The Tupelo journal., 1909-09-10
"Yonder They Comet"

much older than l am that he ought to
be the sensible one of the family, don't
you think so? 1t frightens me to have
him losing at cards and drinking. l
am afraid he will get into some shoot
ing affair. / don't understand what
has come over him, and | worry about
it. | believe you could Influence him
if you knew him."
What makes you think that?"
asked Whispering Smith, but his eyes
were on the fire.
Because these men he spends his
time with in town-the men who fight
and shoot so much-are afraid of you.
Don't laugh at me. l know it is quite
true in spite of their talk. l was
afraid of you myself until"
Until"
But / think it is because l don't
understand things that I an so afraid.
l am not naturally a coward. I'm sure
| could o be afraid of you if / I'M
derstood things better. And there is
Marion. She puzzles me. She will
never speak of her husband-I don't
know why. And l don't know why Mr..
McCloud is so hard on Mr.. Sinclair
Mr.. Sinclair seems so kind and good
natured."
Whispering Smith looked from the
fire into Dicksie's eyes. What
should you say If 1 gave you a con-
fidehce"
She opened her heart to his search
ing gaze. would you trust me with
a confidence?"
He answered without hesitation.
"You shall see. Now, I have many
things l can't talk about, you under
stand. But if 1 had to give you a
secret this instant that carried my
life, l shouldn't fear to do it-so much
for trusting you. Only this, too, as
to what I say: Don't yer quote me
or let it appear that you any more
than know me. Can you manage
that? Really? Very good; you will
understand why in a minute. The
man that is stirring up all this trouble
with your Cousin Lance and in this
whole country is your kind and good
natured neighbor, Mr.. Sinclair. l am
%prejudiced against him; let us admit
that on the start, and remember it in
estimating what / say. But Sinclair
is the man who has turned your cous
ms head, as well as made things in
other ways unpleasant for several OF
us. Sinclair tell you SO you will
understand everything, more than
your cousin, Mr.. McCloud, or Marion
Sinclair understand-Sinclair is a
train-wrecker and a murderer. That
makes you breathe hard, doesn't it?
but it is so. Sinclair is fairly edu-
Gated and highly intelligent. capable
in every way, daring to the limit, and,
in a way, fascinating; 1t is no wonder
be has a following. But his following
is divided into two classes: The
men that know all the secrets, and the
men that don't-men like Rebstock
and Du Sang, and men like your cous-
in and a hundred or so sports in Medi-
cine Bend, who see only the glamour
of Sinclair's pace. Your cousin sym
pathizes with Sinclair when he doesn't
actually side with him. All this has
helped to turn Sinclair's head, and
this is exactly the situation you and
McCloud and l and a lot of others are
up against. They don't know all this.
hut l know it, and now you know it.
Let me tell you something that comes
close to home. You have a cowboy
on the ranch named Karg-he is
called Flat Nose. Karg was a railroad
man. He is a cattle-thief. a train
robber, a murderer, and a spy. l should
not tell you this If you were not game
to the last drop of your blood. But
think / know you better than you
know yourself, though you never saw
me until last night. Karg is Sinclair's
spy at your ranch, and you must never
feel 1t or know it; but he is there to
keep your cousins sympathy with Sin
clair, and to lure your cousin his way,
And Karg will try to kill George Nc
Cloud every time he sets foot on this
ranch, remember that"
ssThen Mr.. McCloud ought not 70 be
here. / don't want him to stay If be
is in dangeri" exclaimed Dicksie.
"But / do want him to come here
as il it mattered nothing, and ] shall
try to take care of him. I have = man