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Show 1 Jiic MINE in- n the f r; unci I iu up you Irnl mo. but ..ut nt first 1 jr. Jones." Tnpinl" mi Id 1, knows what mny t Hoot City Jail. jfi In hurt you." grow led "Sit down; mnko your-TuT'toIcq your-TuT'toIcq was manly, resonant; tho tnnn wn n young ntlilpto; I could Just aeo that hoots ,'ri the dainty, blgh heeled Wellingtons of n cowboy; nvhlie tho rest of his ilrc. a sombrero, som-brero, shirt, overall, n broad web belt nnd Kill; hnudkcrchlcf round 1 lie Beck bore out the rtmrortrr. Tim Bum's presence already brought up aome fnlnt memory; Indeed 1 felt tlmt 1 knew hltn. but not under the snr-en snr-en mo of .low-, Surely this sunburnt young frontiersman wus some old friend. "I enn't offer you nny refreshments, fr. Lawyer." snld llio boy, drowsily. The acooninindnllnnii, til fact, aro Urn very film. "Wliy," tin woke up, Whnt the deuce nre you staring nt?" "Jack Hraneopoth," 1 ventured, don't you know me'" "What? William, mnjor? Hurrah! Shako, you duffer!" It wan not easy to shake bands, for tny old schoolfellow was shackled aprcad-caglo fashion to tho bed. "yes," he laughed, "they've pot me toped for branding, and then they'll clip my ears and rural mo nil to uiy-elf, uiy-elf, lest I corrupt tho good manners Of the other victims." "Well." snld I, frankly. "It Jolly well erres you right. A foul who amuses himself shooting tho stockbrokers on 'Change ought to be " "8innelicd." sold Jnrk. "I knocked out thrco deputy marshals, damaged one sheriff, bored n few holes through things Roncnilly. I wish I couhl chow Hp somo more police by way of dessert I feel ns luippy as n chip." "Look here, wo'ro rlvilljou people In Sitter Ibiot City; wo'ro not used to eow-punchers." i "Well, you don't amount to shucks, ts you any. Look here. I want yon to let down tho burs of this corral I're been lonesome." i ' "How l nt m out? Don't yon eo these stockbrokers aro not used to being shot at?" "Yes," he gronned, "Hint's what's tho mailer. I've offended their llttlo local prejudices. Hut that's all right!" "All right for mate Prison," I explained. ex-plained. He only chuckled. "Well. I did nilllo cm up some. But, as I any, that's all right. I'll tell you the straight - am then yon enn turn It Into the right kind of Ilea, aud linvo them sworn to. See?" "Co on." snld I. "Well, to begin wllli. I got me n tract of meadow bind up Wild Creek, buck of HrnnehvHIo. Idaho do yon know tho place? No? Well, I stocked the ranch out of what I'd saved, with fl shorthorn bull by ('Ulnar, together with thirty-nine head of scrub cnttle. and a band of ponies. Slnoo then, whenever I've luippened upon mavericks mav-ericks unbrnmb-d ealtlc, you know ve ndopted the poor orphans, clnppod on my little Q that's my brand nnd turned 'cm Into tho pnsture. There's been some satisfaction In annexing old Silas He. .son's calves, but even then It nln't over and aliovo squnre dealing, besides which It's slow work building wealth nut of stray. Ho I supiuise a hundred bend nil told would ninko up Hie sum of what I had Inst fall, though sluco then I've been laying by my thirty doiors n month cow-punching for tho Miimre Triangle' oulilt down ltolse vi , which money I've put Into Imprr uieitti on my Wild Creek ranch." "You seem to have been on the make" "Yes." Jack heaved n (.-rent s!sh. "lint It cnnie deuce 1 tmigli. Why, I've worn off poller, quit getting drunk, even tried to worry along without cussing." cuss-ing." "Hut why ell this virtue?" i "Why. don't you see, jou loon-Jou -tllgrlni? I'ui lu love!" !.: k "It iiinsVj! for KItly'a sake." W'lio:si Iftiy." "She's ii Vtlrl. Bay, do you know old inna Lewon down to Idaho Flats'" V "What, the Kipltiillot W'lio (looted the Crnbstnko tiiY''-" ' "The same. Ail-llt ""'art hole 1 the ground Is the iVuh.-dnke. Why, t guess the nhl man i'st ll0 worth his cool five million nnwA A,,v wny' '"" got six Lead of voun-1ll(,a- ,nnt tu" ain't the like of west of " Rlu,'r Uont Mountains, ctlkers ondVw"y U1 lt tlint." "lllondcd?" "I should smile. Out of'e T test Virginian. There's "' "'','' Matred, Ni hustn, Zobudnli nil Mhlt- hie, nil raised on the r.incli. nllltewled the same school ut Wild Creek." "School:" I howled; "do u V-ean th. msn's dniif lib v':" "Well, rntlier! You see s mtin ne.ls lots of wealth iirctend to any 'Yf these girls for Ellas Is like them Ol "estaincnt" chl fs who'd so lords nndl oukes sut.lli.g around tho lodge, nnd lt Uio dots at "cm because they ain't p ' ilngs. She's too good, any way, for n common scrub cowboy hko me. Oh. mini, but yon should see her sit a buck, lug horse! She's