The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-03-30
THE DUDE OF THE clMaRRoN.

{ queer kind OF a cottage which ne caiteu
a bungalow, and set about leading
nondescript sort OF frontier life that was
at variance with ali the traditions and
utilities of the region. His ranch which
! lay along the wooded margin Of the river
! was more of game preserve than a
| farm. for the owner knew as little as he
| cared about agriculture. He eonformed
| TO western methods only in the matter of
weapons. for he was inyeterate hum
| ter and if he got TO be, a crack shot at
| least skilfun enough to keep a bachelor
| table supplied with fresh meat. His
| household consisted of one Chinese ser
want and an old half-breed squaw-
The second son of some perhaps rich
and English family. about q years old.
/ tall. ford. hesitant in speech and gait
| with seat like d cross-country fox hum
ter and attired in the ultra-fashiOnable
/ outing garb of a sporting Britisher. il is
/ not strange that the loose-ridinS, long
/ Stirruped ranchmen and cowboys OF the
neignborhood laughed at the British ten
! derfoot whom they nicknamed Silly
! Willy" He might have maintained an
| Indefinite standing in the sparsely set
| tied country as A harmless curiosity if
! he had not antagonized everybody by
refusing TO join the posse which set out
/ in August to round up the Whelan gang
! of horsethieves that had infested Cimar-
ron valley for more than a year Every
man and boy who could ride and shoot
| had rallied around Mike Connors except
! Wilcestcr. He didn't approve of the sum
mary methods Of western justice, and
as the man hunt progressed and from
week to week he heard the new stories Of
lynchngs he even congratulated himself
| that ne was no party 10 the deeds of
| bloody violence which characterized the
work of the vigilantes. few took VIII
| cester at his word and voted, him a
''chump." but most people agreed that he
was a coward as well as a "sanctimon-
| ious dude.
! BY dint of fierce and swift forays. cease
! less vigilance and all-night rides COnnOrs
/ and his lynchers had necktied or i'm
prisoned all Of Wheelan's gang except
! the leader and one man, Chuckv Green
/ and the two survivors, exhausted by
continual riding, their horses almost
| foundered but yet desperate. were head
| ing eastward toward Wilcester's villa.
1 not more than T. hours ahead of their
pursuers. But fortune was favoring them.
| for in the night the dry spell was broken.
! a generous rain put water into the dry
| bed of the Cimarron. and with the in
stinct of trained frontiersmen they re
| solved to strike for the shallow river.
which could leave no trail. and so give
| Connors and his vigilantes the slip. But
! TO this end they must have fresh horses.
so they headed for the Englishman's
ranch. equally sure that he had good
horses and would yield them without a
| fight.
He was at supper. the squaw was in
the kitchen and the Chinaman was serv-
| ing the evening meal when Whelan and
Green walked in at the open door and
and babe him throw up his hands His big
| blue eyes started with surprise His
mouth was full Of chicken salad but he
/ hold "a fc LOFT md v.1
quite alphabetically at the intruders.
| When he had gulped his mouthful he
/ spluttered: ''Aw. glad you've come. gem
! tlemen. Won't you have a bite? No need
OF aw, er-violenee you know. I'm m
armed quite powahless, You know They
! laughed and told him to go ahead with
the meal but Green kept him cornered,
while Whelan gorged himself and the
leader stood guard while his lieutenant
charged at his fine victuals like a hun
CRY hound The Chnaman had dropped
his dish and fed, but the intTudeTs knew
that the nearest ranch was twenty miles
| upstream and RECALLED themselves in SAT-
ETY.. An hour after their coming VIII
! cester watched them riding away on his
two best horses after breaking all the
weapons they could not carry and dump
ing all the surplus ammunition into the
river. Darkness was setting over the
fOggy river when the outlaws urged their
/ stolen animals knee deep into the cur
rent and WhelaD. turning back with a
Crimace at the crest fallen Wilcester. put
| his thumb to his nose and shouted.
/ "Ta-ta, Silly Willy
The tears were in the young English
, mans eyes as he wondered about the
place looking for his servants. He called
long and loudly for them. but his voice
echoed vainly through the night He
went to the stable. threw a saddle across
it, and as he pulled taut the cinch NUT
/ tered The outrageous fellowsl If they'd
but left me a gun Then he threw a long
leg across his nervous horse and darted
away into tho night toward the east
bed Of the river but on the sodden trail
that led through the cottonwood timber.
1t was nearly noon the next day when
Connors and his posse arrived at VIII
cester's villa whittier they had followed
the tracks of the fugitives. From the
disiointed sentences they knew that the
outlaws had been there. had looted the
place and had probably taken the En-
glishman a prisoner. But neither the
squaw nor the coolie could tell which
way the runaways had taken. The vigi-
lantes had fed themselves and their fam
ished horses and were saddling ia the
corral when up through the widening
road that led out Of the woods into the
park they saw Wilcester riding slow
armed, his head bowed as in shame and
the Englshman holding ready rifle
across his saddle bow. The excited pos
semen. like beagles after a fox. rushed
out at the prisoner and would have made
a quick end Of his If Wncester had not
interviewed with:
"Aw I say don't he ugly, gentlemen,
He's quite tractable."
But how in h. did you get HIM"
growled the jealous Counors coming up.
You didn't do II alone, YOU must have
Just bit Of strategy. nv man.
drawled Cecu. dismounting. Il could not
fight them because. aw, well might
as we'll eoncede it. they ambushed me.
Isn't that what YOU westerners call it2,' .
They Do you mean 10 say you went
Up against two OF them?
Quite SO. Mister. aw?-"
"Connors
Glad 90 know YOU Mr.. Connors. You
see they ambushed me here. as was en-
ioyine an excellent salad. took ali my
weapons and rode down the river OH ms
horses. Couldn't hear e. lose the animals
you know. so ] resortei 70 a little STRAIT
egy. So out awfter them IN fact. II must
have been well awfter midnight when /
crept up on them asleep. 50 weary. YOU
know
But where Is the othere where is
Vhelan2 You didn't let him get away
There's FIVE hundred dollars reward for
him dead or alive.
"Ah. inde~de He's quite safe.
SAFE The envious Connors looked /
scornfUIiy into the astouished faces
crowded around. as II "a SAY what q
Numbering fooig-' But Wncester. having I
flied his pipe. resumed
The other one. what's his name Whe- i
laue An he's secure enough. eh NJ 4
Green Fact - I was obliged - tle SIR /
Whelan hand and foor that j. Ar Green I
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