her, the manager of the 88 ranch, was spe

appear in the deal a-tal

her in the days preceding his employment by the Cross-in-a-box and consequently provided with many opportunities for studying the gentleman at arm's-length, Racey naturally assumed that the deal was a shady one. Personally, he believed Lanpher capable of anything. Which of course was unjust to the manager. His courage was not quite sufficient to hold h

n), and Racey perceived the cold and Roman profile of a long-jawed head. Then the man turned full in his direction and behold, the hard features vanished, and the man displayed a good-looking countenance of sing

ng Lanpher or the stranger might be moved to say. Lanpher merited no consideration under any circumstances, and the stranger, in appearance a similar breed of dog as far as morals went, certainly

" persisted the stranger, pivoting on one hee

here," was the

see anything round here to worry me. S'pose old C

home the bar. "You don't know this country as well as I do. I

t it all planned out. I don't do anything rough unless I gotto. But I'm g

trying to ride. If you think that other outfit is gonna watch you pick daisies in their fro

re the grass is long nobody will suspicion you. If you d

!" Lanpher cauti

rms along the top bar. "Which yo're the most nervous gent I ever did see. The hotel ain't close enough for a

sensible. I know-" Lanp

do you

re due to

w, cold tone, "you said those last words a leetle too gay

I can't get mixed up in any fraycas on yore account, becau

kin, are yuh? Oh, no, not a-tall. I wonder what yore company would say to the li'l deal between you and me that start

gan Lanphe

sten to me. Yo're in this as deep as I am. If you think you

he work, that's flat," L

up alla same," de

the bargain,"

iatory tone, "can't you see how it is? I need you, an' you need me. All I'm asking of you is to b

in on that," har

it is necessity, an' Necessity, Mr. Lanpher, is the mother of a

s hat and looked over

care was written larg

to meet for a brief momen

or my men," said

yoreself?" inquired

you up."

ep the men from throwing in with t

do that

for a ranch manager to

astic observation. "C'm

bridge. I-What does T

nc

at of Punch-the-breeze Thompson, a gentleman well known to make his living by the ingenious capitaliz

mazement on the pa

ugg

don

the name

on?" nipped

h, h

chuckled

ugh?" asked

ought Nebraska

ome swift," admitted the stra

nd on the whole, gav

he stranger inquired after a moment's s

count cow-wrastler," p

e's hell on

d pie to put the kybosh

red Lanpher.

e?" probed t

Lanpher. "Why, Jack, he's so cro

re himself. Then the humour of it struck him. He

t on Lanpher's estimate of the Dawson qualities,

a," Punch-the-breeze Th

unch. But even if we can get old Chin Whisker drunk, th

ed, did understand.

the stranger. "Nemmine giving me a argument, Punch

up from behind the pony. With slightly narrowed eyes he stared at th

'l Mr. Lanpher of the 88 is a-trying to crawl out of and what Mr. Stranger is a-tryin

y completed the bandaging of t

he trail filled in and overlaid the lines and creases of Luke Tweezy's foxy-nosed and leathery visage. Layers of dust almost completely conceal

f Luke Tweezy, the impression made thereby, and the inference drawn therefrom. The inference was almost trivial-merely that Luke Tweezy had come from Marysville, the town where he lived and had his being. But triviality is frequentl

was nothing about Mr. Tweezy that he did like. For Luke Tweezy's business was ready money and its possibilities. He drove hard bargains with his neigh

not limited to money-lending. He had been admitted to the bar, an

erence. Where Lanpher's list of acquaintances, nodding and otherwise, was necessarily confined to the Lazy River country, Luke Tweezy knew alm

awson as they two passed, and Racey

y Dawson observed to himself

st pocket after breakfast had vanished. Lack of tobacco is a serious

Heart Saloon. Two of the men were Lanpher and the stranger. The third was Luke Tweezy. The latter stopped at the saloon hitching-rail to untie his horse. "See yuh later, Luke," the stranger flung over his shoulde

for company to share his misery. Why couldn't Swing Tunstall have stayed reasonably in Farewell instead of traipsing off over the range like a tomfool. Might not be back for a week, Swing mightn't. Idiotic caper (with other adjectives) of Swing's, any

