The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-07-20

/ Just leave the horse at a stable
there" the man added, land tell the
1 doctor that it's at Hi Blenkins he's
wanted" @1-. II
All right Joe replied, swinging
himself into the saddle, as soon as the
other had vacated it.
s"And remember that there's no time
to waste" the man said, t'for it is a
matter of life and death"
| 1t was a matter of life and death,
but in different way to that which
! Joe suspected. He understood some
| thing of this, however, when ten min
utes later he rode full tilt into gang
of cowboys and found himself stopped
with 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 feller, stead
O. havin' us chase you all over the
prairie. Saves us heap o. trouble.
Don't pear lack it shows much good
|
| 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 and
we'll explain matters there"
But l can't go to the ranch. I'm
in a. great hurry. I am going to get
doctor for man who's badly hurt
The cowboy grinned dryly.
"Oh, the man amt hurt yit," he
said, but he will be pretty soon, and
when he is, he won't need no doctor.
Doctors amt no use to hoss 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 you are riding, and as
you didn't buy him it stands to rea-
son you stole him.
But did nothing of the kind. It's
1ie."
And then Martin told how he came
to have the horse in his possession,
but the cowboys only shook their
heads and smiled incredulously. "You
can tell that to the boss when we get
to the RANCH" one of them said.
"Mebby he'll believe it. Mebby so.''
Joe perforce accompanied the cow
boys to the ranch. There they were
met by the owner, young man OF
! good appearance, and to him, Joe told
his story, hoping it would be believed.
However, when he had finished, the
nfhnr c1 oh
piled:
You tell very plausible story, but
I am little afraid to believe it. I
| am fearful I can't do anything for
you, but I will think it over. In the
meantime we will hold you. Go into
that room there"
Martin went into the room indicat-
ed and sat down in a detected attitude.
1t was bad enough for a young man
Of irreproachable character to be sus-
pected of such crime as horse-steal-
ing, but that was nothing compared to
the prospect of being hung to the near
est tree. He had not been in Texas
long, being only there for an outing,
but he knew that horse thief, and
sometimes those who were merely
suspected of the crime, were summar-
lily dealt with there
He had been sitting so for a long
time when suddenly woman's voice
broke deathlike stiffness, and he
raised his head to listen.
ooh, Rob-" she. cried, 81 have just
had the greatest experience! 1t would
have been perfectly lovely under other
circumstances
: cit must have been lovely anyway,
judging by your appearance. You look
as though you'd been wallowing in
pond"
II have Not wallowing, exactly,
but I fell in, and the handsomest,
sweetest young man came along and
pulled me out. Oh, dear! L wish I
could know him"
Rob was silent and thoughtful for
little while, then he said:
would you know the man, sister.
if you were to see him again."
. "Of course. But shall never sea
him More's the pity
Did he have horse?" -... ..
"Not then. But / saw man give
him one,s or sell it to him, or some
thing, directly after he left me. But
why do you ask that?"
Robert Meade, the owner Of the
ranch, took his sister to Martin, and,
OF course, she recognized him at
glance Then Meade understood the
whole situation. The horse thief, fnd4
ing himself too hard pressed by the
cowboys, put Martin in possession of
the horse to throw the suspicion on
him.
Martin not only established his in
nocense and regained his liberty, but
he became a guest at the ranch, and
finally bought an interest in the busi-
ness and stopped permanently.
He never forgot his experience OF
that day, and he never regretted it,
either, for otherwise he would likely
never have won Susan for his wife.
A Huge white Affair.
An odd hat inst tI1rIled OIJt nv an