Show ric fa I 1 A V E taid stad damm A ROMANCE OF BORDER E AUTHOR OF 4 THE LIGHT OF WESTERN 7 STARS RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE ETC W by MAAS HAMER wo AND 7 s P CHAPTER I 1 in wellston texas tc cas 11 becomes alth ith buckley duane a cae ot or fight or run from cal 13 biln ain duane k kills lis his man and becomes an outlaw CHAPTER TI II 1 ho le meets luke stevens an outlaw CHAPTER III stevens stevans goes into the town of mercer to buy supplies and 11 is shot by a rancher duane buries him CHAPTER IV duane goes to blands blanda outlaw stronghold in the rim rock and after shooting Boa omer who quarrels with him over stevens death decides to stay there euchre duchae takes duane for a partner and tells him about diana bland the outlaw chief and his bis band I 1 stamped into the saloon where his voice broke out in a roar beane duane dismounted and threw hia bridle abger bozonier Bo I 1 la shore wat bended beaded said the ali e raati mah euchre HY he did not appeal ly lift ere ithe others hostile at t this juncture several mode more outlaws d but of the door and the one in the i ie ad 1 was a tall tali roan man of stalwart physique icis manner pro claimed w him a leader he had a long sacs lam a fl flaming arning red beard and clear cola blue eyes that fixed in close scrutiny tipon pen duane he was not a tex aar a ii is in ax aruth uth duane did not we vre oy ot IN these ese outlaws as native to hi hla I 1 im baniad said the tall man nu au whore you and fou alig choral hasy duant looked at bland as he had at the this outlaw chief up ap to be reasonable if he was wag not courteous duane his story again this jimei little more in detail 1 I believe you reputed bland at oace think I 1 know when a fellow la Is lying 1 I reckon youre on the right trail put in euchre thet about luke want ln his boots took off thet satisfies me luke luke hed bed a mortal dread of ayin with his boots on at this sally the chief and his men laughed you said dunne duane buck duane queried bland are you a son of that F duane who aho was a gunfighter gun fighter some years back yes replied dunne duane never mot met him and glad I 1 dian didn said bland with a grim humor so you got in trouble and had to go on the dodge what kind of trouble bad a fight fight do you mean gunplay gun play i questioned bland he seemed eager s curious speculative y yes it ended in gunplay gun play im sorry to say answered duane guess I 1 ask the son of duane if he killed his man went on oil bland ironically well im sorry j you bucked against trouble in my camp but as it is I 1 guess b wise to make yourself scarce do you mean im politely told to move on asked aked duane quietly not exactly that said bland as it irritated irr i bated if this a 1 free place there igat one on earth E every man is equal here do you iv want antto to join my band j i ino no I 1 dont well even if you lid did I 1 imagine th thai 11 stop boomer Boom cr iles an ugly fil fallow 1 0 merely for your own sake I 1 advise an y you on to lilt the trail thanks buta all ill stay returned duane even as lie spoke ho felt that lie he did not know himself appeared at the door pushing men who tried to detain him and ns as lie he jumped clear of ji a I 1 last it i t reaching jr 1 liand land lie he uttered n u snarl gnarl like an angry doz dog bland and the file other quickly moved aside letting dunne duane stand t t d alone when saw dunec ne standing motionless and watchful a i strange change passed quickly in him hu he halted in ills his tricks tracks and us he be lid did that the men who had followed him out plied piled over one another in th their car hurry to got get to one side D dunec I 1 in I 1 it saw aw all the action f felt elt tho the menning meaning of it and in desomers Bo Do somers suddon sudden change of front the outlaw 0 was v n S keen heen and lie fuhad lind expected expect eda a oil shrinking h r 1 g or at least a frightened an a r tag onist duane knew lie ho was neither ne lie ile felt like iron andyes chri thrill I 1 after thrill ran through him the oil outlaw had come out to kill 1111 him and now though somewhat checked by the stand of a stranger lie he till meant to kill but lie lid did not speak a word he remained motionless for it a long mo ment ills eyes pale and steady ills his julit hand like itice a claw that instant gave duane a power to read in ills eyes the thought that preceded action but dunne duane did not want to kill another man still phe e would have to fight and he be decided to cripple when Ilo somers hand moved duanes gun was wad spouting fire two shots only both from finnes aanes gun and the outlaw fell with Is s right arm shattered ur irvid ed harshly and floundered in trying to reach the gun with deft kcf honl hla coro cow nidea reAm seeing flint dunne would not kill hill unless le forced closed in upon and prevented any further madness on its his part of the outlaws present euchre appeared to be the inq one most inclined to tell lend friendliness to curiosity wid and lie he led duane and the horses away to a small adobe slin shad ciz re ito tied the horses in an open shed and ieni oved their saddles then gathering up lip stevens weapons lie he invited ills his visitor to enter the house it lind had two rooms windows without coverings bare floors one room contained blankets