Tex's eyes twinkled. "How'd you come to figger I'm goin' down?"

Buck smiled.

"No, reckon not," said Tex. "Ridin' as far's th' railroad. I'll leave

my cayuse with Smith. When one of th' boys goes down that way he can

get it. I'll pay Smith for a month's care." Reading the unspoken

question in his friend's eyes, he carelessly answered it. "Don't know

where I'm goin'. Reckon I'll get down to th' SV before I stop. That'd

be natural, with Red an' Hoppy stayin' with Johnny."

"They might need you, too," suggested Buck, hopefully. If he couldn't

be with his distant friends himself, he at least wished as many of them

to be together as was possible.

"I'm copperin' that," grunted Tex. His eyes shone momentarily. "Yo're

forgettin' that our best three are together. Lord help any misguided

fools that prod 'em sharp. Well, I'm dead shore to drift back ag'in

some day; but as you say, those south ranges shore do pull a feller's

heart." He looked shrewdly at his friend and his face beamed from a

sudden thought. "We're a pair of fools," he laughed. "You ain't got

th' wander itch! You don't want to go jack-rabbitin' all over th'

country, like me! All you want is that southwest country, with yore

wife an yore friends on th' same ranch; down in th' cactus country,

where th' winters ain't what they are up here. I'm afraid my brain's

atrophied, not havin' been used since Dave Owens rolled down from his

ambush with Hoppy's slugs in him for ballast."

Buck looked at him with eager, hopeful intentness and his sigh was one

of great relief and thankfulness. He need not be ashamed of that

longing, now vague and nameless no longer. His head snapped back and he

stood erect, and his voice thrilled with pride. Tex had put his finger

on the trouble, as Tex always did. "I've been as blind as a rattler in

August!" he exclaimed.

"Not takin' th' time to qualify that blind-rattler-in-August phrase, I

admits yo're right," beamed Tex. He arose, shoved out his hand for the

quick, tight grasp of his friend and wheeled to leave, stopping short as

he found himself face to face with Rose Peters. "A happy omen!" he

cried. "Th' first thing I see at th' beginnin' of my journey is a

rose."

She smiled at both of them as she blocked the door, and the quick catch

in her voice did not escape Tex Ewalt.

"I was but in the other room," she said, her face alight. "I could not

but hear, for you both speak loud. I am so glad, M'sieu Tex--that now I

know why my man is so--so restless. Ruth, she said what I think,

always. We are sorry that you mus' go--but we know you will not forget

your friends, and will come back again some day."

Buck put his arm around his wife's shoulders and smiled. "An' if he

brings th' other boys back with him, we'll find room for 'em all, eh

Rose?" He looked at his friend. "We're shore goin' to miss you, Tex.

Good luck. We'll expect you when we see you."

Tex bowed to Rose and backed into the curious Pickles, whom he lightly

spanked as a fitting farewell; and soon the noise of his departure

drummed softer and softer into the south.

*CHAPTER II*

*REFRESHED MEMORIES*

The dusty, grimy, almost paintless accommodation train, composed of

engine, combination smoking-baggage car, and one day coach, rumbled and

rattled, jerked and swayed over the uneven roadbed, the clicking at the

rail joints sensible both to tactual and auditory nerves, and calling

attention to the disrepair into which the whole line had fallen. In the

smoking compartment of the baggage car sat Tex Ewalt, sincerely wishing

that he had followed his first promptings and chosen the saddle in

preference to this swifter method of traveling.

All day he had suffered heat, dust, cinders, and smoke after a night of

the same. It had been bad enough on the main line, but after leaving

the junction conditions had grown steadily worse. All day he had

crossed a yellow gray desolation, flat and unending, under a dirty blue

sky and a dust-filled air shimmering with heat waves. He had peered at

a drab, distant horizon which seemed hardly to change as it crept

eastward past him, at all times barely more than a thin circle about as

interesting and colorful as a bleached hoop from some old,

weather-beaten barrel. Wherever he had looked, it had been to see

sun-burned grass and clouds of imponderable dust, the latter sucked up

by the train and sent whirling into every crack and crevice; occasional

white spots darting rearward he knew to be the grim, limy skulls of

herbiverous animals; arrow-like trails cut deep into the drought-cursed

earth, and not too frequently a double line of straggling, dispirited

willows, cottonwoods, and box elders, marked the course of some prairie

creek, whose characteristic, steep earth banks, often undermined, now

enclosed sun-dried mud, curling like heated scales, with here and there

pools of noisome water hidden under scabs of scum. Mile after mile of

this had dulled him, familiar as he had once been with the sight, and he

sat apathetic, dispirited and glum, too miserable to accept the pressing

invitation of a traveling cardsharp to sit into a game of draw poker.

Gradually the mild, long swells of the prairie had grown shorter,

sharper, and higher; gradually the soil had become rockier and the creek

beds deeper below the rims of their banks. The track wound more and

more as it twisted and turned among the hills, and for some hours he had

noticed a constant rising, which now became more and more apparent as

the top of the watershed drew nearer.

He dozed fitfully at times and once the sharper had roused him by

touching his shoulder to ask him again to take cards in a game. To this

invitation Tex had opened his eyes, looked up at the smiling poker

devotee and made a slight motion, dozing off again as the surprised

gambler moved away from one he now knew to be of the same calling as

himself. Towns had followed each other at increasingly long intervals,

insensibly changing in their aspect, and the horizon steadily had been

narrowing. Here and there along the dried beds of the creeks were rude

cabins and shacks, each not far from an abandoned sluice and cradle.

Between the hills the pastures grew smaller and smaller, their sides

more precipitous, but as they shrunk, the number of cattle on them

seemed to increase. Rough buildings of wood or stone began to replace

the low sod dugouts of a few hours ago, and he knew that he was rapidly

nearing his destination.

Suddenly a ribbon-like scar on the horizon caught his eye. It ran

obliquely from a northeastern point of his vista southwesterly across

the pastures, hills, and valleys, like a lone spoke in some great wheel,

of which the horizon was both felloe and tire. At this he sat up with a

show of interest. Judging from its direction, and from what he

remembered of it at this section of its length, it would cross the track

some miles farther on. He nodded swiftly at this old-time friend of his

cattle-driving days--he had been a fool not to have remembered it and

the cow-town not far ahead, but the names of all the mushroom towns he

had been in during his career in the West had not remained in his

memory. Years rolled backward in a flash. He could see the distant,

plodding caravans of homesteaders, or the long, disciplined trains of

the freighters, winding over the hills and across the flats, their white

canvas wagon covers flashing against the sky, the old, dirty covers

emphasizing the newness and whiteness of their numerous patches. But on

this nearing trail, winding into the southwest there had been a

different migration. He almost could see the spread-out herd moving

deliberately forward, the idling riders, the point and swing men, and

the plodding, bumping chuck wagon with its bumptious cook. This trail,

a few hundred yards wide, beaten by countless hoofs, had deepened and

deepened as the wind carried away the dust, and if left to itself would

be discernible after the passing of many years.

The name of the town ahead and on this old trail brought a smile to his

lips, a smile that was pleasantly reminiscent; but with the name of the

town came nearly forgotten names of men, and the smile changed into one

that was not pleasant to look upon. There was Williams, Gus Williams,

often referred to as "Muttonhead." He had been a bully, a sure-thing

gambler, herd trimmer, and cattle thief in a small way, but he had been

only a petty pilferer of hoofed property, for his streak of caution was

well developed. Tex had not seen him, or heard of him, for twenty

years, never since he had shot a gun out of Williams' hand and beat him

up in a corner of his own saloon.

The rapidly enlarging ribbon drew nearer and more distinct, and soon it

crossed the track and ran into the south. He remembered the wide,

curving bend it took here: there had been a stampede one rainy night

when he was off trick and rolled up in his blanket under the chuck

wagon. They had reason to suspect that the cattle were sent off in

their mad flight through the dark by human agency. Two days had been

spent in combing the rough plain and in rounding up the scattered herd,

and there had been a sizable number lost.

A deeper tone leaped into the dull roar of the train and told of a gully

passing under the track. It ran off at a slight angle, the dried bed

showing more numerous signs of human labors and habitations, and when

the train came to a bumping, screeching stop at a ramshackle one-room

station he knew that he was at the end of his ride and within three

stations from the end of the line, which here turned sharply toward the

northwest, baffled by the treacherous sands of the river, whose bank it

paralleled for sixty miles. Had he gone on in the train he would have

come no closer to his objective and would have to face a harder country

for man and horse. Gunsight, where his three friends were located, lay

about a hundred miles southwest of the bend in the track; but because of

the sharp bend it lay farther from the station beyond. From where he

now was, the riding would not be unpleasant and the ford across the

river was shallower, the greater width of the stream offset by a more

sluggish current. This ford was treacherous in high water and not

passable after sudden rises for a day or two, because the force of the

swollen current stirred up the unstable sands of the bottom. As a

veteran of the old cattle trails he knew what a disturbed river bottom

often meant.

The wheezing exhaust and the complaining panting of the all but

discarded engine added dismal sounds to a dismal view. He stiffly

descended the steps, a bulging gunny sack over his shoulder and a rolled

blanket and a sheathed rifle fully utilized his other arm and hand.

Dropping his burdens to the ground he paused to look around him.

It was just a frontier town, ugly, patched, sprawling, barely existent,

and an eyesore even to the uncritical; and cursed further by Kansas

politics which at this time were not as stalwart as they once had been,

reminding one of the mediocre sons of famous fathers. In place of the

old daring there now were trickery and subtle meannesses; in place of

hot hatreds were now smoldering grudges; where once old-time politicians

"shot it out" in the middle of the street, there now were furtive

crawlings and treacherous shots from the dark. Like all towns it had a

name--it will suffice if we know it as Windsor. Being neither in the

mining country nor on the cattle range, and being in an out-of-the-way

position even on the merging strip between the two, it undoubtedly would

have died a natural death except for the fortuitous chance which had led

the branch-line railroad to reach its site. The shifting cattle drives

and a short-lived townsite speculation had been the causes for the rails

coming; then the drives stopped at nearer terminals and the speculation

blew up--but the rails remained. This once flamboyantly heralded

"artery of commerce" swiftly had atrophied and now was hardly more than

a capillary, and its diurnal pulsation was just sufficient to keep the

town about one degree above coma.

Tex sneered openly, luxuriously, aggressively, and for all the world to

see. He promised himself that he would not remain here very long.

Before him lay the squalid dirt street with its cans and rubbish, the

bloated body of a dog near the platform, a dead cat farther along.

There were several two-story frame buildings, evidently built while the

townsite game was on. The rest were one-story shacks, and he remembered

most of them.

