The evening world., 1912-01-27
The
X Riders
Another Great Cowboy Romance
By A. SeNxer Author of"THE TWO.CUN MAN"

tnclr CnAlrS at the taDlc, ETlnninS Cou-
~tcmptuously. Deveny placed his hands
on his hips n rocked slowly back and
forth on his heels.
Yes" he said. shutting one eye at
Ferguson, tho straw boss. you look ~
though you need work mighty bad.
Had 'em long," he questioned sud
de My.
"WhatT'
Them guns and that hat" returned
Devcny. lie laughed round the circle
OF faces. Never saw but ono hat like
that before he declared with q slow
drawl. and that was back In Chicago
before ] came out here. saw IL In a
store window. surrounded with belts
and guns and bowics-llkc no man ever
wears. fr YOU eNicct to work here
you'll get a respectable hat. You
hcar?'
The men waited cxpectantly to hear
the strangers reply to this second
test. Then when Ball answered sim
piy Yes" they smiled expressively
into n anothcr's eyes and sought
their places at the table. Devcny
returned to his seat at tho extreme end
In scornful silence. Ball stood beside
tho open door. staring about uncer-
tainly. Several OF the men snickered.
SIT down and eat. eur1e YOU" said
Dcvcny.
From that moment fifteen OF the six
! teen men ignored Balls very existence,
giving their attention wholly to their
dinners. Ball found u seat beside the
sixteenth
"Dcveny's a had one" suggested this
parsonage. addressing ball, while
throwing covert %glances at the range
boss.
lie might have been about Balls
age. and he was a rugged looking man.
but there was that In his eyes that
told OF tlmidity and indecislon. While
he ate he continually cast chances at
\ Dcvcny from under lowered eyclids.
II wouldn't take no Job here" he
suggested In n Significant undertone.
Hail caught his glance.
"Why?"
The sixteenth Man hesitated. He
awaited his chance before replying.
We'll. for one thing" he said finally.
"Dcvcny didn't tax. a shine to you.
and no man can work here IL Deveny
don't like him"
'rhat ally' questioned BAH as the
sixteenth Man h~esita,ed ngain.
NO. You amt game"
For the slightest instant Balls face
palcJ and his lips twitched with a sud
den hardness. Then he stared straight
before him with express!onless eyes.
lie took severa sips or coffee from MS
tin cup before he replied.
Then you thlnk Deveny Will make
things interesting for me-" he Ques-
toned.
Interesting? The sixteenth Mans
voice was pregnant with unspoken sar-
casm. say" he added. are you a
fool. too? can't you see that he lon
want YOU"
whether Ran could see or not. he
contcni"d himself with allowing the XIX
teenth Man to guess what MS reply
would have been had he spoken. HUI
' the sixteenth Man had prophesied cor
rcctlv, Devcny had not taken a shine
to him.
The range boss manifested this IN
many ways. taking advantage or the
broad license gwen him by Tucker. who
never interfcr"I with him In any way
In his mcbiui OF handling the men.
Bah had been hired to break horses
but FOR three weeks after his first ap.
pearance at the b%unkhousc he iahored
long days In the irrigation bitches. alone
under n sun that swan In a dead SKY
while the other men. on their way u
and from the range. smiled compreheh'
sivelv and sent subtle jeers at HIN.
hut he Il,,orcd pa tientiy and diligently
Mt the digging. and VI Dcvcny thought
TO discourage him from remaining al
Lazy J he must secretly have admitted
his failure. And he accepted the range
boss's sarcasm In much the same man
ner that he accepted mis- place In thu
bitches.
Then suddenly one day Deveny called
him from a ditch and assigned him &c
a place In tine cookhousc. His duties
here were 70 wash dishes and 20 per
form such other menial service an tn
autocrat Of the clubhouse directed. TIT
first meat dished up to the OUTFIT by
Ball was mad the occasion OF hilarious
put subdued jolhty.
illusions TO the ~"tenderroot biscuit
saooter' failed utterly to shake Bali
untaiiing patience, Scraps OF convex
sation overheard by him. including sucl
phrases and terms as: "Iellow's tw
y guns (Which he wore always. and tn
"~wagoner's hat" (Which Rail stlli wor'
: In spite OF Deveney's pro'ane admonltioi
TO procure "a spectacle" one) ant
r ''scairt cuss.'' passed unnoticod or wer'
= accepted with slowly whitening Zip
b. and snouldering g%lances.
\ week after his advent at the mi
house Doveny managed to ovcrturn
Tin OF coffee upon Ballis hand as he at
Z tempted to reach over the table. For al
= instant Rail- stiren.d and his eye
Mashed omlnously. Then he smile,
o wsnly n apologized TO Deveny 70
= his ciumsiness, The men OF the outh
4 knew Deveny and they snickered int
0 their plates over the incident. For III
next week hall went about his work Il
}. tho b%unkhouse with his hand bandaged
d Apparently the Sixteenth Man syn
: pathlzed with him. Hes bound TO SO
h YOU" he said to Bal, Sooner or late
r you'll ind his insults too much an,
I you'll try TO pull your gun Oh him. AM
e them
: "WhAty"
J.. Then yon'll die quite sudden and tn
J. boys'n plant YOU over IN the hills
d (To BE Contlnued)