like the west wind riding a cloud, with the bright hnlr Hying Hy-ing around her head and her eyes like stiiis. The hiiim lio tenia up the ground, but she laughs nt she drives home the spur, and there's no fear In her. I've fought two men for fooling around her, nlrcinly-onu Willi rltlcs on horseback; lies In tho hospital; the other, shunting nt sight with gnus, but I hunted li I in out of the country." Jack llninciiicili alwavs win handsome, hand-some, but n.ov as he laughed in triumph 1 fen n,:,t Kiuy hail no need to rue her liolce, for this gallant, simple, boyish ,,Vcr had Ihu lu.e nf u J ti In tin il . "Yes, that's: why I've been Irylnif to keep straight. Why, I'd be n inmigy hermit ir I cuid mnUe myself coed cnoug!i Tor lie'. Itir, ns slu snld. the old man would never let me bnve her unless I'd )t, nl -,..,!!!,. i (,.,,, .r,i enougti, but Hi ii we'd been engaged more or less for two hole years wl'U-out wl'U-out n.y innk'ng my pile." "l'.Ut." said 1. "this doesn't seem to have niiuu bearing ou the present trouble?" "It hasn't, eh? Well, yon reach yonr hand Into tho left pocket of my belt, and you'll tlnd her letters. There, thnt's right; now rend the ouo on top." Bo I found myself glancing over the first of n batch of letters In a fine round school girl hand llko a atrlngful of knots. The letter read: "Dear Jack If you want mo don't be a fool. Here's l'a favoring Daddy Longlegs, who wants me awful bad. Ho' given luuhly Longlegs a straight tip how to make his fortune, l'a told him that they'vo Just found a tremendous tremen-dous lot of oro In tho tlrubstake nilno, but tho principal owners aro lying low, and saying bad things about the mine until they can ropo In nil the atoek. whntover that means. Any way, they'vo broken down the puinpa on purpose pur-pose to let the works get Hooded, so as to lildo v.hnt they've found. Daddy Longlegs hns sense enough to speculate la Grubstakes; you havcu't. "KITTT." "Yes." continued Jack, "Kitty's pretty pret-ty straight goods, and when she says a thing alio mean It If Iiadtly Long-legs Long-legs bad a thousand dollars, I was worth two thousand; nt least that's what I realized In bard cash by selling my ranch to n tenderfoot. Ko I rode down hero to Illtler Itoot City, went to Kitty's nude, lit Hcwsnn, the stork-broker, stork-broker, planked down my roll of bills, and said: 'ltuy tlrubstahes.' " "'Yon hadn't ought to buy outright,' ays llewson; you should margin.' "'What's that?' said I. "'It mentis.' snld ho. 'that you plank down your money; I run the ahow; If tho stock goes up. I sell out when you think you're pretty well fixed for life: If tho stock goes down two thousand dollars' worth, you lose all you bave got.' "'I'll gamble.' said I. wih nil I can bold down by silting straddle.' "Well, you should have seen the brokers guying 111 llewson In the Mln. Ing Kxchniige, nnd afterward I beard them talking among themselves la the Coffee l'nlnce. "'What,' says one smart Aleck. you think HI Hewnon's working for Silas, chl You must think Silas 1'. Howson's gone loco! The old man confessed only Inst week to a friend of nilno that tho mine's played nut. Why, the works nro chock nhlock wllh water, and no tunneling facilities to drain It; the pumps havo broken down nnd of real, pay ore there Isn't n dollar In sight.' "'A level bend has old man tSllaa. says nnnlher: 'ns to III llewson. he's roped lu a sucker who thinks he can gaiiiblo some fool of a cowboy, be soys.' "Thorn was another sucker tast week.' says smart Aleck; 'Iiaddy Long-legs Long-legs they call hlui plnnkeil down a thousand dollars on n falling market, he, be! Well, he's busted now; margin mar-gin all run nut.' "At that they nil drank a toast. Long live the suckers:' but well-I laughed. "Now rend tin) second letter," said Jink. "You're n dnlsy," I rend. "Daddy Iin?lc'.-s has cone back dead broke; and hi languago Is Just disgraceful. Hold on. keep right hold. Jack, for pa says he'll noon be letting tho ent out of tho bag. ro If the stock goes down any more you must keep a good heart and hold on. KITTY." "That's nil right." snld Jack, "lint by the time I got tho letter on Monday morning inv mm in was running out. too. Sa.is III. 