He picked up his belongings and sauntered into the station to wait until

the agent had finished his business with the train crew, and that did

not take long.

The agent stepped into the dusty, dirty room, coughed, nodded, and

passed into his partitioned office. In a moment he was out again,

looked closely at the puncher and decided to risk a smile and a word:

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he hazarded.

Tex put his sombrero beside him on the bench and wiped his forehead with

a sleeve. He saw that his companion was slight, not too healthy, and

appeared to be friendly and intelligent; but in his eyes lay the shadow

of fear.

"Mebby you can tell me th' best place to eat an' sleep; an' th' best

place to buy a horse," he replied.

"Williams' hotel is the best in town, and I'd ask him about the horse.

You might do better if you didn't say I recommended him to you."

"Not if you don't want me to," responded Tex, smiling sardonically for

some inexplicable reason. "Reckon he'd eat you because yo're sendin'

him trade? Don't worry; I won't say you told me."

"So far as I am concerned it don't matter. It's you I'm thinking

about."

Tex stretched, crossed his legs, and smiled. "In that case I'll use my

own judgment," he replied. "Been workin' for th' railroad very long?"

"Little too long, I'm afraid," answered the agent, coughing again, "but

I've been out here only two months." He hesitated, looked a little

self-conscious, and continued. "It's my lungs, you know. I got a

transfer for my health. If I can stick it out here I have hopes of

slowly improving, and perhaps of getting entirely well."

"If you can stick it out? Meanin' yo're findin' it too monotonous an'

lonely?" queried Tex.

The agent laughed shortly, the look of fear again coming into his eyes.

"Anything but the first; and so far as being lonely is concerned, I find

that my sister is company enough."

Tex cogitated and recrossed his legs. "From what I have already seen of

this town I'd gamble she is; but a man's allus a little better off if he

can herd with his own sex once in a while. So it ain't monotonous?

Have many trains a day?" he asked, knowing from his perusal of the

time-table that there were but two.

"One in and one out. You passed the other on the siding at Willow, if

you've come from beyond there."

"Reckon I remember it. Much business here to keep you busy?"

"Not enough to tire even a--lunger!" He said the word bitterly and

defiantly.

"That's a word I never liked," said Tex. "It's too cussed brutal. Some

people derive a great deal of satisfaction in calling a spade a spade,

and that is quite proper so far as spades are concerned; but why go

further? A man can't allus help a thing like tuberculosis--especially

if he's makin' a livin' for two. Yo're not very high up here, but I

reckon th' air's right. It's th' winter that's goin' to count ag'in'

you. You got to watch that. You might do better across th' west

boundary. Any doctor in town?"

"There's a man who calls himself a doctor. His favorite prescription is

whiskey."

"Yeah? For his patients?"

"For his patients and himself, too."

"Huh," grunted the puncher. He cleared his throat. "I once read about

yore trouble--in a dictionary," he explained, grinning. "It said milk

an' aigs, among other things; open air, both capitalized, day an' night;

plenty of sleep, no worryin', an' no excitement. Have many heavy boxes

to rustle?"

"No," answered the agent, looking curiously at his companion. "I had

plenty of milk and eggs, but the milk is getting scarce and the eggs are

falling off. I--" he stopped abruptly, shrugging his shoulders. "D--n

it, man! It isn't so much for myself!"

"No," said Tex, slowly arising. "A man usually feels that way about it.

I'm goin' up to th' hotel. May drop around to see you tomorrow if I'm

in town."

"I'll be mighty glad to see you; but there's no use for you to make

enemies," replied the agent, leading the way outside. He stopped and

took hold of a trunk, to roll it into the building.

"Han's off," said Tex, smiling and pushing him aside. "You forgot what

th' dictionary said. Of course this wouldn't kill you, but I'm stiff

from ridin' in yore palatial trains, mile after weary mile." Rolling

the trunk through the door and against the wall, he picked up his

belongings, gravely saluted and went on his way whistling cheerily.

The agent looked after him wistfully, shook his head and retired into

his coop.

Tex rambled down the street and entered Williams' hotel, held a brief

conversation with the clerk, took up his key, and followed instructions.

The second door on the right-hand side, upstairs, let him into a small

room which contained a chair, bed, and washstand. There was a rag rug

before the bed, and this touch of high life and affluence received from

him a grave and dignified bow. "Charmed, I'm sure," he said, and went

over to the window to view the roofs of the shacks below it. He sniffed

and decided that somewhere near there was a stable. Putting his

belongings in a corner, he took out his shaving kit and went to work

with it, after which he walked downstairs, bought a drink and treated

its dispenser to a cigar, which he knew later would be replaced and the

money taken instead.

"Hot," said Tex as though he had made a discovery. "An' close," he added

in an effort not to overlook anything.

"Very," replied the bartender. This made the twenty-third time he had

said that word in reply to this undoubted statement of fact since

morning. He did not know that his companion had used it because it was

colorless and would stamp him, sub-consciously, as being no different

from the common human herd in town. "Hottest summer since last year,"

said the bartender, also for the twenty-third time. He grinned

expectantly.

Tex turned the remark over in his mind and laughed suddenly,

explosively. "That's a good un! Cussed if it didn't nearly get past

me! 'Hottest summer since last year!' Ha-ha-ha! Cuss it, it is good!"

He was on the proper track to make a friend of the second man he had

met. "Have another cigar," he urged. Good-will and admiration shone on

his face. "Gosh! Have to spring that un on th' boys! Ha-ha-ha!"

"Better spring it before fall--it might not last through th' winter,

though some'r tougher'n others," rejoined the bartender, his grin

threatening to inconvenience his ears.

Tex choked and coughed up some of the liquor, the tears starting from

his eyes. He had meant it for an imitation choke, but misjudged.

Coughing and laughing at once he hung onto the bar by his elbows and

writhed from side to side. "Gosh! You oughter--warn a fel--ler!" he

reproved. "How'd'y think of 'em like that?"

"Come easy, somehow," chuckled the pleased dispenser of liquor.

"Stayin' in town long?" he asked.

"Cussed if I know," frankly answered Tex. He became candid and

confidential. "Expectin' a letter, an' I can't leave till it comes.

Where's th' post office? Yeah? Guess I can find it, then. Reckon I'll

drift along an' see if there's anythin' come in for me. See you

tonight."

Crossing the street he sauntered along it until he came to the building

which sheltered the post office, and he stopped, regarded the sign over

its door with open approval, and then gravely salaamed.

"'Williams's Mecca,'" he read. "Sign painters are usually generous with

their esses. Wonder why? Must be a secret sign of th' guild. Why are

monument works usually called 'monumental'? Huh: Wonder if it is th'

same Williams? If it is, where did he ever hear of 'Mecca'?" It was a

refreshing change from the names so common to stores in towns of this

kind and size. "An' cussed if it ain't appropriate, too!" he muttered.

"In a place like this what could more deserve that name than the general

store and post office, unless it be the saloons, hotels, and gambling

houses?" He started for the door, eager to see whom he would meet.

A burly, dark-visaged individual looked up at his entry. He would have

been amazed had he known that a score of years had slipped from him and

that he was a callow, furtive-eyed man in his early twenties, cringing

in a corner with his present visitor standing contemptuously over him

and daring him to get up again.

Tex's face remained unchanged, except for a foolish smile which crept

over it as he gave greeting. "Though I ain't goin' to pray, I shore am

turnin' my face to th' birthplace of th' Prophet," he said. "Yeah, I'm

even enterin' its sacred portals." He watched closely for any signs of

recognition in the other, but failed to detect any; and he was not

surprised.

The heavy face stared at him and a tentative smile tried to change it.

The attempt was abortive and the expression shifted to one of alert

suspicion, shaded by one of pugnacity. He was not accustomed to levity

at his expense. "What you talkin' about?" he slowly asked.

"Why, th' faith of all true believers: _There is but one God, and

Mohammed is his Prophet_. May th' blessin's of Allah be on thee.

Incidentally I'm askin' if there's a letter for th' pilgrim, Tex Jones?"

He cast a careless glance at a cold-eyed individual who lounged in the

shadow of a corner, and instantly classified him. Besides the low-slung

holster, the man had the face of a cool, paid killer. Tex's interest in

him was not to be correctly judged by the careless glance he gave him.

"Then why in h--l didn't you say so in th' first place, 'stead of

wastin' my valuable time?" growled the proprietor, reluctantly shuffling

toward the mail rack in a corner. He wet his thumb generously, not

caring about the color given to it by the tobacco in his mouth, and

clumsily ran through the modest packet of mail. Shaking his head he

turned. "There ain't nothin'," he grunted.

"It is Allah's will," muttered Tex in pious resignation. He would have

fallen over had there been anything for him.

"Look here, stranger," ominously remarked the proprietor, "if yo're

aimin' to be smart at my expense, look out it don't become yourn. Just

what's th' meanin' of all these fool remarks?"

"Why, yore emporium is named 'Mecca,' ain't it?" asked Tex innocently,

but realizing that he somehow had got on the wrong trail.

"What's that got to do with it?" demanded Williams, who could talk as

mean as he cared to while the quiet, cold man sat in the corner.

"Everythin'. Ain't you th' proprietor, like th' barkeep of th' hotel

said? Ain't you Mr. Williams?"

"I am."

Tex scratched his head, frankly puzzled. "Well," he said, "Mohammed

came out of Mecca to startle th' world, an'----"

"He didn't do nothin' of th' kind!" interrupted the proprietor. "Mecca

was out of Prophet, by Mohammed; an' a cussed good hoss she was, too.

Though she didn't startle no world, she was my filly, an' plenty good

enough for this part of th' country. Of course, mebby back from where

you came from, mebby she wouldn't have amounted to much," he sneered.

"Now, if you got any more smart-Aleck remarks to make, you'll be wise if

you save 'em till you get outside."

Tex burst out laughing. "It's all my mistake, Mr. Williams. I thought

you named yore store after a poem I read once, that's all. No offense

on my part, sir. Are you th' Mr. Williams that keeps th' ho-tel?"

"I am: what about it?"

"I'm puttin' up there," answered Tex. "If a letter comes for me, would

you mind puttin' it in yore pocket an' bringin' it over when you go

there? It'll save me from botherin' you every day. Yore friend at th'

station said I'd find you right obligin'. An' he knows a good ho-tel

when he sees it. He sent me there."

"That scut!" bellowed Williams, his face growing red. "You'll come after

yore own mail, my man; an' you'll do it polite. There ain't no mail

here for you. Good day!"

