Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-20

The boy sat on the narrow, precarious
lean-to that did duty as a porch In front
OF the one hotel the little mining town
boosted. and stared straight before him
with deep, troubled eyes
II was all so drearily ugly; the main
street lined with bronchos. the roughly
clad men lounging about the corners, the
rows of one-story buildings fanking the
wooden sidewalk of the broad, dusty street
At the edge of the town the main street
narrowed into a road that wandered away
up the side Of a mountain gorgeous with
autumnal coloring: masses of clouds re-
Elected the crimson glory of the setting
sum- above the narrow canyon one great,
white star glowed in the clear autumn sky.
But the boy. seemingly oblivious to the
beauty of the evening. sat motionless,
staring straight ahead. Save when he bent
for ward to scan intently the face of some
passer-by. he seemed to shrink from obser-
walton and started nervoulsly at each fresh
explosion of boisterous mirth from within.
The door opened and tall bronzed,
cleanly built fellow came out and dropped
down in a chair beside the boy. Jim Bur-
rows, Yale graduate dead-shOt and newly
elected sheriff of the county, wore his rid
ing clothes like a soldier and handled his
gun with a careless ease that misled those
who had not seen the unerring directness
of it's results.
Another robbery" he drawled. as he
The boy sat up suddenly. Another"
The sheriff nodded. Just below the
canyon"
Have you arrested any one?' asked the
boy breathlessy.
Jim Burrows smiled grimly. Not yet"
But why"
THE paymaster comes over that same
road tonight. He does it every Friday. 1t
is well known. 1 have men watching the
road now.
1.-The same spot? But the robbers would
not"
Exactly Neither would the paymaster
after the affair of last night. So it's good
betting that while the men patrolling
below the canyon the robbers, the paymas-
ter and your humble servant may have an
interesting little roundup in the short cut
above"
The boy nodded understandingly and
leaned YEARLY back in his chair. Under
the shadow Of his sombrero his delicate
face looked absurdly young and pathetic.
Jim Burrows smoked on refiectively.
'They held up the new superintendent of
the mines last night" he continued. He
had couple of thousand with him. They
got away with the money and left him,
gagged and unconscious, beside the road"
The boy did not answer, and the sheriff
finished his pipe in silence. Then he turned
10 the slim youthful figure beside him.
81 have just come from the sdperintend-
ents house" he said gravely. HE thinks
should he see him again, he could identify
one of the party" Then he rose and came
TO the boys chair and leaned over the bent
head with its close, thick curls.
HE says" he went on slowly, that in
the fray a mask came off and he saw-a
boys face. He saw it very distinctly. In
fact. he is even willing TO swear to the color
OF the boys eyes-and his hair. which
curled."
The boy was silent. but he swallowed
hard He was on his feet now. his slender
figure proudly erect. Then, suddenly. he
looked up straight into the others face.
What do you make Of it?' he asked de-
family.
Burrows, his eyes fixed on the gray ones
defying him. did not stir.
THE signs are perfectly plain" the boy
The sheriff shook his head.
you suspect no one?'
Jim Burrows paused; then, with a long
breath, he Strengthened up and held out his
hand.
NO one" he said gently, as his firm,