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diff --git a/42441.txt b/42441.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e33c4f0..0000000 --- a/42441.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9001 +0,0 @@ - THE COMING OF CASSIDY--AND THE OTHERS - - - - -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 http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: The Coming of Cassidy--And the Others -Author: Clarence E. Mulford -Release Date: March 30, 2013 [EBook #42441] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COMING OF CASSIDY--AND THE -OTHERS *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover] - - - - -[Illustration: Suddenly a rope ... yanked him from the saddle Page 342] - - - - - The - Coming of Cassidy-- - And the Others - - BY - CLARENCE E. MULFORD - - - Author of - Hopalong Cassidy, Bar-20 Days, etc. - - - Illustrations by - Maynard Dixon - - - - CHICAGO - A. C. McCLURG & CO. - 1913 - - - - - Copyright 1908 by The Red Book Corporation - Copyright 1911 by Field and Stream Publishing Co. - Copyright 1912 by The Pearson Publishing Co. - Copyright 1913 by The Pearson Publishing Co. - - COPYRIGHT - A. C. McCLURG & CO. - 1913 - - Published, October, 1913 - - Copyrighted in Great Britain - - - - PRESS OF - THE VAIL-BALLOU Co. - BINGHAMTON, N. Y. - - - - - PREFACE - - -It was on one of my annual visits to the ranch that Red, whose welcome -always seemed a little warmer than that of the others, finally took me -back to the beginning. My friendship with the outfit did not begin -until some years after the fight at Buckskin, and, while I was familiar -with that affair and with the history of the outfit from that time on, I -had never seemed to make much headway back of that encounter. And I -must confess that if I had depended upon the rest of the outfit for -enlightenment I should have learned very little of its earlier exploits. -A more secretive and bashful crowd, when it came to their own -achievements, would be hard to find. But Red, the big, smiling, -under-foreman, at last completely thawed and during the last few weeks -of my stay, told me story after story about the earlier days of the -ranch and the parts played by each member of the outfit. Names that I -had heard mentioned casually now meant something to me; the characters -stepped out of the obscurity of the past to act their parts again. To -my mind's eye came Jimmy Price, even more mischievous than Johnny -Nelson; "Butch" Lynch and Charley James, who erred in judgment; the -coming and going of Sammy Porter, and why "You-Bet" Somes never arrived; -and others who did their best, or worst, and went their way. The tales -will follow, as closely as possible, in chronological order. Between -some of them the interval is short; between others, long; the less -interesting stories that should fill those gaps may well be omitted. - -It was in the '70s, when the buffalo were fast disappearing from the -state, and the hunters were beginning to turn to other ways of earning a -living, that Buck Peters stopped his wagon on the banks of Snake Creek -and built himself a sod dugout in the heart of a country forbidding and -full of perils. It was said that he was only the agent for an eastern -syndicate that, carried away by the prospects of the cattle industry, -bought a "ranch," which later was found to be entirely strange to -cattle. As a matter of fact there were no cows within three hundred -miles of it, and there never had been. Somehow the syndicate got in -touch with Buck and sent him out to look things over and make a report -to them. This he did, and in his report he stated that the "ranch" was -split in two parts by about forty square miles of public land, which he -recommended that he be allowed to buy according to his judgment. When -everything was settled the syndicate found that they owned the west, and -best, bank of an unfailing river and both banks of an unfailing creek -for a distance of about thirty miles. The strip was not very wide then, -but it did not need to be, for it cut off the back-lying range from -water and rendered it useless to anyone but his employers. Westward -there was no water to amount to anything for one hundred miles. When -this had been digested thoroughly by the syndicate it caused Buck's next -pay check to be twice the size of the first. - -He managed to live through the winter, and the following spring a herd -of about two thousand or more poor cattle was delivered to him, and he -noticed at once that fully half of them were unbranded; but mavericks -were cows, and in those days it was not questionable to brand them. -Persuading two members of the drive outfit to work for him he settled -down to face the work and perils of ranching in a wild country. One of -these two men, George Travis, did not work long; the other was the man -who told me these tales. Red went back with the drive outfit, but in -Buck's wagon, to return in four weeks with it heaped full of -necessities, and to find that troubles already had begun. Buck's trust -was not misplaced. It was during Red's absence that Bill Cassidy, later -to be known by a more descriptive name, appeared upon the scene and -played his cards. - -C. E. M. - - - - - CONTENTS - -I The Coming of Cassidy -II The Weasel -III Jimmy Price -IV Jimmy Visits Sharpsville -V The Luck of Fools -VI Hopalong's Hop -VII "Dealing the Odd" -VIII The Norther -IX The Drive -X The Hold-Up -XI Sammy Finds a Friend -XII Sammy Knows the Game -XIII His Code -XIV Sammy Hunts a Job -XV When Johnny Sloped - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - -Suddenly a rope ... yanked him from the saddle . . . Frontispiece - -There was a sharp report - -"It's Injuns, close after us" - -Crawford's Colt tore loose from his fingers and dropped near the wheel -of the wagon - -"Yo're a liar!" rang out the vibrant voice of the cowman - - - - - THE COMING OF CASSIDY - AND THE OTHERS - - - - I - - THE COMING OF CASSIDY - - -The trail boss shook his fist after the departing puncher and swore -softly. He hated to lose a man at this time and he had been a little -reckless in threatening to "fire" him; but in a gun-fighting outfit -there was no room for a hothead. "Cimarron" was boss of the outfit that -was driving a large herd of cattle to California, a feat that had been -accomplished before, but that no man cared to attempt the second time. -Had his soul been enriched by the gift of prophecy he would have turned -back. As it was he returned to the work ahead of him. "Aw, let him -go," he growled. "He 's wuss off 'n I am, an' he 'll find it out quick. -I never did see nobody what got crazy mad so quick as him." - -"Bill" Cassidy, not yet of age, but a man in stature and strength, rode -north because it promised him civilization quicker than any other way -except the back trail, and he was tired of the coast range. He had -forgotten the trail-boss during the last three days of his solitary -journeying and the fact that he was in the center of an uninhabited -country nearly as large as a good-sized state gave him no concern; he -was equipped for two weeks, and fortified by youth's confidence. - -All day long he rode, around mesas and through draws, detouring to avoid -canyons and bearing steadily northward with a certainty that was a -heritage. Gradually the great bulk of mesas swung off to the west, and -to the east the range grew steadily more level as it swept toward the -peaceful river lying in the distant valley like a carelessly flung rope -of silver. The forest vegetation, so luxuriant along the rivers and -draws a day or two before, was now rarely seen, while chaparrals and -stunted mesquite became more common. - -He was more than twenty-five hundred feet above the ocean, on a great -plateau broken by mesas that stretched away for miles in a vast sea of -grass. There was just enough tang in the dry April air to make riding a -pleasure and he did not mind the dryness of the season. Twice that day -he detoured to ride around prairie-dog towns and the sight of buffalo -skeletons lying in groups was not rare. Alert and contemptuous gray -wolves gave him a passing glance, but the coyotes, slinking a little -farther off, watched him with more interest. Occasionally he had a shot -at antelope and once was successful. - -Warned by the gathering dusk he was casting about for the most favorable -spot for his blanket and fire when a horseman swung into sight out of a -draw and reined in quickly. Bill's hand fell carelessly to his side -while he regarded the stranger, who spoke first, and with a restrained -welcoming gladness in his voice. "Howd'y, Stranger! You plumb -surprised me." - -Bill's examination told him that the other was stocky, compactly built, -with a pleasing face and a "good eye." His age was about thirty and the -surface indications were very favorable. "Some surprised myself," he -replied. "Ridin' my way?" - -"Far's th' house," smiled the other. "Better join us. Couple of -buffalo hunters dropped in awhile back." - -"They 'll go a long way before they 'll find buffalo," Bill responded, -suspiciously. Glancing around he readily picked out the rectangular -blot in the valley, though it was no easy feat. "Huntin' or ranchin'?" -he inquired in tones devoid of curiosity. - -"Ranchin'," smiled the other. "Hefty proposition, up here, I reckon. -Th' wolves 'll walk in under yore nose. But I ain't seen no Injuns." - -"You will," was the calm reply. "You 'll see a couple, first; an' then -th' whole cussed tribe. _They_ ain't got no buffalo no more, neither." - -Buck glanced at him sharply and thought of the hunters, but he nodded. -"Yes. But if that couple don't go back?" he asked, referring to the -Indians. - -"Then you 'll save a little time." - -"Well, let 'em come. I 'm here to stay, one way or th' other. But, -anyhow, I ain't got no border ruffians like they have over in th' -Panhandle. They 're worse 'n Injuns." - -"Yes," agreed Bill. "Th' war ain't ended yet for some of them fellers. -Ex-guerrillas, lots of 'em." - -When they reached the house the buffalo hunters were arguing about their -next day's ride and the elder, looking up, appealed to Bill. "Howd'y, -Stranger. Ain't come 'cross no buffaler signs, hev ye?" - -Bill smiled. "Bones an' old chips. But th' gray wolves was headin' -southwest." - -"What 'd I tell you?" triumphantly exclaimed the younger hunter. - -"Well, they ain't much dif'rence, is they?" growled his companion. - -Bill missed nothing the hunters said or did and during the silent meal -had a good chance to study their faces. When the pipes were going and -the supper wreck cleaned away, Buck leaned against the wall and looked -across the room at the latest arrival. "Don't want a job, do you?" he -asked. - -Bill shook his head slowly, wondering why the hunters had frowned at a -job being offered on another man's ranch. "I 'm headed north. But I -'ll give you a hand for a week if you need me," he offered. - -Buck smiled. "Much obliged, friend; but it 'll leave me worse off than -before. My other puncher 'll be back in a few weeks with th' supplies, -but I need four men all year 'round. I got a thousand head to brand -yet." - -The elder hunter looked up. "Drive 'em back to cow-country an' sell -'em, or locate there," he suggested. - -Buck's glance was as sharp as his reply, for he could n't believe that -the hunter had so soon forgotten what he had been told regarding the -ownership of the cattle. "I don't own 'em. This range is bought an' -paid for. I won't lay down." - -"I done forgot they ain't yourn," hastily replied the hunter, smiling to -himself. Stolen cattle cannot go back. - -"If they was I 'd stay," crisply retorted Buck. "I ain't quittin' -nothin' I starts." - -"How many 'll you have nex' spring?" grinned the younger hunter. He was -surprised by the sharpness of the response. "More 'n I 've got now, in -spite of h--!" - -Bill nodded approval. He felt a sudden, warm liking for this rugged man -who would not quit in the face of such handicaps. He liked game men, -better if they were square, and he believed this foreman was as square -as he was game. "By th' Lord!" he ejaculated. "For a plugged peso I 'd -stay with you!" - -Buck smiled warmly. "Would good money do? But don't you stay if you -oughtn't, son." - -When the light was out Bill lay awake for a long time, his mind busy -with his evening's observations, and they pleased him so little that he -did not close his eyes until assured by the breathing of the hunters -that they were asleep. His Colt, which should have been hanging in its -holster on the wall where he had left it, lay unsheathed close to his -thigh and he awakened frequently during the night so keyed was he for -the slightest sound. Up first in the morning, he replaced the gun in -its scabbard before the others opened their eyes, and it was not until -the hunters had ridden out of sight into the southwest that he entirely -relaxed his vigilance. Saying good-by to the two cowmen was not without -regrets, but he shook hands heartily with them and swung decisively -northward. - -He had been riding perhaps two hours, thinking about the little ranch -and the hunters, when he stopped suddenly on the very brink of a sheer -drop of two hundred feet. In his abstraction he had ridden up the -sloping southern face of the mesa without noticing it. "Bet there ain't -another like this for a hundred miles," he laughed, and then ceased -abruptly and started with unbelieving eyes at the mouth of a draw not -far away. A trotting line of gray wolves was emerging from it and -swinging toward the south-west ten abreast. He had never heard of such -a thing before and watched them in amazement. "Well, I'm--!" he -exclaimed, and his Colt flashed rapidly at the pack. Two or three -dropped, but the trotting line only swerved a little without pause or a -change of pace and soon was lost in another draw. "Why, they 're single -hunters," he muttered. "Huh! I won't never tell this. I can't hardly -believe it myself. How 'bout you, Ring-Bone?" he asked the horse. - -Turning, he rode around a rugged pinnacle of rock and stopped again, -gazing steadily along the back trail. Far away in a valley two black -dots were crawling over a patch of sand and he knew them to be horsemen. -His face slowly reddened with anger at the espionage, for he had not -thought the cowmen could doubt his good will and honesty. Then suddenly -he swore and spurred forward to cover those miles as speedily as -possible. "Come on, ol' Hammer-Head!" he cried. "We're goin' back!" - -The hunters had finally decided they would ride into the southwest and -had ridden off in that direction. But they had detoured and swung north -to see him pass and be sure he was not in their way. Now, satisfied -upon that point, they were going back to that herd of cattle, easily -turned from skinning buffalo to cattle, and on a large scale. To do -this they would have to kill two men and then, waiting for the absent -puncher to return with the wagon, kill him and load down the vehicle -with skins. "Like h--l they will!" he gritted. "Three or none, you -piruts. Come on, White-Eye! Don't sleep all th' time; an' don't light -often'r once every ten yards, you saddle-galled, barrel-bellied runt!" - -Into hollows, out again; shooting down steep-banked draws and avoiding -cacti and chaparral with cat-like agility, the much-described little -pony butted the wind in front and left a low-lying cloud of dust -swirling behind as it whirred at top speed with choppy, tied-in stride -in a winding circle for the humble sod hut on Snake Creek. The rider -growled at the evident speed of the two men ahead, for he had not gained -upon them despite his efforts. "If I 'm too late to stop it, I 'll -clean th' slate, anyhow," he snapped. "Even if I has to ambush! Will -you run?" he demanded, and the wild-eyed little bundle of whalebone and -steel found a little more speed in its flashing legs. - -The rider now began to accept what cover he could find and when he -neared the hut left the shelter of the last, low hill for that afforded -by a draw leading to within a hundred yards of the dugout's rear wall. -Dismounting, he ran lightly forward on foot, alert and with every sense -strained for a warning. - -Reaching the wall he peered around the corner and stifled an -exclamation. Buck's puncher, a knife in his back, lay head down the -sloping path. Placing his ear to the wall he listened intently for some -moments and then suddenly caught sight of a shadow slowly creeping past -his toes. Quickly as he sprang aside he barely missed the flashing -knife and the bulk of the man behind it, whose hand, outflung to save -his balance, accidentally knocked the Colt from Bill's grasp and sent it -spinning twenty feet away. - -Without a word they leaped together, fighting silently, both trying to -gain the gun in the hunter's holster and trying to keep the other from -it. Bill, forcing the fighting in hopes that his youth would stand a -hot pace better than the other's years, pushed his enemy back against -the low roof of the dugout; but as the hunter tripped over it and fell -backward, he pulled Bill with him. Fighting desperately they rolled -across the roof and dropped to the sloping earth at the doorway, so -tightly locked in each other's arms that the jar did not separate them. -The hunter, falling underneath, got the worst of the fall but kept on -fighting. Crashing into the door head first, they sent it swinging back -against the wall and followed it, bumping down the two steps still -locked together. - -Bill possessed strength remarkable for his years and build and he was -hard as iron; but he had met a man who had the sinewy strength of the -plainsman, whose greater age was offset by greater weight and the youth -was constantly so close to defeat that a single false move would have -been fatal. But luck favored him, for as they surged around the room -they crashed into the heavy table and fell with it on top of them. The -hunter got its full weight and the gash in his forehead filled his eyes -with blood. By a desperate effort he pinned Bill's arm under his knee -and with his left hand secured a throat grip, but the under man wriggled -furiously and bridged so suddenly as to throw the hunter off him and -Bill's freed hand, crashing full into the other's stomach, flashed back -to release the weakened throat grip and jam the tensed fingers between -his teeth, holding them there with all the power of his jaws. The dazed -and gasping hunter, bending forward instinctively, felt his own throat -seized and was dragged underneath his furious opponent. - -In his Berserker rage Bill had forgotten about the gun, his fury -sweeping everything from him but the primal desire to kill with his -hands, to rend and crush like an animal. He was brought to his senses -very sharply by the jarring, crashing roar of the six-shooter, the -powder blowing away part of his shirt and burning his side. Twisting -sideways he grasped the weapon with one hand, the wrist with the other -and bent the gun slowly back, forcing its muzzle farther and farther -from him. The hunter, at last managing to free his left hand from the -other's teeth, found it useless when he tried to release the younger -man's grip of the gun; and the Colt, roaring again, dropped from its -owner's hand as he relaxed. - -The victor leaned against the wall, his breath coming in great, sobbing -gulps, his knees sagging and his head near bursting. He reeled across -the wrecked room, gulped down a drink of whisky from the bottle on the -shelf and, stumbling, groped his way to the outer air where he flung -himself down on the ground, dazed and dizzy. When he opened his eyes -the air seemed to be filled with flashes of fire and huge, black -fantastic blots that changed form with great swiftness and the hut -danced and shifted like a thing of life. Hot bands seemed to encircle -his throat and the throbbing in his temples was like blows of a hammer. -While he writhed and fought for breath a faint gunshot reached his ears -and found him apathetic. But the second, following closely upon the -first, seemed clearer and brought him to himself long enough to make him -arise and stumble to his horse, and claw his way into the saddle. The -animal, maddened by the steady thrust of the spurs, pitched viciously -and bolted; but the rider had learned his art in the sternest school in -the world, the "busting" corrals of the great Southwest, and he not only -stuck to the saddle, but guided the fighting animal through a barranca -almost choked with obstructions. - -Stretched full length in a crevice near the top of a mesa lay the other -hunter, his rifle trained on a small bowlder several hundred yards down -and across the draw. His first shot had been an inexcusable blunder for -a marksman like himself and now he had a desperate man and a very -capable shot opposing him. If Buck could hold out until nightfall he -could slip away in the darkness and do some stalking on his own account. - -For half an hour they had lain thus, neither daring to take sight. Buck -could not leave the shelter of the bowlder because the high ground -behind him offered no cover; but the hunter, tiring of the fruitless -wait, wriggled back into the crevice, arose and slipped away, intending -to crawl to the edge of the mesa further down and get in a shot from a -new angle before his enemy learned of the shift; and this shot would not -be a blunder. He had just lowered himself down a steep wall when the -noise of rolling pebbles caused him to look around, expecting to see his -friend. Bill was just turning the corner of the wall and their eyes met -at the same instant. - -"'Nds up!" snapped the youth, his Colt glinting as it swung up. The -hunter, gripping the rifle firmly, looked into the angry eyes of the -other, and slowly obeyed. Bill, watching the rifle intently, forthwith -learned a lesson he never forgot: never to watch a gun, but the eyes of -the man who has it. The left hand of the hunter seemed to melt into -smoke, and Bill, firing at the same instant, blundered into a hit when -his surprise and carelessness should have cost him dearly. His bullet, -missing its intended mark by inches, struck the still moving Colt of the -other, knocking it into the air and numbing the hand that held it. A -searing pain in his shoulder told him of the closeness of the call and -set his lips into a thin, white line. The hunter, needing no words to -interpret the look in the youth's eyes, swiftly raised his hands, -holding the rifle high above his head, but neglected to take his finger -from the trigger. - -Bill was not overlooking anything now and he noticed the crooked finger. -"Stick th' muzzle _up_, an' pull that trigger," he commanded, sharply. -"Now!" he grated. The report came crashing back from half a dozen -points as he nodded. "Drop it, an' turn 'round." As the other obeyed -he stepped cautiously forward, jammed his Colt into the hunter's back -and took possession of a skinning knife. A few moments later the -hunter, trussed securely by a forty-foot lariat, lay cursing at the foot -of the rock wall. - -Bill, collecting the weapons, went off to cache them and then peered -over the mesa's edge to look into the draw. A leaden splotch appeared -on the rock almost under his nose and launched a crescendo scream into -the sky to whine into silence. He ducked and leaped back, grinning -foolishly as he realized Buck's error. Turning to approach the edge -from another point he felt his sombrero jerk at his head as another -bullet, screaming plaintively, followed the first. He dropped like a -shot, and commented caustically upon his paucity of brains as he gravely -examined the hole in his head gear. "Huh!" he grunted. "I had a fool's -luck three times in twenty minutes,--d--d if I 'm goin' to risk th' next -turn. _Three_ of 'em," he repeated. "I 'm a' Injun from now on. An' -that foreman shore can shoot!" - -He wriggled to the edge and called out, careful not to let any of his -anatomy show above the sky-line. "Hey, Buck! I ain't no buffalo -hunter! This is Cassidy, who you wanted to punch for you. Savvy?" He -listened, and grinned at the eloquent silence. "You talk too rapid," he -laughed. Repeating his statements he listened again, with the same -success. "Now I wonder is he stalkin' _me_? Hey, _Buck_!" he shouted. - -"Stick yore hands up an' foller 'em with yore face," said Buck's voice -from below. Bill raised his arms and slowly stood up. "Now what 'n -blazes do _you_ want?" demanded the foreman, belligerently. - -"Nothin'. Just got them hunters, one of 'em alive. I reckoned mebby -you 'd sorta like to know it." He paused, cogitating. "Reckon we -better turn him loose when we gets back to th' hut," he suggested. -"I'll keep his guns," he added, grinning. - -The foreman stuck his head out in sight. "Well, I'm d--d!" he exclaimed, -and sank weakly back against the bowlder. "Can you give me a hand?" he -muttered. - -The words did not carry to the youth on the skyline, but he saw, -understood, and, slipping and bumping down the steep wall with more -speed than sense, dashed across the draw and up the other side. He -nodded sagely as he examined the wound and bound it carefully with the -sleeve of his own shirt. "'T ain't much--loss of blood, mostly. Yo 're -better off than Travis." - -"Travis dead?" whispered Buck. "In th' back! Pore feller, pore feller; -didn't have no show. Tell me about it." At the end of the story he -nodded. "Yo 're all right, Cassidy; yo 're a white man. He 'd 'a' -stood a good chance of gettin' me, 'cept for you." A frown clouded his -face and he looked weakly about him as if for an answer to the question -that bothered him. "Now what am I goin' to do up here with all these -cows?" he muttered. - -Bill rolled the wounded man a cigarette and lit it for him, after which -he fell to tossing pebbles at a rock further down the hill. - -"I reckon it _will_ be sorta tough," he replied, slowly. "But I sorta -reckoned me an' you, an' that other feller, can make a big ranch out of -yore little one. Anyhow, I 'll bet we can have a mighty big time -tryin'. A mighty fine time. What you think?" - -Buck smiled weakly and shoved out his hand with a visible effort. "We -can! Shake, Bill!" he said, contentedly. - - - - - II - - THE WEASEL - - -The winter that followed the coming of Bill Cassidy to the Bar-20 ranch -was none too mild to suit the little outfit in the cabin on Snake Creek, -but it was not severe enough to cause complaint and they weathered it -without trouble to speak of. Down on the big ranges lying closer to the -Gulf the winter was so mild as to seem but a brief interruption of -summer. It was on this warm, southern range that Skinny Thompson, one -bright day of early spring, loped along the trail to Scoria, where he -hoped to find his friend, Lanky Smith, and where he determined to put an -end to certain rumors that had filtered down to him on the range and -filled his days with anger. - -He was within sight of the little cow-town when he met Frank Lewis, but -recently returned from a cattle drive. Exchanging gossip of a harmless -nature, Skinny mildly scored his missing friend and complained about his -flea-like ability to get scarce. Lewis, laughing, told him that Lanky -had left town two days before bound north. Skinny gravely explained -that he always had to look after his missing friend, who was childish, -irresponsible and helpless when alone. Lewis laughed heartily as he -pictured the absent puncher, and he laughed harder as he pictured the -two together. Both lean as bean poles, Skinny stood six feet four, -while Lanky was fortunate if he topped five feet by many inches. Also -they were inseparable, which made Lewis ask a question. "But how does -it come you ain't with him?" - -"Well, we was punchin' down south an' has a li'l run-in. When I rid in -that night I found he had flitted. What I want to know is what business -has he got, siftin' out like that an' makin' me chase after him?" - -"I dunno," replied Lewis, amused. "You 're sort of gardjean to him, -hey?" - -"Well, he gets sort of homesick if I ain't with him, anyhow," replied -Skinny, grinning broadly. "An' who 's goin' to look after him when I -ain't around?" - -"That puts me up a tree," replied Lewis. "I shore can't guess. But you -two should ought to 'a' been stuck together, like them other twins was. -But if he 'd do a thing like that I 'd think you would n't waste no time -on him." - -"Well, he _is_ too ornery an' downright cussed for any human bein' to -worry about very much, or 'sociate with steady an' reg'lar. Why, lookit -him gettin' sore on me, an' for nothin'! But I 'm so used to bein' -abused I get sort of lost when he ain't around." - -"Well," smiled Lewis, "he's went up north to punch for Buck Peters on -his li'l ranch on Snake Creek. If you want to go after him, this is th' -way I told him to go," and he gave instructions hopelessly inadequate to -anyone not a plainsman. Skinny nodded, irritated by what he regarded as -the other's painful and unnecessary details and wheeled to ride on. He -had started for town when Lewis stopped him with a word. - -"Hey," he called. Skinny drew rein and looked around. - -"Better ride in cautious like," Lewis remarked, casually. "Somebody was -in town when I left--he shore was thirsty. He ain't drinkin' a drop, -which has riled him considerable. So-long." - -"Huh!" grunted Skinny. "Much obliged. That's one of th' reasons I 'm -goin' to town," and he started forward again, tight-lipped and grim. - -He rode slowly into Scoria, alert, watching windows, doors and corners, -and dismounted before Quiggs' saloon, which was the really "high-toned" -thirst parlor in the town. He noticed that the proprietor had put black -shades to the windows and door and then, glancing quickly around, -entered. He made straight for the partition in the rear of the -building, but the proprietor's voice checked him. "You needn't bother, -Skinny--there ain't nobody in there; an' I locked th' back door an hour -ago." He glanced around the room and added, with studied carelessness: -"You don't want to get any reckless today." He mopped the bar slowly -and coughed apologetically. "Don't get careless." - -"I won't--it's me that's doin' th' hunting today," Skinny replied, -meaningly. "Him a-hunting for me yesterday, when he shore knowed I was -n't in town, when he knowed he could n't find me! I was getting good -an' tired of him, an' so when Walt rode over to see me last night an' -told me what th' coyote was doing yesterday, an' what he was yelling -around, I just natchurly had to straddle leather an' come in. I can't -let him put that onto me. Nobody can call me a card cheat an' a coward -an' a few other choice things like he did without seeing me, an' seeing -me quick. An' I shore hope he 's sober. Are both of 'em in town, -Larry?" - -"No; only Dick. But he's making noise enough for two. He shore raised -th' devil yesterday." - -"Well, I 'm goin' North trailin' Lanky, but before I leave I 'm shore -goin' to sweeten things around here. If I go away without getting him -he 'll say he scared me out, so I 'll have to do it when I come back, -anyhow. You see, it might just as well be today. But th' next time I -sit in a game with fellers that can't drop fifty dollars without saying -they was cheated I 'll be a blamed sight bigger fool than I am right -now. I should n't 'a' taken cards with 'em after what has passed. Why -didn't they say they was cheated, then an' there, an' not wait till -three days after I left town? All that's bothering me is Sam: if I get -his brother when he ain't around, an' then goes North, he 'll say I had -to jump th' town to get away from him. But I 'll stop that by giving -him his chance at me when I get back." - -"Say, why don't you wait a day an' get 'em both before you go?" asked -Quigg hopefully. - -"Can't: Lanky 's got two days' start on me an' I want to catch him soon -as I can." - -"I can't get it through my head, nohow," Quigg remarked. "Everybody -knows you play square. I reckon they're hard losers." - -Skinny laughed shortly: "Why, can't you see it? Last year I beat Dick -Bradley out with a woman over in Ballard. Then his fool brother tried -to cut in an' beat me out. Cards? H--l!" he snorted, walking towards -the door. "You an' everybody else knows--" he stopped suddenly and -jerked his gun loose as a shadow fell across the doorsill. Then he -laughed and slapped the newcomer on the shoulder: "Hullo, Ace, my boy! -You had a narrow squeak then. You want to make more noise when you turn -corners, unless somebody 's looking for you with a gun. How are you, -anyhow? An' how's yore dad? I 've been going over to see him regular, -right along, but I 've been so busy I kept putting it off." - -"Dad's better, Skinny; an' I'm feeling too good to be true. What 'll -you have?" - -"Reckon it's my treat; you wet last th' other time. Ain't that right, -Quigg? Shore, I knowed it was." - -"All right, here's luck," Ace smiled. "Quigg, that's better stock; an' -would you look at th' style--real curtains!" - -Quigg grinned. "Got to have 'em. I 'm on th' sunny side of th' -street." - -"I hear yo 're goin' North," Ace remarked. - -"Yes, I am; but how 'd you know about it?" - -"Why, it ain't no secret, is it?" asked Ace in surprise. "If it is, you -must 'a' told a woman. I heard of it from th' crowd--everybody seems to -know about it. Yo 're going up alone, too, ain't you?" - -"Well, no, it ain't no secret; an' I am going alone," slowly replied -Skinny. "Here, have another." - -"All right--this is on me. Here's more luck." - -"Where is th' crowd?" - -"Keeping under cover for a while to give you plenty of elbow room," Ace -replied. "He's sober as a judge, Skinny, an' mad as a rattler. Swears -he 'll kill you on sight. An' his brother ain't with him; if he does -come in too soon I 'll see he don't make it two to one. Good luck, an' -so-long," he said quickly, shaking hands and walking towards the door. -He put one hand out first and waved it, slowly stepping to the street -and then walking rapidly out of sight. - -Skinny looked after him and smiled. "Larry, there 's a blamed fine -youngster," he remarked, reflectively. "Well, he ought to be--he had -th' best mother God ever put breath into." He thought for a moment and -then went slowly towards the door. "I 've heard so much about Bradley's -gun-play that I 'm some curious. Reckon I 'll see if it's all true--" -and he had leaped through the doorway, gun in hand. There was no shot, -no sign of his enemy. A group of men lounged in the door of the "hash -house" farther down the street, all friends of his, and he nodded to -them. One of them turned quickly and looked down the intersecting -street, saying something that made his companions turn and look with -him. The man who had been standing quietly by the corner saloon had -disappeared. Skinny smiling knowingly, moved closer to Quigg's shack so -as to be better able to see around the indicated corner, and half drew -the Colt which he had just replaced in the holster. As he drew even -with the corner of the building he heard Quigg's warning shout and -dropped instantly, a bullet singing over him and into a window of a -near-by store. He rolled around the corner, scrambled to his feet and -dashed around the rear of the saloon and the corral behind it, crossed -the street in four bounds and began to work up behind the buildings on -his enemy's side of the street, cold with anger. - -"Pot shooting, hey!" he gritted, savagely. - -"Says I 'm a-scared to face him, an' then tries _that_. _There_, d--n -you!" His Colt exploded and a piece of wood sprang from the corner -board of Wright's store. "Missed!" he swore. "Anyhow, I 've notified -you, you coyote." - -He sprang forward, turned the corner of the store and followed it to the -street. When he came to the street end of the wall he leaped past it, -his Colt preceding him. Finding no one to dispute with him he moved -cautiously towards the other corner and stopped. Giving a quick glance -around, he smiled suddenly, for the glass in Quigg's half-open door, -with the black curtain behind it, made a fair mirror. He could see the -reflection of Wright's corral and Ace leaning against it, ready to -handle the brother if he should appear as a belligerent; and he could -see along the other side of the store, where Dick Bradley, crouched, was -half-way to the street and coming nearer at each slow step. - -Skinny, remembering the shot which he had so narrowly escaped, resolved -that he would n't take chances with a man who would pot-shoot. He -wheeled, slipped back along his side of the building, turned the rear -corner and then, spurting, sprang out beyond the other wall, crying: -"Here!" - -Bradley, startled, fired under his arm as he leaped aside. Turning -while in the air, his half-raised Colt described a swift, short arc and -roared as he alighted. As the bullet sang past his enemy's ear he -staggered and fell,--and Skinny's smoking gun chocked into its holster. - -"There, you coyote!" muttered the victor. "Yore brother is next if he -wants to take it up." - - * * * * * - -As night fell Skinny rode into a small grove and prepared to camp there. -Picketing his horse, he removed the saddle and dropped it where he would -sleep, for a saddle makes a fair pillow. He threw his blanket after it -and then started a quick, hot fire for his coffee-making. While -gathering fuel for it he came across a large log and determined to use -it for his night fire, and for that purpose carried it back to camp with -him. It was not long before he had reduced the provisions in his -saddle-bags and leaned back against a tree to enjoy a smoke. Suddenly he -knocked the ashes from his pipe and grew thoughtful, finally slipping it -into his pocket and getting up. - -"That coyote's brother will know I went North an' all about it," he -muttered. "He knows I 've got to camp tonight an' he can foller a trail -as good as th' next man. An' he knows I shot his brother. I reckon, -mebby, he 'll be some surprised." - -An hour later a blanket-covered figure lay with its carefully covered -feet to the fire, and its head, sheltered from the night air by a -sombrero, lay on the saddle. A rifle barrel projected above the saddle, -the dim flickering light of the green-wood fire and a stray beam or two -from the moon glinted from its rustless surface. The fire was badly -constructed, giving almost no light, while the leaves overhead shut out -most of the moonlight. - -Thirty yards away, in another clearing, a horse moved about at the end -of a lariat and contentedly cropped the rich grass, enjoying a good -night's rest. An hour passed, another, and a third and fourth, and then -the horse's ears flicked forward as it turned its head to see what -approached. - -A crouched figure moved stealthily forward to the edge of the clearing, -paused to read the brand on the animal's flank and then moved off -towards the fitful light of the smoking fire. Closer and closer it drew -until it made out the indistinct blanketed figure on the ground. A -glint from the rifle barrel caused it to shrink back deeper into the -shadows and raise the weapon it carried. For half a minute it stood thus -and then, holding back the trigger of the rifle so there would be no -warning clicks, drew the hammer to a full cock and let the trigger fall -into place, slowly moving forward all the while. A passing breeze -fanned the fire for an instant and threw the grotesque shadow of a stump -across the quiet figure in the clearing. - -The skulker raised his rifle and waited until he had figured out the -exact mark and then a burst of fire and smoke leaped into the brush. He -bent low to look under the smoke cloud and saw that the figure had not -moved. Another flash split the night and then, assured beyond a doubt, -he moved forward quickly. - -"First shot!" he exclaimed with satisfaction. "I reckons you won't do no -boastin' 'bout killin' Dick, d--n you!" - -As he was about to drop to his knees to search the body he started and -sprang back, glancing fearfully around as he drew his Colt. - -"Han's up!" came the command from the edge of the clearing as a man -stepped into sight. "I reckon--" Skinny leaped aside as the other's -gun roared out and fired from his hip; and Sam Bradley plunged across -the blanket-covered log and leaves. - -"There," Skinny soliloquized, moving forward. "I knowed they was -coyotes, _both_ of 'em. Knowed it all th' time." - - -Two days north of Skinny on the bank of Little Wind River a fire was -burning itself out, while four men lay on the sand or squatted on their -heels and watched it contentedly. "Yes, I got plumb sick of that -country," Lanky Smith was saying, "an' when Buck sent for me to go up -an' help him out, I pulls up, an' here I am." - -"I never heard of th' Bar-20," replied a little, wizened man, whose eyes -were so bright they seemed to be on fire. "Did n't know there was any -ranches in that country." - -"Buck 's got th' only one," responded Lanky, packing his pipe. "He's -located on Snake Creek, an' he 's got four thousand head. Reckon there -ain't nobody within two hundred mile of him. Lewis said he 's got a -fine range an' all th' water he can use; but three men can't handle all -them cows in _that_ country, so I 'm goin' up." - -The little man's eyes seldom left Lanky's face, and he seemed to be -studying the stranger very closely. When Lanky had ridden upon their -noon-day camp the little man had not lost a movement that the stranger -made and the other two, disappearing quietly, returned a little later -and nodded reassuringly to their leader. - -The wizened leader glanced at one of his companions, but spoke to Lanky. -"George, here, said as how they finally got Butch Lynch. You did n't -hear nothin' about it, did you?" - -"They was a rumor down on Mesquite range that Butch was got. I heard -his gang was wiped out. Well, it had to come sometime--he was carryin' -things with a purty high hand for a long time. But I 've done heard -that before; more 'n once, too. I reckon Butch is a li'l too slick to -get hisself killed." - -"Ever see him?" asked George carelessly. - -"Never; an' don't want to. If them fellers can't clean their own range -an' pertect their own cows, I ain't got no call to edge in." - -"He 's only a couple of inches taller 'n Jim," observed the third man, -glancing at his leader, "an' about th' same build. But he 's h--l on -th' shoot. I saw him twice, but I was mindin' my own business." - -Lanky nodded at the leader. "That 'd make him about as tall as me. -Size don't make no dif'rence no more--King Colt makes 'em look all -alike." - -Jim tossed away his cigarette and arose, stretching and grunting. "I -shore ate too much," he complained. "Well, there's one thing about yore -friend's ranch: he ain't got no rustlers to fight, so he ain't as bad -off as he might be. I reckon he done named that crick hisself, did n't -he? I never heard tell of it." - -"Yes; so Lewis says. He says _he 'd_ called it Split Mesa Crick, 'cause -it empties into Mesa River plumb acrost from a big mesa what's split in -two as clean as a knife could 'a' done it." - -[Illustration: There was a sharp report] - -"The Bar-20 expectin' you?" casually asked Jim as he picked up his -saddle. - -"Shore; they done sent for me. Me an' Buck is old friends. He was up -in Montana ranchin' with a pardner, but Slippery Trendley kills his -pardner's wife an' drove th' feller loco. Buck an' him hunted Slippery -for two years an' finally drifted back south again. I dunno where -Frenchy is. If it wasn't for me I reckon Buck 'd still be on th' -warpath. You bet he 's expectin' me!" He turned and threw his saddle -on the evil-tempered horse he rode and, cinching deftly, slung himself -up by the stirrup. As he struck the saddle there was a sharp report and -he pitched off and sprawled grotesquely on the sand. The little man -peered through the smoke and slid his gun back into the holster. He -turned to his companions, who looked on idly and with but little -interest. "Yo 're d--d right Butch Lynch is too slick to get killed. I -ain't takin' no chances with nobody that rides over my trail these days. -An', boys, I got a great scheme! It comes to me like a flash when he 's -talkin'. Come on, pull out; an' don't open yore traps till I says so. -I want to figger this thing out to th' last card. George, shoot his -cayuse; an' not another sound." - -"But that's a good cayuse; worth easy--" - -"Shoot it!" shouted Jim, his eyes snapping. It was unnecessary to add -the alternative, for George and his companion had great respect for the -lightning-like, deadly-accurate gun hands. He started to draw, but was -too late. The crashing report seemed to come from the leader's holster, -so quick had been the draw, and the horse sank slowly down, but -unobserved. Two pairs of eyes asked a question of the little man and he -sneered in reply as he lowered the gun. "It might 'a' been you. -Hereafter do what I say. Now, go on ahead, an' keep quiet." - -After riding along in silence for a little while the leader looked at -his companions and called one of them to him. "George, this job is too -big for the three of us; we can handle the ranch end, but not the drive. -You know where Longhorn an' his bunch are holdin' out on th' Tortilla? -All right; I 've got a proposition for 'em, an' you are goin' up with -it. It won't take you so long if you wake up an' don't loaf like you -have been. Now you listen close, an' don't forget a word": and the -little man shared the plan he had worked out, much to his companion's -delight. Having made the messenger repeat it, the little man waved him -off: "Get a-goin'; you bust some records or I 'll bust you, savvy? -Charley 'll wait for you at that Split Mesa that fool puncher was -a-talkin' about. An' don't you ride nowheres near it goin' up--keep to -th' east of it. So-long!" - -He watched the departing horseman swing in and pass Charley and saw the -playful blow and counter. He smiled tolerantly as their words came back -to him, George's growing fainter and fainter and Charley's louder and -louder until they rang in his ears. The smile changed subtly and -cynicism touched his face and lingered for a moment. "Fine, big -bodies--nothing else," he muttered. "Big children, with children's -heads. A little courage, if steadied; but what a paucity of brains! -Good G--d, what a paucity of brains; what a lack of original thought!" - - -Of some localities it is said their inhabitants do not die, but dry up -and blow away; this, so far as appearances went, seemed true of the -horseman who loped along the north bank of Snake Creek, only he had not -arrived at the "blow away" period. No one would have guessed his age as -forty, for his leathery, wrinkled skin, thin, sun-bleached hair and -wizened body justified a guess of sixty. A shrewd observer looking him -over would find about the man a subtle air of potential destruction, -which might have been caused by the way he wore his guns. A second look -and the observer would turn away oppressed by a disquieting feeling that -evaded analysis by lurking annoyingly just beyond the horizon of -thought. But a man strong in intuition would not have turned away; he -would have backed off, alert and tense. Nearing a corral which loomed -up ahead, he pulled rein and went on at a walk, his brilliant eyes -searching the surroundings with a thoroughness that missed nothing. - -Buck Peters was complaining as he loafed for a precious half hour in -front of the corral, but Red Connors and Bill Cassidy, his "outfit," -discussed the low prices cattle were selling for, the over-stocked -southern ranges and the crash that would come to the more heavily -mortgaged ranches when the market broke. This was a golden opportunity -to stock the little ranch, and Buck was taking advantage of it. But -their foreman persisted in telling his troubles and finally, out of -politeness, they listened. The burden of the foreman's plaint was the -non-appearance of one Lanky Smith, an old friend. When the second herd -had been delivered several weeks before, Buck, failing to persuade one -of the drive outfit to remain, had asked the trail boss to send up -Lanky, and the trail boss had promised. - -Red stretched and yawned. "Mebby he's lost th' way." - -The foreman snorted. "He can foller a plain trail, can't he? An' if he -can ride past Split Mesa, he's a bigger fool than I ever heard of." - -"Well, mebby he got drunk an--" - -"He don't get that drunk." Astonishment killed whatever else he might -have said, for a stranger had ridden around the corral and sat smiling -at the surprise depicted on the faces of the three. - -Buck and Red, too surprised to speak, smiled foolishly; Bill, also -wordless, went upon his toes and tensed himself for that speed which had -given to him hands never beaten on the draw. The stranger glanced at -him, but saw nothing more than the level gaze that searched his -squinting eyes for the soul back of them. The squint increased and he -made a mental note concerning Bill Cassidy, which Bill Cassidy already -had done regarding him. - -"I'm called Tom Jayne," drawled the stranger. "I 'm lookin' for -Peters." - -"Yes?" inquired Buck restlessly. "I 'm him." - -"Lewis sent me up to punch for you." - -"You plumb surprised us," replied Buck. "We don't see nobody up here." - -"Reckon not," agreed Jayne smiling. "I ain't been pestered a hull lot -by th' inhabitants on my way up. I reckon there 's more _buffalo_ than -men in this country." - -Buck nodded. "An' blamed few buffalo, too. But Lewis did n't say -nothin' about Lanky Smith, did he?" - -"Yes; Smith, he goes up in th' Panhandle for to be a foreman. Lewis -missed him. Th' Panhandle must be purty nigh as crowded as this -country, I reckon," he smiled. - -"Well," replied Buck, "anybody Lewis sends up is good enough for me. I -'m payin' forty a month. Some day I 'll pay more, if I 'm able to an' -it's earned." - -Jayne nodded. "I 'm aimin' to be here when th' pay is raised; an' I 'll -earn it." - -"Then shake han's with Red an' Bill, an' come with me," said Buck. He -led the way to the dugout, Bill and Red looking after him and the little -newcomer. Red shook his head. "I dunno," he soliloquized, his eyes on -the recruit's guns. They were worn low on the thighs, and the lower -ends of the holsters were securely tied to the trousers. They were low -enough to have the butts even with the swinging hands, so that no time -would have to be wasted in reaching for them; and the sheaths were tied -down, so they would not cling to the guns and come up with them on the -draw. Bill wore his guns the same way for the same reasons. Red -glanced at his friend. "He 's a queer li'l cuss, Bill," he suggested. -Receiving no reply, he grinned and tried again. "I said as how he 's a -queer li'l cuss." Bill stirred. "Huh?" he muttered. Red snorted. -"Why, I says he's a drunk Injun mendin' socks. What in blazes you -reckon I 'd say!" - -"Oh, somethin' like that; but; you should 'a' said he's a--a weasel. A -cold-blooded, ferocious li'l rat that 'd kill for th' joy of it," and -Bill moved leisurely to rope his horse. - -Red looked after him, cogitating deeply. "Cussed if I hadn't, too! An' -so he's a two-gun man, like Bill. Wears 'em plumb low an' tied. -Yessir, he's a shore 'nuff weasel, all right." He turned and watched -Bill riding away and he grinned as two pictures came to his mind. In -the first he saw a youth enveloped in swirling clouds of acrid smoke as -two Colts flashed and roared with a speed incredible; in the second -there was no smoke, only the flashing of hands and the cold glitter of -steel, so quick as to baffle the eye. And even now Bill practiced the -draw, which pleased the foreman; cartridges were hard to get and cost -money. Red roped his horse and threw on the saddle. As he swung off -toward his section of the range he shook his head and scowled. - -The Weasel had the eastern section, the wildest part of the ranch. It -was cut and seared by arroyos, barrancas and draws; covered with -mesquite and chaparral and broken by hills and mesas. The cattle on it -were lost in the chaotic roughness and heavy vegetation and only showed -themselves when they straggled down to the river or the creek to drink. -A thousand head were supposed to be under his charge, but ten times that -number would have been but a little more noticeable. He quickly learned -ways of riding from one end of the section to the other without showing -himself to anyone who might be a hundred yards from any point of the -ride; he learned the best grazing portions and the safest trails from -them to the ford opposite Split Mesa. - -He was very careful not to show any interest in Split Hill Canyon and -hardly even looked at it for the first week; then George returned from -his journey and reported favorably. He also, with Longhorn's -assistance, had picked out and learned a good drive route, and it was -decided then and there to start things moving in earnest. - -There were two thousand unbranded cattle on the ranch, the entire second -drive herd; most of these were on the south section under Bill Cassidy, -and the remainder were along the river. The Weasel learned that most of -Bill's cows preferred the river to the creek and crossed his section to -get there. That few returned was due, perhaps, to their preference for -the eastern pasture. In a week the Weasel found the really good grazing -portions of his section feeding more cows than they could keep on -feeding; but suddenly the numbers fell to the pastures' capacity, -without adding a head to Bill's herd. - -Then came a day when Red had been riding so near the Weasel's section -that he decided to go on down and meet him as he rode in for dinner. -When Red finally caught sight of him the Weasel was riding slowly toward -the bunkhouse, buried in thought. When his two men had returned from -their scouting trip and reported the best way to drive, his and their -work had