Bar-20 Days

e range and laughter and liquor ran a close race. Buck Peters, his hands full of cigars, passed through the happy-go-lucky, do-as-you-please crow

craping of heavy boots filled the air with a cloud of dust. "Allaman left!" cried the prompter, and then the dance stopped as if by

, men grabbing rifles and running out to get their horses, for it was plain to be seen that there was hard work to be done, and quickly. Questions, threats, curses filled the air, those who remained inside to get the story listening intently to the jerky narrative; those outside, caring less for the fact

d impatient for a start, the prancing of horses and the clinking

outside!" he yelled. "You say they know that you got away,

ughly pushed his way through the crow

ng for Hoppy's friends. You three get the pickets nearest the old trail through that arroyo to the southeast, an' then wait for us. We'll c

fter hoof-beats thudded softly in the sandy street and pounded into the darkness of the north, soo

ss force outside, which immediately became more restless. "Hey! Don't g

erulous. "Then get a move on-whoa!-it'll be light before we get there if you d

or God's sake, are y

f old grandmot

ow you the way, boys!" he shouted. "Cow

y!" came from the s

grabbed up a box of cartridges from a shelf behind the bar. "Ain't yo

e, waiting for me-I'm going! I'd be a fine sort of a coyote to leave him in t

y!" cried a man who h

"There's blamed few like you," he m

or Hoppy'll need it-so long, an' good luck!" and he was alone in a choking cloud of dust, peering through the darkness along the river trail after a black mass that was swallowed up almost instantly. Then, as he watched, the moon pushe

their friends, for they changed mounts at need, thanks to the lead horses provided by Mr. Peters' cool-headed foresight. It was a

ors scanned the bare, level plain with anxious eyes, searching out the few covers and looking for dark spots on the dull gray sand. They never attacked at night, but still-. Through the void came the quavering call of a coyote, and he listened for the reply, which soon came from the black chaparral across

tween the wounded man's parched and swollen lips, h

ell, you won't know nothing about it if we go under, an' that's some consolation." He examined his rifle and saw that the Colt at his thigh was fully loaded and in good working order. "An' they'

to bring into play every ounce of energy in the slim, red legs. Smoke filled the room with its acrid sting. The crashing of the Winchester, worked with wonderful speed and deadly accuracy by the best rifle shot in the

, bunched up in a grotesque pile of lifeless flesh; the fourth leaped high into the air and turned a somersault before he struck the sand, badly wounded, and out of the fight. Holden, steadying himself against the wall, leaned in a window

oaded into a frenzy of blood-lust and insane rage at the sight, threw himself against the door and out into the open, to die under the clear

and swept over the open sand, yelling and cursing, and then separated to go in hot pursuit of the sprinting Apaches. Some stood up in their stirrups and fired down at a slant, making a short, chopping motion with their heavy Colts; oth

the shack, staggering forward to meet the two men who had lost

f his horse and shaking hands with his friend, whose hand-clasp w

e-" began Red, weakly, bu

for a while; you can tell us all about it later on. Why, hullo!" he cried as Lanky

replied Mr. Smith, the roping expert of the Bar-20. "Ropes an' clubbed

an, tying the knot of a bandage on Mr. C

of forgot what you said about waiting for

good memory now,"

regret. "An' we looked good, too. But we got Red, an' that's the whole

ut Holden," mutte