Bucky O'Connor: A Tale of the Unfenced Border

g down the robbers of the Limited. He did not, however, make the least attempt to push their train acquaintanceship beyond the give and take of casual greeting. Without showing himself

ity Val Collins w

mmed, which shade was also the outstanding note of her dress. She was looking her very best, and

m awful glad I ain't a mummy," he told her. "The wo

on of Nature, by Profess

in and have a sundae? You look as if you didn't know it, bu

ith innocent impudence. "I saw you and dad deep in plans Tuesday. I suppose

he answered

eath mocked politely his confidence. "By this time I shou

be, but th

u made on the train? The month is more than

I feel way down deep that I won't. In this prophet

o know what it is you predi

r me," h

is the people that expect things-and then go out and take them-th

have your

ng just as well without them,'' she answe

th you more at length. May I call on you

o late, Mr. Collins. We'll have to leave it undiscussed. I'm g

e town felt empty after her train had gone. He was glad when later in the day a mess

at a rough description they answered to the ones he wanted. Into the Gold Nugget Saloon that evening dropped Val Collins, big, bl

in the enthroned musicians, who were industriously murdering "La Paloma," and came to rest for barely an instant at a distant faro table. In the curly-haired good-looking young fellow facing the dealer he saw one of the men he had come seeking.

nister and yet gallant seemed to breathe-the very sight of him set the mind of Collins at work busily upon a wi

a frontier civilization, but selected types of all the turbid elements that go to make up its success. Mexican, millionaire, and miner brushed shoulders at the roulette-wheel. Chinaman and cow-puncher, Papago and plainsman, tourist and tailor, bucked the tiger side by side with a

k at the Nugget," ventured

in little old Epitaph," answered the public quencher of

re, ain't they?" The sheriff's nod

I guess. Only

. Well, him and York Neil and Scott Dailey blew in last night from their mine, up at Saguache. Gave it out he was going to

? Don't think

o constant. You don't miss no world-beater when you don't know Scott. He's Leroy's Man Friday.

ocate their mine.

fellow by the name of Hardman, if I recollect

about as unexpected as lig

s makes me thirsty to see people I

ying the red. He took a place beside the bow-legged vaquero with the yellow bandanna knotted loosely round his throat. For fi

The sentence died in the man's throat,

rprise of it had driven the blood from his heart. A revolver thrust

of the corner of his eye that Leroy and Neil were still intent on their game. Not for a moment, not even while the barkeeper was answering their call for liquo

I tell y

Scott. "Prove it-

an't I

watched the smile broaden on the strong face opposite h

u there you was collecting a hundred dollars and keep-the-change cents from me, and now here you are sp

a dogged silence. H

vivid before me. There was yo

e in Scott, fall

ch a mistake? Of cou'se you carried

uietly, and rela

your cloth

ant interest, but the outlaw's frighten

u did the night of our jamboree on the Limited,

kerchief. "It don't cut any ice because a hol

mask he wore?" the g

lapsed as to his defense. He fell back sullenly t

e, a confident, dominating assurance painted on his face. "Can't I? Don't you bank on that. I can prove all I need to, and your friends will prove the res

g to his feet, w

in just in time to bite back the confession hovering on

at moved on springs. Out of its sardonic, devil-may-care face gleamed malevolent

ould never do?" a gibin

d to bluff, but at the look on his chi

irst word a wary alertness ran through him and starched his figu

" The voice carried a scoff with it, the implication

fered the

r virtues just as you right happily arrived in

and his chief's menacing look had warned him what to expect. The cour

s odd how every word of the drawling sentence contrived to carry a taunt and

e is Co

of Pica

es

ng as cold steel. Each of them was appraising the rare quality

g here? Ain't Pica

ur friend the late hold-up on

actors of the situation. Should he draw now and chance the result, or wait for a more certain ending? He decided to wait, moved by t

our gun. I'll leave you and your jelly-fish Scott to your gabfest. Then you better run back home to Tucson. We don't g

life was in imminent danger. On no hypothesis save one-that Leroy had already condemned them both to death in his mind-could he account for

ll me on sight,"

agreed the sheriff, "

ve

elf by lining up with me. I

thunder, I ain't taking it! I'm n

ou straight. He

the man's face. "I'll l

oing to put you. Drop that gun! Quick! That's right. Now, you and I are going out of this saloon by the back door. I'm going to walk beside you, and we're going to

