| Show T he law off the 1 64 r rata calhoun lennox lennos county now new mexico was a town of uno one hundred and fifty people this included the tha saloon bummers of whom there were a score and tho the stock raisers of the neighborhood numbering a dozen these ranch men with one of the tha storo keepers were the only inhabitants with much presence pretence pre pret tence ened to respectability the tha bulk of the population being cowboys cow boys herders gerders her ders rough riders and their friends fai ends calhoun was a catt lemans town td id in this warm way may weather jeph sons ons saloon bubbled over with cowboys they were wera a mixed lot representative tentative senta tive tor for the tha most moat part of every crude crade of blackguardism here aal au i there however you might find an american and even moro more frequently an B englishman of good bringing upbringing up rho had drifted into the whirlpool of cow punching na as somo some men drift to sea cea before the mast through inclination possibly for a wild unconventional existence an E englishman of this class one may morning swung out or of at jephson sons s to fortify nature with a whiskey on way south lie ile was the son eon of a manufacturer in lancashire england and aid his bla brothers were being educated for the army and tho the church while le be john ogden the eldest twenty ono one years tears old this day was a wanderer on the western vestern prairies prairie earning a living as a cowpuncher cow puncher john ogden had dono done fairly well re he was not without self control ond and living in a land where all men went about armed to the teeth he had bad kept its ills temper so BO tar far and had never been la serious trouble tho the bar was crowded at it Jeph sons today and it was somo some minutes before john could set get his drink when served he withdrew to a table and sipped at his whiskey slowly lie he was tory tired having ridden forty miles tha day and herded cattle most of the preceding night so that ho he felt drowsy and lan languid guill near him were was what his soul craved and ho he advanced to the bar where with the praiseworthy intention of conciliating a great man invited the sherla sheriff to 6 drink it was a serious blunder not that lassiter Lass lter had the least object objection ioa to accepting whiskey from anyone even a mexican at ordinary times but today ho be was on his dignity and tho the attitude of his neighbors forbade con descent loa even inviting aggressive measures finally to complete josfea discomfiture lie ho inadvertently trod upon tho the officers foot what tho the h 1 roared tho the sheriff furiously and as josd josa stumbled back with an apology he be struck the wretched ebud chud youth a heavy blow in tho the face take that to teach you ma manners anners greaser tho the boy reeled backward blood flowing freely from nostrils and mouth and be bo dabbling his precious now new clothes A shout about of approving laughter greeted tho the exploit but joad was not a coward Ca caramba rambal ho he gasped you big lam dam devil ila ho reached lor for his knife then shrank back at a threatening movement from two of his bis neighbors not that said one gruffly lilt him back liko like a man tho the mexican biped in helpless rage Dla balot itow how hit him ile he big as mountain bear that said lassiter Lass lter tho the elementary instincts of hla his nature now fully aroused by the applause of the crowd call mo me a bear would you clear away boys im going to pound the tha stuff in out of the skunk ila iio advanced with an oath and the mexican cowered behind the tha stove upon this athla tho the bummers sprang out ot of the way taking their chairs with them dut but there was still john ogden ile he did not move except to rise to hla his feet with a flushed face and to quietly lay his empty glass on the table ile ho was not a tall man but squarely and AW A W E f AN X 1 ME 1 v wt a PIE V ak z V JOHN FELT HOT IRON TOUCH THE BACK OP of HIS NECK two saloon bummers their feet orna meriting the top of an unlighted stove the swing door cf 0 the aloon r opened and a man swaggered up to the bar one of the bummers pointed backwards with his thumb him sammy the now sheriff sherif the other grinned bedge Sander bachs choice durt burt lasseter Lass lter Is the biggest tough in town why naturally nate rally lias hes friend of the J bedge e g e you bet they both la and then relapsed into silence while john looked curiously at the man who had aroused this comment ila ho was tall broad and stout with long beavy face thick lips and beetle brows coarseness and brutality were written in every line of that face and his eyes small restless and near together contained a sinister expression that made the englishman lish frown involuntarily the sheriff did not notice ogden ile he was seeking for familiar faces the owing door opened again to admit another man who stood a moment looking about him nervously a rawhide against his boots and glancing doubtfully at tho the bar lift lie a mexican with the full dark eyes and gra graceful cebil figure of a spaniard and the coarse immobile features of an indian ills his dress was a complete suit of grey buckskin gaudily ornamented with beads and deeply fringed ills sombrero eom brero also now new was bound with a smart cord of yellow and green ereon and was tilted rakishly over ever his bis left ear ills boots were polished ills spurs silver plated of large size and being pendants pennants pend ants of steel jingled like bells as he be walked at the sight eight of the greaser Rr easer there war a general growl ot of disgust among tho thill cowboys and had bad josa gallegos been a who man ho he would have gone elsewhere to 0 assuage his and indulge hla his passion for gambling but jorfi was wag not wisp vor nor at abo moment sober ile he had bad boon loft left a small legacy isamel six hundred dollars and it portion of this was wag still burning hla his pocket work therefore was out of the question drink and play with tho the white man compactly built and very deep in the chest a great contrast to the loose limbed lassiter Lass lter joso casting his eye about for a way of escape saw his opportunity and dodged round the table whereupon the sheriff who had rushed at him collided violently with the englishman when two bodies meet in such a manner it 13 19 usually the smaller one which suffers but in this instance to tho the astonishment of tho the cowboys cow boys the sheriff staggered backwards while ane smaller man stood like a rock where