begun in earnest. One small herd had been driven north and -turned over to friends not far away, who took charge of the herd for the -rest of the drive while the Weasel's companions returned to Split Hill. - -Day after day he had noticed the diminishing number of cows on his -sections, which was ideally created by nature to hide such a deficit, -but from now on it would require all his cleverness and luck to hide the -losses and he would be so busy shifting cattle that the rustling would -have to ease up. One thing bothered him: Bill Cassidy was getting very -suspicious, and he was not altogether satisfied that it was due to -rivalry in gun-play. He was so deeply engrossed in this phase of the -situation that he did not hear Red approaching over the soft sand and -before Red could make his presence known something occurred that made -him keep silent. - -The Weasel, jarred by his horse, which shied and reared with a vigor and -suddenness its rider believed entirely unwarranted under the -circumstances, grabbed the reins in his left hand and jerked viciously, -while his right, a blur of speed, drew and fired the heavy Colt with -such deadly accuracy that the offending rattler's head dropped under its -writhing, glistening coils, severed clean. - -Red backed swiftly behind a chaparral and cogitated, shaking his head -slowly. "Funny how bashful these gun-artists are!" he muttered. "Now -has he been layin' for big bets, or was he--?" the words ceased, but the -thoughts ran on and brought a scowl to Red's face as he debated the -question. - - * * * * * - -The following day, a little before noon, two men stopped with sighs of -relief at the corral and looked around. The little man riding the horse -smiled as he glanced at his tall companion. "You won't have to hoof it -no more, Skinny," he said gladly. "It's been a' awful experience for -both of us, but you had th' worst end." - -"Why, you stubborn li'l fool!" retorted Skinny. "I can walk back an' do -it all over again!" He helped his companion down, stripped off the -saddle and turned the animal loose with a resounding slap. "Huh!" he -grunted as it kicked up its heels. "You oughta feel frisky, after -loafin' for two weeks an' walkin' for another. Come on, Lanky," he -said, turning. "There ain't nobody home, so we 'll get a fire goin' an' -rustle chuck for all han's." - -They entered the dugout and looked around, Lanky sitting down to rest. -His companion glanced at the mussed bunks and started a fire to get -dinner for six. "Mebby they don't ride in at noon," suggested the -convalescent. "Then we 'll eat it all," grinned the cook. "It's comin' -to us by this time." - -The Weasel, riding toward the rear wall of the dugout, increased the -pace when he saw the smoke pouring out of the chimney, but as he neared -the hut he drew suddenly and listened, his expression of incredulity -followed by one of amazement. - -A hearty laugh and some shouted words sent him spinning around and back -to the chaparral. As soon as he dared he swung north to the creek and -risked its quicksands to ride down its middle. Reaching the river he -still kept to the water until he had crossed the ford and scrambled up -the further bank to become lost in the windings of the canyon. - -Very soon after the Weasel's departure Buck dismounted at the corral and -stopped to listen. "Strangers," he muttered. "Glad they got th' fire -goin', anyhow." Walking to the hut he entered and a yell met him at the -instant recognition. - -"Hullo, Buck!" - -"Lanky!" he cried, leaping forward. - -"Easy!" cautioned the convalescent, evading the hand. "I 've been all -shot up an' I ain't right yet." - -"That so! How 'd it happen?" - -"Shake han's with Skinny Thompson, my fool nurse," laughed Lanky. - -"I 'm a fool, all right, helpin' _him_," grinned Skinny, gripping the -hand. "But when I picks him up down in th' Li'l Wind River country I -was a' angel. Looked after him for two weeks down there, an' put in -another gettin' up here. Served him right, too, for runnin' away from -me." - -"Little Wind River country!" exclaimed Buck. "Why, I thought you was a -foreman in th' Panhandle." - -"Foreman nothin'," replied Lanky. "I was shot up by a li'l runt of a -rustler an' left to die two hundred mile from nowhere. I was n't -expectin' no gun-play." - -"He's ridin' up here," explained Skinny. "Meets three fellers an' gets -friendly. They learns his business, an' drops him sudden when he's -mountin'. Butch Lynch did th' shootin'. Butch got his name butcherin -th' law. He could n't make a livin' at it. Then he got chased out of -New Mexico for bein' mixed up in a free-love sect, an' pulls for -Chicago. He reckoned he owned th' West, so he drifts down here again -an' turns rustler. I dunno why he plugs Lanky, less 'n he thinks Lanky -knows him an' might try to hand him over. I 'm honin' for to meet -Butch." - -Buck looked from one to the other in amazement, suspicion raging in his -mind. "Why, I heard you went to th' Panhandle!" he ejaculated. - -Skinny grinned: "A fine foreman he'd make, less 'n for a hawg ranch!" - -"Who told you that?" demanded Lanky, with sudden interest. - -"Th' feller Lewis sent up in yore place." - -"What?" shouted both in one voice, and Lanky gave a terse description of -Butch Lynch. "That him?" - -"That's him," answered Buck. "But he was alone. He 'll be in soon, -'long with Bill an' Red--which way did you come?" he demanded eagerly. -"Why, that was through his section--bet he saw you an' pulled out!" - -Skinny reached for his rifle: "I'm goin' to see," he remarked. - -"I 'm with you," replied Buck. - -"Me, too," asserted Lanky, but he was pushed back. - -"You stay here," ordered Buck. "He might ride in. An' you 've got to -send Bill an' Red after us." - -Lanky growled, but obeyed, and trained his rifle on the door. But the -only man he saw was Red, whose exit was prompt when he had learned the -facts. - -Down on the south section Bill, unaware of the trend of events, looked -over the little pasture that nestled between the hills and wondered -where the small herd was. Up to within the last few days he always had -found it here, loath to leave the heavy grass and the trickling spring, -and watched over by "Old Mosshead," a very pugnacious steer. He scowled -as he looked east and shook his head. "Bet they 're crowdin' on th' -Weasel's section, too. Reckon I 'll go over and look into it. He 'll -be passin' remarks about th' way I ride sign." But he reached the river -without being rewarded by the sight of many of the missing cows and he -became pugnaciously inquisitive. He had searched in vain for awhile -when he paused and glanced up the river, catching sight of a horseman -who was pushing across at the ford. "Now, what's th' Weasel doin' over -there?" he growled. "An' what's his hurry? I never did put no trust in -him an' I 'm going to see what's up." - -Not far behind him a tall, lean man peered over the grass-fringed bank -of a draw and watched him cross the river and disappear over the further -bank. "Huh!" muttered Skinny, riding forward toward the river. "That -_might_ be one of Peters' punchers; but I 'll trail him to make shore." - -Down the river Red watched Bill cross the stream and then saw a stranger -follow. "What th' h--l!" he growled, pushing on. "That's one of 'em -trailin' Bill!" and he, in turn, forded the river, hot on the trail of -the stranger. - -Bill finally dismounted near the mesa, proceeded on foot to the top of -the nearest rise, and looked down into the canyon at a point where it -widened into a circular basin half a mile across. Dust was arising in -thin clouds as the missing cows, rounded up by three men, constantly -increased the rustlers' herd. To the northwest lay the mesa, where the -canyon narrowed to wind its tortuous way through; to the southeast lay -the narrow gateway, where the towering, perpendicular cliffs began to -melt into the sloping sides of hills and changed the canyon into a -swiftly widening valley. The sight sent the puncher running toward the -pass, for the herd had begun to move toward that outlet, urged by the -Weasel and his nervous companions. - -Back in the hills Skinny was disgusted and called himself names. To -lose a man in less than a minute after trailing him for an hour was more -than his sensitive soul could stand without protest. Bill had -disappeared as completely as if he had taken wings and flown away. The -disgusted trailer, dropping to all-fours because of his great height, -went ahead, hoping to blunder upon the man he had lost. - -Back of him was Red, whose grin was not so much caused by Skinny's -dilemma, which he had sensed instantly, as it was by the inartistic -spectacle Skinny's mode of locomotion presented to the man behind. -There was humor a-plenty in Red's make-up and the germ of mischief in -his soul was always alert and willing; his finger itched to pull the -trigger, and the grin spread as he pondered over the probable antics of -the man ahead if he should be suddenly grazed by a bullet from the rear. -"Bet he 'd go right up on his head an' kick," Red chuckled--and it took -all his will power to keep from experimenting. Then, suddenly, Skinny -disappeared, and Red's fretful nature clawed at his tropical vocabulary -with great success. It was only too true--Skinny had become absolutely -lost, and the angry Bar-20 puncher crawled furiously this way and that -without success, until Skinny gave him a hot clew that stung his face -with grit and pebbles. He backed, sneezing, around a rock and wrestled -with his dignity. Skinny, holed up not far from the canyon's rim, was -throwing a mental fit and calling himself outrageous names. "An' he's -been trailin' _me_! H--l of a fine fool I am; I 'm awful smart today, I -am! I done gave up my teethin' ring too soon, I did." He paused and -scratched his head reflectively. "Huh! _This_ is some populous region, -an' th' inhabitants have pe-culiar ways. Now I wonder who's trailin' -him? I 'm due to get cross-eyed if I try to stalk 'em both." - -A bullet, fired from an unexpected direction, removed the skin from the -tip of Skinny's nose and sent a shock jarring clean through him. "Is -that him, th' other feller, or somebody else?" he fretfully pondered, -raising his hand to the crimson spot in the center of his face. He did -not rub it--he rubbed the air immediately in front of it, and was -careful to make no mistake in distance. The second bullet struck a rock -just outside the gully and caromed over his head with a scream of -baffled rage. He shrunk, lengthwise and sidewise, wishing he were not -so long; but he kept on wriggling, backward. "Not enough English," he -muttered. "Thank th' Lord he can't masse!" - -The firing put a different aspect on things down in the basin. The -Weasel crowded the herd into the gap too suddenly and caused a bad jam, -while his companions, slipping away among the bowlders and thickets, -worked swiftly but cautiously up the cliff by taking advantage of the -crevices and seams that scored the wall. Climbing like goats, they -slipped over the top and began a game of hide and seek over the -bowlder-strewn, chaparral-covered plateau to cover the Weasel, who -worked, without cover of any kind, in the basin. - -Red was deep in some fine calculations of angles when his sombrero slid -off his head and displayed a new hole, which ogled at him with Cyclopean -ferocity. He ducked, and shattered all existing records for the crawl, -stopping finally when he had covered twenty yards and collected many -thorns and bruises. He had worked close to the edge of the cliff and as -he turned to circle back of his enemy he chanced to glance over the rim, -swore angrily and fired. The Weasel, saving himself from being pinned -under his stricken horse, leaped for the shelter of the cover near the -foot of the basin's wall. Red was about to fire again when he swayed -and slipped down behind a bowlder. The rustler, twenty yards away, -began to maneuver for another shot when Skinny's rifle cracked viciously -and the cattle thief, staggering to the edge of the cliff, stumbled, -fought for his balance, and plunged down into the basin. His companion, -crawling swiftly toward Skinny's smoke, showed himself long enough for -Red to swing his rifle and shoot offhand. At that moment Skinny caught -sight of him and believed he understood the situation. "You Conners or -Cassidy?" he demanded over the sights. Red's answer made him leap -forward and in a few moments the wounded man, bandaged and supported by -his new friend, hobbled to the rim of the basin in time to see the last -act of the tragedy. - -The gateway, now free of cattle, lay open and the Weasel dashed for it -in an attempt to gain the horses picketed on the other side. He had -seen George plunge off the cliff and knew that the game was up. As he -leaped from his cover Skinny's head showed over the rim of the cliff and -his bullet sang shrilly over the rustler's head. The second shot was -closer, but before Skinny could try again Red's warning cry made him -lower the rifle and stare at the gateway. - -The Weasel saw it at the same time, slowed to a rapid walk, but kept on -for the pass, his eyes riveted malevolently on the youth who had -suddenly arisen from behind a bowlder and started to meet him. - -"It's easy to get him now," growled Skinny, starting to raise the rifle, -a picture of Lanky's narrow escape coming to his mind. - -"Bill's right in line," whispered Red, leaning forward tensely and -robbing his other senses to strengthen sight. "They 're th' best in th' -Southwest," he breathed. - -Below them Bill and the Weasel calmly advanced, neither hurried nor -touching a gun. Sixty yards separated them--fifty--forty--thirty--"G--d -A'mighty!" whispered Skinny, his nails cutting into his calloused palms. -Red only quivered. Twenty-five--twenty. Then the Weasel slowed down, -crouching a little, and his swinging hands kept closer to his thighs. -Bill, though moving slowly, stood erect and did not change his pace. -Perspiration beaded the faces of the watchers on the cliff and they -almost stopped breathing. This was worse than they had expected--forty -yards would have been close enough to start shooting. "It's a pure case -of speed now," whispered Red, suddenly understanding. The promised -lesson was due--the lesson the Weasel had promised to give Bill on the -draw. Accuracy deliberately was being eliminated by that cold-blooded -advance. Fifteen yards--ten--eight--six--five--and a flurry of smoke. -There had been no movement to the eyes of the watchers--just smoke, and -the flat reports, that came to them like two beats of a snare drum's -roll. Then they saw Bill step back as the Weasel pitched forward. He -raised his eyes to meet them and nodded. "Come on, get th' cayuses. We -gotta round up th' herd afore it scatters," he shouted. - -Red leaned against Skinny and laughed senselessly. "Ain't he a d--d -fool?" - -Skinny stirred and nodded. "He shore is; but come on. I don't want no -argument with _him_." - - - - - III - - JIMMY PRICE - - -On a range far to the north, Jimmy Price, a youth as time measures age, -followed the barranca's edge and whistled cheerfully. He had never -heard of the Bar-20, and would have showed no interest if he had heard -of it, so long as it lay so far away. He was abroad in search of -adventure and work, and while his finances were almost at ebb tide he -had youth, health, courage and that temperament that laughs at hard luck -and believes in miracles. The tide was so low it must turn soon and -work would be forthcoming when he needed it. Sitting in the saddle with -characteristic erectness he loped down a hill and glanced at the faint -trail that led into the hills to the west. Cogitating a moment he -followed it and soon saw a cow, and soon after others. - -"I 'll round up th' ranch house, get a job for awhile an' then drift on -south again," he thought, and the whistle rang out with renewed -cheerfulness. - -He noticed that the trail kept to the low ground, skirting even little -hills and showing marked preference for arroyos and draws with but -little regard, apparently, for direction or miles. He had just begun to -cross a small pasture between two hills when a sharp voice asked a -question: "Where you goin'?" - -He wheeled and saw a bewhiskered horseman sitting quietly behind a -thicket. The stranger held a rifle at the ready and was examining him -critically. "Where you goin'?" repeated the stranger, ominously. "An' -what's yore business?" - -Jimmy bridled at the other's impudent curiosity and the tones in which -it was voiced, and as he looked the stranger over a contemptuous smile -flickered about his thin lips. "Why, I 'm goin' west, an' I 'm lookin' -for th' sunset," he answered with an exasperating drawl. "Ain't seen -it, have you?" - -The other's expression remained unchanged, as if he had not heard the -flippant and pugnacious answer. "Where you goin' an' what for?" he -demanded again. - -Jimmy turned further around in the saddle and his eyes narrowed. "I 'm -goin' to mind my own business, because it's healthy," he retorted. "You -th' President, or only a king?" he demanded, sarcastically. - -"I 'm boss of Tortilla range," came the even reply. "You answer my -question." - -"Then you can gimme a job an' save me a lot of fool ridin'," smiled -Jimmy. "It 'll be some experience workin' for a sour dough as ornery as -you are. Fifty per', an' all th' rest of it. Where do I eat an' sleep?" - -The stranger gazed steadily at the cool, impudent youngster, who -returned the look with an ironical smile. "Who sent you out here?" he -demanded with blunt directness. - -"Nobody," smiled Jimmy. "Nobody sends me nowhere, never, 'less 'n I -want to go. Purty near time to eat, ain't it?" - -"Come over here," commanded the Boss of Tortilla range. - -"It's closer from you to me than from me to you." - -"Yo 're some sassy, now ain't you? I 've got a notion to drop you an' -save somebody else th' job." - -"He 'll be lucky if you do, 'cause when that gent drifts along I 'm -natchurally goin' to get there first. It's been tried already." - -Anger glinted in the Boss's eyes, but slowly faded as a grim smile -fought its way into view. "I 've a mind to give you a job just for th' -great pleasure of bustin' yore spirit." - -"If yo 're bettin' on that card you wants to have a copper handy," -bantered Jimmy. "It's awful fatal when it's played to win." - -"What's yore name, you cub?" - -"Elijah--ain't I done prophesied? When do I start punchin' yore eight -cows, Boss?" - -"Right now! I like yore infernal gall; an' there's a pleasant time -comin' when I starts again' that spirit." - -"Then my name's Jimmy, which is enough for you to know. Which cow do I -punch first?" he grinned. - -"You ride ahead along th' trail. I 'll show you where you eat," smiled -the Boss, riding toward him. - -Jimmy's face took on an expression of innocence that was ludicrous. - -"I allus let age go first," he slowly responded. "I might get lost if I -lead. I 'm plumb polite, I am." - -The Boss looked searchingly at him and the smile faded. "What you mean -by that?" - -"Just what I said. I 'm plumb polite, an' hereby provin' it. I allus -insist on bein' polite. Otherwise, gimme my month's pay an' I 'll -resign. But I 'm shore some puncher," he laughed. - -"I observed yore politeness. I 'm surprised you even know th' term. -But are you shore you won't get lost if you foller me?" asked the Boss -with great sarcasm. - -"Oh, that's a chance I gotta take," Jimmy replied as his new employer -drew up alongside. "Anyhow, yo 're better lookin' from behind." - -"Jimmy, my lad," observed the Boss, sorrowfully shaking his head, "I -shore sympathize with th' shortness of yore sweet, young life. Somebody -'s natchurally goin' to spread you all over some dismal landscape one of -these days." - -"An' he 'll be a whole lot lucky if I ain't around when he tries it," -grinned Jimmy. "I got a' awful temper when I 'm riled, an' I reckons -that would rile me up quite a lot." - -The Boss laughed softly and pushed on ahead, Jimmy flushing a little -from shame of his suspicions. But a hundred yards behind him, riding -noiselessly on the sand and grass, was a man who had emerged from -another thicket when he saw the Boss go ahead; and he did not for one -instant remove his eyes from the new member of the outfit. Jimmy, due -to an uncanny instinct, soon realized it, though he did not look around. -"Huh! Reckon I 'm th' meat in this sandwich. Say, Boss, who's th' Injun -ridin' behind me?" he asked. - -"That's Longhorn. Look out or he 'll gore you," replied the Boss. - -"'That 'd be a bloody shame,' as th' Englishman said. Are all his -habits as pleasant an' sociable?" - -"They 're mostly worse; he's a two-gun man." - -"Now ain't that lovely! Wonder what he'd do if I scratch my laig -sudden?" - -"Let me know ahead of time, so I can get out of th' way. If you do that -it 'll save me fifty dollars an' a lot of worry." - -"Huh! I won't save it for you. But I wish I could get out my smokin' -what's in my hip pocket, without Longhorn gamblin' on th' move." - -The next day Jimmy rode the west section harassed by many emotions. He -was weaponless, much to his chagrin and rage. He rode a horse that was -such a ludicrous excuse that it made escape out of the question, and -they even locked it in the corral at night. He was always under the -eyes of a man who believed him ignorant of the surveillance. He already -knew that three different brands of cattle "belonged" to the "ranch," -and his meager experience was sufficient to acquaint him with a blotted -brand when the work had been carelessly done. The Boss was the foreman -and his outfit, so far as Jimmy knew, consisted of Brazo Charley and -Longhorn, both of whom worked nights. The smiling explanation of the -Boss, when Jimmy's guns had been locked up, he knew to be only part -truth. "Yo 're so plumb fighty we dass n't let you have 'em," the Boss -had said. "If we got to bust yore high-strung, unlovely spirit without -killin' you, you can't have no guns. An' th' corral gate is shore -padlocked, so keep th' cayuse I gave you." - -Jimmy, enraged, sprang forward to grab at his gun, but Longhorn, -dexterously tripping him, leaned against the wall and grinned evilly as -the angry youth scrambled to his feet. "Easy, Kid," remarked the -gun-man, a Colt swinging carelessly in his hand. "You 'll get as you -give," he grunted. "Mind yore own affairs an' work, an' we 'll treat -you right. Otherwise--" the shrugging shoulders made further -explanations unnecessary. - -Jimmy looked from one to the other and silently wheeled, gained the -decrepit horse and rode out to his allotted range, where he saturated -the air with impotent profanity. Chancing to look back he saw a steer -wheel and face the south; and at other times during the day he saw that -repeated by other cattle--nor was this the only signs of trailing. -Having nothing to do but ride and observe the cattle, which showed no -desire to stray beyond the range allotted to them, he observed very -thoroughly; and when he rode back to the bunkhouse that night he had -deciphered the original brand on his cows and also the foundation for -that worn by Brazo Charley's herd on the section next to him. "I dunno -where mine come from, but Charley's uster belong to th' C I, over near -Sagebrush basin. That's a good hundred miles from here, too. Just wait -till I get a gun! Trip me an' steal my guns, huh? If I had a good -cayuse I 'd have that C I bunch over here right quick! I reckon they 'd -like to see this herd." - -When he reached the bunkhouse all traces of his anger had disappeared -and he ate hungrily during the silent meal. - -When Longhorn and Brazo pushed away from the table Jimmy followed suit -and talked pleasantly of things common to cowmen, until the two picked -up their saddles and rifles and departed in the direction of the corral, -the Boss staying with Jimmy and effectually blocking the door. But he -could not block Jimmy's hearing so easily and when the faint sound of -hoofbeats rolled past the bunkhouse Jimmy knew that there were more than -two men doing the riding. He concluded the number to be five, and -perhaps six; but his face gave no indication of his mind's occupation. - -"Play crib?" abruptly demanded the Boss, taking a well-worn deck of -cards from a shelf. Jimmy nodded and the game was soon going on. -"Seventeen," grunted the Boss, pegging slowly. "Pair of fools, they -are," he growled. "Both plumb stuck on one gal an' they go courtin' -together. She reminds _me_ of a slab of bacon, she 's that homely." - -Jimmy laughed at the obvious lie. "Well, a gal's a gal out here," he -replied. "Twenty for a pair," he remarked. He wondered, as he pegged, -if it was necessary to take along an escort when one went courting on -the Tortilla. The idea of Brazo and Longhorn tolerating any rival or -any company when courting struck him as ludicrous. "An' which is goin' -to win out, do you reckon?" - -"Longhorn--he 's bad; an' a better gun-man. Twenty-three for six. Got -th' other tray?" anxiously grinned the Boss. - -"Nothin' but an eight--that's two for th' go. My crib?" - -The Boss nodded. "Ugly as blazes," he mused. "_I_ would n't court her, -not even in th' dark--huh! Fifteen two an' a pair. That's bad goin', -very bad goin'," he sighed as he pegged. - -"But you can't tell nothin' 'bout wimmen from their looks," remarked -Jimmy, with the grave assurance of a man whose experience in that line -covered years instead of weeks. "Now I knowed a right purty gal once. -She was plumb sweet an' tender an' clingin', she was. An' she had high -ideas, she did. She went an' told me she would n't have nothin' to do -with no man what wasn't honest, an' all that. But when a feller I -knowed rid in to her place one night she shore hid him under her bed for -three days an' nights. He had got real popular with a certain posse -because he was careless with a straight iron. Folks fairly yearned for -to get a good look at him. They rid up to her place and she lied so -sweet an' perfect they shore apologized for even botherin' her. Who 'd -'a' thought to look under _her_ bed, anyhow? Some day he 'll go back -an' natchurally run off with that li'l gal." He scanned his hand and -reached for the pegs. "Got eight here," he grunted. - -The Boss regarded him closely. "She stood off a posse with her eyes an' -mouth, eh?" - -"Didn't have to stand 'em off. They was plumb ashamed th' minute they -saw her blushes. An' they was plumb sorry for her bein' even a li'l -interested in a no-account brand-blotter like--him." He turned the crib -over and spread it out with a sort of disgust. "Come purty near bein' -somethin' in that crib," he growled. - -"An' did you know that feller?" the Boss asked carelessly. - -Jimmy started a little. "Why, yes; he was once a pal of mine. But he -got so he could blot a brand plumb clever. Us cow-punchers shore like -to gamble. We are plumb childish th' way we bust into trouble. I never -seen one yet that was worth anythin' that would n't take 'most any kind -of a fool chance just for th' devilment of it." - -The Boss ruffled his cards reflectively. "Yes; we are a careless breed. -Sort of flighty an' reckless. Do you think that gal's still in love -with you? Wimmin' is fickle," he laughed. - -"_She_ ain't," retorted Jimmy with spirit. "She 'll wait all right--for -him." - -The Boss smiled cynically. "You can't hide it, Jimmy. Yo 're th' man -what got so popular with th' sheriff. Ain't you?" - -Jimmy half arose, but the Boss waved him to be seated again. "Why, you -ain't got nothin' to fear out here," he assured him. "We sorta like -fellers that 'll take a chance. I reckon we all have took th' short end -one time or another. An' I got th' idea mebby yo 're worth more 'n fifty -a month. Take any chances for a hundred?" - -Jimmy relaxed and grinned cheerfully. "I reckon I 'd do a whole lot for -a hundred real dollars every month." - -"Yo 're on, fur 's I 'm concerned. I 'll have to speak to th' boys -about it, first. Well, I 'm goin' to turn in. You ride Brazo's an' -yore own range for th' next couple of days. Good night." - -Jimmy arose and sauntered carelessly to the door, watched the Boss enter -his own house, and then sat down on the wash bench and gazed contentedly -across the moonlit range. "Gosh," he laughed as he went over his story -of the beautiful girl with the high ideals. "I 'm gettin' to be a -sumptuous liar, I am. It comes so easy I gotta look out or I'll get th' -habit. I'd do mor'n lie, too, to get my gun back, all right." - -He stretched ecstatically and then sat up straight. The Boss was coming -toward him and something in his hand glittered in the soft moonlight as -it swung back and forth. "Forget somethin'?" called Jimmy. - -"You better stop watchin' th' moonlight," laughed the Boss as he drew -near. "That's a bad sign--'specially while that gal's waitin' for you. -Here's yore gun an' belt--I reckoned mebby you might need it." - -Jimmy chuckled as he took the weapon. "I ain't so shore 'bout needin' -it, but I was plumb lost without it. Kept feelin' for it all th' time -an' it was gettin' on my nerves." He weighed it critically and spun the -cylinder, carelessly feeling for the lead in the chambers as the -cylinder stopped. Every one was loaded and a thrill of fierce joy -surged over him. But he was suspicious--the offer was too quick and -transparent. Slipping on the belt he let the gun slide into the -blackened holster and grinned up at the Boss. "Much obliged. It feels -right, now." He drew the Colt again and emptied the cartridges into his -hand. "Them 's th' only pills as will cure troubles a doctor can't -touch," he observed, holding one up close to his face and shaking it at -the smiling Boss in the way of emphasis. His quick ear caught the sound -he strained to hear, the soft swish inside the shell. "Them 's Law in -this country," he soliloquized as he slid the tested shell in one -particular chamber and filled all the others. "Yessir," he remarked as -the cylinder slowly revolved until he had counted the right number of -clicks and knew that the tested shell was in the right place. "Yessir, -them's The Law." The soft moonlight suddenly kissed the leveled barrel -and showed the determination that marked the youthful face behind it. -"An' it shore works both ways, Boss," he said harshly. "Put up yore -paws!" - -As the Boss leaped forward the hammer fell and caused a faint, cap-like -report. Then the stars streamed across Jimmy's vision and became -blotted out by an inky-black curtain that suddenly enveloped him. The -Boss picked up the gun and, tossing it on the bench, waited for the -prostrate youth to regain his senses. - -Jimmy stirred and looked around, his eyes losing their look of vacancy -and slowly filling with murderous hatred as he saw the man above him and -remembered what had occurred. "Sand _sounds_ like powder, my youthful -friend," the Boss was saying, "but it don't _work_ like powder. I purty -near swallowed yore gal story; but I sorta reckoned mebby I better make -shore about you. Yo 're clever, Jimmy; so clever that I dass n't take -no chances with you. I 'll just tie you up till th' boys come back--we -both know what they 'll say. I 'd 'a' done it then only I like you; an' -I wish you had been in earnest about joinin' us. Now get up." - -Jimmy arose slowly and cautiously and then moved like a flash, only to -look down the barrel of a Colt. His clenched hands fell to his side and -he bowed his head; but the Boss was too wary to be caught by any -pretenses of a broken spirit. "Turn 'round an' hol' up yore han's," he -ordered. "I 'll blow you apart if you even squirms." - -Jimmy obeyed, seething with impotent fury, but the steady pressure of -the Colt on his back told him how useless it was to resist. Life was -good, even a few hours of it, for in those few hours perhaps a chance -would come to him. The rope that had hung on the wall passed over his -wrists and in a few moments he was helpless. "Now sit down," came the -order and the prisoner obeyed sullenly. The Boss went in the bunkhouse -and soon returned, picked up the captive and, carrying him to the bunk -prepared for him, dumped him in it, tied a few more knots and, closing -the door, securely propped it shut and strode toward his own quarters, -swearing savagely under his breath. - -An hour later, while a string of horsemen rode along the crooked, -low-lying trail across the Tortilla, plain in the moonlight, a figure at -the bunkhouse turned the corner, slipped to the door and carefully -removed the props. - -Waiting a moment it opened the door slowly and slipped into the black -interior, and chuckled at the sarcastic challenge from the bunk. -"Sneakin' back again, hey?" blazed Jimmy, trying in vain to bridge on -his head and heels and turn over to face the intruder. "Turn me loose -an' gimme a gun--I oughta have a chance!" - -"All right," said a quiet, strange voice. "That's what I'm here for; but -don't talk so loud." - -"Who 're you?" - -"My name 's Cassidy. I 'm from th' Bar-20, what owns them cows you been -abusin'. Huh! he shore tied some knots! Wasn't takin' no more chances -with you, all right!" - -"G'wan! He never did take none." - -"So I 've observed. Get th' blood circulatin' an' I 'll give you some -war-medicine for that useless gun of yourn what ain't sand." - -"Good for you! I'll sidle up agin' that shack an' fill him so full of -lead he won't know what hit him!" - -"Well, every man does things in his own way; but I 've been thinkin' he -oughta have a chance. He shore gave you some. Take it all in all, he 's -been purty white to you, Kid. Longhorn 'd 'a' shot you quick tonight." - -"Yes; an' I 'm goin' to get him, too!" - -"Now you ain't got no gratitude," sighed Cassidy. "You want to hog it -all. I was figgerin' to clean out this place by myself, but now you cut -in an' want to freeze me out. But, Kid, mebby Longhorn won't come back -no more. My outfit's a-layin' for his li'l party. I sent 'em down word -to expect a call on our north section; an' I reckon they got a purty -good idea of th' way up here, in case they don't receive Longhorn an' -his friends as per schedule." - -"How long you been up here?" asked Jimmy in surprise, pausing in his -operation of starting his blood to circulating. - -"Long enough to know a lot about this layout. For instance, I know yo -'re honest. That's why I cut you loose tonight. You see, my friends -might drop in here any minute an' if you was in bad company they might -make a mistake. They acts some hasty, at times. I 'm also offerin' you -a good job if you wants it. We need another man." - -"I 'm yourn, all right. An' I reckon I will give th' Boss a chance. -He'll be more surprised, that way." - -Cassidy nodded in the dark. "Yes, I reckon so; he 'll have time to -wonder a li'l. Now you tell me how yo 're goin' at this game." - -But he didn't get a chance then, for his companion, listening intently, -whistled softly and received an answer. In another moment the room was -full of figures and the soft buzz of animated conversation held his -interest. "All right," said a deep voice. "We 'll keep on an' get that -herd started back at daylight. If Longhorn shows up you can handle him; -if you can't, there 's yore friend Jimmy," and the soft laugh warmed -Jimmy's heart. "Why, Buck," replied Jimmy's friend, "he 's spoke for -that job already." The foreman turned and paused as he stood in the -door. "Don't forget; you ain't to wait for us. Take Jimmy, if you -wants, an' head for Oleson's. I ain't shore that herd of hissn is good -enough for us. We 'll handle this li'l drive-herd easy. So long." - -Red Connors stuck his head through a small window: "Hey, if Longhorn -shows up, give him my compliments. I shore bungled that shot." - -"'Tain't th' first," chuckled Cassidy. But Buck cut short the arguments -and led the way to Jimmy's pasture. - -At daylight the Boss rolled out of his bunk, started a fire and put on a -kettle of water to get hot. Buckling on his gun he opened the door and -started toward the bunkhouse, where everything appeared to be as he had -left it the night before. - -"It's a cussed shame," he growled. "But I can't risk him bringin' a -posse out here. _What_ th' devil!" he shouted as he ducked. A bullet -sang over his head, high above him, and he glanced at the bunkhouse with -renewed interest. - -Having notified the Boss of his intentions and of the change in the -situation, Jimmy walked around the corner of the house and sent one -dangerously close to strengthen the idea that sand was no longer sand. -But the Boss had surmised this instantly and was greatly shocked by such -miraculous happenings on his range. He nodded cheerfully at the nearing -youth and as cheerfully raised his gun. "An' he gave me a chance, too! -He could 'a' got me easy if he didn't warn me! Well, here goes, Kid," -he muttered, firing. - -Jimmy promptly replied and scored a hit. It was not much of a hit, but -it carried reflection in its sting. The Boss's heart hardened as he -flinched instinctively and he sent forth his shots with cool -deliberation. Jimmy swayed and stopped, which sent the Boss forward on -the jump. But the youth was only further proving his cleverness against -a man whom he could not beat at so long a range. As the Boss stopped -again to get the work over with, a flash of smoke spurted from Jimmy's -hand and the rustler spun half way around, stumbled and fell. Jimmy -paused in indecision, a little suspicious of the fall, but a noise -behind him made him wheel around to look. - -A horseman, having topped the little hill just behind the bunkhouse, was -racing down the slope as fast as his worn-out horse could carry him, and -in his upraised hand a Colt glittered as it swung down to become lost in -a spurt of smoke. Longhorn, returning to warn his chief, felt savage -elation at this opportunity to unload quite a cargo of accumulated -grouches of various kinds and sizes, which collection he had picked up -from the Bar-20 northward in a running fight of twenty miles. Only a -lucky cross trail, that had led him off at a tangent and somehow escaped -the eyes of his pursuers, had saved him from the fate of his companions. - -Jimmy swung his gun on the newcomer, but it only clicked, and the vexed -youth darted and dodged and ducked with a speed and agility very -creditable as he jammed cartridges into the empty chambers. Jimmy's -interest in the new conditions made him forget that he had a gun and he -stared in rapt and delighted anticipation at the cloud of dust that -swirled suddenly from behind the corral and raced toward the disgruntled -Mr. Longhorn, shouting Red's message as it came. - -Mr. Cassidy sat jauntily erect and guided his fresh, gingery mount by -the pressure of cunning knees. The brim of his big sombrero, pinned -back against the crown by the pressure of the wind, revealed the -determination and optimism that struggled to show itself around his -firmly set lips; his neckerchief flapped and cracked behind his head and -the hairs of his snow-white goatskin chaps rippled like a thing of life -and caused Jimmy, even in his fascinated interest, to covet them. - -But Longhorn's soul held no reverence for goatskin and he cursed harder -when Red's compliments struck his ear about the time one of Cassidy's -struck his shoulder. He was firing hastily against a man who shot as -though the devil had been his teacher. The man from the Bar-20 used two -guns and they roared like the roll of a drum and flashed through the -heavy, low-lying cloud of swirling smoke like the darting tongue of an -angry snake. - -Longhorn, enveloped in the acrid smoke of his own gun, which wrapped him -like a gaseous shroud, knew that his end had come. He was being shot to -pieces by a two-gun man, the like of whose skill he had never before -seen or heard of. As the last note of the short, five second, cracking -tattoo died away Mr. Cassidy slipped his empty guns in their holsters -and turned his pony's head toward the fascinated spectator, whose mouth -offered easy entry to smoke and dust. As Cassidy glanced carelessly -back at the late rustler Jimmy shut his mouth, gulped, opened it to -speak, shut it again and cleared his dry throat. Looking from Cassidy -to Longhorn and back again, he opened his mouth once more. -"You--you--what'd'ju pay for them chaps?" he blurted, idiotically. - - - - - IV - - JIMMY VISITS SHARPSVILLE - - -Bill Cassidy rode slowly into Sharpsville and dismounted in front of -Carter's Emporium, nodding carelessly to the loungers hugging the shade -of the store. "Howd'y," he said. "Seen anything of Jimmy Price--a kid, -but about my height, with brown hair and a devilish disposition?" - -Carter stretched and yawned, a signal for a salvo of yawns. "Nope, -thank God. You need n't describe nothin' about that Price cub to none -of us. _We_ know him. He spent three days here about a year ago, an' -th' town 's been sorta restin' up ever since. You don't mean for to -tell us he 's comin' here again!" he exclaimed, sitting up with a jerk. - -Bill laughed at the expression. "As long as you yearn for him so -powerful hard, why I gotta tell you he 's on his way, anyhow. I had to -go east for a day's ride an' he headed this way. He 's to meet me here." - -Carter turned and looked at the others blankly. Old Dad Johnson -nervously stroked his chin. "Well, then he 'll git here, all right," he -prophesied pessimistically. "He usually gets where he starts for; an' I -'m plumb glad I 'm goin' on to-morrow." - -"Ha, ha!" laughed George Bruce. "So 'm I goin' on, by Scott!" - -Grunts and envious looks came from the group and Carter squirmed -uneasily. "That's just like you fellers, runnin' away an' leavin' me to -face it. An' it was you fellers what played most of th' tricks on him -last time he was here. Huh! now I gotta pay for 'em," he growled. - -Bill glanced over the gloomy circle and laughed heartily. Two faces out -of seven were bright, Dad's particularly so. "Well, he seems to be -quite a favorite around here," he grinned. - -Carter snorted. "Huh! Seems to be nothin'." - -"He ain't exactly a favorite," muttered Dawson. "He 's a--a--an event; -that's what he is!" - -Carter nodded. "Yep; that's what he is, 'though you just can't help -likin' th' cub, he 's that cheerful in his devilment." - -Charley Logan stretched and yawned. "Didn't hear nothin' about no -Injuns, did you? A feller rid through here yesterday an' said they was -out again." - -Bill nodded. "Yes; I did. An' there 's a lot of rumors goin' around. -They 've been over in th' Crazy Butte country an' I heard they raided -through th' Little Mountain Valley last week. Anyhow, th' Seventh is out -after 'em, in four sections." - -"Th' Seventh is _a_ regiment," asserted George Bruce. "Leastawise it -was when I was in it. It is th' best in th' Service." - -Dad snorted. "Listen to him! It was when he was in it! Lordy, Lordy, -Lordy!" he chuckled. - -"There hain't no cavalry slick enough to ketch Apaches," declared Hank, -dogmatically. "Troops has too many fixin's an' sech. You gotta travel -light an' live without eatin' an' drinkin' to ketch them Injuns; an' -then you never hardly sometimes see 'em, at that." - -"Lemme tell you, Mosshead, th' Seventh can lick all th' Injuns ever -spawned!" asserted Bruce with heat. "It wiped out Black Kettle's camp, -in th' dead of winter, too!" - -"That was Custer as did that," snorted Carter. - -"Well, he was leadin' th' Seventh, same as he is now!" - -Charley Logan shook his head. "We are talking about ketchin' 'em, not -fightin' 'em. An' no cavalry in th' hull country can ketch 'Paches in -_this_ country--it's too rough. 'Paches are only scared of punchers." - -"Shore," asserted Carter. "Apaches laugh at troops, less 'n it's a -pitched battle, when they don't. Cavalry chases 'em so fur an' no -farther; punchers chase 'em inter h--l, out of it an' back again." - -"They shore is 'lusive," cogitated Lefty Dawson, carefully deluging a -fly ten feet away and shifting his cud for another shot. "An' I, for -one, admits I ain't hankerin' for to chase 'em close." - -"Wish we could get that cub Jimmy to chase some," exclaimed Carter. -"Afore he gits here," he explained, thoughtfully. - -"Oh, he 's all right, Carter," spoke up Lefty. "We was all of us young -and playful onct." - -"But we all war n't he-devils workin' day an' night tryin' to make our -betters miserable!" - -"Oh, he 's a good kid," remarked Dad. "I sorta hates to miss him. -Anyhow, we got th' best of him, last time." - -Bill finished rolling a cigarette, lit it and slowly addressed them. -"Well, all I got to say is that he suits me right plumb down to th' -ground. Now, just lemme tell you somethin' about Jimmy," and he gave -them the story of Jimmy's part in the happenings on Tortilla Range, to -the great delight of his audience. - -"By Scott, it's just like him!" chuckled George Bruce. - -"That's shore Jimmy, all right," laughed Lefty. - -"What did _I_ tell you?" beamed Dad. "He 's a heller, he is. He 's all -right!" - -"Then why don't you stay an' see him?" demanded Carter. - -"I gotta go on, or I would. Yessir, I would!" - -"Reckon them Injuns won't git so fur north as here," suggested Carter -hopefully, and harking back to the subject which lay heaviest on his -mind. "They 've only been here twict in ten years." - -"Which was twice too often," asserted Lefty. - -"Th' last time they was here," remarked Dad, reminiscently, "they didn't -stop long; though where they went to I dunno. We gave 'em more 'n they -could handle. That was th' time I just bought that new Sharps rifle, -an' what I done with that gun was turrible." He paused to gather the -facts in the right order before he told the story, and when he looked -around again he flushed and swore. The audience had silently faded away -to escape the moth-eaten story they knew by heart. The fact that Dad -usually improved it and his part in it, each time he told it, did not -lure them. "Cussed ingrates!" he swore, turning to Bill. "They 're -plumb jealous!" - -"They act like it, anyhow," agreed Bill soberly. "I 'd like to hear it, -but I 'm too thirsty. Come in an' have one with me?" The story was -indefinitely postponed. - -An accordion wheezed down the street and a mouth-organ tried desperately -to join in from the saloon next door, but, owing to a great difference -in memory, did not harmonize. A roar of laughter from Dawson's, and the -loud clink of glasses told where Dad's would-have-been audience then -was. Carter walked around his counter and seated himself in his -favorite place against the door jamb. Bill, having eluded Dad, sat on a -keg of edibles and smoked in silence and content, occasionally slapping -at the flies which buzzed persistently around his head. Knocking the -ashes from the cigarette he leaned back lazily and looked at Carter. -"Wonder where he is?" he muttered. - -"Huh?" grunted the proprietor, glancing around. "Oh, you worryin' about -that yearlin'? Well, you needn't! Nothin' never sidetracks Jimmy." - -A fusillade of shots made Bill stand up, and Carter leaped to his feet -and dashed toward the counter. But he paused and looked around -foolishly. "That's his yell," he explained. "Didn't I tell you? He's -arrove, same as usual." - -The drumming of hoofs came rapidly nearer and heads popped out of -windows and doors, each head flanked by a rifle barrel. Above a -swirling cloud of dust glinted a spurting Colt and thrust through the -smudge was a hand waving a strange collection of articles. - -"Hullo, Kid!" shouted Dawson. "What you got? See any Injuns?" - -"It's a G-string an' a medicine-bag, by all that's holy!" cried Dad from -the harness shop. "Where 'd you git 'em, Jimmy?" - -Jimmy drew rein and slid to a stand, pricking his nettlesome "Calico" -until it pranced to suit him. Waving the Apache breech-cloth, the -medicine-bag and a stocking-shaped moccasin in one hand, he proudly held -up an old, dirty, battered Winchester repeater in the other and whooped -a war-cry. - -"Blame my hide!" shouted Dad, running out into the street. "It is a -G-string! He 's gone an' got one of 'em! He 's gone an' got a 'Pache! -Good boy, Kid! An' how 'd you do it?" - -Carter plodded through the dust with Bill close behind. "_Where'd_ you -do it?" demanded the proprietor eagerly. To Carter location meant more -than method. He was plainly nervous. When he reached the crowd he, in -turn, examined the trophies. They were genuine, and on the G-string was -a splotch of crimson, muddy with dust. - -"What's in the war-bag, Kid?" demanded Lefty, preparing to see for -himself. Jimmy snatched it from his hands. "You never mind what's in -it, Freckle-face!" he snapped. "That's my bag, _now_. Want to spoil my -luck?" - -"How'd you do it?" demanded Dad breathlessly. - -"_Where_ 'd you do it?" snapped Carter. He glanced hurriedly around the -horizon and repeated the question with vehemence. "Where 'd you get -him?" - -"In th' groin, first. Then through th'--" - -"I don't mean where, I mean _where_--near here?" interrupted Carter. - -"Oh, fifteen mile east," answered Jimmy. "He was crawlin' down on a -bunch of cattle. He saw me just as I saw him. But he missed an' I did -n't," he gloated proudly. "I met a Pawnee scout just afterward an' he -near got shot before he signaled. He says hell's a-poppin'. Th' -'Paches are raidin' all over th' country, down--" - -"I knowed it!" shouted Carter. "Yessir, I knowed it! I felt it all -along! Where you finds one you finds a bunch!" - -"We'll give 'em blazes, like th' last time!" cried Dad, hurrying away to -the harness shop where he had left his rifle. - -"I 've been needin' some excitement for a long time," laughed Dawson. -"I shore hope they come." - -Carter paused long enough to retort over his shoulder: "An' I hopes you -drop dead! You never did have no sense! Not nohow!" - -Bill smiled at the sudden awakening and watched the scrambling for -weapons. "Why, there 's enough men here to wipe out a tribe. I reckon -we 'll stay an' see th' fun. Anyhow, it 'll be a whole lot safer here -than fightin' by ourselves out in th' open somewhere. What you say?" - -"You could n't drag me away from this town right now with a cayuse," -Jimmy replied, gravely hanging the medicine-bag around his neck and then -stuffing the gory G-string in the folds of the slicker he carried -strapped behind the cantle of the saddle. "We 'll see it out right -here. But I do wish that 'Pache owned a better gun than this thing. -It's most fallin' apart an' ain't worth nothin'." - -Bill took it and examined the rifling and the breech-block. He laughed -as he handed it back. "You oughta be glad it was n't a better gun, Kid. -I don't reckon he could put two in the same place at two hundred paces -with this thing. I ain't even anxious to shoot it off on a bet." - -Jimmy gasped suddenly and grinned until the safety of his ears was -threatened. "Would you look at Carter?" he chuckled, pointing. Bill -turned and saw the proprietor of Carter's Emporium carrying water into -his store, and with a speed that would lead one to infer that he was -doing it on a wager. Emerging again he saw the punchers looking at him -and, dropping the buckets, he wiped his face on his sleeve and shook his -head. "I 'm fillin' everything," he called. "I reckon we better stand -'em off from my store--th' walls are thicker." - -Bill smiled at the excuse and looked down the street at the adobe -buildings. "What about th' 'dobes, Carter?" he asked. The walls of -some of them were more than two feet thick. - -Carter scowled, scratched his head and made a gesture of impatience. -"They ain't big enough to hold us all," he replied, with triumph. "This -here store is th' best place. An', besides, it's all stocked with water -an' grub, an' everything." - -Jimmy nodded. "Yo 're right, Carter; it's th' best place." To Bill he -said in an aside, "He 's plumb anxious to protect that shack, now ain't -he?" - -Lefty Dawson came sauntering up. "Wonder if Carter 'll let us hold out -in his store?" - -"He 'll pay you to," laughed Bill. - -"It's loop-holed. Been so since th' last raid," explained Lefty. "An' -it's chock full of grub," he grinned. - -They heard Dad's voice around the corner. "Just like last time," he was -saying. "We oughta put four men in Dick's 'dobe acrost th' street. -Then we'd have a strategy position. You see--oh, hullo," he said as he -rounded the corner ahead of George Bruce. "Who 's goin' on picket -duty?" he demanded. - - -Under the blazing sun a yellow dog wandered aimlessly down the deserted -street, his main interest in life centered on his skin, which he -frequently sat down to chew. During the brief respites he lounged in -the doors of deserted buildings, frequently exploring the quiet -interiors for food. Emerging from the "hotel" he looked across the -street at the Emporium and barked tentatively at the man sitting on its -flat roof. Wriggling apologetically, he slowly gained the middle of the -street and then sat down to investigate a sharp attack. A can sailed -out of the open door and a flurry of yellow streaked around the corner -of the "hotel" and vanished. - -In the Emporium grave men played poker for nails, Bill Cassidy having -corralled all the available cash long before this, and conversed in low -tones. The walls, reinforced breast high by boxes, barrels and bags, -were divided into regular intervals by the open loopholes, each opening -further indicated by a leaning rifle or two and generous piles of -cartridges. Two tubs and half a dozen buckets filled with water stood -in the center of the room, carefully covered over with boards and -wrapping paper. Clouds of tobacco smoke lay in filmy stratums in the -heated air and drifted up the resin-streaked sides of the building. The -shimmering, gray sand stretched away in a glare of sunlight and seemed -to writhe under the heated air, while droning flies flitted lazily -through the windows and held caucuses on the sugar barrel. A