The evening world., 1912-02-26
CHAPTER VII.
Cupid "Wings" a Deputy
Sheriff.

ADAsNo nOiio NEAT morning with his
bed on = borrowed pack horse.
morose. his mind occupied with
divers plans for punishins the cow
punchers who had spoiled his evening
and made him ridiculous before the
schooirnarm. Babe" came upon some
thing in a gulch which caused hin to
rein his horse sharply and swing frem
tho saddle.
with an ejaculation of surprise. he
pulled a fresh hide from under a pile OF
rock. 1t having been partially uncovered
by coyotes. Tho brand had been cut
out. and with tn sight OF his simin-
cant lind. the two co~wpunchsrs, their
obnoxious Joke. even the Schoiomarm.
were forgotten: for thers was Q nsw
thief on tho range and q new thief
meant excitement and adventure.
Col. Tolman's deep-set EYED slSstsrea
when he heard the news. A. Runaing
Rabbit had said. on the trail Of q cattle
thief he was ss relentless a q blood
hound. He could not eat or sieep I'm
peace unt:i the man who had robbed him
was behind tho bars. Tho Colonel was
an old-time Texas cattleman. and his
herds had ranged from the Mexican
border TO tho Alberta line.
lie had made and lost fortunes. DE-
ease. drouths n billiards had cleaned
him out Mt various times. and always he
mad taken he medicine without q within
per; but the loss OF % much a. a yearl-
Ing calf by theft throw him into Q Q
that was like hysteria.
Ills hand shook as he Sat down ct III.
desk and wrote a note TO the Stoch-
mems Association. asking for the ser.
vices Of their best detective. Il meant
four days OF hard riding to deliver The
note. but the Colonel put II into 'BabSS'
hands az II he were asking him to drop
II In the mall box around the corner.
Go. and Git back were his Iacoulc
Instructions and he turned to pace the
floor.
When Babe returned com. sssht
Gays later with the deputy sheriff, he
found the Colonel atrIdin4 to ana fyd.
his wrath having In nowise absted, Tn.
cowboy wondered II his employer had
been walking the floor all that time.
MY name II Raiston." said the tall
young deputy. a. no stood before TIVE
old cattlemAn.
"Rsiston1" The Coione, rose on his
toes . tribe to peer into his face.
Not Dick Raiston's boy?"
The s'x-foot deputy smiled.
The Same. STR"
The Colonsl's hand shot out IN erect.
Ing.
Anybody OF that name 10 pretty near
like an TO mo. MAny's the time your
dad and I have eaten out OF the zane
frying pan"
sc rve heard him say"
this tob?"
The young nan shook his h.sa
soberiy.
mo-"
Tho Colonel looked at him heen,y.
Had a falling out?"
No; scarcely that: but We couldn't
agree exactly upon some thinxs, 30 I
struck out for myself when I came
home from college"
No future for you In this sieuth-
Ing business" commented tho old man
terseIy, why didn't you 20 into sat-
tie with your dadr"
That's whore We disagreed. cir. I
wanted to buy sheep and he gees
straight into the air at the very word
The Colonel laughed. o.
II can believe that"
over there the range IL eoing fast.
] ana It's nSht and scrap and quarrel All
the time to keep the sheep on what
little there 10 left: and then you ship
and tie bottom drops out of tina mar
ket a. soon as your cattle are loaded.
There's nothing in It: n while I
don't like sheep n better han the
Governor. there's no use in hanging
on ana going broke IN cattle because
Of a pre- judice."
"pick's stubborn"-ths Colonel nod
ded knowingly-"and I don't bsNsvs
he'll ever give In"
mo: I dom think he will. and Tn
sorry for his sake. because he's set
ting too bid TO worry"
worry cattie's nothing but wer-
ry'-which reminds me Of what ~
are here for"
"Havs you any suspiciousr'
mo. I don't believe I can hsip ~
any. Tho Injuns been good ~ PIE aaes
we sent Wolf Robe over the road. Don't
hardly think It's Intuns. Don't Nkunew
what To think Might be some of 'thHss
Mormon OUTFITS going north. Might -
some Of these nesters on IN the HIM.
Might be anybodyl'
ia he an old handS"
Looks Ike II. Cuts the brand out
and buries the hide" Ths Colonel b.
gan pacing the floor. Cattle thieves
are people that's got 10 be nipped IN the
bud muy pronto. There ought to be .
lynch.ng on every cattle M once In
seven years. It's the only way to hod
'em level. Down there on the RIO
Grande we rode away and left fourteen
OF 'em swinging over the hlun. Its got
70 DO lone In all cattle countries. and
since they've started in here-wsli. q
hanging "a overdue by two years." The
Colonel elected his words with h de-
cis,ve click OF a RIO gun.
50 Dick Ralston jr. rod the n for
the purpose OF getting the lay Of the
country. and, on one pretext or another.
visited the s1ualid homes Of the n~estors.
but nowhere found anybody or anything
In the least suspicious He learned OF
the murder OF white Antelope, and OF
the queer sctin" bug hunter and his
pal. who had been accused of II. n was
rather generally believed that Nc
Ar,hu was a desperate OF a new AM
Original kind.
While II was conceded that he seemed
20 have no way OF disposing OF the meat.
and certainly could not XIII a cow and
eat Il himself. II was nevertheless DE-
c}ared that he was worth watching"
while the hsngers-on at the MacDon-
aid ranch were al known to have
records. 40 particular suspicion had at
tached to them IN this instance. because
the sQuaw VAS known 10 XII her W
f.as ~ M sha1ay az ADMIT haH avap