The Irish standard., 1901-11-30

gathered from Macpherson's conf
dences had fashioned rather
melodramatic villain of the Actional
school. No fancy sketch could have
been farther from the fact. The en-
gineer was trim-built, athletic
young fellow, as handsome in his
way as Macpherson, though quite at
the opposite extreme of the gamut
of types, carefully groomed from his
close-trimmed beard and curling
mustaches to the well-itting tweeds
and tan leather leggings; man Of
business, clear-cut, concise, agrees
sive, one would say, emotional only
in some fiood-tide of passion, and
vindictive only when thwarted.
His Mexican henchman could be
summed up in terser phrase. Dark
skinned as Zambo, small and 1.-THE
as the savage little tiger-cat of his
native chaparrals, with sleepy eyes,
pin-points of feral intelligence that
saw everything without appearing to,
ambushed under the dropping brim
of his broad sombrero; he was
plain-song assassin Of the baser sort,
of type familiar enough in the
pioneer period, and seen at it's best
when found dangling from the cross
arm of a telegraph-pole or the
branch Of convenient tree.
When the bay was temporarily
subjugated, Wykamp ignored me and
turned to Connolly.
"Where is Macpherso4?g he de-
handed
"Misther Macpherson, av We Place"
corrected the eN-trooper, mildly.
-"Well. Mr.. Macpherson, them
with contemptuous flip to the prs
fix which was not thrown away upon
the Irishman. "Where is he?"
"It's lukin' for the hide an horns
av the foine shteer yez killed an ate
that he u.s." Connolly retorted, let
ting fly the first imaginative arrow
that came to hand.
Much to my surprise, and much
more to that of the ex-trooper, I
fancy, the engineer frowned and
marked down the random shot.
ut was q mistake" he said; "I'll
pay for the steer. But that is an
other matter. My errand this morn
ing is with your employer, but you
can pass it along. You have man
here named Kilgore who should go
to Jail. Say to Macpherson-Mr.
MISREPRESENTATION me that if he dis
charges Kilgore and sends him out
of the valley it will save trouble"
Connolly grinned. cts a foine,
characterized gintleman, yez are,
Misther Wykamp, for givin' the
blagyard chance to layvant," he re-
Joined, with honey on his tongue.
"Would yez be afther tellin' us fwhat
that profayne divil av a cow
drivers been up to?-so we c'u'd
tell the captain in avic?"
tiles been pulling my location
stakes. Don't misunderstood me;
I'd give him taste of the law if
there were court within reach"
"Listen to that, now, would yez!"
quoth Connolly. "Pullin' the shtakes
av him! An some av yez caught him
red-handed, av coorse?''
"No; he had the nerve to bring .
bundle of the stakes into camp and
leave them in my tent, with his COM
pliments."
"The impdint offal!" said Dan,
laughing decorously behind his hand.
"But, Misther Wykamp, dear; he's
not the on'y wan.'
whats that you say?"
"I'm sayin' he's not the on'y wan.
Sure, it's meself as cooked me bit
av breakfast wild fagot av thin
same shtakes wan day lasht week.
It's kind-hearted man yez are,
Misther Wykamp, to be disthributin'
fuel for the likes av us harrd-work-
in min.'
What followed confirmed my d.
agnosis of the engineers character
touching his weakness on the pas
sionate side. He rode with the wrist
thonged riding-whip of the east, and
the stiff bit of rawhide cut quick
half-circle above Connolly's head.
The Irishman caught the blow on his
arm and parried it with the skill Of
q practiced swordsman. Before I
realized what was toward, the ex-
troopers pistol was out and leveled,
not at Wykamp, but at the Mexican.
aye would, would yez?-ye black
jowled haythin! Down wild that
gun!".
A heavy revolver dropped in the
dust on the opposite side Of tho
Mexican's horse.
"Now, thin,-Mr. Halcott, dear;
your watch, av We plaze;-now, thin,
We murtherin' Paythans, it's wan
full minutes shtart av the IS I'll
give the pair av yez. Vamoose!"
Notwithstanding his apparent I'M
balancing on the passionate side, Wy
kamp was no coward. Unarmed al
he was, think he would have tried
to ride the Irishman down; but the
Mexican set the discreet example and
the bay took it as challenge for
race. AS long as they were dis.
tinguishable, / could sec Wykamp
struggling with the big horse; and,
being man of peace, was glad
when Connolly laughed and dropped
his weapon into its holster.
"Score wan for the 'x-bar-Z.'" he
said. eff the capt'in would but
shut wan eye an LUX away wid't
t'other, in tree days there wouldn't
be shtake in the Torolito or man
to dhrive ut" He picked up the Mex.
leans revolver and passed 1t to me-
butt foremost. "The arrmamint ~
ir;v,nx, ,,v;x3 <hA no,nv1{,n;r%s AZ