"I'm patient an' I can wait. I didn't hardly expect to get any letter

so quick, anyhow. After th' recent experience of reasonin' right from

th' wrong premises, however, I'll not be a heap surprised if I get a

letter on tomorrow's train. Thank you kindly, sir. I bid you good

day."

"An' mind you don't call that cussed agent no friend of mine, th' job

stealer!"

"Whatever you say; but, don't forget to bring over that letter when it

comes," sweetly replied Tex, and he carefully slammed the door as he

went out. Going down the street he grinned expansively and snapped his

fingers because of a strange elation.

"Th' old thief!" he muttered. "Heavier, more ill tempered, and

downright autocratic--an' how he has prospered! Regular, solid citizen,

the bulwark of the commonwealth. An' cussed if he ain't got himself a

bodyguard; a regular, no-mistake gunman with as mean an eye as any I

ever saw. Of course, his brains have improved with the years, for they

couldn't go the other way and keep him out of an asylum. 'Muttonhead'

Williams! All right: once a sheep, always a sheep. I'm going to enjoy

my stay in Windsor. Good Lord!" he exclaimed as a sudden fancy hit him.

"Wouldn't it be funny if the old fool has been working hard and saving

hard all these years for his old enemy, Tex Ewalt? He always was crazy

to play poker, and I got a notion to make it come true. Gosh, if a man

ever was tempted, I'm tempted now! Muttonhead Williams, allus stuck on

his poker playing. Get behind me, Satan!"

*CHAPTER III*

*TEMPTED ANEW*

A hand bell, ringing thin and clamorous somewhere below caused Tex to

gather up the cards with which for two hours he had been assiduously

practicing shuffling, cutting, and dealing. Putting them away he washed

his face and hands in the tin basin, combed his hair without slicking it

with water, and went down to supper.

He paused momentarily in the doorway to size up the dining-room. The

long table was crowded by all sorts and conditions of men. Miners down

on their luck and near the end of their resources because of the long

drought which had dried up the streams and put an end to placer mining

operations, rubbed elbows with more fortunate men of their own calling,

who had longer purses. Two cowpunchers from a distant ranch sat next to

two cavalrymen on a prized leave from the iron discipline of a remote

frontier post, both types dangerous because free from the restraint

which had held them down for so long a time. A local tin-horn gambler

and the traveling card-sharp were elbow to elbow, and several other men,

evidently belonging to the town, nearly filled both sides of the table.

At the head sat Gus Williams, most influential citizen and boss of the

town, and he made no attempt to hide his importance. Next to him on the

left was a lean, hard-looking, shifty-eyed man who seemed to shine in

reflected light, and who showed a deference to the big man which he

evidently expected to receive, in turn, from the others. If it was true

that there was only one boss, it was also true that he had only one

nephew. To the right of the boss was the cold-eyed person whose seat in

the general store was well back in the corner. No one moved or spoke

except under his critical observance. His cocksure confidence irritated

Tex, who was strongly tempted to try the effect of a hot potato against

a cold eye. He thought of his friend Johnny Nelson and grinned at how

that young man's temper would steam up under such an insolent stare.

Moving forward under the gunman's close scrutiny Tex dropped into the

only vacant chair, one near the nephew, and fell to eating, his vocal

chords idle, but his optic and auditory apparatus making up for it. The

conversation, jerky and broken at first, grew more coherent and

increased as the appetites of the hungry men yielded to the bolted food.

The protracted drought was referred to in grunts, growls, monosyllables,

sentences, and profane speeches. It was discussed, rediscussed, and

popped up at odd moments for new discussion.

"Never saw it so bad since th' railroad came," said a miner.

"Never saw it so bad since th' first trail herd ended here," affirmed

the nephew.

"_I_ never saw it so dry, for so long a spell, since th' first trail

herd _passed_ here," said the uncle, his remark the strongest by coming

last; but he was not to enjoy that advantage for long.

"Hum!" said a cattleman, apologetically clearing his throat. "I never

saw it as dry as it is now since I located out here."

The miner frowned, the nephew scowled, and the uncle snorted. The last

named looked around belligerently and smote the table with his fist. "I

remember, howsomever, that I did see it near as dry, that year I strayed

from th' Santa Fe Trail, huntin' buffalers for th' caravan. We passed

right through this section an' circled back. I come to remember it

because when we crossed th' Walnut I jumped right over it, dry-shod.

Them was th' days when men was men, or soon wasn't nothin' a-tall."

"I reckon they wasn't th' kind that would play off sick so they could

get another man's job away from him, anyhow," growled the nephew,

introducing his pet grievance. "I run that station a cussed sight better

than it's bein' run now; an' anybody's likely to make mistakes once in a

while."

"A few dollars, one way or another, ain't bustin' no railroad," asserted

the uncle. "It was only th' excuse they was a-waitin' for."

"Nobody can tell me no good about no railroad," said the freighter, his

fond memory resurrecting a certain lucrative wagon haul which had

vanished with the advent of the first train over the line.

"Hosses are good enough for me," said Tex, looking around. "Which

remark reminds me that a rider afoot is a helpless hombre. Bein' a

rider, without no cayuse, I'm a little anxious to get me a good one.

Anybody know where I can do it reasonable?"

All eyes turned to the head of the table, where Williams was washing

down his last mouthful of food with a gulp of hot, watery coffee. He

cleared his throat and peered closely, but pleasantly, at the stranger.

"Why, it's Mr. Jones," he said. "I reckon I have such a hoss, Mr.

Jones. Mebby it ain't any too well broken, but that hadn't oughter

bother a rider."

Tex grinned. "If that's all that's th' matter with it I reckon it'll

suit me; but I can tell better after I ride it, an' learn th' price."

"Want it tonight?" frowned Williams.

"No; I ain't in no hurry. Tomorrow'll be plenty of time, when you ain't

got nothin' else to do but show it. Speakin' of railroads like we was, I

reckon they ain't done nothin' very much for this town. While I'm new

to these parts, I'm betting Windsor was a whole lot better when th'

drive trail was alive an' kickin'."

Williams nodded emphatically. "I've seen these plains an' valleys thick

with cattle," he said, regretfully. "There was a time when I could see

th' dust clouds rollin' up from th' south an' away in th' north, both at

once, day after day. This town was a-hummin' every day an' night. Money

come easy an' went th' same way. Men dropped in here, lookin' like

tramps, almost, who could write good checks for thousands of dollars.

Th' buyers bought whole herds on th' seller's say-so, without even

seein' a hoof, an' sold 'em ag'in th' same way. Money flowed like

water, an' fair-sized fortunes was won an' lost at a single sittin'.

I've seen th' faro-bank busted three days hand-runnin'--but, of course,

that was very unusual. Mostly it was th' other way 'round. All one

summer an' fall it was like that. Then th' winter come, an' that was

th' end of it so fur's Windsor was concerned. Th' Kiowa Arroyo branch

line was pushed further an' further southwest until th' weather stopped

it; but it went on ag'in as soon as spring let it. By th' time th'

first herds crossed th' state line, headin' for here, that line of rails

was ready for 'em, an' not another big herd went past this town. Of

course, there was big herds drivin' north, just th' same, bound for th'

Yellowstone region on government contract, an' some was bein' sent out

to stock ranges in th' West, but they followed a new trail found by

Chisholm, or old McCullough. I've heard lately that Mac is workin' for

Twitchell an' Carpenter. But if you'd seen this town then you shore

wouldn't know it now. D--n th' railroads, says I!"

Tex frowned honestly at the thought of the passing of this once great

cattle trail, for the memories of those old trails lay snug and warm in

the hearts of the men who have followed them in the saddle. He looked

up at Williams, a congratulatory look on his face. "Well, that shore

was hard; but not as hard, I reckon, as if you had been a cattleman, an'

follered it. It sort of hurts an old-time cowman to think of them

trails."

"That's where yo're wrong," spoke up the nephew. "He is a cattleman.

Th' GW brand is known all over th' state, an' beyond. It was knowed by

every puncher that followed that old trail."

"There wasn't no such brand in them days," corrected Williams. He did

not think it necessary to say that the GW mark was just starting then,

far back in the hills and well removed from the trail; that it grew much

faster by the addition of fully grown cattle than it did by natural

increase; or that a view of the original brands on the full-grown cattle

would have been a matter of great and burning interest to almost every

drive boss who followed a herd along the trail. Later on, when he threw

his herd up for a count, the drive boss was likely to have re-added his

tally sheet and asked heaven and earth what had happened to him. "Well,

them days has gone; but when they went this town come blamed near goin'

with 'em. It shore ain't what it once was."

Tex thought that it was just as well, since the town was mean enough and

vicious enough as it was; he remembered vividly its high-water period;

but he nodded his head.

"It ain't hardly fair to judge it after such a long dry spell," he said.

"Th' whole country, south an' west of th' Missouri is fair burnin' up.

Th' Big Muddy herself was a-showin' all her bars."

"That's th' curse of this part of Kansas," said the nephew. "That an'

job jumpers."

"Yes?" asked Tex. "How's that?"

"Station agent a friend of yourn?"

It became evident to Tex that the uncle and the nephew had been

discussing him. Gus Williams was the only man to whom he had mentioned

the agent. He shook his head. "Never saw him before I stepped off th'

train today," he answered, looking vexed about something. "We up an'

had some words, an' I told him I reckoned he might find healthier towns

further west, across th' line. I'm a mild man, gents: but I allus speak

my mind."

"An' you gave him some cussed good advice," replied the nephew warmly.

"This ain't no place for any man as plays off sick an' does low-down

tricks to turn another man out of a job. If it wasn't for his sister

I'd 'a' buffaloed him _pronto_. Which reminds me, stranger," he warned

with an ugly leer. "She's a rip-snortin' fe-male--but I shore saw her

first. I'm just tellin' you so you won't get any notions that way. I'm

fencin' that range."

"Don't you worry, Hen," consoled a friend. "Yo're able to run herd on

her, balky as she is, an' when th' time's ripe you'll put yore brand on

her. So fur's th' job's concerned, yore uncle'll get it back for you

when he gets ready to move. We ought to ride that Saunders feller out

of town, _I_ say!"

"There's plenty of time for that," said Williams, as he turned to

address another diner. "John, show Mr. Jones that gray when he gits

around tomorrow. Aimin' to stay in town long, Mr. Jones?"

Tex shrugged his shoulders. "Got to wait for a letter--don't know what

to do; but I shore could be in worse places than this here hotel, so I

ain't worryin' a lot. Bein' a stranger, though, I reckon time'll drag a

little evenin's."

Various kinds of smiles replied to this, and Williams laughed outright.

"I reckon you understand th' innercent game of draw?" he chuckled.