slight, -grating sound overhead caused several of the more irritable or energetic -men to glance up lazily, grateful they were not in Hank's place. It was -hot enough under the roof, and they stretched ecstatically as they -thought of Hank. Three days' vigil and anxiety had become trying even -to the most stolid. - -John Carter fretfully damned solitaire and pushed the cards away to pick -up pencil and paper and figure thoughtfully. This seemed to furnish him -with even less amusement, for he scowled and turned to watch the poker -game. "Huh," he sniffed, "playin' poker for nails! An' you don't even -own th' nails," he grinned facetiously, and glanced around to see if his -point was taken. He suddenly stiffened when he noticed the man who sat -on his counter and labored patiently and zealously with a pocket knife. -"Hey, you!" he exclaimed excitedly, his wrath quickly aroused. "Ain't -you never had no bringin' up? If yo 're so plumb sot on whittlin', you -tackle that sugar barrel!" - -Jimmy looked the barrel over critically and then regarded the peeved -proprietor, shaking his head sorrowfully. "This here is a better medjum -for the ex-position of my art," he replied gravely. "An' as for bringin' -up, lemme observe to these gents here assembled that you ain't never had -no artistic trainin'. Yore skimpy soul is dwarfed an' narrowed by false -weights and dented measures. You can look a sunset in th' face an' not -see it for countin' yore profits." Carter glanced instinctively at the -figures as Jimmy continued. "An' you can't see no beauty in a daisy's -grace--which last is from a book. I 'm here carvin' th' very image of -my cayuse an' givin' you a work of art, free an' gratis. I 'm timid an' -sensitive, I am; an' I 'll feel hurt if--" - -"Stop that noise," snorted a man in the corner, turning over to try -again. "Sensitive an' timid? Yes; as a mule! Shut up an' lemme get a -little sleep." - -"A-men," sighed a poker-player. "An' let him sleep--he 's a cussed -nuisance when he 's awake." - -"Two mules," amended the dealer. "Which is worse than one," he added -thoughtfully. - -"We oughta put four men in that 'dobe--" began Dad persistently. - -"An' will you shut up about that 'dobe an' yore four men?" snapped -Lefty. "Can't you say nothin' less 'n it's about that mud hut?" - -Jimmy smiled maddeningly at the irritated crowd. "As I was sayin' -before you all interrupted me, I 'll feel hurt--" - -"You _will_; an' quick!" snapped Carter. "You quit gougin' that -counter!" - -Bill craned his neck to examine the carving, and forthwith held out a -derisively pointing forefinger. - -"Cayuse?" he inquired sarcastically. "Looks more like th' map of th' -United States, with some almost necessary parts missin'. Your geography -musta been different from mine." - -The artist smiled brightly. "Here 's a man with imagination, th' -emancipator of thought. It's crude an' untrained, but it's there. -Imagination is a hopeful sign, for it is only given to human bein's. -From this we surmise an' must conclude that Bill is human." - -"Will somebody be liar enough to say th' same of you?" politely inquired -the dealer. - -"Will you fools shut up?" demanded the man who would sleep. He had been -on guard half the night. - -"But you oughta label it, Jimmy," said Bill. "You 've got California -bulgin' too high up, an' Florida sticks out th' wrong way. Th' Great -Lakes is _all_ wrong--looks like a kidney slippin' off of Canada. An' -where's Texas?" - -"Huh! It 'd have to be a cow to show Texas," grinned Dad Johnson, who, -it appeared, also had an imagination and wanted people to know it. - -"You cuttin' in on this teet-a-teet?" demanded Jimmy, dodging the -compliments of the sleepy individual. - -"As a map it is no good," decided Bill decisively. - -"It is no map," retorted Jimmy. "I know where California bulges an' how -Florida sticks out. What you call California is th' south end of th' -cayuse, above which I 'm goin' to put th' tail--" - -"Not if I'm man enough, you ain't!" interposed Carter, with no regard -for politeness. - -"--where I 'm goin' to put th' tail," repeated Jimmy. "Florida is one -front laig raised off th' ground--" - -"Trick cayuse, by Scott!" grunted George Bruce. "No wonder it looks -like a map." - -"Th' Great Lakes is th' saddle, an' Maine is where th' mane -goes--_Ouch_!" - -"Mangy pun," grinned Bill. - -"Kentucky ought to be under th' saddle," laughed Dad, smacking his lips. -"Pass th' bottle, John." - -"You take too much an' we'll all be Ill-o'-noise," said Charley Logan -alertly. - -"Them Injuns can't come too soon to suit _me_," growled Fred Thomas. -"Who started this, anyhow?" - -The sleepy man arose on one elbow, his eyes glinting. "After th' fight, -you ask _me_ th' same thing! Th' answer will be ME!" he snapped. "I 'm -goin' to clean house in about two minutes, an' fire you all out in th' -street!" - -Jimmy smiled down at him. "Well, you needn't be so sweepin' an' -extensive in yore cleanin' operations," he retorted. "All you gotta do -is go outside an' roll in th' dust like a chicken." - -The crowd roared its appreciation and the sleepy individual turned over -again, growling sweeping opinions. - -"But if them Injuns are comin' I shore wish they 'd hurry up an' do it," -asserted Dad. "I ought to 'a' been home three days ago." - -"Wish to G--d you was!" came from the floor. - -Bill tossed away his half-smoked cigarette, Carter promptly plunging -into the sugar barrel after it. "They ain't comin'," Bill asserted. -"Every time some drunk Injun gets in a fight or beats his squaw th' -rumor starts. An' by th' time it gets to us it says that all th' -Apaches are out follerin' old Geronimo on th' war trail. He can be more -places at once than anybody _I_ ever heard of. I 'm ridin' on tomorrow -morning, 'Paches or no 'Paches." - -"Good!" exclaimed Jimmy, glancing at Carter. "I 'll have this here -carving all done by then." - -There was a sudden scrambling and thumping overhead and hot exclamations -zephyred down to them. Carter dashed to the door, while the others -reached for rifles and began to take up positions. - -"See 'em, Hank?" cried Carter anxiously. - -"See what?" came a growl from above. - -"Injuns, of course, you d--d fool!" - -"Naw," snorted Hank. "There ain't no Injuns out at all, not after Jimmy -got that one." - -"Then what's th' matter?" - -"My dawg's lickin' yore dawg. _Sic_ him, Pete! Hi, there! Don't you -run!" - -"My dawg still gettin' licked?" grinned Carter. - -"I 'll swap you," offered Hank promptly. "Mine can lick yourn, anyhow." - -"In a race, mebby." - -"H--l!" growled Hank, cautiously separating himself from a patch of hot -resin that had exuded generously from a pine knot. "I 'm purty nigh -cooked an' I 'm comin' down, Injuns or no Injuns. If they was comin' -this way they'd 'a' been here long afore this." - -"But that Pawnee told Price they was out," objected Carter. "Cassidy -heard th' same thing, too. An' didn't Jimmy get one!" he finished -triumphantly. - -"Th' Pawnee was drunk!" retorted Hank, collecting splinters as he -slipped a little down the roof. "Great Mavericks! This here is awful!" -He grabbed a protruding nail and checked himself. "Price might 'a' shot -a 'Pache, or he might not. I don't take him serious no more. An' that -feller Cassidy can't help what scared folks tells him. Sufferin' -_toads_, what a roof!" - -Carter turned and looked back in the store. "Jimmy, you shore they are -out? An' _will_ you quit cuttin' that counter!" - -Jimmy slid off the counter and closed the knife. "That's what th' -Pawnee said. When I told you fellers about it, you was so plumb anxious -to fight, an' eager to interrupt an' ask fool questions that I shore -hated to spoil it all. What that scout says was that th' 'Paches was out -raidin' down Colby way, an' was headin' south when last re--" - -"_Colby_!" yelled Lefty Dawson, as the others stared foolishly. -"_Colby_! Why, that's three hundred miles south of here! An' you let -us make fools of ourselves for _three_ days! I 'll bust you open!" and -he arose to carry out his threat. "Where 'd you git them trophies?" -shouted Dad angrily. "Them was genuine!" Jimmy slipped through the -door as Dawson leaped and he fled at top speed to the corral, mounted in -one bound and dashed off a short distance. "Why, I got them trophies in -a poker game from that same Pawnee scout, you Mosshead! He could n't -play th' game no better 'n you fellers. An' th' blood is snake's blood, -fresh put on. You _will_ drive me out of town, hey?" he jeered, and, -wheeling, forthwith rode for his life. Back in the store Bill knocked -aside the rifle barrel that Carter shoved through a loop hole. "A joke -'s a joke, Carter," he said sternly. "You don't aim to hit him, but you -might," and Carter, surprised at the strength of the twist, grinned, -muttered something and went to the door without his rifle, which Bill -suddenly recognized. It was the weapon that had made up Jimmy's -"trophies"! - -"Blame his hide!" spluttered Lefty, not knowing whether to shoot or -laugh. A queer noise behind him made him turn, a movement imitated by -the rest. They saw Bill rolling over and over on the floor in an agony -of mirth. One by one the enraged garrison caught the infection and one -by one lay down on the floor and wept. Lefty, propping himself against -the sugar barrel, swayed to and fro, senselessly gasping. "They _allus_ -are raidin' down Colby way! Blame my hide, _oh_, blame my hide! -Ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha! They _allus_ are raidin' down _Colby_ way!" - -"Three days, an' Hank _on_ th' roof!" gurgled George Bruce. "_Three_ -days, by Scott!" - -"Hank on th' roof," sobbed Carter, "settin' on splinters an hot rosim! -Whee-hee-hee! Three-hee-hee days hatchin' pine knots an' rosim!" - -"Gimme a drink! Gimme a drink!" whispered Dad, doubled up in a corner. -"Gimme a ho-ho-ho!" he roared in a fresh paroxysm of mirth. "Lefty an' -George settin' up nights watchin' th' shadders! Ho-ho-ho!" - -"An' Carter boardin' us _free_!" yelled Baldy; Martin. "Oh, my G--d! -He'll never get over it!" - -"Yessir!" squeaked Dad. "_Free_; an' scared we 'd let 'em burn his -store. 'Better stand 'em off in my place,' he says. 'It's full of -grub,' he says. He-he-he!" - -"An' did you see Hank squattin' on th' roof like a horned toad waitin' -for his dinner?" shouted Dickinson. "I'm goin' to die! I'm goin' to -die!" he sobbed. - -"No sich luck!" snorted Hank belligerently. "I 'll skin him alive! -Yessir; _alive_!" - -Carter paused in his calculations of his loss in food and tobacco. -"Better let him alone, Hank," he warned earnestly. "Anyhow, we pestered -him nigh to death las' time, an' he 's shore come back at us. Better -let him alone!" - -Up the street Jimmy stood beside his horse and thumped and scratched the -yellow dog until its rolling eyes bespoke a bliss unutterable and its -tail could not wag because of sheer ecstasy. - -"Purp," he said gravely, "never play jokes on a pore unfortunate an' git -careless. Don't never forget it. Last time I was here they abused me -shameful. Now that th' storm has busted an' this is gettin' calm-like, -you an' me 'll go back an' get a good look at th' asylum," he suggested, -vaulting into the saddle and starting toward the store. No invitation -was needed because the dog had adopted him on the spot. And the next -morning, when Jimmy and Bill, loaded with poker-gained wealth, rode out -of town and headed south, the dog trotted along in the shadow made by -Jimmy's horse and glanced up from time to time in hopeful expectancy and -great affection. - -A distant, flat pistol shot made them turn around in the saddle and look -back. A group of the leading citizens of Sharpsville stood in front of -the Emporium and waved hats in one last, and glad farewell. Now that -Jimmy had left town, they altered their sudden plans and decided to -continue to populate the town of Sharpsville. - - - - - V - - THE LUCK OF FOOLS - - -"Did you ever see a dog like Asylum?" demanded Jimmy, looking fondly at -the mongrel as they rode slowly the second day after leaving -Sharpsville. - -Bill shook his head emphatically. "Never, nowheres." - -Jimmy turned reproachfully. "Lookit how he 's follered us." - -"Follered _you_," hastily corrected Bill. "He ought to. You feed an' -scratch him, an' he 'll go anywhere for that. But he 's big," he -conceded. - -"Mostly wolf-hound," guessed Jimmy, proudly. - -"He looks like a wolf--God help it--at th' end of a hard winter." - -"Well, he ain't yourn!" - -"An' won't be, not if I can help it." - -"He ain't no good, is he?" sneered Jimmy. - -"I wouldn't say that, Kid," grunted Bill. "You know there 's good -_Injuns_; but he looks purty healthy right now. Why did n't you call -him Hank? They look--Good G--d!" he exclaimed as he glanced through an -opening in the hills. The ring of ashes that had been a corral still -smoldered, and smoke arose fitfully from the caved-in roof of the adobe -bunkhouse, whose beams, weakened by fire, had fallen under their heavy -load. - -"Injuns!" whispered Jimmy. "Not gone long, neither. Mebby they ain't -all--ain't all--" he faltered, thinking of what might lie under the -roof. Bill, nodding, rode hurriedly to the ruins, wheeled sharply and -returned, shaking his head slowly. There was no need to explain Apache -methods to his companion, and he spoke of the Indians instead. "They -split. About a dozen in th' big party an' about eight in th' other. It -looks sorta serious, Kid." - -Jimmy nodded. "I reckon so. An' they 're usually where nobody wants -'em, anyhow. Would n't Sharpsville be disgusted if they went north? But -let's get out of here, 'less you got some plan to bag a couple." - -"I like you more all th' time," Bill smiled. "But I ain't got no plan, -except to move." - -"Now, if they ain't funny," muttered Jimmy. "If they only knowed what -they was runnin' into!" - -Bill turned in surprise. "I reckon I 'm easy, but I 'll bite: what are -they runnin' into?" - -"I don't mean th' Injuns; I mean that wagon," replied Jimmy, nodding to -a canvas-covered "schooner" on the opposite hill. "Come here, 'Sylum!" -he thundered. Bill wheeled, and smothered a curse when he saw the -woman. "Fools!" he snarled. "Don't let _her_ know," and he was -galloping toward the newcomers. - -"They shore is innercent," soliloquized Jimmy, following. "Just like a -baby chasin' a rattler for to play with it." - -Bill drew rein at the wagon and removed his sombrero. "Howd'y," he -said. "Where you headin' for?" he asked pleasantly. - -Tom French shifted the reins. "Sharpsville. And where in--thunder--is -it?" - -His brother stuck his head out through the opening in the canvas. "Yes; -where?" - -"You see, we are lost," explained the woman, glancing from Bill to -Jimmy, whose spectacular sliding stop was purely for her benefit, though -she knew it not. "We left Logan four days ago and have been wandering -about ever since." - -"Well, you ain't a-goin' to wander no more, ma'am," smiled Bill. "We -'re goin' to Logan an' we 'll take you as far as th' Logan-Sharpsville -trail," he said, wondering where it was. "You must 'a' crossed it -without knowin' it." - -"Then, thank goodness, everything is all right. We are very fortunate in -having met you gentlemen and we will be very grateful to you," she -smiled. - -"You bet!" exclaimed Tom. "But where is Sharpsville?" he persisted. - -"Sixty miles north," replied Jimmy, making a great effort to stop with -the reins what he was causing with his shielded spur. His horse could -cavort beautifully under persuasion. "Logan, ma'am," he said, -indifferent to the antics of his horse, "is about thirty miles east. -You must 'a' sashayed some to get only this far in four days," he -grinned. - -"And we would be 'sashaying' yet, if I had n't found this trail," -grunted Tom. There was a sudden disturbance behind his shoulder and the -canvas was opened wider. "_You_ found it!" snorted George. "You mean, -_I_ found it. Leave it to Mollie if I did n't! And I told you that you -were going wrong. Didn't I?" he demanded. - -"Hush, George," chided his sister. - -"But _did n't_ I? Did n't I say we should have followed that moth-eaten -road running--er--north?" - -"Did you?" shouted Tom, turning savagely. "You told me so many fool -things I couldn't pick out those having a flicker of intelligence -hovering around their outer edges. _You_ drove two days out of the -four, did n't you?" - -"Tom!" pleaded Mollie, earnestly. - -"Oh, let him rave, Sis," rejoined George, and he turned to the punchers. -"Friends, I beg thee to take charge of this itinerant asylum and its -charming nurse, for the good of our being and the salvation of our -souls. Amen." - -Tom found a weak grin. "Yes, so be it. We place ourselves and guide -under your orders, though I reserve the right to beat him to a pleasing -pulp when he gets sober enough to feel it. At present he reclines -ungracefully within." - -"You mean you got a drunk guide, in there?" demanded Bill angrily. - -"He feels the yearning right away," observed George. "We 'll have to -take turns thrashing Bacchus, I fear." - -"How long's he been that way?" demanded Bill. - -"I have n't known him long enough to answer that," responded Tom. "I -doubt if he were ever really sober. He is a peripatetic distillery and -I believe he lived on blotters even as a child. The first day--" - -"--hour," inserted George. - -"--he became anxious about the condition of the rear axle and examined -it so frequently that by night he had slipped back into the Stone -Age--he was ossified and petrified. He could neither see, eat nor talk. -Strange creatures peopled his imagination. He shot at one before we -could get his gun away from him, and it was our best skillet. How the -devil he could hit it is more than I know. At this moment he may be -fleeing from green tigers." - -"Beg pardon," murmured George. "At this moment I have my foot on his -large, unwashed face." - -"Why, George! You'll hurt him!" gasped Mollie. - -"No such luck. He 's beyond feeling." - -"But you will! It isn't right to--" - -"Don't bother your head about him, Sis," interrupted Tom, savagely. - -"Sure," grinned George. "Save your sympathy until he gets sober. He'll -need some then." - -"Now, George, there is no use of having an argument," she retorted, -turning to face him. And as she turned Bill took quick advantage. One -finger slipped around his scalp and ended in a jerky, lifting motion -that was horribly suggestive. His other hand and arm swept back and -around, the gesture taking in the hills; and at the same time he nodded -emphatically toward the rear of the wagon, where Jimmy was slowly going. -Across the faces of the brothers there flashed in quick succession -mystification, apprehensive doubt, fear and again doubt. But a sudden -backward jerk of Bill's head made them glance at the ruined 'dobe and -the doubt melted into fear, and remained. George was the first to reply -and he spoke to his sister. "As long as you fear for his facial beauty, -Sis, I 'll look for a better place for my foot," and he disappeared -behind the drooping canvas. Jimmy's words were powerful, if terse, and -George returned to the seat a very thoughtful man. He took instant -advantage of his sister's conversation with Bill and whispered hurriedly -into his brother's ear. A faint furrow showed momentarily on Tom's -forehead, but swiftly disappeared, and he calmly filled his pipe as he -replied. "Oh, he 'll sober up," he said. "We poured the last of it -out. And I have a great deal of confidence in these two gentlemen." - -Bill smiled as he answered Mollie's question. "Yes, we did have a bad -fire," he said. "It plumb burned us out, ma'am." - -"But _how_ did it happen?" she insisted. - -"Yes, yes; how did it happen--I mean it happened like this, ma'am," he -floundered. "You see, I--that is, _we--we_ had some trouble, ma'am." - -"So I surmised," she pleasantly replied. "I presume it was a fire, was -it not?" - -Bill squirmed at the sarcasm and hesitated, but he was saved by Jimmy, -who turned the corner of the wagon and swung into the breach with -promptness and assurance. "We fired a Greaser yesterday," he explained. -"An' last night th' Greaser slipped back an' fired us. He got away, -this time, ma'am; but we 're shore comin' back for him, all right." - -"But is n't he far away by this time?" she asked in surprise. - -"Greasers, ma'am, is funny animals. I could tell you lots of funny -things about 'em, if I had time. This particular coyote is nervy an' -graspin'. I reckon he was a heap disappointed when he found we got out -alive, an' I reckon he 's in these hills waitin' for us to go to Logan -for supplies. When we do he 'll round up th' cows an' run 'em off. -Savvy? I means, understand?" he hurriedly explained. - -"But why don't you hunt him now?" - -Jimmy shook his head hopelessly. "You just don't understand Greasers, -ma'am," he asserted, and looked around. "Does she?" he demanded. - -There was a chorus of negatives, and he continued. "You see, he's -plannin' to steal our cows." - -"That's what he 's doin'," cheerfully assented Bill. - -"I believe you said that before," smiled Mollie. - -"Ha, ha!" laughed Bill. "He shore did!" - -"Yes, I did!" snapped Jimmy, glaring at him. - -"Then, for goodness' sake, are you going away and let him do it?" -demanded Mollie. - -Jimmy grinned easily, and drawled effectively. "We 're aimin' to stop -him, ma'am. You see," he half whispered, whereat Bill leaned forward -eagerly to learn the facts. "He won't show hisself an' we can't track -him in th' hills without gettin' picked off at long range. It would be -us that 'd have to do th' movin', an' that ain't healthy in rough -country. So we starts to Logan, but circles back an' gets him when he -'s plumb wrapped up in them cows he 's honin' for." - -"That's it," asserted Bill, promptly and proudly. Jimmy was the -smoothest liar he had ever listened to. "An' th' plan is all Jimmy's, -too," he enthused, truthfully. - -"Doubtless it is quite brilliant," she responded, "but I certainly wish -_I_ were that 'Greaser'!" - -"Sis!" exploded George, "I'm surprised!" - -"Very well; you may remain so, if you wish. But will someone tell me -this: How can these gentlemen take us to Logan if they are going only -part way and then returning after that dense, but lucky, 'Greaser'?" - -"I should 'a' told you, ma'am," replied Jimmy, "that th' -Logan-Sharpsville trail is about half way. We 'll put you on it an' -turn back." - -The strain was telling on Bill and he raised his arm. "Sorry to cut off -this interestin' conversation, but I reckon we better move. Jimmy, tie -that wolf-hound to th' axle--it won't make him drunk--an' then go ahead -an' pick a new trail to Logan. Keep north of th' other, an' stay down -from sky-lines. I 'll foller back a ways. Get a-goin'," and he was -obeyed. - -Jimmy rode a quarter of a mile in advance, unjustly escaping the remarks -that Mollie was directing at him, her brothers, Bill, the dog and the -situation in general. A backward glance as he left the wagon apprised -him that the dangers of scouting were to be taken thankfully. He rode -carelessly up the side of a hill and glanced over the top, ducked -quickly and backed down with undignified haste. He fervently endorsed -Bill's wisdom in taking a different route to Logan, for the Apaches -certainly would strike the other trail and follow hard; and to have run -into them would have been disastrous. He approached the wagon -leisurely, swept off his sombrero and grinned. "Reckon you could hit -any game?" he inquired. The brothers nodded glumly. "Well, get yore -guns handy." There was really no need for the order. "There 's lots of -it, an' fresh meat 'll come in good. Don't shoot till I says so," he -warned, earnestly. - -"O.K., Hawkeye," replied Tom coolly. - -"We 'll wait for the whites of their eyes, _a la Bunker Hill_," replied -George, uneasily, "before we wipe out the game of this large section of -God's accusing and forgotten wilderness. Any _big_ game loose?" - -Jimmy nodded emphatically. "You bet! I just saw a bunch of copperhead -snakes that 'd give you chills." The tones were very suggestive and -George stroked his rifle nervously and felt little drops of cold water -trickle from his armpits. Mollie instinctively drew her skirts tighter -around her and placed her feet on the edge of the wagon box under the -seat. "They can't climb into the wagon, can they?" she asked -apprehensively. - -"Oh, no, ma'am," reassured Jimmy. "Anyhow, th' dog will keep them -away." He turned to the brothers. "I ain't shore about th' way, so I -'m goin' to see Bill. Wait till I come back," and he was gone. Tom -gripped the reins more firmly and waited. Nothing short of an -earthquake would move that wagon until he had been told to drive on. -George searched the surrounding country with anxious eyes while his -sister gazed fascinatedly at the ground close to the wagon. She -suddenly had remembered that the dog was tied. - -Bill drummed past, waving his arm, and swept out of sight around a bend, -the wagon lurching and rocking after him. Out of the little valley and -across a rocky plateau, down into an arroyo and up its steep, further -bank went the wagon at an angle that forced a scream from Mollie. The -dog, having broken loose, ran with it, eyeing it suspiciously from time -to time. Jeff Purdy, the oblivious guide, slid swiftly from the front -of the wagon box and stopped suddenly with a thump against the -tailboard. George, playing rear guard, managed to hold on and then with -a sigh of relief sat upon the guide and jammed his feet against the -corners of the box. - -"So he--went back for--his friend to--find the way!" gasped Mollie in -jerks. "What a pity--he did--it. I could--do better myself. I 'm -being jolted--into a thousand--pieces!" Her hair, loosening more with -each jolt, uncoiled and streamed behind her in a glorious flame of gold. -Suddenly the wagon stopped so quickly that she gasped in dismay and -almost left the seat. Then she screamed and jumped for the dashboard. -But it was only Mr. Purdy sliding back again. - -Before them was the perpendicular wall of a mesa and another lay several -hundred yards away. Bill, careful of where he walked, led the horses -past a bowlder until the seat was even with it. "Step on nothing but -rock," he quietly ordered, and had lifted Mollie in his arms before she -knew it. Despite her protests he swiftly carried her to the wall and -then slowly up its scored face to a ledge that lay half way to the top. -Back of the ledge was a horizontal fissure that was almost screened from -the sight of anyone below. Gaining the cave, he lowered her gently to -the floor and stood up. "Do not move," he ordered. - -Her face was crimson, streaked with white lanes of anger and her eyes -snapped. "What does this mean?" she demanded. - -He looked at her a moment, considering. "Ma'am, I was n't goin' to tell -you till I had to. But it don't make no difference now. It's Injuns, -close after us. Don't show yoreself." - -[Illustration: "It's Injuns, close after us"] - -She regarded him calmly. "I beg your pardon--if I had only known--is -there great danger?" - -He nodded. "If you show yoreself. There's allus danger with Injuns, -ma'am." - -She pushed the hair back from her face. "My brothers? Are they coming -up?" - -Her courage set him afire with rage for the Apaches, but he replied -calmly. "Yes. Mebby th' Injuns won't know yo 're here, Ma'am. Me an' -Jimmy 'll try to lead 'em past. Just lay low an' don't make no noise." - -Her eyes glowed suddenly as she realized what he would try to do. "But -yourself, and Jimmy? Would n't it be better to stay up here?" - -"Yo 're a thoroughbred, ma'am," he replied in a low voice. "Me an' -Jimmy has staked our lives more 'n onct out of pure devilment, with -nothin' to gain. I reckon we got a reason this time, th' best we ever -had. I 'm most proud, ma'am, to play my cards as I get them." He bent -swiftly and touched her head, and was gone. - -Meeting the brothers as they toiled up with supplies, he gave them a few -terse orders and went on. Taking a handful of sand from behind a -bowlder and scattering it with judicious care, he climbed to the wagon -seat and waited, glancing back at the faint line that marked the -arroyo's rim. In a few minutes a figure popped over it and whirled -toward him in a high-flung, swirling cloud of dust. Overtaking the -lurching wagon, Jimmy shouted a query and kept on, his pony picking its -way with the agility and certainty of a mountain cat. The wagon, -lurching this way and that, first on the wheels of one side and then on -those of the other, bouncing and jumping at such speed that it was a -miracle it was not smashed to splinters, careened after the hard-riding -horseman. A rifle bounced over the tailboard, followed swiftly by a box -of cartridges and an ebony-backed mirror, which settled on its back and -glared into the sky like an angry Cyclops. - -Mr. Purdy, bruised from head to foot and rapidly getting sober, emitted -language in jerks and grabbed at the tailboard as the wagon box dropped -two feet, leaving him in the air. But it met him half way and jolted -him almost to the canvas top. He slid against the side and then jammed -against the tailboard again and reached for it in desperation. Another -drop in the trail made him miss it, and as the wagon arose again like a -steel spring Mr. Purdy, wondering what caused all the earthquakes, arose -on his hands and knees in the dust and spat angrily after the careening -vehicle. He scrambled unsteadily to his feet and shook eager fists -after the four-wheeled jumping-jack, and gave the Recording Angel great -anguish of mind and writer's cramp. Pausing as he caught sight of the -objects on the ground, he stared at them thoughtfully. He had seen many -things during the past few days and was not to be fooled again. He -looked at the sky, and back to the rifle. Then he examined the mesa -wall, and quickly looked back at the weapon. It was still there and had -not moved. He closed his eyes and opened them suddenly and grunted. -"Huh, bet a ten spot it's real." He approached it cautiously, ready to -pounce on it if it moved, but it did not and he picked it up. Seeing the -cartridges, he secured them and then gasped with fear at the glaring -mirror. After a moment's thought he grabbed at it and put it in his -pocket just before a sudden, swirling cloud of dust drove him, choking -and gasping, to seek the shelter of the bowlders close to the wall. When -he raised his head again and looked out he caught sight of a sudden -movement in the open, and promptly ducked, and swore. Apaches! Twelve -of them! - -He had seen strange things during the last few days, and just because -the rifle and other objects had turned out to be real was no reason that -he should absolutely trust his eyes in this particular instance. There -was a limit, which in this case was Apaches in full war dress; so he -arose swaggeringly and fired at the last, and saw the third from the -last slide limply from his horse. As the rest paused and half of them -wheeled and started back he rubbed his eyes in amazement, damned himself -for a fool and sprinted for the mesa wall, up which he climbed with the -frantic speed of fear. He was favored by the proverbial luck of fools -and squirmed over a wide ledge without being hit. There was but one way -to get him and he knew he could pick them off as fast as they showed -above the rim. He rolled over and a look of mystification crept across -his face. Digging into his pockets to see what the bumps were, he -produced the mirror and a flask. The former he placed carelessly -against the wall and the latter he raised hastily to his lips. The -mirror glared out over the plain, its rays constantly interrupted by Mr. -Purdy's cautious movements as he settled himself more comfortably for -defense. - -A bullet screamed up the face of the wall and he flattened, intently -watching the rim. Chancing to glance over the plain, he noticed that -the wagon was still moving, but slowly, while far to the south two -horsemen galloped back toward the mesa on a wide circle, six Apaches -tearing to intercept them before they could gain cover. "I was shore -wise to leave th' schooner," he grinned. "I allus know when to jump," he -said, and then swung the rifle toward the rim as a faint sound reached -his ears. Its smoke blotted out the piercing black eyes that looked for -an instant over the edge and found eternity, and Mr. Purdy grinned when -the sound of impact floated up from below. "They won't try that no -more," he grunted, and forthwith dozed in a drunken stupor. A sober man -might have been tempted to try a shot over the rim, and would have been -dead before he could have pulled the trigger. Mr. Purdy was again -favored by luck. - -Leaving two braves to watch him, the other two searched for a better way -up the wall. - -The race over the plain was interesting but not deadly or very dangerous -for Bill and Jimmy. Armed with Winchesters and wornout Spencer carbines -and not able to get close to the two punchers, the Apaches did no harm, -and suffered because of Mr. Cassidy's use of a new, long-range Sharps. -"You allus want to keep Injuns on long range, Kid," Bill remarked as -another fell from its horse. The shot was a lucky one, but just as -effective. "They ain't worth a d--n figurin' windage an' th' drift of a -fast-movin' target, 'specially when it's goin' over ground like this. -It's a white man's weapon, Jimmy. Them repeaters ain't no good for over -five hundred; they don't use enough powder. An' I reckon them Spencers -was wore out long ago. They ain't even shootin' close." He whirled past -the projecting spur of the mesa and leaped from his horse, Jimmy -following quickly. Three hundred yards down the canyon two Apaches -showed themselves for a moment as they squirmed around a projection high -up on the wall and not more than ten feet below the ledge. The -expressions which they carried into eternity were those of great -surprise. The two who kept Mr. Purdy treed on his ledge saw their -friends fall, and squirmed swiftly toward their horses. It could only -be cowpunchers entering the canyon at the other end and they preferred -the company of their friends until they could determine numbers. When -half way to the animals they changed their minds and crept toward the -scene of action. Mr. Purdy, feeling for his flask, knocked it over the -ledge and looked over after it in angry dismay. Then he shouted and -pointed down. Bill and Jimmy stared for a moment, nodded emphatically, -and separated hastily. Mr. Purdy ducked and hugged the ledge with -renewed affection. Glancing around, he was almost blinded by the mirror -and threw it angrily into the canyon, and then rubbed his eyes again. -Far away on the plain was a moving blot which he believed to be -horsemen. He fired his rifle into the air on a chance and turned again -to the events taking place close at hand. "Other way, Hombre!" he -warned, and Jimmy, obeying, came upon the Apache from the rear, and -saved Bill's life. At hide and seek among rocks the Apache has no -equal, but here they did not have a chance with Mr. Purdy calling the -moves in a language they did not well understand. A bird's-eye view is -a distinct asset and Mr. Purdy was playing his novel game with delighted -interest and a plainsman's instinct. Consumed with rage, the remaining -Indian whirled around and sent the guide reeling against the wall and -then down in a limp heap. But Bill paid the debt and continued to worm -among the rocks. - -There was a sudden report to the westward and Jimmy staggered and dived -behind a bowlder. The other four, having discovered the trick that had -been played upon them on the other side of the mesa, were anxious to pay -for it. Bill hurriedly crawled to Jimmy's side as the youth brushed the -blood out of his eyes and picked up his rifle. "It's th' others, Kid," -said Bill. "An' they 're gettin' close. Don't move an inch, for this -is their game." A roar above him made him glance upward and swear -angrily. "Now they 've gone an' done it! After all we 've done to hide -'em!" Another shot from the ledge and a hot, answering fire broke out -from below. "My G--d!" said a voice, weakly. Bill shook his head. -"That was Tom," he muttered. "Come on, Kid," he growled. "We got to -drive 'em out, d--n it!" They were too interested in picking their way -in the direction of the Apaches to glance at Mr. Purdy's elevated perch -or they would have seen him on his knees at the very edge making frantic -motions with his one good arm. He was facing the east and the plain. -Beaming with joy, he waved his arm toward Bill and Jimmy, shouted -instructions in a weak voice, that barely carried to the canyon floor, -and collapsed, his duty done. - -Bill was surprised fifteen minutes later to hear strange voices calling -to him from the rear and he turned like a flash, his Colt swinging -first. "Well, I 'm d--d!" he ejaculated. Four punchers were crawling -toward him. "Glad to see you," he said, foolishly. - -"I reckon so," came the smiling reply. "That lookin' glass of yourn -shore bothered us. We could n't read it, but we did n't have to. Where -are they?" - -"Plumb ahead, som'ers. Four of 'em," Bill replied. "There 's two -tender feet up on that ledge, with their sister. We was gettin' plumb -worried for 'em." - -"Not them as hired Whiskey Jeff for to guide 'em?" asked Dickinson, the -leader. - -"Th' same. But how 'n h--l did Logan ever come to let 'em start?" -demanded Bill, angrily. - -"We did n't pay no attention to th' rumors that has been flyin' around -for th' last two months. Nobody had seen no signs of 'em," answered the -Logan man. "We did n't reckon there was no danger till last night, when -we learned they had n't showed up in Sharpsville, nor been seen -anywheres near th' trail. Then we remembers Jeff's habits, an', while -we debates it, we gets word that th' Injuns was seen north of Cook's -ranch yesterday. We moves sudden. Here comes th' boys back--I reckon -th' job 's done. They 're a fine crowd, a'right. You should 'a' seen -'em cut loose an' raise th' dust when we saw that lookin' glass -a-winkin'. We could n't read it none, but we didn't have to. We just -cut loose." - -"Lookin' glass!" exclaimed Bill, staring. "That's twice you 've -mentioned it. What glass? We didn't have no lookin' glass, nohow." - -"Well, Whiskey Jeff had one, a'right. An' he shore keeps her a-talkin', -too. Ain't it a cussed funny thing that a feller that's got a -hardboiled face like his'n would go an' tote a lookin' glass around with -him? We never done reckoned he was that vain." - -Bill shook his head and gave it up. He glanced above him at the ledge -and started for it as Jimmy pushed up to him through the little crowd. -"Hello, Kid," Bill smiled. "Come on up an' help me get her down," he -invited. Jimmy shook his head and refused. "Ah, what's th' use? She -'ll only gimme h--l for handin' her that blamed Greaser lie," he -snapped. "An' you can do it alone--didn't you tote her up th' cussed -wall?" It had been a long-range view, but Jimmy had seen it, just the -same, and resented it. - -Bill turned and looked at him. "Well, I 'm cussed!" he muttered, and -forthwith climbed the wall. A few minutes later he stuck his head over -the rim of the ledge and looked down upon a good-natured crowd that -lounged in the shadow of the wall and told each other all about it. -Jimmy was the important center of interest and he was flushed with -pride. It would take a great deal to make him cut short his hour of -triumph and take him away from the admiring circle that hedged him in -and listened intently to his words. "Yessir, by G--d," he was saying, -"just then I looks over th' top of a li'l hill an' what I sees makes me -duck a-plenty. There was a dozen of 'em, stringin' south. I knowed -they 'd shore hit that--" - -"Hey, Kid," said a humorous voice from above. Jimmy glanced up, vexed at -the interruption. "Well, what?" he growled. Bill grinned down at him in -a manner that bid fair to destroy the dignity that Jimmy had striven so -hard to build up. "She says all right for you. She 's done let you -down easy for that whoppin' big Greaser lie you went an' spun her. She -wants to know ain't you comin' up so she can talk to you? How about -it?" - -"Go on, Kid," urged a low and friendly voice at his elbow. - -"Betcha!" grinned another. "Wish it was me! I done seen her in Logan." - -Jimmy loosed a throbbing phrase, but obeyed, whereat Bill withdrew his -grinning face from the sight of the grinning faces below. "He 's comin' -ma'am; but he's shore plumb bashful." He looked down the canyon and -laughed. "There they go to get Purdy off 'n his perch. I 'm -natchurally goin' to lick anybody as tries to thrash that man," he -muttered, glancing at George as he passed Jimmy on the ledge. George -grinned and shook his head. "I 'm going to give him the spree of his -sinful, long life," he promised, thoughtfully. - -Far to the west, silhouetted for a moment against the crimson sunset, -appeared a row of mounted figures. It looked long and searchingly at -the mesa and slowly disappeared from view. Bill saw it and pointed it -out to Lefty Dickinson. "There 's th' other eight," he said, smiling -cheerfully. "If it was n't for Whiskey Jeff's lookin' glass that eight -'d mean a whole lot to us. We 've had the luck of fools!" - - - - - VI - - HOPALONG'S HOP - - -Having sent Jimmy to the Bar-20 with a message for Buck Peters and seen -the tenderfeet start for Sharpsville on the right trail and under -escort, Bill Cassidy set out for the Crazy M ranch, by the way of Clay -Gulch. He was to report on the condition of some cattle that Buck had -been offered cheap and he was anxious to get back to the ranch. It was -in the early evening when he reached Clay Gulch and rode slowly down the -dusty, shack-lined street in search of a hotel. The town and the street -were hardly different from other towns and streets that he had seen all -over the cow-country, but nevertheless he felt uneasy. The air seemed -to be charged with danger, and it caused him to sit even more erect in -the saddle and assume his habit of indifferent alertness. The first man -he saw confirmed the feeling by staring at him insolently and sneering -in a veiled way at the low-hung, tied-down holsters that graced Bill's -thighs. The guns proclaimed the gun-man as surely as it would have been -proclaimed by a sign; and it appeared that gun-men were not at that time -held in high esteem by the citizens of Clay Gulch. Bill was growing -fretful and peevish when the man, with a knowing shake of his head, -turned away and entered the harness shop. "Trouble's brewin' somewheres -around," muttered Bill, as he went on. He had singled out the first of -two hotels when another citizen, turning the corner, stopped in his -tracks and looked Bill over with a deliberate scrutiny that left but -little to the imagination. He frowned and started away, but Bill -spurred forward, determined to make him speak. - -"_Might_ I inquire if this is Clay Gulch?" he asked, in tones that made -the other wince. - -"You might," was the reply. "It is," added the citizen, "an' th' Crazy -M lays fifteen mile west." Having complied with the requirements of -common politeness the citizen of Clay Gulch turned and walked into the -nearest saloon. Bill squinted after him and shook his head in -indecision. - -"He wasn't guessin', neither. He shore knowed where I wants to go. I -reckon Oleson must 'a' said he was expectin' me." He would have been -somewhat surprised had he known that Mr. Oleson, foreman of the Crazy M, -had said nothing to anyone about the expected visitor, and that no one, -not even on the ranch, knew of it. Mr. Oleson was blessed with -taciturnity to a remarkable degree; and he had given up expecting to see -anyone from Mr. Peters. - -As Bill dismounted in front of the "Victoria" he noticed that two men -further down the street had evidently changed their conversation and -were examining him with frank interest and discussing him earnestly. As -a matter of fact they had not changed the subject of their conversation, -but had simply fitted him in the place of a certain unknown. Before he -had arrived they discussed in the abstract; now they could talk in the -concrete. One of them laughed and called softly over his shoulder, -whereupon a third man appeared in the door, wiping his lips with the -back of a hairy, grimy hand, and focused evil eyes upon the innocent -stranger. He grunted contemptuously and, turning on his heel, went back -to his liquid pleasures. Bill covertly felt of his clothes and stole a -glance at his horse, but could see nothing wrong. He hesitated: should -he saunter over for information or wait until the matter was brought to -his attention? A sound inside the hotel made him choose the latter -course, for his stomach threatened to become estranged and it simply -howled for food. Pushing open the door he dropped his saddle in a -corner and leaned against the bar. - -"Have one with me to get acquainted?" he invited. "Then I 'll eat, for -I 'm hungry. An' I 'll use one of yore beds to-night, too." - -The man behind the bar nodded cheerfully and poured out his drink. As -he raised the liquor he noticed Bill's guns and carelessly let the glass -return to the bar. - -"Sorry, sir," he said coldly. "I 'm hall out of grub, the fire 's hout, -_hand_ the beds are taken. But mebby 'Awley, down the strite, can tyke -care of you." - -Bill was looking at him with an expression that said much and he slowly -extended his arm and pointed to the untasted liquor. - -"Allus finish what you start, English," he said slowly and clearly. -"When a man goes to take a drink with me, and suddenly changes his mind, -why I gets riled. I don't know what ails this town, an' I don't care; I -don't give a cuss about yore grub an' your beds; but if you don't drink -that liquor you poured out _to_ drink, why I 'll natchurally shove it -down yore British throat so cussed hard it 'll strain yore neck. Get to -it!" - -The proprietor glanced apprehensively from the glass to Bill, then on to -the business-like guns and back to the glass, and the liquor disappeared -at a gulp. "W'y," he explained, aggrieved. "There hain't no call for to -get riled hup like that, strainger. I bloody well forgot it." - -"Then don't you go an' 'bloody well' forget this: Th' next time I drops -in here for grub an' a bed, you have 'em both, an' be plumb polite about -it. Do you get me?" he demanded icily. - -The proprietor stared at the angry puncher as he gathered up his saddle -and rifle and started for the door. He turned to put away the bottle -and the sound came near being unfortunate for him. Bill leaped -sideways, turning while in the air and landed on his feet like a cat, -his left hand gripping a heavy Colt that covered the short ribs of the -frightened proprietor before that worthy could hardly realize the move. - -"Oh, all right," growled Bill, appearing to be disappointed. "I -reckoned mebby you was gamblin' on a shore thing. I feels impelled to -offer you my sincere apology; you ain't th' kind as would even gamble -_on_ a shore thing. You 'll see me again," he promised. The sound of -his steps on the porch ended in a thud as he leaped to the ground and -then he passed the window leading his horse and scowling darkly. The -proprietor mopped his head and reached twice for the glass before he -found it. "Gawd, what a bloody 'eathen," he grunted. "_'E_ won't be as -easy as the lawst was, blime 'im." - -Mr. Hawley looked up and frowned, but there was something in the -suspicious eyes that searched his face that made him cautious. Bill -dropped his load on the floor and spoke sharply. "I want supper an' a -bed. You ain't full up, an' you ain't out of grub. So I 'm goin' to -get 'em both right here. Yes?" - -"You shore called th' turn, stranger," replied Mr. Hawley in his Sunday -voice. "That's what I 'm in business for. An' business is shore dull -these days." - -He wondered at the sudden smile that illuminated Bill's face and half -guessed it; but he said nothing and went to work. When Bill pushed back -from the table he was more at peace with the world and he treated, -closely watching his companion. Mr. Hawley drank with a show of -pleasure and forthwith brought out cigars. He seated himself beside his -guest and sighed with relief. - -"I 'm plumb tired out," he offered. "An' I ain't done much. You look -tired, too. Come a long way?" - -"Logan," replied Bill. "Do _you_ know where I 'm goin'? An' why?" he -asked. - -Mr. Hawley looked surprised and almost answered the first part of the -question correctly before he thought. "Well," he grinned, "if I could -tell where strangers was goin', an' why, I would n't never ask 'em where -they come from. An' I 'd shore hunt up a li'l game of faro, you bet!" - -Bill smiled. "Well, that might be a good idea. But, say, what ails this -town, anyhow?" - -"What ails it? Hum! Why, lack of money for one thing; scenery, for -another; wimmin, for another. Oh, h--l, I ain't got time to tell you -what ails it. Why?" - -"Is there anything th' matter with me?" - -"I don't know you well enough for to answer that kerrect." - -"Well, would you turn around an' stare at me, an' seem pained an' hurt? -Do I look funny? Has anybody put a sign on my back?" - -"You looks all right to me. What's th' matter?" - -"Nothin', yet," reflected Bill slowly. "But there will be, mebby. You -was mentionin' faro. Here 's a turn you can call: somebody in this wart -of a two-by-nothin' town is goin' to run plumb into a big surprise. -There 'll mebby be a loud noise an' some smoke where it starts from; an' -a li'l round hole where it stops. When th' curious delegation now -holdin' forth on th' street slips in here after I 'm in bed, an' makes -inquiries about me, you can tell 'em that. An' if Mr.