Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-01-20

self, many times, why the woman
should have taken the trouble to warn
him, but was unable to find any rea-
son for it.
As o matter of fact, the woman her.
self could have given no reason be-
yond that essentially feminine "be-
cause"
The face of Ned Flynn haunted Sam
Why, it is impossible to say, for Sam
Stires, like the rest of his family, was
not all imaginative. There was moth
ing remarkable about the face of
Flynn, the outlaw, excepting that it
belied the character of its owner, being
square, honest face, with two clear,
honest blue eyes, while Flynn-well,
everybody within n hundred miles of
the line knew what he was. Neverthe.
less, that face bothered Sam all the
way home and for two or three days
afterwarl, and he could think of no
reason for its constant appearance be-
fore his mental vision until, one after.
noon shortly after his arrival home.
he started out for the Huston place to
sec Mat. Then, rs he forded creek
near the Huston ranch, he remem-
bered the man he had met there one
time, who, he had been told after his
arrival at the house, was Harry Arm
strong, his much -heard-of but never
before.seen rival for Mats affections
And he remembered now that the
strangers face was the face of Ned
Flynn, outlaw and 'rustlor."
After making this startling discovery
he rode more slowly, in order to re-
cover his mental equilibrium. He
was in doubt how to act in the matter,
for he was by no means absolutely
knew that to tell Mat of his discovery
and then find that he was mistaken,
would jeopardiZa, if not ruin, bis own
chances with her. Wherefore, he re.
solved to proceed with caution, and
to assure himself that he was right be-
fore going ahead.
Say, Bart" he asked, in conf
dentil tone, of Mats brother, who rode
q mile or two with him on his home
ward way late that night, "who's this
yere man Armstrong, anyways?"
Bart Huston laughed. "Gittin
scairt of i'm, Sam? Didn't s'pose he
was worryin' We at all, sho' didn't. "
"Oh, l don't car p'tic'lar," said
Sam, hastily, with Il gesture of depre.
cation. "0n'y, Pm ies' sort o Gurus
bout i'm, that's all.
"Wa-al, fact is, I d'no's ] know
much about tn duck" confessed Bart.
':y5een i'm oncet, didn't ye? Wa.al,
all I know bout i'm, th't 'e's got a
ranch oveh on tn Pecos, an 'notheh
one ogeh b tn Two-Mile- col Watrous
place, ye know. Sny's 'e's goin' t.
sell aout tn Pecos place, an move
oveh t this country afteh TIL fall
raound.up. Seemst t. be a purity good
soht O. fellah, an ac's like 'e's got
dough. He's some dedicated, too"
M-hm, grunted Sam, as though it
was immaterial, all this information
about his rival. And he said nothing
more to Bart on the subject, but GER
tainly "kep' a-thinkin' lot" as he
would have expressed it. He must
make sure that his surmise was cor
rect, and then-well, Mr.. Armstrong,
or FLYNN, or whatever his name was,
would not only be decidedly out of the
running. but was in fair way to con-
clude one of his visits at the Huston
place at the end of reata.
But before Sam had time to think
out the best plan for assuring himself
OF "Armstrong's" identity with Ned
Flynn, he learned that that gentleman
was expected, in a few days, on a visit
to Mat; and this information, volun-
teered by Bart, whom he met on the
range, decided Sam-who had been at
the point Of deciding for about two
years-on course OF action, and the
very next day he rode over to see
Mat.
AS he rode up to the house, he no.
ticed that it looked singularly quiet,
and (so tImid was he by this tme) he
almost hoped the "folks" were oil