The evening world., 1911-12-18
The Two-Gun Man
The Best Couboy Story IN Ten Years
By Charles Alden Settler

mounted. tied Mustard close TO her own
animal. and stood q momen quietly re-
sariing he.
You want to look At the country all
by yourseif?" he inquired.
sh pretended q start. looking down at
him In apparent surprise.
Why" sne prevaricated. II thought
there was no one within miles OF mel"
She saw his eyes flash In the sunlight.
"Of course" he drawied, there's such
an awful darkness that no one could
see a ony comm across the nat. You
think you'n be able to ind your way
hor
she flushed guilty and did not reply.
She heard him clamber'ng up over the
ioose stones and ~pre1ently he stood
' near her. she made q prctcnse Of writ
Ing.
did you stop at the cabinf' n
asked without looking up.
lie regarded her with amused eyes.
standing loosely. his arms folded. the
fingers OF his right hand pulling at his
chin. Did I stop7" he repeated. 81
coudn't rightly say. Seems to me as
though 7 did. YOu see. I DIDN'T intend
to. but I was r,din' down that way an
thought I'D stop IN an have . talk
with Ben"
OH" Sometimes even q mcnosyiiabis
n prcsnaht witch mockery.
But he wasn't there. Nobody wa
there I wasn't rcckonin' or everybody
runnin' on"
she turnei m looked straight at
him why" she said. II shouldn't
think our running away would surprtse
you. You see. you set us an example
in running awny the otirfr day"
He knew Instantly hat she referred
to his p~rccipitate retreat on the ntght
she had limited that she intended put
ting him into her story. She hot an
other glance at HIM and saw his face
fessien With embarrassment. but ne
sho wed no intention OF running now.
I've been thinkin' OF what ,Ou ah,"
no returned. you couldn't put me info
no book. You don't know anythine
about me. YOU don't NOV what I
think. Then how could you do itY"
"Of course" h returned. turning
~sQuarely arOund To ham and speaking
eerdoualy. Tho story wiz b nctaon,
and the plot will have no foundation IN
fact. But I shall be very careful TO
] have my characters talk and act natu-
rally. To do this I shall have 70 study
the people whom I wsh to charscter-
ize."
70 was moved by an inward mireh.
You're stfil thlnkin' OF putin me into
tho book" he Questioned.
She nodded. smiling.
Then" he said, very gravedy. '.you
tadn't ought 70 have told ma You
didn't show ~ clever there. Amt you
afraid that IN 70 to actin swsaiei?
II I do that. you'd not have the char
actor you wanted"
II had thought Of that. too" she re-
turned ~sersously. "If you were thai
kind OF q man I shouldn't wapt you In
the book. How do y0u know that
h"ven't told you for the purpose Of as
cover4nx II you would b effected IN
THAI
lie scratched his head. contemplating
her srnveiy. Il reckon you're traveihn'
too fast for me. ma'am," he satd.
HIS expression OF frank amusement
was good to see. He stood before her.
plainly ready to surrender. Absolutely
: ooyfsh. he seemed to her-a grown-up
. boy TO be sure. bat with a boys en-
' thusiasms. impulses n generosity. YET
In his eyes was somsthing that told OF
. maturity. OF conscious power. OF perfect
trust In his ability to give q GOOD &C.
:. count Of himself. svsa In this country
y whore thess qualfieJ constituted the
chief rule Of life.
A strange emotion stirred her, q SUD.
: den quickening OF the pulse told her
3 that something new had come into her
! life. She drew q deep. startled breath
! and felt her cheeks crimsoning. She
swiftly turned her head and gaxed Or
over tho nat. leaving him standing there.
scarcely co~mprehsnding her embarrass-
= ment.
: II reckon you've been wriun' some Of
= that book. ma'am.' ne said. seeing the
. papers lying on the rock beside her. Il
! don't see why you should want 10 write
a Western story. DO folks In the East
get Interested in KNOWN what's goin' on
= out hereT"
She suddenly thought Of herself. Had
shc found II Interestingly She looked
r swiftly At him. Appraising him from n
new viewpoint. feeling . strange. new
, Interest In him.
/. 1T would be strange II they didn't
she returned. way. It Is the only par,
= OF the country In which there still re-
, mains a touch of a You must
remember that this Is . young country.
=. that Its history began at a comparative
: iy late date. England can write of its
feudaI barons: France Of It's ancient
aristocrscy: but America . look Naek
only to the Colonial ~period-and the
Z West"
'Mcbbe you're right" he said. not con-
WINGED But ! expect there amt a heap
of romance out here. Leastways. II
. there is 1t manage to keep itself pretty
well hid"
She smiled. thinking Of che romance
that SURROUNDED hhn-of which. plainly.
he was not conscious. To him romance
: htAIll tuo ~ bNS G@ y" hs
a~muserncnts. tho glitter and tnsel OF
\ the cities OF the East. word Of whloh
I had come TO him through various chan
1 nels. To her these things were no
: longer novei-if they had ever been 30
r and 40 for her romance must come from
the new. the unusual. me ~unoonven-
l%tIonai. Tho West was all this, therefore
romance dwelt here.
"Of course u all seemD oommonplace
to you she returned; ''perhaps even
monotonous. For you have lived here
long"
liz laughed. 1--WE travelled a heap"
he aid. rive been In California. Dakota.
Wyoming. Texas. an Arizona. An now
I'm here. Savtn' a man nests dirHere ont
people. this country h pretty much ali
tho same"
you must have q q grea Deal Of
experience she eald. And you are not
very old"
He gravely considered her. IT would
gay that l am about the average age
for this country. You SOC. folks don't
1--we to get very old here-unless they're
mighty careful"
lie smiled gravcsy Il expect you
wouldn't oaA II careful. But I'm stfh
livtn'."