Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-02-28
CHAPTER l.

DdI Ne knew ne tOOk his life IN his
hand. Murgatroyd was there and
Murgatroyd had sworn to shoot him
on sight.
The element of chance, however, en-
tered intimately into every act of OAR
rel's career. 1t was guide, counselor
and friend for him and formed the
basis of his rule of conduct.
Never since he could remember had
he wavered between the Known and
the Unknown. Luck was the single
known factor in his equation and he
yielded himself blindly into the hands
of fate, always expecting good fortune
yet always prepared for the worst
The feud between Murgatroyd and
himself was bitter and of long stand
Ing; and Darrell, while caring nothing
for bridges in front, was careful to
burn those behind. An enemy in the
rear is foe in ambush and it was well
that this Murgatroyd affair should be
settled once for all
Thus Darrell reasoned. After study
ing the aspect of his bright particular
star he took team and blackboard, one
fine morning, a1fN travelled out of
Anaconda by the Blackfoot trail
Anaconda knew little of the astute,
gentlemanly and well dressed young
man. He had been in town over night
and had essayed game in the
"Coloners Own" causing a ripple of
excitement by showing discard of
two aces and drawing pair of knaves
that filed his hand and won him
the table stakes.
It's foolish to- tempt fate in that
way said a veteran blackleg who
stood near watching the play.
We make our own fate, my friend"
replied Darrell in the easy, well bred
way that was always his; at is not
fate that makes or mars us. Be true
ulent and apprehensive and destiny
turns and rends youj lay hold of it
with your bare hands and you make
it your slave. Fortune crawls at the
feet Of daring man but hates and
spurns coward"
The habitues of the "Colonel's Own"
listened wonderingly. Such philosophy
IL,
but the veteran blackleg was i'm
pressed.
II have heard of buSSone man." said
he who invariably discards aces when
he gets pair That man is Nate OAR
rel of San Francisco"
The veteran might have added that
the play was known as barrels dis
Card" and that the man who had
originated 1t had quit college to fol-
low the cards and prove his startling
theories-a philosopher of the devils
picture books, counting ruin over the
green cloth that he might work out q
hypothesis of doubtful value.
Darrell had no intention of revealing
himself. He was tarrying at Anaconda
enroute to Sandy Bar and when his
eccentric orbit crossed Murgatroyds
he wished it to be sudden and I'M
expected
1t CHANGED, nevertheless, that OAR
rel had overplayed his hand. That
night the veteran gambler dispatched
a mounted man to Sandy Bar with a
notice to his friend Murgatroyd that
Nate Darrell was in Anaconda and pos
sibly would continue on to the mining
camp.
When Darrell drew in his team Of
bronchos at the Half Way House,
the hour was high noon. The team
was given into the hands of the hos
tier and Darrell went into the house for
his dinner.
This batting place was midway be-
tween Anaconda and Sandy Bar. East
and west trails also crossed at this
point leading to mining regions farther
back in the hills.
There was much travel along the
trails and it was common report that
the Half Way House was the biggest
gold mine in those parts. So 1t hap
pened that the dining room was COM
fortably filed when the Chinese waiter
ushered Darrell to vacant chair at a
side table.
The newcomer was eyed with sus-
picion. In the eyes of the rough and
ready crowd already there he was too
we'll dressed, too pretty" and defied
the laws of convenience by making a
distinction in his use of knife and
fork.
Then, too, his voice was too soft and
his language too precise. These evil
dences of superiority ranked under the
greasy blue shirts affected by the min
ers and freighters.
Before barrels entrance another had
been looked at askance. This other
was a white-faced man in corduroys
with Fastener" and "tenderfoNt"
written large in person and manner.
His reserve was stretched to the
point of timidity and before he had
used plate, knife and fork he had sur
reptitiously wiped them on the edge of
the table cloth.
That of itself was an insult which
might have resulted in gun-play had
the proprietor been witness. The
stranger was slender like Darrell, had
the same dark eyes and closely cropped
hair and was near the same height.
f2Hts face was smooth, however while
Darrell had neatly trimmed full
beard. There was something about
the stranger that held barrels eye.
A man in Darrell peculiar line Is
psrforce reater rs csi~racte,. After
little study over 10 bacon, beans.
cotfee and sour dough bread, Darrell
concluded that the gentleman in cor
duroys had been driven west under the
spur Of conscience.
Possibly his absence had left an un-
profitable void in some eastern bank,
or other financial institution.
The coming of Darrell caused gem