lowed Swing's pointing finger. Immediately h

'l farther open," said Sw

ng to smooth his own hair with the other. "Yo're all right, and the door's all

and laudable desire to see better were called forth by the sudden appearance on

, crossed her knees, and swung a slim, booted leg. From the breast pocket of her boy's gray flannel shirt she produced a long, narrow strip of white to which appeared to be fastened a small d

y trying to knit without needl

" said the superior R

tti

tti

's it

nounced the word to

nge

nge

's li

ry is

clo'es. Why don't you say clo'es th

certain kind of clo'

like o' that. Don'

of white stuff less'n a half-inch wide. I've seen too many washin's hangin' on the lines, I have. Yeah. And done too many. When I was a young one my ma would tie an apr

They don't make petticoats of this tatt

on the p

he lin

petticoats and linger

They are the same thin

ingery, but lingery ai

e

That's what I think. Nemmine. Nemmine. If you say linge

irl," denied Ra

be, huh? Shore. What

e of 'em

m was. You always did take

d with you blushing thataway. Which

ld think you could tell. The

e. Take that one with the white shirt and the slick brown hair. She

Derr's girl. Of course, Bill's a good feller and all that, and if he likes that style of beauty it ain't anything against him. But tha

ow and then my own self, but I never like one so hard I couldn't see nothing good i

't gonna suit you, and

Tuns

never seen a girl before. Lemme tell you I know how to

n up yore shirt where

ke the wrat

and shuttlin's all over you, and besides I got a necktie, and yore handkerchief is so sloshed up you can't tie it round yo

acey, brushing industriou

eezy did," c

with it?" Racey inqui

yes out through the do

gotta do

immediately sat down on the

alk of going over and doing the polite. Yah, you make me laugh. This is shore one on you, Racey. Don't you wish now you hadn't made out to be so drunk? Lookit, Luke. He's a-offerin' 'em something in a paper poke. They're a-eatin' it. He musta bought s

and level, "if you don't shut yore trap I'll sh

latter, watchful person that he was, eluded the

ntroduced to the two girls. It was some balm to his tortured soul to see how ill Luke Tweezy took Swin

gs. Molly, was she queer? He didn't know. She looked sensible, yet why was she so infernally polite to Luke Tweezy? She didn't have to smile at him when he spoke to her. It wasn't necessary. Racey's spirit groaned within him. Finally, the spectacle of the chattering group on the back porch of the Blue Pigeon proved more than Racey could stand. He retreated into a dark corner of the barn and lay do

boots he made the wagon-cover stretch long enough and high enough to conce

a strategic position behind an

ll. He'd know his step anywhere. The individual making the footsteps came to the doorway of the barn, halted an instant, then walked in. Almost at onc

e another. The man had dragged out a knife from under his armpit, and was squirmingly endeavouring to make pla

the knife was long-and presumably sharp. Racey, pinioning his opponent's knife arm with one ha

, and breathed stertorously. Racey knelt at his side and laid his hand on the top of the man's head. The palm came away warmly wet. Ra

was Luke

the barn. Tweezy was not badly hurt. The blow on the head had resulted, so far as Racey coul

en he put it on, however, it proved a poor fit. He had taken Tweezy's hat by mistake. He

re it lay on the floor. Racey swung back, stooped down, and turned out the leather

nto the breast pocket of his flannel shirt. Then he set about searching Tweezy's clothing with thoroughness. Bu

r as the Happy Heart corral. Behind the corral he sat down on his heels, and took out the letter he had purloined from Luke Twee

FRIEN

ll ahead and trust to luck there aren't any holes. There mustn't be any holes, not a damn hole. Try my plan, the one I discussed so thoroughly with you last

it religiously I'm out of the deal absolutely. I'm not goin

Jack Harpe, and let

hen you talk to him go off somewheres where no one will see you. I heard he spoke to you on the street. Lampher to

s tr

B PO

in the business, the opposition would have its work cut out in advance. Yes, indeedy. For no man could walk more convincingly the tight rope of the law than Fat Jakey. Racey Dawson did not know Fat Jakey, except by sight, but he had heard most of the tal

e thumbed out the butt, got to his feet, and started to return t

upon his consciousness with the force of a bul

he stopped and removed his spurs. He stuffed a spur into each hip

treak of the dying embers of the day. Racey suddenly bethought him that the red

wo people crunching the hard ground in front of it. The sound of the footsteps

him. He halted perforce. His own special brand of bull luck was with him. The dark shape, walking almost

of Jack Harpe's torso. There was no mistaking the set of that head and those shoulders. Both it and them were unmistakable. Jack H

bly certain that Luke Tweezy would go there to have his cut head dressed. He had. Racey, his b

bed my toe against a cordwood stick in front of Tom Ka

attending to his job with difficulty because

many stitches as nece

proprietor. "And I got

IL

fen me!" squalled

t prepared to pay much attention to his fussing. "If you think I'm enjoying this, you got

g his head, said that he was much obliged, and w

ot to fill mine to-day, anyway. Can't you find yore way to the hot

Tweezy. "When I fell down most all

ntern then," grumb

oor of Tom Kane's barn, heard a slight sound and looked up t

ell down inside the

u dunno," said L

hurts my feelings. And my feelings are tender to-day-most awful tender, L

oor and his poking and delving in the piles of hay. He raised a dust that flew u

don't he?" grinned Racey. "How m

. "Seems to me you got over yo

beauty of being young. When you get old and toothless an' deecrepit like some people

n here?" It was Red Ka

s bro

Kane entered, stared at the spectacle of Luke Twee

ing, Luke?"

red for the lawyer. "And a nickel, you k

e money," g

t it when you tripped

u fell

ere," Luke s

re you lost it or what

irtin' round with any

you'll set it afire.

igh

Luke, "I lost something val

oney then?"

was money,"

'it' this

said. I lost some money,

ou can hunt the barn to pieces, but you can't do any more skirmishing round in here to-night. I'll loc

around to the dance hall. Here at a table in the ell where the bar stre

ottle and two glasses were between them. "Don't try to tell me you stuck 'em b

d Racey, with a sly smile. "Those boo

r m

r y

or me?" Pe

e behind the wagon-seat so they'd stick out some, and you'd see 'em and think I was there asleep, and naturally you'd go for to wake me up and wouldn't think of looking behind

'd be doin' alla time?"

a' tried to kni

He di

over the head with my Colt for all I was worth he'd 'a' had me laid out cold. Yep, li'l Mr. Luk

t when it's corn

. It's something to know Luk

he

. Fill up, and shov

e pushed the bottle toward Racey. The latter caugh

Y' almost wasted a whole bottle of redeye. I

Fat Jakey's plan is," said

" Racey told him.