The Texan A Story of the Cattle Country

rs saloon, and as the Texan entered he was vociferou

, Tex, d

ppin' down to th

e we won't be able to

and the cowpunchers joi

him up to a

s grave in

the clods, an' we

never kill an

yippie

ked up the refrain, improvisi

s name, it's

down by the

n knives an'

our boots we'

yippie

was deserted and out in the street the night air resounded with the sound of snorting, trampling horses, the metallic jangle of spurs and bit c

ore!" roared a cowboy as he slammed

another in exact imit

, headed by Tex and Curly swept down the street

flight of six or eight plank steps at either end. Up these steps rode a couple of cowpunchers while the rest drew up sharply at the very edge of the platform.

give over the key!

o hurt no one. Yer all friends of m

ared someone menacingl

en nary one of us

. 'Tain't none of my business. I couldn't name

n't yer go stirrin' up no rookus over to th

m a-goin'

r that ke

ex! Here

a voice close to

own to Wyomin'. Tex-Tex-Smith, er some such of a name it was. I mistrusted you

move on

that's got disgression an' common sense." And with ludicrous alacrity, the deputy s

adlock and a moment later the door swung

rim, an' try o

own all them wool-sacks an' d

o walk." The pilgrim stood leaning against one of the wooden supporting posts, a

, gruffly, as another stepped up and slippe

matter-of-fact tone, as with a cowboy on either side

another. "We'll give you a chanct to e

irmly set, and the hands that caught up the bridle reins did not falter. As the cavalcade start

11 and tell the girl

n de pilgr

mn sight! You take her an' the pack horse an' hit down the river an' cut up through old

an' sound or I'll cut off them ears of yours an' stake you out in a rattlesnake den to think it over." The man grinned

ek crossin' a'right; you'm don

o overtake the cowboys who, with the prisoner

reed watched the flying horseman

t'ing. But, by Gar! if he don' mar' her, he gon' leave her 'lone. Me-A'm lak' dat Tex fine, lak' me own brudder. He got de good heart. But w'en he drink de hooch, den A'm got for look after hi

ded the deep coulee that led to the bench. For the most part they preserved an owlish silence, but now and then some

not on the lo

howls and the w

e wail of the "C

pe slowly and rattl

d whoop as you

throw me and roll

owboy that knows

Tree Coulee?" asked one. An

was hung onto it. Some augers he worn't guilty. But it's better to play safe, an' st

nded Tex. "There's a bunch of cottonwoo

him up to a

grave in u

one would think you was joyous-minded, which this here hangin' a

s. "He don't seem tore up with terror,

he face of the prisoner which showed very

's jest nach'ly got gu

got?" snapped the other. "Can't

"He's sore 'cause the pilgrim hain't a-snifflin' an' a-carryin'-on an' tryin' to beg off. Gosh! If he turns out to be a reg'lar hand, an' s

the leaders swung into an old grass-grown trail that led by devious windings into a deep, steep-sided coulee along the bottom of which ran the bed of a dried-up creek. Water from recent rains stood in brackish

d upon a treeless bend of the dry creek. Abandoned implements littered the dooryard; a rusted hay rake with

hitched by bits of weather-hardened leather to a child's wheelbarrow whose

e corner of a long sheep-shed, whose soggy straw roof sagged to the ground, a coyote, disturb

rlaced. It was darker, here. The moonlight filtered through in tiny patches which brought

ged his horse to the

red tersely, and E

the man's hands behind him and

silk muffler from abou

e pilgrim asked, in a voice that he

e muffler was ret

one that sticks out this way," ordere

is left ear," suggested one, and pro

rea

grasped the en

eyed the detai

ble job," he said. "Have

ir own hands and hang you for defending a woman against the brutal attack of a fiend?" He paused and wrenched to free his hands but the rope held firm. "It was a wise precaution you took when you ordered my hands t

ne chance before I go, to fight you, or any of you, or all of you! Or, if you are afraid to fight that way, give me a pistol-I never fired one until tonight-and let me shoot it out with you. Surely men who swagger around with pistols in their belts, and pride themselves on the use of them, ought not to

st you," drawled the Texan.

here they breed

ou afrai

rm comes to that girl-to Miss Marcum-may the curse of God follow every last one of you till you are damned in a fiery hell! You will kill me now, but you

and turned away. Very deliberat

rette he stared straight into the man's eyes: "You've started out good," he remarked gravely. "I'm just wonderin' if you can play your string out." With which enigm

filtering through onto the new-sprung grass, the two men faced e

ry looks better to a man than what it really is," he o

n an atrocious injustice, but if you did not intend to hang m

t of Wolf River. The lynchin' part was only a joke, an' that'

wha

unter-jumper, owin' to what part of the country you misf

y w

Oh hell!" he muttered disgustedly. "Can't

. "Go on, I will

l shorten up the dose sufficient for your understandin'

ott n

ends or relations of votin' influence. Now, along comes you without no votin' connections an' picks off Purdy, which he's classed amongst human bein's, an' is therefore felonious to kill. There ain't nothin' to it. They'd be poundin' away on the scaffold an' testin' the rope while the trial was goin' on. Besides which you'd have

t even if they is a posse or two, which the chances is there will be, owin' to the loosenin' effect of spiritorious licker on the tongue, which it will be indulge

o go out of your way to help a perfect stranger. I have no desire to thrust my neck into

iddle of that bronc an' we'll be hittin' the trail. We got quite so

reins of his horse which was c

and he faced the Texan. "I must let her know I a

g," interrupted t

ng a

what you done was on her account. Bat an' her

is

a br

wha

an't set here 'til you get educated. You'd

n the man tried to insert a foot into the broad wooden stirrup, but always the horse jerked away.

"Don't you know no better than to try to climb onto a horse o

's a

can get on 'em from both sides or endways. Come on; Snake Creek crossin' is a good

s horse forward. But the animal refused to go and despite the

got him all yanked in for? D'you think the head-stall won't hold the bit in? Or ain't his mouth cut back far en

and then drawing into their peculiar smile as, out of the corner of his eye he watched the vain efforts of his companion to maintain a firm seat in the saddle. "He's game, though," he muttered, grudgingly. "He rides like a