The Killer

ed the first part of this to my entire satisfaction but not to that of the rest. They accused me of unbecoming secrecy; only they expressed it differently. That did not worry me, and in due time I mad

, my six-gun, the famous black

t be expecting another visitor--me. This brought my approach to the blank side of the ranch where were the willow trees and the irrigating ditch. I rode up as close as I thought I ought to. Then I tied my horse to a prominent lone Joshua-tree that would be easy to find, unstrapped the black bag, and started off. The black bag, however, bothered me; so after some thought I broke the lock with a stone and investigated

ws I crept up close to the walls. They were twelve or fifteen feet high, absolutely smooth; and with one exception broken only by the long, narrow loopholes or transoms I have mentioned before. The one exception was a smal

ded to the wall near the little door. After a moment or so it opened to emit Old Man Hooper and another bulkier figure which I imagined to be that of Ramon. Both were armed with shotguns. Suddenly it came to me that I was lucky not to have been able to chirp convincingly l

e verandah in the direction of the girl's room. Her note had said she was constantly guarded; but I could see no one in sight, and I had to take a chance somewhere. Two seconds' talk

s lightly as possible I darted down the verandah and around the corner of the left wing. This brought me into a narrow little garden strip between the main

oice replying to a question.

hed my nostrils. After a moment Ramon--it

well to inquire nor to show too much interest. His name, yes; Jim Starr

lives," broke in Hooper's harsher voice. "I

badly, so I cut the quarter straps of his saddle. It might be that we have luc

etter

ll remember a man who rode in races for

e in Hooper. "

He arrived yeste

aculated

l day and all night

e fluently

tly. "It is necessary to finish th

no_,

t go over a

akes ris

sk must

nor. And als

! But send a trusty man for him to-morrow with the buc

ome, senor?" inquired

uld he n

en much wi

come," replied Hooper,

no_,

to be on

nez, s

watch for a moment until I send him. Here is the

senor," re

. I could see the half of his figure agai

s, almost to hush my breathing, while the figure bulked large against the whitewashed wall. But my eyes, wide to the dimness, took in every detail of my

be easy, although the dried-out old beam to which for a moment I swung creaked outrageously. Probably it sounded louder to me than the actual fact. I took off my boots and moved cautiously to where I could look down in

ould have to develop. In the meantime, I gave passing wonder to the fact, as developed by the conversation between Hooper and Ramon, that Brower was not at the ranch and had not been heard of at the

th I determined that the transom was open. With the stub of the pencil every cowboy carried to tally with I scribbled a few words on an envelope which I wrapped about the bit of coping. Something to the effect that I was there, and expected to gain entrance to her room later, and to be prepared. T

metate_ or mortar in which Indians and Mexicans make their flour. The heavy pestle was there. I annexed it. Dropped accura

m under the verandah, looked up at the sky, yawned, stretched, and finally sat down with his back aga

s had aroused him, I crept along the wall to where he sat. The stone pestle of the _metate_ I had been forced to leave behind me, but I had the heavy barrel of my gun, and I was going to take no cha