Beadle's Half Dime Library (no. 699) (1890 12 16)
The text was read from the page scans by machine (OCR), so it has mistakes and its columns may run together. See the pages · About this title · At the Internet Archive
Page 1
= Nana ARNT, ane MM, W _.. *&: DAB=*Ceo Won ma Ceres es Entered at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., at Second Class Mail Rates. Copyright 1890, by BEADLE AND ADAMS, December 16, 1890. $2.50 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY BEADLE AND ADAMS. Price, Playing the Fool fn Big Stakes, A Romance of the Rio Grande Ranches. BY LIEUT. A, K. SIMS, AUTHOR OF “‘ SIGNAL SAM,” “‘ JOLLY JEREMIAT,” oa, “ WARBLING WILLIAM,” THE ‘‘ TEXAS TOM- i] | => | CAT” NOVELS, ETC,, ETC. = | aT a ‘Nae CHAPTER I. YY THE FOOL OF THE RANGE. As a broncho-breaker, Simon Satterlee was a success, ‘Simple Sim,” they called him; to which flattering appellation was frequently add- ~ Se SS ed, ‘‘the Fool of the Range,” when some unex- cae Paar tyets es ae eee ee er gis Te a ampled act of witless recklessness seemed to de- THE BRONCHO HAD BECOME SUDDENLY TRANSFORMED INTO AN INFERNAL MACHINE, monstrate that absence of caution and reason BALL-JOINTED, SINEWED WITH STEEL, AND RUN BY ELECTRICITY, which is supposed to characterize a fool,
Page 2
at _the broncho announced that the performance broncho breaking had secured bim a situation on tae ranch of the great cattle baron, Giles Hunt- ington, to which place he bad come, scarcely a month before, with nothing in his stomach and less than nothing in his general appearance to recommend bim, Huntington’s ranch lay on the American side of the Rio Grande, in one of those overgrown counties of Southwestern Texas which contain enough land fora State but barely sufficient popu- lation fur a township, There was, however, plenty of water in the river and oceans of grass on the ranges, the only two things absolutely necessary to make cattle grow fat; so that Hunt- ington and his cowboys cared little if the sole other indigenous and prominent products of the soil were Greasers, mesquite and cacti, The advent of Sim Satterlee had furnished a new source of interest and amusement to the ple of the ranch, They had never beheld an- other quite like him. The ingenuousness of his simplicity, the seemingly utter lack of discretion he displayed on all occasions, the artlessness of his speech, and the good-humored way in which he received the ridicule the cowboys constantly heaped on bim, gained him friends from the be- ginning. For days he bad done nothing but break and manage bronchos; and now, mounted on one of the wildest and most vicious beasts the ranch afforded, he was exhibiting his skill to the great delectation of the ranch people, as well as to many others, drawn there by the fame of his per- formances, In the first place, there was Giles Huntington himself, swarthy of face, easy-going in disposi- tion, and reputed to be the wealthiest cattle owner on the lower Rio Grande. Near him was his wife, Emily, and his daughter Mildred; the former a pleasant-faced, middle-aged woman, the lattera very pretty girl of twenty, with brown eyes, a sweet mouth, and a vivacious air. There were many Mexicans in the picturesque group of spectators, the most of them being cow- boys from the neighboring ranch of Charles Ir- win. Irwin, “bearded like a pard,” stood in their midst, his black, flashing eyes roving from Simon to the party about Huntington and back again, with a restless expression, He was nota handsome man, and the sharp glances he some- times bestowed on the young ranch foreman, who stood near Huntington, did rot add to his good looks, . “What makes ’em call a chap like me a ‘broncho-bu’ster?’ ” Sim queried, with a puz- zled expression, as his steed desisted momentarily from its vicious bounds and leaps, ‘’Pears to me if they’s any bu’stin’ done, the broncho is the critter what does it.” It was the first thoughtful question Sim had given utterance to since his arrival, and was consequently greeted as the best joke of the sea- son, ‘There were many facetious replies, but they were drowned in the vicious squeal by which was about torecommence. The beast was not subdued; it had only been taking a breathing spell. “Look out for him!” yelled the foreman, warningly. The caution was unnecessary. Simon had al- ready locked his long legs beneath the animal’s belly and braced himself for the inevitable shock, ‘ It came, with a jar that made the earth trem- ble. The broncho had become suddenly trans- formed into an infernal machine, ball-jointed, sinewed with steel, and run by electricity. With a spring that might have been envied by a pan- ther it had lea into the air, shaking its head wildly and writhing as if determined to tie itself into a knot, and then landed with feet close to- erage legs as stiff as iron bars, and back arched ike a camel’s. , And no sooner did its feet touch the earth than it repeated the maneuver again and again. But it could not unseat the man who clung to it so tenaciously, and discovering this it recklessly threw itself upon its back. With the agility of a cat Simple Sim leaped to one side as the broncho came down; but, when it arose with another scream, he was again in the saddle! Then there were leaps and bounds, indescriba- ble contortions, prancings upon hind feet and fore, pitchings and curvetings scarcely to be im- agined by one who has not seen the bucking broncho on his native heath—all the tricks and artifices of which those animals are capable! “Simon is not doing so well to-day!’ Hunt- ington observed, in an undertone, to his wife and daughter. “1 knew this broncho would give him trouble, but I thought he could con- quer it. None of the other boys could ever do His skill in the difficult an@ perilous work of | ! | anything fail, too.” The fear of the worthy ranchman was prema ture, The Broncho-Bu’ster had ouly been per- mitting the maddened horse to play with him for the amusement of the spectators, seeming to consider it his duty to furnish sport for the friends and guests of hisemployer. All this was evidenced a few moments later. Vaulting lightly to the ground be caught up one of the animal’s fore feet and drew it tightly against the breast, Strange to say, this simple expedient seemed to divert the broncho’s mind from its recent exploits. A horse can retain but one impression in its brain at a time, a fact ob- served and made use of by every successful trainer from Rarey down. Thisalone, however, will not account for the success of these trainers. A good trainer, like a poet, is born and not made, : Simon was an expert, evidently; and while holding the foot of the animal pressed against its breast, be talked to it soothingly, combed out its mane with his fingers and passed his hand gently over its face and nose. It had been trembling like a leaf when he first grasped the foot, not alone from exhaustion, al- though it was well blown, but from terror. He would have begun in this soothing manner had it not been for the desire for display which had crept into his brain, with it, and I’m afraid he’s going to ! | was more than made up, in his estimation, by LJ UO UU Ls ya) deprecatory statement was greeted with roars ot laughter. i" CHAPTER II. IN WRATHFUL MOOD, ‘* -You’RE a scoundrel, sir!” and Taylor Win- gate, the foreman of the Huntington Ranch, glared hotly at the man he had addressed, This was Charles Irwin, the proprietor of the “C 1,”a ranch lying further up the valley. Angry words had already passed between the two, and they seemed on the point of blows, Irwin was not only a ranch-owner—a fact to confer honor in that section—but the sheriff of the pathless leagues known as Calaveras county, His herds were not as numerous nor as impos- ing as those of Giles Huntington, but this lack the dignity ot his cflicial position, Hence, when Huntington’s foreman, who bad but recently risen from the ranks of the common cowboys, ventured to place himself across bis homeward | path and address bim in wrathful mood, he be- came exasperated beyond measure, The subject, too, was one calculated to touch him to the quick. He had not been unmindful’ of the beauty of Mildred Huntington. Few men ever were, for she was confessedly hand-- some, And the equality of their worldly sta- | tions had recently emboldened him to approach It required but a few moments for tbe panting | her in a loverlike way. and quivering broncho to discover that no | harm was intended it; and with this knowledge pressed firmly home, the victory was more than balf won. Still holding the foot, Sim passed back along its side, stroking in a caressing way as he went, the large eyes of the animal following his every movement. Then he retraced his way to its bead, pressed the other foot against the breast in the same way, and repeated the strokings on the other side. Within ten minutes the broncho had appar- ently forgotten its recent scare, and even ven- tured to rub its velvety nose against his ragged coat in a fondling way. Then, with pattings and low, coaxing words, the Fool climbed cautiously into the deep, double-girthed saddle, He did not at once urge the animal forward, but seated quietly, continued his soft strokes | Wingate. and soothing words, Then he bent his body for- ward, and the broncho, seeming to understand the nature of the movement, walked slowly around the inclosure, horse-breaking to the assembled cowboys, whose sole idea of the conquering of a horse was to wear it out and crush its spirit; and the cheers they sent up, as they witnessed this marvelous success, made the gray prairies ring. Simple Sim had not yet reached the full tri- umph of his skill, When the broncho had cir- cled a few times, and before the cheering had ceased, he arose lightly to his feet; and, stand- ing erect in the broad seat) of the saddle, urged the now docile brute into a gentle canter, There had been cheering before, now, there came such a wild burst of applause that the very air seemed startled. The slow canter was /increased to a gallop, which became momentarily faster. And when the broncbo was sweeping around the inclosure at full oes its hoofs clattering, and a cloud of dust half enveloping it, the Fool of the Range placed one foot on its baunches and the other on the saddle-horn, and permitted the bridle to fall loosely against its neck! Then, with low whistlings and calls be urged it on; and when the flying broncho rushed by the group of amazed and bewildered spectators, he bowed awkwardly, while a smile of delight expanded his wide mouth. A few feet further he dropped pe earth, the broncho stopping almost as quickly. The delighted cowboys streamed through the gate and over the barbed-wire fence, pressing proudly about him and lavisbing upon him their encomiums, It was an ovation such as the Fool had probably never received before, Eulogis- tic praise had not been his meat and drink, as seemed evidenced by tbe childlike ecstasy with which he appeared to accept their laudations, ‘Twas pretty good!” he declared, thrusting his arm through the bridle-rein, and reddening pleasurably as be led the broncho slowly about for the delectation of the enraptured cowboys. ‘IT don’t reely think they’s many as could ’a’ done it better.” But when the ladies advanced to offer their congratulations Simon’s swelling words degen- erated into mere gasps. “°T-t~twa'nt j-jes’ nothin’ "tall! done better a thousan’ times.” And then he flushed guiltily and seemed to de- I low I’ve It was a revelation in ! ey | ‘If you were not you would respect the young lady’s wishes in this matter. No gentleman will force his attentions where they are not wanted,” Irwin’s dark face blackened with hate, his form trembled, and he seemed on the point of riding down the steed of the foreman. But he recovered himself, while the blackness gave way ° to a yellowish pallor. ** No doubt you have a lot of your villainous cowboys within reach of your voice or’ you wouldn’t talk so fresh, my young whipper-snap- per!” he snarled, dropping a kand carelessly to- ward the revolver that swung against bis bip. If he thought to ‘‘ get the drop” on the fore- man he was disappointed. Few men were more watchful or quicker of “movement than Taylor ‘‘Now, you’re coming round to my way of thinking!” the latter declared, swinging his own weapon forward with a warning click, ‘We might as well settle this little affair once for all. That’s why I intercepted you. You insulted the young lady again this evening!” “*T did not!” Irwin protested, ‘ Pye as much right to pay court to the young lady as you or any otber man. Thisisa free country, and I’m not used to being dictated to by cowboys!” ‘' Isn’t it an insult to press your attentions on a woman when you know your very presence is distasteful to her? Bah! What’s the use of argument? We understand each other, without words, We'll put a hundred yards between us, and then charge, firing. Dare you do it” “Vou think you'll kill me,so that you can have things your own way!” Irwin sneered, that black look of hate again sweeping across his face. ‘* Well, I refuse to fight you on any such terms, I warn you, however, to look out for yourself in the future.” “A coward’s way of dodging a aifioulty. | a You have hurled a warning. Listen to mine: Miss :Aluntington complains of your distasteful attentions again ll thrash you within an inch of your life!” aylor Wingate was not given to the cool measurement of words, and had a temper that apes occasion became fiery and ungovernable, Huntington, when she casually mentioned to him that Irwin had again been pressing his un- welcome presence upon her, than that her lover should become her belligerent champion, The fact that he washer lover, bowever, and had been accepted as her futuré husband, wa. all the warrant Wingate wanted for the adop- tion of such a course, He held it to be not o his right but his duty to protect her from theso flagrant insults, for such he conceived them to be. And so, without speaking to any One of the thoughts that stirred him, he had ridden beyond sight and hearing of the ranch, determined tc settle with Irwin in his own own peculiar way, “You've been appointed the yours lady’s guardian, I reckon!” tauntingly. “I hadn't heard Giles say anything about it!” Wingate’s eyes flashed fire, : “That will do, Irwin!” in a voice’ that was hoarse and trembling. “T thought I’d ask Giles!” mockingly, seeing that the words stung the young lover into a ‘* You’re a scoundrel, sir!” Wingate repeated, Nothing was further from the desire of Mildred ; by pe hho doi ee. One ee eee a ee ee eee iF ed
Page 3
“Tt may be, though, Stata of delirious rage. thatI can ascertain by an examination of the records down at the county seat.” With a bellow of anger, Wingate grasped his heavy stock-whip and spurred his broncho at : Trwin. The latter’s pistol flashed as the circling whip-lash hissed in the air. But the bullet sped wildly, and the curling lash wound itself lke a red-hot wire aboutthe ranchman’s burly shoul- ders. A succéssion of blows fell like rain, each biting through the heavy ccat like knife- trusts. Irwin was not made of pugilistic metal, If he had been, a revolver duel would have taken place and blood would have flown long before that. But flesh and blood, no matter of what material, could not long nor tamely submit to such humiliation, He managed to grasp the whip, and gave a great wrench in the endeavor to wrest it from Wingate’s hands, He was a powerful man; and as the whip-handle was fas- tened by a loop to Wingate’s wrist, the latter was dragged bodily from the saddle and fell with a crash to the ground. Instantly Irwin flung himself upon bis enemy iike a maddened beast; and drawing a heavy knife aimed at Wingate’s breast a furious blow. The young foreman turned the point by throw- ing up his arm, and the keen-edged weapon was buried hilt deep in the hard soil. By a sudden upward movement the prostrate aan hurled his assailant backward, tearing his “rasp from the haft of the knife and preventing sim from regaining it. Then the two, locked in deadly embrace, rolled over and over in a frightful struggle for the mastery. Irwin was much the strongest, but Wingate was sinewy and agile asa panther. Fora time the balance seemed to poise evenly. Then it turned in favor of ane black-browed ranchman from up tho valley, A dexterous twist had enabled him to grip the young foreman’s throat, and at the same time frea himself from his embrace. Remorselessly he tigntaned his clutch, choking his adversary into a state of partial insensibility. Then, pant- ing from his tremendous exertions, and with a fiendish glare in his eyes, he began drawing the young man toward the kuife which remained fixed in the ground a few feet away. There can be little doubt that in another minute Wingate’s cord of life would have been cut. There was a trampling of many hoofs! They were near at hand, too, though Irwin, blind and deaf with the fury of se gh beard them no more than he did the rustling of the wind. The desire for the blood of the man who had assaulted him centered in itself every sense and emotion. Not until he was seized and dragged roughly backward was he aware that others had come apon the scene. ‘Then he raved and stormed for his freedom like a madman in the hands of his ceepers. They were his own cowboys, these who had orevented him from committing murder; who, after a day of jollity at the Huntington Ranch, '\had beenycantering leisurely along the home- ward trail. _ “Let me go!” Irwin howled, wholly beside _ | avimself. ‘‘ The scoundrel assaulted me, and I'll | \ave his life-blood for it!” Wingate was slowly regaining consciousness. Ihe words reached his ears, aroused him, and he sat up—evidently not quite certain of his con- . dition and whereabouts, we | oe ae Oe ee Te “= Bore - orreQ & -— are Tr | bounded and a hot flush came into his face. ~ The situation was peculiarly humiliating. \ ““T presume [owe my life to you!” he said, _.ddressing the men who were restraining Irwin. ‘You have my thanks.” _ Spots were flying before bis eyes and his brain eld a sickening giddiness. However, he stag- _cetad to his feet, looked at the knife sticking in | \@ ground and then glanced toward his horse | ‘nich had ceased staring at the new-comers and ‘ain fulen to nibbling the grass. | Irwin was still struggling in the arms of his | -vboysand glaring his hate, but reason was ginning to reassert itself and his struggles Te more in the nature of bravado than from at desire to get at his opponent. ingate began likewise to feel that he had i ude a fool of himself. “Pm willing to fight or let it pass!” he vorred, speaking this time to Irwin. : No more fightin’!” declared the cowboys, We sha’n’t allow it. We don’t know what the , |row’s about, ner we don’t keer; but you’ve claw- ed each other enough for one round.” The Texas cowboy is not usually averse to witnessing a fight. But they readily foresaw shat the killing, by their employer, of the fore- er wo RS OU ON. tt ee crwme 5 : As recollection dawned the stagnant arteries, Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster. man of the great Huntington Ranch, or even a continuance of a feud between the two, would bring about many unpleasant complications, ** We ain’t a-wisbin’ to inquire into the cause of this hyer trouble, Mr. Wingate,” respect- fully asserted the spokesman, ‘‘ but we’re bound to see that it don’t go any furder. So, you'll obleege us by climbin’ onto your bossand headin’ him toward home, We'll see that the sheriff comes with us, peaceable as a friskin’ lamb,” There was the sternness of a command in the tones. Wingate glanced at the now silent and passive ranchman, After which he turned slowly mounted his broncho, and without a backward glance rode away. ‘*[’'m a fool{” was his mental asseveration. ‘* Holding the position that I do, I ougbt to be kicked for letting my temper get away with me in that style. There’s a cowardly streak in that Irwin, Just enough to make him as dangerous an enemy as a man ever had, Ten to one, he'll waylay and assassinate me if he ever gets half a chance,” As for the ranchman, riding homeward with his cowboys, no rattlesnake ever held beneath its venomous skin a poison more rankling than that which seethed in his inmost heart, CHAPTER III. A LOVE-LORN LASS, W&ILE this stormy scene was being enacted, Simple Sim Saterlee was sitting quietly in the bunk-room, to which be had retired after the triumphs of the day. The feverish heat was giving place to the balmy coolness of a perfect nigot, For more than an hour he had been the center af a noisy, good-humored and congratu- latory throng. His jolly laugbter had risen as a coustant witness of the fact that this new-found glory was a perennial delight. His face was a study, as he sat tilted back in one chair and with bis feet resting in another, his gaze wandering constantly from the belong- ings of the apartment to the red glow of the dying sunset. The apartinent was a large one, capable of ac- commodating all the cowboys of the Huntington Ranch, though Simon was now the sole occupant. There were bunks innumerable, a goodly num- ber of chairs and sorse benches and tables, At One end a wide fire-place yawned like a black cavern, a few sticks of charred mesquite resting ona bed of gray ashes. Every thing denoted a provision for comfort, with little care for scrupulous cleanliness, not to speak of the ele- gancies of life. It was evidert, however, that. Simon saw nothing of the contents of the room, though his gaze seemed constantly turning from one bit of furniture to anotber.’ The light in his eye denoted an introspection that blinded the vision to outward objects, On his broad face sat the seal of perfect self-content. Occasionally he gave way to a silent chuckle. Believing himself alone, he was revolving the exploits of the afternoon. But if alone, he was not unobserved. A dark face was peering at him through a chink in the walls of the building. The owner of the face lay concealed in a growth of weeds, and the cold and crafty way in which he observed Simon showed that he held for him no kindly feeling, Suddenly the Fool’s chucklipg was brought to an abrupt end, The door of the bunk-room opened, and there glided into the apartment a female figure, at sight of which the humorous light died out of the Buster’s eyes, and his heavy jaw dropped. No doubt he had cause to dislike the woman who now approached him, notwithstanding the fact that she bad been the most boisterous of the throng in the afternoon’sapprobation. .She was tall and ungainly, with a spare figure, light eyes and wispy, sandy hair. Not a beauty by ‘any means; though from the self-satisfaction she often manifested one would be inclined to think she so believed. q She was the personal servant of Mildred, and as such was something of a privileged character on theranch, , You here, Mister Simon!” she cried, drawing back with an apparent start, which was, how- ever, too feigned to deceive even the hard- headed Simon, ‘‘ Lord! who’d ’a’ thought it? I was jes’ comin’ to set the bunks to rights,” Sim smiled hopelessly and disconsolately and ata loss for words—edging away from her as she again advanced and plumped herself down by his side. “Tt does a body good to see you by yerself onc’t in awhile,” she purred. ‘It do indeed; ’specially after thecrowd and the worrit. I’ve \ jes’ worked myself to a frazzle, to-day, and laughed till ’msick, "Twas most as good asa play er a story.” Plays and stories were Nancy Hackett’s de- light. Of the former she got to see few enough; but of the latter, her Jittle trunk was so packed that it was fairly pletboric. They were all of the chivalric, English school, dealing with knights and priests, and lords and ladies, who were ulways going about on milk-white chargers and gray palfreys, the lords and knights knock- ing people on-the bead in a very heroic way, giv- ing such splendid opportunities for the women to weep and the priests to pray over the victims, And then those handsome knights were always running away with bigb-born maidens in astyle that was supremely delightful; and their fath- ers—that is the maiden’s fathers—always pur- sued too late to prevent, the inevitable weddings, but just in time to witness the conclusion of the wedding ceremonies, and whisper, hollowly: ‘I forgive you, my children; I forgive you! Go, and be happy!” There were no sir knights and milords along the prosaic Rio Grande. In lieu of them Nancy mentally confessed that cowboys would do; but the cowboys were not of ber way of thinking. They laughed at her immoderately, got up practical jokes at her expense, and showed any- thing but a disposition to abduct her in the man- ner of her dreams. And go she was forced to turn to the Fool of Range, whom she had proceeded to clothe with a thousand heroic attributes. His marvelous feats of the evening had almost pinnacled him above those doughty and romantic souls whose deed& she had so admiringly followed in the pages of her favorite novels. To her fancy the inexpressive face and wide mouth now took on a strange beauty and the blankness disappeared from the eyes. ‘¢ He ain’t a lord ner a knight,” she whispered, eying him askance, ‘‘ ner he ain’t a fool, if them blackguardin’ cowboys do call him one. He’s got more sense’n any of ’em, for they ain’t a-one could a’ rid a broncho like that.” All this time Sim was leaning from her, as if wishing bimself a thousand miles away, yet fearing to retreat. ‘The cowboys says ’et you must put some- thin’? on your hands to be so powerful winnin’, They ‘lowed mebbe ’twas musk?” “Naw!” declared the Bu’ster, twisting un- easily. ‘‘T most knowed you didn’t,” with a sage toss of her head, ‘“ ’Twouldn’t be necessary,” The compliment was so delicate, in spite of its directness, that it entirely escaped the compre- hension of the Fool. ‘Yer jes’ nacherly winnin’! That’s what I says to Milderd. Says I, speakin’ of the bron- cho-breakin’—he’s jes’ pacherly too winnin’ to live. Things can’t belp follerin’ him.” The Fool's jaw dropped still lower, while dis- tress and dismay were written in every fea- ture. ‘“Why don’t you talk to me?” drawing back with a coquettish toss of her head, ‘‘ You wouldn't have a body do all the talkin’, would you? “Naw!” repeated Simon, groping feebly for a way out of the dilemma. **O’ course I knowed you wouldn’t,” encourag- ingly. ““ The fellers in the stories never does, no bon know. It don’t look well, from the maiden’s side, “Naw, it don’t!” declared the Bu’ster, de- cisively. “Tell me somethin’ "bout yerself,” edging close to him again. ‘’Bout yer airly life, ye know!” . If Simple Sim was strong in any line of con- versation it was in personal iniscence, a fact of which the crafty Miss Hackett was fully aware, How many times, since arriving at the ranch, he bad recounted the story of his hfe, no one knew; but it must have run into the scores, ‘“oTain’t much!” Simon averred, though a sense of greater ease and confidence made itself visible in his very manner, ‘“But you bain’t never tol’ me!” nearer. ‘‘ An’if anybody’d ort to T low its me.” “Yes!” assented Sim, groping after the dis- connected threads with which memory bound him to the Reet and not thinking of what he was saying. ‘ But ’tain’t much!” “But the multiplication tables! They're jes’ a * ihe ‘data es e assented, as if getting a Urmer foothold on the swimming eatth, «F imow all of ‘um by heart; and weights an’ measures, an’ the rule fer cube root! Teacher said I was a good ’un for gettin’ things by heart. "Twas back ern yet int’rested,