Tex froze: "Sometimes I think I do," he said, and laughed to hide his

struggle against the pressure of the old temptation. He fairly burned

to turn his poker craft against this blowhard's invitation, to wipe from

that self-complacent face its look of omniscience. "An' then, sometimes

I reckon I don't," he continued; "but I'm admittin' she's plumb

fascinatin'. From th' pious expressions around me I reckon mebby I've

shocked somebody."

Williams led in the laughter that followed, his bull voice roaring

through the room. "You'd better buy that hoss before you assist in th'

evenin's worship," he cried in boisterous good humor, "for I'm sayin' a

puncher ain't nowhere near in th' prospector's class when it comes to

walkin'; though I reckon th' boys will play you for th' hoss, at that,

an' you'd be no better off in th' end. My remarks as how this town has

slid back didn't have nothin' to do with our poker playin', Mr. Jones.

If you feel like settin' in ag'in' a Kansas cyclone, you can't say I

didn't warn you."

Tex wondered what the crowd would say if he should lean over and pull a

royal flush out of Williams' ear, or a full-house from the nephew's

nose. They might be surprised if they found out that the cold-eyed

gunman at Williams' elbow carried a handful of Colt cartridges in his

tight-shut mouth. He had no rabbits to lift out of hats, but that trick

was threadbare from being overworked, anyhow. He waved both hands, a

smart-Aleck grin sweeping across his face. "I've rode cayuses, punched

cows, an' played draw from Texas to Montanny, an' near back ag'in. So

far I ain't throwed, rolled under, or cleaned out; an' I'm allus willin'

to be agreeable. Where you gents lead I'll foller, like a hungry calf

after its ma." His voice had grown loud and boastful and he joined the

swiftly forming card group with a swagger as it settled around the table

in the barroom, his bovine conceit hiding the silent struggle going on

within him.

Tex of the old days was fighting Tex of the new. The smug complacency

of the local boss stirred up the desire to break him to his last cent,

to make a fool of him in the way others had been broken and made

ridiculous; but the new Tex won: As usual he would play Hopalong's

game--which was as his opponents played, straight or crooked, as they

showed the way. He had no real wish for large winnings, for if he made

his expenses as he went along he would be satisfied, and he could do

that from his knowledge of psychology, a knowledge gained outside of

classrooms. He now had no reputation to defend or maintain, for Tex

Jones was not Tex Ewalt, famed throughout the cow-country. The new name

meant nothing. But how pleasant it would be to repeat history in this

town, so far as Williams was concerned!

He always had claimed that he could learn a man's real nature more

quickly in a game of poker than in any other way in the same length of

time, and he did not mean some one more prominent trait, but the man's

nature as a whole; and now he set himself to study his new acquaintances

against some future need. The game itself would not engross him to the

exclusion of all else, for while he was Tex Jones externally, it would

be Tex Ewalt who played the hands, the Tex Ewalt who as a youth had

discovered an uncanny ability in sleight of hand and whose freshman and

sophomore years had given so much time to developing and perfecting the

eye-baffling art that every study had suffered heavily in consequence;

the Tex Ewalt who had found that his ability was peculiarly adaptive to

cards, and who had given all his attention to that connection when once

he had started to travel along the line of least resistance. So well

had he succeeded that seasoned gamblers from the Mexican line north to

Canada had been forced to admit his mastery.

Before the end of the second deal he had learned the rest of the

nephew's more prominent characteristics, but had not bothered to

retaliate for the cheating. On the third deal he was forced to

out-cheat a miner to keep even with the game. Before the evening's play

was over he had renewed his knowledge of Gus Williams, and now knew him

as well as that loud-voiced individual knew himself; and he had not

incurred the enmity of the boss, because while Tex had won from the

others he had lost to him. While not yielding to the temptations

rampant in him, he had compromised and left Williams in a ripe condition

for a future skinning. At the end of the play only he and Williams had

won.

As the others pushed back their chairs to leave the table, Williams

ignored them and looked at Tex. "You an' me seem to be th' best," he

said loudly. "So there won't be no doubt about it, let's settle it

between us."

Tex raised a belated hand too late to hide his yawn, blinked sleepily,

and squinted at the clock. "I'm surprised it's so late," he said. "It

takes a lot out of a man to play ag'in' this crowd. My head's fair

achin'. What you say if we let it go till tomorrow night? I been

travelin' for three days an' nights an' ain't slept much. You'd take it

away from me before I could wake up."

Williams laughed sarcastically. "You shore been crossin' a lot of sand

since you left th' Big Muddy, but I don't reckon none of it got inter

yore system." He paused to let the words sink in, and for a reply, and

none being forthcoming he laughed nastily as he arose. "Texas is a

sandy state, too. Reckon you was named before anybody knowed very much

about you."

Tex paled, fought himself to a standstill and shrugged his shoulders.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bud Haines, the cold-eyed bodyguard,

become suddenly more alert.

"Windsor's got a h--l of a way of welcomin' strangers," he said.

"You'll have a different kind of a kick to make tomorrow night, for

you'll be eatin' sand. I play poker when I feel like it: just now I

don't feel like it. I'll say good night."

"Ha-ha-ha!" shouted Williams. "He don't feel like it, boys! Ha-ha-ha!"

Tex stopped, turned swiftly, pulled out a roll of bills that was a

credit to his country and slammed it on the table, reaching for the

scattered deck. "Mebby you feel like puttin' up seven hundred dollars

ag'in' mine, one cut, th' highest card, to take both piles? Ha-ha-ha!"

he mimicked. "Here's action if that's what yo're lookin' for!"

Williams' face turned a deep red and he cursed under his breath.

"That's a baby game: I said poker!" he retorted, making no effort to get

nearer to the table.

"That's mebby why I picked it," snapped Tex, stuffing the roll back into

his pocked. "You can wait till tomorrow night for poker." Turning his

back on the wrathful Williams and the open-mouthed audience, he yawned

again, muttered something to express his adieus, and clomped heavily and

slowly up the stairs, his body shaking with repressed laughter; and when

he fell asleep a few minutes later there was a placid smile on his

clean-shaven face.

*CHAPTER IV*

*A CROWDED DAY*

After a late breakfast about noon Tex got the gunny sack, threw it over

his shoulder and went to the Mecca, nodding to the proprietor in a

spirit of good-will and cheerfulness. Bud Haines did not appear to be

about.

"I come in to see about that cayuse," he said. "Where'll I find it?"

"Go down to th' stable an' see John," growled Williams. "You'll find it

next to Carney's saloon, across th' street. Got rested up yet?" The

question was not pleasantly asked.

Tex threw the sack over the other shoulder, hunched it to a more

comfortable position, and grinned sheepishly. "Purty near, I reckon;

anyhow, I got over my grouch. I was shore peevish last night; but th'

railroad's to blame for that. They say they are necessary, an' great

blessin's; but I ain't so shore about it. Outside of my personal grudge

ag'in' 'em, I'm sore because they've shore played th' devil with th'

range. Cut it all up--an' there ain't no more pickin' along th' old

trails no more, like there once was. I don't reckon punchers has got

any reason to love 'em a whole lot."

Williams flashed him a keen look and slowly nodded. "Yo're right: look

at what they've done to this town. We ain't seen no real money since

they came."

Tex shifted the sack again. "Everybody had money in them days," he

growled. "If a feller went busted along th' trails he allus could pick

up a few dollars, if he had a good cayuse an' a little nerve. Why,

among them hills--but that ain't concernin' us no more, I reckon." He

shook his head sadly. "What's gone is gone. Reckon I'll go look at

that cayuse. You ain't got no letter for me yet, have you?"

"Le's see--Johnson?" puzzled the storekeeper, scratching his unshaven

chin.

"No; Jones," prompted Tex innocently, hiding his smile.

"Oh, shore!" said his companion, slowly shaking his head. "There ain't

nothin' for you so far."

Tex did not think that remarkable not only because there never would be

anything for him, but also because there had been no mail since he had

asked the day before; but he grunted pessimistically, shifted the sack

again, and turned to the door. "See you later," he said, going out.

He easily found the stable, grinned at the bleached, weather-beaten

"Williams" painted over the door and going into the smelly, cigar-box

office, dumped the sack against the wall and nodded to John Graves.

"Come down to look at that cayuse Williams spoke about last night," he

said, drawing a sleeve across his wet forehead.

"Shore; come along with me," said Graves, arising and passing out into

the main part of the building, Tex at his heels. "Here he is, Mr.

Jones--as fine a piece of hossflesh as a man ever straddled. Got

brains, youth, an' ginger. Sound as a dollar. Cost you eighty, even.

You'll go far before you'll find a better bargain."

Tex looked at the teeth, passed a hypnotic hand down each leg in turn as

he talked to the gray in a soothing voice. Children, horses, and dogs

liked him at first look. He frankly admired the animal from a distance,

but sadly shook his head.

"Fine cayuse, an' a fair price," he admitted; "but I'm dead set ag'in'

grays. Had two of 'em once, one right after th' other--an' come near to

dyin' on 'em both. If I didn't get killed, they did, anyhow. It's sort

of set me ag'in' grays. Now, there's a roan that strikes me as a hoss

I'd consider ownin'. Of course, he ain't as good as th' gray, but he

suits me better." He walked over to the magnificent animal, which was

far and away superior to the gray, and talked to it in a low, caressing

voice as he made a quick examination. "Yes, this cayuse suits me if th'

price is right. If we can agree on that I'll lead him down th' street

an' see how he steps out. Ain't got nothin' else to do, anyhow."

Graves frowned and slowly shook his head. "Rather not part with that

one--an' he's a two-hundred-dollar animal, anyhow. It's a sort of pet

of th' boss--he's rid it since it was near old enough to walk. That

gray's th' best I've got for sale, unless, mebby, it might be that

sorrel over there. Now, there's a mighty good hoss, come to think of

it."

Tex glanced at the beautiful line of the roan's back and thought of the

massive weight of Williams, and of the sway-back bay standing saddled in

front of his store. He shook his head. "Two hundred's too high for me,

friend," he replied. "As I said, I don't like grays, an' that sorrel

has shore got a mean eye. It ain't spirit that's showin', but just

plumb treachery. If you got off him out on th' range he'd head for home

an' leave you to hoof it after him. I got an even hundred for th' roan.

Say th' word an' we trade."

Graves waved his arms and enumerated the roan's good points as only a

horse dealer can. The discussion was long and to no result. Tex added

twenty-five dollars to the hundred he had offered and the whole thing

was gone over again, but to no avail. He picked up the sack, slung it

onto his back, and turned to leave.

