The Forrest City times., 1901-06-28

get hurt. shouted ferd. me rustlerS | glanced at each other. Two of them grinned wickedly. They came on with. out pausing.
 Scared as I was, I was far more ] frightened in behalf of those reckless men than on my own account. If they | could have known how quick and cer- | tain Ferd is with a rifle, they certainly would have kept their distance. knew one of them must fall at my brothers first fire, and if they charged in sad- | dle l did not doubt he would kill them | all before they could reach us-he is ! just as quick as that on the trigger, and he works his lever as a boy flips marble. His rife was already leveled, covering the leader.
 Halt, there, l tell you!" he called ! again, and in tone that would have stopped any but the most desperate of men. The men fingered their Winches- ters. They were about to begin the l fight. Then in breath and out of the l dust that still banked along the steeps Florence came galloping at them. The fellows turned their heads quick. iy al hearing the batter of her pony's l hoofs. and the leader wheeled his horse sharply about. The latter lowered the rife he had half-presented when he 1 saw girl confronting him. It was well enough for him that he did so
 Florence coolly pulled up in front and little to one side of this aston 1 ished rustler.
 Those are my brothers down there" we heard her saying in a clear voice. Il am going to help them drive the horses. l guess my stirrup-strap Is breaking loose" And she stopped over on the side opposite the man, as If 10 attend to her footing. Then, before the leader or his men could recover from their surprise, Flor- ence strengthened up and flung a hiss ing cracker at his pony's head
 At 15 feet she ought not to have missed, but the pony lodged at the motion of her arm, and her big vel low cracker struck the rider some where about his belt and exploded. l The man was knocked or thrown out of his saddle, sprawling like a strick- en frog. The pony sprang away, reel ing from the concussion.
 One of the mounted men yelled: 'Dynamite," and all three put spurs to their dancing ponies, and were out of range and out of sight in no time.
 Ferd and I now advanced, with our guns covering the fallen rustler, who had raised himself to a sitting posture and seemed 10 be groping for his Win chester. He was blind and dizzy as yet from the shock he had received.
 Florence had dismounted and se- cured his gun.
 I'm dreadfully sorry I hurt you, sir, we heard her saying, ruefully. q only meant to stampede your horses and keep you from shooting at my l brothers"
 She had indeed done execution The mans shirt front was blown away, his breast and face were blackened with powder, his mustache and eyebrows were singed off, and his eyes were red and bleary, and rolled like those of a drunken man.
 He was still light-headed when Ferd and l came up. We got him to his feet and walked him around a bit Florence ran to pool and brought water in my wool hat. He drank eagerly.
 When he had fully recovered his senses, we knew that he was not se- riously injured. He sat down upon the ground presently, and although the pain of his burns must have been acute, he grinned at us in a kind of grim humor.
 Well" he asked, "goin' to shoot me up?"
 l had already caught his horse.
 Get into your saddle and get out of these parts" said Ferd 'Try to make an honest living in future, and no one will hurt you"
 The man, with a grimace of humil- iation, mounted his animal and rode away. We were glad enough to see the last of him.
 We overlook the main herd of stam- peded horses near the summit of the pass. That night we slept upon beds ol spruce boughs. We reached home about eight o'clock in the morning, and found the rest of the family awaiting us. They thought we must have gone to Lander.
 When the stockmen came back from Lander they were in a great state of indignation. There had been no cele- bration, and they had ridden a hun dred miles and hack for nothing. It soon turned out that the rustlers themselves had caused the false re- port to be circulated.
 l must say that Florence is now a person of considerable reputation in these parts.-Youth's Companion. LITTLE WILLIE DREAMS OF 4
 GIANT FIRECRACKER.