog to bay at the evenin' star, or a -periodical spring to run constant, as to ask a feller right out to -tell a story. Some things can only be done spontaneous. - -Friar Tuck used to say 'at whenever he could cut it, he allus got on -the lee side o' human nature and let it blow down on him natural; and -my way o' gettin' to the lee side o' human nature in story-tellin' is -not to ask for a story, but to start tellin' one myself. And it's a -good plan not to put over too good a one either; 'cause if it seems as -though a feller is short run on stories, some listener is likely to -take pity on him and fit him out with a new assortment so as he won't -be such bad company for himself when he's alone again. This is the way -I've picked up most o' my stories. - -Then again, it's allus hard for me to tell what is the true beginnin' -of a story. It's easy enough to tell cream from milk--after the milk -has stood long enough for the cream to rise to the top; but the great -trouble is, that a man's own recollections haven't stood long enough -for him to skim out just what part he might be in need of. - -Without meanin' the least mite o' disrespect to any one, it does seem -to me that if I was able to plan out any sort of a memory at all, I -could have made a few improvements on the ones we now have. - -My own memory is as stubborn as a mule and as grippy as a bulldog. -What it does remember, it calls up in the shape o' pictures; and I see -old things just as plain as livin', breathin' beings; but try as I -would, I never could keep my memory from loadin' herself down with so -many trifles that sometimes I've had to spade it over as many as six -times to turn up some important item which I was actually in need of. -When my memory's in a good humor, I like to start a pipe and lean back -and just watch old scenes over again, the same as if I was in a -the-ater; and I can see every twinkle in a pair o' well-known eyes, -which have been lookin' up through six feet of earth for this many a -long year, and I can hear--actually hear--the half tones ripplin' -through voices which have no more part in my to-day than the perfume -o' last year's flowers; and then, like as not, my memory'll lay her -ears back and refuse to confide what I did with my shavin' soap. - -When I look back at my own life and compare it with others, it seems -like a curious, patch-worky sort of affair, and not much more my own -than the lives o' those others with which I compare it. I allus liked -my work, and yet it never attracted my attention much. Side-trips and -such-like stand out plain as figures in a hand-painted picture, such -as I've seen in hotels down at Frisco; but the work part is just a -blotchy, colorless sort of smudge, the same as the background o' one -o' these pictures. - -When I first took on with Jabez--every one called him ol' Cast Steel -Judson at this time--they wanted to know if I could ride. I was -nothin' but a regular kid then, so I handed in a purty high average as -to my ridin' ability; though, truth to tell, I wasn't no bronco buster -those days. They gave me a genuwine mean one as a starter, and told me -to ride him clean or step off and walk. - -At that time I didn't even know how to discard a hoss when I couldn't -stand the poundin' any longer; so when I felt my backbone gettin' -wedged too far into my skull, I made a grab for the horn. My luck was -on the job that day and I got the quirt, instead. At his next pitch, -my hand went up as natural as ever, and I slammed down the quirt as -hard as I could. It landed on a ticklish spot and before he had time -to make up his mind, the cayuse had started to run, me whalin' him at -every jump and givin' thanks between 'em. I rode him good and out as -soon as he started to stampede, and they all thought I was a real -rider. Well, this gave me a lot o' trouble--tryin' to live up to my -reputation--but that's a good sort o' trouble for a kid to have. - -Now I can feel all the sensations o' this ride as plain as though it -was this mornin'; but the's a thousand rides since then which have all -melted an' run together. The same with most o' the rest o' my work: I -allus aimed to do my bit a little quicker and cleaner 'n the rest; but -as soon as I learned all the tricks of it, it fell into a rut, like -breathin' and seein'. Easteners seem to have an idee that our life -must be as carefree and joyous as goin' to a different circus every -day in the year; but it ain't: it's work, just like all other work. -We're a good bit like our ridin' ponies: when we're in the thick of it -we're too busy to take notice; and when we're through, we're -hungry--and that's about the whole story. - -Jabez Judson was a high peak, and once a feller knew him, he never ran -any risk o' gettin' him mixed up with any one else. He was the settest -in his ways of any man I ever had much doin's with; but he didn't -change about any--if he faced north on a question one day, he faced -north on it always; so a feller could tell just how any action would -strike him, and this made livin' with him as accurate as workin' out a -problem in multiplication, which I claim to hold qualities o' comfort. - -His daughter, Barbie, was a little tot when I first took on; and she -was the apple of ol' Cast Steel's eye; an' his curb bit, and his spurs -as well. Barbie and I were pals from one end o' the trail to the -other, and this explains a lot o' my life which otherwise wouldn't -have any answer. My ordinary work at the Diamond Dot wasn't -out-standin' enough to give me any special privileges; but I happened -to come back one time when the Brophy gang was about to clean things -out, and Jabez gave me credit for savin' Barbie's life; so 'at he -didn't check up my time any and I did purty much as I pleased, only -quittin' him when I couldn't put up with his set ways any longer. I -aimed to play fair with Jabez, and he with me; but once in a while we -locked horns, though not often, takin' everything into account. - -It was shortly after ol' Cast Steel had bought in the D lazy L brand, -an' we was still pickin' up strays here an' there. Whenever he bought -up a brand he allus put the Diamond Dot on the stuff as soon as he -could, his mark commandin' more respect than some o' the little -fellers'. - -When I'd get tired o' loafing about the home place, I'd take one o' -the boys an' we'd start out to look for stray hosses. Spider Kelley -was with me this time, an' we had meandered here an' there until we -had picked up a big enough string to stand as an excuse for our trip, -and were about minded to start back. - -We had just forded a little crick when we heard a man's voice singin' -off to the right. The' was a mess o' cottonwoods between us, an' we -stopped to listen. Now I had never heard that voice before, an' I had -never seen the man who was running it; but right then I was ready to -believe anything he had a mind to tell me. It was a deep, rich voice; -but mellow an' tender, an' a feller could tell that he was singin' -simply because he couldn't help it. - -Spider looked at me with his face shinin', an' I could feel a sort o' -pleasant heat in my own face. The' was a lift an' a swing, and a sort -of rally-around-the-flag to this voice which got right into ya, an' -made you want to do something. - - "'T is thine to save from perils of perdition - The souls for whom the Lord His life laid down; - Beware, lest, slothful to fulfill thy mission, - Thou lose one jewel that should deck His crown. - Publish glad tidings; tidings of peace; - Tidings of Jesus, redemption and release." - -"That feller can sing some," sez Spider Kelley; but just then the -ponies turned back on us an' by the time we had started 'em on again, -the singer had passed on up the trail, so I didn't make any reply. - -I was tryin' to figure out whether it was the words or the tune or the -voice, or what it was that had made my whole body vibrate like a -fiddle string. As I said before, I see things in pictures an' I also -remember 'em in pictures: a sound generally calls up a picture to me -an' it ain't allus a picture anyways connected with the sound itself. -This song, for instance, had called to my mind a long procession of -marchin' men with banners wavin' an' set faces, shinin' with a glad -sort o' recklessness. There ain't no accountin' for the human mind: I -had never seen such a procession in real life, nor even in a picture; -but that was what this song out there on the open range suggested to -me, an' I hurried out o' the cottonwoods eager to measure the singer -with my open eyes. - -When we climbed up out of the woods, we saw him goin' up the pass -ahead of us with our ponies followin' behind as though they was part -of his outfit. We could just catch glimpses of him; enough to show -that he was a big man on a big roan hoss, an' that he was a ridin' man -in spite o' the fact that he was wearin' black clothes made up Eastern -style. He was still singin' his song, an' I straightened up in my -saddle, an' beat time with my hand as though I held a genuwine sword -in it; which is a tool I've never had much doin's with. - -We scrambled on up the trail, an' when we reached the top we found a -little park with the grass knee high an' a fringe o' spruce trees -about it. The song had come to a sudden end, an' we found the singer -on foot with a noose about his neck an' nine rather tough-lookin' -citizens holdin' a parley with him. We came to the same sort of a stop -the song had, an' Spider Kelley sez in a low tone, "What do ya suppose -this is?" - -"I don't know," sez I, touchin' my pony, "but I'm with the singer"; so -me an' Spider rode on down to 'em. - -I purty well sensed what it was: the' was a heap o' rebrandin' bein' -done at that time, an' stringin' a man up was supposed to be the only -cure; but I was willin' to bet my roll that this singer wasn't a -rustler. The feller in charge o' the posse was an evil-lookin' cuss, -an' if he'd 'a' had the rope around his neck, it wouldn't have looked -so misplaced. He was ridin' a Cross brand hoss; so I guessed him to -belong to the Tyrrel Jones outfit. Most o' the others in the posse was -ridin' the same brand o' hosses an' wearin' the same brand of -expressions. It was a tough-lookin' bunch. - -We came up to 'em an' they looked our ponies an' us over an' nodded. -We nodded back an' I asked 'em what seemed to be the trouble. - -"We've finally got the feller who has been doin' the rustlin' out this -way," sez the leader, whose name was Flannigan, Badger-face Flannigan. - -"That's good," sez I; "but he don't look the part." - -"He acts it all right," growls Badger-face, showin' his fangs in what -was meant for a grin. "He's ridin' one of our hosses, an' leadin' a -string o' D lazy Ls." - -"Leadin' 'em?" sez I. - -"Yes, he's got some sort of a charm in his voice. Whiskers, here, saw -him go up on foot an' rope this colt an' lead him off the same as a -plow hoss." - -"Did Whiskers, here, see him charm the loose string, too?" I asked. - -"No, he came in an' collected the posse, an' we decided that this -would be a good place to try him; so we cut up the other pass an' -waited for him. When he came up, this bunch o' ponies was taggin' -after him." - -I looked at the man with the noose about his neck, an' he was grinnin' -as easy an' comfortable as I ever saw a man grin in my life. He was -wearin' a vest without buttons an' a gray flannel shirt. He had a -rifle on his saddle an' a sixshooter on his right hip. He had big gray -eyes set wide apart under heavy brows, an' they were dancin' with -laughter. I grinned into 'em without intendin' to, an' sez: "Well, I -don't really think he charmed these loose ponies intentional. Me an' -Spider was takin' 'em in to the Diamond Dot an' we had a hard time -makin' 'em ford the crick. I'm some thankful to him for tollin' 'em up -the pass." - -Badger-face scowled. "Well, anyhow, he charmed the beast he's ridin, -all right; an' he has to swing for it." - -"Are you all done with tryin' him," sez I. - -"What's the use of a trial?" snarled Badger-face. "Ain't he ridin' a -Cross brand hoss, ain't the brand unvented, don't every one know that -we never sell a hoss without ventin' the brand, an' can't any one see -'at this hoss was never rode before?" - -"Got anything to say for yourself, stranger?" I asked. - -"Not much," sez the prisoner. "I have an appointment to keep at -Laramie; my hoss gave out; so I just caught a fresh one an' started -on." - -"What more do you want?" asked Badger-face of me. - -"Well, now, the' ain't any particular hurry; an' I'm kind o' curious -to learn a little more of his methods," sez I impartial. "Don't ya -know 'at this is what they call hoss-stealin' out this way?" I asked -of the stranger. - -"No, this is not stealin'," he replied. "I turned another hoss loose -that I had picked up a hundred miles or so farther back; and I should -have turned this one adrift as soon as he had tired. They allus wander -back to their own range." - -This wasn't no unheard-of custom to practice out our way; but it was a -new sort o' defence for a man with a noose about his neck to put up, -an' I see that some o' the others was gettin' interested. The big man -had a smile like a boy, an' steady eyes, an' a clear skin; an' he -didn't look at all the kind of a man to really need stretchin'. - -"What's your plan for earnin' a livin'?" I asked. - -"I am a kind of apostle," sez he, "an' I live on the bounty of -others." - -"Do you mean 'at you're a preacher?" asked Badger-face. - -"Yes," the stranger replied with a smile. - -[Illustration: We found the singer on foot with a noose about his neck -an' nine rather tough-lookin' citizens holdin' a parley with him] - -"Well, I never see a preacher with as short hair as yours, nor one who -carried so much artillery, nor one who made a practice o' pickin' up a -fresh hoss whenever he felt like it. Where'd you learn to ride, an' -where'd you learn to rope?" - -"Eastern Colorado. I lived there four years, an' travelled on -hossback," sez the stranger. - -"I'll bet you left there mighty sudden," sez Badger-face with an evil -leer. - -"Yes," replied the stranger, with a grin, "an' I also left on -hossback." - -"Well, ya satisfied now?" grunted Badger-face to me. - -Livin' out doors the way I had, I naturally had a big respect for -brands. It's mighty comfortin' to feel that ya can turn your stuff -loose an' know that it's not likely to be bothered; so I was up -something of a stump about this new doctrine. "Where'd you get your -commission from to pick up a hoss whenever you feel like it?" sez I to -the stranger. - -He had a little leather sack hangin' from his saddle horn, an' he -reached into it an' fished out a small book with a soft leather cover. -The feller 'at was holdin' his hoss eyed him mighty close for fear it -was some sort of a gun; but the stranger ran over the leaves with his -fingers as ready as a man would step into the home corral an' rope his -favorite ridin' pony. - -"Here's my commission," sez he, as self-satisfied as though he was -holdin' a government document; an' then he read aloud with that deep, -mellow voice o' his, the story of the time the Lord was minded to let -himself out a little an' came into Jerusalem in state. He read it all, -an' then he paused, looked about, holdin' each man's eyes with his own -for a second, an' then he read once more the part where the Lord had -sent in a couple of his hands after the colt that no man had ever -backed before--an' then he closed the book, patted it gentle an' -shoved it back into the leather bag. I looked around on the posse, an' -most of 'em was rubbin' their chins, an' studyin'. I've noticed that -while the earth is purty well cluttered up with pale-blooded an' -partially ossified Christians, the's mighty few out an' out atheists -among 'em. - -"That don't go," sez Badger-face, after he'd taken time to pump up his -nerve a little. - -No one said anything for a space, an' then the stranger put a little -edge on his voice, but spoke in a lower tone than before: "That does -go," he said. "No matter what else in life may be questioned, no -matter how hard and fast a title may stick, it must crumble to dust -when one comes and says, 'The Lord hath need of this.' It may be your -life or it may be your property or it may be the one being you love -most in all the world; but when the Lord hath need, your own needs -must fall away. - -"Now, boys, I love the West, I glory in the fact that I can lay -something down and go on about my business an' come back a month later -and find it just where I left it; and if I was takin' these hosses to -sell or trade or use for my own selfish ends, why, I wouldn't have a -word to say again' your stringin' me up. I brought my own hoss into -this country and when it gave out I didn't have time to barter an' -trade for another one; so I just caught one, and when it grew weary, I -turned it adrift. I don't claim the hosses I ride; I don't want to own -them; I simply borrow them for a while because my Lord hath need of -them. I treat them well, and when they weary, send 'em back to their -own range with a pat, and pick up another. The next fellow who rides -that hoss will find it a little less trouble than if I hadn't used it, -and there's no harm done at all. I'm working with you, I'm going to -make your own work easier out here by raisin' the respect for brands, -not by makin' property rights any looser; and you are goin' to work -with me--whether you want to or not. Now then, how much longer are you -goin' to keep this fool noose about my neck?" - -That posse wasn't easy minded, not by a jugful. This stranger was -speakin' as though he had power an' authority an' public opinion all -on his side, and they felt consid'able like the tenderfoot who'd roped -the buffalo--they was willin' to quit any time he was. - -The Cross brand boys were purty sullen an' moody; but four o' the -posse belonged to another outfit, an' they couldn't stand the strain. -One of 'em, a grizzled old codger with one lamp missin', lifted the -noose from the prisoner's neck, an' sez most respectful: "Parson, I'm -an old man. I ain't heard a sermon for forty years, an' I'd be right -obliged to ya if you'd make us one." - -Badger-face, he snorted scornful; but the rest of the posse was -scattered all the way from repentance to sheepishness, an' the -stranger he stepped to a little rise an' he certainly did speak us a -sermon. First off, he sang us St. Andrew's hymn--I got to learn a good -many of his songs after this, but o' course at that time I was as shy -on hymns as the rest o' the crowd. - -I tell you it was wonderful up in that little park, with the lush -grass for a carpet, the spruce trees for panelin', the bare peaks -stickin' out for rafter-beams, the blue sky above for ceiling, and -that soft, deep voice fillin' the whole place an' yet stealin' into a -feller's heart as easy an' gentle as a woman's whisper. He sort o' -beat time as though playin' on an instrument, until before he was -through we were all hummin' in time with him--an' then he preached. - -He told us about the fisher folks an' how they lived out doors under -the stars the same as we did; and that this was probably why the Lord -had chose 'em first to follow him. He said that city folks got to -relyin' on themselves so much 'at they was likely to forget that the -whole earth was still held in the hollow of the hand which had created -it; but that men who lived with nature, out under the sun and the -stars, through the heat and the cold, the wind and the rain, the -chinook and the blizzard, felt the forces and the mysteries all about -them and this kept 'em in touch, even when they didn't know it -themselves, with the great central Intelligence back o' these forces -and mysteries. Then he told 'em how grand their lives might be if they -would only give up their nasty little habits of thought, and learn to -think broad and free and deep, the same as they breathed. - -He told 'em 'at their minds could breathe the inspiration of God as -easy as their lungs could breathe the pure air o' the mountains, if -they'd only form the habit. Then he talked to 'em friendly an' -confidential about their natural devilment. He didn't talk like a -saint speakin' out through a crack in the gates o' Paradise, like most -preachers do. He called the turn on the actual way they cut up when -they went to town, and just how it hurt 'em body an' soul; and his -face grew set and earnest, and his eyes blazed; and then he said a few -words about mothers an' children and such, and wound up with a short -prayer. - -Well two o' those fellers owned up right out in public and said that -from that on they was goin' to lead a decent sort of life; and one -other said 'at he didn't have any faith in himself any longer; but he -insisted on signin' the pledge, and said if that worked, why, he'd go -on an' try the rest of it. - -The preacher shook hands with 'em all around--he had a grip 'at -wouldn't be no disgrace for a silver-tip--an' then he sez that if any -of 'em has the notion that bein' a Christian makes a weakling of a -man, why, he's willin' to wrastle or box or run a race or shoot at a -mark or do any other sort of a stunt to show 'at he's in good order; -but they size him up and take his word for it. - -"Now, boys," sez he, "I hope we'll meet often. I'm your friend, and I -want you to use me any time you get a chance. Any time or any place -that I can serve one of you, just get me word and I'll do the best I -can. It don't matter what sort o' trouble you get into, get me word -and I'll help--if I can find a way. And I wish 'at you'd speak it -around that I'm hard on hosses, so that the other fellows will -understand when I pick one up, and not cause any delay. I'll have to -hurry along now. Good-bye; I'm sorry I've been a bother to ya." - -He swung up on the big roan, waved his hand and trotted out o' the -park; and just as he went down the pass on the other side, it seemed -that he couldn't hold it in any longer; so he opened up his voice in -his marchin' song again, an' we all stayed silent as long as we could -hear the sound of it. - -"Well we are a lot of soft marks!" sez Badger-face at last. - -"That there is a true man," replied old Grizzly, shakin' his head, -"an' I'll bet my boots on it." - -This seemed to be the general verdict, an' the Cross brand fellers -went off discussin' the parson, an' me an' Spider Kelley collected our -ponies an' went along to the ranch, also discussin' him. - -That was the first time I ever saw Friar Tuck; I made up my mind about -him just from hearin' his voice, an' before I ever saw him; but I -never had to make it up any different. New lead an' new steel look -consid'able alike; but the more ya wear on lead, the sooner it wears -out, while the more you wear on steel, the brighter it gets. The Friar -was steel, an' mighty well tempered. - - - - -CHAPTER TWO - -THE BETTIN' BARBER O' BOGGS - - -Yes, this was about the time I got interested in the bettin' barber -over at Boggs. He hasn't anything to do with this story I'm about to -tell ya, except that it was him 'at give the Friar his name; so I'll -just skim through this part as hasty as possible. When a feller is -tellin' me a story, I want him to stick to the trail of it; but it -seems like when I try to tell one, myself, some feller is allus askin' -me a question 'at takes me clear out o' range. - -All barbers are more or less different, except in what might be called -the gift o' gab. This one came out to Boggs station, an' started a -shop. His name was Eugene, an' he was a little man with two rollin' -curls to his front hair, which he wore short behind. A curious thing -about little men is, that they don't never find it out. A little man -produces more opinions 'n airy other kind, an' being small, they -haven't no place to store 'em up until they get time to ripen. A -little man gives out his opinion an' then looks savage--just as if -he'd get a switch an' make ya believe it, whether you wanted to or -not. - -Eugene had come from every city the' is in the world, an' he used to -tell scandalous tales about the prominent people who lived in 'em -whose hair he had cut. He was also familiar with the other things -which had happened since they've begun to write history, an' if any -one would doubt one of his statements, he'd whirl about holding up his -razor, an' say: "I'll bet ya a dollar I can prove it." - -All of us fellers used to go in as often as we got a chance to get our -chins shaved an' our hair shampooed--just to hear Eugene get indignant -about things which wasn't none of our business. We used to bet with -him a lot, just for the fun o' makin' him prove up things; which he -did by writin' letters to somebody an' gettin' back the answers he -wanted. We didn't have any way to prove our side; so Eugene got the -money an' we had the fun. - -Ol' man Dort ran the general store and kept a pet squirrel in a -whirlabout cage, which was the biggest squirrel I ever see, an' had -its tail gnawed off by a rat, or something, before Eugene came. Ol' -man Dort had a reputation for arguin', which spread all over our part -of the earth. We had made a habit o' goin' to him to get our -discussions settled an' when we began to pass him up for Eugene, he -foamed about it free an' frank. - -He wore a prodigious tangle o' hair and a bunch o' grizzled whiskers, -about as fine an' smooth as a clump o' grease-wood. He used to brag -that razor nor scissors hadn't touched his hide for twenty years, an' -one of us boys would allus add, "Nor soap nor water, neither," an' ol' -man Dort would grin proud, 'cause it was a point of honor with him. - -Eugene used to send out for his wearin' an' sech, so ol' man Dort -didn't get a whack at him in his store; ol' man Dort batched, an' -Eugene boarded, so they didn't clash up at their meals; an' finally -ol' man Dort swore a big oath that he was goin' to be barbered. The -news got out an' the boys came in for forty miles to see the fun--an' -it was worth it. - -We went early to the shop an' planted ourselves, lookin' solemn an' -not sayin' anything to put Eugene on his guard. When at last ol' man -Dort hove in sight with his brows scowled down an' his jaws set under -his shrubbery, we all bit our lips; an' Eugene stopped tellin' us -about the hair-roots o' the Prince of Wales, an' stood lookin' at ol' -man Dort with his mouth gapped wide open. - -The ol' man came in, shut the door careful behind him, glared at -Eugene, as though darin' him to do his worst, an' said: "I want my -hair shamped, an' my whiskers shaved off." - -"If you expected to get it all done in one day, you should ought to -have come earlier," sez Eugene soberly, but tossin' us a side wink. - -"Well, you do as much as you can to-day, an' we'll finish up -to-morrow," sez ol' man Dort, not seein' the joke. - -Ol' man Dort peeled off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, an' climbed -into the chair as if he thought it was liable to buck him off. Then he -settled back with a grunt, an' Eugene tucked the bib in around his -neck, combed his fingers through ol' man Dort's hair a minute, an' -sez; "Your hair's startin' to come out. You should ought to use a -tonic." - -"Tonic, hell!" snaps the ol' man. "My hair sheds out twice a year, -same as the rest o' the animals." - -"Then you should ought to comb it," sez Eugene. "I've got some hair -here in my hand which was shed out two years ago. Leavin' dead hair -an' such rubbish as that layin' around on your scalp is what kills the -hair globules." - -"It don't either; it acts like fertilizer, the same as dead grass -does," sez ol' man Dort. He had made up his mind to take the contrary -side of everything 'at Eugene said, an' it was more fun than a dog -fight. - -Eugene started in by mowin' away the whiskers, an' it was a long an' -painful job; 'cause it was almost impossible to tell where they left -off an' ol' man Dort began, an' then they was so cluttered up with -grit an' dead hair and kindry deb-ris that his scissors would choke up -an' pull, an' then ol' man Dort would bob up his head an' yell out a -bunch o' profanity, and Eugene would stand back an' say that he was a -barber, not a clearer of new ground, an' that the job ought to be done -with a scythe and hoe, not with scissors an' razor. Eugene wasn't -covetous of ol' man Dort's trade an' didn't care whether he insulted -him or not. - -The most fun came, though, after Eugene had got down to where he could -tell the outline of ol' man Dort's face. First he soaked it with -lather, combin' it in with a comb, an' puttin' hot towels on it to -draw out the alkalie grit an' give his razors some show. - -One of ol' man Dort's manias was, that a man ought to pay his debts, -whether it killed him or not; so as soon as Eugene had him steamin' -under the towels we begun to talk about a man's first duty bein' -toward his kin, an' that if he couldn't pay his debts without bother, -he ought to let the debts go an' show his relatives a good time while -they was still on earth an' able to enjoy themselves. - -Ol' man Dort couldn't stand it, an' tried to answer back from under -the towels; but got his mouth full o' suds, an' choked on the corner -of a towel until Eugene said that if he couldn't sit still an' behave -himself he could go out to some alfalfa farmer to get his tonsoral -work completed. - -It wasn't the ol' man's fault--he simply couldn't help it. Touch him -up on a ticklish subject, an' he just had to come back at ya, same as -a rattler. Finally, however, Eugene had the stubble wore down an' -softened until he decided that he stood a chance again' it, an' then -he lathered an' rubbed, an' lathered an' rubbed, until nothin' stuck -out below ol' man Dort's eyes except the peak of his nose; an' then us -boys pulled out our trump card an' played it strong. We began to talk -about red squirrels. - -Now, we didn't know anything professional about squirrels, except what -ol' man Dort had told us; but we slewed his talk around this way an' -that as if it was our own private opinions; an' the ol' man began to -groan audible. He gritted his teeth, though, an' bore up under it like -a hero, until Eugene begin to chip in with what he knew about -squirrels. - -Eugene was never content to just speak of a thing in a general -way--his main method of convincin' us was to allus fall back on his -own personal experience; so this time he began to tell of squirrels -what he had been full acquainted with. He called 'em by name an' told -how they would run to meet him an' climb up on his shoulders an' -chatter for nuts, an' so on; until the ol' man's ears turned red with -the strain he was under. And then, we got to discussin' the size o' -squirrels. - -We told about squirrels we had heard about, an' contested again' each -other to see which had heard o' the biggest one; but we never even -mentioned ol' man Dort's squirrel. Eugene had shaved his way down to -below the lobe of ol' man Dort's right ear, slippin' in a side remark -to our talk every minute or so; an' purty soon he sez 'at he knows a -squirrel by the name o' Daniel Webster back in Montpelier, Vermont, -which was a full half inch longer 'n airy red squirrel we had spoke -of. The ol' man couldn't stand this. His head bobbed up, cuttin' a -gash on the crook of his jaw, and as soon as he could blow the foam -out of his mouth, he sez, "I'll stake my life, the' ain't another -squirrel in this country as big as my own Ben Butler." - -Eugene put his hand on ol' man Dort's forehead an' pushed him back -into the headrest. "You lie there," sez he, "until I get done shavin' -ya. Then, I'll bet ya a dollar that I can produce a livin' squirrel -which'll out-stand, outweigh, an' out-fight your squirrel--an' I ain't -never seen your squirrel." - -"A dollar!" snorts the ol' man, flickin' up his head. "I wouldn't -bother wakin' Ben Butler up for a measly dollar. I'll bet ya ten -dollars." - -"Get back on that headrest," orders Eugene. "Ten dollars looks a heap -sight better to me than one, an' I'll be mighty glad to accommodate -ya." - -Eugene took his fire-stick an' burned the ol' man's cut, an' the ol' -man had to scruge up his shoulders with the pain of it; but he did it -without noticin', 'cause his mind was on squirrels. "What breed o' -squirrels is yours?" he asked. - -"If you don't keep your head where I put it, I'll throw up the job an' -let you go forth lookin' like the lost Goog o' Mayhan," sez Eugene, -raisin' his voice. Ol' man Dort was a whalin' big man, an' it tickled -us a heap to see little Eugene givin' him directions, like as if he -was nothin' but a pup dog. - -Ol' man Dort settled back with a sigh, an' Eugene leathered up his -razor without sayin' anything for a minute or two. Then he sez, as he -begins shavin' again: "That squirrel I have in mind for ring contests -is the short-tailed grizzly ground-squirrel; and it's the biggest -breed of squirrels the' is." - -"The' ain't no such a breed of squirrel as that!" yells ol' man Dort, -springing erect in his chair, an' dullin' Eugene's razor by the -operation. - -Eugene stepped back an' looked at the blood flowin' from the fresh -cut, an' he sez slow an' sarcastic; "If it don't make any difference -to you whether you have any skin on your face or not, why I'll just -peel it off an' tack it on a board to shave it; but hanged if I'm -goin' to duck around tryin' to shave you on the jump. The' is too -grizzly ground-squirrels." - -Well, that's the way they had it back and forth: every time they would -settle down to business an' Eugene would get a square inch o' the ol' -man's face cleared up, one of us boys would speak something in a low -tone about there bein' rumors of an uncommon big squirrel out at some -ranch house a hundred miles or so from there. Eugene would ask what -breed of squirrel it was, an' then decide that it couldn't be a -patchin' on a genuwine short-tailed grizzly ground-squirrel, an' then -ol' man Dort couldn't stand it no longer an' he would forget what he -was doin', bob up in his chair, an' lose some more of his life fluid. - -Eugene scraped down both sides o' the ol' man's face, givin' all of -his razors a chance to take part in the job, an' then he set his lips -an' started in on the chin. - -"What does short-tailed grizzly ground-squirrels eat, Eugene?" asked -Spider Kelley, as innocent as an infant pigeon. - -"They eat chickens,--" began Eugene, but ol' man Dort flew clean out -o' the chair an' stood over Eugene shakin' with rage. - -"Chickens?" he roars. "Chickens! The' never was a squirrel foaled into -this world what et chickens." - -Eugene looked at ol' man Dort, an' then he wiped his razor an' sat -down on a chair, so full of disgust that he could hardly breathe. - -"I wish you'd take off that apron an' bleed into the spittoon," he -said as calm as he could. "I've got customers whose patronage is what -makes up my living expenses; an' I don't want 'em to come in here an' -see the whole place a welter of gore. - -"What do you think this shop is, anyway?" yelled Eugene springing to -his feet an' entirely losin' his patience. "Do you think that I make -my livin' by grubbin' down wire grass which has been let grow for -fifty years, an' educatin' ignoramuses in the knowledge of squirrels? -I don't care whether you believe in short-tailed grizzly -ground-squirrels or not; but if you don't let me tie your head down to -that chair, I won't shave another sprout off your chin. I take some -pride in my profession, an' I don't intend to have no man go out o' my -shop leavin' a trail o' blood which will draw all the dogs for miles -around. Now, you can take your choice." - -Ol' man Dort had to give in that this was reasonable enough; so he -climbed back into the chair, an' Eugene tied down his head an' -finished him off without any more trouble. As soon as he had stopped -the bleedin' an' put on the perfume an' oil an' powder, he sez: "Now, -what I am goin' to do is to get some nourishment to recuperate back my -strength, an' if you want the waste products washed out o' your hair, -you come back here at one o'clock prompt." - -"I want to settle on that bet first," said ol' man Dort, who was just -as pernicious as Eugene, once you got him riled up. - -"I'll make that bet with you after dinner," sez Eugene, "but first off -I got to have food; I'm faint with weakness. Now, I'm goin' to lock up -my shop." - -After Eugene had marched off to his boardin' house, we all gathered -around ol' man Dort, an' complimented him on his improved appearance, -though to be strictly honest, the' was considerable doubts about it. -He had two teeth out in front, an' the tobacco habit; and now, with no -shrubbery to catch the spray, he spluttered terrible when he tried to -talk fast. He said, though, that as long as he had started in he -intended to take the full course, an' was comin' back, as soon as he'd -had a bite to eat, to get his hair laundried an' trimmed up some -around the edges; an' then he was goin' to make that bet about the -squirrels. - -It was some amusin' to see the ol' man get his hair sluiced out, but -not near as much fun as seein' him shaved. Whenever Eugene found any -stray product, he'd call us all over an' show it to us, an' this riled -the ol' man up considerable; but the best joke was when Eugene found a -woman's hairpin. - -The ol' man vowed an' declared an' carried on somethin' fierce; but -there was the hairpin, an' we made him pay for three rounds on the -strength of it. As soon as Eugene was all through, the ol' man settled -the bill, payin' for a full day's work like a regular sport, an' not -tryin' to beg off at the ordinary retail price; and then he hardened -his face an' sez: "Now I bet you ten dollars, that you can't bring -forward a squirrel as big as my Ben Butler." - -"I'll take that bet," sez Eugene, "but you got to give me time to -locate a short-tailed grizzly. It's the scarcest breed the' is, an' -it'll probably cost me twice the sum to get one, but I don't care -about that. What I want is to vindicate myself. I'd like to see that -squirrel o' yours." - -"You come right along," sez ol' man Dort, glowin' with pride. "I -reckon when you see him, you'll just hand over the money at once--That -is, if you know anything at all about squirrels." - -We all marched around to the general store, an' ol' man Dort pounded -on the cage. When Ben Butler sat up an' looked around to see what was -up, the ol' man waved his hand at him, looked down at Eugene, an' sez: -"Well?" He said it just like that: "Wu-el?" - -Ben Butler was rollin' fat, an' he certainly did look like some -squirrel to us; but Eugene merely glanced at him, an' sez: "Hum, what -we call a dwarf red squirrel, up in Nova Scotia. They have tails, -though, up there." - -The ol' man spluttered till we had to pound him on the back. "Dwarf?" -he chokes out. "Dwarf! You produce a squirrel to match him, will ya, -or else you pack up your truck an' move on. I don't intend to have -no--" - -"See here, ol' man," sez Eugene, pointin' a finger at him the same as -if he'd been a naughty child. "A short-tailed grizzly ground-squirrel -is from two to four times as big as this one, so if you want to -sidestep the bet, you can do it; but if you want to have some show for -your money, I bet you fifty to ten that I can get a squirrel three -times as big as this one. I own up that for its kind, this squirrel is -of fair, average growth; but--" - -"I'll take that bet!" yelled the old man. "We'll put up our money with -Ike Spargle this minute; but I don't want your odds. I'll bet you even -money." - -Eugene shook his head as if he pitied the ol' man, an' he sez, -"Haven't you never travelled none, or seen a zoological garden?" - -"Yes, I've travelled some, an' I've seen all kinds o' gardens," flares -back the ol' man; "but what I want now is to fix up this bet." - -"Who'll be the judges?" sez Eugene. - -"I don't care a snap. Any man who can see through the holes in a -ladder'll be able to decide between the claims o' two squirrels. Ike -Spargle an' Bill Thompson can be the judges." - -"There has to be three," sez Eugene. "We'll have Dan Stedman be the -other." - -So they put up the money an' Eugene was to have six weeks to get his -squirrel; an' from that on we begun to divide up into rival camps. -The' wasn't any tree squirrels out in that neck o' the woods, an' we -had all forgot what wild squirrels really was like. We knew the' was -ground-squirrels, red squirrels, gray squirrels, an' -flyin'-squirrels--although an argument was started about there bein' -flyin'-fish all right, but no flyin'-squirrels, which would have ended -in warfare if Eugene hadn't been handy to settle it. - -You wouldn't think that a little thing like a bet about the size of a -squirrel would take the way it did; but Eugene was so confident on his -side, an' ol' man Dort was so dead sure of Ben Butler, that the rest -of us split up an' we each had a little side bet on the outcome. It -seemed a tarnation long time while we was waitin'; but in a little -over a month, Eugene got a big box which he took into his back room -without lettin' even the fellers who had backed his squirrel get a -peep at it. - -From that on we got shaved twice a day an' our heads washed till the -hair started to change color; so that Eugene's trade was so improved -that even if he lost the bet, he was money ahead; but he scoffed the -idy o' losin' the bet, even after his squirrel arrived; and as he was -the only man who had seen both the contestants, he had the whole -country up in the air. - -Ol' man Dort had made his squirrel run around the wheel four hours a -day, pokin' him up with a stick when he got lazy; an' this gave Ben -Butler sech a prodigious appetite that the ol' man had to set up late -at night to give him an extra meal. As the day o' settlement came -closer, the ol' man tapered off on the exercise, an' doubled up on the -feed, until Ben Butler looked a full size larger, an' us fellers who -had our money on Eugene's squirrel began to get shaky. If it had been -just an even race, it would have been a fair deal; but to have to show -a squirrel three times larger than Ben Butler seemed an impossibility. - -Eugene had been fussin' over his entry too, an' we used to sneak up -behind his shop at nights to listen to him. We could hear him snippin' -with scissors and pullin' stoppers out o' bottles and when he was -through he'd say: "Stand up there, Columbus"--which was the name of -his champion, an' then he would seem to pass in a bunch o' feed, an' -say--"Good boy, Columbus! that dwarf red squirrel can turn a double -handspring in your shadder." - -This used to hearten us up again, and we'd lay a little more money on -Eugene's squirrel. Ike, an' Bill, an' Dan--the judges--said that they -didn't claim to know anything about the breeds o' squirrels, an' all -they was to judge on was the size, which would be settled by weight if -the' was any dispute. They got kind o' nervous toward the end, 'cause -the fellers were all on edge, an' a rank decision meant trouble in -bunches. - -When the final day o' settlement arrived, Boggs was seven deep with -fellers on edge to see the outcome. Most of us had all we could spare -hung up in bets; but the' was still a lot o' coin in the crowd, and a -crew came over from Cheyenne to take charge of it. - -They had a game which certainly was attractive, I'll say that much for -it. It was a round board full o' numbers, and up the middle was a -tower with slopin' sides covered with nails. A marble was dropped into -a hole at the top and bobbled on the nails until it went into a row of -holes at the bottom, and came out in a groove leadin' to one o' the -numbers. Some o' these numbers doubled the player's money, some of 'em -paid it over to the table; but most of 'em was neutral, and a feller -had to double what he already had up, in order to stand a show. It was -an innocent-appearin' game, but deceptive. When a feller had up all he -could raise, some stranger would offer him two bits for his chance, -put up the doublin' money--and win. This was a capper o' course; but -crowds don't have any sense when they start gamblin', and this crew -was cleanin' us out until, all of a sudden, I heard a clear, low-toned -voice say: "If one o' you boys would upset that table, you'd see the -lever which controls the marble." - -I glanced up, and there was the Singin' Parson, as cool as a frozen -fish. Ol' Tom Williams, commonly known as "Tank," had just lost six -dollars, and he upset the table and saw just how tight braced the -blame game was. Then he unlimbered his gun, and suggested that he -would feel calmer if he had the six dollars back, and the Cheyenne -gambler looked into Tank's free eye, which was pointin' at the -ceilin', and he seconded Tank's motion. After this the rest o' the -boys collected what they felt was due 'em, and the Cheyenne crowd had -to fall back on charity for their noon lunch. - -Just about one o'clock, the head crook saw the Singin' Parson standin' -close to Eugene's barber shop. The shop was locked, and the crowd -around was lookin' at it. The crook didn't want to attract any -attention; so, instead o' usin' a gun, he struck at the Parson with a -club. He miscalculated, and hit the shoulder instead o' the head. The -Parson whirled, grabbed the club with his left hand, and the crook's -shirt collar with his right. The crook started to pull; but we settled -down on him, and were all ready to serve out justice, when the Parson -interrupted to say that it was none of our business, and if we'd just -form a ring, he'd settle it to everybody's satisfaction. He said he -expected to live among us for the rest of his life, and this would be -a good time to introduce his methods. - -We took off the crook's weapons, and then formed a big ring. The -Parson was smilin' a business-like smile, while the crook was palin' -up noticeable. "I am convinced that a man must settle some things, -himself, in a new country," sez the Parson. "I am larger than you, so -it is fair for you to use this club; but I warn you in advance that I -understand how to guard again' clubs, so do your best. I'm ready, -begin." - -It was quite eddifyin' to behold: the crook made a vicious smash at -the Parson's head, the Parson bent his arm at the elbow, muscle out, -so the bone wouldn't get bruised, stepped in, and hit the crook a -swing in the short ribs. Some say it lifted him ten feet, some say -only eight; but any way, when he lit, he gave a grunt like an empty -barrel, and the Parson had no trouble in layin' him over his knee and -givin' him the most liberal spankin' with that club I ever was -spectator to; while the crowd howled itself hoarse in the throat. - -Now the Parson wasn't angry, he grinned all the way through, and when -he had taken as much exercise as he felt was good for him, he set the -crook on his feet, and talked fatherly advice to him as sober an' -dignified as was possible--considerin' the fact that the crook was -dancin' about like a spider on a hot skillet, and rubbin' the part -which had got most intimate with the club. - -Eugene had seen it all through his window, and when it was over, he -came out and shook the Parson's hand, and said he was just the kind -needed in such an ungodly community, and that he reminded him for all -the world of Friar Tuck in Robin Hood. Now, we hadn't none of us heard -of Friar Tuck up to that time; but it was a name well fitted to the -tongue, and from the way Eugene said it, we elected it was a -compliment; so we gave it to the Singin' Parson on the spot, and it -soaked into his bones, and he hasn't needed any other since. - -This little incident kept us all in a good humor until three o'clock, -which was the fatal hour for the squirrel-contest. - -Then ol' man Dort marched to the center o' the street, carryin' his -cage as though it was full o' diamonds; an' Ben Butler sat up an' -chattered as if he was darin' the whole race o' squirrels to bring -forth his equal. - -"I don't reckon a squirrel could get three times as big as him without -explodin'," sez Spider Kelley, who also had his money on Eugene's -squirrel. - -"Here comes Eugene with Columbus," sez I, not carin' to waste breath -on an opinion I had backed up with good money. - -Eugene came down the street carryin' one end of a box, with Doc Forbes -carryin' the other. The box was covered with a clean apron, an' Eugene -wasn't lookin' down in the mouth or discouraged. - -"From the size o' that box, we're goin' to have a run for our money," -sez Spider. "If Columbus just looks good enough to make 'em settle by -the scales, I haven't any kick comin'." - -Well, as Eugene drew closer, that crowd fell into a silence until all -a body could hear was Ben Butler braggin' about all the nuts he had -et, an' what a prodigious big squirrel he was; but Eugene never -faltered. He walked up an' set his box down careful, motioned Doc over -to the side lines, made a graceful motion to ol' man Dort, an' sez: -"As yours is the local champion you introduce him first, an' make your -claim." - -Ol' man Dort removed his tobacco, wiped his forehead, an' sez: "Feller -citizens, I make the claim that Ben Butler is the biggest full-blooded -squirrel ever sent to enlighten the solitude of lonely humanity. This -is him." - -The ol' man looked lovin'ly down at his squirrel, an' we every one of -us gave a rousin' cheer. It was all the family the ol' man had, an' it -meant more to him 'n a body who hadn't never tried standin' his own -company months at a time could realize. Ol' man Dort thrust some new -tobacco into his face, bit his lips, winked his eyes rapid, an' bowed -to us, almost overcome. - -Then Eugene stepped a space to the front, bowed to the crowd in -several directions, an' sez: "Gentlemen, an' feller citizens--From -Iceland's icy mountains to India's coral strands an' Afric's sunny -fountains, every nation an' every clime has produced some peculiar -product o' nature which lifts it above an' sets it apart from all the -other localities of the globe. When you speak of the succulent banana, -the golden orange, or the prickly pineapple, Nova Scotia remains -silent; but when you speak of varmints, she rears up on her hind legs -and with a glad shout of triumph, she hands forth the short-tailed -grizzly ground-squirrel, an' sez, 'Give me the blue ribbons, the gold -medals, an' the laurel crowns of victory.' I have the rare pleasure -an' the distinctive honor of presenting to your notice Columbus, the -hugest squirrel ever exhibited within the confines of captivity." - -We was so took by Eugene's eloquence that we hardly noticed him slip -the apron from in front of his cage; but when we did look, we could -hardly get our breath. I was standin' close to the Friar; and at first -he looked puzzled, and then his face lit up with a regular boy's grin; -but he didn't say a word. - -Columbus was certainly a giant; he stood full two feet tall as he sat -up an' scrutinized around with a bossy sort of grin. He was dappled -fawn color on the sides with a curly black streak down the back an' -sort o' chestnut-red below, with a short tail an' teeth like chisels. -He won so blame easy that even us what had bet on him didn't cheer. - -Ol' man Dort give a grin, thinkin' Ben Butler must have won, an' then -he stepped around an' looked into Eugene's cage. He looked first at -Columbus, an' then at Ben Butler, then he looked again. "That damned -thing ain't alive," he sez. "It's made up out o' wool yarn. Poke it up -an' let me see it move." - -"Poke it yourself," sez Eugene. He was one o' these cold-blooded -gamblers who ain't got one speck o' decent sentimentality; an' he was -mad 'cause we hadn't cheered. - -Ol' man Dort took a stick an' poked Columbus, an' Columbus give a -threatenin' grin, chattered savage, an' bit the stick in two. "Give -him the money, Ike," sez ol' man Dort. "I own up I never was in Nova -Scotia, an' I never supposed that such squirrels as this grew on the -face o' the whole earth. What'll you take for him?" he sez to Eugene. - -"It ain't your fault that you didn't know about him," sez Eugene, -thawin' a little humanity into himself. "I don't want to rub it in on -nobody; and I'll give you this here squirrel free gratis, 'cause I -admit that you know more about squirrels 'n anybody else what ever I -met; an' you have the biggest red squirrel the' is in the world." - -Then we did give Eugene a cheer, an' everything loosened up, an' we -all crowded into Ike Spargle's so that them what won could spend a -little money on them what lost. - -After a time, ol' man Dort got up on a chair, an' sez: "I want you -fellers to know that Columbus won't never be my pet. Ben Butler has -been the squarest squirrel ever was, an' he continues to remain my -pet; but I'll study feedin' this condemned foreign squirrel, an' give -him a fair show; so that if any outsiders come around makin' brags, we -will have a home squirrel to enter again' 'em an' get their money." - -Eugene led the cheerin' this time, which made Eugene solider than ever -with the boys, an' when Spider an' me got ready to ride home, he an' -ol' man Dort had their arms around each other tryin' to sing the Star -Spangled Banner. - -Spider talked about Columbus most o' the way home, but I was still. -The' was somethin' peculiar about the Friar's grin when he first -sighted Columbus, and the' was somethin' familiar about that squirrel, -an' I was tryin' to adjust myself. Just as we swung to the west on the -last turn, I sez to Spider: "Spider, I don't know what I ought to do -about this?" - -"About what?" sez Spider. - -"About this bet?" - -"Well, it was a fair bet, wasn't it? Columbus is full four times as -big as Ben Butler." - -"Yes," sez I, "but he ain't no squirrel." - -Spider pulled up to a stop. "Ain't no squirrel?" he sez. "What do you -take me for, didn't I see him myself? What is he then?" - -"He's a woodchuck, that's what he is," sez I. "He's a genuwine ground -hog with his hair cut stylish and died accordin' to Eugene's idy of -high art. I remember now that I used to see 'em when I was a little -shaver back on my dad's farm in Indiana." - -Spider give a whoop, an' then he laughed, an' then he sobered up, an' -sez: "Well, you can't do nothin' now, anyway. The judges have decided -it, ol' man Dort has give it up, it ain't your game nohow, an' if you -was to try to equal back those bets after they have been paid an' -mostly spent, you'd start a heap o' blood-spillin'; an' furthermore, -as far as I'm concerned, I ain't right sure but what a woodchuck, as -you call it, ain't some kind of a squirrel. We'll just let this go an' -wait for a chance to put something over on Eugene." - -So that's what we made up to do; but this gives you an idy of how fine -a line the Friar drew on questions o' sport. He knew 'at we weren't -full fledged angels, and that we had to have our little diversities; -but when any professional hold-up men tried to ring in a brace game on -us, he couldn't see any joke in it, and he upset the money-changers' -tables, the same as they was upset that time, long ago, in the temple. - - - - -CHAPTER THREE - -ABOVE THE DUST - - -I'm only about twice as old as I feel; but I've certainly seen a lot -o' changes take place out this way. I can look back to the time when -what most of us called a town was nothin' but a log shack with a -barrel of cheap whiskey and a mail-bag wanderin' in once a month or -so, from goodness-knows-where. I've seen the cattle kings when they -set their own bounds, made their own laws, and cared as little for -government-title as they did for an Injun's. Then, I've seen the sheep -men creep in an inch at a time until they ate the range away from the -cattle and began to jump claims an' tyrannize as free and joyous as -the cattle men had. Next came the dry farmer, and he was as comical as -a bum lamb when he first hove into sight; but I reckon that sooner or -later he'll be the one to write the final laws for this section. - -We're gettin' a good many towns on our map nowadays, we're puttin' up -a lot o' hay, we're drinkin' cow milk, and we're eatin' garden truck -in the summer. The old West has dried up and blown away before our -very eyes, and a few of us old timers are beginnin' to feel like the -last o' the buffalo. The's more money nowadays in boardin' dudes 'n -the' is in herdin' cattle, an' that's the short of a long, long story. - -But still we hammered out this country from the rough, and no one can -take that away from us. The flag follers trouble, an' business follers -the flag, an' law follers business, an' trouble follers the law; but -always the first trouble was kicked up by boys who had got so 'at they -couldn't digest home cookin' any longer and just nachely had to get -out an' tussle with nature an' the heathen. - -They're a tough, careless lot, these young adventurers; an' they're -always in a state of panic lest the earth get so crowded the' won't be -room enough to roll over in bed without askin' permission; so they -kill each other off as soon as possible, and thus make room for the -patienter ones who follow after. From what I've heard tell of history, -this has been about the way that the white race has managed from the -very beginning. - -As a general rule it has been purt' nigh a drawn fight between the -dark-skins an' the wild animals; then the lads who had to have more -elbow-room came along, and the dark-skins and the wild animals had to -be put onto reservations to preserve a few specimens as curiosities, -while the lads fussed among themselves, each one tryin' to settle down -peaceable with his dooryard lappin' over the horizon in all -directions. Room, room, room--that was their constant cry. As soon as -one would get a neighbor within a day's ride, he'd begin to feel shut -in an' smothered. - -Tyrrel Jones was one o' the worst o' this breed. He came out at an -early date, climbed the highest peak he could find, and claimed -everything 'at his gaze could reach in every direction. Then he -invented the Cross brand, put it on a few cows, and made ready to -defend his rights. The Cross brand was a simple one, just one straight -line crossin' another; and it could be put on in about one second with -a ventin' iron, or anything else which happened to be handy. Tyrrel -thought a heap o' this brand, an' he didn't lose any chances of -puttin' it onto saleable property. His herd grew from the very -beginning. - -His home ranch was something over a hundred miles northwest o' the -Diamond Dot; but I allus suspicioned that a lot of our doggies had the -Cross branded on to 'em. Tyrrel was mighty particular in the kind o' -punchers he hired. He liked fellers who had got into trouble, an' the -deeper they was in, the better he liked 'em. Character seeks its -level, the same as water; so that Tyrrel had no trouble in gettin' as -many o' the breed he wanted as he had place for. They did his -devilment free and hearty, and when they had a little spare time, they -used to devil on their own hook in a way to shame an Injun. - -The sayin' was, that a Cross brand puncher could digest every sort o' -beef in the land except Cross brand beef. Tyrrel used to grin at this -sayin' as though it was a sort of compliment; but some o' the little -fellers got purty bitter about it. When a small outfit located on a -nice piece o' water, it paid 'em to be well out o' Ty's neighborhood. -No one ever had any luck who got in his road; but his own luck boomed -right along year after year. He allus kept more men than he needed; -an' about once a month he'd knock in the head of a barrel o' whiskey, -an' the tales they used to tell about these times was enough to raise -the hair. Ty would work night an' day to get one of his men out of a -scrape; but once a man played him false, he either had to move or get -buried. He wasn't a bad lookin' man, except that he allus seemed keyed -up an' ready to spring. - -His men all had to be top-notch riders, because he hadn't any use for -a gentle hoss; he didn't want his hosses trained, he wanted 'em -busted, an' the cavey he'd send along for a round-up would be about as -gentle and reliable as a band o' hungry wolves. If a man killed a -hoss, why Ty seemed to think it a good joke, an' this was his gait all -the way along--the rougher the men were, the better they suited him. -He kept a pack o' dogs, and the men were encouraged to kick an' abuse -'em; but if one of 'em petted a dog, he was fired that instant--or -else lured into a quarrel. The' didn't seem to be one single soft spot -left in the man, an' when they got to callin' him Tyrant Jones instead -of Tyrrel, why, it suited him all over, an' he used it himself once in -a while. - -The next time I saw Friar Tuck, he recognized me at first glance, an' -his face lit up as though we had been out on some prank together an' -was the best pals in the world ever since. He wanted to know all I -knew about the crowd that had started to string him up; and when I had -finished paintin' 'em as black as I could, what did he do but say that -he was goin' up their way to have a talk with 'em. - -I told him right out that it was simply wastin' time; but he was set -in his ways, so I decided to ride part way with him. He had two hosses -along this trip, with his bed an' grub tied on the spare one; and on -the second day we reached a little park just as the sun was setting. -It was one o' the most beautiful spots I ever saw, high enough to get -a grand view off to the west, but all the rest shut in like a little -room. He jumped from his hoss, had his saddle off as soon as I did, -and also helped me with the pack. Then he looked about the place. - -"What a grand cathedral this is, Happy!" he sez after a minute. - -I didn't sense what he meant right at first, and went on makin' camp, -until I happened to notice his expression. He was lookin' off to the -west with the level rays of the sun as it sank down behind a distant -range full in his face. The twilight had already fallen over the low -land and all the hazy blues an' purples an' lavenders seemed to be -floatin' in a misty sea, with here an' there the black shadows of -peaks stickin' out like islands. It really was gorgeous when you -stopped to give time to it. - -It had been gruelin' hot all day, an' was just beginnin' to get cool -an' restful, and I was feelin' the jerk of my appetite; but when I -noticed his face I forgot all about it. I stood a bit back of him, -half watchin' him, an' half watchin' the landscape. Just as the sun -sank, he raised his hands and chanted, with his great, soft voice -booming out over the hills: "The Lord is in His holy temple--let all -the earth keep silence before Him." - -He bent his head, an' I bent mine--I'd have done it if the'd been a -knife-point stickin' again' my chin. I tell you, it was solemn! It -grew dark in a few moments an' the evening star came out in all her -glory. It was a still, clear night without a speck in the air, and she -was the only star in sight; but she made up for it, all right, by -throwing out spikes a yard long. - -He looked up at it for a moment, and then sang a simple little hymn -beginnin', "Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh; shadows of the -evening steal across the sky." It didn't have the ring to it of most -of his songs; it was just close an' friendly, and filled a feller with -peace. It spoke o' the little children, and those watchin' in pain, -and the sailors tossin' on the deep blue sea, and those who planned -evil--rounded 'em all up and bespoke a soothin' night for 'em; and I -venture to say that it did a heap o' good. - -Then he pitched in an' helped me get supper. This was his way; he -didn't wear a long face and talk doleful; he was full o' life an' -boilin' over with it every minute, and he'd turn his hand to whatever -came up an' joke an' be the best company in the world; but he never -got far from the Lord; and when he'd stop to worship, why, the whole -world seemed to stop and worship with him. - -We had a merry meal and had started to wash up the dishes when he -happened to glance up again. He had just been tellin' me a droll story -about the first camp he'd ever made, and how he had tied on his pack -so 'at the hoss couldn't comfortably use his hind legs and had bucked -all his stuff into a crick, an' I was still laughin'; but when he -looked up, my gaze followed his. It was plumb dark by now, an' that -evening star was fair bustin' herself, and the light of it turned the -peaks a glisteny, shadowy silver. He raised his hands again and -chanted one beginning: "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is -within me, praise His holy name." - -The' was a part in this one which called upon all the works o' the -Lord to praise Him, and I glanced about to see what was happenin'. A -faint breeze had sprung up and the spruce trees were bowin' over -reverently, the ponies had raised their heads and their eyes were -shinin' soft and bright in the firelight as they looked curiously at -the singer; and as I stood there with a greasy skillet in my hand, -something inside of me seemed to get down on its knees, to worship -with the other works o' the Lord. - -It was one o' those wonderful moments which seem to brand themselves -on a feller's memory, and I can see it all now, and hear the Friar's -voice as it floated away into the hills until it seemed to be caught -up by other voices rather than to die away. - -Well, we sat up about the fire a long time that night. He didn't fuss -with me about my soul, or gettin' saved, or such things. I told him -the things I didn't understand, and he told me the things he didn't -understand; and I told him about some o' my scrapes, and he told me -about some o' his, and--well, I can't see where it was so different -from a lot of other nights; but I suppose I'd be sitting there yet if -he hadn't finally said it was bedtime. - -He stood up and looked at the star again, and chanted the one which -begins: "Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace"; after which he -pulled off some of his clothes and crawled into the tarp. I crawled in -beside him about two minutes later; but he was already asleep, while I -lay there thinkin' for the best part of an hour. - -Next mornin' he awakened me by singin', "Brightest and best of the -sons of the morning"; and after that we got breakfast, and he started -on to Ty Jones's while I turned back to the Diamond Dot. I didn't -think he'd be able to do much with that gang; but after the talk I'd -had with him the night before, I saw 'at they couldn't do much to him, -either. I had got sort of a hint at his scheme of life; and there -isn't much you can do to a man who doesn't value his flesh more 'n the -Friar did his. - - - - -CHAPTER FOUR - -TY JONES - - -Ty stood in his door as the Friar rode up, and he recognized him from -the description Badger-face had turned in. Badger-face had been purty -freely tongue-handled for not havin' lynched the Friar, and Ty Jones -was disposed to tilt his welcome even farther back than usual; so he -set his pack on the Friar. He had six dogs at this time, mastiffs with -a wolf-cross in 'em which about filled out his notion o' what a dog -ought to be. - -The Friar had noticed the dogs, but he didn't have an idee that any -man would set such creatures on another man; so he had dismounted to -get a drink o' water from the crick, it havin' been a hot ride. The -pack came surgin' down on him while he was lyin' flat an' drinkin' out -o' the crick. His ponies were grazin' close by, and as soon as he saw -'at the dogs meant business, he vaulted into the saddle just in time -to escape 'em. - -They leaped at him as fast as they came up, and he hit 'em with the -loaded end of his quirt as thorough as was possible. He was ridin' a -line buckskin with a nervous disposition, and the pony kicked one or -two on his own hook; but as the Friar leaned over in puttin' down the -fifth, the sixth jumped from the opposite side, got a holt on his arm -just at the shoulder, an' upset him out of the saddle. In the fall the -dog's grip was broke an' he and the Friar faced each other for a -moment, the Friar squattin' on one knee with his fists close to his -throat, the dog crouchin' an' snarlin'. - -As the dog sprang, the Friar upper-cut him in the throat with his left -hand and when he straightened up, hit him over the heart with his -right. He says that a dog's heart is poorly protected. Anything 'at -didn't have steel over it was poorly protected when the Friar struck -with his right in earnest. The dog was killed. One o' the dogs the -pony had kicked was also killed, but the other four was able to get up -and crawl away. - -The Friar shook himself and went on to where Ty Jones and a few of his -men were standin'. "That's a nice lively bunch o' dogs you have," sez -he, smilin' as pleasant as usual; "but they need trainin'." - -"They suit me all right," growls Ty, "except that they're too blame -clumsy." - -The Friar looked at him a minute, and then said drily, "Yes, that's -what I said; they need trainin'." - -Ty Jones scowled: "They don't get practice enough," sez he. "It's most -generally known that I ain't a-hankerin' for company; so folks don't -usually come here, unless they're sure of a welcome." - -"I can well believe you," said the Friar, laughin', "and I hope the -next time I come I'll be sure of a welcome." - -"It's not likely," sez Ty shortly. - -The Friar just stood and looked at him curiously. He didn't believe -that Ty could really mean it. The' wasn't a streak of anything in his -own make-up to throw light on a human actin' the way 'at Ty Jones -acted; so he just stood and examined him. Ty stared back with a sneer -on his face, and I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to see 'em -eyein' each other. - -"Do you really mean," sez the Friar at last, "that you hate your -fellow humans so, that you'd drive a perfect stranger away from your -door?" - -"I haven't any use for hoss-thieves," sez Ty. - -The Friars face lighted. "Oh, that's all right," sez he in a relieved -tone. "As long as you have a special grievance again' me, why, it's -perfectly natural for you to act up to it. It wouldn't be natural for -most men to act up to it in just this way, but still it's normal; -while for a man to set his dogs on a total stranger would be -monstrous. I'm glad to know 'at you had some excuse; but as far as -hoss-stealin' goes, that roan is back with your band again. I saw him -as I came along." - -Ty was somewhat flabbergasted. He wasn't used to havin' folks try out -his conduct and comment on it right to his face; and especially was he -shocked to have his morals praised by a preacher. He knew 'at such a -reception as had just been handed to the Friar would have taken the -starch out o' most men an' filled 'em with a desire for revenge ever -after; but he could see that the Friar was not thinkin' of what had -been handed to him, he was actually interested in himself, Ty Jones, -and was honestly tryin' to see how it was possible for such a -condition to exist; and this set Ty Jones back on his haunches for -true. - -"For all time to come," he sez slow and raspy, "I want you to leave my -stuff alone. If you ever catch up and ride one of my hosses again, -I'll get your hide; and I don't even want you on my land." - -Then the Friar stiffened up; any one in the world, or any thing, had -the right to impose upon the Friar as a man; but when they tried to -interfere with what he spoke of as his callin', why, he swelled up -noticeable. The Friar's humility was genuine, all right; but it was -about four times stiffer an' spikier than any pride I've ever met up -with yet. - -"I shall not ride your hosses," sez he, scornful, "nor shall I tread -upon your land, nor shall I breathe your air, nor drink your water; -but in the future, as in the past, I shall use for the Lord only those -things which belong to the Lord. The things which are the Lord's were -His from the beginning, the things which you call yours are merely -entrusted to your care for a day or an hour or a moment. I do not -covet your paltry treasures, I covet your soul and I intend to fight -you for it from this day forward." - -The Friar spoke in a low, earnest tone; and Ty Jones stared at him. Ya -know how earnest an insane man gets? Well, the' was something o' this -in the Friar when he was talkin' business. You felt that he believed -that what he was sayin' was the truth, and you felt that if it was the -truth, it was mighty well worth heedin', and you also felt that in -spite of its bein' so everlastin' different from the usual view o' -things, it might actually be the truth after all and a risky thing to -pass up careless. - -After waitin' a minute without gettin' a reply, the Friar turned on -his heel to walk away, stumbled, and slipped to the ground, and then -they noticed a pool of blood which had dripped from him as he stood. -He had forgotten that the dog had torn him, an' the men had looked -into his eyes, as men always did when he talked, and they had forgot -it, too. Now, when he fell, Olaf the Swede stepped forward to help him -up. - -Olaf was the best man 'at Ty Jones had, from Ty's own standpoint. Ty -had happened to be over at Skelty's one night when Skelty was givin' a -dance. Skelty had six girls at this time, an' he used to give a dance -about once a week. Along about midnight, they got to be purty lively -affairs. This night Skelty had bragged what a fine shot he was, an' -the boys were kiddin' him about it, because Skelty wasn't no shot at -all as a rule. It was a moonlight night, and while they was sheepin' -Skelty about his shootin', two strangers rode up, tied their hosses to -the corral, an' started up the path toward the door. - -Skelty looked at 'em an' sez, "Why, if I had a mind to, I could pick -one o' those fellers off with this gun as easy as I could scratch my -nose." He pulled his gun and held it over his shoulder. - -All the boys fair hooted, an' Skelty dropped his gun an' shot one o' -the strangers dead in his tracks. The other came along on the run with -Skelty shootin' at him as fast as he could pop; but he only shot him -once, through the leg, and he limped in an' made for Skelty with his -bare hands. Skelty hit him in the forehead, knocked him down an' -jumped on him. He kept on beatin' him over the head until the stranger -managed to get a grip on his wrists. He held one hand still, an' -puttin' the other into his mouth, bit off the thumb. - -The's somethin' about bein' bit on the thumb which melts a man's -nerve; and in about five minutes, the stranger had Skelty's head -between his knees, and was makin' him eat his own gun. It must have -been a hideous sight! Some say that he actually did make Skelty eat -it, and some say that he only tore through the throat; but anyway, -Skelty didn't quite survive it, and Ty Jones hired the stranger, which -was Olaf the Swede. - -Olaf was one o' those Swedes which seem a mite too big for their -skins. The bones in his head stuck out, his jaws stuck out prodigious, -his shoulders stuck out, his hands stuck out--he fair loomed up and -seemed to crowd the landscape, and he was stouter 'n a bull. When he -let himself go he allus broke somethin'; but he had a soft streak in -him for animals, an' Ty never could break him from bein' gentle with -hosses, nor keep him from pettin' the dogs once in a while. Olaf -hadn't no more morals 'n a snake at this time, an' when it came to -dealin' with humans, he suited Ty to the minute; but he just simply -wouldn't torture an animal, and that was the end of it. Olaf wasn't a -talkin' man; he never used a word where a grunt would do, and he was -miserly about them; but he certainly was set in his ways. - -The Friar hadn't fainted, he had just gone dizzy; so when Olaf gave -him a lift he got to his feet and walked to his horse. He allus -carried some liniment an' such in his saddle bags, an' he pulled off -his shirt and cleaned out the wound and tied it up, with Olaf standin' -by and tryin' to help. Now, it made something of a murmur, when the -Friar took off his shirt. In the first place, the dog had give him an -awful tear, and for the rest, the Friar was a wonderful sight to -behold. He was as strong as Olaf without bein' bulgey, and his skin -was as white and smooth as ivory. He was all curves and tapers with -medium small hands and feet, and a throat clean cut and shapely like -the throat of a high-bred mare. Olaf looked at him, and nodded his -head solemnly. Badger-face hated Olaf, because Olaf had a curious way -of estimatin' things and havin' 'em turn out to be so, which made Ty -Jones put faith in what Olaf said, over and above what any one else -said. - -As soon as the Friar had finished tyin' up the wound, he turned and -walked up to Ty Jones. "Friend," he said, "I don't bear you a grain o' -malice, and nothing you can ever do to me will make me bear you a -grain o' malice. I know a lot about medicine, and perhaps I can help -you that way sometime. I want to get a start with you some way; I want -to be welcome here, and I wish 'at you'd give me a chance." - -"Oh, hell!" sneered Ty Jones. "Do you think you can soft-soap me as -easy as you did the boys? You're not welcome here now, and you never -will be. I've heard all this religious chatter, and there's nothin' in -it. The world was always held by the strong, by the men who hated -their enemies and stamped them out as fast as they got a chance; and -it always will be held by the strong. Your religion is only for -weaklings and hypocrits." - -The Friar's face lighted. "Will you discuss these things with me?" he -asked. "I shall not eat until this scratch is healed, I have my own -bed and will not bother you; won't you just be decent enough to invite -me to camp here, give me free use of water, and grass for my hosses, -while you and I discuss these things fully?" - -"I told you I didn't want you about, and I don't," sez Ty. "The's -nothin' on earth so useless as a preacher, and I can't stand 'em." - -"Let me work for you," persisted the Friar. "All I ask is a chance to -show 'at I'm able to do a man's work, and all the pay I ask is a -chance to hold service here on Sundays. If I don't do my work well, -then you can make me the laughin' stock o' the country; but I tell you -right now that if you turn me away without a show, it will do you a -lot more harm than it will me." - -Ty thought 'at probably the Friar had got wind o' some of his -devilment, and was hintin' that his own neck depended on his men -keepin' faith with him; so he stared at the Friar to see if it was a -threat. - -The Friar looked back into his eyes with hope beamin' in his own; but -after a time Ty Jones scowled down his brows an' pointed the way 'at -the Friar had come. "Go," sez he, stiff as ever. "The' ain't any room -for you on the Cross brand range; and if ya try anything underhanded, -I'll hunt ya down and put ya plumb out o' the way." - -So the Friar he caught his ponies and hit the back trail; but still it -had been purty much of a drawn battle, for Ty Jones's men had used -their eyes and their ears, and they had to give in to themselves 'at -the preacher had measured big any way ya looked at him; while their -own boss had dogged it in the manger to a higher degree 'n even they -could take glory in. - -As the Friar rode away, he sagged in his saddle with his head bent -over; and they thought him faint from his wound; but the truth was, -that he was only a little sad to think 'at he had lost. He was human, -the Friar was; he used to chide himself for presumptin' to be -impatient; but at the same time he used to fidget like a nervous hoss -when things seemed to stick in the sand; and he didn't sing a note as -long as he was on the Cross brand range--which same was an uncommon -state for the Friar to be in, him generally marchin' to music. - - - - -CHAPTER FIVE - -THE HOLD-UP - - -This was the way the Friar started out with us; and year after year, -this was the way he kept up. He was friendly with every one, and most -every one was friendly with him. Some o' the boys got the idea that he -packed his guns along as a bluff; so they put up a joke on him. - -They lay in wait for him one night as he was comin' up the goose neck. -I, myself, didn't rightly savvy just how he did stand with regard to -the takin' of human life in self-defence; but I knew mighty well 'at -he wasn't no bluffer, so I didn't join in with the boys, nor I didn't -warn him; I just scouted along on the watch and got up the hill out o' -range to see what would happen. - -He came up the hill in the twilight, singin' one of his favorite -marchin' songs. I've heard it hundreds of times since then, and I've -often found myself singin' it softly to myself when I had a long, -lonely ride to make. That was a curious thing about the Friar: he -didn't seem to be tampin' any of his idees into a feller, but first -thing the feller knew, he had picked up some o' the Friar's ways; and, -as the Friar confided to me once, a good habit is as easy learned as a -bad, and twice as comfortin'. - -Well, he came up the pass shufflin' along at a steady Spanish trot as -was usual with him when not overly rushed, and singin': - - "Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah! - Pilgrim through this barren land; - I am weak, but Thou art mighty; - Hold me with Thy powerful hand." - -He came up out of the pass with his head thrown back, and his boy's -face shinin' with that radiatin' joy I haven't ever seen in another -face, exceptin' it first caught the reflection from the Friar's; and -the notion about died out o' the boys' minds. They were all friends of -his and wouldn't have hurt his feelin's for a lot; but they had itched -about his weapons for such a spell that they finally had to have it -out; so when he rounded a point o' rock, they stepped out and told him -to put his hands up. - -They were masked and had him covered, and his hands shot up with a -jerk; but he didn't stop his singin', and his voice didn't take on a -single waver. Fact was, it seemed if possible a shade more jubilant. -He had reached the verse which sez: - - "Feed me with the heavenly manna - In this barren wilderness; - Be my sword and shield and banner, - Be the Lord my Righteousness"; - -and as he sang with his hands held high above his head, he waved 'em -back and forth, playin' notes in the air with his fingers, the way he -did frequent; and it was one o' the most divertin' sights I ever saw. - -Those blame scamps had all they could do to keep from hummin' time to -his song; for I swear to you in earnest that the Friar could play on a -man's heart the same as if it was a fiddle. He kept on an' finished -the last verse while I crouched above 'em behind a big rock, and -fairly hugged myself with the joy of it. Ol' Tank Williams was a big -man and had been chosen out to be the leader an' do the talkin', but -he hadn't the heart to jab into the Friar's singin'; so he waited -until it was all over. Then he cleared his throat as though settin' -off a blast of dynamite, and growls out: "Here, you, give us your -money." - -Ten six-shooters were pointin' at the Friar, but I reckon if he had -known it would of exploded all of 'em, he'd have had to laugh. He -threw back his head and his big free laugh rolled out into the hills, -until I had to gnaw at a corner o' the stone to keep from joinin' in. -"My money!" sez he as soon as he could catch his breath. "Well, boys, -boys, whatever put such a notion as that into your heads. Take it, -take it, you're welcome to it; and if you are able to find more than -two bits, why, I congratulate you most hearty; because two bits was -all I could find this morning, and that will only be a nickle apiece, -and five cents is small pay for robbin' a volunteer missionary." - -Ol' Tank Williams was a serious-minded old relic, and he was feelin' -so sheepish just then that it seemed to him as though the Friar had -imposed on him by lurin' him into such a fix; so he roars out in -earnest: "If you ain't got no money, why the deuce do ya tote those -guns about with ya all the time?" - -"Would you just as soon tie me to a tree, or take some other measures -of defence?" asked the Friar politely. "My arms are gettin' weary and -I could talk more comfortable with 'em hanging' down." - -"Aw put 'em down, and talk on," sez George Hendricks. - -"Thank you," sez the Friar. "Well, now, boys, the man who doesn't take -the time to put a value on his own life, isn't likely to make that -life very much worth while. He mustn't overvalue it to such an extent -that he becomes a coward, nor he mustn't undervalue it to such an -extent that he becomes reckless--he must take full time to estimate -himself as near as he is able. - -"I don't know that I can allus keep from judgin' my fellow men; but I -am sure that I would not judge one to the extent of sayin' that my -life was worth more than his, so I should never use a gun merely to -save my own life by takin' away the life of another man--much less -would I use a gun in defence of money; but I am a purty good shot, and -sometimes I can get a man interested by shootin' at a mark with him. -This is why I carry firearms. Do you want the two bits?" - -"Aw, go on," yells ol' Tank, madder at himself 'n ever. "We didn't -intend to rob ya. All we wanted was to hear ya sing and preach a bit"; -and he pulled off his mask and shook the Friar's hand. All the rest o' -the boys did the same; and I clumb up on my rock, flapped my wings, -and crowed like a rooster. - -Well, we sat on the ground, and he sang for us; and then he sobered -and began to talk about cussin'. It used to hurt the Friar to hear -some o' the double-jointed swear words we used when excited. He tried -not to show it, because he didn't want anything to shut us away from -him at any time; but whiles his face would wrinkle into lines of -actual pain. - -"Now, boys," he began, "I know, 'at you don't mean what you say in a -profane way. You call each other terrible names, and condemn each -other to eternal punishment; and if a man said these things in -earnest, his life would be forfeit; but you take it merely as a joke. -Now, I do not know just how wicked this is. I know that it is -forbidden to take the name o' the Lord thy God in vain; so it is a -dangerous thing to be profane even in thoughtlessness; but I have -heard the Lord's name used by the perfectly respectable in a way which -must have hurt his tender nature more. - -"Once in the crowded slum district of a large eastern city, I saw a -freight car back down on a child and kill it. The mother was frantic; -she was a foreigner and extra emotional, and she screamed, and cursed -the railroad. A man had come to comfort her, and he put his hand on -her arm and said, 'My dear woman, you must not carry on this way. We -must always bow our heads in submission to the Lord's will.' - -"For years the poor people o' that neighborhood had begged protection -for their children; and I cannot believe that it was the Lord's will -that even one o' the least of 'em should have been slain in order to -drive the lesson a little deeper home; so, as I said before, I am not -going to talk to you of the wickedness of swearing--but I am goin' to -talk about its foolishness, its vulgarity, and its brutality." - -He went on showin' that swearin' was foolish because it wasn't givin' -a man's thought on things in a man's way; but merely howlin' it out -the way wolves and wild-cats had to, on account o' their not havin' a -civilized language with which to express the devilment which was in -'em. He showed how it made a feller lazy; because instead of tryin' to -sort out words which would tell exactly what he meant, he made a lot -of noises which had no more real meanin' than a bunch o' -fire-crackers. - -Then his voice got low and serious, and he said 'at the worst thing -about cussin' was, that it led a feller into speakin' lightly about -the sacred things of life. "When you speak the word 'son,'" he said, -"you are bound to also call up the thought of 'mother'; and I want to -say to you right now that any one who can be coarse and nasty in -thinkin' or speakin' about maternity, is not a man at all--or even a -decent brute--but has some sort of soul-sickness which is more -horrible than insanity. Always be square with women--all women, good -and bad. I know your temptations, and I know theirs. Woman has a heavy -cross to carry, and the least we can do, is to play fair." - -Then he sprang some of his curious theories on us: told us how the -body was full of poisons and remedies; and it depended on our plan of -livin', whether we used the one or the other. He said he allus cut out -food and tobacco on Fridays, and if he didn't feel bright and clear -and bubblin' over with vitality, he fasted until he felt able to eat a -rubber boot, and then he knew he had cleaned all the waste products -out of him, and could live at top speed again. He finished up by -tellin' of a cross old doctor he once knew, who used to say 'at cattle -and kings didn't have to control themselves; but all ordinary men had -to use self-denial, even in matters of pleasure. - -It was more the way the Friar said things than what he said; his voice -and his eyes helped a lot; but the thing 'at counted for most was the -fact 'at you knew it wasn't none of it put on. He loved to joke when -it was a jokin' matter; but he was stiff as stone with what he called -the foundations of life. A man, you know, as a rule, is mighty timid -about the things which lie close to his heart, no matter how bold and -free he'll talk about other things; but the Friar was like a little -child, an' he'd speak out as bold and frank as one, about the things -he loved and hated, until he finally put a few drops o' this queer -brand o' courage into our own hearts. - -Of course we didn't get to be troubled with wing-growth or anything -like that; but a short time after this fake hold-up, ol' Tank Williams -went in to fill up with picklin'-fluid, and he started in on Monday -and kept fightin' it all that week until Friday. Then he said that he -wouldn't neither eat, drink, nor smoke on that day; and they couldn't -make him do it. He started in on Saturday to continue what had started -out to be one o' the best benders he had ever took; but the first -quart made him sick as a dog, and he came out to the ranch and said -'at the Friar had made him a temperate man, and for the rest of his -life he intended to set aside one day a week in the Friar's favor. - -After the boys had started for the ranch, the Friar invited me to -spend the night with him; so we unpacked his bed from the lead-hoss -and we built a little fire and had a right sociable time of it. Me and -him was good pals by this time. He had said to me once: "Happy, you do -more general thinkin' than some varsity men I've known." - -"I reckon," sez I, modest as I could, "that a man who has bossed a -dozen men and ten thousand cattle through a three days' blizzard, has -to be able to think some like a general." - -Then he explained to me that general thinkin' meant to think about -stars an' flowers an' the human race an' the past an' the future, an' -such things, and not to be all the time lookin' at life just from the -way it touched a feller himself. This was another thing I liked about -him. Most Easteners is so polite that they haven't the heart to set a -feller right when he has the wrong notion; but the Friar would divvy -up on his knowledge as free as he would on his bacon or tobacco; so I -opened myself up to him until he knew as much about me as I did -myself. - -He didn't have much use for the shut-eye this night, nor he wasn't as -talky as common; so we sat smokin' and lookin' into the fire for a -long time. Once in a while he'd speak a verse about some big deed a -man had done years ago, or else one describin' the mountains or -something like that; until finally I asked him how it came that a man -who loved adventure an' fightin' an' feats of skill, the way he did, -had selected to be a preacher. - -"We don't select our lives, Happy," sez he. "You're surely philosopher -enough to see that. As far as we can see, it is like that gamblin' -game; we roll down through a lot o' little pegs bobbin' off from one -to another until finally we pop into a little hole at the bottom; but -we didn't pick out that hole. No, we didn't pick out that hole." - -So I up and asked him to tell me somethin' about his start. - - - - -CHAPTER SIX - -A REMINISCENCE - - -I pity the man who has never slept out doors in the Rocky Mountains. -Swingin' around with the earth, away up there in the starlight, he -fills himself full o' new life with every breath; and no matter how -tough the day has been, he is bound to wake up the next mornin' plumb -rested, and with strength and energy fair dancin' through his veins. -For it to be perfect, a feller has to have a pipe, a fire, and some -one close and chummy to chat with. This night me an' the Friar both -went down to the crick and washed our feet. We sat on a log side by -side and made noises like a flock of bewildered geese when we first -stuck our feet into the icy water; but by the time we had raced back -and crawled into his bed, we were glowin' all over. - -We didn't cover up right away, because the Friar just simply couldn't -seem to get sleepy that night; and after a minute he put some more -wood on the fire, filled his pipe again, and said: "So you want me to -tell you about my story, huh? Well, I believe I will tell you about my -boyhood." - -So I filled my pipe, and we lay half under the tarp with our heads on -our hands and our elbows on our boots, which were waitin' to be -pillows, and he told me about the early days, talkin' more to himself -than to me. - -"My mother died when I was six years old, my father divided his time -between cleanin' out saloons, beatin' me, an' livin' in the -work-house," began the Friar, and it give me kind of a shock. I'd had -a notion that such-like kids wasn't likely to grow up into preachers; -and I'd allus supposed 'at the Friar had had a soft, gentle youth. "I -was a tough, sturdy urchin," he went on, "but I allus had a soft heart -for animals. I used to fight several times a day; but mostly because -the other kids used to stone cats and tie tin cans on dogs' tails. I -used to shine shoes, pass papers, run errands, and do any other odd -job for a few pennies, and at night I slept wherever I could. I had a -big dry-goods-box all to myself for several months, once, and I still -look back to it as being a fine, comfortable bedroom. - -"One morning I was down at the Union Depot when a farmer drove up a -big Norman hoss hitched to a surrey. Some o' the other kids joshed -him, called the hoss an elephant and asked where the rest o' the show -was. The man was big, well fed, and comfortable lookin', same as the -hoss, and he didn't pay any heed to the kids except to call one of 'em -up to hold the hoss while he went into the depot. The kid wanted to -know first what he was goin' to be paid, and he haggled so long 'at -the farmer beckoned to me to come up. 