of the Gold Nugget, a Mexican slipped out of the back doo

soon as we get in. We ought to catch that 12:20 up-train. When the hack gets here just show up in the door. If you see Leroy or

at once, though just a thought un

appeared again in the doorway at the rear of the Gold Nugget. With a w

immediately he and Dailey p

n a crouch toward the alley along the shadow of the buildings. Shots spattered against the wall as his pursuers gave chase. When the Gold N

against the back of the hack,

l!" screamed Hawkes

at's all. But I expec

go out when I sig

me to st

e knew now that Hawkes, having mixed his drinks e

ld up the Limited last week. Find out for me what hotel they put up at here. I want their rooms searched. Send somebody rou

posse to join him. They were just starting when a frightened Chinaman ran into the plaza with the news t

iley. That the body had been thoroughly searched was evident, for all around him were scattered his belongings. Here an old letter and a sack of tobacco, its contents emptied on the ground; there his coat and vest, the linings of each of them ripped out and the pocke

t? I ce'tainly would like to know what the Wolf wanted so blamed bad. Guess I'll not follow Mr. Leroy

anced that Collins, looking absently over the crowd, glimpsed a gray felt hat that looked familiar by reason o

ou get that

Archuleta," correcte

name, son. What I want to kno

y off the pl

. Chuck it

y hat was passed from hand to h

won. For sewed to the inside of the discolored sweat-pad was a little strip of silk. With his knife he carefully removed the strip, and found between it and the leather a folded frag

ight feet direckly west. Fifty yards in direcksion of suthern Ant

e home to him. Then in a flash his brain was lighted. It was a mem

ough search for the paper. That they had not found it was due only to the fact t

mined the wound and suggested a

that lead pill and I'll endure

udied the memorandum found in Dailey's hat. He found it blind, disappointing

N. took

lunder to hide. But-WHERE did he take it? From what point? A starting-point must be found somewhere, or the

direckly west. Fifty yards in direcksion of suther

ough, but the last se

begins

he begin. If Dailey had buried his

t was not likely he had handed it over

ach other, and took turn about blinding up the trail. No one of them can go get the loot without the rest. When they want it, every one of these memoranda must be Johnny-on-the-spot before they can dig up the mazuma

th information to the point. He had made a round of the corrals, and discovered that the outlaws

unwashed and uncombed when I told him Wolf and York was outlaws and train-robbers. Didn't believe a word of it, he said. 'Twas just like the fool officers to jump an innocent party. I told Jay to keep his shirt on-he could turn his wol

irds of a feather, or was there a more direct community of lawlessness between them? Was he a member of Wolf Leroy's murderous gang? Three men had joined in the chase of Dailey, but the tracks had told him that only two

ed fellow. So was the man that had held up the engineer of the Limited. He was-"J. H. begins he

his leg gingerly. "Del, I'm going over to have

o, Val"-from

week or two yet, Mr. Collins," the

e clean flesh-wound! Sho! I've a deal more

r risk then,

ap rather be alive than daid, and take all the risk that's coming, too. But

saddle-pony when they rode into the corral. At a word from C

arther side of his horse, the while he r

ured Hawkes, as he began to c

of a brand blotter, and I'll pump holes in you!" A ri

grinned Hawkes, comi

p of his progress, but he neither hastened nor faltered, though he knew his life hung in the balance. If his steely blue eyes had

n's fingers itched at the trigger he had not the courage to

med. "Damn it, anothe

de up to him, dismounted, and threw th

to put you under arrest for robbing th

n of the strain the sheriff must have been under, completed h

up the wrong tre

fit to be trusted with a weapon, and him so excitable. That Winchester came awful near going off, friend. You don

eling a reaction of boyish gaiety at his adventure

nd have a little game of 'Button, button, who's got the button?' You first, Mr.

creant without hiding anything p

s. "It don't stand to reason he was making his getawa

and tore away pockets from clothing. The saddle on the bron

on the wreckage. "I hate to admit it, Val, but the

under his skin," agree

Think we better op

walked up to Hardman and o

set lik

st the closed mouth. "Swear for

the plate was a tiny rubber bag that stuck to it. Inside the bag was a paper. And on it was written four lines in

Translated into plain English, his cipher dispatch

s it happened, that young