weapons saddles and bridles the other a stone fireplace rude table p and jid bench two bunks a ans in x cupboard clipboard and anal various blackened I 1 lite bitens itens nIls ns make yourself to home as boil long ig rj rs 1 1 you wart want to stay said euchre Eu clire 1 I aint rich in this worlds iv goods but ill it I 1 own here an youre welcome Tb thanks anks ill stay awhile and rest im pretty well played out 11 replied duane euchre save gave him a keen glance go ahead an rest ill take your horses to grass euchre left duane alone in the house duane relaxed then and mechanically chani cally he wiped the sweat from his face he was laboring under some kind of a spell or shock which did not pass oft off quickly when it had worn away he took off his coat and belt and made himself comfortable on the blankets and he had a thought that if he rested or slept what difference would it maks make on the morrow no u 1 I rest no slee sleep could change the gray outlook of the future he felt glad when euchre came bustling in and for the first time he took notice of the outlaw euchre was old in years what little hair he had was gray his face clean shaven and full of wrinkles his eyes were half shut from long gazing through the sun and dust he stooped but his thin face denoted strength and endurance still unimpaired 1 hey hev a drink or a smoke he asked duane shook his head he had not been unfamiliar with whisky and lie he had used tobacco moderately since he was sixteen but now strangely lie he felt a disgust at the idea of stimulants ile he did not understand clearly what lie ho felt there was that vague idea of something wild in its his blood something that made him fear himself euchre wigged wagged ills old lead sympathetically reckon you feel a little sick when it comes to sho otin I 1 run your age im twenty three replied duane euchre showed surprise youre only odly a boy I 1 thought you thirty buck I 1 heard what you told bland an all thet with my own fIg gerIn I 1 reckon youre no cil minal yet yel throwing Throw Th rowin ln a gun in self defense thet aint no crime dunne duane finding relief in talking told more about himself ruh huh replied the old man ive seen hundreds of boys come in on tho the dodge most of them though was no good an thet thel kind dont last toll long tills this river country has been an is the refuge for fer criminals from all over tho the states ive bunked with bank cashiers forgers plain thieves an out an out murderers all of which had no on oil the texas border fellers like bland are exceptions iles hes no texan you seen thet the gang he rules rule here lacre come from all over an tough cusses you can bet on thet they live fat in an easy if it for fer the figh fightlin tin among themselves selves i shore grow populous the alin rock is no place for a peaceable decent feller I 1 heard beard you tell bland you like ilke to join ills his gang not make him take a ilkin to you have you any money not N much replied duane when the moneys moncy s gone liow how will you live there aint any work a decent feller could do you cant lierd herd with gren greasers sers why blandy blands men would shoot at you in the fields you do son god knows replied duano duane hopelessly ill make my money last as long ions as possible then starve wal im pretty pore but never starve while I 1 got 1 hoie it struck buck again that something lium huni i and kind and eager which lie had biad seen in stevens Stu vens duanes estimate of outlaws had lacked this till quality he had not accorded them any virtues to him as to the outside world they had been merely vicious men without one redeeming feature im much obliged to you euchre replied duane but of course I 1 wont live with anyone unless I 1 can pay my share have it any way you like my son said euchre good you son make a fire an ill set about dettla amb im a sourdough sour hour dough buck thet man live who can beat my brul at how do you ever pack supplies in here asked dunne thinking of the almost inaccessible nature of the valley some comes across from mexico nn an the rest down the river that river trip is a bird its moren five alvo hundred miles to any supply point bland has mozos greaser boatmen sometimes too lie he gets supplies in iron from down river you see bland sells thousands of cattle in cuba an all this stock lias has to go down by boat to meet the ships where on earth are the cattle driven down to the river asked duane taets not my secret replied euchre shortly fact is I 1 dont know ive rustled cattle for bland but lie he never sent rue me through the elm rock with them duane experienced a sort of pleasure in the realization that interest had bad been stirred in lum he wis was curious curich 3 about hand bland and ills ills gang and glad to have soni something ethIng to about for far every once in a valle fie he had a benil seui a tion that was ivas almost like a pan aie wanted to forget in the nest liest 11 ur lie did forget and enjoyed helping in the preparation and eating of the meal euchre after and hanging up tip the several utensils put on its his hat find and turned to go out come along or stay here as you want lie said aid to duane til ill stay rejoined duane slowly the old outlaw left the room and trudged away whistling cheerfully CHAPTER V dunne looked around him for a book or a paper anything