The evening world., 1911-12-21
The Two-Gun Man
The Best Cowboy Story h Ten Yeas
By Charles Alden Seltzer

r5dov IL t008eN QuDc0y Q me- Uuv
ed slowly.
ThSy c0m0nt - -" ne sGq,"Tt. i,
~ Va out In the IN o h4~nohf 4
- ne skyhn& ThSn any one edhh see :.
u. Bot we've 6ot TINS thtoket behind
". an ] rsoeon from down there ~ad
b peotty near inv9e1oSA"
He turned around, e'aspiaS hts- hands
abouk one knee and looking suuarely at
her. 7 srpect o Done D heap with
yovr BOOK yestsrdAy-afer went
awNyr' ia Fass q
Hsr cheeks oc1ored . htue under h.
straight case. l.L. 10
Il didn' stay there long che equlvoA
Gated. But I got some very good ideas.
and ! Am glad that I didn't write Much,
should have had TO destroy II, because
I have decided p q different o<eirs r
ming. Ben made the trip TO Dry Bottom
yesterday. and last night ne tSid sosusAel
thing that had happened there thAtytas
nven me some very good material Tor .
beginning" ya-If ssrr
That's awful fnterestin'." he observed.
= now you'll be able TO sart your
book with somethin' that really, hap q.
pened7" ~
Real and original" she returned, with
q quick E1snce ut him. Ben told me
that about q month ago some neAi had 2
a shooting match In Dry Bottom, They. &
used q can for a target. and one man :
kept II In the air until he put six bullet
holes through II. Ben says he Is pretty
handy with his but he could
never do that. He insists that few men
can. and he is inclined to think thar
the mar who did do II must have eseii
q gun-fiehter. l suppose you have never
tried TT" sur qyEl q
over his lips while she had been speak
ing had crept tho slight mockb'e smile
which always tod better than words or
the cold cynicism that moved nm az
times. Did she know anythtng' Dit
she suspect him? The smile masked
an interest that i.lumlned his eyes very'
slightly as he looked ut her.
II expect that Is plum slick shoohn.
he returned slowly. But some men car
do IL. I've knowed them. But ! amt
heard that It's been done lately N thi'
here country. l reckon Hen told yQS,
somethin' OF how this man looked!
lie had succeeded In putting the qies-
ton very casually, and she had nor
p caught the note OF deep interesp In NJ
voice. n ,
/, why. rs very odd she said. look
< ing him over carefully from Hen . a.
scrlption should assume nat the ma,
a looked very like YOU" COZ 81
II her reply had startled him he. envS
little evidence of II. lie sat PERFECTLY
A quiet, gazing with steady eyes out ovss
the big basin. For a time she sat si.en'
a also. her gaze following his. Then sht
turned. LA
That would be odd. wouldn't az
10 she said. ~. -
y What would" he anawered' not look
nj Ing at her. ia .
why. II YOU were the man who ma,
done that shooi,nr! II would fo''vw ou
81 the idea Of my pot perfectly. For "
ID my story the hero IL hired TO shoe
~ n supposed %rustlor. and OF course 56s
a would have 10 be q good shot, r sine
rn Ben has tod me the story OF the shoot
no Ing match | have decided that tho her
,s In my story ,h1il be tested Ia that mat
ner before being employed to shoe. tbs
x %rustier.
Then he come - the suppose
ID rustler's CABIN and meets the heroine
er IN much thu sauna manner that 20,
came. Low II Il should turn our ina
rs you were the man who did the shooting
pr in Dry Rottor, my story up TO this poii1
X would he very nearly real. And th&
lat would be nne.'
10 she had allowed a little cnthusla suf ~
n Green into her voice, and he looked 40
AZ her quickly. u queer expression n MS
vi eyes. .,.eN auSv
III ..y.., goln' 20 have your fwo-stin'
n man M by n r1tticr?' he questioned.
d wei. I don't know about that. -
III would make very little difference. BIZ
rr sho,,d no aelixbtcd to find that you
were The man who did the shooting ovtt'
n, Dry pottom. Say that you arsf' q
l. us.n now hs could not tell whsthrs
~ ,here vns sub,le,y in her voice. "fkc
is oid 1ouht rose again In his mind. Wa
~ ~. raaIiv serious in saving that she
.e $4,000 ,,,,iny al, this IN her stcrx.
IN mr. VA. this a ruse, concealing an W.
,aror ,uroose7 Supposc sine aAds hef
4, hro,her suspected him Of being che. maN
M n,nsSn III nar,,cinated in the shootimS
. 80.