Page 4
ete ee 4 in Greenbrier county, Wes’ Virginny. Lemme see! Once one one; once two is— “Twas a little, ole log school-house, with a mornin’ glory over the winder! Once two is two! An’ I bad to walk a mild a day, right through the woods!” ** Mus’ ’a’ been dreadful!” Nancy sympatheti- cally simpered. “°T was! Once three—an’ they was a groun’- hog made his nes’ under an ole stump; an’ me an Jim Larkins smoked ’im out onc’t an’ killed him. Was he forgetting that Nancy’s presence was distasteful, engrossed in these juvenile recollec- tions! ‘* But, when my brother Tom got his foot cut, then I had to ’tend to the pigs an’ chickens an’ sich, an’ couldn’t go to school no more, An’ i was one ole gander that’d fight jes’ like a bull-dog. He whupped me ever’ time I went to the stable, jes’ nigh about, But I got *im one day. I tied a fishhook toa wire, put a grain 0’ corn on it; and the ole fool he swallered it, Then you better b’leeve he got tame! I could jes’ lead him anywheres!” The grin of childish pleasure was again dis- tending the wide mouth. At that moment the swarthy-faced spy on the outside became convulsed with laughter, and uproariously kicking his’ heels in the air, dislodged a loose plank, which fell to the ground with a clatter, ‘The boys is a-comin’!” and recalled to a sense of his position, the Buster leaped ungallant- ly from his chair while Nancy Hackett smotker- ed in her handerchief her hatred and disgust of the entire cowboy tribe, and marched straight from the building. CHAPTER IV. A PAINTED FACE. THE man who had so startled Simple Sim and Nancy, suddenly ceased bis convulsive laughter, drew the weeds more closely about his head, and flattened himself like a badger. He did not arise when they had left the building, but re- mained concealed until the shadows of night be- gan to gather. Then hesli from tue danger- ous vicinity and hurried off into the gloom. If any of the occupants of the ranch could have seen his face and witnessed his singular actions they would have been sorely puzzled, for he had been among the spectators who had howled themselves hoarse that very afternoon. He was of low, Mexican lineage, on evil bent and serving a Villainous master. It was an hour afterward when Taylor Win- a returned, crestfallen and depressed in spirits. here was little in the misadventure of the even- ing togive him comfort. The cowboys were gathered in and about the bunk-house, singing songs, laughing, cracking jokes, and discussing the great sport of the afternoon, The Broncho Buster was with them, swelling with pride, and answering their jests in his feebly facetious way. There was a small room set apart for the fore- man, and to this Wingate went as soon as he had turned his broncko into the corral and put away his saddle and bridle. He was in no mood to. mix with the hilarious throng. Nor did he even, at that moment, care to pay his customary visit to his betrothed. On gaining his room he almost immediately disrobed and went to bed. Not tosleep. His — were bounding too feverishly for that. ut to think over the words that had passed be- tween himself and Irwin, and of the savage com- bat that had followed. The minutes slipped into hours; the voices of the cowboys droned lower and lower and then ceased altogether; the innumerable noises of the night became stilled. Through the open window he could watch the soft radiance of the stars, and the patches of cloud that now and then dark- ened the sky. With the speeding of the hours his thoughts became quieter and followed more placid chan- nels, The soft breath of wind that came up oc- casionally from the mesquite brush that stretched away from the building had a lulling effect; and he dropped into a refreshing slumber. From it he was aroused by loud outcries, suc- ceeded by scattering reports of fire-arms. One bound placed him at the window. Freshly kin- dled flames were curling along the outer walls of the ranch-house and of the building he occupied! Wild bellowings and a confused trampling of hoofs showed that the herd which had been rounded-up for branding had been thrown into a stampede, To these sights and sounds were add- ed fierce shouts and savage yells. ** Indians or Mexicans, or both!” he muttered, oe ing hurriedly into his clothing. en he bounded through the doorway, and Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster. hurried to where the cowboys were rallying around a self-constituted leader.“Directing a number of them to extinguish the fires, be sent a messenger to the ranch-bouse to learn if any harm had befallen itsoccupants, The messenger had scarcely started, however, when Giles Hunt- ington appeared on the scene with the assurance that all were safe, At this Wingate placed him- self at the head of the remnant of the cowboys and racéd after the stampeding cattle. Perhaps the most wildly excited of the lot was Simple Sim. His face wore a grave and un- natural expression of seriousness, which at any other time would have been ludicrous. Hatless, and with hair flying in the wind, eyes rolling, and his breath coming pantingly, he urged his horse on with voice and heel. Hither he had the fastest broncho or was better able to get speed out of one of the little brutes, for he quickly drew in advance of his companions. In one hand he swung a heavy revolver, which he occa- sionally circled around his head to give emphasis to his vociferous yells, The other cowboys paid scant heed to bim, in- tent as they were on reaching the rascals who were running away with the cattle; and soon the darkness hid him from their view. Simon seemed not to notice that he bad left them behind, but continued to push his steed, circling to the right of the cattle as he drew near, For some cause a half-dozen of the fright- ened long-horns became separated from the main bunch and went off at a tangent, being followed by a single rider. This occurred just as Sim reached the laggards of the herd; and with a yell louder than any to which he had yet given utterance he dashed in pursuit of this lone rider. The latter gave a quick, backward glance as he heard the cry and the pounding hoofs, A feathered head-dress arose above the face, which was the painted one of a Comanche warrior! The day of the horse-stealing Comanches lay largely in the past. The power of the tribe had been broken, and most of them had been remoy- ed to distant reservations; but there were a few remaining who led a vagabond existeuce and herded with the vilest class of Mexicans, as not- ed for thieving as the renegade red-skins them- selves. Raids by these ‘‘Greasers” and Co- manches had been all too frequent of late, _ The persistency and fearlessness with which Simple Sim hung at his heels had a demoralizing effect on the painted rascal. He speedily aban- doned the cattle, and turned his attention to sav- ing bimself. Simon had been overhauling him at astartling rate, but, relieved of the cattle, the Comanche again pulled well to the front, heading for a spur of hills which put out from the river and were known as the “‘ bluffs.” The race promised to be along one. What the Fool expected to do should the Comanche be overtaken did not appear. Perhaps he bad no definite idea, All his being seemed centered in the wild passion of the chase; and he rode as rides the jockey who has hopes of winning the cup. With frantic energy the savage lashed his willing beast; but, lash and urge as he might he could not widen the gap between himself and the man who pursued, Whenever he glanced back- ward, which was almost every moment, there was the pursuer bowling along like a relentless fate. The cattle-thief appeared to have no thought of turning about and giving battle; and, as the separating gap slowly but visibly lessened ,a panic seized him, The hills were near at hand, now, and to them he turned, riding furiously for the rockiest ‘gorges. Simple Sim had given no cry since the cattle had been abandoned, and the chase turned upon the endurance of the bronchos. He rode with head and body well forward, aiding his beast as much as possible, and bhusbanding\its strength for the final spurt. A light, as of fierce excite- ment, glittered in his now flashing eyes. Suddeniy the borse of the Comanche went down in a cloud of dust; then straggied to its feet and galloped riderless away. was at a point where the rocky walls opened. Simon drew in on the bridle rein involuntarily, and stared open-mouthed at the spot where the say- age bad vanished. Then a yell arose to his lips, and he spurred heedlessly on, without an ap- — thought that the seeming fall might have n a ruse to draw him to his death, But, no rifle spurted its flame as he drew near the granite barriers. The flying dust-cloud had vanisbed with the horse that had stirred it into existence. A faint clatter of hoofs came back on the wind. That was all, Except that the soft brilliancy of the night, which had en- abled the pursuer to witness the overthrow of the renegade with almost as much distinctness as if the time bad been noonday, outlined against the dark background of rock and grass a silent and motionless figure, A look of questioning wonder came to the Fool’s broad face. Was the motionless figure in ambush, waiting an opportunity for a certaio shot? It seemed unlikely! The shot would have beeu aimed long before, With swinging revolver Simple Sim urged his broncho to the side of the fallen savage—and. looked down on the face of the dead. With a bewildered air he climbed out of the saddle, at the same time drawing the broncho’s. bridle-rein over its head and allowing the end to drop to the ground—a maneuver which will hold a well-trained animal in its place as effectually as a picket-pin. Then be strode to the side of the prostrate man, Curiosity seemed to guide him, for he drew the feathered head-dress away, placed it on his: own bead, and walked round and round, watch- ing the fantastic shadow which his figure cast. on the sward, After which he inspected the singular head-gear carefully; and having ap- parently satisfied his inquisitiveness, again ap- proached the lifeless Comanche. A basty examination showed that the neck of the failen.man had been broken, resulting in in- stant death, Doubtless his steed had tumbled into a hole, hurling him against the rocks with much violence, and in a way to shatter the ver- tebra of the neck. y “Done him up!” he whispered, a queer lump coming into his throat, ‘‘’Most sorry I run ’im so hard!” He was bending over the body as be muttered the words, Suddenly a cry of surprise came from his lips, and he bent still closer, The re- moval of the head-dress had left bare a circle of white skin running around the upper portion of the face! At this discovery the Bu’ster glanced about: as if uncertain what todo, Not far away one of the few springs of the region gurgled into a little rill and wound its way to the river. To this spring he hastened, scooped up a quantity of the water in his hat, and returning with it washed off a portion of the paint that concealed and disfigured the dead face, The features thus revealed were those of @ Mexican. Tbe man was the one who had watch- ed Simon and Nancy that evening through the loosened chink in the wall of the bunk house! “Well, if I mayn’t be switched!” gasped Sim, the bewilderment in his face deepening. ‘* Tain’t an Injun "tall! It’s one o’ them blame Mexican cowboys what hangs up at Irwin’s ranch. If *tain’t may I be e’t up by rattlers! He was over to our place this very afternoon, too!” The problem thus suddenly presented was evi- dently too much for him, for he scratched his bead awkwardly and stared again and again to make sure his vision had not deceived bim. ‘* Jes’ beatsall how he come to be among them Injuns, an’ rigged out that way! Should think he'd ’a’ been afraid of sich alotof’em! Wouldn't never ketch me in a crowd like that, Likely they captured him on his way home, painted him up that ae and made him go "long of ’em, An’ that’s why he shied off frum thecrowd, Cut sticks at the fu’st chance. An’ me, like a blame ijit, a-howlin’ after him an’ a-skeerin’ him out’n his boots, makin’ bim think the Injuns was a-goin’ to take ’im ag’in, An’ hyer he run into the rocks an’ jes’ bu’sted his-self, Law! Law!” Having thus lucidly and satisfactorily ac- counted for the presence and appearance of the Mexican, Simple Sim heaved a sigh that shook his lank frame as the blast shakes the cotton- wood, Then, after a long survey as if to assure himself he was unseen, he doffed the head-drees and replaced it on the head of the Mexican; after which he hid the features by daubing with clay the portions. from which be had washed the aint, Pee I cale'late the feller won’t never want his frien’s to find an’ rec’nize him in a rig like that! Shouldn't, if twas me, shore! Sing’lar! Sing’lar !” And still stumbling over the mystery, he pro- ceeded to.roll the body to the bottom of the gorge, there to heap stones over it and leave it with the spire of rock above as its monument. CHAPTER V. AN UNGALLANT LOT. TAYLOR WinGate and those with him, follow- ing the main band of the marauders, had pressed them so closely that the cattle were abandoned, and the rascals scattered and sought safety in flight, But not until they had forced a portion of the herd over a (Sacre bluff, resulting in the crippling and killing of a large number. The cowboys had continued the pursuit, but ‘ ¢ i £ + BX
Page 5
He gave as a reason that his services might’ be needed there, when in reality he was actuated by a tormenting desire to ascertain how Mildred had borne the fright and anxiety tet | of the night. He was in a very savage mood, too, as he pushed homeward through the dark- ness of the early morning, The loss of the cattle sat heavily on him, It was not the first raid that had been made on the ranch; and probably would not be the last. The recur- a ) ring question was, how to prevent their con- fi tinuance? ¥ } The cattlemen of that portion of the Rio ! Grande border had organized for protection it egainst these raids, The action had, however, ii given very slight immunity. ; tee! The lucation was peculiarly favorable to the raiders, Just across the river lay the untrod- den expanses of Northern Mexico, heaped with bills, gullied with ravines, and. covered with dense stretches of chaparral and mesquite, which offered the securest of hiding-places, And, besides, the lozic of events seemed to in- dicate that the Mexican authorities were in a manner allied with the outlaws, Certainly, it f is to be presumed they were not; but the jeal- ousy with which they guarded against the encroachments of pursuers on the sacred soil of the Aztecs squinted strongly in that direction. Wingate was sifting away at the questions presented by these thoughts and cantering deisurely along, when, having arrived within two or three miles of the ranch-house, he was aroused by a sound of hoofs and a woman’s scream. There was scant light in the hour or two preceding dawn, but sufficient to enable him to discern a group of horsemen, upon whom he had almost ridden without discovery. In their midst was a woman, the one who had given utterance to the scream, \ It seemed evident from the course they were pursuing that they had come from the ranch- house; and Wingate leaped to the quick con- clusion that they were members of the band of marauders and had remained behind for the _ purpose of abducting Mildred. Perhaps she had recognized him, even through the gloom! His brain reeled with its tide of emotions, _ There was no time for reflection or cool judg- ment. Setting his spurs against the flanks of ‘his animal, he drew his revolvers, gave a great shout, and charged the band. “Come on!” he yelled, as if encouraging a body of followers, ‘‘ Down with the rascals! Push ’em, my hearties!” He discharged one of his weapons in a quick, rattling volley and gave a succession of cries in- tended to create the delusion that he was backed by a strong re The act was thoroughly characteristic of Wingate and of a piece with his general recklessness. Cooler beads would have ridden to the ranch for aid, or followed the abductors quietly, trusting to chance to effect a rescue, The rascals at once urged their horses into a ences flight. At this the woman screamed ouder than ever, “T am coming!” Wingate bellowed, hoarse , with excitement and anger. Again the woman’s wail flcated to him like the moan of a lost soul, A deathly chill closed about the heart of the anguished lover. In spite of his utmost endeavors his broncho was slowly falling behind, It was blown by the long run after the cattle-thieves, while the others were fresh. “Oh, my God!” he cried, “they’re pullin > away from me, I can’t come up with them. If I had another horse!” ' Then, in bis great fear, he cursed himself for not bringing some of the cowboys with him; for leaving Mildred at the ranch without his protection; for the stupidity of those who bad made her abduction possible. In fact, he an- athematized every circumstance, seen or unfore- seen, which by any possibility could haye con- tributed to this direful result. 7 And all the while the abductors were widening the distance between him and them. darkness bid them from his view; but he could _ Still hear the ringing of hoofs on the bard turf, ta a died away, and the terrors of silence were added to those of the gloom. Still he pressed on, spurring his horse cruelly and mercilessly, the echo of that despairing cry ever with him, — How long or how far he had continued in this mad race he scarcely knew, when his straining eyes caught sight of a figure standing in his ad- vancing pathway and wildly waving its arms. : “Is that you, Mildred?” he called, reining in Gis horse so suddenly that it was thrown upon Soon the | Presently even this évidence of their proximity Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster. ‘Wingate turned back toward the ranch-house | its haunches; for a feeling that here was some- thing wrong took quick possession of him, At this there was another little scream, and the woman, for he could now see that it was a woman, fell to the earth as if in a faint. “Would Mildred act so?’ was the question that assailed him, Perhaps the outlaws had discovered he was alone and were attempting a ruse to draw him within gun-shot aud slay him. The affair had a very mysterious look, Where were the abductors? and bow did the woman manage to escape from them? Nevertheless, as a careful scrutiny of the sur- roundings failed to reveal anything of the men he had been following, he began a cautious ad- vance, increasing his speed as he neared the prostrate object. ; **Ob, Simon! an’ you’d poke around that way when I was in sich distress! You ain‘t a bit like them there cavaliers, you ain’t; and I’m ashamed fo re ! ingate drew back, astonished beyond the power of expression. The voice was that of Nancy Hackett, and from her speech she evi- dently believed him to be Simple Sim, the Bron- cho Buster, ‘““Wh—what you doing here?” he at length succeeded in stammering. ‘* Where’s Mildred? And where are those men?” Nancy Hackett sat upright, swayed her body, and gave way to disconsolate grief, “Stop that blubbering and try to explain things!” he commanded, filled with a queer com- bination of anxiety and disgust, ** Anditain’t Simon! An’Iain’t been rescued at all! And them abductors, after stealin’ me out of the winder jest like a story book, dropped me like a hot pertater when they found out I weren’t Milderd. It do beat all how ever’- thing goes wrong with me/” The ‘statement conveyed volumes, Some of the marauders had remained behind and at- tempted the abduction of Mildred Huntington. Butin the darkness they had blundered woe- fully, seizing Nancy Hackett instead, and had not discovered their mistake until they were miles from the ranch-house, And she, filled with visions of knightly bandit- ti, had enjoyed the whole affair, fancying her- self some medieval heroine which an ardent wooer was bearing away to his castle halls! And then, when the chase came, she was changed by her imagination into alady of high degree borne from her Jover’s arms by some freebooter who would, perhaps, fight for her, or demand ran- som! The belief that Simon was the pursuer added to the realism of the picture. Simon couldn’t pay ransom, but he could fight like a chevalier of ve olden time. Then hati come the discovery of her identity, her abandonment by the ungallant rascals, and the final crushing knowledge that the would-be rescuer was not Simon, and had not been en- deavoring to wrest her from brigandish hands, ** And Mildred! She was not with you?” he queried, nervously stamping the ground, ** Mildred? Who'd run away with that little chit?’ wrought to bitter anger by his tone and manner, “Then she’s at home, safe!” with a thankful breath of relief, **O’ course she is! An’ I’m hyer, with a brute!” He became silent under this scornful attack, ‘It’s reely worse than bein’ with t’other fellers, They called me an old hag and a squaw, and figgered whether they hadn’t better take me along anyway as soap grease!” ‘** Who were they?’ But, Nancy was again rocking herself discon- solately, and moaning out ber grief at the un- satisfactory turn events had taken. “It was impossible to obtain any information from her; so Wingate commanded her to mount the horse, and tucking his arm through the bridle-rein, started on the long tramp homeward, CHAPTER VI. A RECKLESS CHARGE, “TNWEVER feel overly safe in a place of this kind!” and the ranch foreman looked uneasily at the chaparral stretching like a brushy sea und him, ‘And especially on this side of the river.” His sole companion was Simple Sim who seemed to give scant heed to the dangers en- vert a. any particular portion of the foot- a merican and Mexican soil were alike im. __ It was the afternoon succeeding the attack on the ranch, and Wingate bad taken the Bu’ster with him to look after some cattle which were believed to have been driven across the Rio ‘ JNA They had been able to track the ani- mals tothe brink of the water on the opposite shore. There the trail was lost, for the banks on the Mexican side were so firm and rocky they retained no hoof-prints, Nevertheless, they continued on, leaving the river a considerable distance behind, and plung- ing into the chaparral in the direction in which it seemed most Jikely the stock would be driven. ‘* Keep your eyes peeled, Simon! We ought to come on some sort of sign hereabout. Unless the cattle have been driven up or down the river! I’ve been thinking the rascals would aim for that rocky pass abead. If they didn’t take that, the boof-marks will begin to show in the softer soil just beyond.” The foreman appeared to have conceived a fancy for the Fool, much to the astonishment of the ranch people. Perbaps Simon’s reckless bravery in the pursuit of the previous night had raised him in the foreman’s estimation, Cer- tainly no one had responded more quickly to Wingate’s rallying cry on that exciting oc- casion, ‘*[?’m a-keepin’? ‘um peeled!” Simple Sim de- clared, running over the ground with eyes spread like saucers, ‘*Can’t see a thing,. though, ceptin’ centipedes an’ lizards. I do b’leeve they’s a million o’ them last bakin’ the’r- selves on the rccks hyerabouts! Should think ’at a Mexican could live fat byer, if 1t’s true, as the cowboys say, that they eats ’um.,” Wingate smiled at the seeming simplicity with which Simon accepted the large stories which the cowboys were constantly dinning into his ears, “It’s iguanas the Mexieans eat, a different kind of lizard from these,” They were epg 8 waar ra the rocky gorge through which Wingate believed the cat- tle bad been driven, if brought that way. When within a bundred yards of the pre- cipitous wall, a puff of smoke spouted from an aperture of the rocks, followed by a whip-like report, and a bullet plowed through the fore- man’s hat, cutting so near the skull tbat it shaved away a lock of hair. * Back!” he called, wheeling his broncho as if on a pivot. ‘* It’s an ambush! Ride for the river! Turning in his saddle, he saw that the other was not obeying. Instead, the face of Simon was working strangely; low sentences were dropping from his lips, and he was fumbling with the handles of the revolvers that swung in holsters at the saddle- bow. ‘** Ride for the river!” Wingate ordered, ‘ It's death to stay here, We'll get some of the cow- boys and come back and give these fellows such a rustle as they never had in their lives,” ~ But if Simon heard, he failed to heed, His Weapons were in his hands, now, and bis eyes were shining balefully. Tbe man’s foolhardi- ness held the foreman fascinated, Then, even as he looked, he saw the Bu’ster make a quick knot in the riata coiled about the horn of the saddle, give it a basty turn that formed a loop, and into this loop thrust a foot. “Do you hear me? Come back!” Wingate again shouted, expecting every moment toagain see that puff of smoke and feel the sting of a bullet, or to see Simon go down beneath the ot, The Bu'ster, turning toward him, smiled broadly and confidently; then threw over the broncho’s side, after the fashion of a Comanche, and with a wild whoop, charged madly at the rocks, The broncho, with head stretched well forward, tore wildly along, cir- cling as it neared the gorge, soas to interpose its y between the rider and the concealed marks- man, When within good pistol range Simple Sim opened on the point whence the shot bad come— a stream of fire and a constant succession of shots issuing from the muzzles of his weapons. ‘“‘ He'll be killed, sure !” Wingate groaned, rooted to the spot by the daring of the spectacle and forgetting to continue his flight, ‘ They'll shoot bis horse, and then he can’t get away!” But, strange to say, no burst of flame came from the rocks, vith fierce pore somgces Simon, having completed a half circle, straight at the opening in the wall, yelling like a veritable savage, Then the pass shut him in. Wingate sat his horse, stupefied by what he had witnessed, and wondering why po shot had stricken the reckless rider to the earth, There were shots after Simon had vanished, but, whether they all came from the pistols of the Bu’ster he could not determine. But, a few mo~ ments later, the broncho ridden by Simple Sim came tearing from the pass, riderless! Grande, $$ nd? 5 \ , himself — :
Page 6
The foreman groaned at this proof of the ful- fillment of his fears, “Tt’s as I thought. A regular death-trap. Well, they'll rot draw me intoit! He’s dead, and I can’t help him; so Pll look out for myself. No, Lean’t help him, But, I can avenge him, poor fellow!” His teeth came together with a snap that showed the deadly nature of bis resolve. Setting spurs to his horse, he rode desperately for the river. This he forced the animal to swim, and then pushed on in quest of a party of cowboys he believed to be in the vicinity, He had directed them to make a search of the oppo- site shore, to determine if the cattle had not been driven into the water as a ruse, to be after- ward turned back to the American side, It seemed unlikely they could be far away, Per- haps they bad heard the firing and were even then galloping to his aid, It required nearly an hour’s search, however, to locate them; and a half-hour more to bring them to the point where he had crossed the stream, The cowboys were admirers of a deed of reckless daring such as Simple Sim had per- formed, and followed williugly enough, anxious to avenge the fate of a man who had been so brave, or to rescue him if he still lived, They had also, in the past few days, begun to under- stand that if Simon had not intellect in any large quantity, he bad many qualities to recom- mend him to their confidence and esteem. ‘** Only show us the way,” they chorused, “‘ an we won’t leave a grease-spot of the villains.” With much anxious foreboding, Wingate led them to the place where he expected to find the body of the Broncho-Bu’ster. The approach was made with all dae caution, as be feared an- other ambush, and had no wish to sacrifice the lives of any of his men, To his astonishment nothing was to be seen, when the gorge had been gained, There was the niche from which the dastardly shot had been fired, the opening into which Simon had ridden and from which the horse bad darted, and the bowlder-strewn pass winding its serpen- tine course through the hills, But, no sign of the Bu’ster nor of the men who had been con- cealed there, The affair had a mystifying look, There was no blood on the rocks, such as one would expect to find if a fatal shot had been given and the body of the slain dragged away. Neither were there any footprints. This last was not strange, when the character of the soil is considered. But it did seem singular that Simon and the meu in ambush should disappear without leay- ing a trace. ‘* They must have pushed on through the pass as soon as I rode away!” Wingate asserted. ne ‘ll follow, anyway, and see what comes of it. Our/orses are rather fresh and he may be able to overtake them. They’ll be bound to make some sort of a trail when they reach the lowland below.” This seemed the only course to pursue; and having determined on it, the foreman put his men in motion and hastened along the trail. They discovered nothing, however, and were as muchin the dark when they debouched on the other side as when they hgd started. The expected hoof-prints did not appear here, the softer soil of the low-lying belt being as barren of ‘‘ sign” as the flinty windings of the pass, ‘ours were spent in fruitless searches; the cowboys beating the entire adjacent country with a thoroughness that permitted nothing to escape. They could find nothing; and Wingate was forced to the reluctant conclusion that the mep who had lain in ambush for him, had been without horses, and had escaped by taking to the rocky fastnesses of the hills, ‘‘Well have to give it up!” he averred at last. ‘‘ We can do nothing and are just wait- ing time. Simon is surely dead, and there seems small chance that we can discover and punish his murderers.” . ¥ Nothwithstanding the belief that all effort in that direction was useless, he sent a number of dismounted cowboys into the hills, feeling that he ought to leave no stone unturned, And, with the others, retraced his way toward the river, sick at heart over the outcome of the day’s work. Fe teen be meee Fe renee CHAPTER VII, ‘“€ 4 FOOL FOR LUCK!” Berore Simple Sim had completed a half- circle, in that reckless charge, he saw, what was invisible to the foreman, that the pass was held by a single man, Even as he made the dis- covery, the man scudded from bis hiding-place in @ niche of the wall, and ran for the concealment b] Sim»yle Sim, the Broncho Buster. of a ravine, terrific yell and raced straight for the gorge, When he reathed it the man was turning a rocky spur in the ravine below. He was run- ning as fast as his legs could carry him, his Winchester at a trail, and only his head and shoulders visible above the chaparral. Before vanishing behind the spur he twisted his head around to look backward, giving the yelling cowboy a good view of his face. It was the fave of the ranchman, Charles Irwin, The Bu’ster gave no indications of surprise or astonishment on making the singular discovery. Everything seemed tocome to him asa matter of course. But because of the knowledge thus gained, or for some reason not apparent, he im- mediately changed his tactics. At the moment, he could be seen by neither Wingate nor the would-be assassin, He leaped to the ground, turned the head of the obedient broncho toward the mouth of the gorge, and gave it a smart cut that sent it flying back toward the river. He then carefully refilled the cylinders of his weap ons, hurried into the ravine, and crept with stealthy footsteps in Irwin’s wake. If Simple Sim had known of the encounter be- tween Wingate and Irwin, the shot from am- bush would have been given a ready explanation; for it must have been evident to even the stupid- est intellect that the ranchman had waylaid bis rival for the purpose of assassination, He had failed, and was now fleeing as if for his life. It did not take Simon long to reach the point where he had seen Irwin disappear. Strangely enough, t20, since sending his broncho thunder- ing back into the valley, he had taken to himself all the wariness and caution of acat, His burn- ing glances constantly roved from covert to covert and from rock to rock. Not a leaf stirred but he observed it, and nota bird chirped but his quick ear caught the sound. From the smiling, good-bumored Fool of the Range he seemed to have been suddenly transformed into a crafty, crawling Comanche. Irwin was not hiding behind the spur of rock, and Simon halted and keenly swept the ravine before pushing further. No rain bad fallen for months, and the compact soil gave no indica- tions of the ranchman’s progress, There was, however, but one way he could go, and at the same time retreat with any speed. That was directly “p the ravine. And, as Simon stared in that direction he caught a momentary glimpse of the object of his search, half concealed by the low-growing chaparral. ‘Goin’ it jes’ lickety-split!” and a smile re- placed the intense look that had disfigured the pursuer’s face. ‘‘ Travels faster on Shanks’ ponies than if he was straddlin’ a bronch’, I do b’heve. Dll bave to nacher’ly hump myself to keep in sight of him!” With this observation, he again writhed for- ward, An bour at this kind of work carried htm throagh the hill region. During that time he had bardly lost sight of the ranchman, Yet, from Irwin’s movements it was plain the latter had no idea that he was being followed. Only for the first few hundred yards had he been careful to keep himself well concealed, After that he strode along with a bold’ penness that made trail ing him mere cbild’s play. he country assumed different characteristics. A high, rolling mesa stretched away from the base of the bluffs. The chaparral gave way to vast expanses of mesquite, interspersed with prairie-like openings. Giant cacti everywhere abounded, and at intervals small groves of gnarled trees offered shelter from therays of the sun, Into one of these groves Irwin finally disap- peared. Simon could not determine whether he came out of it at the opposite side or uct, but supposing that he had, advanced toward the trees. When too late to retreat he saw that the rove held a large number of men and horses, resumably they were Irwin’s men, and no doubt they had discovered bim, Without a moment’s hesitation he continued on. A man arose at the edge of the timber, coolly pointed a rifle at Simon’s breast, and or- dered him to throw up his bands, “brow ’em up, or I'll pleg ye!” cried the man, warningly, evidently fearing ‘the other might attempt to draw a revolver ‘Up, ye air,” drawled the Bu’ster, “ high as I can put ’em. If you want’em any higher you'll bave to git me a box,” i ; ‘Keep ’em up, then, and march into camp!” was the stern rejoinder. ‘‘ You can do your talkin’ to the captain.” ** Well, I hain’t done nothin!” Simon pro- + Thy as he marched ahead of the threatening rifle, It wasat this point Simon gave that All told, there were ten men in the grove; and among them Simon searched in vain for the murderously -inclined ranchman. The latter had come in there, and it seemed unlikely he had gone out, Four or five of the men were Mexicans, the others Americans, Simon had never seen any of them before, ‘* What’s become of the feller that run in hyer?” he asked, glancing from face to face with owlish gravity. ‘ H there towards the river, and I’ve been follerin’ him ever sence, Seems tome some of ye ort’ ’a’ seen him, He was a tallish man, with black bair, I didn’t get a good squint at his face,” e shot at me back | ; ** Do you know who be was?” asked one of the | . men, who had been lazily seated on a log, Simon’s ears were keen, and peril had appa- rently sharpened his wits, The voice was dis- guised, but he recoguized it as Irwin’s. Never-~ theless, he gave not a sign, ‘‘ Naw! he run too blame fast. Jes’ cut a streak, when he started. I got a goodish look at his back, though, an’ think I’d ree’nizeit. "Twas asortof a square back, with broad shoulders and big arms.” ** Well, he didn’t come in here!” another ob- served, ‘* You must have been moon-eyed when you thought so. And, now, tell us what you intended to do, if you bad caught bim?” ** Do?” and Simon howled the question, ‘‘Well, I cal late he wouldn’t shovt at any more men!” ‘* And what were you doing on this side of the | river alone?” the man again questioned, assum- ing the duty of spokesman of the party. ** Wasn’t alone!” sputtered the Bu’ster. ‘ Mr. Wingate was with me; an’ we was lookin’ fer cattle.” _ ‘* Well, if we see the chap you’ve been hunt- ing, we’il tell him to send you his post-office ad- dres:!” and the fellow laughed loudly at his supposed wit, ‘**Thankee!” Simon placidly replied. ‘ I'd / like to find him reel bad. That’s a purty bunch 0’ horses you've got out there!” ‘*They’re mustangs. We caught them only a few days ago.” ‘¢ Um-bub!” ‘** See here! Seems to me I’ve heard of you. Ain’t you the chap that’s been brdakin’ bosses for Huntington?” : ‘“* You bet!” and the Bu’ster’s mouth expanded with the pleasure of the thought that his fame had extended so widely, ‘I kin break anything what runs on four legs,” ‘‘That’s a purty big boast! I don’t allow you could do anything with those critters out there?” Simen looked at the mustangs the man pointed out; then got up, sauntered over to the group and curiously inspected them, They were cer- tainly mustangs—that is, they had once been wild horses and had been caught from some herd. But there were certain marks on one or two that did not escape the Bu’ster’s atten- ion. “*T reckon I can handle ‘um,” he declared, shaking his head egotistically. ‘I’ve handled wuss,” A silly grin had crept into the corners of his expausive mouth and he chuckled in a way thac was ridiculous, Evidently be had some thought in connection with the mustangs that greatly amused him, ~ ** It won’t be no lengtiin matter, if one of ’em should break yer fool neck!” the man averred, wrongly interpreting the meaning of the chuckles, ‘““Naw! ’Twouldn’t!” and Simon straightened his face with an effort. ‘‘I callate twouldn’t be no fun!” The other members of the band were watching him closely, laughing now and then at some pointless remark to which he gave utterance, It was to them an amusing thing to contemplate with what ease he had been outwitted and turn- ed from his search, To all appearances he had entirely forgotten what be came there for. The mustangs were still half wild and wholly vicious. Only the presence of anumber of well- trained saddle-horses kept them from dashing away as the men drew near. “ Twouldn't be jes’ no trick "tall to break ’um,” Simon confidently asserted. “If you'll mme five dollars I'll fix ever’ one so they can e rid easy, That’s dog cheap. I ‘low they ain’t another man in Texas ’u’d do it fer that.” “* What do you say, Cap?” and the man turned with awink to the disguised Irwin—might as well let him go abead, eh?” Irwin fancied ke saw in the prospect an abundance of sport—an opinion shared in full by his comrades, and observing that the men were anxious for an exhibition of Simon’s skill, nodded his head in assent, ee ee a 4 ee Mm UT pe oe hae et Ot fe 2th us oh c a. / ‘a Cc re m b bh ar bi DE
Page 7
Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster. ‘Tf he’ll take all the risk! There'll be some broken ribs and maybe a broken neck. ne The Broncho, Bu’ster was awaiting the decision with a nervousness very unusual. 7 “Til haf to have a saddle and bridle and lariat, an’ you'll haf to belp me git the critters outfrom under the trees. I don’t keer about gittin’ my head bu’sted ag’in’ one of these byer limbs,” : The articles asked for were immediately forth- coming. “Tf you git a bridle over the head o’ one of | them you'll do better than I think!” the spokes- > | Man observed. l, eo & t e a y j- g k iL n y a L _”* His surprise was great when Simon advanced with outstretched hand and wheedling voice and walked straight up to one of the finest as wellas wildest of the bunch. The animal seemed to recognize him as a friend, “Ob, I’m a-reachin’ fer your five dollars;” turning to the men who were watching him in- tently. ‘Til yearn it easy enough.” With a touch as soft as a woman’s he smooth- | ed down the tangled mane, The face and nose | were rubbed in the same soothing way. While | thus engaged he slipped a thumb between tbe animal’s jaws, above the front teeth, forcing the | mouth open, and with a deft movement inserted the bit, at the same moment dropping the head- iece over the ears and fastening the throat- atch. At this there was an emphatic protest from the brute, and it required some time before it could be again quieted and reassured. But Simon worked with marvelous patience. The placing of the saddle upon its back and the tightening of the cinches were the most troublesome. But 1t was all accomplished in due course, and the broncho-breaker stood ready to mount, The otker mustangs had for some time been } curiously eyeing these movements. “They cal’late they’d like to be rigged up m the same way!” declared the breaker, with a | chuckle of deep satisfaction. He had stated he would not attempt to break the animal there under the trees; and as he now led it coaxingly toward the edge of the grove, its mates followed, with ears laid forward, and sniffing the air distrustfully. ) Neither Simon nor the men seemed to giveany heed to this very natural movement, though the latter had abundant cause to regret their inat- tention, when it was too late. When well out of the grove the Broncho-Bu’s- ter sprung lightly into the saddle. The mustang trembled when it felt the unaccustomed weight, and appeared inclined to resent it; but the soft caressings of the rider’s hand, and’ the quieting tones of bis voice calmed it into submission, “Git your five dollars ready!” he called, urg- ing it first. into a walk and then into a trot, * Pm a-reachin’ fer it, strong!” {n afew minutes he reduced the mustang to complete subjection: forcing it to a walk, trot or run as the whim suited him, The men, grouped on the outskirts of the grove, watched bim with unfeigned admiration, occasionally shouting a word of encouragement, such as: ** Go it, Simple! Pm a-backin’ ye!” They failed to notice that he was widening his circles and drawing further and further trom the trees; also, that the rest of the mustangs, with curiosity 48 pronounced as an antelope’s, were Se is example, Such a howl as went up when the awakening came! As the final cirele threw the rider al- most beyond rifle range, and while the inquisi- tive mustangs were crowding near, he gave a rill, whistling call, and headed bis steed traight fur the bills! The mustangs seemed to understane the character of the whistle, for they all streamed aiter him with headlong speed, | To the men in the grove the whole thing was an aggravating and incomprehensible mystery, Could they bave seen with clearer vision there would have been no mystery atall. . At the first glance which Simon gave the tmoustangs he had recognized them asthe property or old Joe Hunter, a ranchman living a number f miles down the river. Hunter had caught them that spring. As it chanced, Hunter’s ranch was one of the first Simon had visited on reaching that section; and while there he bad partially broken the mustangs to the saddle and made them obedient to his call, which, of course, hey well remembered. ; © Was reasonably well convinced the men in he grove had stolen the animals from Hunter, and a craft; piso of retaking them crept into his mind. It had been well carried out; and it seemed now impossible that the mustangs could be regained by the thieves, |,{\ Pu go back after that five dollers when I pin't in such a pesky hurry!” laughed Simple t Sim, glancing over his shoulder to see what the rascals were doing. ; They bad not stood idle. frantically for their ponies, mained quietly in the grove. But the Bu’ster was more than a mile away with the mustangs before they were ready for the pursuit, Then they galloped from tbe grove, furious with rage’ aud filling the air with curses, ** A hundred dollars to the man that first lays hands on him!” Irwin vociferated, now furious with rage. He had removed the disguising beard. “Tf we overtake bim, the scoundrel shall die like a dog!” : But they were not destined to overtake him, His former experience had taught Simon which mustang possessed the most speed and endur- ance, ‘This one he had selected, The others were almost as good; and being unincumbered kept close at bis heels. The race was a long one, ending only after the Bu’ster had safely passed the river. And here the baffled ruffians turned back, realizing that it would be perilous and well-nigh useless to pursue him further. CHAPTER VIII. A DEED OF HEROISM. THE sun was low in the heavens as Simple Sim left the shallow, turbid river behind bim, and led his recaptured mustangs in the direction | of the Huntington ranch buildincs—for be was | already on the range over which the baron’s Naturally he was in a very | He had outwitted the | cattle roved. jubilant frame of mind. thieves ina manner that was decidedly superb; and he tried to picture the welcome and surprise with which heshould be greeted on his ar- rival. ‘**T callate they won’t be lookin’ fer me with an outfit like this!” glancing proudly at the |} mustangs that were following bim so docilely, ‘*T reckon as how ole Hunter ’Il pay me the five | that I lost by bringin’ of ’em away. Cricky! He ort to be glad, too. They ain’t a hoof of ’em but’s wu’th five times that.” Seeing that the thieves had not followed bim | across the river he dropped into an easier pace, as the animal he was riding was by this time pretty well blown, Shortly before sunset, when cantering along in this leisurely fashion, he rounded a knoll and came on a sight that sent a thrill of horror through every vein. A bunch of half wild cat- tle had been recently brought on the Hunting- ton range; and as frequently happens in such | cases, they bad persisted in avoiding the others | and inherding to themselves, They had been reared in the Mexican interior, and had passed a@ great portion of their lives without seeing a ! human being—hence scared easily when ap- proacbed, : What Simon saw was the formof Mildred Huntington; prostrate on the ground, where she had been hurled by ber pony, and directly in front of a stampeding band of those wild cattle, The situation was explained by a glance. She bad been taking her customary evening ride, and happening in the vicinity of the cattle had ridden near to inspect them. Some of them, irritated by this approach, bad charged the pony. It had wheeled so quickly that she was thrown to the earth. Simple Sim saw her rise and stare bewilder- edly fora moment, and then break intoa brisk run. The ‘steers which had charged the pony bad passed ber by, and the others were tearing madly in the wake of