"I'm shore surprised at th' prices for cayuses in this part of th'

country," he said. "Mebby I can make a dicker with somebody else. Of

course, I'm admittin' that th' roan ain't got a sand crack like th'

sorrel, or a spavin like th' gray--but that's too much money for a

saddle hoss for a puncher out of a job. See you tonight, mebby."

Graves waved his arms again. "I'm tellin' you that you won't find no

hoss in town like that roan--why, th' color of that animal is worth half

th' price. Just look at it!"

"All of which I admits," replied Tex; "but, you see, I'm buyin' me a

hoss to ride, not to put on th' parlor table for to admire. Comin'

right down to cases, any hoss but a gray, that's sound, an' not too old,

is good enough for any puncher. You should 'a' seen some that I've

rode, an' been proud of!"

"Seein' that yo're a lover of good hossflesh, I'll take a chance of Gus

gettin' peeved, an' let you have th' roan for one-ninety. That's as low

as I can drop. Can't shave off another dollar."

"It's too rich for Tex Jones," grumbled the puncher. "See you tonight,"

and the sack bobbed toward the door just as a sudden brawl sounded in

the street. Tex took two quick steps and glanced.

A miner and a cowpuncher were rolling in the dust, biting, hitting,

gouging, and wrestling and, as Tex looked he saw the puncher's gun slip

out of its open-top sheath. The fighting pair rolled away from it and

someone in the closely following crowd picked it up to save it for its

owner. The puncher, pounds lighter than his brawny antagonist, rapidly

was getting the worst of the rough-and-tumble in which the other's

superior weight and strength had full opportunity to make itself felt.

Suddenly the miner, thrown from his victim by a tremendous effort,

leaped to his feet, snarling like a beast, and knicked at the puncher's

head. The heavy, hob-nailed boot crashed sickeningly home and as the

writhing man went suddenly limp, the victor aimed another kick at his

unconscious enemy. His foot swung back, but it never reached its mark.

A forty-pound saddle in a sack shot through the air with all of a strong

man's strength behind it and, catching the miner balanced on one foot,

it knocked him sprawling through ten feet of dust and debris. Following

the sack came Tex, his eyes blazing.

The miner groped in the dust, slowly sat up, moving his head from side

to side as he got his bearings. At once his eyes cleared and his hand

streaked to the knife in his belt as he half arose. Tex leaped aside as

the heavy weapon cut through the air to sink into a near-by wall, where

it quivered. The thrower was on his feet now, his face working with

rage, and he sprang forward, both arms circling before him. Tex swiftly

gripped one outstretched wrist, turned sharply as he pushed his shoulder

under the armpit and suddenly bent forward, facing away from his

antagonist. The miner left the ground on the surging heave of the

puncher's shoulder, shot up into the air, turned over once as Tex, not

wishing him to break his neck, pulled down hard on the imprisoned arm,

and landed feet first against the wall, squarely under the knife.

Bouncing up with remarkable vitality, the miner wrenched at the wicked

weapon above him and then cursed as the steel, leaving its point

embedded in the wood, flew out of his hand.

Tex shoved the smoking Colt back into his holster and peered through the

acrid, gray fog. "If you don't know when yo're licked, you better take

my word for it," he warned. "Seein' as how yo're a rubber ball, I'll

make shore th' third time!"

A snarl replied and the miner leaped for him, the hairy hands not so far

extended this time. Tex broke ground with two swift steps and then,

unexpectedly slipping to one side and forward in two perfectly timed

motions, swung a rigid, bent arm as the charging miner went blunderingly

past. The bony fist landed fair above the belt buckle and it was nearly

half an hour later before the prospector knew where he was, and then he

was too sick to care much.

Tex turned and faced the crowd with insolent slowness. His glance passed

from face to face, finding some friendliness, much surprise, and a few

frank scowls. He stepped up to the man who had retrieved the puncher's

gun and, ignoring the crowd altogether, took the weapon from the

reluctant fingers which held it and went back to the front of the

stable, where Graves had succeeded in bringing the prostrate puncher

back to consciousness. Tex ran his fingers over the wobbly man's head

and face, grunted, nodded, and smiled.

"Bad bruise, but nothin' is busted. Why there ain't I'm shore _I_ don't

know. I figgered you was a goner. Here, take yore gun, an' let us help

you into th' stable."

Once on his feet the puncher pushed free from the sustaining hands and

staggered to a box just inside the door, where he carefully seated

himself, drew the Colt, and rested it on his knees, his blurred,

throbbing eyes watching the street.

Tex grinned. "You can put that up ag'in--he's had all he can digest for

a little while. Punchin' for Williams?"

"I'm ridin' for Curtis: C Bar. Over northeast, a couple of hours out.

I'm keepin' th' gun where it is: th' miners run this town. Where do you

fit in? One of th' GW gang?"

"Nope; I'm all of th' Tex Jones outfit. Stranger here, but shore

gettin' acquainted rapid. Got any good cayuses for sale out at yore

place? Our mutual friend, here, wants th' Treasury for th' only good

animal he's got. Bein' a stranger is a handicap."

Graves leaned forward. "That hoss is worth--" he began in great

earnestness.

"--not one red cent to me, now," interrupted Tex, smiling. "Come to

think of it, I ain't goin' to buy no hoss, a-tall. I've changed my

mind."

"We got th' usual run out on th' ranch," said the injured man. "You

know 'em, I reckon. Poor on looks, mean as all h--l, with hearts

crowded with sand. I'll be leavin' in half an hour if th' miners don't

interfere--borry a cayuse an' ride out with me."

"Nope," replied Tex. "I ain't goin' to buy, a-tall, as I just said."

He turned. "Good luck to you, friend. Barrin' th' soreness, an' yore

looks yo're all right," and he went out, picked up the bulging sack, and

passed down the street. Leaving the sack with the bartender in the

hotel he went on to the station and smiled at the agent, who was joking

with a red-headed Irishman.

"Hello; here he is now," exclaimed the boss of the depot. "Friend,

shake hands with Tim Murphy. Tim, this is Mr.--Mr.----"

"Jones," supplied Tex. "Tex Jones, of Montanny, Texas, an' New York."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Geography," grinned Murphy. "Th' lad here was

a-tellin' me ye gave him a friendly word an' some good advice. From

that I was knowin' ye didn't belong around here. I'll shake yer hand if

ye don't mind. Th' sack wint like an arrow, th' wrestlin' trick

couldn't be bate, I never saw a nicer shot, an' th' finish does ye

proud. Ye fair tickled me when ye wint for th' soft spot. 'Tis a rare

sight in street fights, an' in th' ring, too, for that matter. Welcome

to Windsor!"

Tex laughed heartily and gripped the hairy fist. He liked the feel of

the great, calloused hand, and the look on the smiling, tanned face,

from which twinkled a pair of blue eyes alight with humor, honesty, and

courage. "But did you ever see a man come back as quick as he did?" he

asked.

"'Twas surprisin' for a bully," admitted Murphy, grudgingly.

"That's where yo're wrong: he's no bully," contradicted Tex. "He's a

brute, all right, savage as th' devil, an' foul in his fightin'--but he

ain't any coward. It fair stuck out of his eyes."

"Trust me to miss anything like that," growled the agent; "and trust Tim

not to," he added.

"Hist, now!" warned Murphy, motioning with his thumb held close to his

vest. "Here comes th' lass. An' what do ye be thinkin' av th' town

now, Mr. Jones?"

"Just what you do," laughed Tex, turning slowly.

"An' how are ye this day, miss?" asked Murphy, his hat in his hand and

his red face beaming.

"Very well, indeed, Tim," replied the girl. She glanced at Tex as she

turned to her brother, holding out the lunch basket. "Jerry, I couldn't

get any decent eggs--and they had no milk for me." There was a poorly

hidden note of distress in her voice, and a faint look of anxiety

momentarily clouded her face. Neither was lost to the observant

puncher.

Tex liked her instantly. Her voice was full and sweet, of resonant

timbre--a voice one would not easily tire of. Her figure was slender,

and yet full and rounded, promising a wiry strength and great vitality.

The sunbonnet she wore hid most of the chestnut-brown hair, but set off

the face within it with a bewitching art. Altogether she made a very

pretty picture.

"It doesn't matter, Jane," smiled her brother, quick to sense her worry.

He pinched the full lips with caressing playfulness. "I'm getting

stronger every day, and food isn't as critical a subject as it once was.

The credit is all yours--Jane, meet Mr. Jones. I was speaking about him

last night."

Tex bowed gravely. "How do you do?" he murmured. "Conscientious care is

more than half of the battle. The credit he gave you appears to be well

deserved."

Jane Saunders, accustomed to embarrassed self-consciousness or

stammering volubility, smiled faintly as she acknowledged the

introduction. The man was as impersonal and as sure of himself as any

she ever had met. She looked him fairly in the eyes.

"How did you come to advise my brother to go farther west?" she asked,

but while her voice was casual, her look challenged him.

"It was given upon certain conditions of the weather this winter,

Miss--I do not believe I caught the name."

"No fault of yours," she laughed. "Jerry always ignores it in his

introductions. It is Jane Saunders. Then it was only in the nature of

a physician's advice?" she persisted, her eyes searching his soul for

the truth.

Tex nodded. "My knowledge of his complaint is very sketchy; but like

all amateurs I paraded what little I had. I thought that perhaps the

winters out here might not be as dry as they are farther west. No doubt

it was entirely uncalled for. We will hope so, anyway."

"Are you a physician, Mr. Jones?"

"No, indeed; although I went part way through the course. What little

time I had left from more interesting activities, I gave to study."

"Ye was speakin' about th' aigs an' milk, miss," said Murphy, his face

alight with eager anticipation. He chuckled. "Ye needn't be askin' no

more favors av Williams' black heart. I've a little somethin' to show

ye all, if ye'll step down th' track a bit. An' Costigan is goin' to

get him a cow. Th' missus said th' word, an' divvil a bit Mike can

wiggle out av it. Ye'll have first call on th' milk, so I hear. Mr.

Jones, if ye'll be kind enough to escort Jerry, I'll lead th' march with

th' lass."

"Oh, well," sighed Tex, gravely offering his arm to the station agent,

"I suppose it _is_ yore party; but I'm admittin' yo're not overlookin'

Number One. Lead on, MacDuff." He caught her quick glance at the

abrupt change in his language, and smiled to himself. It never paid to

be too well understood by a woman.

"Th' Irish are noted for bein' judges av good whiskey, fine hosses, an'

fair wimmin," retorted Murphy. "I'll take no chances of any pearls

bein' cast careless."

"I notice you put th' wimmin last," countered Tex. "Grunt, Jerry!

