The Lure of the Dim Trails

e fascination of range life and into the monotony of invalidism, and he was anything but resigned. To be sure, he was well cared for at the

t-grandfathers and down to more than the third generation yet unborn, and to tell him the news. On the second v

wers till further notice: a cross uh carnations, and the boys sent up to Minot and had a spur made uh-oh, well, all right; I'll shut up a

only old Lauman'll get 'em, all right, and we're late as it is with the calf roundup. Lauman'll run 'em down-and by the Lord! I'll hire Bowman myself and ship him out from Helena to help prosecut

caught and-yes, hanged; though he had n

f Bob, the care-naugh

est of hearts where his friends were concerned, and there were times whe

s bed. It was rather badly; done, and at first, when he saw it, he laughed at the thought that even the great, still plains of the range land cannot protect one

hat in real life, he told himself, a fellow would probably get to liking her. He supposed she thought him a greater coward than ever now, just because he hadn't got killed. If he had, he would be a hero now, like Bob. Well, Bob was a hero; the way he had jumped up and begun shooting

absolutely necessary, and she was perfectly composed and said good morning in her most impersonal tone. At least Thurston hoped she had no tone more impersonal than that. He decided that she had really beautiful eyes and hair; after she had gone

ake him hate to get well. He decided that he would write just that kind of story; he would idealize it, of course, and have the fellow in love with the girl; you have to, in stories. In real life it doesn't necessarily follow that, because a fellow admires a girl's hair and eyes, and wants

her-and to Mona, singing somewhere. Mona sang very well, he thought; he wondered if she had ever had any training. Also, he wished he dared ask her not

ature, and when he decided that Mona should not only look at him, but should talk to him as well, he set himself diligently to attain that end. He was not the man to sit down supinely and let a girl calmly ignore him; so Mona

r for themselves and the two Wagners, who glowered sullenly down from their weary horses. When they had been safely disposed in Thurston's bedroom, with one of the ranch hands detailed to g

serving his fourth term as sheriff. He got the drop and kept it while his deputy did the rest. It had been a hard chase, he said, and a long one if you counted time instead of miles. But he had them no

d his swiftest horse, it is quite possible that Lauman would not have lingered so long over his supper, or drank his third cup of coffee-with real cream in it-with so great a relish.

ir appetites, when Thurston limped in from the porch, his eyes darker than usual. "There are a lot of ride

knife and fork. If they had never feare

er," he said. "If you've got a room that ain't easy to get at from the

," she invited briskly. "There's just the trap-door into it, and the windows ain't big enough for a cat to go thr

nd," Lauman chuckled. "Come on, boys; hustle

menace of Thurston's words, they stumbled down the steep stairs,

me offers to lift this trap, shoot. Don't yuh take an

after night had spread their blankets under the tent-roof with him and with Bob MacGregor; Bob, who lay silently out on the hill back of the home ranch-house, waiting for the last, great round-up. They glanced at him in mute gre

ully. But for the rifle you never wou

red Park, matching him

but I've kinda set my heart on doing that little job myself. I'm the one that caught

t a little personal matter to settle up with those

t as dead as you c

They're spoiling the air every breath they draw. We

way from me yet, boys, and I've been your sheriff a good m

could not believe that they would resort to violence now. Besides, this was not his idea of a mob; he had fancied they would howl threats and wave bludgeons, as they did in sto

ery calmness, had he known it, was ominous. L

ut that time. But yuh didn't catch 'em; yuh give up the chase and left 'em to me. And yuh got to remember that I'm the one that brought 'em in. They're in my care. I'm sworn to protect 'em and turn 'em over to the law-and it ain't a que

y law in this county yet," a voi

auman flung back. "Don't yuh worry, they'l

and let 'em get out and run loose around the country, k

w b

awares from behind, he whirled and then went down under the weight of men used to "wrassling" calves. Even old Lauman was no match for them, and presently

rch he stepped into the doorway to avoid being tripped, which was the wisest move he could have made, for it put him in the shadow-and there w

they could see the glimmer of the gun-bar

s too dangerous a toy for you to be playing wit

reminded him meekly, whereat the

're taking that much the greater chance. If I have to, I'll c

ll, boys; he's more dangerous than a gun

to me. The Wagners can't get away-they're locked up, with a deputy standing over them with a gun; and on top of that they're han

shooting at me for fun. And I'd have killed them both with a clear conscience, if I could. I tried hard enough. But it was different then; out in the open, where a man had an even break. I don't believe if I had

drag these men out and hang them in the cottonwoods, and they couldn't raise a hand to defend themselves. We could do it easily-but when it was done and the excitement had passed I'd have a picture in my

y and hangman here to-night. Let them get what's coming to them at the hands of the officers you've elected for that purpose. They won't get off. H

re in the darkness. "Lawyer fr

eeping and I guess, now that he knows them better, we needn't be afraid they'll escape again. And it's as Lauman said; he'll hang them quite as dead as

nstant on his arm. Mona brushed by him and stepped out where th

ad that you are going to do something awful, and I can't convince her you're not. I told her you wo

nother; every man of them feare

your mother we were just congratulating Lauman on rounding up these Wagners. Come on

punchers don't have no mercy on an old man's carcass at all," he groaned, in exaggerated self-p

the crowd. Then they swung up on their