--Mr. Victoria -drops in casual, tell him I 'm cleanin' my guns. Now then, show me -where I 'm goin' to sleep." - -Mr. Hawley very carefully led the way into the hall and turned into a -room opposite the bar. "Here she is, stranger," he said, stepping back. -But Bill was out in the hall listening. He looked into the room and -felt oppressed. - -"No she ain't," he answered, backing his intuition. "She is upstairs, -where there is a li'l breeze. By th' Lord," he muttered under his -breath. "This is some puzzle." He mounted the stairs shaking his head -thoughtfully. "It shore is, it shore is." - -The next morning when Bill whirled up to the Crazy M bunkhouse and -dismounted before the door a puncher was emerging. He started to say -something, noticed Bill's guns and went on without a word. Bill turned -around and looked after him in amazement. "Well, what th' devil!" he -growled. Before he could do anything, had he wished to, Mr. Oleson -stepped quickly from the house, nodded and hurried toward the ranch -house, motioning for Bill to follow. Entering the house, the foreman of -the Crazy M waited impatiently for Bill to get inside, and then -hurriedly closed the door. - -"They 've got onto it some way," he said, his taciturnity gone; "but -that don't make no difference if you 've got th' sand. I 'll pay you -one hundred an' fifty a month, furnish yore cayuses an' feed you. I 'm -losin' more 'n two hundred cows every month an' can't get a trace of th' -thieves. Harris, Marshal of Clay Gulch, is stumped, too. _He_ can't -move without proof; _you_ can. Th' first man to get is George Thomas, -then his brother Art. By that time you 'll know how things lay. George -Thomas is keepin' out of Harris' way. He killed a man last week over in -Tuxedo an' Harris wants to take him over there. He 'll not help you, so -don't ask him to." Before Bill could reply or recover from his -astonishment Oleson continued and described several men. "Look out for -ambushes. It 'll be th' hardest game you ever went up ag'in, an' if you -ain't got th' sand to go through with it, say so." - -Bill shook his head. "I got th' sand to go through with anythin' I -starts, but I don't start here. I reckon you got th' wrong man. I come -up here to look over a herd for Buck Peters; an' here you go shovin' -wages like that at me. When I tells Buck what I 've been offered he 'll -fall dead." He laughed. "Now I knows th' answer to a lot of things. - -"Here, here!" he exclaimed as Oleson began to rave. "Don't you go an' -get all het up like that. I reckon I can keep my face shut. An' lemme -observe in yore hat-like ear that if th' rest of this gang is like th' -samples I seen in town, a good gun-man would shore be robbin' you to -take all that money for th' job. Fifty a month, for two months, would -be a-plenty." - -Oleson's dismay was fading, and he accepted the situation with a grim -smile. "You don't know them fellers," he replied. "They 're a bad lot, -an' won't stop at nothin'." - -"All right. Let's take a look at them cows. I want to get home soon as -I can." - -Oleson shook his head. "I gave you up, an' when I got a better offer I -let 'em go. I 'm sorry you had th' ride for nothin', but I could n't -get word to you." - -Bill led the way in silence back to the bunk house and mounted his -horse. "All right," he nodded. "I shore was late. Well, I 'll be -goin'." - -"That gun-man is late, too," said Oleson. "Mebby he ain't comin'. You -want th' job at _my_ figgers?" - -"Nope. I got a better job, though it don't pay so much money. It's -steady, an' a hull lot cleaner. So-long," and Bill loped away, closely -watched by Shorty Allen from the corral. And after an interval, Shorty -mounted and swung out of the other gate of the corral and rode along the -bottom of an arroyo until he felt it was safe to follow Bill's trail. -When Shorty turned back he was almost to town, and he would not have -been pleased had he known that Bill knew of the trailing for the last -ten miles. Bill had doubled back and was within a hundred yards of -Shorty when that person turned ranchward. - -"Huh! I must be popular," grunted Bill. "I reckon I will stay in Clay -Gulch till t'morrow mornin'; an' at the Victoria," he grinned. Then he -laughed heartily. "Victoria! I got a better name for it than that, all -right." - -When he pulled up before the Victoria and looked in the proprietor -scowled at him, which made Bill frown as he went on to Hawley's. Putting -his horse in the corral he carried his saddle and rifle into the barroom -and looked around. There was no one in sight, and he smiled. Putting -the saddle and rifle back in one corner under the bar and covering them -with gunny sacks he strolled to the Victoria and entered through the -rear door. The proprietor reached for his gun but reconsidered in time -and picked up a glass, which he polished with exaggerated care. There -was something about the stranger that obtruded upon his peace of mind -and confidence. He would let some one else try the stranger out. - -Bill walked slowly forward, by force of will ironing out the humor in -his face and assuming his sternest expression. "I want supper an' a -bed, an' don't forget to be plumb polite," he rumbled, sitting down by -the side of a small table in such a manner that it did not in the least -interfere with the movement of his right hand. The observing proprietor -observed and gave strict attention to the preparation of the meal. The -gun-man, glancing around, slowly arose and walked carelessly to a chair -that had blank wall behind it, and from where he could watch windows and -doors. - -When the meal was placed before him he glanced up. "Go over there an' -sit down," he ordered, motioning to a chair that stood close to the -rifle that leaned against the wall. "Loaded?" he demanded. The -proprietor could only nod. "Then sling it acrost yore knees an' keep -still. Well, start movin'." - -The proprietor walked as though he were in a trance but when he seated -himself and reached for the weapon a sudden flash of understanding -illumined him and caused cold sweat to bead upon his wrinkled brow. He -put the weapon down again, but the noise made Bill look up. - -"Acrost yore knees," growled the puncher, and the proprietor hastily -obeyed, but when it touched his legs he let loose of it as though it -were hot. He felt a great awe steal through his fear, for here was a -gun-man such as he had read about. This man gave him all the best of it -just to tempt him to make a break. The rifle had been in his hands, and -while it was there the gun-man was calmly eating with both hands on the -table and had not even looked up until the noise of the gun made him! - -"My Gawd, 'e must be a wizard with 'em. I 'opes I don't forget!" With -the thought came a great itching of his kneecap; then his foot itched so -as to make him squirm and wear horrible expressions. Bill, chancing to -glance up carelessly, caught sight of the expressions and growled, -whereupon they became angelic. Fearing that he could no longer hold in -the laughter that tortured him, Bill arose. - -"Shoulder, _arms_!" he ordered, crisply. The gun went up with trained -precision. "Been a sojer," thought Bill. "Carry, _arms_! About, -_face_! To a bedroom, _march_!" He followed, holding his sides, and -stopped before the room. "This th' best?" he demanded. "Well, it ain't -good enough for me. About, _face_! Forward, _march_! Column, _left_! -Ground, _arms_! Fall out." Tossing a coin on the floor as payment for -the supper Bill turned sharply and went out without even a backward -glance. - -The proprietor wiped the perspiration from his face and walked -unsteadily to the bar, where he poured out a generous drink and gulped -it down. Peering out of the door to see if the coast was clear, he -scurried across the street and told his troubles to the harness-maker. - -Bill leaned weakly against Hawley's and laughed until the tears rolled -down his cheeks. Pushing weakly from the building he returned to the -Victoria to play another joke on its proprietor. Finding it vacant he -slipped upstairs and hunted for a room to suit him. The bed was the -softest he had seen for a long time and it lured him into removing his -boots and chaps and guns, after he had propped a chair against the door -as a warning signal, and stretching out flat on his back, he prepared to -enjoy solid comfort. It was not yet dark, and as he was not sleepy he -lay there thinking over the events of the past twenty-four hours, often -laughing so hard as to shake the bed. What a reputation he would have in -the morning! The softness of the bed got in its work and he fell asleep, -for how long he did not know; but when he awakened it was dark and he -heard voices coming up from below. They came from the room he had -refused to take. One expression banished all thoughts of sleep from his -mind and he listened intently. "'Red-headed Irish gunman.' Why, they -means me! 'Make him hop into h--l.' I don't reckon I 'd do that for -anybody, even my friends." - -"I tried to give 'im this room, but 'e would n't tyke it" protested the -proprietor, hurriedly. "'E says the bloody room was n't good enough for -'im, _hand_ 'e marches me out hand makes off. Likely 'e 's in -_'Awley's_." - -"No, he ain't," growled a strange voice. "You 've gone an' bungled th' -whole thing." - -"But I s'y I did n't, you know. I tries to give 'im this werry room, -George, but 'e would n't 'ave it. D'y think I wants 'im running haround -this blooming town? 'E 's worse nor the other, _hand_ Gawd knows 'e was -bad enough. 'E 's a cold-_blooded_ beggar, 'e is!" - -"You missed yore chance," grunted the other. "Wish _I_ had that gun you -had." - -"I was wishing to Gawd you did," retorted the proprietor. "It never -looked so bloody big before, d--n 'is _'ide_!" - -"Well, his cayuse is in Hawley's corral," said the first speaker. "If I -ever finds Hawley kept him under cover I 'll blow his head off. Come -on; we 'll get Harris first. He ought to be gettin' close to town if he -got th' word I sent over to Tuxedo. He won't let us call him. He's a -man of his word." - -"He 'll be here, all right. Fred an' Tom is watchin' his shack, an' we -better take th' other end of town--there 's no tellin' how he 'll come -in now," suggested Art Thomas. "But I wish I knowed where that cussed -gun-man is." - -As they went out Bill, his chaps on and his boots in his hand, crept -down the stairs, and stopped as he neared the hall door. The proprietor -was coming back. The others were outside, going to their stations and -did not hear the choking gasp that the proprietor made as a pair of -strong hands reached out and throttled him. When he came to he was lying -face down on a bed, gagged and bound by a rope that cut into his flesh -with every movement. Bill, waiting a moment, slipped into the darkness -and was swallowed up. He was looking for Mr. Harris, and looking -eagerly. - -The moon arose and bathed the dusty street and its crude shacks in -silver, cunningly and charitably hiding its ugliness; and passed on as -the skirmishing rays of the sun burst into the sky in close and eternal -pursuit. As the dawn spread swiftly and long, thin shadows sprang -across the sandy street, there arose from the dissipated darkness close -to the wall of a building an armed man, weary and slow from a tiresome -vigil. Another emerged from behind a pile of boards that faced the -marshal's abode, while down the street another crept over the edge of a -dried-out water course and swore softly as he stood up slowly to flex -away the stiffness of cramped limbs. Of vain speculation he was empty; -he had exhausted all the whys and hows long before and now only muttered -discontentedly as he reviewed the hours of fruitless waiting. And he -was uneasy; it was not like Harris to take a dare and swallow his own -threats without a struggle. He looked around apprehensively, shrugged -his shoulders and stalked behind the shacks across from the two hotels. - -Another figure crept from the protection of Hawley's corral like a -slinking coyote, gun in hand and nervously alert. He was just in time -to escape the challenge that would have been hurled at him by Hawley, -himself, had that gentleman seen the skulker as he grouchily opened one -shutter and scowled sleepily at the kindling eastern sky. Mr. Hawley -was one of those who go to bed with regret and get up with remorse, and -his temper was always easily disturbed before breakfast. The skulker, -safe from the remorseful gentleman's eyes, and gun, kept close to the -building as he walked and was again fortunate, for he had passed when -Mr. Hawley strode heavily into his kitchen to curse the cold, rusty -stove, a rite he faithfully performed each morning. Across the street -George and Art Thomas walked to meet each other behind the row of shacks -and stopped near the harness shop to hold a consultation. The subject -was so interesting that for a few moments they were oblivious to all -else. - -A man softly stepped to the door of the Victoria and watched the two -across the street with an expression on his face that showed his smiling -contempt for them and their kind. He was a small man, so far as -physical measurements go, but he was lithe, sinewy and compact. On his -opened vest, hanging slovenly and blinking in the growing light as if to -prepare itself for the blinding glare of midday, glinted a five-pointed -star of nickel, a lowly badge that every rural community knows and holds -in an awe far above the metal or design. Swinging low on his hip -gleamed the ivory butt of a silver-plated Colt, the one weakness that -his vanity seized upon. But under the silver and its engraving, above -and before the cracked and stained ivory handles, lay the power of a -great force; and under the casing of the marshal's small body lay a -virile manhood, strong in courage and determination. Toby Harris -watched, smilingly; he loved the dramatic and found keen enjoyment in -the situation. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a carelessly dressed -cowpuncher slouching indolently along close to the buildings on the -other side of the street with the misleading sluggishness of a panther. -The red hair, kissed by the slanting rays of the sun where it showed -beneath the soiled sombrero, seemed to be a flaming warning; the -half-closed eyes, squinting under the brim of the big hat, missed -nothing as they darted from point to point. - -The marshal stepped silently to the porch and then on to the ground, his -back to the rear of the hotel, waiting to be discovered. He had been in -sight perhaps a minute. The cowpuncher made a sudden, eye-baffling -movement and smoke whirled about his hips. Fred, turning the corner -behind the marshal, dropped his gun with a scream of rage and pain and -crashed against the window in sudden sickness, his gunhand hanging by a -tendon from his wrist. The marshal stepped quickly forward at the shot -and for an instant gazed deeply into the eyes of the startled rustlers. -Then his Colt leaped out and crashed a fraction of a second before the -brothers fired. George Thomas reeled, caught sight of the puncher and -fired by instinct. Bill, leaving Harris to watch the other side of the -street, was watching the rear corner of the Victoria and was unprepared -for the shot. He crumpled and dropped and then the marshal, enraged, -ended the rustler's earthly career in a stream of flame and smoke. Tom, -turning into the street further down, wheeled and dashed for his horse, -and Art, having leaped behind the harness shop, turned and fled for his -life. He had nearly reached his horse and was going at top speed with -great leaps when the prostrate man in the street, raising on his elbow, -emptied his gun after him, the five shots sounding almost as one. Art -Thomas arose convulsively, steadied himself and managed to gain the -saddle. Harris looked hastily down the street and saw a cloud of dust -racing northward, and grunted. "Let them go--_they_ won't never come -back no more." Running to the cowpuncher he raised him after a hurried -examination of the wounded thigh. "Hop along, Cassidy," he smiled in -encouragement. "You 'll be a better man with one good laig than th' -whole gang was all put together." - -The puncher smiled faintly as Hawley, running to them, helped him toward -his hotel. "Th' bone is plumb smashed. I reckon I 'll hop along -through life. It 'll be hop along, for me, all right. That's _my_ -name, all right. Huh! Hopalong Cassidy! But I didn't hop into h--l, -did I, Harris?" he grinned bravely. - -And thus was born a nickname that found honor and fame in the -cow-country--a name that stood for loyalty, courage and most amazing -gun-play. I have Red's word for this, and the endorsement of those who -knew him at the time. And from this on, up to the time he died, and -after, we will forsake "Bill" and speak of him as Hopalong Cassidy, a -cowpuncher who lived and worked in the days when the West was wild and -rough and lawless; and who, like others, through the medium of the only -court at hand, Judge Colt, enforced justice as he believed it should be -enforced. - - - - - VII - - "DEALING THE ODD" - - -Faro-bank is an expensive game when luck turns a cold shoulder on any -player, and "going broke" is as easy as ruffling a deck. When a man -finds he has two dollars left out of more than two months' pay and that -it has taken him less than thirty minutes to get down to that mark, he -cannot be censored much if he rails at that Will-o'-the-wisp, the -Goddess of Luck. Put him a good ten days' ride from home, acquaintances -and money and perhaps he will be justified in adding heat in plenty to -his denunciation. He had played to win when he should have coppered, -coppered when he should have played to win, he had backed both ends -against the middle and played the high card as well--but only when his -bets were small did the turn show him what he wanted to see. Perhaps -the case-keeper had hoodooed him, for he never did have any luck at -cards when a tow-headed man had a finger in the game. - -Fuming impotently at his helplessness, a man limped across the main -street in Colby, constrained and a little awkward in his new store -clothes and new, squeaking boots that were clumsy with stiffness. The -only things on him that he could regard as old and tried friends were -the battered sombrero and the heavy, walnut-handled Colt's .45 which -rubbed comfortably with each movement of his thigh. The weapon, to be -sure, had a ready cash value--but he could not afford to part with it. -The horse belonged to his ranch, and the saddle must not be sold; to -part with it would be to lose his mark of caste and become a walking -man, which all good punchers despised. - -"Ten days from home, knowin' nobody, two measly dollars in my pocket, -an' luck dead agin me," he growled with pugnacious pessimism. "Oh, I 'm -a wise old bird, I am! A h--l of a wise bird. Real smart an' cute an' -shiny, a cache of wisdom, a real, bonyfied Smart Aleck with a head full -of spavined brains. I copper th' deuce an' th' deuce wins; I play th' -King to win for ten dollars when I ought to copper it. I lay two-bits -and it comes right--ten dollars an' I see my guess go _loco_. Reckon I -better slip these here twin bucks down in my kill-me-soon boots afore -some blind papoose takes 'em away from me. Wiser 'n Solomon, I am; I -'ve got old Caesar climbin' a cactus for pleasure an' joy. S-u-c-k-e-r -is my middle name--an' I 'm busted." - -He almost stumbled over a little tray of a three-legged table on the -corner of the street and his face went hard as he saw the layout. Three -halves of English walnut shells lay on the faded and soiled green cloth -and a blackened, shriveled pea was still rolling from the shaking he had -given the table. He stopped and regarded it gravely, jingling his two -dollars disconsolately. "Don't this town do nothin' else besides -gamble?" he muttered, looking around. - -"Howd'y, stranger!" cheerfully cried a man who hastened up. "Want to -see me fool you?" - -The puncher's anger was aroused to a thin, licking flame; but it passed -swiftly and a cold, calculating look came into his eyes. He glanced -around swiftly, trying to locate the cappers, but they were not to be -seen, which worried him a little. He always liked to have possible -danger where he could keep an eye on it. Perhaps they were eating or -drinking--the thought stirred him again to anger: two dollars would not -feed him very long, nor quench his thirst. - -"Pick it out, stranger," invited the proprietor, idly shifting the -shells. "It's easy if yo 're right smart--but lots of folks just can't -do it; they can't seem to get th' hang of it, somehow. That's why it's a -bettin' proposition. Here it is, right before yore eyes! One little -pea, three little shells, right here plumb in front of yore eyes! Th' -little pea hides under one of th' little shells, right in plain sight: -But can you tell which one? That's th' whole game, right there. See how -it's done?" and the three little shells moved swiftly but clumsily and -the little pea disappeared. "Now, then; where would _you_ say it was?" -demanded the hopeful operator, genially. - -The puncher gripped his two dollars firmly, shifted his weight as much -as possible on his sound leg, and scowled: he knew where it was. "Do I -look like a kid? Do you reckon you have to coax like a fool to get me -all primed up to show how re-markably smart an' quick I am? You don't; -I know how smart I am. Say, you ain't, not by any kinda miracle, a blind -papoose, are you?" he demanded. - -"What you mean?" asked the other, smiling as he waited for the joke. It -did not come, so he continued. "Don't take no harm in my fool -wind-jammin', stranger. It's in th' game. It's a habit; I 've said it -so much I just can't help it no more--I up an' says it at a funeral -once; that is, part of it--th' first part. That's dead right! But I -reckon I 'm wastin' my time--unless you happen to feel coltish an' -hain't got nothin' to do for an age. I 've been playin' in hard luck -th' last week or so--you see, I ain't as good as I uster be. I ain't -quite so quick, an' a little bit off my quickness is a whole lot off my -chances. But th' game's square--an' that's a good deal more'n you can -say about most of 'em." - -The puncher hesitated, a grin flickering about his thin lips and a calm -joy warming him comfortably. He knew the operator. He knew that face, -the peculiar, crescent-shaped scar over one brow, and the big, blue eyes -that years of life had not entirely robbed of their baby-like innocence. -The past, sorted thoroughly and quickly by his memory, shoved out that -face before a crowd of others. Five years is not a long time to -remember something unpleasant; he had reasons to remember that -countenance. Knowing the face he also knew that the man had been, at -one time, far from "square." The associations and means of livelihood -during the past five years, judging from the man's present occupation, -had not been the kind to correct any evil tendency. He laid a -forefinger on the edge of the tray. "Start th' machinery--I 'll risk a -couple of dollars, anyhow. That ain't much to lose. I bet two dollars -I can call it right," he said, watching closely. - -He won, as he knew he would; and the result told him that the gambler -had not reformed. The dexterous fingers shifting the shells were slower -than others he had seen operate and when he had won again he stopped, as -if to leave. "When I hit town a short time ago I didn't know I 'd be so -lucky. I went an' drawed two months' pay when I left th' ranch: I shore -don't need it. Shuffle 'em again--it's yore money, anyhow," he laughed. -"You should 'a' quit th' game before you got so slow." - -"Goin' back to work purty soon?" queried the shell-man, wondering how -much this "sucker" had left unspent. - -"Not me! I 've only just had a couple of drinks since I hit town--an' -_I_ 'm due to celebrate." - -The other's face gave no hint of his thoughts, which were that the fool -before him had about a hundred dollars on his person. "Well, luck's -with you today--you 've called it right twice. I 'll bet you a cool -hundred that you can't call it th' third time. It's th' quickness of my -hands agin yore eyes--an' you can't beat me three straight. Make it a -hundred? I hate to play all day." - -"I 'll lay you my winnings an' have some more of yore money," replied -the puncher, feverishly. "Ain't scared, are you?" - -"Don't know what it means to be scared," laughed the other. "But I -ain't got no small change, nothin' but tens. Play a hundred an' let's -have some real excitement." - -"Nope; eight or nothin'." - -He won again. "Now, sixteen even. Come on; I 've got you beat." - -"But what's th' use of stringin' 'long like that?" demanded the -shell-man. - -"Gimme a chance to get my hand in, won't you?" retorted the puncher. - -"Well, all right," replied the gambler, and he lost the sixteen. - -"Now thirty," suggested the puncher. "Next time all I 've got, every -red cent. Once more to practice--then every red," he repeated, shifting -his feet nervously. "I 'll clean you out an' have a real, genuine -blow-out on yore money. Come on, I 'm in a hurry." - -"I 'll fool you _this_ time, by th' Lord!" swore the gambler, angrily. -"You've got more luck than sense. An' I 'll fool you next time, too. Yo -'re quicker 'n most men I 've run up agin, but I can beat you, shore as -shootin'. Th' game's square, th' play fair--my hand agin yore eye. -Ready? Then watch me!" - -He swore luridly and shoved the money across the board to the winner, -bewailing his slowness and getting angrier every moment. "Yo 're th' -cussedest man I ever bet agin! But I'll get you _this_ time. You can't -guess right all th' time, an' I know it." - -"There she is; sixty-two bucks, three score an' two simoleons; all I 've -got, every cent. Let's see you take it away from me!" - -The gambler frowned and choked back a curse. He had risked sixty -dollars to win two, and the fact that he had to let this fool play again -with the fire hurt his pride. He had no fear for his money--he knew he -could win at every throw--but to play that long for two dollars! And -suppose the sucker had quit with the sixty! - -"Do you get a dollar a month?" he demanded, sarcastically. "Well, I -reckon you earn it, at that. Thought you had money, thought you drew -down two months' pay an' hain't had nothin' more'n two drinks? Did you -go an' lose it on th' way?" - -"Oh, I drew it a month ago," replied the sucker, surprised. "I 've only -had two drinks in this town, which I hit 'bout an hour ago. But I shore -lost a wad playin' faro-bank agin a towhead. Come on--lemme take sixty -more of yore money, anyhow." - -"Sixty-_two_!" snapped the proprietor, determined to have those two -miserable dollars and break the sucker for revenge. "Every cent, you -remember." - -"_All_ right; I don't care! I ain't no tin-horn," grumbled the other. -"Think I care 'bout two dollars?" But he appeared to be very nervous, -nevertheless. - -"Well, put it on th' table." - -"After you put yourn down." - -"There it is. Now watch me close!" A gleam of joy flashed up in the -angry man's eyes as he played with the shells. "Watch me close! Mebby -it is, an' mebby it ain't--th' game's square, th' play 's fair. It's my -hand agin yore eye. Watch me close!" - -"Oh, go ahead! I'm watchin', all right. Think I 'd go to sleep now!" - -The shifting hands stopped, the shells lay quiet, and the gambler gazed -blankly down the unsympathetic barrel of a Colt. - -"Now, Thomas, old thimble-rigger," crisply remarked the supposed sucker -as he cautiously slid the money off the table, to be picked up later -when conditions would be more favorable. "Th' little pea ain't under -_no_ shell. _Stop_! Step back one pace an' elevate them paws. Don't -make no more funny motions with that hand, savvy? But you can drop th' -pea if it hurts them two fingers. Now we 'll see if I win; I allus like -to be shore," and he cautiously turned over the shells, revealing -nothing but the dirty green cloth. "I win; it ain't there--just like I -thought." - -"Who are you, an' how 'd you know my name?" demanded the gambler, -mentally cursing his two missing cappers. They were drinking once too -often and things were going to happen in their vicinity, and very soon. - -"Why, you took twenty-five dollars from me up in Alameda onct, when I -could n't afford to lose it," grinned the puncher. "I was something of -a kid then. I remember you, all right. My foreman told me about yore -bang-up fight agin th' Johnson brothers, who gave you that scar. I -thought then that you were a great man--now I know you ain't. I would -n't 'a' played at all if I had n't knowed how crooked you was. Take yore -layout an' yore crookedness, find th' pea an' yore cappers, an' clear -out. An' if anybody asks you if you 've seen Hopalong Cassidy you tell -'em I 'm up here in Colby makin' some easy money beatin' crooked games. -So-long, an' _don't_ look back!" - -Hopalong watched him go and then went to the nearest place where he -could get something to eat. In due time, having disposed of a square -meal, Hopalong called for a drink and a cigar, and sat quietly smoking -for nearly half an hour, so lost in thought that his cigar went out -repeatedly. As he reviewed his disastrous play at faro many small -details came to him and now he found them interesting. The dealer was -not a master at his trade and Hopalong had seen many better; in fact the -man was not even second class, and this fact hurt his pride. He had -played a careful game, and the great majority of his small bets had -won--it was only when he risked twenty or thirty dollars that he lost. -The only big bet that he had been at all lucky on was one where doubles -showed on the turn and he had been split, losing half of his stake. But -when he had played his last fifty dollars on the Jack, open, the final -blow fell and he had left the table in disgust. - -Why weren't there cue-cards, so the players could keep their own tally -of the cards instead of having to depend on the cue-box kept by the -case-keeper? This made him suspicious; a crooked dealer and case-keeper -can trim a big bet at will, unless the players keep their own cases or -are exceptionally wise; and even then a really good dealer will get away -with his play nine times out of ten. While he seldom played a system, -he had backed one that morning; but he was cured of that weakness now. -If the game were square he figured he could get at least an even break; -if crooked, nothing but a gun could beat it, and he had a very good gun. -When he thought of the gun, he reviewed the arrangement of the room and -estimated the weight of the rough, deal table on which rested the faro -layout. He smiled and turned to the bartender. "Hey, barkeeper! Got -any paper an' a pencil?" - -After some rummaging the taciturn dispenser of liquid forget-it produced -the articles in question and Hopalong, drawing some hurried lines, paid -his bill, treated, kept the pencil and headed for the faro game across -the street. - -When he entered the room the table was deserted and he nodded to the -dealer as he seated himself at the right of the case-keeper, who now -took his place, and opposite the dealer and the lookout. He was not -surprised to find no other players in the room, for the hour was wrong; -later in the afternoon there would be many and at night the place would -be crowded. This suited him perfectly and he settled himself to begin -playing. - -When the deck was shuffled and placed in the deal box Hopalong put his -ruled paper in front of him on the table, tallied once against the King -for the soda card and started to play quarters and half dollars. He -caught the fugitive look that passed between the men as they saw his -cue-card but he gave no sign of having observed it. After that he never -looked up from the cards while his bets were small. Two deals did not -alter his money much and he knew that so far the game was straight. If -it were not to remain straight the crookedness would not come more than -once in a deal if the frame-up was "single-odd" and then not until the -bet was large enough to practically break him. His high-card play ran -in his favor and kept him gradually drawing ahead. He lost twice in -calling the last turn and guessed it right once, at four to one, which -made him win in that department of the game. - -When the fifth deal began he was quite a little ahead and his play -became bolder, some of the bets going as high as ten dollars. He broke -even and then played heavier on the following deal. His first high bet, -twenty dollars, was on the eight, open, only one eight having shown. -Double eights showed on the next turn and he was split, losing half the -stake. - -It was about this time that the look-out discovered that Mr. Cassidy was -getting a little excited and several times had nearly forgotten to keep -his cases. This information was cautiously passed to the dealer and -case-keeper and from then on they evinced a little more interest in the -game. Finally the player, after studying his cue-card, placed fifty -dollars on the Queen, open, and coppered the deuce, a case-card, and -then put ten more on the high card. This came in the middle of the game -and he was prepared for trouble as the turn was made, but fortune was -kind to him and he raked in sixty dollars. He was mildly surprised that -he had won, but explained it to himself by thinking that the stakes were -not yet high enough. From then on he was keenly alert, for the -crookedness would come soon if it ever did, but he strung small sums on -the next dozen turns and waited for a new deal before plunging. - -As the dealer shuffled the cards the door opened and closed noisily and -a surprised and doubting voice exclaimed: "Ain't you Hopalong Cassidy? -Cassidy, of th' Bar-20?" - -Hopalong glanced up swiftly and back to the cards again: "Yes; what of -it?" - -"Oh, nothin'. I saw you onct an' I wondered if I was right." - -"Ain't got time now; see you later, mebby. You might stick around -outside so I can borrow some money if I go broke." The man who knew Mr. -Cassidy silently faded, but did not stick around, thereby proving that -the player knew human nature and also how to get rid of a pest. - -When the dealer heard the name he glanced keenly at the owner of it, -exchanged significant looks with the case-keeper and faltered for an -instant as he shoved the cards together. He was not sure that he had -shuffled them right, and an anxious look came into his eyes as he -realized that the deal must go on. It was far from reassuring to set -out to cheat a man so well known for expert short-gun work as the Bar-20 -puncher and he wished he could be relieved. There was no other dealer -around at that time of the day and he had to go through with it. He did -not dare to shuffle again and chance losing the card beyond hope, and -for the reason that the player was watching him like a hawk. - -A ten lay face up on the deck and Hopalong, tallying against it on his -sheet, began to play small sums. Luck was variable and remained so -until the first twenty dollar bet, when he reached out excitedly and -raked in his winnings, his coat sleeve at the same time brushing the -cue-card off the table. But he had forgotten all about the tally sheet -in his eagerness to win and played several more cards before he noticed -it was missing and sought for it. Smothering a curse he glanced at the -case-keeper's tally and went on with the play. He did not see the look -of relief that showed momentarily on the faces of the dealer and his -associates, but he guessed it. - -He had no use for cue-cards when he felt like doing without them; he -liked to see them in use by the players because it showed the game to be -more or less straight, and it also saved him from over-heating his -memory. When he had brushed his tally sheet off the table he knew what -he was doing, and he knew every card that had been drawn out of the box. -So far he had seen no signs of cheating and he wished to give the dealer -a chance. There should now remain in the deal box three cards, a deuce, -five and a four, with a Queen in sight as the last winner. He knew this -to be true because he had given all his attention to memorizing the -cards as they showed in the deal box, and had made his bets small so he -would not have to bother about them. As he had lost three times on a -four he now believed it was due to win. - -Taking all his money he placed it on the four: "Two hundred and seventy -on th' four to win," he remarked, crisply. - -The dealer sniffed almost inaudibly and the case-keeper prepared to -cover him on the cue-rack under cover of the excitement of the turn. If -the four lay under the Queen, Cassidy lost; if not he either won or was -in hock. The dealer was unusually grave as he grasped the deal box to -make the turn and as the Queen slid off a five-spot showed. - -The dealer's hand trembled as he slid the five off, showing a four, and -a winner for Hopalong. He went white--he had bungled the shuffle in his -indecision and now he did n't know what might develop. And in his -agitation he exposed the hock card before he realized what he was doing, -and showed another five. He had made the mistake of showing the "odd." - -Hopalong, ready for trouble, was more prepared than the others and he -was well under way before they started. His left hand swung hard -against the case-keeper's jaw, his Colt roared at the drawing bartender, -crumpling the trouble-hunter into a heap on the floor dazed from shock -of a ball that "creased" his head. He had done this as he sprang to his -feet and his left hand, dropping swiftly to the heavy table, threw it -over onto the lookout and the dealer at the instant their hands found -their guns. Caught off their balance they went down under it and before -they could move sufficiently to do any damage, Hopalong vaulted the -table and kicked their guns out of their hands. When they realized just -what had happened a still-smoking Colt covered them. Many of Hopalong's -most successful and spectacular plays had been less carefully thought -out beforehand than this one and he laughed sneeringly as he looked at -the men who had been so greedy as to try to clean him out the second -time. - -"Get up!" he snarled. - -They crawled out of their trap and sullenly obeyed his hand, backing -against the wall. The case-keeper was still unconscious and Hopalong, -disarming him, dragged him to the wall with the others. - -"I wondered where that deuce had crawled to," Mr. Cassidy remarked, -grimly, "an' I was goin' to see, only it's plain now. I knowed you was -clumsy, but my G--d! Any man as can't deal 'single-odd' ought to quit -th' business, or play straight. So you had five fives agin me, eh? -Instead of keepin' th' five under th' Queen, you bungled th' deuce in -its place. When you went to pull off th' Queen an' five like they was -one card, you had th' deuce under her. You see, I keep cases in my old -red head an' I did n't have to believe what th' cue-rack was all fixed -to show me. An' I was waitin', all ready for th' play that 'd make me -lose. - -"As long as this deal was framed up, we 'll say it was this mornin'. -You cough up th' hundred an' ten I lost then, an' another hundred an' -ten that I 'd won if it was n't crooked. An' don't forget that -two-seventy I just pulled down, neither. Make it in double eagles an' -don't be slow 'bout it. Money or lead--with _you_ callin' th' turn." -It was not a very large amount and it took only a moment to count it -out. The eleven double eagles representing the mornin's play seemed to -slide from the dealer's hand with reluctance--but a man lives only once, -and they slid without stopping. - -The winner, taking the money, picked up the last money he had bet and, -distributing it over his person to equalize the weight, gathered up the -guns from the floor. Backing toward the door he noticed that the -bartender moved and a keen glance at that unfortunate assured him that -he would live. - -When he reached the door he stopped a moment to ask a question, the -tenseness of his expression relaxing into a broad, apologetic grin. -"Would you mind tellin' me where I can find some more frame-ups? I -shore can use th' money." - -The mumbled replies mentioned a locality not to be found on any map of -the surface of the globe, and grinning still more broadly, Mr. Cassidy -side-stepped and disappeared to find his horse and go on his way -rejoicing. - - - - - VIII - - THE NORTHER - - -Johnny knew I had a notebook crammed with the stories his friends had -told me; but Johnny, being a wise youth, also knew that there was always -room for one more. Perhaps that explains his sarcasm, for, as he calmly -turned his back on his fuming friend, he winked at me and sauntered off, -whistling cheerfully. - -Red spread his feet apart, jammed his fists against his thighs and -stared after the youngster. His expression was a study and his open -mouth struggled for a retort, but in vain. After a moment he shook his -head and slowly turned to me. "Hear th' fool? He 's from _Idyho_, he -is. It never gets cold nowhere else on earth. Ain't it terrible to be -so ignorant?" He glanced at the bunkhouse, into which Johnny had gone -for dry clothing. "So I ain't never seen no cold weather?" he mused -thoughtfully. Snapping his fingers irritably, he wheeled toward the -corral. "I 'm goin' down to look at th' dam--there 's been lots of -water leanin' ag'in it th' last week. Throw th' leather on Saint, if -you wants, an' come along. I 'll tell you about some cold weather that -had th' _Idyho_ brand faded. _Cold_ weather! Huh!" - -As he swung past the bunkhouse we saw Johnny and Billy Jordan leaning in -the doorway ragging each other, as cubs will. Johnny grinned at Red and -executed a one-hand phrase of the sign language that is universally -known, which Red returned with a chuckle. "Wish he 'd been here th' -time God took a hand in a big game on this ranch," he said. "I 'm minus -two toes on each foot in consequence thereof. They can't scare me none -by preachin' a red-hot hell. No, sir; not any." - -He was silent a moment. "Mebby it ain't so bad when a feller is used to -it; but we ain't. An' it frequent hits us goin' over th' fence, with -both feet off th' ground. Anyhow, that Norther was n't no storm--it was -th' attendant agitation caused by th' North Pole visitin' th' Gulf. - -"Cowan had just put Buckskin on th' map by buildin' th' first shack. -John Bartlett an' Shorty Jones, d--n him, was startin' th' Double Arrow -with two hundred head. When th' aforementioned agitation was over they -had less 'n one hundred. We lost a lot of cows, too; but our range is -sheltered good, an' that rock wall down past Meeker's bunkhouse stopped -our drifts, though lots of th' cows died there. - -"We 'd had a mild winter for two weeks, an' a lot of rain. We was -chirpin' like li'l fool birds about winter bein' over. Ever notice how -many times winter is over before it is? But Buck did n't think so; an' -he shore can smell weather. We was also discussin' a certain campin' -party Jimmy had discovered across th' river. Jimmy was at th' bunkhouse -that shift an' he was a great hand for snoopin' around kickin' up -trouble. He reports there's twelve in th' party an' they 're camped back -of Split Hill. Now, Split Hill is no place for a camp, even in th' -summer; an' what got us was th' idea of campin' at all in th' winter. -It riled Buck till he forgot to cross off three days on th' calendar, -which we later discovered by help of th' almanac an' th' moon. Buck -sends Hoppy over to scout around Split Hill. You know Hoppy. He -scouted for two days without bein' seen, an' without discoverin' any -lawful an' sane reason why twelve hard-lookin' fellers should be campin' -back of Split Hill in th' winter time. He also found they had come from -th' south, an' he swore there was n't no cow tracks leadin' toward them -from our range. But there was lots of hoss tracks back and forth. An' -when he reports that th' campers had left an' gone on north we all feel -better. Then he adds they turned east below th' Double Arrow an' went -back south again. That's different. It's plain to some of us they was -lookin' us over for future use; learnin' our ways an' th' lay of th' -land. There was seven of us at th' time, but we could 'a' licked 'em in -a fair fight. - -"In them days we only had two line houses. Number One was near Big -Coulee, with Cowan's at th' far end of its fifteen miles of north line; -th' west line was a twenty-five-mile ride south to Lookout Peak. Number -Two was where th' Jumpin' Bear empties into th' river, now part of -Meeker's range. From it th' riders went west twenty-five miles to th' -Peak an' north from it twenty-five miles along th' east line. There was -a hundred thousan' acres in Conroy Valley an' thirty thousan' in th' -Meeker triangle, which made up Section Two. At that time mebby ten -thousan' cows was on this section--two-thirds of all of 'em. When we -built Number Three on th' Peak this section was cut down to a reasonable -size. Th' third headquarters then was th' bunkhouse, with only th' east -line to ride. One part, th' shortest, ran north to Cowan's; th' other -run about seventeen miles south to Li'l Timber, where th' line went on -as part of Number Two's. We paired off an' had two weeks in each of 'em -in them days. - -"When we shifted at th' end of that week Jimmy Price an' Ace Fisher got -Number One; Skinny an' Lanky was in Number Two; an' me an' Buck an' -Hoppy took life easy in th' bunkhouse, with th' cook to feed us. Buck, -he scouted all over th' ranch between th' lines an' worked harder than -any of us, spendin' his nights in th' nearest house. - -"One mornin', about a week after th' campers left, Buck looked out of -th' bunkhouse door an' cautions me an' Hoppy to ride prepared for cold -weather. I can see he 's worried, an' to please him we straps a blanket -an' a buffalo robe behind our saddles, cussin' th' size of 'em under our -breath. I 've got th' short ride that day, an' Buck says he 'll wait -for me to come back, after which we 'll scout around Medicine Bend. He -'s still worried about them campers. In th' Valley th' cows are thicker -'n th' other parts of th' range, an' it would n't take no time to get a -big herd together. He 's got a few things to mend, so he says he 'll do -th' work before I get back. - -"Down on Section Two things is happenin' fast, like they mostly do out -here. Twelve rustlers can do a lot if they have things planned, an' -'most any fair plan will work once. They only wanted one day--after -that it would be a runnin' fight, with eight or nine of 'em layin' back -to hold us off while th' others drove th' cows hard. Why, Slippery -Trendley an' Tamale Jose was th' only ones that ever slid across our -lines with that many men. - -"Three rustlers slipped up to Number Two at night an' waited. When -Skinny opened th' door in th' mornin' he was drove back with a hole in -his shoulder. Then there was h--l a-poppin' in that li'l mud shack. -But it did n't do no good, for neither of 'em could get out alive until -after dark. They learned that with sorrow, an' pain. An' they shore was -het up about it. Ace Fisher, ridin' along th' west line from Number -One, was dropped from ambush. Two more rustlers lay back of Medicine -Bend lookin' for any of us that might ride down from the bunkhouse. An' -they sent two more over to Li'l Timber to lay under that ledge of rock -that sticks out of th' south side of th' bluff like a porch roof. -Either me or Hoppy would be ridin' that way. They stacked th' deck -clever; but Providence cut it square. - -"Th' first miss-cue comes when a pert gray wolf lopes past ahead of -Hoppy when he 's quite some distance above Li'l Timber. This gray wolf -was a whopper, an' Hoppy was all set to get him. He wanted that sassy -devil more 'n he wanted money just then, so he starts after it. Mr. Gray -Wolf leads him a long chase over th' middle of th' range an' then -suddenly disappears. Hoppy hunts around quite a spell, an' then heads -back for th' line. While he's huntin' for th' wolf it gets cold, an' it -keeps on gettin' colder fast. - -"Me, I leaves later 'n usual that mornin'. An' I don't get to Cowan's -until late. I 'm there when I notices how cussed cold it's got all of a -sudden. Cowan looks at his thermometer, which Jimmy later busts, an' -says she has gone down thirty degrees since daylight. He gives me a -bottle of liquor Buck wanted, an' I ride west along th' north line, -hopin' to meet Jimmy or Ace for a short talk. - -"All at once I notice somebody 's pullin' a slate-covered blanket over -th' north sky, an' I drag _my_ blanket out an' wrap it around me. I 'm -gettin' blamed cold, an' also a li'l worried. Shall I go back to Cowan's -or head straight for th' bunkhouse? Cowan's the nearest by three miles, -but what's three miles out here? It's got a lot colder than it was when -I was at Cowan's, an' while I 'm debatin' about it th' wind dies out. I -look up an' see that th' slate-covered blanket has traveled fast. It's -'most over my head, an' th' light is gettin' poor. When I look down -again I notice my cayuses's ears movin' back an' forth, an' he starts -pawin' an' actin' restless. That settles it. I 'm backin' instinct just -then, an' I head for home. I ain't cussin' that blanket none now, an' I -'m glad I got th' robe handy; an' that quart of liquor ain't bulky no -more. - -"All at once th' bottom falls out of that lead sky, an' flakes as big as -quarters sift down so fast they hurts my eyes, an' so thick I can't see -twenty feet. In ten minutes everythin' is white, an' in ten more I 'm -in a strange country. My hands an' feet ache with cold, an' I 'm -drawin' th' blanket closer, when there 's a puff of wind so cold it cuts -into my back like a knife. It passes quick, but it don't fool me. I -know what's behind it. I reach for th' robe an' has it 'most unfastened -when there 's a roar an' I 'm 'most unseated by th' wind before I can -get set. I did n't know then that it's goin' to blow that hard for three -days, an' it's just as well. It's full of ice--li'l slivers that are -sharp as needles an' cut an' sting till they make th' skin raw. I let -loose of th' robe an' tie my bandanna around my face, so my nose an' -mouth is covered. My throat burns already almost to my lungs. Good -Lord, but it _is_ cold! My hands are stiff when I go back for th' robe, -an' it's all I can do to keep it from blowin' away from me. It takes me -a long time to get it over th' blanket, an' my hands are 'most froze -when it's fastened. That was a good robe, but it did n't make much -difference that day. Th' cold cuts through it an' into my back as if it -was n't there. My feet are gettin' worse all th' time, an' it ain't -long before I ain't got none, for th' achin' stops at th' ankles. Purty -soon only my knees ache, an' I know it won't be long till they won't -ache no more. - -"I 'm squirmin' in my clothes tryin' to rub myself warm when I remember -that flask of liquor. Th' cork was out far enough for my teeth to get -at it, an' I drink a quarter of it quick. It's an awful load--any other -time it would 'a' knocked me cold, for Cowan sold a lot worse stuff then -than he does now. But it don't phase me, except for takin' most of th' -linin' out of my mouth an' throat. It warms me a li'l, an' it makes my -knees ache a li'l harder. But it don't last long--th' cold eats through -me just as hard as ever a li'l later, an' then I begin to see things an' -get sleepy. Cows an' cayuses float around in th' air, an' I 'm countin' -money, piles of it. I get warm an' drowsy an' find myself noddin'. That -scares me a li'l, an' I fight hard ag'in it. If I go to sleep it's all -over. It keeps gettin' worse, an' I finds my eyes shuttin' more an' -more frequent, an' more an' more frequent thinkin' I don't care, anyhow. -An' so I drifts along pullin' at th' bottle till it's empty. That -should 'a' killed me, then an' there--but it don't even make me real -drunk. Mebby I spilled some of it, my hands bein' nothin' but sticks. -I can't see more 'n five feet now, an' my eyes water, which freezes on -'em. I 've given up all hope of hearin' any shootin'. So I close th' -peekhole in th' blanket an' robe, drawin' 'em tight to keep out some of -th' cold. I am sittin' up stiff in th' saddle, like a soldier, just -from force of habit, and after a li'l while I don't know nothin' more. -Pete says I was a corpse, froze stiff as a ramrod, an' he calls me ghost -for a long time in fun. But Pete was n't none too clear in his head -about that time. - -"Down at Li'l Timber, Hoppy managed to get under th' shelter of that -projectin' ledge of rock on th' south side of th' bluff. Th' snow an' -ice is whirlin' under it because of a sort of back draft, but th' wind -don't hit so hard. He 's fightin' that cayuse every foot, tryin' to get -to th' cave at th' west end, an' disputin' th' right of way with th' -cows that are packed under it. - -There 's firewood under that ledge an' there 's food on th' hoof, an' -snow water for drink; so if he can make th' cave he 's safe. He 's more -worried about his supply of smokin' tobacco than anythin' else, so far -as he 's concerned. - -"All at once he runs onto four men huddled half-froze in a bunch right -ahead of him. He knows in a flash who they are, an' he draws -fumblingly, an' holds th' gun in his two hands, they are so cold. One -clean hit an' five clean misses in twenty feet! They're gropin' for -their guns when a sudden gust of wind whirls down from th' top of th' -hill, pilin' snow an' ice on 'em till they can't see nor breathe. An' a -couple of old trees come down to make things nicer. Hoppy is blinded, -an' when he gets so he can see again there's one rustler's arm stickin' -up out of th' snow, but no signs of th' other three. They blundered out -into th' open tryin' to get away from th' stuff comin' down on 'em, an' -that means they won't be back no more. - -"Hoppy manages to get to th' cave, tie his cayuse to a fallen tree, an' -gather enough firewood for a good blaze, which he puts in front of th' -cave. It takes him a long time to use up his matches one by one, an' -then he pulls th' lead out of a cartridge with his teeth, shakes th' -powder loose in it an' along th' barrel. Usin' his cigarette papers for -tinder he gets th' fire started an' goin' good an' is feelin' some -cheerful when he remembers th' three rustlers driftin' south. They was -bound to hit a big arroyo that would lead 'em almost ag'in' Number Two's -door. With th' wind drivin' 'em straight for it, Hoppy thinks it might -mean trouble for Lanky or Skinny. He did n't think about 'em only -havin' wool-lined slickers on, or he 'd 'a' knowed they couldn't live -till they got halfway. They left their blankets in camp so they could -work fast. - -"People have called us clannish, an' said we was a lovin' bunch' because -we stick together so tight. We 've faced so much together that us of -th' old bunch has got th' same blood in our veins. We ain't eight -men--we 're one man in eight different kinds of bodies. G--d help -anybody that tries to make us less! It's one thing to stand up an' swap -shots with a gunman; but it's another to turn yore back on a cave an' a -fire like that an' go out into what is purty nigh shore death on a long -chance of helpin' a couple of friends that was able to take care of -themselves. That's one of th' things that explains why we made Shorty -Jones an' his eleven men pay with their lives for takin' Jimmy's life. -Twelve for one! That fight at Buckskin ain't generally understood, even -by our friends. An' Hoppy crowns his courage twice in that one storm. -Ain't he an old son-of-a-gun? - -"He leaves that fire an' forces his cayuse to take him out in th' storm -again, finds that th' arroyo is level full of snow, but has both banks -swept bare. He passes them three rustlers in th' next ten minutes--they -won't do no more cow-liftin'. Then he tries to turn back, but that's -foolish. So he drifts on, gettin' a li'l loco by now. He 's purty near -asleep when he thinks he hears a shot. He fights his cayuse again, but -can't stop it, so he falls off an' lets it drift, an' crawls an' fights -his way back to where that shot was fired from. G--d only knows how he -does it, but he falls over a cow an' sees Lanky huggin' its belly for -th' li'l warmth in th' carcass. An' he ought to 'a' found him, after -leavin' his cayuse an' turnin' back on foot in that h--l storm! Th' -drifts was beginnin' to make then--when th' storm was over I saw drifts -thirty feet high in th' open; an' in th' valley there was some that run -'most to th' top of th' bluffs, an' they're near sixty feet high. - -"Well, Lanky is as crazy as him, an' won't let go of that cow, an' they -have a fight, which is good for both of 'em. Finally Lanky gets some -sense in his head an' realizes what Hoppy is tryin' to do for him, an' -they go staggerin' down wind, first one fallin' an' then th' other. But -they keep fightin' like th' game boys they are, neither givin' a cuss -for himself, but shore obstinate that he 's goin' to get th' other out -of it. That's _our_ spirit; an' we 're proud of it, by G--d! Hoppy -wraps th' robe around Lanky, an' so they stagger on, neither one knowin' -very much by that time. Th' Lord must 'a' pitied that pair, an' admired -th' stuff He 'd put in 'em, for they bump into th' line house kerslam, -an' drop, all done an' exhausted. - -"Meanwhile Skinny's hoppin' around inside, prayin' an' cussin' by -streaks, every five minutes openin' th' door an' firm' off his Colt. He -has tied th' two ropes together, an' frequent he ties one end to th' -door, th' other to hisself, an' goes out pokin' around in th' snow, -hopin' to stumble over his pardner. He 's plumb forgot his bad shoulder -long ago. Purty soon he opens th' door again to shoot off th' gun, an' -in streaks somethin' between his laigs. He slams th' door as he jumps -aside, an' then looks scared at Lanky's sombrero! Mebby he's slow -hoppin' outside an' diggin' them out of th' drift that's near covered -'em! Now, don't think bad of Skinny. He dass n't leave th' house to -search any distance, even if he could 'a' seen anythin'. His best play -is to stick there an' shoot off his gun--Lanky might drift past if he -was not there to signal. Skinny thought more of Lanky any time than he -did of hisself, th' emaciated match! - -"It don't take long to kick in a lot of snow with that wind blowin' an' -he rubs them two till he 's got tears in his eyes. Then he fills 'em -with hot stew an' whisky, rolls 'em up together an' heaves 'em in th' -same bunk. It ain't warm enough in that house, even with th' fire -goin', to make 'em lose no arms or laigs. - -"It seems that Lanky, watchin' his chance as soon as th' snow fell heavy -enough to cover his movements, slipped out of th' house an' started to -circle out around them festive rustlers that held him an' his friend -prisoners. He made Skinny stay behind to hold th' house an' keep a gun -poppin'. Lanky has worked up behind where th' rustlers was layin' when -th' Norther strikes full force. It near blows him over, an', not havin' -on nothin' but an old army overcoat that was wore out, th' cold gets him -quick. He can't see, an' he can't hear Skinny's shots no more! He does -th' best he can an' tries to fight back along his trail, but in no time -there ain't no tracks to follow. Then he loses his head an' starts -wanderin' until a cow blunders down on him. He shoots th' cow an' hugs -its belly to keep warm an' then he don't really remember nothin' 'till -he wakes up in th' bunk alongside of Hoppy, both gettin' over an awful -drunk. Skinny kept feedin' liquor to 'em till it was gone, an' he had a -plenty when he began. - -"Jimmy Price was at Number One when th' blow started, an' Buck was in -th' bunkhouse, an' it was three weeks before they could get out an' -around, on account of th' snow fallin' so steady an' hard they could n't -see nothin'. - -"Well, getting back to me explains how Pete Wilson came to th' Bar-20. -He is migratin' south, just havin' had th' pleasure of learnin' that his -wife sloped with a better-lookin' man. He was scared she might get tired -of th' other feller an' sift back, so he sells out his li'l store, loads -a waggin with blankets, grub, an' firewood, an' starts south, winter or -no winter. He moves fast for a new range, where he can make a new -beginnin' an' start life fresh, with five years of burnin' matrimonial -experience as his valuablest asset. Pete says he reckoned mebby he -would n't have so many harness sores if he run single th' rest of his -life; heretofore he 'd been so busy applyin' salve that he did n't have -time to find out just what was th' trouble with th' double harness. -Lots of men feel that way, but they ain't got Pete's unlovely outspoken -habit of thought. We used to reckon mebby he was n't as smart as th' -rest of us, him bein' slow an' blunderin' in his retorts. We 've played -that with coppers lots of times since, though. While he ain't what you -'d call quick at retortin', his retorts usually is heard by th' whole -county. It ain't every collar-galled husband that's got th' gumption or -smartness to jump th' minute th' hat is lifted. Pete had. - -"He's drivin' across our range, an' when th' wind dies out sudden an' -th' snow sifts down, he 's just smart enough to get out his beddin' an' -wrap it around him till he looks like a bale of cotton. An' even at -that he 's near froze an' lookin' for a place to make a stand when he -feels a bump. It's me, fallin' off my cayuse, against his front wheel. -He emerges from his beddin', lifts me into th' waggin, puts most of his -blankets around me, an' stops. Knowin' he can't save th' cayuses, he -shoots 'em. That means grub for us, anyhow, if we run short of th' good -stuff. Nobody but Pete could 'a' got th' canvas off that waggin in such -a gale, but he did it. He busts th' arches an' slats off th' top of th' -waggin an' uses 'em for firewood. Th' canvas he drapes over th' box, -lettin' it hang down on both sides to th' ground. An' in about five -minutes th' whole thing was covered over with snow. Pete 's the -strongest man we ever saw, an' we 've seen some good ones. Wrastlin' -that canvas with stiff hands was a whole lot more than what he done to -Big Sandy up there on Thunder Mesa. - -"Pete says I was dead when he grabbed me, an' smellin' disgraceful of -liquor. But th' first thing I know is lookin' up in th' gloom at a -ceilin' that's right close to my head, an' at a sorta rafter. That -rafter gives me a shock. It don't even touch th' ceilin', but runs -along 'most a foot below it. I close my eyes an' do a lot of thinkin'. -I remember freezin' to death, but that's all. An' just then I hears a -faint voice say: 'He shore was dead.' I don't know Pete then, or that -he talked to hisself sometimes. An' I reckon I was a li'l off in my -head, at that. I begin to wonder if he means me, an' purty soon I 'm -shore of it. An' don't I sympathize with myself? I 'm dead an' gone -somewhere; but no preacher I ever heard ever described no place like -this. Then I smell smoke an' burnin' meat--which gives me a clew to th' -range I 'm on. Mebby I 'm shelved in th' ice box, waitin' my turn, or -somethin'. I knew I 'd led a sinful life. But there wasn't no use of -rubbin' it in--it's awful to be dead an' know it. - -"Th' next time I opens my eyes I can't see nothin'; but I can feel -somethin' layin' alongside of me. It's breathin' slow an' regular, an -it bothers me till I get th' idea all of a sudden. It's another dead -one, cut out of th' herd an' shoved in my corral to wait for subsequent -events. I felt sorry for him, an' lay there tryin' to figger it out, -an' I 'm still figgerin' when it starts to get light. Th' other feller -grunts an' sits up, bumpin' his head solid against that fool rafter. No -dead man that was shoved in a herd consigned to heaven ever used such -language, which makes me all the shorer of where I am. But if hell's hot -we 've still got a long way to go. - -"He sits there rubbin' his head an' cussin' steadily, an' I 'm so moved -by it that I compliments him. He jumps an' bumps his head again, an' -looks at me close. 