those leaders. But those in the rear were spread out in the form of a fan; and it was plain that one wing of this fan would strike and crush her to the earth, where she must instantly be killed by the trampling hoofs. It was indeed a situation full of terrible peril, With an inarticulate cry, the Bu’ster lashed his steed into a furious gallop. To attempt Mildred’s rescua seemed running into the jaws of death. He was not the man, Lowever, to coolly count chances and consequences. Hesaw that, unaided, she could not escape, and there- oo threw to the winds all considerations of self, The mustangs followed with blind obedience for a short distance, but when they saw the mad- dened cattle, and caught the roarof their tramp- ling feet, they scattered like a flock of frighten- ed sheep. Simon had forgotten them, and knew not whether they were following or remained behind. Had he reflected on the matter be would probably have preferred they should do the lat- ter, as their presence might complicate the diffi- culties and dangers of the situation, When he started on that fearful race it seem~ As soon as they | understcod the nature of the trick, they rushed | These had re- | ; ed almost a hopeless one. The steers were much nearer Mildred, and plunging along at a rate to tax the speed of auy horse. But tle willing mustang entered into the spirit of the effort, and ran as it perhaps never ran before in all its wild | career, | At this juncture the imperiled girl saw the | coming horseman, and altering her course ran directly toward bim, This change of direction increased her jeopardy, as 1t brought ber nearer the center of the path covered by the berd’s ad- vance, But, at the same time, it made it pos- -sible for Simon to reach her sooner than if she had continued in the way she had been going. Simon gave a greatshout and waved his bat- tered hat by way of encouragement. She could not hear the sbout, but she saw the mo- tion, and it put new life and energy into her | flagging steps. And the cattle, with beads in the air, hoofs jarring like the roar of distant thunder, half revealed and half concealed by a dust-cloud, swept on with the pitiless impetuosity of a tor- nado. On the face of the daring mustang-rider was a tense look, and in his eyes a light that ban- ; ished the usual clownishness of bis appearance, He was always a good rider, and now sat on his mustang with something akin to grace, leaning far forward in bis earnestness, yet sticking close to the saddle after the fashion of the Western cowboy. He kad to cross in front of the handle or point of the fan and press along the opposite side to reach the girl. As he crossed the* point the leaders of the herd swerved slightly in the direc- tion he was taking, as if tocrowd bim away and | make Mildred’s destruction more certain. The threatening feet were now not more than a hun- dred yards from her, The change in the course of the leaders threw the front of the herd into a semivircle of which she was the center. It seemed suicidal for the cowboy to press be- tween tke horus of that crescent of death. Yet he never hesitated, but struck bis spurs hard against the flanks of the straining mustang, and | gave another cheery cry. Mildred’s strength was spent, and she reeled | from exhaustion. But to stop was death, So she staggered blindly on, with gasping breath, her senses swimming, and a blur of darkuess before her vision, Simon saw ell this, and urged bis flying-mus- | tang to still greater efforts. The little beast re- sponded nobly, the inward circling movement | giving to horse and rider the appearance of a sea bird dashing for its prey imto the combing crest of a wave. A few, only, of those mighty | bounds were necessary to carry the mustang to | the side of the balf-fainting girl. Then the cow- | boy, without in the least checking the speed of | his stee’, Jeaned from the saddle, catcbing Mil- | dred under the arms as be whirled past, With a berculean effort he drew her up in front of him and regained bis upright position. raised by the cattle; and the noise of the crowd- ing hoofs was absolutely deafening. The mus- tang seemed to understand the necessities ot the | situation, wheeling and racixg away at its best | gaitas soon as the rescue was effected. Simon gave a quick, backward glance at the surging sea of hair and horns and fiery eyes, / The gallopiug motion of the herd gavetoita — sinuous mcvement that, under the circum- stances, was fascinating, yet terrible, ‘* A narrer squeeze!” he gasped, turning from this spectacle to the wide-reaching prairie ahead, ‘‘The gal’s fainted, I ‘low. Jes’ about another minute would ’a’ been too late.” He felt they were safe, should no accident befall. But if the pony stumbled, or any one of a dozen possible mishaps occurred, their lives would not be worth the weight of a feather. Conscious of this, he kept a firm’ hand on the rein and scanned the route with solicitous care. By this time the pony was pretty well blown, but it was a plucky creature and kept up that marvelous burst of speed until it was clear of the horns of the quivering crescent, ““Good boy!” suid Simon, patting its steam- ing side, ‘*The best o’ Kentucky blue-blood couldn’t ’a’ beat that. "Twas a stunner for a _ race, shore! An’ you won!” The maddened herd had streamed by, at a safe distance, and he drew the mustang down into a trot—then soon be brought it to a full stop. The deatblike stilIness of hie charge was causing him much uneasiness. _ * Hain’t burt, air ye?” be questioned, anx- iously, swinging from the saddle and lifting ber gently to the ground, ‘“’Twas enough to skeer a body, that’s a fac’.” © They were enveloped, now, in the dust-cloud - Se
Page 8
~ ‘ tion him as to the circumstances, It’s jes’ like hoss-breakin’. ' and that was 8 - There was in his voice the softness and tender- ness of a woman’s, showing that, beneath the seeming crudeness of his nature, there throbbed a heart that was warin and true. Mildred did not immediately revive. On the contrary, it required considerable time and effort to fully restore her to consciousness, She shuddered when she recalled the peril from which she had been rescued. “Tt was a noble and unselfish thing for you to do, Simon!” with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, ‘‘I can never, never repay you for it. But you bave my thanks! My sincere thanks!” “?’Twan’t jes’ nothin’ ’tall!” Sim declared, wiping a bit of suspicious moisture from his eyes and turning away to hide his emotions, ‘‘ I’d do as much for a Greaser, if there’d come a needcessity. An’ now, if you'll ’low me to he’p you onto the back of the critter, we'll jog on. It’s gittin’ late.” She willingly complied. ‘‘’Pears to me it’s ruthér resky in you to be out hyer, anyway!” as he swung along at the mustang’s head. ‘' There’s thieves ’crost the river—reg’lar bad ’uns. Had a race with ’um myself not more’n a hour ago. ‘“* Geewhillikins! There’s them plaguey mus- tangs! lclean fergot’em, An’ after takin’ ’em away from them fellers so slick! If youll *3cuse me, Miss Mildred, I'll jes’ see if I can’t rouud’em up. Id hate to have them fellers git emi ag’in.” ‘*No!” urged Mildred, feeling that she wanted him uear her, and too weak and faint to ques- ‘*'m afraid 1 can’t goon alone, I’m giddy, and—and—might tumble from the horse.” Simon had halted and was scanning the prairie, now growing dark with the approach of night, B Tos? as you say, miss,” tucking the bridle beneath hisarm. ‘1 cal’late a woman’s worth more’n a good many mustangs, I sh’u’d hate to lose ’em, though! There’s five dollars in that bunch belongin’ to me,” In Simon’s estimation five dollars was evi- dently an immense sum. But he forgot this promise of wealth in other topics of conversa- tion; merging into a stream of commonplace Seg ended only on their arrival at the ranch- ouse, CHAPTER IX, GREEN-EYED JEALOUSY. WHEN the accounts of the rescue of Mildred and of the recapture of the mustangs were ren- dered, Simple Sim received such lavish praise that he was elevated to the pinnacle of earthly happiness, “Them tricks weren’t no small pertaters!” he grinned. ‘I cal’late 1 c’u’d do ’em better, though, if I had another chance. A body kin allus do a thing better, when he’s had ixperience. A body’s got to know how: an’ thenit takes ixperience. Knowin’ how ain’t no good, jes’ by itself!” There was, however, one person on the ranch. who was not pleased with all that had occurred; ancy Hackett. “Course I wouldn’t ’a’ had him let her git tromped into a jelly an’ all that!” she sniffed, turning stiffly away from the laudatory group. “Taw, no! Bat, it’s je her luck. Allus a-slippiw’ down, when they’s a man around to pick ber up an’ set her on her feet, as you might say. Not that I’d think o’ insiniwatin’ that she done it a-purpose! But it’s pesky strange; so it is. Don’t nobody never come around reskyin’ me when I'm in trouble! That they don’t!” Notwithstanding these mental reservations, it was plain Nancy felt that in some unexplainable way sbe had been wrooged. Simon she con- sidered her especial property; and no other wo- man had any moral right to place herself ina situation demanding heroic or chivalric conduct on his part. ** An’ he’s jes’ tickled to death because of it; an’ hangs right to her skirts like any ten-year- old baby an’ never thinks o’ comin’ near me. An’ she’s a-praisin’ bim to his face ever’ blessed minute, an’ a-tellin’ him what a fine man he is, ‘an’ a-makin’ a reg’lar fool out’n him! I never see sich carryin’s-on. That I didn’t, An’ me no more thought of than if I was the dust under eet! ‘“‘ Well, I won’t stay hyer an’ see it! That I won't! If she wants him she can have him. Bat I ain’t a-zoin’ to see myself tromped on like ’ 3 an’ then turn an’ lick the _ Nancy Hackett ain’t jes’ that kind of a Says. and that. ren | ' rc. ; } £ 4 es) i A Mate HD lo MWD te Nyt ie : at Saipeaart ir akg giarie es Monten Solis . ¥ os * sa ia 3 ag are ee a at i torrent of sobs, as Mildred and Simon chanced to stroll in her direction. “* Why, what’s the matter?’ Mildred queried, in great perplexity; while Sim flushed and fum- bled guiltily at his hat. ‘* What are you crying about?” “*T hain’t a-cryin’!” Nancy asserted, straight- ening up with much dignity. ‘Ketch me a-cryin’! I wouldn’t cry if I was burnt at the stake!” ** But youare! so that you can hardly speak. about.” ‘“T shouldn’t think you'd haf’ to ask!” with a flutter of fresh indignation, “If you’re jes’ bound and deetermined to have him, though, why take him! That’sall I’ve got tosay. but I won’t stay hyer an’ see your carryin’s-on! That I won’t! I’m jes’ as refined an’ good a lady as you, Miss Mildred; an’ I’d have you know I’ve got my feelin’s though I dessay you won’t give me credit fer ’em! Fou never do!” For a moment Mildred stood amazed and per- plexed; then as the ludicrousness of the situa- tion da wned on her she broke into hearty peals of laughter. * An’ I won’t have a little chit like you a- pokin’ fun at me, neither!” reddening to the roots of ber hair, “It hain’t bad enough to steal a girl’s feller, I s’pose? but you must go to pokin’ fun at_her into the barg’in! I hain’ta fool, Mildred Huntington! An’I kin see as fur through a grin’-stone as some other people, what thinks, mebbe, 1 hain’t got eyes! That I kin! An’ fer all yer smartness, you hain’t smart enough to fool me, That you ain’t! An’,sol say ag’in, if you want him, why take him; an’ I hopes you'll never live to regret it!” And, with a fresh torrent of tears, Nancy fled from the room, seeking her own chamber, which she barred against all callers, The next morning she presented herself before Mildred, all traces of tears washed from her eyes, She was arrayed in her neatest dress; — her extra clothing done up in a little bun- dle. ““T didn’t think I ort to go ’thout lettin’ you know!” she said, cold constraint visible in her face and attitude, ‘* You’re not going to Jeave the ranch?” “ Ves’m! After las’ night, [ don’t think I'd keer to stay longer, I’ma lady, Miss Mildred]! An’ I’ve got the feelin’s of a lady, if they is some that thinks I hain’t!” Mildred found persuasion and argument quite Your voice is trembling, now, —— Miss Hackett’s resolution was firmly ‘taken. “Tf you'll just wait till father returns!” Mildred urged. ‘*He’s out with Simon and some more of the cowboys, looking up those mustangs. Perhaps he can say something to change your mind. And, besides, he has the key to the money-drawer, and you'll want your wages before going.” The reference to Simon was most unfortunate. It kindled anew the fires of Nancy Hackett’s wrath, ‘Thank you for nothin’! I don’t want yer money; an’ I wouldn’t stay hyer, not if you’d give me a million dollars a week!” With this resolute assertion, she gave a scorn- ful toss of her bead, and with deliberate steps marched away across the prairie, soon becom- ing lost toview in the groves of gnarled and scrubby mesquite, She had set her course in the direction of Irwin’s ranch, which she reached after a toil- some tramp of many hours. Irwin was at home, giving some instructions to bis cowboys. The only woman in his on 4 was the wife of one of the Mexicans, his woman Nancy found in the cook-room, to which she marched, without giving the'ranchman a second glance, The black-eyed senora stared as Nancy un- ceremoniously entered and tossed her bundle on the floor. _““Tve come to stay with you a bit!” shrug- ging her shoulders disdainfully at the untidy appearance of the place, ‘‘Ican bea sight of help if you'll let me. You need somebody to look after ange a little and set ’m to rights,” The cook had never beard of such a being as Nancy Hackett, and flew to the swift conclusion that her domain had been invaded by a crazy creature. With this belief, she whisked from the room aud ran frigbtenedly to Irwin, ‘* Eb?” said the ranchman, staring as he lis- tened to her complaint. ‘‘She’s out of her head? I wondered what it could mean when I saw_ her,” With this, he accompanied the woman to the cook room, and there confronted Miss Hackett, who had taken a broom and was beginning to ' ought see Simon! ) Tell me what it’s ' hi? Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster. stir up a cloud of dust in her initial effort to ‘* set things to rights,” ‘* What does this mean!” he demanded, frown- ing severely. ‘* You’ve scared my cook half out of her wits!” Nancy gazed at the senora with fine scorn, ‘Why, I jes’ wouldn’t stay at t’other place any longer! I can’t a-bear that Miss Milderda! That I can’t! She’s that uppish of late that a body can’t live with her.” ““Oho! So you’ve had a quarrel?” _ ‘* We might ’a’ bad, if I'd ’a’ quarreled! I jes’ tol’ her I couldn’t an’ wouldn't live there any longer. An’ so I come hyer!” And expect to stay?” Stay? Why, I wouldn’t go back there fer auythin ” 4 But t don’t need you. I don’t want you.” cage don’t! Jes’ look at this room, will An amused, yet crafty, look glistened in Ir- win’s eyes, _ ‘* Perhaps you can be of some service in helj ing Juanita!” You may remain awhile; that is if you two can get along without fussing.” And thus Nancy Hackett was installed in the ranchman’s service, ‘* She can do no barm,” Irwin mused, as be returned to the cowboys, “and she may do me some good. I ought to be able to get a lot of in- formation from her that will serve me well. And her presence will give me an excuse fora visit to the ranch,” ; tei CHAPTER X., MYSTERIOUS THREATS, BeErForE nightfall Irwin had worked out his lans and_was on his way to the Huntington Ganoh. He had bad several conversations with Nancy—if conversations they can be called—and had gained thereby a_very fair idea of recent occurrences affecting Mildred and her lover, It was the first time be had visited the place since his encounter with Wingate, and he was naturally anxious as to his reception, ‘*T half wisb, sometimes, the boys had let me be, that night,” he growled, thinking of the com- bat, ‘I had him in my power, then. Noone was near; and I don’t believe suspicion would ever have pointed to me. *Tisn’t anything so very uncommon for a man. to be mysteriously killed in these parts,” Darkness had set in before the ranch was reached, Dismounting a short distance from the borae-corral, besecured his broncho by means of a picket-pin and lariat; then walked leisurely toward the house, ; His knock on the door was answered by Hunt- gton. “Ah! Good evening!” said the cattle baron with his usual warmth, though be was not at all pleased at sight of his visitor. ‘Step into the sitting-room. Or, would you like a bite of sup- per? The table hasn’t been cleared away, yet,” ‘*T believe I don’t care for anything,” Irwin replied. ‘I bad supper just before | started, I thought I’d just drop in awhile for a chat,” He laughed to conceal the slight restraint he felt, and followed the baron into the sitting- room, an apartment framed in airy, ample pro- portions, : ‘That Hackett woman flared up, did she?” he asked, stowing his hat in a corner and drop- ping into an easy chair. ‘She's about the queerest female I ever run across.” ‘“ Have you seen her?” ‘¢ Well, I should say! She camped down onto me this afternoon and declared that she was going to stay whether 1 wanted her or not, [ haven’t much use for her; but 1 couldn’t very well drive her away, you know.” “Certainly not!” and the baron smiled. There was something indescribably amusing to him in this sudden freak of Nancy. ‘ Huntington seldom let an occasion for smiling uss unimproved, He was a cheery, good-na- ured gentleman, of the Southern persuasion, in- clined to take the world og and extract from it all the comfort possible. In the past few days there had been much to irritate and annoy him; and Nancy’s silly Jeatopey had given him some- thin Me laugh about. titel bd on’t suppose you could Induce ber to come back? Irwin questioned, “Hang itall I wish you could, My cook thinks she’s half crazy, and in is desperately afraid of her; and if Juanita should take it into ber head to leave we'd be ina bad way over there.” $ Yen" assented Huntington, laughing tiil his abled ook. “* It was a funny affair all around. ‘Pye been joking Mildred about it the entire day. She takes it good-humoredly enough, But you Just say Nancy Hackett to ey, } patie” - ti to aay rn Sete Se
Page 9
with asuddencold, _ | pity on the girl Don't forca ar , P ee faainns 6 eataracatieetie: saat Oe a = Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster. 9 him and he flies all to pieces. I don’t suppo ‘the cowboys ever will get done laughing at him about it,” ‘*T rather hoped you could think of some plan to get her to return,” lrwin persisted. ‘“ To tell the truth, that’s mainly what brought me here to-night.” ; “ T wouldn’t know how togo about it, Peo- ple can’t be made to stay just where they’re wanted, in a free country. She was a great help to Mildred, too, in the way of company.” “ Speaking of Mildred,” said Irwin, after a time of silence, ‘‘I’d like to talk to you a little about her, Giles, if you don’t object,’ A momertary frown came to Huntington’s placid features. He was not aware that Irwin had been favoring bis daughter with sundry at- tentions intended to be conciliatory and to pave the way to something warmer than friendship, ‘** She’s a handsome girl and a good one, and ’d like your consent to pay my respects to her,” Huntington fidgeted uneasily, but managed to remain silent. , You're rich, Giles, I know that. While [’m only an ordinary sort of ranchman. But I’m not so bad off. I’ve got a snug, little sum in bank; and, besides, my position as sheriff of the county gives me something of a standing. Id make a girl a good husband, and one you couldn’t be ashamed of, if I do say it myself.” ** Mildred isn’t old enough to think about marrying, yet!” and the perturbed father drum- med nervously on the arm of his chair. ‘‘She is only a child. It seems only yesterday that she was a baby.” “She is twenty!” declared the ranchman, doggedly, not liking Huntington’s tone and manner, ‘“ Anda girl of twenty is a woman. ‘Old enough to think of such things, anyway. In fac’t she’s been already thinking of them, and to some purpose, or I miss my guess,” Huntington chose not to understand him, and Irwin went on: ‘You must know what I mean, . Your fore- man, Taylor Wingate, is using his position—” “Stop!” commanded Huntington, a trace of anger in his voice, ‘‘ If my daughter chooses to accept Wingate’s civilities, that 1s her affair.” **Of course, Only I was in doubt whether you knew of it, If you didn't, I thought you ought to. Isuppose it’s none of my business, But Wingate lacks a good deal of being her equal in socialstanding, Why, it’s hardly a month since he was only a common cowboy.’ . Huntington’s anger was seldom of a character to last long. He could, firm, however, on occa- sion: and this seemed an occasion demanding firmness. Nevertheless, out of consideration for a neighbor, he banished the harsh words that lea ped for utterance, “Why don’t you go to Mildred? If she’s a ‘woman, as you say, she is fully competent to’set- tie all such matters, herself,” “She doesn’t take kindly to me,” said Irwin, bowing his head. ‘I have spoken to her several times. I thought you might be able to say a Pg word in my behalf, I think the main trou- nle is that she looks on me as old! But I’m not old. Just in the prime of life, But a girl isapt to think a man a Methuselah when he is past forty. You've observed that, no doubt. Now it’s my belief that in nine cases out of ten a man of my age will make sucha girl a better husband than will one who is twenty years younger.” “Perhaps you are right; but we'll not argue the matter. I always think a woman’s personal preference should be the guide in such matters.” “And you won't say anything to her, then, in my behalf?” . Huntington gave a decided negative, ‘* Perhaps a few words will make you think better of it,’—and Irwin leaned forward and whispered some hurried sentences into the cattle baron’s ear. r They must have been of startling import, for the latter fell back, white and gasping, '“* How did you come by that knowledge? star- \ ing at the ranchman as if fascinated, ‘It’s every word true, isn’t it?” , “You haven’t answered my question!” eva- a at a ** Well, you needn’t say it is, if you don’t want wae 4? to!’ and Trwin rubbed ‘his hands together and chuckled with fiendish glee, ‘I know all about it, Huntington; and I'll reveal it if you don’t do as I say.” ““My God, man! You wouldn’t be so cruel? — You couldn't!” — pi : Wouldn't If You'd better not put it to the Ss ° The cattle baron was shivering as if struck ‘If you’rea man, Irwin, ou'll have some ne to answer you ‘ < Sts , ‘ p+» Tae x : to-night. I can’t and won’t, To-morrow, Any time! But not to-night!” And with these hasty and anguished ejacula- tions, he quitted the room; leaving Irwin to find his way from the house as best he could. CHAPTER XI. STEALTHY VISITANTS, SmPLeE Smt SArTERLEE lifted his head from the saddle which served as a pillow, sat half erect and listened long and intently, ‘* Must be somethin’ wrong!” he mumbled, ‘I never wake this way unless there is,” The wind moaned dolefully through the mes- quite and rustled the short, dry grass. Tbemoon was far down in the western sky, and its pale and half-obscured light served but to make the darkness visible. Above, a spray of ragged clouds blew westward, blotting out the stars. Simon glanced at the silent forms of the sleep- ers about him, Slumber and blankets enveloped them, and they were dead to matters of sense. ‘* Wonder if I hadn’t better wake Wingate?” Wingate, as foreman, had charge of the little party which lay camped that night on the broad plains many miles from the Huntington Ranch, They had Hunter’s mustangs in charge, intend- ing to return them to their owner, and had been now two dayson theroute, Half the distance to Hunter’s had been covered. **Pshaw! I’low there can’t beanything wrong. The man on guard wouldn’t shorely go to sleep!” ‘“*He was about to lie down again, when his quick ears caught suspicious sounds and move- ments in the direction of the mustangs and nies, ‘*T cal late ever’thing ain’t jes’ as it ort to be!” he whispered, crawling to where Wingate lay and nudging him in the side, ‘‘ Git up and take a listen!” Wingate started up instantly, “Sh! Don’t make any noise!” cautioned Sim, ‘*T thought I heerd a queerish racket among the hosses awhile ago.” Then there came distinctly to their straining ears the tramp of horses’ feet on the soft sward; the movement of the sound seeming to indicate that the horses were moving from the camp. ‘Quick! Wake the boys!” the foreman com- manded, ‘* There’s something wrong here!” He scrambled away to obey his own injunc- tion, and Simon as nimbly imitated his example, Two minutes later every man in the camp was wide awake, and ready for action. ‘*A couple of you run over and see what’s the matter with