Bucky O'Connor: A Tale of the Unfenced Border

ther gentle nor apologetic. It sounded as

ap of yore. "I reckon-" he was beginning

ting for an irresistible smile. The owner of the flaming head looked round in surprise on the p

dago told me-" He stopped in confusio

ost unwarrantable intrusion," spoke the

vowels flowed from the

reaser, cayn't you talk English?

the slim, dusky young Spaniard for an instant before he f

think you a greaser, would you? I'll learn yez to play horse with a fullgrown, able-bodi

Haven't you forgot y

dam, I must still be apologizing. The surprise of me

get your other togs on," he ordered. "Can't you see that Mick is going to f

d disappeared into the next room. "And I want to let yez have it right off the bat that if you've b

fire-eater. Who told yo

married

you're going to lick the stuffing out of me about

d interrogation-points. "You can't stu

ed the ranger easily. "Have a smok

ll me all about it this very minu

at his little comrade was no boy, but a woman. O'Halloran was a chivalrous Irishman, a daredevil of an adventurer, with a pure love of freedom that might very likely in the end bring him to face a row of loaded

Why, he was a little fellow not over fifteen-not a day past fifteen, he would swear to that. He was, to be sure, a slender, girlish young fellow, a good deal of a si

hought you was rustling cows for a living somew

hat presently. How's your one-hawss revolution getti

arning, with the slightest no

hut. You can tell him anything you would me." He turned to the boy sitting quietly

ll go into the next

essary. Fire

lock. "I have use for me head for another year or two, and it's just as well to see that nobody is spying. You understand, Bucky, tha

ny risks about a thing of that sort with my old bunkie's

ye, Bucky, me bye. You'll never know how a man's eyes ache to see a straight-up white man in this land of greasers. It's the God's truth I'm telling ye when I say that I haven't had a scrimmage with me hands since I came here. The

the others out of the corner of his slant eyes for fear they are going to betray him or assassinate him first, you'll never know the joys of life in this peaceful and contented land of indolence. Life's loaded to the guards with uncer

e got to grumble, of course, but you couldn't be dragged away w

y aches sometimes. If you have any inclinations toward suicid

private war of our own on hand, Mike. I was thin

e pay

find yourself," ans

loran, his grin expanding. "Well, then, what's the row? Woul

n here under a life sentence. He is not guil

e fifteen more, if

. I mean to

go to Paradise som

to help me get

at, me optimist

need to

ift a finger, Buc

see a man like Henderson rot i

haff. It's a dirty shame, of course, about this man Henderson,

s the man to see; he'll know the best way to do it

Mr. O'Connor," returned the revolutionist dr

p us to get safely from the country whos

moon and a handful of stars, s

n such a way that it lost nothing in the telling. O'Halloran was mo

airily his brown hand. "It's up to you

in on me just before the band begins to play." He lowered his voice almost to a whisper. "There's a shi

es are filled with ri

es is the alias of them pianos. They'll m

at Mexico? Chihuahua isn't the whole country, Mickey. Suppose Pre

hand, 'Settle your own rows, gintlemen. I don't give a damn whether Megales or Valdez is governor of Chihuahua, subject, of coorse, to the will of the people.' Then he winks at Valdez wid his off eye as much as to say: 'Go in an' win, me boy; me prayers are supporting ye. But be sure ye do nothing too illegal.' So there ye are, Bucky. If ould Megales was to

rifles, or one of those slant-eyed senors should

u make me neck ache in anticipati

n public till after the election, Mr

y friends won't be overpopular with

we may count Henderson

ldn't do a little thing like that,

of them are the prisoners in the fortress. There's likely to be a wholesale jail delivery the night before the election. Now, it's just probable that the lads

a friendly power. We'll get Henderson out the night before the election and leave on

he chestnuts out of the fire for yez and, likely enough, get burned. You wal

ry the program a bit. Bucky O'Connor, Arizona ranger, can't stop and take a hand in such a

shall," announce

g to the agreement you made with me when I let you come," was Bucky's

or no matter how severely he must seem to deal with her to avoid her own suspicions as to what he knew, as well as to keep from arousing those of others, his heart was telling a very different story all the time. He could see again the dainty grace with which she had danced for