Quick, man! Before Miss Saunders looks around!"

"He said pearly, Mr. Jones," said Jane, laughingly. "I'm afraid he

intended it all to be plural."

"It was wrongly written in th' first place," complained Tex. "Tim has

an uncanny instinct; he only met me about ten minutes ago."

"Ten is a-plenty, sometimes," chuckled Murphy. "But I'll own to havin'

a previous sight av ye. Wait now: here we are."

They stopped in front of the toolhouse and watched Murphy walk along one

of the two ties spanning the drainage ditch at the edge of the roadbed.

He unlocked the doors and flung them wide open as a clamorous cackling

broke out in the building. On one end of a hand car was a crate of

chickens and leaning against it were several bundles of long stakes. A

pile of new lumber could be seen in the back of the shed, while a fat

spool of wire rested near the stakes.

Murphy turned, his face red with delight at his surprise. "There ye are,

miss," he cried proudly. "A round dozen av them, with their lord an'

master. I couldn't let that Mike Costigan go puttin' on his airs over

his boss, so now there'll be aigs for aignoggs that I'll have a claim

to. For safe-keepin' we'll build th' coop in yore back yard where it

will be right handy for ye. Ye can now tell Williams to kape his aigs.

If he don't understand yer soft language, I'll be tellin' him in a way

he can't mistook."

"You angel!" whispered Jane, tears in her eyes. She was not misled by

his remarks about eggnoggs. "Oh, Tim--you shouldn't have done it! Why

didn't _I_ think of it? And how is it that Mrs. Costigan suddenly needs

a cow? If I've heard her aright, she has stalwart, old-fashioned ideas,

bless her, about nursing children. And I never knew she was partial to

eggnoggs. Jerry, what shall we do to them?"

Jerry blew his nose with energy. "For a cent I'd lick Murphy right now,

and Mike immediately afterward," he laughed, sizing up the huge bulk of

bone, sinew, and toil-hardened muscle of the section-boss. "Tim, you

and your boys are the one redeeming feature of this country. And you

redeem it fully. How long have you been plotting this?"

"G'wan with ye, th' pair av ye!" chuckled the section-boss, his face

flaming. "If Casey hadn't stopped th' train down by this shed yesterday

we couldn't 'a' surprised ye. Ye never saw a consignment handled

quicker or more gintly."

"And I was wondering why he did it," confessed Jerry. "The brakeman said

he was trying his brakes. Tim, you should be ashamed of yourself!"

"An' I've been that, many a time," retorted Murphy. He turned to Tex.

"I'll be leavin' it to ye, Mr. Jones, if a man hasn't certain rights

after bein' nursed for three weeks by a brown-haired angel, an' knowin'

that th' same angel nursed Mrs. Costigan an' th' twins whin they was all

down with th' measles. Patient an' unselfish, she was, with never a

cross word, day or night--an' always with a smile on her pretty face,

like th' sun on Lake Killarney."

Tex looked gravely and judicially at Jane Saunders. "You haven't a word

to say, Miss Saunders. The verdict of the court is for the defendant.

Case dismissed, without costs of either party against the other." He

turned to the section-boss. "When are we buildin' that coop, Murphy?"

he asked.

"Tomorrow, Tex," answered the Irishman. "We'll be after runnin' th'

darlin's up there right away, an' come back for th' lumber an' wire.

That'll give us an early start. Th' sidin' will let us ride 'em near

halfway an' save a lot of flounderin' in th' sand."

"We'd better come back for th' darlin's after th' coop is ready for

'em," said Tex, grinning. "If I know coyotes as well as I reckon I do,

th' harem will be a lot safer in this here shed; an' I'm glad it's got a

board floor, too. Lend a hand here an' we'll change th' cargo on this

meek steed. _Gently, brother, gently pray_. Now for th' lumber." He

burst into a chant: "_I once was a bloody pirate bold, an' I sailed on

th' Spanish Main, yo-ho! Th' treasure chests were full of gold, which

gave us all a pain you know._" He glanced at one of his hands and

grimaced. "Blast th' splinters. An' would you look at that corn?

Blessed if th' man hasn't got enough to feed another Custer expedition!

Murphy, you certainly do grow on one!"

Murphy paused with a huge armful of lumber, and looked suspicious. "On

one what?" he demanded.

"Prickly pear plant, I reckon, in lieu of anything else; or on a

mesquite tree, perhaps, for you shore do know beans when th' pod's open.

_An' it stopped--short--never to go again, when th' old--man--died,_"

hummed Tex. "All aboard. Clang-clang! Clang-clang! I can still hear

that bell in my sleep. Yo're th' engineer, Murphy; I'll act in an

advisory capacity, at th' same time pushing hard on my very own handle.

Ladies first! Miss Saunders, if you please! That's right, for you might

as well ride in state. Up you go. From your elevated position you may

scan the country roundabout and give us warning of the approach of

redskins. _A Book of Verses underneath the Bough, a Jug of Wine, a Loaf

of Bread_--and fried eggs--_Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!_"

"I see no redskins, Advisory Capacity," called Jane, who thoroughly was

enjoying herself; "but hither rides a horseman on a horse."

Tex looked up and saw a recklessly riding puncher coming toward them.

He slyly exchanged grins with Murphy and kept on pushing.

The rider, smiling as well as a swollen face and throbbing temples would

permit, slid to a stand, removed his sombrero and bowed.

"My name's Tom Watkins," he said. "I just come down to tell you,

friend, that I've learned what you done for me, awhile back. I'm----"

Tex interrupted him. "You just came down in time, Thomas, to drop yore

useful rope over that bobbin' handle an' head west at a plain,

unornamental walk. High-heeled boots was never made for pushin' han'

cars over ties an' rocks. An' I suspect Murphy of stealin' a ride every

time my head goes down."

"Then I'd be cheatin' myself," retorted Murphy, looking upon the

newcomer with strong favor. "Th' car would be after stoppin' every time

I rode, like th' little boat with th' big whistle." He turned to the

agent. "Jerry, there's no tellin' how fast this car will be goin', for I

misdoubt that animal's intentions. Suppose ye run along an' throw th'

switch for us. Hadn't ye better get down, miss?"

"Not for the world, Tim!"

The disfigured puncher grinned even wider, dropped his rope over the

handle with practiced art and wheeled his horse. "What'll I do when I

git to th' end of th' rails?" he asked, mischievous deviltry, unabashed

by what had befallen him, shining in his eyes, and there was an eager

curiosity revealed by his voice.

"What'll he do, Murphy?" demanded Tex.

"He'll stop, blast him!" emphatically answered the section-boss.

"You'll stop, Thomas," said Tex. "As Hamlet said: 'Go on, I'll follow

thee!'"

"But he's not nearly a ghost yet," objected Jane. Her cheeks were

flushed, her eyes sparkling from the fun she was having. Many days had

passed since she had had so good a time. It was a treat to get away

from the ever-lasting "Yes, ma'am" and "No, ma'am" which had been the

formula for conversation with everyone to whom she had talked except her

brother and Murphy.

"No, ma'am," said the puncher. "Not yet."

Jane shuddered and grimaced at Tex as the rider turned away. "That's

all I've heard since I've been out here," she softly called down to him.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, not daring to look up. The procession wended

onward to the edification of sundry stray dogs, and Costigan's goats,

tethered near the toolshed, promptly went into consultation as to what

measures to pursue, apparently deciding upon a defensive course of

action if the worst came to pass.

The end of the rails reached, the engineer of the motive power stopped,

sized up the ground roundabout and then looked hopefully at his

companions. "Reckon we can manage th' haul. Totin' them boards afoot

shore will be tirin'. Where we drivin' to?"

Jerry pointed out the little house, but shook his head. "We can't make

it."

"Cowboy," said Tex, "that ain't no plowhorse. When she feels th' drag

of this vehicle in th' sand she'll display her frank an' candid thoughts

about it."

"Then blindfold her," suggested Tom Watkins. "She won't know it ain't a

steer she's fastened to. You fellers can git behind an' push, too."

"'_Sic transit gloria mundi,_'" murmured Jane, preparing to descend to

earth.

"'_Sic transit_' glorious Monday," repeated Tex, stepping to assist her.

"Only it ain't Monday. Take my honest hand, lady, and jump." He turned

and looked at the grinning engineer. "Now, you cactus-eatin' burro, try

yore handkerchief. If _our_ idea works, all right; if yore idea don't

work, it's Murphy's fault. Commence!"

"I'm thinkin' it would work better if th' car was off th' track,"

caustically commented Murphy. "I misdoubt if we can climb that buffer;

th' flanges on these wheels are deep an' strong an' I'm shore we can't

pull th' rails over. If th' engineer will lend a hand here we mebby can

clear th' track without unloadin'. I'll take th' off side; ye byes take

th' other, which makes it even, for it is a well-known fact that one

Irish section-boss is worth two punchers. Are ye ready, now?"

"I've heard they can run faster than two cowpunchers," retorted Tex.

"For the ashes of your fathers, _lift_! Try it again--now. Inch her

over--that's the way. Now then, _lift_! Once more--_lift_! Phew! All

right: proceed, cowboy," he grunted.

"Hold yer horses!" shouted Murphy. "What's th' good av a section-boss

that can't lay a track?" he demanded, taking up a two-by-four, Tex

following his lead. The car was lifted onto the timbers and the

procession went on again. "Will they spread, now?" queried Murphy

doubtfully, watching them closely. He had just decided they would not

when they did. After numerous troubles the little house was reached,

the lumber unloaded, and the car sent back without rails.

"Goin' to make any more hauls?" asked the horseman.

"We are not," said Tex with emphasis. "We could 'a' toted this stuff

over in half th' time. _Tempus_ fidgets, an' I'm catchin' it. Yore

ideas are plumb fine till they're put in practice."

"_My_ ideas?" queried the disfigured rider, his rising eyebrows pushing

wrinkles onto his forehead. "Didn't you tell me to chuck my rope over

that bobbin' handle?"

"Do you allus have to do what yo're told?" retorted Tex. "Answer me

that! Do you?"

The rider looked down at Jane, who was nearly convulsed, and sighed with

deep regret, and because her presence forbade the only appropriate

retort, he shook his head sorrowfully and turned to haul the car back to

the track.

"Hey!" called Tex. "Sling them spools of barb wire across yore saddle.

We might as well get more of that stuff while we have yore good-natured

assistance. Just chuck it on any place an' bring it here."

"You just can't chuck a spool of wire on a saddle any place," retorted

the puncher. "Was you speakin' about ideas?"