Jim; the rest follow me! Some- thing must have happened to him, He couldn’t fail to hear that, unless he’sasleep. And 1 never knew Jim to sleep at his post.” The mustangs and ponies had been hoppled and turned loose to graze, it being reasonably certain they would not stray far. The rapid trampling of feet indicated, now, that they had freed themselves of the hopples—which was very unlikely—or that they had been released. And if released, then an attempt was being made to steal them, The cowboy, Jim, had been stationed near them to guard agsinst any such attempt, and to His silence at this time was prophetic of ill, Before Wingate and his followers reached the point where the animals had been hoppled they were joined by the men sent to ascertain what had befallen the guard. They came back with him limping in their midst. He had not fallen’ asleep, but had been stricken down by a stealthy blow from behind, and then bound and gagged. ‘Then it’s rustlers!” Wingate asserted, in blank dismay. ‘‘And they’ve got every one of our horses!” What tbis meant all knew full well, and as one man they rushed forward, hoping to be in time to prevent therascals from carrying out their scheme to its full extent. Without horses they were as helpless as shipwrecked mariners, No one bounded away with more nimbleness than did the Fool; and when near enough to make himself heard he gave one of those ear- splitting whistles for which he was famous, At this the clatter of hoofs increased a hun- dred fold; and men’s voices could be heard urg- ing the animals on. ‘Ten to cne, they are the very scamps from which Simon took the mustangs!” Wingate panted, ‘* And they’ve been dogging us for the purpose of getting them back.” : But half of his comment was heard, for Simon was sending one blast after another, the vibrant calls cutting the air like the staccato of a locomotive, ; lt seemed foolish to thus warn the thieves of the efforts they were making. Simon had, how- give warning should trouble of any kind arise. ° the Rio Grande. ever, trained a number of the Huntington horses to come to him anywhere on hearing the signals, This fact was wellknown to Wingate and the cowboys; and they waited anxiously to see if on this occasion it would have its usual effect. The thieves had now adandoned all attempts at concealment, and were shouting and firing their revolvers and racing here and there for the purpose of throwing the animals into a stampede. ‘“Mebbe we c’u’d bring down some of ’em, if we'd give ’em a volley!” one of the cowboys urged, as he raced at the foreman’s side, ** Might’s well kill a few of the hosses as to have them all git away!” ‘* No!” said Wingate, ‘It would only be a waste of time and cartridges, It’s too dark to hit a house,” He was hoping Simon’s ruse would accomplish its purpose; and was quickly gratified at hear- ing the thunder of hoofs, as some of the best trained of the bronchos broke away from the herd and came thundering toward those quaver- ing calls. It was evident, ‘too, that the rascals were having trouble with more of them, and perhaps - with some of the mustangs, for they increased their yells and firiag, with the evident inten- tion of creating such a din that the whistles of this plains Rarey could not be heard. Twice some of the animals broke away, judg- ing by the sounds and the galloping pursuit of the thieves, If Wingate’s party had been mounted at these junctures, it would have been a matter of comparative ease for them to have dispersed the villains and secured the animals, But the thieves managed to check these incipient rebellions; though they could not bring back the animals that had first broken away. ‘*Hyer they air!” howled the Bu’ster, from the semi-gloom, ‘*Come a-jumpuin’, if you want amount, I’ve got six, I think!” The cowboys needed no order. They were porn toward him, even before the words were spoken. ONO one had thought to bring saddles and bridles, however, which were at the camp; and much valuable time was lost in obtaining these needful articles. Hence, when they were ready for the pursuit, the sounds of the running mus- tangs had grown faint in the distance, and the chances of overtaking them in a race were speed- ily diminishing. ** All we can hope to do will be to keep close to them till daylight,” said Wingate, in discus- sing the matter. ‘‘Tben we'll have to fight them. There are a lot of Greasers in that out- fit, which is so much the better for us. They’re great fellows for cunning trickery, but they’ll be apt to run at the first smell of burning gun- powder.” There were more men, now, in Wingate’s party, than horses. *“*Tf I could ’a’ jes’ kep’ up that squealin’!” said Simon, dolefully. “°T would ’a’ been a great thing!” declared one of the cowboys, who, having secured a mount, felt jubilant, * T’low ’twould!” with naive simplicity, ‘* I cal’late it wouldn’t do any good to try, now?” He elevated his sharp nose in the air and stared longingly in the direction taken by the thieves. ‘“‘Tf [ jes’ had a bellus like a steamboat whistle Ireckon I could bring some of ’em back, yit. If them plaguey Greasers hadn’t ’a’ ki- yied, I'd ’a’ fetched more, when they was clos- ter.” “You did well enough!” declared Wingate. commendingly, ‘‘ The point now is, who shall go and who shall return to the ranch.” What an Irishman would call “ a bit of ruc- tion,” was already in procres. over this point. It was, however, quickly settled by the fore- man, who called out the names of those who were to go back, “Perhaps it’s as well,” he said, after hur- riedly giving his instructions, The ranch folks will want to know of this; and besides, these fellows may be entirely too much for us when it comes toa tussle, ell Huntington to send astrong force to the Rio Grande crossing south of here. There they’re to look for our trail, and follow as fast as they can.” 3 No further time was to be lost, for the noise of the running mustangs came now only as faint. echoes, And as all were in readiness, Wingate gave the word of command, and with his willing followers thundered away in pursuit. Daylight found them on the American side of The thieves had crossed at the cowboys halted fora party similarly situated into trouble nly a few that point; and he short consultation? had gotten them a Ae
Page 10
10 Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster. tory, in force and without permission. journey would be necessary. steed into the stream. not good horse-sense, or they’d never make such an order, expecting it to be obeyed!” CHAPTER XII. A TERRIBLE SITCATION. FROM a sandy, open space in the midst of a chaparral thicket, issued a series of moans, The hot, Mexican sun blazed from a cloudless sky causing the scanty blades of grass to droop, an even the lizards to seek shelter from its rays, Scarcely a breath of air swayed the surrounding chaparral, “Oh, my God! This is terrible! the villains shoot me and be done with it?” The voice was that of Taylor Wingate, and expressed the most dreadful agony. He was lying, bound and naked, across the mouth of a giant ant-bill! The sun was blistering him; and the ants, angered at his presence, were swarm- ing in myriads over his body, biting with ven- omous viciousness, It wasasituation more to be dreaded than death. The ants were of a large, reddish species whose bite produces acute and tormenting pain, They abound in portions of the West and South- west, throwing up hills that are frequently sev- eral feet in diameter, Plainsmen understand their characteristics; and it is a frequent custom to toss into the craters of these mounds antlers and skulls from which they wish the flesh cleaned, In a few hours the savage insects will have every shred of flesh removed. And upon such a mound Wingate was lying! He had crossed the river bravely enough that morning, and pushed with his force to the west- ward and southward, following the trail of the stolen mustangs, Toward noon they had reached a point where thé trail split into many sections. Wingate be- lieved he understood the ruse, and that a rendez- vous had been appointed where the thieves would again unite. Of this, however, he could not be follow the trails to their termini, Along one of them Wingate set out alone, lit- tle thinking of anambush, The trail showed the hoof-marks of adozenanimals, He supposed them to have been made by riderless bronchos and mustangs, driven by one, or at most two mounted men. Great was his surprise, there- fore, on riding into this sandy opening to find himself surrounded by a group of scowling vil- lains, who pointed their weapons at him and per- emptorily ordered him to dismount, e had ridden intoa trap from which thera seemed no way of escape. The path was blocked in front and rear and the almost impenstrable chaparral stretched on each side, And, besides, should he attempt to dash away, his life would very probably be forfeited, for the men were a murderous lot. With one exception they were Mexicans, brown-faced, low-browed rascals, witha pen- chaat for robbery and assassination, Their ani- mals were not visible, having been concealed further on; and they had lain in the brush lika s0 many serpents, awaiting the moment to strike, “Get down!” commanded the one American in the group, backing the order with the per- suasion of a cocked pistol. ‘‘Get down, or Dll blow the top of your head off.” Wingate complied with what grace he coull favetiously remarking that while he kept a hea he preferred it whole, The instant his feet touched the ground he was seized and his weapons wrested from him. Then the American stood, over him with threatening revolver while the Mexitans removed from bis person every article of clothing. ‘** What are you going todo with m2?" he asked, thinking they intended totake everything he possessed and then turn him loose. ** You'll see,” was the surly enjoinder, ‘* We've got orders to do you up, and we mean to do it.” At this the noose of a riata was tossed over bis head and with deft quickness the Mexicans pro- ceeded to bind him, having bim well lashed al- most before he realized their intentions, Thus bound ke was placed upon the ant-hill; and with mocking laughs his fiendish tormentors glided away, leaving him to face a death of ex- cruciating torture, _ “Oh, why did they not kill me?” he groaned again and aguin. ‘It would have been merci- ful kindness compared to this.” Every minute seemed drawn out into an hour, and at times his agony was so great he screamed st tai au ta as a thee 3 ec ? <n — months before by invading the Mexican terri- To obtain this permission more than a day’s ‘* We'll risk it!” asserted Wingate, urging his “These Mexicans have Why didn’t certain; and so ordered his men to separate and aloud. Only the bonds held him, but these had been so cunningly fastened that, try as he might, he could not roll himself from this miniature crater of fire. He had been there scarce ten minutes, how- ever, when a rustling came from a blind trail leading into the chaparral thicket at one side, and a burro pushed its way through. It was followed almost.immediately by a torn sunbon- net. The wearer of the bonnet was about to emerge likewise, but peering around the burro, she caught sight of the man proneon the ant- mound, and drew back with a little scream. “Oh! my goodness gracious, Pedro! There’s a naked man out there, and he’s yelling like an Indian! Do run and see what’s the matter with him. And here, take this saddle-cloth, and give him your blanket, too. Something, you know, to—to clothe him with, It’s too hot for you to wear anvhow, Pedro. And do, for mercy sake, be quick!” While speaking, she had pulled the saddle- cloth from the back of the burro, and thrusting it into the Mexican’s hand, again enjoined him to haste. Theso rescuers, who had come so opportunely, were none other than Nancy Hackett, and the husband of the black-eyed cook, Juanita. ‘Pedro, you lazy thing, why don’t you hurry?” Nancy shouted, as another scream came from the tortured man. An1 Pedro, at last fully awake to 1h» neces- sity of haste, trotted across the open space to the mound. A string of Spanish exclamations relled from his lips as he saw Wingate’s predica- ment. ** Jesu Maria ! blo fix for the senor!” inextricably mixing bis English and Mexican, ‘Then, catching Wingate by a foot, he un- ceremoniously dragged him from the ant-bill, threw the saddle-cloth over bim to shield him from the sun, and began to untie the cords, ** Cut ’em!” commanded Wingate, impatient and irritable from his sufferings. “No stiletto,” Pedro placidly explained, ‘‘ The senorita she took him away.” But the nimble-fingered Mexican scarcely needed a cutting instrument. The knots seemed to fall apart as if by magic, and in a second the ranch foreman was free. With a deft twist Pedro slipped out of the big blanket which, in spite of the heat, he had eh Vith this about his body, and the saddle-cloth twisted about his head to shield him from the sun, he exhibited a costume that was decidedly novel But it answered its purposes very well; and just at that moment he was in no critical or fault-finding mood. The effects of” the aat-bites were still torturing him, and to this was added the misery of a painfully sun- wearing, and tossed it over Wingate, and picturesque, blistered body. He knew the Mexican well, baving frequently seen him at Irwin’s. “You have my thanks a thousand times, How you happened in this miserable region I don’t know, but you came just at the I couldn’t have stood it much It’s enough to make a Pedro, right minute, longer. Heavens! Ifinatic of a man just to think of such torture. But you haven’t told me hgw you came here.” “TI fetched him along!” exclaimed Nancy, who was now approaching with the burro, and whose presence Wingate had not previously ‘* He came meek as a lamb, too, Pedro noticed, can teli you that.” “Si, senor!” Pedro acknowledged, witb an abashed look. ‘'The senorita is—what call him—irresist! obey.” ‘Because he couldn’t help himself!” beamed Miss Hackett. ‘‘I hope you’re all rigbt, Mr, Wingate. Tl tell you about it in a minute. It was really as funny as a book. Ah! Them terrible ants. You must ’a’ suffered dr-ead- fully!” Then, having heard Wingate’s story, she pro- bt ap to enlighten him concerning her presence ere, ** You see, me and that Juanita jes’ conldn’t git along a-tall. Such an uppish thing! Why. she reely had the impidence to tell me I didn’t know how to cook. An’ her jes’ a-p’izenin’ the victuals with pepper an’ onions an’sich, Law! the things that woman did cook an’ the way she cooked ’em was enough to ruin ever’ blessed stomick on the place. ““And that wasn’t half my trouble,” Nancy continued, leading the way into the chaparral at Wingate’s suggestion, for he feared the Mexi- cans might return. ‘* No indeed! took her complaints to Pedro, hyer, and Pedro hadn’t any better sense’n to carry ’em to Irwin, me, That is bad. It was el dia- yeu She say the word and I For Juanita | an’ then Irwin he fired up an’ told me my room was better’n my company, and that I’d ableege him by p’intin’? my nose from the ranch an’ travelin’, ‘That was jes’ too much like bein’ dis- charged, that was. Though, law sake! I wasn’t gittin’ any wages an’ was doin’ the work of half a dozen lazy things like Juanita. An’ so 1 told him I wouldn’t go; an’ he couldn’t make me, ‘* An’ then he gits this hyer fool Pedro to send for some of bis Mexican friends an’ carry me off in the night, Er, ruther, ’twas mornin’; an’ they dumps me in the sand and cheparral, eight er ten miles back from this, An’ there they left me, thinkin’ 1 couldn’t never tiud my way out’n the place, ‘“Mebbe I mightn’t, by myself. But while stumblin’ ’round tryin’ to find out where I was, I run acrost that fool Pedro, who was settin’ on tbat burro half asleep and makin’ fer the river, I had a little pistol in my pocket thet the Mexi- cans never knowed of; an’ I p’inted it at Pedro’s head and told him Il’d like to change places with him. Mercy me! I don’t s’pose I could ever ‘a’ pulled the trigger, even if he’d ’a’ re- fused, ‘“*But he never thought o’ refusin’. He jes’ clim’ down like a little man, an’ handed over bis butcher knife, an’ took on dreadful; an’ ‘lowed’ ef I jes’ wouldn’t shoot him he’d do ever’ blessed thing I said, ‘* An’ so I rid the burro, an’ made him march and show the way. An’ bymeby we heard a tremenjus groanin’ an’ screechin’, So we come hyer; an’ hyer we be, Au’ that’s all they is; ’eeptin’ that I’m goin’ rigbt back to Irwin’s ranch—an’ I’m a-goin’ to stay there tell the earth turns to melted lead. Hain’t I, Pedro?” “Si, senorita!” confessed the humble Mexican, almost efraid to say that bis soul was his own, so complete bad been his subjugation. ‘Tl have to walk along with Pedro,” sighed Wingate, knowing that in his condition every movement would bring pain, ‘“‘?m anxious about Simon and the cowbcys, too. If I had a horse I'd be tempted to follow them.” The mention of Simon evidently excited in Miss Hackett’s breast the liveliest emotions of interest and curiosity. ‘Do tell! Is that idjit with them?” The tones belied the scorn and indifference in her words. 4 ‘Yes; and a fine fellow he is,” Wingate re- plied, giving her a quizzical glance. ‘ “T suppose everybody’s a right to their opin- ion!” tossing her head disdainfully. ‘*I cai t abear that Simon- I jes’ can’t! I don’t see how anybody can!—’specially a woman what’s got as much sense as Miss Mildred. But 1 allus said they ain’t no accountin’ for tastes. Go’long there, rou lazy thing—go ‘long there!” She had been assisted to the back of the burro; and now from sundry whacks frcm a buge stick proceeded to belabor the beast into a crawling gait and satisfy her vindictive feeliugs, CHAPTER XIII. STRANGELY CAUGHT, Wuen Huntington’s cow boys severally feached the point where the divided trails reunited, they were made anxious by the non-appearance of their foreman. <A balf-hour was spent in vain waiting; and then the suggestion was ventured that they go un. From the looks of the trail it was evident they had made marked gains on the thieving party; gains which were certain to be lost if they tarried much longer. : Simple Sim, in spite of his sobriquet, the Fool of the Ranch, was really the leader of the party. His marvelous success 1D venturesome undertakings, avd his reckless bravery, natu- rally pushed him to the front 1n enterprises sur- rounded with peril. “ You lead on, and we'll do the bead-figger- in’! said one of the cowboys, bluntly. |‘ Like- wise of which they won't be much to do. Tell be mostly hard knocks av’ hard fightin’ if we overhaul ’em; an’ bard ridin’ tell we do. His statement of the case seemed certainly correct, A straight-away chase with a lively scrimmage at the end of it was apparently all there was to ‘‘figger” on. | ‘ Simon’s mouth expanded in a pleased grin at this evidence of good will on the part of his com- rades, Nothing could have suited him better than an offer of such leadership. The implica- tion of lack of brain power failed to strike him, Placed at the head of a charging pare he cared not who planved or directed the assault, “T’m willin’!” be declared, with all the sim- plicity of a modern Barkis, y It was reasonably certain Wingate could meet with no difficulty in following them; and so the © thee ee eee © in tn euet non een ee Led a IPSN ~
Page 11
So ga a Ty a nm Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster. il cowboys rode away at a brisk gait on the trail of the mustang-stealers. The temporary halt had been of considerable benefit to their animals, as was shown by the increased speed with which they flew over the ground, In less than an hour they came in sight of the retreating force; and then the Fool of the Range pushed the pursuit with an unparalleled fire and energy. The marauders were manifestly thrown into a panic by the approach of the cowboys, The stolen mustangs hampered them; for instead of riding directly on they were occasionally com- elled to ride from side to side to keep the herd Penis scattering. In addition there were lag- gards that had to be urged, for the mustangs were becoming hungry and evinced a disposi- tion to nibble at the grass along the way.. So that, altogether, their speed was much lessetied ; and at a time when delay was both vexatious and perilous. / ‘Push ’em!” cried Simon, emphasizing the order with a victorious shout, ‘*The beggars are as skeert as coyotes, a’ready |” The thought gave him an elation of spirit that was unmistakable, It shone in his eyes, thrilled in his voice, and by a subtle contagion commu- nicated to his men, creating in them something of his own impassioned ardor, A glance made it patent tbat the fleeing men outnumbered them almost two to one. But this fact was wholly unheeded by Simon’s excited followers; and, strange to say, this knowledge of the inequality of the parties seemed not a source of encouragement to tke pursued. The country through which they were passing was somewhat rugged, but beyond lay a narrow and apparently open plain, which on one side ran up to a series of rocky hills, A strange und puzzling thing happened when the outlaws reached this plain. The mustangs and saddle animals began to act queerly, stumb- ling blindly about as if endeavoring to extricate themselves from a quagmire, and now and then falling. ba ee G cll The pursuing cowboys instinctively reined in at this sight, at a loss to understand what it meant. : ‘Can't bea trick to draw us on, I reckon?” one of them queried. , f “7 dunno!” said Sim, staring wonderingly. ‘* Makes me think o’ the time Jim Reeder, back to Virginny, throwed a lot o’ kittens into the swamp. Them kittens acted fer all the worl’ jes’ like them hosses,” The trouble of the mustang-stealers was ob- viously increasing, the animals struggling and plunging in a manner painful to witness, Some of the riders had leaped down and were appar- ently engaged in an endeavor to release them. “°Tain’t ‘zackly clear what's the matter with them chaps; but they’re in a fix. Don’t take no opery glass tosee that. An’ now’s our time to crowd ’em.” A flush of excitement mantled the homely fea- tures of the Fool, and as he gave uttérance to these thoughts he again pushed his broncho into a swinging gallop. he willing cowboys streamed after him, fingering their weapons and anxious for a fight. This dash greatly disconcerted the thieves who had been working energetically to free the animals. For a little while it seemed they meant to make a stand. They threw out a rear uard; which sent a volley at the approaching orsemen. The fire was promptly returned by Simon’s men; and with such energy and accuracy that the guard fell back in confusion, At this the entire body of thieves fled in wild disorder to- ward the hills, abandoning their own horses as well as those which had been stolen, _ This ignominious retreat was received by the cowboys with wild cheers. “Whoop ’em up!” shouted the Bu’ster en- couragingly, lashing’ his broncho into a still swifter pace. ‘‘ Td Jike to capture a lot of them fellers jes’ to see who they be, ; This they were not destined to accomplish, however, The hills were impassable to horse- men and so rugged that parsuit was well-nigh useless, It too nearly resembled the chasing of artridges in the mountain. There were a undred deep defiles and shadowy gorges, too extensive to be thoroughly.searched and capable of safely secreting scores of men. Notwithstanding this an effort was made to trail and rout the rascals, but it ended in fail- ure. ‘ In the mean time their own animals had been left ia charge of a single man. When they returned they found the mustangs and saddle-horses of the thieves in an apparently hopeless condition. They bad not been mired in panse, where the low-growing scrub was matted and tied inextricably with a mesh of trailing vines. These had looped and twined about the legs of the poor beasts until they could neither advance nor retreat. The most of them had ceased all efforts at escape, and many had sunk to the ground in the passive despair that horses evince under such circumstances, **?Twouldn’t make a bad trap fer elephants or bnff’lers,” Simon sagely observed, as he viewed the meshed arimals. “** Oh, walk into my parlor,’ said the spider to the y! * *Tis the purtiest little parler that ever you did spy -’ **T used to know all of that air piece; an’ it’s a good ’un. Teacher said I could say it fine!” his little disquisition had been unheeded by the cowboys, who were hurrying to examine, and if possible release the prisoners, They found the latter task one of no smf&ll moment. Many of the brutes had wallowed a considerable distance into the trap, To extri, cate them it was necessary to cut a path with knives to the open ground, a work requiring much time and patience. Then the binding vines were sawn from the limbs of the captives; after which they were assisted to their feet and cautiously