'D--d if you ain't a husky corpse,' he says. That -settles it. I ain't crazy, like I was hopin', but I 'in dead. 'You an' -me is on th' ragged edge of h--l,' he adds. - -"'But who tipped _you_ off?' I asks. 'They just shoved me in here an' -did n't tell me nothin' at all.' - -"'Crazy as th' devil,' he grunts, lookin' at me harder. - -"'Yo 're a liar,' I replies. 'I may be dead, but d--d if I 'm crazy!' - -"'An' I don't blame you, either,' he mused, sorrowful. 'Now you keep -quiet till I gets somethin' to eat,' an' he crawls into a li'l round -hole at th' other end of th' room. - -"Purty soon I smell smoke again, an' after a long time he comes back -with some hot coffee an' burned meat. I grab for th' grub, an' while I -'m eatin' I demands to know where I am. - -"He laughs, real cheerful, an' tells me. I 'm under his waggin, -surrounded by canvas an' any G--d's quantity of snow. Th' drift over us -is fifteen foot high, th' wind has died down, an' it's still snowin' so -hard he can't see twenty feet. It is also away down below freezin'. - -"We stayed under that drift 'most three weeks, livin' on raw meat after -our firewood gave out. We didn't suffer none from th' cold, though, -under all that snow an' with all th' blankets we had. When it stopped -snowin' we discovered a drift shamefully high about a mile northeast of -us, an' from th' smoke comin' out of it I knew it was th' bunkhouse. - -"Well, to cut it short, it was. An' mebby Buck wasn't glad to see me! -He was worried 'most sick an' as soon as we could, we got cayuses and -started out to look for th' others, scared stiff at what we expected to -find." - -He paused and was silent a moment. "But only Ace was missin'," he -added. "We found him an' th' rustlers later, when th' snow went off." - -He paused again and shook his head. "It shore was a miracle that we did -n't go with 'em, all of us, except Buck. Pete was so plumb disgusted -with travelin' in th' winter, an' had lost his cayuses, that when Buck -offers him Ace's bunk he stays. An' he ain't never left us since. Huh! -Cold? That cub don't know nothin'--mebby he will when he grows up, but -I dunno, at that. _Idyho_!" - - - - - IX - - THE DRIVE - - -The Norther was a thing of the past, but it left its mark on Buck -Peters, whose grimness of face told what the winter had been to him. -His daily rides over the range, the reports of his men since that deadly -storm had done a great deal to lift the sagging weight that rested on -his shoulders; but he would not be sure until the round-up supplied -facts and figures. - -That the losses had not been greater he gave full credit to the valley -with its arroyos, rock walls, draws, heavily grassed range and groves of -timber; for the valley, checking the great southward drift by its steep -ridges of rock, sheltered the herds in timber and arroyos and fed them -on the rich profusion of its grasses, which, by some trick of the -rushing winds, had been whirled clean of snow. - -But over the cow-country, north, east, south and west, where vast ranges -were unprotected against the whistling blasts from the north, the losses -had been stupendous, appalling, stunning. Outfits had been driven on and -on before the furious winds, sleepy and apathetic, drifting steadily -southward in the white, stinging shroud to a drowsy death. Whole herds, -blindly moving before the wind, left their weaker units in constantly -growing numbers to mark the trail, and at last lay down to a sleep -eternal. And astonishing and incredible were the distances traveled by -some of those herds. - -Following the Norther came another menace and one which easily might -surpass the worst efforts of the blizzard. Warm winds blew steadily, a -hot sun glared down on the snow-covered plain and then came torrents of -rain which continued for days, turning the range into a huge expanse of -water and mud and swelling the water-courses with turgid floods that -swirled and roared above their banks. Should this be quickly followed -by cold, even the splendid valley would avail nothing. Ice, forming -over the grasses, would prove as deadly as a pestilence; the cattle, -already weakened by the hardships of the Norther, and not having the -instinct to break through the glassy sheet and feed on the grass -underneath, would search in vain for food, and starve to death. The -week that followed the cessation of the rains started gray hairs on the -foreman's head; but a warm, constant sun and warm winds dried off the -water before the return of freezing weather. The herds were saved. - -Relieved, Buck reviewed the situation. The previous summer had seen -such great northern drives to the railroad shipping points in Kansas -that prices fell until the cattlemen refused to sell. Rather than drive -home again, the great herds were wintered on the Kansas ranges, ready to -be hurled on the market when Spring came with better prices. Many -ranches, mortgaged heavily to buy cattle, had been on the verge of -bankruptcy, hoping feverishly for better prices the following year. -Buck had taken advantage of the situation to stock his ranch at a cost -far less than he had dared to dream. Then came the Norther and in the -three weeks of devastating cold and high winds the Kansas ranges were -swept clean of cattle, and even the ranges in the South were badly -crippled. Knowing this, Buck also knew that the following Spring would -show record high prices. If he had the cattle he could clean up a -fortune for his ranch; and if his herd was the first big one to reach -the railroad at Sandy Creek it would practically mean a bonus on every -cow. - -Under the long siege of uncertainty his impatience smashed through and -possessed him as a fever and he ordered the calf round-up three weeks -earlier than it ever had been held on the ranch. There was no need of -urging his men to the task--they, like himself, sprang to the call like -springs freed from a restraining weight, and the work went on in a fever -of haste. And he took his place on the firing line and worked even -harder than his outfit of fanatics. - -One day shortly after the work began a stranger rode up to him and -nodded cheerfully. "Li'l early, ain't you?" Buck grunted in reply and -sent Skinny off at top speed to close a threatened gap in the lengthy -driving line. "Goin' to git 'em on th' trail early this year?" -persisted the stranger. Buck, swayed by some swift intuition, changed -his reply. "Oh, I dunno; I 'm mainly anxious to see just what that -storm did. An' I hate th' calf burnin' so much I allus like to get it -over quick." He shouted angrily at the cook and waved his arms -frantically to banish the chuck wagon. "He can make more trouble with -that waggin than anybody I ever saw," he snorted. "Get out of there, -you fool!" he yelled, dashing off to see his words obeyed. The cook, -grinning cheerfully at his foreman's language and heat, forthwith chose -a spot that was not destined to be the center of the cut-out herd. And -when Buck again thought of the stranger he saw a black dot moving toward -the eastern skyline. - -The crowded days rolled on, measured full from dawn to dark, each one of -them a panting, straining, trying ordeal. Worn out, the horses were -turned back into the temporary corral or to graze under the eyes of the -horse wranglers, and fresh ones took up their work; and woe unto the -wranglers if the supply fell below the demand. For the tired men there -was no relief, only a shifting in the kind of work they did, and they -drove themselves with grave determination, their iron wills overruling -their aching bodies. First came the big herds in the valley; then, -sweeping north, they combed the range to the northern line in one grand, -mad fury of effort that lasted day after day until the tally man -joyously threw away his chewed pencil and gladly surrendered the last -sheet to the foreman. The first half of the game was over. Gone as if -it were a nightmare was the confusion of noise and dust and cows that -hid a remarkable certainty of method. But as if to prove it not a dream, -four thousand cows were held in three herds on the great range, in -charge of the extra men. - -Buck, leading the regular outfit from the north line and toward the -bunkhouse, added the figures of the last tally sheet to the totals he -had in a little book, and smiled with content. Behind him, cheerful as -fools, their bodies racking with weariness, their faces drawn and gaunt, -knowing that their labors were not half over, rode the outfit, -exchanging chaff and banter in an effort to fool themselves into the -delusion that they were fresh and "chipper." Nearing the bunkhouse they -cheered lustily as they caught sight of the hectic cook laboring -profanely with two balking pintos that had backed his wagon half over -the edge of a barranca and then refused to pull it back again. Cookie's -reply, though not a cheer, was loud and pregnant with feeling. To think -that he had driven those two animals for the last two weeks from one end -of the ranch to the other without a mishap, and then have them balance -him and his wagon on the crumbling edge of a twenty-foot drop when not a -half mile from the bunkhouse, thus threatening the loss of the wagon and -all it contained and the mangling of his sacred person! And to make it -worse, here came a crowd of whooping idiots to feast upon his -discomfiture. - -The outfit, slowing so as not to frighten the devilish pintos and start -them backing again, drew near; and suddenly the air became filled with -darting ropes, one of which settled affectionately around Cookie's -apoplectic neck. In no time the strangling, furious dough-king was -beyond the menace of the crumbling bank, flat on his back in the wagon, -where he had managed to throw himself to escape the whistling hoofs that -quickly turned the dashboard into matchwood. When he managed to get the -rope from his neck he arose, unsteady with rage, and choked as he tried -to speak before the grinning and advising outfit. Before he could get -command over his tongue the happy bunch wheeled and sped on its way, -shrieking with mirth unholy. They had saved him from probable death, -for Cookie was too obstinate to have jumped from the wagon; but they not -only forfeited all right to thanks and gratitude, but deserved horrible -deaths for the conversation they had so audibly carried on while they -worked out the cook's problem. And their departing words and gestures -made homicide justifiable and a duty. It was in this frame of mind that -Cookie watched them go. - -Buck, emerging from the bunkhouse in time to see the rescue, leaned -against the door and laughed as he had not laughed for one -heart-breaking winter. Drying his eyes on the back of his hand, he -looked at the bouncing, happy crowd tearing southward with an energy of -arms and legs and lungs that seemed a miracle after the strain of the -round-up. Just then a strange voice made him wheel like a flash, and he -saw Billy Williams sitting solemnly on his horse near the corner of the -house. - -"Hullo, Williams," Buck grunted, with no welcoming warmth in his voice. -"What th' devil brings _you_ up here?" - -"I want a job," replied Billy. The two, while never enemies nor -interested in any mutual disagreements, had never been friends. They -never denied a nodding acquaintance, nor boasted of it. "That Norther -shore raised h--l. There 's ten men for every job, where I came from." - -The foreman, with that quick decision that was his in his earlier days, -replied crisply. "It's your'n. Fifty a month, to start." - -"Keno. Lemme chuck my war-bag through that door an' I'm ready," smiled -Billy. He believed he would like this man when he knew him better. "I -thought th' Diamond Bar, over east a hundred mile, had weathered th' -storm lucky. You got 'em beat. They 're movin' heaven an' earth to get -a herd on the trail, but they did n't have no job for _me_," he laughed, -flushing slightly. "Sam Crawford owns it," he explained naively. - -Buck laughed outright. "I reckon you did n't have much show with Sam, -after that li'l trick you worked on him in Fenton. So Sam is in this -country? How are they fixed?" - -"They aims to shove three thousan' east right soon. It's fancy prices -for th' first herd that gets to Sandy Creek," he offered. "I heard they -'re havin' lots of wet weather along th' Comanchee; mebby Sam 'll have -trouble a-plenty gettin' his herd acrost. Cows is plumb aggervatin' -when it comes to crossin' rivers," he grinned. - -Buck nodded. "See that V openin' on th' sky line?" he asked, pointing -westward. "Ride for it till you see th' herd. Help 'em with it. We 'll -pick it up t'morrow." He turned on his heel and entered the house, -grave with a new worry. He had not known that there was a ranch where -Billy had said the Diamond Bar was located; and a hundred miles handicap -meant much in a race to Sandy Creek. Crawford was sure to drive as fast -as he dared. He was glad that Billy had mentioned it, and the wet -weather along the Comanchee--Billy already had earned his first month's -pay. - -All that day and the next the consolidation of the three herds and the -preparation for the drive went on. Sweeping up from the valley the two -thousand three- and four-year-olds met and joined the thousand that -waited between Little Timber and Three Rocks; and by nightfall the three -herds were one by the addition of the thousand head from Big Coulee. -Four thousand head of the best cattle on the ranch spent the night -within gunshot of the bunkhouse and corrals on Snake Creek. - -Buck, returning from the big herd, smiled as he passed the chuck-wagon -and heard Cookie's snores, and went on, growing serious all too quickly. -At the bunkhouse he held a short consultation with his regular outfit -and then returned to the herd again while his drive crew turned eagerly -to their bunks. Breakfast was eaten by candle light and when the -eastern sky faded into a silver gray Skinny Thompson vaulted into the -saddle and loped eastward without a backward glance. The sounds of his -going scarcely had died out before Hopalong, relieved of the -responsibilities of trail boss, shouldered others as weighty and rode -into the north-east with Lanky at his side. Behind him, under charge of -Red, the herd started on its long and weary journey to Sandy Creek, -every man of the outfit so imbued with the spirit of the race that even -with its hundred miles' advantage the Diamond Bar could not afford to -waste an hour if it hoped to win. - -Out of the side of a verdant hill, whispering and purling, flowed a -small stream and shyly sought the crystal depths of a rock-bound pool -before gaining courage enough to flow gently over the smooth granite lip -and scurry down the gentle slope of the arroyo. To one side of it -towered a splinter of rock, slender and gray, washed clean by the recent -rains. To the south of it lay a baffling streak a little lighter than -the surrounding grass lands. It was, perhaps, a quarter of a mile wide -and ended only at the horizon. This faint band was the Dunton trail, -not used enough to show the strong characteristics of the depressed -bands found in other parts of the cow-country. If followed it would -lead one to Dunton's Ford on the Comanchee, forty miles above West Bend, -where the Diamond Bar aimed to cross the river. - -The shadow of the pinnacle drew closer to its base and had crossed the -pool when Skinny Thompson rode slowly up the near bank of the ravine, -his eyes fixed smilingly on the splinter of rock. He let his mount -nuzzle and play with the pool for a moment before stripping off the -saddle and turning the animal loose to graze. Taking his rifle in the -hope of seeing game, he went up to the top of the hill, glanced westward -and then turned and gazed steadily into the northeast, sweeping slowly -over an arc of thirty degrees. He stood so for several minutes and then -grunted with satisfaction and returned to the pool. He had caught sight -of a black dot far away on the edge of the skyline that split into two -parts and showed a sidewise drift. Evidently his friends would be on -time. Of the herd he had seen no sign, which was what he had expected. - -When at last he heard hoofbeats he arose lazily and stretched, chiding -himself for falling asleep, and met his friends as they turned into -sight around the bend of the hill. "Reckoned you might 'a' got lost," -he grinned sleepily. - -"G'wan!" snorted Lanky. - -"What'd you find?" eagerly demanded Hopalong. - -"Three thousan' head on th' West Bend trail five days ahead of us," -replied Skinny. "Ol' Sam is drivin' hard." He paused a moment. "Acts -like he knows we 're after him. Anyhow, I saw that feller that visited -us on th' third day of th' round-up. So I reckon Sam knows." - -Lanky grinned. "He won't drive so hard later. I 'd like to see him -when he sees th' Comanchee! Bet it's a lake south of Dunton's 'cordin' -to what we found. But it ain't goin' to bother us a whole lot." - -Hopalong nodded, dismounted and drew a crude map in the sand of the -trail. Skinny watched it, grave and thoughtful until, all at once, he -understood. His sudden burst of laughter startled his companions and -they exchanged foolish grins. It appeared that from Dunton's Ford -north, in a distance of forty miles, the Comanchee was practically born. -So many feeders, none of them formidable, poured into it that in that -distance it attained the dignity of a river. Hopalong's plan was to -drive off at a tangent running a little north from the regular trail and -thus cross numerous small streams in preference to going on straight and -facing the swollen Comanchee at Dunton's Ford. As the regular trail -turned northward when not far from Sandy Creek they were not losing -time. Laughing gaily they mounted and started west for the herd which -toiled toward them many miles away. Thanks to the forethought that had -prompted their scouting expedition the new trail was picked out in -advance and there would be no indecision on the drive. - -Eighty miles to the south lay the fresh trail of the Diamond Bar herd, -and five days' drive eastward on it, facing the water-covered lowlands -at West Bend, Sam Crawford held his herd, certain that the river would -fall rapidly in the next two days. It was the regular ford, and the -best on the river. The water did fall, just enough to lure him to stay; -but, having given orders at dark on the second night for an attempt at -crossing at daylight the next morning, he was amazed when dawn showed -him the river was back to its first level. - -Sam was American born, but affected things English and delighted in -spelling "labor" and like words with a "u." He hated hair chaps and -maintained that the gun-play of the West was mythical and existed only -in the minds of effete Easterners. Knowing that, it was startling to -hear him tell of Plummer, Hickock, Roberts, Thompson and a host of other -gunmen who had splotched the West with blood. Not only did every man of -that section pack a gun, but Crawford, himself, packed one, thus proving -himself either a malicious liar or an imbecile. He acted as though the -West belonged to him and that he was the arbiter of its destiny and its -chosen historian--which made him troublesome on the great, free ranges. -Only that his pretensions and his crabbed, irascible, childish temper -made him ludicrous he might have been taken seriously, to his sorrow. -Failing miserably at law, he fled from such a precarious livelihood, -beset with a haunting fear that he had lost his grip, to an inherited -ranch. This fear that pursued him turned him into a carping critic of -those who excelled him in most things, except in fits of lying about the -West as it existed at that time. - -When he found that the river was over the lowlands again he became -furious and, carried away by rage, shouted down the wiser counsel of his -clear-headed night boss and ordered the herd into the water. Here and -there desperate, wild-eyed steers wheeled and dashed back through the -cordon of riders, their numbers constantly growing as the panic spread. -The cattle in the front ranks, forced into the swirling stream by the -pressure from the rear, swam with the current and clambered out below, -adding to the confusion. Steers fought throughout the press and -suddenly, out of the right wing of the herd, a dozen crazed animals -dashed out in a bunch for the safety of the higher ground; and after -them came the herd, an irresistible avalanche of maddened beef. It was -not before dark that they were rounded up into a nervous, panicky herd -once more. The next morning they were started north along the river, to -try again at Dunton's Ford, which they reached in three days, and where -another attempt at crossing the river proved in vain. - -Meanwhile the Bar-20 herd pushed on steadily with no confusion. It -crossed the West Run one noon and the upper waters of the Little -Comanchee just before dark on the same day. Next came East Run, Pawnee -Creek and Ten Mile Creek, none of them larger than the stream the cattle -were accustomed to back on the ranch. Another day's drive brought them -to the west branch of the Comanchee itself, the largest of all the -rivers they would meet. Here they were handled cautiously and "nudged" -across with such care that a day was spent in the work. The following -afternoon the east branch held them up until the next day and then, with -a clear trail, they were sent along on the last part of the long -journey. - -When Sam Crawford, forced to keep on driving north along the Little -Comanchee, saw that wide, fresh trail, he barely escaped apoplexy and -added the finishing touches to the sullenness of his outfit. Seeing the -herd across, he gave orders for top speed and drove as he never had -driven before; and when the last river had been left behind he put the -night boss in charge of the cattle and rode on ahead to locate his -rivals of the drive. Three days later, when he returned to his herd, he -was in a towering fury and talked constantly of his rights and an appeal -to law, and so nagged his men that mutiny stalked in his shadow. - -When the Bar-20 herd was passing to the south of the little village of -Depau, Hopalong turned back along the trail to find the Diamond Bar -herd. So hard had Sam pushed on that he was only two days' drive behind -Red and his outfit when Hopalong rode smilingly into the Diamond Bar -camp. He was talking pleasantly of shop to some of the Diamond Bar -punchers when Sam dashed up and began upbraiding him and threatening -dire punishment. Hopalong, maintaining a grave countenance, took the -lacing meekly and humbly as he winked at the grinning punchers. -Finally, after exasperating Sam to a point but one degree removed from -explosion, he bowed cynically, said "so-long" to the friendly outfit and -loped away toward his friends. Sam, choking with rage, berated his -punchers for not having thrown out the insulting visitor and commanded -more speed, which was impossible. Reporting to Red the proximity of -their rivals, Hopalong fell in line and helped drive the herd a little -faster. The cattle were in such condition from the easy traveling of -the last week that they could easily stand the pace if Crawford's herd -could. So the race went on, Red keeping the same distance ahead day -after day. - -Then came the night when Sandy Creek lay but two days' drive away. A -storm had threatened since morning and the first lightning of the drive -was seen. The cattle were mildly restless when Hopalong rode in at -midnight and he was cheerfully optimistic. He was also very much awake, -and after trying in vain to get to sleep he finally arose and rode back -along the trail toward the stragglers, which Jimmy and Lanky were -holding a mile away. Red had pushed on to the last minute of daylight -and Lanky had decided to hold the stragglers instead of driving them up -to the main herd so they would start even with it the following morning. -It was made up of the cattle that had found the drive too much for them -and was smaller than the outfit had dared to hope for. - -Hopalong had just begun to look around for the herd when it passed him -with sudden uproar. Shouting to a horseman who rode furiously past, he -swung around and raced after him, desperately anxious to get in front of -the stampede to try to check it before it struck the main herd and made -the disaster complete. For the next hour he was in a riot of maddened -cattle and shaved death many times by the breadth of a hand. He could -hear Jimmy and Lanky shouting in the black void, now close and now far -away. Then the turmoil gradually ceased and the remnant of the herd -paused, undecided whether to stop or go on. He flung himself at it and -by driving cleverly managed to start a number of cows to milling, which -soon had the rest following suit. The stampede was over. A cursing blot -emerged from the darkness and hailed. It was Lanky, coldly ferocious. -He had not heard Jimmy for a long time and feared that the boy might be -lying out on the black plain, trampled into a shapeless mass of flesh. -One stumble in front of the charging herd would have been sufficient. - -Daylight disclosed the missing Jimmy hobbling toward the breakfast fire -at the cook wagon. He was bruised and bleeding and covered with dirt, -his clothes ripped and covered with mud; and every bone and muscle in -his body was alive with pain. - -The Diamond Bar's second squad had ridden in to breakfast when a -horseman was seen approaching at a leisurely lope. Sam, cursing hotly, -instinctively fumbled at the gun he wore at his thigh in defiance to his -belief concerning the wearing of guns. He blinked anxiously as the -puncher stopped at the wagon and smiled a heavy-eyed salutation. The -night boss emerged from the shelter of the wagon and grinned a sheepish -welcome. "Well, Cassidy, you fellers got th' trail somehow. We was -some surprised when we hit yore trail. How you makin' it?" - -"All right, up to last night," replied Hopalong, shaking hands with the -night boss. "Got a match, Barnes?" he asked, holding up an unlighted -cigarette. They talked of things connected with the drive and Hopalong -cautiously swung the conversation around to mishaps, mentioning several -catastrophes of past years. After telling of a certain stampede he had -once seen, he turned to Barnes and asked a blunt question. "What would -you do to anybody as stampeded yore stragglers within a mile of th' main -herd on a stormy night?" The answer was throaty and rumbling. "Why, -shoot him, I reckon." The others intruded their ideas and Crawford -squirmed, his hand seeking his gun under the pretense of tightening his -belt. - -Hopalong arose and went to his horse, where a large bundle of canvas was -strapped behind the saddle. He loosened it and unrolled it on the -ground. "Ever see this afore, boys?" he asked, stepping back. Barnes -leaped to his feet with an ejaculation of surprise and stared at the -canvas. "Where'd you git it?" he demanded. "That's our old wagon -cover!" - -Hopalong, ignoring Crawford, looked around the little group and smiled -grimly. "Well, last night our stragglers was stampeded. Lanky told me -he saw somethin' gray blow past him in th' darkness, an' then th' herd -started. We managed to turn it from th' trail an' so it did n't set off -our main herd. Jimmy was near killed--well, you know what it is to ride -afore stampeded cows. I found this cover blowed agin' a li'l clump of -trees, an' when I sees yore mark, I reckoned I ought to bring it back." -He dug into his pocket and brought out a heavy clasp knife. "I just -happened to see this not far from where th' herd started from, so I -reckoned I 'd return it, too." He held it out to Barnes, who took it -with an oath and wheeled like a flash to face his employer. - -Crawford was backing toward the wagon, his hand resting on the butt of -his gun, and a whiteness of face told of the fear that gripped him. "I -'ll take my time, right now," growled Barnes. "D--d if I works another -day for a low-lived coyote that 'd do a thing like that!" The punchers -behind him joined in and demanded their wages. Hopalong, still smiling, -waved his hand and spoke. "Don't leave him with all these cows on his -hands, out here on th' range. If you quits him, wait till you get to -Sandy Creek. He ain't no man, he ain't; he 's a nasty lil brat of a kid -that couldn't never grow up into a man. So, that bein' true, he ain't -goin' to get handled like a man. I 'm goin' to lick him, 'stead of -shootin' him like he was a man. You know," he smiled, glancing around -the little circle, "us cowpunchers don't never carry guns. We don't -swear, nor wear chaps, even if all of us has got 'em on right now. We -say 'please' an' 'thank you' an' never get mad. Not never wearin' a gun -I can't shoot him; but, by G--d, I can lick him th' worst he's ever been -licked, an' I 'm goin' to do it right now." He wheeled to start after -the still-backing cowman, and leaped sideways as a cloud of smoke -swirled around his hips. Crawford screamed with fear and pain as his -Colt tore loose from his fingers and dropped near the wheel of the -wagon. Terror gripped him and made him incapable of flight. Who was -this man, _what_ was he, when he could draw and fire with such speed and -remarkable accuracy? Crawford's gun had been half raised before the -other had seen it. And before his legs could perform one of their most -cherished functions the limping cowpuncher was on him, doing his best to -make good his promise. The other half of the Diamond Bar drive crew, -attracted by the commotion at the chuck wagon, rode in with ready guns, -saw their friends making no attempt at interference, asked a few terse -questions and, putting up their guns, forthwith joined the circle of -interested and pleased spectators to root for the limping redhead. - -[Illustration: Crawford's Colt tore loose from his fingers and dropped -near the wagon wheel] - - * * * * * - -Red, back at the Bar-20 wagon, inquired of Cookie the whereabouts of -Hopalong. Cookie, still smarting under Jimmy's galling fire of -language, grunted ignorance and a wish. Red looked at him, scowling. -"You can talk to th' Kid like that, mebby; but you get a civil tongue in -yore head when any of us grown-ups ask questions." He turned on his -heel, looked searchingly around the plain and mounting, returned to the -herd, perplexed and vexed. As he left the camp, Jimmy hobbled around -the wagon and stared after him. "Kid!" he snorted. "Grown-ups!" he -sneered. "Huh!" He turned and regarded Cookie evilly. "Yo 're gonna -get a good lickin' when I get so I can move better," he promised. -Cookie lifted the red flannel dish-rag out of the pan and regarded it -thoughtfully. "You better wait," he agreed pleasantly. "You can't run -now. I 'm honin' for to drape this mop all over yore wall-eyed face; -but I can wait." He sighed and went back to work. "Wish Red would -shove you in with th' rest of th' cripples back yonder, an' get you -off'n my frazzled nerves." - -Jimmy shook his head sorrowfully and limped around the wagon again, -where he resumed his sun bath. He dozed off and was surprised to be -called for dinner. As he arose, grunting and growling, he chanced to -look westward, and his shout apprised his friends of the return of the -missing red-head. - -Hopalong dismounted at the wagon and grinned cheerfully, despite the -suspicious marks on his face. Giving an account of events as they -occurred at the Diamond Bar chuck wagon, he wound up with: "Needn't push -on so hard, Red. Crawford's herd is due to stay right where it is an' -graze peaceful for a week. I heard Barnes give th' order before I left. -How's things been out here while I was away?" - -Red glared at him, ready to tell his opinion of reckless fools that went -up against a gun-packing crowd alone when his friends had never been -known to refuse to back up one of their outfit. The words hung on his -lips as he waited for a chance to launch them. But when that chance -came he had been disarmed by the cheerfulness of his happy friend. -"Hoppy," he said, trying to be severe, "yo 're nothing' but a crazy, -d--d fool. But what did they say when you started for huffy Sam like -that?" - - - - - X - - THE HOLD-UP - - -The herd delivered at Sandy Creek had traveled only half way, for the -remaining part of the journey would be on the railroad. The work of -loading the cars was fast, furious fun to anyone who could find humor -enough in his make-up to regard it so. Then came a long, wearying ride -for the five men picked from the drive outfit to attend to the cattle on -the way to the cattle pens of the city. Their work at last done, they -"saw the sights" and were now returning to Sandy Creek. - -The baggage smoking-car reeked with strong tobacco, the clouds of smoke -shifting with the air currents, and dimly through the haze could be seen -several men. Three of these were playing cards near the baggage-room -door, while two more lounged in a seat half way down the aisle and on -the other side of the car. Across from the card-players, reading a -magazine, was a fat man, and near the water cooler was a -dyspeptic-looking individual who was grumbling about the country through -which he was passing. - -The first five, as their wearing apparel proclaimed, were not of the -kind usually found on trains, not the drummer, the tourist, or the -farmer. Their heads were covered with heavy sombreros, their coats were -of thick, black woolens, and their shirts were also of wool. Around the -throat of each was a large handkerchief, knotted at the back; their -trousers were protected by "chaps," of which three were of goatskin. -The boots were tight-fitting, narrow, and with high heels, and to them -were strapped heavy spurs. Around the waist, hanging loosely from one -hip, each wore a wide belt containing fifty cartridges in the loops, and -supporting a huge Colt's revolver, which rested against the thigh. - -They were happy and were trying to sing but, owing to different tastes, -there was noticeable a lack of harmony. "Oh Susanna" never did go well -with "Annie Laurie," and as for "Dixie," it was hopelessly at odds with -the other two. But they were happy, exuberantly so, for they had -enjoyed their relaxation in the city and now were returning to the -station where their horses were waiting to carry them over the two -hundred miles which lay between their ranch and the nearest -railroad-station. - -For a change the city had been pleasant, but after they had spent -several days there it lost its charm and would not have been acceptable -to them even as a place in which to die. They had spent their money, -smoked "top-notcher" cigars, seen the "shows" and feasted each as his -fancy dictated, and as behooved cowpunchers with money in their pockets. -Now they were glad that every hour reduced the time of their stay in the -smoky, jolting, rocking train, for they did not like trains, and this -train was particularly bad. So they passed the hours as best they might -and waited impatiently for the stop at Sandy Creek, where they had left -their horses. Their trip to the "fence country" was now a memory, and -they chafed to be again in the saddle on the open, wind-swept range, -where miles were insignificant and the silence soothing. - -The fat man, despairing of reading, watched the card-players and smiled -in good humor as he listened to their conversation, while the dyspeptic, -nervously twisting his newspaper, wished that he were at his -destination. The baggage-room door opened and the conductor looked down -on the card-players and grinned. Skinny moved over in the seat to make -room for the genial conductor. - -"Sit down, Simms, an' take a hand," he invited. Laughter arose -continually and the fat man joined in it, leaning forward more closely -to watch the play. - -Lanky tossed his cards face down on the board and grinned at the -onlooker. - -"Billy shore bluffs more on a varigated flush than any man I ever saw." - -"Call him once in a while and he 'll get cured of it," laughed the fat -man, bracing himself as the train swung around a sharp turn. - -"He 's too smart," growled Billy Williams. "He tried that an' found I -did n't have no varigated flushes. Come on, Lanky, if yo 're playing -cards, put up." - -Farther down the car, their feet resting easily on the seat in front of -them, Hopalong and Red puffed slowly at their large, black cigars and -spoke infrequently, both idly watching the plain flit by in wearying -sameness, and both tired and lazy from doing nothing but ride. - -"Blast th' cars, anyhow," grunted Hopalong, but he received no reply, -for his companion was too disgusted to say anything. - -A startling, sudden increase in the roar of the train and a gust of hot, -sulphurous smoke caused Hopalong to look up at the brakeman, who came -down the swaying aisle as the door slammed shut. - -"Phew!" he exclaimed, genially. "Why in thunder don't you fellows smoke -up?" - -Hopalong blew a heavy ring, stretched energetically and grinned: "Much -farther to Sandy Creek?" - -"Oh, you don't get off for three hours yet," laughed the brakeman. - -"That's shore a long time to ride this bronc train," moodily complained -Red as the singing began again. "She shore pitches a-plenty," he added. - -The train-hand smiled and seated himself on the arm of the front seat: - -"Oh, it might be worse." - -"Not this side of hades," replied Red with decision, watching his -friend, who was slapping the cushions to see the dust fly out: "Hey, let -up on that, will you! There's dust a-plenty without no help from you!" - -The brakeman glanced at the card-players and then at Hopalong. - -"Do your friends always sing like that?" he inquired. - -"Mostly, but sometimes it's worse." - -"On the level?" - -"Shore enough; they're singing 'Dixie,' now. It's their best song." - -"That ain't 'Dixie!'" - -"Yes it is: that is, most of it." - -"Well, then, what's the rest of it?" - -"Oh, them's variations of their own," remarked Red, yawning and -stretching. "Just wait till they start something sentimental; you 'll -shore weep." - -"I hope they stick to the variations. Say, you must be a pretty nifty -gang on the shoot, ain't you?" - -"Oh, some," answered Hopalong. - -"I wish you fellers had been aboard with us one day about a month ago. -We was the wrong end of a hold-up, and we got cleaned out proper, too." - -"An' how many of 'em did you get?" asked Hopalong quickly, sitting bolt -upright. - -The fat man suddenly lost his interest in the card-game and turned an -eager ear to the brakeman, while the dyspeptic stopped punching holes in -his time-card and listened. The card-players glanced up and then -returned to their game, but they, too, were listening. - -The brakeman was surprised: "How many did we get! Gosh! we didn't get -none! They was six to our five." - -"How many cards did you draw, you Piute?" asked Lanky. - -"None of yore business; I ain't dealing, an' I would n't tell you if I -was," retorted Billy. - -"Well, I can ask, can't I?" - -"Yes--you can, an' did." - -"You didn't get none?" cried Hopalong, doubting his ears. - -"I should say not!" - -"An' they owned th' whole train?" - -"They did." - -Red laughed. "Th' cleaning-up must have been sumptuous an' elevating." - -"Every time I holds threes he allus has better," growled Lanky to Simms. - -"On th' level, we couldn't do a thing," the brakeman ran on. "There 's -a water tank a little farther on, and they must 'a' climbed aboard there -when we stopped to connect. When we got into the gulch the train slowed -down and stopped and I started to get up to go out and see what was the -matter; but I saw that when I looked down a gun-barrel. The man at the -throttle end of it told me to put up my hands, but they were up as high -then as I could get 'em without climbin' on the top of the seat. - -"Can't you listen and play at th' same time?" Lanky asked Billy. - -"I wasn't countin' on takin' the gun away from him," the brakeman -continued, "for I was too busy watchin' for the slug to come out of the -hole. Pretty soon somebody on the outside whistled and then another -feller come in the car; he was the one that did the cleanin' up. All -this time there had been a lot of shootin' outside, but now it got -worse. Then I heard another whistle and the engine puffed up the track, -and about five minutes later there was a big explosion, and then our two -robbers backed out of the car among the rocks shootin' back regardless. -They busted a lot of windows." - -"An' you did n't git none," grumbled Hopalong, regretfully. - -"When we got to the express-car, what had been pulled around the turn," -continued the brakeman, not heeding the interruption, "we found a wreck. -And we found the engineer and fireman standin' over the -express-messenger, too scared to know he would n't come back no more. -The car had been blowed up with dynamite, and his fighting soul went -with it. He never knowed he was licked." - -"An' nobody tried to help him!" Hopalong exclaimed, wrathfully now. - -"Nobody wanted to die with him," replied the brakeman. - -"Well," cried the fat man, suddenly reaching for his valise, "I 'd like -to see anybody try to hold me up!" Saying which he brought forth a -small revolver. - -"You 'd be praying out of your bald spot about that time," muttered the -brakeman. - -Hopalong and Red turned, perceived the weapon, and then exchanged winks. - -"That's a fine shootin'-iron, stranger," gravely remarked Hopalong. - -"You bet it is!" purred the owner, proudly. "I paid six dollars for that -gun." - -Lanky smothered a laugh and his friend grinned broadly: "I reckon that'd -kill a man--if you stuck it in his ear." - -"Pshaw!" snorted the dyspeptic, scornfully. "You wouldn't have time to -get it out of that grip. Think a train-robber is going to let you -unpack? Why don't you carry it in your hip-pocket, where you can get at -it quickly?" - -There were smiles at the stranger's belief in the hip-pocket fallacy but -no one commented upon it. - -"Was n't there no passengers aboard when you was stuck up?" Lanky asked -the conductor. - -"Yes, but you can't count passengers in on a deal like that." - -Hopalong looked around aggressively: "We 're passengers, ain't we?" - -"You certainly are." - -"Well, if any misguided maverick gets it into his fool head to stick -_us_ up, you see what happens. Don't you know th' fellers outside have -all th' worst o' th' deal?" - -"They have not!" cried the brakeman. - -"They 've got all the best of it," asserted the conductor emphatically. -"I 've been inside, and I know." - -"Best nothing!" cried Hopalong. "They are on th' ground, watching a -danger-line over a hundred yards long, full of windows and doors. Then -they brace th' door of a car full of people. While they climb up the -steps they can't see inside, an' then they go an' stick their heads in -plain sight. It's an even break who sees th' other first, with th' men -inside training their guns on th' glass in th' door!" - -"Darned if you ain't right!" enthusiastically cried the fat man. - -Hopalong laughed: "It all depends on th' men inside. If they ain't used -to handling guns, 'course they won't try to fight. We 've been in so -many gun-festivals that we would n't stop to think. If any -coin-collector went an' stuck his ugly face against th' glass in that -door he 'd turn a back-flip off 'n th' platform before he knowed he was -hit. Is there any chance for a stick-up to-day, d'y think?" - -"Can't tell," replied the brakeman. "But this is about the time we have -the section-camps' pay on board," he said, going into the baggage end of -the car. - -Simms leaned over close to Skinny. "It's on this train now, and I 'm -worried to death about it. I wish we were at Sandy Creek." - -"Don't you go to worryin' none, then," the puncher replied. "It 'll get -to Sandy Creek all right." - -Hopalong looked out of the window again and saw that there was a gradual -change in the nature of the scenery, for the plain was becoming more -broken each succeeding mile. Small woods occasionally hurtled past and -banks of cuts flashed by like mottled yellow curtains, shutting off the -view. Scrub timber stretched away on both sides, a billowy sea of -green, and miniature valleys lay under the increasing number of trestles -twisting and winding toward a high horizon. - -Hopalong yawned again: "Well, it's none o' our funeral. If they let us -alone I don't reckon we 'll take a hand, not even to bust up this -monotony." - -Red laughed derisively: "Oh, no! Why, you could n't sit still nohow -with a fight going on, an' you know it. An' if it's a stick-up! Wow!" - -"Who gave you any say in this?" demanded his friend. "Anyhow, you ain't -no angel o' peace, not nohow!" - -"Mebby they 'll plug yore new sombrero," laughed Red. - -Hopalong felt of the article in question: "If any two-laigged wolf plugs -my war-bonnet he 'll be some sorry, an' so 'll his folks," he asserted, -rising and going down the aisle for a drink. - -Red turned to the brakeman, who had just returned: "Say," he whispered, -"get off at th' next stop, shoot off a gun, an' yell, just for fun. Go -ahead, it 'll be better 'n a circus." - -"Nix on the circus, says I," hastily replied the other. "I ain't -looking for no excitement, an' I ain't paid to amuse th' passengers. I -hope we don't even run over a track-torpedo this side of Sandy Creek." - -Hopalong returned, and as he came even with them the train slowed. - -"What are we stopping for?" he asked, his hand going to his holster. - -"To take on water; the tank 's right ahead." - -"What have you got?" asked Billy, ruffling his cards. - -"None of yore business," replied Lanky. "You call when you gets any -curious." - -"Oh, th' devil!" yawned Hopalong, leaning back lazily. "I shore wish I -was on my cayuse pounding leather on th' home trail." - -"Me, too," grumbled Red, staring out of the window. "Well, we 're -moving again. It won't be long now before we gets out of this." - -The card-game continued, the low-spoken terms being interspersed with -casual comment; Hopalong exchanged infrequent remarks with Red, while -the brakeman and conductor stared out of the same window. There was -noticeable an air of anxiety, and the fat man tried to read his magazine -with his thoughts far from the printed page. He read and re-read a -single paragraph several times without gaining the slightest knowledge -of what it meant, while the dyspeptic passenger fidgeted more and more -in his seat, like one sitting on hot coals, anxious and alert. - -"We 're there now," suddenly remarked the conductor, as the bank of a -cut blanked out the view. "It was right here where it happened; the -turn's farther on." - -"How many cards did you draw, Skinny?" asked Lanky. - -"Three; drawin' to a straight flush," laughed the dealer. - -"Here 's the turn! We 're through all right," exclaimed the brakeman. - -Suddenly there was a rumbling bump, a screeching of air-brakes and the -grinding and rattle of couplings and pins as the train slowed down and -stopped with a suddenness that snapped the passengers forward and back. -The conductor and brakeman leaped to their feet, where the latter stood -quietly during a moment of indecision. - -A shot was heard and the conductor's hand, raised quickly to the -whistle-rope sent blast after blast shrieking over the land. A babel of -shouting burst from the other coaches and, as the whistle shrieked -without pause, a shot was heard close at hand and the conductor reeled -suddenly and sank into a seat, limp and silent. - -At the first jerk of the train the card-players threw the board from -across their knees, scattering the cards over the floor, and crouching, -gained the center of