The evening world., 1912-02-02
The
| X Riders
| Another Great Cowboy Romance
/ By {. A. Sehzer Author of"7HE TWO-CUN NAN"

NV W lObh lpNdIu tu6 kLN-
tighter. Tit men OF tho outnt allowed
tho muscles to relax. but all sensed the
unusual.
when ] was down In the Pecos dis
trict. Texas. r!din' for a nan named
Mcdonald" said sixteen. placing subtle
emphasis upon the word Texas" and
sending "A slow glance upward into the
cooks face. there was a CREATOR there
that couldn't talk none. Couldn't say n
word. But he dldn't"-
Tho %gunhghter cursed p%rofanely.
We was speakin' OF men" he sneered.
'Thi was a man." smiled Sixteen.
Just like you-an' me. Not a bit az
ferent. Exccptin' he couldn't talk. But
he didn't care none. Had to write on a
piece Of paper when he wanted to say
anything. Used TO carry a little pad OF
II around With hin lie wrote on a
paper onct' te.llu' me n vas safer"
scared OF you" sneercd the gun
fighter. Il reckon no told YOU why?'
why he wrote"
Tie g%unnghter nodded roldly.
sixteen sighed. cutting the notch In he
stick deeper.
Yes" ne said dra Il reckon L.
told mo why. lie said that when he
wrote on q piece OF paper there WASH
any danger that he'd &c around buttin'
into other peoples business
H0 III bVI 4 AfNaf 49, ffH
the sharp stave ends Of the hcailess nal
key and smiled sweetly into the SHADED
caves OF the roof. h cook wiped N's
lips upon tho tail OF his apron and tried
10 look unconcerned. There was a sus.
| plc,ous movement among the other men.
But the gunnehter's face darkened
evlliy. The scarf that saggei at hl-
throat was not IN pressing need or r."
ARRANGEMENT. and yet his fingers lowered
-~,l a. ttnuAripR uanr fla anprtnrN In
his sh!rt bosom. Knowing from expert
ence Just what this movement meant.
tho range boss rose from his nall keg.
crouching.
II reckon you're a liar said the gun
fighter. !,
CHANGING sidelons. the range boss could
see the g%unnghter's fingers ciosanv
around the ivory butt Of the s!x-shootsr
concealed IN his shirt bosom.
sixteen deliberately deepened the
notch In his branch OF chaparral. The
knife blade grated oddly In the $srAne
silence tina had fallen. II sixteen ala
not know the Significance Of the gun
+, lighters words and the menace NJ Dis
stealthily moving hands he lacked Nm
d~erstanding. n ne know and was
Stimulating carelsssnsss. he was coh-
sidering the situation. his cohouc' was
marvellous. either way.
And now Sixteen spoke.
"Iys done hearn tell of how you're
some quick with a gun. uobar ne
said quietly, almost %tenderly. with a
strange blending OF reluctant admiration
md resentment. That's why your.
goin' TO prove I'm a lAr. You Don't
reckon I'm goin' to tell you rteht now
good grip on that fancy SIX"
lie glanced upward. his peculiar guh
flashing over the range boss and she
cook. The g~unfghters hand fell away
from his shirt bosom. Again the rang
boss marvelled: until now sixteen nad
appeared 10 be unawars OF the run.
ighter's preparations for trouble.
yet he had known all ATOMS.
on the instant the range boss decneh
that sixteen knew something Of the
man with whom he had clashsd. Lx-
p~erlence had demonstrated hse potency
~perfect self-controi had governed . 1T
uation that might readily nave become
violent.
The range boss again sought che
headiess nail hes. The cook vanished
within the bunkhouse door: the men OF
tho outfit breathsd freely once more.
Thu gunrghter sauntered away In the
direction of the corral. whistling q popu-
lar co .boy dirty. sixteen unconcsrnsdly
continued whiting his branch o.
~chaparral. The talk drifted to the wevk
OF ths coming summer. which eoid
plainly that tho incident Just closed
was OF a natur that forbade discussion
For days folio wing the clash With the
gunfighter Sixteen conducted himself as
though no had entirely forgotten dt. APP
parently no was a tribe more care-fre.
than before, giving himself UP who'll!
- his work and taking no part In the
songs and talks that ran around IN.
camp fires at night.
FOR some unexplained reason the gun
nChter seemed TO take Sixteen's mar
ference for insult, His manner, when
he CHANGED to be near the latter. wsP
the acme OF studied poNteness. And yet
beneath II. concealed by his s~low-spoken
words and cold nonchalance, was the
cunning insolencs that adden Hpt
apparently Sixteen ave little attention
10 the gunnghter at these times. Around
the circle at night. during the singing
and the rough Jest. sixteen would lie
on hds back and gaze al the stars,
But the cook foresaw trouble. One
night, standing beside the chuck wagon
he gave voice 10 a prophecy:
"One OF them boys 10 go'n' to quit
Lazy J mighty sudden before the fall
roundup
As the summer waned II seemed the
cooks prophecy would be groundles-
During the hard work OF the roundup
the men had little time to devote 20
their strange quarrel. And then Tucker
issued an order that created a stir
among the mel OF the outfit. The gun
fighter and sixteen were to be two o.
three men h We're to drive q bunch OF
cows TO Trinidad for shipment. The third
man was to be Webb Ball. the Buster.
Cro Be Continually