led to a place of safety. It was high noon by the time they had all been freed; and a meal was cooked and eaten and the animals allowed to rest and graze before com- mencing the return journey, Much anxiety was felt at the failure of Win- gate toappear. Itseemed probable some mis- hap had befallen him, for with so plaina trail he could not easily have gone astray; and burden- ed with apprehension they started to retrace their way toward the Rio Grande. CHAPTER XIV. A PECULIAR EXPERIENCE, TAYLOR WINGATE, with the blanket worn poncho fashion, and with the saddle cloth bound like a tnrban about bis head, presented a de- cidedly ludicrous appearance, as he led the way toward the river, followed by Nancy and the Mexican, Just at that time, however, he was caring little whether he looked well or ill, ludi- crous or charming, The bites of the ants had produced an intolerable itching which was only equaled by the pain of the sunburns. But he had his freedom, a horrible death no longer menaced him, and in his good right hand he swung asmall revolver, Nancy’s weapon. All these were cir- cumstances for which to be devoutly thankful. He had checked his incipient worryings about the cowboys by the assuring thought that they were at least able to take care of themselves, and if fighting was to be done, no better leader than Simon could be chosen. ** We'll make for the ford where the thieves crossed with the mustangs,” he bad said, ‘‘ and then keep a sharp lookout for the boys from the ranch, Manteo. will start them out as soon as the messengers arrive. We can’t look for them, though, before to-morrow, and they may not get here then, They'll be apt to crowd things, however, knowing they’re likely to be needed, i ‘* We can get water when we reach the river, but the question of something to eat may worry us, PerhapsI may be able to pop over a jack rabbit; and if not we can eat the burro!” Pedro combated this murderous suggestion with a oe Pane, shrug of bis shoulders, The burro was his;—and therefore valuable. It was mid-afternoon when the river was reached, The shallow, muddy torrent seemed to have risen somewhat since the passage of the morning, presenting an impassable appearance. Many of the flat sand-bars were submerged. ‘* It’s plain we can’t cross here!” and Wingate looked at the turbid waters in blank dismay, ‘¢There’s been a rain in the bills somewhere to the northwest; and I think the river is still ris- ing. Pedro and I might swim it. But Miss Hacket—” : “Oh, mercy me! no, I couldn’t swim any more’n a stove. Might as well tie a stone to my neck and throw me in, and be done with it. I'd go to the bottom one way jes’ as quick as the other.” ‘We might make a boat out of the burro!” and Wingate laughed at the alarm visible in Miss Hackett’s countenance. ‘All you’d have to do would be to hold on. You covldn’t drown a burroif you'd try,” The bare suggestion struck terror to her trembling soul. This was worse than the first proposition. No, she could not swim; neither would she trust herself onthe back of a swim- ming donkey. F a bog; but had floundered into a brambly ex-i ‘‘I’d as soonresk a mus’rat, It’s a’most as ce 2 EE EEEEEEEEEEEET ee big and a good ’eal useter to the water. Why, if that bur’ should once git its ears full it’d go down jes’ like a chunk. You don’t ketch me on the back o’ no sech cre’ter. ‘There wasia time when men—” Nancy, recalling the deeds of her legendary heroes, was about to launch into a recital of the marvelous things these Leanders would proba- bly do if similarly circumstanced; but checked herself, feeling the rehearsal would be throwing words away. ‘“’Tain’t no use to waste your sweetness on the desert air!” soliloquizingly and witha skyward tilt of her freckled nose, ‘‘ Fellers nowadays won't understand these things, no way you put em. As none of the party desired to remain on the Mexican side of the rivera search was com- menced in the scant hope of finding some means of crossing. The banks were in most places rocky and along them sprung a scattered growth of pinones., In a stony basin hollowed by an inward whirl of the waves and where tbe leaves of a large pinone cast heavy shadows, Wingate came upon a most unexpected object. It was a rudely con- structed skiff, and swung lazily at the end ofa long rope which ran back under the edge of the cliff where it seemed to be moored to the roots of a tree. The point at which the dripping rope disap- peared bad a look suggestive of cavernous depths; but of this at. the time the foreman gave no thought, ‘Just the thing!” he exclaimed, waving his bands excitedly to Nancy and Pedro, who were dallying along the water’s edge, “ As old What’s-his-name said, ‘ I’ve found it!” ‘** Found what?’ Nancy screamed back, ob- viously fearing the ranch foreman had taken sudden leave of his senses. ‘‘I hain’t seen a blessed thing but rocks and scrub pine.” ‘*That’s because your location’s wrong. can’tsee through a bill, you know, here.” He smiled jubilantly, feeling, that under the circumstances he had a right to smile in spite of the fantastic appearance of his attire, Miss Hackett and the Mexican scrambled up the slope in obedience to this summons, leaving the burro to nibble contentedly at the scanty grass. ‘Oh, itsa boat!” and Miss Hackett gave a gasp of astonishment. ‘*Yes, and there’s an oar in it. two will justclimb in, Pil follow. Then Pedro ean cut the rope and I will paddle the craft to where the burrois, We'll try to get him to go with us. and if he wor’t be’ll have to remain here until the cowboys return.” The Mexicau and Nancy bad stepped into the crazy craft, and Wingate did hkewise. He had no sooner taken bis seat, however, than the rope was drawn taut and the boat began to move slowly through the water in the direction of the cavern-like place beneath the roots of the tree. The occurrence was so startling and mysteri- ous that the ranch foreman dropped the oar, and Pedro, who had been standing with stiletto ready to sever the rope, let the weapon fall with a clatter to the bottom of the boat. ‘** Oh, oh! what can it mean?” quavered Miss _ Hackett, visions of robber knights and medieval bandits flashing across her mind, As for Pedro he gave a howl, and leaping overboard splashed wildly shoreward, “‘ ’m sure I don’t know,” answered Wingate, almost as perturbed as the questioner. “ But we'll find out, pretty soon. There’s something or somebody tugging at the other end of that rope,’ What if it should be bears?” Miss Hackett tremblingly whispered, seeming on the point of imitating Pedro’s example. ‘*Keep still!” and the foreman drew and cocked the tiay revolver. ‘* There’s a queerness here that ’m anxious to look into, Don’t say another word, please, unless I give you permis- sion, This rope runs into a hole back there, and there’s some one in it.” His words were firmly spoken, but his face was quite pale, The unknown is always the dreaded. More than once he’ had been tempted to cut away the boat and drive it out mto the river, Buteach time his curiosity gained the ascendency, and he remained silent, eager to solve this strange puzzle, He was well aware that his inquisitiveness might cost them their lives, and if more time had been given for thought he would probably have chosen the safe course of flight, Slowly the boat cut athwart the current and moved in under the shadow of the pinone, Herea semi-darkness prevailed, and objects were barely One Come up So, if you
Page 12
distinguishable. “struggle. skull. quickly evident. of that. ed to substantiate this theory. daring and unscrupulous man, 12 12 ~=—s—<“Cisti‘Cs Sim ple Sim, the Brronchoo Buster. The nose of the skiff grated on a sandy ; and as Wingate arose to his feet and took a step forward a frightened exclama- tion came out of the glcom. “It’s a man!” sputtered Miss Hackett, a ‘parently thinking the human biped more terrible C) than the dreaded bears, On hearing the explanation Wingate had leaped past ber; and the sounds of a combat now came to add to herdismay. But she arose ubove her fears, and with unexpected bravery followed him, “There!” said the foreman, rising from the “Tm afraid I cracked the fellow’s It’s a Greaser, and what he is doing in here goes beyond me, He tried to run by me when I jumped out of the boat, but U got hold of him and we had quite a lively tussle.” That the Greaser was not dead, however, was Even while the foreman was speaking he raised his head and glared at them with beady black eyes which shone strangely in that place. “See here!” Wingate ejaculated, advancing and towering over him, ‘‘ We don’t want to stay in here any longer than we have to, and the faster you auswer the sooner you'll be rid of us. You understand me?” ** Si, senor,” with an undisturbed drawl. “Ww ell, then, what were you doing in here, and svhat did you mean by towing that boat outside? And why did you draw in onthe rope as soon as we were seated?” The Mexican shrugged his shoulders, but re- omained silent. ** You'll bave to answer, and might as well be in a burry about it!” thrusting the s revolver into dis face. The man recoiled at sigbt of the deadly tube, and sent up a string of prayers and protesta- tions. ‘* What was the boat out there for?” * Oamarados !” "Ob, for some of your friends? And you couldn't see it from here and thought we were ‘your friends, and so drew it in? But why didn’t you know better, when you must have heard us?” “Sleep!” rubbing his eyes to indicate his ameaning. ‘That will account for it. I hadn’t thought Aod where are your friends?” ‘* With the mustangs.” Even before the auswer was given the fore- wman had leaped to a realization of the truth. By mere chance he bad stumbled upon a secret hi ling-place of the men who had stolen Hunter’s mustangs, and been guiltv likewise of the many recent raids along the Rio Grande, The man deft in waiting had expected some of them to re- turn soon and allowed the boat to drift to the edge of the adjacent bluff for their convenience, as the cave could not be approached from above, Then, like a true Mexican and lover of siestas, Ge had fallen asleep, CHAPTER XV. A FRUITLESS SIEGE, FURTHER questioning on Wingate’s part serv- ut the Mexican would not or could not tell the name of the leader of the organization, He was of the peon class, this Mexican, with no very high grade of aintelligence—a inere conscienceless tool that could be made very useful in the hands ofa The kind ofa ‘tool that will, if commanded, undertake an assassination with no more twiuges of feeling than if the being to be slain were a snake and not a man, When further attempts at obtaining informa- ‘tion seemed useless the foreman passed the re- volver to Nancy and requested her to watch eover the peon while he tooka lock about the cave, ‘But for goodness’ sake don’t be too long!” Miss Hackett grumbled. ‘‘1 don’t like the looks of this hyer place, noway; and them he was talkin’ about is li’ble to come at any minute.” The foreman bad not failed to reflect on this latter danger. Should the mustang-stealers re- turn, their situation would be rendered extreme- ly precarious. The rifles of the thieves would block the way to the river; and to remain with- in the cavern would be to court starvation. “You are right,” returned Wingate, ‘I'll mot spend more thana minute or two in the search,” On the stony floor were a few charred sticks in the center of which a half-live coal burned dike a hot and sleepless eye, Wingate crossed ‘the sticks over this and blew them into a little lame which served to light an area of a few feet, Some weapons and a torch were found hanging on the wall, The latter he appropriated; and lighting it at the sputtering flame, started on his tour of investigation. The cave was much larger than he had sup- posed it to be, consisting of several good-sized chambers, In one of these he found some arti- cles of clothing which he hastily exchanged for the ncho blanket and, turban of saddle cloth, don’t like to take anything without paying for it,” was his mental comment, ‘ But a fair exc hange isnorobbery. They took all my clothes, as well asmy horseund weapons, If I should take everything there is here it wouldn’t make us even, for these rascals don’t seem to go in for luxury. » He only took the clothing, however, together with a revolverand knife. The other articles were too cumbersome and valueless to waste time on—and afew minutes of time just then mfzht mean a great deal. When he returned to the entrance he found Miss Hackett crouching at the Mexican’s side with the revolver pointed threateningly at him, ‘* He begun to wiggle jes’ as soon as you was gone,” she re marked, triumphantly, ‘‘and I tol’ him if he didn’t keep ‘still Pd nacher ly blow the top o’ his head off! An’ after that the creeter didn’t one’t bat his eyes.” ‘“ We'll want to move him from bere,” de- clared the ranch foreman, who had hastily forme d a plan of action, “I found a bit of rope back there with which wecan tiehim. Then we’ll put him in the boat and carry him up among the rocks somewhere.” The Mexican looked at him with stoical indif- ference as the rope fell with a swish upon the rocks. Justasingle ray of interest glinted in his eyes as he noticed the changed attire cf his captor. But he uttered no word of protest against the programme which had been outlined. Miss Hackett guarded the peon with the cool- ness of a veteran as Wingate proceeded to tie him, giving a threatening sbriek now and then as she fancied she detected rebellious symptoms. Tbe foreman, like most cowboys, was skilled in the construction of knots, and it took him but a few moments to so bind the Mexican that escape was impossible, The latter was then dragged to the water and lifted into the skiff, and when all were in readi- ness it was pushed into the whirl of the channel and allowed to drift to its first position, where it remained swinging at the end of its cable. The peon was then, with Miss Hackett’s assis- tance, carried to a hiding -place among the rocks above, Here he was left under Nancy’s guardi- anship while Wingate scaled the further heights to discover if the thieves or cowboys were re- turning, orif Pedro were still in the vicinity, They had expected to find him close at hand when they came out of the cave. ‘*Tt’s plain the rascal has abandoned us,” a frown disfiguring the bandsome brows, ‘“ He’s a fine fellow, truly, for a neighbor! But one shouldn’t expect too much from men of bis stamp. Heigh-ho! I wish tne boys were here!” He was about to descend when a dust-cloud floated from behind the nearest hill and the men for whom he had been wishing came in ight. me Hurrah!” he cried, hastening down with a reckless disregard for the perils of the way. The cowboys saw him and drew near at a swin ing gallop, Simon at their bead. ou got the mustangs?” and Wingate’s eyes were a pair of dancing interrogation points. “I ‘low we did!” was the pleased rejoinder, Then a quick interchange of information took place; after which Wingate directed that the saddle animals and mustangs be driven into a a mesquite grove some distance away aud there beld secure from the observation of any chance comers. ‘I haven’t time to explain everything,” in reply to the many questions propounded, ‘ T’ll tell you all just as soon as things are snug, Half of you go to the grove and hold the animals there, and the others follow me.” Simon seemed somewhat crestfallen when he reached the bidine-place among the rocks and found Nancy Hackett mounted as guard over the bound Mexican. “I’ve been practicin’ p’intin’ at his eye,” declared Nancy, with a warlike pride in the brilliancy of her acbievements, ‘But Jaw! I’m afeard if be should ’a’ made a break I couldn’t ’a? hitit. These hyer pistols is as onreli’- ‘ble as some men I know!” This last was a fling at the Bu’ster who, abasbed by her unexpected presence, was fid- dling nervously with bis hat, and seemed unde- termined whether to accept her inevitable com- panionship or fly from the place, ‘“Get down here!” the foreman peremptorily commanded, ‘‘ You are as conspicuous as a cburch steeple.” It was an order not to be disobeyed, and Sim descended into the screening crevice, breathing very hard but uttering no words of rebellion, Tben, when the entire party were safely en- sconced, Wingate told them of the discovery of the cave and of his plans, If the Mexican had spoken truly some members of the robber band could be expected to appear at any momént, They were to be allowed to descend to the water’s edge, then menaced with rifles and ordered to surrender, “It strikes me as a good way to get at the secret of this thieving, It’s been going on for some time, and I’m certain there are some men connected with 1t with whom we are acquainted, I have pumped our new friend, the peon, but he’s as mute as a clam. Perhaps be don’t know anything. If he does he won’t tell it.” The cowboys were jubilant at the prospect of capturing some of the men who had given them so much trouble. There was small likelihood that any of those who had taken to the rocks when the mustangs became tangled in the vines would he able to reach the cave that night, for it was now well on toward evening. But the taking of any of the band was worth striving for. Few of the cowboys had dreamed that any of the thieves might belong to their own locality. Wingate’s statement, therefore, produced some- thing of a sensation and ev oked a considerable amount of quiet comment. The siege wasa most monotonous one, Scant heed was paid to the Mexican as the laggard hours dragged wearily, On his part he seemed half-asleep, though bis snaky eyes took in every movement, and occasionally a vengeful look came into his face, The coming of nightfall produced no change in the situation. A supper of hard bread and uncooked meat was served, and washed down with some water stealthily obtained from the river. Suddenly the startling announcement was made that the peop had vanished. His bonds had been loosed to allow bim freedom to eat, and as was supposed bad not afterward been pr oper ly secured. ‘“Just as well give the thing over, now,” an- nounced Wingate, somewhat bitterly. “ Per- haps it don’t matter. I’ve been baunted for some time by the iaea that that rascally Pedro has already managed to give the thieves warn- ing. It’s very strange, otherwise, why they have remained away.” All efforts at secrecy were now abandoned, and an adjournment was made to the mesquite grove, The river was still high, but was deemed ford- able. Nancy was given one of the strongest and most manageable of the animals; and thus re- assured followed safely in the foreman’s wake. Some trouble was bad in getting the mustangs across, but it was accomplished in due time, and the little party rested that night on the Ameri- can side of the river. CHAPTER XVI, A STATE OF DISQUIET, ON the Penton jourvey to the ranch, the fol- lowing day, they met the force of the cowboys which Huntington had started to their assist- ance. To the charge of these were committed the mustangs, with instructions to take them to Hunter’s. The greater part of two days was occupied in the homeward trip, Wingate found the place in a state of outward order and inwar« confu- sion, The two or three cowboys Jeft at home had gathered in as many cattle as they could, and were herding them on the closely-eaten pastures near the ranch buildings. Hunting- ton, himself, was shut vpin bis little cffice, study- ing a map of the surrounding counties and mak- ing mysterious marks on it bere and there, He was thus occupied when the foreman called to give a detailed account of the recent expedi- tion, The usual carelessness of attitude and manner had disappeared and there were lines of perplex- ity on the cattle baron’s good-humored, brown a : Pm glad you've got hack!” with a sigh of relief, as Wingate entered the room, ‘I intend to change the location of the ranch, and am bothered to death to know where to go.” The statement was such an astonishing one and so incomprehensible that the foreman sunk into a chair without being able to utter a word, A cloud of queries oppressed him, Why should Huntington want to remove his ranch? There gp
Page 13
full ‘still rankled in his mind; and he believed the - Grande. The cattle baron apparently comprehended the feelings of his foreman. “It’s too long a story to tell, and there are some details I don’t care to enter into, But I’ve been annoyed beyond measure recently by cer- ' tain threats and rudenesses of Sheriff Irwin. So intolerable have they become that I have deter- mined to make a change rather than endure them longer. I’ve been thinking that at the point where Pinone Creek empties into the river would be a good place to locate.” He pushed the map toward Wingate and pointed to a spot marked thereon, ‘*Tt crowds us further up into the Greaser country and away from the markets,” was the foreman’s rejoinder. ‘* Otherwise it ought to be nearly as good a place as this. I think it would be my choice if a change has tobe made.” -_ Huntington was pleased with this ready con currence, : ‘*T’ve already written to a friend ot mine who will, I think, be glad to pay something for the water-right here. and for the corrals and build in 7 ey should think he ought!” and the foreman’s ‘tones showed his disapproval of the whole busi- ness, ‘*Of course, \ don’t understand the affair and have no desire to advise if ‘ did; but it strikes me that J’d never pull up stakes for a man like Irwin,” His looks belied his words and indicated that he thought he comprehended the moving cause hat fierce combat with the ranchman acts which had led to that, or similar ones, had hi al ‘tuntington to his present resolve, Wingate's rendy agreement to the Pinone Creek location brought a sense of reliet to the cattle baron, So he put away the map and be to question concerning the . vents of the trip. The veport was an interesting one, and when the talk ended and Wingate turned to go, Huntington was in 2 much more comfortable frame of mind. As the foreman passed through the corridor the rays of a lamp streamed across his way, coming from the sitting-room, ‘There was work outside demanding his attention, but he could not resist the impulse to turn aside from duty for a few minutes’ con’ersation ‘vith Mildred. ‘*You are slowin paying your devoirs,” she said, half petulantly ‘ You forget, sir, that you have been gone iully a week!’ The words were lightly spoken and accom- pie with a smile. but exhibited, neverthe- ess, 3 certain aervousness and anxiety. **Your pardon, please!” bowing with mock humility ‘You have missed me, then? should never have dreamed it.” ‘*“You have been talking with father! Sit down and tell me what he said.” It was an invitation the ranch foreman was glad to accept. **There isn’t much to tell. Yt seems he has had some trouble with Irwin, and is planning to move the ranch to the Pinone Creek range.” ‘* I presume you know why?’ questioningly “In a limited sense only,” ‘“‘Irwin has been here twice since you left, Each time I refused to see him, instead of oing away, he had a long talk with father—ana can’t tell you how father looked afterward! All the life and strength seemed to hav. been. taken out of him. And mother, toot She fas been going about the house like a ghost,” These were ae-pe ype and Wingate was sorely perplexed and distressed, * What do you make of it?” heasked, “IT don’t know. Neither ¢ather nor mother has ventured to speak to me on the subject, and I haven't bad the courage to broach it to them. : i" If they wanted tc sak: me into their contidence - ag surely would do» of their own accord,’ - he foreman “was trying to think what this ‘strange state of affairs could mean, *\ can’t make anything of it,” he confessed, “My first thought was that Irwin had been trying to press his attentions apon you, ana failing to gain your ihe gas Sige had endeay te 9 icit the good offices ot your tather ul other things, [t that were all there is in it, there would be no occasion to move to Pinone Creek or any other country. He could simpl tell Irwin to go back to his ranch and mind his own business—and would have no reason to give the matter a further thought.” Tears were in Mildred’s éyes, and her grief and anxiety were so manifest, that Wingate -was emboldened to draw her to him in a lover _ Jike embrace, _ “Of one thing I am sure,” he declared, kiss- hat doesn’t appear to tally with these though there seems much to perplex, everything is sure to come outright by and by. Irwin is a "rhea scoundrel—a much worse man than we ve ever thought. He would not hesitate a moment at any baseness, It is quite evident your father fears and hates him. Perhaps he thinks Irwin may attempt his life or your ab- duction; and therefore wishes to leave this sec- tion “But such fears are utterly baseless, I have good reason to think nothing of the kind will or can be attempted. I have come into certain knowledge which, as soon as proper proofs can be procured, will quickly wind up his career of deviltry. This is an assurance in which you i feel secure,” ildred clung to him shiveringly, an occa- sional moan testifying to her anguish of spirit, Her lover's words were helpful and comforting, but they could not drive from her mind the fear ot some impending calamity. She explanations were not wholly in accord with her knowledge of her father’s character. He was easy-going in disposition, but his Southern blood was quickly aroused by antagonisms or impositions. She did not put her words in theughts, how- aver. There was such » sense of restfulness in simply listening to the tones of Wingate’s voice! it he could only be near her always to thus cheer and console, the troubles and griefs of life would lose their poignancy , ‘*¥ did not speak to your father of this,” he continued, after waiting a moment for a reply, ‘I thought it best to wait a day or two, In the mean time want to look a little into Mr irwin’s record and get together the proofs I mentioned. And, now, \ must be going. Keep up your spirits, my dear, for all is certain to come out right in the end,” She arose and walked with him to the door. bade him good-by with her usual sweetness and calmness: then, when he was gone, re- turned tc her former position, where she spent hours in trying to solve the mystery of her father’s actions —~ CHAPTER XVIL THE ENIGMA OF A NIGHT, THE cattle which bad been collected were Sent away the next day to the new range on the Pinone, notwithstanding the foreman’s appeal for delay. He was not yet ready to reveal his plans to Huntington, and the latter showed no desire to return to the subject of the previous night. Hence the foreman could only urge the postponement of the drive in general terms, Nancy Hackett bad been forced to remain over night at the ranch, but in the gray of the vended morning she borrowed a broncho and started for Irwio’s, declaring she intended to make him “ tireder” of her than ever, During her stay she had spoken to neither Mildred nor Simon, On her arrival at Irwin’s she found Pedro going about as if nothing bad occurred to dis- turb his usual lazy serenity. She recived some black looks from Juanita, however, which she took pleasure in returning with interest, “I see yer ol’ man’s got back,” she com- mented, seating herself complacently in the doorway of the kitchen, ‘Me an’ him bad enough adventures together to nighabout make a book. 1[s’pose he’s tol’ you of em.” Juanita maintained an imperturbable silence. “"Twas real funny, some on’t—’specially when Pedro got skeered and jumped into the river. I cal’late he hain’t had such a wettin’ an’ washin’ since the day he was born.” ; She rattled on for half an hour; and, failing to arouse any apparent interest in the apathetic senora, she went out to where Pedro was sleep- | ily currying Irwin’s favorite riding animal, She succeeded better here. Pedro would ruffle his brows now and then, and hurl Spanish epithets at her, to her great amusement. “Tl haf to watch.that there Pedro,” she mut- tered, as she left him. ‘‘ He looked knives and daggers at me if any man ever did. Heain’tany too good to stick one of them wicked stilettoes into my back, if he gits a chance. I wouldn’t Rat ee past him, after what he’s done. bat’s what | wouldn’t!” The ranchman was not at all pleared when he came in that afternoon and found berthere, He been out on the range with some of his men, re Nal brought a bunch of cattle in with “T thought u had " he asserted, stari ruefully pa ben us : ~ “No, I didn’t leave; an’ I wouldn't ’a’ come back neither, if they’d ’a’ been any place else fer SS es s | sity. — Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster, 13 a her upturned face, ‘‘and that is that,| me to zo. But they jes’ wasn’t, an’ what could a poor creeter do?” ““Well, why don’t you stay at Huntington’s where they want you, instead of coming here where wedon’t want you? If you were not a. woman I’d horsewhip you;and I’ve a good mind: to do it, anyway !” Hisrage was sudden and terrible, and _ there was something back of it that made Miss Hack- ett quail. ‘7 don’t mean to stay any longer than a day , er two,” she promised, ‘‘I jes’ come to get my things, an’ help Juanita a littie, an’ then 1m a goin’ some’eres, I don’t know jes’ where; but I can’t stay hyer, an’ I won't stay at t’other place.” There was something so piteous, yet defiant im her tones that Irwin looked at her curiously as. if half recalling some black thought. **See that you do!” he said, shaking his stock whip savagely. ‘‘ The sooner you go the better: ou’ll please me—and I’ve no doubt Pedro and uanita.” From this stormy scene Miss Hackett fled to the kitchen, where, in spite of Juanita’s glum looks, she insisted on making herself usefu). **) jes’ can’t abear to set around when they’s things a-needin’ to be done,” she explained. ‘If they’s anything I do hate it’s shif’lessness,” And all the while her thoughts were busy with the manner in which Irwin bad greeted her, When uttering his fiercest threats there had been in his eye a light that terrified her. It meant far more than the words he spoke, It. meant that if she tarried long she would fall a. victim to the knife of an assassin. She was not reassured, therefore, whem she noticed Irwin and Pedro in close conversa- tion, an hour or so later. The sight caused her~ breath to come quickly, ‘i won’t darst to sleep a wink this night,” she thought, clutching the little revolver in the pocket of-her dress, ‘‘ An’ I low I’d better go away to-morrer. They ain’t thinkin’ about me in a way that I’m likin’,” She kept her fears well concealed, and gave no inkling of her resolves as she continued her work in the kitchen. But that night, after she had retreated to the little room assigned her and was presumably asleep she slipped out into the darkness, She carried with her a dark com- forter, on which she made her bed in the shadow of a near building and narrowly watched the house from which she had fled, ‘She was more than half persuaded that Pedro, at Irwin’s command, would attempt to slay her- tbat night, and she knew of no better way to foik his pur A ’ That there place is a reg’lar rat-trap!” she umbled, referring to her little room in the ouse, ‘With an inimy in the door, the wouldn’t be no way o’ gittin’ out. I ain’t much of a shooter, specially when I’m asleep; and that Pedro could wrop a blanket ’round a body’s: head ‘tore they could do anything. I declare, he’s us mean as pu’sley !” She was almost crying from vexation, The isolation and friendlessness of her positiom pressed strongly on her at that moment, On alk that ranch there was no one to whom she could go tor a word of advice or consolation, Yet she had no doubt there were many brave mem there, and brave men are usually chivalrous, Lo these she resolved to appeal in case of neces- In the open air she could make herself heard’, and she believed that they would not see her injured when they knew her defenseless~ ness, So wrought upon were her nerves she could@ aot have slept even had she desired. It was sel dom that she was so disturbed, for she was little given to the depressions and melancholies which ifflict many of her sex. On the contrary, the courageous undercurrent of her nature was de~ cidedly masculine, Crouching on the dark comforter in the som- ber shadow of the building she narrowly watched. | the place she had quitted and _ gave instant heed to every sound of the night. The deep breathing: ot some cattle near, the vicious squealing of some: sombating horses in the corral, and the cry of u nocturnal bird alone broke the oppressive still- ness, Tt was midnight before there was any stir about the ranch buildings, Then three mem came from the adobe bunk-house. A little thrill ran through Miss Hackett as she noted the. stealthiness of their movements. But, instead. ot proceeding toward the room that she had oc- cupied, they turned in the direction of the branding-chute, which stood at a little distance from the horse-corral, ‘* Whatever can they be up to?’ Nancy asked herself, rising to a sitting posture and staring a — —— ee
Page 14
en =e _ _ fe ee". J TF gag after the shadowy figures, that one of them is Irwin; and what he wants to go slidin’ ’round on bis own ranch like a thief in the night is more’n I know.” So great was her curiosity that she finally ventured to steal after the men, though in so do- ing she realized the was running perilous risks, There had been murder in the heart of Irwin, that afternoon, and should he detect her spying on his movements, she felt sure he would not hesitate to put the thought into action. The sky was overcast, rendering the night just dark enough for her purpose. When the braud- ing-chute was reached, the men halted and one of them proceeded to kindle a fire in the little sheet-iron stove used by the branders in heating their irons, The flickering light from the half- open door of the stove fell occasionally on the men’s faces, revealing their identity. She had already recognized one--the o'hers were Pedro and a companion of similar low instincts, , Miss Hackett had dropped to the ground when the men halted. Her recumbent position brought into plain relief the chute, together with the wing corral into which were driven the cattle to be branded. Before the fire was well under way Irwin and the cowboy disappeared, returning after a little with a dozen steers from the bunch which had been brought in that afternoon. These were driven between the barbed-wire wings leading to the chute, and there guarded by the cowboy, while Irwin returned to where Pedro was blowing and puffing over the glow- ing coals, it was plain even to Nancy’s bewildered com- prehension that the cattle had been brought there for branding. But, what the ranchman meant by proceeding about tbe business in this sneak-thief fashion was not so plain, ¢ In a short time one of the irons was withdrawn from the stove, its red-hot points tracing fiery’ eharacters against the black background, as Pedro walked with it to the platform overlook- ing the chute. At the same time some of the Steers were crowded into the narrowing passage. At the point where Pedro stood there was scarcely room for one to squeeze through; and as each pressed by he thrust the glowing letters against its flank. When the iron cooled a second was produced; and in a short time the dozen steers were brand- ed. Then they were driven into a small in- closure not far away, after which Irwin and Pedro returned to the bunk-house, ' Miss Hackett was about to creep back to her position in the lee of the building. The strange- ness of all she had seen kept her still, however; and when she saw the cowboy approach tbe horse corral she was glad) she had not been too basty in beating a retreat, She saw him bring out and saddle a horse. Then he released the newly-branded cattle from the inclosure and drove them away into the night. “ What kin it mean?’ Miss Hackett queried, again and again as she retraced her way. There was no plausible answer. CHAPTER XVIII. A FINAL BLOW, ‘* Tr will take a good deal of work to get things in as good shape as they are down yon- er! One of the old smiles, which it was pleasur- able to see, lit up the bronzed features of the cattle baron. He was sitting in his saddle, or rather half out of it, for one massive leg was thrust straight downward into the stirrup, while the other was crossed lazily over the seat, The expression had been called forth by a survey of the new location at Pinone Creek. ost a week had elapsed since his interview with the ranch foreman, on the latter’s return from the expedition against the mustan stealers. Two installments from the great he had been driven to the new range, and prepara- tions were under way for bringing a third, At this particular moment Huntington was survey- ing the proposed site of his buildings, **But we'll have things nicely fixed after a time; and as for range—we’ve got about the whole county.” The mere fact that miles lay between him and the cruel face of Irwiu seemed to revive his old elasticity and restore the former buoyancy of his laugh, ** Hello! Somebody’s a-comin’,” said the cow- boy, to whom he was talking, nodding his, head toward where three or four horsemen had ap- peared from behind the mesquite, ‘‘Some of our new neighbors comin’ to scrape up an ac- quaintance, likely.” | “Td take my ’davy Hunfington twisted about in his saddle and stared curiously in the direction indicated. Almost immediately a shade came over his face, Ove of the forms was familiar. Yes, there could be no mistaking that. The foremost of the riders was Charles Irwin. ‘* What does the scoundrel want down this way?” the cattle baron whispered. ‘I thought I had got out of the line of his travels, Does he mean to pursue and hound me?” The cowboy now recognized the ranchman, and likewise evinced his surprise, but in words far different. There was another cowboy fur- ther down theslope; and he, seeing them staring into space in this curious fashion, came up to ascertain what it meant, Irwin’s party was close at hand by this time, Huntington disdained to return his bow as he came on; and even when he was quite near re- frained from looking at him, but glanced in- stead toward a bunch of cattle that were grazing far down the valley. Irwin was not pleased at this, and checked the words of greeting which had risen to bis lips. “TI haven't much to say, Mr. Huntington,” drawing a paper from his pocket and opening it. ‘Tt will be short and sweet and to the point, As sheriff of Calaveras county, I have here a warrant for your arrest on the charge of cattle- stealing, and also for the arrest of the men With you. A fierce, angry light flashed into the eyes of the cattle baron, * Hold on!” he cried, imperiously. ‘ You scoundrel! this is some vile scheme of yours, and I won’t listen to it, The absurdity of it! What! Giles Huntington!—who never knowingly wronged a man in his life?” He was choking and fuming with rage and astonishment. But Irwin, unheeding his fiery mood, calmly proceeded to read the paper. **T don’t suppose you caught all of that, Mr. Huntington—you are in such a sputter; but, if you will be kind enough to look the warrant over you will see that it’s correct in every detail, and issued by proper authority.” Huntington snatched the extended paper from Irwin’s hand and scanned it hastily. The sweat came outon his brow andadeep groan broke from his lips. ‘* Whose cattle are we said to have taken?” he hoarsely questioned. ‘* Mine!” and the sheriff bowed sardonically. ‘** And the proofs are so plain, Mr. Huntington, even you can’t dispute them.” ** My God! what foul plot is this? I can’t un- derstand it. For myself I could bear anything —but my wife and daughter!” His explosive mood had passed as quickly as it came, and he now looked white and helpless, “You do it very well, Giles!” sneered the ranchman, ‘You must have been practicing at theatricals, And your men seem to have been in similar training.” The latter were scowling blackly at him, and seemed half anxious for a fight. ‘*Pm sorry to spoil such a neat little lay-out as you have here,” glancing over the wide- spreading valley. ‘‘1t is almost a pity. A bet- ter location couldn’t have been picked for the work in view,” **T don’t understand you,” Huntington assert- ed, with some show of his former feeling, “Oh, L had forgot that I didn’t fully expiain matters, You see it’s the general belief that you ran a few of your cattle up here to cover your stealing operations. I can’t see, though, why this addisicasl disguise should have been deemed necessary. You were certainly succeed- ing very well, as it was. How many cattle and horses you have managed to run out of the coun- try in the last twelve months I suppose no one knows; but it must have been a good many, as every ranchman has suffered more or less.” ‘“‘No more of that,” cried the cattle baron, wrought up to bis former a of fury. “ Just another word, Irwin, and PIkdrop you in your tracks, _I can stand a gocd deal, but not every- thing. You are making of yourself both judge and jury, and convicting me without a scintilla of evidence.” Irwin quailed before the fire of his glance, “What evidence have you? I asked you that a while ago and you evaded it.” " Irwin compressed his lips firmly and cautious- ly slipped his hand toward his revolver before replying. + ** You will doubtless find the evidence in your herds over there, if you'll only take the trouble to look, According to the best of my informa- tion the stolen cattle are there; and as I'll have to take them with me as part of the proof, P’ll Pe ee ee eee em Laie Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster. sis parole your cowboys and let them go down there i with my friends to drive them in.” There was nothing in this to which Hunting- ton could object, and besides he was anxious to see of what the proofs might consist. The fact that cattle from other ranges had drifted among his would amount to nothing, Such things were of common occurrence, The cattle, comprising nearly a thousand head, were scattered for several miles along the creek valley, and it was a work of hours to bunch them and drive them to the designated point. Irwin attempted to change the current of thought and discuss minor and trivial subjects. But the cattle baron maintained a moody re- serve; and finally the former rode to where the heavy ranch-wagon was standing and seated himself in its shade. When the united herds had been collected for inspection he remounted and with Huntington and the cowboys rode among them looking for the animals alleged to have been stolen. ‘* There!” he cried, triumphantly, pointing to a young steer. ‘If thatisn’t mine, then I don’t know my own cattle!” Each member of the party examined it critically. Apparently there could be no mis- take, Irwin’s brand was *C I,” and Hupting- ton’s ‘‘GH.” Irwin’s brand had been covered over and partially concealed by Huntington’s, The burns were fresh. It will readily be seen with what ease this transformation had been effected. The G of the Huntington brand exactly covered the C of the Irwin brand; and the first upright of the H had fallen on the I. There were a half-dozen of Irwin’s cattle whose brands bad been thus changed, and an equal number from various other ranges. On the latter the work was not so well done, the covered brands being visible almost at a glance, owing to the fact that they differed so widely from the new brands which had been placed over vnem. Huntington was dumfounded at this mute evidence of his guilt. He could make no claim that the cattle were his or that the brands had not beeu changed. He had no wish to make such a claim, “Tt looks black,” he confessed, facing the triumphant ranchman bravely. ‘‘ But I swear before Heaven that I had no knowledge of this thing and am as innocent asa child. And you know it, Irwin, in your inmost heart!” But at such atime protestations were of no avail, The proofs were against him, and it seemed that nothing but his previous good record could serve him now, He knew he had been entangled in a cunning-laid trap; and it was very natural for him to believe that Irwin knew a great deal more of the matter than he professed. His anger burned hotly; but he managed to keep it in check, and said: ‘“There’s nothing for it, 1 suppose, but to go with you. You must give me time, though, to make some arrangements for the taking care of these cattle.” } Irwin agreed to leave twoof his men there; and Huntington and his cowboys accompanied him without further words. CHAPTER XIX, THE GREAT TRIAL, Tue arrests created a tremendous sensation. Without the aid of telegraphic or mail facilities the startling news spread from ranch to ranch seemingly on the wings of the wind, Noone had ever suspected Huntington, but the con- clusive character of the evidence forced convic- tion of his guilt. On the border no greater crimes are known than those with which He was charged; the rauchmen were sore Over their heavy losses and smarting to avenge them upon some one; and now thata victim was found they lost their heads and clamored for his life, and the lives of his abettors, ) The trial was to be held before the Mexican Don, Porfiero Alcatraz by name, who had by some strange political jugglery been elevated to the position of judge of the new county of Cal- averas. Alcatraz was aman of fair intelligence, and had for years been an alcaldé in the coun- try of his birth, But it was pretty generally known that be had no great friendship for the cattle baron, and the belief was common that the latter would receive scant mercy at his hands, , On the great day Alcatraz sat in state in the Adobe court-room of the little county town of San Ildefonso, The sun was blazing hot, and: the square, ax court about the building was. crowded with a jostling, sweltering throng, com- posed of men of every rank and station, from the A iitedbitghn Ke§ 23K A AY A od Fa
Page 15
— stalwart Americano who boasted his thousands of cattle and horses, .. At the hour appointed Irwin pompously el- bowed his way through the throng, bringing with him the prisoners, These were surrounded by a guard, as much for the purpose of humili- ating them as for protection against the alleged danger of lynching. ; Alcatraz was a stickler for legal formality, as he understood it, and there were many delays consequent thereupon. But after a time the wheels of justice were got in motion and the trial began, There was no difficulty in proving that the cattle with the changed brands had been found in Huntington’s possession. It was a fact which the cattle baron did not deny In truth, so conclusive were all the proofs offered by the prosecution that when the State rested its case there seemed not a loophole of escape for the accused men, But just at this moment Taylor Wingate, ac- companied by Simple Simon and Nancy Hackett entered the room. — There was a lull in the court proceedings and a buzzof expectancy from the crowd, for the very carriage of these new arrivals was prophetic of startling depouements, In the general appear- ance of Simple Simon there was so marked a change that it attracted universal attention from all who had known him, His slouching gait was gone, the smile of easy, good-humored rusticity bad vanished and been replaced by a look of intellectual force and strengthful pur- pose, and in his eyes had come a glance of sternness and resolution, In addition his ill- fitting cowboy garb had been discarded for clothing that revealed instead of concealed the really manly proportions of his figure. There was no change in Wingate, except that a look of triumph shone in his face, and in Miss Hackett the change was but slight. Simple Sim advanced to the desk occupied by Huntington’s attorney and whispered for a few moments into that gentleman’sear. Thelawyer gave a start, but managed to control his nerves, and announced that the defense was ready with | its evidence. _ To the surprise of all the first witness called was Nancy. A few deft questions set her on the right track, and she detailad in her own peculiar way the mysterious night branding she had witnessed at lrwin’s, The as- saults of the prosecuter failed to shake her testi- mony, and when she retired, to be replaced by Simple Sim, many black and suspicious looks were cast upon the erstwhile arrogant sheriff, room when the attorney addressed the new wit- ness: “You will please state to the court your true name and profession.” “Samuel Wilber;—and I am in the employ of the United States revenue service.” “Exactly! And now state, in your own way, why you came here and what you have discov- ered in connection with this case, if anything?” ___ Objections were made to the form of the ques- tion, but they were over-ruled by Alcatraz, and the witness went on: “There has been a great deal of smuggling across the border here, and | was ordered to this vicinity to ferret out and arrest the guilty par- ties, if possible. Miss Hackett I sent on several weeks in advance, and when I arrived I found her at the Huntington Ranch, which concluded to make my own headquarters,” The prosecutor realizing the dangerous trend of the evidence, here made some hasty and fiery objections, insistiag that the statements were ir- relevant and immaterial, and that the witnes3 should stick to the case in hand, Similar objec- tions were made constantly as Simon continued, but they were almost uniformly over-ruled by the court and the witness was allowed to tell his full story, A word-for-word repetition would be tedious, Substantially it was as follows: He had assumed the disguise of a broncho- breaker, being a natural horse-trainer, the bet- ter to conceal his identity, He had for some time been engaged with Miss Hackett in the revenue secret service. She was not an educated woman, but