with its long, broad-backed bulk the southern boundary of the flats south of Farewell and forces the Marysville t

eived without difficulty that the rider was a woman. She quirted her mount into a gallop, and then seesawed her right a

the girl whose dog he had protected. She dragged her horse to a halt at his side and smiled. And, oddly

for what you done for me back there," said she,

right," Racey tol

fading. "You wouldn't let that feller hurt me

assed by her gratitude and quite at

s awful cunnin'. And company! Say, when I'm feeling rotten that there dog knows, and he climbs up in my lap and licks my ear

dropped her head and bega

iding alla way out here

must say something to

arewell without him and his friends finding it out. That's why I borrowed one of Mike Flynn's hosses

e. What did she want-money? These saloon floozies always did. He hoped she wouldn't want much. For he ruefully knew himself to be a soft-hearted fool that was never

rd luck, huh? Don't you worry. Yore luck is bou

-pocket of his trousers. The girl sh

y with a man, ain't it? If he thinks yo're in trouble-Give her some money. If yo're sick-Give her money. If yo're dyin'-Give her money. Money

was the girl

for a man-like now. But-but you stuck up for me and my dog, and I gotta pay you back

no what yo're drivin' at, and I don't wanna know if it bothers you to tell m

"You'd always help a f

That jigger you plu

Jones should have been informative of much. But, Fieldings

cey Dawson. "I heard h

he said. "He used to be foreman of the

h all right," he admitted, soberly. "And I'd shore l

I. You w

he Currycomb men had been accustomed to speak behind their hands and under their breaths. For the Currycomb politically had been a power. Which perhaps was the reason

ut heart into the more decent set and a crimp in the Currycomb. It did not matter that legally the Currycomb possessed

the grass of two feet (for the ground was hard), the other Currycombers

obtruded his personality upon that of Racey Dawson. Nebraska Jones! A cold smile stretched the corners of Racey's mouth as he thought on what he

vining his thought. "He was stunned sort of that first time, an' the second time his gun caught a l

eader for me. But what you telling all this to me for?

t of town and stay out. Because, shore as yo're a foot high, you

won't get well of that lead in

mself. It's the gang he's managed to pick up in this town. They are meaner than a nest of cross rattlesnakes.

ink

raipsing out here just for my

ebraska and his gang," he cast at

ing him a calm stare. "Li'l Marie knows all they is to know about Ne

ed contemptuously. "D

thought Farewell wa

t sense enough not to run any blazers they can'

ir hands and there's more of 'em playin'

hing to do with 'later,'" she parried. "You do like I say

shore cramp my styl

eats sounded sharply o

sh, his right hand dr

r riding out of a belt

drowned the noise

elfishly stingy. The stranger was more appreciative. He gave the girl a stare of frank admiration before he looked at Racey Dawson. The latter perceived that

her upper lip and a slightly puzzled look in her bro

eaking personal, now, I a

she told him, impatient

tell yuh.

many men. There! I almost had it. Gone again now. Don't it make you sick when th

," proffered Racey. "Maybe he'll

ll at that,

d of Nebraska's?" he asked

aska knows a lot of folks

h-the-breeze T

ing Nebraska. He belon

ebraska do f

g. Mostly he deals a g

rsued, thinking that it might be well to

her game in th

uoted, cynically, recalling what the stran

nough," said she, compr

n't never sit into no g

, her expression turnin

ride for

you some day. But I wasn't figuring on staying here any length of time. Swing-he's my frie

is to-night. But I'm telling you y

I'd admire to stay. I ain't leaving a place just because I ai

hat's enough. It's a good thing for you you g

ing about them friends

ey said, t

Perpl

it ain't fair for me to go sifting off thisaway and not give 'em some

t see n

hey might even get to saying they ran me out o' town. And the mo

s going away. You sa

zon

rst I gotta give Nebraska's friends a chan

ed," she told h

ne thing and playing the hand out is a cat with another k

n damn fools I ever saw-"

ey Dawson la

mb idjit. A feller does all she can to show him the right trail out, and does he take it? He doe

d, whirled her quirt cross-handed, and

looking after the flee

k her about the rest