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