had a certain shrewdness, tact and courage that made her invaluable. | Her pretended attachment for him, and her subsequent jealousy, had been mere pretexts— mple im, hy, low-browed, ear-ringed Greaser to the | times from what would otherwise have been in- evitable discovery. He bad found abundant evidence to convict Irwin of the charge of smuggling—and this evi- dence had not been collected without revealing far more, The constant surveillance to which the ranchman had been subjected had disclosed the fact that he was the leader of the band which had been engaged in the cattle and horse-stealing operations of the past year. When this statement was made, Irwin, who had for some time been edging nearer the door, atternpted to pass to the outside, His movements had not escaped the eagle glance of the detective. Rising in his seat, he threw back his coat, displaying his officia) badge and shouted: ‘Tn the name of the United States I call on all good citizens to arrest that man! He is trying to leave the court room!” At this Irwin made a dash for his horse, which was standing just beyond thesquare, but he was seized, and though he fought madly, was brought back and duly placed under arrest. No further evidence was asked for. The prosecutor, realizing that his case was lost, and disgusted with the fraud that had been practiced on him, promptly dismissed the cases against Huntington and his cowboys. And that afternoon another trial took place, wherein Charles Irwin sat in the prisoner’s box, and from which, at its conclusion, he went asa convicted felon to serve out Many weary years as a penance for the crimes he had committed. Before the close of this memorable day many other things were revealed which threw the light of explanation on various matters which have seemed strange and enigmatical, and which involved the life history of many connect- ed with this narrative, The chief of these was that Irwin had baen sailing under a false name, Long before, in the days of his early manhood, he had met Mrs, Huntington, who was then a widow, with one child, an infant, This infant was Mildred, now grown to womanhood, Irwin sought the widow’s hand in marriage, and had been réjected for his rival, Giles Huntington, Years after, having changed his name because of offenses against the laws, and being wholly altered in appearance by the flight of time, he chanced to locate on the Rio Grande, where he found the Huntingtons, happy and prosperous, This prosperity and bappiness fired his mind with the deepest hatred. He saw that all thought and recollection of himself had vanished, and so with diabolical wiles and schemes he set Mildred’s father bad not been a man of which a daughter could be proud; and she had been reared in the belief that Huntington was her father. Her real father had perished for wrong- doing, and Mrs, Huntington could not bear that Mildred should ever know of him or have the stain of his offenses thrust upon her young life to blight it, ledge: and the revelation of this to Mildred was the threat with which he had annoyed and at- tempted to coerce the cattle baron, The white face revealed beneath the feathered head-dress of the supposed Comanche raider had set Simon on the right track, He had taken Wingate into his confidence, and they, with Nancy’s aid, had collected and pursued the clews which had led to Irwin’s downfall. Of course there was a wedding! It is the proper ending of true love; and no truer love existed than that which knit the hearts of Taylor Wingate and Mildred Huntington. The cattle driven to Pinone Creek were returned to the old ranges the right triumphed, and prosperity smiled, And the hero who wrought these changed circumstances was the Broncho-Bu’ster and ‘‘Fool of the Range,” the dauntless Scout-Detective, Sam Wilber! é THE END. Beatles Half-Dime Library. BY LIEUT, A, K. SUMS. 546 Captain Cactus, the Chaparral Cock. 568 The Dandy of Dodge. he Broncho Buster. _ This had come to Irwin’s know-> BY COLONEL DELLE SARA, 108 The Lion ofthe Sea; or, The Vatled Lady. 186 Cool Deamond; or, The Gambler’s Big Game. BY JAMES L. BOWEN 107 One-Eyed Sim; or, The Abandoned Forest Home. 110 The Black Steed of the Prairies. A Story of Texas. BY C. DUNNING CLARK. 185 Captain Paul; or, The Boy Spy of the Mountains. 230 The Yankee Kajahy or; The Fate of the Black Shereef. BY J. W. OSBON. 469 The Rival Glants of Nowhar’. 498 Cactus Burr, the Man trom Hard Luck. 587 O1D Buckeye, the Sierra Shadow. 564 Powder Phil, the Boy Miner. 609 Bolly Dorrit, the Veteran Detective. 620 Little Lightning’s League; or, The Mystery oftne Island, 688 Plucky Paul, the Boy Prospector. BY CAPT. J. F. ©. ADAMS. 84 Oregon Sol; or, Nick Whiffles’s Boy Spy. 46 Glass-Eye, the Great Shot of the West, 54 Ned Hazel, the Boy Trapper. 56 Nick Whiffles’s Pet; or, Ir The hivarytd of Death. 60 The White Indian; or, The Scovt of the Yellowstone, 70 Old Zip’s Cabin; or, The Greenhorn in the Woods. 81 Lightning Jo, the Terror of the Prairie. Buck Buckram ; or, Bess, the Female Trapper, 247 Old Grizzly and His Pets; or, The Wild Huntress, 251 Light-house Lige; or, Osceola, the Firebrand. 257 The Lost Hunters; or, The Underground Camp. 288 The Scalp King; or, The Human Thunderbolt, BY JOSEPH E. BADGER, JR. 2 Yellowstone Jack; or, The Trapper. 48 Black John, the Road-Agent; or, The Outlaw’s Retreat, 65 Hurricane Bill; or, Mustang Sam and His Pard. 119 Mustang Sam ; or, The King of the Plains. 186 Night-llawk Kit; or, The Daughter of tie Ranch, 144 Dainty Lance the Boy Sport. 151 Panther Paul; or, Dainty Lance to the Rescue. 160 The Black Giant; or, Dainty Lance in Jeopardy, 168 Deadly Dash; or, Fighting Fire with Fire. : 184 The Boy Trailers 3 or, Dainty Lance on the War-Path. 208 The Boy Pards; or, Dainty Lance Unmasks. 211 Crooked Cale, the Caliban of Celestial City. 810 The Barranca W olf; or, The Beautiful Decoy. 819 The Black Rider; or, The Horse-Thieves’ League, 885 Old Double Fist; or, The Strange Guide 855 The King of the Woods: or Daniel boone’s Last Trall. 419 Kit Fox, the Border Boy Detective. 625 Chincapin Dan, the Roy Trailer. 677 Chinenpin Dan’s Second Trail, A New Issue Every Tuesday. The Walf-Dime Library is for sale by all newsdealers, five oents per copy, or sent by mari on receipt o1 #ix cents each, BEADLE AND ADAMS, Publishers, 98 William Street. New York Now Ready. A Brilliant Holiday Number! BEADLE’ S Dime Dialogues, No. 38, Wor Schools, Exhibitions and af the Amateur Stage. CONTENTS (Att ORIGINAL), A WILD IRISHMAN’S DIPLOMACY; or, How THz “Sconame”’’ WorKED, In Four Scenes. For five males aad four females. AUNTIDEBORAH IN THE CITY. TERLUDE. For two females A CHINAMAN IN CAMP. A Witp West Escapapk. For three males. PLAYING HOSVtESs; orn, Tuat Terrie Cup, For two females and child. SLIGHTLY HILARIOUS; or, Too Mucu ror Rack- ' ETTs. An Office ** Affair.”’ For four males. WHAT HAPPENEL TO HANNAH; or, rue “ Bos- tina’? Curg. An ‘“‘Old Homestead” Verifica- tion. lor two males and one female. THE AWAKENING OF THE FLOWERS. A Brav- TIFUL Dress AND CHARACTER Petrre DRAMA, For o girls’ school. PLATO POINDUXTER’S ASHES; or, TEsTrine “Srynisn”? Srvceriry. A Decidedly Effective Case of Learning the Truth. For four females and two males. THE SPIRIT OF DISCONTENT. In Verse, For nine little bors A THE GOOD STRIKERS. In Verse. For six little girls. THE MISSING ESSAY; on, Envy, Harrep Anp ALL UNCHARITABLENESS UNMASK«D. A Stirring and Impressive Schoo! and Parlor Drama. In Two Scenes. THE WELL-TAUGHT LESSON; or Take Onty Taat :Wuich 18 Tune. A Boys’ Clun Episode. For several boys. EPHRAIM KLACK’S POLITICS; or, Gerrine His Name tN THe Papers. An Expose of Modern Po- litical Methods and Morals. For four males and A Mripnieut In-, 7 ;. | 5%6 The Silver Sport. one female. , rts of a plan to enable her to take up her resi- | 585 Saffron Sol, tii- Man With a Shadow. : , + | Senos at Trwin’s, where she could Keep «close | Bat Hamat ahd Hardy 7 outa Ce, eee creat i . ' app. ans, the Dutch Vidoeq- arce b ou s— ce: watch onall the ranchman’s movements, 611 Bildad Barnacle, the Detective ercules. minor dramas for the school and parlor stage, and ay. In playing their several roles we had been Soe Posen nemate. pitied | for dramatic entertainments -of dialogues, collo- ee ti men oy cy keep their masks on at “ times a G88 Tom-Oate Trig ris ye bksck Ienn’s Great Combing, quies and dress pew that nas éver been offered ; under all circumstances, as they could never 646 Cowboy Gid. the Caitle-Rance Detective. the American public at any price. tip Vd s ,. ‘ ig | 657 Warbling Wil Monntain Mountebank, ee, sure they were not being watched; and this | 2% Warbling William, the Mountain Moun BEADLE AND ADAMS, Pusrisaers. There was a bush of nervous expectancyin the | about a work of revenge, 676 Signal Sam, the Lookout Scout. 98 William Street, New York. fact, as the reader knows, had saved them many \
Page 16
24 SRA BARI a Fs neta: —— ~~ hy gen ae feet ee ‘ ’ = itrapiampesam ames Ae Se Ti ays moe Bae re Veale Ee eal 3EADLES: Published Every Tuesday. Each Issue Complete and Sold at the Uniform Price of Five Cents. No Double Numbers. * pt aconp yyy ALF- BY EDWARD L. WHEELER, Deadwood Dick Novels. 1 Deadwood Dick, the Prince of the Road. 20 Deadwood Dick’s Defiance; or, Double Daggers, ae ae be ow ro igi or, Buffalo Ben. 5 Deadwood ek in & Castle. 42 Deadwood Dick’s Bonanza; o-, The Phantom Miner. 49 Deadwood Dick In Danger; or, Omaha Oll. 57 Deadwood Dick’s Eagles; or, The Pards of Flood Bar. 78 Dendwood Dick on Deck; or, Calamity Jane, the Heroine, 460 eaaeeee Sats Last ett or, Corduroy Charlie. ead wood ek in Leadville, 104 Deadwood Dick’s Device; or, fhe Double Cross Sign, 109 Deadwood Dick as Detective. 129 Deadwood Dick’s Double; or, The Gorgon’s Gulch Ghost. 149 Deadwood Dick's Hig Strike; or, A Game of Gold 49 Deadwou ek’s Big Strike; or, A Game of Gold. 156 Deadwood Dick of Deadwood: or, The Picked Party, 195 Deadwood Dick’s Dream; or, The Rivals of the Road. 201 Deadwood Dick’s Ward; or, The Black Hill’s Jezebel. +t peesvers 56 a ecw $n maacuiaad Jane’s Adventure, endwoo ck’s Dead Deal. 221 Deadwood Dick’s Death-Plant. 282 Gold-Dust Dick. A Romance of Roughs and Toughs, } Pons weat Ho pe oh paket anne Spirit of Swamp Lake. 5 eadw oot ck’s Death Trail. 809 Deadwood Dick’s Deal; or, The Gold Brick of Oregon. 821 Deadwood Dick’s Dozen; or, The Fakir of Phantom Flats. 847 Deadwood Dick’s Ducats; or, Days in the Diggings. es ey pee pee Renteeees or, The Terrible Vendetta, % eadwoo ck’s Claim. 405 Deadwood Dick in Dead City. 410 Deadwood Dick’s Diamonds. 421 Deadwood Dick in New York; or, A “Cute Case,” 480 Deadwood Dick’s Dust; or, The Chained Hand. 448 Deadwood Dick, 31s, Def : ead woo e r.’a, Deflance, 458 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Full Hand. 459 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Big Round-Up. 465 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Racket at Claim 10. ats penewees 7 5 a tg al a Bill. eadwoo ¢ r.’8, Dog Detective. 481 Deadwood Dick, Jr, in Dendy ood. endwoo c r.?m, ompact. 496 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Inheritance. pons Fao te tog Feng = Ings. 5 endwoo « r.’*, Deliverance, os poneweed Dick, Jr, Fs ta eadwoo ¢ r.fy ree. 529 Deadwooa Dick, Jr.’s, Danger Ducks, 584 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Death Hunt, 589 Deadwoed Dick, Jr., in Texas, ‘ 544 Deadwood Dick, Jr.,.the Wild West Vidoeq, Bea petevecs Di k, J in Goth endwoo e r sotham, 561 Deadwood Dick, Jr., in Boston. 567 Deadwood Dick, Jr., im Philadelphia, ae brotcsed QE ger sheet “= end wo e r. ont. &S4 Deadwood Dick, Jr., In Denver. 590 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, D 595 Deadwood Dick, Jr., in Beelzebub’s Basin, 612 Deadwood Dick, Jr., in Detroit. 618 Deadwood Dick, Jr., in Cincinnati. 660 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Insurance Case. 666 Deadwood Dick; Jr., Back in the Mines. 672 Deadwood Dick, Jr., (a Durango; or, “ Gathered In.” 678 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Discovery; or, Found a Fortune. 684 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s. Dazzle. 690 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s. Dollars. 695 Deadwood Dick, Jr., at Danger Divide. Other Novels by E. L. Wheeler, 26 Cloven Moof, the Buffalo Demon. 82 Bob Woolf; or, The Girl Dead-Shot. 89 Death-Face, Detective; or, Life in New York. 45 Old Avalanche; or, Wild Edna, the Girl Brigand, 58 Jim Bludsoe, Jr., the Boy Phenix. 61 Buckhorn Bill; or, The Red Rifle Team, 69 Gold Rifle, the Sharpshooter; or, The Boy Detective, 80 Rosebud Tob or, Nugget Ned, the Knight. #84 Idyll, the Girl Miner; or, Rosebud Rob on Hand. 88 Phetograph Phil; or, Rosebud Rob’s Reappearance. 92 Canada Chet ; or, Old Anaconda in Sitting Bull’s Camp, 96 Watch-Eye; or, Arabs and Angels of a Great City, 118 Jaek Moyle the Young Speculator. 117 Gilt-Edged Dick, the Sport Detective, 121 Cinnamon Chip, the Girl Sport. 125 Bonanza Bill, Miner. ‘ 188 Boss Bob the King of Bootblacks. 141 Solid Sam, the Boy Road-Agent. 145 Captain Ferret, the New York Detective. 161 New York Nell, the Boy-Girl Detective. 177 Nobby Nick of Nevada; or, The Sierras Scamps, 181 Wiid Frank, the Buckskin Bravo, 209 Fritz, the Bound-Boy Detective. 218 Fritz to the Front; or, The Ventriloquist Hunter. 226 Snoozer, the Boy Sharp; or, The Arab Detective. 286 Apollo Bill, the Trail Tornado. 240 Cyclone Kit, the Young Gladiator. 244 Sierra Sam, the Frontier Ferret. 248 Sierra Sam’ Secret; or, The Bloody Footprints, 258 Sierra Sam’s Pard; or, The Ange! of Big Vista, 258 Sierra Sam’s Seven; or, The Stolen Bri 278 Jumbo Joe, the Boy Patrol; or, The Rival Heirs, 277 Denver Doll, the Detective Queen. 281 Denver Doll’s Victory. ; 285 Denver Doll’s Decoy ; or. Little Bill’s Bonanza, 299 A No. 1, the Dashing Toll-Taker. Bee Kell Hickey & © he Detecti f Ph elley eke Do,, the Detectives of Philadelphia. 880 LI Quick-Sh. ig The Dead Face of Daggersvilla, 884 Kangaroo Kit; or, The Mysterious Miner. 9 ngaroo Kit’ Racket. 848 Manhattan Mike, the Bowery Blood. Ba Uae estate eT, narromey reka Jim, the Gold-Gatherer; or, The Life Lottery, 872 Yreka Jim's Prize. ess 878 Nabob Ned; or, The Secret of Slab City. BS2 Cool Kit, the King of Kids; or, A Villain’s Vengeance, B85 Yreka Tim's Joker} or, The Rivals of Red Nose. 889 Bicycle Ben; or. The Lion of Lightning Lode, 394 ¥ Im of Yuba Dam, 416 Wigh Hat Hawes. the Dose Ball Detect mm arry, the Base Ba tective, 426 Sam Slabaides, the ar-Boy Detective, 484 Jim Beak a Pal Pl the Slasher. , - Be anta Fe Sa Ps Sealskin Sam, the Sparkler. | _ 55 Deadly-Fye, the BY COLONEL PRENTISS INGRAHAM, ? The Flying Yankee; or, The Ocean Outcast, 17 Ralph Roy, the Boy Buccaneer; or, The Fugitive Yacht, 24 Diamond Dirk; or, The Mystery of the Yellowstone, 62 The Shudow Ship; or, The Rival Lieutenants, 75 The Boy Duellat; or, The Cruise of the Sea-Wolf, 102 Dick Dead-Eye, the Boy Smuggier. 111 The Sea-Devil; or, The Midshipman’s Legacy. 116 The Mussar Captain ; or, The Hermit of Hell Gate, 197 Little Grit; or, Riie: the Stock-Tender’s Daughter, 204 Gold Plume; or, The Kid-Glove Sport, 216 Bison BALL, the Prince of the Reins. 222 Grit, the Bravo Sport; or, The Woman Trailer, 229 Crimson Kate; or, The Cowboy's Triumph. 287 Lone Star, the Cowboy Captain. 245 Merle, the Middy ; or, The Freelance Heir. 250 The Midshipman Mutineer; or, Brandt, the Buccaneer. 264 The Floating F eather: or, Merle Monte’s Treasure, 269 The Gold Ship ; or, Merle, the Condemned. 276 Merle Monte’s Cruise; or, “‘Vhe Gold Ship ” Chase. 2850 Merle Monte’s Fate ; or, Pear!, the Pirate’s Bride. 284 The Sea Marauder; or, Merle Monte’s Pledge. 287 Billy Blue-Eyes, the Boy Rover of the Rio Grande. 804 The Dead Shot Dandy ; or, Benito, the Boy Bugler. 808 Keno Kit; or, Dead Shot Dandy’s Double. 814 The Mysterjous Marauder; or, The Boy Bugler’s Trail. 877 Bonodel, the Buy Rover}; or, The Flagless Schooner. 888 The Indian Pilot; or, The Search for Pirate Island. 887 Warpath WILL, the Boy Phantom. 898 Seawalf, the Boy Lieutenant. 402 Isodor, the Young Conspirator}; or, The Fatal League, 407 The Boy Insurgent; or, The Cuban Vendetta, 412 The Wild Yachtaman; or, The War-Cloua’s Cruise, 429 Duncan Dare, the Boy Refugee. 488 A Cabin Boy’s Luck; or, The Corsair. 487 The Sea Raider. 441 The Ocean Firefly ; or, A Middy’s Vengeance. 446 Haphazard Harry 3 or, The Scapegrace of the Sea, 450 Wizard WIIl: or, The Boy Ferret of New York. 454 Wizard Will's Street Scouts. 462 The Born Guide; or, The Sailor Boy Wanderer, 468 Neptune Ned, tire Boy Coaster. 474 Flora; or, Wizard Will's Vagabond Pard. 488 Ferrets Afloat; or, Wizard Wi!!’s Last Case. 4ST Nevada Ned, the Revolver Ranger. 495 Arizona doe the Boy Pard of Texas Jack. 497 Buck Taylor, King of the Cowboys, 508 The Royal Middy 3 or, The Shark and the Sea Cat, 507 The Hunted Midshipman. 511 The Outlawed Middy. 520 Buckskin BIULL, the Comanche Shadow, 525 Brothers in Buckskin. 580 The Buckskin Bowers. 585 The Bue: skin Rovers. 540 Captain Ku-Klux, the Marauder of the Rio. 545 Lieutenant Leo, the Son of Lafitte. 550 Lafitte’s Legacy; or. The Avenging Son. 555 The Creole Corsair. 0 Pawnee BAI, the Prairie Shadower. 565 Kent Kingdon, the Card King. 570 Camille, the Card Queen. 575 The Surgeon-Secout Detective. 580 The Outcast Cadet; or, The False Detective. 586 The Buckskin Avenger. 591 Delmonte. the Young Sea Rover. 597 The Young Texan Detective. 602 The Vagabond of the Mines. 607 The Rover Detective; or, Keno Kit’s Champions. 617 Ralph, the Dead-Shot Scout; or, The Rio Raiders. 644 The Hercules Highwayman. 650 Butterfly gpilly, the Pony Rider Detective; or, Buffalo Bill’s Boy Para. 656 Butterfly Biliy’s Man Hunt. 662 Butterfly Billy’s Bonanza, 668 The Buccaneer Midshipman. 674 The Wizard Sailor; or, Red Ralph, the Rover. 679 The Sean Shadower; or, The Freebooter’s Legacy. 686 Orlando, the Ocean Free Flag; or, The Tarnished Name. 6 692 The Rival Sharps; or, Redfern, the Secret Service Scout. 697 The Scarlet Sombrero}; or, The Sharp from Texas, BY BUFFALO BILL (Hon. Wm. F. Cody). 8 Kansas King; or, The Red Right Hand. 19 The Phantom Spy : or, The Pilot of the Prairie. nknown Scout. 68 Border Robin Wood; or, The Prairie Rover. 158 Fancy Frank of Colorado; or, The Trapper’s Trust, BY CHARLES MORRIS, 118 Will Somers, the Boy Detective, 122 Phil Mardy, the B ss Boy. 126 Picayune Poesy or, Nicodemus, the Dog Detective, } 180 Detective Dick; or, The Hero in Rags. 142 Handsome Harry, the Bootblack Detective, 147 Will Wildfire, the Thoroughbred. 152 Black Beas, Wi!) Wildfire’s Racer. 157 Mike Merry, the Harbor Police Boy. 162 Will Wildfire in the Woods, age, the Railroad Boy, 170 A Trum ard 3 or, Will Wildfire Wins and Loses, 174 Bob Rockett; or, Mysteries of New York. 179 Bob eae the Bank Runner, 188 The Hidden Hand ior Will Wildfire’s Revenge. 187 Fred Halyard, the Life Boat Boy; or, The Smugglers, 189 Bob Rockett}; or, Driven to the Wall. -. 196 Shadowed j or, Bob Kockett’s Fight for Life. 206 Dark Paul, the Tiger King. 212 Dashing Dave, the ony dl Detective, 220 Tom Tanner}; or, The Black Sheep of the Flock, 225 Sam Charcoal the Premium Darky. 235 Shadow Sam, the Messenger Boy. 242 The Two “ Bloods”; or, Shenandoah Bill and His Gang, 252 Dick Dashaway 3 or, A Dakota Boy in Chicago. 262 The Young Sharps: or, Rollicking Mike’s Hot Trail, : 274 Jolly Jim, the Detective Apprentice. 289 Jolly Jim’s Job; or, The Young Detective. 298 The Water-Hound; or, The kim J Thoroughored. 805 Dashaway, of Dakota; or, A Western Lad in Quaker City, 824 Ralph Ready, the Hotel Boy Detective. Tony Thorne, the Vagabond Detective. 858 The Reporter-Detective; or, Fred Flyer’s Blizzard, 867 Wide-Awake Joe; or, A Boy of the Times. 879 Larry, the Leveler; or, The Bloods of the Boulevard,' 8 Fireily Jack, the River-Rat Detective, 428 The Lost Finger} or, The Entrapped Cashier. 428 Fred Flyer, the Reporter Detective, 482 Invincible Logan, the Pinkerton Ferret. 6 Billy Brick, the Jolly Vagavond. rit] wi Awake Jerry, pereceves or, oe Alive etective eg or, The Mystery of Frank Hearty, 488 Wild Dick Racket. mi Boots, the Boy Fireman: or, Too Sharp for the Sharper, 566 The Seeret Service Boy Detective. 596 Jimmy the Kid; or, A Lamb Among Wolves. 627 Tom Bruce of Arkansas; or, The Wolfin the Fold. 655 Plucky Paul, the Boy Speculator, 667 Bob and Sam, the Daisy Detectives, BY J, ©. COWDRICE, 860 ®ilver-Mask, the Man of Mystery. 86 Shasta, the Gold King; or, For Seven Years Dead. 420 The Detective’s Apprentice; or, A Boy Without » Name,. 424 Cibuta Johny; or, Red-Hot Times at Ante Bar. 489 Sandy Sam, the Street Scout, 467 Disco Dan, the Daisy Dude. 490 Broadway Billy, the Bootblack Bravo. 606 Redlight Ralph, the Prince of the Road, 514 Broadway Billy’« Boodle. 524 The Engineer Detective. 586 Broadway Billy’« ‘ Diftikilty.” 548 Mart, the Night Express Detective. 557 Broadway Billy’s Peath Racket. 571 Alir-Line Luke the Young Engineer. 579 The Chimney Spy: or, Broadway Billy’s Surprise-Party~ 592 The Boy Pinkerton. f 605 William 0’ Broadway} or, The Boy Detective’s Big Inning. 615 Fighting Harry the Chief of Chained Cyclone, 628 Broadway Billy’s Dead Act. 640 Barebsek Beth, the Centaur of the Cirele, 647 Teper iter Ty, the Merchant’s Ward. 659 Moonlight Morgan, the ‘‘ Pizenest ’’? Man of Ante Bar. 669 Broadway Billy Abroad. 675 Broadway Billy’s Best; or, Beating San Francisco's Finest. 687 Broadway Billy in Clover. 696 Broadway Billy in Texas. BY T. ©, WARBAUGH. 28 Nick o’ the Night; or, The Boy Spy of ’76. 87 The Hidden Lodge; or The Litth: Hunter. 47 ag gy me Baty or, Tne Forest Captains, 64 Dandy Jack; or, The Outlaws of the Oregon Trals, 82 Kit Harefoot the Wood-Hawk. 94 Midnight Jack 3 or, The Boy Trapper. 106 Old Froaty, the Guide; or, The White Queen, 128 Kiowa Charley the White Mustanger. 189 Judge Lynch, Jr.: or, The Boy Vigilante. 155 Gold Trigger, the Sport; er, The Girl Avenger. 169 Tornado Tom; or, Injun Jack From Red Core, 188 Ned Temple, the Border Boy. 198 Arkansaw ¢ or, The Quuen of Fate’s Revenge, 207 Navajo Nick, the Boy Gold Hunter, 215 Captain Bullet; or, Little Topknot’s Crusade. 281 Plueky Phil; or, Rosa, the Re | Jezebel. 241 Bill Bravo; or, The Roughs of the Rockies, 255 Captain Apolics tne King-Pin of Bowie, 267 The Tuckelkin Detective. 279 Old Winch; or, The Buckskin Desperadoes. 294 Dynamite Dan; or, The Bowle Blade of Gochetopa. 802 The Mountain Detective; or, The Trigger Bar Bully, - 816 Old Eclipse, Trump Card of Arizona, 826 The Ten Pards; or, The Terror of Take-Notice. 886 Big Benson; or, The Queen of the Lasso. 845 Pitilesas Matt; or, Red Thunderbolt’s Secret. 856 Cool Sam and Pard; or The Terrible Six, 866 Velvet Foot, the Indian Detective. i 886 Captain Cutlass; or, The Brecaneer’s Girl Foe. 896 Rough Rob; or, The Twin Champions of Blue Blazes, | 411 The Silken Lasso; or, The Rose of Ranch Robin. 418 Felix Fox, the Boy Spotter. 425 Texas Trump. the Border Rattler. 486 Phil Flash, the New York Fox. 445 The City Vampires; or, Red Rolfe’s Pigeon. 461 One Against Fifty; or, The Last Man of Keno Bar, 470 The Boy Shadow; °r, Felix Fox's Hunt. A’? The Exceislor Sport: or, The Washington Spotter. 499 Single Sight, the One-Eyed Sport, 502 Branded Ben, the Night Ferret. 512 Dodger Dick, the Wharf-Spy Detective, 521 Dodger Dick’s Best Dodge. 528 Fox and Falcon, the Bowery Shadows, 588 Dodger Dick, the Dock Ferret, , 548 Dodger Dick’s Double}; or, The Rival Boy Detectives, 558 Dodger Dick’s Desperate Case. 568 Dodger Dick, the Boy Vidocq, 678 The Two Shadows. 582 Dodger Dick’s Drop. 594 Little Lon, the Street-Singer Detective, 610 Old Skinner, the Gold Shark; or, Tony Sharp on Guard. 626 The Champion Parda. 687 Dick Doan, the Dock Boy Detective, 645 Kit, the Pavement Sharp. 658 Billy Bantam, the Boy Beagle. 671 Jersey Jed, the Boy Hustler; or, Shadowing the Shadower- 685 Happy Hugh, the Boy-Musician Detective, LATEST AND NEW ISSUES. 698 Old Crazy, the Man Without 4 Head; or, Lightheart, Luke’p Clean Sweep. By Josep" E. Badger, Jr. 699 Simple Sim, the Broncho Buster; or, Playing the Fool for Big Stakes. By Lieut, A. K. Sima. 700 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Drop; ot, The Sojourn at Satan’s Springs By Edward L. Wheeler. 701 Photograph Fred, the Camera Sharp; or, The Fight to the Finish. By T. C. Harbaugh. 702 Blue Jacket Bill; or, Tne Red Hot Rangers Red Hot. Racket. By Col. Prentiss Ingraham, 208 Broadway Billy’s Brand; or, The New York Delegates in Hard-up Camp. ‘By J. C. Cowdriek. Ready January 13 704 ood Ir., at Jack-pot; or, Making Crooked Peeavcet ~~ Edward L, Wheeler” Ready January 20. a 705 Violet Vane’s Vows or, The Crafty Deteetive’s Craft. By W y Wm. G. Patten, Ready January 27. A New Issue Every Tuesday. ehina The Half- Dime Library !s for sale by all newsdealers, five cents per eopy, or sent by mail on receipt of sx cents each. ; BEADLE AND ADAMS, Publishers, 98 William Street New York. "