"An' while yer about it," said Murphy, "ye might bring back a spade, th'

saws, three hammers, that box av nails, an' them staples. Th' staples

are in a little keg--th' one without th' handle. I've a mind to start

buildin' today. What do ye say, Tex? Good for ye: yer a man after me

own heart."

Despite his aches and bruises the puncher's feet left the stirrups and

slowly went up until he stood with his shoulder on the saddle. He waved

his legs three times and resumed the correct posture for riding. Words

were hopelessly inadequate. He looked at Jane, who was shrieking and

pointing at the ground under the horse. Thomas craned his neck and

looked down. He thereupon dismounted and picked up one Colt's .45, one

pocket-knife, one watch which now needed expert attention, various

coins, a plug of tobacco, and three horseshoe nails. Murphy stared at

him, spat disgustedly, and attacked the pile of lumber.

After the puncher's return the work went on rapidly, and when the roof

of the coop was finished, the three perspiring workmen stepped back to

admire it.

"We've got to slat them windows," said Tex, thinking of coyotes.

"An' we got thirteen nests to build," said Thomas Watkins.

"Th' saints be praised!" ejaculated Murphy, staring incredulously at the

battle-scarred recruit. "Mebby there'll be a coincidence about twelve

layin' all at once, but there won't be no thirteenth on th' job. Mebby

yer thinkin' th' Sultan will nest down alongside them to set them a good

example? Six boxes will be a-plenty, Tommy, my lad."

Tommy tilted his sombrero to scratch his head. "Well, if you reckon

there won't be no stampedin', mebby six will be enough, 'though I'd hate

to think of 'em milling frantic for their turn on th' nests. An' while

we're speakin' of calamities, I'm sayin' good chickens will fly over th'

fence you fellers aim to build. Six feet ain't high enough, nohow."

"We clip their wings, Tommy," enlightened Tex.

"We clip one wing close up," corrected Murphy. "That lifts 'em on one

side an' flops 'em around in a circle. I can easy see you ain't no _hen

puncher_."

"Th' principle is sound in theory an' proved by practice," said Tex.

"Just like when you saw off th' laigs on one side of a steer. That

allus keeps 'em from jumpin' fences."

"Too cussed bad you stopped that miner," growled Watkins. "I'd 'a' been

a whole lot better off dead."

"We're sorry, too," retorted Murphy. "Now, then; we got a four-sided

fence to build, three posts to a side. That's a dozen holes to dig."

"Tell you what," suggested Tommy, winking at Tex. "You can handle a

spade all around us, one Irish section-boss bein' worth two punchers.

Besides we only got one spade for th' three of us. You dig th' north

an' south sides while me an' Tex start on nests an' put up th' roosts.

Then we'll dig th' east an' west sides while yo're settin' yore posts

an' tampin' 'em."

"An I'll have mine set while you fellers git ready to start on yer

roosts," boasted Murphy, grabbing the spade and starting to work. Jane

Saunders, who had come up unobserved, suddenly stuffed her handkerchief

in her mouth and fled back to the house.

There ensued great hammering and frantic dirt throwing. Tex and his

companion were hampered by mirth and were only building the last nest

when Murphy stuck his head in the door.

"Ye wouldn't last in no gang av mine!" he jeered. "I got me holes dug

an' th' posts set. Set 'em single-handed an' they're true as a plumb

line."

"All right, Murphy," said Tommy without looking up. "Run along an' do

th' other two while we're finishin' up. It's gettin' late."

"Tryin' to lay it onto me, eh?" demanded Murphy. "You an' yer two post

holes! Ye must think--" he stopped short, thought a moment, and then

slyly glanced out at the unfinished sides of the enclosure. "Hivin save

us!" he muttered and slipped out without another word.

Tommy wiped his eyes and leaned against the wall for support. "Four

sides," he babbled. "Three to a side: that's a dozen holes to dig! He

will make smart remarks about my thirteen nests, will he?"

"Figures don't lie, an' logic is logic," laughed Tex. "Reckon we can't

finish th' fence today; but it don't make no difference, anyhow. Them

chickens are as safe in th' toolshed as they'd be up here. Did you

close th' doors when you left?" he demanded anxiously.

"Yes; too many hungry, stray dogs around. I'd liked to 'a' gone to th'

finish with you boys, but I got to get back to th' ranch. Climb up

behind me an' I'll let you off at th' hotel."

"I'll wait for Murphy," replied Tex. "He'll mebby need help about

somethin'. I'm cussed glad to know you, Watkins; an' I've shore had a

circus today."

"You pulled me out of a bad hole, Tex; an' you shore as shootin' dug one

for yoreself. This town's run by th' miners, a lot of hoof-poundin'

grubs, with pack mules for pardners. There's been feelin's between us

an' them walkin' fools," here he voiced the riders' contempt for men who

walked, "for a long time. Yo're a puncher, an' you shore come out flat

an' took sides today. Tell you what--either you come out to th' ranch

with me, or I'll stay here in town with you. Come along: we'll find you

a good cayuse, an' not rob you, neither."

"Can't do it, Tommy," replied Tex, warming to his new acquaintance. "I

got my eye on a roan beauty an' I'm goin' to own him by tomorrow. He

won't cost me a red cent. So far's danger is concerned, I ain't in none

that my tongue or my six-gun can't get me out of. But I'll ride out an'

pay yore outfit a visit after I get th' roan."

"That's th' third best cayuse in this section," replied Tommy.

"Williams owns all three of 'em, too. There ain't nothin' on th' ranch

that can touch any of 'em." He paused and looked closely at his

companion. "You heard any war-talk ag'in' th' agent?"

"Only a rumblin', far off," answered Tex. "Th' dust ain't plain yet, so

I can't tell how it's headin'. What do you know about it?"

"Not half as much as Murphy, I bet," replied Watkins. "You ask him.

It's a cussed shame for a man to be hounded by a pack of dogs. Well,

I'm off. Remember that you got friends on th' C Bar when you need 'em,

which you shore as shootin' will. We'll come a-runnin'." He shook

hands and went out, Tex loafing after him as far as the door. "Tim, I

reckon you an' Tex can manage to get along without me now, so I'll drift

along. I'm due at th' ranch."

"Whose?" asked Murphy carelessly, trying a post to see if it was well

set.

"Julius Caesar Curtis: Judy, for short," answered Watkins, holding out

his hand. "You can leave th' other four posts for me to set when I come

in again," he grinned.

"For a bye's-sized chew av tobaccy I'd skin ye," chuckled Tim, shaking

the hand heartily. "Much obliged, Thomas, me son. Come in an' see us

when ye can. There's so few decent men in this part av th' country that

ye'll be welcome as th' flowers av spring."

Tommy swung into the saddle, raised his hat to the woman who appeared in

the kitchen door, and whirled around to leave.

"Mr. Watkins!" called Jane, running toward the little group. "You are

not going to leave without your supper? Your place is set and Jerry is

pouring the coffee."

Tommy Watkins flushed, swallowed his Adam's apple, looked blankly at Tex

and Tim, stammered gibberish, and managed to convey the impression that

the salvation of the ranch and its outfit depended on his immediate

departure. His mute appeal for moral support was coldly received by his

fellow-builders.

"I do not wish to be rude, Mr. Watkins," smiled Jane, "and I would not

wish to turn you from your duty: but I shall be a little disappointed if

you won't allow me to show my poor appreciation of what you have done

for us. But I will not press you: if not tonight, then some other

time?"

The savior of the C Bar flushed deeper, received scowling looks from his

late bosom companions, who knew a liar when they heard one, and he

ducked his head quickly. "Yes, ma'am," he blurted eagerly. "I'd admire

to stay, but Curtis shore is dependin' on me to git back. If you'll

excuse me, ma'am--I--so--by," and he was whirling away in a cloud of

dust, his sombrero held out at arm's length.

Murphy looked gravely at Tex and flushed slightly. "He has an important

job, miss," he said.

Tex looked gravely at Murphy and did not flush. "A great weight for

shoulders so young," he lied, suspecting, however, that Tommy might have

acquired, during the course of the day, a very great weight, indeed. He

had observed his glances at Jane.

She smiled inscrutably and turned to look at the coop, clapping her

hands in delight. "Isn't it fine, and new, and piney!" she exclaimed,

sniffing the tangy odor. "And it looks so strong--I must peek in for a

moment."

There was not much room to spare when they all had entered, a fact which

Tex easily explained.

"You see, Miss Saunders," he said, waving his hands, "it is to serve

only as a nesting place and a shelter from predatory animals. During

the day your flock will roam about the enclosure outside; but at

twilight, without fail, it must be confined securely in this coop. No

self-respecting coyote will be restrained for five minutes by the

wire--he either will force himself between the strands, or dig under;

and there are any number of those thieves around this town. They cannot

be trapped or baffled--they will outwait or outwit any watcher. The

only thing that will stop them is something physically impregnable.

"Tim and I intend to weave slats and laths between the lower strands of

wire, running them vertically up from the ground, in which their lower

ends will be driven. They will offer some protection, but their chief

value will be to keep the chickens from getting outside. No coyote will

be bothered by them for very long, and in order to save yourself the

labor of filling up the tunnels they surely will dig if they can get in

in no other way, I'd advise you to leave the fence gate wide open every

night.

"We lay this floor for that reason. No matter what they are able to do,

they can't get into the coop. I'll wager that you will find tunnels

running under it before long. Don't fail to close this building before

nightfall, and your flock will be safe."

"Amen," said Murphy. "They're cunnin' divvils, coyotes are!"

"I don't know how to thank you," said Jane, impulsively putting her

hands on the arms of her companions. "Think what it will mean to

Jerry--a dozen fresh eggs a day!"

Murphy chuckled. "Four a day will be doin' good, an' not that many for

awhile. I'll get ye some grit, an' make a batch av whitewash."

"Hey!" called a voice. "Everything's getting cold!"

"There's Jerry, playing domestic tyrant," laughed Jane. "Isn't it

remarkable what a difference it makes to the cook? He thinks nothing of

making me wait. Come on--you can tell me all about chicken raising

after supper." She cast a furtive glance at Tex, and past him at the

twilight-softened range beyond, where Tommy Watkins somewhere rode to

save his ranch and outfit.

*CHAPTER V*

*A TRIMMER TRIMMED*

About ten o'clock that night Murphy and Tex neared the station and

stopped short at the former's sudden ejaculation.

"Th' switch is open," he said. "Not that anythin' serious might happen,

unless th' engineer went blind; but either av them would have plenty to

say about it. Trust 'em for that. An' tomorrow is Overton's trick

east-bound. He's worse than Casey. Wait here a bit," and the

section-boss went over, threw the switch, and returned.