to read but all tift lip printed matter lie he MUM could find consisted si oi of tt a few words on cartridge e boxes azid firl on th the e back of a tobacco 1 P blich there seemed to be nothing for foi ahful id do he had rested lie he lid did not id lie down any more he began to gitil w ach to jo and f fro ro from one end of the room to the other and as he walked lie fell into the lately acquired habit of brooding over his misfortune suddenly he straightened up with a jerk unconsciously he be had drawn his gun st standing anding there with the bright cold weapon in his hand band he looked at it in consternation how had he come to draw it it might have come from a subtle sense scarcely thought of at nil all of the late close and inevitable relation i between that weapon a and nd himself ite he was amazed to find that bitter as he had grown of late the desire to live burned strong in him life certainly held no bright prospects for him already he had begun to despair of ever getting back to his home but to give up like a white hearted coward to let himself be handcuffed and jailed to run from a drunken bragging cowboy or be shot in cold blood by some border brute who merely wanted to add another notch to his gun these things were impossible for duane because there was in him the temper to fight in that hour lie yielded only to fate and the spirit inborn in him hereafter this gun must be a living part of him right then and there lie he returned to a practice he had long discontinued the draw it was now a stern bitter deadly business with him he did not need to fire the gun for accuracy was a gift and had become assured swiftness on the draw however could be improved and he set himself to acquire the limit of speed possible to any man mail lie ile stood still in ills his tracks lie paced the room he sat down lay down put himself in I 1 0 LJ he practiced drawing his gun av akward positions and from every position lie he practiced thio NNIng ills his gun practiced it il till lie he ilot hot and tired and ills his arm ached and its his liand hand burned that practice lie he determined to keep up every day it was one thin tiling at least that would help pass the weary li hours urs later lie ho went outdoors to the cooler shade of the cottonwoods cotton woods from this point lie he could see a good deal of the valley under different circumstances duane felt fell that he would have bave enjoyed such a beautiful spot ile he saw a good many mexicans who of course were hand and glove with bland also he saw enormous flat bouts boats crude of structure moored along the banks of the river the rio grande rolled away between high bluffs A cable sagging deep in the middle was stretched over the wide yellow stream pad ad an alii evidently moil fie n a ferry lay anchored on the far shore tho the valley was an ideal retreat for an outlaw band opera on a big scale pursuit scarcely need be feared over the broken trails of the rim rock bock and the open end of the valley could be defended against almost any number of men coming down the river duane must have idled considerable time up on the hill for when lie he returned to the shack euchre was busily engaged around the campfire camp carlip fire wal glad to see you aint so pale about the gills ns as you nan was lie he said by the way of greeting pitch in an well soon hive have grub ready theres shoie one consol consolla ln fact round this here camp AN lints that asked duane plenty of good juicy beef to ent cat AW an it cost a short bit but it costs hard rides and trouble bad conscience and life too it 1 I aint shore about the bad conscience mine never bothered me none an as for life why thet theto cheap lu in texas who la is bruij naked duane quickly changing 1 tho the subject what do 10 you know about him wo we dont know who lie is or where he halls hails from replied kuchre euchre taets always been to interest the gang ile he must have been a young man when lie struck texas now lies hes middle aged I 1 remember how years ngo ago he was soft spoken an not rough in talk or n act t like lie he is now bland aint likely his his right name he knows a lot doctor you vou an hes hore a fc feller ith ith toots hes the kind 1 d thet rules men outlaws are always ridin in here to join his ga gang ng aw an it if it been fer the gamblin nn an gunplay gun play hed have a t thousand housend men around him how holy gang now 1 I reckon theres short of a hundred undred li now the number varies then bland nai several small camps up an down the river also he has men back on the cattle ranges how does he control such a big force asked duane especially when his bands composed of bad men luke stevens sall he had no use for bland and I 1 heard once somewhere that bland was a devil taets it he Is a devil hes as hard as flint violent in temper never made any friends except ills his men dave rugg hugg an chess chem alloway bland 1 11 I shoot at a wink hes killed a lot of fetters fellers fin an some fer not liln rhe reason thet outlaws gather round him an stick Is because hes a safe refuge an then lies well heeled bland Is rich they say lie he has a hundred thousand pesos apesos hid somewhere an lots of gold but hes free with money he gambles when hes not off with a shipment of cattle he throws money around an the fact is theres always plenty of |