presently, more particularly upon Curtis Conrad and his mare, Brown Betty, when they espied him talking with the landlord in front of th

ad been built all the houses of the mining days. The earliest roads had run along each side of the water, and these were still the main streets of the town. Facing one another across the two streets and the bed of the creek were all the public buildings and business houses, the two hotels, so

rowing massiveness of his torso. The occasions were rare when his blue eyes were not twinkling with good humor, while his mouth beneath its absurd little moustache curved in a smile as habitual as his cheerful kindliness and universal optimism. Little Jack Wilder, who owed his de

ned the stream, Brown Betty at his heels, and me

r, "anyway, there

t so

with his eye on a Mexican horse thief, waitin' for him to do something he can be arrested for; and the darn' fool

orroborative oath, and

horse thief, why don't you

n this county. He's been doin' some chicken-thieving and that sort o' thi

re a justice of the peace; and you-all know what kind of a mess Diego Vigil would make of it. He'd likely fine the man whose chicken-coop had been raided because he did

ilder burst explosively into brief and profane speech that showed his opinion of

et a chance they make justice look like a bobtailed horse. Up north last week one of 'em fined a man five dollars for committing murder and warn

the greasers have got to be put where they'll do the most good. I'm willin' to give 'em that m

r Mexican. "Mebbe that pock-marked Melgares has been up to some mischief by this time," he added. "I hain't set ey

d-looking Mexican came out of the First National Bank and passed them. The Sheriff turned a second keen glance upon him. "T

precise English with grave court

you Libera

My name is J

o the other side of the stream. Conrad asked Tillinghurst if he did not believe

glad this man ain't him. If he was down here it would be on some busine

y, and Wilder said, "Dan, yo

Melgares," he went on, "that we're hopin' will make up his mind to do somethin' worth while, tells a queer yarn. He says he used to have a good ranch in the Rio

nrad broke in hotly. "I understand he's got hold of a lot of land i

can find out about Melgares I reckon he was honest enough up to that time; but he's been goin' it pretty

ay! Bill Williams told me just now that Rutherford Jenkins is here

but I reckon he's here on so

he said cautiously, "that he has a venomous tongue and uses it reckless

nything Jenkins said, anyway. But I ha

nd stroked her glossy neck. She poked her nose into his coat pocket and found a lump of sugar, whi

le near a side window men of both races were engaged in a poker game. One of the players, a pock-marked Mexican with a defective eye, frequently glanced down the street. When he saw the Sheriff and his two companions approach, he rose and watched them. The others wanted to know what he was looking at, and he asked who was the man with the brown mare. A tall, dark American, with slightly stooping shoulders, loo

h reddened his face, his beady eyes snapped, and the tip of his tongue licked his lips. Then something amu

ed the Mexican with whom he had been talking. "T

shanty was a high adobe wall surrounding the corral of the Mexican houses fronting on the n

Se?or Jenkins?"

eedn't be afraid. I want yo

olted the door. "You saw Conrad's mare just n

he finest I have se

a better myself. Looks like

se?

ouldn't be hard to get to the Mex

his head. "But my family-I

ll get away with Conrad's mare you can have it for your

o you come in?" He looke

turn a while ago, and I'm evening up t

now,

e's in the saloon, and the

in there, too. T

side so that nobody will even look out of the windows. Get out there

ey, se?or. I'll

the attention of Conrad and his friends. The other spoke of the report about the Castl

! Martinez don't

ply around, his face flushing. Jenkins

ace to any party. Martinez don't want it!" His voice rang loud an

thout raising his voice, although it shook with a warning tremor, "I advise you to be careful. You may have your opinion a

in his heart and carried him farther than he had meant to go. With an oath and a vile name he flung his glass in Conra

d the back room. "Wilder, take his gun, will you? Get

h he repaid in kind. With Jenkins almost helpless in his grasp, Curtis struggled into the rear room. The others were all crowd

shut that door and

e were cries o

er than him!" "We want to

won't be on the square, just wait for me

erfulness: "Well, gentlemen, I reckon Mr. Jenkins won't get any more than is comin

over his knees, face downward, then threw out one sinewy leg and caught under it Jenkins'

ng to get the sort of spanking you

e smarting blows. The sound of them penetrated to the front room. As the men there realized what was happening they broke into laughter so uproarious th

you, but let me tell you, you damned skunk," and he seized Jenkins's shoulders and gave him a vigorous shake, "if you ever dare talk

hair, sobbing aloud. Then he stalked to the door, not ev