the aisle, intently peering through the windows, -their Colts ready for instant use. Hopalong and Red were also in the -aisle, and when the conductor had reeled Hopalong's Colt exploded and -the man outside threw up his arms and pitched forward. - -"Good boy, Hopalong!" cried Skinny, who was fighting mad. - -Hopalong wheeled and crouched, watching the door, and it was not long -before a masked face appeared on the farther side of the glass. Hopalong -fired and a splotch of red stained the white mask as the robber fell -against the door and slid to the platform. - -"Hear that shooting?" cried the brakeman. "They 're at the messenger. -They 'll blow him up!" - -"Come on, fellers!" cried Hopalong, leaping toward the door, closely -followed by his friends. - -They stepped over the obstruction on the platform and jumped to the -ground on the side of the car farthest from the robbers. - -"Shoot under the cars for legs," whispered Skinny. "That 'll bring 'em -down where we can get 'em." - -"Which is a good idea," replied Red, dropping quickly and looking under -the car. - -"Somebody's going to be surprised, all right," exulted Hopalong. - -The firing on the other side of the train was heavy, being for the -purpose of terrifying the passengers and to forestall concerted -resistance. The robbers could not distinguish between the many reports -and did not know they were being opposed, or that two of their number -were dead. - -A whinny reached Hopalong's ears and he located it in a small grove -ahead of him: "Well, we know where th' cayuses are in case they make a -break." - -A white and scared face peered out of the cab-window and Hopalong -stopped his finger just in time, for the inquisitive man wore the cap of -fireman. - -"You idiot!" muttered the gunman, angrily. "Get back!" he ordered. - -A pair of legs ran swiftly along the other side of the car and Red and -Skinny fired instantly. The legs bent, their owner falling forward -behind the rear truck, where he was screened from sight. - -"They had it their own way before!" gritted Skinny. "Now we 'll see if -they can stand th' iron!" - -By this time Hopalong and Red were crawling under the express-car and -were so preoccupied that they did not notice the faint blue streak of -smoke immediately over their heads. Then Red glanced up to see what it -was that sizzed, saw the glowing end of a three-inch fuse, and blanched. -It was death not to dare and his hand shot up and back, and the dynamite -cartridge sailed far behind him to the edge of the embankment, where it -hung on a bush. - -"Good!" panted Hopalong. "We 'll pay 'em for that!" - -"They 're worse 'n rustlers!" - -They could hear the messenger running about over their heads, dragging -and up-ending heavy objects against the doors of the car, and Hopalong -laughed grimly: - -"Luck's with this messenger, all right." - -"It ought to be--he 's a fighter." - -"Where are they? Have they tumbled to our game?" - -"They're waiting for the explosion, you chump." - -"Stay where you are then. Wait till they come out to see what's th' -matter with it." - -Red snorted: "Wait nothing!" - -"All right, then; I 'm with you. Get out of my way." - -"I 've been in situations some peculiar, but this beats 'em all," Red -chuckled, crawling forward. - -The robber by the car truck revived enough to realize that something was -radically wrong, and shouted a warning as he raised himself on his elbow -to fire at Skinny but the alert puncher shot first. - -As Hopalong and Red emerged from beneath the car and rose to their feet -there was a terrific explosion and they were knocked to the ground, -while a sudden, heavy shower of stones and earth rained down over -everything. The two punchers were not hurt and they arose to their feet -in time to see the engineer and fireman roll out of the cab and crawl -along the track on their hands and knees, dazed and weakened by the -concussion. - -Suddenly, from one of the day-coaches, a masked man looked out, saw the -two punchers, and cried: - -"It's all up! Save yourselves!" - -As Hopalong and Red looked around, still dazed, he fired at them, the -bullet singing past Hopalong's ear. Red smothered a curse and reeled as -his friend grasped him. A wound over his right eye was bleeding -profusely and Hopalong's face cleared of its look of anxiety when he -realized that it was not serious. - -"They creased you! Blamed near got you for keeps!" he cried, wiping -away the blood with his sleeve. - -Red, slightly stunned, opened his eyes and looked about confusedly. -"Who done that? Where is he?" - -"Don't know, but I'll shore find out," Hopalong replied. "Can you stand -alone?" - -Red pushed himself free and leaned against the car for support: "Course -I can! Git that cuss!" - -When Skinny heard the robber shout the warning he wheeled and ran back, -intently watching the windows and doors of the car for trouble. - -"We 'll finish yore tally right here!" he muttered. - -When he reached the smoker he turned and went towards the rear, where he -found Lanky and Billy lying under the platform. Billy was looking back -and guarding their rear, while his companion watched the clump of trees -where the second herd of horses was known to be. Just as they were -joined by their foreman, they saw two men run across the track, fifty -yards distant, and into the grove, both going so rapidly as to give no -chance for a shot at them. - -"There they are!" shouted Skinny, opening fire on the grove. - -At that instant Hopalong turned the rear platform and saw the brakeman -leap out of the door with a Winchester in his hands. The puncher sprang -up the steps, wrenched the rifle from its owner, and, tossing it to -Skinny, cried: "Here, this is better!" - -"Too late," grunted the puncher, looking up, but Hopalong had become -lost to sight among the rocks along the right of way. "If I only had -this a minute ago!" he grumbled. - -The men in the grove, now in the saddle, turned and opened fire on the -group by the train, driving them back to shelter. Skinny, taking -advantage of the cover afforded, ran towards the grove, ordering his -friends to spread out and surround it; but it was too late, for at that -minute galloping was heard and it grew rapidly fainter. - -Red appeared at the end of the train: "Where's th' rest of the coyotes?" - -"Two of 'em got away," Lanky replied. - -"Ya-ho!" shouted Hopalong from the grove. "Don't none of you fools -shoot! I'm coming out. They plumb got away!" - -"They near got _you_, Red," Skinny cried. - -"Nears don't count," Red laughed. - -"Did you ever notice Hopalong when he 's fighting mad?" asked Lanky, -grinning at the man who was leaving the woods. "He allus wears his -sombrero hanging on one ear. Look at it now!" - -"Who touched off that cannon some time back?" asked Billy. - -"I did. It was an anti-gravity cartridge what I found sizzling on a rod -under th' floor of th' express car," replied Red. - -"Why did n't you pinch out th' fuse 'stead of blowing everything up, you -half-breed?" Lanky asked. - -"I reckon I was some hasty," grinned Red. - -"It blowed me under th' car an' my lid through a windy," cried Billy. -"An' Skinny, he went up in th' air like a shore-'nough grasshopper." - -Hopalong joined them, grinning broadly: "Hey, reckon ridin' in th' cars -ain't so bad after all, is it?" - -"Holy smoke!" cried Skinny. "What's that a-popping?" - -Hopalong, Colt in hand, leaped to the side of the train and looked along -it, the others close behind him, and saw the fat man with his head and -arm out of the window, blazing away into the air, which increased the -panic in the coaches. Hopalong grinned and fired into the ground, and -the fat man nearly dislocated parts of his anatomy by his hasty -disappearance. - -"Reckon he plumb forgot all about his fine, six-dollar gun till just -now," Skinny laughed. - -"Oh, he 's making good," Red replied. "He said he 'd take a hand if -anything busted loose. It's a good thing he did n't come to life while -me an' Hoppy was under his windy looking for laigs." - -"Reckon some of us better go in th' cars an' quiet th' stampede," Skinny -remarked, mounting the steps, followed by Hopalong. "They're shore -_loco_." - -The uproar in the coach ceased abruptly when the two punchers stepped -through the door, the inmates shrinking into their seats, frightened -into silence. Skinny and his companion did not make a reassuring sight, -for they were grimy with burned powder and dust, and Hopalong's sleeve -was stained with Red's blood. - -"Oh, my jewels, my pretty jewels," sobbed a woman, staring at Skinny and -wringing her hands. - -"Ma'am, we shore don't want yore jewelry," replied Skinny, earnestly. -"Ca'm yoreself; we don't want nothin'." - -"_I_ don't want that!" growled Hopalong, pushing a wallet from him. -"How many times do you want us to tell you we don't want nothin'? We -ain't robbers; we licked th' robbers." - -Suddenly he stooped and, grasping a pair of legs which protruded into -the aisle obstructing the passage, straightened up and backed towards -Red, who had just entered the car, dragging into sight a portly -gentleman, who kicked and struggled and squealed, as he grabbed at the -stanchions of seats to stay his progress. Red stepped aside between two -seats and let his friend pass, and then leaned over and grasped the -portly gentleman's coat-collar. He tugged energetically and lifted the -frightened man clear of the aisle and deposited him across the back of a -seat, face down, where he hung balanced, yelling and kicking. - -"Shut yore face, you cave-hunter!" cried Red in disgust. "Stop that -infernal noise! You fat fellers make all yore noise after th' fighting -is all over!" - -The man on the seat, suddenly realizing what a sight he made, rolled off -his perch and sat up, now more angry than frightened. He glared at -Red's grinning face and sputtered: - -"It's an outrage! It's an outrage! I'll have you hung for this day's -work, young man!" - -"That's right," grinned Hopalong. "He shore deserves it. I told him -more 'n once that he 'd get strung up some day." - -"Yes, and you, too!" - -"Please don't," begged Hopalong. "I don't want t' die!" - -Tense as the past quarter of an hour had been a titter ran along the car -and, fuming impotently, the portly gentleman fled into the smoker. - -"I 'll bet he had a six-dollar gun, too," laughed Red. - -"I 'll bet he 's calling hisself names right about now," Hopalong -replied. Then he turned to reply to a woman: "Yes, ma'am, we did. But -they was n't real badmen." - -At this a young woman, who was about as pretty as any young woman could -be, arose and ran to Hopalong and, impulsively throwing her arms around -his neck, cried: "You brave man! You hero! You dear!" - -"Skinny! Red! Help!" cried the frightened and embarrassed puncher, -struggling to get free. - -She kissed him on the cheek, which flamed even more red as he made -frantic efforts to keep his head back. - -"Ma'am!" he cried, desperately. "Leggo, ma'am! Leggo!" - -"Oh! Ho! Ho!" roared Red, weak from his mirth and, not looking to see -what he was doing, he dropped into a seat beside another woman. He was -on his feet instantly; fearing that he would have to go through the -ordeal his friend was going through, he fled down the aisle, closely -followed by Hopalong, who by this time had managed to break away. -Skinny backed off suspiciously and kept close watch on Hopalong's -admirer. - -Just then the brakeman entered the car, grinning, and Skinny asked about -the condition of the conductor. - -"Oh, he 's all right now," the brakeman replied. "They shot him through -the arm, but he 's repaired and out bossin' the job of clearin' the -rocks off the track. He 's a little shaky yet, but he 'll come around -all right." - -"That's good. I 'm shore glad to hear it." - -"Won't you wear this pin as a small token of my gratitude?" asked a -voice at Skinny's shoulder. - -He wheeled and raised his sombrero, a flush stealing over his face: - -"Thank you, ma'am, but I don't want no pay. We was plumb glad to do it." - -"But this is not pay! It's just a trifling token of my appreciation of -your courage, just something to remind you of it. I shall feel hurt if -you refuse." - -Her quick fingers had pinned it to his shirt while she spoke and he -thanked her as well as his embarrassment would permit. Then there was a -rush toward him and, having visions of a shirt looking like a jeweler's -window, he turned and fled from the car, crying: "Pin 'em on th' -brakeman!" - -He found the outfit working at a pile of rocks on the track, under the -supervision of the conductor, and Hopalong looked up apprehensively at -Skinny's approach. - -"Lord!" he ejaculated, grinning sheepishly, "I was some scairt you was a -woman." - -Red dropped the rock he was carrying and laughed derisively. - -"Oh, yo're a brave man, you are! scared to death by a purty female girl! -If I 'd 'a' been you I would n't 'a' run, not a step!" - -Hopalong looked at him witheringly: "Oh, no! You wouldn't 'a' run! -You'd dropped dead in your tracks, you would!" - -"You was both of you a whole lot scared," Skinny laughed. Then, turning -to the conductor: "How do you feel, Simms?" - -"Oh, I 'm all right: but it took the starch out of me for awhile." - -"Well, I don't wonder, not a bit." - -"You fellows certainly don't waste any time getting busy," Simms -laughed. - -"That's the secret of gun-fightin'," replied Skinny. - -"Well, you 're a fine crowd all right. Any time you want to go any -place when you 're broke, climb aboard my train and I 'll see't you get -there." - -"Much obliged." - -Simms turned to the express-car: "Hey, Jackson! You can open up now if -you want to." - -But the express-messenger was suspicious, fearing that the conductor was -talking with a gun at his head: "You go to h--l!" he called back. - -"Honest!" laughed Simms. "Some cowboy friends o' mine licked the gang. -Didn't you hear that dynamite go off? If they hadn't fished it out from -under your feet you 'd be communing with the angels 'bout now." - -For a moment there was no response, and then Jackson could be heard -dragging things away from the door. When he was told of the cartridge -and Red had been pointed out to him as the man who had saved his life, -he leaped to the ground and ran to where that puncher was engaged in -carrying the ever-silenced robbers to the baggage-car. He shook hands -with Red, who laughed deprecatingly, and then turned and assisted him. - -Hopalong came up and grinned: "Say, there 's some cayuses in that grove -up th' track; shall I go up an' get 'em?" - -"Shore! I 'll go an' get 'em with you," replied Skinny. - -In the grove they found seven horses picketed, two of them being -pack-animals, and they led them forth and reached the train as the -others came up. - -"Well, here 's five saddled cayuses, an' two others," Skinny grinned. - -"Then we can ride th' rest of th' way in th' saddle instead of in that -blamed train," Red eagerly suggested. - -"That's just what we can do," replied Skinny. "Leather beats car-seats -any time. How far are we from Sandy Creek, Simms?" - -"About twenty miles." - -"An' we can ride along th' track, too," suggested Hopalong. - -"We shore can," laughed Skinny, shaking hands with the train-crew: "We -'re some glad we rode with you this trip: we 've had a fine time." - -"And we're glad you did," Simms replied, "for that ain't no joke, -either." - -Hopalong and the others had mounted and were busy waving their sombreros -and bowing to the heads and handkerchiefs which were decorating the -car-windows. - -"All aboard!" shouted the conductor, and cheers and good wishes rang out -and were replied to by bows and waving of sombreros. Then Hopalong -jerked his gun loose and emptied it into the air, his companions doing -likewise. Suddenly five reports rang out from the smoker and they -cheered the fat man as he waved at them. They sat quietly and watched -the train until the last handkerchief became lost to sight around a -curve, but the screeching whistle could be heard for a long time. - -"Gee!" laughed Hopalong as they rode on after the train, "won't th' -fellers home on th' ranch be a whole lot sore when they hears about the -good time what they missed!" - - - - - XI - - SAMMY FINDS A FRIEND - - -The long train ride and the excitement were over and the outfit, -homeward bound, loped along the trail, noisily discussing their exciting -and humorous experiences and laughingly commented upon Hopalong's -decision to follow them later. They could not understand why he should -be interested in a town like Sandy Creek after a week spent in the city. - -Back in the little cow-town their friend was standing in the office of -the hotel, gazing abstractedly out of the window. His eyes caught and -focused on a woman who was walking slowly along the other side of the -square and finally paused before McCall's "Palace," a combination -saloon, dance and gambling hall. He smiled cynically as his memory ran -back over those other women he had seen in cow-towns and wondered how it -was that the men of the ranges could rise to a chivalry that was famed. -At that distance she was strikingly pretty. Her complexion was an -alluring blend of color that the gold of her hair crowned like a burst -of sunshine. He noticed that her eyebrows were too prominent, too black -and heavy to be Nature's contribution. And there was about her a certain -forwardness, a dash that bespoke no bashful Miss; and her clothes, -though well-fitting, somehow did not please his untrained eye. A sudden -impulse seized him and he strode to the door and crossed the dusty -square, avoiding the piles of rusted cans, broken bottles and other -rubbish that littered it. - -She had become interested in a dingy window but turned to greet him with -a resplendent smile as he stepped to the wooden walk. He noted with -displeasure that the white teeth displayed two shining panels of gold -that drew his eyes irresistibly; and then and there he hated gold teeth. - -"Hello," she laughed. "I 'm glad to see somebody that's alive in this -town. Ain't it awful?" - -He instinctively removed his sombrero and was conscious that his -habitual bashfulness in the presence of members of her sex was somehow -lacking. "Why, I don't see nothin' extra dead about it," he replied. -"Most of these towns are this way in daylight. Th' moths ain't out yet. -You should 'a' been here last night!" - -"Yes? But you 're out; an' you look like you might be able to fly," she -replied. - -"Yes; I suppose so," he laughed. - -"I see you wear _two_ of 'em," she said, glancing at his guns. "Ain't -one of them things enough?" - -"One usually is, mostly," he assented. "But I 'm pig-headed, so I wears -two." - -"Ain't it awrful hard to use two of 'em at once?" she asked, her tone -flattering. "Then you 're one of them two-gun men I 've heard about, -ain't you?" - -"An' seen?" he smiled. - -"Yes, I 've seen a couple. Where you goin' so early?" - -"Just lookin' th' town over," he answered, glancing over her shoulder at -a cub of a cowpuncher who had opened the door of the "Retreat," but -stopped in his tracks when he saw the couple in front of McCall's. -There was a look of surprised interest on the cub's face, and it swiftly -changed to one of envious interest. Hopalong's glance did not linger, -but swept carelessly along the row of shacks and back to his companion's -face without betraying his discovery. - -"Well; you can look it over in about ten seconds, from th' outside," she -rejoined. "An' it's so dusty out here. My throat is awful dry -already." - -He had n't noticed any dust in the air, but he nodded. "Yes; thirsty?" - -"Well, it ain't polite or ladylike to say yes," she demurred, "but I -really am." - -He held open the door of the "Palace" and preceded her to the dance -hall, where she rippled the keys of the old piano as she swept past it. -The order given and served, he sipped at his glass and carried on his -share of a light conversation until, suddenly, he arose and made his -apologies. "I got to attend to something" he regretted as he picked up -his sombrero and turned. "See you later." - -"Why!" she exclaimed. "I was just beginnin' to get acquainted!" - -"A moth without money ain't no good," he smiled. "I 'm goin' out to -find th' money. When I 'm in good company I like to spend. See you -later?" He bowed as she nodded, and departed. - -Emerging from McCall's he glanced at the "Retreat" and sauntered toward -it. When he entered he found the cub resting his elbows on the pine -bar, arguing with the bartender about the cigars sold in the -establishment. The cub glanced up and appealed to the newcomer. "Ain't -they?" he demanded. - -Hopalong nodded. "I reckon so. But what is it about?" - -"These cigars," explained the cub, ruefully. "I was just sayin' there -ain't a good one in town." - -"You lose," replied Hopalong. "Are you shore you knows a good cigar -when you smokes it?" - -"I know it so well that I ain't found one since I left Kansas City. You -said I lose. Do you know one well enough to be a judge?" - -Hopalong reached to his vest pocket, extracted a cigar and handed it to -the cub, who took it hesitatingly. "Why, I'm much obliged. I--I did -n't mean that--you know." - -Hopalong nodded and rearranged the cigar's twin-brothers in his pocket. -He would be relieved when they were smoked, for they made him nervous -with their frailty. The cub lighted the cigar and an unaffected grin of -delight wreathed his features as the smoke issued from his nostrils. -"Who sells 'em?" he demanded, excitedly. - -"Corson an' Lukins, up th' hill from th' depot," answered Hopalong. -"Like it?" - -"Like it! Why, stranger, I used to spend most of my week's pocket money -for these." He paused and stared at the smiling puncher. "Did you say -Corson an' Lukins?" he demanded incredulously. "Well, I 'll be hanged! -When was you there?" - -"Last week. Here, bartender; liquor for all hands." - -The cub touched the glass to his lips and waved his hand at a table. -Seated across from the stranger with the heaven-sent cigars he ordered -the second round, and when he went to pay for it he drew out a big roll -of bills and peeled off the one on the outside. - -Hopalong frowned. "Sonny," he said in a low voice, "it ain't none of my -affair, but you oughta put that wad away an' forget you have it when out -in public. You shouldn't tempt yore feller men like that." - -The cub laughed: "Oh, I had my eye teeth cut long ago. Play a little -game?" - -Hopalong was amused. "Didn't I just tell you not to tempt yore feller -men?" - -The cub grinned. "I reckon it 'll fade quick, anyhow; but it took me -six months' hard work to get it together. It 'll last about six days, I -suppose." - -"Six hours, if you plays every man that comes along," corrected -Hopalong. - -"Well, mebby," admitted the cub. "Say: that was one fine girl you was -talkin' to, all right," he grinned. - -Hopalong studied him a moment. "Not meanin' no offense, what's yore -name?" - -"Sammy Porter; why?" - -"Well, Sammy," remarked Hopalong as he arose. "I reckon we 'll meet -again before I leave. You was remarkin' she was a fine girl. I admit -it; she was. So long," and he started for the door. - -Sammy flushed. "Why, I--I didn't mean nothin'!" he exclaimed. "I just -happened to think about her--that's all! You know, I saw you talkin' to -her. Of course, you saw her first," he explained. - -Hopalong turned and smiled kindly. "You didn't say nothin' to offend -me. I was just startin' when you spoke. But as long as you mentioned -it I 'll say that my interest in th' lady was only brief. Her interest -in me was th' same. Beyond lettin' you know that I 'll add that I don't -generally discuss wimmin. I 'll see you later," and, nodding cheerily, -he went out and closed the door behind him. - - -Hopalong leaned lazily against the hotel, out of reach of the spring -wind, which was still sharp, and basked in the warmth of the timid sun. -He regarded the little cow-town cynically but smilingly and found no -particular fault with it. Existing because the railroad construction -work of the season before had chanced to stop on the eastern bank of the -deceptive creek, and because of the nearness of three drive trails, one -of them important, the town had sprung up, mushroom-like, almost in a -night. Facing on the square were two general stores, the railroad -station and buildings, two restaurants, a dozen saloons where gambling -either was the main attraction or an ambitious side-line, McCall's place -and a barber shop with a dingy, bullet-peppered red-and-white pole set -close to the door. Between the barber shop and McCall's was a narrow -space, and the windows of the two buildings, while not opposite, opened -on the little strip of ground separating them. - -Rubbing a hand across his chin he regarded the barber shop thoughtfully -and finally pushed away from the sun-warmed wall of the hotel and -started lazily toward the red-and-white pole. As he did so the -tin-panny notes of a piano redoubled and a woman's voice shrilly arose -to a high note, flatted, broke and swiftly dropped an octave. He -squirmed and looked speculatively along the westward trail, wondering -how far away his outfit was and why he had not gone with them. Another -soaring note that did not flat and a crashing chord from the piano were -followed by a burst of uproarious, reckless laughter. Hopalong frowned, -snapped his fingers in sudden decision and stepped briskly toward the -barber shop as the piano began anew. - -Entering quietly and closing the door softly, he glanced appraisingly -through the windows and made known his wants in a low voice. "I want a -shave, haircut, shampoo, an' anythin' else you can think of. I 'm tired -an' don't want to talk. Take yore own time an' do a good job; an' if I -'m asleep when yo're through, don't wake me till somebody else wants th' -chair. Savvy? All right--start in." - -In McCall's a stolid bartender listened to the snatches of conversation -that filtered under the door to the dance hall alongside and on his face -there at times flickered the suggestion of a cynical smile. A heavy, -dark complexioned man entered from the street and glanced at the closed -door of the dance hall. The bartender nodded and held up a staying -hand, after which he shoved a drink across the bar. The heavy-set man -carefully wiped a few drops of spilled liquor from his white, tapering -hands and seated himself with a sigh of relief, and became busy with his -thoughts until the time should come when he would be needed. - -On the other side of that door a little comedy was being enacted. The -musician, a woman, toyed with the keys of the warped and scratched -piano, the dim light from the shaded windows mercifully hiding the paint -and the hardness of her face and helping the jewelry, with which her -hands were covered, keep its tawdry secret. - -"I don't see what makes you so touchy," grumbled Sammy in a pout. "I -ain't goin' to hurt you if I touch yore arm." He was flushed and there -was a suspicious unsteadiness in his voice. - -She laughed. "Why, I thought you wanted to talk?" - -"I did," he admitted, sullenly; "but there's a limit to most wants. Oh, -well: go ahead an' play. That last piece was all right; but give us a -gallop or a mazurka--anything lively. Better yet, a caprice: it's in -keepin' with yore temperament. If you was to try to interpert mine you -'d have to dig it out of Verdi an' toll a funeral bell." - -"Say; who told you so much about music?" she demanded. - -"Th' man that makes harmonicas," he grinned. He arose and took a step -toward her, but she retreated swiftly, smiling. "Now behave yourself, -for a little while, at least. What's th' matter with you, anyhow? What -makes you so silly?" - -"You, of course. I don't see no purty wimmin out on th' range, an' you -went to my head th' minute I laid eyes on you. _I_ ain't in no hurry to -leave this town, now nohow." - -"I 'm afraid you 're going to be awful when you grow up. But you 're a -nice boy to say such pretty things. Here," she said, filling his glass -and handing it to him, "let's drink another toast--you know such nice -ones." - -"Yes; an' if I don't run out of 'em purty soon I 'll have to hunt a -solid, immovable corner somewheres; an' there ain't nothin' solid or -immovable about _this_ room at present," he growled. "What you allus -drinkin' to somethin' for? Well, here's a toast--I don't know any more -fancy ones. Here's to--_you_!" - -"That's nicer than--oh, pshaw!" she exclaimed, pouting. "An' you would -n't drink a full glass to _that_ one. You must think I 'm nice, when -you renig like that! Don't tell me any more pretty things--an' stop -right where you are! Think you can hang onto me after that? Well, -that's better; why didn't you do it th' first time? You can be a nice -boy when you want to." - -He flushed angrily. "Will you stop callin' me a boy?" he demanded -unsteadily. "I ain't no kid! I do a man's work, earn a man's pay, an' -I spend it like a man." - -"An' drink a boy's drink," she teased. "You 'll grow up some day." She -reached forward and filled his glass again, for an instant letting her -cheek touch his. Swiftly evading him she laughed and patted him on the -head. "Here, _man_," she taunted, "drink this if you dare!" - -He frowned at her but gulped down the liquor. "There, like a fool!" he -grumbled, bitterly. "You tryin' to get me drunk?" he demanded suddenly -in a heavy voice. - -She threw back her head and regarded him coldly. "It will do me no -good. Why should I? I merely wanted to see if you would take a dare, if -you were a man. You are either not sober now, or you are insultingly -impolite. I don't care to waste any more words or time with you," and -she turned haughtily toward the door. - -He had leaned against the piano, but now he lurched forward and cried -out. "I 'm sorry if I hurt yore feelin's that way--I shore didn't mean -to. Ain't we goin' to make up?" he asked, anxiously. - -"Do you mean that?" she demanded, pausing and looking around. - -"You know I do, Annie. Le's make up--come on; le's make up." - -"Well; I'll try you, an' see." - -"Play some more. You play beautiful," he assured her with heavy -gravity. - -"I'm tired of--but, say: Can you play poker?" she asked, eagerly. - -"Why, shore; who can't?" - -"Well, I can't, for one. I want to learn, so I can win my money back -from Jim. He taught me, but all I had time to learn was how to lose." - -Sammy regarded her in puzzled surprise and gradually the idea became -plain. "Did he teach you, an' win money from you? Did he keep it?" he -finally blurted, his face flushed a deeper red from anger. - -She nodded. "Why, yes; why?" - -He looked around for his sombrero, muttering savagely. - -"Where you goin'?" she asked in surprise. - -"To get it back. He ain't goin' to keep it, th' coyote!" - -"Why, he won't give it back to you if he would n't to me. Anyhow, he -won it." - -"_Won_ it!" he snapped. "He stole it, that's how much he won it. He -'ll give it back or get shot." - -"Now look here," she said, quickly. "You ain't goin' gunnin' for no -friend of mine. If you want to get that money for me, an' I certainly -can use it about now, you got to try some other way. Say! Why don't -you win it from him?" she exulted. "That's th' way--get it back th' way -it went." - -He weighed her words and a grin slowly crept across his face. "Why, I -reckon you called it, that time, Annie. That's th' way I 'll try first, -anyhow, Li'l Girl. Where is this good friend of yourn that steals yore -money? Where is this feller?" - -As if in answer to his inquiry the heavy-set man strolled in, humming -cheerily. And as he did so the sleepy occupant of the barber's chair -slowly awoke, rubbed his eyes, stretched luxuriously and, paying his -bill, loafed out and lazily sauntered down the street, swearing softly. - -"Why, here he is now," laughed the woman. "You must 'a' heard us talkin' -about you, Jim. I'm goin' to get my money back--this is Mr. Porter, Jim, -who 's goin' to do it." - -The gambler smiled and held out his hand. "Howd'y, Mr. Porter," he said. - -Sammy glared at him: "Put yore paw down," he said, thickly. "I ain't -shakin' han's with no dogs or tin-horns." - -The gambler recoiled and flushed, fighting hard to repress his anger. -"What you mean?" he growled, furiously. - -"What I said. If you want revenge sit down there an' play, if you 've -got th' nerve to play with a man. I never let no coyote steal a woman's -money, an' I 'm goin' to get Annie her twenty. Savvy?" - -The gambler's reply was a snarl. "Play!" he sneered. "I'll play, all -right. It'll take more 'n a sassy kid to get that money back, too. I 'm -goin' to take yore last red cent. You can't talk to me like that an' -get it over. An' don't let me hear you call her 'Annie' no more, -neither. Yo 're too cussed familiar!" - -Her hand on Sammy's arm stopped the draw and he let the gun drop back -into the holster. "_No!_" she whispered. "Make a fool of him, Sammy! -Beat him at his own game." - -Sammy nodded and scowled blackly. "I call th' names as suits me," he -retorted. "When I see you on th' street I 'm goin' to call you some -that I 'm savin' up now because a lady 's present. They 're hefty, too." - -At first he won, but always small amounts. Becoming reckless, he plunged -heavily on a fair hand and lost. He plunged again on a better hand and -lost. Then he steadied as much as his befuddled brain would permit and -played a careful game, winning a small pot. Another small winning -destroyed his caution and he plunged again, losing heavily. Steadying -himself once more he began a new deal with excess caution and was -bluffed out of the pot, the gambler sneeringly showing his cards as he -threw them down. Sammy glanced around to say something to the woman, -but found she had gone. "Aw, never mind her!" growled his opponent. -"She 'll be back--she can't stay away from a kid like you." - -The woman was passing through the barroom and, winking at the bartender, -opened the door and stepped to the street. She smiled as she caught -sight of the limping stranger coming toward her. He might have found -money, but she was certain he had found something else and in generous -quantities. He removed his sombrero with an exaggerated sweep of his -hand and hastened to meet her, walking with the conscious erectness of a -man whose feet are the last part of him to succumb. "Hullo, Sugar," he -grinned. "I found some, a'right. Now we 'll have some music. Come -long." - -"There ain't no hurry," she answered. "We 'll take a little walk -first." - -"No, we won't. We 'll have some music an' somethin' to drink. If you -won't make th' music, I will; or shoot up th' machine. Come 'long, -Sugar," he leered, pushing open the door with a resounding slam. He -nodded to the bartender and apologized. "No harm meant, Friend. It -sorta slipped; jus' slipped, tha's all. Th' young lady an' me is goin' -to have some music. What? All right for you, Sugar! Then I'll make it -myself," and he paraded stiffly toward the inner door. - -The bartender leaned suddenly forward. "Keep out of there! You 'll bust -that pianner!" - -The puncher stopped with a jerk, swung ponderously on his heel and -leveled a forefinger at the dispenser of drinks. "I won't," he said. -"An' if I do, I 'll pay for it. Come on, Sugar--le's play th' old -thing, jus' for spite." Grasping her arm he gently but firmly escorted -her into the dance hall and seated her at the piano. As he straightened -up he noticed the card players and, bowing low to her, turned and -addressed them. - -"Gents," he announced, bowing again, "we are goin' to have a li'l music -an' we hopes you won't objec'. Not that we gives a d--n, but we jus' -hopes you won't." He laughed loudly at his joke and leaned against the -piano. "Let 'er go," he cried, beating time. "Allaman lef an' ladies -change! Swing yore partner's gal--I mean, swing some other gal: but -what's th' difference? All join han's an' hop to th' middle--nope! It's -all han's roun' an' swing 'em again. But it don't make no difference, -does it, Lulu?" He whooped loudly and marched across the room, executed -a few fancy steps and marched back again. As he passed the card table -Sammy threw down his hand and arose with a curse. The marcher stopped, -fiddled a bit with his feet until obtaining his balance, and then -regarded the youth quizzically. "S'matter, Sonny?" he inquired. - -Sammy scowled, slowly recognized the owner of the imported cigars and -shook his head. "Big han's, but not big enough; an' I lost my pile." -Staggering to the piano he plumped down on a chair near it and watched -the rippling fingers of the player in drunken interest. - -The hilarious cowpuncher, leaning backward perilously, recovered his -poise for a moment and then lurched forward into the chair the youth had -just left. "Come on, pardner," he grinned across at the gambler. "Le's -gamble. I been honin' for a game, an' here she is." He picked up the -cards, shuffled them clumsily and pushed them out for the cut. The -gambler hesitated, considered and then turned over a jack. He lost the -deal and shoved out a quarter without interest. - -The puncher leaned over, looked at it closely and grinned. "Two bits? -That ain't poker; that's--that's dominoes!" he blurted, angrily, with -the quick change of mood of a man in his cups. - -"I ain't anxious to play," replied the gambler. "I 'll kill a li'l time -at a two-bit game, though. Otherwise I 'll quit." - -"A'right," replied the dealer. "I did n't expec' nothin' else from a -tin-horn, no-how. I want two cards after you get yourn." The gambler -called on the second raise and smiled to himself when he saw that his -opponent had drawn to a pair and an ace. He won on his own deal and on -the one following. - -The puncher increased the ante on the fourth deal and looked up -inquiringly, a grin on his face. "Le's move out th' infant class," he -suggested. - -The gambler regarded him sharply. "Well, th' other _was_ sorta tender," -he admitted, nodding. - -The puncher pulled out a handful of gold coins and clumsily tried to -stalk them, which he succeeded in doing after three attempts. He was so -busy that he did not notice the look in the other's eyes. Picking up -his hand he winked at it and discarded one. "Goin' to raise th' ante a -few," he chuckled. "I got a feelin' I 'm goin' t' be lucky." When the -card was dealt to him he let it lay and bet heavily. The gambler saw it -and raised in turn, and the puncher, frowning in indecision, nodded his -head wisely and met it, calling as he did so. His four fives were just -two spots shy to win and he grumbled loudly at his luck. "Huh," he -finished, "she 's a jack pot, eh?" He slid a double eagle out to the -center of the table and laughed recklessly. The deals went around -rapidly, each one calling for a ten-dollar sweetener and when the -seventh hand was dealt the puncher picked his cards and laughed. "She 's -open," he cried, "for fifty," and shoved out the money with one hand -while he dug up a reserve pile from his pocket with the other. - -The gambler saw the opener and raised it fifty, smiling at his -opponent's expression. The puncher grunted his surprise, studied his -hand, glanced at the pot and shrugging his shoulders, saw the raise. He -drew two cards and chuckled as he slid them into his hand; but before -the dealer could make his own draw the puncher's chuckle died out and he -stared over the gambler's shoulder. With an oath he jerked out his gun -and fired. The gambler leaped to his feet and whirled around to look -behind. Then he angrily faced the frowning puncher. "What you think yo -'re doin'?" he demanded, his hand resting inside his coat, the thumb -hooked over the edge of the vest. - -The puncher waved his hand apologetically. "I never have no luck when I -sees a cat," he explained. "A black cat is worse; but a yaller one's -bad enough. I 'll bet that yaller devil won't come back in a -hurry--judgin' by th' way it started. I won't miss him, if he does." - -The gambler, still frowning, glanced at the deck suspiciously and saw -that it lay as he had dropped it. The bartender, grinning at them from -the door, cracked a joke and went back to the bar. Sammy, after a wild -look around, settled back in his chair and soothed the pianist a little -before going back to sleep. - -Drawing two cards the gambler shoved them in his hand without a change -in his expression--but he was greatly puzzled. It was seldom that he -bungled and he was not certain that he had. The discard contained the -right number of cards and his opponent's face gave no hint to the -thoughts behind it. He hesitated before he saw the bet--ten dollars was -not much, for the size of the pot justified more. He slowly saw it, -willing to lose the ten in order to see his opponent's cards. There was -something he wished to know, and he wanted to know it as soon as he -could. "I call that," he said. The puncher's expression of tenseness -relaxed into one of great relief and he hurriedly dropped his cards. -Three kings, an eight, and a deuce was his offering. The gambler laid -down a pair of queens, a ten, an eight and a four, waved his hand and -smiled. "It's just as well I did n't draw another queen," he observed, -calmly. "I might 'a' raised once for luck." - -The puncher raked in the pot and turned around in his chair. "I cleaned -up that time," he exulted to the woman. She had stopped playing and was -stroking Sammy's forehead. Smiling at the exuberant winner she nodded. -"You should have let the cat stay--I think it really brought you luck." -He shook his head emphatically. "_No_, ma'am! It was chasin' it away -as did that. That's what did it, a'right." - -The gambler glanced quickly at the two top cards on the deck and was -picking up those scattered on the table when his opponent turned around -again. How that queen and ten had got two cards too deep puzzled him -greatly--he was willing to wager even money that he would not look away -again until the game was finished, not if all the cats in the world were -being slaughtered. One hundred and ninety dollars was too much money to -pay for being caught off his guard, as he was tempted to believe he had -been. He did not know how much liquor the other had consumed, but he -seemed to be sobering rapidly. - -The next few deals did not amount to much. Then a jackpot came around -and was pushed hard. The puncher was dealing and as he picked up the -deck after the cut he grinned and winked. "Th' skirmishin' now bein' -over, th' battle begins. If that cat stays away long enough mebby I 'll -make a killin'." - -"All right; but don't make no more gun-plays," warned the gambler, -coldly. "I allus get excited when I smells gun-powder an' I do reckless -things sometimes," he added, significantly. - -"Then I shore hopes you keep ca'm," laughed the puncher, loud enough to -be heard over the noise of the piano, which was now going again. - -The pot was sweetened three times and then the gambler dealt his -opponent openers. The puncher looked anxiously through the door, -grinning coltishly. He slowly pushed out twenty dollars. "There's th' -key," he grunted. "A'right; see that an' raise you back. Good for you! -I'm stayin' an' boostin' same as ever. Fine! See it again, an' add -this. I 'm playin' with yore money, so I c'n afford to be reckless. All -right; I'm satisfied, too. Gimme one li'l card. I shore am glad I -don't need th' king of hearts--that was shore on th' bottom when th' -deal _begun_." - -The gambler, having drawn, cursed and reached swiftly toward his vest -pocket; but he stopped suddenly and contemplated the Colt that peeked -over the edge of the table. It looked squarely at his short ribs and -was backed by a sober, angry man who gazed steadily into his eyes. -"Drop that hand," said the puncher in a whisper just loud enough to be -heard by the other over the noise of the piano. "I never did like them -shoulder holsters--I carry my irons where everybody can see 'em." -Leaning forward swiftly he reached out his left hand and cautiously -turned over the other's cards. The fourth one was the king of hearts. -"Don't move," he whispered, not wishing to have the bartender take a -hand from behind. "An' don't talk," he warned as he leaned farther -forward and shoved his Colt against the other's vest and with his left -hand extracted a short-barreled gun from the sheath under the gambler's -armpit. Sinking back in his chair he listened a moment and, raking in -the pot, stowed it away with the other winnings in his pockets. - -The gambler stirred, but stopped as the Colt leaped like a flash of -light to the edge of the table. "Tin-horn," said the puncher, softly, -"you ain't slick enough. I did n't stop you when you wanted that queen -an' ten because I wanted you to go on with th' crookedness. Yaller cats -is more unlucky to you than they are to me. But when I saw that last -play I lost my temper; an' I stopped you. Now if you 'll cheat with me, -you 'll cheat with a drunk boy. So, havin' cheated him, you really -stole his money away from him. That bein' so, you will dig up six -month's wages at about fifty per month. I 'd shoot you just as quick as -I 'd shoot a snake; so don't get no fool notions in yore head. Dig it -right up." - -The gambler studied the man across from him, but after a moment he -silently placed some money on the table. "It was only two forty," he -observed, holding to three double eagles. The puncher nodded: "I 'll -take yore word for that. Now, in th' beginnin' I only wanted to get th' -boy his money; but when you started cheatin' against me I changed my -mind. I played fair. Now here's your short-five," he said as he slid -the gun across the table. "Mebby you might want to use it sometime," he -smiled. "Now you vamoose; an' if I see you in town after th' next train -leaves, I 'll _make_ you use that shoulder holster. An' tell yore -friends that Hopalong Cassidy says, that for a country where men can -tote their hardware in plain sight, a shoulder layout ain't no good: you -gotta reach too high. Adios." - -He watched the silent, philosophical man-of-cards walk slowly toward the -door, upright, dignified and calm. Then he turned and approached the -piano. "Sister," he said, politely, "yore gamblin' friend is leavin' -town on th' next train. He has pressin' business back east a couple of -stations an' wonders if you 'll join him at th' depot in time for th' -next train." - -She had stopped playing and was staring at him in amazement. "Why -didn't he come an' tell me himself, 'stead of sneakin' away an' sendin' -you over?" she at last demanded, angrily. - -"Well, he wanted to, but he saw a man an' slipped out with his gun in -his hand. Mebby there'll be trouble; but I dunno. I'm just tellin' -you. Gee," he laughed, looking at the snoring youth in the chair, "he -got _that_ quick. Why, I saw him less 'n two hours ago an' he was sober -as a judge. Reckon I 'll take him over to th' hotel an' put him to -bed." He went over to the helpless Sammy, shook him and made him get on -his feet. "Come along, Kid," he said, slipping his arm under the -sagging shoulder. "We'll get along. Good-by, Sugar," and, supporting -the feebly protesting cub, he slowly made his way to the rear door and -was gone, a grin wreathing his face as he heard the chink of gold coins -in his several pockets. - - - - - XII - - SAMMY KNOWS THE GAME - - -A clean-cut, good-looking cowpuncher limped slightly as he passed the -postoffice and found a seat on a box in front of the store next door. -He sighed with relief and gazed cheerfully at the littered square as -though it was something worth looking at. The night had not been a -pleasant one because Sammy Porter had insisted upon either singing or -snoring; and when breakfast was announced the youth almost had recovered -his senses and was full of remorse and a raging thirst. Being flatly -denied the hair of the dog that bit him he grew eloquently profane and -very abusive. Hence Mr. Cassidy's fondness for the box. - -Sounds obtruded. They were husky and had dimensions and they came from -the hotel bar. After increasing in volume and carrying power they were -followed to the street by a disheveled youth who kicked open the door -and blinked in the sunlight. Espying the contented individual on the -box he shook an earnest fist at that person and tried next door. In a -moment he followed a new burst of noise to the street and shook the -other fist. Trying the saloon on the other side of the hotel without -success he shook both fists and once again tried the hotel bar, where he -proceeded along lines tactful, flattering and diplomatic. Only -yesterday he had owned a gun, horse and other personal belongings; he -had possessed plenty of money, a clear head and his sins sat lightly on -his youthful soul. He still had the sins, but they had grown in weight. -Tact availed him nothing, flattery was futile and diplomacy was in vain. -To all his arguments the bartender sadly shook his head, not because -Sammy had no money, which was the reason he gave, but because of vivid -remembrance of the grimness with which a certain red-haired, -straight-lipped, two-gun cowpuncher had made known his request. "Let -him suffer," had said the gunman. "It 'll be a good lesson for him. -Understand; not a drop!" And the bartender had understood. To the -drink-dispenser's refusal Sammy replied with a masterpiece of eloquence -and during its delivery the bartender stood with his hand on a mallet, -but too spellbound to throw it. Wheeling at the close of a vivid, -soaring climax, Sammy yanked open the door again and stood transfixed -with amazement and hostile envy. His new and officious friend surely -knew the right system with women. To the burning indignities of the -morning this added the last straw and Sammy bitterly resolved not to -forget his wrongs. - -Had Mr. Cassidy been a kitten he would have purred with delight as he -watched his youthful friend's vain search for the hair of the dog, and -his grin was threatening to engulf his ears when the Cub slammed into -the hotel. Hearing the beating of hoofs he glanced around and saw a -trim, pretty young lady astride a trim, high-spirited pony; and both -were thoroughbreds if he was any judge. They bore down upon him at a -smart lope and stopped at the edge of the walk. The rider leaped from -the saddle and ran toward him with her hand outstretched and her face -aglow with a delighted surprise. Her eyes fairly danced with welcome -and relief and her cheeks, reddened by the thrust of the wind for more -than twenty miles, flamed a deeper red, through which streaks of creamy -white played fascinatingly. "Dick Ellsworth!" she cried. "When did you -get here?" - -Mr. Cassidy stumbled to his feet, one hand instinctively going out to -the one held out to him, the other fiercely gripping his sombrero. His -face flamed under its tan and he mumbled an incoherent reply. - -"Don't you remember _me_?" she chided, a roguish, half-serious -expression flashing over her countenance. "Not little Annie, whom you -taught to ride? I used to think I needed you then, Dick; but oh, how I -need you now. It's Providence, nothing else, that sent you. Father's -gone steadily worse and now all he cares for is a bottle. Joe, the new -foreman, has full charge of everything and he's not only robbing us -right and left, but he 's--he 's bothering _me_! When I complain to -father of his attentions all I get is a foolish grin. If you only knew -how I have prayed for you to come back, Dick! Two bitter years of it. -But now everything is all right. Tell me about yourself while I get the -mail and then we 'll ride home together. I suppose Joe will be waiting -for me somewhere on the trail; he usually does. Did you ever hate -anyone so much you wanted to kill him?" she demanded fiercely, beside -herself for the moment. - -Hopalong nodded. "Well, yes; I have," he answered. "But you must n't. -What's his name? We 'll have to look into this." - -"Joe Worth; but let's forget him for awhile," she smiled. "I 'll get -the mail while you go after your horse." - -He nodded and watched her enter the post-office and then turned and -walked thoughtfully away. She was mounted when he returned and they -swung out of the town at a lope. - -"Where have you been, and what have you been doing?" she asked as they -pushed along the firm, hard trail. - -"Punchin' for th' Bar-20, southwest of here. I wouldn't 'a' been here -today only I let th' outfit ride on without me. We just got back from -Kansas City a couple of days back. But let's get at this here Joe Worth -prop'sition. I 'm plumb curious. How long's he been pesterin' you?" - -"Nearly two years--I can't stand it much longer." - -"An' th' outfit don't cut in?" - -"They 're his friends, and they understand that father wants it so. You -'ll not know father, Dick: I never thought a man could change so. -Mother's death broke him as though he were a reed." - -"Hum!" he grunted. "You ain't carin' how this coyote is stopped, just -so he is?" - -"No!" she flashed. - -"An' he 'll be waitin' for you?" - -"He usually is." - -He grinned. "Le 's hope he is this time." He was silent a moment and -looked at her curiously. "I don't know how you 'll take it, but I got a -surprise for you--a big one. I 'm shore sorry to admit it, but I ain't -th' man you think. I ain't Dick What 's-his-name, though it shore ain't -_my_ fault. I reckon I must look a heap like him; an' I hope I can -_act_ like him in this here matter. I want to see it through like _he_ -would. I can do as good a job, too. But it ain't no-wise fair nor right -to pretend I 'm him. I ain't." - -She was staring at him in a way he did not like. "Not Dick Ellsworth!" -she gasped. "You are _not_ Dick?" - -"I 'm shore sorry--but I 'd like to play his cards. I 'm honin' for to -see this here Joe Worth," he nodded, cheerfully. - -"And you let me believe you were?" she demanded coldly. "You -deliberately led me to talk as I did?" - -"Well, now; I didn't just know