'Will you hold my hoss for me a -few minutes?' he asked. - -"That big gray hoss with the dark, gentle eyes seemed to me one of the -most beautiful things I had ever seen, and I was mighty anxious to -have charge of him, even for a few minutes; so I sez, 'You bet I -will.' - -"The other kids roasted me and made all manner o' sport; but they knew -I would fight 'em if they got too superfluous, so after a bit they -went on about their business. The's somethin' about man's love for a -hoss that's a little hard to understand. I had never had no intimate -dealin's with one before, yet somethin' inside me reached out and -entwined itself all about this big, gray, velvet-nosed beauty left in -my charge. I reckon it must be in a man's blood; that's the only -explanation I can find. All the way back along the trail o' history we -find the bones of men and hosses bleachin' together in the same heap; -and about every worthwhile spot on the face o' nature has been fought -over on hossback, so it's small wonder if the feel of a hoss has got -to be part of man's nature. - -"The farmer had had a woman and a little girl in his care, to see off -on the train, and he was gone some time. I had a few pennies in my -pocket, and I bought an apple an' fed it to the hoss, gettin' more -enjoyment out of it than out of airy other apple I'd ever owned. I can -feel right now the strange movin's inside my breast as his moist nose -sniffed at my fingers and his delicate lips picked up the bits of -apple, as careful an' gentle as though my rough, dirty little hand had -been made o' crystal. - -"I was so interested in the hoss that I gave a start of surprise when -the farmer's voice behind me sez: 'You seem to like hosses, son.' - -"'I hadn't no idee 'at a great big one like this could be so smooth -an' gentle,' I said, with my hand rubbin' along the hoss's throat. 'I -think he's a wonder.' - -"'Do you like other animals?' asked the farmer. - -"'I reckon I must be an animal myself,' sez I, 'because I allus get -along well with them, while I have to fight a lot with humans.' - -"'What do you want for tendin' to this hoss?' he asked me. - -"'I don't want nothin',' sez I. 'We've got to be friends, an' I don't -charge nothin' for doin' favors for a friend. Besides, he's got so -much sense, I doubt if he needs much watchin'.' - -"The farmer grinned, looked into my eyes a long time, and gave me a -dollar. 'Now tell me how you'll spend your dollar,' sez he. - -"Well, I was purty well floored. I had never owned a dollar before in -my whole life, my father havin' taken away every cent he had ever -found on me; and I stood lookin' at the coin, and hardly knowin' what -to do. The farmer stood lookin' down at me with his eyes twinklin', -and after a minute, I handed the dollar back to him. 'This is too -much,' I sez. 'A dime would be plenty for the job, even if I didn't -like the hoss; but if my old man would find a dollar on me, he'd give -me a beatin' for hidin' it from him, take it away, get drunk, and then -give me another beatin' for not havin' another dollar.' - -"So he asked me all about my father; and I told about him and about my -mother bein' dead, and the twinkle left his eyes and they grew moist, -so 'at he had to wink mighty fast. - -"He told me that his own boy was dead and his girl married, and that -the' wasn't any children out at the big farm, and asked me if I -wouldn't like to come and live with him. He told me about all the -hosses an' the cows an' the pigs, an' that I could have a clean little -room to sleep in, an' plenty o' food and clothes, and could go to -school. It sounded like a fairy tale to me, and I sez, 'Aw go on, -you're just joshin' me'; but he meant it; so I got on the seat beside -him, and as soon as we got out o' town he let me drive the big gray -hoss--and I entered into a real world more wonderful than any fairy -tale ever was. - -"When we drove up the shady lane and into the big barn lot, a little -old lady with sad eyes came to the door, and sez: 'Now, John, who is -that with you?' and my heart sank, for I thought she wasn't goin' to -stand for me; but he took me by the hand and led me up to the door, -put his arm about the little woman's shoulder, and sez with a tremble -in his voice: 'This here is a little feller I've brought out to be -company for ya, mother. He hasn't any folks, and he is fond of -animals, and, and--his name is John, too.' - -"At first she shook her head and shut her lips tight; but all of a -sudden the tears came to her eyes, and she put her arms about me--and -I had found a real home. - -"Those were wonderful years, Happy, wonderful; and I have the -satisfaction o' knowin' that I did them about as much good as they did -me. Their hearts had been wrapped up in the boy, and he must have been -a fine feller; but just when he had been promoted out o' the grammar -grade at the head of his class, he had took the scarlet fever an' -died. I wasn't used to kindness when I went there; so I never noticed -'at they kept me out o' the inner circle o' their hearts at first. I -called the little woman Mrs. Carmichael for some time; but one day -after I'd brought home a good report from school, I called her this, -and she spoke to me sharp--I never knew any soft-hearted person in the -world who got so much solid satisfaction out of actin' cross as she -did. Well, she spoke to me sharp, and sez: 'John Carmichael, why don't -you call me Mother?' - -"I looked into her face, and it didn't look old any longer, and the -sad look had left her eyes, and they were black and snappy an' full o' -life; so I tried it; and we both broke into tears, but they were tears -o' joy; and then he insisted that I call him Dad, and we became a -family; and about the happiest one in the world, I reckon. - -"I rode the hosses bareback, shot hawks with my rifle, picked berries, -did a lot o' chores, and worked hard with my books. It was a full, -round life with lots of love and happiness in it, and I grew, body and -mind and spirit, as free and natural as the big oak trees in the woods -pasture. - -"Mr. Carmichael had looked up my blood father and had done what he -could for him; but it was no use, and one winter's morning he was -found frozen in an alley. I didn't learn of it until the next June -when he took me down to the city cemetery where my father and mother -lay side by side. I did feel downcast as we all do in the presence of -death; but it wasn't my real father and mother who were lyin' there -beneath the quiet mounds. Fatherhood and motherhood are somethin' more -than mere physical processes. The real fathers and mothers are those -who put the best part o' their lives into makin' the big, gloomy world -into a tender home for _all_ the little ones; and after my visit -to the graveyard I felt drawn even closer to Dad and Mother than I had -before. - -"Children ought to have dogs and hosses and plenty of air and soil -about 'em, Happy. We don't learn from preachin', we learn from -example; and we can learn a heap from the animals. We talk about our -sanitary systems; but we allus mean the sanitary systems outside our -bodies. Now, the animals have sanitary systems, but they are inside -their own skins, where they rightly belong. Look at the beautiful -teeth of a dog--These come from eatin' proper food at the proper time -and in proper quantities. If a dog isn't hungry, the dog won't eat. If -a child isn't hungry, it is fed candy in a lot o' cases, and this is -downright wicked. Of course the animals find it hard to live, crowded -up the way man allus fixes things; but as a rule animals are temperate -and clean, patient and honest, wise and strong; and I wish we'd use -'em more as instructors for the young. Most mothers think a dog's -tongue is dirty--Why, a dog's tongue is chemically clean, and healin' -in its action; while the human mouth is generally poisonous--ask a -dentist. - -"And a cow's breath, after she has rolled in with sweetly solemn -dignity from the clover field--Ah, that's a pleasant memory! I'll -venture to say 'at mighty few monarchs have been as worthy o' bein' -kissed before breakfast, as Nebukaneezer was while he was undergoin' -punishment for his sins. I had gone to that farm with my soul all -stunted and gnarly; but it straightened out and shot its little stems -up toward the blue, the same as the stalks o' corn did. - -"All I had as a start was a love of animals; and this is why I allus -try to find the one soft spot in a man's nature--Even if it's a secret -vice, it is something to work on. This is what makes such a problem of -Tyrrel Jones. I can't find out a single soft place in him; but I'm -goin' to get into the heart of him yet, if I can find the way. - -"Well, Dad and Mother passed away within a week of each other a short -time after I had been graduated. I had made up my mind to stay on the -farm with 'em as long as they stayed; although all sorts of voices -were callin' to me from the big outer world; but their daughter lived -in the city, and had been weaned away from the farm, so she sold it, -and I started on my pilgrimage. - -"They had left me an income of three hundred and fifty dollars a year; -and I determined to go to college. When I thought of how rich and full -my own life had been made, after its stunted beginning, I wanted to do -all I could to make the whole earth like that farm had been, and it -seemed to me that the best way was to become a priest of the Lord. I -tried my best; but I have been consid'able of a failure, Happy. Now, I -hardly know where I stand. I am sort of an outcast now, and just doing -what seems best on my own hook. - -"A lot of my ideals have been lost, a lot of my hopes have faded, a -lot of my work has seemed like sweeping back the waves of the sea; but -for all I have lost, new things have taken their place, and I have -never lost my faith in the Lord. Now, I am weak in doctrine and a -stranger to dogma; and the things for which I fight with all my soul -and heart and strength, are kindliness and decency. - -"As long as one bein' in the world is cold or hungry or diseased, -every other bein' is liable to become hungry and cold and diseased. -What I am fighting for is a world without poverty. Most o' the ills of -life spring from poverty, and poverty is the result of selfishness and -greed. The earth is reeking with riches, but its bounty is not divided -fairly. - -"Happy, if I could only hold up the Lord, so that all men might see -the beauty and fullness of Him, the glory and grandeur of His simple -life and His majestic self-sacrifice, the fleeting cheapness of -material things would sink to their real value, and we would all -become one great family, workin' together in peace and contentment. -Now, go on to sleep." - -It was purty late by this time sure enough, and I fell asleep soon -after this; but I awakened durin' the night and found myself alone. It -was cold when I stuck my nose out from under the tarp, but it was a -wonderful night, clear and still, with the stars swingin' big and -bright just above my reach. - -As I lay there, I heard Friar Tuck singin' softly to himself out where -the trail dipped down into the valley: - - "The night is dark, and I am far from home, - Lead Thou me on! - Keep Thou my feet: I do not ask to see - The distant scene,--one step enough for me." - -I had never heard his voice so wonderfully beautiful before; but, my -stars, the sadness of it made me choke! It wasn't just a song, it was -a cry; and I knew that it came from a lonely, bleedin' heart. I put my -head under the covers again, puzzlin' over what was on his mind; but -first thing I knew I was awakened by the glad voice of the old Friar -Tuck, singin' his favorite mornin' hymn: "Brightest and best of the -sons of the morning"; so I cooked breakfast, and he went his way, and -I went mine. - - - - -CHAPTER SEVEN - -HORACE WALPOLE BRADFORD - - -The Diamond Dot, while it was about the idealest ranch in the West -from most standpoints, was run a little loose. Jabez didn't have any -luxurious tastes, and he wasn't miserly; so he didn't strain things -down to the last penny--not by a whole lot. All he asked was to have -his own way and be comfortable; and so he allus kept more punchers 'n -he had actual need of, and unless they got jubilant over imposin' on -him, he just shut his eyes and grinned about it. - -Takin' his location and outfit into account, and he just simply -couldn't help but make money; so we all had a fairly easy time of it -and grew tender feelin's, the same as spoiled children; which is why -we sometimes quit, for we never had any other excuse for it. - -Barbie was a notice-takin' child, if ever the' was one; and she stood -out for company as a general and standin' order. Company didn't affect -ol' Cast Steel one way or the other; they were just the same to him as -a couple o' hundred head o' ponies, more or less; and so the news got -out that we allus had a lot of extra beds made up and any one was -welcome to stretch out in 'em who wanted to. The result o' this was, -'at we drew visitors as easy as molasses draws flies. I lived at the -home house on account o' bein' Barbie's pal, and so I got into the -habit o' bein' a sort of permanent reception committee. Some o' these -visitors was a plague to me; but Jabez didn't like to run any risk of -havin' 'em ruined beyond repair, so it was generally understood that I -had to use ex-treme caution when I started in to file the clutch off -their welcome. - -This spring 'at I have in mind, we had as visitor one o' the -easternest dudes I was ever tangled up with. He came out for his -health, which is the excuse most of 'em gives; but this one took more -ways of avoidin' health 'n airy other of 'em I ever saw. He smoked -cigars all day long, big black ones, strong enough to run a sawmill, -he ate fattenin' food from mornin' till night, and when he drove out -in the buckboard to take his exercise, he suffered from what he called -fatigue. He used to sit up as wide awake as an owl till along about -ten every night; and half the time he didn't crawl out until near -seven in the mornin'. He certainly was a pest! - -What he complained of most, was his nerves; and he'd sit for hours, -talkin' about 'em to anything 'at had ears. He said the worst of it -was, he couldn't sleep nights. I had, of course, heard o' nerves -before ever I saw him; but I had never heard of 'em turnin' to and -devilin' a man, the way his did; so at first I was honestly -interested, and asked him all I could think up about 'em; but after a -day or so, I'd 'a' been perfectly willin' to put up the coin out o' my -own pocket to have him go to a dentist and have every last one of his -nerves pulled. - -I don't begrudge sympathy to any afflicted individual; but the more I -sympathized with this feller, the more affectionate toward me he got; -and he used to trot about after me, warbilin' out dirges about his -nerves until I was tempted to tie a stone around his neck and lose him -down the cistern. - -He ran to language, too, this one did. His conversation was so full of -it that a feller could scarcely understand what he was tryin' to say. -He was ferociously interested in the ancient Greeks; and if a man -succeeded in wedgin' him away from his nerves, he began immediate to -discourse about these ancient Greeks. Now, I didn't have a single -thing again' any o' these ancient Greeks before this Dude struck us, -none of 'em ever havin' crossed my trail before; but they sure did -have a rotten outfit o' names, and they were the most infernal liars -'at ever existed. Three-headed dogs, and women with snakes for hair, -were as common in their tales as thieves among the Sioux. Barbie -didn't have any use for this Eastener either; so I decided to fit him -out with a deep-rooted desire for home influences. - -I took ol' Tank Williams into my confidence, he bein' the most -gruesome lookin' creature we had in our parts. He was a big man of -curious construction and he had one eye which ran wild. Tank never -knew what this free eye was up to; and while he would be examinin' the -ground, the free eye would be gazin' up at a tree as intent as though -he had set it to watch for a crow. Durin' his younger days, Tank had -formed the habit of indulgin' in gang fights as much as possible, and -all of his features had been stampeded out o' their natural orbits; -but this free eye beat anything I ever see. - -They had him down on his back one time, and he was gnawin' away -contentedly at some feller's thumb, when the feller reached up his -trigger finger and scooped out Tank's eye. The shape and color weren't -hurt a bit; but some o' the workin' parts got disconnected, so that he -couldn't see with it; but it appeared to be full as good an eye as the -one he looked with. - -All the sleep Tank ever wanted was six hours out o' the twenty-four, -and he didn't care how he got 'em--ten minutes at a time, or all in -one lump. He could sleep sittin' up straight, or ridin', or stretched -out in bed, or most any way. I think he could sleep while walkin,' -though I was never able to surprise him at it. He agreed to back me -up, and Spider Kelley also said he was willin' to do everything in his -power to furnish our guest some pleasant recollections after he'd gone -back to a groove which fitted him better. - -As soon as I began to plan my trip, I started to rehearse curious -secrets about Tank to the Eastener, whose name was Horace Walpole -Bradford. I told Horace that Tank had a case o' nerves which made his -'n seem like a bundle of old shoe-laces; and that if something wasn't -done for him soon, I feared he was goin' to develop insanity. I said -that even now, it wasn't safe to contrary him none, and that I'd be a -heap easier in my own mind if Tank was coralled up in a cell -somewhere, with irons on. - -I didn't tell Tank what sort of a disposition I was supplyin' him with -for fear he'd overdo it. Tank didn't know a nerve from an ingrowin' -hair; but when he and Horace paired off to tell each other their -symptoms, I'll have to own up that his tales of anguish an' sufferin' -made Horace's troubles sound like dance music. - -I told Horace that a trip through the mountains would soothe and -invigorate him, until he'd be able to sleep, hangin' by his toes like -a bat; but the trouble was to find something which interested him -enough to lure him on the trip. There was a patent medicine almanac at -the place, and I studied up its learnin' until I had it at my tongue's -end, and I also used a lot o' Friar Tuck's health theories; so that I -got Horace interested enough to talk my eardrums callous; but not -enough to take the trip. - -I didn't know much about nerves; but I was as familiar with sleep as -though I had graduated from eleven medical colleges, and I knew if he -would just follow my directions, it would give him such an appetite -for slumber that he'd drop into it without rememberin' to close his -eyelids. Ol' Jabez happened to mention an Injun buryin' ground with -the members reposin' on top o' pole scaffolds, and this proved to be -the bait. Horace wanted to see this, and it was a four days' drive by -buckboard; so I heaved a sigh o' relief and prepared to do my duty. - -When all was ready, we packed our stuff in the good buckboard, putting -in an extra saddle for the accident we felt sure was goin' to happen. -Spider started as driver, while I rode behind, leadin' a horse with -Tank's saddle on, though Horace thought it was Spider's. We had told -him that it made our backs ache to ride in a buckboard all day, so we -would change off once in a while. Horace wanted to do the drivin' -himself; but we pointed out that he wasn't used to our kind o' roads, -and consequently favored the little hills too much. He was inhumanly -innocent, and it was almost like feedin' a baby chalk and water. - -We trotted along gentle, until the rear spring came loose goin' down a -little dip to a dry crick bed, about ten miles out. We talked it over -and decided 'at the best plan would be for Spider to drive back and -get the old buckboard; so after unloadin' our stuff, I took the tap -out o' my pocket, fixed the spring, tied a rope about it to deceive -Horace, and Spider drove back for the old buckboard which had been -discarded years before, but which we had fixed up for this trip and -painted until it looked almost safe to use. - -Before long we saw the buckboard comin' back; but much to our -surprise, Tank Williams was drivin' it, an' givin' what he thought was -the imitation of a nervous man. He would stand up an' yell, crack his -mule-skinner, and send the ponies along on a dead run. He came up to -us, and said that he had had an attack o' nerves, hadn't slept a wink -the night before; and when Spider Kelley had refused to let him go in -his place, he had torn him from the seat an' had trampled him. - -"I trampled him," sez Tank solemnly, his free eye lookin' straight -into the sun. "I hope I didn't destroy him; but in my frenzy I -trampled him." - -Horace looked worried. "Tank," sez I soothin'ly, "we don't really need -any one else along. You just help us to load, an' then go back, like a -good feller." - -Tank stood up on the seat, an' held the whip ready. "My life depends -on me takin' this trip!" he yelled. "My life depends on it; it depends -on it, I tell you. My life depends on me takin' this trip!" - -He went on repeatin' about his life dependin' on his takin' that trip, -until I made a sign to Horace, and said 'at we'd better let him go -along. Horace wasn't ambitious to be trampled; so he concluded to -concur, an' climbed into the seat beside Tank. Any one else would 'a' -noticed that it was Tank's saddle on the hoss I was leadin'; but -Horace never noticed anything which wasn't directly connected with his -own body. He didn't even have any idee that the sun had set habits in -the matter o' risin' an' settin'--which was another fact I had took -into account. - -We were drivin' four broncs to the buckboard, an' they was new to the -game and in high spirits. Tank was also in high spirits, an' we went -at a clip which was inspirin', even to sound nerves. We did our level -best to give Horace somethin' real to worry about, an' from the very -start his nerves was so busy handin' in idees an' sensations that his -mind was took up with these instead of with the nerves themselves as -was usual. - -Well, we sure had a delightful ride that afternoon: every time 'at -Horace would beseech Tank to be more careful in swingin' around -down-hill curves, Tank would seize him by the arm with his full -squeezin' grip, an' moan: "It's my nerves, my pore nerves. This is one -o' the times when I'm restive, I got to have action; my very life -depends on it! Whoop, hit 'em up--Whee!" an' he'd crack his -mule-skinner about the ears o' the ponies, an' we'd have another -runaway for a spell. - -Horace hadn't the mite of an idee in which direction he was travelin'; -all he did was to hang on and hope. The confounded buckboard was -tougher 'n we had figured on, and it didn't bust until near dark. As -they went up the slope, I could see the left hind wheel weavin' purty -rapid, an' as they tore down the grade to Cottonwood Crick, things -began to creak an' rattle most threatenin'. We had decided to camp on -the crick, an' Tank swung up his team with a flourish. The hind wheel -couldn't stand the strain, an' when it crumbled, Horace, an' the rest -o' the baggage, whip-crackered off like a pinwheel. Of course when one -wheel went, the others dished in company, an' the whole thing was a -wreck. - -The ponies were comfortable weary, an' after I had roped one an' the -rest had fallen over him, we soothed 'em down without much trouble, -an' started to make camp. Horace was all in, an' was minded to sit on -his shoulder blades an' rest; but this wasn't part o' the plan, an' we -made him hustle like a new camp-boy. As soon as supper was over, he -lit a cigar, an' prepared to take a rest. We had decided that those -big, black cigars wasn't best for his nerves, so we had smuggled out -the box, an' had worked a little sulphur into all but the top row. He -lit his cigar and gave us one apiece, but he was so sleepy he couldn't -keep his on fire; and it was comical to watch him. - -Every time he'd nod off, Tank would utter an exclamation, an' walk up -an' down, rubbin' his hands an' cussin' about his nerves. Horace was -dead tired from bein' jounced about on the buckboard all day; but he -was worried about Tank, an' this would wake him effectual. - -About ten o'clock I sez: "Tank, what happened that night when you got -nervous up in the Spider Water country?" - -"Oh, don't ask me, don't ask me," sez Tank, gittin' up an' walkin' off -into the darkness. - -"I wish to glory he hadn't come along," I sez to Horace. "I fear we're -goin' to have trouble; but chances are that a good night's rest'll -quiet him, all right." - -Purty soon Tank came back, lit his pipe, an' sat facin' Horace with -his lookin' eye, an' everything else in the landscape with his free -one. "You know how it is with nerves," he sez to Horace. "You perhaps, -of all them I have ever met up with, know how strained and twisted -nerves fill a man's heart with murder, set his teeth on edge and put -the taste of blood in his throat; so I'm goin' to tell the whole o' -that horrid experience, which I have never yet confided to a livin' -soul before. Have you got a match?" - -Tank's pipe allus went out at the most interestin' times; and he -couldn't no wise talk without smokin'. We all knew this; so whenever -Tank got headed away on a tale, we heaved questions at him, just to -see how many matches we could make him burn. He'd light a match and -hold it to his pipe; but he allus lit off an idee with the match, and -when he'd speak out the idee, he'd blow out the match. Or else he'd be -so took up by his own talkin', he'd hold the match until it burnt his -fingers; then, without shuttin' off his discourse, he'd moisten the -fingers on his other hand, take the burnt end of the match careful, -and hold it until it was plumb burnt up, without ever puttin' it to -his pipe. I didn't want to waste matches on this trip so I told Horace -to hand Tank his cigar. Horace had already wasted two cigars, besides -the ones he had given us; and I wanted him to get to the sulphur ones -as soon as convenient. - -Tank's mind was preoccupied with the tale we had made up; so he took -Horace's fresh cigar, lit his pipe by it, threw the cigar into the -fire, and said moodily: "He was unobligin'. Yes, that cross-grained -old miner was unobligin'. Of course, I wouldn't have done it if I -hadn't been nervous; but I say now, as I've allus thought, that he -brought it on himself by bein' unobligin'." - -Tank's gloomy tones had wakened Horace up complete; and as he started -to light another cigar, I got ready for bed. "You two have already got -nerves," I sez to 'em; "but I don't want to catch 'em, so I'll sleep -alone, and you can bunk together." I unrolled my tarp close to the -fire and crawled into it, intendin' to take my rest while I listened -to Tank unfold his story. - -It was a clean, fresh night, just right for sleepin'; and it almost -seemed a shame to put that innocent little Eastener through his -treatment; but it was for his own good so I stretched out with a sigh -o' content, and looked at the other two by the fire. - -Horace was short and fat around the middle with stringy arms and legs. -He wore some stuff he called side-burns on his face. They started up -by his ears, curved along his jaws and were fastened to the ends of -his stubby mustache. He kept 'em cropped short and, truth to tell, -they were an evil-lookin' disfigurement, though he didn't seem to feel -a mite o' shame at wearin' 'em. His face was full o' trouble, and yet -he was so sleepy he had to hitch his eyebrows clear up to his hair to -keep his eyes open. Tank's face never did have what could rightly be -called expressions. His features used to fall into different kinds o' -convulsions; but they were so mussed up it was impossible to read 'em. -I looked at these two a minute, and then I had to pull my head under -the tarp to keep from laughin'. - - - - -CHAPTER EIGHT - -A CASE OF NERVES - - -"I was all alone," sez Tank. "I had been up in the Spider Water -country lookin' for a favorite ridin' pony; but my hoss broke a leg, -and I packed my saddle and stuff on my head until my nerves began to -swell. Then I threw the stuff away and hunted for a human. I roamed -for weeks without comin' across a white man, and my nerves got worse -an' worse. You know how it is with nerves; how they set up that dull -ache along the back o' your spinal cord until you get desperate, and -long to bite and scratch and tear your feller-bein's to pieces--well, -I had 'em worse this time 'n ever I had 'em before; and they loosened -up my brain-cells until my self-control oozed out and I longed to -fling myself over a cliff. Have you got a match?" - -Horace passed over his fresh cigar, and Tank lit his pipe and tossed -this cigar into the fire also. Horace looked at it sadly for a moment; -but he was game, and lit another. - -"Finally," sez Tank, "I came upon a lonely cabin at the bottom of a -gorge; and in it was a little man who was minin' for gold. He was -about your build, except that toilin' with pick and shovel had -distributed his meat around to a better advantage, and he wore his -whiskers complete, without any patch scraped off the chin. It was just -night when I reached the cabin, and he invited me in to eat; which I -am free to say I did until I was stuffed up to my swaller, and then we -prepared to sleep. - -"Now, a feller would nachely think I'd 'a' gone right to sleep; but -instead o' this, my nerves began to twist an' squirm an' gnaw at me -until I was almost beside myself; and after fightin' it for several -hours, I woke up the miner, and asked him as polite as a lady, if he -wouldn't rub my brow for a few minutes. Seems like when I'm nervous, -the' won't nothin' soothe me so quick as to have my brow rubbed; but -this little coyote refused pointblank to do it. - -"I finally got down on my knees and begged him to; but he still -refused. He said he had fed me six meals at once and given me shelter, -and this was as far as he'd go if my confounded nerves exploded and -blew the place up. I was meek about it, I tried my best to ward off -trouble; but just then a nerve up under my ear gave a wrench which -twisted me all out o' shape, and I lost patience. I seized that little -cuss by the beard and I yanked him out on the floor, and I said to -him--" - -Tank had once been unusual gifted in framin' up bright-colored -profanity, but he had been shuttin' down on it since the night he had -helped to fake the hold-up on the Friar, and I thought he had lost the -knack. This night, though, he seemed to find a spiritual uplift in -tellin' to Horace exactly what he had said to the lonely miner. Before -he finished this part, he had used up all of Horace's good cigars, as -lighters, and the Eastener's face had turned a palish blue. I'd be -willin' to bet that Tank made the swearin' record that night; though -of course, the' ain't any way to prove it. - -When Tank couldn't think of any new combinations, he covered his face -and broke into tears. Horace sat and looked at him with his eyes -poppin' out. "Don't you think you could go to sleep?" he asked after a -bit. - -"Sleep!" yelled Tank. "Sleep? I doubt if I ever do sleep again. I feel -worse right now 'n I did that night in the gorge." - -"What did you finally do that time?" asked Horace. - -"I hate to think of it," sez Tank; and he put his elbows on his knees, -his chin in his hands, and stared into the fire as though seein' -ghosts. - -Horace watched him a while, and then he lit a cigar out of the second -layer. He took one puff and then removed the cigar and stared at it. -He tried another puff, and then threw it into the fire, where it -spluttered up in a blue flame. He tried six more, and then said -somethin' I couldn't quite catch and threw the whole box into the -fire; while Tank continued to stare into it as though he had forgot -the' was any one else on earth. - -"Let's go to bed," sez Horace. - -"Have you got a match?" sez Tank, lookin' around with a start. Horace -took a burnin' stick from the fire, and Tank lit his pipe with it; and -from that on Horace kept a lighted stick handy. - -"How in thunder did you get to sleep that night in the gorge?" -demanded Horace, who was gettin' impatient. - -"Well," sez Tank, "after I had told this unobligin' little cuss -exactly what I thought of him, he pulled out a gun and tried to shoot -me--actually tried to shoot me in his own cabin, where I was his -guest. My feelin's were hurt worse 'n they'd ever been hurt before; -but still I tried to calm myself; and if it hadn't been for my nerves, -I'd have gone out into that gorge in the dead o' night, and never set -eyes on his evil face again; but I couldn't get control of myself, so -I took his gun away from him and knocked him down with it. When he -regained consciousness, he was in a repentant mood; and he consented -to rub my head. - -"He rubbed my head a while an' I sank into a dreamless, health-given -repose; but as soon as I was asleep, the traitorious sneak crept out -an' started to run. I fled after him as swift as I could, an' caught -him about two A. M. I had to twist his arms to make him come back with -me; but when I had once got him back to the shack, I tied him good an' -tight, an' made him rub my brow again. When he'd rub slow an' gentle, -I'd sleep peaceful an' quiet; but the minute he'd quit, why, I'd wake -up again; so he rubbed an' rubbed an' rubbed"--Tank smoothed his left -hand gentle with his right, an' spoke slow an' whispery--"an' I slept -an' slept an' slept an'--" - -The darn cuss said it so soothin' an' natural, that hanged if I didn't -fall asleep myself, though the last I remember, I was bitin' my lips -so I could stay awake an' see the fun. I must have been asleep full an -hour before I was woke up by Tank's voice, raised in anger. I stuck my -nose out o' the tarp, an' there was Tank kneelin' straddle o' the -other bed which he had rolled up in the shape of a man. Horace was -standin' close by with his hands on his hips an' lookin' altogether -droopy. - -"I raised his head from the floor, like this," said Tank, illustratin' -with the bed, "an' then I beat it down on the planks o' the floor; an' -then I raised it up again, an' then I beat it down, an' then I raised -it up--" - -I had to stuff a corner o' the soogan into my mouth to keep from -laughin' out loud at the expression in Horace's eyes; but Tank kept -raisin' that poor head an' beatin' it down again for so long that I -fell asleep again without intendin' to. - -The next time I woke up Horace was speakin'. He was so earnest about -it that at first I thought he had been weepin'; but he was simply -tryin' to make his voice winnin' an' persuadish. - -"I'll rub it," he sez. "I'll rub it soft an' gentle, just like you say -you want it rubbed. Come on, let me rub it." I looked at Tank with his -free eye rollin' about as though it was follerin' the antics of a -delirious mosquito; and I'd just about as soon have rubbed the brow of -a porcupine; but Horace was all perked up with sympathy. - -"No," sez Tank, sadly. "You're a guest, an' it wouldn't be polite. If -you was a stranger, now, why, I'd choke your heart out but what I made -you rub it; but not a guest. No, I couldn't do that. I'd wake Happy up -an' make him rub it; but he allus sleeps with a gun under his head, -an' he's apt to shoot before he's full awake." - -"Well, just let me try it a while," sez Horace. - -"I'm feared to," sez Tank, beginnin' to weaken. "If you was to start, -an' I was to fall asleep, an' you was to quit, I might dream 'at you -was that unobligin' man which betrayed me back in the lonely shack; -an' I might strangle you or somethin' before I came to my senses. -Nope, the best plan is just to sit an' chat here till daylight. My -nerves is allus better after sun-up." - -"I don't think I can stay awake much longer," sez Horace, almost -whimperin'. - -"What?" sez Tank in surprise. "You claim to have nerves, an' yet you -can talk o' fallin' asleep at this time o' night. Great Scott, man, -you ain't got no nerves! You are as flebmatic as a horn toad. Oh, I -wish I could just fall sleepy for one minute." - -"Let me try rubbin' your brow," sez Horace, whose eyes were blinkin' -for sleep, but whose face was all screwed up into lines of worry at -what was goin' to happen to him after he had finally give in an' -drifted off. - -"Well," sez Tank, "I'll let you try; but if you're already sleepy, I -doubt if any good comes of it. You sit there at the head o' the bed, -an' I'll lay my head in your lap, an' you rub my brow soft an' gentle. -If I do get to sleepin' natural, why o' course the' won't be no harm -done in you takin' a few winks; but for the love o' peace, don't sleep -sound." - -I blame near choked while they were gettin' settled, 'cause Horace was -one o' those finicky cusses, an' Tank's head looked like a moth-eaten -buffalo robe. Finally, however, Tank stretched out with the covers up -around his neck an' his head pillowed in Horace's lap, and then Horace -began to rub his brow as soft an' gentle as he knew how. - -"You don't do it clingy enough," sez Tank. "You want to just rest your -fingers lightly, but still have 'em draw along so 'at they'll give a -little tingle. There, that's better. Now then, I'll lay as quiet as I -can, an' try to go to sleep." Tank was doin' such an earnest job, he -had plumb fooled himself into believin' it was mostly true. - -He gave a start after layin' quiet for five or ten minutes, an' this -put Horace on edge again; but Tank didn't wake up. Horace had a saddle -blanket around his shoulders; and the last I saw just before I fell -asleep, myself, was Horace gently rubbin' Tank's brow, an' lookin' -down careful for a change of expression. They made a curious sight -with the firelight back of 'em. - -It was grayin' up for the dawn next time I woke up; and I'd had my -sleep out, but when I stuck my nose out from under the tarp, I found -it purty tol'able frosty. I knew it was my duty to roust out an' keep -Horace from gettin' more sleep 'n my treatment for his nerves called -for; but I was too comfortable, to pay much heed to the still, small -voice of duty. At the same time I was curious to see what my boon -comrades was up to, so I stretched my neck an' took a look at 'em. - -Horace had keeled over so that his elbow rested on Tank's chest an' -his head rested on his hand; but the other hand was still on Tank's -brow, an' I reckon Horace must have rubbed until he didn't care -whether it was sleep or death he drew, just so he got rid o' keepin' -awake. Tank had reached up one hand so it circled Horace's waist; and -they made the most lovable group a body ever see. - -While I was still watchin' 'em, Horace's arm gave out, an' he settled -down on top o' Tank's nose. In about two minutes Tank came to with a -jump, an' heaved Horace to the foot of the bed. Tank was really -startled, an' he came to his feet glarin'. "You blame little squab, -you!" he yelled. "What are you tryin' to do--smother me?" - -Horace staggered to his feet, but he couldn't get his eyes open more -'n a narrow slit. "I didn't do it on purpose, Mr. Williams," he -blubbled like a drunk man. "I rubbed until I thought my hand would -fall off at the wrist; but I reckon I must 'a' dropped asleep. Lie -down again, an' I'll rub you some more." - -"Too late," sez Tank, "too late, too late. I never can sleep while -daylight's burnin'; but still, my nerves don't get so dangerous until -after nightfall; so we'll just turn to an' get breakfast." - -Well, I got up after yawnin' a few times; and after askin' if they had -had a restful night, I started to get breakfast. Horace staggered -about, gettin' wood an' water an' doin' what he was able to, while -Tank wrangled in the hosses. - -After breakfast, which I must say for Horace, he et in able shape, we -started to saddle up, puttin' the spare saddle on the hoss I had rode -the day before. "Which one o' you is goin' back after the other -buckboard?" asked Horace. - -"Why, we ain't goin' back at all," sez I. "It's full fifty miles, an' -we can't keep switchin' buckboards every day on a trip like this. -We'll just ride the ponies the rest o' the way." - -"Ride?" sez Horace. "Ride!" - - - - -CHAPTER NINE - -TREATING THE CASE - - -Horace started to enlarge on how much he didn't know about ridin'; but -Tank breaks in with a plea for his nerves. "Look here," he said, -scowlin' at Horace with his good eye, while the free one rove around -wild in his face, "your nerves are a little out o' fix, an' mine is -plumb tied into knots. This here outin' will be the best thing we can -do for ourselves, an' you got to come along. No matter which way you -go, you got to ride; so the' ain't no sense in makin' a fuss about it. -We'll mount you up on as gentle a cayuse as the' is in the West; an' -we won't tell no one if you hang on to the saddle horn goin' down -hill." - -"That's right, Mr. Bradford," sez I respectful. "You'd have to ride -back anyway, so you might as well come on with us an' have a pleasant -outing." - -"Besides," sez Tank, "up there in the Wind River country we stand a -chance o' gettin' somethin' for our nerves, if the Injuns happen to be -in a good humor. Those Injun doctors know all about hurbs an' which -diseases they grow for, an' when they're in a good humor, they'll sell -ya some." - -"What'll they do if they're not in a good humor?" asked Horace. - -"Well, that's the beatin'est question I've yet heard!" sez Tank. "How -does any one know what an Injun'll do when he's not in a good humor? I -don't reckon any one ever tried to learn the answer to that question. -When an Injun's not in a good humor, either you've got to kill him or -he'll kill you. If we hear tell 'at they're out o' humor, we'll simply -scurry back at the first hint, an' don't you forget it." - -Horace wasn't resigned yet; so he kept sawin' away with his questions -all the time we were tyin' on the beds an' grub. The grass had been -purty brown down below, but it was fat an' green up above, an' the -ponies felt fine. We had picked out good ones, an' it took some time -to get 'em wore down to where they was willin' to pack; but by seven -o'clock we were ready to start, an' then Tank lifted Horace into the -saddle, while I held the pony's head. We had chose a steady old feller -for Horace, because we didn't want any serious accidents. Ol' Cast -Steel was dead again' sheepin' the Easteners, an' I knew they'd be -doin's about what we'd done already, let alone havin' any sort of a -mishap. - -We told Horace just what to do to save himself, an' we fixed his -stirrups to just fit him; but he took it purty hard. It takes a -ridin'-man a couple o' weeks to harden up after he's laid off a spell; -but when a man begins to do his first ridin' at forty, it comes -ex-tremely awkward. Horace was the first feller I ever saw get -sea-sick on hossback; but he certainly did have a bad attack. I -suppose it was the best thing 'at could have happened to him, an' -after he was emptied out, he rode some easier. We only covered about -thirty miles that day altogether, an' Tank had plenty o' time to get -all the sleep he could use; but when he came to lift Horace down from -the saddle, Horace couldn't make his legs stiff enough to stand on. - -We let him stretch out while we were makin' camp; but he fell asleep, -so we had to wake him up to help get supper. I was beginnin' to feel -sorry for him, but he had pestered us regardless about his nerves, an' -I knew 'at pity for him now would be the worse for him in the long -run. - -After supper, Horace spent consid'able time in bewailin' his fate -because he had got disgusted an' thrown his whole box o' cigars into -the fire. "I've got an extra pipe, if you'd like to try that," sez -Tank. "It's lots better for the nerves than cigars--though from what I -can tell o' you, you ain't bothered much with nerves. I wish to glory -I was in your skin." - -"Oh, man," sez Horace, "you can't imagine how I suffer. I ache like a -sore tooth all over, an' it gives me a cute pain just to sit here on -the grass." - -"Sit on the saddle-blankets," sez Tank, sympathetic. As soon as Horace -had piled up the blankets an' sat down on 'em, groanin' most bitter, -Tank sez with feelin': "Gee, how I envy you. You have nothin' but a -few muscle-aches and chafed skin an' such, while my nerves is -beginnin' to threaten me again. I'm not goin' to bother either o' you -fellers, though. I'm goin' to have you tie me to a tree to-night if I -can't sleep." - -Horace filled the pipe, which was an ancient one, bitter as gall; but -when he began to smoke, his face became almost satisfied. The pipe was -purty well choked up, so that he had some bother in keepin' it goin', -but after we'd run a grass stem through it, it worked purty well, an' -we was right sociable until along about nine o'clock, when I got -sleepy, myself. Then Tank began to worry about his nerves. Horace had -about forgot his own nerves, he was sufferin' so from Tank's. - -When we see that Horace couldn't keep awake any longer without bein' -tortured, Tank began to carry on fiercer. He rumpled up his hair, gave -starts an' jerks, but the thing 'at worked best, was just to sit an' -look at his fingers, an' pick at 'em. He'd form a circle with his left -thumb and forefinger, then poke his right finger through this circle -and try to grab it with his right hand before it could back out. It -was the craziest thing I'd ever seen; but before long Horace got to -tryin' it himself. While Tank was lookin' at his fingers with his good -eye, the free one rambled around, an' half the time it rested on -Horace, an' fair gave him the creeps; but when I couldn't stay awake -myself, I gave Tank the sign, an' he got delirious. - -"I can't sleep," he wailed, "I can't sleep! My nerves, oh, my nerves! -One minute they're like hot wires, an' the next they're like streaks -of ice. You'll have to tie me up, boys, you certainly will have to tie -me up." - -I argued again' it as bein' inhuman; but Tank begged so that finally I -gave in, an' we tied him to a down pine tree. Horace helped to tie -him, an' he sure did his best to make a good job of it. I was a little -doubtful, myself, about Tank gettin' loose; but he had blowed up his -muscles, an' he coughed me the all-right signal, so me an' Horace -turned in. - -Horace groaned consid'able while stretchin' out; but he began to snore -before I had got through findin' the soft place. When I first go to -bed, I like to roll about a bit, an' stretch, an' loosen up my -muscles--I like to stay awake long enough to feel the tired spots sink -down again' the earth, an' sort o' ooze into it; and before I had -drifted off, Horace was buzzin' away at a log in great shape. - -I must 'a' slept an hour when I was wakened by a bright light, an' -lookin' out, I saw Tank Williams standin' with his back to the fire -an' glowerin' down at Horace. "As soon as this log burns off, I'm -goin' to get you," sez Tank between set teeth. - -"What are you goin' to get me for?" asked Horace. "You asked me to tie -you to it. I didn't want to tie you to it, but you insisted. I'll -untie you if you want me to, and rub your brow again." - -"It's too late," muttered Tank. "It's too infernal late. Nothin' could -put me to sleep now. As soon as this log burns off, I'm goin' to get -you. You was the one which brought back my nerve trouble, an' you are -the one what has to suffer." - -Tank hadn't been able to free himself from the pine tree; so he had -dragged it in an' across the fire. It wasn't such a big one as trees -go; but it was a mighty big one for a man, tied to it as he was, to -tote along. Horace reasoned with him a while longer, an' then when he -saw that the trunk was about burned through, he got purty well off to -one side, an' threw a chunk at me. I popped out of bed on the instant, -an' began to shoot about promiscuous; so as to live up to my -reputation. - -When I'd emptied my gun, I looked at Tank, as though seein' him for -the first time, an' sez: "What in thunder da you mean, by raisin' all -this havoc?" - -"My nerves," sez Tank, "my pore nerves. I can't sleep, an' I can't -keep my senses if I'm left tied to this tree any longer. It's all his -fault, an' as soon as this log burns up, I'm goin' ta hunt him down." - -Tank an' I argued fierce as long as we could think of anything to say; -an' just as the dead pine was gettin' too hot for Tank to stand it any -longer, Horace calls in from the darkness, "Don't you want me to rub -your brow a while an' see if that won't put you to sleep?" - -"Come in here," I sez, cross. "This man is liable to kill himself, an' -you know more about nerves 'n I do." - -Horace crawled out from behind a big rock, came in, shiverin' with the -cold; an' we untied Tank from the log. He had managed to get his feet -loose; but his hands had been tied behind him an' when they got cold, -he couldn't make a go of it. "Well," sez I, as soon as Tank was free, -"what are you goin' to do now?" - -"I move we get up the hosses, an' start at once," sez Tank. "I don't -trust myself any longer, an' we can ride faster at night. My one hope, -is to get to an Injun doctor, or else get so tired out that I can fall -into a dreamless sleep." - -"Why don't you ride alone?" demanded Horace with a sudden burst of -intelligence. "Why don't you ride alone; an' then you could ride as -fast as you wanted to, an' if you found the Injuns out o' humor, you -could come back an' let us know." - -This set us back for a minute: we had been playin' Horace for bein' -utterly thought-loose; but he had figured out the best plan the' was, -an' his eyes were bright an' eager. - -"Take the hoss that's fastened on the rope here," Horace went on; "an' -we can take the manacled hosses in the mornin' and foller ya. Yes, -that's the best plan." - -You see the fact was, we were only twenty or twenty-five miles from -the ranch house. We had been circlin' an' zig-zaggin' through the -hills, an' at night we hung up Horace's pony on a picket an' put -hobbles on the balance. Bein' fooled on direction wasn't any sign of -Horace bein' a complete lunkhead; I've known a heap o' wise ones get -balled up in the mountains. - -Tank stood puzzlin' over it with his free eye trottin' about in a -circle; but he couldn't think any way out of it. "All right," sez he, -"if you two can get along without me, why, I'll risk my life by bein' -a scout." - -"Nonsense," sez Horace; "the Injuns haven't riz for years, an' they're -not likely to again." - -Tank only winked his lookin' eye, an' proceeded to fling the saddle on -the picketed hoss. Horace was smilin' purty contented with himself, -until I sez: "Which hoss are you goin' to ride to-morrow, Mr. -Bradford?" - -Then his face went blank as he recalled the blow-up we'd had that -mornin' gettin' the pack ponies contented with their loads. "By Jove, -I can't ride any of them!" he exclaims. "It would kill me to have a -hoss buck with me. I'm so sore now I can hardly move." - -"You don't look as nervous as you did, though," I sez to him for -comfort. - -He didn't pay me no heed. "Here, Williams," he calls, "you can't take -that hoss. He's the only one I can ride, and you'll have to catch -another." - -"You ort have thought o' that before," sez Tank, goin' on with his -arrangements, but movin' slow. - -"Well, you two straighten it out among yourselves," sez I. "I'm goin' -back to bed. No wonder you're nervous. It would make a saw-horse -nervous to jibe around the way you two do." - -I went off grumblin', an' I went to sleep before they settled it; but -Tank stretched it out as much as he could, an' Horace didn't oversleep -any that night. Next mornin' when I looked out, I saw him tied up with -his back again' a tree, an' Tank's head in his lap. He was swathed in -his slicker an' saddle-blanket to keep warm, an' was sound asleep. He -looked purty well hammered out, but hanged if he didn't look a lot -more worth while 'n he did when he started to take my treatment. - -It seemed a shame to do it, as it was just gettin' into the gray; but -I woke him up, an' asked him in a whisper what he was doin'. He sat -an' blinked at me for a full minute before he remembered what or where -he was, an' then he told me that he finally induced Tank to try havin' -his head rubbed again, by lettin' Tank truss him up so he couldn't -keel over on him. "Gee, but I'm cold an' stiff," he sez in a husky, -raspin' voice. "I don't see how it can be so hot daytimes, an' so cold -nights." - -"This'll do you a world of good, Mr. Bradford," sez I. "You see, you -swell up with the heat daytimes, an' crimp down with the cold nights; -an' this will goad on your circulation, fry the lard out o' ya, an' -give your nerves a chance to get toned up." I quoted from the patent -medicine almanac occasional, just so he wouldn't forget he was takin' -treatment. - -"I can't possibly ride, to-day," he sez, shakin' his head. "Honest, -I'm in agony." - -"That's just 'cause you're stiff," sez I, kindly. "That'll all wear -off when the sun softens up your joint-oil. Why, man, you'll look back -on this trip as one o' the brightest spots in your whole life." - -"I got hit in the back o' the head with a golf ball once," he flares -back real angry; "an' that showed me a lot o' brightness, too. I don't -want no more brightness, an' I don't intend to ride to-day." - -I was especial pleased at the human traits he was displayin'. He -hadn't acted so healthy an' natural since he'd been with us, an' I was -encouraged to keep on with the treatment. "You will have to ride with -us, even if we have to tie you on," I sez. "We are now close to the -Injun country, an' we're responsible for you. O' course the' ain't any -danger from regular war parties; but Injun boys is just as full o' -devilment as white boys, an' they haven't as many safety valves. -They're all the time sneakin' off an' playin' at war, an' they play a -purty stiff game, too, believe me. If a dozen o' these voting bucks, -eighteen or twenty years old, was to stalk us, they'd try most earnest -to lift our hair." - -"I'd as soon be killed one way as another," he sez. "I can't stand it -to ride, an' that's all the' is to it." - -Here was a queer thing: the little cuss actually wasn't afeared of -Injuns, which I had counted on as my big card. Nerves or no nerves, -Horace Walpole Bradford wasn't no coward; 'cause we are all afeared o' -crazy folks, an' he thought Tank was crazy. If Tank had had two good -eyes, chances are he wouldn't 'a' feared him; so I kicked Tank in the -side an' woke him up. - - - - -CHAPTER TEN - -INJUNS! - - -Well, we sure had a hard time gettin' Horace in the saddle that day. -He was some like a burro, small but strong minded. Finally he agreed -to try it if we would put the saddle-blanket on top the saddle instead -of underneath. - -"The hoss don't need it as bad as I do," sez he; "'cause he's covered -all over with hoss-hide an' has hair for paddin' besides; and -furthermore, the saddle is lined with sheepskin underneath, while it's -as hard as iron on top; and I'm just like a boil wherever I touch it." - -We told him that a hard saddle was lots the easiest as soon as a -feller got used to it; but he broke in an' said he didn't expect to -live that long, an' that we could take our choice of leavin' him, or -puttin' the saddle-blanket on top. The's lots of folks with the notion -that a soft saddle or a soft chair or a soft bed is the easiest; an' -it ain't much use to argue with 'em, though the truth is, that if a -feller lived on goslin' down, he'd get stuck with a pin feather some -day an' die o' loss of blood; while if he lived on jagged stones, he'd -finally wear into 'em until he had a smooth, perfect fittin' mold for -his body. Still, the truth is only the truth to them 'at can see it; -so we put the blanket on top, an' perched Horace astride it. - -He stood it two hours, an' then said it was stretchin' his legs so 'at -he was afeared a sudden jerk would split him to the chin; an' then we -put the saddle on right, an' he found it full as easy as it had been -the day before. The best way, an' the easiest an' the quickest, to -toughen up, is just to toughen up. The human body can stand almost -anything in the way o' hardship. After it has sent up word, hour after -hour, that it is bein' hurt, an' no attention gets paid to it, why, it -sets to work to remedy things on its own hook. In order to ride -comfortable, a lot of muscles have to loosen an' stretch. Most o' the -pain in ridin' comes from ridin' with set muscles. A feller can't -balance easy with set muscles, it's just one strainin' jerk after -another, an' the trick o' ridin' is to move with the horse. Just as -soon as ya get to goin' right along with the hoss, loose an' rubbery, -you take the strain off o' both you an' him; but while you're bumpin' -again' him, it's painful for both. - -We rode about forty miles that day; and at the end of it Horace wasn't -complainin' any worse 'n at the start. Well, he couldn't, as far as -that goes; but his body had already begun to find the motion o' the -hoss. Of course he hadn't learned to balance, an' he still rode rigid; -but we had give him an easy-gaited old hammock, an' when we drew up to -make camp, he sat on his hoss without holdin' to the horn, an' said he -was beginnin' to like it. When Tank lifted him down, though, his legs -wobbled under him like rubber an' he squashed down in a heap, -groanin'. We let him sleep where he lit while we were gettin' supper; -'cause we was sure he would need it before mornin'. He wasn't nervous -any longer; all he wanted was food, sleep, an' a lung full o' tobacco -smoke. I felt rather proud o' my treatment. - -Tank had to boot him about purty freely to waken him up enough to take -his vittles; but he took a good lot of 'em, an' I was glad of it, -'cause this was the night the Injuns were goin' to attack us, an' he -wasn't scheduled to have any more solid nourishment until we got back -to the ranch house. After supper he went to his pipe like a young duck -to a puddle o' water. He hadn't learned to handle his moisture while -smokin' a pipe, an' when the pipe began to gargle, he muttered a -little cuss-word under his breath. H. Walpole Bradford was comin' out -wonderful. - -The stiffenin' had all blew out o' the rim of his hat, givin' the sun -full swing at him, an' his nose looked like a weakly tomato flung in a -bed o' geraniums. He had wrinkled up his face around where his glasses -fit, an' now with the sun gone down his skin had loosened up again, -showin' the unburned wrinkles like painted marks. He sure did look -tough! He was wearin' a gray suit with a belt around the middle an' -canvas leggins. - -Along about nine o'clock he nodded over into the fire, right at the -most excitin' part of an Injun tale which Tank was makin' up for his -especial benefit. We fished him out an' shook him awake; but he came -to as cross as a hornet, an' swore he was goin' to sleep right where -he was with all his clothes on. - -"You're a wise pigeon to sleep with your clothes on, to-night," sez -Tank; "'cause this is the Injun country, an' ya can't tell what'll -happen; but the best plan for us to do is to divide up an' keep watch -durin' the night." - -"Keep watch!" yells Horace, glarin' at Tank. "I wouldn't keep watch -to-night if I was bound to a torture stake. You can keep watch if you -want to--an' it wouldn't discommode you no more 'n if you was an owl. -Your dog-gone, doubly condemned nerves won't let you nor any one else -sleep--but I'm goin' to get some rest if I die for it." - -"You're a nice one, you are!" sez Tank. "This here expedition was got -up just on account o' your nerves, an' now that we've come to the most -important point of all, why, you flam out an' put all the risk on us." - -"You make me tired," sez Horace, scowlin' at Tank as fierce as a -cornered mouse. "If you're so everlastin' feared o' the Injuns--what -ya got this bloomin' fire for?" - -"We don't intend to sleep near the fire, Mr. Bradford," sez I, -soothin'. "We intend to roll up our beds like as if we was in 'em an' -then sneak off into the bushes an' sleep. We don't want any trouble if -we can avoid it. If you'll notice, you'll see we haven't turned the -hosses out to-night." - -"These here Injuns is livin' on a reservation," sez he, "an' I don't -believe 'at they'd dare outrage us." - -I was indignant with the little cuss for not bein' afeared of Injuns. -My theory was, 'at nerves was a lot like hosses: keep a hoss shut up -an' he'll get bad an' kick an' raise Cain; but take him out an' ride -his hide loose, an' he'll simmer down consid'able. I wanted to give -Horace's nerves such a complete stringin' out that they wouldn't worry -him any more for a year; an' here he was, not carin' a hang for -Injuns. "Beliefs is all right to the believers," sez I, stiffenin' up; -"but facts is facts whether you believe in 'em or not. Every Injun -outrage since the Civil War was planned on a reservation, an' we can't -take no chances." - -While he was studyin' over this with a pouty look on his face, Tank -sez: "It's time we fixed up an' moved out into the dark"; so we put -rolls o' brush in the beds, an' went on up the side o' the rise where -the' was a level spot I knew of, Horace stumblin' an' grumblin' every -step o' the way. We were about two hundred yards from the fire an' it -looked cozy an' cheerful, dancin' away beside the tarps. I was half a -mind to join in with Horace, an' go on back; but our plans were all -laid, an' besides, I had a little bet up with Spider Kelley, that I'd -return Horace in such fine condition that he'd be willin' to drink -blood or milk a cow calf-fashion. - -"You go to sleep first," sez Tank to Horace; "I'll watch till I get -sleepy an' then I'll call Happy, he'll watch two hours, an' if it -ain't dawn by that time, he'll call you. I may not get sleepy at all, -but you know how nerves is. I stayed awake ninety-six hours once, an' -couldn't get a speck sleepy. Then I decided to stay out the even -hundred an' see how far I could jump after stayin' awake a hundred -hours. I went to sleep in ten minutes an' didn't wake up for two -days--so I'm liable to be took sleepy to-night." - -We had brought the slickers up, an' Horace rolled up in one, under a -low evergreen, and began to snore in half a minute. As soon as he had -got to wrastlin' with his breath in earnest, I went to the head o' the -trail an' whistled for Spider Kelley. He an' four others were there, -an' I told 'em it was all right to start in an hour, an' then I came -back to Horace chucklin'. Spider enjoyed anything like this, an' he -had fixed up the boys with feathers an' fringe an' smears o' chalk an' -raspberry jam, till they looked as evil-minded as any Injuns I'd ever -seen. - -We set Horace's watch ahead five hours. Tank curled up an' went to -sleep, an' then I started to wake Horace up. It took so long; to get -him to consciousness that I feared the hour would be up; but he -finally got so he remembered what he was, an' then I told him not to -make any fuss if he saw any Injuns, but to just wake us up. I tried to -get him to take one o' my guns, but I didn't wear triggers on 'em an' -he didn't savvy snap-shootin', so he took a club in his hand an' -started to parade. - -He looked at his watch while I was stretchin' out in his warm spot, -an' he looked at it again before I was through loosenin' up my -muscles. It beats the world how slow time crawls to a man on watch. I -was sleepy myself, but I'd have bit out my tongue before I'd have give -in. I lay half on my right side with my hat drawn down, watchin' -Horace. After about ten minutes, he pulled out his watch again an' -looked at it. He pulled out the snap to set it ahead, in order to fool -us, but he was troubled with too much morality, so he snapped it shut -an' spoke to himself between his set teeth for several moments. - -I reckon he must have kept on his feet for twenty minutes, an' then he -settled down with his face to the fire, which I had fed up on my way -back from seein' Spider, an' said loud enough for me to hear: "This is -all damn foolishness." - -He said it so slow an' solemn an' earnest, that I purt nigh choked; -but I kept still, he kept still, an' the fire kept dancin' before him. -His breathin' grew deep an' steady, his nerves was all coiled up -comfortable; and tired muscles don't make a feller wakeful. Purty soon -Horace began to gargle his palate, an' then I was ready for Spider -Kelley. - -The plan was for him to come up close so as to entertain Horace while -his braves sneaked on to the dummies in the tarps; but the' was no -occasion for sneakin'. Horace had turned over the camp to fate, an' he -wasn't worryin' his head about what was goin' to happen to it. - -Finally, Spider got disgusted an' he went down an' joined the others, -an' they sure raised a riot; but all the time, Horace slumbered on. -Spider caught up our hosses, put our saddles an' packs on 'em, threw -some pieces of old canvas he brought along on the fire; and he an' the -rest raised a wild warwhoop and galloped away; but Horace was too busy -to pay any attention. Spider an' the boys had to work next day, an' -they was some put out not to have a little more fun for their trouble. -It was all Spider could do to keep 'em from sneakin' back an' -kidnappin' Horace, but this was liable to give the whole thing away, -so he talked 'em out of it. As soon as the noise had died down, I set -Horace's watch back five hours, an' then I went to sleep myself. It -was purty chilly, and I wasn't quite sure who the joke was on. - -When Tank woke up, he started in on Horace; but his noise wakened me -up first. When Horace saw what had happened to the camp, he was about -wordless; but after we had called him down about it for five or ten -minutes, he flared up an' talked back as harsh as we did. He said 'at -he had kept guard for over three hours, fightin' off sleep by walkin' -back an' forth; and hadn't sat down until it had started to lighten in -the sky. He stuck to this tale, and I'm sure he believed it himself. -He'd been so sleepy the night before that he couldn't have told a -dream from an actual happenin', so when he began to get excited, we -dropped it. - -"All right," sez Tank at last; "you've put us into a nice fix, but -the' ain't no use tryin' to pickle yesterday. What we've got to do is -to hoof it back, an' we might as well begin. We're in a nice fix: -nothin' to eat, not a single cabin on the road back, an' for all we -know the's a pack of Injuns watchin' us this blessid moment." - -"How do ya know it was Injuns?" sez Horace. - -"Look there, an' there, an' there," sez Tank, pointin' at moccasin -prints an' feathers. "Then besides, no white men would 'a' burned up -the tarps." - -"Do you mean to say 'at we got to walk all the way back?" sez Horace. - -"All the way, an' without no grub," sez Tank. - -Horace sat down on the end of a charred log. "Well, I'll die right -here," sez he. "This spot suits me as well as any other." - -"You don't have to die at all," sez I. "A body can go forty days -without food, an' it does more good than harm." Friar Tuck had told me -a lot about fastin', an' I was keen to try it out on Horace. From all -I could see from the theory o' fastin', it was just what was needed -for Horace's nerves. - -"Look at me," sez Horace, pullin' at the waist of his clothes. "I bet -I've lost twenty pounds already, on this fool trip. Twenty pounds more -would make me a corpse, an' I'd just as soon be made one here as -anywhere. As soon as I rest up a little, I'm goin' to begin to yell -until I draw those blame Injuns back, an' have 'em finish the job in -short order." - -He wasn't bluffin', he was simply desp'rit. "You'll have to walk with -us," sez I; "come on." - -Tank took one arm, an' I took the other, an' we started forth. For the -first hour he hung back, and then he began to step out on his own -hook. When we rested at noon, he was the freshest one of us. Tank an' -I had ridin' boots, an' ridin' muscles; while he had walkin' shoes, -an' no muscles at all worth mentionin'. "I can play at this game as -well as any one," sez Horace, chewin' a blade o' grass, an' lookin' -proud of himself. - -Tank was purty well fussed up; he wasn't workin' out any theories, he -had just come along to help pester Horace an' have a little amusement; -but it began to appear to him that his fun was comin' high-priced. - -By nightfall we was all tol'able hungry; but Horace was so set up over -bein' able to put over a full day's walk on nothin' to eat that he was -purty speechy, an' it was nine o'clock before he went to sleep. As -soon as he had dropped off, I went down to meet Spider Kelley an' get -the grub he had brought out for me 'n' Tank. He said 'at the other -boys wasn't braggin' none about their trip the night before; but they -were all ready to roast me an' Tank as soon as we got in. We'd had it -fixed that Spider an' the rest was to take turns worryin' Horace on -the back trip; but Spider said that it looked to him as if I'd win the -bet anyway, so he intended to play neutral from that on. As soon as me -an' Tank had eaten, we turned in, an' all of us slept like logs. - - - - -CHAPTER ELEVEN - -BENEFITS OF FASTING - - -The next day Horace walked easier 'n any of us. Now I'm tellin' this -to ya straight 'n' you can believe it or not just as ya please; but -that little cuss stepped right along, began to notice the scenery, an' -even cracked a few jokes now an' again; while me an' Tank just plodded -with our minds fixed on the meal we were goin' to get that night. -Horace had give up all thought o' meals, so they didn't pester him -any. - -At the end of the third day Horace had lost his appetite complete. -Friar Tuck had swore that hunger didn't worry a man more 'n three -days, an' sure enough, it didn't. Horace didn't care whether he ever -et again or not. He'd get a little dizzy when he'd start out, an' once -in a while he'd feel a bit fainty; but as far as bein' ravenous went, -me an Tank had him beat a mile. - -"Where is the joke o' this fool trip?" growled Tank to me on the -evenin' of the fourth day as we were eatin' the supper Spider Kelley -had brought out. "He ain't a human at all, Horace ain't; he's a -reptile, an' can live without food." - -Spider was tickled a lot, and said he didn't care if he did lose his -bet, that it was worth it to find how everlastin' tough a little -half-hand like Horace could be when drove to it. I'd been thinkin' it -over all day, but I didn't say anything. - -Friar Tuck had said it was a question of will power, more 'n anything -else: that if a man just held his thoughts away from food it wouldn't -bother him; but if he kept thinkin' of it, the digestin' juices would -flow into his stomach an' make him think he was starvin'; so I was -minded to try a new plan next day. - -"Spider," I sez, "you put a cow an' calf up in Nufty's Corral"--which -was the name of a little shut-in park we would go through the next -afternoon. "Put 'em there in the mornin', a cow with an off brand, if -you can find one, an' trim their hoofs down close, so they won't go -back to the bunch. Remember 'at we're on foot, an' trim 'em close -enough to make it hurt 'em to walk. I'm goin' to make Horace hungry if -I can." - -"I hate to play again' him and my own bet," sez Spider; "but I'll have -the cow there, just to see what you're up to. If you're goin' to -butcher it, though, I don't see why a young steer wouldn't be better." - -"I'll count on you havin' it there," sez I; an' then Spider rode back -to the ranch house, an' me an' Tank went to sleep. - -Next mornin' me an' Tank put the cartridges out of our belts into our -pockets. As soon as we started to walk I began to talk about my -hunger, an' weakness, an' the empty feelin' in my head an' stomach. At -first Horace didn't pay any heed; but from the start, ol' Tank -Williams caught every symptom I suggested; until I feared he'd curl up -on the trail an' die o' starvation. Finally, though, Horace began to -pay heed to my suggestions, an' to sigh an' moan a little. What -finally got him was my gnawin' at my rope an' gauntlet. Tank an' I had -saved our ropes, 'cause we expected to have need of 'em; and when noon -came an' I sat with a stupid look in my face, chewin' first the rope, -an' then the wrist o' the gauntlet, Horace began to have some of the -symptoms I was fishin' for. Finally he borrowed one o' my gauntlets, -an' after he had munched on it a while, he was as hungry as any one -could wish. - -"I can't go another peg," he sez when I got up to start on again. - -"How does that come?" I asked him. "When we stopped to rest you was -feelin' more chipper 'n any of us." - -"I'm dyin' o' hunger," he replied, solemn. "I've got a gnawin' pain in -my stomach, an' I'm all in. I fear my stomach is punctured or stuck -together or somethin'." - -I had had a lot o' discussions with Friar Tuck about the power o' -suggestion; but I had never took much stock in it. I could see now, -though, that it actually did work. As long as Horace was tellin' -himself that everything was all right, why, it was all right. Then -when I suggested 'at we were dyin' of hunger, why, he actually began -to die of hunger; an' it was wonderful to see the change in him. He -showed us how he had ganted down; and the fact was, his bones had -become purty prominent without any help from suggestin'. He didn't -have any more belly 'n a snake; but his eyes were bright, an' his skin -clear, except that it was peelin' off purty splotchy, from sun-burn. - -We finally left him an' started on; and after we'd got some distance, -he staggered after us; but he was just goin' on his nerve now, an' not -gettin' much joy out of existence. - -About four in the afternoon, we reached Nufty's Corral, a fine little -park with only a narrow entrance at each end. Horace was up with us by -this time, an' we were all ploddin' along head down. Suddenly Horace -grabbed us by the arms. "Hush!" he sez. - -"What's up?" sez I, lookin' at him. - -"Look," he whispers, pointin' at the cow an' calf; "there's food." - -We drew back an' consulted about it. "The great danger after a fast," -I sez in warnin', "lies in overeatin'. All we can do is to drink a -little blood for the first few hours." - -"Why can't we broil a steak over some coals?" sez Horace. - -"It would kill us to eat steak now," sez I. - -He held out for the steak; but I finally sez that if he won't promise -to be temperate an' eat only what I tell him, I'll drive off the cow; -and then he comes around, and agrees to it. - -"You sneak around to the far openin', Tank," I sez, then I pauses, an' -looks at him as though shocked. "Where's your cartridges, man?" I -asked. - -Tank felt of his belt, and seemed plumb beat out, then he looked at -mine, an' yelled, "Where's yours?" - -We both sat down on stones an' went over what we had done every minute -o' the time since we had started out; until Horace became frantic, an' -sez: "What's the difference what became of 'em? Your revolvers are -loaded. You can sure kill one cow out o' twenty-four shots." - -"Twenty shots," I corrected. "We allus carry the hammer on an empty -chamber; an' I'm so bloomin' weak I doubt if I could hit a cow in ten -shots." - -Horace turned loose an' told us what he thought of us, an' it was -edifyin' to hearken to him--he hit the nail on the head so often. -Finally I sez: "Well, a man can do no more than try--Go ahead, Tank, -but don't let her get by you, whatever happens." - -The cow, which was a homely grade-whiteface with a splotch on her nose -which made it look as if most of the nose had been cut off, stood in -the center of the park, an' she was beginnin' to get uneasy, although -the wind was from her way. - -As soon as Tank got to his entrance he shot in the air; an' she came -chargin' down on me. I shot over her, an' she charged back. We kept -this up until Horace lost patience an' called me a confounded dub. -"Here," sez I, "the's two cartridges left. You fire 'em, I won't." - -At first he refused, but he was desperate, and finally after I'd told -him to use both hands, he took a shot. The cow was standin' closest to -us, but lookin' Tank's way, an' Horace nicked her in the ham. Instead -of chargin' Tank, like a sensible cow, she came for us head on. Now, -when a bull charges, he picks out somethin' to steer for, then closes -his eyes, and sets sail; but a cow keeps her eyes open, an' she don't -aim to waste any plunges either. Horace stood out in the center of the -entrance an' banged away again, strikin' the ground about ten feet in -front of him. - -"Run!" I yells to him, jumpin' back behind a big rock, "Run!" - -He forgot all about bein' hungry, an' he started to backtrail like a -scared jack-rabbit. The cow had forgot all about havin' had her hoofs -pared, an' she took after him like a hungry coyote. As she passed me, -I roped her, took a snub around the rock, an' flopped her; but she did -just what I thought she'd do--rolled to her feet an' took after me. -She was angry. I'd have given right smart for a tough little pony -between my knees. - -[Illustration: The cow had forgot all about havin' had her hoofs -pared, an' she took after him like a hungry coyote] - -The rock was too big to get a half hitch over, so I just ran at right -angles from her, hopin' to stretch out more rope 'n she could cover. I -did it by a few feet; but she swung around into my rope head on, an' -this flung me up again' her side. I managed to hang on to the rope, -however, an' this fixed her, 'cause she'd have had to pull that rock -over before she could 'a' come any farther. Horace had stopped an' was -gappin' at us from a safe distance; but Tank arrived by this time an' -put another rope on her an' we had her cross-tied between two big -rocks by the time Horace arrived. - -"What ya goin' to kill her with?" he asked, his eyes dancin' like an -Injun's at the beef whack-up. - -"My cartridges are all gone," sez Tank. - -"Mine too," sez I. - -"Can't you use a knife, or a stone?" sez Horace, the dude. - -"You can try it if you want to," sez I; "but hanged if I will." - -He took a big stone an' walked to the head of the cow, but his nerve -gave out, an' he threw down the stone. "What in thunder did you tie -her up for, then?" sez he. - -"I beg your pardon," sez I, "but I thought perhaps she might be a -little vexed with you on account o' your shootin' her up. She was -headed your way." - -He sat down on a stone an' looked at the cow resentful. Suddenly his -face lit up. "Why don't you milk her?" sez he. "We can live on milk -for weeks." - -It's funny how much alike hungry animals look. As Horace sat on the -stone with his anxious face, his poppin' eyes, his mussed up -side-burns, an' the water drippin' from his mouth at thought o' the -milk, he looked so much like a setter pup I once knew that it was all -I could do to hold a straight face. - -"Do you know how to milk, Tank?" I sez. - -"I don't," sez Tank; "nor I don't know what it tastes like." - -"Go ahead an' milk her, Mr. Bradford," I sez. "You're the only one -what knows how to milk, or who cares to drink it. What you goin' to -milk it in?" - -"I never milked in my life," sez he; "but I saw it done once when I -was a boy, an' I'm goin' to try to milk in my hat." - -He had a bad time of it; but he only got kicked twice, an' both times -it was short, glancin' blows, not much more 'n shoves. Finally, he -came over to where me an' Tank was settin' an' flopped himself down -beside us. "Can't you strangle her with those ropes?" he sez, in what -might well be called deadly earnest. - -We shook our heads, an' continued to sit there lookin' at the cow as -though we expected she'd point the way out of our trouble. Presently -the calf remembered his own appetite, an' rushed up an' gave a -demonstration of what neat an' orderly milkin' was. Horace sighed. -"Gee, I bet that's good," he said, the water drippin' from his lips -again. He had been four days without food, walkin' all that time -through the mountains, sleepin' out doors with no cover but a slicker; -and he had about burned up all his waste products, which Friar Tuck -said was a city man's greatest handicap. His eyes got a little red as -he watched the calf, an' I saw that he meant to slaughter it; so I sez -to him: "That's the way to milk, Mr. Bradford. Why don't you sneak up -on the other side an' try it that way, the same time the calf is?" - -He studied a moment, an' then shook his head. "No, she could tell me -from the calf," he said sorrowful. "Our foreheads are shaped -different, an' I'd have to get down on my hands and knees. She'd tell -me in a minute, an' I don't want to be on my hands an' knees when she -kicks me." - -"We could throw an' hog-tie her," sez Tank; "and you could get it easy -an' comfortable. Would you want us to do that, Mr. Bradford?" - -Horace jumped to his feet an' shook his fist in Tank's face. "Don't -call me Mister again," he yelled. "I'm plumb sick of it. If I ever -live to get another bath an' back East where the's food in plenty, -why, I'll take up the Mister again; but now that I've got to a point -where I have to suck milk from a hog-tied cow, you call me Horace, or -even Dinky--which was my nickname at school. Yes, for heaven's sake, -tie the cow. I have to have milk, an' that's the only way I see to get -it." - -Well, Tank an' I was so full o' laugh we could hardly truss up the -cow; but we finally got her on her back so 'at she couldn't do nothin' -but snap her tail, an' then Horace threw his hat on the ground, an' -started in. I was entirely joyful: I knew 'at Spider Kelley, an' as -many o' the boys as could sneak away, were watchin' us from up on the -hill, an' this was the grand triumph of my treatment for nerves. - -Horace approached the cow with consid'able caution, as she was in an -awkward position. The calf had been interrupted in his meal, before he -had squenched his thirst, an' he was still prospectin' about on his -own hook. - -"Here," said Horace, givin' him a push, "this is my turn." - -You know how a calf is: a calf ain't afeared o' nothin' except hunger. -Here was his food-supply bein' robbed, right when he was needin' it. -He blatted down in his throat, an' tried to nose Horace out of the -way. Horace was findin' that milk the best stuff he had ever tasted, -an' he fought off the calf with his right hand, while he steadied -himself by puttin' his left on the hind leg o' the calf's mother, an' -got a nice coat o' creamy froth in his side-burns. He was so blame -hungry he didn't see a speck o' humor in it; but me an' Tank nearly -died. - -"Say," sez Horace, raisin' his head, the milk drippin' from his lips, -"can't one o' you fellers fend off this calf till I finish?" - -Tank held the calf while I advised Horace to be temperate, an' after a -bit he gave a sigh an' said, that that was all he could hold just -then, but not to let the cow escape. We loosened her, left one o' the -ropes on for a drag picket, an' took off the other. She was purty well -subdued; but we refused to give Horace any more milk that night, an' -he went to sleep before we had a fire built. Spider Kelley was -wabblin' with laughter when he brought us our supper. He had been the -only one who could stay after bringin' up the cow; but he said he -wouldn't 'a' missed it for three jobs. - - - - -CHAPTER TWELVE - -A COMPLETE CURE - - -Next mornin' we fed Horace all the milk he could hold, an' tried to -drive the cow along with us; but her hoofs had been pared so thin that -it made her cross an' we had to give that projec' up. - -"How far are we from the ranch house?" asked Horace. - -"About sixty miles," sez Tank. - -"That's what I thought," sez he. "Now, I can't see any sense in all of -us hoofin' that distance. I'd go if I knew the way; but one of you -could go, an' the other stay with me an' the cow. Then the one which -went could bring back food on the buckboard, and it would be as good -as if we all went." - -Now this was a fine scheme; but neither Tank nor I had thought of it. -We had intended to follow our own windin' circle back every step o' -the way; but when the milk set Horace's brain to pumpin', he fetched -up this idee which saved us all a lot o' bother. - -"I shall go myself," sez Tank; "weak as I am, I'll go myself." - -It was only about fifteen or twenty miles by the short cut, an' this -would get him back to regular meals in short order; so he left me his -rope an' set out. Horace helped me with the cow that night, an' he -proved purty able help. He was feelin' fine, an' the milk had filled -him out wonderful. He said he hadn't felt so rough 'n' ready for -twenty years; but Spider Kelley failed to arrive with my meal that -night, and I went to bed feelin' purty well disgusted. Tank had met -him before noon that day, an' he had gone in for a hoss; and they had -decided that it would be a good stunt to give me some o' my own -treatment. - -Next mornin' I felt as empty as a balloon; so after Horace had enjoyed -himself, I took a little o' the same, myself; but I didn't take it -like he did. I held my mouth open an' squirted it in, an' it was -mighty refreshin'. - -"Huh," sez Horace, "you're mightily stuck up. The calf's way is good -enough for me." - -"I got a split lip," I sez, half ashamed o' myself. - -They left us there three days to allow for the time it would have -taken Tank to walk if it had been as far as we claimed it was; and -then Tillte Dutch drove out the buckboard. He said 'at Spider an' Tank -had quit and gone into Boggs for a little recreation; but after I had -eaten my first meal out o' the grub he brought, I didn't bear 'em any -ill will. The joke was on me as much as it was on Horace; but I'd 'a' -gone through twice as much to test that theory, an' I'd had the full -worth o' my bother. Horace was a new man: he was full o' vim an' snap, -an' he gave me credit for it an' became mighty friendly an' -confidential. - -He stood up in the buckboard an' made a farewell speech to the cow -which lasted ten minutes. He also apologized to the calf, an' told him -that when he got back East, he would raise his hat every time he -passed a milk wagon. He sure felt in high spirits, and made up a -ramblin' sort of a song which lasted all the way back to the house. It -had the handiest tune ever invented and he got a lot o' fun out of it. -It began: - - "Oh we walked a thousand miles without eatin' any food, - An' then we met a cow an' calf, an' gee, but they looked good! - Her eyes like ancient Juno's were so in-o-cent an' mild, - We couldn't bear to take her life, we only robbed her child. - She strove to save the lactual juice to feed her darling boy; - So we had to fling her on her back to fill our souls with joy. - Now Tank an' Happy were too proud to compete with a calf, - So they sat them down an' dined on wind, while they weakly - tried to laugh. - I'm but a simple-minded cuss, not proud like one of these; - So I filled myself so full of milk, I'm now a cottage cheese." - -Horace was as proud o' this song as though it was the first one ever -sung. He used the same tune on it that blind men on corners use. I -reckon that tune fits most any sort of a song; it's more like the -"Wearin' of the Green" than anything else but ten times sadder an' -more monotonous. He said he had once wrote a Greek song at college but -it wasn't a patch on this one, and hadn't got him nothin' but a medal. -I used to know twelve or eighteen verses, but I've forgot most of it. -It was a hard one to remember because the verses wasn't of the same -length. Sometimes a feller would have to stretch a word all out of -shape to make it cover the wave o' the tune, an' sometimes you'd have -to huddle the words all up into a bunch. Horace said that all high -class music was this way; but it made it lots more bother to learn -than hymns. - -The verse which pleased me the most was the forty-third. Horace -himself said 'at this was about as good as any, though he liked the -seventy-ninth one a shade better, himself. The forty-third one ran: - - "A cow-boy does not live on milk, that's all a boy-cow'll drink; - But the cow-ma loves the last the most, which seems a funny think, - I do not care for milk in pans with yellow scum o'er-smeared. - I like to gather mine myself; and strain it through my beard." - -I never felt better over anything in my life than I did over returnin' -Horace in this condition. It was some risk to experiment with such a -treatment as mine on a feller who regarded himself as an invalid; but -here he was, comin' back solid an' hearty, with his shape shrunk down -to normal, an' full o' jokes an' song. - -Tillte Dutch had been one o' the braves in Spider's Injun party; so -when we got in, about ten in the evenin', he lured the rest o' the -pack out to the corral, an' we agreed not to make the details of our -trip public. The ol' man wouldn't have made a whole lot o' fuss seein' -as it had turned out all right; but still, he was dead set on what he -called courtesy to guests; and he might 'a' thought that we had played -Horace a leetle mite strong. Barbie noticed the change in Horace and, -o' course, she pumped most o' the story out o' me. - -Horace himself was as game a little rooster as I ever saw. He follered -me around like a dog after that, helpin' with my chores, an' ridin' -every chance he had. He got confidential, an' told me a lot about -himself. He said that he hadn't never had any boyhood, that his mother -was a rich widow, an' was ambitious to make a scholar out of him; that -she had sent him to all kinds o' schools an' colleges an' -universities, and had had private tutors for him, and had jammed his -head so full o' learnin' that the' wasn't room for his brain to beat; -so it had just lain smotherin' amidst a reek of all kinds o' musty old -facts. He said that he never had had time for exercise, and had never -needed money; so he had just settled into a groove lined with books -an' not leadin' anywhere at all. He said that since his mother's death -he had been livin' like a regular recluse, thinkin' dead thoughts in -dead languages, an' not takin' much interest in anything which had -happened since the fall o' Rome; but now that he had learned for the -first time what a world of enjoyment the' was in just feelin' real -life poundin' through his veins, he intended to plunge about in a way -to increase the quality, quantity, and circulation of his blood. - -Ya couldn't help likin' a feller who took things the way he did--we -all liked him. He told us to treat him just as if he was a -fourteen-year-old boy, which we did, an' the' wasn't nothin' in the -way of a joke that he wasn't up against before the summer was over; -but he came back at us now an' again, good an' plenty. - -Tank an' Spider tossin' up their jobs had left me with more work on my -hands 'n I generally liked, so I had to stick purty close to the line -until they went broke an' took on again. Then one day me an' Horace -took a ride up into the hills. We had some lunch along and about noon -we sat down in a grassy spot to eat it. We had just finished and had -lighted our pipes for a little smoke when we heard Friar Tuck comin' -up the trail. I hadn't seen him for months, an' I was mighty glad to -hear him again. He was fair shoutin', so I knew 'at things was right -side up with him. He was singin' the one which begins: "Oh, come, all -ye faithful, joyful an' triumphant," and he shook the echoes loose -with it. - -Horace turned to me with a surprised look on his face; "Who's that?" -he sez. - -"That's Friar Tuck," sez I, "an' if you've got any troubles tell 'em -to him." - -"Well, wouldn't that beat ya!" exclaimed Horace, an' just then the -Friar came onto our level with his hat off an' his head thrown back. -He was leadin' a spare hoss, an' seemed at peace with all the world. - -When he spied me, he headed in our direction, an' as soon as he had -finished the chorus, he called: "Hello, Happy! What are you hidin' -from up here?" - -I jumped to my feet, an' Horace got to his feet, too, an' bowed an' -said: "How do ya do, Mr. Carmichael?" - -A quick change came over the Friar's face. It got cold an' haughty; -and I was flabbergasted, because I had never seen it get that way -before. "How do you do," he said, as cheery an' chummy as a -hail-storm. - -But he didn't need to go to the trouble o' freezin' himself solid; -Horace was just as thin skinned as he was when it was necessary, an' -he slipped on a snuffer over his welcomin' smile full as gloomy as was -the Friar's. I was disgusted: nothin' pesters me worse 'n to think a -lot o' two people who can't bear each other. It leaves it so blame -uncertain which one of us has poor taste. - -Well, we had one o' those delightful conflabs about the weather an' -"how hot it was daytimes, but so cool an' refreshin' nights," an', "I -must be goin' now," an' "oh, what's the use o' goin' so soon"--and so -on. Then Horace an' the Friar bowed an' the Friar rode away as silent -an' dignified as a dog which has been sent back home. - -"Well," sez Horace, after we'd seated ourselves again, "I never -expected to see that man out here. I wouldn't 'a' been more surprised -to have seen a blue fish with yaller goggles on, come swimmin' up the -pass." - -"Oh, wouldn't ya?" sez I. "Well, that man ain't no more like a blue -fish with goggles on than you are. He's ace high anywhere you put him, -an' don't you forget that." - -"You needn't arch up your back about it," he sez. "I haven't said -anything again' him. I gave up goin' to church on his account." - -"That's nothin' to brag about," sez I. "A man'll give up goin' to -church simply because they hold it on Sunday, which is the one day o' -the week when he feels most like stackin' up his feet on top o' -somethin' an' smokin' a pipe. A man who couldn't plan out an excuse -for not goin' to church wouldn't be enough intelligent to know when he -was hungry." - -"You must 'a' set up late last night to whet your sarcasm!" sez -Horace, swellin' up a little. "Why don't you run along and hold up a -screen, so 'at folks can't look at your parson." - -"How'd you happen to quit church on his account?" sez I. - -"He was only a curate, when I first knew him," sez Horace. - -"He's a curate yet," sez I. "I tried one of his cures myself, lately; -an' it worked like a charm." I turned my head away so 'at Horace -wouldn't guess 'at he was the cuss I had tried it on. - -"A curate hasn't nothin' to do with doctorin'," sez Horace. "A curate -is only the assistant of the regular preacher which is called a -rector. The curate does the hard work an' the rector gets the big -pay." - -"That's the way with all assistants," sez I; "so don't bother with any -more details. Why did you quit goin' to church?" - -"I quit because he quit," sez Horace. - -"What did he quit for," sez I; "just to bust up the church by drawin' -your patronage away from it?" - -"He quit on account of a girl," sez Horace; an' then I stopped my -foolishness, an' settled down to get the story out of him. Here I'd -been wonderin' for years about Friar Tuck; an' all those weeks I had -been with Horace I had never once thought o' tryin' to see what he -might know. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTEEN - -AN UNEXPECTED CACHE - - -Humans is the most disappointin' of all the animals: when a mule opens -his mouth, you know what sort of a noise is about to happen, an' can -brace yourself accordin'; an' the same is true o' screech-owls, an' -guinea-hens an' such; but no one can prepare for what is to come forth -when a human opens his mouth. You meet up with a professor what knows -all about the stars an' the waterlines in the hills an' the petrified -fishes, an' such; but his method o' bein' friendly an' agreeable is to -sing comic songs like a squeaky saw, an' dance jigs as graceful as a -store box; while the fellow what can sing an' dance is forever tryin' -to lecture about stuff he is densely ignorant of. - -The other animals is willin' to do what they can do, an' they take -pride in seein' how well they can do it; but not so a human. He only -takes pride in tryin' to do the things he can't do. A hog don't try to -fly, nor a butterfly don't try to play the cornet, nor a cow don't set -an' fret because she can't climb trees like a squirrel; but not so -with man: he has to try everything 'at anything else ever tried, an' -he don't care what it costs nor who gets killed in the attempt. -Sometimes you hear a wise guy say: "No, no that's contrary to human -nature." This is so simple minded it allus makes me silent. Human -nature is so blame contrary, itself, that nothin' else could possibly -be contrary to it. To think of Horace knowin' about the Friar, an' yet -doggin' me all over the map with that song of his, was enough to make -me shake him; but I didn't. I wanted the story, so I pumped him for -it, patient an' persistent. - -"I never was very religious," began Horace. Most people begin stories -about other people, by tellin' you a lot about themselves, so I had my -resignation braced for this. "I allus liked the Greek religion better -'n airy other," he went on. "It was a fine, free, joyous religion, -founded on Art an' music, an' symmetry--" - -I was willin' to stand for his own biography; but after waitin' this -long for a clue to the Friar's past, I wasn't resigned to hearin' a -joint debate on the different religions; so I interrupted, by askin' -if him believin' in the Greek religion was what had made Friar Tuck -throw up his job. - -"No, you chump,"--me an' Horace was such good friends by this time -that we didn't have any regard for one another's feelin's. "No, you -chump," he sez, "I told you he quit on account of a girl. I don't look -like a girl, do I?" - -"Well," sez I, studying him sober, "those side-burns look as if they -might 'a' been bangs which had lost their holt in front an' slipped -down to your lip; but aside from this you don't resemble a girl enough -to drive a man out o' church." - -I allus had better luck with Horace after I'd spurred him up a bit. - -"You see, Friar Tuck, as you call him, was a good deal of a fanatic, -those days," sez Horace, after he'd thrown a stone at me. "He took his -religion serious, an' wanted to transform the world into what it would -be if all people tried their best to live actual Christ-like lives. He -was a big country boy, fresh from college, an' full of ideals, an' -feelin' strong enough to hammer things out accordin' to the pattern he -had chose. - -"It was his voice which got him his place. He had a perfectly -marvelous voice, an' I never heard any one else read the service like -he did. This was what took me to church, and I'd have gone as long as -he stayed. You see, Happy, life is really made up of sensations an' -emotions; and it used to lift me into the clouds to see his shinin' -youth robed in white, an' hear that wonderful voice of his fillin' the -great, soft-lighted church with melody an' mystery. It was all I asked -of religion an' it filled me with peace an' inspiration. Of course, -from a philosophical standpoint, the Greek religion--" - -"Did the girl believe in the Greek religion?" I asked to switch him -back. - -"No, no," he snapped. "This Greek religion that I'm speakin' of died -out two thousand years ago." - -"Then let's let it rest in peace," sez I, "an' go on with your story." - -"You understand that this was a fashionable church," sez Horace. "They -was willin' to pay any sum for music an' fine readin' an' all that; -but they wasn't minded to carry out young Carmichaels plan in the -matter of Christianizin' the world. They was respectable, an' they -insisted that all who joined in with 'em must be respectable, too; -while he discovered that a lot o' the most persistent sinners wasn't -respectable at all. His theory was, that religion was for the vulgar -sinners, full as much as for the respectable ones; so he made a -round-up an' wrangled in as choice a lot o' sinners as a body ever -saw; but his bosses wouldn't stand for his corralin' 'em up in that -fashionable church. - -"He stood out for the sinners; an' finally they compromised by gettin' -him a little chapel in the slums, an' lettin' him go as far as he -liked with the tough sinners down there through the week; but readin' -the service on Sundays to the respectable sinners in the big church. -This plan worked smooth as ice, until they felt the need of a soprano -singer who could scrape a little harder again' the ceilin' than the -one they already had. Then Carmichael told 'em that he had discovered -a girl with a phe-nominal voice, an' had been teachin' her music for -some time. He brought her up an' gave her a trial--" - -"An' she was the girl, huh?" I interrupted. - -"She had a wonderful voice, all right," sez Horace, not heedin' me; -"but she wasn't as well trained as that church demanded; so they hired -her for twenty-five dollars a Sunday on the condition that she take -lessons from a professor who charged ten dollars an hour. She was -game, though, an' took the job, an' made good with it, too, improvin' -right along until it was discovered that she was singin' weeknights in -a cafe, from six to eight in the evenin', an' from ten to twelve at -night. - -"The girl had been singin' with a screen o' flowers in front of her; -and some o' the fashionable male sinners from the big church had been -goin' there right along to hear her sing; but they couldn't work any -plan to get acquainted with her, and this made her a mystery, and drew -'em in crowds. Finally, as her voice got better with the trainin', -critics admitted 'at she could make an agreeable noise; and the common -sinners was tickled to have their judgement backed up, so they began -to brag about it. The result o' this was, that one ol' weasel had to -swaller his extra-work-at-the-office excuse, and take his own wife to -hear the singer. Then the jig was up. The woman recognized the voice -first pop; and within a week it was known that Carmichael had been -goin' home with her every night. - -"Now, you may be so simple-minded that you don't know it; but really, -this was a perfectly scandalous state of affairs, and the whole -congregation began to buzz like a swarm of angry bees. Carmichael was -as handsome a young feller as was ever seen; but he had never taken -kindly to afternoon teas and such-like functions, which is supposed to -be part of a curate's duties; so now, when they found he had been -goin' home nights with a girl 'at sang in a cafe it like to have -started an epidemic of hysteria. - -"They found that the girl lived in a poor part o' the town, and -supported her mother who was sickly, that they were strangers to the -city, and also not minded to furnish much in the way o' past history. -They insisted upon her givin' up the cafe-singin' at once; and from -what I've heard, they turned up their noses when they said it. - -"Carmichael pointed out that she was givin' up twenty a week for -lessons which they had insisted upon; and asked 'em if they were sure -a girl could be any more, respectable, supportin' a sickly mother on -five a week, than if she added fifteen to it by singin' in a cafe. He -got right uppish about it and said right out that he couldn't see -where it was one bit more hellish for her to sing at the cafe than for -other Christians to pay for a chance to listen to her. - -"This tangled 'em up in their own ropes consid'able; but what finally -settled it was, 'at their richest member up and died, and they simply -had to have a sky-scrapin' soprano to start him off in good style; so -they gave her twenty a week and paid for her lessons. The cafe people -soon found what a card she'd been and they offered her fifty a week; -but she was game and stuck to the agreement." - -"How did you find out all this, Horace?" I asked. - -"A friend o' mine belonged to the vestry," sez Horace; "and he kept me -posted to the minute. This was his first term at it, and it was his -last; but he was a lucky cuss to get the chance just when he did. I -have since won him over to see the beauty o' the Greek religion." - -"What became o' the girl?" sez I with some impatience, for I didn't -care as much as a single cuss-word for the Greek religion. - -"Carmichael was a gentle spoken young feller," sez Horace, "but for -all that, he wasn't a doormat by inheritance nor choice, and he kept -on payin' attention to the girl, and got her to sing at his annex in -the slums. Night after night he filled the place with the best -assortment o' last-chance sinners 'at that locality could furnish; and -he an' the girl an' the sinners all pitched in and offered up song -music to make the stars rock; but St. Holiernthou wasn't the sort of a -parish to sit back and let a slum outfit put over as swell a line o' -melody as they were servin', themselves; so they ordered Carmichael to -cut her off his list. He tried to get 'em to hire another curate, and -let him have full swing at the annex; but they told him they'd close -it up first. - -"Next, a delegation o' brave an' inspired women took it upon 'emselves -to call on the girl. They pointed out that she was standin' in the way -o' Carmichael's career, that, under good conditions, his advance was -certain; but that a false step at the start would ruin it all. They -went on and hinted that if it wasn't for her, he might have married an -heiress, and grow up to be one o' the leadin' ministers o' the whole -country." - -"What did she do, Horace?" sez I. - -"The girl was proud; she thanked the delegation for takin' so much -interest in her--and said that she would not detain 'em any longer; -but would think it over as careful as she could. Then she walked out -o' the room; and the delegation strutted off with their faces shinin' -like a cavey o' prosperous cats. The girl vanished, just simply -vanished. She wrote Carmichael a letter, and that was the end of it. -Some say she committed suicide, and some say she went to Europe and -became a preemie donner--a star singer--but anyway, that was the end -of her, as far as that region was concerned." - -"She was a fine girl," sez I; "though I wish that instead of slippin' -off that way, she had asked me to drown the members o' that delegation -as inconspicuous as possible. I wouldn't put on mournin', if the whole -outfit of 'em was in the same fix your confounded Greek Religion is. -What was her name, Horace?" - -"Janet Morris," sez he. - -I said it over a time or two to myself; and it seemed to fit her. "I -like that name," sez I. "Now tell me the way 'at the Friar cut loose -and tied into that vestry. I bet he made trade boom for hospitals and -undertakers." - - - - -CHAPTER FOURTEEN - -HAPPY'S NEW AMBITION - - -Ol' Tank Williams allus maintained that I had a memory like the Lord; -but this ain't so. What I do remember, I actually see in pictures, -just like I told you; but what my memory chooses to discard is as far -out o' my reach as the smoke o' last year's fire. I've worked at my -memory from the day I was weaned, not bein' enough edicated to know -'at the proper way is to put your memory in a book--and then not lose -the book. I've missed a lot through not gettin' on friendly terms with -books earlier in life; but then I've had a lot o' fun with my memory -to even things up. - -This part about the Friar, though, isn't a fair test. Horace's -vestry-man friend was what is known as a short-hand reporter. -Short-hand writin' is merely a lot o' dabs and slips which'd strain a -Chinaman; but Horace said it was as plain to read as print letters, -and as fast to write as spoke words. Hugo took it down right as it was -given; and Horace had a copy which I made him go over with me until I -had scratched it into the hardest part o' my memory; and now it is -just the same as if I had seen it with my own eyes--me knowin' every -tone in the Friar's voice, and the way his eyes shine; yes, and the -way his jaws snap off the words when he's puttin' his heart into a -thing. - -Horace sat thinkin', before he started on with his tale; and I sat -watchin' his face. It was just all I could do to make out the old -lines which had give me the creeps a few weeks before. Now, it had a -fine, solid tan, the eyes were full o' fire, and he looked as free -from nerves as a line buckskin. The Friar sez we're all just bits o' -glass through which the spirit shines; and now that I had cleaned -Horace up with my nerve treatment, the' was a right smart of spirit -shinin' out through him, and I warmed my hands at it. He simply could -not learn to roll a cigarette with one hand; but in most things, he -was as able a little chap as ever I took the kinks out of. - -"I'm sorry I didn't belong to that vestry," sez Horace, after a bit. -"When I look back at all the sportin' chances I've missed, I feel like -kickin' myself up to the North Pole and back. From now on I intend to -mix into every bloomin' jambaree 'at exposes itself to the vision of -my gaze. I'm goin' to ride an' shoot an' wrestle an' box an' gamble -an' fight, and get every last sensation I'm entitled to--but I'll -never have another chance at a vestry-meetin' like the one I'm about -to tell you of. - -"You saw how toppy Carmichael got this afternoon; so you can guess -purty close how he looked when he lined up this vestry." - -"Oh, I've seen the Friar in action," sez I; "and you can't tell me -anything about his style. All you can tell is the details. So go to -'em without wastin' any more time." - -"How comes it you call such a man as him Friar Tuck?" asked Horace, -who allus was as hard to drive as an only son burro. - -"Well, I don't approve of it," sez I, "and I kicked about it to the -Friar; but he only laughed, and said 'at one name was as good as -another. A bettin' barber over at Boggs give it to him for admonishin' -a gambler from Cheyenne." - -"Was he severe?" asked Horace. - -"Depends on how you look at it," sez I. "He took a club away from the -gambler an' spanked him with it; but he didn't injure him a mite." - -"Humph," sez Horace, "I guess the name won't rust much while it's in -his keepin'. He took other methods at this vestry meetin', though I -don't say they were any more befittin'. Hugo--such was the name of my -friend--said it was the quietest, but the most dramatic thing he ever -saw. - -"They started in by treatin' him like the boy he was, gave him a lot -o' copy-book advice, especially as to the value o' patience, how that -Paul was to do the plantin', Appolinaris, the waterin'; but that the -size an' time o' the harvest depended on the Lord, Himself; and that -it was vanity to think 'at a young boy just out o' college could rush -things through the way he was tryin' to. - -"The' was a hurt look about Carmichael's eyes; but the hurt had come -from the letter, not from them, so he sat quiet and smiled down at 'em -in a sort of super-human calmness. They thought he was bluffed -speechless, so they girded up their loins, an' tied into him a little -harder, tellin' him that his conduct in walkin' home nights with a -cafe-singer was little short of immoral, although they wouldn't make -no pointed charge again' the woman herself. Then they wound up by -sayin' 'at they feared he was too young to spend so much time amid the -environs o' sin, and that they would put an older man in charge o' the -annex, and this would leave him free to attend strictly to cu-ratin'. - -"When they had spoke their piece, they were all beamin' with the -upliftin' effect of it; and they settled back with beautiful smiles o' -satisfaction to listen to Carmichael's thanks and repentance. He sat -there smilin' too--not smilin' the brand o' smiles 'at they were, but -still smilin'. It would strain a dictionary to tell all there is in -some smiles. - -"Presently he rose up, swept his eyes over 'em for a time, and said in -a low tone: 'Then I am to understand that I am to follow in the -Master's footsteps only as far as personal chastity goes?' said he. -'That I may respectably pity the weak and sinful from a distance; but -must not dismount from my exalted pedestal to take 'em by the hand an' -lift 'em up--Is that what you mean?' sez he. - -"They still thought he was whipped, so one of 'em pulled a little -sarcasm on him: 'Takin' the weak an' sinful by the hand an' liftin' -'em up is all right,' said he; 'but it's not necessary to go home with -'em after midnight.' - -"Carmichael bit his lips; he tried to hold himself down, he honestly -tried for some time; but he wasn't quite able. His hands trembled an' -his lip trembled while he was fightin' himself; but when he kicked off -his hobbles an' sailed into 'em, his tremblin' stopped an' the words -shot forth, clear an' hot an' bitish. Hugo sat back in a corner durin' -this meetin', without speakin' a single word; and he was glad of it. -It saved him from gettin' his feelin's kicked into flinders about him, -an' interferin' with the view; and it gave him a chance to take his -notes. - -"'As a matter o' faith,' said Carmichael, 'we believe that Jesus never -sinned; but we cannot know this as a matter of fact. Yet we can know, -and we do know, as a matter of history, that He mingled an' had -fellowship with the fallen, the sinful, the outcast, and the -disreputable. With these He lived, and with these and for these He -left the power and the life and the glory of His religion--and you say -that I must live in a glass case, may only look in holy dignity down -at the weak and sinful; but that I mustn't go home with 'em after -midnight. With God, a thousand years is but as a day--and yet it would -be wrong for me to be in a sinner's company after midnight!' - -"Carmichael paused here to give 'em a comeback at him; but their -mouths were dry, and they only hemmed an' hawed. 'Every Sunday, in the -service of this refined an' respectable church, hunderds of you admit -that you have no health because of your sins--and yet, because of my -youth, you say I must remain with you where sin is robed in silk and -broadcloth, and not risk my soul where sin is robed in rags.' - -"He paused again, and this time his eyes began to shoot -jerk-lightning, an' when he started to speak his deep voice shook the -room like the low notes of a big organ. 'No,' he said, 'I am not -content to walk with the Lord, only on the day of His triumph--The -very ones who strewed the pathway of His majesty with palms, and -filled the air with hosaners, deserted Him at the cross--but I must -walk with Him every step of the way. I do not pray that my earthly -garments be spotless, I do not pray that my sandals be unworn an' free -from mud; but I do pray that when I stand on my own Calvery I may -stand with those who bear crosses, not with those who have spent their -lives in learnin' to wear crowns.' - -"Carmichael had discarded that entire vestry by this time, and he -didn't care a blue-bottle fly what they thought of him. He towered -above them with his face shinin', and his voice rolled down over 'em -like a Norther sweepin' through the hills. 'Many there were,' he went -on, 'who cried to Him, Lord, Lord; but after the tomb was sealed, it -was the Magdalene whose faith never faltered, it was to her He first -appeared; and on the final resurrection morning, I hope the lesser -Magdalenes of all the ages, and from all the nasty corners of the -world into which man's greed has crowded 'em, will know that I am -their brother, and, save for a lovin' hand at the right moment, one of -them to the last sordid detail.' - -"Carmichael stopped after this, and the room was so quiet you could -hear the consciences o' that vestry floppin' up and down again' their -pocketbooks. When he began again his voice was soft, an' the -bitterness had given way to sadness. 'The old way was best, after -all,' he said. 'When you pay a priest a salary, you hire him and he -becomes your servant. The custom is, for masters to dictate to their -servants; it is an old, old custom, and hard to break. I think I could -suit you; but I do not think I shall try. The roots of my own life -lead back to the gutter, and through these roots shall I draw strength -to lift others from the gutter. I do not value my voice as a means to -amuse those already weary of amusement: I look upon it as a tool to -help clean up the world. You are already so clean that you fear I may -defile you by contagion. You do not need me; and with all your careful -business methods, you have not money enough to hire me. - -"'What you need here, is a diplomat; while I yearn to be on the firm' -line. I care little for the etiquette of religion, I want to get down -where the fightin' is fierce an' primitive--so I hereby resign. - -"'This girl whom you have driven out of my life, needs no defence from -me or any man. I have known her since she was a little child; poverty -was her lot, and self-sacrifice has become her second nature. We are -forbidden to judge; so I judge neither her nor you; but I will say -that often I have stood silent before the beauty of her character, and -often my face has burned at the tainted money you have put on the -plate. Part of this money comes from the rental of dives. I have seen -the dives themselves, I have seen their fearful product; and I cannot -believe that profit wrung from a helpless slave can find its way to -God--even on the contribution plate. - -"'I love the music an' the service an' the vestments o' this church; -and I hope I need not give them up; but my heart is in rebellion, and -from this time on I take the full responsibility of my acts. I shall -not choose my path; but will go as the spirit moves me; and if ever I -find one single spot which seems too dark for the Light of the world -to enter, then shall the soul in me shrivel and die, and I shall -become a beast, howling in the jungle.'" - -Horace said that after the Friar had left the room, those vestry -fellers sat in a sort of daze for some time, and then got up an' -sneaked out one at a time, lookin' exceeding thoughtful; while Hugo -had hustled around to his room to read off his notes. - -We sat there on the hill until dark, me tryin' to pump him for more -details, but he didn't have 'em. He said the Friar had started to work -in the slums; but was soon lost sight of, and the first he had heard -of him for years was when he had come up the pass, singin' his -marchin' song. Course, I'd liked it some better if the Friar had -knocked their heads together; but still, takin' his eyes an' voice -into consideration, it must 'a' been a fine sight; and if ever I get -the chance, I'm goin' to take on as a vestry-man, myself, for at least -one term. - - - - -CHAPTER FIFTEEN - -TENDER FEELINGS - - -Me an' Horace was regular chums after this. I had got to likin' him -after he had showed up good stuff under treatment; but I never took -him serious until he got enthusiastic about Friar Tuck. This proved -him to have desirable qualities and made him altogether worth while. A -man never gets too old to dote on flattery; but the older he gets the -more particular he is about its quality. It's just like tobacco an' -pie an' whiskey an' such things: we start out hungry for 'em an' take -a lot o' trouble to get 'em in quantity; but after a time we'd sooner -go without altogether than not to have a superior article; an' it's -just the same way with flattery. - -I took Horace into my most thoughtful moods as soon as I found out -that he was as sound as a nut at heart, an' that it wasn't altogether -his fault that he had been a pest to me at first. The human mind is -like new land, some of it's rich an' some poor. Facts is like manure, -idees is like seed, an' education is like spadin' up an' hoein' an' -rakin'. Rich soil is bound to raise somethin', even if it's nothin' -but weeds; but poor soil needs special care, or it won't even raise -weeds. Now, manure can be put on so thick it will turn ground sour, -an' seeds can be sowed so thick they will choke each other, an' a -green hand will sometimes hoe up the vegetables an' cultivate the -weeds; but the soil ain't to blame for this. - -Poor Horace's mind had been bungled to an infernal degree; an' it kept -me busy rootin' up sprouts o' Greek religion. I'd have stood this -better if the Greek gods an' godduses had had Christian names; 'cause -I own up 'at some o' his tales of 'em was interestin'; but I couldn't -keep track of 'em, an' so I made him discard 'em in his conversations -with me; an' the way he flattered me was, to reform himself accordin' -to what I demanded. - -I was teachin' him how to shoot, an' he was enjoyin' it a lot. He had -plenty o' money, and took pleasure in spendin' it. This was good, -'cause it costs a lot o' money to become a good shot. I'm glad I don't -know what it cost me to learn how to shoot a man through both ears -after doin' the double reverse roll. I never had but one fit chance to -use this, an' then I shot Frenchy through his ears without rememberin' -to use the roll. I allus felt bad about this, 'cause I had a good -audience, an' nothin' saves a man from the necessity o' shootin' his -fellows, so much as havin' it well advertised that he is thoroughly -qualified to do it in proper style. I kept up my own practicin' while -teachin' Horace, an' we had right sociable times. - -He could throw up a tin can with his left hand, pull his gun and, -about once out o' ten shots, hit the can before it fell; which is -purty fair shootin'; but he was beginnin' to suspect that he was a -regular gun-man; which is a dangerous idee for any one to get into his -head. I tried to weight down his head a little to keep him sensible, -but instead o' thankin' me he went off with Tank, who shot up a lot of -his cartridges at target practice; and in return, puffed up the -top-heavy opinion Horace already had of himself. - -He took Horace down to a warm canyon where the' was a lot o' -rattlesnakes, claimin' it was necessary to test him out an' see if he -had nerve on a livin' creature. He shot off the heads o' three snakes, -hand-runnin', an' it nearly broke his hatband. - -When he told me about it, I let him know 'at Tank was only workin' -him. "A rattlesnake will strike at a flash, Horace," sez I; "an' it -was the snake's eyes which were accurate, not yours." This cut him up -an' made him a little offish with me for a few days, until he found I -had told him the truth. Ol' Tank Williams wasn't no fancy shot; but -I'd rather have tackled Horace with a gun, cocked in his hand, than -ol' Tank, with his gun asleep in its holster. - -After Horace had made the test of shootin' at dead snakes an' had -found that he couldn't pop off three heads hand-runnin', he simmered -down a little an' paid more heed to what I told him; but after I had -proved that I told him straighter stuff 'n Tank did, I decided it -would be necessary to punish him a little. I didn't get downright cold -with him, because I didn't want to exaggerate his vanity any more 'n -it already was; but I made it a point to do my loafin' with Spider -Kelley. Horace was crazy to go bear-huntin'; but I didn't seem -interested, an' I recommended ol' Tank Williams as bein' some the best -bear-hunter the' was in existence. I wasn't jealous of Horace goin' -off shootin' with Tank; but still if a feller chooses to dispense with -my company, I allus like to show him 'at I can stand it as long as he -can. - -Quite a string o' years had slipped away since the bettin' barber o' -Boggs had strung ol' man Dort; so I reminded Spider 'at we had agreed -to help even that up sometime; and Spider, he said he was ready to do -his part, whatever it happened to be; so we planned idees out among -ourselves, while Horace hung around lookin' wishful. - -We had never given it away about the woodchuck not bein' a regular -squirrel; so the boys still used to congregate together purty often at -ol' man Dort's to marvel at the way Columbus had filled out an' took -on flesh. He had got rough an' blotchy soon after he had won the -contest from Ben Butler, the red squirrel, an' it was plain to all -that Eugene had done some high-toned barberin' on him before the day -o' the show. - -Ol' man Dort didn't have no affection for Columbus--fact is, he sort -o' hated him for bein' bigger 'n Ben Butler; but he kept him fat an' -fit so as to be ready to enter in a contest the minute any feller came -along with a squirrel he thought was big enough to back up with a bet. -The trouble was, that mighty few fellers out that way owned any -squirrels, an' as the years dragged by without him gettin' any pastime -out o' Columbus, ol' man Dort's affection for him grew thinner an' -thinner. Some o' the boys discovered him to be a woodchuck; but no one -told of it for fear the old man would slaughter Eugene. - -The old man kept on gettin' barbered, so as to have the chance o' -clashin' with Eugene about every subject which came up; but finally he -got so he could be shaved in a decent, orderly manner without havin' -his head tied down to the rest. Him an' Eugene was the most -antagonistic fellers I ever met up with; but it was a long time before -me an' Spider could think up a way to get 'em fairly at it again. - -One day Spider came ridin' in from Danders, bubblin' over with -excitement, and yells out--"Pete Peabody's got a freak guinea-pig." - -"That's glorious news," sez I. "Let's get all the boys together an' -hold a celebration." - -"I guess a freak guinea-pig's as worthy o' bein' commented on as airy -other kind of freak," sez Spider, stridin' off to the corral, purty -well pouted up. - -He hadn't more 'n reached it before an idee reached me, an' I ran -after him. "What is the' freakish about this guinea-pig, Spider?" sez -I. - -"He's got a tail," snapped Spider. - -"Ain't they all got tails?" sez I. - -"You know they ain't," he sez. "You remember what that feller from the -East said last spring--if you hold up a guinea-pig by the tail, his -eyes fall out, an' then when we didn't believe it, he told us they -didn't have no tails. Pete sez that this guinea-pig is the only one in -the world what has a tail." - -"Do you reckon he'd sell it?" - -"He'd sell the hair off his head," sez Spider. - -"Well, you go back there an'--But say, has Pete got any others?" - -"He had ten when I left, an' no knowin' how many he's got by this -time. Pete sez 'at guinea-pigs is the prolificest things the' is," sez -Spider. - -"You buy three of 'em, Spider," sez I; "a male one an' a female one, -an' this here freak." - -"What do I want with 'em?" sez Spider. - -"I'll pay half, an' show you how to make money out of 'em," sez I. - -"I don't want to tinker with no such cattle as them," sez Spider. - -"You get a fresh pony, an' it won't take you no time at all," sez I. - -So Spider got the pony an' went off grumblin'. When he brought 'em -back he had 'em in a small box an' they certainly was curious lookin' -insects. "I paid four bits apiece for the male an' the female," sez -Spider, "an' twenty-five real dollars for the freak." - -"If that's the way prices run," sez I, "it ain't no wonder that -guinea-pigs what are ambitious to be popular, are willin' to give up -the luxury o' tails." - -"Now then, what in thunder are we goin' to do with 'em?" sez Spider. - -"Get a fresh pony," sez I, "an' we'll go on over to Boggs." - -"You go to the equator!" yells Spider. "I ain't had no sleep for a -week." - -"Sleep," sez I, "what's the use o' botherin' about sleep? You keep on -losin' your strength this way, an' in about a year they'll be -trundlin' you around in a baby cart. All right then, you stay home an' -be company for the freak. We'll hide him up in the attic so the rats -can't get him." - -"Oh I could stand it to go without sleep, if I saw any sense in it," -sez Spider; "but hanged if I'm goin' to ride my bones through my skin -just to please you." - -"Suit yourself," sez I. "We'll put the freak in the tin cake-box an' -punch a few holes in it to give him air. I'll do that while you're -makin' up your mind about goin' along to Boggs." - -"What you goin' to do with the male an' the female?" sez Spider as I -started away. - -"I'm goin' to sell 'em to Eugene," I calls back over my shoulder, an' -then I knew I'd have company. - -"I thought you was goin' to Boggs," sez Spider as soon as we had -settled into a travelin' trot. I allus find that I get along easier -with people if I just leave 'em one or two items to puzzle over. - -"Webb Station is closer," sez I; "an' if this deal causes any hard -feelin' it will be just as well not to be mixed up in it ourselves." - -"I thought you was goin' to sell these to Eugene?" sez Spider. - -"If you'd just go to sleep, Spider," sez I, "it would save your brain -the trouble o' thinkin' up a lot o' thoughts which ain't no use -anyhow. I'm goin' to let Shorty take 'em over this evenin' an' sell -'em to Eugene." - -"How do you know he wants 'em?" - -"'Cause I know Eugene," sez I. "I'll fix up Shorty's tale for him." - -Well, we explained to Shorty the bettin' principle of guinea-pigs, an' -gave him the pigs, tellin' him he could have all he won from Eugene on -the first bet; but to then sell 'em to Eugene without lettin' any o' -the other fellers know anything about it, an' to make Eugene think -that he had picked 'em up from a train passenger, not from us. - -Shorty said that he'd go over that afternoon as soon as the passenger -had gone--Shorty was the telegraph operator--so Spider an' I came -back, he sleepin' all the way. - -"Where do we come in on this deal?" sez Spider next day. - -"We'll give Eugene a chance to cut their hair a new way, an' then -we'll go over to Boggs an' line things up." - -"I'm beginnin' to see how it could be worked out," sez Spider, -grinnin'. - -In about a week we went over to Boggs, an' found the town purty well -deserted. We dropped into ol' man Dort's to compliment Columbus some -an' sympathize with Ben Butler a little, while tryin' to hear if -Eugene had made his play yet. The ol' man was gloatin' over the fact -that Eugene wasn't havin' much trade, but he didn't mention anything -about guinea-pigs. - -"You don't seem rushed, yourself," sez I. - -"Course I ain't," he flares back. "Most o' the fellers are still -roundin' up, an' the rest are out huntin' for Red Erickson." - -"Red been gettin' thoughtless again?" sez I. Red Erickson was a big -Dane who had the habit o' runnin off stock an' shootin' any one who -disagreed with him. - -The ol' man merely pointed to a paper pinned up on the wall offerin' -fifteen hundred dollars for Red, dead or alive. He hadn't been -operatin' on Diamond Dot stuff, so we hadn't paid much heed to him. - -We strolled on over to Eugene's an' found him sittin' down an' talkin' -about the peculiar custom o' guinea-pigs; so we knew that he had -swallered the bait; but he didn't offer to bet with us. - -Then we went back an' asked ol' man Dort if he believed that a -guinea-pig's eyes would fall out if he was held up by the tail. - -"It's all rot!" sez the ol' man, indignant. "Any one who sez such -nonsense never studied the way eyes is fastened in. The tail ain't got -nothin' to do with it." - -"What kind o' tails has guinea-pigs got?" sez I. - -"Why they got--?" sez the ol' man, an' then stopped an' looked blank. -"What kind o' tails have they got?" - -"They haven't got any," sez I. "Now listen; would you be willin' to -risk a little money to even up with Eugene?" - -"I'd risk every thing I got, down to my very hide," sez the ol' man, -earnest to a degree. - -"Well, then, you play careful an' we'll provide you with the cards," -sez I. "Eugene has some guinea-pigs, an' he is plannin' to string you -on a bet. You come right along just as though you was as ignorant as -you look, have a day fixed to decide the bet, let us know, an' for the -small sum of fifty dollars we'll provide you with a guinea-pig which -has a tail." - -"I'll make a pauper out of him," sez the ol' man. "I haven't had a -chance to get a bet on Columbus since I owned him." - -"You just land Eugene," sez I, "an' that'll be sport enough for one -while." - -"I got shaved twice to-day," sez the ol' man feelin' his chin, "'cause -we got into a discussion about comets; but I reckon I can stand -another to-morrow." - -The next day the old man asked Eugene what all kind o' game grew in -Africa. "Elephants, hippopotamusses an' guinea-pigs," sez Eugene. - -"Guinea-pigs?" sez the ol' man. - -"Yes, they're the most curious animals the' is in existence," sez -Eugene. - -"How big are they?" asked ol' man Dort. He hadn't an idea in the -world, an' was beginnin' to think that if they sized up with elephants -an' hippopotamusses, he didn't want to have to lift one by the tail to -win his bet. - -"They ain't any bigger 'n young rabbits," sez Eugene, stroppin' his -razor; "but the curious part of 'em is that if you hold up one by the -tail, his eyes'll drop out." - -"I'll bet a hundred dollars they wouldn't do it," sez the ol' man. - -"That's a safe enough bet," sez Eugene, calm an' easy. "They're worth -all the way up to five hundred dollars a pair, an' it ain't likely -that a man would invest that amount in something, just to win a -hundred-dollar bet." - -They sparred back an' forth for a couple o' days until finally Eugene -bet nine hundred in cash--all he had in the world--an' his shop an' -fixin's, again' eleven hundred dollars, that the old man couldn't lift -a guinea-pig by the tail without his eyes fallin' out. If the ol' man -didn't lift one by the tail, he lost the bet. They set the date for a -week ahead, an' the ol' man bet Eugene three hundred dollars that he'd -win the bet, takin' Eugene's promissory agreement for his end of it. - -We brought in the freak the day before the contest an' the ol' man's -eyes lit up when he see the tail. It wasn't much of a tail at that; -but it was a sure enough tail an' plenty long enough to lift him by, -an' strong enough too, an' the' was regular bones in it, just like any -tail. - -The' was only a fair sized crowd of us on hand to see the test; but -Eugene went through all the preliminaries, an' then took the cover off -his box an' pointed to the guinea-pigs. He had shaved the parts of 'em -where tails naturally belong, an' when the boys see that they didn't -have no tails, they howled with laughter an' began to hoot ol' man -Dort; an' Eugene confided to 'em the plans he had for spendin' the -money he'd won. - -Ol' man Dort, he walked calmly up to the box, examined the -guinea-pigs, an' sez: "These here is not the full-blooded guinea-pigs. -The full-blooded ones live in a mountainous? country an' use their -tails to steer with when they jump from rock to rock; while this kind -live in swamps an' the young alligators keep on eatin' off their tails -until they don't have any. I'll go get a thoroughbred an' do my -liftin' on him." - -Well this set 'em back a good ways; an' as the ol' man was walkin' off -to get his own speciment, a good many bets was put up, but Eugene -didn't take any. - -Purty soon, back come the ol' man; an' hanged if he hadn't clipped the -hair off o' his one's tail too. He reached in his hand an' stroked the -long-faced little duffer, an' sez: "Gently, George the Third, gently." -Then he put on an anxious look an' picked up the guinea-pig by the -tail, holdin' his other hand underneath to catch any eyes what -happened to spill out. They didn't none drop out, an' the crowd give a -cheer; but Eugene was all in. - -He was a bad loser was Eugene, an' he didn't join in the festivities -any. He just took up his two guineas an' went back to his shop, while -the rest of us celebrated a few. After a time me an' Spider went to -console with him a little. He was so infernally down in the mouth that -I began to get a little conscience-struck. Eugene said he had been -savin' up his money to pay off the mortgage on his birthplace; an' he -made a purty sad story out of it. Fact was, that he made so sad a -story out of it that I decided to get him back his tools and give him -a new start. - - - - -CHAPTER SIXTEEN - -THEMIS IN THE ROCKIES - - -"How much money you got, Spider?" I sez. - -"I reckon I got sixty dollars," sez Spider. - -"I don't mean just what you got with ya, I mean how much cash do you -possess in the world." - -"I suppose I could raise a hundred an' fifteen," sez Spider, after -thinkin' a while. "What do you want to know for?" - -"We got to give Eugene a start," sez I. - -Spider looked at me until he saw I was in earnest, an' then he talked -out loud. "What's the matter with you?" he yells. "We haven't adopted -Eugene, have we? Why-for do we have to give him a start? Didn't he -lose at his own game. Great Snakes! You make me tired!" - -"That was a low-down trick we played," sez I. - -"It wasn't no lower down 'n him ringin' in a woodchuck on the old man; -and all we did it for was to square things up." - -"Yes," sez I; "but it took us some several years to square it up, and -I don't intend to have Eugene's moanful voice surgin' through my ears -until I'm able to think up a come-back for him. I'm goin' to give him -a start, and if you don't feel like riskin' your money, I'll do it -alone." - -"Do you mean 'at you're just goin' to pay over the price of his tools, -an' let it go at that?" sez Spider. - -"That wouldn't be any fun," sez I. "I'm goin' to get the tools; but I -intend to get 'em for as little expense as possible, and if I can have -a little fun out of it, I don't intend to pass it up." - -Spider studied it over a while. "Well, I'll risk fifty," he sez after -a bit; so we went back to Eugene's. - -"Would you be willin' to do a stunt to get back your tools?" sez I. - -He raised a pair o' weepy eyes to me an' sez: "Aw, the' ain't no show. -I've a good mind to kill myself." - -"Please don't do that," sez Spider, who never could stand a bad loser. -"When you lose your money, you allus stand a chance to win more money; -but when you lose your life, why, the' ain't nothin' left except to go -up an' find out what reward it earned for you." - -"Aw hell," muttered Eugene. - -"Ye-es," agreed Spider, talkin' through his nose, like a missionary -preacher, "I reckon that is about what you'd draw, if you was to cash -in now; but if you stick around an' do your duty, you run the risk o' -havin' better luck later on." - -After Spider had insulted Eugene until he began to sass back a little, -I broke in and sez that if Eugene will agree to do what I tell him, -I'll agree to get him back his outfit; so then he wants to know what I -have in mind. - -"Are you willin' to disguise yourself as a genuwine mountain trapper?" -sez I. - -When I sez this, Spider exploded a laugh which would 'a' hurt the -feelin's of a sheep, and Eugene tied into us as wordy as a fox -terrier; but I soothed him down an' told him I was in earnest. "I'm -willin' to do most anything to get my tools back," sez Eugene; "but I -don't see how I can make myself look like a genuwine trapper." - -"Have you got any false wigs and beards?" sez I. - -"No, I haven't," sez he; "but I saved up the stuff I reaped off o' ol' -man Dort, and I reckon I could make some." - -"The very thing!" sez I. "You fix up a rig that'll make you look to be -a hundred years old; and we'll hunt up clothes for ya. All you'll have -to do will be to guide a green Eastener out to shoot a bear, and we'll -have the bear and everything ready for ya." - -"No, ya don't," sez Eugene. "I don't fool around no bears." - -"I thought you was tired o' life," sez Spider. - -"Well, I'm not so tired of it that I'm willin' to have it squeezed out -o' me by a bear," sez Eugene. - -"This won't be a real bear," sez I; "and anyhow, they'll be a ravine -between you and it. You claimed once to be a show actor, and all -you'll have to do will be to pertend 'at you're actin'." - -"I once was a genuwine amateur actor," sez Eugene, "and if you'll make -it clear to me that there ain't no danger, I'll take the job." - -Then I explained just what he had to do; and after this me an' Spider, -who was now keen for the outcome, went around to dicker with ol' man -Dort. He was bumpin' around among the clouds, so we didn't have any -trouble in buyin' back Eugene's stuff on time. When I asked him what -he'd charge for Columbus, the woodchuck, he gave a snort, and said -he'd throw him in for good measure; so I told him to just keep him out -o' sight for a few days, and we started back to Eugene's. - -"What do you want with that dog-gone woodchuck?" asked Spider. - -"I want him to take the part of a grizzly bear," sez I. - -Spider stopped an' looked at me. "This is goin' too far," sez he. -"It's bad enough to try to fool some one into believin' 'at Eugene's a -genuwine trapper; but you couldn't make a rag doll believe 'at -Columbus was a grizzly bear." - -"You go borrow that squaw dress from Ike Spargle, an' then we'll see -how much like a trapper Eugene'll look," sez I. - -I went on an' found 'at Eugene had done a master job o' wig makin', -even fixin' false eyebrows, an' when he put on ol' man Dort's -hair-crop he locked older 'n the human race. As soon as Spider came in -with the squaw dress, we put it on Eugene; and while he didn't look -like anything I'd ever seen before, he looked more like the first man -'at ever started trappin' than like anything else, an' Spider Kelley -nearly had a convulsion. - -We bunked with Eugene that night; but he kept us awake bemoanin' his -cruel fate until Spider threatened to drown him head first in a bucket -o' water and after that we had a little go at slumberin'. I routed 'em -out about two an' drilled 'em up to the high ground above Spear Crick, -where we waited until sun-up. Eugene was wearin' his trapper riggin', -and in the starlight, he sure was a ghastly sight. - -Just across from us on the other side o' the crick was Sholte's Knoll, -and when the sun rose, I lined us up to be just in a direct line with -it across the knoll. Both Eugene, and Spider bothered me with -questions and discouragin' kicks; but I felt purty sure my scheme -would work, and only told 'em what was really for their good. - -The crick ran south in a gorge, and just below us it ran into Rock -River, which came from the east and made a sharp turn to the south -just where Spear Crick ran into it. After the sun was up, we climbed -down a circlin' trail until we came to Rock River. Eugene refused to -try to ford it; but Spider and I went across and up to Ivan's Knoll. -Rock River was bigger than Spear Crick, and Ivan's Knoll was bigger -than Sholte's Knoll; but not one tenderfoot in a million could have -told 'em apart, and Spider got gleeful at the plan--except that he -kept at me to know who I was tryin' to land. Back of Ivan's Knoll was -a round hole about ten feet across, called the Bottomless Pit, because -the' was no bottom to it. After examinin' this place, we went on and -crossed Rock River again until we came out at Sholte's Knoll across -from where the shootin' was to be done. - -"What you are to do, Spider," sez I, "is to be at this place before -dawn with Columbus tied by a stout cord. Tie him to the rock at the -south end of the knoll by a weak cord, then pass your stout cord up -over that jag o' rock at the top, and just as soon as the sun hits the -knoll, pull hard enough to break the weak cord, lead him gently up the -slope until he has been shot at several times, then--" - -"Is Eugene, that genuwine, ancient trapper goin' to do the shootin'?" -interrupted Spider. - -"He is not," sez I. "If Columbus gets shot, all you'll have to do will -be to wind around to Boggs and meet me there. If he don't get shot, -you can either turn him adrift, kill him yourself, or pack him back to -ol' man Dort's, accordin' to the dictates o' your own conscience. I'll -bring the party 'at does the shootin' up to Ivan's Knoll, an' make him -think the bear has fallen down the Bottomless Pit after he was shot." - -"Happy," sez Spider, "hanged if I believe it'll go through; and I -won't be a sucker unless you tell me who is to do the shootin'." - -"Horace," sez I, "Horace Walpole Bradford." - -Spider's face changed expression a half dozen times in two moments; -but he didn't have any more kicks; so we went back to Eugene, and took -him up to a deserted cabin, where he was to stay until needed. I left -him and Spider to fix up the cabin, while I went back to the Dot to -fix up Horace. Horace had a lot o' money; but it did go again' me to -make him pay for Eugene's outfit by puttin' up a practical joke on -him. Still, I felt called upon to square it up with Eugene, and this -seemed the fairest way. - -When I reached the Dot, Horace came forth to meet me; and he was so -glad to see me 'at I purt' nigh gave up the scheme; but I had gone too -far to back out now, so I acted cool, and cut him short with my -answers. - -After supper I got Tank started on bear. He saw I had something up my -sleeve, so he talked bear until Horace's mouth began to water. "I'd -give a hundred dollars, just to get a shot at a bear," sez Horace. - -"This ain't the time o' the year to hunt bear," sez I. "Food's so -common at this season that a bear spends most of his time loafin'; and -it's hard to get sight o' one. Course, if you was to go to a -professional hunter, he'd know where bears were spendin' their -vacation; but it might take a month for one of us to root one out." - -"Do you know of any professional hunters?" sez he. - -I didn't say nothin', and Tank told of some he knew several hundred -miles off. After Tank had talked himself out, I mentioned careless -like that old Pierre La Blanc was livin' less 'n twenty miles away; -but that I doubted if he'd take a bear-huntin' job. I went on to state -that he had money saved up, and it would take a sight o' coin to tempt -him. - -"I'd give five hundred dollars for a shot at a real grizzly," sez -Horace. - -"Did you ever use a rifle?" sez I. - -"Ask Tank," sez Horace. - -Tank told about Horace havin' borrowed ol' Cast Steel's -forty-five-seventy, and that he had learned to hit a mark with it in -able shape. Before we turned in that night, I had let Horace tease me -into takin' him over to Pierre's next day. - -We reached the old cabin next afternoon, and found it lookin' purty -comfortable. Eugene had soiled his hands and what part of his face -showed; and he certainly did look outlandish. He could act some, I'll -say that for him; and he pertended so natural that it took Tank a half -hour to tell who he was. He didn't talk much, but when he did he used -broken French, and he made a contract with Horace to get the five -hundred as soon as he had showed him the bear, Tank to hold the check. - -Eugene couldn't get food through his whiskers; so he said most of his -teeth were gone, and et his supper in private. After supper, I stole -down the gulch and found Spider waitin'. He promised to be on hand the -next mornin' and we turned in early. - -Next mornin' we started at three, and took up our place at the mark I -had made across from Sholte's Knoll. Horace thought it perfectly -wonderful that the old trapper would know exactly where a grizzly bear -would be at sun-up; and he chattered constant in a hushed voice. We -told him it was a full quarter across to the knoll, and he had a -regular ecstasy about how deceivin' the atmosphere was--which was rank -libel, the atmosphere bein' about the least deceivin' member o' that -party. - -Presently, I caught the smell o' dawn, and I told Horace to keep his -eyes glued on Chimney Peak, a little over twenty miles to the west. He -did so, and in about five minutes, a gob o' rich crimson splashed on -it, rippled down the sides, and poured along the foothills at the -bottom. Horace gave a gasp. You don't see such a dawn as that with -your eyes alone; you see it with somethin' inside your bosom; and when -I saw the gleam in Horace's eyes, it made me feel ashamed of what I -was up to; but I couldn't stop just for this; so I nudged Eugene, and -that hoary old trapper growled out to Horace to watch the knoll, or -he'd miss his chance. - -Horace was surprised to see the east still in a black shadow. He -started to speak words about it, but just then the sun, lookin' like -an acre of red fire, jumped up from behind Sholte's Knoll like a -sacred jack-rabbit. - -The knoll was consid'able higher than us, and just as the sun was -half-circle behind it, a gigantic form started to walk across it from -south to north. I knew, positive, that this was Columbus the -woodchuck; but it was just all I could do to believe it, myself, and -Horace thought it was the biggest silver-tip in creation. I didn't -think the woodchuck ran much risk of gettin' shot; but Horace didn't -lose his nerve a particle. He banged away, Columbus gave a lurch, took -a snap at his side, and rolled out o' sight behind the knoll, as -natural as a fried egg. - -Horace jumped up and down, hugged himself, slapped us on the back, and -almost knocked the aged trapper's fur off; but if he had, I doubt if -he would have noticed it, he was so eager to get to his first bear. - -We wound down the path, and he complained about it bein' so much -farther 'n he had expected; but I spoke a few words about the -atmosphere, and he was soothed. When we struck Rock River, he was -surprised to see how much wider it was than it looked from where he'd -shot; but he didn't falter none about goin' in; while I purt' nigh had -to twist off the seasoned trapper's arm before he'd get his feet wet. -The water was purty high, and Tank and I had our hands full gettin' -'em across. - -We climbed the trail on the other side to Ivan's Knoll. This was about -a mile south o' Sholte's Knoll, and naturally I didn't expect to find -any game on the other side of it; so you can judge my feelin's when we -got around to the other side, and saw that woodchuck's carcass, lyin' -flat on its back with its front feet folded across a piece o' paper. - -Horace saw it, too; but he wasn't interested at first, and dove all -about, lookin' for his bear. He was plumb wild; but finally he picked -up the piece o' paper, and read what was wrote on it in scrawly -letters, which I knew to be the work o' Spider Kelley: "Before I was -shot I was a grizzly bar but it made me feel so small to get shot by a -tender-foot that I have shrank to what you see befor you." - -That confounded Kelley hadn't been able to resist workin' the joke -back on me; so he had toted Columbus down from Sholte's Knoll, and -then skipped. I knew I wouldn't see him for some time--but I also knew -I wouldn't forget what was comin' to him when I did. - -Horace read the note through in silence, then he looked at the remains -of the woodchuck, then he read the note again, and his face got like a -sunset. He read the note once more, and then he leaped through the air -for that veteran trapper, and grabbed him by the beard. The beard and -wig came off in his hands, and Eugene started to flee, with Horace a -close second, kickin' the seat o' that squaw dress at every jump. -Horace was in able shape, and Eugene was flimsy; so when he tripped -and rolled over, Horace got him by the ears, and proceeded to beat his -head on a stone, the way Tank had told about doin' to the unobligin' -old miner. - -I pulled Horace off to save Eugene's life, and then Horace pulled out -a gun and tried to take my life. It took us two solid hours to cool -Horace down below the boilin' point; and then he started off alone -with his lips set and his eyebrows pulled down to the bridge of his -nose. I liked him better 'n ever. He was as game as they made 'em, and -had even forgot the check 'at ol' Tank Williams was still holdin'; but -I was honestly worried about Eugene. - -Part of it may have been due to havin' his head beat mellow on a -stone; but still he allus did lack sand when he was losin', and now he -sat tuggin' at his real hair an' swearin' he was ruined, and would -take his own life the first chance he had. It was partly my fault; so -I made Tank help me tote back Eugene's needin's from the deserted -cabin to his shop, Eugene goin' along in a stupor and repeatin' to us -constant that he intended to drink his own heart's blood. - -I sent Tank back to the Dot to see what he could do toward pacifyin' -Horace, and then I returned the squaw dress to Ike Spargle. He broke -into a side-split when I stepped into his place, and fairly deluged me -with liquor; but I wasn't in no mood for it. Ike told me 'at Spider -had gone out to the Dot to notify that he had quit temporary; and then -he was goin' out to hunt down Red Erickson for the bounty. Ike was -equally willin' to talk about bears or Red Erickson; but I wasn't -conversational, so I went back to Eugene's. - -He had his door locked, and at first refused me admittance; but -finally he let me in, and I told him I would let him have his outfit -on time. He wouldn't scarcely listen to me; so the best I could do was -to get his promise that he wouldn't slay himself inside the house, as -the boys were superstitious again' it, and would burn it down. As it -was again' my credit at ol' man Dort's, I felt more agreeable toward -payin' for a standin' house, than for just the ashes of one. - -"When I'm gone, Happy," sez Eugene, "I want you to send my watch back -to Sommersville, Connecticut. That's all I ask of ya. You've been as -near a friend to me as any one in this ungodly community has, and I -don't bear ya no ill will. If I could just have paid off that -mortgage--" - -I shook hands with him and went outside, where I settled myself -comfortable and made ready to keep watch on him until he started to -drink. I felt sure that if he'd once get to elevatin' a bottle, it -would take his mind off suicide; but he paced up and down inside his -room until I was purt' nigh out o' my own head. - -It must have been nine in the evenin' when he stole out his side door -with a forty-five under his coat; and started up the ravine which -opens west o' town, and I follered like a coyote. - -He went up it about a mile, an' then he stopped an' I flattened out -an' crept closer an' closer. I knew he would make a few remarks first, -even though he was alone, an' I judged I could wriggle up close enough -to grab him in the act. - -He fished out his gun, an' I see that he didn't savvy the use of it, -which put a little uncertainty into my end o' the game. - -"Farewell, cruel world," he muttered mournfully, usin' his gun to -gesture with. "Farewell, sweet dreams of childhood; farewell ambition -an' love an' dear tyranic duty; farewell moon an' stars an' gentle -breezes, farewell--" - -Eugene would probably have gone on sayin' farewell to each particular -thing in the world until he talked himself to sleep, but just then a -pebble slipped from the side o' the ravine and rolled to his feet, and -he stopped with a jerk an' listened. Then he straightened himself an' -sez in a determined tone: "Nobody can't prevent me. I shall end it -now." - -Before I could move, he placed the muzzle to his forehead an' fired, -rollin' over on his back. I heard a sort of cough, like when a man -hits his best with an ax, an' somethin' came plumpin' down the ravine -like an avalanche. - -I rushed up, lit a match, an' there on his back was Eugene, a small -red welt on his forehead, but looking calm and satisfied, while almost -on top of him lay a man in a heap. I straightened him out, lit another -match, an' looked at the stranger. His hair was flamin' red an' you -could have tied his red mustaches around the back of his neck. He was -shot through the forehead an' plumb dead. - -I saw how it was in a flash: Eugene had almost missed himself, but had -shot Red Erickson, who had been hidin' up the side of the ravine -behind him. I slipped Red's empty gun into his hand, emptied Eugene's -gun; an' then I tore for town, gathered up the boys an' told 'em that -Eugene had gone up the ravine bent on mischief. We got a lantern and -hurried up the ravine where Eugene was just comin' back to genuwine -consciousness again. - -He sat there with his head in his hands tryin' to cheer himself with -some o' the mournfullest moanin' ever I heard. I held the lantern to -Red's face a moment an' bawled out: "Boys, this is Red Erickson! Him -an' Eugene has been duelin', an' they have killed each other." - -This gave Eugene his cue--an' a cue was all Eugene ever needed. He -pulled himself together, took plenty o' time to get the lay o' the -land; an' then he gave us a tale o' that fight which laid over -anything I ever heard in that line. - -We carried 'em back to town, an' Eugene was a hero for true. He got -the reward all right, paid off his debts, an' kept addin' details to -that fight until it was enough to keep a feller awake nights. His -reputation picked up right along until even ol' man Dort had to admit -the' was more to Eugene than he had allowed. - -Next day when I got back to the Diamond Dot, I found Horace all packed -up for leavin'; and it made me feel mournful to the bones o' my soul. -I didn't know how much I thought of him until he started to pull out; -and I felt so ashamed at what I had done, that I offered to let him -kick me all about the place if he'd just forget about it and stick -along. - -But Horace had a stiff neck, all right, and he wouldn't give in. Tank -had had all he could do to get Horace to take the check back; and now, -try as I would, I couldn't get him to stay. I drove over to the -station with him, and we had a long talk together. He was in a good -humor when he left, and I could see he was wishful to stay; but havin' -made up his mind, he stuck to it. He said he had had more fun while -with us than durin' all the procedure of his life; and that if we had -just kept the joke among us Dotters, he wouldn't have felt so cut up -about it. I told him he had acted just right and that I had acted dead -wrong, although it was him takin' Tank's word above mine which had -first made me sore. - -This was new light to him, and he softened up immediate. Fact was, we -got purt' nigh girlish before the train pulled out with him wavin' his -handkerchief from the back porch. - -I still feel some shame about this episode; and if any o' you fellers -ask any more questions to lead me into tellin' of my own silly pranks, -why, I'll drive you off the place, and then get my lips sewed shut. - - - - -CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - -KIT MURRAY - - -Horace had left, I felt purty lonely for a while. It's hard for me to -look back and keep things in regular order; because the different -lines cross each other and get mixed up. Always, little Barbie's -affairs came first with me; but I reckon most of you have heard her -story, so I'm keepin' shy of it this time. First of all there was my -innermost life, which would have been mostly mine no matter where I'd -gone; then there was the part of my life which touched Barbie's, and -this was the best and the highest part of it; and then there was the -part which touched Friar Tuck an' a lot of others, each one of which -helped to make me what I am; but back of it all was my work; so it's -not strange if I find it hard to stick to the trail of a story. - -Anyway, it was while I was feelin' lonesome about Horace leavin' that -the Friar first began to use me as a trump card, and called on me for -whatever he happened to want done. I was mighty fond o' bein' with the -Friar; so I lent myself to him whenever I could, and we got mighty -well acquainted. He loved fun of a quiet kind; but the' was allus a -sadness in his eyes which toned down my natural devilment and softened -me. The' was lots o' things I used to enjoy doin', which I just -couldn't do after havin' been with the Friar a spell, until I had give -myself a good shakin', like a dog comin' up out o' water. - -For several quiet years about this time, I used to act as scout for -him, now and again, goin' ahead to round up a bunch when he had time -to give 'em a preachin'; or goin' after him when some one who couldn't -afford a doctor was took sick. We talked about purt' nigh everything, -except that some way, we didn't talk much about women; so I was never -able to pump his own story out of him, though he knew exactly how I -felt toward Barbie, long before I did myself. - -Durin' these years, the Friar tried his best to get on terms with the -Ty Jones crowd; but they refused to get friendly, and the more he did -to make things better in the territory, the more they hated him. - -It was right after the spring round-up that I first heard the Friar's -name mixed up with a woman. This allus makes me madder 'n about -anything else. When a man and a woman sin, why, it's bad enough, and -I'm not upholdin' it; but still in a way it's natural, the same as a -wolf killin' a calf. It's the cow-puncher's business to kill the wolf -if he can, and he ought to do it as prompt as possible. This is all -right; but gossip and scandal is never all right. - -Gossip and scandal is like supposin' the wolf had only wounded the -calf a little, and a posse would gather and tie the two of 'em -together, the wolf and the wounded calf; and take 'em into the center -square of a town and keep 'em tied there for all to see until they had -starved to death; and then to keep on stirrin' up the carrion day -after day as long as a shred of it remained. - -The Friar was allus a great one to be talkin' about the power of -habits. He said that if folks would just get into the habit of lookin' -for sunshiny days, an' smilin' faces an' noble deeds, and such like, -that first thing they knew they'd think the whole world had changed -for the better; but instead o' this they got into the habit of lookin' -for evil, and as that was what they were on the watch for, o' course -they found it. He said it was like a cat watchin' for a mouse. The cat -would plant herself in front of the mouse hole and not do anything -else but just watch for the mouse. While she would be on guard, a king -might be assassinated, a city might fall in an earthquake, and a -ship-load o' people go down at sea; but if the mouse came out and the -cat got it, she would amuse herself with it a while, eat it and then -curl up before the fire and purr about what a fine day it had been, -all because she had got what she had been lookin' for; and the's a lot -in this. - -Now, when I came to think it over, I hadn't heard the Friar express -himself very free on women. I had heard him say to allus treat 'em -kind an' square, the good ones and the bad; but when ya come to ponder -over this, it wasn't no-wise definite. Still I couldn't believe ill of -him; so I took a vacation an' started to hunt him up. - -The feller who had told me didn't know much about it, but the feller -who had told him knew it all. When I found this feller, he was in the -same fix; and he sent me along to the one who had told him. They were -all a lot alike in not knowin' it all; but I finally found out who the -girl was. - -She was a girl named Kit Murray, and she allus had been a lively young -thing with a purty face, an' could ride an' shoot like a man. She had -took part in a couple o' frontier-day exhibitions, and it had turned -her head, and she had gone out with a show. When she had come back, -she had put on more airs 'n ever, and naturally the boys were some -wild about her--though I hadn't seen her myself. - -News o' this kind travels fast, and I heard buzzin' about it -everywhere; but it was just like all other scandal. Most people, when -they gossip, believe an' tell the story which comes closest to what -they'd 'a' done if they'd had the same chance; and what I figured out -to be true was, that Olaf the Swede and another Cross-brander by the -name o' Bud Fisher had scrapped about the girl, Olaf near killin' the -kid and the girl runnin' off to the Friar. Now, all the good deeds 'at -the Friar had done hadn't caused much talk; but this news spread like -wild-fire; and a lot o' those he had helped the most turned again' him -and said they wished they could find out where he was hidin'. - -I took it just the other way; I knew the Friar purty well, and what I -feared most was, that he wasn't hidin' at all, and that Olaf would -find him before I could give him warnin'. It was two weeks before I -found the Friar; but once I came upon Olaf, face to face, and we eyed -each other purty close. This was the first time I ever noticed his -eyes. They were the queerest eyes I ever saw, a sort of blue; but a -deeper blue, a bluer blue 'n anything I had ever seen outside a -flower. The's a flower on the benches in June just the color of his -eyes, a soft, velvety flower; but Olaf's eyes weren't soft and velvety -the day we met, and they gave me a queer, creepy feelin'. I hope I -didn't show it any; but I did feel relieved after I'd passed him. - -Finally I found the Friar, just as I might have expected--by the sound -of his voice. I had got clear over into the Basin and was crossin' -through Carter Pass when I heard his voice above me, singin' one of -his marchin' songs. I was mightily rejoiced to find him; but I had -that all out of my face by the time I had wound around up to him. He -was totin' a log on his shoulder, and struttin' along as jaunty as -though the whole earth was simply his backyard. - -"Here," I growls to him, indignant, "what do you mean by makin' such a -noise? Haven't you got a grain o' gumption!" - -He looked up at me with the surprise stickin' out from under his grin. -"Well, well, well!" sez he. "Who are you--the special officer for the -prevention of noise?" - -"I ain't no special officer of anything," I answers; "but the's people -lookin' for you, and you ought to have sense enough to keep quiet." - -"And I'm lookin' for people," sez he, grinnin' like a boy; "and the -best way to find 'em is by makin' a noise. The' ain't any rules again' -walkin' on the grass up here, is there?" - -"Olaf the Swede is after you on account o' the gal," I blunted; "and -he ain't no bluffer. He intends to do away with you for good and all; -and you'd better be makin' your plans." - -"Goin' to do away with me for good an' all," he repeats, smilin'. -"Well, Olaf the Swede is a gross materialist. The worst he can do will -be to tear off my wrapper and leave me free to find out a lot of -things I'm deeply interested in. Why, Happy, you're all worked up! -You've lost your philosophy, you've become a frettish old woman. What -you need is a right good scare to straighten you up again. This Olaf -the Swede is part of Ty Jones's outfit, isn't he?" - -"He is," I replied, shakin' my head in warnin', "and the whole gang'll -back him up in this." - -"Good!" sez the Friar, smackin' his hand. "I've wanted an openin' -wedge into that outfit ever since I came out here. Of a truth, the -Lord doth move in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform." - -"Well, he certainly will have to perform some mysterious wonders to -get you out of this scrape," I said. I was put out at the way he took -it. - -"Don't be irreverent, Happy," sez he, the joy-lights dancin' in his -eyes. "We are all merely instruments, and why should an instrument -take it upon itself to question the way it is used. Where is this -Olaf?" - -"I met him yesterday; and for all I know, he's been followin' me." - -"Fine, fine!" sez the Friar. "Now, you go on back to the Diamond Dot, -and I'll go back over your trail and save Olaf as much bother as -possible." - -"I'm goin' along with you," I sez. - -"No," sez he. - -"Yes," sez I. - -"It'll make folks think 'at I'm afraid for my skin, and have you along -for protection," sez he, gettin' earnest. - -"If you had good judgment, you would be afraid for your skin," sez I. -"I tell you that Olaf is after your blood. He's one o' the worst; he -kills with his bare hands when he gets the chance." - -"Fine, fine!" sez the Friar again, his eyes glowin' joyous. "I'd have -a right to defend myself with my hands, Happy. I would have a right to -do this, for the sake of Olaf, you see--to prevent him from risking -his own soul by committin' murder. This is a great chance for me, -Happy; now, please, please, go on back like a good fellow." - -I was secretly tickled at the argument the Friar had put up for a -chance at physical warfare--and a barehand fight between him and Olaf -would have been worth goin' a long way to see--but I was as obstinate -as either of 'em; so I just said 'at I was goin' along. - -"Well, you're not goin' with, me," sez the Friar, as pouty as a -schoolboy. "I'll not speak to ya, and I'll not have a thing to do with -ya"; and he threw down his log and glared at me. - -I took a certain amount o' pride because the Friar lived up to his own -standards; but I also found a certain deep-rooted amusement in havin' -him slip out from under 'em for a spell and display a human -disposition which was purty much kindred to my own. "What do you -purpose doin' with that club, Friar?" I asked, pointin' to the log he -had flung down. - -He pulled in his glare and looked to be a little discomposed. "Why -I--I'm livin' in a cave I got back there." - -"Are you dead set again' havin' a little company?" sez I, slow an' -insinuatin', "or are ya livin' alone?" - -First off, he was inclined to be resentful, then he grinned, -shouldered his log again, and said: "Come and see." - -I follered him back into the hills until we came to a little park in -which his ponies were grazin', and then I hobbled mine, cached my gear -alongside his, and trailed after him again. His path turned a crag and -then skirted along the edge of a cliff as straight up and down as the -real truth. The path kept gettin' narrower, until every time the Friar -turned a corner ahead of me, I expected to see him walkin' off in the -air with the log still on his shoulder. - -Presently I turned a corner around which he had disappeared, and there -wasn't a soul in sight. The ledge still led along the cliff; but it -had got thinner than a lawyer's excuse, and a worm couldn't have -walked along it without hangin' on. While I stood there puzzlin' about -it, a hand reached out o' the side of the cliff, and the Friar's voice -said mockingly: "Take my hand, little one; and then shut your eyes for -fear you might get dizzy." - -Then I saw a jag of rock stickin' out just above my head, I grabbed it -with my left hand, and swung around into what was the mouth of a cave. -It was nothin' but a crack about eighteen inches wide, and the far -side was sunk in enough to keep it hid from where I was standin'. The -Friar was standin' a few feet back in the entrance with his log -leanin' up again' the side. "I know not what other animals may have -sought shelter here," he said, "but for the past three years this has -been my castle, and, Happy Hawkins,"--here the Friar bowed -low--"obstinate and unreasonable as you are, I offer you a hearty -welcome." - -The Friar said this in fun, but the' was an undertone to it which -tightened the laces around my heart consid'able. Well, that cave was a -sure enough surprise; he had three or four pelts and a couple of Injun -blankets on the floor, he had a couple o' barrels fixed to catch snow -water, he had some cookin' tools; and books! Say, he must have had as -many as a hundred books, all of 'em hard-shells, and lookin' so -edicated an' officious that I had to take off my hat before I had -nerve enough to begin readin' the titles. - -After I'd taken everything in, I sat down in an easy chair he'd made -out o' saplin's and rawhide, and looked all about; but I couldn't see -any signs of their bein' any other rooms to this cave; and then I -jumped square for the mark, and sez: "Friar, the's a lot o' talk about -you havin' run off with Kit Murray. Now I want the straight of it." - -His face went grave and a little hurt. "It's strange," he said after a -time, "how hard it is for a man to believe in his own guilt, and how -easy for him to believe in the guilt of his neighbor. Have you had any -dinner?" - -"Yes," sez I. "I didn't know just where I was headin'; so I et three -different times this mornin' to make sure of havin' enough to run on -in case of emergency." - -"It's a fine thing to be an outdoor animal," sez the Friar, smilin'. -"Well then, I've made up my mind to take you to see Kit Murray." - -He didn't waste any time askin' me not to talk about what was other -folks' affairs; he just went to the door, grabbed the jag of rock, -swung around to the ledge, and I follered after. - -We saddled up, rode down a windin' path 'at I'd never heard of before, -and then rode up again until we came to a little clump o' swamp -shrubbery, backed up again' the north face o' Mount Mizner. We -follered a twisty path through this and finally came out on an open -space in which stood a fair-sized cabin. He whistled a five-note call, -and the door was opened by an old woman who was a stranger to me. -"Mother Shipley, this is Happy Hawkins," sez he. "How's Kit?" - -The old woman gave me a gimlet look, and then her sharp features -expanded to a smile, and she bobbed her head. "Kit's gettin' hard to -manage," sez she. - -We went into the cabin, and found Kit with a bandage around her ankle, -sittin' in a rockin' chair, and lookin' patiently disgusted. She was a -fine-lookin' girl, with a fair streak of boy in her, and she had never -had enough practice at bein' an invalid to shine at it. Her face lit -up at the Friar; but her gaze was mighty inquirin' when she turned it -at me. - -"You know Happy Hawkins, don't ya?" sez the Friar. She nodded her -head, and he went on. "Well, he's one o' the fellers you can trust, if -you trust him entire; but he's got such a bump of curiosity that if -you don't tell it all to him in the first place, he can't do no other -work until he finds it out on his own hook. He's my friend, and he'll -be your friend; so I want you to tell him just how things are, and -then he'll be under obligations to do whatever we want him to." - -So Kit cut loose and told me her story. Her father, ol' Jim Murray, -had got crippled up about ten years before, and since then had become -a professional homesteader, nosin' out good places, an' then sellin' -out to the big cattle outfits. He also made it his business to find -ways to drive off genuwine homesteaders; and in addition to this he -was a home tyrant and hard to live with. He allus had plenty o' money, -but was generally dead broke when it came to pleasant words an' -smiles--which was why Kit had gone off with the show. - -While she was away, she had married a low-grade cuss, who had misused -her beyond endurance; so when he had skipped with another woman, she -had come back to the old man. She didn't want folks 'at knew her to -find out how bad hit she'd been; so she had tried to bluff it out; but -the young fellers kept fallin' in love with her and wantin' to marry -her. She hadn't meant no harm; but she had played one again' the -other, hopin' they'd soon have their feelin's hurt and let her alone. -This was a fool notion, but she had been honest in it. - -Bud Fisher, the Texas kid in the Ty Jones outfit, had got daffy about -her; and then one night at a dance she had shot some smiles into the -eyes of Olaf the Swede. She said he was such a glum-lookin' cuss she -had no idee he would take it serious; but he had stood lookin' into -her eyes with his queer blue ones, until she had felt sort o' fainty; -and from that on, he had declared war on all who glanced at her. - -Bud Fisher thought it a fine joke for Olaf to fall in love, and he had -teased him to the limit. This made a bad condition, and all through -the spring round-up, each had done as much dirt as possible to the -other; but Ty was mighty strict about his men fightin' each other; so -they hadn't come to a clash. - -Finally the kid brags that he is goin' to elope with Kit; and then -Olaf kicks off his hobbles an' starts to stampede. The kid was wise -enough to vamoose; so Olaf rides down to ol' man Murray's, and reads -the riot act to him. Kit was hidin' in the back room and heard it all. -He told the old man that he would slaughter any one who eloped with -Kit or who had a hand in it; and then he had