'Ii h all your own fault; you never took tho trouble to ask my advice, or you wouldn't havo bought until to day;' hut that was poor consolation, conso-lation, for I was like to he ns big 0 fool as D.iddv I.om-es. When this f.t. chauso closed on Monday the CJruli-stnke CJruli-stnke was i, noted nt forty-three, nnd If it Wtfnt n point l.ovcr my two thousand thou-sand dollars would bo lust. Head the third letter." "Hold on lo the slock." I read. "You needn't have been jealous of Daddy. Ho ain't In It, never wns. for I love you, old boy. On Wednesday morning tho news will be In all tho papers that the Orulistako was llooded on purpose to keep the socvt of a great bonnuza; your stock "vlll bo woiili a fortune. Hold on for my sake, darling. Hold oa for all you'ro worth. KITTY." "At t lint I plucked np courage," snld Jack, cheerfully, "sold my horse, saddle, sad-dle, rllle, coat, 'simps, lariat, spurs, watch, everything; and planked down 'he cash with 111 llewson. I could l old ou now, he told me, till the atoek dropped to forty and n hair; but If It went below that I was lost, "tin Tuesday 1 went to the Mining I rvliange r.uildli'g with my he,-t in my month. T he sin k open, d nt bu-'y-! three, then n llllle was sold at forty- 1 two, and nt uoon It si I nt forty-one land a half. Sared almost cr.i,-y. I grabbed ho'd of a reporler. s:.io,t the drink", and leaded him lip Willi ii-ws. I told Mm to s-iy III hi paper that toe Ilcwsmi ollttil was bearing down lit,. ; market, tlmt Silas bad II".. .-d the mine I to hid- Irs iMiuanr.u until the moment emtio lo shout. Hut the reporler made nut that tho lieM edition cmne ou! nt four o'clock, and the 1'x. Iinm.-o cl I at half past three. "'llct out the poster early, I told htm. 'bribe the priii'-r. work the mpes somehow, nnd If I win my game, J won't forget oii.' "The rr'tsirter winked, and started to write out his news; but when the market mar-ket opened again lu the nflermioii. there seemed to be po hope left. f.,r the stock wn nt forty one ami n ipinr-tcr, ipinr-tcr, with only three inarici- of a point between me and perdition, "I'Voui where I stood in the public gallery, I saw the broker whispering, for a rumor hud got wind from the printers that made them era.y. Some of them were offering forty three, forty-four, oven up to fifty for limb-stake limb-stake stuck: but there wasn't a dollar for .,!.. "I'un nl.l lt,..., . I. -..I ... that started the counter rumor malting nut that the newspaper yum wns romp fool's ennard or else a tale gotten up so the linlderilV,inld sell out lu a hurry. I was paralysed when tho blddlnt stopped short; I didn't know one more movo that could snve tho game; I was ready to kill myself. "HI llewson S' nt up a clerk to say he hated to see lue ruined I'd better sell. It was decent of hlui, but I told the clerk to go to blazes and further, before be-fore I'd throw up my bsnd Ilk a white-livered coward. "At three o'clock cnnie a telegram from Kitty that snld: "ito brave, l'a has bought all the stork he wants, and wired bla broker to quit "bearing." " "Oh. man, but she was worth fighting for. She's nn angel out of heaven, and I'd rather have died than broken faith with her. "The clock was going so slow that It seemed to bnvo stopped, rive past three, ten past, quarter-past three: the stock at forty-one! Twenty past three, twenty-three pntl I was saying my prayers with my revolver ready In my hand for death If I lost In the game. There was a commotion down In the hall a rumor wns spreading through tho crowd, till It rippled up Into the gnllery, and I beard the newt the Criibstnke syndicate bankrupt! "I knew It could only be a llo gotten np by old Hanson's broker. I knew that In another moment the newspnper posters would bo fastened up at the door. I knew that If the market beld till another thrco minutes I'd ssved my game. "The fool at tha blnck))flflr; 1C.as marking the closing prices on Tigers, Poormnn, Coenr d'Alene, Eagle of Murderer's Mur-derer's liar, (,'rubstake. He'd wiped out the old figures to w rlto down Grubstake Grub-stake at tho price of it bankrupt mine; tho brokers wero yelling llko demons; the plneo shook Willi the uproar; the clock ticked at twenty-nine past; the fool wns writing the figures that meant ruin despair death! "liaising my gun, I fired right at his fingers, missed, fired again, but the fool was gone. I fired again and again, then once again, nnd Hung tny revolver at the blackboard across nn empty hall. Yes. I'd stampeded the brokers, I'd stampeded the whole confounded outfit the ruck of tlipin was screeching with panic against tho doors nnd I stood alone lu the gnllery. The game was won! "What matter If t did get excited? What matter If I did knock a few deputy dep-uty marshals out of the gallery? What matter If I did damage a city official or n dosen or scores? "The news Is out; I've won ma a wife nnd a fortune: I'm boss of the range; nnd Kilty shall lire like a queen because I love her because I've loved hpr like a mnn and she's mine!" WttTcrley Magazine. |