Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-10-23

there was in the stories OF their churlish
and repellent demeanor. The sun was
climbing higher all this time, and he,
eager in pursuit of his reconnaissance,
gave little heed to feeting minutes. II
fair means could accomplish 1t, he and
Nolan were bound to have acquaintance
with Dunraven Ranch.
Ten minutes easy lope brought him
well up on the prairie. There-westward
now-was the mysterious clump OF brown
buildings, just as far away as when he
stood, baffled and disappointed, by the
gateway on the Monee. Here, leading
away towards the distant buildings, was
bride path. Here in the fence was
gap Just such as he had entered on the
stream, and that gap was barred and
guarded by the counterpart of the first
gate and firmly secured by paddock
that was the others twin. Mr.. Perry's
comment at this point of his explora-
tions was brief and characteristic, if not
Objectionable. He gave vent to the same
low whistle, half surprise. half vexation,
that had comforted his soul before, but
supplemented the whistle with the
unnecessary remark: "Well, I'll be
damnedr'
Even Nolan entered his protest against
such incredible exclusiveness. Thrusting
his lean head far over the topmost wires,
as before, he signaled long and shrill-
a neigh that would have caught the ear
of any horse within a mile-and then,
all alert, he waited for an answer. 1t
came floating on the rising wind, a re-
sponsive call, a signal as eager and con-
fdent as his own, and Nolan and No
lan's rider whirled quickly around to see
the source from whence it rose. Four
hundred yards away, just appearing over
little knoll in the prairie, and moving
towards them from the direction of a
distant clump of grazing cattle, another
horse and rider came trotting into hail
ing distance; and Perry, his bright blue
eyes dilating, and Nolan, his dainty, sem
sitive ears pricked forward, turned
promptly to meet and greet the new ar
rivals.
For fifty yards or so the stranger rode
confidently and at rapid trot. Perry
smilingly watched the outturned toes,
the bobbing, "bent over" seat, and an
gular elbows that seemed SO strange and
out of place on the broad Texan plain
He could almost see the "crop" in the
free hand, and was smiling to himself
at the idea of ''crop" to open wire
gates, when he became aware of the
fact that the strangers mien had chang
ed; confidence was giving place to hes
itancy, and he was evidently checking
the rapid trot of his horse and throwing
his weight back on the cantle, while his
feet, thrust through TO the very heels in
the cleaning steel stirrups, were braced
in front of the powerful shoulders of the
bay. The horse wanted to come, the
rider plainly wanted to stop. Another
moment, and Perry could see that the
stranger wore eyeglasses and had Just
succeeded in bridging them on his nose
and was glaring at him with his chin
high in air. They were within two hun
dred yards of each other by this time,
and to Perry's establishment, the next
thing the stranger did was to touch
sharply his horse with a barbed heel
whirl him spitefully about. and go bob,
bing off across the prairie at lively can.
ter, standing up in his stirrups, and be.
striding his steed as though his object
were not so much a ride as game of leap.
frog.
TWAS evident that he had caught sight
of Perry when Nolan Weighed, had rid.
den at once to meet him, expecting to
find some one connected with the ranch
and had veered off in disgust the mo,
ment he was able to recognize the uni,
form and horse equipments of the United
States cavalry.