gone back to hunt the kid -again. - -The ol' man turned in and gave Kit a complete harrowin' as soon as -Olaf had left and she had told him pointedly that she'd eat dirt -before she'd eat his food again; so she saddled her pony and started -to ride without knowin' where. Her pony had slipped on Carter Pass and -she had sprained her ankle so bad she couldn't stand. Just at this -junction, the Friar had come along, and had put her up on his horse -and held her on with one arm about her, because the pain in her ankle -made her head light. On the way they came smack up again' the kid, and -he gave 'em a grin, and went out without askin' questions. - -He went straight to Olaf, and told him that Kit had eloped with the -Friar. The Friar had brought her up to Shipley's, they havin' been -friends of his in Colorado. They had a daughter livin' up in Billings, -Montana; and as soon as her ankle could stand it, Kit was goin' up to -live with the daughter, she havin' three little children and a -railroad husband who was away from home more 'n half the time. - -This was the whole o' the story; but you can easy see what a fine -prospect it made for gossip, and also what a fine time a young imp -like Bud Fisher could have with a sober feller like Olaf. Olaf -wouldn't have just grounds for makin' away with Bud for doin' nothin' -except grin, so long as the Friar remained alive with the girl in his -keepin'. It was a neat little mess; and from what we found out -afterwards, the kid was as irritatin' as a half-swallered cockle-burr. - -Big, silent fellers like Olaf are just like big, new boilers. A little -leaky boiler fizzes away all the time, but when it comes to explode, -it hasn't anything on hand to explode with; while a big, tight boiler, -when it does go off, generally musses up the landscape consid'able; -and when Olaf started to stampede he made more noise in a week 'n Bud -Fisher had in his whole life. - -When Kit had finished tellin' me the story, I shook hands with her, -and said that while she hadn't used the best judgment the' was, she -had probably used the best she had; and that it was more the men's -fault than hers, so she could count on me as far as I could travel. -Then I went outside while the Friar and ol' Mother Shipley fixed up -her ankle. - -They all seemed pleased about the way it was healin', and after it was -tied up, Kit stood on it and even took a few steps. It twisted her -face a time or two at first; but after she'd gone across the room and -back a few times, she said it felt better 'n it had for years. This -made us all laugh, 'cause fact was, she hadn't been housed in near up -to the average of a sprained ankle. The Friar allowed 'at she'd be fit -to travel day after the next; so it was planned to start in the -evenin', and for both of us to go with her. Then we had an early -supper an' started home. - -On the way, I complained about the foolish way in which Kit had acted, -for the sole purpose of drawin' the Friar out and gettin' his views on -women. Nearly always when I got him started, I was able to pick up -some little sayin' which furnished me with more thought-food than his -blocked-out sermons did. - -"Of course Kit was foolish," he admitted; "but what show has she ever -had? Her father never was fit to bring her up; and he didn't even do -the best he could. A woman has more vital strength than a man, because -the future of the race depends on her; but she also has more emotions, -so 'at the wear an' tear is greater. Man, on the other hand, has more -muscle 'n woman, and more brutality. Foolin' man has been the best way -a woman had to fight for a good many centuries; and this was the way -poor Kit tried to fight. The plain, simple truth generally works best; -but it takes wisdom to see this, and wisdom is seldom anything more -than the dregs o' folly. The' was no one to teach Kit wisdom; so she -has had to strain off her own folly; but she is a fine, brave girl, -and I think she will profit by experience." - -Now this was a new thought to me, about wisdom bein' nothin' but the -dregs o' folly; but it's a good tough thought, and I've had a heap o' -chewin' on it since then; so I feel repaid in havin' took sides again' -Kit and lurin' the Friar into heavin' it at me. - -It was dark when we reached his twistin' path along the ledge, and I -stepped as cautious as a glow-worm in a powder-mill; but as soon as we -had our pipes an' the fire goin', I wouldn't have swapped seats with -the fattest king in the universe. - - - - -CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - -TESTING THE FRIAR'S NERVE - - -As soon as we had eaten breakfast next mornin', the Friar sez: "You, -bein' one o' the earth animals, have never had much chance to see a -view. Yesterday your curiosity was itchin' so 'at I doubt if you could -have told a mountain peak from a Mexican hat; but now that you have -temporarily suppressed your thirst for gossip, had a good sleep, and a -better breakfast, drag yourself out to the front porch and take a -bird's-eye view of the world." - -Well, it was worth it, it certainly was worth it! What he called the -front porch, was the ledge after it had flipped itself around the -jutting; and when a feller stood on it, he felt plenty enough like a -bird to make it interestin'. The Big Horns ran across the top o' the -picture about a hundred an' forty miles to the north, and gettin' all -blended in with the clouds. On the other two sides were different -members of the Shoshone family, most o' which I knew by sight from any -angle; and down below was miles an' miles of country spread out like a -map, but more highly colored. - -"Friar," I sez, "you're a wealthy man." - -This tickled him a lot, 'cause he was as proud o' that view as if he'd -painted it. "I am, Happy," he said, "and I have yielded to a wealthy -man's temptations. Any one who comes here will be welcome; but I own -up, I have kept this place a secret to have it all to myself." - -"A man like you needs some quiet place to consider in," sez I. - -"Get thee behind me, Satan, get thee behind me," cried the Friar. "I -have been on far too friendly terms with that excuse for many a long -month. But I do enjoy this place; so I am going to let you help me lay -in my winter's supply of wood, and then make you a joint member in -full standing." - -We packed wood along that spider thread of a path all morning; and -finally I got so it didn't phaze me any more 'n it did him. He sang at -his work most of the time, and I joined in with him whenever I felt so -moved, though it did strike me 'at this was a funny way to keep a -place secret; and my idee is that he sang to ease his conscience by -showin' it that he wasn't sneakin' about his treasure. - -I remember him mighty plain as he walked before me on the ledge, -totin' a big log on his shoulder, and singin' the one 'at begins, -"Hark, my soul! It is the Lord!" This was one he fair used to raise -himself in, and it seemed as if we two were climbin' right up on the -air, plumb into the sky. When he'd let himself out this way, he'd fill -me so full of a holy kind of devilment, that it would 'a' given me joy -to have leaped off the cliff with him, and take chances on goin' up or -down. - -We had about filled his wood place, and were goin' back after the last -load when just as he swung around a corner, I saw his hand go up as -though warnin' me to stop; and I froze in my tracks. He hadn't been -singin' this trip, for a wonder; but the next moment I heard a sound -which purt nigh jarred me off. It was a low, deep growl which I -instantly recognized as belongin' to Olaf the Swede. Olaf didn't talk -with much brogue, though when he got excited he had his own fashion -for hitchin' words together. - -"Where is the girl?" he asked with quiet fierceness, and for a space I -was sorry my parents hadn't been eagles. There wasn't room to fight -out on that ledge, the Friar didn't have a gun on, I couldn't possibly -shoot around him; and Olaf was seven parts demon when he laid back his -ears and started to kick. - -"Where she cannot be bothered," sez the Friar, full as quiet but -without any fierceness. The' was a little bush about eight feet up, -and I felt sure it would hide me, so I stuck my fingers in the side o' -the cliff and climbed up; but the' was no way for me to get out to the -bush, and I had to drop back to the ledge and stand there with the -sweat tricklin' down between my shoulders until I felt like yellin'. - -"I intend to kill you," said Olaf, as calm as though talkin' about a -sick sheep. - -"It would be a foolish waste of time," replied the Friar, as if he was -advisin' a ten-year-old boy not to fish when the Blue Bull was high -and muddy. "It wouldn't do any good, and I shall not allow it." - -[Illustration: "I intend to kill you," said Olaf, as calm as though -talkin' about a sick sheep. - -"It would be a foolish waste of time," replied the Friar, as if he was -advisin' a ten-year-old boy not to fish when the Blue Bull was high -and muddy. "It wouldn't do any good, and I shall not allow it."] - -I got out my gun, and made ready to do whatever the angels suggested; -but for some time the' was silence, and durin' this time I was keyed -up so tight my muscles began to ache. I knew they were lookin' into -each other's eyes, and I'd have given a finger off each hand to see -how the Friar's steady gray eyes handled those queer blue ones of -Olaf. - -"Is she all right?" asked Olaf, and all the threat had left his voice, -and it had just a glint o' pleadin' in it. I wouldn't have been one -bit more surprised to have seen a prairie-dog come flyin' up the -gorge, blowin' a cornet with his nose. - -"She has sprained her ankle; but aside from this has no physical ill," -sez the Friar. "You men have caused her a lot of worry, and her soul -is sick; but her body is well." - -After another silence, Olaf said slowly: "Yes, yes; I can tell by the -light that you speak true. What do you intend to do with her?" - -"I intend to cure her," sez the Friar. "I intend to help and -strengthen her; and I want you to help her, too. Olaf, she has had a -lot of trouble, and her wild gaiety is only a veil to hide the wounds -in her heart. I want you to help her." - -"I know, I know she is honest," said Olaf, and blamed if his voice -didn't sound like a new boy talkin' to the boss; "but she made me love -her. Yes, I do love her. I must marry her. Yes, this is so." - -"She cannot marry you, or any one else, now," sez the Friar, kindly. -"This is why she has gone from one man to another--to disgust them all -and make them leave her alone." - -"That is a damn devil of a way," cried Olaf in anger. "Why should she -go to dances, and out ridin', and so on, if she wants men to leave her -alone?" - -"She was foolish, she knows that now; but her father is not the right -sort of a man, and her home was not pleasant," said the Friar. - -"I told him I kill him, if she marry any one but me," said Olaf. "I -know he is not honest; but he is afraid of me, and he will not bother -her now. I go to see him again purty soon, and tell him some more. -Won't you tell me where she is?" - -"I want to be your friend, Olaf," said the Friar gently. "I tell you -honest that she cannot marry now. When I see her again, I shall tell -her of meetin' you, and what you have said. I have no desire except to -do the best for all of you, and if you love her truly, all you will -want will be to do that which is best for her." - -The Friar paused, and I pulled my ear clear to the edge o' the rock, -so as not to miss a word. "Olaf," he went on in a low, sorrowful -voice, "the love of a man for a woman is a wonderful thing, a terrible -thing, a soul-testing thing. Don't let your love become common for men -to talk over. In believing what men have told you of me you have -insulted her, by admitting that such a thing is possible. Go back to -your work, kill no man for what he says of her; but keep her pure in -your own heart, and this will be the best way to keep her pure before -the world. Silence the gossips by living above them; and if it becomes -necessary for you to take your own love by the throat, then do it, and -do it for love of her. I shall do all I can to make her worthy of -you." - -You should have heard the Friar's voice when he was sayin' this. I -stood on the little ledge, just breathin' enough to keep my lungs -ventilated, and lookin' out across the landscape--mountains on all -sides of me, and down below the broken ground and the benches, with -the green strips along the cricks lookin' like lazy snakes in the hot -sunshine. I couldn't see a livin' creature, I felt like the last man -on earth; and that deep, musical voice seemed comin' to me from -somewhere out beyond the limits of life. I didn't have any more fear -now: the' wasn't anything in the shape of a human who could have done -violence to the Friar after hearin' him say the words I'd just heard; -so I put up my gun, and listened again. - -"Can't ya tell me why she can't marry me?" asked Olaf, and the' was a -tremble in his voice, almost as though it flowed up from a sob. - -"I think I can trust you to keep her secret," sez the Friar. "She is -married already. The man was a beast and deserted her; but he is still -alive, and she cannot marry again." - -I heard Olaf make a queer, animal sound with his breath, and then he -said: "Yes, you speak true--I can tell by the light; but she loves -me--I can tell that also by the light. Will you tell me when she can -marry?" - -"I will," sez the Friar, and his voice was a pledge. "There's my hand -on it." - -They brought their hands together with a smack I could hear, and then -Olaf turned on the narrow ledge, with the Friar holdin' him on, an' -started off. The Friar went along with him, and I sneaked after, -keepin' a turn between us. Olaf mounted his hoss and rode away without -lookin' back, which, as a matter o' fact, was his way o' doin' things; -and when he was out o' sight, I joined the Friar. - -The' was still a look of sadness in the Friar's face; but back of it, -and shinin' through it, was a quiet satisfaction. He was full o' the -scene he had just gone through; and presently he turned an' said: -"That was a glorious victory he gained over himself, Happy. That man -has a good heart, and who knows but what he will yet be the means of -bringin' me an' Tyrrel Jones together." - -"What do you reckon he meant by the light tellin' him that you were an -honest man?" I asked. This was the most curious part of the whole -thing to me. - -"How can I tell," he sez. "Life is so crowded with wonders that I have -quit wonderin' about 'em; but I always feel a thrill when I see the -stubborn spirit of a strong man melt and run into the mold the Master -has prepared for it." - -"I'll own it was about the weirdest thing I ever saw," sez I; "but I'm -willin' to bet that whatever else Olaf's spirit has molded itself -into, it's not a doormat with 'welcome' wrote on it; as the first -feller 'at fools with that girl is likely to find out." - -"Never doubt the power of the Lord, Happy," sez he. "The hand that -piled up these hills can easy shape even so stubborn a thing as the -human will." - -"Yes," I agreed; "but it generally takes just about the same length of -time to do it, and a man don't usually last that long." - -"Time!" sez he; "what do you know about time? It may have taken ages -to form these hills; and then again, it may have been done in the -twinklin' of an eye. From the way the streaks tilt up, I'm inclined to -think it was done sudden." - -I looked at the lines along the faces o' the hills, and I was inclined -to believe it, too; so I dropped that subject, and we sat down close -together and looked off down the trail where Olaf had vanished. - -We sat in silence a long time, me thinkin' o' what sort of a light -Olaf had seen to make him know 'at the Friar was honest; and of the -way the Friar's voice had gone through me when he had talked of love. - -This was a new idee to me, and one o' the biggest I had ever tried to -grapple with. Before this, my notion o' love was, for a man to get the -girl any way he could; and it took me some time to see the grandness -of a man takin' his own love by the throat for love of a woman. I knew -'at the Friar had done this himself; but it never was clear to me -until I heard the heartache moanin' through his voice as he laid out -this law for Olaf, and Olaf bowed his stiff neck and accepted it. - -I'm purty sure that if I'd 'a' known that day, that a few years later -I would have to take my own love by the throat for the sake of little -Barbie, I wouldn't 'a' had the nerve to go on playin' the game--but -this is life. We pick up a stone here, and another there, and build -them into our wall until the flood comes; and then if the wall isn't -high enough to turn back the flood, all the sting and bitterness comes -from knowin' that we haven't made use of all the stones which came -rollin' down to our feet. - -That night we had an uncommon fine fire in the cave. I used to enjoy -these evenin' fires with the Friar, as much as a dog likes to have his -ears pulled by the hand he loves best. He would tell me tales of all -the ages 'at man has lived on the face of the whole earth, and I'd sit -and smoke my pipe, and make up what I'd 'a' done, myself, if I'd been -one o' these big fellers. These chummy little fire-talks used to -broaden me out and make me feel related to the whole human race, and -it was then 'at I came to know the Friar best--though the' ain't no -way to put this into a story. - -Along about nine o'clock the Friar began to lecture me again' the use -o' violence, pointin' out that war nor gunfightin' nor any other sort -o' violence had ever done any good; and endin' up with the way he had -handled Olaf as illustratin' how much better effects spiritual methods -had. - -"Humph," sez I, "so you're tryin' to put that over as an ordinary -case, are ya? Did you ever before see such eyes in a man's head as -what Olaf has?" - -"Now that you mention it," sez he, "I did notice they were peculiar." - -"I ruhly believe you're right," sez I, sarcastic. "When he said he saw -light he wasn't speakin' in parables. He can see things 'at you nor I -can't see--though I doubt if he understands 'em himself." - -"Still, violence would have spoiled everything," persisted the Friar, -who was as human as a raw bronco when you tried to make him back up. - -"Now, don't forget anything," sez I. "It wasn't my face 'at lit up -when I said 'at he did his killin' with bare hands; nor it wasn't me -who gloated over this as furnishin' an excuse to use my bare hands in -defendin' myself." - -"Oh, Happy, Happy," sez he, with one o' the bursts 'at made ya willin' -to go through fire and water for him. "I'm the entire human race: -there isn't a single sin or weakness which hasn't betrayed me at one -time or another, and yet the wicked pride of me persists in stickin' -up its head an' crowin' every time I take my eyes off it." - -"Well, I like your pride full as well as any other part o' ya," sez I; -"and before you wrangle it into its corral again, I want to say 'at no -other man in the world could 'a' told Olaf what you told him this -mornin', and lived to talk it over around this fire to-night--unless, -he had used the best and the quickest brand o' violence the' is, in -the meantime." - -"Now, that you have succeeded in flatterin' both of us, we'll go to -sleep," sez the Friar, and the' was a deep twinkle in his eyes which -allus rejoiced me to call up. - -Next night soon after dark, we started out with Kit Murray. She rode -like a man and could tick out her fifty or sixty a day right along, -without worryin' her pony. As soon as she was safe located in -Billings, I turned back to the Dot, while the Friar rounded up some -stray sheep he had near the border, and as far as I can recall we -didn't meet again all that summer. - - - - -CHAPTER NINETEEN - -OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS - - -Olaf's theories concernin' violence didn't harmonize complete with the -Friar's; but his method for discouragin' scandal was thorough to a -degree. He silenced the gossipers all right, though so far as I heard, -most of 'em recovered; and the outcome was 'at the Friar stood higher -after the scandal 'n he had before. - -The Cross brand outfit was a good deal like a pack o' dogs: they each -sought Ty Jones's favor, and they were all jealous of each other. Olaf -stood high on account of his mysterious insight; so Badger-face, the -foreman, backed up Bud Fisher to devil Olaf as far as possible without -givin' Olaf what Ty would judge a fit excuse for unscrewin' the kid's -neck; and from the talk I heard, their outfit trotted along as smooth -an' friendly as seven he bears hitched to a freight wagon; but our -trails didn't cross frequent, so it was all hearsay. - -The winter before had been so fierce 'at a lot o' small outfits -couldn't winter through their stock. Towards spring, ol' Cast Steel -had bought in the Half Moon brand for a hundred an' fifty dollars; and -that summer me an' Spider Kelley put in our spare time huntin' strays. -Spider had come back, flat broke and full o' repentance; so after I'd -stood him on his head in a buffalo-wallow full o' mud, I forgave him -free and frank, and this summer we rode together most o' the time. - -Ol' Cast Steel was as lucky as a hump-back cat, and this summer the -grass was fatter 'n ever I'd seen it. We rounded up over five hundred -head o' ponies, and over sixty cows, which was just like bein' caught -out in a gold storm without your slicker on; so we didn't sympathize -any with the old man, but prospected around for pleasure whenever we -felt like it. - -One afternoon after the fall round-up, me an' Spider found ourselves -in a mighty rough bit o' country on the north slope o' the Wind River -range. We had been herdin' six or eight Half Moon ponies before us for -several days, devilin' a parcel of Injuns into thinkin' 'at we was out -tradin'; but we had got weary o' this, an' were just foolin' around -and wishin' 'at somethin' would turn up to amuse us. - -"Aw, let's go on back home," sez Spider, not knowin' he was speakin' -wisdom. "I'd sooner work at work than work at huntin' up somethin' to -amuse myself with." - -"Well," I sez, "we'll finish out this afternoon, an' then if nothin' -turns up, we'll go back, draw our pay an' go into Boggs." - -We saw our ponies start around a butte ahead of us an' stop to examine -somethin'. We followed 'em around the butte, and there below us on a -little level, was a bunch of men--seven of 'em. We drew up an' gave -'em a look-over. - -"What do you make out?" sez I. - -"Olaf the Swede with a rope around his neck, an' Badger-face Flannigan -holdin' the other end o' the rope," sez Spider. "What do you reckon -they're goin' to do to him?" - -"Comb his hair, or fit a new sun-bonnet on him," sez I, sarcastic. -"What else do they put a man's neck in a noose for? Let's go down an' -see what happens." - -"A feller's not sure of a welcome at such times," sez Spider. - -"No," I agreed; "but I want to see Olaf's eyes again, and this may be -my last chance." - -"It may be your last chance to see anything," sez Spider. "The best -thing we can do is just to back-track. We interrupted 'em once before; -and I don't want 'em to get the idee that we spend all our time -doggin' their footsteps for a chance to spoil their fun. This ain't -any of our business." - -"We won't spoil their fun," sez I. "If they get suspicious, we can -take a hand in it, an' that will fix it all right. Olaf ain't nothin' -to us; and I don't intend to risk my fat for him, just 'cause he's got -curious eyes." - -"No, I'm not goin'," sez Spider. - -I looked across at the group again, an' there comin' up the trail -behind 'em was Friar Tuck, ridin' a round little pinto, an' leadin' a -big bay. - -"Well, you just stay here, an' be damned to you," sez I to Spider. -"I'm goin' on down." So me an' Spider rode down together, an' arrived -at just the same time as the Friar did. - -Badger-face looked first at us, an' then at the Friar. "What the hell -do you fellers want this time?" he sez to us in welcome. - -"We just happened along," sez I. "What's goin' on?" - -"You're goin' on yourselves, first thing," sez Badger-face. "That's -what's goin' on." - -"I guess 'at you ain't got neither deeds nor lease to this land," sez -I. "We haven't any intention of interferin' with you; but we don't -intend to be sent where we don't want to go. We've got business here, -huntin' up stray hosses, an' I reckon we'll just stick around." - -"You got business here, too, I suppose?" sez Badger-face, turnin' to -the Friar. - -"Yes," sez the Friar calmly. "I came here entirely by accident; but -now it is my business to inquire into why you have a rope about this -man's neck. You recall havin' put me into a similar perdicament, Mr. -Flannigan." - -"Yes, an' the only thing I regret is, that I was interrupted," growls -Badger-face. "But this time, the' ain't any chance to change the -programme, so you might just as well poke on into some one else's -affairs." - -"What's the matter, Olaf?" asked the Friar. - -Before Olaf could reply, Badger-face gave a jerk on the rope. "You -shut up," sez he. - -"Surely you will give the man a chance to speak," cried the Friar, -indignant. - -"It won't do him no good to speak," sez Badger-face. "He's committed a -murder, but of course he denies it. Now, get out o' here, all three of -ya." - -"Listen," sez the Friar, as steady an' strong as the sweep of a deep -river, "I care more for justice 'n I do for law. I know that hangin' a -man has never done any good; but it is usually regarded as a legal -form of punishment, and the prejudice in its favor is still too strong -for one man to overcome. If you convince me that this man would be -hung by a court, why, I shall never say a word about it; but if you do -not convince me, I shall stir up all the trouble I can. I have quite a -number of friends, Mr. Flannigan." - -Badger-face studied over this a moment; and he saw it had sense. "All -right," sez he, "we'll try him fair an' square; and then you three -will have to help string him, an' I guess that'll keep your mouths -shut." - -"Tell your story, Olaf," sez the Friar. - -"Well," sez Olaf, "we came up short on the round-up, an' the old man -raised Cain about it, an' sent us out to hunt for strays. Badger-face -split us into pairs, an' made me an' Bud Fisher work together. We saw -some cows up on a ledge where we couldn't ride to; so we left the -hosses below, an' climbed to see if they had our brand. If they had, -we intended to ride around and get 'em. If not it would save half a -day. Bud Fisher had a rifle along, hopin' to get a mountain sheep, an' -he insisted on takin' it with him. He climbed up on a ledge, an' I -passed up the rifle to him. It was a long stretch, an' I passed it -muzzle first. The hammer caught on a point of rock, an' shot him -through the stomach. I didn't bear him any ill will any more--I ran -down to the hosses, an' brought up the saddle-blankets an' the -slickers, an' made him as comfortable as I could. Then I hunted up -Badger-face an' told him. When we got back he was dead. This is the -truth." - -"I think it is," sez the Friar. - -"Aw rot!" sez Badger-face. "Come on, now, an' finish it. Every one -knows how they hated each other; and it's plain enough that when the -Swede here got the chance, he just put Bud out o' the way, an' Bud was -one o' the finest boys the' ever was in the world--always full o' fun -an' frolic; while Olaf has allus been sour an' gloomy." - -Most men are as sappy as green grain, an' they bow whichever way the -wind blows. The Cross brand punchers all looked extremely sad when -Badger-face spoke o' what a royal good feller Bud Fisher had been, an' -when he stopped, they all glared at Olaf as friendly as wolves, -especially a skinny feller by the name of Dixon, who had the neck and -disposition of a snake. - -"If you thought 'at Olaf an' Fisher hated each other, why did you make -'em work together?" asked the Friar; and the Cross brand punchers -pricked up their ears an' looked pointedly at Badger-face. - -"I thought they had made it up," sez Badger-face, surprised into -takin' the defensive. - -"I have noticed that you are likely to jump hasty at conclusions," sez -the Friar, speakin' with tantalizin' slowness. He was a fisher of men, -all right, the Friar was; and just then he was fishin' for those Cross -brand punchers. "Did Bud speak before he died, Olaf?" he asked -impartially. - -Olaf hung his head: "All he said was, that she hadn't never cared for -him, an' that he didn't know one thing again' her," said Olaf. - -"Aw, what's the use o' stringin' it out," sez Badger-face. "Let's hang -him and have it over with." - -"Hanging a fellow-bein' is a serious matter, Mr. Flannigan," sez the -Friar. "I am a party to this now, and shall have to assume my share of -the responsibility. I shall never consent to swingin' a man on such -evidence as this. Let us go and examine the spot. The hammer may have -left a scratch, or something. If you convince me that Olaf committed -the murder, I pledge to assist in hangin' him. That's certainly fair, -men," he sez to the Cross-branders, an' they nodded their heads that -it was. - -So we clumb up to the spot where Olaf claimed to have handed the gun; -but the' wasn't any scratch on the rock. "Did he fall from the ledge -when he was shot?" asked the Friar. - -"No," sez one o' the punchers. "He fell on the edge an' hung on." - -"Did the bullet go clean through him?" asked the Friar. - -"Yes, it went clear through," sez the feller. - -"Point with your finger just where it went in, an' just where it came -out," sez the Friar. - -The feller pointed with one finger in front, an' one behind. The Friar -took a rope an' had me hold it behind the feller at just the level of -that finger an' then he made Spider stretch the rope so that it passed -on a line with the finger in front. The whole crowd was interested by -this time. "Now, then," sez the Friar, "where could Olaf have stood to -shoot such a line as that. He could not have shot while he was -climbin' up, nor he couldn't have reached high enough while standin' -below." - -"He could, too," sez Badger-face, "for Bud would have been leanin' -over, reachin' for the gun." - -"If he had been shot while he was reachin' over, he would have fallen -from the ledge," flashed the Friar. - -"Maybe he did," snapped Badger-face, just as quick. "Olaf here is as -strong as a horse, an' maybe he put him back on the ledge. He had -blood on his hands an' you can still see it on his shirt. A man don't -bleed much when shot in the belly." - -Olaf's queer blue eyes turned from one to the other, but his face -didn't change expression much. He had about give up hope in the first -place, an' his face had the look of a hoss, after he's been throwed -four or five times an' just keels over on his side an' sez to himself: -"Well, they've put the kibosh on me, an' I don't intend to make a fool -of myself any more by tryin' to break loose." The rest of us was more -excited about it than Olaf was himself. - -"Which one of us is the nearest size to Bud Fisher?" asked the Friar. - -They all agreed that Spider Kelley was; so the Friar had him coon up -on the ledge. Then he had Olaf take the empty rifle just as he had -held it when he passed it up; but made him give it to Badger-face -himself to pass up. Badger-face passed it up, Spider Kelley reached -for it, took it, and started to straighten up--The hammer caught on -the precise knob that Olaf had said it had, an' snapped hard enough to -set off a cartridge. "There," sez the Friar, sweepin' his hands wide. -We could all see that the bullet would 'a' gone through just where it -did go. - -"Hand back the rifle, an' I'll show ya how he passed it up," said -Badger-face. Spider passed it down, an' we all watched intent. It had -become like a real court o' law; we had forgot what the case was -about, we was so interested in seein' the scrap the lawyers were -puttin' up. - -Badger-face cocked the rifle so slick we didn't see him, called out to -Spider to catch it, an' tossed it up to him. It came just short o' -Spider's hand; and without thinkin' o' what he was doin', Spider -reached for the gun. This brought him squattin' just the time the gun -dropped back into Badger's hands, and quick as a wink, he pulled the -trigger--and hanged if that bullet wouldn't have traveled through the -same hole the first one had made. - -I never saw circumstantial evidence give such a work-out before. If we -had all been fair-minded, it would have puzzled us; but as it was, we -sided accordin' to our prejudices; an' the Cross brand fellers chose -Badger-face to Olaf, Badger-face bein' foreman. The Friar saw he was -stumped. - -"Are there any marks up there?" he asked of Spider. - -"There's some blood streaks on a stone," sez Spider. - -"Did you notice 'em?" asked the Friar of Badger-face. - -"Yes," sez he; "but they don't mean nothin'." - -"Let's go up an' look at 'em," sez the Friar, so we all clumb up. - -They pointed out just where Bud Fisher had laid when they found him; -and close beside him was a smooth white stone with blood marks on it. -The Friar examined the lay o' the ledge; but it didn't tell nothin', -so finally he got down on his knees an' studied the blood-stained -stone. - -Presently he nodded his head and straightened up. "Examine that -stone," he said, pointin' with his fingers. We all crowded about an' -studied it. The' was finger an' thumb prints all over it; but if you -looked close, you could make out the rude image of a man pullin' up a -gun which had exploded on the edge of a ledge. It was a smudgey, -shakey affair, but if ya looked just right you could make it out. Yet, -even this didn't floor Badger-face. - -"The Swede there did that himself," he growled; "and this makes him -out sneakier 'n we thought him. Let's hang him, and get rid o' this -foolishness." - -"Flannigan," sez the Friar in cold, hard tones, "you have gone too far -this time. If you had hung Olaf at first, you might have done it from -a proverted sense o' justice; but to do it now would be murder; and -your own men wouldn't help. Do any of you men chew tobacco?" - -If he had asked for a can o' face-paint, we wouldn't 'a' been more -surprised; but to show the hold the Friar had gained over that crowd, -every feller there but Badger-face held out his plug to him. - -"Make some tobacco juice, Olaf," he said. - -Olaf bit off a hunk the size of a walnut from his own piece, an' -proceeded to make juice, as though his life depended upon the amount -of it. "Wet your thumb and fingers with it, and make marks on the -white stone," commanded the Friar. - -Olaf did so; and when we saw the difference in size and shape, we -savvied the game. - -"Olaf took Bud's hand and made the marks with Bud's own blood," sez -Badger-face. - -"Did any one here ever try to handle a dead man's hand?" asked the -Friar; and that settled it. We all nodded our heads, except -Badger-face, an' he had sense enough to see 'at he had lost the deal, -so he didn't say nothin'. - -"What I can't see is, why he didn't write," sez the Friar. - -"He couldn't write," chirps up two punchers at once, an' then they -took the rope off Olaf's neck. - -They talked it over and decided that the best thing to do was to bury -Bud Fisher right there in the canyon. The' was a little cave on the -ledge back o' where we were standin' so two o' the punchers went down -where they had him laid out under the slickers, an' brought him up. We -had to hoist him on ropes, an' the Friar looked a long time into his -face. - -It was just a lad's face: not bad nor hardened; just the face of a -mischievous boy, weary after a day's sport. We all took a look, an' -then put him in the little cave an' heaped clods over him an' piled -stones on until the door was blocked shut again' varmints. - -The Friar sat down on a big rock--he had worked as hard as any of -us--and sat thinkin' with his chin in his hand. The Cross brand -fellers muttered among themselves for a moment, an' then one of 'em -took off his hat, an' sez, "Don't ya think ya'd ought to speak -somethin' over him, parson?" - -"Do you want me to?" asked the Friar. And they all nodded their heads. - -So the Friar, he took off his battered hat and stood up before us an' -spoke a sermon, while we took off our hats, an' sat around on stones -to listen. - -I'm convinced 'at the Friar's long suit lay in the fact 'at he allus -preached at himself. Most preachers have already divided the sheep -from the goats; and they allus herd off contented with the sheep on -green pastures, and preach down at the goats on the barren rocks; but -if the Friar made any division at all, he classed himself in with the -goats. - -You see, in agreein' to help string Olaf should he be convicted, the -Friar had bet his soul on the outcome; and this braced him up in that -crowd as nothin' else would; for they knew that if he had lost, he'd -have pulled harder on the rope 'n any one else. - -It's child's play to put out a funeral talk over some old lady who has -helped the neighbors for seventy or eighty years; but to preach the -need of repentance to the livin', and then to smooth things out for -'em after they've died in their sins, in such a way as it will jolly -up the survivors and give 'em nerve to carve cheerful tidings on the -tombstone, is enough to make a discriminatin' man sweat his hair out. - -The Friar stood with his hands clasped in front of him, and his eyes -fixed sort o' dreamy-like on the distance. It was a perfect day, one -o' those days 'at can't happen anywhere except in our mountains in the -fall o' the year, and my mind drifted off to some lines the Friar was -fond of rehearsin', "Where every prospect pleases, an' only man is -vile." Then I saw a change come to the Friar's face, and he began to -chant the one which begins: "Lord, let me know mine end, and the -number of my days." - -He chanted slow, and the words didn't mean much to us; but the solemn -voice of him dragged across our hearts like a chain. One line of it -has haunted me ever since. It seems to suggest a hundred thoughts -which I can't quite lay my hand on, and every time I get sad or -discouraged, it begins to boom inside me until I see 'at my lot ain't -so much different from the rest; and I buck up and get back in the -game again: "For I am a stranger with Thee and a sojourner as all my -fathers were." - -The Friar didn't preach us a long talk, and most of it circled about -his favorite text, that a man's real children were those who inherited -his character, rather than those who inherited his blood. Once he -raised his finger and pointed it at us and sez: "You were fond o' this -boy; but did you love him for his good, or did you love him for your -own selfishness? I knew him not save through the dark glass of -reputation; yet after looking into his dead features, to-day, I think -I know him well. Death tells, sometimes, what Life has hid away. I did -not see in his face the hard, deep lines of stealthy sin; I saw the -open face of a child, tired out after a day wasted in thoughtless and -impulsive play; but comin' home at nightfall to have his small cares -rubbed away by a lovin' hand--and then, to fall asleep." - -O' course, the Friar landed on us good and plenty; but this was the -part of his talk which stuck to us after the scoldin' part was all -forgotten. When he was through he said a short prayer, and sang in a -low tone the one beginnin', "One sweetly solemn thought." His eyes -were glistenin' through a mist when he finished this, and he climbed -down from the ledge, hurried over to his pinto, and rode off without -sayin' another word. - -We all sat silent for quite a spell, and then Spider and I got up and -nodded good day to 'em. The Cross-branders also got up and shook -'emselves, and started down with us--all except Olaf. He sat there on -a stone with his fingers run into his hair, and his face hid in his -hands. Olaf had had regular religion when he was a child; and it had -come back to him up there on the ledge. They say it's worse 'n a -relapse o' the typhoid fever when it hits ya that way. I know this -much, Olaf was doubled up worse 'n if he'd had the colic; and from -that time on, the Ty Jones outfit looked mighty worldly to him. - -Even Spider Kelley was savin' of his nonsense until we got in sight of -the Diamond Dot again. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY - -QUARRELING FOR PEACE - - -We had a visitor once, which was a business man. One of his chief -diversities was to compare sedentary occupations with what he called -the joyous, carefree outdoor life. He said 'at sedentary came from -sedan-chair, and meant to sit down at your work. I rode the range next -spring until I felt more sedentary 'n an engineer; and sometimes at -night it used to strain my intellect to split the difference between -myself an' my saddle. - -I got out o' humor an' depressed and downright gloomy. Fact is, I was -on the point o' rollin' up my spare socks and givin' Jabez a chance to -save my board money, when I heard a sound 'at jerked me up through the -scum and gave me a glimpse o' the sky again. I was ridin' in about -dusk, and I had hung back o' the dust the other fellers had kicked up, -so I could be alone and enjoy my misery, when I heard this inspirin' -noise. - -Ol' Tank Williams once tried to learn to play on a split clarinet a -feller had give him, and at first I thought he had found where we had -buried it, and had resumed his musical studies; but this outrage came -from an instrument a feller has to be mighty cautious about buryin'. -It was a human voice, and these were the words it was screechin': - - "Fair Hera caught her wayward spouse - With a mortal maid one dawn. - Zeus charmed the maid into a cow, - To save himself a jaw'n'. - This seemed to me a liber-tee - To take with poor I-oh; - But now I find that he was kind,-- - 'T was I who did not know. - For girls use slang and girls chew gum, - And drape their forms in silk; - While cows behave with de-co-rum, - And furnish us with milk." - -Well, I gave a whoop and threw the spurs into my pony. This was the -seventy-ninth verse of Horace's song, and it was his favorite, because -it was founded on the Greek religion. I found him perched up behind a -rock, and he kept on slammin' chunks of his song up again' the welkin -until I shot some dirt loose above his head; and then he climbed down -and reunioned with me. - -He was lookin' fine, except that some of his waist products had come -back, and we talked into each other until the air got too thin to -breathe. Then we suppered up and began talkin' again. He had tried all -sorts of gymnastical games back East, from playin' golf to ridin' -hossback in a park, but it didn't have the right tang. Folks thought -he'd gone insane an' lost his mind, the air didn't taste right, he got -particular about how his vittles were cooked; until finally, his -endurance melted and began to run down the back of his neck. This -decided him 'at he'd had full as much East as was good for him; so he -loaded up a box with firearms, tossed some clothin' into a handbag, -and he said his grin had been gettin' wider all the way out until it -had hooked holes through the window lights on both sides o' the train. - -We were all glad to see him, an' he dove into ranch life like a -bullfrog into a cream jar; and he got toughened to a hard saddle in a -mighty short time for a feller who had got used to upholstery back -East. He said 'at the only thing 'at had kept life in him had been to -sing his song constant; but he denied 'at this was his main excuse for -fleein' from his own range. - -He didn't seem to bear a mite o' malice for the joke I had put up on -him; but still, I have to own up 'at he half pestered the life out of -me with his song. He had what he called a tenor voice; but it was the -dolefullest thing I ever heard, and the more he sang, the more his -notes stuck to him until I coveted to hear a love-sick hound -serenadin' the moon. When he saw it was riskin' his life to drag out -any more o' the song, he would pause temptingly, and then begin a -lecture on the Greek religion. He got me all mussed up in religion. - -Of course, I knew 'at the Injuns had a lot o' sinful religious idees, -and I was prepared to give the other heathens plenty o' room to swing -in; but not even an Injun would 'a' stood for as immoral a lot as the -Greek gods an' goddusses--especially the top one, which Horace called -Zeus an' Jove an' Jupiter. - -This one didn't have as much decency as a male goat, and yet he had -unlimited power. He was allus enticin' some weak-minded human woman -into a scrape; and when his wife, who was called Hera and Juno, would -get onto his tricks, Zeus would snap his fingers, say "Flip!" and -charm the human woman into some sort of an animal. It was a handy -scheme for him, true enough; and he didn't care a scene how -embarrassin' it was for the human women. - -He turned one of 'em into a bear, and, like most other women, she was -feared o' bears an' wolves an' snakes, an' the rest o' the company she -was forced to associate with. She led a perfectly rotten existence -until her own son went bear huntin', and was just on the point of -jabbin' a spear into her, when even Zeus himself admitted 'at this -would be carryin' the joke a leetle too far; so he grabs 'em up and -sticks 'em into the sky as a group o' stars. - -Horace tried to argue 'at this proved Zeus to be merciful; but as far -as I can see it's as idiotic as havin' the law hang a man for murder. -Supposin' some feller had murdered me--would I feel any happier -because this feller who couldn't put up with me in this world, is sent -over to pester me in the next? Course I wouldn't; but if one o' my -friends was murdered, and I had a chance to slay the feller 'at did -it, this would give me a lot o' satisfaction an' joy an' -pleasure--though I don't say it would be just. - -Puttin' the woman an' her son up in the sky didn't square things in -Horace's religion, neither; 'cause he said 'at Hera got jealous of -Zeus for elevatin' the woman and she went to her foster parents who -had charge of the ocean, and made 'em bar this woman and her son from -ever goin' into it, the same as the other stars did, and he could -prove it any clear night. I told him that he might get away with such -a tale as that back East among the indoor people; but that he couldn't -fool a day-old child with it out our way. - -We started this discussion the day after the fall round-up was over, -Horace had toughened up before it began, and he had rode with me all -through it, and takin' it all in all he was more help than bother, -except that he shot too much. When he had come out before, he had been -so blame harmless he couldn't have shot an innocent bystander; but -this trip, he was blazin' away at every livin' thing 'at didn't have a -dollar mark on it, and when these wasn't offered, he'd waste -ammunition on a mark. - -I had some details to tend to after the round-up, so we didn't get a -chance to settle the bet for several days. It was only a dollar bet; -but when the time came, I picked out a couple o' good hosses, bein' -minded to look at the stars from the top o' Cat Head. - -We reached it about dark, made some coffee, an' fried some bacon. Then -we smoked an' talked until it was entirely dark before we ever looked -up at the stars. "Now, bluffer," sez I, "show me your woman-bear." - -He looked up at the sky, an' then moved on out o' the firelight, an' -continued to look at the stars without speakin'. "Don't seem to see -'em, do you?" I taunted. - -He turned to me an' spoke in a hushed voice: "Man," he said, "this is -wonderful. Why, the way those stars seem to be hangin' down from that -velvet dome is simply awe-inspirin'. I've looked through three good -telescopes, but to-night, I seem to be viewin' the heavens for the -first time." - -"I thought you wasn't much familiar with 'em, or you wouldn't have put -out that nonsense about a bear-woman," I sez. - -"That," sez he, pointin' to the best known group o' stars in the sky, -"is Ursa Major." - -"That," sez I, "is the Big Dipper, an' you needn't try to fool me by -givin' it one o' your Greek names." - -He didn't argue with me; but came back to the fire an' fixed some -stones in the shape of the Big Dipper stars, then drew lines with a -stick, an' sez 'at this made up the Great Bear. I looked him between -the eyes, but he held his face, so I knew he was in earnest. "All -right," I sez. "I'll take you huntin' some o' these days, an' if we -chance to come across a silver-tip--a real grizzly, understand, and -not a pet varmint backed up again' the risin' sun--you'll change your -mind about what a bear looks like. If that was all your fool Greeks -knew about wild animals, I wouldn't waste my time to hear what they -had to say about gods an' goddusses. I'm goin' to start back, an' you -can come or not, just as you please." This was the first time I had -hinted about the woodchuck; but I was disgusted at his nonsense. He -took it all right, though, which proves he was game. - -I rode some comin' back, an' he kept tryin' to square himself; but I -didn't heed him. Just before we reached the foothills, we saw a fire, -an' when we reached it, the Friar was just finishin' his supper. He -an' Horace bowed stiffly to each other, an' I was just put out enough -by Horace's star-nonsense to feel like roastin' some one; so I decided -to roast 'em both. - -I sat on my hoss an' looked scornful from one to the other. "Here is -two religious folks," I said, impersonal to the pony, but loud enough -for all to hear. "Here is two genuwine religious folks! One of 'em is -workin' for universal brotherhood, an' the other is peddlin' Greek -religion which he claims to be founded on beauty an' love an' harmony. -They meet in the mountains, an' bow as cordial as a snow-slide. I -think if ever I pick out a religion for myself, I'll choose the -Injun's." - -I couldn't have asked for any two people to look more foolish 'n they -did. Neither one of 'em seemed to have anything to say; so I said to -my pony: "Don't you worry none, Muggins, I got a match o' my own, an' -if we want to set by a fire, why, we can ride on to some place where -wood is free, an' build us one." - -"Will you not dismount an' rest a while at my fire?" sez the Friar, in -a tone meant as a slap at me. - -"No, thank you," sez Horace, "we must be goin'." - -"Yes, Friar," I sez hearty. "Me an' Horace has a bet up, an' you can -decide it. Also, you owe him somethin' on his own hook. You drove him -out o' your religion an' into the Greek religion; an' if that don't -give him a direct call on you, why then you don't realize what a pest -the Greek religion is." - -They were so embarrassed they were awkward an' spluttery; but I was -sure 'at this was good for 'em, so I got off, threw the reins on the -ground, an' warmed my hands at the fire; while Horace apologized for -me not knowin' any better, an' the Friar assured him coldly that -everything was all right, an' he was rejoiced to have a little -company. - -Well, for as much as ten minutes, we sat around enjoyin' what I once -heard a feller call frapayed convivuality, an' then I took pity on 'em -an' loosened things up by tellin' the Friar about the trip me an' Tank -an' Horace had took into the mountains to pacify our nerves, just -before he had stumbled on Horace that other time. O' course I didn't -tell it all, as I didn't want Horace to know any more about it than he -knew already; but I told what a seedy little windfall Horace had been -when we started out, an' how he had come back crackin' jokes an' -singin' the infernalest song 'at ever was made up. I finally got -Horace to sing ten or fifteen minutes o' this song, an' he droned it -out so unusual doleful that he fetched a chuckle out o' the Friar, an' -then we were feelin' easy an' comfortable, like outdoor men again. - -Then I told the Friar what our bet was, expectin' o' course that he'd -back me up; but what did he do but say 'at Horace was right as far as -the stars was concerned. This tickled Horace a lot, an' he began to -crow over me until I concluded to test the Friar; so I sez to Horace -that his religion havin' been endorsed by the Friar himself, I'd -become a Greek the first chance I had. - -Horace didn't take any trouble to hide his satisfaction, an' he began -to expound upon the beauty, an' the art, an' the freedom of the Greek -religion at a great rate. - -"They certainly was free," I sez, "an' easy too, an' I don't deny 'at -they might 'a' been some weight in art an' beauty; but, confound 'em, -they didn't know as much about bears as I know about e-lectricity. I'd -just like to see Zeus himself go up into the Tetons in the early -spring, to hunt for Big Dippers. I'll bet the first hungry grizzly -he'd come across would set him right on the bear question." - -This was a good opener, an' in about two shakes, the Friar an' Horace -had locked horns. Horace was a crafty, sarcastic, cold-blooded little -argufier; while the Friar was warm an' eager an' open as the day. It -was one o' the best gabbin' matches I have ever started. - -They dealt mostly in names I had never heard of before, although once -in a while they'd turn up one a little familiar on account of Horace -havin' told me some tale of it. The Friar knew as much about these -things as Horace did; but he called 'em myths, an' said while they -didn't mean anything when took literal, they had great historical -value when regarded merely as symbols. He said that I-oh--the human -maid which Zeus had turned into a cow--was nothin' but the moon, an' -that Argus of the hundred eyes was simply the sky full o' stars; and -that the old god which ate up his children was nothin' but time. - -I didn't really understand much of what they said; but I did enjoy -watchin' 'em bandy those big words about. We all use a lot o' words we -don't understand; but as long as they sound well an' fill out a gap it -don't much matter. These two, though, seemed to understand all the -words they used, an' I was highly edified. - -As they talked, an' I kept watchin' the Friar's face, I learned -somethin': the Friar had been mighty lonesome with only us rough -fellers to talk with, an' had been hungerin' for just such a confab as -this to loosen up his subsoil a little. - -Every now an' again, I'd cast an eye up to the stars; an' while I -didn't know the religious names of 'em, I knew how to tell time by -'em; an' I knew 'at those two would have a turn when they remembered -to look at their watches. It was full one o'clock when the -conversation came to its first rest, an' then the Friar recalled what -I had said when I had dismounted; so he up an' asked Horace -point-blank what he had had to do with makin' Horace quit the church. - -Horace was minded to sidestep this at first by intimatin' that I was -not responsible for what I said; but he finally came across and told -the Friar that he had give up that church for about the same reason -that the Friar himself had. This set the Friar back purty well on his -haunches, an' put him on the defensive. He had hammered Horace freely -before, but now when he conscientiously tried to defend the gang he -had left, and also excuse himself for leavin', he had some job on his -hands. - -I thought Horace had him when he compared the Golden Age of Greece an' -Plato's Republic with the Dark Ages, which was a stretch of years when -the Christian religion about had its own way; but the Friar admitted -that what he called economical interests had put a smirch on the -church durin' the Dark Ages, an' then he sailed into the Golden Age of -Greece, showin' that slavery was the lot of most o' the decent people -durin' that period. When I fell asleep, they were shakin' their fists -friendly at one another, about Plato's Republic, which I found out -afterwards was only a made-up story. - -Bein' edicated is a good deal like bein' a good shot in a quiet -community--once in a long while it's mighty comfortin', but for the -most part it's nothin' but shootin' at a target. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - -PEACE TO START A QUARREL - - -It was broad day when I woke up--that is, the sun was beginnin' to -rise--an' the fire had dwindled to coals, the breeze had begun to stir -itself, an' I was consid'able chilly. I saw the Friar's nose stickin' -out o' one side of his tarp an' Horace's nose stickin' out the other, -an' I grinned purty contentedly. - -My experience is, that quarrelsome people usually get along well -together an' make good company; but sad, serious, silent, polite folks -is about the wearin'est sort of an affliction a body can have about. - -I once heard a missionary preach about what a noble thing it was to -control the temper. He must have been a good man, 'cause he was -unusual solemn an' wore his hair long an' oily; but he only looked at -one side o' the question. I've known fellers who had such good control -o' their tempers that after they'd once been put out o' humor over -some little thing, they could keep from bein' good tempered again for -a year. And then again, when a feller keeps too tight a holt on his -temper, his hands get numb, an' his temper's liable to shy at some -silly thing an' get clear away from him. - -What I liked about both the Friar an' Horace was, 'at they hadn't -froze up all their feelin's. It was possible to get 'em stirred up -about things, an' this allus struck me as bein' human; so I was glad -to see Horace warmin' his feet in the small o' the Friar's back, an' I -whistled a jig under my breath while gettin' breakfast. - -They grumbled consid'able when I rousted 'em out; but by the time they -had soused their heads in the crick, they were in good humor again; -an' hungry! Say! Ever since I'd give him his treatment, Horace had had -an appetite like a stray dog; while the Friar allus was a full hand at -clearin' tables, except on his one off-day a week. I gave the Friar a -wink just as Horace splashed into his third cup o' coffee, an' sez: -"Friar, you should have seen this creature when he first came out -here. His muscles had all turned to fat, so that he could hardly -wobble from one place to another, an' he was so soft that when he'd -lie down at night, his nerves would stick into him an' keep him awake. -Now, if it wasn't for that fringy thing he wears on his face, he'd -look almost exactly like a small-sized human." - -The only come-back Horace made was to start to sing with his mouth -full o' cornbread an' bacon. This was more 'n any one could stand, so -I tipped him over backward, an' asked the Friar which way he was -headin'. - -The Friar's face went grave at once; and then he began to post me up -on Olaf the Swede. I had heard some rumors that summer, but hadn't -paid much heed to 'em. It now turned out that the Friar and Olaf had -struck up friendly affiliations; so he was able to give me all the -details. - -Badger-face had a disposition like a bilious wolf, and when he was -denied the satisfaction o' jerkin' Olaf out o' this world, he had -turned to with earnest patience to make Olaf regret it as much as he -did. Olaf could stand more 'n the youngest son in a large family o' -mules, but he had his limitations, the same as the rest of us; so when -he saw that Badger was engaged in makin' the earth no fit place for -him to habitate, he began to feel resentful. - -When a boss is mean, he is still the boss and he don't irritate beyond -endurance; but a foreman is nothin' but a fellow worker, after all; so -when he gets mean, he's small and spidery in his meanness; and I -reckon 'at Olaf was justified in tryin' to unjoint Badger-face, -thorough and complete. - -O' course, Ty had to back up Badger for the sake o' discipline; but he -didn't wreak any vengeance on Olaf when he tendered in his -resignation, which proves 'at Ty still was full o' respect for Olaf. -Badger was groanin' on his back when Olaf left; but he called out that -he intended to get square, if he had to wear all the curves off his -own body to do it. - -Olaf had the gift o' sensin' men, all right; but his judgment wasn't -such as to make a yearlin' bull willin' to swap, and what he did was -to take the Pearl Crick Spread as a homestead. It was only about -fifteen miles from the Cross brand ranch house, and it was one o' the -choicest bits in the whole country. This act was on a par with an -infant baby sneakin' into a wolf den to steal meat. The Friar put the -finishin' touch by sayin' that Olaf had bought the old, run-down T -brand, and then I lost patience. - -"Does Olaf sleep with a lightnin' rod connected to the back of his -neck?" I asked as sober as a boil. - -"What do ya mean?" asked the Friar, who was innocent about some -things. - -"Well, that looks like another good way to attract trouble," sez I. - -"Olaf does not want any trouble," sez the Friar with dignity. "All he -wants is an opportunity to work his claim in peace. He has more -self-control 'n airy other man I've ever known." - -"It's a handy thing to have, too," sez I, "providin' a feller knows -how to use it. Why, ya could change a T brand to a Cross quicker 'n a -one-armed Mexican could roll a cigarette. Ty Jones'll get more o' that -brand 'n ever Olaf will. How is Kit Murray gettin' along?" - -"She is a fine girl," sez the Friar, his face lightin'. "She has cut -out all her wild ways, and Mother Shipley sez her daughter thinks as -much of her as if they was sisters. I got word last week 'at her -husband died in a hospital; and I hope she'll marry Olaf some day." - -"Well, I'll bet the liquor again' the bottle 'at she never does it," -sez I. "In the first place, she's got too much style, and in the -second, she's got too much sense. Ty's already got more stuff 'n he -can take care of through a dry summer, and the next one we have, he is -goin' to need Pearl Crick Spread. A grizzly traffics along without -bein' disturbed, until he gets the idee that he owns consid'able -property, and has legal rights. Then one day the' don't seem to be -anything else demandin' attention, so out go a parcel o' men and -harvest the grizzly. That's the way it'll be with Olaf." - -"I advised him to move," sez the Friar; "but he's set in his ways." - -"Self-control," sez I. "I was workin' in a mine once with a mule and a -Hungarian; and both of 'em had an unusual stock o' self-control. One -day right after a fuse had been lit, the mule decided to rest near the -spot; an' the Hun decided to make the mule proceed. We argued with 'em -as long as it was safe; but the mule had his self-control an' all four -feet set, and the Hun was usin' _his_ self-control an' a shovel. -All we ever found was the mule's right hind leg stickin' through the -Hungarian's hat, and we buried these jus' as they was." - -The Friar sighed, pursed up his lips, and sez: "I wish I could help -him." - -"Help him all you can, Friar," sez I; "but after the fuse is burnin', -you pull yourself out to safety. Ty Jones could easy spare you without -goin' into mournin'." - -The Friar rode on about his business, an' me an' Horace went back to -the ranch, him pumpin' me constant for further particulars about Olaf -an' Kit. "Horace," sez I finally, "did you ever see these folks?" - -"I never did," sez he. - -"Then," sez I, "what you got again' 'em 'at you want 'em to marry?" - -"Marriage," sez he with the recklessness common to old bachelors, "is -the proper condition under which humans should live--and besides, I -don't like what you tell about Ty Jones." - -From that on, Horace began to talk hunt; and when Horace talked -anything, he was as hard to forget as a split lip. He had brought out -some rifles which the clerk had told him would kill grizzlies on -sight, and Horace had an awful appetite to wipe out the memory o' that -woodchuck. - -I admit that no one has any right to be surprised at anything some one -else wants to do; but I never did get quite hardened to Horace Walpole -Bradford. When ya looked at him, ya knew he was a middle-aged man with -side-burn whiskers; but when ya listened to his talk, he sounded like -a fourteen-year-old boy who had run away to slaughter Injuns in -wholesale quantities. - -All of his projecs were boyish; he purt' nigh had his backbone bucked -up through the peak of his head before he'd give in that ridin' mean -ones was a trade to itself; and the same with ropin', and several -other things. It ground him bitter because his body hadn't slipped -back as young as his mind, an' he worked at it constant, tryin' to -make it so. - -He wore black angora chaps, two guns, silver spurs, rattlesnake -hat-band, Injun-work gauntlets, silk neckerchief through a silver -slip, leather wristlets, an' as tough an expression as he could work -up; but the one thing of his old life he refused to discard was his -side-burns. Sometimes he'd go without shavin' for two weeks, an' we'd -all think he was raisin' a beard; but one day he'd catch sight of -himself in a lookin'-glass, an' then he'd grub out the new growth an' -leave the hedge to blossom in all its glory. - -We were long handed for the winter as usual, an' the' wasn't any -reason why we couldn't take a hunt; so Tank an' Spider egged him on, -an' I wasn't much set again' it myself. Horace agreed to pay us our -wages while we were away, an' offered Jabez pay for the hosses; but o' -course he wouldn't listen to it; and for a few days he even talked -some o' goin' with us, though he didn't ever care much for huntin'. - -Finally we started out with a big pack train an' enough ammunition for -an army. Besides me an' Horace, the' was Tank, Spider Kelley, Tillte -Dutch, an' Mexican Slim. Slim was to do the cookin', an' the rest of -us were to divvy up on the other chores all alike, Horace not to be -treated much different simply because he was payin' us our wages; but -he was to have the decidin' vote on where we should go an' how long -we'd stay. It was fine weather most o' the time, though now an' again -we'd get snowed up for a day or so in the high parts. - -I had allus felt on friendly terms with the wild creatures; an' I had -told him before we started that I wouldn't have no part in usin' -hosses for bear-bait, nor shootin' bears in traps, nor killin' a lot -o' stuff we had no use for; but Horace turned out to be as decent a -hunter as I ever met up with, an' after the second day out he did as -little silly shootin' as any of us. He wasn't downright blood-thirsty, -like a lot of 'em who get their first taste too late in life. He cared -more for the fun o' campin' out an' stalkin' game than he did for -killin'. We only got one silver-tip, most of 'em havin' holed up; but -we found all the other game we wanted. Horace killed the grizzly, -which was a monster big one, and this wiped the woodchuck off his -record, and inflated his self-respect until the safety valve on his -conceit boiler was fizzin' half the time. - -We made a permanent camp not far from Olaf's shack, an' it didn't take -me long to see 'at the foxy Horace was more interested in Olaf an' his -war with Ty Jones than he was in huntin'. As soon as we had our camp -arranged, he got me to take him over to Pearl Crick Spread to call on -Olaf. I told him that Olaf wasn't what you'd call sociable; but he -insisted, so we went. - -We found Olaf in an infernal temper, an' some tempted to take it out -on the first human he met; but this didn't phaze Horace. He thought he -could start Olaf by tellin' him that Kit Murray was a widow; but the -Friar had already told him and Olaf wouldn't thaw worth a cent. He -kept on askin' questions, even when they wasn't answered, until Olaf -got hungry an' asked us in to eat dinner with him. After we had eaten, -we sat around the fire smokin', an' Horace looked as contented as a -cat. He kept at his questionin' until he got Olaf to talkin' freer 'n -I had supposed he could talk. - -Horace tried him out on all sorts o' things, an' when Olaf snubbed -him, why, he just overlooked it an' tried somethin' else. Finally he -tried his hand at religion, an' this was what loosened Olaf up. Now -Olaf was actually religious, and called himself a Christian, but the' -was a heap o' difference between his brand o' it an' the Friar's. - -Olaf's God took more solid satisfaction in makin' hell utterly -infernal than a civilized community takes in a penitentiary; an' Olaf -was purty certain as to who was goin' there. When he got to talkin' -religion in earnest, his face grew hard an' his eyes bright, an' he -gloated over the souls in torment till he showed his teeth in a grin. -The' wasn't any doubt in his mind that Ty Jones was goin' to be among -those present, an' this led him into tellin' what had put him so far -out o' humor before we'd come along. - -He had found another one of his cows shot an' only a couple o' steaks -cut off. He fair frothed at the mouth when he told us this, an' he -didn't make any bones of givin' Ty the credit for it. He cut loose an' -told us a string o' things 'at he knew about Ty, an' ya couldn't blame -him for feelin' sore. He talked along in a rush after he got started, -tellin' o' the way 'at Ty changed brands an' butchered other fellers' -stock an' wasn't above takin' human life when it stood in his way. "He -made me as big a devil as he is," sez Olaf; "an' now he knows 'at I -can't get any backin'; so he is just persecutin' me; but some o' these -days, I'll get a chance at him." - -Horace had dropped into a silence while Olaf was talkin'; but now he -raised a finger at me, an' said: "I'll tell you what we'll do: instead -of huntin' ordinary wild beasts, we'll just keep watch on Olaf's -stuff, an' when any one bothers it, why, we'll take 'em into some town -with a jail." - -Olaf shook his head, an' I told Horace that the' wasn't any law for -big cattle men; but Horace was all worked up, an' after we'd left Olaf -an' started for camp, he didn't talk of anything else. He put it -before the boys; but they were all again' it, an' told him a lot o' -tales about fellers who had tried to buck the big cattle men. Horace -called us all cowards; but we only laughed at his ignorance an' let -him carry on as far as he liked. He sat up way into the night broodin' -over it, an' from that on he did a lot o' scoutin' on his own hook. We -used to keep an eye on him, though; so after all he had his own way -about it, an' Olaf's stuff was watched purty close. - -The boys was proud of Horace, just as they'd have been proud of a -fightin' terrier; but they was worried about him, too, in just about -the same way. - -"I tell you, that little runt would shoot to kill if he got a chance," -sez Tank Williams, one night while Horace was away. - -"Aw ya can't tell," sez Spider. "He thinks he would; but he's never -been up against it yet, an' ya can't tell." - -"Well, what if he did shoot," sez Slim, "we wouldn't have to mix in, -would we?" - -"You know blame well we'd mix in," sez Tank, "an' you can't tell where -it would end. If Horace had 'a' come out here when he was a kid, he'd -'a' turned out one o' the bad men for true. It's in his blood. Look at -him! when he came here first, he didn't have no more get-up 'n a sofy -piller; but look what he's gone through since. I saw him, myself, -march along without food for four days, an' when we came up with that -cow, he was willin' to help kill her with a rock or strangle her to -death, an' he didn't make no more bones o' calf-milkin' her than a -coyote would. He started out in life with more devilment in him 'n any -of us, an' what he's achin' for now is a mix-in with the Cross brand -outfit. That's my guess." - -"An' that's my guess," I chimed in; but just then we heard two shots -close together, then a pause an' three more shots. We jammed on our -hats an' guns an' rushed outside. It was a moonlight night, an' we -hustled in the direction o' the shots. Before long we made out Horace -an' Tillte Dutch comin' towards us, an' Horace was struttin' like -Cupid the bulldog used to walk, after he'd flung a steer. It was the -first time I'd ever noticed this, but I noticed it plain, out there in -the moonlight. - -"What's up?" I asked. - -"I reckon 'at somebody knows by now that Olaf's stuff is havin' a -little interest took in it," sez Horace. - -We came back into the old log cabin where we was campin', an' Dutch -told about how Horace had got him to walk with him, an' had sat down -on a rock where they could see Olaf's little bunch o' cattle grazin'. -He said 'at Horace sat with his rifle across his lap and kept watch -like an Injun scout. - -After a time they saw two men creep out of a ravine not far from where -they was sittin' an' sneak down on the bunch o' cows. One of 'em had -shot a cow, an' Horace had shot him, bringin' him down, but not -killin' him. The two had run for the ravine, an' Horace had tried to -cut 'em off, an' he had gone along 'cause Horace had; but the two had -got to their hosses first. Each o' the two had taken one shot, an' -Horace had shot back but none o' these last shots had hit anything, -an' the two had got away. - -"I'll bet they haven't got so far away but what we'll hear from 'em -again," sez Tank. - -"The thing for us to do is to start back to the Diamond Dot," sez I. - -"We shall stay here, an' see what happens," sez Horace, lightin' his -pipe. His eyes were dancin' an' he was all puffed up. I didn't say any -more. I just looked at him. He was the same old Horace, side-burns an' -all; but still the' was enough difference for me to begin to regret -havin' give him the treatment. I had cured his nerve so complete it -seemed likely to boss the whole crowd of us into trouble. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - -A PROGRESSIVE HUNT - - -The Friar sez it's all rot about men bein' better for havin' sowed -their wild oats when young. He sez 'at it's utter foolishness to sow -any crop ya don't want to harvest; but I dunno. I don't mind havin' a -colt try to turn himself inside out with me on its back; but I'm some -prejudiced again' an old hoss which is likely to pitch when I've got -other business to attend to. When a young hoss is mean, why, ya can -reason it out of him; but when an old hoss turns bad, you might just -as well put the outlaw label on him an' turn him adrift. - -We couldn't do a thing with Horace after he'd taken his shot at the -feller who potted one of Olaf's cows. Ol' Tank Williams was huge in -size an' had a ponderous deep voice which rumbled around in him like a -bulldog croakin' in a barrel; an' he decided that it was his duty to -be firm with Horace, seein' the way 'at he had bluffed him when we -went on that trip for the nerves; so the follerin' mornin' he put a -scowl on his face, grabbed Horace by the chest of his shirt, lifted -him so 'at nothin' but the tips of his toes touched, an' sez: "Look -here, you little whippersnapper, we agreed to go where you said an' -stay as long as you said; but we meant on a game-huntin' trip. You -haven't any idee what you're up again' out here, an' you got to give -in an' come back with us." - -Tank's free eye rolled about in his head, runnin' wilder 'n I'd ever -seen it; but Horace wasn't as much phazed as if a fly had bit him. He -scowled down his eyebrows, an' piped out in his squeaky tenor: "Take -your hand off me, Tank--and take it off now." - -"I've a notion to raise it up an' squash ya," sez Tank. - -"Yes," sez Horace, without blinkin' a winker, "you've got notions all -right; but they lie so far to the interior of ya that they generally -weaken before they find their way out. Take your hand off me." - -Well, Tank was beat. He gave Horace a shove, but Horace was light on -his feet, an' he never lost his balance. He just danced backward until -he had his brakes set, an' then he fetched up in front o' the fire, -put his fists on his hips, an' stared up at Tank haughty. - -"Ignorance," sez he, "is the trouble with most people. The ignorant -allus judge by appearances. If body-size was what really counted, why, -we'd have an elephant for an emperor. Instead of which we use 'em to -push logs around. Goliath did a lot o' talkin' about squashin' David, -but as soon as David got around to it, he fixed Goliath all ready for -the coroner. Napoleon was of small size, an' fat, an' nervous, but he -didn't count it a fair day's work unless he had presented one of his -relatives with a full-sized kingdom. Where are the buffalos--where are -they--the big clumsy brutes! They're shut up out o' harm's way, that's -where they are; but where are the mosquitoes? Why the mosquitoes are -takin' life easy at all the fashionable summer resorts. If you feel -like freightin' your big, fat carcass back to where it don't run any -risk o' bein' bumped into, why go ahead; but I'm goin' to stick around -here an' see what happens." - -Well, there we were: we didn't none of us have the courage to own up -'at we were afraid of anything 'at Horace wasn't afraid of; so we -decided to stick with him, but that he had to take the blame. It was -Tillte Dutch who said this, an' Horace looked at him an' grinned. -"Take the blame?" sez he. "Why you big chump, it's the small-sized men -who allus take the blame. The big boobs rush about, makin' a lot o' -noise; but they only do what the small-sized men tell 'em to. I'll -take the blame all right, an' if you back me up, you'll be right -pleased to have a share in the kind o' blame the's goin' to be. This -Ty Jones outfit is nothin' but a set o' cowardly bullies who sneak -around in the dark doin' underhanded work; but I intend to let the -daylight in." - -"I'll bet the daylight will be let in, somewhere," sez I; "but I'm -just fool enough to stick with ya." - -Tank was still smartin' from the way it had been handed to him. "Say," -sez he, "p'raps you don't know it; but that David you was cacklin' -about a while ago wasn't nothin' but a sheep-herder." - -"That don't change no brands," sez Horace, who didn't have any more -use for a sheep-herder 'n we did. "He was a small-sized man, an' he -just drove sheep a while to help his father out. Sheep-herdin' wasn't -his regular trade. Bossin' men an' fightin' an' bein' a king was his -natural line o' business. It allus seems to me 'at big, overgrown men -ought to be sheep-herders, so they could drive about in house-wagons, -an' not wear down so many good hosses." - -Ol' Tank slammed about, makin' a lot o' noise; but he had lost this -deal, an' it was plain to see. - -"I'm goin' to ride over to Olaf's, an' tell him about what happened -last night, an' say 'at we'll keep an eye on his stuff if so be he -wants to take a little trip to Billings," said Horace; and when he -started I went along with him. At first Olaf was so white-hot about -havin' another cow killed that he couldn't think; but finally he -looked at Horace a long time, an' said: "You have very brave flame, -an' you speak true. I shall go to Billings, an' trust everything with -you." - -I was flabbergasted clear out o' line at this; but Olaf packed some -stuff on one hoss, flung his saddle on another, an' set off at once. -Now, I knew Olaf to be slow an' stubborn, an' I couldn't see through -this. - -After Olaf had rode out o' sight to the north, Horace sez: "Has he -allus been crazy?" - -"He's not crazy," sez I. - -"Then what did he mean by sayin' I had a very brave flame an' that I -spoke true?" sez Horace. "Course he's crazy. Didn't you notice his -eyes." - -"Yes," I sez, "I've noticed his eyes a lot; but I don't think he's -crazy--except in thinkin' 'at Kit Murray'll marry him. Why, she would -as soon think o' marryin' a he-bear as Olaf." - -"Well, I think they have drove him crazy," sez Horace; "but I'm goin' -to bestir myself in his favor." - -He took himself as serious as if he had been Napoleon an' David both; -an' I could smell trouble plain. We decided to move our camp down to -Olaf's, an' wrangle his herd into the Spread every night. Pearl Crick -Spread was as fine a little valley as a body ever saw; filled with -cottonwoods an' snugglin' down out o' the wind behind high benches. -The crick came in through a gorge, an' went out through a gorge; an' -it was plain to me that the Spread was worth fightin' for. - -When we got back to the camp we found that a couple o' Cross brand -boys had happened along, by accident, of course, an' were tryin' to -swap news o' the weather for news o' the neighbors. Our crowd hadn't -loosened up none; and as soon as we came back the Cross-branders left. - -Horace looked pleased. "I bet I got one of 'em last night," sez he, -shakin' his head. - -Well, we all grinned, we couldn't help it. "I bet you get another -chance at 'em, too," sez Slim. Our outfit had been peaceable for so -long that the prospect of trouble actually made us feel nervous enough -to show it. - -We moved down to Olaf's, and each night we fetched in his little bunch -o' cows, an' allus kept up some hosses in the corral. The -Cross-branders used to wander by our place purty frequent, but allus -in the matter o' business. - -One day, after we'd been livin' at Olaf's about a week, Badger-face -Flannigan, an' a pair of as mean-lookin' Greasers as ever I saw, came -ridin' along. Me an' Horace had been up in the hills after some fresh -meat, an' we see them before they saw us. They were ridin' slow an' -snoopin' about to see what they could pick up, an' when they saw us -they looked a bit shifty for a moment. - -Then Badger wrinkled up his face in what was meant for a friendly -grin, an' sez: "Hello, fellers. Have you-un's bought Olaf out?" - -"Nope," sez I. "We're just out here for a little huntin'; an' Olaf got -us to look after his stuff for a few days while he went visitin'." - -"Wasn't the' any huntin' closer to home?" sez Badger-face, a little -sarcastic. - -"Not the kind o' huntin' we prefer," sez Horace, sort o' dreamy like. - -Badger-face drilled a look into Horace, who had put on his most -no-account expression. "What's your favorite game," sez he, "snow-shoe -rabbits?" - -"Oh, no," drawled Horace as if he felt sleepy, "silver-tips an' humans -is our favorite game; but o' course the spring is the best time--for -silver-tips." - -"Where might you be from?" asked Badger-face. - -"I might be from Arizona or Texas," sez Horace; "but I ain't. I'm a -regular dude. Can't you tell by my whiskers?" - -Badger-face was so puzzled when Horace gave a little rat-laugh that I -had to laugh too; and ya could see the blood come into Badger's -cheeks, but still, he couldn't savvy this sort o' game, so he couldn't -quite figure out how to start anything. - -Horace had practiced what he called a muscle-lift, which he said he -used to see the other kids do on parallel bars; and now he slipped to -the ground an' tightened his cinch an' cussed about the way it had -come loose, as natural as life. Then he put one hand on the horn an' -the other on the cantle an' drew himself up slow. He kept on pushin' -himself after his breast had come above the saddle until he rested at -arm's length. Then he flipped his right leg over, an' took his seat as -though it was nothin' at all. Any one could see it was a genuwine -stunt, though it was of no earthly use to a ridin' man. - -Now, just because the' was no sense to this antic, it made more of an -impression on Badger-face than the fanciest sort o' shootin' or ropin' -would 'a' done; an' he puzzled over what sort of a speciment Horace -might be, till it showed in his face. - -"Come on down an' have supper with us," sez Horace. "You can see for -yourself what the prospect for fresh meat is; so you can be sure of a -welcome." - -"No, we can't very well come this evenin'," sez Badger-face. - -"Why not?" sez Horace. "You look to me like a man who was gettin' -bilious for the want of a little sociability. Come on down an' we'll -swap stories, an' have a few drinks, an' I'll sing ya the best song -you ever hearkened to." - -"No, we got to be goin'," sez Badger-face; an' he an' the Greasers -rode off while Horace chuckled under his breath as merry as a magpie. - -"That's what you call a bad man, is it?" sez he. "I tell you that -feller's a rank coward." - -"Would you have the nerve to pick up a horn-toad?" sez I. - -"No," sez he; "cause they're poison." - -"They ain't no more poison 'n a frog is," I sez; "but most people -thinks they are, an' that is why strangers are afraid of 'em. Now, -Badger-face ain't no coward. He's a shootin' man; but he can't make -you out, an' this is what makes him shy of ya." - -"Well," sez Horace, "I'd rather be a free horn-toad than a mule in -harness. Come on, let's go eat." - -The next afternoon Horace went along to help bring in the bunch o' -cattle; an' some one up on the hill took a shot at him. He couldn't -ride up the hill, so he hopped off the pony, an' started up on foot. -Mexican Slim was closest to him, an' he started after; but the feller -got away without leavin' any trace. Horace was wonderful pleased about -it, an' strutted more than common. - -"There now," sez he after supper; "do you mean to tell me 'at that -feller wasn't a coward? Why the' ain't enough sand in their whole -outfit to blind a flea!" - -We just set an' smoked in silence. When a feller as little as him once -begins to crow, the's nothin' to do but wait till his spurs get -clipped. