The Sky Pilot

him with loans of books and magazines and other kindly courtesies. He would be decent for a day and then would break forth in violent argumentation against religion and all who held to it. He sore

from the next fortnightly service, though Moore

vice; "he is far too clever, but," and his voice

, his few cattle wander everywhere, his shack is in a beastly state, and he himself is going to pieces, m

said Moore, with

answered, hotly. "Then, t

l his fault?" he replied, with his

? Whose fa

ng to do with this?" His voice was quiet,

weakly, "a man ought

ould have pulled him up a year ago if he had been willing to deny himself a little, and so with all

with the fire that burned within, and I felt like one convicted of a crime. This was certainly a new doctrine for the West; an uncomfortable doctrine to practice, interfer

e held on Permit Sunday, the alternate to the Preaching Sunday, which was a concession to The Pilot, secured chiefly through the influence of Hi and his baseball nine. It was something to have created the situation involved in the distinction between Preaching and Permit Sunday

and poker all night and drinks of various brews both day and night, with varying impromptu diversions-such as shooting the horns off wandering steers-were the s

he said, "you do. They w

sitting at tea, and we

elled Bruce, "where's

ould get there-at home," I repli

iastically, not approving Bruce's a

Bruce, after the laugh had

all more or less nerve-broken, and about the room were the signs of a wild night. A bench was upset, while broken bottles and crockery lay strewn about over a floor reek

s afternoon out," h

k in the park,"

n the absence," sneered Bruce,

nder his breath, "the blue d

th spasms of nervous terror. Hi's attempts to soothe him finally drove him mad, and he drew his re

all but The Duke, who stood quietly

uce," he reached acros

d Bruce, struggling.

d with both of his, but in vain,

! I'll kill you

ey lifted him up he was found to have an ugly wound in his arm, the bullet having passed through the fleshy part. I bound it up as best I could and tried to persuade him to go to bed

me no pleasure to find Moore waiting in my shack for my report of Bruce. It was quite vain for m

nxious," he said, "you are anxio

I replied, "but I am only a little anxious. Don't you g

etly, "but I wish his

I wish he were in better shape. He is br

ay, though I was doubtful enough of his reception. But next day

as had a bad night and morning and fell asleep only before I came away. I expect

l, for Moore, though not invited, quietl

e, indifferently, "he probabl

me within sight of Bruce's shack, which

le-shot rang out, and we rode hard. Again The Duke halted us, and ther

Psalm," said Moo

sitting up in bed with a Winchester rifle across his knees and a belt of cartridges hanging over the post. His bandages were torn off, the blood from his

y shepherd, I

s me do

s green, H

et wate

ittle devils!" and bang would go his rifle at the stovepipe, which was riddled

d's my S

sorder; the ghastly object upon the bed in the corner, with blood-smeared face and arms and mad terror in t

another; then The Duke said, in a low,

ll be no more of this cur

thing in The Pilot tha