The Taming of Red Butte Western

er and betraying his neighbor law-breakers to the United States revenue officers, ex-everything whic

legraph operator in collusion with a gang of train-robbers, and finally a faro "lookout": the armed guard w

a temper like smoking tow, an itching trigger-finger, the eye of a duck-hawk, and cat-like swiftness of movement,

e must kill Rufford. Red Butte Western opinion was somewhat divided as to which horn of the trilemma the victim of Rufford's displeasure would choose, all admitting that, for the moment, the choice lay with the superintendent. Would

run away," insisted Williams, who was just in from the all-n

od would, most likely, take to the high grass and the tall timber. The alternative was to "pack a gun"

wn in the Red Desert. First crack everybody said he didn't know his business, 'cause he wore b'iled shirts: he does know it. Next, you could put your ear to the groun

aid to talk straight over here. He hit you when you was down,

-natured when he was in liquor, and a quick-

nd feelin' for Mr. Lidgerwood's throat, I suppose,' says he. By cripes! what I said to Mac I'm sayin' to you, Bob Lester. I know good and

fat machinist who was truing off the valve-seats of the 195.

flared

nk Hallock? Say, what's he doin' monkeyin' round the back shop so much la

his derision of

next sup'rintendent of the R.B.W. You'll see the 'pointment circular the nex

filing the 195's brasses at the bench. "Which the same I ain't rejoicin' about, neither. That little cuss

neer who had been thrice "on the carpet" in Li

idn't have no dinner-buckets. Bradford was runnin' the super's car, and when Andy just sort o' happened to mention the fa

Rufford?" sneered Broadbent, stopping his faci

"I'm like the little kid's daddy in the Sunday-school

nnings, and what he

ellows; here c

and his hundred and eighty pounds of well-set-up bone and muscle, jauntily. Now, as always, he was the beau ideal of the industrial field-officer; handso

ere were two Henry Gridleys. Lidgerwood, the Dawsons, the little world of Angels at large, knew the virile, accomplished mechanical engineer and master of men, which was his normal personality. What time

ide of the steel gauntlet, as all men knew. Having once beaten a bullying gang-boss into the hospital at Denver, he had promptly charged himself with the support of

ginemen, and snapping out a curt criticism of Broadbent's slowness on the valve-seats, he beckoned to Judson. When the discharged engineer had

on n

this time, t

ead gloomily. "No,

final, did he? Well,

in' anything, have you?"

n, suddenly: "Where were you day before yesterday between noon and on

the alcohol was out of it, and th

Rafferty's place with the butt end of the

emember going over to Cat Biggs's about noon, and sitting do

thumbscrews, why he was prompted to te

en then needle-pointed brain got

me in to tell me what you were going to do to Lidgerwood

fairly in the eyes when he said, "No,

ewd gray eyes under the brim of the soft-r

n, slowly, trying, still ineffectually, to

ut releasing him. "And you probably remember, also, th

on, this time wi

home to Maggie, and she put you to bed

rious eye-grip at last,

nger absently in the

e'll start a lead mine in you. I heard him say it

locomotive entering-track. Judson hung upon his heel for a moment, and then went

stairs, mouthing and grimacing over t

he can't duck

closed the door. "Come back to tell me you've sworn off? That

t you, Jim McCloskey?" said the disgraced one hotly.

. "You'd be better-natured with a

aid Judson steadily. "What is the boss going

nmaster

nybody, John. What you can bet on is

window. When he spoke, it w

throat along with that gang up-town that's trying to drink itself up

s it str

sed the room, and sat down

night before last. I heard up-town that he has posted his de-fi: Mr. Lidgerwood shoots

much better than you do, Joh

op him, and then fill him full o'lead after he's down. I've seen hi

of it," comman

othing much to do, I believe I'll keep tab on Bart

a derisive smile. "Pshaw, John!" he commented, "he'd s

How do you

y shrugg

s, John?" he as

ord and the tin-horns,"

thing different: he did it, bright and early this morning; went to Jake Schleisinger, who had to try twice before he could rememb

what any man would do in a

red-colored desert, with Bart Ruffor

gineer stubbornly. "But go on with the

t, Mr. Lidgerwood took it to Hepburn and told him to serve it. Jack backed down so fast that he fell

it did make me sick at my stomach." Then he got up and shuffled away to the

e over here hopin' that you and Mr. Lidgerwood might be seein'

agged his s

re, John, and not on

Let me tell you, Mac, I've pulled trains on mighty near every railroad in this country-and then some. The Red Butte is my

ter nodded.

tarve, Mac, not while I'm on top of earth. Don't you reckon you could

ty of the Christian name, neither did

doesn't often hit when he's mad, and he doesn't take back anythin

m. He ain't half as hard

n't do any good. I heard him tell Hallock

f abruptly, pulled his hat over his eyes, and said, "Reckon it's

side?" deman

ut like you don't know, are you? Who was b

nd it. Bart thinks he has a kick comi

me, Mac, did you ever see me too drunk

t know as

yesterday noon, when I ought to have been down here taking 202 east. There were two men in the back room putting their heads together. I don't know whether they knew I was on

d McCloskey, al

t now. Number One said no, that things were moving along all right, and it wasn't worth while to rush. Then something was said about a woman; I didn't catch her name or just what the hurr

his chair and towere

Bart Rufford: who was

forgettin' that I was plum' fool drun

you h

little bit ago I'd 'a' been ready to swear to the vo

't you d

' been drunker than I thought I was. Gridley says he was going by and he says I called him in and told him, fool-wise, all the things I was going to do to Mr. Lidgerwood. He

apsed into hi

n by his voice. It sounds like a drunken pipe-dre

s business office, and said, "Mac, if the whiskey didn't fake the whole

down to the ground, John. Mr. Lidgerwood has found out something about Hal

otherwise empty room. Judson had opene

d, those who could recall the details an

ging at the lunch-counter in the station end of the Crow's Nest. At about eleven one witness had seen him striki

growing, to all appearances, more hopelessly irresponsible with every fresh stumble. This was his condition when he tripped over the doorstep into the "Arcade," and fell full length on the

of midday. Eight men, five of them miners from the Brewster copper mine, and three of them discharged employees of the Red Butte Western, were t

stakes and rose to obey Rufford's nod. But at this conjuncture the railroad men interfered. Judson was a f

mmanded the foolish one to choose his place and to shut his mouth. But the ex-engineer seemed quite incapable of doing either. Twice he made the wavering c

e place he had chosen, Judson tried to rise, tangled his feet in the chair, and fell down, laughing uproariously. When

ent later the entire circle of witnesses saw him take a revolver from the holster on his hip and lay it upon the table, with another fro

o and shirt-sleeves wa

the table's edge. But Judson, trained to the swift handling of many mechanis

in the same unhasting tone: "Some of you fellows just quiet Sammy down till I get out of here with this peach of mine.

ls was properly electrified by the sight of Rufford, the Red Desert terror, marching sullenly down to the Crow's Nest, with a fiery-headed little man at his elbow,

"-wrench, of the kind used by locomotive engineers in