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - -A LITTLE GUN-PLAY - - -It's curious how hard it is, sometimes, to get trouble started. We all -knew 'at the Cross-branders was ready to clean us out, an' itchin' for -the job; but the's one curious little holdback in the make-up of every -healthy animal in the world. Every sane animal the' is wants -self-defence as his excuse for takin' life. I admit that now and again -beasts an' men both get a sort o' crazy blood-lust, an' just kill for -the sake of it; but it's the rare exception. - -One of us allus made it a point to go along with Horace; an' most -times when we'd meet up with any o' the Cross-branders, they'd never -miss the chance to fling some polite smart talk at him; but the little -cuss could sass back sharper 'n they could, an' I reckon they was -suspicious that he wouldn't 'a' been so cool if he hadn't had bigger -backin' than was in sight. It was perfectly natural to think 'at he -had been sent out as a lure by some big cattle outfit, or even the -government; so they went cautious till they could nose out the game. - -One day Badger-face an' the two Greasers came along when Horace was -out ridin' with Tillte Dutch. Dutch was one o' these innocent-lookin' -Germans--big, wide-open eyes, a half smile, an' a sort of a leanin' to -fat. He never had but one come-back to anything--which was to -splutter; but he was dependable in a pinch. - -"Whatever made you so unspeakable little?" sez Badger-face to Horace. - -Horace looked behind him, an' all about, an' then sez in surprise: -"Who, me?" - -"Yes, you," sez Badger-face. "You seem to dry down a little smaller -each day." - -"Well," sez Horace, speakin' in a low secret-tellin' tone, "I'll tell -ya; but I don't want ya to blab it to every one ya see. When I was a -young chap, I used to go with a big, awkward, potato-brained slob, -about your size. I could out-shoot him, out-ride him, run circles -around him, an' think seven times while he was squeezin' the cells of -his brain so they'd touch up again' each other; but one day he made a -bet that he could eat more hog-meat 'n I could; an' he won the bet. -When I found out that the' was one single thing 'at this big, -loose-jointed galoot could beat me at, I felt so blame small that I -never got over it, an' this is why I disguise myself in these -whiskers." - -The two Greasers couldn't help but grin, an' the fool Dutchman -sniggered. This was more 'n Badger-face could stand. He shot his hand -across an' pulled his gun quick as a flash; but Horace didn't move, he -just sat still, with a friendly smile on his face; an' Badger-face sat -there with his gun in his hand, scowlin' jerk-lightnin' at him. - -Spider an' Slim had gone after meat that day, an' they came into view -with the carcase of a doe, just as Badger drew his gun. Me an' Tank -was listed to wrangle in the bunch, an' we came ridin' along just -after the other two came into view. The Greasers gave a little cough -an' Badger-face looked up an' saw us. It looked like a put-up job, all -right; an' chariots of fire, but he was mad! Pullin' a gun on a man is -the same as shootin' at him. Badger-face had been tricked into givin' -us just grounds to slaughter him, and he wasn't quite sure what move -to make next. Our outfit had been purty well advertized, through -cleanin' out the Brophy gang, me an' Mexican Slim were both two-gun -men an' known to be quick an' accurate, while Tank was ever-lastin'ly -gettin' into trouble, owin' to his friendly feelin's for liquor. As we -drew closer we made our smoke-wagons ready, while his two Greasers -kept their hands in plain view, and harmless. - -Badger had a trapped look in his face; but he didn't say anything, an' -he didn't cover Horace with his gun; he just held it ready. We did the -same with ours, an' it was the foolest lookin' group I was ever part -of. Ol' Tank was the one who finally started things. "Look here, -Badger-face," he bellowed, "if you so much as harm a hair o' those -blamed ol' whiskers, why, we'll have to put ya out o' business." - -Horace turned an' looked at Tank in surprise. "Aw, put up your gun," -he said. "Badger-face ain't in earnest. We had an argument the other -day: I said 'at a man lost time crossin' his hand to pull his gun, an' -he said it could be done quicker that way 'n any other; so to-day he -joked me about bein' as small in the body as he is in the brain, an' I -came back at him, also jokin' in a friendly way; an' he took this -excuse to pull his gun on me, without any ill intent; but only to -prove how quick he could do it. It stuck in his holster, though; an' -if we'd been in earnest, I'd have had to kill him. I've had him -covered all this time; but you can see for yourselves 'at his gun -ain't cocked. Now put up your guns, and next time, don't be silly." - -I know 'at Horace didn't have any gun in his hand when we came up; but -when he stopped speakin', he pulled his hand with a cocked gun in it -out from under his hoss's mane, an' Badger-face was the most surprised -of any of us. - -"Come on down to supper, Badger-face, an' I'll sing ya my song," sez -Horace. "We allus seem to have fresh deer meat when you happen along." - -We all put up our guns along with Badger-face, an' he mumbled some -sort of an excuse an' rode away with the Greasers. O' course we'd -ought to 'a' killed him right then, 'cause he was more full o' hate -than a rattler; but the simple truth was, that Horace had gained -control over us complete, an' we let him have his way. - -"When did you get that gun in your hand, Horace?" I sez to him after -supper. "You didn't have no gun when I rode up." - -"That's what's puzzlin' Badger-face right this minute," sez Horace. "I -didn't draw that gun until Tank made his talk; but at the same time I -wasn't as defenceless as I looked. I have told you all the time 'at -that man didn't have the nerve to harm me. He's a coward." - -"I reckon you'll be killed one o' these days, still believin' that," -sez ol' Tank. "How much fightin' experience have you ever had?" - -"How much did Thesis ever have?" asked Horace. - -"Never heard of him," sez Tank. "Who was he?" - -"He was a Greek hero," sez Horace. "He never had had a fight till he -started out to go to his father; but he cleaned out all the toughs -along the way, an' when he reached his father, who was king of Athens, -he found 'em just ready to send out seven young men an' seven maidens, -which they offered up each year to the Minnietor, which was a beast -with the body of a man, and the head of a bull, just like Badger-face. -Thesis volunteered, an' what he did was to kill the Minnietor an' end -all that nonsense." - -"Well, I never heard tell o' that before, an' I don't more 'n half -believe it now," sez Tank; "but I'm willin' to bet four dollars 'at -the Minnietor didn't know as much about gunfightin' as what -Badger-face does. He'll get ya yet, you see if he don't." - -"Tell ya what I'm game to do," sez Horace. "I'm game to go right to Ty -Jones's ranch house alone. Do ya dare me?" - -"No, you don't do that," sez I. "That's a heap different proposition. -Ty Jones wouldn't pull his gun without shootin'; and besides, he'd -most likely set his dogs on ya." - -"Well, I own up 'at I don't want no dealin's with dogs," sez Horace, -thoughtful. "Dogs haven't enough imagination to work on. If they're -trained to bite, why, that's what they do; but give a human half a -chance, an' he'll imagine a lot o' things which are not so. You -couldn't tell Badger-face a big enough tale about me to make him doubt -it. I tell ya, I got him scared." - -We didn't argue with him none; the' was some doubt about him havin' -Badger-face fooled; but the' wasn't any doubt about him havin' himself -fooled--which is the main thing after all, I reckon. Anyway, we let -Horace sit there the whole evenin', tellin' Greek-hero tales which -must have blistered the imagination o' the feller 'at first made 'em -up. - -Along about nine o'clock we began to stretch an' yawn; but before we -got to bed, Mexican Slim said 'at he heard a noise at the corral, an' -we all looked at one another, thinkin' it was the Cross-branders; but -Horace was the first one to get back into his boots an' belt; an' he -also insisted on bein' the first to open the door, which he did as -soon as we blew out the candle. Then we all filed out an' sneaked down -toward the corral; but first thing we knew, a voice out o' the dark -whispered: "This is me--Olaf. Is everything all right?" - -We told him it was, an' he whistled three times. You could 'a' knocked -me down with a feather when Kit Murray an' the Friar came ridin' up; -an' then we turned the ponies loose an' went into the house. It only -had two rooms, countin' the lean-to kitchen, an' we made consid'able -of a crowd; but we were all in good spirits, on account of Olaf -gettin' the girl an' us bein' able to hand him back his stuff with not -one head missin'. - -It had been some interval since I'd seen Kit Murray, an' I was -surprised to view the change in her. She didn't look so much older, -but all the recklessness had gone out of her face, an' it had a sort -of a quiet, holy look about it. "Kit," I sez, "I wish ya all the joy -the' is; but I'd 'a' been willin' to have bet my eyes 'at you'd never -take Olaf. I was glad to see him go up after ya, 'cause gettin' -knocked on the head is some better 'n bein' kept hangin' on a hook; -but you sure got your nerve with ya. This homestead is purty likely to -get in some other folks' way." - -Kit had as snappy a pair o' black eyes as was ever stuck in a face; -and now they flashed out full power. "I know it's goin' to be hard to -hold this place," sez she, "but I reckon I can help a little. I can -ride an' shoot as well as a man, if I have to, and you know it. I -don't want anything but the quietest sort of a life the' is; but I'm -ready to stand for any sort o' luck 'at comes along. As for Olaf, he's -the only man in the world for me. I saw something o' the big cities -back east, an' Billings, an' the boys on the range here, and out of -'em all, Olaf's my man. The thing I hope more 'n anything else is, -that we can die together." - -Her voice caused a hush to come to the room. I had meant to be jovial -an' hearty; but the' was an undercurrent of earnestness in her voice -which put a tingle into a feller. Kit Murray had changed a heap, but -all for the better. - -Olaf cleared his throat, an' we all took a look at him. He had -changed, too. He had lost the chained-bear look he generally wore, an' -the' was a light o' pride an' satisfaction in his face which was good -to look upon. "Boys," he said, "I've been purty tough an' unsociable, -an' I don't see why you've took so much trouble for me; but I tell ya -right here that I stand ready to square it in any way or at any time I -can. Now, it seems mighty funny 'at Kit Murray should love me, an' I -can't account for it any more 'n you can; but I knew right from the -start that she did love me--I could tell by the light. If ever the -time comes that she don't love me any more, I get out of her way, -that's all about that; but I'm not goin' to make her stay here any -longer 'n I have to. I sell out when I get the first chance. Friar -Tuck, he softened my heart, an' he watched over her. He's a man. -That's all I can say." - -Well, this was an all-around noble speech for a stone image like Olaf -had been, an' we cheered him to the echo; but Horace had sort o' been -jostled to the outside an' forgot. Now, he come forward an' shook Olaf -by the hand an' congratulated him, an' sez: "The's one thing I'd like -mightily to know, an' that is--what the deuce do you mean by this -light you're allus alludin' to?" - -Olaf was some embarrassed; but it never seemed to fuss Horace any when -he had turned all the fur the' was in sight the wrong way; so he just -waited patiently while Olaf spluttered about it. - -"I don't know myself," sez Olaf. "Always, since I was a little child, -I have seen a floating light about people. I thought every one saw -this light an' I spoke of it when I was a child an' asked my mother -about it many times; but at first she thought I lie, an' then she -thought my head was wrong; so I stopped talkin' about it; but always I -see it an' it changes with the feelings and with the health. All the -colors and shades I cannot read, but some I know. I knew that Kit -Murray loved me before she knew it, and I knew that the Friar was a -true man when they told me tales of him. Animals, too, have this -floatin' light about 'em, an' I can tell when they are frightened an' -when they are mean. This is why I handle hosses without trouble. Now I -do not know why my eyes are this way; but I have told you because you -have been good friends to me. I do not want you to tell of this -because it makes people think I am crazy." - -"Course it does," sez Horace. "It made me think you were crazy. I -never heard of anything like this before. Tell me some more about it." - -"There is no more to tell," sez Olaf. "When I see the flame I do not -see the people. The flame wavers about them, and sometimes I have seen -it at night, but not often. I do nothing to make myself see this way. -Always my eyes did this even when I was only a baby." - -"Well, you have everything beat I ever saw yet," sez Horace. "What do -you think o' this, Friar?" - -"I never heard of such a case," sez the Friar; "although it may have -been that many have had this gift to some extent. I think it is due to -the peculiar blue of Olaf's eyes. I think that this blue detects -colors or rays, not visible to ordinary eyes. I wish that some -scientist would study them." - -"I'll pay your way back East, Olaf," sez Horace, "if you'll have your -eyes tested." - -"No, no," sez Olaf, shakin' his head. "I don't want to be a freak. -What is the use? I can not tell how I do it, so it cannot be learned; -and I do not want things put into my eyes for experiments. No, I will -not do it." - -"Tell me how Badger-face looks to you," sez Horace. - -"Oh, he is bad," sez Olaf. "He has the hate color, he loves to kill; -but he is like the wolf; he does not like the fight, he wants always -to kill in secret." - -"I bet my eyes are a little like yours," sez Horace, noddin' his head. -"I knew 'at Badger-face was this way as soon as I saw him." - -"Oh, here now," sez the Friar. "You are puttin' down a special gift to -the level of shrewd character-readin'." - -"What sort of a flame does a dead person have, Olaf?" sez Horace. - -A queer look came into Olaf's face, a half-scared look. "A dead person -has no flame," sez he, with a little shudder. "It is a bad sight. I -have watched; I have seen the soul leave. When a man is killed, the -savage purple color fades into the yellow of fear, then comes the -blue, it gets fainter and fainter around the body; but it gathers like -a cloud above, and then it is silver gray, like moonshine. It is not -in the shape of the body, it is just a cloud. It floats away. That is -all." - -"Well, that's enough," sez Horace. "Can you see any flame about a -sleeping person?" - -"Yes," sez Olaf, "just like about a waking person; and there is marks -over a wound or a sick place." - -"Well, Mrs. Svenson," sez Horace to Kit, "you'll have to be mighty -careful or your husband will find you out." - -"I am perfectly willin'," sez Kit with a proud little smile. She was -game, all right, Kit was. - -"That is why I say it is all right," sez Olaf. "She is young, she -cannot know how she will change. If ever she no longer love me, I will -not bother her. That would be a foolishness; but so long as she love -me, no other man will bother her. That would be devilishness!" - -"You certainly have a nice, simple scheme of life," sez Horace. "If -ever you change your mind, I'll put up the money to take you back -East, an' pay you high wages." - -"No," sez Olaf, "I hate circuses an' shows, an' such things. I not -go." - -"You say you can tell sick places, an' fear, an' hate, an' honesty," -sez Horace. "Now, when I came out here, I was just punk all over. You -give me a look-over, an' tell right out what you see." - -At first Olaf shook his head, but we finally coaxed him into it; an' -he opened his eyes wide an' looked at Horace. As he looked the blue in -his eyes got deeper an' deeper, like the flowers on the benches in -June, then when the pupil was plumb closed, the blue got lighter -again, and he said: "You have not one sick point, you have good -thoughts, you are very brave, you are too brave--you are reckless. You -have very great vitality, an' will live to be very old--unless you get -killed. I knew an old Injun--over a hundred years old he was--he had a -flame like yours. It is strange." - -You could actually see Horace swellin' up with vanity at this; but it -made ol' Tank Williams hot to see such a fuss made about a -small-caliber cuss; so he rumbles around in his throat a minute, an' -sez: "Well, you fellers can fool around all night havin' your souls -made light of, if ya want to; but as for me I'm goin' to bed." - -Kit insisted that we sleep on the floor just as we had been, while she -an' Olaf bunked in the lean-to; but a warm chinook had been blowin' -all day, an' it was soft an' pleasant, so we took our beds out in the -cottonwoods. Horace an' the Friar got clinched into some kind of a -discussion; but the rest of us dropped off about as soon as we -stretched out. The moon was just risin', an' one sharp peak covered -with glitterin' snow stood up back o' the rim. I remember thinkin' it -might be part o' the old earth's shiny soul. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - -NIGHT-PROWLERS - - -Whenever the's anything on my mind I sleep purty light; an' the whole -Cross brand outfit was on my mind that night; so it's not surprisin' -that I woke up after a bit. The moon had climbed consid'able, an' the -stars told me it was about two. I had been sleepin' alone; Horace -havin' decided to crawl in with the Friar so they could quarrel at -short range. - -The Friar's tarp was next to mine, an' I raised myself on my elbow an' -looked at it. I could hear him breathin' natural, an' the bulk of him -was so large that Horace wouldn't have made much of a mound anyway; so -at first I couldn't tell whether he was there or not. I crept out till -I could sit up an' get a clear view; but Horace wasn't there, so I put -on my boots as quick as ever. - -I sneaked over to the Friar's tarp; but Horace's hat was gone, so I -knew he was up to some mischief, an' started for the corral to see if -he had taken a hoss. What I feared was, that he had got to thinkin' -about what a super-wonderful flame he had, and had decided to give it -a fair work-out by sneakin' down to Ty Jones's on his own hook. I was -worried about this because I knew they'd do for him in a minute, if -they'd catch him where they could hide all traces. - -Olaf had built a large square corral an' a smaller round one, to do -his ropin' in; and when I reached the near side o' the square one, I -heard a slight noise near the gate of the round one. I peered through -the poles of the corral, but the dividin' fence got in the road so 'at -I couldn't see, an' I started to prowl around. All of a sudden, -Horace's squeaky tenor piped out: "Halt"; an' I flattened out on the -ground, thinkin' he had spotted me; but just then the' was a smothered -curse from the round corral, an' when I started to get up I saw -Badger-face vault over the fence in the direction of Horace's voice. - -Then I saw Horace standin' behind a clump with his gun on Badger-face. -"Put up your hands," sez Horace. - -Badger was runnin' straight for him; but he put up his hands at this -order, and came to a slow stop about five feet from Horace. The square -corral was still between me an' them, an' I drew my right gun an' -started around, keepin' my eye on 'em as much as I could through the -poles. - -"I reckon I got ya this time," sez Horace, just as I reached the -corner. - -"I reckon you have," sez Badger in a give-up voice; but at the same -moment he took a step forward, threw his body back, an' kicked the gun -out of Horace's hand. Then he lunged forward an' got Horace by the -throat, flung him on his back an' straddled him--an' I broke for 'em -on the run. Just before I reached 'em, the' came a heavy, muffled -report, an' Badger-face fell on his side an' rolled over on his back, -clutchin' at his breast. - -Horace rose to his feet, holdin' a toy pistol, put his hands on his -hips, looked down at Badger-face, an' sez: "If you'd 'a' just asked -Olaf what kind of a light I give out, you'd 'a' stayed at home an' -saved your life." That's how nervous Horace was. - -"Don't stand an' talk to a shot man," I sez. "Allus get his gun -first." - -Horace gave a jump at the sound o' my voice, an' covered me with his -pop-gun. "Oh, it's you, is it?" he sez. "Well, then, you get his gun; -but I don't much think he can use it." - -By the time I had lifted Badger's gun, the other boys were arrivin', -an' when they found that Horace had gone out alone an' shot a hole -through Badger-face, they certainly was some surprised. Purty soon Kit -Murray came out with Olaf, an' then Horace told about not feelin' -sleepy an' bein' so disgusted at the way we were snorin' that he had -got up to take a little stroll. He said he just went toward the corral -'cause that was the least uninterestin' place he could think of, and -that Badger had sneaked down an' started to cut the stirrups off the -saddles right before his eyes. - -"I gave him all the time he wanted," sez Horace, "so 'at there -wouldn't be any doubt as to his intentions. I reckon 'at cuttin' up -saddles in another man's corral is goin' about far enough, ain't it?" - -Just then the Friar finished his examination of Badger, an' went after -his saddle bags for a bandage. "Went clear through his lung," was all -he said as he passed us on the run. - -It was purty chilly at that time o' night; and as the cold began to -eat in, it suddenly came over Horace that no matter how much justified -he was, he had shot an' most likely killed a feller human, an' he -began to shake. He went over to Badger-face an' put his coat over him, -an' sez: "Great heavens! are ya goin' to let this man lie out here in -the cold till he dies? Ain't the' some place we can put him? This is -horrible." - -"Bring him in the house," sez Kit. "He don't deserve it; but we can't -let him lie out here--can we, Olaf?" - -"No," sez Olaf. "If you say bring him in, in he comes." - -"That's right, that's fine. I don't bear him any malice," sez Horace. -"I hope he gets over it an' lives to repent." - -We packed him into the house an' Kit made a fire an' heated some -water. As soon as the water was hot, the Friar cleaned out the wound -with it an' some foamy stuff out of a bottle. Then he dissolved a drab -tablet in some water an' tied up both openings. Horace sat in a corner -durin' this operation, with his head in his hands, shiverin'. The -reaction had set in; an' all of us knew what it was, though I don't -suppose any of us had had the chance to give way to it as free as -Horace did. - -Badger-face was all cut an' scarred when we stripped him; but he -looked as tough an' gnarly as an oak tree, an' the Friar said he had -one chance in a hundred to pull through. He didn't speak to us until -after the Friar had finished with him. Then he said in a low, snarly -voice: "I don't much expect to get over this; but before I slip off, I -wish you'd tell me who the little cuss who got me really is, an' -what's his game." - -We didn't hardly know what to say; but finally Tank sez: "We don't -feel free to tell you who he is, Badger-face; but I'll say this much, -he ain't no officer of the law." - -I thought it would be the quickest way to straighten Horace up, so I -told him 'at Badger-face wanted to talk to him. Sure enough, Horace -took a deep breath an' stiffened his upper lip. Then he walked over to -the bed. "How do ya feel, Badger-face?" sez he. - -"Oh, I been shot before," sez Badger; "but it burns worse 'n usual -this time, an' I reckon you've got me. It grinds me all up to think -'at a little runt like you did it, an' it would soothe me to know 'at -you had some sort of a record." - -Horace looked thoughtful: he wanted to comfort the man he was -responsible for havin' put out o' the game; but he could see that the -whole truth wouldn't in no wise do, so he put on a foxy look an' sez: -"I never worked around these parts none; but if you've ever heard o' -Dinky Bradford, why, that's me. I know just how you feel. You feel as -much put out at bein' bested by a small-like man, as I would at havin' -a big feller get ahead o' me; but you needn't fret yourself. There's -fellers right in this room who have seen me go four days without food -an' then do a stunt which beat anything they'd ever seen. Don't you -worry none. Now that you're down an' out, we all wish ya the best o' -luck." - -Me an' Spider an' Tank had to grin at this; but it was just what -Badger needed to quiet him, an' his face lit up when he asked Horace -how he had managed to shoot him. - -"I used my auxilary armyment," sez Horace, but that's all the -explanation he'd make. I found out afterward that he had a thing -called a derringer, a two-barreled pistol, forty-one caliber, which he -carried in his vest pocket. I told him 'at this sneaky sort of a -weapon would give him a bad name if it was found out on him; but he -said 'at he shot from necessity, not choice, and that when it came to -gettin' shot, he couldn't see why the victim should be so blame -particular what was used--which is sensible enough when you come to -think it over, though I wouldn't pack one o' those guns, myself. - -Badger-face was out of his head next day, and for two weeks followin'. -The Friar an' Kit an' Horace took turns nursin' him, an' they did an -able job of it. Water, plain water an' wind, was about all the Friar -used in treatin' him. Kit wanted to give him soup an' other sorts o' -funnel food; but the Friar said 'at a man could live for weeks on what -was stored up in him; an' Horace backed him up. Kit used to shake her -head at this, an' I know mighty well that down deep in her heart, she -thought they would starve him to death before her very eyes. - -We tore up the old shack on the hill, snaked the poles down with -Olaf's work team, an' set it up in the Spread; so 'at we'd be handy in -case we was needed. A couple o' the Cross-branders drifted by, an' we -gave 'em the news about Badger-face an' Dinky Bradford havin' come -together an' Badger havin' got some the worst of it; but they wouldn't -go in to see him, an' they quit wanderin' by; so 'at we didn't hardly -know what to expect. - -We had hard work thawin' out the clay for chinkin', an' we didn't get -the cabin as tight as we'd 'a' liked; but we had plenty o' wood, so it -didn't much matter as far as warmth was concerned; but we had the -blamedest time with a pack-rat I ever did have. - -I don't know whether pack-rats an' trade-rats is the same varmints or -not; but neither one of 'em has a grain o' sense, though some tries to -stick up for the trade-rats on account o' their tryin' to be honest. A -pack-rat is about three times as big as a barn rat, an' fifteen times -as energetic. His main delight is to move things. Horace said 'at he -was convinced they were the souls o' furniture-movers who had died -without repentin' of all the piano-lamps an' chiny-ware they had -broke. A pack-rat don't care a peg whether he can use an article or -not; all he asks is the privilege of totin' it about somewhere. - -We weren't at all sure 'at we wouldn't be routed out in the night; so -when we went to sleep, we'd stack our boots an' hats where we could -find 'em easy. Sometimes the pack-rat would toil so industrious 'at -he'd wake us up an' we'd try to hive him; but most o' the time he'd -work sly, an' then next mornin' we'd find our boots all in a heap on -the table, or in the corner under the bunk or somewhere clear outside -the shack; until we was tempted to move the shack back where it was, -there not bein' any pack-rats up there. - -Then either the pack-rat reformed into a trade-rat, or else he sold -out his claim to a trade-rat. Anyway, four nights after we'd been -settled, we began to get trades for our stuff. - -Horace was sleepin' this whole night with us, an' next mornin' he -wakened before light an' started to dress so as to relieve the Friar. -He had put his boots on the floor under the head o' his bunk, an' when -he reached down for 'em he found one potato an' the hide of a rabbit. -The rabbit hide had been tossed out two days before, an' it had froze -stiff an' had a most ungainly feel at that hour o' the mornin'. Horace -scrooged back into bed an' pulled all the covers off Tank whom he was -sleepin' with. When Tank awoke, he found Horace sittin' up in the bunk -with the covers wound around him, yellin' for some one to strike a -light. - -We all struck matches an' finally got a candle lit. When Horace saw -what it was, he was hos-tile for true, thinkin' it was a joke one o' -the boys had put up. We had had a hard time convincin' him o' the ways -o' pack-rats, an' now when we sprung trade-rats on him, he thought we -were liars without mercy; but when the Friar came out to learn what -the riot was, an' told Horace it was all so about trade-rats, he had -to give in. - -"Well, they've got a heap o' nerve," sez he, from the center o' the -beddin' which was still wound around him, "to lug off a good pair o' -high-heeled ridin' boots, an' leave an old potato an' the shuck of a -rabbit in place of 'em!" - -After this Horace took a tarp into Badger's room an' bedded himself -down in a corner, which was all around the most handy thing he could -do; but the rest of us had a regular pest of a time with that rat. We -couldn't find out where the deuce he got in; but he distributed our -belongin's constant, an' generally brought us some of Olaf's -grub-stuff in exchange. We couldn't trap him nor bluff him, an' it -generally took a good hour mornin's, to round up our wearin' apparel. - -One night we kept the fire goin' an' changed watchers every two hours. -Ol' Tank was on guard from two to four, an' he woke us up by takin' a -shot. We found him on his back in the middle o' the floor, an' he -claimed he had been settin' in a chair an' had seen the rat walkin' -along the lower side o' the ridgepole with one o' Tillte Dutch's boots -in his mouth. Dutch had the spreadin'est feet in the outfit, an' we -couldn't believe 'at a trade-rat could possibly tote it, hangin' down -from the ridgepole; but Tank showed us a lot o' scratches along the -ridgepole, an' a bruise on his chin where the boot had hit him when -the rat dropped it. The' was also a hole in the boot where his bullet -had gone, but this didn't prove anything. Still, Tank stuck to his -story, so we had to apologize for accusin' him of lettin' his good eye -sleep while he kept watch with his free one. - -We stuffed burlap into the hole about the ridgepole, an' that night -bein' Christmas eve, we all gathered in and held festivities. We -danced an' told tales an' sang until a late hour. None of us were -instrument musicians; but we clapped our hands an' patted with our -feet, an' Kit took turns dancin' with us, till it was most like a -regular party. Mexican Slim bet that he could do a Spanish dance as -long as Horace could sing different verses of his song; but we -suppressed it at the ninety-first verse. Tank wanted to let him -finish, in the hope it might kill the trade-rat; but we couldn't stand -any more, ourselves. - -Then the Friar taught us a song called, "We three Kings of Orient -are"; an' we disbursed for the night. It was a gorgeous night, an' me -an' the Friar took a little walk under the stars. One of 'em rested -just above the glisteny peak up back o' the rim, an' he sang soft an' -low, the "Star of beauty, star of night" part o' this song. He allus -lifted me off the earth when he sang this way. Then he sez to me: -"After all, Happy, life pays big dividends, if we just live it hard -enough"; an' he gave a little sigh an' went in to tend to Badger-face. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - -THE TRADE-RAT'S CHRISTMAS-GIFT - - -Trade-rats haven't as much idee of real music as coyotes have. -Ninety-one verses of that infernal cow-song, sung in Horace's -nose-tenor, was enough to drive bed-bugs out of a lumber-camp; but -that night the trade-rat worked harder than ever. We had hid our stuff -an' fastened it down, an' used every sort of legitimate means to -circumvent the cuss; but he beat us to it every time, an' switched our -stuff around scandalous. - -"Merry Christmas!" yelled Spider Kelley, holdin' up a rusty sardine -can. - -The trade-rat had remembered us all in some the same way, but we -recalled what day it was an' took it in good part; until, all of a -sudden, ol' Tank gave a whoop, an' held up a brown buck-skin bag. We -crowded around an' wanted him to open it up an' see what was inside; -but he said it most probably belonged to Olaf or Kit or the Friar; so -we toted it into the cabin an' asked the one who could identify it to -step out an' claim his diamonds. - -Then we had a surprise--not one o' the bunch could identify the bag! -We stood around an' looked at the bag for as much as five minutes, -tryin' to figure out how the deuce even a trade-rat could spring stuff -on us none of us had ever seen before. - -"This is a real trade, sure enough," sez Horace. - -"I tell ya what this is," sez I. "This is a Christmas-gift for the -Friar. Go on an' open it, Friar." - -The' was some soft, Injun-tanned fawn-skin inside, wrappin' up a -couple o' papers, an' two photographs, and an old faded letter. "I -don't think we have the right to look at these," sez the Friar. - -"How'll we ever find out who they belong to, then?" asked Horace. -"Look at the letter anyway." - -It was in a blank envelope, an' it began, "My dear son," and ended, -"Your lovin' mother." The letter was just the same as all mothers -write to their sons, I reckon: full of heartache, an' tenderness, an' -good advice, an' scoldin'; but nothin' to identify nobody by; so we -said 'at the Friar should read the papers. One of 'em was an honorable -discharge from the army; but all the names an' dates an' localities -had been crossed out. It was what they call an "Excellent" discharge, -which is the best they give, an' you could tell by the thumb print 'at -this part had been read the most by whoever had treasured it. - -The other paper was simply a clippin' from a newspaper. It was a -column of items tellin' about Dovey wishin' to see Tan Shoes at the -same place next Sunday, an' such things. The Friar said 'at this was -the personal column, an' he sure labeled it; 'cause if a feller chose -to guess any, some o' those items was personal enough to make a -bar-tender blush; but they didn't convey any news to us as to where -the trade-rat had procured the buck-skin bag. - -The photographs were wrapped in tissue paper an' then tied together -with pink string, face to each. The Friar balked a little at openin' -'em up; but we deviled him into it. The first he opened was a cheap, -faded little one of an old lady. She had a sad, patient face, an' -white hair. Horace was standin' on a chair, lookin' over the Friar's -shoulder, an' he piped out that the photograph had been took in New -York, an' asked if we knew any one who lived there, which most of us -did; but not the subject of the photograph. - -Then the Friar opened the other one. He took one look at it, an' then -his face turned gray. "This one was took in Rome," sez Horace. "Does -any one here have a list o' friends livin' in Rome, Italy?" - -He hadn't looked at the face on the photograph, nor at the Friar's -face; but when we didn't answer, he looked up, saw that we had sobered -in sympathy with the Friar, an' then he looked at the face on the -photograph an' got down off the chair. The face was of a beautiful -lady in a low-necked, short-sleeved dress. Not as low nor as short as -some dresses I've seen in pictures, but still a purty generous -outlook. - -The Friar's hands shook some; but he gradually got a grip on himself, -an' purty soon, he sez in a steady voice: "This is a picture of -Signorina Morrissena. Does any one here know of her?" - -Well, of course none of us had ever heard of her; so the Friar wrapped -up the package again an' put it back into the buck-skin bag. We had -expected to have some high jinks that day, an' Kit had baked a lot o' -vinegar pies for dinner, we had plenty o' fresh deer-meat, an' we had -agreed to let the Friar hold a regular preachin' first; but when we -saw how the picture had shook him up we drifted back to our own shack -an' sat talkin' about where the deuce that blame trade-rat could -possibly have got a holt o' the buck-skin bag. I was purty sure that -it was a picture o' the Friar's girl, the extra trimmin's on the name -not bein' much in the way of a disguise, an' as soon as I got a chance -to see Horace I questioned him, an' he said it was the girl, all -right; but that she had developed a lot. - -The Friar had taken a hoss an' gone up into the mountains, an' had -left word that he didn't want any dinner. We were as full o' sympathy -with him as we could stand, but not in the mood to sidestep such a -meal as Kit had framed up; so we ate till after three in the -afternoon. We didn't want to do anything to fret him a speck; so we -hardly knew what to do. Generally it tickled him to have us ask him to -preach to us; but we couldn't tell how he'd feel about it now, and we -were still discussin' it about the fire when the Friar came back. - -He looked mighty weary, an' we knew he had been drivin' himself purty -hard, although it wasn't just tiredness which showed in his face. -Still, the' was a sort of peace there, too; so after he'd warmed -himself a while, ol' Tank asked him if he wouldn't like to preach to -us a bit. - -The Friar once said that back East some folks used good manners as -clothin' for their souls, but that out our way good-heartedness was -the clothin', an' good manners nothin' more than a silver band around -the hat. "And some o' the bands are mighty narrow, Friar," I added to -draw him out. "Yes," sez he, "but the hats are mighty broad." - -You just couldn't floor the Friar in a case like this. He knew 'at the -politeness an' the good-heartedness in Tank's request was divided off -about the same as the band an' the hat; and that all we wanted was to -ease off the Friar's mind an' let him feel contented; so he heaved a -sigh and shook his head at Tank. - -When a blacksmith goes out into company, folks don't pester him with -questions as to why tempered steel wasn't stored up in handy caves, -instead of havin' nothin' but rough ore hid away in the cellar of a -mountain; and a carpenter is not held responsible because a sharp saw -cuts better 'n a dull one; but it seems about next to impossible for a -human bein' to pass up a parson without insultin' him a little about -the ways o' Providence, and askin' him a lot o' questions which would -moult feathers out o' the ruggedest angel in the bunch. - -We could all see 'at the Friar had been havin' a rough day of it; so -Tank began by askin' him questions simply to toll him away from -himself; but soon he was shootin' questions into the Friar as rough -shod as though they was both strangers to each other. - -"You say it was sheep-herders what saw the angels that night the Lord -was born," sez Tank. "How come the' wasn't any cow-punchers saw 'em?" -Tank had about the deep-rootedest prejudice again' sheep-herders I -ever saw. - -"The' wasn't any cow-punchers in that land," sez the Friar. "It was a -hilly land an'--" - -"Well I'd like to know," broke in ol' Tank, "why the Lord picked out -such a place as that, when he had the whole world to choose from." - -O' course the Friar tried his best to smooth this out; but by the time -he was through, Tank had got tangled up with another perdicament. -"Then, there was ol' Faro's dream," he said, "the one about the seven -lean cows eatin' the seven fat ones. I've punched cows all my life, -and I saw 'em so thin once, when the snow got crusted an' the chinook -got switched off for a month, that the spikes on their backbones -punched holes through their hides; but they'd as soon thought o' -flyin' up an' grazin' on clouds, as to turn in an' eat one another." - -By the time the Friar had got through explainin' the difference -between dreams and written history, Tank was ready with another query. -"I heard tell once 'at the Bible sez, 'If thy eye offends thee, pluck -it out.' Does the Bible say this?" - -"Well, it does," admitted the Friar; "but you see--" - -"Well, my free eye offends me," broke in Tank. "It never did offend me -until Spike Groogan tried to pluck it out, and it don't offend me now -as much as it does other folks. Still, I got to own up 'at the blame -thing does offend me whenever I meet up with strangers, 'cause it -allus runs wilder in front of a stranger 'n at airy other time. Now, -what I want to know is, why an' when an' how must I pluck out that -eye--specially, when it sez in another place that if a man's eye is -single his whole body is full o' light. My eye is single enough to -suit any one. Fact is, it's so blame single that some folks call it -singular; but the' ain't no more light in my body 'n there is in airy -other man's." - -You couldn't work off any spiritual interpretation stuff on Tank. He -thought an allegory was the varmint which lives in the Florida swamps. -Well, as far as that goes, I did, too, until the Friar pointed out -that it was merely a falsehood used to explain the truth; but Tank, he -didn't join in with any new-fangled notions, an' a feller had to talk -to him as straight out as though talkin' to a hoss. The' was lots of -times I didn't envy the Friar his job. - -But after he had satisfied Tank that it wasn't required of him to -discard either of his lamps, especially the free one, he drifted off -into tellin' us how he had spent the day--and then I envied him a -little, for he certainly did have the gift o' wranglin' words. - -He told about havin' rode up the mountain as far as he could go, and -then climbin' as far as he could on foot. He showed how hard it was to -tell either a man or a mountain by the lines in their faces, and he -went on with this till he made a mountain almost human. Then he -switched around and showed how much a mountain was like life, ambition -bein' like pickin' out the mountain, the easy little foothills bein' -the start, the summit allus hid while a feller was climbin', and each -little plateau urgin' him to give up there and rest. He compared life -and a mountain, until it seemed that all a feller needed for a full -edication, was just to have a mountain handy. Then he wound up by -sayin' that he hadn't been able to reach the peak. He had sat in a -sheltered nook for a time, gazin' up at the face of a cliff with an -overhangin' bank o' snow on top, the wind swirlin' masses o' snow down -about him, and everything tryin' to point out that he had been a -failure, and might as well give up in disgust. He stopped here, and we -were all silent, for, as was usual with him, he had led us along to -where we could see life through his eyes for a space. - -"After a time," sez the Friar as soon as he saw we were in the right -mood, "I caught my breath again and followed the narrow ledge I was on -around to where I could see the highest peak stand out clear and -solitary; and from my side of it, it wasn't possible for any man to -reach it. There was no wind here, the air was as sweet and pure as at -the dawn o' creation, and everywhere I looked I met glory heaped on -glory. A gray cloud rested again' the far side o' the peak, and back -o' this was the sun. Ah, there was a silver and a golden linin' both -to this cloud; and all of a sudden I was comforted. - -"I had done all I could do, and this was my highest peak. Whatever was -the highest peak for others, this was the highest peak for me; and -there was no more bitterness or envy or doubt or fear in my heart. I -stood for a long time lookin' up at the gray cloud with its dazzling -edges, and some very beautiful lines crept into my memory--'The paths -which are trod, by only the evenin' and mornin', and the feet of the -angels of God.'" - -The Friar had let himself out a little at the end, and his eyes were -shinin' when he finished. "I guess I have given you a sermon, after -all, boys," he said, "and I hope you can use it to as good advantage -as I did when it came to me up on the mountain. We all have thoughts -we can't put into words, and so I've failed to give you all 'at was -given me; but it's some comfort to know that, be they big or be they -little, we don't have to climb any mountains but our own, and whether -we reach the top or whether we come to a blind wall first, the main -thing is to climb with all our might and with a certain faith that -those who have earned rest shall find it, after the sun has set." - -This was one of the days when the magic of the Friar's voice did -strange things to a feller's insides. We knew 'at he was talkin' in -parables, an' talkin' mostly to himself; but each one of us knew our -own little mountains, an' it was darn comfortin' to understand that -the Friar could have as tough a time on his as we had on ours. - -We all sat silent, each feller thinkin' over his own problems; and -after a time, the Friar sang the one beginnin', "O little town of -Bethlehem!" It was dark by this time, but the firelight fell on his -face, an' made it so soft-like an' tender that ol' Tank Williams -sniffled audible once, an' when the song was finished he piled a lot -more wood on the fire, an' pertended 'at he was catchin' cold. When -Kit called us in to supper, we all sat still for a full minute, before -we could get back to our appetites again. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - -A CONTESTED LIFE-TITLE - - -The bullet which had gone through Badger-face hadn't touched a single -bone. It had gone through his left lung purty high up, but somethin' -like the pneumonie set in, an' he was a sorry lookin' sight when the -fever started to die out after havin' hung on for two weeks. He had -been drinkin' consid'able beforehand, which made it bad for him, an' -the Friar said it was all a question of reserve. If Badger-face had -enough of his constitution left to tide him over, he stood a good -chance; but otherwise it was his turn. - -He didn't have much blood left in him at the end of two weeks on air -and water, and he didn't have enough fat to pillow his bones on. We -all thought 'at he ought to have something in the way o' feed; but the -Friar wouldn't stand for one single thing except water. He said 'at -food had killed a heap more wounded men 'n bullets ever had; so we let -him engineer it through in his own way. - -When the fever started to leave, he got so weak 'at Horace thought he -was goin' to flicker out, an' he felt purty bad about it. He didn't -regret havin' done it, an' said he would do just the same if he had it -to do over; but it calls up some mighty serious thoughts when a fellow -reflects that he is the one who has pushed another off into the dark. -On the night when it seemed certain that Badger-face would lose his -grip, we all went into his room an' sat around waitin' for the end, to -sort o' cheer him up a little. Life itself is a strange enough -adventure, but death has it beat a mile. - -Along about nine o'clock, Badger said in a low, trembly voice: "What'd -you fellers do to me, if I got well?" - -He didn't even open his eyes; so we didn't pay any heed to him. When -he first got out of his head, he had rambled consid'able. Part o' the -time he seemed to be excusin' himself for what he had done, an' part -o' the time he seemed to be gloatin' over his devilment; but the' -wasn't any thread to his discourse so we didn't set much store by it. -After waitin' a few minutes, he quavered out his question again, an' -the Friar told him not to worry about anything, but just to set his -mind on gettin' well. - -Badger shook his head feebly from side to side an' mumbled, "That -don't go, that don't go with me." He paused here for a rest, an' then -went on. "I've been in my right mind all day, an' I've been thinkin' a -lot, an' tryin' some experiments. I can breathe in a certain way which -makes me easier an' stronger, an' I can breathe in another way which -shuts off my heart. I don't intend to get well merely for the pleasure -o' gettin' lynched; so if that's your game, I intend to shut off my -heart an' quit before I get back the flavor o' life. It don't make -two-bits difference with me either way. What d' ya intend to do?" - -He had been a long time sayin' this, an' we had exchanged glances -purty promiscuous. We hadn't give a thought as to what we would do -with him, providin' he responded to our efforts to save his life; but -it was purty generally understood that Badger had fitted himself to be -strung up, just the same as if he hadn't been shot at all. Now, -though, when we came to consider it, this hardly seemed a square deal. -There wasn't much common sense in chokin' a man's life down his throat -for two weeks, only to jerk it out again at the end of a rope, an' we -found ourselves in somethin' of a complication. - -"What do ya think we ort to do to ya?" asked Tank. - -"Lynch me," sez Badger, without openin' his eyes; "but I don't intend -to wait for it. I don't blame ya none, fellers. I did ya all the dirt -I could; but I don't intend to furnish ya with no circus -performance--I'm goin' on." - -He began to breathe different, an' his face began to get purplish an' -ghastly. "Can he kill himself that way?" I asked the Friar. - -"I don't know," sez the Friar. "I think 'at when he loses -consciousness, nature'll take holt, an' make him breathe the most -comfortable way--but I don't know." - -"Let Olaf take a look at his flame," sez Horace; so Olaf looked at -Badger a long time. - -Olaf hadn't wasted much of his time on Badger. He wasn't long on -forgiveness, Olaf wasn't; an' ever since the time 'at Badger had been -so enthusiastic in tryin' to have him lynched for killin' Bud Fisher, -Olaf had give it out as his opinion that Badger was doomed for hell, -an' he wasn't disposed to take any hand in postponin' his departure. -Olaf was the matter-o'-factest feller I ever knew. The' don't seem to -be much harm in most of our cussin', but when Olaf indulged in -profanity, he was solemn an' earnest, the same as if he was sayin' a -prayer backwards. - -"It don't look like Badger's flame," sez he after a time. "It's -gettin' mighty weak an' blue, an' the's a thick spot over his heart -which shows plainer 'n the one over his wound." - -"I move we give him a fresh start," sez Horace. - -"He'd ort to be lynched," sez Tank. "I don't see why we can't try him -out now, an' if we find him guilty, why he can kill himself if he -wants to, or else get well again an' we'll do it for him." - -Neither what Horace said nor what Tank said called out much response. -We knew the' wasn't any one could say a good word for Badger-face an' -so he well deserved his stretchin'; but on the other hand, there he -was turnin' gray before our eyes, an' it went again' our nature to -discard him, after havin' hung on to him for two weeks. The Friar left -the side of the bed an' retired into a corner, leavin' us free to -express ourselves. - -"I don't see how we can let him go free," sez Tank. "He sez himself -'at he ort to be lynched; an' when a feller can't speak a good word -for himself, I don't see who can." - -"Badger-face," sez Horace, "you're the darnedest bother of a man I -ever saw. First you infest us until we have to shoot a hole through -you, an' then we have to nurse you for two weeks, an' now you're -diggin' your heels into our consciences. I give you my word we won't -lynch you if you get well. We'll turn you over to the law." - -Badger's thin lips fell back over his yellow teeth in the ghastliest -grin a live man ever hung out. "The law," sez he with bitter sarcasm, -"the law! Have you ever been in a penitentiary?" - -"No," sez Horace, "I have not." - -"Well, I have," sez Badger. "I was put in for another feller's deed; -an' they gave me the solitary, the jacket, the bull-rings, the -water-cure, and if you'll roll me over after I'm dead, you can still -see the scars of the whip on my back. I've tried the law, an' I'll see -you all damned before I try it again." - -Badger-face was as game as they generally get. As soon as he stopped -talkin' he began to breathe against his heart again. Horace stood -lookin' at him for a full minute, an' then he lost his temper. - -"You're a coward, that's what you are!" sez Horace. "I said all along -'at you were a coward, an' another feller said so too, an' now you're -provin' it. You can sneak an' kill cows an' cut saddles in the dark, -but you haven't the nerve to face things in the open. Now, you're -sneakin' off into the darkness o' death because you're afraid to face -the light of life." - -This was handin' it to him purty undiluted, an' Badger opened his eyes -an' looked at Horace. His eyes were heavy an' dull, but they didn't -waver any. "Dinky," sez Badger-face, "the only thing I got again' you -is your size. I've been called a lot o' different things in my time; -but you're the first gazabo 'at ever called me a coward--an' you're -about the only one who has a right to, 'cause you put me out fair an' -square. I wish you had traveled my path alongside o' me, though. You -ain't no milksop, but after you'd been given a few o' the deals I've -had, you'd take to the dark too. You can call me a coward if you want -to, or, after I'm gone, you can think of me as just bein' dog tired -an' glad o' the chance to crawl off into the dark to sleep. I don't -want to be on your conscience; that's not my game. All I want is just -to get shut o' the whole blame business." - -He talked broken an' quavery, an' it took him a long time to finish; -but when he did quit, he turned on his bad breathin' again. Horace had -flushed up some when Badger had mentioned milksop; but when he had -finished, Horace took his wasted hand in a hearty grip, an' sez: "I -take it back, Badger. You ain't no coward. I only wanted to taunt you -into stickin' for another round; but I think mighty well o' ya. Will -you agree to cut loose from the Ty Jones crowd an' try to be a man, if -we give you your freedom, a new outfit, and enough money to carry you -out of the country?" - -It was some time before Badger spoke, an' then he said: "Nope, I can't -do it. Ty knows my record, an' he's treated me white; but if I quit -him, he'll get me when I least expect it. Now understand, Dinky, that -I don't hold a thing again' you, you're the squarest feller I've ever -met up with; but I'm not comin' back to life again. From where I am -now, I can see it purty plain, an' it ain't worth the trouble." - -"You could write back to Ty that you made your escape from us," sez -Horace. - -"That's the best idee you've put over," sez Badger, after he'd thought -it out; "but I haven't enough taste for life to make the experiment. -Don't fuss about me any more. I don't suffer a mite. I feel just like -a feller in the Injun country, goin' to sleep on post after days in -the saddle. He knows it'll mean death, but he's too tired out to care -a white bean." - -"Have you ever been in the army?" asked the Friar from his place in -the corner. We all gave a little start at the sound of his voice, for -it came with a snap an' unexpected. - -Badger's lips dropped back for another hideous grin. "Yes," he said, -"I've been in both the penitentiary and the army--and they're a likely -pair." - -"Did you have a buck-skin bag?" asked the Friar, comin' up to the bed. - -Badger-face tried to raise himself on his elbow, but he couldn't quite -make it. "Yes, I did," sez he, droppin' back again. "What became of -it?" - -"I am keepin' it for ya," sez the Friar. "Do you wish to leave any -word in case you do not recover?" - -"No," sez Badger, "the' ain't no one to leave word to. That letter was -from my mother, an' that was her picture. She's been dead a long -string o' years now." - -"There was another picture an' a newspaper clippin'," sez the Friar. - -Badger-face didn't give no heed; an' after a time the Friar sez: "What -shall I do with them?" - -"Throw 'em away," sez Badger-face. "They don't concern me none. I was -more took with that woman's picture 'n airy other I ever saw. That was -all." - -"Where did you get it?" asked the Friar. - -"I got it from a young Dutchy," sez Badger wearily. "He killed a -feller over at Leadville an' came out here an' took on with Ty Jones. -He said she was an opery singer, an' got drugged at a hotel where he -was workin'." - -Badger-face was gettin' purty weak by now, an' he stopped with a sort -of sigh. The Friar took holt of his hand. "I am very much interested -in this woman," he said, lookin' into Badger's face as if tryin' to -give him life enough to go on with. "Can you tell me anything else -about her?" - -"Not much," sez Badger-face. "She was singin' at what he called the -Winter Garden at Berlin, Germany. Some Austrian nobility got mashed on -her an' drugged her at the hotel. Dutchy was mashed on her, too, I -reckon. They had advertised for him in a New York paper, an' when he -got shot, over at Little Monte's dance hall, he asked me to write -about it. His mother had died leavin' property, an' all they wanted -was to round up the heirs. I reckon they were glad enough to have -Dutchy scratched from the list. I don't know why I did keep that -clippin'." - -"Have you any idee how long ago it was 'at the woman was drugged?" -asked the Friar. - -"I haven't any idee," sez Badger-face weakly. "Carl was killed four -years ago this Christmas eve; so it had to be before that." - -"Listen to me, Badger-face," sez the Friar, grippin' his hand tight. -"I want you to get well. I know that all these men will stand by you -and help you to start a new life." - -"How long is it since I've been laid up?" asked Badger. - -"Two weeks," sez the Friar. "This is two days after Christmas." - -"Who tended to me?" asked Badger. - -"We all did," sez the Friar, "and we all stand ready to help you make -a new start." - -"I had a good enough start," sez Badger; "but I fooled it away, an' -I'm too old now to make a new one." - -"Is there any word you want sent to your friends at Ty Jones's?" asked -the Friar. - -Once more Badger skinned his face into the grin. "Friends?" sez he. -"When you trap a wolf, does he send any word to his friends? I haven't -got no friends." - -"Swallow this milk," sez Horace holdin' some of it out to him in a big -spoon. Kit had made Olaf start to milkin' a cow, 'cause she wanted to -use milk in cookin', and intended to make butter when she had the -cream saved up. Badger put the milk in his mouth, an' then spit it out -again. - -"Don't you put anything else in my mouth," he sez. "I told you I was -goin' to die; an' by blank, I am goin' to die." - -"Fellers," sez Horace, turnin' to us, "do you think this man is goin' -to die?" We all nodded our heads. "Then, will you give his life to me, -to do with as I will?" asked Horace; and we nodded our heads again. - -Horace took off his coat, an' rolled up his sleeves, an' then he came -over an' shook Badger-face by the shoulder. "Listen to me," he sez. "I -fought ya once before, for your life, and I'm goin' to fight you for -it now. Do you hear what I say--I'm goin' to fight you for your own -life. I'm goin' to make you swallow milk, if I have to tie you an' -pour it in through a funnel. You can't hold your breath an' fight, an' -I'm goin' to fight you." - -Badger-face opened his eyes an' looked up into Horace's face. He -looked a long time, an' the ghost of a smile crept into his face. -"Well, you're the doggonedest little cuss I ever saw!" he exclaimed. -He waited a long time, an' then set his teeth. "You beat me once," he -muttered. "Now, see if you can beat me again." - -It was after midnight; so when Horace dropped the hint that he -wouldn't need any help except from me an' the Friar, the rest o' the -boys dug out for the bunk shack. Then Horace took us over to the -fireplace an' asked us what was the best thing to do. - -"I do believe 'at you have stumbled on the right plan to save him," -sez the Friar. "He has no fever, the wound is doin' splendid, and he -has a powerful constitution. The trouble is that he does not will to -live. We must spur on his will, and if we can make him fight back, -this'll help. Also we must control him as much as possible through -suggestion. Have you any plan o' your own?" - -"No," sez Horace candidly. Horace didn't need anything for any -emergency except his own nerve. "I am determined that he must live, -but I have no plan." - -"The first thing is to give him a little warm milk," sez the Friar. - -"All right," sez Horace. "You tell me what to do--by signs, as much as -possible--but let me give the orders to Badger-face. My size has made -an impression on him, and we can't afford to lose a single trick." The -Friar agreed to this an' we went back to the bunk. - -"Badger-face," sez Horace, "I'd rather give you this milk peaceful; -but I'm goin' to give it to ya, an' you can bet what ya like on that." - -Badger opened his eyes again, an' they were dull an' glazy. "This -reminds me o' the water-cure at the pen," he said, an' then set his -teeth. - -"Hold his hands, Happy," sez Horace, as full o' fight as a snow-plow. -"Hold his head, Friar. Now then, swallow or drown." - -It looked purty inhuman, but Badger had to swallow after a bit, an' -when we had put as much milk into him as we wanted--only a couple o' -spoonfuls--we let him go, an' he fell asleep, pantin' a little. We -woke him up in half an hour, an' put some more milk into him. When he -slept, his breathin' was more like natural, an' the fourth time, I -didn't have to hold his hands; so I went to sleep myself. - -Well, Horace won this fight, too. In about four days, Badger-face -began to have an appetite, an' then it was all off with him. He -couldn't have died if we'd left him plumb alone; but he hadn't give up -yet. The Friar kept him down to a mighty infan-tile diet, sayin' that -a lung shot was a bad one, an' the pure mountain air was all that had -saved him; but even now fever was likely to come back on him. - -It was close to the tenth o' January when Horace came in from a ride -one evenin', an' went in to see Badger-face, still wearin' his gun. -Quick as a wink, Badger grabbed the gun; but Horace threw himself on -Badger's arm, an' yelled for help. The Friar an' Olaf rushed in from -the lean-to, an' corraled the gun in short order. - -"You blame little bob-cat, you!" sez Badger. "I didn't intend to use -the gun on you." - -"I know what you intended to do," sez Horace; "but you don't win this -deal as easy as all that." - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN - -A STRANGE ALLIANCE - - -After this we tied Badger-face in bed an' kept watch of him. He kept -on gettin' stronger all the time, an' a good percent of his meanness -came back with his strength. Sometimes he'd spend hours tauntin' -Horace an' the Friar; but they didn't mind it any more 'n if Badger -had been a caged beast. Then one night he concluded to try cussin'. He -started in to devise somethin' extra fancy in the way o' high-colored -profanity; but he hadn't gone very far on this path, before Olaf came -in as black as a thunder cloud. - -"Do you want to be whipped with a whip?" he demanded. - -"Naw, I don't want to be whipped with a whip," sez Badger-face. - -"Then you stop swearin'," sez Olaf. "We been to enough trouble about -you, and I don't intend to have my wife listen to any more o' your -swearin'. If you don't stop it, I whip all your skin off. You say you -want to die--I whip you to death before your very eyes." - -Badger heaved at his ropes a time or two, an' then he realized his -weakness, sank back on the bed, an' the tears rolled down his cheeks. -He fair sobbed. "You're a set o' cowards," he yelled, "the whole pack -o' you! You wouldn't let me die, and now you threaten to whip me to -death. I dare any one of ya to shoot me--you yellow-hearted cowards!" - -"I care not for what you say I am," said Olaf. "You know if I am a -coward, and you know if I keep my word. I say to you, slow an' -careful, that if you yell swear words again in my house, I whip your -hide off." - -Well, this had a quietin' influence on Badger's conversation; but he -fretted himself a good deal as to what we intended to do with him. -Finally one day when he began to look a little more like a live man -than a skeleton, Horace sez to him: "Badger, you said you didn't have -any friends, an' it must be true, 'cause not one of your own outfit -has ever been to see you, not even Ty Jones." - -"Ty Jones don't stay out here through the winter," sez Badger-face. -"If he'd been here, he'd have squared things up for this, one way or -another." - -"Where does he go?" asked Horace. - -"I don't know," sez Badger-face. - -Horace asked Olaf about it, and Olaf said 'at Ty Jones allus pulled -out in December, an' didn't come back until March. - -Then Horace came in and sat by Badger again. "I've got a proposition -to make to you," sez he, "and you think it over before you answer. I -have plenty o' money; but I've wasted most o' my life, sittin' down. -If you are sick of livin' like a wolf, I'll pay your expenses and half -again as much as Ty Jones is payin' you, and all you'll have to agree -to is to go along as a sort of handy-man for me. I think we can get to -be purty good friends, but that can wait. I intend to ramble around -wherever my notions take me. If you'll give your word to be as decent -as you can, I'll give my word to stand by you as far as I'm able. Your -life is forfeit to me, an' if you'll do your part, I intend to make -the balance of it worth while to ya. Now, don't answer me; but think -it over an' ask all the questions you want to. I'll answer true what I -do answer; but I won't answer any 'at I don't want to." - -If Horace had crept in an' cut off his two ears, Badger wouldn't have -been any more surprised. Well, none of us would, as far as that goes; -though why we should let anything 'at Horace chose to do surprise us -by this time is more 'n I know. - -He an' Badger talked it over complete for several days, Horace -agreein' that he wouldn't ask Badger to go anywhere the army or the -law was likely to get him an' not to make him do any stunts 'at would -make him look foolish. He told Horace 'at he had served one enlistment -an' got a top-notch discharge, an' had then took on again; but a -drunken officer had him tied on a spare artillery wheel because Badger -had laughed when the officer had fallen off his horse into a mud -puddle. He said they had laid the wheel on the ground and him across -it, the small of his back restin' on the hub o' the wheel, an' his -arms an' legs spread an' tied to the rim, an' had kept him there ten -hours. He said that he had deserted the first chance he got; but he -refused to tell what had happened to the officer afterward. - -Finally Badger said he would take up Horace's proposition; an' Horace -called Olaf in to see if Badger was speakin' true. This was the first -Badger had ever heard about Olaf's eyes seein' soul-flames; but he -said 'at this explained a lot to him he hadn't understood before. Olaf -looked at him careful; an' Badger held up his right hand an' said that -as long as Horace treated him square, he would be square with Horace, -even to the point of givin' up his life for him. - -"He is speakin' true," sez Olaf; and from that very minute, -Badger-face became a different man, an' Horace took off the ropes. - -"You do look some like a badger with that bum beard on," sez Horace; -"but I don't like this name, and I want you to pick out a new one. -Pick out some Christian name, your own or any other; but now that you -are startin' on a new life, it will help to have a new name." - -Badger-face studied over this a long time, but he couldn't root up any -name to suit him so he told Horace to pick out a name, and he'd agree -to wear it. - -"Well," sez Horace, after he'd give it a good thinkin' over, "I think -I'll call you Promotheus." - -Badger looked at him purty skeptical. "I don't intend to take no -Greaser name," sez he. "Is that Mexican?" - -"No," sez Horace. "That's Greek; an' the original Promotheus was an -all around top-notcher. He was a giant, so you couldn't complain none -on your size; he rebelled again' the powers, so you couldn't call him -a dog-robber; but the thing 'at you two are closest together in, is -your infernal stubbornness. They tried to break Promotheus down by -chainin' him to a rock while the vultures fed on his liver, but they -couldn't make him give in. 'Pity the slaves who take the yoke,' sez -he; 'but don't pity me who still have my own self-respect.'" - -Badger-face was so blame weak that his eyes filled up with tears at -this; an' the only way he could straighten himself up was to put a few -florid curses on his own thumby left-handedness; but Olaf had gone -after some wood, so it didn't start anything. "I'll take that name," -sez he, "an' I'll learn how to spell an' pronounce it as soon as I -can; but you've diluted down my blood so confounded thin with your -doggone, sloppy milk diet that I'm a long way from havin' that -feller's grit, right at this minute." - -Horace stood over Badger-face, an' pointed his finger at him, fierce. -"Listen to me," sez he. "The next time you heave out an insult to -milksops or milk diets, I'll sing you my entire song--to the very last -word." - -We set up a howl; but Badger-face didn't realize all he was up against -when he took on with Horace, so he only smiled in a sickly way, an' -looked puzzled. - -"I'll tell ya what I'm willin' to do, Dinky," said he, as soon as we -stopped our noise; "now that I've took a new name, I don't need to -wear this sort of a beard any more, an', if ya want me to, I'll trim -it up the same fool way 'at you wear yours; an' I'll wear glasses, -too, if you say the word." - -"We'll wait first to see how you look in a biled shirt," sez Horace; -"but in honor of your new name, I'm goin' to let you have some -deer-meat soup for your dinner, an' a bone to gnaw on." - -We had a regular feast that day, and called Badger-face Promotheus -every time we could think up an excuse; so as to have practice on the -name. The Friar did his best to take part; but I knew every line in -his face, and it hurt me to see him fightin' at himself. - -After dinner we took a walk together; but we didn't talk none until we -had climbed the rim, fought the wind for a couple of hours, an' -started back again. It was his plan to think of some big, common chunk -of life when he was in trouble, so as to take his mind as much as -possible off himself; and he started to talk about Horace an' -Promotheus. He even laughed a little at the combination which -Promotheus Flannigan an' Horace Walpole Bradford would make when they -settled down on the East again. - -"The more I think it over," said the Friar, "the plainer I can see -that most of our sorrow an' pain and savageness comes from our custom -of punishin' the crops instead of the farmers. Look at the -possibilities the' was in Promotheus when he started out. He has a -strong nature, and in spite of his life, he still has a lot o' decent -humanity in him. Who can tell what he might have been, if his good -qualities had been cultivated instead o' smothered?" - -"That's true enough," sez I; "and look at Horace, too. They simply let -him wither up for forty years, and yet all this time he had in him -full as much devilment as Promotheus himself." - -"Oh, we waste, we waste, we waste!" exclaimed the Friar. "Instead o' -usin' the strength and vigor of our manhood in a noble way, we let -some of it rust and decay, and some of it we use for our own -destruction. The outlaw would have been the hero with the same -opportunity, and who can tell what powers lie hidden behind the mask -of idleness!" - -"Well, that's just it," sez I. "A human bein' is like a keg o' black -stuff. For years it may sit around perfectly harmless; and only when -the right spark pops into it can we tell whether it's black sand or -blastin' powder. Even Horace, himself, thought he was black sand; but -he turned out to be a mighty high grade o' powder." - -We walked on a while without talkin'; but the Friar was wrastlin' with -his own thoughts, an' finally he stopped an' asked me as solemn as -though I was the boss o' that whole country: "If you had started a lot -o' work, and part of it promised to yield a rich harvest with the -right care, and part of it looked as though it might sink back to -worse than it had been in the beginnin'--is there anything in the -world which could make you give it up?" - -The Friar knew my life as well as I did; so I didn't have to do any -pertendin' with him. "Yes," I sez, "the right woman would." - -The Friar didn't do any pertendin' with me either. He stood, shakin' -his head slowly from side to side. "I wish I knew, I wish I knew," he -said. - -We walked on again, an' when we came in sight o' the cabin, I sez to -him, in order to give him a chance to free his mind if he saw fit: -"Horace told me what he knew about it." - -"Yes, I know," sez the Friar; "but no one knew very much. She was a -splendid brave girl, Happy. I had known her when she was a little girl -and I a farmer boy. I was much older than she was, but I was allus -interested in her. There wasn't one thing they could say against -her--and yet they drove her out o' my life. I thought she was dead, I -heard that she was dead; so I buried her in my heart, and came out -here where life was strong and young, because I could not work back -there. I tried to work in the slums of the cities; but I could not -conquer my own bitterness, with the rich wastin' and the poor starvin' -all about me. I have found joy in my life out here; but she has come -to life again with that picture, and once more I am at war with -myself." - -"Well, I'll bet my eyes, Friar," sez I, "that you find the right -answer; but I haven't got nerve enough to advise ya--though I will say -that if it was me, I'd pike out an' look for the girl." - -"I wish I knew, I wish I knew," was all the Friar said. - -Promotheus didn't have any set-backs after this. We talked over -whether it would be better to have him go up to Ty's an' tell the boys -some big tale about Dinky Bradford, or to just pull out an' leave 'em -guessin'; and we finally came to the conclusion 'at the last would be -the best. - -He was still purty weak by the first o' February; but he was beginnin' -to fret at bein' housed up any longer, so we began to get ready to hit -the back-trail. By takin' wide circles we could get through all right, -at this season; but with Promotheus still purty wobbly, it wasn't -likely to be a pleasant trip, an' we didn't hurry none with our -preparations. Horace insisted on payin' Olaf two hundred dollars for -his share o' the bother, an' I'm purty certain he slipped Kit another -hundred. He wasn't no wise scrimpy with money. - -We started on the tenth of February, Promotheus ridin' a quiet old -hoss, an' still lookin' purty much like a bitter recollection. They -were consid'able surprised when we arrived at the Diamond Dot; but we -only told 'em as much of our huntin' as we felt was necessary. - -Horace intended to start for the East at once; but next day when he -put on his dude clothes again, Promotheus purty nigh bucked on him. -Most of Horace's raiment was summer stuff, nachely; but he had a long -checked coat 'at he wore with a double ended cap, which certainly did -look comical. He had cut some fat off his middle, an' had pushed out -his chest an' shoulders consid'able; so that his stuff wrinkled on -him; and it took a full hour to harden Promotheus to the change. - -"Do I have to look like that?" sez he. - -"You conceited ape you!" sez Horace. "You couldn't look like this if -you went to a beauty doctor for the rest o' time; but as soon as we -get where they sell clothes for humans, I'm goin' to provide you with -somethin' in the nature of a disguise." - -Disguise sounded mighty soothin' to Promotheus, so he gritted his -teeth, an' said he wouldn't go back on his word. The fact was, that it -did give ya an awful shock to see Horace as he formerly was. We had -got so used to seein' him gettin' about, able an' free, that it almost -seemed like a funeral to have him drop down to those clothes again. - -The Friar went over to the station with us, and he an' Horace had a -confidential talk; and then Horace and Promotheus got on the train and -scampered off East. - -"I'm goin' to stick right here, Happy," sez the Friar. "I have let my -work get way behind, in tendin' to Promotheus; but from now on I'm -goin' to tie into it again. I'd like to do something to put the cattle -men and the sheep men on better terms; but this seems like a hard -problem." - -"Yes," sez I, "that ain't no job for a preacher, and I'd advise you to -let it alone. The cattle men will put up the same sort of an argument -for their range 'at the Injuns did; but between you and me, I doubt if -they stand much more show in the long run." - -"I can't see why there isn't room for both," sez the Friar. "It seems -to me that the cattle men are too harsh." - -"Nope," sez I, "there ain't room for 'em both, an' the's somethin' -irritatin' about sheep that makes ya want to be harsh with all who -have dealin's with 'em. Hosses can starve out cattle an' sheep can -starve out hosses; but after a sheep has grazed over a place, nothin' -bigger 'n an ant can find any forage left. Cattle are wild an' -tempestus, an' they bellow an' tear around an' fight, and the men who -tend 'em are a good bit like 'em; while sheep just meekly take -whatever you've a mind to give 'em; but they hang on, just the same, -an' multiply a heap faster 'n cattle do. A sheep man is meek--like a -Jew. If a Jew gets what he wants he's satisfied, an' he's willin' to -pertend 'at he's had the worst o' the deal; but a cattle man is never -satisfied unless he has grabbed what he wanted away from some one -else, an' then shot him up a little for kickin' about it. It'll -probably be fifty or a hundred years yet, before the sheep men are -strong enough to worry the cattle men; but they'll sure do it some -day." That's what I told the Friar that time at the station, an' I -guessed the outcome close enough, though I didn't make much of a hit -as to the time it was goin' to take. - -Well, the Friar, he rode away east to Laramie, and I went north to the -Diamond Dot, and got things ready for the summer work. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - -THE HEART OF HAPPY HAWKINS - - -Late the next summer, I got a fine long letter from Horace--and blame -if he didn't succeed in surprisin' me again. He wrote this letter from -Africa, which is about the foreignest parts this world is able to -exhibit, I reckon. He told about the East not findin' favor with -Promotheus, though he had done all he could for him, startin' out with -high society and endin' up by takin' him down one night to a sailor's -saloon and lettin' him mix into a general fight; but that Promotheus -just simply couldn't stand the tameness, and so they had gone to -Africa to hunt big game, and give the folks out our way a chance to -forget there ever had been such a cuss as Badger-face. - -He sent along some photographs, too, and they was as novel as a blue -moon--Horace, Promotheus, and a lot o' naked niggers totin' packs on -their heads. Horace was the funniest lookin' mortal a body ever saw; -but Promotheus had him beat a mile. They both wore bowls on their -heads an' colored glasses; but Promotheus with side-burns was sure -enough to frighten a snake into convulsions! His gnawin' teeth stuck -out through a self-satisfied grin; and I was willin' to bet that as -soon as the heathen saw him, they'd give up bowin' down to wood an' -stone. - -The next time I saw Friar Tuck, he told me about receivin' a letter -from Horace who had gone to Berlin on his way to Africa, but hadn't -been able to learn anything satisfactory. The singer had been the big -card at their concerts, an' there had been some talk about her gettin' -drugged by an Austrian who belonged to the em-bassy; but she had -disappeared complete, an' nobody could be found who seemed to know -anything about it. The Friar kept himself goin' like a steam-engine -these days; but while he became a little more tender if possible, he -lacked something of his old-time spirits. Before this, he used to come -sweepin' along like a big cool breeze, an' a feller's spirits just got -up an' whirled along with him, like dry leaves dancin' in the wind. - -He said 'at since Promotheus had slipped out o' the country, the -Cross-branders hadn't bothered Olaf any; but I called his attention to -the fact that this was a wet spring, an' told him 'at when we had a -long dry spell, Ty Jones would just swallow Olaf like quicksand. - -Things drifted along purty steady in our parts for several years. Once -in a while, the Friar would tell me something about Olaf or something -about Ty Jones; but for the most part, I was too much took up with -other things to care much for even the Friar's doin's. - -I was takin' my own Moses-trip durin' these years; and I say now, as I -allus have said, that it wasn't a square shake to show Moses the -promised land, an' then not let him into it for even one meal o' milk -an' honey. I've handled a small bunch o' men an' trailed cattle with -'em for only three months at a stretch; but I don't mind tellin' you -that the' was times when I had to sit up till after midnight, sewin' -up the rips in my patience--an' we didn't have any women an' children -along either. Moses had forty years of it in the desert; with a whole -blame tribe of Israelites; and yet, instead o' praisin' him for -hangin' on to his sanity with all the odds again' him, he was handed a -tantalizer, simply because he said he couldn't see why somethin' -didn't happen in a natural, orderly way, once in a while, without -everlastingly ringin' in some new kind of a miracle on him. - -If I had to pilot a mob like that through a desert for forty years, -follerin' a cloud by day an' a pillar o' fire by night, havin' dressed -quail an' breakfast-food tossed to me out o' the sky, gettin' my -drinkin' water by knockin' it out of a rock, an' tryin' to satisfy the -tourists that it wasn't altogether my fault that we traveled so -everlastin' slow--I'd 'a' been mad enough to bite all the enamel off -my teeth, and yet as far as I could see, Moses didn't do a single -thing but show out a little peevish once in a while. - -Still, we didn't choose our natures nor the kind o' life to range 'em -over nor the sorts o' temptations we'd prefer to wrastle with; an' -even our own experiences are more 'n we can understand--to say nothin' -o' settin' back an' decidin' upon the deeds of others. My own test -wasn't the one I'd 'a' chosen; and yet, for all I know, it may 'a' -been the very best one, for me. - -Little Barbie had finally grown up through childhood to the gates o' -womanhood--and as generally happens, she had found a man waitin' for -her there. Through all the years of her growin', she had been sendin' -out tendrils which reached over an' wound about my heart, and grew -into it an' through it, and became part of it. If it hadn't 'a' been -for Friar Tuck, I might 'a' married her, myself; for I could have done -it, if all the men I'd had to fight had been other men--but the man I -couldn't overcome, was myself. - -Through all the years I had known Friar Tuck an' rode with him an' -worked with him an' slept out under the stars with him, he had been -quietly trainin' me for the time when it would be my call to take my -own love by the throat, for the sake of the woman I loved. It don't -weaken a man to do this; but it tears him--My God, how it does tear -him! - -I, my own self, brought back the man she loved to her, and gave her -into his arms; and I've never regretted it for one single minute; but -I doubt if I've ever forgot it for much longer 'n this either. - -I did what it seemed to me I had to do--an' the Friar thinks I did -right, which counts a whole lot more with me 'n what others think. I -went through my desert, I climbed my hill, for just one moment I saw -into my promised land--and then I was jerked back, and not even given -promotion into the next world, which Moses drew as his consolation -prize. And yet, takin' it all around, I can see where life has been -mighty kind and generous to me after all, and I'm not kickin' for a -minute. - -The great break in my life came in the fall, and it left ol' Cast -Steel a more changed man 'n it did me. I wanted to swing out wide--to -ride and ride and ride until I forgot who I was and what had happened; -but the ol' man worked on my pity, an' I agreed to stay on with him a -spell. Durin' the three years precedin', I had got into the handlin' -of the ranch, more 'n he had, himself; so I spent the winter makin' my -plans, an' goin' over 'em with him. He came out toward spring and was -more like himself; but when the first flowers blossomed on the -benches, they seemed to be drawin' their life blood out o' my very -heart. All day long I had a burnin' in my eyes, everywhere I went I -missed somethin', until the empty hole in my breast seemed likely to -drive me frantic; an' one day I pertended to be mad about some little -thing, an' threw up my job for good and all. - -The ol' man was as decent as they ever get. He knew how I had been -hit, an' he didn't try any foolishness. He gave me what money I -wanted, told me to go and have it out with myself, an' come back to -him as soon as I could. I rode away without havin' any aim or end in -view, just rode an' rode an' rode with memories crowdin' about me so -thick, I couldn't see the trail I was goin'. - -Then one night I drew up along side o' Friar Tuck's fire, saw the -steady light of his courage blazin' out through his own sadness, the -same as it had done all those years; an' I flopped myself off my hoss, -threw myself flat on the grass, an' only God and the Friar know how -many hours I lay there with his hand restin' light on my shoulder, the -little fire hummin' curious, soothin' words o' comfort, and up above, -the same ol' stars shinin' down clear and unchangin' to point out, -that no matter how the storms rage about the surface o' the earth, -it's allus calm and right, if a feller only gets high enough. - - - - -CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE - -THE LITTLE TOWN OF BOSCO - - -I hadn't done much eatin' or sleepin' on that trip, an' I was plumb -beat out; so after I fell asleep, the Friar put a soogan over me and -left me by the fire. He awakened me next mornin', gettin' breakfast, -and it didn't take him very long to talk me into joinin' on to him for -company. I had been avoidin' humans, for fear I might be tempted to -start trouble and find the easy way out of it all; but his plan was -just the opposite--to dive so deep into humanity that I could catch a -glimpse o' the scheme o' things. - -The Friar held that we all had crosses comin' to us any way. If we -picked 'em up an' put 'em on our own shoulders, we'd still be free, -an' the totin' of our crosses would make us stronger; while if we -tried to run away, we'd be roped an' thrown, an' the crosses chained -on us. I'd a heap sooner be free than a slave; so I decided to carry -mine, head up, an' get right with myself as soon as possible. - -The Friar didn't work off any solemn stuff on me, nor he didn't try to -be funny; he just turned himself into a sun-glass, an' focused enough -sunshine on to me to warm me up without any risk of blisterin'. I got -to know him even better those days than I had before. His hair was -gettin' a bit frosty at the temples; but aside from this, he hadn't -aged none since the first day I had seen him. He was like some big -tree growin' all by itself. Every year it seems a little ruggeder, -every year it seems to offer a little roomier shade; but the wind and -the rain and the hot sun don't seem to make it grow old. They only -seem to make it take a deeper root, and throw out a wider spread o' -boughs. - -He told me o' some o' the scraps between the cattle men an' the sheep -men--the Diamond Dot was out o' the way of sheep at that time. Then I -began to take a little more interest in things, an' after takin' note -for a day or so, I prophesied a dry summer; and this brought us around -to Olaf. - -The Friar warmed up at mention of him. He said 'at he had never seen a -match turn out better 'n Olaf's. He said Kit had just what Olaf -lacked, an' Olaf had just what Kit lacked, an' their boy was just -about the finest kid he knew of anywhere. We decided to head up their -way an' pay a visit. - -As we rode along we took notice of the way things were changin'. We -passed several sheep wagons, five or six irrigation ditches, an' here -and there, we found men who put more faith in alfalfa 'n they did in -stock. The Friar had been well to the north when I happened upon him, -and we traveled a sight o' country before we reached our destination. -Everywhere folks knew him, an' he knew them; and when I saw their -faces light up at sight of him, I had to admit that he had done the -right thing in stickin'. - -Mostly he sang the "Art thou weary," one for his marchin' song, now; -and it got into my blood and did a lot to healthen me up again. I -can't rightly say 'at I ever got religion; but more 'n once religion -has got me an' lifted me up like the Crazy Water in flood, bearin' me -on over rocks an' through whirlpools, an' showin' me what a weak, -useless thing I was at the best. The's somethin' inside me 'at allus -responded to the Friar's music, an' made me willin' to sweep on over -the edge o' the world with him; but when he tried to reason out -religion to me, I have to own up 'at the' was a lot of it I couldn't -see into. - -We passed Skelty's old place on our way in, an' found a red-eyed, -black-headed man runnin' it. His name was Maxwell, but they still -called the place Skelty's. We went in an' had dinner, an' found five -or six Cross-branders there. They were doin' plenty o' drinkin' an' -crackin' idiotic jokes with the girls; but they nodded friendly enough -to us, an' we nodded back. - -As soon as we finished, the Friar went outside for his smoke; but I -leaned back right where I was for mine. One o' the Cross-branders, a -tall, gaunt, squinty cuss by the name o' Dixon, was sittin' near me, -and presently he turned an' sez: "You're Happy Hawkins, ain't ya?" - -"That's me," sez I. - -"Well, on the level," sez he, "what became o' Badger-face?" - -"I've often wondered about that myself," sez I. - -"We supposed he got killed," sez he; "but two fellers claimed they saw -him goin' south in the spring with your huntin' party." - -"What made ya think he got killed?" sez I. - -"'Cause he started over here one night, and never showed up again," -sez he. - -"I don't know what become of him," sez I. "Dinky Bradford said he was -goin' to take him to Africa; but whether he did or not I can't say. I -never felt no call to pry into Dinky's business. Looks to me as though -we were goin' to have an extra dry summer." - -"I say so too," sez Dixon. "Who was this Dinky Bradford?" - -"That's bothered me a heap," sez I. "He claimed to be a Greek hero, -though what sort o' business that is, I can't say. Finished your -round-up yet?" - -"Just got through. Where is this Greek hero these days?" sez he. - -"Can't prove it by me," sez I. "He's one o' these fellers no one seems -to know anything about. I saw him go without eatin' for four days -once, an' he came out of it in better shape 'n he went in. Badger-face -was your foreman, wasn't he?" - -"Yes," sez he. "Ol' Pepper Kendal is foreman now." - -"I should think a foreman would have some load on his shoulders with -the boss gone all winter," sez I. - -"The boss brought a woman back with him this time," sez Dixon. - -"What!" sez I. "You don't mean ta tell me 'at Ty Jones has got him a -woman after all these years?" - -"That's what," sez Dixon. "Somethin' queer about her, too. Ty has had -a new shack built for her up back o' the old house. They don't seem -overly friendly for a bride an' groom." - -"Ain't nothin' overly friendly with Ty, is the'?" sez I. - -"Oh, I dunno," sez he. "Ty ain't as sticky as taffy, but he's a mighty -good man to work for." - -"What sort of a woman did he get?" sez I. - -"She don't show herself much," sez he. "She's tall an' shapely, an' -right smart younger 'n Ty; but she spends most of her time in the new -shack; and from all we can tell, she's froze up tighter 'n Ty is." - -"Well, I guess we'll have to jog on. Good luck," sez I, and me an' the -Friar rode on. He was as much beat out over Ty Jones gettin' a woman -as I was; but first thing he thought of was, 'at this might have a -softenin' effect on Ty, an' give him an openin'. - -We reached Olaf's in time for supper, and found Kit bustlin' about as -happy as a little brown hen. The Friar hadn't sprung it none about the -kid. He was a solid little chunk with a couple o' dimples and all the -signs o' health. I looked careful into his eyes. They were full o' -devilment, an' he scowled his brows down over 'em when I held him; but -they were brown like Kit's. - -"Oh, he's too dirty to touch," sez Kit, beamin' all over with pride. -"I just can't keep him clean, try as I will." - -"Be careful, Happy, and don't soil your hands on that baby!" yells the -Friar as though in a panic. "Let me have him. I was dirty once, -myself." - -It was plain to see 'at the kid an' the Friar were old cronies; and it -was a pleasant sight to see 'em together. The Friar got down on the -floor with him an' played bear an' horse an' the kid entered into it -an' fair howled with merriment. Kit scolded 'em both an' took so much -interest in their antics she hardly knew what she was doin' to the -supper things. - -Before long Olaf came in. He still took up all the space not otherwise -occupied; but he had an altogether-satisfied expression which made ya -forget how everlastin' ugly he really was. He took us out an' showed -us the garden, an' the new wire fencin' an' the baby's swing, an' all -the rest of his treasures. Olaf didn't want any more changes to take -place in the world. If his vote could have made it, things would just -continue as they were until the earth wore out. It made me feel a -little lonely for a moment; but I entered in as hearty as I could. - -Durin' supper I sez to Kit: "Well, Ty Jones has a woman, now; and if -it improves him as much as it has Olaf, he may blossom out into a good -neighbor to you yet." - -"Ty Jones got a woman!" exclaimed Kit. "Well, I'd just like to lay my -eyes on the woman 'at would take Ty Jones." - -"Oh, all women ain't so set on havin' a handsome man as you were," sez -I. - -"Well, I wouldn't have any other kind," sez Kit, an' she gave her head -a toss while Olaf grinned like a full moon. - -They were both purty well beat out to think o' Ty Jones havin' a -woman, an' we all talked it over durin' the rest o' the meal. After -supper, Olaf took the kid on his lap and sat by the fire tellin' us -his plans, while Kit cleared up the dishes an' stuck in a word of her -own now and again. It was plain to see 'at she did full as much o' the -plannin' as he did, an' this was probably what made her so satisfied. -The kid regarded Olaf's mustache as some sort of an exercisin' -machine, an' Olaf had to fight him all the time he was talkin', but he -certainly did set a heap o' store by that boy. - -He told us he had about sixty cows and a fair run o' two an' three -year olds with a high average of calves; but that he intended to sell -the whole run to the Double V outfit up on the Rawhide, and get a -small band of sheep. This flattened me out complete; but he had a lot -of arguments on his side. He was also experimentin' with grain seed -which he had got from Canada, an' he already had a patch of alfalfa -which was doin' fine. He was one o' those fellers who can't tire -'emselves out, an' so just keep on workin' as long as the law allows -'em to use daylight. He had a young Swede workin' for him, but just at -that time, he was off lookin' for the work hosses which had voted -'emselves a vacation, an' had gone up into the hills. - -The Friar wanted to go up into the Basin country next day, so we -bedded down purty early. I lay awake a long time thinkin' over what a -fright Olaf had once been, and how he had straightened out of it. - -Next mornin' we started soon after sun-up. The Friar had a couple o' -women runnin' a Sunday School at Bosco, and he wanted to see how they -were gettin' along. They had belonged to his brand of church clear -back in England, and he set a lot of store by 'em; but owned up that -they had their work cut out for 'em at Bosco; it bein' one o' the most -ungodly little towns in the whole country. - -We nooned on Carter, slipped over Boulder Creek Pass, and reached -Bosco at sun-down. It allus surprised me to see how much travel the -Friar could chalk up, takin' his weight into account; but he was less -irritatin' to a hoss 'n airy other man I ever met up with. The more of -a hurry he was in, the more time he took on the bad hills; and he -never robbed a hoss by sleepin' an hour late in the mornin', an' -makin' the hoss even up by travelin' beyond his gait. - -The husband of one o' these women ran a saloon, the husband of the -other--the women were sisters--was the undertaker and also ran a meat -market. I thought this about the queerest business arrangement I had -ever been confronted against; but the man himself was full as peculiar -as his business. - -I have a game I have played with myself all my life. I call it "why," -an' I suppose it has furnished me more fun 'n anything else has. I -take any proposition I come across an' say all the whys about it I can -think up an' then try to answer 'em. Why did anything ever happen just -as it did happen just when it did happen? This is the joke o' life to -me. I have played it on myself times without end; but only once in a -while even with myself can I follow the line back to common sense. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY - -TY JONES GETS A WOMAN - - -Bosco was a regular town with twenty or thirty houses, a post office, -two general stores, three saloons, an' all such things; and right on a -good stage road runnin' north an' south. We stopped with the -meat-market undertaker, 'cause they didn't think it quite respectable -for the Friar to live off the profits of the liquor traffic; though -the Friar allus said 'at he had a heap more respect for a square -saloon-keeper 'n for a sneaky drygoods merchant. - -Shindy Smith was the saloon-keeper, an' Bill Duff was the undertaker. -Duff was the absent-mindedest man I ever got intimate with, an' about -drove his wife to distraction, she bein' one o' these hustlers who -never make a false move. He had the idee that bein' an undertaker took -away his license to laugh, so he allus walked on his toes an' -disported as solemn a face as nature would allow; but nature had -intended him for a butcher, an' had made his face round and jowly. -Whenever he didn't have anything else to do, he used to sit down an' -practice lookin' solemn. He'd fix his eyes on the ceilin', clasp his -hands across his stomach, pull up his eyebrows, droop his mouth, an' -look for all the world like a man dyin' o' the colic. - -He was so absent-minded that he'd raise his cup to take a drink of -coffee, forget what he had started to do, an' like as not pour it over -his flapjacks for syrup. He started to engineer a funeral once with -his butcher's apron on, and they told all sorts of stories about him -which was shockin' to an extent; though his wife kept such a sharp eye -on him, that I don't believe more 'n half of 'em. Still it wasn't any -sort o' business for an absent-minded man to be in. - -It was an uncertain business. Of course all lines o' trade in a thinly -settled country go by fits an' starts; but his was worst of all. -Sometimes he'd have as many as three funerals a month, and at others -it would take him six weeks to sell out a beef carcass. A feller who -had a spite again' him started the story 'at he soaked his meat in -embalmin' fluid, an' then if they came an extra special rush in both -lines of his business at the same time, he'd--but then his wife kept -such a skeptical eye on him, 'at I don't believe a word of these -stories, an' I'm not goin' to repeat 'em. The worst I had again' him -was that he was so everlastin' careless. I lay awake frettin' about -his carelessness till I couldn't stand it a second longer; and then I -rolled up half the beddin' an' started to sleep on the side porch. - -"Where you goin'?" sez the Friar. - -"This here Bill Duff is too absent-minded an' forgetful for me," sez -I. - -"What do ya mean?" sez the Friar. - -"Well," sez I, "I don't want to make light o' sacred things, nor -nothin' like that; but Bill Duff's got somethin' stored up in this -room which should 'a' been a funeral three weeks ago, and I intend to -sleep outside." - -The Friar chuckled to himself until he shook the whole house; but it -wasn't no joke to me; so I shunted the beddin' out on the roof o' the -porch, which was flat, and prepared to take my rest where the air was -thin enough to flow into my nostrils without scrapin' the lid off o' -what Horace called his ol' factory nerve. - -As soon as the Friar could recover his breath, he staggered to the -window, an' sez: "That's nothin' but cheese, you blame tenderfoot. -Limburger cheese is the food Bill Duff is fondest of, and he has four -boxes of it stored in this room." - -"Then," sez I, comin' in with the beddin', "I'll sleep in the bed, an' -the cheese can sleep on the porch; but hanged if I'll occupy the same -apartment with it." I set the cheese out on the porch--it was the -ripest cheese in the world, I reckon--and it drew all the dogs in town -before mornin'. After they found it was above their reach, I'm -convinced they put up the best fight I ever listened to. - -It took a long time for the memory o' that cheese to find its way out -the window; and I lay thinkin' o' the Friar's work, long after he had -drifted off himself. He wasn't squeamish about small things, the Friar -wasn't, and this was one of his main holts. When we had got ready to -eat that night, Mrs. Duff had tipped Bill a wink to ask the Friar to -say blessin'. Bill was in one of his vacant spells, as usual, so he -looked solemn at the Friar, and sez: "It's your deal, Parson." Now, a -lot o' preachers would 'a' gone blue an' sour at that; but the Friar -never blinked a winker. - -Then after supper, all the young folks o' that locality had swooped in -to play with him. This winnin' o' young folks was a gift with the -Friar, and it used to warm me up to watch him in the midst of a flock -of 'em. He showed 'em all kinds o' tricks with matches an' arithmetic -numbers, an' taught 'em some new games, and then he put up a joke on -'em. He allus put up one joke on 'em each visit. - -This time he puts a glass of water under his hat, looks solemn, and -sez 'at he can drink the water without raisin' the hat. They all bet -he can't, and finally he goes into a corner, makes motions with his -throat, and sez he is now ready to prove it. Half a dozen rush forward -and lift the hat, and he drinks the water, and thanks 'em for liftin' -the hat for him so he could drink the water an' make his word good. - -Some folks used to kick again' him and say he was worldly; but his -methods worked, an' that's a good enough test for me. He took out the -shyness an' the meanness an' the stupidity, and gave the good parts a -chance to grow; which I take it is no more again' religion than the -public school is. Why, he even taught 'em card tricks. - -He could take a deck of cards and turn it into a complete calendar, -leap year and all; and then he could turn it into a bible, showin' -easy ways to learn things, until a feller really could believe 'at -cards was invented by the early Christians who had to live in caves, -as some claim. All the time he was playin' with 'em, he was smugglin' -in wise sayin's with his fun, pointin' out what made the difference -between deceivin' for profit, and deceivin' for a little joke, tellin' -'em how to enjoy life without abusin' it--Why, he even went so far as -to say that if a feller couldn't be religious in a brandin' pen he -couldn't be religious in a cathedral--which is a two-gun church with -fancy trimmin's. - -By the time he had expanded the young folks and made 'em easy and at -home, the older ones had arrived; and then he held a preachin'. The -whole outfit joined in with the singin', and when he began to talk to -'em every eye in the room was glistenin'. You see, he knew them and -their life; and they knew him and his. He had nursed 'em through -sickness, he had tended their babies, he had helped to build their -cabins an' turn 'em into homes; so the words flowed out of his heart -and into theirs without any break between. This was the Friar and this -was his work--but I can't put it into a story. - -The' was a no-account cuss by the name o' Jim Stubbs who lived--if ya -could call it livin'--at Boggs; and the Friar induced him to go along -on one of his trips. When Jim came back he was a made-over man, and -every one asked him if he had religion. "Hell, no," sez Jim, tryin' to -be independent, "I ain't got religion; but a feller catches somethin' -from the Friar the same as if he had the measles; and I don't covet to -be a bum no more." - -This gives ya the best idy of the Friar that I can think of; and I -finally fell asleep there at Bill Duff's, with my mind made up to bury -my own heartache, keep the grave of it green, but live out my life as -hard as the Friar was livin' his. - -We had intended to projec about in the Basin next day to rustle up -some new trade in the Friar's line; but my pony turned up lame, so we -held over to get him shod. When the stage pulled in that evenin', me -an' the Friar went down to see it. A little feller sat on the seat -with the driver. His hat was covered with dust an' pulled down over -his eyes, an' what ya could see of him was the color o' coffee; but -the moment I lay eyes on his side-burns, I grabbed the Friar's arm an' -whispered, "Horace!" and by dad, that's who it was. Promotheus was in -the back seat, an' he looked for all the world like an enlarged copy, -except that his side-burns were red an' gray, while Horace's were -mostly brown. But they were cut exactly the same, startin' from his -ears, runnin' across his cheeks an' lips, an' then curvin' down to the -crook of his jaw, close cropped an' bristly. - -Horace an' Promotheus hit the ground as soon as the stage stopped, an' -me an' the Friar dropped back out o' sight inside the hotel. Horace -gave orders about his two boxes an' started into the hotel. Just as he -came through the door, I stepped out an' gave him a shove. "You can't -come in here," I growled. - -He stepped back as fierce as a rattler. "I can't, huh?" he piped. -"Well, we'll see if I can't." - -Then he recognized me, an' we began to pump hands. He said 'at he and -Promotheus had only reached home three weeks before; but they couldn't -stand it, an' so had made a streak for the West. He said they had been -in Africa an' India, until they had become plumb disgusted with -tropical heat, an' so had come out the northern route, expectin' to -outfit at Bosco an' ride down to the Diamond Dot. - -We suppered with 'em an' next day they bought a string o' hosses, -packed their stuff on 'em, an' said they were ready for some -amusement. Horace had got a little snappier in his talk an' his -movements; but that was about the only change. As soon as we told 'em -about Ty Jones havin' a woman, that settled it. Horace insisted upon -seein' the woman, an' Promotheus echoed anything 'at Horace said, -though his face clouded a bit at the idee of foolin' around the Cross -brand ranch. The Friar didn't feel any call to go along with us; but -it was more to my mind just then 'n his line was, so I jumped at the -chance. - -Horace was also mighty glad to add me to his outfit. He had been used -to havin' a lot o' Zulus an' Hindus waitin' on him, and hadn't -adjusted himself to a small outfit yet. He said he had sent a lot o' -hides an' heads an' horns and other plunder from London, England, to -the Diamond Dot; but had been too busy to write durin' the past few -years. He and the Friar had quite a talk together before we left; but -I could tell from their faces 'at Horace didn't have any news for him. - -We had high jinks when we reached Olaf's; but Horace didn't make any -hit with the kid. The kid had a jack-in-the-box toy 'at looked -consid'able like Horace, an' the kid couldn't square things in his own -mind, to see a big size one, out an' walkin' about like a regular -human; but when he also got to studyin' Promotheus, he was all undone. -Olaf tried to have him make up to Horace, but he wouldn't stand for -it. He'd sit on Olaf's knee and look first at his jack-in-the-box, -then at Horace, and wind up with a long look at Promotheus. Promotheus -would try to smile kind an' invitin', and then the kid would twist -around and bury his face in Olaf's vest. Horace nor Promotheus didn't -mind it any; but as far as that goes, the kid was only actin' honest -an' natural, accordin' to his lights, an' the jack-in-the-box had as -much of a kick comin' as anybody. - -Ty had been down there just the day after we had left, an' had wanted -to buy Olaf's place; but only offered half what it was worth. He had -done this half a dozen times, an' allus insulted Olaf as much as he -could about it. Olaf had wanted to sell out at first; but Kit had been -able to see 'at they had a homestead fit for any thing, and she had -allus insisted that they get full price or hang on. Now, it was -improved way beyond common, an' they were both fond of it; so they had -decided to stick it out. - -"This is goin' to be a dry summer," sez I. - -Olaf's face clouded up but he only shut his lips tighter. We told 'em -we were on our way up to try an' have a look at Ty Jones's woman, and -Olaf said he'd go along if he didn't have to trail his cattle up to -the Raw Hide, this bein' part o' the deal he had made. He said it -would take him about ten days probably, an' wanted us to camp in the -Spread, an' keep an eye on his stuff. Olaf clipped the first joint off -o' Promotheus's name, an' I was glad of it. - -We chucked our stuff into the barn next mornin' an' started to stalk -the Cross brand neighborhood. Horace had a small field glass which was -a wonder, and we worked as careful as we could. It was only fifteen -miles across from Olaf's; but all we were able to do the first day was -to find a little sheltered spot up back o' the ranch buildin's where -we could get a good view of 'em through the field glass. - -Next day Olaf an' Oscar started with the bunch o' cattle, an' we rode -along part way with 'em to give 'em a good start; but Olaf had handled -his stuff so gentle that it was no trouble, an' we turned back an' -took up our watch again. We watched for a week without seein' a thing, -ridin' in each night to sleep back of Olaf's shack. Me an' Theus--I -had seen Olaf's ante an' had raised him one--were gettin' purty weary -o' this sort o' work; but Horace was as patient as a spider. Finally -though, we got a little more risky, and leavin' our hosses up in our -sheltered spot, we follered down a ravine to get nearer to the new -cabin. - -We had caught several glimpses of a woman to prove to us 'at the' was -one there; but that was about all, an' so we went down this ravine, -tryin' to figure out what excuse we'd give if we came across any of Ty -Jones's men. Neither me nor The--Promotheus had said 'at we couldn't -be no politer 'n he could, so he had lopped off the last joint, and -now had as neat a workin' name as any one, although Horace still -insisted on usin' the whole outfit when he had occasion to address -him. Well, neither me nor The felt just easy in our minds at snoopin' -about Ty's when we hadn't any business to, especially The; but Horace -was as selfcomposed as though he was herdin' lions out o' tall grass, -which it seems had been his favorite pastime durin' the last few -years. - -The knew the ravine well; he said it ran full o' water in the spring, -but after that was dry all the year. We got about half-way down it, -an' then we came to a path 'at was plain enough to see. The stopped -an' wagged his head. "No one ever used to use this," sez he. - -"Well, some one uses it purty constant, now," sez I. - -"The woman is the one who uses it," sez Horace. "She's lonely, that's -plain enough. The path climbs the opposite bank--let's cross an' go -up." - -Me an' The bucked at this for some time; but Horace hung out; so we -went along with him. We finally came to a little glen with a spring in -it, an' grass, and in a little clump o' small trees, we came across a -book lyin' face down on a Navajo blanket. - -"That's gettin' close," sez Horace. - -"Yes!" sez we, in low tones. - -We scouted all around; but no one was there, an' then we took a line -on the hill back of us, picked out a likely spot, and returned the way -we had come, this bein' the only direct way. We didn't meet a soul--at -least none wearin' bodies, though from the creepy feelin' I had part -of the time, I won't ever be certain we didn't meet any souls. - -Next day, we circled the peak and got up to the spot we had picked -out. We could see the clump o' trees plain enough; and along about -three in the afternoon, we saw the woman come up the path, walkin' -slow an' actin' weary. She had two big dogs with her, and whenever -she'd stop to rest a bit, she'd pet 'em. "Well," sez The, "things has -changed a heap when ol' Ty Jones stands for havin' his dogs patted." - -We couldn't get a good view of her face from where we were, but we -could get a fine view o' the ranch buildin's. The' didn't seem to be -much work on hand, and we saw eight or ten men foolin' around an' -pretendin' to do chores. The recognized the two Greasers he had been -ridin' with the day he had pulled on Horace, and one or two others; -but most of 'em was strangers to him. He said the Greasers were about -the most devilish speciments he had ever herded with--an' Ty's whole -outfit was made up o' fellers who had qualified to wear hemp. - -Horace was keen to go on down to her an' get a good look; but me an' -The took the bits in our teeth at this. We knew what those dogs were -like, an' refused pointblank to go a peg unless he could think up a -good enough excuse for us to give to Ty Jones--and we wouldn't let -Horace go down alone. - -"The best plan I can see," sez I, pointin' to a cluster o' big rocks -down the slope to the left, "is to circle back to those rocks. We can -see her face plain from there when she comes back the path." - -After examinin' this plan we decided it was the best; but when we went -after our hosses, Horace's had broke his reins an' gone back through -the hills. By the time me an' The had rounded him up, it was too late, -so we had to wait till next day. - -Next day I left the other two at our first look-out and rode on to the -new one. As soon as she came in sight, I waved my hat to 'em and they -sneaked down to the bunch o' rocks. I rode back an' left my hoss with -theirs, an' then joined 'em. - -She didn't come into view till after five o'clock. When she reached -the edge of the ravine an' started down, she paused an' looked off -into the valley with her face in plain view. Horace looked at it -through his glasses, gave a start, and then handed the glasses to The. -"Have you ever seen any one who looked like her?" sez he. - -The looked and broke out into a regular expression. "That's the -original of the photograph I had," sez he. - -"That's the Friar's girl, sure as the sky's above us," sez Horace. - -I grabbed the glass and took a look. She did look like the picture, -but older and more careworn. Some way I had allus thought o' the -Friar's girl as bein' young and full of high spirits, with her head -thrown back an' her eyes dancin'; but just as I looked through the -glasses, she pressed her hands to her head, and her face was wrinkled -with pain. She was better lookin' than common, but most unhappy. - -"That devil, Ty Jones, is mean to her!" I growled between my teeth. - -"Dogs or no dogs, I'm goin' down to have a talk with her," sez Horace. - -He started to get up, but I pulled him back to the ground. I had kept -my eyes on her, and had seen the two dogs turn their heads down the -ravine, and her own head turn with a jerk, as though some one had -called to her. Horace looked through the glasses again, and said he -could see her lips move as though talkin' to some one, and then she -went down into the ravine. We couldn't see the bottom of the ravine -from where we were, nor we couldn't see the ranch buildin's; so we -hustled back through some washes to our look-out, and reached it just -as she and Ty came out at the bottom. - -They were walkin' side by side, but Horace, who was lookin' through -the glasses, said they seemed to be quarrelin'. "It's moonlight -to-night," sez Horace, "and I'm goin' to sneak down and try to see -her." - -We argued again' it all we could, but he stood firm; so all we could -do was to sit there and wait for the lights to go out in the -bunk-house. As she was a reader, we figured 'at she'd be the last one -to turn in; normal habits an' appetites not havin' much effect on -book-readers. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE - -JUSTICE UNDELAYED - - -Human emotions are like clocks: some of 'em will run longer 'n others; -but they'll all run down unless they're wound up again every so often. -Even fear will only run so long, as several late-lamented bullies have -been forced to learn just before they passed over the Great Divide. -After you've scared a feller as bad as he can get, it is well enough -to let him alone. If you keep on addin' horror onto horror, his fear -is likely to run down; and the chances are 'at he'll get irritated, -and slaughter ya. - -I don't know whether or not patience can rightly be called an emotion; -but anyway, mine runs down a little easier 'n airy other o' my -faculties, and sittin' up in the chill an' waitin' for a lot o' -festive fools to go to bed, allus was just the sort o' thing to -disgust me. Those Cross-branders didn't seem to have any more use for -shut-eye that night than a convention o' owls. Some of 'em rode off at -dusk, but more of 'em arrived, and they held some sort of high jinks -in the bunk-house, till I began to talk back at myself loud enough for -all to hear. It was full moon an' we could see dogs loafin' an' -fightin' down at the ranch, the light in the new cabin was the first -to go out, an' for the life of me, I couldn't see where we had a -single pair to stay on; but Horace seemed to accumulate obstinacy with -every breath he drew. The sided with me, but criticizin' Horace went -again' his religion, so he didn't make any more uproar than a gnat -fight. - -Finally I calmed down until I could stretch each word out a full -breath an' sez in my doviest voice: "Horace, will you kindly tell me -what in hell you intend to do?" - -He studied the situation careful, and took all the time he needed to -do it. "I'm goin' back to camp," sez he. "To-morrow night they'll be -sleepy, and we'll have the whole place to ourselves." - -"Hurrah for hot weather! Greece has finally melted!" I yelled, an' we -hustled for our ponies. - -I have a buck-skin riggin' I put on the bridle of a hoss who gets into -the evil way of steppin' on his reins; and I had fixed one on Horace's -hoss to bring him back to his senses should he attempt to play the -same trick he had worked on us the day before. When a hoss wearin' one -o' these contrivances steps on his reins it pinches his ears, down -close to his head where they're tender, and generally works a -reformation in short order. - -We forgot all about this, and when Horace jumped into his saddle, he -gave a jerk on the reins--and got bucked into a clump o' cactus. The -hoss didn't try any runnin', though, which proves he had learned a -proper respect for trailin' reins. Still, Horace wasn't quite in the -mood to see the beauty o' my method, so he insisted upon my swappin' -hosses with him. It was a good two-hours' ride to Olaf's, and by the -time we had changed saddles, and I had convinced the pony that his -idees of buckin' were childish an' fu-tile, and his show of temper had -only given him a hundred an' ninety pounds to carry instead of a -hundred an' twenty, it was after nine o'clock. - -We were hungry enough to call for speed; but still it was eleven by -the time we reached the Spread. We thought we had seen a horseman go -into it from the other direction; but the moon had ducked under a -cloud and we couldn't be certain. - -We didn't intend to waken Kit if we could help it; so we started to -put the hosses into the corral as quiet as possible. Just as we had -thrown our saddles over the top bar, we heard a commotion from the -cabin, and started for it on the run. - -There wasn't any light in the cabin; but we heard Kit screamin', and -before we arrived, we saw a man rush around the corner just as the -door was flung open, and two other men jumped towards him from the -inside. These two had knives in their hands; and the man outside took -a step back. They rushed him, but he hit one with his right fist, and -the other with his left, and curled 'em both up again' the side o' the -house in a way to make a feller's heart dance for joy. Then we saw it -was the Friar himself, and we gave a whoop. - -Kit had banged the door shut, put up the bar, got a rifle and made -ready for what was to come next; but when she heard our whoop, she put -on her wrapper and opened the door. The two men 'at the Friar had -crumpled up were those same two Greasers 'at The had told us were the -meanest pair he had ever herded with. - -We took 'em by the heels an' straightened 'em out, while Kit indulged -in a few little hystericals. The Friar had allus been a great hand to -expound upon moral force an' spiritual force, and such items, and now -when the two Greasers refused to come back an' claim their own bodies, -he got a little fidgetty. - -"Friar," I sez, "I give in to you. Your quiet way o' lettin' the right -work out its own salvation is the surest way I know; and in an -emergency like this, it does full as well as violence." - -The Friar wasn't in no mood for hilarity, though; so after gettin' -their weapons an' tyin' 'em up, we soused the Greasers with water, and -brought 'em back to give an account o' themselves, Kit all the time -tellin' us what had happened. - -It seems 'at Kit had been hoein' in her beloved garden that day an' -had been purty tired at night; so after waitin' for us until she got -exasperated, she had eaten her own supper, put ours on the table, an' -turned in. Olaf had put up another cabin the same size as his first. -He had put 'em side by side with a porch joinin' at their eaves. In -one cabin was the dinin' room an' kitchen, all in one, and in the -other was the bedroom an' settin' room. - -Kit had heard a noise in the settin' room and had opened the door -before she was full awake, thinkin' it was the dog or cat. The minute -she had opened the door they had grabbed her, and she had begun to -scream. They shut off her wind a little; but they wasn't rough with -her--quite the contrary. They leered into her eyes, and patted her on -the shoulders, and made queer, gurglin' noises in their dirty brown -throats; but they didn't speak to her, not one word. - -Kit was strong, an' she had fought 'em to a standstill for what she -thinks was twenty minutes, at least; but she was beginnin' to weaken. -One of 'em kept his arm about her neck, and whenever she tried to -scream, shut off her wind. She had heard the Friar's hoss nicker when -he opened the first pole gate, and this provided her with enough moral -courage to sink her teeth into the wrist of the arm about her neck. -The feller had give a yell, and struck her; but at the same time, she -had opened up a scream of her own which loosened things all over the -neighborhood. - -The Friar had first put for the settin' room door; but they had locked -this door on the inside, intendin' to go out the side door. He savvied -this so he dove into the porch-way between the two cabins, and made a -rattlin' on this door. They had paused at this; but he had to rattle -several times before they took down the front bar. We had been fordin' -the crick about this time. - -The Greasers had tried to get out the window once; but Kit had called -out what they were up to; so they had turned on her an' choked and -beat her scandalous. - -This was Kit's side, and by the time she had finished tellin' it, the -Greasers had begun to moan an' toss. The Friar gave a sigh of relief, -as soon as they came to enough to begin grittin' their teeth. I sat -'em up with their backs again' the side of the cabin, and intimated -that we were ready to receive their last words. - -We had to encourage 'em a bit, one way or another; but we finally got -out of 'em that they had poisoned the dog, and then cut a crack in the -door till they could raise the bar. They said 'at Ty Jones hadn't had -no hand in plannin' their trip; but had offered 'em a hundred apiece -if they could put Olaf in the mood of wishin' he had sold out -peaceable. - -"Well," sez I, as soon as they were through, "shall we finish with 'em -to-night, or give 'em till to-morrow to repent?" - -"We shall of course deliver them to the proper officials to be tried -by due process of law," sez the Friar. - -"What for?" sez I. "Ya never can tell how a trial will turn out; but -we know 'at they have forfeited the right to live; so we'll just give -'em what they've earned and save all fuss." - -"No good ever comes of men taking the law into their own hands," sez -the Friar firmly. - -"How come, then, that you didn't run an' tell some justice o' the -peace, 'at these two snakes was actin' disrespectful--instead of -knockin' 'em up again' the logs?" sez I. - -"I should have done so if I had had time," sez the Friar with dignity. - -"Well, you're better trained 'n we are," sez I; "but it still takes a -little time for you to make your hands mind your self-control, after -you've been het up. You can do it in ten minutes, say; but it takes us -about a week, and by that time the' won't be any need for the law." - -"No," sez the Friar, "I insist that we rely upon the law. We count -ourselves as of the better element; and the most vicious conditions -arise when the better element takes the law into its own hands. When a -vicious man does illegal violence, it does not establish a precedent; -but when the decent man does the same thing, it tears away forms of -civilization which have taken centuries to construct." - -"That sounds like sense," sez I; "and after this is all over, I don't -mind arguin' it out with you; but right now, it would seem to me that -if we went to law about this, it would be because we wanted to -shoulder onto the law the responsibility of doin' what we feel ought -to be done, but which we haven't the nerve to do ourselves." - -"If you attempt to lynch these men, I shall ride at once and give the -alarm," sez the Friar. - -"And when you came back, you would find 'em swingin' from a limb," sez -I. "I'm with you in most things, Friar, and if the' was a shred o' -doubt, I'd be with you in this; but it's too plain a case. I'm willin' -to hold these two in secret until we can collect a posse o' twelve to -give 'em a jury trial; but this is the most I'll do. Ty Jones has got -others of his gang away from the law, but he don't get these two--not -if I can help it." - -Horace sided with me, and so did The, though he didn't have much to -say. He was thinkin' of his own trip to pester Olaf, and it came back -to him purty strong. The Friar finally had to agree not to notify the -law until I'd had time to gather up a posse. I made Horace promise not -to tell the Friar about our seein' the woman back at Ty's, saw that -the Greasers were planted safe in Olaf's log barn, and set out at once -for the Diamond Dot on a fresh hoss. I never want to eat none before -startin' a ride like this. - -I rode all that night through the moonlight; swingin' up over the -passes, fordin' the rivers, and reachin' the Diamond Dot at noon the -next day. I didn't let on to Jabez 'at I was there at all; but I got -Spider Kelley, ol' Tank Williams, Tillte Dutch, and Mexican Slim to -take a vacation and come on back with me. This gave five for the jury, -as I didn't intend to have Horace or The sit on it, not knowin' how -far their prejudice might prevent 'em from executin' my idee of -justice. We set out to return, about five o'clock, and rode into the -Spread at seven the next mornin' with eight other fellers we had -brought along for good measure. - -Old Jimmy Simpson and his four grown sons were in this bunch, and I -was purty well acquainted with 'em. I knew 'at they had been amply -pestered by Ty Jones's outfit, and wouldn't be too particular about -what book-law might have to say on the subject, though ol' man Simpson -was up on book-law. The other three were fellers they knew and were -willin' to guarantee. We were all a little sleepy, so we decided to -hold the trial after dinner. - -The Friar had spent as much time with the Greasers as they'd stand -for; but he hadn't made much impression on 'em. I knew 'at he was -heart-whole in his attitude, an' I hated to cross him; but this was a -case o' principle with me, so when we got ready for the trial, I tried -to get him to take a long walk, but he refused. - -We held the trial in front o' the barn, and it was as legal as any -trial ever was, and as solemn, too. We untied the prisoners, and -called Kit for the first witness. She told it just as she had told it -to us, but her bruised face would have been all that was necessary. -Then we called the Friar and he told his part, and we let him make a -speech in favor o' law and order; and cheered him hearty, too, when he -got through. - -I had just begun to give my part, when Olaf and Oscar rode up. Olaf -sat on his hoss and looked at us a moment, at Kit with her bruised -face, holdin' the boy in her arms, at the prisoners and us; and then -he asked the Friar what it all meant. The Friar was sunonomous with -truth, as far as Olaf was concerned. - -Olaf listened quietly, the dark red risin' in his cheeks bein' about -the only change in him. When the Friar finished, Olaf got off his -hoss. "The' won't be need of any more trial," sez he. "Kit, you go to -the house." - -Kit started for the house, and the Friar asked Olaf what he intended -to do. - -"Kill 'em," sez Olaf, "with my two hands." - -He unbuckled his belt and threw it on the ground, then kicked off his -chaps, and stepped through the ring we had formed. "Stop," said the -Friar. "Olaf, I forbid this." - -"You had better go to the house, Friar," said Olaf with pleadin' in -his voice. "Go in--please go in--an' comfort Kit." - -The Friar made a rush, but we fended him off. The Greasers also tried -to make a get-away; and between the three of 'em we were some busy; -but it didn't last long. When the Greasers saw they couldn't break our -ring, they turned on Olaf like cornered rats. They struck him and they -choked him; but not once did he speak, and whenever his grip closed on -their flesh, he ruined that part forever. It was a horrid sight; but I -couldn't have turned my eyes away if I'd wanted to. In the end he -broke their necks, one after the other, and then he stood up straight -and wiped his forehead. "I take the blame," said he. "I take all the -blame, here and hereafter"; which certainly was a square thing to do, -though we hadn't counted on it, any. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO - -THE FRIAR GOES ALONE - - -The Friar had been in earnest tryin' to get to Olaf; so 'at the four -Simpson boys had finally been forced to throw, an' sit on him. As soon -as it was over, they got up and apologized, offerin' to let him take -out any spite on 'em he saw fit, and promisin' not to feel any -ill-will; but the Friar wasn't angry. He was hurt and sad to think 'at -we'd do such a thing; but he had no resentment towards us. - -"I know most of you men well," said he; "and I know you have done this -because you felt it was right. I don't put you on one side and myself -on the other. I take my full share o' the blame. It merely proves that -my influence with you during the many years we have been together has -not been for the best, and I am very sorry to learn how poor my work -has been." - -He turned and went up to the house; and we all felt nearly as bad -about the way he had taken it as though the confounded Greasers had -got away altogether. We talked it over and finally loaded their bodies -into Olaf's wagon, and hauled 'em up on the rim, where we buried 'em -and heaped a lot o' stones over 'em. We began to feel better after -this, and shook hands all around, and the Simpsons and their three -friends rode away. - -Then we told the others about havin' seen the Friar's girl at Ty -Jones's and held a council as to how we should tell him. We finally -delegated Horace to do it, though he wasn't ambitious for the job. The -Friar had told Kit that it was all over, and had left to take a walk -without eatin' any supper. We still felt purty low-spirited, and we -didn't eat much ourselves; though we felt certain he wouldn't bother -his head much about a couple o' Greasers, as soon as he found out his -own girl was Ty Jones's woman. - -The boys had come light from the Diamond Dot, but Horace had outfitted -way beyond his needs, intendin' to do consid'able campin' around, and -Olaf also had a couple of extra tarps and plenty o' beddin'; so we -fixed up our old bunk-shack which had been left standin', and settled -down as though the interval between our previous visit hadn't been -more 'n ten days. - -The Friar came back about ten o'clock. He came into our shack as quiet -as he could; but Horace was sittin' before the fire waitin' for him. -It was a warm night; but we had built the fire to make it a little -more cheerful, and had left the door wide open. Horace saw the Friar -the minute he reached the doorway, and he got up and went outside with -him. - -They were gone nearly an hour, and then Horace sneaked in, and wakened -me up. I follered him outside; and he said that the Friar intended to -ride down to see Ty Jones as soon as it was day, and that he insisted -on ridin' alone. The Friar was walkin' up and down in the moonlight, -his face was all twisted up, through his tryin' to hold it calm, when -I took my turn at reasonin' with him; but it wasn't any use. - -"Well, you'll not go alone," I said at last; "and you can make up your -mind to that now. We don't know how much Ty already knows about our -puttin' the Greasers out o' the game, and we don't know how much of it -he'll lay to you; but we do know that he hates you, and would wipe -your name off the list the first good chance he had. I'm goin' along." - -The Friar was hot; we stood there in the moonlight facin' each other -and takin' each other's measures. He was a shade taller and some -heavier 'n I was; and ya could see 'at he'd have given right smart to -have felt free to mix it with me. "Do you think I'm a baby?" he burst -out. "Do you think 'at I'm not fit to be trusted out o' your sight? -You take entirely too much on yourself, Happy Hawkins!" - -I didn't want to taunt him to hurt him--I'd rather been kicked by a -hoss than to do this--but I did want to arouse him to a sense o' the -truth. "You have adjusted yourself to this locality purty well, -Friar," sez I; "but the's still a lot you don't quite savvy. Some -cases must be settled by a man himself, but some must be left to the -law. If this woman is the wife o' Ty Jones, he has the law on his -side." - -He turned from me and stamped off into the night with his hands -clenched. He disappeared in the cottonwoods, and I was just beginnin' -to wonder if I hadn't better foller him, when he came back again. "Oh, -I've been a fool, I've been a fool!" he cried. "All my life I have -tried not to judge others, but all my life I have judged them. I have -tried to put myself in their place, but allus I judged and condemned -them for giving way to temptations which I felt that I, in their -place, could have resisted. I have been a fool, and I still am a fool. -I admit that you are right, and I am wrong--but, I am going to Ty -Jones's at dawn, and I'm goin' alone." - -Well, that settled it--me an' the Friar had to buck each other again. -He continued to stalk up an' down through moonlight and shadow; while -I tried to plan a way to head him off. I was dead sleepy, but I went -around and wakened up all the other fellers, and told 'em not to get -up in the mornin' until called; next I got Tank to help me, and we -waited until the Friar had walked in the opposite direction, and then -we took the ponies out o' the corral and headed 'em toward the hills. -The farther we got, the rougher with 'em we got, and then we turned -our own mounts loose, and sent 'em after the bunch. It was a big job -to pack our saddles back on our heads, but we did it, and tore down -the fences to pertend 'at the ponies had vamoosed on their own hook. -Horace was walkin' with the Friar now, arguin' the benefit of a little -sleep, so 'at he'd be at his best. After a time the Friar did go to -bed in Horace's tarp in the corner. - -I didn't wake up till after seven, myself, and all the fellers were -pertendin' to sleep as though it wasn't more 'n three. The Friar -didn't wake up till eight. He was beside himself when he found the -ponies gone; but he ate breakfast as calm as he could, and then set -out with us to wrangle in some hosses on foot. - -Goin' after hosses on foot is sufficiently irritatin' to a ridin' -outfit to make it easy enough to believe 'at this was all an accident, -and we didn't come up with the ponies till nearly noon. When we -cornered 'em up, I never in my life saw as much poor ropin', nor as -much good actin'; but we finally got enough gentle ones to ride -bareback, so we could wrangle in the rest; and after a quick lunch, -the Friar started to make his hoss ready. - -We all started along with him. He stopped and faced on us, givin' us a -long, cold look-over. You can say all you want to again' swearin', but -the's times when it springs out of its own accord in a man, as natural -and beautiful and satisfyin' as the flowers blossom forth on the -cactus plants; and I haven't a shred of doubt that if the Friar had -handed us some o' the remarks that came ready-framed to his tongue -just then, they'd have been well worth storin' up for future needs; -but all he did was to fold his arms, and say: "Your methods are not my -methods. I am not goin' there to start trouble, and I do not even wish -to give them the slightest excuse to start it of their own vo-lition. -If you are my friends, you will respect my wishes." - -"Well, but you'll take at least one of us along, won't ya, Friar?" sez -ol' Tank. "Likely as not we wouldn't take it up, nohow; but still if -they made away with ya, we'd sort o' like to know about it as early as -possible, in order not to feel suspensed any longer 'n was necessary." - -"I should like to take one man along as a guide, as I am not entirely -familiar with the trail from here," sez the Friar, still talkin' to us -as though we were a lot of evil-lookin' strangers. "If one of you were -to go along until we came within sight o' the ranch buildin's--No, -they might see him and get the idee that he had gone back to join a -reserve body, and I do not wish them to have the slightest grounds for -resorting to force on their side. I shall have to go alone." - -"I can see what you've been drivin' at, now," sez Tank, whose face was -so muddled up that no one ever tried to read his thoughts in his -features, and so he could lie with impunity. "Yes, I can see what you -mean, now, and I got to own up 'at you're right about it. Still, you -know, Friar, we're bound to worry about ya. How long do you want us to -wait before we start to projectin' around to get some news of ya?" - -A look of relief came to the Friar's face: "Why, if I don't come back -within a week," sez he, "I haven't any objections to your notifyin' -the legal authorities that you fear something has happened to me--but -don't make much fuss, for it doesn't really matter." - -We all kicked about waitin' a week, but finally compromised on five -days as bein' about the right interval to allow before notifyin' the -legal authorities. Then we advised the Friar to go down by the ravine -as it would take him to the ranch by the back way where he wouldn't be -so likely to attract attention, especially from the dogs. - -He asked Horace to ride with him until he could get a landmark; so -Horace flung his saddle on a hoss an' started along, while the rest of -us made ready to go trout-fishin', or take a snooze, or shake the -cards, accordin' to the way we generally amused ourselves when -loafin'. The Friar turned back once on the pretense that he wanted to -get a good drink o' water before startin'; but he found us scattered -out peaceful an' resigned, so he headed away at good speed. - -Horace took him the open road, while we went mostly through cuts, the -way we had allus gone to our look-out. Our way was some the longer; -but we pushed our hosses a little more, and made the look-out just as -the Friar reached the point where the path went down into the ravine. -Horace had agreed to do all he could to get the Friar to go up to the -clump of bushes where the woman spent her afternoons, though he said -he doubted if the Friar would do it. - -I had the field glasses with me, and kept 'em on the Friar's face when -he paused to examine the spot and make sure he was right. He couldn't -see the ranch buildin's from where he was, nor the path leadin' to the -clump of trees. I could see his face plain through the glasses, and he -had taken the guy ropes off and let it sag into just the way he felt. -It was filled with pain an' sufferin'. - -As soon as Horace came, he and I sneaked down to the bunch o' big -rocks from which we could see the path as it dipped from the opposite -edge of the ravine, leavin' the rest of the boys to watch the ranch -buildin's. We could see them from where we were, and they could see -us, and we had a signal for us to come back, or them to come to us; -and another that the Friar was gettin' it bad down below, and to make -a rush for him. We hadn't seen any one about the buildin's, except the -Chinese cook. Our plan was to not rush the buildin's right away, -unless we saw the Friar gettin' manhandled beyond his endurance. -Horace said 'at the Friar had refused to go to the clump o' trees to -see the woman, as it might give the impression that she had sent word -to him to meet her there, and he wouldn't cast the slightest suspicion -upon her name. - -"Horace," I said, as an awful fear struck me, "supposin' after all, it -ain't the right woman!" - -Horace's eyes stuck out like the tail lights on a freight caboose. -"Oh, I'm sure it's the same woman," sez he. "Course she's changed -some; but we couldn't all three be mistaken." - -"I still think it's the same woman," sez I; "but as far as all three -not bein' mistaken, the's nothin' to that. Half o' the fellers who -make bets are mistaken, and most of us make bets. Still I think she's -the same woman." - -In spite of this doubt, I was feelin' purty comfortable. The other -time we had been there, I hadn't been able to think up any excuse as -to why; but this time I felt I was in right and it left me free to -enjoy the prospects of a little excitement. I allus try to be honest -with myself; and when I'm elated up over anything, I generally aim to -trail back my feelin's to their exact cause. I'm bound to admit that -when I'm certain that any trouble likely to arise will be thrust upon -me in spite of my own moral conduct, I allus take a pleasant -satisfaction in waitin' for it. - -The Friar slid his hoss down the bank o' the ravine, and disappeared -just a few moments before we saw the woman comin' along the path from -the clump of trees. We kept glancin' up at the look-out now and again, -but mostly we glued our eyes on the woman. Horace hogged the field -glasses most o' the time, but my eyes were a blame sight better 'n -his, so I didn't kick about it much. - -When she reached the edge o' the ravine, she paused and gave a little -start. "Does she know him, Horace?" I sez. - -"She don't seem to," sez Horace. "She's speakin' down at him; but her -face looks as though she didn't know him." - -"If it's the wrong woman," sez I, "I'm goin' to start to the North -Pole to locate the fool-killer." - -While I spoke, she started down the path slow and matter o' fact; and -me an' Horace scuttled back to the look-out to be in time to see 'em -come out at the bottom--providin' the Friar went on with her. - -We didn't get there more 'n two minutes before they came out at the -bottom; but it seemed a week. When they finally came into sight, the -Friar was walkin' an' leadin' his hoss, and she was walkin' at his -side about four feet from him with a big dog on each side of her. Just -then we saw six Cross-branders ride in toward the corral. - -"It looks calm an' quiet," drawled ol' Tank, his free eye bouncin' -about like a rubber ball; "but I'll bet two cookies again' the hole in -a doughnut that we have a tol'able fair sized storm before mornin'." - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE - -THE FRIAR GIVEN TWO WEEKS - - -As Friar Tuck and the woman came out of the mouth of the ravine, Ty -Jones came out of the back door of the old cabin. He stopped a moment, -lookin' at 'em, rubbed his eyes an' looked again. Then he walked -towards 'em. He spoke somethin' to the Friar, and the Friar answered -it. The woman didn't pay any heed at all; but went around the new -cabin to the door which was on the other side. Three more -Cross-branders rode in, and Ty Jones shook his fist at the Friar. - -Ol' Tank was cussin' under his breath for comfort, but it didn't keep -him from gettin' fidgetty. "Isn't the' no sort of a tool, Horace," he -blurted out, "that'll stretch out your hearin' the way these field -glasses stretch out your eyesight? I'd be willin' to have one of my -ears run as wild as my free eye, forever after, if it could just hear, -now, what Ty Jones is a-speakin' to the Friar. I'm beginnin' to get -nervous." - -We all felt about the same way; but it was about two miles down to -where they were, so all we could do was to watch. - -Olaf had come with us, leavin' Oscar with Kit, and now Horace turned -to him and said: "You and Promotheus know more about Ty Jones 'n the -rest of us. I have never tried to pump Promotheus, but now I want you -to tell us what you think he'll do with the Friar." - -They said 'at Ty was generally purty cold blooded, and likely to take -enough time in gettin' rid of a feller to make it purty hard to tell -just how it had been done; but that when he once let go of himself, he -didn't care what happened, and if the Friar angered him about the -woman, the chances were 'at the Friar would never leave the ranch -alive. - -The shadows were beginnin' to fall, down in the valley; but Ty and the -Friar kept on talkin', Ty wavin' his hands now and again, while the -Friar stood straight with his hands hangin' easy at his side. I -couldn't stand it any longer. - -"I believe 'at a feller could get almost to 'em without bein' seen, by -goin' along the edge o' the ravine," sez I; "and I'm goin' to do it. -It'll be dark in a few minutes. If you want me to hustle to the Friar, -wave a torch up and down; if you want me to come back here, wave it -sideways." - -"I'm goin', too," sez Horace. - -"So 'm I," sez Olaf and The. - -"Well, that's full enough," sez I, "and the rest of ya keep a sharp -watch, and also keep the hosses ready, in case we need 'em." - -The four of us started down the side o' the slope at good speed. There -were only two places on the way down where we caught sight o' the -ranch buildin's; but just before we reached the top o' the cliff, we -heard a sound down below in the ravine. Glancin' cautious over the -side, I saw the Friar comin' back alone, on foot and leadin' his hoss. - -I drew back and whispered to the others, and we felt purty blame -cheap. We hardly knew what to do, as the Friar was likely to see us if -we tried to run back to our look-out before he reached the place where -the path came up out o' the ravine, and most of all, we didn't want -him to know 'at we were follerin' him. - -He had passed us by this time, so we looked over the edge o' the -ravine at him. He was walkin' slow with his head down, and his hands -in his pockets. "He'll ride home slow," sez I; "and we can easy beat -him." - -"Hush," sez The, draggin' us back from the edge, "the's two fellers -follerin' him." - -"Horace," I said, quick and firm, so as not to have any back-talk, -"you go about forty yards up the ravine, and keep your eyes on these -fellers. Don't shoot 'em unless they try to pass you. Hurry, now! I've -given you the most important post. If you shoot, shoot in earnest." - -Horace stooped over and ran to where a rock jutted out. "Now, then," -sez I, "as soon as these fellers pass us, we'll try to bowl 'em over -with one stone each, and then drop back out o' sight. We don't want to -shoot unless we have to." - -"They're wavin' us to come back," whispered The, who had took a glance -at our look-out. - -"Never mind," sez I, lookin' down and seein' the two fellers crouched -over and sneakin' after the Friar. "Now then, throw and drop back." - -We stood on our knees, threw one stone each, and dropped back. They -rattled in the ravine below, and we heard a sharp yelp of pain. I had -only dodged away from the edge of the ravine and ran to where Horace -was. - -"One feller was hit in the shoulder and knocked down," sez he; "but he -got up again right away, and both of 'em ran back." - -"What did the Friar do?" I asked, not darin' to look over, lest he see -me. - -"He turned around and started back," sez Horace. "I was afraid he'd -see my head again' the sky, so I pulled it back. I haven't heard him -move since those fellers started to run." - -"Well, I don't believe 'at even the Friar would be daffy enough to go -back," sez I; "so we'll just lay here and listen. They signalled us -from above a while back, but they've stopped again." - -We waited some time without hearin' any one pass us, and then we -sneaked up along the edge of the ravine. Before long we saw the Friar -come up the side. He paused on top and looked back, then mounted and -started for Olaf's at a slow shuffle. As soon as he was well under -way, we pushed for the look-out, and mounted. - -"Slim, you and Tillte wouldn't be missed as soon as the rest of us; so -you trail the Friar, while we try to beat him home," sez I. "If you -need us, shoot. Otherwise come in as unnoticeable as you're able." - -We reached Olaf's, had our saddles off and the hosses turned loose -before the Friar rode in. His face was white, but this was the only -thing 'at showed what he was goin' through. We made a big fuss about -his gettin' back all right and asked him plenty o' questions, without -overdoin' it enough to make him suspicious. He answered our questions -right enough, but he didn't open up and talk free. Slim and Tillte -joined us at supper without bein' noticed. - -After supper we gathered around the fire in Olaf's settin' room, and -the Friar gave us a purty complete account of what had happened. He -said that it was his old girl all right; but he said that the' was -somethin' the matter with her, that she didn't recognize him even -after he had made himself known to her. He said she seemed dazed-like -and not to take any interest in anything. - -He said they had walked down the ravine together, and she had told him -that she was comfortable enough but not happy. That she had lost -something which she could not find; but that she was getting stronger -since havin' come out to the mountains. He said 'at when Ty Jones saw -'em together, he had carried on somethin' fierce, and had ordered her -into the house. Then he had turned on the Friar and told him that he -would give him two weeks to leave the state and after that his life -wouldn't be safe in it. He said he had tried to reason with Ty; but it -wasn't any use; so he had just come away. - -"If he had set upon you, would you have shot him?" asked Tank. - -"I didn't have anything to shoot him with," sez the Friar. "I was -careful to leave my weapons behind." - -"Well, you didn't show much judgment in doin' it," sez Tank. "He might -have sent a couple o' fellers after ya, and finished you out in the -dark somewhere so 'at we never could 'a' proved it on him." - -"I did think for a minute that some one was follerin' me," sez the -Friar. "I heard a rattle of stones and a cry a few hundred feet behind -me in the ravine; but I think it was some animal slippin' down the -side." - -"Like as not," sez Tank. "If it had been any o' Ty's gang, they -wouldn't have give it up so easy; but another time we'll some of us go -along with you; so as to get your last words anyhow, if so be 'at -you're bent on suicide. What do you intend to do now?" - -"That's the worst of it," sez the Friar. "I don't know what to do. She -said she did not think she was married; but she was not sure; and Ty -refused to give me any satisfaction about it." - -"Isn't the' any law out here, at all?" sez Horace. "Seems to me as -though there ought to be some way to get at Ty Jones." - -"What would you charge him with?" asked the Friar. "She is not being -abused or kept a prisoner, she says she is comfortable and gettin' -stronger--I can't think of any way to bring him under the law. If you -had not taken the law into your own hands in regard to his two men, we -might have made the claim that he was behind them in this; but really, -I do not see where we have any just grounds to go to law." - -"That little matter o' the Greasers don't hobble us none," sez ol' -Tank. "Don't you get the idee that you're bound in any way by this. -The whole country would uphold us; so if you want to use it as a -lever, just make your claims again' Ty to the law officers, and we'll -tell 'em 'at the Greasers confessed 'at Ty put 'em up to it." - -This seemed to us like sage advice; and we all chipped in and urged -the Friar to act on it. Laws are all right, I haven't a word to say -again' laws. Fact is, I believe 'at we're better off for havin' a few -than not; but after all, laws come under the head of luxuries like -diamonds and elevators and steam heat. We all know there is such -things, and we haven't any objections to those usin' 'em who can -afford it; but most of us have to wear cut-glass, pack in our own -wood, do our climbin' on foot or hossback, and settle our troubles in -our own way with as little bother as possible. When you figure it down -to the foundation, laws depend on public opinion, not public opinion -on laws; and all the public opinion worth takin' into account would -have said 'at we had done the right thing with those Greasers. If -they'd 'a' tried to law us for a little thing like this, it would have -started an upraisin' which would have let the law see how small a -shadow it really does throw when it comes to a show-down. - -The Friar didn't answer us right away, and when he did, it was in the -most discouraged voice I'd ever heard him use. "I'm in the dark, -boys," sez he, "I don't know what to do. Even if I could find some way -to take her away from Ty Jones, I do not know what to do with her. She -is not herself, she needs care and protection--and I am not in a -position to supply them. I have an income of three hundred and fifty -dollars a year, which is much more than enough for my own needs, for I -live mostly upon the hospitality of my friends as you well know"--we -also knew 'at he spent most of his money in helpin' those who never -saw enough money to get on intimate terms with it; while all they gave -him in return was a little meal and bacon for savin' their souls and -doctor-bills. "I don't know what I could do for her, even if I had the -right to take her away from him," continued the Friar. "My life has -been a good deal of a failure; and I--" - -"For the love o' common sense, Friar!" broke in Horace. "You don't -seem to have the smallest degree o' judgment. You know mighty well 'at -I'm bothered to death to know what to do with my money. You get her if -you can, send her to any sort of a sanitarium you want to, and I'll -foot the bills. Don't you ever sit around and whine about money in my -presence again. It worries and disgusts and irritates me--and I came -out here for rest. You talk about faith and takin' no heed for the -morrow, and such things; but you act as though you were riskin' a -man's soul when you gave him a chance to be of some little use in the -world." - -The Friar was purty well overcome at this; but figure on it the best -we were able, we couldn't see just how to get a man's wife away from -him without provin' that he had abused her. It was a complication, any -way we looked at it; so we all went to bed in the hope that one of us -would have a lucky dream. - -We didn't have any more idees next mornin' than we'd had the night -before; so after breakfast, the Friar took a walk and the rest of us -sat around in bunches talkin' it over. About ten o'clock a feller -named Joyce who lived about fifteen miles east of Olaf came by on his -way for a doctor, his boy havin' been kicked above the knee and his -leg broke. The Friar could patch up a human as good as any doctor; so -we went after him, knowin' that this would be the best way to take his -mind off his own troubles, and the' was a look o' relief in the -Friar's face when he rode away with Joyce. - -I never knew any feller yet who didn't spend a lot o' time wishin' he -had a chance to loaf all the laziness out of his system; but the fact -of the matter is, that work gives us more satisfaction than anything -else. A wild animal's life is one long stretch after enough to eat; -but he's full o' health an' joy an' beauty. On the other hand, put one -in a cage and feed it regular and it turns sick immediate. What we -need is plenty o' the kind o' work we are fitted for--this is the -answer to all our discontented feelin'; and what the Friar was best -fitted for, was to help others. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR - -A CROSS FOR EVERY MAN - - -Thinkin', just plain thinkin', is about the hardest work the' is; and -for the next several days, we lay around doin' mighty little else. The -trouble was, 'at we couldn't devise a way to put Ty Jones out o' -business. He wasn't an outlaw; fact was, he stood high with the big -cattle men; and we got light headed tryin' to scare up a plan which -would remove Ty in a decent manner, and leave the Friar free to take -the woman without causin' him any conscience-pains. We were the -mournfulest lookin' bunch o' healthy men ever I saw; and finally I -decided to loaf with Kit and the kid, they not bein' expected to do -any thinkin' and therefore havin' smooth an' pleasant faces. - -Sometimes I wonder if women don't get along just as well without -thinkin' as men do with it. I hadn't talked seven minutes with Kit -before she suggested just what I would have thought up if I'd been -able. She didn't even know she had suggested it; so I didn't call her -attention to it for fear it might up-heave her vanity and give Olaf -bother. I had a plan now and it was of such a nature that I was glad -the Friar wasn't there to mess into it. - -I found Promotheus an' Tank lyin' on the grass along the crick. They -were back to back, and their faces were so lined with genuwine -thought, that they looked like a pair of overgrown nutmegs. I sat down -beside 'em lookin' worried. - -Presently Tank sez: "What ya thinkin' about?" - -I shook my head, and in about half an hour The asked the same -question. I waited a minute, hove out a sigh, and sez: "Gee, I wish I -was you." - -"Why do you wish you was me?" sez he. - -"'Cause," sez I, "you've got a chance to do the biggest deed I know -of." - -"What is it?" sez he, examinin' my face to see if I was sheepin' him. - -"No," sez I, shakin' my head; "I ain't got any right to even think of -it, let alone hint at it. You might think I was buttin' into your -affairs, and then again--No, I refuse to suggest it. If it's your -duty, you'll see it yourself; but I won't take the responsibility of -pointin' it out." - -"What in thunder did you mention it at all for, then?" sez The, -gettin' curious an' exasperated. - -"And then besides," sez I to myself, out loud, "there's Horace. Like -as not he wouldn't allow you to run your head into danger any more." - -"What!" yelled The. "Didn't we run our heads into danger all over the -tropics of the Orient, didn't we goad up danger an' search for it and -roust it out of its hidin' places and--Why, confound you--" - -In about ten minutes I stopped him, an' sez in a quiet voice: "Well, -then, if I was you, I'd go on down to Ty Jones's and take on with him -again." - -We lay on the grass there, along Pearl Crick for some time without -speakin'. Up on the rim, the grass was burned to a crisp; but along -the crick it was still green. Promotheus pulled blade after blade of -it and chewed 'em up in his mouth, while me an' Tank watched him. - -"What you mean, is for me to take on with Ty Jones--and then to act -spy on him. Ain't that what ya mean?" sez The after a time. - -I'd 'a' sooner he hadn't put it into words--it did look rather raw -when he stood it up before us naked. "I don't mean nothin' in -particular, The," sez I. "You and I are different, and what I could do -without feelin'--" - -"That's all right," he broke in. "The' ain't any need to treat me like -an infant baby. Come right out with it--What you want me to do is to -play spy, ain't it?" - -"That's the only way I can see to help the Friar," sez I; "but he -wouldn't want you to do anything for him you didn't feel was right." - -"I know, I know," he sez, lookin' down at his hands. "Ty Jones is as -mean as a snake, and I don't deny it; but he's been square with me, -and once he saved my life. Then again, the Friar has been square with -every one, and if he hadn't nursed me night and day, Horace wouldn't -have had a chance to save my life. If Horace had killed me it would -have spoiled his life; so that the whole thing is held together in a -tangle. I'm willin' to cash in my life for the Friar--it ain't -that--but I do hate to turn again' Ty Jones underhanded." - -"Better just forget I mentioned it," sez I. - -"No," sez Promotheus, "I intend to lay the plan before Horace, and let -him settle on it." - -"That's a good scheme, that's the best way out of it," sez ol' Tank, -and I joined in with him. - -We sat there on the bank a long time, thinkin' the thing over, and -finally just before supper, Horace hove in sight and started to josh -us; but when he saw how sober we were, he settled down, and asked us -what was up. - -"Horace," sez The, "what would you think of my takin' on with Ty -Jones, and playin' the spy on him?" - -"That would be madness!" exclaimed Horace. "He'd see through it and -kill you first pop. I don't know though--you might fix up a tale--but -then it would be too infernal risky. Nope, don't you try it." - -"If it could be done," persisted The, "what would you think of it?" - -"Oh, it would be a great thing for the Friar," sez Horace; "but, -Promotheus, I don't like to have you take the risk." - -"It ain't the risk I'm fussin' about," sez The. "Ty was square to me -in his own way. The Friar has been square to me also, and I know 'at -his way is the best; but at the same time--don't you think it would be -downright snakish for me to go back to Ty, tell him some excuse for my -stayin' away, and then plot again' him while I'm eatin' his vittles?" - -It didn't sound good to us when Promotheus came out with it so -everlastin' unpolluted; but he had worked up a sense of honesty since -bein' with Horace, which wouldn't let him do any pertendin'. Horace -didn't answer, and he went on after waitin' a minute: "I haven't any -prejudices again' fightin' him in the open; but it does go again' my -grain to wear a dog hide when I'm playin' wolf, and Ty Jones was -square to me." - -"Well," sez Horace, "I haven't the heart to advise you to do this, -Promotheus. We'll sure be able to find some other way, and as long as -it goes again' your grain the way it does, I don't want you to do it." - -"Would you think any the less of me if I did?" asked The, his eyes -takin' on a sad, hungry look, like a dog's eyes get when he's worried -over what his master'll say about some trick he's been up to. - -"Course I wouldn't think any less of ya," sez Horace without -hesitatin'; "but hang it, I'm afraid somethin' 'll happen to ya." - -"Would the Friar think any the less of me?" sez The. - -"If the Friar heard about it, he wouldn't let ya go," sez Horace. - -"I've puzzled more about the Friar 'n about airy other man I ever -saw," sez The, thoughtful. "I wanted to lynch Olaf that time, guilty -or not guilty; but the Friar straightened things out by riskin' his -own soul. He hates lynchin', it goes square again' his grain; but he -made a bet with us to help stretch Olaf if we could prove him guilty; -and this has stuck with me. This was a big thing to do, and I'd like -to do somethin' big for the Friar--But I swear it would hurt me to spy -on Ty Jones!" - -We didn't have anything to say on the subject; so we just sat and -chewed grass. - -"I've been thinkin' about that old Greek feller, 'at you named me -after," sez Promotheus at last. "He didn't ask no one else to take the -responsibility of tellin' him what to do. He just decided what was -right, and then did it. If I go to Ty Jones, and he treats me right, -my own thoughts'll tear at me like vultures; but this here other -Promotheus, he stood it, 'cause it was for man's good; and I'm game to -do the same. - -"I don't intend to be any more sneakier 'n I have to be. All I intend -to do is to find out what I can about the woman, and, if Ty ain't -treatin' her right, to help get her away from him; but I want it -understood right now that I'm not goin' to work any tricks on Ty to -get him into the law for what he's done in bygone days. Now then, I -take all the blame on my own shoulders; but we'll have to fix up a -tale to fool a wise one, 'cause Ty won't be took in by chaff." - -We talked things over a long time; but it seemed mighty unreasonable -for Promotheus to have pulled out without sayin' a word, and then to -come back without writin' in the meantime; and we couldn't quite hit -on it. Finally the idee came to me. - -"They're goin' to graze the grass down to the roots, this summer," sez -I; "but still, the' won't be enough to go around. A lot o' cattle will -have to be sold off early, and some will be trailed up into Montana, -and cow-punchers are goin' to be in demand. Ty is long on cattle and -short on grass, and he'll be glad to have extra help he can trust; so -he won't question ya too close. You tell him 'at Horace here was a -government agent, and that he arrested you as a deserter, and took you -to prison where you was given a life sentence; that you broke out a -couple o' months ago, and have been workin' your way back as cautious -as you could." - -"My Lord, I hate to tell him that!" sez The. "It's too infernal much -like what I told him the first time." - -"You got to make up a good story, or else give up your plan," sez I. - -"Yes, that's so," he agreed. "Ty'd believe that, too. What prison had -I better say I've been in?" - -"Which one was you in?" sez I. - -"I never was in any government prison," sez he. "I was in a state -prison." - -"Have ya ever seen a government prison?" sez I. - -"Yes, I've seen two, one in Kansas, and one in Frisco," sez he. - -"Which would be the hardest to get out of?" sez I. - -"The one in Frisco; it's on an island," sez he. - -"Choose that one," sez I; "and make up your escape just as it might -have happened." - -"Ty won't haggle me with questions," sez The sadly. "He'll just -believe me, an' this'll make it ten times as hard." - -"You ought to be paler an' more haggard," sez I; "but I doubt if the's -a way to do it." - -"Keep soakin' his face in hot towels for a few days," sez Horace. -"That'll bleach him out." - -"Are ya goin' foot or hossback?" sez I. - -"I stole a hoss down in Texas the last time I came," sez he, "and -traded him off when he got footsore." - -"We got some hosses with a Nevada brand, over at the Dot," sez I. -"I'll slip over an' get one while you're havin' your complexion -bleached off. They broke out an' got with the herd before we finished -brandin' 'em, and we just let it go. The chances are they haven't been -rebranded yet." - -"All right," sez The. "If I'm to do it at all, I want it to go -through; but I have an idee 'at those vultures pickin' at my liver are -goin' to be mighty unpleasant company." - -Me an' Spider Kelley, Tillte Dutch an' Mexican Slim rode over to the -Dot and found two o' those Nevada hosses, still rangin' with their old -brands untouched; so we roped one, and came back with it, without -havin' word with any of the outfit. The Diamond Dot range was the best -of any we rode over, and they had put up a lot o' hay that summer; but -still I felt sure 'at they would have to cut down purty close, though -I knew 'at Jabez would hold as many as he could for a high price the -followin' year. - -We found The's complexion purty well stewed out and haggard, Kit -havin' put soda in the hot water; so I told him to play sick, and loaf -around the house as long as possible. He agreed to it; but the' was a -settled look o' regret in his face which was a heap different from the -one he had wore when he dismounted from the stage at Bosco. - -"Night and day," sez I, "the'll be at least two of us at the look-out, -and you come up with any news you have. Get into the habit of -whistlin' Horace's tune; so that if ever you'd want to warn us to -vamose rapid, you can whistle it. You might ride that way with some o' -Ty's outfit, or somethin'." - -"It's not likely," sez he. "The's no range up that way, and no trail -leadin' near it; but you fellers want to scatter your tracks all you -can, so as not to make a path." - -We made plans for all the unexpected details we could think up; and -then he started forth one night, meanin' to circle to the southwest, -and come in from that direction. He wore a red handkerchief under his -nose as if to shut out the dust; but shaved clean, and pale as he was, -mighty few would have recognized him either as Badger-face, or as the -feller what had come in with us a few weeks before. We all shook hands -solemn when he left, and promised to be at the look-out the followin' -night, and to be there steady from that on. - -"What makes you fellers trust me?" sez he just as he started. "I came -down here to put Olaf out o' business, and then I turned over to your -side. Now I'm goin' back to Ty's. What makes you think I won't turn -again' ya, if I get into a tight place?" - -Horace went over and took his hand. "Promotheus," sez he, "I've been -with you through hot days and cold nights, I've been with you through -hunger and thirst and danger; and I'd trust you as long as I'd trust -myself. You're not goin' to Ty's because you're a traitor. You're -goin' because you're a changed man, and the new man you've become is -willin' to risk his life for what he thinks is right. No matter what -happens, I'll trust ya; so take that along to think over." - -Promotheus winked his eyes purty fast, then he gave a sigh and rode -off into the night. The' wasn't the hint of a smile about his lips, -nor a glint o' gladness in his eyes; but somethin' in the straight way -'at he held his back let ya know 'at the inside man of him was finally -at peace with what the outside man was doin'--and if ya don't know -what that means, the's no way to tell ya. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE - -THE FRIAR A COMPLICATION - - -We all felt purty down-hearted after Promotheus had rode away, and we -sat before the fire in Olaf's settin' room a good deal the same as if -we were holdin' a wake. - -"Olaf," I sez, "you can't have any finicky notions about treatin' Ty -Jones square, after all the persecutin' he's handed you. Do you know -anything on him you could have him sent to prison for?" - -Olaf shook his head. "He's too clever to get caught in a trap," sez -he. "He scarcely ever gave any orders to have things done. He'd just -say aloud as though talkin' to himself, that some one or other was in -his way; and then his men would begin to take spite on that feller. If -the calf tally showed a hundred percent increase, he would think that -about right, and no questions; but if ever it fell short o' what he -expected, we had it to make up some way. He'd send us out until we had -brought in enough to satisfy; but he'd never give us straight orders -to rustle. He is a smart man. When one of his men got into trouble, he -got him out, no matter what cost; but he expected his men to do what -he wanted, without askin' questions. He has no fear, none at all. I -know, I have seen. He has no fear, and he is very strong. It is bad to -be at war with him; but I should like to have my hands at his throat -once, and none to interfere." - -"Maybe you will, Olaf," sez I, "maybe you will; and I don't mind -sayin' that I hope to be on hand to see it." - -We kept two men allus at the look-out with Horace's field glasses. It -was a queer sort o' summer, the air wasn't clear like it usually is, -but hazy, as though full o' dust; and in lots of places they were -turnin' stock on the grass they generally aimed to save for winter. -There were only a few punchers around the Cross brand ranch houses; -but we saw Promotheus every day. He hobbled about with a stick part o' -the time, holdin' his hand on his back as though he had the rheumatiz, -which was natural enough from bein' shut up in an island prison. Some -days we saw the woman; but she never came up the ravine path any more. - -Promotheus didn't make a report to us for about a week. Then he came -out one night about eleven. He said 'at Ty hadn't doubted a word he'd -said; but had done everything possible to make him comfortable, -tellin' him to just loaf until he got in good order. He said 'at Ty -and the woman didn't have much to do with each other and hadn't had -since she'd come out. He said 'at the woman was kind to all the -animals, in spite of everything 'at Ty could do, and the dogs was -gettin' to act like regular, ordinary dogs. He said all but a few new -pups had remembered him, and one had even wagged his tail, though he -couldn't see any sense in this, he never havin' as much as spoke a -kind word to the dog, so far as he could recollect. - -He said he had held several talks with Ty, and Ty had asked him if he -thought 'at Olaf was in league with any big outfits. He said 'at he -had told Ty that he was sure Olaf had been in league with 'em several -years before, but o' course, he couldn't know anything o' what had -happened since. Ty said he had come to the conclusion that Olaf was -set out for a kind of bait to draw him into trouble, which was why he -had let him alone; but that he was short o' grass this season, and -wanted Pearl Crick Spread bad. He also told The about the two Greasers -disappearin', though he wasn't sure what had happened to 'em. He knew -about us bein' over at Olaf's off and on, and The warned us to be -careful, as Ty expected to have Olaf's place watched as soon as he got -through movin' several bands o' cattle. - -The said 'at the woman had a soft spot for any dumb brute, or even a -human in distress, and that he had touched her by hobblin' around with -the stick. He said she had cooked him some flabby invalid-food with -her own hands, and that it was mighty captivatin'. He said she didn't -speak much; but he was tryin' his best to get on the good side of her. -He said 'at all the boys claimed 'at Ty treated her well; but didn't -seem to care much for her. Horace didn't happen to be with us when The -came; but we said we'd move our camp higher up on the slope, to be on -the safe side when Olaf's was watched, and would have Horace on deck -sure the next time The came out; and we did this the next day. - -The land was all slashed an' twisted around and broken, up west o' the -Cross brand ranch houses. The ravine leadin' down to 'em ran east and -west, the path leadin' up out of it to the trees where we had first -seen the woman wasn't near so steep as the one comin' out of it on the -north side toward the clump o' rocks. After the north path came out, -the ravine narrowed down until it wasn't more than a crack, the south -side not risin' so high as on the north; so that soon the north side -stood up like a cliff above the land leadin' down to the clump of -trees, and the only way we could get over to it was to go down the -ravine and up again on the other side. - -We made our camp consid'able higher than our look-out had been, and it -was a well sheltered spot. An easy slopin' stretch led up to it from -the north, and a ledge skirted the face o' the cliff up back of it, to -the south. We examined this some distance; but it didn't seem to lead -anywhere. We found several dips back in the hills where the snow water -made grazin' for our ponies, and we were as comfortable as it's ever -possible to be while waitin'. - -I know what my plan would be for makin' a hell which would be -punishment for any mortal sin, and yet not severe enough to make me -hate all the peace out o' my own existence. I'd make the wicked sit in -the dark for a hundred years, waitin' to hear what their sentence was. -Then, I'd let 'em into heaven, and I bet they would be in a fair way -to appreciate it. I never met up with any one able to out-wait me -without showin' it more 'n I did; but I'll wager what I got, that the -suspense was gorin' into me worse 'n into them, all the time. - -One evenin', me an' Tank went up to camp after doin' our stunt at the -look-out, and as we went, we caught sight o' two riders headin' our -way. We hastened along so as to be ready to move in case this was a -pair we didn't care to draw to; but by the time we reached camp, they -were close enough to recognize as the Friar and Olaf. The plan was to -keep the Friar in the dark as long as possible, and we waited their -comin' with consid'able interest. - -The Friar had squeezed the whole thing out of Olaf, as we might have -known he would. You couldn't trust Olaf with a secret where the Friar -was concerned. Tank, now, would have sent the Friar off to Bosco or -Laramie as contented as a bug; but just as soon as Olaf was backed -into a corner, he told the truth, and spoiled all our arrangements. - -The Friar rode into our camp, dismounted, threw his reins to the -ground, and sez: "Where is Promotheus?" - -We looked at Olaf, and he nodded his head as sheepish as the under dog -at a bee-swarmin'. "He's down at the ranch," sez Horace. - -"Has he brought any news?" asked the Friar. So we told him all 'at The -had reported. He took a few steps up and down, ponderin'. - -"I can't permit this," he said after a minute. "He is riskin' his life -down there, and I can't allow him to continue." - -The rest all joined in and argued with him; but he was as obstinate as -a burro, once he got his back up; so I didn't say anything. I went off -and started to eat my supper. When I was about half through, Horace -came over and said the Friar was bent on goin' down to Ty's himself. -"Well, let him go," sez I as cool as a snow-slide. - -"Yes, but if he goes, Ty will kill both him and Promotheus!" sez -Horace raisin' his voice. I noticed the others headin' toward us so I -only flung my hands into the air, meanin' that it was none o' my -business. - -"Do you mean to say 'at you back the Friar up in this?" demanded -Horace. - -"Do I look like a fool?" sez I. The Friar's eyes were on me, and I -knew they were cold; but I pertended not to notice him. - -"You don't look like a fool; but you act like one," sez Horace, -gettin' riled. - -"You can't blame me, Horace," I sez in my most drawly voice, "because -the Friar cares more for havin' his own way than he does for human -life." - -"What do you mean by that?" demanded the Friar. - -"Oh, nothin'," sez I, "except that if you go down there, it shows -Prometheus up at once, we'd all have to go along to save Promotheus, -and this would start a fight, with us to blame; and no one knowin' -what the woman is, or how she stands in the matter. She seems -perfectly satisfied with Ty Jones; and no matter how it turned out, -all of us who survived would have to leave the country. I don't intend -to argue with you, or to cross you in any way; but I do intend to -stand by Promotheus, as it was me who first put the idee into his -head." - -I sympathized with the Friar, I knew that he wasn't himself. To find -the woman he loved in the hands of the man who hated him, after all -the years he had been in suspense about her was enough to tip any one -off his balance; and I also knew the Friar. He had trained himself for -eternity so long that some of his earthly idees weren't sound, and the -surest way to bring him to himself was to let him bark his knees a -time or two. Some imported hosses carry their gaze so high they can't -see their footin' but after they've stepped into a few prairie-dog -holes, they learn to take a little more interest in what they're -treadin' on. - -The Friar came over and looked down at me. "I shall wait until -Promotheus comes up here, and then he can stay; and I shall go down," -said the Friar in the voice a man uses when he thinks it's wrong to -show the sarcasm he can't help but feel. "Have you any objection to -this?" - -"I have no objection to anything you choose to do, Friar," I said, -finishin' my supper. - -"Do I understand that you approve?" sez he. - -"Certainlee not," sez I. "Ty would see the connection between you and -Promotheus at once. He knows 'at The was a deserter, and he would set -the law on him in one direction, and try to run him down on his own -hook in the other. If you had been on hand while we were discussin' -the plan, you would have had the right to veto it; but now, it looks -to me as though Prometheus was the one to consider." - -The Friar sat down and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't see -any way out!" he sez at last; "but I'm forced to admit that since -Promotheus has gone down there, it would put him in danger for me to -interfere." - -"Well," sez ol' Tank, "here is The himself. Now, we'll know better -what to do." - -We looked up, and there was Promotheus with a bruise over his eye, -comin' into our little nook. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX - -A SIDE-TRIP TO SKELTY'S - - -We all crowded around him, thinkin' 'at the bruise betokened some sort -of trouble; but he said he'd got afraid they'd begin to suspicion him; -so he had tried to ride a hoss that day, and had let it buck him off. -He said the' wasn't much lettin' needed, as it had been a mean one; -but he had got his forehead grazed, and had lain on the ground, -claimin' his back was hurt. It was only about eight o'clock, and we -wondered how he had the nerve to come so early; but he said they were -havin' a drinkin' bout over havin' dogged a feller by the name o' -Bryce off his claim on Ice Crick, thus gettin' a new outlet to grass -and water. - -He said the woman had been mighty good to him after his fall; but that -he couldn't get her to talk about herself at all. "Have you ever -mentioned the name of Carmichael to her?" I asked. - -"No," sez he, "why should I?" - -"That's the Friar's name," sez I. "He used to preach in a regular -church down east, and she sang in the choir. Next time you get a -chance, try to draw her out about this." - -The Friar told him a lot o' small details to ask her about; and went -part way back with him, as he wouldn't stay long for fear o' bein' -missed. The Friar insisted on stayin' along with us, while Olaf went -back to the Spread. - -Two nights after this Promotheus came up to our camp again. He said he -had had several talks with her, and that she remembered the names and -places, all right, but insisted that Carmichael was dead. She said he -often came to her in her dreams; but that she knew he had died long -ago. - -"Does she ever sing?" asked the Friar. - -"Never," sez The. "She don't even talk much. She has some sort of a -pain in her head, and sometimes she seems to wander; but at other -times she is perfectly clear." - -"Is Ty Jones ever mean to her?" asked the Friar. - -"Never," sez The. "Ty ain't mean to those about him. He has his own -idees--he likes to have his men and dogs and hosses all fierce and -nervy--but he's not mean to 'em. And all the boys treat her -respectful, too. Fact is, I don't see where we got any grounds to take -her away." - -"But she does not care for him," sez the Friar; "she could not care -for him! He must have used trick or force to bring her here; and you -must find out the truth about it. It all depends on you, now." - -"I'm doin' all I can, Friar," sez The; "but it's a hard tangle to see -through." - -When he left to go back, me an' the Friar and Horace went with him. -"Supposin' they should see you comin' back?" sez the Friar. - -"Well," sez The, "Ty don't keep his men in prison, and I'd tell 'em I -was up takin' a little air after bein' shut away from it so long." - -"Supposin' they got suspicious an' follered ya?" asked the Friar. - -"I try to be as careful as I can," sez The; "but I own up I allus feel -a bit nervous till I get back to my bunk." - -"The best plan is for one of us to wait where the path leads down into -the ravine each night at eleven," sez the Friar. "We could go at ten -and wait until twelve. If we went any closer, the dogs might get scent -of us." - -We agreed 'at this would be the best plan; and after this, two of us -made it a point to spend a couple of hours waitin' there, while the -rest stayed at the look-out ready to hustle down if the' was any -excitement; but nothin' happened and we got purty fidgetty. - -"Tank," sez I one afternoon, "let's ride over to Skelty's. The's -generally some Cross-branders there, and perhaps we can find a little -amusement." - -We reached there about seven, and ordered supper. There were five -Cross-branders there already, eatin' and drinkin'; and one of 'em was -the tall feller by the name o' Dixon. I nodded to him when I sat down -and he nodded back. It's funny the way a man feels when he goes into -an unfriendly place to measure an' be measured. It's not like fear, -that is, not like panicky fear; but still I suppose it's something -like what a jack-rabbit feels when the hounds are strung out after -him. He knows well enough what'll happen if he can't run fast -enough--but then he takes a heap of exhilaration in the thought that -he most certainly can run fast enough. - -All those fellers knew something o' me an' ol' Tank; while Dixon was -the only one we knew, the rest bein' mostly young chaps who had taken -on with Ty durin' the last few years; but as most o' Ty's men were -trailed out o' some other state by a posse, it was a safe bet that -they had more or less rattler blood in 'em. They were all on friendly -terms with the girls, and the girls called 'em by name, whenever they -couldn't think up some other term 'at suited their taste better. One -o' these young fellers still had a boy's eyes; but most o' their eyes -were purty hard an' chilly. - -I never did set any store on havin' a strange woman call me "dear"; -and neither did ol' Tank. With his eye runnin' wild, and his mussed-up -features, the term dear fitted him about as snug as false bangs an' -face-powder would; but one o' these young hussies came over an' stood -behind his chair, and sez: "Why hello, dearie, where have you been all -the time?" - -"I've been over teachin' my grandchildren how to play the pianer," sez -Tank. "Have you got any pork an' beans?" - -Most any girl knows 'at most any man'll stand for most anything; so -this one grabbed hold o' Tank's hair and gave it a pull; but she -savvied 'at he didn't have any love for her, so she brought in his -grub, threw it down in front of him, and went back to soft-soapin' the -feller with a boy's eyes. He was still young enough to feel flattered -by it, and truth to tell, she wasn't a bad lookin' girl, except that -she drenched a feller so constant with her feminine charms that she -washed away any hankerin's for 'em he might have had to begin with. - -Any healthy woman has all the allurement she can possibly need, if -she'll just take care of it. I like to see a hoss full o' fire, and I -like to see a woman full of enticement; but I like to see both the -fire an' the enticement kept under good control, and not made to show -out unnecessary. - -Once, when I was in Frisco, I saw a parade of the Friendly Order of -Hindu Cats, and the Grand Thomas Cat o' Creation rode in front on an -old gray hoss. This hoss had feet like worn-out brooms, and the' was -knots all over his legs. All he asked in the way of entertainment was -to pass a peaceful day in a quiet stable, face to face with a bale of -hay; but they had clipped his mane an' tail, hung a beaded belt across -his brisket, put a scarlet blanket on him, and jabbed him with spurs -until he was irritated to a degree. - -The feller ridin' him had learned to ride in a barber's chair; but he -had a heavy frown, and a lot o' gold lace, and a big canoe-shaped hat; -and I have to admit that if they had tied him fast to the saddle, and -put rubber spurs on him, he would have looked the part like a picture. -Every time he'd see one of his friends he'd stab the hoss on the off -side, then jerk back on the curb, and smile benevolent, as though he -intended to save the populace from that fiery steed or sprain every -bone in his face. - -The old gray was as forgivin' a hoss as I ever see; but he had his -limits as well as the rest of us. For the first ten or fifteen blocks, -he'd only swish his tail and prance when his rider jabbed him an order -for a little more fire; but finally his flanks got touchy, and his -sense o' justice began to write the declaration of independence on his -patience. This would have been the time an intelligent human would -have traded off his spurs for an apple or a lump o' sugar, or some -other welcome little peace-offerin'; but just then the parade passed -under a window jammed full o' the Grand Thomas Cat's closest friends, -and o' course, they had to see a little fire. - -He straightened out his legs, and then clamped the spurs into the old -gray's flanks. I had fought my way through the crowd for fifteen -squares just to see it happen, and it was well worth it. The gray was -stiff and awkward, but in his youth he had taken a few lessons in -buckin', and what he lacked in speed and practice, he made up in -earnestness. The Thomas Cat didn't know any more about balancing than -a ball, and the grip of his knees wouldn't have put a dent in a -pullet's egg; the' was no horn to the saddle, and the mane had been -clipped, so all he had to hang on with was the spurs and the curb bit; -and things certainly did happen. - -The old gray pitched and kicked and reared and backed and snorted and -got mixed up with flags and citizens and umbrellas and red-lemonade -stands and policemen; until finally he scraped off the Grand Thomas -Cat of Creation on an awning, and tore off home, jumpin' and kickin'; -while the population threw their hats in the air and yelled their -palates loose. They threw fruit and popcorn and friendly advice at the -Grand Cat as he hung from the awning; but friend or foe, the' wasn't a -soul in that crowd to help him get down; so as soon as he got calm -enough to remember what he was, he dropped the three feet to the -sidewalk, and ran into the store and hid. - -If ya want to fill a crowd with content and satisfaction and joy and -felicity and such-like items, just have some terrible accident happen -to a popular hero, and all the joy-wells'll overflow and gush forth -like fountains--But what made me think o' this little incident was the -fact that this girl at Skelty's put the spurs to her feminine charms a -leetle too continuous. - -Dixon, the Cross-brander, was one o' these lean, skinny ones, and as a -rule, I don't crave to make their acquaintance. His Adam's apple ran -up and down in his neck like a dumbwaiter, and the' was plenty o' -distance for consid'able of a run. If ya looked at just the part of -him between his chin and his shoulders, he resembled an ostrich, -chokin' on an orange; but I decided to be as friendly as possible; so -as soon as I'd filled a cigarette paper, I offered him my sack o' -tobacco. He took it, and while he was rollin' himself a cigarette, he -sez: "I see you've cut loose from your preacher." - -"Nope," sez I, "he cut loose from me." - -"How come you fellers spend so much time out this way?" sez he. - -"Nice country and pleasant folks," sez I. - -"I've heard tell 'at you got so familiar over at the Diamond Dot, that -the old man turned ya loose," sez he. "Is the' anything to it?" - -I didn't reply at once. My first impulse was to see if I couldn't pull -him and his Adam's apple apart; for this wasn't no accident. This was -a studied insult, and every one there was watchin' to see what would -happen; but the' was too much at stake; so I gripped myself until I -had time to put that remark where it wouldn't run any risk o' -spoilin'; and then I sez: "Well, I don't just like to have it put that -way; but I will admit that you haven't missed it so terrible far." - -"Lookin' for a job?" sez he. - -"Oh, I'm not carin' much," sez I. "I'm thinkin' some o' takin' a -homestead, or buyin' some other feller out; but I ain't in any hurry. -I may go on down into Texas, or take on again up here. Any chance for -a job with your outfit?" - -Durin' the time I had been decidin' on what I'd say, Dixon had been -wonderin' how I'd take it; and I don't doubt he was some relieved. -Anyway, he thawed out a little. "Nope, I hardly think so," sez he. -"We've been hard pushed for grass this season; but Ty bought a -water-right on Ice Crick, and things has smoothed out again. Another -thing is, that Badger-face has come back." - -I gave a start as natural as life, and I didn't put it on, neither. I -had no idy he'd mention Badger-face without a lot o' pumpin'. -"Badger-face?" sez I. "Good Lord, I thought he was dead!" - -"Well, we thought so, too," sez Dixon. "We hadn't heard a word from -him; but he showed up a while back, and as soon as he gets able, he'll -take to ridin' again." - -"What's wrong with him?" sez I. - -"He's purty well played out," sez Dixon. "He sez 'at that feller, -Bradford, is some sort of a government agent. Now, we ain't got -nothin' again' the government out this way, so long as it minds its -own business; but when it gets to interferin' with our rights, why it -generally has to find a new agent. You were along with this feller, -Bradford, when he scooped in Badger-face; and I doubt if that has -slipped Badger's mind yet. Badger's memory for such things used to be -purty reliable." - -"Well, if it comes to that," sez I, "I'd rather have Badger-face on my -trail than Dinky Bradford; though I own up, I don't just know what -government position Dinky holds." - -"Ol' man Williams there was along with ya, too, wasn't he?" sez Dixon. - -"Sure he was," sez I. "We got a heap better paid, for that trip 'n we -usually get." - -"Yes," sez he, slow an' drawly, "but a feller can never tell when he's -all paid out for such a trip as that." - -"A feller has to take chances in everything," sez I. "I still got a -little money left to amuse myself with." - -"It don't seem to make ya reckless," sez he. Dixon had been drinkin' -purty freely, and I rather liked the effect liquor had on him. - -"Maxwell," I called, "this is a dry summer. Set up the drinks for the -house." Some saloon-keepers fawn on ya as if they'd melt the money out -o' your clothes while some of 'em are cold and haughty, as though it -was an insult to offer 'em money. Maxwell was one o' this kind. He -glared his red eyes at me as if I'd been rude; but he set out the -drinks all right. - -Tank had been shut away from drink for so long that I had plumb forgot -how he had happened to win his title; but as soon as I had give the -order, I sensed that he was in the mood to sluice himself out -thorough. The very minute we had cooled off from the drinks--Maxwell -kept a brand o' poison which would eat holes in an iron kettle, if you -let it set five minutes--Well, the very instant the steam had stopped -comin' out of our mouths, Tank ordered a round; and before that had -got on good terms with the first drink, Spider Kelley had arrived. - -Mexican Slim had guessed where we were headin' for, and Tank had owned -up to it, and Slim had told Spider, and, o' course, Spider hadn't been -able to stay behind; so when he stuck his nose in the door, Tank sez -'at the drinks was always on the last-comer, and Spider ordered a -round. - -I can journey about with a fair amount o' booze, without lettin' it -splash over into my conversation; but I was there on business, so I -drank as short drinks as would seem sociable. Tank, on the other hand, -had formerly been as immune to liquor as a glass bottle; but he was -out o' practice without realizin' it; and he splashed into Maxwell's -forty-rod as though he was a trout hurryin' back to his native -element. Spider was a wise old rat, and he played safe, the same as -me. O' course, the Cross-branders couldn't stand by and see us -purchase Maxwell's entire stock, without makin' a few bids themselves; -so for a while, we peered at the ceiling purty tol'able frequent. - -The young feller with the boy's eyes was chin-ful to begin with, the -other three Cross-branders were purty well calloused to a liberal -supply o' turpentine; while Dixon would load up his dumb-waiter and -send it down as unconcerned as though his throat was a lead pipe, -connectin' with an irrigation ditch. He had reached the stage where he -was reckless but not thoughtless, and the' didn't seem any way to wash -him down grade any farther. - -"Any more o' you fellers liable to drop in?" sez he, lookin' at me. I -waved my hand towards Spider, as though he, bein' the last to arrive, -would have the latest news; and Spider sez: "Nope, I reckon not. -Leastwise, not so far as I know." - -"Badger-face has come back and taken on with Ty again," sez I. - -"The hell he has!" exclaimed Spider, just as I knew he would. - -"Yes," sez Dixon with an evil chuckle, "he's come back, and I doubt if -he'd feel any sorrow at meetin' up with some o' you boys." - -"As far as I remember," sez ol' Tank, bulkin' up as ponderous as a -justice o' the peace, "I don't recall havin' asked Badger's permission -to do anything in the past, and I don't intend to begin now." - -"Well," sez Dixon, "I don't mind tellin' ya that Ty Jones ain't so -sure o' Badger as he used to be; and nothin' would suit him so well as -to see Badger cut loose and get some o' you fellers for helpin' to -have him railroaded." - -This surprised me. Dixon didn't seem a shade worse 'n he'd been when -Spider arrived, but he'd sure enough leaked out the news I was after. -Ty was suspicious o' Promotheus, and we'd have to finish our job as -soon as possible. I didn't want to start anything at Skelty's so I -proposed a little friendly poker. The Kid was asleep in the corner; so -the seven of us played stud for an hour or so until Tank fell out of -his chair, and then we broke up for the night. - -Tank was all in; so we had to put him to bed, and the Kid had to be -put to bed, also; but Dixon and the other three took a final drink and -started back to Ty's. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN - -PROMOTHEUS IN THE TOILS - - -Tank weighed like a beef when he got liquor-loose, and it was all me -and Spider could do to get him to bed. His legs were like rubber; but -he insisted on tellin' us what he thought about things. He begged us -to start back and let him ride, sayin' that it was only the heat o' -the room, not the drink, which had upset him; but he was in no shape -to ride a hay wagon, so we put him to bed. - -"I think more o' the Friar than of airy other man I know," he sez to -us at the head o' the stairs; "but I own up 'at I don't take kindly to -religion; and I'll tell ya why. The's hundreds an' dozens of hymns to -the doggone sheep-herders; but the' ain't one single one to the -cow-punchers. Now, what I sez is this, if ya want to round me up in a -religion, you got to find one 'at has hymns to cattle men." - -We didn't bother to explain it to him, 'cause he wasn't in condition -to know a parable from a pair o' boots. We dragged him along the hall -and flung him on his bed. By chance we put him on the bed with his -boots on the piller; but he went sound asleep the moment he stretched -out; so we just hung his hat on his toe, folded the blanket over him, -locked the door, put the key in my pocket, and went across the hall to -our own room. - -I didn't want to harbor that liquor any longer 'n I had to, so me an' -Spider slipped down, got some salt an' mustard, soaked it in water, -drenched ourselves--and repented of havin' been such fools. Then we -went up to bed. It had been some time since we had stretched out on -springs, and we were cordial for sleep; so we mingled with it in short -order. - -Still, I wasn't easy in my mind, and twice I woke up and went into the -hall; but I couldn't hear anything, though I had a feelin' that the'd -been some good cause for my wakin' up. I lay on the bed the last time -with my mind made up to watch. Skelty's had allus had the name o' -bein' a tough joint, and this red-eyed Maxwell with his Injun hair -wasn't of the kind to purify it to such an extent that the old -customers wouldn't feel at home. - -As I lay there, I saw the window rise, slow and careful. The' wasn't -any moon; but I could see a hand in the starlight. I made up my mind -to sneak out o' bed, grab the hand, pull it in to the shoulder, and -then throw all my weight on it, and yell for Spider. I got up as -noiseless as cider turnin' into vinegar--and then upset a confounded -chair, which sounded like two houses runnin' together. - -The window dropped with a bang; and at the same moment the' came a -shriek from across the hall, followed by some scufflin' and the sound -o' broken glass. After this all we heard was Tank's voice tryin' to -explain his opinion o' that part o' the country and all its -inhabitants. I had thought that Tank had discarded most of his -profanity; but by the time we had got our guns and crossed the hall to -him, I changed my mind. When I put the key in the lock, he suggested -to us what was likely to happen to any unfriendly individuals who -attempted to enter that particular room. - -I told him gently to stuff the piller into his mouth, if he couldn't -find any other way to stop his yappin'; and then I unlocked the door, -just as Maxwell and his bartender came into the hall. The bartender -had one gun and one candle, and Maxwell had two guns. - -When we opened the door, there was Tank with the blood runnin' down -his leg, while he stood in a corner of the room holdin' his weapon up -above his shoulder. "What's the matter with you?" I sez, a little -cross. - -"I'm homesick, you blame ijiot!" sez Tank. "What else would likely be -the matter with me?" Tank was about as far out o' humor as I ever saw -him get. - -Maxwell came in and looked at the pool of blood. "Don't stand there -and bleed on the floor," sez he. - -Tank looked at him baleful. "What do ya wish me to do--upset your -rotten dive and bleed on the ceilin'?" sez he. "I didn't come here -determined to smear up your place with my life blood; and I want ya to -understand that I didn't punch this hole in myself simply to cool off. -I know what you're afraid of--You're scared that some o' your liquor -has got into my blood, an' that it'll leak out and set your floor on -fire." - -"You run get a bucket for him to bleed into," sez Maxwell to the -bartender. - -"Yes," sez Tank, sarcastic; "and be sure to get a big one, as I am -minded to draw off all o' my blood, just to see how much I have in me -at this time o' the year." - -Sayin' which, Tank walked over an' sittin' on the bed, held out his -boot for me to pull off. He had been stabbed through the leg, through -the thick part o' the calf, and a jet was spoutin' out of the top cut, -and a steady stream oozin' from the bottom one. I put my finger -knuckle above the top jet, and the palm of my other hand over the -lower one, and then sent Maxwell after a small rope and some bandages. - -While he was gone, a couple o' the girls strolled down the hall to see -what the excitement was; but Tank began to lecture about morals and -manners, and they didn't bother us long. We patched Tank up in good -order, and made him lie down again. He said that he had been woke up -when his leg got stabbed, and had grappled with a man; but the man had -got out the window again. - -Skelty had built his place on a side hill. The bar and dinin' hall was -in front, and a small dance hall and kitchen back of it. Upstairs were -bedrooms, and the ground sloped so, that the back rooms were only -about five feet from the ground. This made the downstairs easier to -heat in winter--and it was also convenient for any one who wanted to -get in through a window. - -Me and Spider ate breakfast next mornin'; but we wouldn't let Tank -eat, rememberin' the Friar's rules for wounds. When we started away, -Tank insisted on goin' along; so we had to ride slow. We went north, -instead of in the direction we wanted to go, for fear some one might -be spyin' on us. I was mighty sorry we had come, even though I had -found out that Promotheus was under suspicion; and as soon as we had -come to a pass where we could see a good distance in all directions, I -sent Spider on a circle to tell the boys to bring things to a head as -soon as possible. - -Tank's leg ached him consid'able; and we had to ride purty slow; but -by noon we had come to the Simpsons' cabin. We told 'em that Ty Jones -was suspicious about the Greasers and intended to get square with all -who had took a hand in removin' 'em; so they agreed to stand with us -whenever we were ready to make a raid on Ty. - -I made Tank lie down all afternoon, and drink all the water he could -swallow, but that night when I started to ride over to the look-out, -he insisted on goin' along. It was a hard ride, and I wanted him to -wait until the next night, but he tagged along, so I had to ride slow. -We had figured out that the feller who had tried to get him had seen -the hat on his foot at the head o' the bed; and before he had had time -to locate him proper, the noise the other one had made slammin' the -window to my room had scared him, so he had taken his stab haphazard. - -This must 'a' been the way, 'cause when drinkin', Tank was usually a -regular long range snorer, and only a hurried man would have mistaken -his feet for his head. Tank insisted that he had seen the feller's -outline again' the window, and that it had been Dixon. I doubted this; -but Tank insisted that the feller had had a neck like a beer bottle, -and then I had to give in. - -We didn't reach camp until sun-up, and then we found 'at Promotheus -had been there the night before, with word that he had had a long talk -with the woman, who had been in the most rational mood he had ever -seen her in. He had drawn her into tellin' him all she could remember. -She had told him about havin' her head full o' pictures; but not bein' -able to tell the real ones from those she had dreamed. She said she -had lost the key to them and could not understand 'em, that she -remembered havin' sung on many different platforms, but could not tell -where or when, and could not sing any more, though she sometimes -tried. She said that whenever he said the name Carmichael, she saw the -picture of a young man in white robes, but that he had died. When -Promotheus had tried to make her understand that he was still alive, -she had become frightened, and told him never to speak the name again. - -He asked her about the Winter Garden in Berlin, and she said 'at this -called up the picture of a man with curled-up mustaches, and then she -had covered her eyes, and told him he must not mention this again, -either. Horace was tellin' me all this; and when he finished, I sez: -"Well, if this is the most rational she has ever got, she'd be a nice -one to handle in her usual condition. I don't see what we're to do; -but we have to move fast, as Ty Jones is suspicious." - -The next night the Friar and I were down at the head of the path -leadin' into the ravine when Promotheus came. He said that Dixon had -come in with his face cut, and had told about seein' us over at -Skelty's, and how we had bragged about gettin' him rail-roaded, and -Dixon and the others had told him they were ready to back him up any -time he wanted to go an' get even. He also said 'at Ty had been -roastin' the whole gang of 'em for bein' afraid of Olaf, and advised -us to warn Olaf to be on guard. He said the woman had told him that -day that at all times she had a dull pain in the top part of her head. -The was beginnin' to get worried, this was plain to see, and he didn't -stay very long. - -When we told the others what he had said, we decided it was our duty -to go and tell Olaf that very night, so that he could send over the -next day and get a couple o' the Simpson boys to come over and help -watch his place at night, until we were ready to finish with Ty. We -wanted to put it off as long as possible, as Ty would soon be in the -fall round-up and there wouldn't be so many men at the home place. - -Mexican Slim and Tillte Dutch started to ride to Olaf's; but I was -restless that night, so I rode along with 'em. Just before we reached -the Spread, we saw a bright light at the side o' the cabin. In a -minute two other lights shot up, and we knew they were firin' brush at -the side of it. We threw in the spurs and rode, keepin' close watch. -Two men rode towards us, and we drew off to the side of the road. Just -as they got opposite, we ordered 'em to halt; but they whirled and -fired at us. We fired back, and started after 'em; but it was dark in -the cottonwoods, and they gave us the slip and got away. - -When we reached the cabin, we saw it was doomed. Piles o' brush had -been heaped on all sides of it and fired one after the other. -Everything was so dry that even the dirt on the roof would have -burned, and there was nothing to do. Kit with the boy in her arms, and -Olaf and Oscar beside her were standin' close by, watchin' it burn, -and they felt mighty bitter. We told 'em why we had come, and advised -'em to go and leave Kit with the Simpsons, and come to our camp the -next night. Then we rode back before daylight and told the others what -had happened. We were all purty hosstile. Settin' fire to a cabin with -a sleepin' woman inside wasn't no fair way o' fightin'. - -That afternoon as we were watchin' the ranch through the field -glasses, we saw the woman and Promotheus walkin' together toward a -little open space in the cottonwoods where the' was some grass close -to the edge o' the crick. Thick bushes was all about this place, and -it was cool and pleasant in the heat o' the day. They hadn't been gone -very long when we saw two others sneakin' after them. I looked through -the glasses, and one appeared to be the skinny feller, Dixon, and the -other, the Chinese cook. We saw 'em sneak into the bushes and -disappear close to where the woman and Promotheus were sittin'. Part -o' the time they talked together, and part of the time she read to him -out of a book. - -We fair ached to yell to 'em and put 'em on their guard; but all we -could do was to sit up above in our look-out, feelin' weak and -useless. I suppose we felt like a mother bird when she sees some -inhuman human foolin' about her nest. - -After a time the Chink crept out and scurried along to the old house. -He bounced across the porch, all crouched over, and we knew he had -some evil tale to cheer up his yellow soul with. In half a minute, Ty -came out with him and follered him into the clump o' bushes. We could -see the woman and Promotheus plain, with our naked eyes. It was a good -thing, too; for Horace hung on to his glasses as though they were life -preservers. - -In about ten minutes, the bushes parted, and Ty stepped into the open -space in front of 'em. Promotheus got to his feet slow, but the woman -sat still, and didn't seem much interested. - -Ty glared at Promotheus durin' the few minutes he was questionin' him, -and then they all went back towards the ranch house. The woman went on -to her own cabin, and Ty blew on the horn which hung at the side of -the door, and that sneak of a Dixon came on the run, as though he had -no idee what was wanted. Actin' under orders from Ty, he took The's -gun and then tied his hands behind him and shut him up in an out -buildin' near the stables. There didn't appear to be any one else -about the ranch, and I suggested that we make a rush and take -possession right then. - -While we were debatin' it, we saw the punchers comin' in from the -east, across the crick. There were about a dozen of 'em, strung out -and ridin' hard the way they generally rode. - -"They're likely to string him up this very night," sez I; "and we'll -have to settle this business before sun-up." - -"They are not likely to be in any hurry," sez the Friar. "If we go -to-night it will mean a lot o' bloodshed. To-morrow they will go out -on the range again, and we stand a good chance of rescuing him without -even a fight." - -Olaf, of course, sided with the Friar, Horace sided with me, and we -had a purty heated discussion. The Friar argued that he had the most -at stake and had a right to select the plan with the least risk. I -argued that Promotheus had the most at stake, and we had no right to -take risk into account. We got purty excited, I usin' the word coward -freely, while the Friar stuck to the word folly and kept cooler 'n I -did. He finally won 'em over to a compromise. We were to go down close -and keep watch durin' the night; but not to make a rush until we saw -Promotheus actually in instant danger. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT - -OLAF RUNS THE BLOCKADE - - -Ty Jones had been as wise as a fox when he located his ranch house. It -sat on high ground, while back of it rose a cliff; so 'at the only way -you could get to it without ropes from the back, was through the -little ravine. The cliffs circled around to the crick on both sides, -and the crick was so full o' rocks that the' was only two places a -hoss could cross. He had strung barb wire through the cottonwoods in a -regular tangle along the crick, and the only places he had to watch in -case of an attack, were the ravine and these two fords. He could see -for miles in all directions by goin' to the head o' the ravine; and -you could hardly pick out a purtier place for a last-stand 'n the one -he had selected. - -The new cabin for the woman was right in front o' the mouth o' the -ravine, the old cabin a hundred yards or so farther on, the cook-house -and the Chink's quarters to the north o' this, the mess-hall for the -men to the east of this, the barn, wagon-sheds, workshop, and so on, -some distance to the south, and the bunk-shack a little to the north -of the stables. He had several corrals back o' the barn and a pasture -of about thirty acres shut in by a wire fence. - -After I had cooled off a little, I saw that the Friar was right. The -thing we couldn't tell was, just how much they had forced Promotheus -to confess. If they had simply got Ty jealous that he was tryin' to -get the woman away, we might make it all the worse by chargin' down on -'em; while on the other hand he might have told where we were, and Ty -might take it into his head to try to get us all. This last would have -been the finest thing 'at could happen to us; but the' was no way to -tell; so after eatin' supper, we went down to the edge o' the cliff to -see what we could see. - -We were most of us surprised to see how far the cabin stood from the -cliff. In lookin' down from our look-out, we had failed to take the -slope into account so it had looked as though we had been able to see -the woman the minute she had come out o' the mouth of the ravine, -while the fact was the cabin stood several hundred feet from the -mouth. If it hadn't been for the confounded dogs, we could have gone -down and found out what we wanted to know. We made some remarks about -those dogs which would have seared their hair off if they'd 'a' been a -little closer. - -The light was kept in the mess-hall long after time to finish eatin'; -and we guessed they were tryin' Promotheus, right while we were -lookin' on from above. All of a sudden, Olaf struck his palm with his -fist, and exclaimed: "What a fool I have been! Those dogs remembered -Promotheus, and he never patted 'em. I have patted 'em and spoke -soothin' words to 'em, and they would know me. I shall go down and -listen." - -Now this was a noble thought and we hadn't a word to say again' it; so -Olaf went back to camp, shed his boots and put on moccasins. Slim was -a good shot with a rifle, so he staid with Horace, who had an elephant -gun and a yearnin' to use it, up on the cliff above the mouth o' the -ravine. They had seven rifles of one kind and another, and they -thought they could make a disturbance if Olaf started anything. The -rest of us went down the ravine to the last curve. We tried to get the -Friar to stay behind; but his blood was up, and he wouldn't heed us. -We had it made up to rope and tie him hand and foot, when we were -finally ready to wind things up with Ty Jones. - -Olaf left us with his big, hard face set into rigid lines. He had a -long score to settle with Ty Jones, and he had made a funny gruntin' -hum in his throat every few steps as we had walked down the ravine. We -waited what seemed weeks; but the' was no uproar, and finally, he came -out o' the gloom, and spoke to us in a whisper. We went back with him -to the top o' the path before he told us what he had heard. - -He said they were tryin' to make Promotheus confess who was back of -him; but that Promotheus had steadily refused. He said 'at Ty had told -him over and over that if he would tell him where he could lay hands -on either the Friar or Dinky Bradford, he would give him a month to -get out o' the country himself; but Promotheus had stood firm, and -they had shut him up in the workshop again, tellin' him he would get -nothin' but water until he did confess. - -This made us some easier in our minds. Promotheus had acted so worn -out and done up since his return, that he had fooled Ty; and Ty looked -upon him as a broke-down man, and nothin' but a tool in the hands of -some stronger men. Olaf said 'at Ty acted as though he thought the -Friar had sent in a report to the government, and had got Bradford to -come out here the time that Promotheus had disappeared; and in some -way they had got word o' Horace comin' through Bosco this last time. -Dixon had told about seein' us at Skelty's, and a strange feller told -about bein' shot at, the night Olaf's cabin had been fired. They -bunched all this together, and decided 'at the best thing to do was to -trade Promotheus for Horace or the Friar, if it could be done. I had a -chuckle all to myself, when I pictured Horace as he had been when I -took him in hand, and now with the reputation he hadn't quite earned, -bein' a worry to the Ty Jones outfit. - -"I allus said they were cowards," sez Horace, as soon as Olaf had -finished his tale. "A man's got an imagination, and as soon as he -starts to live like a wolf, this imagination fills the world with -watchdogs. Ty Jones never has fought in the open, and we'll have no -trouble with him as soon as we once get him on the run." - -"Ty Jones has no fear," sez Olaf. "I know; I have seen with my own -eyes. He is too clever to be trapped; but he has no fear." - -"Well, wait and see," sez Horace. - -Me and Tank kept watch on the cliff until mornin' and then as nothin' -had happened, we went up to camp, and Slim and Dutch took watch at our -regular look-out. As we sat down to breakfast, we noticed 'at the -Friar was gone. Several spoke of him havin' been restless the night -before and not turnin' in when the rest did. The Friar allus was -unregular in his habits, especially at night; so we didn't pay much -heed to him when he wrote by the fire, or went off by himself in the -quiet starlight, to sing some o' the pressure off his heart; but at -such a time as this, we anticipated him to be as circumspect as -possible. - -We started to hunt him up, but it didn't take long. Horace found a -note pinned to the Friar's tarp, and the note told us that he had -thought it all over careful durin' the night, and had decided that his -duty compelled him to go down and offer himself in exchange for -Promotheus. He said that when things came to such a tangle that no -human ingenuity could unmix 'em, it was time to put trust in a higher -power; that it was for him that Promotheus had risked his life, and -that he felt he must take his place, as Ty had promised to let -Promotheus go if he would betray him. He said that he could not see -any way to help the woman, and that if he lost his life, for us not to -think of revenge, as it would all turn out for the best in some -mysterious way. The Friar had gone through a lot durin' the last few -years, and it had finally undermined his patience. I knew just how he -felt: he wanted something to happen which would end his suspense, and -he didn't care much what it was. - -As soon as Horace had finished readin'; we all sat around in complete -silence, gawkin' at each other. "Things has finally come to a head," -sez Spider Kelley, solemnly. - -"There now, that's the Christian religion!" exclaimed Horace. "The -Christian religion is founded on self-sacrifice and martyrdom, and all -those who get it bad enough spend the bulk o' their time on the -lookout to be martyrs and sacrifice theirselves for something--and -they don't care much what for. Look at the crusades--the flower o' -Europe was lured into the desert and dumped there like worn-out junk, -even children were offered up in this sacrifice. Nothing but -sentimentality, rank sentimentality. Now, when the ancient Greeks--" - -"The thing for us, is to decide on what we're to do next, not what the -ancient Greeks did a few thousand years before we were born," sez I. -"There is no use hidin' any longer. The strongest card we have up our -sleeve is the fake reputation of Dinky Bradford, and what we must do -is to make up the best plan to play it." - -"Why do you say fake reputation?" demanded Horace. - -"Well, you're not a government agent, are ya?" I asked. - -"No," sez he; "but at the same time--" - -"I didn't say 'at you was a fake, Horace," sez I in a soothin' voice. -"I merely intimated that the things Ty Jones most fears about you are -the things which were not so." - -"I see what you mean," sez Horace, "and it's all right. What's your -plan?" - -"Well, as soon as we are sure 'at the Friar has reached Ty's," sez I, -"we'll send Ty word to deliver him back at once, and to appoint a -meetin' place to explain things to us. Not make any threats nor bluffs -nor nothin'. Just a plain, simple statement of what we want done, and -sign your name to it." - -"I think it would be better to tell him we had his place surrounded," -said Horace. - -"Nope," said I, "your old theory is best: let their imaginations -supply the details. If we put the government into their minds too -strong, they're likely to find some way to deliver Promotheus over to -the law. I have a sort of impediment that The was a little rough with -an officer or two, after he deserted, and Ty knows all about him." - -"How the deuce will we get word to Ty?" sez Horace. "As fast as we'd -send messengers, Ty would shut 'em up." - -"One thing is certain, at least," sez I. "Ty won't string 'em up as -long as he knows he's bein' watched. And another thing is, that all of -Ty's men are wanted for one thing or another, and the longer we keep -'em in suspense, the sooner they'll weaken. We ought to send word to -the Simpson boys. They are at least two to one again' us as we stand -now." - -Just at this junction, Slim arrived with the news that the Friar was -ridin' up to the ford. I was purty sure 'at he wouldn't go down by the -ravine. The Friar might lack judgment in certain matters; but you -could count on him lookin' out for his friends, every time. - -We hustled down to the look-out, and saw the Friar ride out into the -open, and hail the house. In a minute the' was a crowd about him and -they pulled him from his hoss and dragged him toward the mess-hall, -actin' mighty jubilant. The dogs raised a consid'able fuss; but they -didn't let any of 'em get to the Friar this time. I don't know whether -they were tryin' to save the Friar or the dogs. - -They took the Friar into the mess-hall, and kept him there a good long -time; but I felt sure he wouldn't tell more 'n he wanted to. Then they -brought him out and shut him up in the workshop with Promotheus. - -"You don't see 'em turnin' Promotheus loose, do ya?" sez ol' Tank. - -"Ty Jones would cheat himself playin' solitaire," sez Spider Kelley. - -"He didn't agree to turn Promotheus loose if the Friar surrendered," -sez Olaf. "He only said he would if Promotheus enticed the Friar into -a trap." - -Ty Jones certainly did have what ya call personal magnetism. His men -stuck up for him, even when they was willin' to help snuff him out. - -We sent Oscar over to get the Simpson boys; and then we made our -plans. The' was no way to get to our camp from above, and we could -easy guard the two trails 'at led up from below. Nothin' would have -suited us better 'n to have Ty decide to come and get us; so we told -Oscar to make all the fuss he wanted when he came back. - -Nothin' happened down at the ranch that day. The woman drifted about, -the same as usual, not seemin' to observe 'at the' was anything -different from ordinary, and the punchers all stayed in sight. A few -of 'em rode up to high spots across the crick and took gappin's, and a -couple of 'em came up the ravine and examined the ground on top; but -they didn't seem to find anything to interest 'em. - -That night Horace wrote an order on Ty Jones to release the Friar--we -had decided not to mention Promotheus--and Olaf started down with the -message. We posted ourselves the same as we had done before; and after -about an hour, Olaf returned. - -He said he had examined the workshop, which was of logs, the same as -the rest o' the buildin's, and had heard the Friar and Promotheus -talkin'; but hadn't ventured to say anything for fear they were -watched. He said 'at the Friar was holdin' out on the value o' -fastin'; while Promotheus was speakin' in defence of ham an' eggs. -Then he said he had crept up to the front door of the old cabin, and -had fastened up the order with a dagger. - -Olaf looked to me as though he had been enjoyin' himself a little more -'n his tale gave reason for; so I pressed him, and finally he admitted -that there had been a man on watch at the mouth o' the ravine. He said -he had wriggled through it on his belly, thinkin' it too good a place -to be overlooked since the Friar had put 'em on their guard; and after -lyin' still a moment, he had heard the man move. He said he had snaked -up to him, and had got him by the throat. He said he thought it was -Dixon because the' was so much throat to get hold of. Dixon had been -perfectly resigned to havin' Olaf lynched that time and Olaf's memory -was not o' the leaky kind. - -"What became of him, Olaf?" I asked. - -"Oh, he fought some," said Olaf. - -"Did he get away?" I asked. - -"Un, yes--yes he got away," sez Olaf. - -"Where did he go to?" sez I. - -"I think he went down--way down," sez Olaf. - -"Down where?" sez I. "Why don't you tell us what happened to him?" - -Olaf looked down at his right hand. It didn't resemble a hand much; -but it would 'a' been a handy tool to use in maulin' wedges into a -log. "Why," sez he, "he wriggled about, and started to squeak; and -when I squeezed in on his neck to shut off the squeak, why his neck -broke. It was too thin to be stout." - -I held out my hand. "Olaf," I sez, "I want to shake the hand that -shook his neck." - -"Yes," sez Tank, "and by dad, so do I!" Tank's leg was still tender. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE - -SKIRMISHES - - -Oscar arrived durin' the night with the whole four Simpson boys; and -word that Kit and the kid were in fine shape, with ol' man Simpson -keepin' a sharp watch, and Kit ready to take a standpat hand any time -trouble crowded too close. We expected to keep Ty busy, and so didn't -worry any about Kit. Before dawn we started the four Simpsons out to -make a circle and cross the crick, tellin' 'em to use their own -judgment to some extent; but not to run any risk. We wanted 'em to act -like scouts and, if possible, to draw Ty into chasin' 'em, and then to -lead him back to our camp. We could see all of the other side o' the -crick from our look-out. - -By dawn the rest of us were down on the edge of the cliff, and we saw -'em find Dixon's body. They were consid'able excited about it; so we -judged they had also read the notice on the door. - -"What shall we do, to-day?" asked Horace. - -"Shoot dogs," sez I. "There ain't any call to play safe any longer, -and those dogs are the worst bother we have." - -"All right," sez Horace. "This will be a good chance for me to see if -I'm still in practice. I'm a purty good rifle-shot, Happy." - -I never could quite harden myself to Horace. The change in him was -almost as much as that between an egg and a chicken; but yet the' was -still a suggestion of what he had been at first--his side-burns, most -likely--and it allus jarred me to see him steamin' ahead with -self-confidence fizzin' out of his safety valve. He took his elephant -gun and trained it on one o' the dogs which was sniffin' around the -place where Dixon's body had lain. We were purty well off to the north -of the ravine; but it was still a consid'able angle of a down-shot, -and a good long one too. - -"Remember," sez I, "that when shootin' down grade, you are mighty apt -to shoot too high." - -He lowered his gun an' looked at me as though I had called him a girl -baby. "I have shot from every angle the' is," sez he; "and I've shot -big game, too." - -"Ex-cuse _me_!" sez I. "Shoot now, and let's see what happens." - -You had to take off your hat to Horace when it came to a cultivated -taste in firearms. The thing he had got Promotheus with had been small -enough to conceal in your back hair, while his present instrument -wasn't rightly a rifle at all, it was a half-grown cannon. It shot a -bullet as big as your thumb which mushroomed out and exploded, as soon -as it hit. The dog died a merciful death; but he left a mighty -disquietin' bunch o' remains. - -"Good boy, Horace!" I said, slappin' him on the shoulder. "You keep on -removin' the dogs, and I'll go up the slope, and pertect your rear, -should they try to come up the ravine." - -I heartily endorsed this slaughter o' the dogs; but I wasn't ambitious -to see it done. I have been well acquainted with a large number o' -dogs of all sorts and sizes, and I have deep feelin's for dogs. When -it comes to livin' accordin' to a feller's own standard, a dog has us -all beat. When a dog signs up, he don't whisper nothin' under his -breath. He signs up for the full trip, and he don't ask a lot o' -questions about how long the hours'll be, or what sort o' grub and -quarters and pay he'll draw. He just wags his tail, and sez: "This -here feller is my idea of exactly what a feller ought to be; and I'm -for him in all he does. If he wants me to fight, I'm hungry for it, if -he wants me to be polite and swaller a lot o' insults, I'll do it, or -if the time comes when my death is worth more to him 'n my life, why, -I don't know nothin' about future rewards or such truck; but I'm -perfectly willin' to swap life for death in his name, and I'm proud to -take the consequences--so long as he gets the reward." - -I own up 'at a dog has no morality; he's only a reflection of his -master. A decent man has a decent dog, a vicious man has a vicious -dog--and this is why it would have hurt me more to watch Horace -testin' his aim on the dogs 'n it would if he had been minded to pot a -few Cross-branders themselves, especially Ty Jones. - -Now, the sound o' this gun, and the sight of the dead dog made things -buzz down below. The men peered out from all directions, but hardly -knew what to do. I had sent Mexican Slim off to the right, just above -the ravine, to pick off any dogs 'at came in that direction, and soon -after Horace got his, Slim also got one; and Ty whistled the dogs to -come to the house. Here was where his method of treatin' a dog showed -up bad. Any time before this, a dog which so much as set foot on the -porch had been belted with anything capable of inflictin' pain, and -now they refused to go inside. - -The Chink was able to whistle 'em to the cook-house; but that was as -far as they'd go; and while they were standin' in a bunch, Horace and -Slim each got one. Ty was standin' near one o' the poles which upheld -the back porch, and Horace exploded a slab from this pole in such a -way that it knocked Ty down. This put the whole bunch into a -consternation. Horace certainly could shoot some. It made me think o' -the poorhouse, when I reflected on what it had cost him to learn how. - -Nothin' much happened that day. Horace and Slim stuck to their -knittin', and the Simpson boys played their part well. They rode in a -bunch, and when they'd come in sight o' the ranch house, one would -hold the field-glass case to his eyes, as though lookin' through the -field glasses, and another would turn and wave his hands, as though -signallin' to some one up in the hills. Once, two punchers went to the -corral and saddled hosses; but Horace shot one o' the hosses, and both -men flew for the stable without waitin' to take off the saddles. They -had never seen such wounds as Horace's elephant gun created, and it -put 'em in a mighty thoughtful mood. - -The Simpson boys came in soon after dark; and we all held a council of -war while eatin' supper. I was purty certain that we had a better -bunch o' men than those we were fightin'. It is no test of nerve to -kill a man: a lot o' men who got the reputation o' bein' bad were -nothin' but accidents or sneaks; but when you have to stick through a -slow fight without knowin' the odds again' ya, it gives your nerve a -mighty searchin' try-out. I had hopes that after a day or so, they'd -be certain that the hills on all sides of 'em were full of enemies, -and they'd be mighty glad to settle on our terms. I didn't want to -kill a single man more 'n was necessary. Horace also thought we could -wear out their nerve; but Olaf shook his head. - -"Some o' the punchers may desert in the night," sez he; "but as long -as a single one remains to stand back to back with Ty Jones, Ty -Jones'll stay and fight. He has no fear--I have seen." - -"The question is this," sez I, "if those fellers are the kind to get -fiercer the longer they're kept in suspense, the thing to do is to -raid 'em to-night; but, on the other hand, if they're the kind whose -nerve evaporates when it is kept uncovered, the thing to do is to wear -'em down. Let's vote on it." - -We decided to do some more wearin'; so we kept a guard at the camp, -and the rest of us went down to the cliff, and tossed over stones to -where we thought they'd be hid, providin' they had put guards at the -mouth of the ravine. We raised a yelp the first throw, and heard a -rush o' men from the new cabin, though the shadow was so dense down -below we couldn't see a thing. This showed us that some o' the dogs -still survived and were bein' used as guards, and also that there were -men quartered in the woman's cabin. This was a bother, as it would -force us to be careful until we found out where she was livin'. - -We posted a guard at the top of the path leadin' up from the ravine, -another at our camp, and went to sleep, feelin' purty tol'able well -fixed. Nothin' happened that night, and the next day, we made ready to -do about the same as we had done the day before; but when we reached -the cliff, the' wasn't a sign o' life below--not a single, breathin' -thing in sight, not even a hoss in the pasture. - -"They've got away!" exclaimed Horace. - -"Where to?" sez Olaf. "Ty Jones hasn't any more use for the law 'n we -have, and you'll never make me believe 'at he's pulled out and left -all his belongin's for whoever wants 'em." - -"That's so," sez I; "but where the deuce are they?" - -We watched all mornin'; but not a sign, not a bit o' smoke from the -cook-house, just the ranch buildin's settin' there as deserted as the -Garden of Eden. The Simpsons were workin' their stunts across the -crick; so about ten in the mornin', Slim and Dutch rode over to tell -'em to come in, as they would look mighty foolish, providin' they were -makin' signals to one of the hills where the Cross-branders themselves -were hid. - -After eatin' dinner, the rest of us went down to the lookout, Horace -shoulderin' his elephant exterminator, and lookin' peevish and -fretful, 'cause the' was nothin' to shoot at. "Boys," sez I, "do ya -suppose 'at poor old Promotheus has been goin' all this time on -nothin' but water." - -"He's gone longer 'n this on nothing but water," sez Horace; "and so -have I. Over in Africa, once, we sent a tribe o' blacks around to beat -some lions out for us; but they fell in with another tribe who were -not friendly, and they just kept on goin'. Promotheus and I were lost -from everything, and we got into a desert before we found a way out. -We went for I don't know how long without water. Anyway, we went long -enough to get into that numb condition when the earth becomes molten -copper, and the sky a sun glass, and a man himself feels like another -man's nightmare. That tender old Promotheus you're sympathizin' with, -carried me the best part of a day, or a century--time had melted -entirely away--and when we came back to our senses we lay beside a -pool of water. He's tough, Promotheus is." - -"At the same time," sez Tank, "settin' cooped up in a log hut with -nothin' to cheer ya but water, isn't my idy of havin' high jinks." - -"Perhaps, too," sez Spider Kelley, who didn't have enough sense of -fitness to change a nickel, "those mongrel coyotes lynched both him -an' the Friar before they vamosed." - -"They wouldn't do that," sez Olaf; "but I wish we knew what they had -done." - -"Let's go and shoot at the old cabin or the bunk-shack," sez Oscar. - -"I move we wait, and raid 'em to-night," sez I, and this was what we -decided to do. - -The rest of us lolled about purty patient--as active men, an' beasts -too, are likely to do when the's nothin' on hand--but Horace who had -lived in a room most of his life, hadn't quite learned to turn off his -steam when he hadn't any use for it; so he kept bobbin' up and fussin' -about. All of a sudden, he gave a sort of gasp, and pointed up the -slope. - -We looked and saw one man crouched over and runnin' along where the -south trail to our camp swung around a crag; and we sprang to our -feet, and looked up at the camp. As we looked, the face of Ty Jones -with a grin on it, poked up over a stone and leered down at us most -exasperatin'. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY - -AN IRRITATING GRIN - - -Now, you can mighty easy understand that this was a fair sized, -able-bodied, bite-and-kick consternation for us, if ever the' was one -in the world. Our look-out was behind a ridge which sheltered it -complete from below, but left it as open from above as the straw hat -which Stutterin' Sam made the dude crawl through. Up above us, lookin' -down from the rocks in front of our camp was Ty Jones, grinnin' as -self-composed an' satisfied as a cat which has just removed all -evidence of there ever havin' been any Canary birds; and truth to -tell, we felt as indiscriminate and embarrassed as a naked man at a -dance party. - -All we saw was just Ty and his grin. We knew the' was one other man -with him, but that was all we did know; while our strength was as -plain to them, as Tillte Dutch was the time he fell in love and used -iodaform on his hair instead o' perfume. We just stood and looked up -at Ty, and then we turned our heads and looked at each other, and I -never saw as many stupid expressions in one mess. We felt as though -every minute was liable to be our next. - -Whenever ol' Tank Williams was surprised or puzzled or wrastlin' with -his own thoughts, he allus put me in mind of a picture I once saw of a -walrus. The walrus was loungin' up on a rock, and he looked as solemn -and philosophical as though some young snip of a school boy had tested -his intellect by askin' him what two times one made. I never saw Tank -look so much like the walrus as he did this time 'at Ty Jones -surprised us. O' course Tank's teeth was different, but his mustaches -stuck down in much the same way, and when I looked at him, I busted -out laughin', though I own up I was scared enough to stampede the -moment before. When I laughed, it seemed to break the charm, and -before I buttoned up my lips again, Horace had pulled up his elephant -gun, and taken a blast at Ty's grin. Ty pulled down his face behind -the stone as soon as Horace aimed at him; but the range was long -enough to strain even such a devil-tool as this half-grown cannon, so -nothin' came of it. - -After my chuckle, I began to think in streams. The ground to the right -of us--as we looked up towards Ty--was broken, and it occurred to me -that he had been holdin' us with his grin so as to give some of his -men time to sneak down and cut us off, he and the balance were above -us, the ravine to our left, and straight back of us the cliff. We -couldn't stick where we were again' odds, and there wasn't any water -in the clump of rocks which faced the path where it come out of the -ravine. As I ran over these details in my mind, I had as little -temptation to laugh as I ever did have; but the second I thought of -the clump o' rocks facin' the path, I saw that the path itself was the -answer. - -There was no reason to hurry, as far as I could see; they could not -come to us without exposin' themselves, and every moment we waited, -the closer would come Dutch, Slim, and the four Simpson boys. To the -right of us, as I said, the ground was broken, and here was where they -would be most likely to sneak down on us. By goin' in a diagonal -direction, we could get to where we could see straight up the washes -which made up this broken ground, and so know what we had to fight. - -"Come on, fellers," sez I, climbin' up over the ridge. - -"Where ya goin'?" sez Horace. - -I sat down on top o' the ridge. "Have you got any plan?" sez I calmly. - -"No," sez he, "I haven't; but I'd like to know--" - -"If you're willin' to take charge," sez I, "why, go ahead, and I'll -obey orders; but I don't care how small the body is, it can't do quick -work with more 'n one head, as you ought to know better 'n any of -us--it havin' been tried frequent in those Greek tales you're all the -time inflictin' us with." - -Horace put his back up a little. "I'm willin' to agree to anything -reasonable," sez he; "but I don't see any sense in leavin' this spot -until we know where we're goin'." - -I folded my fingers together, set my thumbs to chasin' each other, and -began to whistle. I wasn't jealous of Horace; but it just occurred to -me that I had handled men before he'd mustered up courage enough to -stay out after seven o'clock P. M. without gettin' his mother's -permission, and I wanted to test the others and see if they thought he -had picked up more craft in three years 'n I had in a lifetime; so I -whistled the tune to his song, and looked up at the clouds. - -"What's your idee, Happy?" sez ol' Tank. I had nourished Tank on -thought-food for a good long session, and I knew he'd feel mighty much -like a lost calf if I left him to rustle up his own idees; so I just -gave my hands a little toss and kept on with my whistlin'. - -"Aw, don't be so blame touchy," sez Spider Kelley. I had pulled Spider -through a number o' tight places, also, and I knew he'd soon begin to -feel trapped up and smothery, if I left him to sweat out his own idees -for a few minutes longer; so I gave him the same gesture I had -bestowed on Tank. - -"What do you think we'd better do, Olaf?" sez Horace. - -Olaf looked all around but did not see anything. "They have come up -the ravine, took the path up the other side, through the clump o' -trees, made a wide circle and got to our camp," sez Olaf. "If we try -to get away, they cut us off. If we stay here, we die for want of -water. If we rush up the hill, they shoot us from behind the rocks. -All I can see is to wait until night, and then make a rush for it." - -"Well, that don't look like much of an idee to me," sez Horace. I kept -on whistlin'. - -"I move we foller Happy," sez Spider Kelley. - -"I second the motion," sez Tank. - -"I'm willin' to," sez Olaf, and Oscar nodded his head. This was about -all Oscar ever used his head for except to hang his hat on; but he was -a good boy and sizey. - -"All right," sez Horace. "Now then, Happy Hawkins, the responsibility -is on you." - -"Now, be sure you mean this," sez I; "for my plan is a foolish one, -and I don't care to explain each step. I don't claim 'at my scheme is -the best; but my experience has been, that a poor plan carried out -beats a good plan which never came in. Climb up here, and we'll walk -off in that direction without lookin' behind us." - -They couldn't see any sense in this; but they follered me without -chatterin', and I was satisfied. Horace had the field glasses in his -pocket; so when we had reached the place I thought would do, I set him -to lookin' across the crick careful to see if he could see anything. -All the others watched him, and I got behind and looked up the slope. -I saw several men hidin' in the washes, and I said in a low tone: -"Keep on lookin' across the hill, Horace. Now, you others get out from -behind him. Now, Horace, whirl and examine the washes up the slope and -see how many men you can count." - -Horace whirled, as did all the rest of 'em, and we found seven fellers -in sight. We figured 'at there must be at least fifteen Cross-branders -in the neighborhood, and probably more, and the ones we were able to -see in the washes convinced me 'at Ty had staked everything on gettin' -us cornered. They didn't have enough to split up, so I felt sure they -would leave the ravine open, not thinkin' it likely we'd try to go -down there. - -"Now," sez I, "let's go to that clump o' rocks and hide." They all -came along; but didn't seem enthusiastic, because the washes led down -close to the rocks--we, ourselves, havin' sneaked down 'em while we -were waitin' for the woman that day. We couldn't see the path the boys -would take in comin' up to our camp from across the crick, while the -Cross-branders could see 'em a good part o' the way, and this fretted -me a lot; though I hoped they had heard Horace's elephant gun. - -After a time, Horace, through the glasses, saw a feller's head -watchin' us from our old look-out; so we knew they had crept up along -the back o' that ridge. Then we heard consid'able shootin' off to the -right, and knew the boys had got back. There were several good places -for ambush, and we felt purty blue at what had most likely happened; -but they were on hossback, and would be on their guard after knowin' -'at the Cross-branders were up to some trick; so we hoped for the -best. - -This clump o' rocks we were in was composed of one big crag and a lot -o' little ones. The big one shut off our view, and finally Horace said -it would be a good plan to get on top of it, as the chances were we -could get a good view in all directions. It was fifteen feet up to -where the' was footin', and we didn't see how it could be done; but he -said it was simple; so we let him try it. He made Olaf and Tank face -the rock, holdin' on to each other. Then I climbed to their shoulders -and they passed up Horace. I handed him up as far as I could reach, -and it was as simple as peelin' a banana. The signal was for him to -drop a pebble when he wanted to come down. - -In about two moments a stone the size o' your fist fell on Oscar's -head; which was a good thing, for it might otherwise have hurt a head -we had more use for. We laddered ourselves again' the rock, and Horace -came down without missin' a single one of our ears. When he reached -the level, he put his finger on his lips, and said he had seen ten men -sneakin' up toward the rock and only a few hundred feet away. Oscar -was still holdin' to the lump on his head, so Horace explained 'at -the' hadn't been any pebbles on top the crag. - -"Now, what ya goin' to do?" asked Horace to me. - -"You, Olaf, and Oscar go around the rock to the left," sez I; "and -Tank, Spider, and I'll go around to the right. Each fire only once, -and then run around the rock again and make for the path leadin' down -into the ravine. Keep close together all the way." - -"The ravine!" exclaimed Spider. - -"Sure," sez I. - -"All right," sez Spider, draggin' out the "all" until it would do for -"I told ya so," in case we got pocketed. - -It worked fine; we flew around, surprised 'em, shot a volley into 'em, -made 'em seek cover, and then we flew for the head o' the path. Ol' -Tank, with his damaged prop, was as nimble as a one-legged Norman -hoss, and Horace was loaded down with elephant ammunition; so that it -was wise to have all the time we could get. Ty and five others jumped -up from our look-out, and tried to head us off; but they had to go -twice as far as we did. Ty and two others had rifles, and they stopped -and took shots at us, but nothin' came of it. - -"Hurry on to the ranch buildin's," I called as we went down the path. -Then I turned back, to see what they were doin'. - -"Let me take a shot at 'em," sez Horace's voice at my elbow. - -"Why didn't you go on with the rest?" sez I. "I can give you half way -and beat you runnin'." - -"Let me take just one shot," sez Horace, so I gave in and let him. Two -fellers were runnin' at a long angle toward the mouth o' the ravine to -head us off, and get a shot from above; so I told him to try for one -o' them. He fiddled with his hind sight as calm as though shootin' for -a Christmas turkey, and hanged if he didn't topple one over. The other -stopped, and then ran back with his head ducked low to the ground, -while the wounded one crawled behind a rock. - -"Now dust for the buildin's," sez I; "and don't try any more nonsense. -Let me carry the weapon, and you won't be so overloaded. I'll start -after you in a jiffy." - -When I looked back, I saw that all of 'em had slowed down consid'able, -out o' respect to the elephant gun; but I could still count seventeen, -so we hadn't seen 'em all before. When they started towards the head -of the path again, I took a shot at Ty Jones; but I didn't savvy the -rear sight, and all it did was to make 'em slow down once more. Then I -slid down the path and hot-footed it down the ravine. I saw signs o' -hosses, so I knew they had rode most of their trip, and would be in a -position to circle around all they wanted to. - -I soon caught up with the others, and Tank was puffin' purty freely. -All the rest were runnin' easy, and we came out o' the mouth o' the -ravine without seein' a single soul. Now, we hardly knew what to do. -It was about the same distance from the mouth o' the ravine to the -first curve in it, as it was to the woman's cabin; so I told Spider to -stay at the corner o' the cabin, and watch that curve. - -Then we went around and found the door locked. We called twice to the -woman, but the' was no reply; so Olaf picked up a big stone and -knocked off the lock. We made a quick examination; but the' was no one -there. I posted Horace and Spider in this cabin to watch the mouth o' -the ravine through the window facin' it, and to shoot into 'em, should -they foller us close. - -We next went to the big house, where we had more trouble as everything -was fastened with bars on the inside, except the front door which had -an immense padlock on the outside. We finally broke it off, and out -dashed three o' their confounded dogs. We killed 'em, and went inside; -but the' was no one else there. Next we went to the workshop, and -after breakin' off the padlock, we found the Friar and Promotheus -gagged and tied. The Friar was sad, and Promotheus was mad. We sent -'em up to the cook-shack to get on speakin' terms with food again, and -rummaged the rest o' the buildin's; but could find neither the woman -nor the Chink, and by the time we were through, it was gettin' along -towards dark. - -I set Tank to cookin' a meal while the rest of us carried logs and -piled 'em in the mouth o' the ravine. It would be moonlight up to ten -o'clock, and after that I intended to have a fire to see by. We also -set up some logs at each o' the two fords. After supper we divided -into two equal groups o' four each, to stand guard, each man to watch -two hours, one at the window of the new cabin, the other from the -porch of the old one, where a view across both fords could be had. - -The Friar was purty downcast at our not bein' able to find the woman, -and at our still bein' in a state o' war; but he didn't kick none. He -promised not to go over and surrender himself any more, and said he -would stand guard careful, and warn us the first thing 'at happened. -We decided 'at they would probably attack us that night, and we -finally chose the old shack, as it had water piped into it from a -spring a hundred yards above. I figured 'at they'd be most apt to come -down the ravine, so I picked out the Friar, Olaf, and Tank to help me -watch it, and the others to take turns watchin' the fords. - -About half past nine, we lit the fires and turned in, with Oscar on -the porch, and Olaf at the window of the new cabin. I thought they -wouldn't come before two o'clock, and had it arranged so 'at the last -ford watches would be held by Spider and Promotheus. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-ONE - -THE NIGHT-ATTACK - - -I wasn't sleepy, and lyin' stretched out is the worst cure for -sleeplessness 'at ever I tried; so after twistin' about for a while, I -got up and took a look around. Oscar hadn't seen a thing, which I took -to be a mighty encouragin' sign. Mostly, when you set a boy on guard -he rouses ya out to meet the enemy every fifteen minutes, and then -goes to sleep just before the enemy actually does arrive; but Olaf had -trained Oscar to do what he was told, as he was told--when he was -told--and then not to talk about it for a couple o' years afterward. -Oscar was reliable to a degree; but for conversational purposes, I'd -sooner have been shipwrecked with a brindle bull pup. - -I didn't have any doubts of Olaf; but I dropped in to see what sort of -a view he had, now that it had got dark. The fire was burnin' high, -and the ravine was as bright as day. Enough o' the fire would last -until mornin' to give a good view, so I strolled down around the -bunk-shack and stables. I saw a form movin' in the shadow o' the -cottonwoods, and stalked it careful, finally gettin' close enough to -make out the Friar. - -"Can't ya sleep, Friar?" sez I. - -"No, no, I can't sleep," sez he with a sigh. "Where do you think she -is, Happy?" - -"They probably took her with 'em; and left the Chink to guard her, -back in the hills," sez I. "No matter what happens, they're not liable -to harm her." - -"It's sore hard to be patient," sez the Friar. "I am honestly opposed -to all violence and bloodshed. I have allus believed that all wars -were useless and unnecessary; but it's sometimes hard for me to love -my enemies." - -"You're just worried and can't see clear," sez I soothin'ly. "It's -plain enough if you just think it out--that's the best part o' -religion. One place it sez: 'Love your enemies.' In another it sez: -'Foller the Lord's example.' In still another it sez: 'Whom he loves, -he chasteneth'--which you said meant to punish. Now then, you have it -all worked out: the proper way to love your enemy is to punish him; -and, accordin' to this rule, we're goin' to love the hide off o' one -o' your enemies, if so be we're able to do it." - -But the Friar never would stand for havin' his religion doctored to -suit the taste, he had to take it as stiff and raw as alcohol, where -he was concerned, himself; so he turned in and explained things to me -until from my standpoint, misery was the only religious excuse a -feller had for bein' happy. - -By this, it was time to change watches, so the Friar relieved Olaf, -while Horace and his elephant-pest went out on the front porch to -watch the fords, and I turned in. None of us took our boots off that -night; we had a little fire in the big room, and slept on the floor, -holdin' our belts in our hands. I drowsed off quick enough this time, -knowin' 'at Tank and Promotheus would be next on watch and certain not -to let anything surprise them. - -Sure enough, just about the time we had slept ourselves into complete -forgetfulness, we were all jerked to our feet by the first shot Tank -fired, and this one shot was followed by a bunch of others. The -Cross-branders had crept down the ravine, and a little after three -when the fire had burned low, they had tried to get by unnoticed. Ol' -Tank only had one eye, but it was a workin' eye, if ever the' was one, -and he shot two of 'em with one o' their own rifles, and when they -rushed him in a body, spreadin' out wide, he retreated to the old -cabin, accordin' to directions. - -The old cabin had loopholes in it, and we had found three fairly good -rifles, but not much ammunition. We didn't waste any shots while it -was still dark; but they fired at us now and again. They had brought -the five rifles we had left at our camp, and used 'em freely. Slim had -taken the other rifle with him. - -All durin' that day they broke the monotony by takin' frequent shots -at us; but the logs in the cabin had been matched up for just such a -purpose, and not one of us was even scratched with a splinter. What we -were most afraid of was, 'at they would find some way to set fire to -the cabin, and we counted on that bein' one o' the night's -diversities. - -There were three good sized rooms in the old cabin which was only one -story high. One big room occupied the full south half o' the cabin, a -bedroom was in the northeast corner, and a library in the northwest -corner. Yes, sir, a regular library, and the Friar and Horace both -said it was a choice collection o' books. Horace showed us one book -which had a photograph of the original Prometheus chained to a rock -with the vultures peckin' at his liver, and he certainly must have -been some man to stand it. This picture made The's eyes light up -consid'able. - -The' was also some chromos of naked stone images on the wall, which -the Friar and Horace called mighty fine copies. They were purty well -dumb-founded to find 'at Ty Jones didn't live as much like a bob-cat -as they'd thought. Under the book shelves was a row o' locked drawers. -They stuck out farther than the shelves above 'em, and we wanted to -pry 'em open to see what was inside; but the Friar wouldn't let us. - -That was a wearin' day, and we were all glad when it finally dragged -itself to the lake o' darkness, and dove in. We had our minds made up -for a busy night, but waitin' for trouble is more crampin' to the soul -than bein' in the midst of it, so we felt cheerfuller as soon as night -actually settled down. - -We didn't dare have a fire in the fireplace, for fear it would show -'em our loopholes, and we didn't care to advertise these any more 'n -was necessary; but we set a lighted candle far back in the fireplace, -to see to load by. The fireplace was across the southwest corner o' -the big room. There were no loopholes in the library, but we feared -the light might leak through a chink in the window shutter, so we -didn't have any light there. We kept one man watchin' through -loopholes in the bedroom, and two watchin' in the big room, and were -able to cover the whole neighborhood. - -The cook-shack was the nearest buildin', and only the two loopholes in -the north end o' the bedroom covered that; so we decided to fling the -library window open and fire through that, in case they made a rush -from that direction. We knew they wouldn't be likely to start anything -until after eleven, as the moon wouldn't set until then, so we -stretched out on the floor, leavin' Oscar, Horace, and Spider on -watch. - -When a feller has been keepin' his attention wound up for several -days, his mainspring finally gets strained, and the cogs in his head -get to cuttin' up regardless. I managed to get a purty fair dab o' -sleep; but it seemed as though I dove straight out o' wakefulness into -a dream, and it was some the rottenest dream I ever had. I dreamed -that Ty Jones had come and stooped over me and asked me what I thought -o' the way he had conducted his life. In a dream a feller is apt to do -the foolest things imaginable, so I looked up into Ty's face and told -him my true opinion. I sez to him: "Ty, if your brains were blastin' -powder, they wouldn't make enough explosion to raise your hat." - -Ty didn't take kindly to this opinion; so he jumped into the air and -lightin' on my face, began to trample it with his heels. The -discomfort of this wakened me; but at first I didn't know I was awake. -Several men had been actually tramplin' on me, and the' was a general -fight takin' place in that room which was hard to make head or tail -of. - -In the flickerin' candle rays, it was mighty bothersome to tell who -from which; so the' was no shootin'. Aside from Ty and Pepper Kendal, -we averaged bigger 'n they did, except Horace and Spider. Spider had -length but he ran small in the arms and legs, while Horace was -twenty-two caliber any way you looked at him. They abused Horace some -consid'able, and he got kicked and trampled on purty liberal; but he -was of terrier blood, and the second or third time he got kicked into -a corner, he crawled out on his hands an' knees, picked out a pair o' -legs which was strange to him, wrapped his arms about 'em, and fetched -their owner to the floor with a thump. I spared enough time to knock -the feller on the head; and then Horace played his trick over again. - -Olaf was a mad bull in a mix-up like this--Horace said he had -beershirker blood in him, and this must be good stuff for it made Olaf -grin when Horace accused him of it. O' course the' ain't much head or -tail to such a fight, and in lookin' back on it, it's just like -spurtin' the pages of a picture-book with your thumb and tryin' to -observe the pictures. I saw the Friar leanin' again' the mantel-piece -with a hurt look on his face; and it disgusted me. - -In times o' peace, I respected his prejudice again' violence; but this -was no time for foolishness, and I recall mutterin' to myself a wish -that Horace might have the loan of his big body for the next half -hour. I saw Olaf knock down two men with one blow, I saw The save ol' -Tank's life, just as a half-breed was about to knife him from behind; -but for the most part it was just about as orderly a mess as a -popper-ful o' corn over a bed o' coals. - -The fight didn't last more 'n five or ten minutes. They had banked on -surprisin' us; and when this failed they were ready to back out. I -afterward found out that it was the Friar who had caught sight of 'em -first, he not' bein' able to sleep. - -Ty and Pepper Kendal were the last to leave the big room; and when -their own men were out of it, they opened fire on us; we fired back, -and when they backed into the library where the rest o' their gang had -disappeared, we made a rush for 'em. I supposed they had come in -through the library window, and I called for a candle, hopin' to grab -Ty before he could get out. - -Spider Kelley had already picked up the candle, and he had it in the -doorway in a second. The big drawers at the bottom o' the bookcase -were swung back, showin' a stairway behind 'em, and Ty Jones stood at -the top with Pepper Kendal just behind him. I dove through the air, -catchin' Ty's wrist with my left hand and his throat with my right, -Pepper Kendal bent his gun on me, Olaf grabbed the gun which was fired -just as The grabbed Pepper's arms. It looked to me as though the -bullet must have gone into Olaf's head; but just then we tripped, -rolled down the stairs and the imitation drawers swung to behind us. - -All holts were broke on the way down, and when I reached the bottom, I -lay as quiet as a frozen moonbeam. I heard steps runnin' away from me -in the dark, and presently the legs of the man next to me moved, and -he got up. I rose to a crouchin' position, held my arm above my head, -and whispered, "Who is this?" - -For answer, I got a smash on the arm with the butt of a forty-five -which drove it down again' my head hard enough to bring me to my knees -and wake up my horse-sense. I might 'a' known they'd have a signal. - -I waited with my back again' the wall until the silence began to soak -into my nerve. One o' my guns had got lost durin' the mess upstairs; -but I still had the other, and when I closed my grip around it, it -seemed like I was shakin' hands with my best friend. As far as I could -discover I hadn't been shot; but several knife-cuts and bruises began -to hum little tunes which wasn't in nowise cheerin'. I just simply -don't like to be kept waitin' in the dark! - -After a bit I reached my hand out cautious, and felt the heel of a -ridin' boot. I examined as careful as though the feller inside the -boot was a disguised bear-trap; but the' was no need. His neck was -broke. I felt of his face, and it was soft and smooth. The face of the -young feller with the boy's eyes, I had seen put to bed drunk that -night at Skelty's, flashed across me, and I gave a sigh; but I had too -much on my mind to turn soft, so I began to feel around again. - -Presently my fingers struck the heel of another boot. I shut down on -my bellows until the breath didn't get down past the top inch o' my -neck, and I was as gentle with the heel o' that boot, as though it was -a bitin' man's eyeball; because I sure felt a quiver in it. I slid my -fingers up that boot a quarter inch at a time, and I didn't use no -more rudeness 'n a mouse would use in tryin' to sneak a cheese piller -out from under a sleepin' cat. When my fingers finally struck -corduroy, I purt nigh gave a shout, for this was what Promotheus wore. - -It allus embarrasses a man to be felt over in the dark, so I took my -time with The; but after locatin' both hands and his crooked mouth, I -discovered he'd been knocked out complete. I rubbed his wrists until -he began to moan, and then I pinched his nose until he was able to -notice my name when I whispered. He had bumped his head in fallin', -and it made him sick to the stomach; so while he was gettin' tuned up -again, I prospected around. - -I crawled up the stairs but couldn't hear a sound, I scratched with my -fingers, knocked softly, and pushed until my eyes began to hurt; so I -knew 'at the only way out for us was to follow the Cross-branders. -Things had happened so sudden up above that I hadn't an idy as to how -many were fightin' us; but I was still purty certain that a fair sized -bunch had run out the tunnel just as I dove into it, and I didn't -choose to bump into 'em in the dark. - -When I came down the stairs, The felt able again; so we started to -prospect. We agreed that strikin' our teeth together would be our -signal, and then we made our examination. The right side o' the tunnel -was smooth, the way Nature works, the left side was rough, and -indicated man's doin's. Aside from us two, the only other one in the -tunnel was the boy with the broken neck; but the tunnel opened into a -big cave, and we didn't know what to do about it. - -Finally we started around the right hand wall, me crawlin' first, and -The's fingers touchin' my boot at every move. After goin' some -distance, a great, straggly gray form rose up from the floor o' the -cave, and gave me a shock which stopped my entire works. I kept my -presence o' mind all right; but I'd 'a' been mighty glad to swap it -off for absence of body. This was a most ghastly lookin' form, and I -nestled up again' the side o' the wall, and felt my hand back for The. -He crawled up alongside o' me, and when he spied it, he gave a start -which made his teeth click. "What's that?" he whispered. - -It's funny how the mind works. This form didn't resemble anything -earthly; so I hadn't really tried to figure on it much; but when The -threw his question at me, I looked at the shape more careful, and grew -ashamed o' myself. Here was I, a feller who had spent consid'able time -around mines, and yet had got all balled up over seein' things -underground. - -"That's your old friend, daylight, comin' down through a hole, The," I -whispered so prompt that I doubt if he noticed any gap. - -He gave a sniff through his nose, and then we crept on to where this -light was comin' in through the opposite tunnel. It was mighty weak -and sickly lookin' light, but the outline o' the tunnel mouth soon got -perfectly plain to us. Every few inches we stopped to listen; but we -got clear to the mouth without hearin' anything. Then we paused. Just -at that time, I'd have given right smart to have had my eyes fastened -on like those of a lobster I once saw in a window down at Frisco. This -insect had his eyes fixed to the ends o' fingers which he could -stretch out in any direction. - -To be honest, I felt some reluctant to push my face around that -corner; but when I did there wasn't a thing in sight. The tunnel -stretched ahead of us for what seemed miles, but we couldn't see the -outer openin', although the light was strong enough to recognize each -other by. The was a sight, for the bump on his head had leaked -continuous; but it hadn't disabled him none, so we drew back to -consult a little. - -If we had known whether they were ahead or behind us, it would have -been easy to decide; but under the circumstances, we hardly knew what -to do. Bein' in the dark was one thing; but bein' out where we could -be seen was still another; so we thought full and deep. - -After a few minutes I told The a little story about a feller I helped -to pick up after he had jumped from a thirty-foot ledge onto a pile o' -stone. "Why did you do it?" sez I. He blinked his eyes at me a time 'r -two, hove a long sigh, an' said: "The' was a purple dragon in front o' -me, a lot o' long-legged yaller snakes back o' me, and the peskiest -pink jack-rabbit you ever saw kept swoopin' into my face an' peckin' -at my eyes. If I ever drink another drop, I hope it'll drown me." - -The considered this story careful, an' then we crawled out into the -tunnel, rose to our feet, an' ran along crouchin'. The tunnel ran -upward at a sharp incline, which was why the light came down it so -far. We kept to the right wall, and after goin' some distance, we came -across a small cave. In this we found another dead Cross-brander; but -we weren't enough interested in him to risk strikin' a light; so we -sat down a moment to rest and listen. - -Presently we noticed some curious noises, but for some minutes we -couldn't decide on what they were. Suddenly The grabbed my wrist an' -said: "That's shootin'; that's what that is!" - -It was as plain as home-cookin' the minute he pointed it out; so we -rose to our feet and made a rush for the mouth o' the cave. We came -out about half way up the face o' the cliff; and for a moment we -paused to admire Ty Jones's foxiness. This openin' couldn't be seen -from below, nor noticed from above, and for the most part the whole -tunnel was natural, only havin' been hand-widened in three or four -places. - -The fightin' was goin' on near the face o' the cliff between us an' -the mouth of the ravine; so we circled around until we caught sight of -'em. The first feller we made out was Mexican Slim; so we knew our -boys hadn't been ambushed up above, and this raised our spirits like a -balloon. We crept up until we could get good angle-shots, hid -ourselves, gave the old Diamond Dot yell, and began to shoot. Ty's men -had been losin' their bullet-appetite for some time, and they took us -to be genuwine reinforcements. They were well planted where they were, -but they started to retreat, and we crowded 'em close. - -Then it was that Ty made Olaf's word good: he exposed himself to -shots, he rallied his men, and that wolf-grin never left his face; but -still the tide had changed, and he had to go back with the rest. The -woman, with her hands tied behind her, was in charge o' the Chink, who -was tall and heavy-set with a dark, evil, leathery face. He kept a -grin on his face, too, which reminded me most of a rattlesnake at -sheddin' time. He used the woman as a shield, an' this checked our -fire an' kept us dodgin' for new positions. Still, all in all, this -part o' the fight was about as satisfactory as any I ever took part -in. - -Finally they retreated to the dip where the tunnel came out, and we -had to skirmish up the rocks to keep our vantage. Soon we discovered -that Ty had lost control of his men. He, Pepper Kendal, and two others -stood in the mouth o' the tunnel, and took a few shots at us before -disappearin'; but six of his men ran straight across the dip, and down -the other side toward the crick. Tillte Dutch was standin' close to -me, and I asked him where the hosses were. He said they were tied -across the crick just above the upper ford; so I sent him for 'em full -speed. - -Horace and Tank stayed to watch the mouth o' the openin', while the -rest of us wrangled the six Cross-branders through the cottonwoods. -They had a good start, and so had time to cut the wire and cross the -crick toward some broken land on the left. By this time Tillte had -tied the reins and thrown 'em over the horns o' the saddles so as to -lead a string, and he came lopin' into view. - -Slim, two o' the Simpson boys, Olaf, and myself mounted and cut off -the six Cross-branders, who were too weary to even scatter. They had -had enough and surrendered. We tied their hands, and herded 'em back -to the old shack, where Oscar, Spider, and three disabled -Cross-branders were runnin' a little private hospital. We fixed up -wounds as well as we could, sat the last six on a bench along the -wall, and left Dick Simpson to guard 'em. Spider had been shot and cut -consid'able; but he was able to stagger around some, while Oscar had -been punctured below the ribs, and things looked bad for him. Olaf had -been shot in the head, all right, just as The and I dove down the -stairway the night before, but his skull was bullet-proof, so nothin' -came of it. - -The Friar had been ransackin' the locality, and had found one o' the -Simpson boys dead, and one badly hurt. Badly crippled, as we were, we -didn't see any way to get at Ty except to starve him out. First off, -we made some coffee, and those who weren't hurt dangerous were given -some side-meat and corn bread; for, truth to tell, we were about once -through. We spent the afternoon under a tree half way between the -mouth o' the tunnel, and the old cabin, so as to be handy in case we -were needed. After talkin' it all over, we couldn't quite see why they -had split up, some of 'em tryin' to escape, and some stayin' with Ty. - -Finally I went to the cabin, durin' a time the Friar was on watch at -the cave mouth, and picked out the weakest lookin' of the prisoners. I -brought him down, and we tortured him with questions until he got -fuddled and told us that the two who had stuck to Ty had been so bad -hurt, they couldn't go any farther; but that neither Ty nor Pepper -were hurt to speak of. - -The fact is, that in a general fight a feller loses his aim complete. -We had all aimed at Ty and Pepper the most, and here they were the two -not hurt at all. As darkness fell, the Friar couldn't hold himself in. -All afternoon he had done what he could for the wounded; but at -thought of the woman spendin' another night in the cave with those -men, he became as wild-eyed as a bronc at his first brandin'. Durin' -the afternoon, Tank had stiffened until he couldn't do much travelin'; -but I saw the Friar had his mind made up to take a plunge, so I tried -to fix things to prevent it. - -Olaf, two o' the Simpson boys, Promotheus, Tillte, Slim, Horace, and -myself lined up as bein' still in workin' order; but while he was in -the act of claimin' to be all right, Slim doubled up in a faint, and -we found he had been bad hurt without even himself knowin' of it; so -countin' Horace who had two black eyes and a shot through the -fore-arm, the' was seven of us able to get about purty nimble. Hid -away in the cave, somewhere, were Ty Jones, Pepper Kendal, and the -Chink, unhurt so far as we knew, and two others, still probably able -to help a little. - -We placed a couple o' logs again' the fake drawers in the library, and -left Tank to take charge of the prisoners and the cabin. Then we -rustled up some tarps from the bunk-shack, and prepared to camp near -the openin' with a man allus on guard, to prevent them from comin' -out--and the Friar from goin' in. We kept a lantern lit under shelter -of a rock, and made ready to rest up a bit. - -I had told all the fellers to watch the Friar close, for he just -simply couldn't get the upper hand of himself. He tried his best to -simmer down and go to sleep, but every few minutes he'd boil over -again. I lay awake in my tarp watchin' him for some time; but I was so -sore and weary myself I could scarcely recall what business I was on, -and first I knew I had drifted off--and been shook awake again. - -Promotheus was bendin' over me with the news 'at the Friar had decided -to go into the tunnel, and they couldn't hold him back. I sprang up -and started for the opening with the rest following me. Dan Simpson -had relieved The on watch and when he found what was in the Friar's -mind, he had crept down and told The, who had awakened the rest of us. - -We reached the Friar, just as he was goin' into the openin'. I called -to him in a low tone; but he only shook his head. It was eleven -o'clock, and the shadow from the moon had already crept out from the -base o' the cliff almost to the openin'. I saw that the Friar had took -the bit; so I whispered to the others: "I am goin' in there with him; -but more 'n this would be bad. We'd be in each other's way. Listen and -watch, but do not follow us in." - -"I know the way as well as you, and we could keep side by side," sez -Promotheus; but I shook my head. - -He came over to the openin' and said in a low tone: "I haven't time to -make you understand; but--but I just have to go in with you." - -"If you come, the rest'll come too," sez I, exasperated. - -"You fellers stay here," sez he to them in a pleadin' tone; "but I -have reasons. I just have to go in." - -So we shed our boots and started down the incline after the Friar, -Promotheus touchin' my feet with his fingers at every step I crawled. -I didn't want to be there, I couldn't see how we could do any good; -but the Friar had made my world for me, such as it was, and I -understood better 'n the rest what was gnawin' at his heart; so I -hadn't any choice. I had to go in, and somethin' inside Promotheus -drove him in also. The only crumb o' comfort I could find, lay in the -fact that Horace had been winged, and so couldn't foller us, whether -he wanted to or not. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-TWO - -HAND TO HAND - - -At first it was black as pitch; but I crawled as fast as I could in -the hope of catchin' up with the Friar. It is instinct with most men -to follow the right wall when goin' through a strange place in the -dark, though I never could see why. A man carries his weapon in the -right hand and naturally ought to be as free with it as possible. -Still, most men do it, so I follered the right wall, hopin' each time -I put out my hand it would touch the Friar. - -After a time, I saw a faint glimmer o' light to the left, and I -stopped and pointed it out to The. We came to the conclusion that they -had a candle lighted in the offset where we had come upon the body, -and we discussed whether they were likely to be in there, or had gone -on farther back and left the light to see any one who tried to crawl -after 'em. I held out 'at they wouldn't expect any one to crawl after -'em; but The said 'at Ty would be likely to go into just such a place -himself, and so would expect others to do the same. Ty certainly had -the way of impressin' his own men. - -When we got a little closer, I lay flat and scanned along the floor, -tryin' to make out the Friar between me and the light; but I couldn't -see him, and we went on again. I hope I may never have to do any more -such work as this. Creepin' along in the dark eats up a feller's nerve -like a forest fire. - -When we got so close 'at I could see my hands by the light, I sent The -across to the other side, remindin' him to knock his teeth should he -chance upon the Friar, or in case we come together again, ourselves. - -Then I lay flat with my hat down low, and nudged myself along with my -elbows and toes. I couldn't even make out The across the tunnel, which -was only about twelve feet wide, and just for the fraction of a second -it came across me that he had formerly been a Cross-brander, himself; -but this thought didn't live long enough to draw its second breath. - -Finally I reached the spot where the light threw a splash on the walls -and floor, and I made my gun ready and stuck out my neck in what was -the most breathless silence I ever tried to listen to. Across the -splash o' light in front of me, all was a solid wall o' darkness; and -I'd have paid over quite a sum to know what eyes were lookin' out of -it. - -Farther and farther I pushed myself into the light without seein' a -thing; until finally I saw the candle, itself, and beside it--the -Friar. - -I wriggled across the tunnel just as The crept into the room from his -side, and we felt a little better to be in the light, together again. -The body still lay again' the wall, and The looked at the face; but he -didn't know it. The Friar hadn't seen or heard anything, either; and -we were up a tree to the top branches. We talked it all over, tryin' -to imagine what we would do under the same circumstances, and finally -decided they had gone on down the tunnel, leavin' a man on guard just -below the light, and that the man had gone to sleep. - -"Well," sez I after we had discussed things around in a circle for a -while, "here we are holed up again, as cozy as a cavey o' rats with -traps set at all the openin's and en-thusiastic terrier dogs diggin' -down from above. If it's not bein' too inquisitive, Friar, what plan -did you have in comin' down here?" - -"I wanted to be close to her," sez Friar Tuck. "I kept thinkin' o' how -lonely it must be for her through the dark, and I hoped the' might be -some chance o' helpin' her to escape. I did not have any definite -plan--only faith and hope." - -"Like the shark which swallered the parasol," sez I, for I was -consid'able put out; "he had faith in his digestion and hoped the -parasol was some new sort o' health-food. But to get down to -facts--Have you any weapon with you, and are you willin' to fight?" - -"I have no weapon," sez the Friar; "but I am willin' to do whatever -seems best. I am trusting in the same power which upheld Gideon, and I -ask to see no farther than he saw." - -This was the Friar all right, so I merely swallowed a couple o' times -and didn't say anything. Whether he lived or died was the same to the -Friar, as whether he lived in Idaho or Montana would be to another -man; so I saved myself a certain amount of irritation by just thinkin' -quietly as to what was best for us to try. Fact was, I didn't take, as -much stock in Gideon just then as I did in Ty Jones. - -"I'll tell you what I think is best," I sez after a bit; "for me to -crawl down the hall in the hope that the watcher really has gone to -sleep; while you two stand ready in this offset. If they chase me, -I'll run up the tunnel, and you spring out and take 'em at a -disadvantage as they go by." - -O' course they both wanted to do the crawlin', but it was my plan, so -I stuck out for it, and started. I was really glad to be out o' the -light again, and I crawled as gentle as though crossin' a bridge of -eggs. Before long my fingers struck a boot, and I felt of it -ex-treme-lee careful. If ever I go blind, my experience durin' those -days will help consid'able in transferrin' my eyesight to my fingers. - -The feller had toppled over again' the right wall, and I crept up -alongside, holdin' my gun by the barrel, and ready to swat his head as -soon as I had located it; but the' was no use--the man had already -died. He had been shot twice, but they thought he could last a while -on guard, and this was why we had been able to cross the lighted -place. - -Just beyond this, I came upon another offset, on the opposite side -from where the candle was. We hadn't noticed it that mornin' 'cause we -had gone out along the other wall. I heard some heavy breathin' in -here; but I also heard some one tossin' about an' mutterin', and I -hardly dared risk an examination. I looked back at the splash of -light, and it seemed mighty cheery and sociable, compared with the -darkness and company I was in. - -It's astonishin' the way pictures fly across a feller's mind at such a -time: I saw the boy down at the foot of the stairs, I saw him as he -must have been, a few years before some quick, rash deed of his had -drawn a veil across the laughter in his eyes; I saw the feller in the -offset, and wondered how much it had taken to turn the expression of -his face into that beastlike hunger for revenge, and then dozens of -schemes and plans for capturin' Ty began to flash upon me; but each -time, the presence of the woman spoiled everything. They had used her -for a shield once, they would do it again, and I couldn't see a way to -get around her. - -We knew 'at Ty had vowed he would never be taken alive; and I couldn't -see what we would do with him even if we did take him alive; but I -could see that he would take pleasure in draggin' as big a bunch into -the next world with him as possible, and yet every scheme 'at came to -me was blocked by the presence of the woman. Finally I crept a little -way into the offset. My hand touched a piece of cloth, I felt over it -with nothin' except the ridges on my fingers touchin'; but just when I -made sure it was the Chink, he moved and sat up. I stopped breathin'; -but after a minute, he sighed and settled back. - -I waited a little longer and then crawled back and told what I had -discovered. "If the' was only some way we could throw a light into -that offset," sez I, "I think we could fix 'em." - -We studied over this for some time before the Friar thought up a way -which seemed worth tryin'. I said I'd go back and stay at the far side -o' the openin', and when they brought the rope back, to come right on -with it along the left wall, and I'd knock my teeth together to show -it was me--provided I was still there and able. So the Friar pulled -off his boots, and The kept watch in the offset while the Friar ran -back. I thought it must be several days since we'd come in, but he -looked at his watch before startin', and it was only two o'clock. - -From where I was, I could make out the shape o' the feller they had -put on watch, and knew I could keep cases on all within the little -rock room. After an age, I saw two forms creep like ghosts out of the -dark beyond the candle, and ooze into the offset without makin' a -sound. Then in a moment, Promotheus came stealin' along the wall with -the end of the rope. I made my signal to him, and he went on down the -tunnel, slowly pullin' the rope after him. - -I was mighty curious to see how they had fixed the lantern, which they -were to light with the candle in the offset, and it made me feel a lot -better when it came out of the recess. Horace had done the fixin', I -afterward found out, and it had nearly broke his heart not to come in -with it; but he realized that it was necessary to have an outer guard, -so he had stayed with the two Simpson boys. He had put the lantern -into a box after nailin' a couple o' short pieces of rope on the -bottom for runners; and now it came slidin' along without makin' a -sound. He had sawed a piece out of the side, so that all the light -came up again' the ceilin', and onto the side where the openin' was. - -Slowly it came along, and I stood in the shadow watchin' it. Finally -it fell on the face of the man lyin' near the openin', and I saw he -was one of those who had been at Skelty's that night--for all I know, -it was his hand I had seen raisin' the window to my room. Next, it -lighted up the openin', itself; and then The stopped pullin' and crept -up opposite me. We heard 'em sighin' and groanin', in the recess, and -finally the woman's voice gave a weary moan as she came awake. - -In a second, Ty's voice was heard, askin' what was the matter; and we -all braced up our nerves. A weak, delirious voice started to babble, -but it was broken by a shot, and a bullet ripped through the box, but -without puttin' out the light. I started across the hall; but The had -already seen it, and had taken the rope and ran down the tunnel with -it. He turned the box, so 'at just the left edge o' the light touched -the openin', and then came across to my side. We weren't in a black -shadow now; but still, with the light in their faces, it would have -been hard to see us. - -A hand reached out of the openin', and fired in our direction, I -dropped to my knee and aimed at the hand, but neither shot counted; -and for the next few minutes, all we heard was that weak voice, -babblin' indistinctly. It hadn't worked out as I thought it would. I -figured that they'd be surprised when the light shone in their faces, -and would rush out and give us a chance. Now that it was too late, I -thought up half a dozen better schemes. - -Even while I was thinkin' up a perfect one, I saw a form come out from -the recess, and threw my gun up--but I didn't snap the hammer. It was -the woman, and behind her I could make out the shaved head o' the -Chinaman. - -We all stayed silent for some time, an' then Ty's voice said: "Well, -what kind of a settlement do you fellers want?" - -He spoke as self-composed as though puttin' through a beef-dicker, and -no reply was made for several seconds. Then, as no one else spoke, I -sez: "All we want is just the woman and what's left o' your outfit, -Ty." - -"Who's that speakin'?" sez Ty. - -"He's generally called Happy Hawkins, Ty," sez I. - -"Who's in charge o' your gang?" sez he. - -"Dinky Bradford," sez I after thinkin' a moment; "but I'm delegated to -speak for him." - -"Tell ya what I'll do," sez Ty; "I'll trade ya the woman for Dinky -Bradford an' the Singin' Parson. Send those two in to me, and I'll -send her out to you." - -This was the foolest proposition ever I heard of. The woman wouldn't -'a' been any use to us without the Friar. "Dinky Bradford is guardin' -the mouth o' the tunnel," sez I; "but he wouldn't stand for any such -nonsense, nohow." - -"Is the preacher here?" asked Ty. - -"Yes, I am here," sez the Friar, steppin' out from the offset and -comin' toward us. Olaf, who was with him, caught his arm and kept him -from exposin' himself. - -"Damn you," sez Ty, slow an' deliberate. "I hate you worse 'n any man -in this territory. You're at the bottom of all this kick-up. You're -the one which has turned my own men again' me; and all I ask is a -chance to settle it out with you." - -"You're mistaken if you think that I advised this method," began the -Friar; but Ty broke in, and said: "Never mind any o' that -preacher-talk. I know what's what, and I'm all prepared to have you -hide behind your religion, after havin' started all the trouble. I'll -offer you a plan which any man would accept--but I don't class you as -a man. The fair way to settle this would be for the men who are with -us to empty their guns an' lay 'em on the floor, then you and me strip -to the waist an' fight it out with knives. They haven't anything at -stake; but I suppose you'll be true to your callin', and make them -take all the risk." - -"I want to be true to my callin'," sez the Friar; "and fightin' with -knives isn't part o' my callin'." - -Ty laughed as mean as a man ever did laugh; and both Olaf and I -offered to take the Friar's place; but Ty said he didn't have anything -special again' us any more 'n he'd have again' the Friar's ridin' -hoss; and then he offered to fight the Friar and Dinky Bradford at the -same time. - -He kept on roastin' the Friar till I bet I was blushin'; but the Friar -just stood out straight in the gloom o' the tunnel and shook his head -no. Then the woman took a half step forward, an' the Chink jerked her -back, twistin' her wrist and makin' her give a smothered scream. - -I had moved the box around to give us a little more light; and when -she screamed, I saw the blood rush up the Friar's pale face to his -eyes, where it burst into flame. Livin' fire it was, and in a flash it -had burned away his religion, his scruples again' violence, the whole -outer shell o' civilization, and left him just a male human with his -woman in the power of another. "Strip," he said, and his words rolled -down the tunnel like a growl of a grizzly. "Strip, and fight for your -life, for I intend to destroy you." - -I can still hear the laugh Ty gave when the Friar said this. "Destroy -me?" he said. "Destroy me? That's a good one! Now, do your men agree -to let us go free if I win?" - -"I do," sez The. - -"I do," said I, after I'd taken another look at the Friar, who was -already unbuttonin' his shirt. - -"I do--if you fight fair," said Olaf slowly. - -"Then one of ya hold the lantern while we empty the guns," said Ty. - -I didn't like this part of it; but couldn't see any way out; so while -The held the lantern, one on each side emptied a gun and tossed it to -the center of the tunnel. We emptied all of ours, and they emptied all -of theirs, and then while Ty was takin' off his shirt, I went up to -the Friar. When I saw the taut muscles ripplin' beneath his white -skin, I felt comforted; but when I saw him holdin' his knife point -down, the way they do in the picture-books, I got worried again. - -"Take your knife the other way, Friar," I whispered; "and strike up -under the floatin' ribs on his left side. That's the way to his -heart." - -"I know how to fight with a knife," he snapped; so I didn't say any -more. Horace had become a gun-fighter, here was the Friar claimin' to -know the knife game, and if the woman had stepped out and challenged -the winner to a fight with stones, why, I was so meek I wouldn't 'a' -got het up over it. - -Then Ty Jones came out of the other offset, stripped to the waist also -and holdin' his knife in his left hand. The woman had gone into the -niche on our side, me an' Olaf leaned again' our wall, Pepper Kendal -and the Chink leaned again' the wall opposite us, The held up the -lantern, and for a full minute the only sound was the wounded -Cross-brander, babblin' out his delirium back in the cave-room. - -Ty was a shade beefier 'n the Friar; but his skin was dull, and the -muscles didn't cut off into the tendons so sharp, nor they didn't seem -quite so springy or well oiled; but there was half a dozen knife scars -on his chest, and he had come up our way from Mexico. - -They walked toward each other, Ty's eagle eyes an' wolf-grin tryin' to -beat down the grim set to the Friar's face. They both crouched over -an' circled about each other like a pair o' big cats. Ty made a few -lunges, but the Friar parried 'em as simple as though it was a game, -and purty soon Ty was forced to slip his knife to his right hand with -the blade pointin' up for a rip. When he did this, the Friar smiled, -turned his own knife the same way; and I recalled the Friar havin' -told me about learnin' knife tricks from an I-talian he had helped -back East. - -I don't like knife fightin', and I don't approve of it; but I will say -'at this fight was the cleanest, quickest thing I ever saw. The Friar -was the best man, but Ty was the best posted; and time and again the -Friar saved himself by foot work. The follered 'em close with his -lantern, while Olaf and I kept a half watch on the two opposite us. - -They kept movin' faster and faster and the' was a continuous spattin' -as they parried with their left hands. Finally the Friar grabbed Ty by -the wrist, Ty grabbed the Friar's wrist at the same time, lowered his -head, and butted the Friar in the pit o' the stomach. It looked bad; -but the Friar had raised his knee and caught Ty on the chin; so they -staggered apart and breathed deep for a minute, before beginnin' -again. - -The grin had left Ty's face, and it had settled into black hate. When -they began again, the Friar seized Ty's wrist every chance he got, -twistin' it, bendin' the arm, and tryin' to thrust with his knife; but -Ty was tough and wiry, and managed to twist out every time. At last -the Friar caught Ty's right wrist, dropped his own knife, ran his head -under Ty's right arm, caught the slack of his right pant leg, gave a -heave and threw him over his head. It was a clean throw and the Friar -stooped, picked up his knife and started for Ty before he had time to -get to his feet. Ty rolled to his feet and dodged away as though to -run, whirled, took the blade of his knife between thumb and -forefinger, and spun it through the air. It struck the Friar's -collarbone, cut a gash through his shoulder, and twanged again' the -wall o' the tunnel. - -The two men eyed each other for a moment, the calm of victory in the -Friar's eyes, the red of baffled hate in Ty's. They were about eight -feet apart. "Will you give up?" asked the Friar. - -"No," sez Ty. He doubled up his fists as though to spring, then -whirled and stepped into the offset behind him. In a moment, he came -out with a gun in his hand. - -As soon as he had said no, Pepper Kendal an' the Chink had made a dive -for the offset, and Olaf and I had made a dive for them. I got Pepper -who was old and stiff, and I managed to hit him in the center o' the -forehead just as Ty came out with his gun. Olaf was havin' trouble -with the Chink, and I picked up a gun and tapped Pepper on the head -with it, and then turned to knock the Chink. Just as I turned, I saw -the woman walkin' slowly down the tunnel behind the Friar, and I saw -Ty bend his gun on him. Even then he had to pause a moment to enjoy -his deviltry, and I still see that picture in my dreams--the Friar -standin' silent and proud, with his head thrown back and his level -eyes full on Ty, while back of him stood the woman as unconcerned as a -snow-bird. About six feet beyond 'em stood Promotheus holdin' the -light above his head, while his face seemed frozen with horror. - -For an instant they stood like stone images. Then The lunged forward -and caught Ty's arm, the lantern went out, I heard one clear report, -and one muffled one, and then I started for 'em. I bumped into a heavy -form, two naked arms went around me in a bear-grip, and we rolled to -the floor. The candle in our offset had burned out; but I knew it was -the Friar, 'cause his was the only smooth face among us. "This is -Happy," I muttered, and we rose to our feet. - -A struggle was goin' on beyond us, and I thought it was Olaf and the -Chink; so I lit a match, knowin' that Ty would 'a' had plenty o' time -to get away already. As the match burned up, I saw the Chink lyin' -stretched out, and Olaf and Ty locked together. Olaf had his leg -wrapped around Ty's, and was bendin' his back. Ty's eyes were stickin' -out white an' gruesome, and he was gurglin' in the throat. Suddenly, -somethin' cracked and they both fell to the floor o' the tunnel just -as the match went out. - -I heard hard breathin', and then Olaf's harsh voice came out o' the -darkness. "Well," he said, "I guess that squares things." - -"What's happened, what's happened?" asked a panting voice, and then I -knew 'at Horace hadn't been able to stand it any longer, and had come -in, game wing and all. - -"We've settled up with Ty Jones--that's what's happened," said Olaf; -and as we stood there in the gloom, the drip o' the dawn came rollin' -cold and gray down the slant o' the tunnel; and I shuddered and turned -away to find somethin' for my hands to do. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-THREE - -THE GIFT OF THE DAWN - - -The first thing I did was to light the lantern, for the daylight which -came down there was too much in keepin' with the conditions to suit -me. Promotheus was doubled up an' holdin' his side; so the first thing -I did was to ask him if he was bad hurt. The' was a smile on his lips, -a regular satisfied, self-composed smile, but I didn't just like the -look in his eyes. - -"Nope, I don't ache at all, Happy," he said in a firm voice; "but I -can't move much. Tend to the others first." - -It seems 'at Ty's first shot had hit the woman in the head, and his -next had got The in the side--but The had managed to get the gun away -from him, which is why the rest of us were spared. - -The Friar had carried the woman into our offset, and was rubbin' her -wrists and workin' over her, though the' didn't appear to be much use. -She was still alive; but that was just all, so I left them and -examined the rest. Ty was all twisted out o' shape, and lay with his -eyes open, glassy an' stary and horrible. Olaf hadn't had time to -quite finish the Chink, and he was crawlin' down the tunnel when I -nabbed him. Then Horace took the lantern while Olaf and I hog-tied -Pepper Kendal and the Chink. - -We next examined the cave-room where Ty had made his last stand. It -was fair-sized an' well stocked, and also had half a dozen extra guns -in it. When I saw these fresh guns, I gave a low whistle to think what -a lot o' suckers we'd been to discard our own trumps and set in a game -against a marked deck; but as the Friar allus said: "Wrong feeds on -death and Right feeds on life; so the' can't be no doubt as to the -final result, even though things do look blue sometimes." - -There was a fine spring in the corner o' this room--the same spring -which afterwards came out near the mouth of the ravine and was piped -into the old cabin. The wounded Cross-brander was still babblin', so -we fed him some water and eased him around a little. - -Next we went outside and nailed some pieces to a couple o' light -poles, and we were mighty glad to have enough left to man this vehicle -when it was finished, for we were all purt nigh used up, Tillte, the -two Simpson boys, and myself carried the litter, while Horace ran the -illumination, and Olaf tended to Pepper and the Chink. - -We took 'em all out, even to the dead; and the one at the foot of the -stairs turned out to be the boy, just as I'd thought. Next to the -woman, with the Friar walkin' beside her his head on his breast, this -trip with the boy cut me worse 'n any. Promotheus got off three -average good jokes while we were packin' him out, and cheered us up a -lot; but we put Ty Jones down with the dead. As we straightened him -out he gave a groan which made us all jump. The whole thing had become -a nightmare, and we staggered about like the ingredients of a dream. - -The woman's head was shattered on top an' the' wasn't any hope for -her; but still, it gave the Friar comfort to work over her, so we -acted as though we thought she had a chance. The nearest doctor was at -Meltner's stage station, a full day's ride. Tillte went after him, -while Dan Simpson rode over to his father's to break the news and -bring back Kit. What with the prisoners still on our hands, the dead -to bury, and the wounded to wait on, we were in chin-deep; and the -worst of it was, 'at we didn't want the news to get out. We had tried -to settle things without botherin' the law, and we preferred to finish -that way if possible. - -We buried the four Cross-branders across the crick and down stream -from the lower ford, and we buried Tim Simpson just a little way above -the upper ford. The Friar went along and helped dig the graves and -carry them to it; but he didn't preach nor sing, and his face was -drawn with sorrow. - -By evenin' we had got things to some system. Spider, Tank, Slim, and -Horace were able to help quite a little; but Oscar, Tom Simpson, and -Promotheus were in bad shape; while we had seven prisoners, countin' -the Chink, and seven wounded enemies to look after. The feller Horace -had shot, up on top, got out o' the country, I reckon. Anyway they -left him above with the horses, and we never heard of him again. - -Ol' man Simpson, Kit, and the boy arrived durin' the moonlight, and we -were all mighty glad to see Kit, though we hated to face the old man. -Still, he was game, and took it mighty well. Tillte had got a fresh -hoss at Meltner's and had started right back with the doctor; so they -arrived a little after seven next mornin'. The doctor was purty young -lookin' to me; but he had a bagful o' shiny instruments, and he made -himself at home without any fuss. He had been in a Colorado hospital -for two years, a minin' hospital, and he was as familiar with a -feller's insides, as a pony is with the range he was foaled on. He had -took a claim near Meltner's, and was able to talk a long time on why -it was better for a young doctor to come west. - -He praised the Friar's work to the skies--and then turned in and did -it all over to suit himself. He said that all the wounded stood a good -show except the woman, Promotheus, and Ty Jones. We none of us thought -'at The was in much danger; but the doctor shook his head. Ty's spinal -column had been unjointed near the base, and he was paralyzed from the -hips down; but in all that skirmishin', he was the only one who hadn't -lost a drop o' blood. The Friar, himself, had two flesh-wounds beside -the one Ty had give him. - -I was with the doctor when he started to work on the woman's head; but -I couldn't stand it. I'm not overly squeamish; but I own up I couldn't -stand this; so I backed out, leavin' the Friar with his face like -chalk, to hand instruments while little old Kit held a basin. I hated -to leave 'em; but I didn't take a full breath until I was beside -Promotheus again. - -His voice had got weaker, but the smile never left his lips, and it -was restful just to sit and watch him. Horace hovered over him like a -young hen, and The drank so much water, simply to please Horace, that -I feared his bones would dissolve. Horace had told the doctor he would -pay all the bills, and to go the full limit and not try to economize -none on his patch-work. We put the seven prisoners in the workshop, -and slept in tarps around the door, which was fastened with a chain, -so 'at if they got it open, a board would fall on these sleepin' next, -and wake 'em. - -The Friar was all for notifyin' the authorities; but old man Simpson -had been a notorious public, or some such official, back in Vermont -and naturally he was up on all the twists and windin's of the law. He -said it would take the Su-preme Court itself fifteen years to sift out -the actual legalities of our tangle; and even then he wasn't sure -which side would get the worst of it, so he advised us to just work it -out on our own hook, which we had decided to do anyway. - -For three days, the woman lay in a stupor. Kit had told me that her -skull hadn't been actually shattered--that she had been shot in just -about the same way that Olaf had, but that Nature had counted on Olaf -gettin' into some such a fix, and had provided for it by givin' him a -flint skull, while the woman's skull wasn't of much use except in -times of peace. Kit said the doctor had taken out a few splinters of -bone, and had fastened up the openin', but had said the' wasn't any -show for her. - -On the other hand, Olaf had looked at her careful, and had said that -all the vital part of her was workin' on just this point. He said that -the light about her body was the blue o' weakness; but that just at -this point, the' was a constant bulgin' out o' different colors in a -way he had never before seen. The doctor heaved up his eyebrows at -Olaf's verdict, and looked as though he thought perhaps Olaf's brain -had been shifted a little out o' line, in spite of his flint skull. - -On the third night I was what the doctor called his orderly, and went -on duty at midnight. I was sittin' out on the porch of the old cabin -when the Friar came out holdin' his hand across his eyes. We had moved -the wounded men over to the bunk-shack, and the woman was in Ty's -bedroom. I didn't speak to him, and he stood leanin' against one o' -the posts for some time without seein' me. - -He trembled all over, and his breath came quick and catchy. Finally he -looked up at the stars and said in a low tone, as though speakin' -personal to some one near at hand: "Save me, oh God, from mockery! I -have spoken for others in my vanity; and now that my own hour has -come, oh save me from the rebellion of my flesh; and give me grace to -say in my heart, Thy will be done." - -As he stood with his face upraised, the late moon crept out and shone -full upon it, and the agony in it struck me like a blow; but even as I -looked, the change came. Before my very eyes, I saw the sign of peace -made upon the Friar's brow. A moment before and it had been torn into -wrinkles and covered with beads of sweat; but now it was smooth and -calm. He clasped his hands across his breast, closed his eyes, and -the' came a smile to his lips which drew a mist to my own eyes. I -can't be absolutely certain of it, because o' this blur in my eyes; -but I think, I actually and honestly do think, that I saw white forms -hoverin' in the moonlight above him. - -He drew a full breath and turned to go in, but saw me settin' with my -back again' the wall o' the cabin, and came over and put a hand on my -shoulder. I couldn't say anything. I wanted to say somethin' to -comfort him; but I couldn't speak a word, until he asked me how the -others were gettin' along. I told him they were all doin' fine, and -that even Ty had been restin' well. He turned to go in, and then I -found the nerve to ask him how things were inside. - -"It is all over, Happy," sez he, without even a catch in his voice. -"Just before I came out here, the doctor said the pulse had stopped." - -He caught his breath with a little gasp at this; but that was all. -"What did Olaf say?" I asked. - -"Olaf says that she still lives," he answered; "but I fear that Olaf -is not to be relied upon this time. He has a strange gift; but he does -not understand it himself, and while I know he would not deceive me, I -feel that the doctor must know best." - -"Well, I'll not give up until Olaf does!" I blurted. - -He smiled again and put his hand back on my shoulder. "Come in and -look at her," he said, "she is very beautiful. The strange mask has -fallen from her face, and she is once more as she was in those old, -happy days when we walked together through our own Garden of Eden. -Come in, I want you to see her." - -I went in with him, though I didn't want to. I knew what love did to a -man, and that I hadn't seen the same woman he had; but the' was -another face allus before my eyes, and no one else was beautiful to -me. I didn't want to do any pertendin' to the Friar, even at such a -time as this. - -I follered him inside, feelin' out o' place and embarrassed; but when -I looked down at the quiet face in the bed, I was glad I had come. She -didn't look like the same woman, not at all. All the weary, puzzled -expression had left her face, and in spite of its whiteness, it looked -like the face of a girl. I looked at her a long time and the thought -that came to me over and over was, what a shame she couldn't have had -just a few words with the Friar before she was called on; just a few -words, now that her right mind was back. - -After a time I looked up. Kit sat near the head of the bed, leanin' -over and holdin' a handkerchief to her eyes, Olaf sat near her, a -strange, grim set to his lips. His head was bandaged and he looked -less like a human than usual, as he kept his eyes fixed on the white -face o' the woman. The' was a lamp on the stand and I could see his -eyes. Blue they were, deep blue, like the flowers on the benches in -June, and they didn't move; but kept a steady gaze upon the white, -still face. The doctor sat in a corner, his eyes on the floor. At -first I thought he was asleep, and goodness knows, he was entitled to -it; but just as I looked at him he rubbed his fingers together a -moment and stood up. - -He walked over and put his hand on the Friar's shoulder. "You might as -well all go to sleep, now," he said, gently. "There is nothing more to -do." - -"Are you positive?" asked the Friar. - -"Positive," said the doctor. "There is no heart action, and when I -held a mirror to her lips no vapor was formed." - -"She is still alive," said the deep voice of Olaf, and we all gave a -little start. - -The doctor took a silver quarter and held it to the woman's nose for a -minute, and then looked at it. A puzzled look came to his face, and he -went back and sat down in the corner again. - -"Was it discolored?" asked the Friar. - -"No," sez the doctor slowly; "but I am sure there is no life -remaining. I have seen several cases of suspended animation, but -nothin' like this." - -"She lives, and the light is getting stronger," said Olaf. - -Kit took the handkerchief from her eyes which were still full o' -tears. She wiped them away, and looked first at the woman and then at -Olaf, and then she gave a sigh. The Friar's hands were opening and -shutting. He had fought his fight out on the porch; but the suspense -was beginnin' to undermine him again. - -I went back to the porch and stayed a while. When I went in again, -they were all as I had left them; and after a few minutes I made my -rounds, found everything all right, and came back. I went into the -room several times, and just as I caught the first whiff o' the dawn -breeze, I went in once more, determined to coax the Friar to lie down -and try to sleep. - -They were still in the same positions. Not a line had changed in the -woman's face, the Friar was almost as white as she was but still stood -at the foot o' the bed lookin' down at her; while the wrinkles on -Olaf's set face seemed carved in stone. - -I had just put my hand on the Friar's arm to get his attention when -Olaf rose to his feet, pressed his hand to his blinkin' eyes, and said -wearily: "The blue color is givin' way to pink. She will get well." - -"Don't say it unless you're sure!" cried the Friar, his voice like a -sob. - -For answer Olaf pointed down at the woman's face. A faint color stole -into her cheeks, and as we looked her eyes opened. The first thing -they rested upon was the Friar's face bent above her, and her lips -parted in a wonderin' smile--a smile which lighted her face like the -mornin' sun on ol' Mount Savage, and made her beautiful, to me an' to -all who've ever seen her. - -"Is it you?" she whispered. "Is it really you?" - -A warm, rosy beam of sunshine slipped in through the window and fell -across the bed, and the rest of us tiptoed out, leavin' the Friar -alone with the gift of life which the Dawn had brought back to him. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR - -TY JONES NODS HIS HEAD - - -It was a week after this before Olaf could see properly again. The -doctor was wild to take Olaf back East and hold doin's with him; but -Olaf wouldn't listen to it. He hated to have people take him for a -freak, and said it wasn't any fault of his that he saw the way he did. -The doctor said 'at what Olaf saw was called the aurora; he said that -science had been tryin' to locate it, but hadn't found any way to do -it, and that it was some sort o' rays shootin' out from this which had -put the inflammation into Olaf's eyes. - -Olaf had had one of his teeth filled when he was young, and ever since -that he'd been suspicious o' science; so he just clouded up his face -when they tried to devil him into bein' an experiment, and they -couldn't do anything with him. The Friar might have been able to, but -the Friar would have sent his own eyes East by freight before he'd -have asked Olaf to do a single thing he didn't want to do. The -ignorant allus scoff at the idee of Olaf seein' the soul-flame; but -the edicated allus take a serious interest which seems mighty -funny--don't it? - -From the very moment Janet opened her eyes and smiled up at the Friar -that mornin' she continued to improve. The doctor listened to all that -was told him about her havin' pains in the top of her head and not -bein' right intellectually, and he said she must have had a blow there -at some former time which had probably formed a tumor on the brain or -knocked off a few splinters of bone into it, and that in removin' the -pressure, she had been put into perfect order again. - -She had the smoothest voice I had ever heard, and I just doted on -hearin' her speak the Friar's name, John Carmichael. I had a legal -right to use the name John, myself; but it allus had the feel of a -stiff collar to me, so I was glad enough to have it forgotten. But -when Janet spoke the words John Carmichael, why, it cleared up the -atmosphere and started a little breeze. She didn't recall how she had -come to Cross Crick, nor anything much which had happened to her since -the night in Berlin. She said she had took singin' lessons in a place -called Italy, and had expected to reach grand opery. - -She had sung for pay whenever she got a chance, in order to get money -enough to go on with her studies, and was gettin' what I'd call mighty -lucrative wages at the Winter Garden; but was all the time bothered by -a lot o' foreign dudes who had the desire to make love, but not the -capacity. She said her manager had introduced an Austrian count for -advertizin' purposes, and she had finally consented to eat a meal with -him; but had been taken sick and had fallen. This was when she had -bumped her head and she never got clear in it again until that morning -when she had hovered between goin' out with the night or comin' back -with the dawn. - -She said she had a hazy, dreamlike remembrance of havin' tried all -kinds o' work after this; but couldn't tell the real from the unreal; -and she didn't have any recollection of how she had come to the ranch. -We never mentioned Ty Jones to her for she was comin' along like a -colt on grass, and we didn't want to risk any set-back. She said she -still had it on her mind that she had lost something precious; but she -couldn't make out what it could have been, and the Friar allus told -her not to worry, but to just rest herself back to complete strength. - -Oscar and Tom Simpson had turned the corner, and it was only a -question of time when they'd be all right again--which was true of all -the others except Ty and Prometheus. Ty wouldn't speak to us at all, -though he didn't seem to suffer to amount to anything. The doctor said -he might live for years, or he might slip away at a moment's notice; -but either way, he was doomed to be paralyzed for the rest of his -life; while the' wasn't any hope for Promotheus at all. - -He had been shot through the liver, which pleased him a lot as bein' -so in keepin' with his name; but we couldn't see why a feller who had -survived bein' shot in so many other places, should have to give in on -account of an extra hole in his liver. Horace divided his time between -waitin' on The and spurrin' up the doctor to try some new treatment. -He read aloud to The out o' Ty's books, and he seemed as fond o' those -old Greek fellers as Horace was himself. He was also mighty pleased to -have the Friar read and talk to him, and it softened us all a lot to -see how patient and gentle Promotheus had become. Humanity is about -the finest thing the' is about a human; and all humans have a showin' -growth of it, if ya can just scratch the weeds away and give it a -chance. - -The prisoners bothered us a heap; we feared they might have some -leanin's toward revenge; so we didn't dare turn 'em loose until they -showed some decided symptoms of repentance. Finally we got to bringin' -'em up two at a time to talk with The. At first it didn't do any good, -as Ty sat propped up in a bunk, grinnin' scornful, while The lay flat -on his back lookin' mighty weak and wan; but after several trials at -it, they seemed to pay more heed to what The told 'em. We figured that -Ty must have ten or a dozen men still out on the range somewhere; but -they never showed up. - -In about two weeks, or it might 'a' been three, all the wounded were -able to walk about except Promotheus, Ty Jones, and Oscar. Oscar was -doin' fine; but the noise of the other men bothered The a little at -night, though he denied it up and down. Still, we thought best to move -him and Ty to a couple o' cots at the east end of the mess-hall, which -was large and airy, with a big fireplace for cool nights. By this time -Janet was able to take short walks, leanin' on the Friar's arm; but -the Friar hadn't come any closer to findin' out what it was she had -lost, nor whether or not she was Ty's wife. The only reply Ty ever -made to questions, was to skin back his lips in a wolf-grin. - -The used to lay with his eyes fixed on Ty's face and a look of -hopeless sadness in his own. When we'd come and talk to him, his face -would light up; but as soon as we left him, he would look at Ty again -with a sorrow that fair wrung a feller's heart. I wanted to separate -'em; but when I suggested this to The, he shook his head. "Nope," he -said, "he may speak to me before the vultures finish with my liver; -and if ever the mood crosses his mind for a second, I want to be so -handy 'at he won't have time to change his mind." - -I told The 'at what was worryin' the Friar most was that all the -fightin' had been on his account; but that next to this, it was -because he didn't know whether or not Ty was married to Janet. - -That evenin' just when the thinky time o' twilight came along, I was -settin' by the fire in the mess-hall, where I could see Ty, and his -face didn't have quite so much the eagle look to it as common. The's -eyes rested on Ty's face most o' the time, and he, too, noticed it -bein' a little less fierce than usual. - -"Ty," he said in a low tone, "I was drove into turnin' again' ya. Not -by force, ya understand, nor by fear; but by something which has crept -into me durin' the last few years, and which I can't understand, -myself. Horace and the Friar have been mighty good to me--they saved -my life, ya know, after I had forfeited it by raidin' 'em durin' the -night. I told 'em I wouldn't be a spy on you about anything else -except the woman. You haven't much excuse to bear me any ill will, -seein' as it was your own hand which shot the move-on order into me. -I'm goin' to slip out yonder before long; but the's no knowin' how -long you'll have to sit penned up in a chair." - -The's voice gave out here, and he stopped a few minutes to cough. Ty's -face hadn't changed, and his eyes looked out through the south window -to where the western sky was still lighted into glory by the rays o' -the sun, which had already sunk. - -"I've been locked up in a stone prison, Ty," said Promotheus as soon -as he had quieted down again; "and I want to tell you that the minutes -drag over ya like a spike-tooth harrow, when you haven't nothin' to -look at but four gray walls and the pictures on your memory. A feller -feeds himself on bitter recollections in order to keep his hate lusty; -but all this pilin' up o' hate is just one parchin' hot day after -another--like we've had this summer. Everything green and pleasant in -a feller's nature is burned down to the roots, and in tryin' to hate -all the world, he ends by hatin' himself worst of all. Every kindly -deed he's done seems like a soothin' shower, and counts a lot in -keepin' him from fallin' down below the level o' snakes and coyotes. - -"I'm not preachin' at ya, I'm tellin' you just what I know to be so -from actual experience. I don't bear you no ill will, Ty, whether you -tell me what I want to know, or not; but you have it in your power to -give me more content than airy other man in all the world. Are you -married to the woman, Ty?" - -For a moment Ty didn't move, and then his lips tightened and he nodded -his head. Promotheus gave a sigh and settled back. He stayed quiet for -some time and then said in a weak voice: "Thank ya, Ty. I'm purty -certain that at such a time as this, you wouldn't deceive me. I'm -sorry you are married to her--on the Friar's account, understand--but -I'm mightily obliged to you for tellin' me the truth. The Friar is a -square man, and he's a strong man. He'll be able to fight what he has -to fight; but none of us can fight uncertainty, without losin' our -nerve in the end. I wish you would talk to me, Ty. I thought more o' -you than of airy other man I ever knew, except Horace and the Friar; -and I wish, just for old time's sake, you'd talk to me a little before -I slip away. You can talk, can't ya?" - -"Yes, I can talk," sez Ty Jones, facin' The with a scowl; "but I -haven't any talk I want to waste on traitors. If I was to speak at -all, it would be to ask 'em to separate me from your sloppy yappin'. -You may think 'at you sound as saintly as a white female angel when -you whine about duty and forgiveness and such-like rubbish; but the -more oil you put on your voice, the more I know you to be a sneak, a -hypocrite, and a traitor. I won't ask 'em to move me; because I'm not -in the habit of _askin'_ any man. When I had two legs to stand -on, I gave orders. Now that I can't give orders, I don't speak at all; -but every time you try to speak like a hen-missionary, you can know -that I'm sayin' to myself--sneak, hypocrite, traitor!" - -One thing you'll have to say about Ty Jones, an' that is, that when he -started north, he didn't wobble off to the east or west much, let what -would come in his path. The only reply The made was to sigh; but what -I wanted to do, was to lull Promotheus into a deep sleep, and then to -fasten Ty Jones's neck to a green bronco, and let them two settle it -out between 'em which was the tougher beast. What I did do, was to -steal out and tell Horace what had been said, and I also told him not -to separate Ty and Promotheus as I thought The would set him an -example which might finally soften him a little and make him more fit -to die, when the time came 'at some quick tempered individual lost -patience and tried to knock a little decent conversation out of him -with an ax. - -Horace, though, thought only o' The, and he hurried in and sat beside -him. I also went in and took my seat by the fire again. Horace took -The's hand in one of his and patted it with the other. Horace didn't -have any upliftin' words to match the Friar's; but he had some chirky -little ways which were mighty comfortin' to The, and when Horace would -be with him, all the sadness would leave his eyes, and he would talk -as free as he thought--which, to my mind, is the final test of -genuwine courage. - -Mighty few of us can do it. I know I can't. Time and again, I have had -deep feelin's for some one in trouble; but when I'd try to put 'em -into words, the knees o' my tongue would allus knock together, and I'd -growl out somethin' gruff, cough, blow my nose, and get into a corner -as soon as possible. The Friar was the first man who ever showed me -'at a feller could speak out his softness without losin' any of his -strength, and I have honestly tried to do it myself; but I generally -had to dilute it down over half, and even then, it allus sounded as -though I had wrote it out and learned it by heart. - -The asked Horace to either move him or Ty, said he didn't feel quite -comfortable beside Ty, and made out that it was his own wish; but -Horace vetoed the motion, and pertended to scold The for not havin' a -more forgivin' nature. The thought he had been as circumspect as a -land agent, and when his request rebounded back on him, he found -himself without any dry powder. - -He lay quiet for some time, and then spoke in so low a tone I could -hardly hear him. "I can understand the real Promotheus purty well, -Horace," sez he; "and I've tried to be as game as he was; but I can't -quite understand the One the Friar tells about. I have thought of Him -a heap since I've been laid up this time; but I don't believe I could -bring myself to forgive them who had nailed me on a cross for doin' -nothin' but good--I don't believe I could do that. - -"I can feel things clearer now 'n I ever could before; and when I -picture my own self as hangin' from nails drove through my hands and -feet, it just about takes my breath away. I've been handled purty -rough in my time, but allus when my blood was hot, and pain don't -count then; but to have nails drove--My God, Horace, that's an awful -thought! That's an awful thought. - -"Then, too, I don't feel that any one has ill used me lately. The -treatment I got in the army, and in the pen, was consid'able hellish; -but I haven't had much chance to try forgivin' any one for the last -few years. Horace, you can't imagine all the joy the last part of my -life has been to me. I didn't know what life really was, until you and -the Friar pointed it out to me. I've been so happy sometimes it has -hurt me in the throat; and now that I'm goin' on, I don't want to -cause any one any bother. I asked Ty to tell me if he was married to -the woman, and he did tell me. I'm sorry to say 'at he is married to -her, Horace; but I'm thankful to Ty for tellin' me. He don't feel easy -near me; so I wish you'd move me back to the bunk-shack." - -It was some minutes before Horace could speak, and when he did, he had -to put on pressure to keep his voice steady. "I don't care one single -damn what Ty Jones wants," sez he. "Let him stay right where he is and -learn the meanin' of friendship from the best friend a man ever had." -After which Horace gave The's hand a grip and hurried out of the room. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE - -THE LITTLE GUST O' WIND - - -I have seen some mighty quick changes brought about by flood o' -circumstances breakin' on a man all of a sudden--ol' Cast Steel -Judson, himself, had melted and run into a new mold the night o' -Barbie's weddin'--but I never saw such a complete change as had took -place in The since I'd first seen him. He loved devilment then, like a -bear loves honey; while now he had swung back with the pendulem clear -to the other side, until he was more unworldly 'n the Friar himself. -It wasn't what he said 'at made a feller feel funny inside, it was his -eyes. His eyes were all the time tryin' to tell things 'at his tongue -couldn't frame up, and it acted like brakes on a feller's breathin' -apparatus. - -I asked the Friar about it one evenin' while we were walkin' back -through the ravine. He walked along with his brows wrinkled a few -minutes, and then said: "You see, Happy, the whole human race is made -up o' millions of individuals, and each one is some alike and some -different. A man goes through childhood, youth, his fightin' period, -and old age; and the race has to do the same thing. - -"Now, ages ago when the childhood o' the race began, folks were -downright primitive; they used stone axes, skins for clothing, and ate -raw flesh. They were fierce, impulsive, passionate, just like children -are if you watch 'em close enough; but they lived close to nature, -just like the children do, and their bodies were vigorous, and their -minds were like dry sponges, ready to absorb whatever fell upon 'em. - -"The outdoor man of to-day is still primitive; he delights in his -dissipations, and recklessness, but the grim, set face which he wears, -is a mask. The rich, pure air is all the time washin' his body clean, -his active life keeps his nerves sound and accurate, and his heart is -like the heart of a little child--hungry for good or evil, and needin' -a guiding hand all the time. - -"In the mornin' a child is so full o' life that words don't mean much -to him; but when the play o' the day is over, he comes home, through -the twilight shadows, bruised an' disappointed an' purty well tired -out. All day long he's waged his little wars; but now he is mighty -glad to pillow his head close to his mother's heart; and then it is -that the seeds o' gentleness are easiest sprouted. This is the -twilight time for Promotheus." - -We didn't have anything more to say on this walk; but we both had -plenty to think of. It allus seemed to me that in some curious way, -the Friar, himself, was better 'n his own religion. His religion made -badness a feller's own fault; but after gettin' to know the Friar, it -allus made ya feel more like takin' some share in the other feller's -sin, than like pointin' your finger at him and sayin' he never was any -good, nohow. - -A couple o' days after this, the doctor told us that the sands were -runnin' mighty low in The's hour-glass, and it wouldn't be long to the -end; but still we couldn't believe it. He didn't look bad, nor he -didn't suffer; and we had seen him come back from the grave almost, -that time at Olaf's when Horace had claimed his life, and had saved -him in spite of himself. - -Then again, the doctor had missed it on Janet, and we were all hopin' -he'd get slipped up on again; but The himself seemed to side with the -doctor, and Olaf took one long look, an' then shut his lips tight an' -shook his head. The said he wanted to live, and had done all he could -to get a clinch on life; but that it was slippin' away from him drop -by drop, and he couldn't stay with us much longer. - -He seemed to want us about him, so we dropped in and sat beside him as -long as we could keep cheerful. All through the afternoon he lay with -a serious, gentle smile on his lips, but the sadness was mostly gone, -even from his eyes. I closed my own eyes as I sat beside him, and -called up the picture o' Badger-face the day he had wanted to lynch -Olaf. Then I opened my eyes and looked at the real Promotheus, and I -understood what the Friar meant by bein' born again. - -I spoke o' this to ol' Tank Williams, and he fired up at me as though -I had poured red pepper in the nose of a sleepin' cripple. "You're a -nice one, you are!" sez he. "I'd sooner fill myself with alcohol and -die in a stupor than to call up The's past at such a time as this. You -ought to be ashamed o' yourself." - -The' was no way to make Tank see what I meant so I sent him in to set -with The a while, and took a little walk up the ravine. Every step I -took brought some memory o' the time The and Horace and I had first -started to find out about the woman; and it wasn't long before I was -ready to turn back. - -Janet was quite strong by this time, though she still had to wear a -bandage; and after supper, the Friar took her in to see Promotheus. He -had told her all about him, and she was mighty sorry to think 'at his -end was near. She didn't recall havin' been kind to him when he was -playin' cripple; but the Friar had told her about this, too. Horace -had told the Friar about what Ty had said, and it had cut him purty -deep; but he had braced up better 'n we expected. We didn't any of us -know what effect bringin' Janet in sight o' Ty would have, and when -she came into the mess-hall, we watched purty close. - -Ty sat propped up, with his clenched hand restin' outside the blanket, -and an expression on his face like that of a trapped mountain-lion. He -glared up at her as she came near; but she only looked at him with -pity in her eyes, and she didn't seem to recognize him, at all--just -looked at him as though he was a perfect stranger which she was sorry -for, and Tank, who was settin' next me, gave me a nudge in my short -ribs, which was about as delicate as though it had come from the hind -foot of a mule. "Well?" I whispered. "What do ya mean by that?" - -"Couldn't ya see 'at she didn't know him?" sez Tank. - -"That's nothin'," sez I. "He knew her all right." - -"Yes, but Great Scott," sez he, "a man can't claim that a woman's his -wife if she don't know him, can he?" - -"Pshaw," sez I, "if you'd settle things that way, the' wouldn't be any -married people left. The' ain't one woman in fifty 'at knows her -husband, and the' ain't any men at all who know their wives." - -"You're just dodgin' the question," sez Tank. "I claim that if a man -marries a woman when she's out of her mind, he ain't got any claim on -her when she gets back into her mind again." - -"Look here, Tank," sez I; "you've never had much experience with the -world, 'cause every time you went where experience was to be had, you -got too intoxicated to take notice; but I'm tellin' you the truth when -I say that if women didn't sometimes get out o' their right minds, -they wouldn't get married at all." - -"Aw, shut up," sez Tank. - -Janet had gone over to Promotheus, and was smoothin' his forehead. She -had a beautiful, shapely hand, and it made me feel a little wishful to -watch her. The lay perfectly still, and his sensations must 'a' been -peculiar. Ty Jones didn't even look at 'em. He kept his brows scowled -down and his gaze out the south window. - -Presently Janet turned and walked out to the porch. It was an -unusually warm night, and she sat there alone, while the Friar came -back to The. Horace had gone off by himself to get a grip on his -feelin's; but he came in about nine o'clock, and went up and took -The's hand. "Well," sez he, "have you finally got over your nonsense? -I have a lot o' plans I want to carry out, and you know I can't have -you loafin' much longer." - -Nothin' suited The so well as to have a little joke put at him; but he -didn't have any come-back to this. He caught at his breath a time or -two, and then said: "I can't do it, this time, Horace. I hate to -disappoint ya--I've been countin' on what a good time we were goin' to -have--up there in the hills--but I can't come back this time--I, -can't, quite, make it." - -He ended with a little gurgle and sank back on the pillow. Horace -shook him a little and then flew for the doctor, who was on the porch -o' the old cabin. They were back in half a minute, Horace pushin' the -doctor before him; and we all held our breaths when he felt The's -pulse. The doctor squirted somethin' into The's arm, and after a bit, -he opened his eyes with a long sigh, and when he saw Horace bendin' -over him, he smiled. - -"I mighty near slipped away that time," sez he. "It's not goin' to be -hard, Horace; and I don't want you to worry. I feel as comfortable as -if I was sleepin' on a cloud, and there isn't one, single thing to -grieve about. I've been like one o' those hard little apples which -take so long to ripen. I've hung up on a high bough and the rains beat -on me, and the sun shone on me, and the winds shook me about, and the -birds pecked at me until at last just the right sort o' weather came -along and I became softer and softer, and riper and riper, until now -my hold on the stem begins to weaken. Purty soon a little gust'll come -along and shake me down on the green grass; but this is all right, -this is perfectly natural, and I don't want you to feel bad about it. - -"I own up now, that I've been afraid o' death all my life; but this -has passed. I don't suffer a bit; but I'm tired, just that pleasant -weariness a feller feels when his last pipe has been smoked, and the -glow o' the camp fire begins to form those queer pictures, in which -the doin's o' that day mingle with the doin's of other days. I'm -liable to drop off to sleep at any moment, now; and I'd like--I'd kind -o' like to shake hands with the boys before I go." - -Well, this gave Horace something to do, and he was mighty glad to do -it. After we had all shaken hands with The, he marched up the -prisoners, even to the Chink, and they all shook hands, too; and by -this time Prometheus was purty tired; but he did look unusual -contented. He glanced across at Ty; but Ty had turned his face to the -wall, and The gave a little sigh, settled down into the pillow again, -and closed his eyes. Horace backed around until The couldn't see him, -and shook his fist at Ty, good and earnest. - -Purty soon a regular grin came to The's face, and he opened his eyes -and looked at the Friar with a twinkle in 'em. "Friar Tuck," sez he, -"I don't know as I ever mentioned it before, but I'll confess now that -I'm right glad I didn't lynch you for stealin' those hosses." He lay -there smilin' a minute, and then held out his hand. "Good-bye, -Horace," he said in a firm voice. - -Horace had been doin' uncommon well up to now; but he couldn't stand -this. He threw himself on the bed, took both o' The's hands and looked -down into his face. "Promotheus, Prometheus," he called to him in a -shakin' voice. "Don't give up! You can win if you fight a while -longer. Remember that day in the desert, when I wanted to lie down and -end it all. You said you didn't take any stock in such nonsense; and -you picked me up and carried me over the molten copper, while queer -things came out o' the air and clutched at us. You reached the -water-hole that time, Promotheus, and you can do it again, if you just -use all your might." - -Promotheus opened his eyes and his jagged, gnarly teeth showed in a -smile, weak and trembly, but still game to the last line of it. -"Nope," he said so low we could hardly hear him, "I'm Promotheus, all -right. I hung on as long as I could; but the vultures have finished my -liver at last, Horace--they have finally finished it. I hate to leave -you; but I'll have to be goin' soon. The's only one thing I ask of -ya--don't send a single one o' the boys to the pen. They don't know -what the world really is; but shuttin' 'em out of it won't ever teach -'em. If the's anything you can do to give 'em a little start, it would -be a mighty good thing--a mighty good thing." His voice was gettin' -awful weak, an' he'd have to rest every few words. - -"And Ty Jones, too," he went on, "Ty was square with me in the old -days. Try to make him understand what it was 'at turned me again' him; -and if the's any way to make things easier for Ty, I want you to have -it done. Ty had a lot o' tough times, himself, before he turned all -the hard part of his nature outside. Don't bear him any malice, -Horace. Seventy times seven, the Friar sez we ought to forgive, and -that many'll last a long time, if a feller don't take offence too -easy. The's a lot o' things I don't understand; but some way it seems -to me that if I could just go out feelin' I had squared things with -Ty, I'd be a leetle mite easier in my mind." - -Horace stepped to Ty's bed and shook him by the arm. "Did you hear -what he said?" he demanded. "You know he's achin' to have you speak to -him decent. Why don't ya speak to him?" - -Ty looked cold and stony into Horace's eyes, and then took his left -hand and pushed Horace's grip from off his arm. Horace stood lookin' -at Ty with his fist clinched. The turned and saw it and a troubled -look came into his face. - -"Friar Tuck," he said, "you meant it, didn't ya--that about forgivin' -seventy times seven?" - -"I did," sez the Friar, his voice ringin' out clear and strong in -spite of its bein' low pitched. "Be at peace, Promotheus, the laws of -man are at war with the laws of God; but they're bound to lose in the -end. I want you to know that I forgive Ty Jones as fully as you -do--and I shall do everything in my power to square things up with -him." - -The held out his hand to the Friar, and they clasped in a -comrade-grip. "I can trust you," he said; "and I know you'll do all -you can to make Horace see it that way, too." - -"I forgive him, too, you big goose!" cried Horace. "I promise you that -I'll do all I can for him--on your account. Though I must say--but no, -I mean it, Promotheus. I forgive him from my heart, and I'll be as -good a friend to him as I can." - -"Now, let the little gust o' wind come," sez The. "I'm perfectly ripe -and ready for it, now." - -The' was silence for several minutes; and then Promotheus said in a -faint voice: "Friar, I wish you'd sing to me. All my life I've longed -to hear a cradle-song, a regular baby cradle-song. I know it's a -damn-fool notion; but I never had it so strong as I've got it now--and -I wish you'd sing one to me. My mother was a widow, mostly. She -cleaned out offices at night to earn enough to keep us alive. She -sacrificed her life for me, but I couldn't understand this then. - -"Night after night I used to creep in from the street through dirty, -stinkin' halls, and cry myself to sleep. An achin' came into my heart -then which hasn't never quite left it; and it was this lonesomeness -'at finally made me run away--leavin' her to face it out--all by -herself. - -"My blood has turned to water, I reckon, and I feel like a baby -to-night. I don't suffer, understand; I feel as though I was a little -chap again, and that my mother didn't have to work; but was holdin' me -on her lap. She did hold me that way once--the time the ambulance -brought my old man home--but she couldn't sing then. It seems to me -that if you'd just sing me a regular cradle-song--I could slip away -into pleasant dreams." - -The Friar cleared his throat a time or two before he found his voice; -and then he said in a low tone: "I used to sleep in a store-box, -Promotheus, when I was a lad--and I know exactly what you feel. I'll -sing you a cradle-song, a song for little children of all ages. It is -a great privilege to be a little child, Promotheus, and--and I wish -you pleasant dreams." - -Then Friar Tuck drew a deep, full breath, and held it down until all -the quiver had gone from his lips. When he started to sing, his voice -was low an' soothin', and full o' tenderness; and after the first -line, Promotheus gave a little sigh o' content, nodded his head, and -shut his eyes. - -The' was one tune we every last one of us liked. The Friar generally -sang it to words which began: "Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah"; and he -usually sang it with a swing which was like a call to battle; and this -time he sang the same tune, but soft and close and restful, and the -words he used began: "Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me." These words -sound purty flat when ya give 'em cold; but they didn't sound empty to -us, as we stood lookin' down at Promotheus. All alone, he had taken -his chance when he took on with Ty Jones; and now he was cashin' in -this chance and it made us mighty sober. - -The Friar finished the first four lines alone, and then the angels -seemed to join in with him. We had all been purty certain that the' -wasn't nothin' in the shape of earthly melody fit to hold a candle to -the Friar; but just at this point a new voice joined onto the Friar's -which sent a thrill through us and made us stop breathin'. A queer, -half frightened look crossed the Friar's face for a second; but his -voice didn't waver for a single note. Instead, the' came a new tone of -thanksgivin' and confidence in it which took all the sting out o' -death and made it all right and pleasant, like the cool and -restfulness o' night, after the heat of day. - - "All this day Thy hand has led me, - And I thank Thee for Thy care; - Thou hast warmed me, clothed and fed me; - Listen to my evening prayer," - -went on the song and the' came an expression of wonder and of joy into -The's tired face. - -There are only three little verses to this one, and to fill out the -tune they had to sing the first one over again, soft and low. The -candles threw a soft glow on The's face which hid the pallor of it and -the rough lines, but brought out all the kindly strength we had come -to be so fond of; and when the music died away, we all sat still for -fear o' disturbin' him. - -Horace had been settin' holdin' one of his hands, and after a bit he -leaned forward and whispered, "Was that what you wanted, Promotheus?" - -But the' wasn't any reply. The little gust o' wind had come with the -song--and fully ripe, and soft to the core of his big, warm heart, -Promotheus had loosed his hold on the bough of life, and dropped off -onto the soft, deep grass of eternity. - -"Promotheus! Promotheus!" cried Horace, and then covered his face with -his hands and dropped forward upon The's quiet breast. - -"Badger-face," called a harsh voice, and we looked at Ty Jones and saw -him leanin' towards The. "Wait, Badger-face, wait--I want to speak to -ya. I want to tell you that I lied to ya. Oh Lord, it's too late, it's -too late!" And Ty Jones pressed his hand across his eyes and sank -back. - -Horace whirled to tell Ty what he thought of him; but the Friar placed -his big hand on Horace's shoulder, and pointed down to The's placid -face. Horace gave a shudderin' sob, and settled back into his former -position. - -Janet Morris crossed the floor to the Friar just then and said to him -in a low tone: "I have found it again--my voice has come back to me." - -Ty Jones took his hand down from his eyes and straightened up and -looked at her. All the eagle had gone from his face, and it looked old -and haggard. "Don't you really know who I am?" he asked. - -She looked at him and shook her head. - -"I'm your half-brother," he said. "I'm Tyrell Jones Morris. Your -mother might have been a good woman, but she was not good to me--she -wasn't fair; she prejudiced my father again' me. You were sellin' -tickets at an elevated station in New York when I found you. You -looked a good deal like your mother, for you were weak and sickly. I -didn't know then, whether I brought you back with me because we had -the same blood in our veins, or because I hated you--and I don't know -yet. I'm not tellin' you this now, because I care any thing for you, -or the preacher; but Badger-face was square, and I know now 'at he'd -never have turned again' me if the rest of ya hadn't tampered with -him. I'm sorry I didn't tell him before he died--and that's why I'm -tellin' you now." - -I winked my eyes to the boys, and we filed out and went over to the -bunk-shack. We lighted our pipes and sat a long time smokin' in -silence. One by one they dropped off to bed until only me and ol' Tank -Williams was left. Tank sat with a sour look on his face, and so -deeply buried in thought that the burnt matches around his stool -looked like a wood pile. "What are ya thinkin' of, Tank?" I said to -him. - -"I'm not kickin', understand," sez he; "but it does seem to me that -when all The asked for was a cradle-song, the Friar could 'a' thought -up somethin' besides another one o' those doggone sheep-herder hymns. -The didn't have any more use for sheep-herders 'n I have." - -This was the real Tank, all right. Once an idee took possession of -him, it rode him rough shod till he keeled over with his tongue -hangin' out. - - - - -CHAPTER FORTY-SIX - -THE FINAL MOVES - - -We buried The by the side o' Tim Simpson. Horace insisted on makin' a -coffin for him--fact was, he wanted to have a regular funeral, but we -talked him out o' this; so he made a coffin himself and lined it with -silk which Ty Jones had brought out for Janet to make dresses of. The -Friar held some short services, but he didn't sing or preach any. Some -way, the' didn't seem to be any need of it. After we had covered him -over we stood around talkin' for quite a while; and then only turned -away because the first rain we had had for months came rattlin' down -from the mountains. - -"Do you see that, now?" asked ol' Tank after we had reached the porch -and were sittin' watchin' it come down in torrents. - -"I'm not totally blind," sez I. - -"Well, I'm not superstitious," sez Tank; "but I'm bettin' that he's -had that tended to, himself. He wasn't one to forget his friends, and -he knew 'at what we needed most was rain--so he's called attention to -it the first chance he's had." - -Fact was, Tank was so everlastin' superstitious that he spelt Tomas -with an "h" in it to keep from havin' thirteen letters in his full -name; but it did seem queer about this rain, because they wasn't any -sane man in the world who would have expected a rain just at this -time. It's astonishin' how many curious things there is if a feller -just takes notice of 'em. - -The Friar and Ty had had a long talk the night 'at Promotheus slipped -away, and the Friar had agreed to settle down at the ranch and do what -he could for Ty. Ty wasn't thankful; but he hadn't much choice, so he -behaved better 'n any one would have expected. The Friar wanted me to -stay and be foreman for him; but I told him I had promised Jabez to -come back as soon as I had got a good holt on myself again; and I -intended to leave for the Diamond Dot the minute things were right at -the Cross brand. The Friar didn't much trust Pepper Kendal for -foreman; but the minute I thought it over, I saw that Olaf was the -very man, and this suited the Friar to a T. - -We brought the prisoners up to Ty and he told 'em how things were and -advised 'em to adjust themselves to new conditions as fast as -possible, and they all agreed to do it and went to work under Olaf. -The Friar knew a preacher at Laramie; so Horace gave Tillte Dutch the -job o' goin' after him, and as soon as he came, the Friar and Janet -were married, and then I made plans to hit the trail for the Diamond -Dot. - -Horace had made up his mind to build himself a cabin up at our old -camp and he tried to hire me for life; but I had taken root at the -Diamond, and when I explained things to him, he owned up I was right. -I suggested to Horace that ol' Tank Williams was the very man for him, -and he admitted, when he came to look it over, that Tank would suit -him a heap better for hired help 'n I would. He even went so far as to -say he never could understand how it came 'at a stiff-necked man like -ol' Jabez could put up with my independent ways. I told Horace the' -was a lot of things it wasn't necessary for him to understand, and -then I whistled to Tank, and he came over and joined us. - -Tank rolled the notion about in his head a while, and then he sez: -"Horace, I'll take ya up. We both got cured up of our nerves on the -same trip, and ever since then I have to own that you've found favor -in my sight; but the one thing 'at counts bigger 'n anything else, is -the fact that, come what will, you'll never have any more hankerin' to -be pestered by a lot o' sheep, than I will." - -Olaf started to get things ready for the round-up and us Diamond Dot -boys, aside from ol' Tank, rode off home, where we found things in -consid'able of a muddle. Durin' the three years previous I had been -takin' more and more o' the responsibility onto my own shoulders, and -ol' Cast Steel found himself purty rusty. We turned to and -straightened things out, and then I settled down to the sober business -o' handlin' a big outfit with a view on the future. - -After this, I didn't do any more skitin' around than my peculiar -nature seemed to insist on; but I did make out to pay the Cross brand -a visit every once in a while. The Friar only intended to stay long -enough to get things to slidin' easy; and then he and Janet were to go -back East and work among the city poor; but the chance never came. - -Janet grew perfectly strong and well again; but the city allus made -her nervous to return to the mountains, and they were kept so busy on -the ranch that the years slipped away without bein' noticed. - -Ty's backbone was all in one piece, and solid--except where Olaf had -unjointed it--and it took years to wear him down to friendliness; but -when the Friar's first baby got big enough to creep, the contrary -little cuss took more interest in ol' Ty Jones, than in airy other -thing the' was on the place. I never saw any one yet who didn't feel -flattered at a baby's endorsement--though why a baby should be -supposed to actually have better judgment than grown folks has never -been fully explained to me yet. - -Horace kept his word to The, and he did all he could for Ty. Ty didn't -like him and he didn't like Ty; but Ty was human, and it made him -lonely to sit in one spot all the time, so that while he refused to be -thankful, he gradually got to relyin' on Horace; and Horace was also -human, and the more he did for Ty on The's account, the more fond he -grew of Ty on his own account. He got him a wheelchair first, and this -was a big help. Then he fixed up a trapeze for Ty to practice on. Ty -got mad about this and said that cripple though he was, no man could -make a monkey of him; but one night when he couldn't sleep he -practiced on it, and it gave him a lot o' relief. - -The name of the Chinaman was Yuen Yick, and he thought 'at Ty Jones -was some sort of a god, and fair worshipped him--every one o' Ty's men -swore by him, even after he turned decent. Ty used to abuse the Chink -all he could and it pleased 'em both; and the Chink saw that Horace -meant well by Ty, so he kept Horace posted on just what Ty did and -thought; and Horace had Janet make some flannel bricks filled with -cotton for Ty to throw at the Chinaman. Ty got a lot o' satisfaction -out o' these bricks, and the exercise helped him too. - -Next, Horace had a wide porch built all around Ty's house, and he -swung ropes with rings on 'em from the ceiling, an equal distance -apart; and Ty got so he could swing from ring to ring, and go all -around the house, and climb ladders, and as the boy got big enough to -become tyrannical, which was soon enough, goodness knows, he made Ty -do all manner o' stunts--throw balls and juggle 'em, tell stories, -draw pictures--Well, the fact was, that between 'em all, they kept Ty -so active that first we knew, the devil had all been worked out of him -and he was as civilized as any of us. One day when Horace was down -visitin' him, he sent in the Chink and had him bring out a set of -ivory figures, carved most beautiful and called chess-men; and he -dared Horace to play him a game, and this was the final surrender of -the old Ty Jones. - -He was a well edicated man, Ty was; and each winter when he had left -the ranch, he had gone to some big city where he had pertended to be a -regular swell. No one ever found out just what had soured him so on -the world, for his nature was to be sociable to a degree. He said that -no one knew the cause of it except ol' Promotheus, and it was mightily -to his credit that he hadn't devulged the secret. - -Ty strung out his surprises quite a while. It seems he was also an -inventor, and had patents which brought him in a lot o' money. He had -found this cave and had just widened it where widenin' was necessary, -and had built his cabin above it. The floor was double and filled with -earth, and the fake drawers were also filled with earth, so 'at no -sound would show that it was hollow underneath. The drawers swung on a -steel piller which could be worked from above by a rope which hung -back o' his bookcase and from below by a lever. - -It was a curious thing to see Ty Jones with his bristly eyebrows and -his eagle's beak of a nose, makin' mechanical toys for the Friar's and -Olaf's children. They didn't put any limit on what he was able to do, -and he used to grumble at 'em as fierce as a grizzly--and then -back-track like an Injun, and do whatever they wanted him to. - -The Friar never quite gave up his plot to go back and work among the -poor; but the' was allus so many things imposed upon him by the home -folks that he was pestered with letters every time he left; and -usually compromised by gatherin' up a bunch o' the poor as hasty as -possible, and bringin' 'em back with him. His head was full of what he -called welfare plans, and he settled the poor along all the likely -cricks he found vacant, and bulldozed 'em into goin' to work. It's a -curious coincident; but most of 'em turned out well. - -The' was a bilious feller out visitin' me once, which called himself a -sosologist. I told him about some o' the Friar's projects; and he said -that the Friar was nothin' but a rank Utopian, and that this sort o' -work would never remove all the evils of the world. - -"You can call him anything ya want to," sez I, "so long as it's a word -I don't understand; but the Friar's not tryin' to remove all the evils -in the world. He only removes those evils he can find by spendin' his -whole life in huntin' for 'em; but he certainly does remove these ones -in quick and able shape." - -Another time, right after the Friar had brought about a settlement -between some sheep and cattle men, a preacher dropped off to give his -appetite a little exercise at the Diamond Dot. He belonged to the same -herd that the Friar had cut out from, and I thought he would be -interested; so I told him consid'able about the Friar. He was a most -judicious-lookin' man, but baggy under the eyes and chin. He got all -fussed up when I spoke well o' the Friar, and said he was -un-co-nonical, said he was unorthodox--Oh, he cut loose and swore at -the Friar in his own tongue 'til I about lost my temper. - -"Look here," I sez to him, "it would take me some months to tell you -all the good deeds the Friar has actually done; but I'll just give you -one single example. If I was to live up to my natural disposition, I'd -wring your neck, or shoot off your ears, or somethin' like that; but -owin' to the Friar havin' taught me self-control, I'm not even goin' -to snap my fingers again' your blue nose. Make yourself perfectly at -home here, and stay as long as the East can spare ya; but you'll have -to excuse me for a while, as the Friar has just written me an order to -go over into the Basin to see what can be done for a young feller who -has been arrested for hoss-stealin'." - -Horace contributes liberally to the Friar's projects; but he don't -take a hand in the game, himself--except with the imported poor which -are gathered at the Cross brand, waitin' to be transplanted. Every -year he seems to shrink about an eighth of an inch smaller, and get -about that much tougher. He lights out for a trip now and again, and -ol' Tank allus tags along, grumblin'. Tank thinks full as much of -Horace as The did; but Tank's a different proposition. The easier his -lot is the more he grumbles; but I like nothin' better than to have a -chat with him over old times. - -One night I was up visitin' Horace, and after supper we got a little -restless and started out for a walk. We sauntered down to our old -look-out and stood gazin' down at the lights of the Cross brand ranch. -Ty had rigged up a water power to manufacture e-lectricity, simply -because the children had needed it to run some o' their idees, but -the' was plenty of it to light the whole place. In token of Ty's -brand, and also as a symbol of his own callin', the Friar had built an -immense cross on the cliff just above the mouth of the ravine, and on -the upright, and at each end o' the cross-piece were big electric -lights. These could be seen for miles, and every one knew 'at whatever -troubles they had, there was allus welcome, cheery hospitality, and -sound advice waitin' for 'em in the shadow of this cross. - -It was a moonlight night, one of those crisp, bright nights, when it -makes a feller feel solemn just to get up high and look down at the -beauty of the old, hard Earth. We had been talkin' o' the old days as -usual; but not talkin' much, for we each saw the same set of pictures -when we looked down from here, and they didn't need many words. - -"Life is like a game o' chess," sez Horace. "The openin' is not so -absolutely vital; but after a time the' comes one little move which is -the keynote of all the balance of the game--and the same is true o' -life. The way things has turned out down yonder seems to be the very -best way they could have turned out; but it's hard to look back and -tell just what was the keynote of it all. Of course -Promotheus--Promotheus was the prime mover; but then all the way along -you can see the Friar's influence. What would you say was the keynote -o' this tangled game, Happy?" - -I looked down at Horace: he was wearin' a battered old hat, rough -clothes and leggins, and smokin' a corncob pipe. "That's an easy one," -sez I, tryin' to shake off a feelin' o' sadness which was beginnin' to -creep over me, in spite of all I could do; "gettin' your nerves cured -up, Horace, was the keynote of it all." - -"That was a long time ago," sez Horace, "a long, long time ago." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Friar Tuck, by Robert Alexander Wason - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRIAR TUCK *** - -***** This file should be named 41926.txt or 41926.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/9/2/41926/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/41926.zip b/41926.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1ea791c..0000000 --- a/41926.zip +++ /dev/null |