The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1901-07-25

Joe, 80 he consented to the arrange
ment
Gust leave the horse at a stable
there" the man added, land tell the
doctor that it's at Hi Blenkins he's
wanted"
"All right" Joe replied, swinging
himself into the saddle, as soon as the
other had vacated it.
"And remember that there's no time
| to waste the man said, "for it is a
matter of life and DEATH"
1t was a matter of life and death,
but in a different way to that which
Joe suspected. He understood some
thing of this, however, when ten min
utes later he rode full tilt into a gang
OF cowboys and found himself stopped
with a dozen pistols pointed at his
head.
While he sat staring amazedly at the
cowboys, wondering what their con-
duct meant, one of their number re-
marked dryly:
"Pow'ful 'commodatln' of you to
come right to us, young Teller, stead
O. havin' us chase you all over the
prairie. Saves us a heap O. trounie
Don't pear lack it shows much GOOD
judgment on yo' part, though"
What do you mean?" Martin man
aged to gasp. What are you talking
about?"
"Oh, nothin' particular. You jest go
long up to the ranch with US ana
we'll explain matters there"
but l can't go to the ranch. I'm
a. L--x T ~ 00in m ger a
doctor for a man who's badly hurt"
The cowboy grinned dryly.
"Oh, the man amt hurt yit," ne
said, but he will be pretty soon, and
when he is, he won't need no doctor.
Doctors amt no use to boss thieves
when once we git our hands on EN-"
"Horse thieves! What are you
why you are mad!"
"Talkin' bout you. That happens
to be our horse 0 are riding, and as
you didn't buy him it stands to rea-
son you stole him"
"But l did nothing of the kind. It's
a lie."
And then Martin told how he cam
to have the horse in his possession
but the cowboys only shook the1l
heads and smiled incredulously. "Yol
can tell that to the boss when we ge
to the ranch" one Of them SAID
'Mebby he'll believe it. Mebby J..
Joe perforce accompanied the COW
boys to the ranch. There they wer'
met by the owner, a young man o
good appearance, and to him Joe toll
his story, hoping it would be believed
However, when he had finished. tn
other slowly shook his head and re
piled:
"You tell a very plausible story, blu
1 am a little afraid to believe it.
am fearful l can't do anything TO
~ you, but l will think it over. In tn
It meantime we will hold you. Go int
as that room there"
to Martin went into the room indicat
lie ed and sat down in a detected attitude
j. 1t was bad enough for a young ma
le of irreproachable character to be sus
r. pected of such a crime as horse-steal
ing, but that was nothing compared t
the prospect of being hung to the neal
ne est tree. He had not been in Texa
is long, being only there for an outing
but he knew that a horse thief, an
d, sometimes those who were merel
suspected of the crime, were summal
lily dealt with there.
He had been sitting SO for a Ion
Oh time when suddenly a woman's voiC
or broke a deathlike stiffness, and /
raised his head to listen.
ay ooh, Rob-" she cried, 81 have jul
had the greatest experience! 1t wou,
nd have been perfectly lovely under oth'
ut circumstances"
ct must have been lovely anywa
p judging by your appearance. You loo
10 as though you'd been wallowing in
re pond"
u! ct have. Not wallowing, exactl
but l fell in, and the handsomes
go sweetest young man came along al
pulled me out. Oh, dear! 1 wish
could know him."
Rob was silent and thoughtful for
&c, little while, then he said:
ne Would you know the man, siste
if you were to see him again?"
le' "Of course. But I shall never S
No him. More's the pity"
did he have a horse?"
"Not then. But 1 saw a man 81
" him one, or sell it to him, or som
% thing, directly after he left me. B
why do you ask that?"
Robert Meade, the owner of t
~ ranch, took his sister to Martin, an
of course, she recognized him at
on glance. Then Meade understood t
he whole situation. The horse thief, fin
: inu himseIf too hard pressed bY I