The Texan A Story of the Cattle Country

h a chorus of wild yells the crowd in the Long Horn surged out to greet them. A moment later the dismounted ones rushed to their horses, leaped into the saddles and, joined by the n

ot of boys," exclaimed

mounting a horse to

ess." Winthrop Adams Endic

out there on the plains. When they get to town they've earned the right to play as they want to play! I'd be

adth of Wolf River's ideas. As for myself, I don't drink and wouldn't enjoy

ches, please. At least

I mean it,

n this afternoon. Let's bet! I'll bet you a-an umbrella against a pair of gloves,

ore the thing is over, and

y for the finish. Why, I wouldn't miss this

cago day after tomorr

But I'm not going to

your life, do somethin

sture of surrender. "And for the rope

ast the little wooden buildings of the

hief. The fellow who lassoed the honourable

rent. As if people amused him. As if everything were a joke and he were the only one

"You keep a sort of mental card index. I

them out again. Come on, let's go. People are beginning to gather for the fun and I wa

Paw Pool man relate how they took in a bunch of pilgrims with a badger game down in Glasgow. Li

ng broncs. I tell yeh if Tex draws either one of them ol' outlaws it hain't no cinch he'll grab off this ride. The hombre that throws his kak on one o

ed the next group

two buckin' contests hain't no sign he c'n go south with 'em all." At

-clawin' the floor to git at the badger, an' the pilgrims was crowded around with their eyes a-bungin' out of

o stood between the Bear Paw Pool man and Bat Lajune. "I'm bettin

avelled with slow insolenc

into the middle of one of them real outlaws they got down in the corral, an' quit him o

money's ready. Yeh Texas fellers comes up here an' makes yer brag about showin' us Montana boys how to ri

because I ain't found anyone da

ell yeh I was be

urt you none. How much

ou got to get befor

st to show yeh what I think of yer ri

out ten fellows ride, that makes the odds somewhere around

eyes sought the face of Cinnabar Joe. For an instant

s she lays.

ey and ran it through. "Eighty-

ly, as he smoothed out three or four crumple

n't hardly worth while foolin' with no piker bets but if that's t

a hard note in his voice. "She goes as she lays." He

l, just you shell out about forty dollars interest on them four bits an' we'll ca

ag down that five if you want to," he said, "'cause you've sure kissed good-bye to the rest of it. They ain't any of your doggoned Montana school-ma'm-cayuses but what I c'n

dy; "an' at that, I'll bet I buy

buyin' 'em drinks. I've bought 'em drinks all n

I didn't notice her fallin'

much. I was kind of studyin' the

got to do

out. But, hey, Cinnabar, how about

also out of the tail of his eye, that, contrary to custom, Cinnabar filled the glasses himself and that a few drops of colourless liquid splashed from the man's palm into the liquor that was shoved toward him. The Tex

glass in hand, to follow his glance Tex saw the bartender swiftly subs

again facing him. "What f

unch. Fellow's got to keep his eye peeled whene

If that booze was doped why did Cinnabar drink it? Anyways, he pulled that stall on Purdy fer some reason an' it's up to me to see him through wit

glass to the bar he noted the glance of s

flat's rimmed with wagons an' them train folks is cocked up on the lumber piles a-chickerin' like a prairie-dog town. We'll pull off the racin' an' trick ridin' an' shootin' first an' save the ropin' an' buckin' contests to finish off on. Come on, you've

d and a bullet cras

instantly the chorus drowned the rattle of spurs and the

out on a

wl and nig

e cowboys '

the slapping of quirts and ropes against horses' flanks, the wicked bark of forty-fives, and a series of Comanche-like yells the cowboys dashed out onto the flat. Once more Tex Benton fo

k with an ace in the hole, so

t it's the lad that trails along with a pair of deuces ba

nd, slipping around behind the lumber-piles, rode back to the Headquarters Saloon. The place was deserted and in a chair beside a card

Joe-wa

his eyelids drew heavily apa

forts but the other relapsed into a stupor

flats paused for a moment to peer into the

e switching of tails and the stamping of horses' feet in the stalls. The door of the harness room stood slightly ajar and Tex jerked it open and entered. Harness and saddles littered the floor and depended from long wooden pegs set into t

ver in under them blankets!" A forty-five hammer was drawn back with a sharp click. The sho

someone c

s speakin'

ad. I was fishing aroun

ever put anything

at?" Tex noted that the man's face was white and that he wa

o the flats to see the fun, and thought I'd

when I hollered at you in

now any one w

to pieces, ain't you? But I reckon they're goin' to be the best par

The doctor's sur

im to, or they'll be tossin' dry ones in on top of you about

s brow. "Why let's se

his fist shot out and landed squarely upon the other's nose and the doctor found himself stretched at full length among the saddles and odds and ends

nything to you

'. Is your parts workin' bet

ll you!" The man spoke hurriedly a

as mine. You seen me an' heard me in the saloon an' you was scairt an' run an' hid in the harness room. You're a coward, an' a crook, an' a damn liar! Wolf River don't need you no more. You're a-comin' along with me an' fix Cinnabar up an'

only chloral. A little s

re cross-arms on the railroad's telegraph poles is good an' stout an' has the added advantage of affordin' good observation for

ll bring him around all right!" broke in the doctor an