what to do. You shore was in trouble, -which was bad. I reckoned mebby I could get you out of it an' then go -along 'bout my business. You ain't goin' to stop me a-doin' it, are -you?" he asked anxiously. - -Her reply was a slow, contemptuous look that missed nothing and that -left nothing to be said. Her horse did not like to stand, anyway, and -sprang eagerly forward in answer to the sudden pressure of her knees. -She rode the high-strung bay with superb art, angry, defiant, and erect -as a statue. Hopalong, shaking his head slowly, gazed after her and -when she had become a speck on the plain he growled a question to his -horse and turned sullenly toward the town. Riding straight to the hotel -he held a short, low-voiced conversation with the clerk and then sought -his friend, the Cub. This youthful grouch was glaring across the bar at -the red-faced, angry man behind it, and the atmosphere was not one of -peace. The Cub turned to see who the newcomer was and thereupon -transferred his glare to the smiling puncher. - -"Hullo, Kid," breezed Hopalong. - -"You go to h--l!" growled Sammy, remembering to speak respectfully to -his elders. He backed off cautiously until he could keep both of his -enemies under his eyes. - -Hopalong's grin broadened. He dug into his pockets and produced a large -sum of money. "Here, Kid," said he, stepping forward and thrusting it -into Sammy's paralyzed hands. "Take it an' buy all th' liquor you wants. -You can get yore gun off 'n th' clerk, an' he 'll tell you where to find -yore cayuse an' other belongings. I gotta leave town." - -Sammy stared at the money in his hand. "What's this?" he demanded, his -face flushing angrily. - -"Money," replied Hopalong. "It's that shiny stuff you buys things with. -Spondulix, cash, mazuma. You spend it, you know." - -Sammy sputtered. He might have frothed had his mouth not been so dry. -"Is it?" he demanded with great sarcasm. "I thought mebby it was cows, -or buttons. What you handin' it to me for? I ain't no d--d beggar!" - -Hopalong chuckled. "That money's yourn. I pried it loose from th' -tin-horn that stole it from you. I also, besides, pried off a few -chunks more; but them 's mine. I allus pays myself good wages; an' th' -aforesaid chunks is plenty an' generous. Amen." - -Sammy regarded his smiling friend with a frank suspicion that was -brutal. The pleasing bulge of the pockets reassured him and he slowly -pocketed his rescued wealth. He growled something doubtless meant for -thanks and turned to the bar. "A large chunk of th' Mojave Desert slid -down my throat las' night an' I 'm so dry I rustles in th' breeze. -Let's wet down a li'l." Having extracted some of the rustle he eyed his -companion suspiciously. "Thought you was a stranger hereabouts?" - -"You 've called it." - -"Huh! Then I 'm goin' to stick close to you an get acquainted with th' -female population of th' towns we hit. An' I had allus reckoned -lightnin' was quick!" he soliloquized, regretfully. "How 'd you do it?" -he demanded. - -Hopalong was gazing over his friend's head at a lurid chromo portraying -the Battle of Bull Run and he pursed his lips thoughtfully. "That shore -was some slaughter," he commented. "Well, Kid," he said, holding out his -hand, "I 'm leavin'. If you ever gets down my way an' wants a good job, -drop in an' see us. Th' clerk 'll tell you how to get there. An' th' -next time you gambles, stay sober." - -"Hey! Wait a minute!" exclaimed Sammy. "Goin' home now?" - -"Can't say as I am, direct." - -"Comin' back here before you do?" - -"Can't say that, neither. Life is plumb oncertain an' gunplay 's even -worse. Mebby I will if I 'm alive." - -"Who you gunnin' for? Can't I take a hand?" - -"Reckon not, Sammy. Why, I 'm cuttin' in where I ain't wanted, even if -I am needed. But it's my duty. It's a h--l of a community as waits for -a total stranger to do its work for it. If yo 're around an' I come -back, why I 'll see you again. Meanwhile, look out for tin-horns." - -Sammy followed him outside and grasped his arm. "I can hold up my end -in an argument," he asserted fiercely. "You went an' did me a good -turn--lemme do _you_ one. If it's anythin' to do with that li'l girl -you met to-day I won't cut in--only on th' trouble end. I'm particular -strong on th' trouble part. Look here: Ain't a friend got no rights?" - -Hopalong warmed to the eager youngster--he was so much like Jimmy; and -Jimmy, be it known, could bedevil Hopalong as much as any man alive and -not even get an unkind word for it. "I 'm scared to let you come, Kid; -she 'd fumigate th' ranch when you left. Th' last twenty-four hours has -outlawed you, all right. You keep to th' brush trails in th' -draws--don't cavort none on skylines till you lose that biled owl look." -He laughed at the other's expression and placed his hands on the youth's -shoulders. "That ain't it, Kid; I never apologizes, serious, for th' -looks of my friends. They 're my friends, drunk or sober, in h--l or -out of it. I just can't see how you can cut in proper. Better wait for -me here--I 'll turn up, all right. Meanwhile, as I says before, look -out for tin-horns." - -Sammy watched him ride away, and then slammed his sombrero on the ground -and jumped on it, after which he felt relieved. Procuring his gun from -the clerk he paused to cross-examine, but after a fruitless half hour he -sauntered out, hiding his vexation, to wrestle with the problem in the -open. Passing the window of a general store he idly glanced at the -meager display behind the dusty glass and a sudden grin transfigured his -countenance. He would find out about the girl first and that would help -him solve the puzzle. Thinking thus he wandered in carelessly and he -wandered out again gravely clutching a small package. Slipping behind -the next building he tore off the paper and carefully crumpled and -soiled with dust the purchase. Then he went down to the depot and -followed the railroad tracks toward the other side of the square. -Reaching the place where the south trail crossed the tracks he left them -and walked slowly toward a small depression that was surrounded by -hoofprints. He stooped quickly and straightened up with a woman's -handkerchief dangling from his fingers. He grinned foolishly, examined -it, sniffed at it and scratched his head while he cogitated. A decisive -wave of his hand apprised the two spectators that he had arrived at a -conclusion, which he bore out by heading straight for the postoffice, -which was a part of the grocery store. The postmaster and grocer, in -person one, watched his approach with frank curiosity. - -Sammy nodded and went in the store, followed by the proprietor. -"Howd'y," he remarked, producing the handkerchief. "Just picked this up -over on th' trail. Know who dropped it?" - -"Annie Allison, I reckon," replied the other. "She came in that way from -th' Bar-U. Want to leave it?" - -Sammy considered. "Why, I might as well take it to her--I'm goin' down -there purty soon. Don't know any other ranch that might use a -broncho-buster, do you?" - -The proprietor shook his head. "No; most folks 'round here bust their -own. Perfessional?" - -Sammy nodded. "Yes. Here, gimme two-bits' worth of them pep'mint -lozengers. Yes, it shore is fine; but it 'll rain before long. Well, -by-by." - -The bartender of the "Retreat" sniffed suspiciously and eyed the open -door thoughtfully, holding aloft the bar-mop while he considered. Then -he put the mop on the bar and went to the door, where he peered out. -"Huh!" he grunted. "Hogin' that?" he sarcastically inquired. Sammy held -out the bag and led the way to the bar. "Where's th' Bar-U? Yes? Do -their own broncho-bustin'? Who, me? Ain't nothin' on laigs can throw -me, includin' humans an' bartenders. What? Well, what you want to get -all skinned up for, for nothin'? Five dollars? If you must lose it I -might as well have it. One fall? All right; come out here an' get it." - -The bartender chuckled and vaulted the counter as advance notice of his -agility and physical condition, and immediately there ensued a soft -shuffling. Suddenly the building shook and dusted itself and Sammy -arose and stepped back, smiling at his victim. "Thanks," he remarked. -"Good money was spent on part of my education--boxin' bein' th' other -half. Now, for five more, where can't I hit you?" - -"Behind th' bar," grinned the other; "I got deadly weapons there. Look -here!" he exclaimed hurriedly as a great idea struck him. "Everybody -'round here will back their wrastlin' reckless; le 's team up an' make -some easy money. I 'll make th' bets an' you win 'em. Split even. What -say?" - -"Later on, mebby. What'd you say that Bar-U foreman's name was?" - -The bartender's reply was supplemented by a pious suggestion. "An' if -you wrastles _him_, bust his cussed neck!" - -"Why this friendship?" queried Sammy, laughing. - -"Oh, just for general principles." - -Sammy bought cigars, left some lozenges and went out to search for his -horse, which he duly found. Inwardly he was elated and he flexed his -muscles and made curious motions with his arms, which caused the -pie-bald to show the whites of its eyes wickedly and flatten its ragged -ears. Its actions were justified, for a left hand darted out and -slapped the wrinkling muzzle, deftly escaping the clicking teeth. Then -the warlike pie-bald reflected judiciously as it chewed the lozenge. -The eyes showed less white and the ears, moving forward and back, -compromised by one staying forward. The candy was old and stale and the -sting of the mint was negligible, but the sugar was much in evidence. -When the hand darted out again the answering nip was playful and the -ears were set rigidly forward. Sammy laughed, slipped several more -lozenges into the ready mouth, vaulted lightly to the saddle and rode -slowly toward the square. The pie-bald kicked mildly and reached around -to nip at the stirrup, and then went on about its business as any -well-broken cow pony should. Reaching the square Sammy drew rein -suddenly and watched a horseman who was riding away from the "Retreat." -Waiting a few minutes Sammy spurred forward to the saloon and called the -bartender out to him. "Who was that feller that just left?" he asked, -curiously. - -"Joe Worth, th' man yo 're goin' to strike for that job. Why don't you -catch him now an' mebby save yoreself a day's ride?" - -"Good idea," endorsed Sammy. "See you later," and the youth wheeled and -loped toward the trail, but drew rein when hidden from the "Retreat" by -some buildings. He watched the distant horseman until he became a mere -dot and then Sammy pushed on after him. There was a satisfied look on -his face and he chuckled as he cogitated. "I shore got th' drift of -this; I know th' game! Wonder how Cassidy got onto it?" He laughed -contentedly. "Well, five hundred ain't too little to split two ways; -an' mebby it is a two-man job. Mr. Joe Worth, who was once Mr. George -Atkins, I would n't give a peso for yore chances after I get th' lay of -th' ground an' find out yore habits. Yo 're goin' back to Willow -Springs as shore as 'dogies' hang 'round water holes. An' you 'll shore -dance their tune when you gets there." - - -Mr. Cassidy, arriving at the Bar-U, asked for the foreman and was told -that the boss was in town, but would be back sometime in the afternoon. -The newcomer replied that he would return later and, carefully keeping -out of sight of the ranch house as well as he could, he wheeled and rode -back the way he had come, being very desirous to have a good look at the -foreman before they met. Arriving at an arroyo several miles north of -the ranch he turned into it and, leaving his horse picketed on good -grass along the bottom, he climbed to a position where he could see the -trail without being seen. Having settled himself comfortably he -improved the wait by trying to think out the best way to accomplish the -work he had set himself to do. Shooting was too common and hardly -justifiable unless Mr. Worth forced the issue with weapons of war. - -The time passed slowly and he was relieved when a horseman appeared far -to the north and jogged toward him, riding with the careless grace of -one at home in the saddle. Being thoroughly familiar with the trail and -the surrounding country the rider looked straight ahead as if attention -to the distance yet untraveled might make it less. He passed within -twenty feet of the watcher and went on his way undisturbed. Hopalong -waited until he was out of sight around a hill and then, vaulting into -the saddle, rode after him, still puzzled as to how he would proceed -about the business in hand. He dismounted at the bunkhouse and nodded -to those who lingered near the wash bench awaiting their turn. - -"Just in time to feed," remarked one of the punchers. "Watch yore turn -at th' basins--every man for hisself 's th' rule." - -"All right," Hopalong laughed. "But is there any chance to get a job -here?" he asked, anxiously. - -"You 'll have to quiz th' Ol' Man--here he comes now," and the puncher -waved at the approaching foreman. "Hey, Joe! Got a job for this -hombre?" he called. - -The foreman keenly scrutinized the newcomer, as he always examined -strangers. The two guns swinging low on the hips caught his eyes -instantly but he showed no particular interest in them, notwithstanding -the fact that they proclaimed a gunman. "Why I reckon I got a job for -you," he said. "I been waitin' to keep somebody over on Cherokee Range. -But it's time to eat: we'll talk later." - -After the meal the outfit passed the time in various ways until -bed-time, the foreman talking to the new member of his family. During -the night the foreman awakened several times and looked toward the -newcomer's bunk but found nothing suspicious. After breakfast he called -Hopalong and one of the others to him. "Ned," he said, "take Cassidy -over to his range and come right back. Hey, Charley! You an' Jim take -them poles down to th' ford an' fence in that quicksand just south of -it. Ben says he 's been doin' nothin' but pullin' cows outen it. All -right, Tim; comin' right away." - -Ned and the new puncher lost no time but headed east at once with a -packhorse carrying a week's provisions for one man. The country grew -rougher rapidly and when they finally reached the divide a beautiful -sight lay below them, stretching as far as eye could see to the east. -In the middle distance gleamed the Cherokee, flowing toward the south -through its valley of rocks, canyons, cliffs, draws and timber. - -"There 's th' hut," said Ned, pointing to a small gray blot against the -dead black of a towering cliff. "Th' spring's just south of it. Bucket -Hill, up north there, is th' north boundary; Twin Spires, south yonder -is th' other end; an' th' Cherokee will stop you on th' east side. You -ride in every Sat'day if you wants. Don't get lonesome," he grinned -and, wheeling abruptly, went back the way they had come. - -Hopalong shook his head in disgust. To be sidetracked like this was -maddening. It had taken three hours of hard traveling over rough -country to get where he was and it would take as long to return; and all -for nothing! He regarded the pack animal with a grin, shrugged his -shoulders and led the way toward the hut, the pack horse following -obediently. It was another hour before he finally reached the little -cabin, for the way was strange and rough. During this time he had -talked aloud, for he had the tricks of his kind and when alone he talked -to himself. When he reached the hut he relieved the pack horse of its -load, carrying the stuff inside. Closing the door and blocking it with a -rock he found the spring, drank his fill and then let the horses do -likewise. Then he mounted and started back over the rough trail, -thinking out loud and confiding to his horse and he entered a narrow -defile close to the top of the divide, promising dire things to the -foreman. Suddenly a rope settled over him, pinned his arms to his sides -and yanked him from the saddle before he had time to think. He landed -on his head and was dazed as he sat up and looked around. The foreman's -rifle confronted him, and behind the foreman's feet were his two Colts. - -"You talks too much," sneered the man with the drop. "I suspicioned you -th' minute I laid eyes on you. It 'll take a better man than you to get -that five hundred reward. I reckon th' Sheriff was too scared to come -hisself." - -Hopalong shook his head as if to clear it. What was the man talking -about? Who was the sheriff? He gave it up, but would not betray his -ignorance. Yes; he had talked too much. He felt of his head and was -mildly surprised to see his hand covered with blood when he glanced at -it. "Five hundred 's a lot of money," he muttered. - -"Blood money!" snapped the foreman. "You had a gall tryin' to get me. -Why, I been lookin' for somebody to try it for two years. An' I was -ready every minute of all that time." - -Slowly it came to Hopalong and with it the realization of how foolish it -would be to deny the part ascribed to himself. The rope was loose and -his arms were practically free; the foreman had dropped the lariat and -was depending upon his gun. The captive felt of his head again and, -putting his hands behind him for assistance in getting up, arose slowly -to his feet. In one of the hands was a small rock that it had rested -upon during the effort of rising. At the movement the foreman watched -him closely and ordered him not to take a step if he wanted to live a -little longer. - -"I reckon I 'll have to shoot you," he announced. "I dass n't let you -loose to foller me all over th' country. Anyhow, I 'd have to do it -sooner or later. I wish you was Phelps, d--n him; but he's a wise -sheriff. Better stand up agin' that wall. I gotta do it; an' you -deserve it, you Judas!" - -"Meanin' yo're Christ?" sneered Hopalong. "Did you kill th' other feller -like that? If I 'd 'a' knowed that I 'd 'a' slapped yore dawg's face at -th' bunkhouse an' made you take an even break. Shore you got nerve -enough to shoot straight if I looks at you while yo 're aimin'?" He -laughed cynically. "I don't want to close my eyes." - -The foreman's face went white and he half lowered the rifle as he took a -step forward. Hopalong leaped sideways and his arm straightened out, the -other staggering under the blow of the missile. Leaping forward -Hopalong ran into a cloud of smoke and staggered as he jumped to close -quarters. His hand smashed full in the foreman's face and his knee sank -in the foreman's groin. They went down, the foreman weak from the kick -and Hopalong sick and weak from the bullet that had grazed the bone of -his bad thigh. And lying on the ground they fought in a daze, each -incapable of inflicting serious injury for awhile. But the foreman grew -stronger as his enemy grew weaker from loss of blood and, wriggling from -under his furious antagonist, he reached for his Colt. Hopalong threw -himself forward and gripped the gun wrist between his teeth and closed -his jaws until they ached. But the foreman, pounding ceaselessly on the -other's face with his free hand, made the jaws relax and drew the -weapon. Then he saw all the stars in the heavens as Hopalong's head -crashed full against his jaw and before he could recover the gun was -pinned under his enemy's knee. Hopalong's head crashed again against -the foreman's jaw and his right hand gripped the corded throat while the -left, its thumb inside the foreman's cheek and its fingers behind an -ear, tugged and strained at the distorted face. Growling like wild -beasts they strained and panted, and then, suddenly, Hopalong's grip -relaxed and he made one last, desperate effort to bring his strength -back into one furious attack; but in vain. The battered foreman, quick -to sense the situation, wrestled his adversary to one side long enough -to grab the Colt from under the shifting knee. As he clutched it a shot -rang out and the weapon dropped from his nerveless hand before he could -pull the trigger. An exulting, savage yell roared in his ears and in -the next instant he seemed to leave the ground and soar through space. -He dropped ten feet away and lay dazed and helpless as a knee crashed -against his chest. Sammy Porter, his face working curiously with relief -and rage, rolled him against the wall of the defile and struck him over -the head with a rifle butt, first disarming him. - -Hopalong opened his eyes and looked around, dazed and sick. The -foreman, bound hand and foot by a forty-five foot lariat, lay close to -the base of the wall and stared sullenly at the sky. Sammy was coming up -the trail with a dripping sombrero held carefully in his hands and was -growling and talking it all over. Hopalong looked down at his thigh and -saw a heavy, blood-splotched bandage fastened clumsily in place. -Glancing at Sammy again he idly noted that part of the youth's -blue-flannel shirt was missing. Curiously, it matched the bandage. He -closed his eyes and tried to think what it was all about. - -Sammy ambled up to him, threw some water in the bruised face and then -grinned cheerfully at the language he evoked. Producing a flask and -holding it up to the light, Sammy slid his thumb to a certain level and -then shoved the bottle against his friend's teeth. "Huh!" he chuckled, -yanking the bottle away. "You'll be all right in a couple of days. But -you shore are one h--l of a sight--it's a toss-up between you an' -Atkins." - - * * * * * - -It was night. Hopalong stirred and arose on one elbow and noticed that -he was lying on a blanket that covered a generous depth of leaves and -pine boughs. The sap-filled firewood crackled and popped and hissed and -whistled under the licking attack of the greedy flames, which flared up -and died down in endless alternation, and which grotesquely revealed to -Hopalong's throbbing eyes a bound figure lying on another blanket. -That, he decided, was the foreman. Letting his gaze wander around the -lighted circle he made out a figure squatting on the other side of the -fire, and concluded it was Sammy Porter. "What you doin', Kid?" he -asked. - -Sammy arose and walked over to him. "Oh, just watchin' a fool puncher -an' five hundred dollars," he grinned. "How you feelin' now, you ol' -sage hen?" - -"Good," replied the invalid, and, comparatively, it was the truth. -"Fine an' strong," he added, which was not the truth. - -"That's the way to talk," cheered the Cub. "You shore had one fine -seance. You earned that five hundred, all right." - -Hopalong reflected and then looked across at the prisoner. "He can -fight like the devil," he muttered. "Why, I kicked him hard enough to -kill anybody else." He turned again and looked Sammy in the eyes, -smiling as best he could. "There ain't no five hundred for me, Kid. I -did n't come for that, did n't know nothin' about it. An' it's blood -money, besides. We 'll turn him loose if he 'll get out of the country, -hey? We 'll give him a chance; either that or you take th' reward." - -Sammy stared, grunted and stared again. "What you ravin' about?" he -demanded. "An' you didn't come after him for that money?" he asked, -sarcastically. - -Hopalong nodded and smiled again. "That's right, Kid," he answered, -thoughtfully. "I come down to make him get out of th' country. You let -him go after we get out of this. I reckon I got yore share of the -reward right here in my pocket; purty near that much, anyhow. You take -it an' let him vamoose. What you say?" - -Sammy rose, angry and disgusted. His anger spoke first. "You go to -h--l with yore money! I don't want it!" Then, slowly and wonderingly -spoke his disgust. "He 's yourn; do what you want. But I here remarks, -frank an' candid, open an' so all may hear, that yo 're a large, -puzzlin' d--d fool. Now lay back on that blanket an' go to sleep afore -I changes my mind!" - -Sammy drifted past the prisoner and looked down at him. "Hear that?" he -demanded. There was no answer and he grunted. "Huh! You heard it, all -right; an' it plumb stunned you." Passing on he grabbed the last -blanket in sight, it was on the foreman's horse, and rolled up in it, -feet to the fire. His gun he placed under the saddle he had leaned -against, which now made his pillow. As he squirmed into the most -comfortable position he could find under the circumstances he raised his -head and glanced across at his friend. "Huh!" he growled softly. -"That's th' worst of them sentimental fellers. That gal shore wrapped -him 'round her li'l finger all right. Oh, well," he sighed. "'Tain't -none of my doin's, thank the Lord; I got sense!" And with the -satisfaction of this thought still warm upon him he closed his eyes and -went to sleep, confident that the slightest sound would awaken him; and -fully justified in his confidence. - - - - - XIII - - HIS CODE - - -Mr. "Youbet" Somes, erstwhile foreman of the Two-X-Two ranch, in -Arizona, and now out of a job, rode gloomily toward Kit, a town between -him and his destination. - -Needless to say, he was a cowman through and through. More than that, -he was so saturated with cowmen's traditions as to resent pugnaciously -anything which flouted them. - -He was of the old school, and would not submit quietly to two things, -among others, which an old-school cowman hated--wire fences and sheep. -To this he owed his present ride, for he hated wire fences cordially. -They meant the passing of the free, open range, of straight trails -across country; they meant a great change, an intolerable condition. - -"Yessir, bronch! Things are gettin' damnabler every year, with th' -railroads, tourists, nesters, barb' wire, an' sheep. Last year, it was -a windmill, that screeched till our hair riz up. It would n't work when -we wanted it to, an' we could n't stop it when it once got started. - -"It gave us no sleep, no peace; an' it killed Bob Cousins--swung round -with th' wind an' knocked him off 'n th' platform, sixty feet, to th' -ground. Bob allus did like to monkey with th' buzz saw. I shore told -him not to go up there, because th' cussed thing was loaded; but, bein' -mule-headed, he knowed more 'n me. - -"But this year! Lord--but that was an awful pile of wire, bronch! -Three strands high, an' over a hundred an' fifty miles round that -pasture. That was a' insult, bronch; an' I never swaller 'em. That's -what put me an' you out here, in th' middle of nowhere, tryin' to find a -way out. G'wan, now! You ain't goin' to rest till I gets off you. -G'wan, I told you!" - -Mr. Somes was riding east, bound for the Bar-20, where he had friends. -For a year or two, he had heard persistent rumors to the effect that -Buck Peters had more cows than he knew what to do with; and he argued -rightly that the Bar-20 foreman could find a place for an old friend, -whose ability was unquestioned. Of one thing he was certain--there were -no wire fences, down there. - -It was dusk when he dismounted in front of Logan's, in Kit, and went -inside. The bartender glanced up, reaching for a bottle on the shelf -beside him. - -Youbet nodded. "You got it first pop. Have one with me. I 'm countin' -on staying over in town tonight. Got a place for me?" - -"Shore have--upstairs in th' attic. Want grub, too?" - -"Well, I sorter hope to have somethin' to eat afore I pull out. Here's -how!" And when Mr. Somes placed his empty glass on the bar, he smiled -good-naturedly. "That's good stuff. Much goin' on in town?" - -"Reckon you can get a game most anywhere." - -"Where do I get that grub? Here?" - -"No--down th' street. Ridin' far?" - -"Yes--a little. Goin' down to th' Bar-20 for a job punchin'. I hear -Peters has got more cows than he can handle. Know anybody down there -you wants to send any word to?" - -"I 'll be hanged if I know," laughed the bartender. "I know a lot of -fellers, but they shift so I can't keep track of 'em, nohow." - -A man in a far corner pushed back his chair, and approached the bar, -scowling as he glanced at Youbet. "Gimme another," he ordered. - -"Why, hullo, stranger!" exclaimed Youbet. "I did n't see you before. -Have one with me." - -The other looked him squarely in the eyes. "Ex-cuse me, stranger--I 'm a -sheepman, an' I don't drink with cowmen." - -"Well, ex-cuse _me_!" retorted Youbet, like a flash. "If I 'd 'a' -knowed you was a sheepman, I wouldn't 'a' asked you!" - -The sheepman drank his liquor and, returning to his corner, placed his -elbows on the table, and his chin in his hands, apparently paying no -further attention to the others. - -"If I can't get a job with Peters, I can try th' C-80 or Double Arrow," -continued Youbet, as he toyed with his glass. "If I can't get on with -one of them, I reckons Waffles, of th' O-Bar-O, will find a place for -me, though I don't like that country a whole lot." - -The bartender hesitated for a moment. "Do you know Waffles?" he asked. - -"Shore--know 'em all. Why? Do you know him, too?" - -"No; but I 've heard of him." - -"That so? He 's a good feller, he is. I 've punched with both him an' -Peters." - -"I heard he wasn't," replied the bartender, slowly but carelessly. - -"Then you heard wrong, all right," rejoined Youbet. "He's one of us old -fellers--hates sheep, barb' wire, an' nesters as bad as I do; an' -sonny," he continued, warming as he went on. "Th' cow country ain't what -it used to be--not no way. I can remember when there war n't no wire, -no nesters, an' no sheep. An', between you and me, I don't know which -is th' worst. Every time I runs up agin' one of 'em, I says it's th' -worst; but I guess it's just about a even break." - -"I heard about yore friend Waffles through sheep," replied the -bartender. "He chased a sheep outfit out of a hill range near his -ranch, an' killed a couple of 'em, a-doin' it." - -"Served 'em right--served 'em right," responded Youbet, turning and -walking toward the door. "They ain't got no business on a cattle -range--not nohow." - -The man in the corner started to follow, half raising his hand, as -though to emphasize something he was about to say; but changed his mind, -and sullenly resumed his brooding attitude. - -"Reckon I 'll put my cayuse in yore corral, an' look th' town over," -Youbet remarked, over his shoulder. "Remember, yo 're savin' a bed for -me." - -As he stepped to the street, the man in the corner lazily arose and -looked out of the window, swearing softly while he watched the man who -hated sheep. - -"Well, there 's another friend of yore business," laughed the bartender, -leaning back to enjoy the other's discomfiture. "_He_ don't like 'em, -neither." - -"He 's a fool of a mossback, so far behind th' times he don't know who -'s President," retorted the other, still staring down the street. - -"Well, he don't know that this has got to be a purty fair sheep -town--that's shore." - -"He 'll find out, if he makes many more talks like that--an' that ain't -no dream, neither!" snapped the sheepman. He wheeled, and frowned at -the man behind the bar. "You see what he gets, if he opens his cow -mouth in here tonight. Th' boys hate this kind real fervent; an' when -they finds out that he 's a side pardner of that coyote Waffles, they -won't need much excuse. You wait--that's all!" - -"Oh, what's th' use of gettin' all riled up about it?" demanded the -bartender easily. "He did n't know _you_ was a sheepman, when he made -his first break. An' lemme tell you somethin' you want to -remember--them old-time cowmen can use a short gun somethin' slick. -They 've got 'em trained. Bet _he_ can work th' double roll without -shootin' hisself full of lead." The speaker grinned exasperatingly. - -"Yes!" exploded the sheepman, who had tried to roll two guns at once, -and had spent ten days in bed as a result of it. - -The bartender laughed softly as he recalled the incident. "Have you -tried it since?" he inquired. - -"Go to th' devil!" grinned the other, heading for the door. "But he 'll -get in trouble, if he spouts about hatin' sheep, when th' boys come in. -You better get him drunk an' lock him in th' attic, before then." - -"G'wan! I ain't playin' guardian to nobody," rejoined the bartender. -"But remember what I said--them old fellers can use 'em slick an' -rapid." - -The sheepman went out as Youbet returned; and the latter seated himself, -crossing his legs and drawing out his pipe. - -The bartender perfunctorily drew a cloth across the bar, and smiled. -"So you don't like wire, sheep, or nesters," he remarked. - -Mr. Somes looked up, in surprise, forgetting that he held a lighted -match between thumb and finger. "Like 'em! Huh, I reckon not. I 'm -lookin' for a job because of wire. H--l!" he exclaimed, dropping the -match, and rubbing his finger. "That's twice I did that fool thing in a -week," he remarked, in apology and self-condemnation, and struck another -match. - -"I was foreman of my ranch for nigh onto ten years. It was a good -ranch, an' I was satisfied till last year, when they made me put up a -windmill that did n't mill, but screeched awful. I stood for that -because I could get away from it in th' daytime. - -"But this year! One day, not very long ago, I got a letter from th' -owners, an' it says for me to build a wire fence around our range. It -went on to say that there was two carloads of barb' wire at Mesquite. -We was to tote that wire home, an' start in. If two carloads wasn't -enough, they 'd send us more. We had one busted-down grub waggin, an' -Mesquite shore was fifty miles away--which meant a whoppin' long job -totin'. - -"When I saw th' boys, that night, I told 'em that I 'd got orders to -raise their pay five dollars a month--which made 'em cheer. Then I told -'em that was so providin' they helped me build a barb' wire fence around -th' range--which did n't make 'em cheer. - -"Th' boundary lines of th' range we was usin' was close onto a hundred -an' fifty miles long, an' three strands of wire along a trail like that -is some job. We was to put th' posts twelve feet apart, an' they was to -be five feet outen th' ground an' four feet in it--which makes 'em nine -feet over all. - -"There was n't no posts at Mesquite. Them posts was supposed to be -growin' freelike on th' range, just waitin' for us to cut 'em, skin 'em, -tote an' drop 'em every twelve feet along a line a hundred an' fifty -miles long. An' then there was to be a hole dug for every post, an' -tampin', staplin', an' stringin' that hell-wire. An' don't forget that -lone, busted-down grub waggin that was to do that totin'! - -"There was some excitement on th' Two-X-Two that night, an' a lot of -figgerin'; us bein' some curious about how many posts was needed, an' -how many holes we was to dig to fit th' aforesaid posts. We made it -sixty-six thousand. Think of it! An' only eight of us to tackle a job -like that, an' ride range at th' same time!" - -"Oh, ho!" roared the bartender, hugging himself, and trying to carry a -drink to the narrator at the same time. "Go on! That's good!" - -"Is, is it?" snorted Youbet. "Huh! You wouldn't 'a' thought so, if you -was one of us eight. Well, I set right down an' writ a long -letter--took six cents' worth of stamps--an' gave our views regardin' -wire fences in general an' this one of ourn in particular. I hated -fences, an' do yet; an' so 'd my boys hate 'em, an' they do yet. - -"In due time, I got a answer, which come for two cents. It says: 'Build -that fence.' - -"I sent Charley over to Mesquite to look over them cars of wire. He saw -'em, both of 'em. An' th' agent saw him. - -"Th' agent was a' important man, an' he grabs Charley quick. 'Hey, you -Two-X-Two puncher--you get that wire home quick. It went past here -three times before they switched it, an' I 've been gettin' blazes from -th' company ever since. We needs th' cars.' - -"'Don't belong to me,' says Charley. 'I shore don't want it. I 'm -eatin' beans an' bacon instead.' - -"'You send for that wire!' yells th' agent, wild-like. - -"Charley winks. 'Can't you keep it passin' this station till it snows -hard? Have a drink.' - -"Well, th' agent wouldn't drink, an' he wouldn't send that pore wire out -into a cold world no more; an' so Charley comes home an' reports, him -lookin' wanlike. When he told us, he looked sort of funny, an' blurts -out that his mother went an' died up in Laramie, an' he must shore 'nuff -rustle up there an' bury her. He went. - -"Then Fred Ball begun to have pains in his stomach, an' said it was -appendix somethin', what he had been readin' about in th' papers. He -had to go to Denver, an' get a good doctor, or he 'd shore die. He -went. - -"Carson had to go to Santa Fe to keep some of his numerous city lots -from bein' sold off by th' sheriff. He went. - -"Th' rest, bein' handicapped by th' good start th' others had made in -corrallin' all th' excuses, said they 'd go for th' wire. They went. - -"I waited four days, an' then I went after 'em. When I got to th' -station, I sees th' agent out sizin' up our wire; an' when I hails, he -jumps my way quick, an' grabs my laig tight. - -"'You take that wire home!' he yells. - -"'Shore,' says I soothingly. 'You looks mad,' I adds. - -"'Mad! Mad!' he shouts, hoppin' round, but hangin' onto my laig like -grim death. 'Mad! I 'm goin' _loco_--crazy! I can't sleep! There 's -twenty letters an' messages on my table, tellin' me to get that wire -off'n th' cars an' send th' empties back on th' next freight! You've -got to take it--_got to_!'" - -The bartender shocked his nervous system by drinking plain water by -mistake, but he listened eagerly. "Yes? What then?" - -"Well, then I asks him where I can find my men, an' team, an' waggin'. -He tells me. Th' team an' waggin is in a corral down th' street, but he -don't know where th' men are. They held a gun to his head, an' said -they 'd kill him if he didn't flag th' next train for 'em. Th' next -train was a through express, carryin' mail. He was n't dead. - -"He showed me ten more letters an' messages, regardin' th' flaggin' of a -contract-mail train for four fares; an' some of them letters must 'a' -been written by a old-time cowman, they was that eloquent an' -God-fearin'. Then I went. - -"Why, Charley was twenty years old; an' we figgered that, when th' last -staple was drove in th' last post, he 'd 'a' been dead ten years! Where -did I come in, the--?" - -"Oh, Lord!" sighed the bartender, holding his sides, and trying to -straighten his face so that he could talk out of the middle of it. -"That's th' best ever! Have another drink!" - -"I ain't tellin' my troubles for liquor," snorted Youbet. "You have one -with me. Here comes some customers down th' street, I reckon." - -"Say!" exclaimed the bartender hurriedly. "You keep mum about sheep. -This is a red-hot sheep town, an' it hates Waffles an' all his friends. -Hullo, boys!" he called to four men, who filed into the room. "Where 's -th' rest of you?" - -"Comin' in later. Same thing, Jimmy," replied Clayton, chief herder. -"An' give us th' cards." - -"Have you seen Price?" asked Towne. - -"Yes; he was in here a few minutes ago. What 'd you say, Schultz?" the -bartender asked, turning to the man who pulled at his sleeve. - -"I said dot you vas nod right aboud vat you said de odder day. Chust -now I ask Clayton, und he said you vas nod." - -"All right, Dutchy--all right!" laughed the bartender. "Then it's on me -this time, ain't it?" - -Youbet walked to the bar. "Say, where do I get that grub? It's about -time for me to mosey off an' feed." - -"Next building--and you'll take mutton if yo 're wise," replied the -bartender, in a low voice. "Th' hash is awful, an' the beef is tough," -he added, a little louder. - -"Mutton be damned!" snorted Youbet, stamping out. "I eat what I punch!" -And his growls became lost in the street. - -Schultz glanced up. "Yah! Und he shoot vat I eat, tarn him, ven he -gan!" - -"Oh, put yore ante in, an' don't talk so much!" rejoined Towne. "He -ain't going to shoot _you_." - -"It 'll cost you two bits to come in," remarked Clayton. - -"An' two more," added Towne, raising the ante. - -"Goot! I blay mit you. But binochle iss der game!" - -"I 'll tell you a good story about a barb' wire fence tomorrow, -fellers," promised the bartender, grinning. - - -The poker game had been going for some time before further remarks were -made about the cowman who had left, and then it was Clayton who spoke. - -"Say, Jimmy!" he remarked, as Schultz dealt. "Who is yore leather-pants -friend who don't like mutton?" - -The bartender lifted a bottle, and replaced it with great care. "Oh, -just a ranch foreman, out of a job. He's a funny old feller." - -"So? An' what's so funny about him? Get in there, Towne, if you wants -to do any playin' with us." - -"Why, he was ordered to build a hundred an' fifty miles of wire fence -around his range, an' he jumped ruther than do it." - -"Yas--an' most of it government land, I reckon," interposed Towne. - -"Pshaw! It's an old game with them," laughed Clayton. "Th' law don't -get to them; an' if they 've got a good outfit, nobody has got any -chance agin 'em." - -"Py Gott, dot's right!" grunted Schultz. - -"Shore, it is," responded Towne, forgetting the game. "Take that Apache -Hills run-in. Waffles did n't have no more right to that range than -anybody else, but that did n't make no difference. He threw a couple of -outfits in there, penned us in th' cabin, killed MacKay, an' shot th' -rest of us up plenty. Then he threatened to slaughter our herd if we -did n't pull out. By God, I 'd like to get a cowman like him up here, -where th' tables are turned around on th' friends proposition." - -"Hullo, boys!" remarked the bartender to the pair who came in. - -"Just in time. Get chairs, an' take hands," invited Clayton, moving -over. - -"Who's th' cowman yo're talkin' about?" asked Baxter, as he leaned -lazily against the bar. - -"Oh, all of 'em," rejoined Towne surlily. "There 's one in town, now, -who don't like sheep." - -"That so?" queried Baxter slowly. "I reckon he better keep his mouth -shut, then." - -"Oh, he 's all right! He 's a jolly old geezer," assured the bartender. -"He just talks to hear hisself--one of them old-timers what can't get -right to th' way things has changed on th' range. It was them boys that -did great work when th' range was wild." - -"Yes, an' it's them bull-headed old fools what are raisin' all th' hell -with th' sheep," retorted Towne, frowning darkly as he remembered some -of the indignities he had borne at the hands of cowmen. - -"I wish his name was Waffles." Clayton smiled significantly. - -"Rainin' again," remarked a man in the doorway, stamping in. "Reckon it -ain't never goin' to stop." - -"Where you been so long, Price?" asked Clayton, as a salutation. - -"Oh, just shiftin' about. That cow wrastler raised th' devil in th' -hotel," Price replied. "Old fool! They brought him mutton, an' he -wanted to clean out th' place. Said he 'd as soon eat barb' wire. They -'re feedin' him hash an' canned stuff, now." - -"He 'll get hurt, if he don't look out," remarked Clayton. "Who is he, -anyhow, Price?" - -"Don't know his name; but he 's from Arizona, on his way to th' Pecos -country. Says he 's a friend of Buck Peters an' Waffles. To use one of -his own expressions, he 's a old mosshead." - -"Friend of Waffles, hey?" exclaimed Towne. - -"Yumpin' Yimminy!" cried Oleson, in the same breath. - -"Well, if he knows when he's well off, he 'll stay away from here, an' -keep his mouth closed," said Clayton. - -"Aw, let him alone! He's one agin' th' whole town--an' a good old -feller, at that," hastily assured the bartender. "It ain't his fault -that Waffles buffaloed you fellers out of th' Hills, is it? He's goin' -on early tomorrow; so let him be." - -"You 'll get yoreself in trouble, Jimmy, m' boy, if you inserts yoreself -in this," warned Towne. "It was us agin' a whole section, an' we got -ours. Let him take his, if he talks too much." - -"Shore," replied Price. "I heard him shoot off his mouth, an hour ago, -an' he's got altogether too much to say. You mind th' bar an' yore own -business, Jimmy. We ain't kids." - -"Go you two bits better," said Clayton, shoving out a coin. "Gimme some -cards, Towne. It 'll cost you a dollar to see our raises." - -Baxter walked over to watch the play. "I 'm comin' in next game. Who -'s winnin', now?" - -"Reckon I am; but we ain't much more 'n got started," Clayton replied. -"Did you call, Towne? Why, I 've got three little tens. You got -anythin' better?" - -"Never saw such luck!" exclaimed Towne disgustedly. "Dutchy, yo 're a -Jonah." - -"Damn th' mutton, says I. It was even in that hash!" growled a voice, -just outside the door. - -A moment later, Youbet Somes entered, swinging his sombrero -energetically to shake off the water. - -"Damn th' rain, too, an' this wart of a town. A man can't get nothin' -fit to eat for love or money, on a sheep range. Gimme a drink, sonny! -Mebby it 'll cut th' taste of that rank tallow out 'n my mouth. Th' -reason there is sheep on this earth of our'n is that th' devil chased -'em out 'n his place--an' no blame to him." - -He drank half his liquor, and, placing the glass on the bar beside him, -turned to watch the game. "Ah, strangers--that's th' only game, after -all. I 've dabbled in 'em all from faro to roulette, but that's th' -boss of 'em all." - -"See you an' call," remarked Clayton, ignoring the newcomer. "What you -got, you Dutch pagan?" - -"_Zwei Kaisers_ und a bair of chackasses, mit a deuce." - -"Kings up!" exclaimed Clayton. "Why, say--you bet th' worst of anybody -I ever knew! You 'll balk on bettin' two bits on threes, and plunge on a -bluff. I reckoned you did n't have nothin'. Why ain't you more -consistent?" he asked, winking at Towne. - -"Gonsisdency iss no chewel in dis game--it means go broke," placidly -grunted Schultz, raking in his winnings. - -His friend Schneider smiled. - - -"Coyotes are gettin' too numerous, this year," Baxter remarked, -shuffling. - -Youbet pushed his sombrero back on his head. "They don't get numerous on -a cow range," he said significantly. - -"Huh!" snorted Baxter. "They've got too much respect to stay on one -longer than they 've got to." - -"They'd ruther be with their woolly-coated cousins," rejoined the cowman -quietly. It was beneath his dignity as a cowman to pay much attention -to what sheepmen said, yet he could not remain silent under such a -remark. - -He regarded sheep herders, those human beings who walked at their work, -as men who had reached the lowest rung in the ladder of human endeavors. -His belief was not original with him, but was that of many of his -school. He was a horseman, a mounted man, and one of the aristocracy of -the range; they were, to him, the rabble, and almost beneath his -contempt. - -Besides, it was commonly believed by cowmen that sheep destroyed the -grass as far as cattle grazing was concerned--and this was the chief -reason for the animosity against sheep and their herders, which burned -so strongly in the hearts of cattle owners and their outfits. - -Youbet drained his glass, and continued: "The coyote leaves th' cattle -range for th' same good reason yore sheep leave it--because they are -chased out, or killed. Naturally, blood kin will hang together in -banishment." - -"You know a whole lot, don't you?" snorted Clayton, with sarcasm. "Yo -'re shore wise, you are!" - -"He is so vise as a--a gow," remarked Schultz, grinning. - -"You 'll know more, when you get as old as me," replied the ex-foreman, -carefully placing the empty glass on the bar. - -"I don't want to get as old as you, if I have to lose all my common -sense," retorted Clayton angrily. - -"An' be a damned nuisance generally," observed Towne. - -"I 've seen a lot of things in my life," Youbet began, trying to ignore -the tones of the others. They were young men, and he knew that youth -grew unduly heated in argument. "I saw th' comin' of th' Texas drive -herds, till th' range was crowded where th' year before there was -nothin'. I saw th' comin' of th' sheep--an' barb' wire, I 'm sorry to -say. Th' sheep came like locusts, leavin' a dyin' range behind 'em. -Thin, half-starved cattle showed which way they went. You can't tell me -nothin' I don't know about sheep." - -"An' _I_ 've seen sheep dyin' in piles on th' open range," cried -Clayton, his own wrongs lashing him into a rage. "_I_ 've seen 'em -dynamited, an' drowned and driven hell-to-split over canyons! I 've had -my men taunted, an' chased, an' killed--_killed_, by God!--just because -they tried to make a' honest livin'! Who did it all? Who killed my men -an' my sheep? _Who did it?_" he shouted, taking a short step forward, -while an endorsing growl ran along the line of sheepmen at his side. - -"Cowpunchers--they did it! They killed 'em--an' why? Because we tried -to use th' grass that we had as much right to as they had--_that 's_ -why!" - -"Th' cows was here first," replied Youbet, keenly alert, but not one -whit abashed by the odds, long as they were. "It was theirs because -they was there first." - -"It was not theirs, no more'n th' sun was!" cried Towne, unable to allow -his chief to do all the talking. - -"You said you knowed Waffles," continued Clayton loudly. "Well, he 's -another of you old-time cowmen! He killed MacKay--murdered him--because -we was usin' a hill range a day's ride from his own grass! He had -twenty men like hisself to back him up. If we 'd been as many as them, -they would n't 'a' tried it--an' you know it!" - -"I don't know anything of th' kind, but I do know--" began Youbet; but -Schultz interrupted him with a remark intended to contain humor. - -"Ven you say you doand know anyt'ing, you know somedings; ven you know -dot you doand know noddings, den you know somedings. Und das iss -so--yah." - -"Who th' devil told you to stick yore Dutch mouth--" retorted Youbet; -but Clayton cut him short. - -"So _yo 're_ a old-timer, hey?" cried the sheepman. "Well, by God, yore -old-time friend Waffles is a coward, a murderer, an'--" - -[Illustration: "Yo're a liar!" rang out the vibrant voice of the cowman] - -"Yo 're a liar!" rang out the vibrant voice of the cowman, his gun out -and leveled in a flash. The seven had moved forward as one man, actuated -by the same impulse; and their hands were moving toward their guns when -the crashes of Youbet's weapon reverberated in the small room, the acrid -smoke swirling around him as though to shield him from the result of his -folly--a result which he had weighed and then ignored. - -Clayton dropped, with his mouth still open. Towne's gun chocked back in -the scabbard as its owner stumbled blindly over a chair and went down, -never to rise. Schultz fired once, and fell back across the table. - -The three shots had followed one another with incredible quickness; and -the seven, not believing that one man would dare attack so many, had not -expected his play. Before the stunned sheepmen could begin firing, -three were dead. - -Price, badly wounded, fired as he plunged to the wall for support; and -the other three were now wrapped in their own smoke. - -Wounded in several places, with his gun empty, Youbet hurled the weapon -at Price, and missed by so narrow a margin that the sheepman's aim was -spoiled. Youbet now sprang to the bar, and tried to vault over it, to -get to the gun which he knew always lay on the shelf behind it. As his -feet touched the upper edge of the counter, he grunted and, collapsing -like a jackknife, loosed his hold, and fell to the floor. - -"_Mein Gott!