Bucky O'Connor: A Tale of the Unfenced Border

d calmly seated himself beside her. She was a young woman capable of a hauteur chillier than ice to undue familiarity, but she did not choose at this moment to resent hi

r brain. She had something for which to thank him-much more than he would be likely to guess, she thought-and she was wonderin

so much, Miss Wainw

ou. Her dark, deep-pupiled eyes, long-lashed

uefully. "I shouldn't wonder, ma'am, when election time comes round, if the boys ain't

id you

is sumptuous palace on wheels. And wouldn't some casual passenger be likely to get his lights pu

ve of scorn. "I suppose you had y

ated to have them m

you af

Wolf Leroy's gang i

f Le

kon. They say he's part Spanish and part Indian, but all pisen. Others say he's a college man of good family. I don't know about that, for n

you were afr

y mu

is lean face and were unconvinced. "I expect you fo

uriosity. "I'd like real well

Major Mackenzie had entered the car and was coming down the aisle.

im with a smiling que

he express car, I understand. Twenty thousand of it belonged t

you," returned Collins cheerfully. "I s

to leave any doubt of that." The major

answered question in the form of a statement. "

more to be desired than beauty. "Shall we sa

frie

sked, with an audacity of a courage that delighted him. "Perhaps they are not

s of shadowy pools in them, the alluring lines of long and supple loveliness. Certainly here was no sweet, ingenuous youth all prone to blushes, but th

ight vivid imagination,

ave never seen them befor

Well, no-I ca

ite sure you h

ted on him v

a young lady so clever. I guess you're right. About the ident

ng breath. "I

nce earmarked him so that I'd

ardon. Y

d the guns was shy the forefinger of his right hand. We had a little difficulty once when he was resi

fe. A straight-up rider, the kind a fellow wants when Old Man Trouble com

U-at least tw

nd man, for fifteen years. I ain't responsible

hem not to rob the children and not

he suggested,

I put two and two togeth

ll, ma'am, I've been most everything since I hit the West, b

that," she c

out of him and broke in his face. "I've been busy on one, t

d her heart showed him how nearly he had struck home, how

ow whisper reached her. "Shall I tell you why the hold-ups didn't fi

h so that her agitatio

mentioned that the train was going to be held up, and again when

mean," she retorted, ag

trils, the erect, graceful figure, all flung a challenge at him. He called himself hard names

an injustice, ma'am, and you can call this an apology. You've got sand. If it hadn't been for what you carry in the chamois skin han

s melodramatic conclusion?" she a

oid any more of these that Major Mackenzie took charge personally of paying the men. He has made good up till now. But there have been rumors for months that he would be held up either before leaving the train or while he was crossing the desert. He didn't want to be seen taking the boodle from the express company at Tucson. He would rather have the impress

natural and easy. "I don't happen

usand. I'm no wizard to

nce at him wa

thousand,"

le more than a silk-lined lady sail

ne she was toying with

'Exit Collins.' I'll say good-by

a next time?" she asked, w

al of

dee

ook from his po

phet, but I'm venturing a

o say, and she sa

ent in futurities I'm

icle seemed to b

f you don't mind, I'll leave it with you." He tore the page out, p

and see whether my

nd indolently. "Suppose I

t," smiled t

onor,

e held out a b

ry to capture the

y-with the help of Lieutena

ou've promised y

hance, ma'am. We may ge

of yours?" She held u

out anothe

. You said-" She gave h

ld. You'll understand pl

. "We're slowing down for Apa

forward, and was bu

ts hold their ground when he had showed himself a sharer in her secret and a guardian of it? And how could anything sinister lie

ication with the division superintendent at Tucson uncovered the fact that no message o

just as we went out. That gives him the other hour or two he needs to make his getaway with the loot. Well, it can't be helped now. If I can only reach Bucky there's one chance in fifty he can hea

dispatches. One was to his depu

posse of four and outf

abin, the divisio

orses from Tucson to Big Gap. Must l

place of the occurrence. The sheriff knew it was not necessary to add that the bandits were probably heading sout

n. Sabin was on the platform anxiously awaiting their

l, Mr. Sabin?" he a

n an unlit cigar. "Yes, sheriff. You wan

t to go uptown now and meet D

much they got?"

k from the passengers. The conductor will tell

on he expected. The ranger in charge at Douglas said that Lieutenant O'Connor was at Flag staff, but pendin

telephoning all over Southern Arizona and would himself have been in the saddle. But Bucky in Flagstaff, nearly three hundred miles from the battlefield, s

's skipped over to Winslow," he

st faint streaks of gray dawn were beginning to fleck the sky when Collins and Dillon, with a lantern, moved along the railroad bed to the little clump of cottonwoods where the outlaws had probably lain while they waited for the express. They scanned this ground inch by inch. The coals where their camp-fire had been

enough to be moving. The trail was easy as a printed map, for the object of the outlaws

ls. Looks like they're going to cache their stolen gold up in the mountains before they risk cross

nds to reason they'll want to get rid

outlaws must have filed. A month later and the creek would have been dry. But it was still spring. The mountai

's fixin' to rain, Jim. Don't that beat the

. It was impossible to know definitely which, nor was there tim

obably up in the hills somewhere right now,

hills. But already rain was falling in a brisk shower. The posse had not gone another quarter of a mile

kin' for a needle in a hay

e chance in a hundred, Jim, but

rifle on a rock rim not a stone's throw above them as they wound through a little ravine. But Collins got no glimpse of the robbers. At last he reluctantly gave the word to turn back. P

line, told him of his failure and that he was returning to Tucson. About the

rt and corduroy trousers thrust into half-leg laced boots. At the sound of voices he turned lazily on his side and watched the memb

heriff," h

th a knife point. He stared an instant before he

, by t

slender young fellow, of medium height, and he carried himself lightly with that mann

t and talked in low tones. Collins told what he knew, both w

he nerve to follow you right up to the depot and put the kibosh on sending those wires. He's surely game fr

y?" The sheriff's ton

n the business that could have done it. Oh

y him being shy that trigger finger I fanned off down at

die sudden. Somehow I couldn't persuade him he was an awful sick man

lf. After he went out a bowlegged fellow came in, and last a slim

how many mor

ig because he saw long black hair peeping out around his neck. Then there must 'a' been another in

l see. I'll set my rangers at rounding up the border towns a bit, and if I don't start anything there I'll hike down into Mexico and see what's doing. I'll count on you to run the Arizona end of it while I'm away, Val. The Wolf's o

ill be spilled," the sheriff agreed placidly. "Well, all I got to say is the sooner the quicker. The

there will be a right lively wolf hunt. Hell

oon the rhythmic chant of the rails sounded monotonously, and