aro are you coming to drawled john in the most disagreeable manner he could assume aro are you you drunk D n you spluttered splutter ed the sheriff whose ribs had severely suffered ercil it by Y the tha scientific insertion between them or of tho the point of oc johns elbow for two bits ill drop ye as I 1 dropped tho the grea greaser greasert serl will you said tho the englishman sneeringly then do it lie ila changed his position his chest expanded ila ha slightly raised his arm and advanced his left foot a few in clies balancing himself on the right sammy Sa nimy whispered one of the bummers to ills his friend two drinks to one on the cowboy ill take ye was the gruff answer burt will kill idil him 1 done As the word was spoken the sheriff seething in his wrath boro bore down upon the englishman like a three decker on a gunboat As he came he lunged at him heavily twice but ho he beat the empty air tho first blow was parried skillfully the second slipped and then ogden with every muscle braced poured in a swift broadside tho the first a left hander bander tell fell between the sheriffs eyes the second immediately on top of it came under ills bis chin a deadly blow in iii itself tho the third crashed full fall upon the end of 0 his noso nose and the fourth a vicious hammer with the weight of limb and shoulder behind it on the tha line of hla his jam jow bone bono just below tho the ear down went the tha big man an inert mass bleeding and insensible sit at which violt tho the crowd stared and anore aora softly with wonder while tho the prescient bummer licked his bis lips U ogden knelt by tho the sh sheriff rift unfasten ing tho the collar of his c apat at ilia his own position was now a ve very r delicate on one ea and he knew it 11 it tt tho sheriff nad pals his bis adversary would pay with his life for tho the punts i t ho had apparel apparently atly r however 0 ov or the man had no friends f for r not a soul except tho the landlord andyjohn andl and john himself troubled to find out whether ho he waa vian still alive J happened nothing as it happened was seriously Y wrong with bassit lassetier i r ile ho was knocked put gut and sev severely rely bruised and ana would be marked fa tor weeks but a stiff glass of 0 brandy speedily revived him and his shooting shooting fro irona were removed from him j i A A few minutes later ogden was remounting to continue his bis journey with wita a pleased countenance counte nanco and sore knuckles As he bo swung lato tho the sad bad dlo dle ho he was accosted by we mexican senor whore yott yoo vama now gamt chyr why you will never como come near calhoun city night time no what ahat sheriff kill you john anifred i ills his funeral might como m first still you in meant a tint well thanks my boy ile iio smiled and with the I 1 impulse pulse of a good a natured man ext extence exten ende deil ills bis hand adios amigo amago he said I 1 tho the mexicans face clione auono all ah gracious senor I 1 levair forget foegel 11 almonth A month later tho I 1 oun up was wag over and john ogdon aa a tree free man with 1100 la in his pocket ing to take summer cummer holiday this he be decided to spend in calhoum icicy the reason which drew him toll ton calhoun was ono one which he would noci not vea cven own to himself homesickness mio ilie railroad had now reach reached led tho the town wn an and d it was said had bad b brought rough it a cargo of decad people from the east decked out in tho the glories of civilized attire attl roand and john longed to seo see anything that would remind him of old days so to td calhoun he bo went straight away andio and to jeph sons there on tho the second day he be met the sheriff and a plea feed fled light came into Las crafty cites as ag at the sight of something ho he haa wished to seo sea tor for a long time iley hev a drink ho he said my afy turn now order yourself ogden did so his bis right hand within easy grasp of his revolver but no move was mado made against him and after close observance of the man he came to tho the conclusion that nono none would bo be made burt lassiter Lass lter was a coward this matter cleared up john settled down dowa for a gamo game of cards lie ho was generally rene Lrene rally a lucky luchy player but tonight everything went against him and he be lot loht twenty alvo dollars this was b bad ld but what was worse was a suspicion that he bo had bad been beba cheated ila ho could not provo prove it and he bo took his bad luck la in silence but such an aa experience Is never to sweet temper nud aud john when he be next morning utter after a restless night was la fix a very moroso and uncharitable mood what should ho he do go for hla his led lea over to tho the post omeo at oric a and asked for letters blaue slade the postmaster was sweeping out his room lie he too was a queer tempered man A lean wiry yankee x akee with a wrinkled face like a mo monkeys key and a high pitched voice I 1 ila ho took no notice of johns re request except to say sharply 1 11 como come in an hour 11 now considering tho the mailbag mail bag as at that moment reposing on the counter at tho the back of the room this acs a little hard john stood quite still tor for a minute his wrath biath rising within him then olen without de deigning gning to speak again ho he strode to tho the bag and breaking tho the seal prepared to scatter its contents upon the counter before he could do it tho the postmaster flew at him like a wild cat and snatched tho the bag from his hands yo ye cow punching devil you if there was a shred ehred of law in this godforsaken place id have bave t a arrested for robbing tho the united states mall mail As it Is hut dut hu he sot got no further for johns temper had boiled over and catching tho the little man by tho the back of tho the neck ho he shook him until ho he was black in tho the face then tossed him like in an empty sack back to the other side of tho the room slade was up la in a moment drawing a revolver john did tho the same more quickly but ho he did dd not fire the postmaster only carried a 0 little nickel plated pistol five inches long a mere to toy 7 beside ogdena great army colt put it up said john quietly this thing Is not worth a life he lowered his own pistol as he spoke when from behind thero there came a sharp ping of a rifle bullet and the postmaster staggered against the wall falling upon his face dead at the same instant john felt hot iron touch the anck of his neck and a voice burt said curtly hands cupl up continued next weed keeli we eli |