Soon they stopped again at the station to say good night to each other.

Murphy seemed a little constrained and worried and soon gave the reason

for it.

"Tex," he said in a low voice, "yer takin' sides with th' weakest party,

an' yer takin' 'em fast an' open. Right now yer bein' weighed an'

discussed, an' to no profit to yerself. I can see that yer a man that

will go his own way--but if th' hotel gets unpleasant an' tirin', yer

more than welcome in my shanty. 'Tis only an old box car off its

wheels, but there's a bunk in it for ye any time ye want to use it.

Tread easy now, an' keep yer two eyes open; an' while I'm willin' to

back ye up, I daren't do it unless it's a matter av life an' death. I'm

Irish, an' so is Costigan. There's a strong feelin' out here ag'in'

us--an' when a mob starts not even wimmin an' childer are safe.

Costigan has both, an' there's th' lass, as well. I've urged Mike to

send his family back along th' line somewhere, but his wife says _no_.

She's foolish, no doubt, but I say, God bless such wimmin."

"She's not foolish," replied Tex with conviction. "She's wise, riskin'

herself mebby, on a long chance. While she stays here Costigan will use

a lot of discretion--if she goes, he might air his opinions too much, or

get drunk and leave her a widow. I'll do what I can to stave off

trouble, even to eatin' a little dirt; but, Tim, I'd like nothing better

than to send for a few friends an' let things take their natural course.

Every time I look at that nephew I fair itch to strangle him. It can't

be possible that Miss Saunders gives him any encouragement? I'm much

obliged about yore offer. I'd take it up right now except that it would

cause a lot of talk an' thinkin'. Here, you better hand me two dollars

for my day's work--there ain't no use lyin' about anythin' if th' truth

will serve. I'll return it th' next time I see you."

"Th' lass won't look at that scut. He follers her around like a dog,"

Murphy growled, and then a grin came to his face as he dug into his

pocket. "Here. Yer overpaid, but I should 'a' dickered with ye before

I let ye go to work."

"Thanks, boss," chuckled Tex. "You'll need me tomorrow, for th' wire

stringin'?"

"Yer fired!" answered Murphy, his voice rising and changing in timbre.

"Yer a loafin', windy, clumsy, bunglin' no-account. By rights that

ought to make ye mad. Does it?"

Tex could not fail to read the answer he was expected to make, for it

lay in the section-boss' tones; and he thought that he had seen

something move around the corner of the station. He stepped on the toe

of one of his companion's boots to acknowledge the warning.

"Am I?" he demanded, angrily. "Yo're so d--d used to bossin' Irish

loafers that you don't know a good man when you see one. You don't have

to fire me, you Mick! I'm quittin', an' you can go to h--l!"

Murphy's arm stopped in mid-air as Tex's gun leaped from its sheath.

"You checked it just in time," snapped Tex. "Any more of that an' I'll

blow you wide open. Turn around an' hoof it to yore sty!"

Murphy, strangling a chuckle, backed warily away. "If ye was as handy

with tools as ye are with that d--d gun--" he growled. "'Tis lucky for

ye that ye have it!"

"This is my tool," retorted Tex. "Shut up an' get out before you make

me use it. Fire me, hey? You got one ---- ---- gall!"

He stood staring after the shuffling Irishman, muttering savagely to

himself, until the section-boss had been swallowed up by the darkness.

Then he turned, slammed the gun back into its holster and stamped toward

the hotel; but he stopped in the nearest saloon to give the

eavesdropper, if there had been one, a chance to get to the hotel before

him.

The bar was deserted, but half a dozen prospectors were seated at the

tables, and they greeted his entrance with scowls. The two cavalrymen

present glanced at him in disinterested, momentary curiosity and resumed

their maudlin conversation. Some shavetail's ears must have been

burning out at their post.

Tex stormed up to the bar and slammed two silver dollars on it. "Take

this dirty money an' give th' boys cigars for it," he growled. "Me, I'm

not smokin' any of 'em. Fire me, huh? I'd like to see th' section-boss

that fires me! 'Overpaid,' he says, an' me workin' like a dog! 'I

don't need ye tomorry,' he says: I cussed soon told him what he needed,

but he didn't wait for it. Fire me?" he sneered. "Like h--l!"

The cavalrymen grinned sympathetically and nodded their thanks for the

cigars, which they had no little difficulty in lighting. The other men

in the room took their gifts silently, two of them abruptly pushing them

across the table, away from them.

"There'll be others that'll mebby git what they're needin'," said a

rasping, unsteady voice from a corner table. "'Specially if he sticks

his nose in where it ain't wanted."

Tex casually turned and nodded innocently. "My sentiments exactly," he

agreed, waiting to receive unequivocal notification that it was he for

whom the warning was meant. A little stupidity was often a useful

thing.

"Nobody asked you for yore sentiments," retorted the prospector.

"Strangers can't come into this town an' carry things with a high hand.

Next time, Jake will kill you."

Tex looked surprised and then his eyes glinted. "That bein' a little

job he can start 'most any time," he retorted. "When a man fights

worse'n a dog he makes me mad; an' he fought like a cur. I'd do it

ag'in. He got what he was needin', that's all."

The miner glowered at him. "An' he's got friends, Jake has," he

asserted.

"Tell him that he'll need 'em--all of 'em," sneered Tex. "Our little

session was plumb personal, but I'll let in his friends. Th' gate's

wide open. They don't have to dig in under th' fence, or sit on their

haunches outside an' howl. An' let me tell you somethin' for yore

personal benefit--I've swallered all I aim to swaller tonight. I'm

peaceable an' not lookin' for no trouble--you hold yore yap till I get

through talkin'--but I ain't dodgin' none. Somehow I seem to be out of

step in this town; but I'm whistlin' that I'm cussed particular about

who sets me right. I ain't got no grudges ag'in' nobody; I'm tryin' to

act accordin' to my lights, but I ain't apologizin' to nobody for them

lights. Anybody objectin'?"

"Fair enough," said one of the cavalrymen. "I like his frank ways."

"That rides for me, too," endorsed his companion, aggressively.

"Shut up, you!" cried the bartender.

"For two bits--" pugnaciously began a miner, but he was cut short.

"An' you, too!" barked the man behind the counter, a gun magically

appearing over the edge of the bar. "This has gone far enough!

Stranger, you spoke yore piece fair. Tom," he said, looking at the

angry miner, "you got nothin' more to say: yo're all through. If you

think you has, then go outside an' shout it there. Th' subject is

closed. What'll you-all have?"

Tex tarried after the round had been drunk but he did not order one on

his own account, feeling that it would be a mistake under the

circumstances. It might be regarded as a sign of weakness, and was

almost certain to cause trouble. Turning his back on the sullen miner

he talked casually with the bartender and the cavalrymen, and then one

of the miners cleared his throat and spoke.

"Did you have a run-in with th' big Irishman?" he asked.

Tex leaned carelessly against the bar, grinned and frankly recounted the

affair, and before he had finished the narrative, answering grins

appeared here and there among his audience. The sputter of a sulphur

match caught his eye as his late adversary slowly reached for and lit

the cigar he had pushed from him a few minutes earlier, but Tex did not

immediately glance that way. When he had finished the story he looked

around the room, noticed that all were smoking and he nodded slightly in

friendly understanding. A little later he said good night, smiled

pleasantly at the once sullen prospector, and went carelessly out into

the night. The buzz of comment following his departure was not

unfavorable to him.

When he entered the hotel barroom all eyes turned to him, and he noticed

a grim smile on Williams' face and that the evil countenance of the

nephew was aquiver with suspicion. Walking over, he stepped close to

the table, watching the play, and from where he could keep tabs on Bud

Haines' every move. During the new deal Williams leaned back,

stretched, and glanced up.

"Had yore supper?" he carelessly asked.

Tex nodded. "Shore: reg'lar home-cooked feed. It went good for a

change. I reckon I shore earned it, too." He drew out a sack of

tobacco, filled a cigarette paper and held the sack in his teeth while

he rolled himself a smoke. "What's paid around here for a good,

half-day's work?" he mumbled between his teeth.

"What kind of work?" judicially asked Williams.

Tex removed the sack, moistened the cigarette and held it unlighted

while he answered. "Freightin' on foot, carpenterin', diggin', an'

doin' what I was told to do."

"Dollar to a dollar four bits," replied Williams. "What you doin'?

Hirin' out?"

"I was; but I ain't no more," replied Tex, lighting up. He exhaled a

lungful of smoke and dragged up a chair. "I asked two dollars, an' there

was an argument. That's all."

The hands lay where they had been dealt, Williams having let his own

lay, and the players were idly listening until he should pick it up.

"What's it all about?" asked Williams. "You talk like a dish of hash."

The eager nephew squirmed closer to the table and his assumed look of

indifference was a heavy failure.

Tex laughed, leaned back, and with humorous verbal pigments painted a

rapidly changing picture to the best of his by no means poor ability.

He took them up to the digging of the post holes, and then leaned

forward. "Murphy said we'd build a four-sided fence, three posts to th'

side, makin twelve in all. That suited us, an' as there was only one

spade, we told him to go ahead an' dig his holes while we worked on th'

nest boxes. He was to do th' north an' th' south sides, which he said

was fair." The speaker paused a moment, leaning back in his chair, his

eyelids nearly closed. Between their narrowed openings he looked

swiftly around. The card players grinned in expectation of some joke

about to appear, Williams looked suspicious and puzzled, but the

bartender's eyes popped open and he choked back a sudden burst of

laughter. Tex drew in a long breath, pushed back into his chair and

glanced around at the players. "I was honest an' fair enough to say th'

diggin' wasn't evenly divided, us bein' two an' him only one. What do

you boys say?"

"What's it all amount to anyhow?" snarled the nephew. "Who cares if it

was or not? What did you think of th' gal?" he demanded.

Tex breathed deeply, relaxed, and gravely considered his boots. "Well,

if I was aimin' to start a kindergarten I might have took more notice cf

her--an' you, too, bub. Can't you do yore own lookin'?" he plaintively

demanded. "Anyhow, I was warned fair, wasn't I? Huh! When you get to

be my age an' have had my experience with this fool world you won't be

takin' no more interest in 'em than I do. Beggin' yore pardon for

interruptin' th' previous conversation we was holdin'. I'll perceed from

where I was." He looked back at the card players. "We was debatin' th'

fairness of th' offer to dig them holes. What you boys say?"

The man nearest to him pursed his lips and cogitated. The subject was no

more frivolous than the majority of subjects which had furnished bones

of contention many a night. Most barroom arguments start on even less.

"I reckon it was, him bein' more used to diggin'."