The Long Chance

measure to the fact that it is a division terminal, and at all division terminals train crews must reckon with that element

normal ambition, and promptly "turns a trick." Occasionally there is an objection on the part of the "trickee" and somebody gets killed. Naturally enough, it follows that the sound of pistol shots is frequently heard in the land, and since

the whistling of the "zephyr" he heard the muffled reports of three pistol shots. One "Borax" O'Rourke, a "mule-skinner" fro

ed. "Tramps fightin' with a railroad

top of his man. They all carry little short bulldog guns, an' I never did see one o' them

ound of another shot

age with conviction. "Them first thr

f six shots, following so quickly upon each

d "Borax" O'Rourke. "

"It's all off with the hobo" he continued. "I know the man that's using that automatic, and he

man on horseback doin' chasin' hobos across a web of railroad tracks,

f the saloon porch. Borax followed, and the two raced down the street at top speed-which, in the case o

leaps across the maze of railroad tracks, and in a shower of flying cinders brought him up, almost sitting, in the little foot-path between two lines of track. Almost under Friar Tuck's front feet, D

lants went down, shot through their respective legs-which remarkable coincidence was not a coincidence at all, but merely a touch of

im. He swung his horse a little, leaned outward and downward, and with a sweep of his strong left arm he lifted her off the ground and set her in front o

Then, seeming to summon every atom of grit and strength he possessed, he whirled his horse

ched to keep back the blood that welled from

orse, reeling in the saddle, and emptied his gun into the squirmi

he was not so badly frightened now, but rather awed by the silence, Donna was desert-bred, and in all her life she had never fainted. For a girl she was remarkably free from "nerves," and she had lived too long in San Pasqual to faint now at sight of the three still figures huddled between the ties, even had she seen them; which, she had not. All that Donna saw was a roan range pony,

rhaps, her acquired instinct for salving hats for the men of her little world, Donna stooped, slapped the pony's leg to make him release the hat

brave-like a man. You came back. I'd

woman that belonged to him, the mate for whom he had been destined when the world was first created. There are in this world personalities so finely attuned to each other that mere words are unnecessary to express the feelings of each for the other when first they

h inhibition and introspection, she was different from most women. She had grown to rely on herself, to trust her own judgment and to bank on first impressions. As she faced Bob McGraw now, her first impression was that he was telling her with his eyes that he loved her, that he had ridden in behind this string of box-cars

iped the blood from hi

w smiled

ispered, "and few wome

Dream Man and I've waited so long for you and dreamed of you

f her hair blew across his face-he smelled its perfume; the intoxication of her glorious personality caused him to marvel and doubt his own waning sense of the reality of things. He leaned toward her hungrily and lapsed into unconsciousness, while his big limp body commenced to slid

lady, what's happened

a man have been ki

who's that fel

ave no time to answer questions. Please remove that

e kind, flabbergasted Borax to such an extent that he commenced to swear very fluently, without for

y P. wasted no time caterin

ered. "We'll put him on the velociped

o me. Place him on the velocip

e Hat

can care for him

Miss D

form and tie his legs to the reach. Then stand behind him to work the l

zed the big gambler. Without further ado

store and tell Doc Taylor what's happened. I'll

d of his gory burden on the limited accommodations of the track velocipede, seized the levers

ood for a moment,

" he muttered. "Damned if she wasn't kiss

uch was his perturbation that he sought to h

as the doctor

etorted

emergency grip and departed on the run for the Hat Ra

re, since he was a vulgarian and a numbskull, he

ler" he concluded. "Why, I'd down a hobo every mornin' before breakf

ble with a request, for volunteers to help him remove the "remainders" that were litter

he simple process of dropping the reins over his head, and hurried into the house to prepare her mother's old room for the reception of the wounded man. Bob McGraw was very l

kitchen. She had already ordered Soft Wind to light a fire in the range and heat some water, and when presently the gambler

Doctor Taylor eme

town to close the drug store and get a few things I may need, but I'l

he l

y; yet Harley P., watching her over the doctor's shoulder, guessed the stress of emotion under

from wounds in more vital parts, but a .45-caliber bullet did the trick to our young friend, and a .45 tears quite a hole. He's big and

ot die!" s

he said. "But he'll need a trained nurse and th

at the conclusion that Donna needed a great deal of comforting at that

ennage?" the doctor

drily, "This young feller wouldn't feel that he was gettin' any joy out o' life if he didn't tac

e door and looked down the long patio to where a small white

a nurse" the doc

phone to Bakersfield, or Los Ange

afford the expense. Hennage f

to the financial side of

ed from his surv

squal. You've stayed too long already. You're gettin' the San

e to put up twenty-five a

, Doc. If you know all the things I put up with-thanks, D

business, Miss Donna, soon learns that mighty few men-an' women, too-will stand the acid. That young feller inside (he jerked a fat thumb over his shoulder) will stand it. I

ushed fu

tell, will yo

Rourke will. Why did you kiss him? I ain't one o' t

ds. "I kissed him because-because-I thought he was dying-and he was the f

as a man an' worth the

she marveled inwardly that she should feel such relief a

murmured a little wistfully. "If she only had! But of cours

onna sobbed; "he's one

d until his three gold teeth

"go in and kiss him again! He needs you worse than

g fun of me"

where there's happiness? Why, if that young feller goes to w

him, do

uld sa

s

he nicest ki

old i

ty-ei

as thou

ages, don't you t

n. "What is his bu

to a minin' camp one day an' tried bustin' a faro bank. Failed agin. I'm responsible for that failure, though. The next I see of him is a year later, in McKittrick, where he's runnin' a real estate office an' dealin' in oil lands. But somehow there never was no oil on none o' the land that Bob tied up, so he got plumb disgusted an' quit. He was thinkin' o' tourin' the country

s present p

spector o'

g. He's not

I can pr

ntil they're close to forty. I could name yo

t's got him. Generally it don't get 'em so young, but once in a while it does, An' of all the Desert Rats that

d herself a ve

hey do" she

und what they're lookin' for. However, we'll wait

ove

ll wait here until Doc gets back. I ain't one of the presumin' kind, but I think I'd better stay. An' you-I think you'd better

ed her d

for the sight o' a good woman with grit, we thank Thee some more. Great gr

s loud, stertorous breathing, coupled with the ghastly exhaust of air through the hole on his breast, testified to the seriousness of

Donna very wonderingly. Then his glance wandered aroun

whispered, "and my sp

and placed two cool

rned him, "and you mustn't speak or

red-low-and he-got me

nd your hat-why, I guess I forgot to bring your hat with me. But don't worry about it. I'm Donna

e-girl-that

ered him. His lean brown hand stole confidingly into hers-for a long t

tful entreaty in his brown eyes. She lowered her head until her ch

d. "I love you, and my name is Bo

smoothed the wavy auburn hair back from his forehead. "Go to sleep" she c

, although in reality it was less than five minutes, she tried to induce a clever counterfeit of sleep, but unable longer to deprive herself of another look at her

she had been guilty of a monstrous breach of convention, an unprecedented, unmaidenly action. She felt like crying now, with the thought that she

re unusual, too. There seems to be-perfect-understanding, and between a-man and a woman t

gain to

ame. Li

nd dropped off to sl