The Texan A Story of the Cattle Country

e to time at the Texan who rode silently at her side. The man's face was grave and he

ought to than

he man, without even th

heriff, and for the fact that I am to be

with his attention apparently fixed upon the tips of his horse's ears. At the edge of town the crowd, with Endicott in its midst, swerve

ll go to the hotel, I guess there's enough of '

o speak to him.

want to tell him. I

ou wait here a minute; I'll go fetch Jennie. She's prob'ly over to the

my

r w

y things in it. I

ll get that after I've got Jenn

who was dancing with a young cowboy. At the conclusion of the dance the girl laughi

a girl over to the hotel and I want you to go over an' fix her

pull nothin' like that around there. That hotel's run decent, an' it's goin' to stay decent or Hank can get someone else fer help. They's some se

miling. "This is a little

ed to that one's case hisself, an' he done a good job, too. So you might's well save yer wind 'cause there ain't nothin' you can think up to say that'll

've got sense enough not to go to you to help me with it?" The girl waited with all outward appearance of skep

n him that saddle

othin' about it. Purdy wants to borr

e all bad enough, goodness knows, but he was the worst of the lot. I

e," answered the Texan

ea

e pilgrim got wise to it an' dug out after 'em. Got th

rims like him that would get about half the rest of you,

itness, an' I told Sam Moore I'd take a shot at him if he locked her up wherever he's goin' to lock up the

e she'll be safer with two guards." With a meaning look the girl hurrie

er 11, if what you've told me is on the leve

t I've got a hunch they'll be s

when it's doin', too. An' you can

ful to the Texan for bringing a woman. Then the woman was speaking: "Come right along in the house. I'm Jennie Dodds, an' I'll see't you get settled

his horse. "I'll be back with yer war-bag in a minute." A few

ome thinkin' an maybe we can figger a way out. I don't quite like the way

interrupted Jennie. "B

ber

and light a cigarette, and as he blew the

d up yet. If she's straight-all right. She'll stay straight. If she ain't-- They say everything's fair in love an' war, an' bein' as it's my deal the pilgrim's got t

-hall and avoiding the dancers made his way leisurel

in'? Say, they're telli

n' they got him lo

yourn?" The cowboy ra

xa

I reckon." The men pou

he other: "You ain't m

rl

ty others ain't, too. I don't hear no lamentations wailin' a-bustin' in on the

s would of had to do sooner or later. Choteau County has stood for him about as long as it could, an' a damn sight longer than it ought to

er, "an' there's a hell

ow'd up, brandin' tim

ey'll turn the pilgrim loose so quick it'll make yer head swim. Then, there's the girl. They'll hold her for a witness-not that they'd have

his liquor to an imaginary line half-way up

culiar smile; "we might get the right bunch together an' go d

him in amazement: "Y

t be fun seein' Sam Moore puttin'

er him an' they'd round him up 'fore he got to Three-mile. Or if we went along w

ussin' him an' a-swearin' to lynch him. He won't know but what we aim to hang him to the first likely cottonwood, an' we'll have a lot of fun with him. An' no one else won't know it, neither. Then you-all ride back an' pertend to keep mum, but leak it out tha

girl," obj

ey ain't nothin' on her except for a witness. An' if they

you can't think up, the devil wouldn't bother with. Th

nes an' head 'em over to the Headquarters. I'll go hunt up

ancers and onlookers, and the Texan slipped unobserved through the

se an' Sam Moore she stan' 'long de do

se somewheres an' get your war-bag an' mine an' our blankets onto him, an' go down to the store an' get a couple more pairs of blankets, an' grub enough fer a week for four

through the office where a coal-oil lamp burned dimly in a wall-bracket, he stepped into the narrow hallw

woman could kind of knock off the rough edges a little. Well, here goes!" He knocked sharply, and it was a very grave-faced cowboy who stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "I've be'n doin' quite some feelin' out of the public pulse, as the feller says, an' the way things looks from here, the pilgrim i

ng almost against the Texan's nose: "But that Jack Purd

recedent. Suppose any pilgrim was allowed to step off'n a train any time he happened to be comin' through, an' pick off a loose one? What would Choteau County's or any other county's he-population look like in a year's time, eh? It would look like the hair-brush out here in the wash-room, an' you could send in the votin' list

he stared wide-eyed at the Texan, with fingers pressed tight against her lips, whil

nies such similar enterprises. They won't do no talkin' an' they won't need to. Folks will naturally know that justice has be'n properly dispensed with, an' that their taxes won't raise none owin' to county funds bein' misdirected in prosecutin' a public benefactor-an' they'll be satisfied. The preacher'll preach a long sermon co

will turn the prisoner over to me an' I'll hustle him a

me the truth? How do I know you're not going to lynch

e Bat take you to Snake Creek crossing an' you can wait there 'til I come along with th

it take you to lose the pilgrim there in the bad lands, even if you don't lynch him, which it ain't no c

Alice. "I want to be nea

enough of cowpunchers for one night. But if you're bound to go I ain't

er eyes sought the Texan's. "I've l

r tone. "An' you'll learn a lot more 'fore you hit the N. P., or my name ain't Jennie Dodds. If

lf-breed comes for you, you go with him. I've got to go on with the boys, now." Abruptly he left the room, and once more paused in the hall before pas