_" groaned Schneider, as he tried to raise himself. He -looked around in a dazed manner, hardly understanding just what had -happened. "He vas mat; crazy mat!" - -Oleson arose unsteadily to his feet, and groped his way along, the wall -to where Price lay. - -The fallen man looked up, in response to the touch on his shoulder; and -he swore feebly: "Damn that fool--that idiot!" - -"Shut up, an' git out!" shouted the bartender, standing rigidly upright, -with a heavy Colt in his upraised hand. There were tears in his eyes, -and his voice broke from excitement. "He wouldn't swaller yore insults! -He knowed he was a better man! Get out of here, every damned one of -you, or I 'll begin where he stopped. G 'wan--_get out_!" - -The four looked at him, befuddled and sorely hurt; but they understood -the attitude, if they did not quite grasp the words--and they knew that -he meant what he looked. Staggering and hobbling, they finally found -the door, and plunged out to the street, to meet the crowd of men who -were running toward the building. - -Jimmy, choking with anger and with respect for the man who had preferred -death to insults, slammed shut the door and, dropping the bar into -place, turned and gazed at the quiet figure huddled at the base of the -counter. - -"Old man," he muttered, "now I understands why th' sheep don't stay long -on a cattle range." - - - - - XIV - - SAMMY HUNTS A JOB - - -Sammy Porter, detailed by Hopalong, the trail-boss, rode into Truxton -three days before the herd was due, to notify the agent that cars were -wanted. Three thousand three-year-olds were on their way to the packing -houses and must be sent through speedily. Sammy saw the agent and, -leaving him much less sweeter in temper than when he had found him, rode -down the dismal street kicking up a prodigious amount of dust. One -other duty demanded attention and its fulfillment was promised by the -sign over the faded pine front of the first building. - -"Restaurant," he read aloud. "That's mine. Beans, bacon an' biscuits -for 'most a month! But now I 'm goin' to forget that Blinky Thompkins -ever bossed a trail wagon an' tried to cook." - -Dismounting, he glanced in the window and pulled at the downy fuzz -trying to make a showing on his upper lip. "Purty, all right. Brown -hair an' I reckon brown eyes. Nice li'l girl. Well, they don't make no -dents on me no more," he congratulated himself, and entered. His twenty -years fairly sagged with animosity toward the fair sex, the intermittent -smoke from the ruins of his last love affair still painfully in evidence -at times. But careless as he tried to be he could not banish the -swaggering mannerisms of Youth in the presence of Maid, or change his -habit of speech under such conditions. - -"Well, well," he smiled. "Here I 'are' again. Li'l Sammy in search of -his grub. An' if it's as nice as you he 'll shore have to flag his -outfit an' keep this town all to hisself. Got any chicken?" - -The maid's nose went up and Sammy noticed that it tilted a trifle, and -he cocked his head on one side to see it better. And the eyes were -brown, very big and very deep--they possessed a melting quality he had -never observed before. The maid shrugged her shoulders and swung around, -the tip-tilt nose going a bit higher. - -Sammy leaned back against the door and nodded approval of the slender -figure in spic-and-span white. "Li'l Sammy is a fer-o-cious cow-punch -from a chickenless land," he observed, sorrowfully. "There ain't _no_ -kinds of chickens. Nothin' but men an' cattle an' misguided cooks; an' -beans, bacon an' biscuits. Li'l Miss, have you a chicken for me?" - -"No!" The head went around again, Sammy bending to one side to see it -as long as he could. The pink, shell-like ear that flirted with him -through the loosely-gathered, rebellious hair caught his attention and -he leveled an accusing finger at it. "Naughty li'l ear, peekin' at -Sammy that-a-way! Oh, you stingy girl!" he chided as the back of her -head confronted him. "Well, Sammy don't like girls, no matter how pink -their ears are, or turned up their noses, or wonderful their eyes. He -just wants chicken, an' all th' fixin's. He 'll be very humble an' -grateful to Li'l Miss if she 'll tell him what he can have. An' he 'll -behave just like a Sunday-school boy. - -"Aw, you don't want to get mad at only me," he continued after she -refused to answer. "Got any chicken? Got any--eggs? Lucky Sammy! An' -some nice ham? Two lucky Sammies. An' some mashed potatoes? Fried? -Good. An' will Li'l Miss please make a brand new cup of strong coffee? -Then he 'll go over an' sit in that nice chair an' watch an' listen. But -you ought n't get mad at him. Are you really-an'-truly mad?" - -She swept down the room, into the kitchen partitioned off at the farther -end and slammed the door. Sammy grinned, tugged at his upper lip and -fancy-stepped to the table. He smoothed his tumbled hair, retied his -neck-kerchief and dusted himself off with his red bandanna handkerchief. -"Nice li'l town," he soliloquized. "_Fine_ li'l town. Dunno as I ought -to go back to th' herd--Hoppy did n't tell me to. Reckon I 'll stick in -town an' argue with th' agent. If I argue with th' agent I 'll be busy; -an' I can't leave while I 'm busy." He leaned back and chuckled. -"Lucky me! If Hoppy had gone an' picked Johnny to argue with th' agent -for three whole days where would _I_ be? But I gotta keep Johnny outa -here, th' son-of-a-gun. He ain't like me--he _likes_ girls; an' he ain't -bashful." - -He picked up a paper lying on a chair near him and looked it over until -the kitchen door squeaked. She carried a tray covered with a snow-white -napkin which looked like a topographical map with its mountains and -valleys and plains. His chuckle was infectious to the extent of a smile -and her eyes danced as she placed his dinner before him. - -"Betcha it's fine," he grinned, shoveling sugar into the inky coffee. -"Blinky oughta have a good look at _this_ layout." - -"Don't be too sure," she retorted. "Mrs. Olmstead is sick and I 'm -taking charge of things for her. I 'm not a good cook." - -"Nothin 's th' matter with this," he assured her between bites. "Lots -better 'n most purty girls can do. If Hopalong goes up against this he -'ll offer you a hundred a month an' throw Blinky in to wash th' dishes. -But he 'd have to 'point me guard, or you would n't have no time to do -no cookin'." - -"You 'd make a fine guard," she retorted. - -"Don't believe it, huh? Jus' wait till you know me better." - -"How do you know I 'm going to?" - -"I 'm a good guesser. Jus' put a li'l pepper right there on that yalla -spot. Say, any chance to get a job in this town?" - -"Why, I don't know." - -"Goin' to stay long?" - -"I can't say. I won't go till Mrs. Olmstead is well." - -"Not meanin' no harm to Mrs. Olmstead, of course--but you don't _have_ -to go, do you?" - -"I do as I please." - -"So I was thinkin'. Now, 'bout that job: any chance? Any ranches near -here?" - -"Several. But they want _men_. Are you a real cowboy?" - -Sammy folded his hands and shook his head sorrowfully. "Huh! Want -_men_! Now if I only had whiskers like Blinky. Why, 'course I 'm a -cowboy. Regular one--but I can outgrow it easy. I 'm a sorta maverick -an' I 'm willin' to wear a nice brand. My name's Sammy Porter," he -suggested. - -"That's nice. Mine is n't nice." - -"Easy to change it. Really like mine?" - -"Coffee strong enough?" - -"Sumptious. How long's Mrs. Olmstead going to be sick?" - -Her face clouded. "I don't know. I hope it will not be for long. She -'s had _so_ much trouble the past year. Oh, wait! I forgot the toast!" -and she sped lightly away to rescue the burning bread. - -The front door opened and slammed shut, the newcomer dropping into the -nearest chair. He pounded on the table. "Hello, there! I want -somethin' to eat, quick!" - -Sammy turned and saw a portly, flashily dressed drummer whose importance -was written large all over him. "Hey!" barked the drummer, "gimme -something to eat. I can't wait all day!" - -A vicious clang in the kitchen told that his presence was known and -resented. - -As Sammy turned from the stranger he caught sight of a pretty flushed -face disappearing behind the door jamb, the brown eyes snapping and the -red lips straight and compressed. His glance, again traveling to the -drummer, began with the dusty patent leathers and went slowly upward, -resting boldly on the heavy face. Sammy's expression told nothing and -the newcomer, glaring at him for an instant, looked over the menu card -and then stared at the partition, fidgeting in his chair, thumping -meanwhile on the table with his fingers. - -At a sound from the kitchen Sammy turned back to his table and smiled -reassuringly as the toast was placed before him. "I burned it and had -to make new," she said, the pink spots in her cheeks a little deeper in -color. - -"Why, th' other was good enough for me," he replied. "Know Mrs. -Olmstead a long time?" he asked. - -"Ever since I was a little girl. She lived near us in Clev--" - -"Cleveland," he finished. "State of Ohio," he added, laughingly. "I -'ll get it all before I go." - -"Indeed you won't!" - -"Miss," interrupted the drummer, "if you ain't too busy, would you mind -gettin' me a steak an' some coffee?" The tones were weighted with -sarcasm and Sammy writhed in his chair. The girl flushed, turned -abruptly and went slowly into the kitchen, from where considerable noise -now emanated. In a short time she emerged with the drummer's order, -placed it in front of him and started back again. But he stopped her. -"I said I wanted it rare an' it's well done. An' also that I wanted -fried potatoes. Take it back." - -The girl's eyes blazed: "You gave no instructions," she retorted. - -"Don't tell me that! I know what I said!" snapped the drummer. "I -won't eat it an' I won't pay for it. If you was n't so _busy_ you 'd -heard what I said." - -Sammy was arising before he saw the tears of vexation in her eyes, but -they settled it for him. He placed his hand lightly on her shoulder. -"You get me some pie an' take a li'l walk. Me an' this here gent is -goin' to hold a palaver. Ain't we, stranger?" - -The drummer glared at him. "We ain't!" he retorted. - -Sammy grinned ingratiatingly. "Oh, my; but we are." He slung a leg -over a chair back and leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee. -"Yes, indeed we are--least-a-wise, _I_ am." His tones became very soft -and confiding. "An' I 'm shore goin' to watch you eat that steak." - -"What's that you 're going to do?" the drummer demanded, half rising. - -"Sit down," begged Sammy, his gun swinging at his knee. He picked up a -toothpick with his left hand and chewed it reflectively. "These here -Colts make a' awful muss, sometimes," he remarked. "'Specially at close -range. Why," he confided, "I once knowed a man what was shot 'most in -two. He was a moss-head an' would n't do what he was told. Better -sorta lead off at that steak, _hombre_," he suggested, chewing evenly on -the toothpick. Noticing that the girl still lingered, hypnotized by -fear and curiosity, he spoke to her over his shoulder. "Won't you -please get me that pie, or somethin'? Run out an' borrow a pan, or -somethin'," he pleaded. "I don't like to be handicapped when I 'm -feedin' cattle." - -The drummer's red face paled a little and one hand stole cautiously -under his coat--and froze there. Sammy hardly had moved, but the Colt -was now horizontal and glowered at the gaudy waistcoat. He was between -it and the girl and she did not see the movement. His smile was placid -and fixed and he spoke so that she should get no inkling of what was -going on. "Never drink on an empty stomach," he advised. "After you -eat that meal, then you can fuss with yore flask all you wants." He -glanced out of the corner of his eye at the girl and nodded. "Still -there! Oh, I most forgot, stranger. You take off yore hat an' -'pologize, so she can go. Jus' say yo 're a dawg an never did have no -manners. _Say_ it!" he ordered, softly. The drummer gulped and muttered -something, but the Colt, still hidden from the girl by its owner's body, -moved forward a little and Sammy's throaty growl put an end to the -muttering. "Say it plain," he ordered, the color fading from his face -and leaving pink spots against the white. "That's better--now, Li'l -Miss, you get me that pie--please!" he begged. - -When they were alone Sammy let the gun swing at his knee again. "I -don't know how they treats wimmin where you came from, stranger; but out -here we 're plumb polite. 'Course you did n't know that, an' that's why -you did n't get all mussed up. Yo 're jus' plain ignorant an' can't -help yore bringin' up. Now, you eat that steak, _pronto_!" - -"It's too cold, now," grumbled the drummer, fidgeting in the chair. - -The puncher's left hand moved to the table again and when it returned to -his side there was a generous layer of red pepper on the meat. "Easy to -fix things when you know how," he grinned. "If it gets any colder I 'll -fix it some more." His tones became sharper and the words lost their -drawled softness. "You goin' to start ag'in that by yoreself, or am I -goin' to help you?" he demanded, lifting his leg off the chair and -standing erect. All the humor had left his face and there was a -grimness about the tight lips and a menace in the squinting eyes that -sent a chill rippling down the drummer's spine. He tasted a forkful of -the meat and gulped hastily, tears welling into his eyes. The puncher -moved a little nearer and watched the frantic gulps with critical -attention. "'Course, you can eat any way you wants--yo're payin' for -it; but boltin' like a coyote ain't good for th' stummick. Howsomever, -it's yore grub," he admitted. - -A cup of cold coffee and a pitcher of water followed the meat in the -same gulping haste. Tears streamed down the drummer's red face as he -arose and turned toward the door. "Hol' on, stranger!" snapped Sammy. -"That costs six bits," he prompted. The coins rang out on the nearest -table, the door slammed and the agonized stranger ran madly down the -street, cursing at every jump. Sammy sauntered to the door and craned -his neck. "Somebody 's jus' naturally goin' to bust him wide open one -of these days. He ain't got no sense," he muttered, turning back to get -his pie. - - -A cloud of dust rolled up from the south, causing Briggs a little -uneasiness, and he scowled through the door at the long empty siding and -the pens sprawled along it. - -Steps clacked across the platform and a grinning cowpuncher stopped at -the open window. "They're here," he announced. "How 'bout th' cars?" - -Briggs looked around wearily. For three days his life had been made -miserable by this pest, who carried a laugh in his eyes, a sting on his -tongue and a chip on his shoulder. "They 'll be here soon," he replied, -with little interest. "But there 's th' pens." - -"Yes, there's th' pens," smiled Sammy. "They'll hold 'bout one-tenth of -that herd. Ain't I been pesterin' you to get them cars?" - -The agent sighed expressively and listened to the instrument on his -table. When it ceased he grabbed the key and asked a question. Then he -smiled for the first time that day. "They 're passing Franklin. Be -here in two hours. Now get out of here or I 'll lick you." - -"There 's a nice place in one of them pens," smiled Sammy. - -"I see you 're eating at Olmstead's," parried the agent. - -"Yea." - -"Nice girl. Come up last summer when Mrs. Olmstead petered out. I ate -there last winter." - -Sammy grinned at him. "Why 'd you stop?" - -Briggs grew red and glanced at the nearing cloud of dust. "Better help -your outfit, had n't you?" - -Sammy was thoughtful. "Say, that's a plumb favorite eatin' place, ain't -it?" - -Briggs laughed. "Wait till Saturday when th' boys come in. There 's a -dozen shinin' up to that girl. Tom Clarke is real persistent." - -Sammy forsook the building as a prop. "Who 's he? Puncher?" - -"Yes; an' bad," replied the agent. "But I reckon she don't know it." - -Sammy looked at the dust cloud and turned to ask one more question. -"What does this persistent gent look like, an' where's he hang out?" He -nodded at the verbose reply and strode to his horse to ride toward the -approaching herd. He espied Red first, and hailed. "Cars here in two -hours. Where 's Hoppy?" - -"Back in th' dust. But what happened to _you_?" demanded Red, with -virile interest. Sammy ignored the challenge and loped along the edge of -the cloud until he found the trail boss. "Them cars 'll be here in two -hours," he reported. - -"Take you three days to find it out?" snapped Hopalong. - -"Took me three days to get 'em. I just about unraveled that agent. He -swears every time he hears a noise, thinkin' it's me." - -"Broke?" demanded Hopalong. - -Sammy flushed. "I ain't gambled a cent since I hit town. An' say, them -pens won't hold a tenth of 'em," he replied, looking over the dark blur -that heaved under the dust cloud like a fog-covered, choppy sea. - -"I 'm goin' to hold 'em on grass," replied the trail boss. "They ain't -got enough cars on this toy road to move all them cows in less 'n a -week. I ain't goin' to let 'em lose no weight in pens. Wait a minute! -You 're on night herd for stayin' away." - -When Sammy rode into camp the following morning he scorned Blinky's -food, much to the open-mouthed amazement of that worthy and Johnny -Nelson. Blinky thought of doctors and death; but Johnny, noticing his -bunkmate's restlessness and the careful grooming of his person, had -grave suspicions. "Good grub in this town?" he asked, saddling to go on -his shift. - -Sammy wiped a fleck of dust off his boot and looked up casually. -"Shore. Best is at the Dutchman's at th' far end of th' street." - -Johnny mounted, nodded and departed for the herd, where Red was -pleasantly cursing his tardiness. Red would eat Blinky's grub and -gladly. Johnny was cogitating. "There 's a girl in this town, an' he 's -got three days' head start. No wonder them cars just got here!" Red's -sarcastic voice intruded. "Think I eat grass, or my stummick 's made of -rubber?" he snapped. "Think I feed onct a month like a snake?" - -"No, Reddie," smiled Johnny, watching the eyebrows lift at the name. -"More like a hawg." - - -Friday morning, a day ahead of the agent's promise, the cars backed onto -the siding and by noon the last cow of the herd was taking its -first--and last--ride. Sammy slipped away from the outfit at the pens -and approached the restaurant from the rear. He would sit behind the -partition this time and escape his friends. - -The soft sand deadened his steps and when he looked in at the door, a -cheery greeting on the tip of his tongue, he stopped and stared -unnoticed by the sobbing girl bent over the table. One hand, outflung in -dejected abandon, hung over the side and Sammy's eyes, glancing at it, -narrowed as he looked. His involuntary, throaty exclamation sent the -bowed head up with a jerk, but the look of hate and fear quickly died -out of her eyes as she recognized him. - -"An' all th' world tumbled down in a heap," he smiled. "But it 'll be -all right again, same as it allus was," he assured her. "Will Li'l Miss -tell Sammy all about it so he can put it together again?" - -She looked at him through tear-dimmed eyes, the sobs slowly drying to a -spasmodic catching in the rounded throat. She shook her head and the -tears welled up again in answer to his sympathy. He walked softly to -the table and placed a hand on her bowed head. "Li'l Miss will tell -Sammy all about it when she dries her eyes an' gets comfy. Sammy will -make things all right again an' laugh with her. Don't you mind him a -mite--jus' cry hard, an' when all th' tears are used up, then you tell -Sammy what it's all about." She shook her head and would not look up. -He bent down carefully and examined the bruised wrist--and his eyes -glinted with rage; but he did not speak. The minutes passed in silence, -the girl ashamed to show her reddened and tear-stained face; the boy -stubbornly determined to stay and learn the facts. He heard his friends -tramp past, wondering where he was, but he did not move. - -Finally she brushed back her hair and looked up at him and the misery in -her eyes made him catch his breath. "Won't you go?" she pleaded. - -He shook his head. - -"Please!" - -"Not till I finds out whose fingers made them marks," he replied. The -look of fear flashed up again, but he checked it with a smile he far -from felt. "Nobody 's goin' to make you cry, an' get away with it," he -told her. "Who was it?" - -"I won't tell you. I can't tell you! I don't know!" - -"Li'l Miss, look me in th' eyes an' say it again. I thought so. You -mustn't say things that ain't true. Who did that?" - -"What do you want to know for?" - -"Oh, jus' because." - -"What will you do?" - -"Oh, I 'll sorta talk to him. All I want to know is his name." - -"I won't tell you; you 'll fight with him." - -He turned his sombrero over and looked gravely into its crown. "Well," -he admitted, "he _might_ not like me talkin' 'bout it. Of course, you -can't never tell." - -"But he did n't mean to hurt me. He 's only rough and boisterous; and -he wasn't himself," she pleaded, looking down. - -"Uh-huh," grunted Sammy, cogitating. "So 'm I. _I 'm_ awful rough an' -boisterous, _I_ am; only I don't hurt wimmin. What's his name?" - -"I'll not tell you!" - -"Well, all right; but if he ever comes in here again an' gets rough an' -boisterous he 'll lose a hull lot of future. I 'll naturally blow most -of his head off, which is frequent fatal. What's that? Oh, he's a bad -man, is he? Uh-huh; so 'm I. Well, I 'm goin' to run along now an' see -th' boss. If you won't tell, you won't. I 'll be back soon," and he -sauntered to the street and headed for Pete's saloon, where the agent -had said Mr. Clarke was wont to pass his fretful hours. - -As he turned the corner he bumped into Hopalong and Johnny, who grabbed -at him, and missed. He backed off and rested on his toes, gingery and -alert. "Keep yore dusty han's off'n me," he said, quietly. "I 'm goin' -down to palaver with a gent what I don't like." - -Hopalong's shrewd glance looked him over. "What did this gent do?" he -asked, and he would not be evaded. - -"Oh, he insulted a nice li'l girl, an' I 'm in a hurry." - -"G'way!" exclaimed Johnny. "That straight?" - -"Too d--n straight," snapped Sammy. "He went an' bruised her wrists an' -made her cry." - -"Lead th' way, Kid," rejoined Johnny, readjusting his belt. "Mebby he -'s got some friends," he suggested, hopefully. - -"Yes," smiled Hopalong, "mebby he has. An' anyhow, Sammy; you _know_ -yo're plumb careless with that gun. You might miss him. Lead th' way." - -As they started toward Pete's Johnny nudged his bunkmate in the ribs: -"Say; she ain't got no sisters, has she?" he whispered. - - -One hour later Sammy, his face slightly scratched, lounged into the -kitchen and tossed his sombrero on a chair, grinning cheerfully at the -flushed, saucy face that looked out from under a mass of rebellious, -brown hair. "Well, I saw th' boss, an' I come back to make everythin' -well again," he asserted, laughing softly. "That rough an' boisterous -Mr. Clarke has sloped. He won't come back no more." - -"Why, _Sammy_!" she cried, aghast. "What _have_ you done?" - -"Well, for one thing, I 've got you callin' me Sammy," he chuckled, -trying to sneak a hand over hers. "I told th' boss I 'm goin' to get a -job up here, so I 'll know Mr. Clarke won't come back. But you know, he -only thought he was bad. I shore had to take his ol' gun away from him -so he would n't go an' shoot hisself, an' when las' seen he was feelin' -for his cayuse, intendin' to leave these parts. That's what I _done_," -he nodded, brightly. "Now comes what I 'm goin' to do. Oh, Li'l Miss," -he whispered, eagerly. "I 'm jus' all mixed up an' millin'. My own feet -plumb get in my way. So I jus' gotta stick aroun' an' change yore name, -what you don't like. Uh-huh; that's jus' what I gotta do," he smiled. - -She tossed her head and the tip-tilt nose went up indignantly. "Indeed -you 'll do nothing of the kind, Sammy Porter!" she retorted. "I'll -choose my own name when the time comes, and it will not be Porter!" - -He arose slowly and looked around. Picking up the pencil that lay on -the shelf he lounged over to the partition and printed his name three -times in large letters. "All right, Li'l Miss," he agreed. "I 'll jus' -leave a list where you can see it while you 're selectin'. I 'm now -goin' out to get that job we spoke about. You have th' name all picked -out when I get back," he suggested, waving his hand at the wall. "An' -did anybody ever tell you it was plumb risky to stick yore li'l nose up -thataway?" - -"Sammy Porter!" she stormed, stamping in vexation near the crying point. -"You get right out of here! I 'll _never_ speak to you again!" - -"You won't get a chance to talk much if you don't sorta bring that -snubby nose down a li'l lower. I 'm plumb weak at times." He laughed -joyously and edged to the door. "Don't forget that list. I 'm goin' -after that job. So-long, Li'l Miss." - -"Sammy!" - -"Oh, all right; I'll go after it later on," he laughed, returning. - - - - - XV - - WHEN JOHNNY SLOPED - - -Johnny Nelson hastened to the corner of the bunkhouse and then changed -his pace until he seemed to ooze from there to the cook shack door, -where he lazily leaned against the door jamb and ostentatiously picked -his teeth with the negative end of a match. The cook looked up calmly, -and calmly went on with his work; but if there was anything rasping -enough to cause his calloused soul to quiver it was the aforesaid -calisthenics executed by Johnny and the match; for Cookie's blunt nature -hated hints. If Johnny had demanded, even profanely and with large -personal animus, why meals were not ahead of time, it would be a simple -matter to heave something and enlarge upon his short cut speech. But the -subtleties left the cook floundering in a mire of rage--which he was -very careful to conceal from Johnny. The youthful nuisance had been -evincing undue interest in early suppers for nearly a month; and judging -from the lightness of his repasts he was entirely unjustified in showing -any interest at all in the evening meal. So Cookie strangled the -biscuit in his hand, but smiled blandly at his tormentor. - -"Well, all through?" he pleasantly inquired, glancing carelessly at -Johnny's clothes. - -"I 'm hopin' to begin," retorted Johnny, and the toothpick moved rapidly -up and down. - -Cookie condensed another biscuit and gulped. "That's shore some stone," -he said, enviously, eying the two-caret diamond in Johnny's new, blue -tie. Johnny never had worn a tie before he became owner of the diamond, -but with the stone came the keen realization of how lost it was in a -neck-kerchief, how often covered by the wind-blown folds; so he had -hastened to Buckskin and spent a dollar that belonged to Red for the -tie, thus exhausting both the supply of ties and Red's dollars. The -honor of wearing the only tie and diamond in that section of the -cow-country brought responsibilities, for he had spoken hastily to -several humorous friends and stood a good chance of being soundly -thrashed therefor. - -He threw away the match and scratched his back ecstatically on the door -jamb while he strained his eyes trying to look under his chin. Fixed -chins and short ties are trials one must learn to accept -philosophically--and Johnny might have been spared the effort were it -not for the fact that the tie had been made for a boy, and was awesomely -shortened by encircling a sixteen-inch neck. Evidently it had been made -for a boy violently inclined toward a sea-faring life, as suggested by -the anchors embroidered in white down its middle. - -"Lemme see it," urged Cookie, sighing because its owner had resolutely -refused to play poker when he had no cash. This had become a blighting -sorrow in the life of a naturally exuberant and very fair cook. - -"An' for how long?" demanded Johnny, a cold and calculating light -glinting in his eyes. - -"Oh, till supper 's ready," replied Cookie with great carelessness. - -"Nix; but you can wear it twenty minutes if you 'll get my grub quick," -he replied. "Got to meet Lucas at half-past five." He cautiously -dropped the match he had thoughtlessly produced. - -The cook tried to look his belief and accepted the offer. Johnny's -remarkably clean face, plastered hair and general gala attire suggested -that Lucas was a woman--which Lucas profanely would have denied. Also, -Johnny had been seen washing Ginger, and when a puncher washes a cayuse -it's a sign of insanity. Besides, Ginger belonged to Red, who also had -owned that lone dollar. Red's clothes did not fit Johnny. - -"Goin' to surprise Lucas?" inquired the cook. - -"What you mean?" - -Cookie glanced meaningly at the attire: "Er--you ain't in th' habit of -puttin' on war paint for to see Lucas, are you?" - -Johnny's mental faculties produced: "Oh, we 're goin' to a dance." - -"Where 'bouts?" exploded the cook. - -"_Way_ up north!" One's mind needs to be active as a flea to lie -properly to a man like the cook. He had made a ghastly mistake. - -"By golly! I 'll give th' boys cold grub an' go with you," and the cook -began to save time. - -Johnny gulped and shook his head: "Got a invite?" - -Cookie caught the pan on his foot before it struck the floor and gasped: -"Invite? Ain't it free-fer-all?" - -"No; this is a high-toned thing-a-bob. Costs a dollar a head, too." - -"High-toned?" snorted the cook, derisively. "Don't they know you? An' I -thought Red was broke. Show me that permit!" - -"Lucas 's got it--that's why I 've got to catch him." - -"Oh! An' is _he_ goin' all feathered up, too?" - -"Shore, he 's got to." - -"Huh! He wouldn't dress like that to see a _fight_. Has she got any -sisters?" Cookie finished, hopefully. - -"Now what you talkin' about?" - -"Why, Lucas," answered the cook, placidly. "Lemme tell you something. -When you want to lose me have a invite to a water-drinkin' contest. An' -before you go, be shore to rub Hoppy's boots some more; that's such a -pasty shine it 'll look like sand-paper before you get to th'--dance. -You want to make it hard an' slippery. An' I 've read som'ers that only -wimmin ought to smell like a drug-store. You better let her do th' -fumigatin'." - -Johnny surrendered and dolefully whiffed the crushed violets he had paid -two bits a pint for at El Paso--it was not necessary to whiff them, but -he did so. - -"You ought to hone yore razor, too," continued the cook, critically. - -"I told Buck it was dull, I ain't goin' to sharpen it for him. But, -say, are you shore about th' perfumery?" - -"Why, of course." - -"But how 'll I git it off?" - -"Bury th' clothes," suggested Cookie, grinning. - -"I like yore gall! Which clothes are best, Pete's or Billy's?" - -"Pete's would fit you like th' wide, wide world. You don't want blankets -on when you go courtin'. Try Billy's. An' I got a pair of socks, -though one 's green--but th' boots 'll hide it." - -"I did n't put none on my socks, you chump!" - -"How'd _I_ know? But, say! Has she got any sisters?" - -"No!" yelled Johnny, halfway through the gallery in search of Billy's -clothes. When he emerged Cookie looked him over. "Ain't it funny, Kid, -how a pipe 'll stink up clothes?" he smiled. Johnny's retort was made -over several yards of ground and when he had mounted Cookie yelled and -waved him to return. When Johnny had obeyed and impatiently demanded -the reason, Cookie pleasantly remarked: "Now, be shore an' give her my -love, Kid." - -Johnny's reply covered half a mile of trail. - -Johnny rode alertly through Perry's Bend, for Sheriff Nolan was no -friend of his; and Nolan was not only a discarded suitor of Miss Joyce, -but a warm personal friend of George Greener, the one rival Johnny -feared. Greener was a widower as wealthy as he was unscrupulous, and a -power on that range: when he said "jump," Nolan soared. - -The sheriff was standing before the Palace saloon when Johnny rode past, -and he could not keep quiet. His comment was so judiciously chosen as -to bring white spots on Johnny's flushed cheeks. The Bar-20 puncher was -not famed for his self-control, and, wheeling in the saddle, he pointed -a quivering forefinger at Mr. Nolan's badge of office, so conspicuously -displayed: "Better men than you have hid behind a badge and banked on a -man's regard for th' law savin' 'em from their just deserts. Politics -is a h--l of a thing when it opens th' door to anything that might roll -in on th' wind. You come down across th' line tomorrow an' see me, -without th' nickel-plated ornament you disgraces," he invited. "Any dog -can tell a lie in his kennel, but it takes guts to bark outside th' -yard." - -Mr. Nolan flushed, went white, hesitated, and walked away. To fight in -defense of the law was his duty; but no sane man warred on the Bar-20 -unless he must. Mr. Nolan was a man whose ideas of necessity followed -strange curves, and not to his credit. One might censure Mr. Cassidy or -Mr. Connors, or pick a fight with some of the others of that outfit and -not get killed; but he must not harm their protege. Mr. Nolan not only -walked away but he sought the darkest shadows and held conversation with -himself. If it were only possible to get the pugnacious and very much -spoiled Mr. Nelson to fracture, smash, pulverize some law! This, -indeed, would be sweet. - -Meanwhile Johnny, having watched the sheriff slip away, loosed a few -more words into the air and went on his way, whistling cheerfully. -Reaching the Joyce cottage he was admitted by Miss Joyce herself and at -sight of her blushing face his exuberant confidence melted and left him -timid. This he was wont to rout by big words and a dashing air he did -not feel. - -"Oh! Come right in," she invited. "But you are late," she laughed, -chidingly. - -He critically regarded the dimples, while he replied that he had drawn -rein to slay the sheriff but, knowing that it would cost him more -valuable time, he had consented with himself to postpone the event. - -"But you must not do that!" she cried. "Why, that's terrible! You -shouldn't even think of such things." - -"Well, of course--if yo 're agin' it I wont." - -"But what did he do?" - -"Oh, I don't reckon I can tell that. But do you really want him to -live?" - -"Why, certainly! What a foolish question." - -"But why do you? Do you--_like_ him?" - -"I like everybody." - -"Yes; an' everybody likes you, too," he growled, the smile fading. -"That's th' trouble. Do you like him very much?" - -"I wish you wouldn't ask such foolish questions." - -"Yes; I know. But do you?" - -"I prefer not to answer." - -"Huh! That's an answer in itself. You do." - -"I don't think you 're very nice tonight," she retorted, a little pout -spoiling the bow in her lips. "You 're awfully jealous, and I don't -like it." - -"Gee! Don't like it! I should think you 'd want me to be jealous. I -only wish you was jealous of _me_. Norah, I 've just got to say it now, -an' find out--" - -"Yes; tell me," she interrupted eagerly. "What _did_ he do?" - -"Who?" - -"Mr. Nolan, of course." - -"Nolan?" he demanded in surprise. - -"Yes, yes; tell me." - -"I ain't talkin' about him. I was goin' to tell you something that I -'ve--" - -"That you 've done and now regret? Have you ever--ever killed a man?" -she breathed. "Have you?" - -"No; _yes_! Lots of 'em," he confessed, remembering that once she had -expressed admiration for brave and daring men. "Most half as many as -Hopalong; an' I ain't near as old as him, neither." - -"You mean Mr. Cassidy? Why don't you bring him with you some evening? -I 'd like to meet him." - -"Not _me_. I went an' brought a friend along once, an' had to lick him -th' next day to keep him away from here. He 'd 'a' camped right out -there in front if I had n't. No, ma'am; not any." - -"Why, the idea! But Mr. Greener's very much like your friend, Mr. -Cassidy. He 's very brave, and a wonderful shot. He told me so -himself." - -"What! He told you so hisself! Well, well. Beggin' yore pardon, he -ain't nowise like Hoppy, not even in th' topics of his conversation. -Why, he 's a child; an' blinks when he shoots off a gun. Here--can he -show a gun like mine?" and forthwith he held out his Colt, butt -foremost, and indicated the notches he had cut that afternoon. A -fleeting doubt went through his mind at what his outfit would say when -it saw those notches. The Bar-20 cut no notches. It wanted to forget. - -She looked at them curiously and suddenly drew back. "Oh! Are -they--_are_ they?" she whispered. - -He nodded: "They are. There is plenty of room for Nolan's, an' mebby -his owner, too," he suggested. "Can't you see, Norah?" he asked in a -swift change of tone. "Can't you see? Don't you know how much I--" - -"Yes. It must be terrible to have such remorse," she quickly -interposed. "And I sympathize with you deeply, too." - -"Remorse nothin'! Them fellers was lookin' for it, an' they got just -what they deserved. If I had n't 'a' done it somebody else would." - -"And _you_ a murderer! I never thought that of _you_. I can hardly -believe it of you. And you calmly confess it to me as though it were -nothing!" - -"Why, I--I--" - -"Don't talk to me! To think you have human blood on your hands. To -think--" - -"Norah! Norah, listen; won't you?" - -"--that you are that sort of a man! How dare you call here as you have? -How dare you?" - -"But I tell you they were tryin' to get _me_! I just _had_ to. Why, I -didn't do it for nothin'. I 've got a right to defend myself, ain't I?" - -"You _had_ to? Is that true?" she demanded. - -"Why, shore! Think I go 'round killin' men, like Greener does, just for -th' fun of it?" - -"He doesn't do anything of the kind," she retorted. "You know he does -n't! Did n't you just say he blinks when he shoots off a gun?" - -"Yes; I did. But I didn't want you to think he was a murderer like -Nolan," he explained. Even Cookie, he thought, would find it hard to -get around that neat little effort. - -"I 'm so relieved," she laughed, delighted at her success in twisting -him. "I am so glad he does n't blink when he shoots. I 'd hate a man -who was afraid to shoot." - -Johnny's chest arose a little. "Well, how 'bout me?" - -"But you've killed men; you've shot down your fellow men; and have -ghastly marks on your revolver to brag about." - -"Well--say--but how can I shoot without shootin' or kill without -killin'?" he demanded. "An' I don't brag about 'em, neither; it makes me -feel too sad to do any braggin'. An' Greener's killed 'em, too; an' he -brags about it." - -"Yes; but he doesn't blink!" she exclaimed triumphantly. - -"Neither do _I_." - -"Yes; but you shoot to kill." - -"Lord pity us--don't _he_?" - -"Y-e-s, but that's different," she replied, smiling brightly. - -Johnny looked around the room, his eyes finally resting on his hat. - -"Yes, I see it's different. Greener can kill, an' blink! I can't. If -he kills a man he's a hero; I 'm a murderer. I kinda reckon he 's got -th' trail. But I love you, an' you 've got to pick my trail--does it -lead up or down?" - -"Johnny Nelson! What are you saying?" she demanded, arising. - -"Something turrible, mebby. I don't know; an' I don't care. It's -true--so there you are. Norah, can't you see I do?" he pleaded, holding -out his hands. "Won't you marry me?" - -She looked down, her cheeks the color of fire, and Johnny continued -hurriedly: "I 've loved you a whole month! When I 'm ridin' around I -sorta' see you, an' hear you. Why, I talk to you lots when I 'm alone. -I 've saved up some money, an' I had to work hard to save it, too. I 've -got some cows runnin' with our'n--in a little while I 'll have a ranch -of my own. Buck 'll let me use th' east part of th' ranch, an' there 's -a hill over there that 'd look fine with a house on it. I can't wait no -longer, Norah, I 've got to know. Will you let me put this on yore -finger?" He swiftly bent the pin into a ring and held it out eagerly: -"Can I?" - -She pushed him away and yielded to a sudden pricking of her conscience, -speaking swiftly, as if forcing herself to do a disagreeable duty, and -hating herself at the moment. "Johnny, I 've been a--a flirt! When I -saw you were beginning to care too much for me I should have stopped it; -but I did n't. I amused myself--but I want you to believe one thing, to -give me a little credit for just one thing; I never thought what it -might mean to you. It was carelessness with me. But I was flirting, -just the same--and it hurts to admit it. I 'm not good enough for you, -Johnny Nelson; it's hard to say, but it's true. Can you, _will_ you -forgive me?" - -He choked and stepped forward holding out his hands imploringly, but she -eluded him. When he saw the shame in her face, the tears in her eyes, he -stopped and laughed gently: "But we can begin right, now, can't we? I -don't care, not if you 'll let me see you same as ever. You might get -to care for me. And, anyhow, it ain't yore fault. I reckon it's me -that's to blame." - -At that moment he was nearer to victory than he had ever been; but he -did not realize it and opportunity died when he failed to press his -advantage. - -"I _am_ to blame," she said, so low he could hardly catch the words. -When she continued it was with a rush: "I am not free--I haven't been -for a week. I 'm not free any more--and I 've been leading you on!" - -His face hardened, for now the meaning of Greener's sneering laugh came -to him, and a seething rage swept over him against the man who had won. -He knew Greener, knew him well--the meanness of the man's nature, his -cold cruelty; the many things to the man's discredit loomed up large -against the frailty of the woman before him. - -Norah stepped forward and laid a pleading hand on his arm, for she knew -the mettle of the men who worked under Buck Peters: "What are you -thinking? Tell me!" - -"Why, I 'm thinking what Nolan said. An', Norah, listen. You say you -want me to forgive you? Well, I do, if there's anything to forgive. But -I want you to primise me that if Greener don't treat you right you 'll -tell me." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Only what I said. Do you promise?" - -"Perhaps you would better speak to him about it!" she retorted. - -"I will--an' plain. But don't worry 'bout me. It was my fault for bein' -a tenderfoot. I never played this game before, an' don't know th' -cards. Good-by." - -He rode away slowly, and made the rounds, and by the time he reached -Lacey's he was so unsteady that he was refused a drink and told to go -home. But he headed for the Palace instead, and when he stepped high -over the doorsill Nolan was seated in a chair tipped back against one of -the side walls, and behind the bar on the other side of the room Jed -Terry drummed on the counter and expressed his views on local matters. -The sheriff was listening in a bored way until he saw Johnny enter and -head his way, feet high and chest out; and at that moment Nolan's -interest in local affairs flashed up brightly. - -Johnny lost no time: "Nolan," he said, rocking on his heels, "tell -Greener I 'll kill him if he marries that girl. He killed his first -wife by abuse an' he don't kill no more. Savvy?" - -The sheriff warily arose, for here was the opportunity he had sought. -The threat to kill had a witness. - -"An' if you opens yore toad's mouth about her like you did tonight, I -'ll kill you, too." The tones were dispassionate, the words deliberate. - -"Hear that, Jed?" cried the sheriff, excitedly. "Nelson, yo 're under -ar--" - -"Shut up!" snapped Johnny loudly, this time with feeling. "When yo 're -betters are talkin' you keep yore face closed. Now, it ain't hardly -healthy to slander wimmin in this country, 'specially _good_ wimmin. -You lied like a dog to me tonight, an' I let you off; don't try it -again." - -"I told th' truth!" snapped Nolan, heatedly. "I said she was a flirt, -an' by th' great horned spoon she is a flirt, an' you--" - -The sheriff prided himself upon his quickness, but the leaping gun was -kicked out of his hand before he knew what was coming; a chair glanced -off Jed's face and wrapped the front window about itself in its passing, -leaving the bar-tender in the throbbing darkness of inter-planetary -space; and as the sheriff opened his eyes and recovered from the hard -swings his face had stopped, a galloping horse drummed southward toward -the Bar-20; and the silence of the night was shattered by lusty -war-whoops and a spurting .45. - - -When the sheriff and his posse called at the Bar-20 before breakfast the -following morning they found a grouchy outfit and learned some facts. - -"Where 's Johnny?" repeated Hopalong, with a rising inflection. "Only -wish I knowed!" - -A murmur of wistful desire arose and Lanky Smith restlessly explained -it: "He rampages in 'bout midnight an' wakes us up with his racket. When -we asks what he 's doin' with _our_ possessions he suggests we go to -h--l. He takes _his_ rifle, Pete's rifle, Buck's brand new canteen, -'bout eighty pounds of catridges an' other useful duffle, _all_ th' -tobacco, an' blows away quick." - -"On my cayuse," murmured Red. - -"Wearin' my _good_ clothes," added Billy, sorrowfully. - -"An' _my_ boots," sighed Hopalong. - -"I ain't got no field glasses no more," grumbled Lanky. - -"But he only got one laig of my new pants," chuckled Skinny. "I was too -strong for him." - -"He yanked my blanket off'n me, which makes me steal Red's," grinned -Pete. - -"Which you didn't keep very long!" retorted Red, with derision. - -"Which makes us all peevish," plaintively muttered Buck. - -"Now ain't it a h--l of a note?" laughed Cookie, loudly, forthwith -getting scarce. He had nothing good enough to be taken. - -"An' whichever was it run ag'in' yore face, Sheriff?" sympathetically -inquired Hopalong. "Mighty good thing it stopped," he added -thoughtfully. - -"Never mind my face!" snorted the peace officer hotly as his deputies -smoothed out their grins. "I want to know where Nelson is, an' d--d -quick! We 'll search the house first." - -"Hold on," responded Buck. "North of Salt Spring Creek yo 're a -sheriff; down here yo 're nothin'. Don't search no house. He ain't -here." - -"How do I know he ain't?" snapped Nolan. - -"My word 's good; or there 'll be another election stolen up in yore -county," rejoined Buck ominously. "An' I would n't hunt him too hard, -neither. We 'll punish him." - -Nolan wheeled and rode toward the hills without another word, his posse -pressing close behind. When they entered Apache Pass one of them -accidentally exploded his rifle, calling forth an angry tirade from the -sheriff. Johnny heard it, and cared little for the warning from his -friend Lucas; he waited and then rode down the rocky slope of the pass -on the trail of the posse, squinting wickedly at the distant group as he -caught glimpses of them now and again, and with no anxiety regarding -backward glances. "Lot's wife 'll have nothing on them if they look -back," he muttered, fingering his rifle lovingly. At nightfall he -watched them depart and grinned at the chase he would lead them when -they returned. - -But he did not see them again, although his friends reported that they -were turning the range upside down to find him. One of his outfit rode -out to him with supplies and information every few days and it was Pete -who told him that six posses were in the hills. "An' you can't leave, -'cause one of th' cordon would get you shore. I had a h--l of a time -getting in today." Red reported that the sheriff had sworn to take him -dead or alive. Then came the blow. The sheriff was at the point of -death from lockjaw caused by complete paralysis of the curea-frend nerve -just above the phlagmatic diaphragm, which Johnny had fractured. It was -Hopalong who imparted this sad news, and withered Johnny's hope of -returning to a comfortable bunkhouse and square meals. So the fugitive -clung to the hills, shunned sky-lines and wondered if the sheriff would -recover before snow flew. He was hungry most of the time now because -the outfit was getting stingy with the food supplies--and he dared not -shoot any game. - -Four weeks passed, weeks of hunger and nervous strain, and he was -getting desperate. He had learned that Greener and his fiancee were -going down to Linnville soon, since Perry's Bend had no parson; and his -cup of bitterness, overflowing, drove him to risk an attempt to leave -that part of the country. He had seen none of Pete's "cordon" although -he had looked for them, and he believed he could get away. So he rode -cautiously down Apache Pass one noon, thoughtfully planning his flight. -The sand, washed down the rock walls by the last rain, deadened all -sounds of his progress, and as he turned a sharp bend in the cut he -almost bumped into Greener and Norah Joyce. They were laughing at how -they had eluded the crowd of friends who were eager to accompany -them--but the laughter froze when Johnny's gun swung up. - -"'Nds up, Greener!" he snapped, viciously, remembering his promise to -Sheriff Nolan. "Miss Joyce, if you make any trouble it 'll cost him his -life." - -"Turned highwayman, eh?" sneered Greener, keenly alert for the necessary -fraction of a second's carelessness on the part of the other. He was -gunman enough to need no more. - -"Miss Joyce, will you please ride along? I want to talk to him alone," -said Johnny, his eyes fastened intently on those of his enemy. - -"Yes, Norah; that's best. I 'll join you in a few minutes," urged -Greener, smiling at her. - -Johnny had a sudden thought and his warning was grave and cold. "Don't -get very far away an' don't make no sounds, or signals; if you do it 'll -be th' quickest way to _need_ 'em. He 'll pay for any mistakes like -that." - -"You coward!" she cried, angrily, and then delivered an impromptu -lecture that sent the blood surging into the fugitive's wan cheeks. But -she obeyed, slowly, at Greener's signal, and when she was out of sight -Johnny spoke. - -"Greener, yo 're not going to marry her. You know what you are, you -know how yore first wife died--an' I don't intend that Norah shall be -abused as the other was. I 'm a fugitive, hard pressed; I 'm weak from -want of food, and from hardships; all I have left is a slim chance of -gettin' away. I 've reached the point where I can't harm myself by -shooting you, an' I 'm goin' to do it rather than let any trouble come -to her. But you'll get an even break, because I ain't never going to -shoot a man when he 's helpless. Got anything to say?" - -"Yes; yo 're th' biggest fool I ever saw," replied Greener. "Yo're -locoed through an' through; an' I 'm goin' to take great pleasure in -putting you away. But I want to thank you for one thing you did. You -were drunk at the time an' may not remember it. When you hit Nolan for -talking like he did I liked you for it, an' I 'm goin' to tell you so. -Now we 'll get at th' matter before us so I can move along." - -Neither had paid any attention to Norah in the earnestness and keen-eyed -scrutiny of each other and the first sign they had of her actions was -when she threw her arms around Greener's neck and shielded him. He was -too much of a man to fire from cover and Johnny realized it while the -other tried to get her to leave the scene. - -"I won't leave you to be murdered--I _know_ what it means, I _know_ it," -she cried. "My place is here, and you can't deny your wife's first -request! What will I do without you! Oh, dear, let me stay! I _will_ -stay! What woman ever had such a wedding day before! Dear, dear, what -can I do? Tell me what to do!" - -Johnny sniffled and wished the posse had taken him. This was a side he -had never thought of. His wife! Greener's wife! Then he was too late, -and to go on would be a greater evil than the one he wished to -eliminate. When she turned on him like a tigress and tore him to pieces -word by word, tears rolling down her pallid cheeks and untold misery in -her eyes, he shook his head and held up his hand. - -"Greener, you win; I can't stop what's happened," he said, slowly. "But -I 'll tell you this, an' I mean every word: If you don't treat her like -she deserves, I 'll come back some of these days and kill you _shore_. -Nolan got his because he talked ill of her; an' you 'll get yours if I -die the next minute, if you ain't square with her." - -"I don't need no instructions on how to treat my wife," retorted the -other. "An' I 'm beginnin' to see th' cause of yore insanity, and it -pardons you as nothing else will. Put up yore gun an' get back to th' -ranch, where you belong--an' _keep away from me_. Savvy?" - -"Not much danger of me gettin' in yore way," growled Johnny, "when I 'm -hunted like a dog for doing what any man would 'a' done. When th' -sheriff gets well, if he ever does, mebby I 'll come back an' take my -medicine. How was he, anyhow, when you left?" - -"Dead tired, an' some under th' influence of liquor," replied Greener, a -smile breaking over his frown. He knew the whole story well, as did the -whole range, and he had laughed over it with the Bar-20 outfit. - -"What's that? Ain't he near dead?" cried Johnny, amazed. - -"Well, purty nigh dead of fatigue dancin' at our weddin' last night; but -I reckon he 'll be driftin' home purty soon, an' all recovered." -Greener suddenly gave way and roared with laughter. There was a large -amount of humor in his make-up and it took possession of him, shaking -him from head to foot. He had always liked Johnny, not because he ever -wanted to but because no one could know the Bar-20 protege and keep from -it. This climax was too much for him, and his wife, gradually -recovering herself, caught the infection and joined in. - -Johnny's eyes were staring and his mouth wide open, but Greener's next -words closed the eyes to a squint and snapped shut the open mouth. - -"That there paralysis of th' cure-a-friend nerve did n't last; an' when -I heard why you licked him I said a few words that made him a wiser man. -He didn't hunt you after th' first day. Now you go up an' shake han's -with him. He knows he got what was coming to him and so does everybody -else know it. Go home an' quit playin' th' fool for th' whole blamed -range to laugh at." - -Johnny stirred and came back to the scene before him. His face was -livid with rage and he could not speak at first. Finally, however, he -mastered himself and looked up: "I 'm cured, all right, but _they_ -ain't! Wait till my turn comes! What a fool I was to believe 'em; but -they usually tell th' truth. 'Cura-a-friend nerve'! They 'll pay me -dollar for cent before I 'm finished!" He caught the sparkle of his -diamond pin, the pin he had won, when drunk, at El Paso, and a sickly -grin flickered over the black frown. "I 'm a little late, I reckon; but -I 'd like to give th' bride a present to show there ain't no hard -feelin's on my part, an' to bring her luck. This here pin ain't no fit -ornament for a fool like me, so if it's all right, I 'll be plumb -tickled to see her have it. How 'bout it, Greener?" - -The happy pair exchanged glances and Mrs. Greener, hesitating and -blushing, accepted the gift: "You can bend it into a ring easy," Johnny -hastily remarked, to cut off her thanks. - -Greener extended his hand: "I reckon we can be friends, at that, Nelson. -You squared up with me when you licked Nolan. Come up an' see us when -you can." - -Johnny thanked him and shook hands and then watched them ride slowly -down the canyon, hand in hand, happy as little children. He sat -silently, lost in thought, his anger rising by leaps and bounds against -the men who had kept him on the anxious seat for a month. Straightening -up suddenly, he tore off the navy blue necktie and, hurling it from him, -fell into another reverie, staring at the canyon wall, but seeing in his -mind's eye the outfit planning his punishment; and his eyes grew redder -and redder with fury. But it was a long way home and his temper cooled -as he rode; that is why no one knew of his return until they saw him -asleep in his bunk when they awakened at daylight the following morning. -And no one ever asked about the diamond, or made any explanations--for -some things are better unmentioned. But they paid for it all before -Johnny considered the matter closed. - - - - - THE END - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COMING OF CASSIDY--AND THE -OTHERS *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42441 - -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. 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