The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1913-08-28

| kin see"
Maybe not, stranger" and Ham
lin leaned back against the table, low
ering his weapon slightly, as he
Glanced watchfully about the room.
but I'll keep the gun handy just the
same until we understand each other.
Anybody else In this neighborhood?"
mot unless it's LIE Fevre. an his
outfit"
Then / reckon you did the shoot
ing out there bit ago."
The man shutfled uneaslly, but the
sergeant's right hand came to level.
Did you?"
II s'pose thar amt no use o deny
in it," reluctantly cycling the gun IN
the corner, but l didn't mean to
shoot up no outfit but LIE Fevre's. So
help me, didn't! The DANCED snow
was so thick couldn't see nohow, but
l never s'posed any one was on the
trail 'cept him. Thar amt been no
white man long yere in three months.
Didn't hit none of yer. did II"
Eyes, you did," returned Hamlin
slowly, striving to hold himself IN
check. "You killed one of the best
fellows that ever rode these plains
you sneaking coward. you. Shot him
dead, with his back to you. Now, see
here. it's a throw of the dice with
me whether | fill you full of lead. or
let you go. came in here intending
to kill you. if you we're the cur who
shot us up But I'm willing to listen
4 fo
on the fight, but plain murder don't
appeal to me. How is it? Are you
ready to talk? Spit it out. mani"
"Ill tell yer jest how it was"
do it my way then; answer
straight what I ask you. Who are
you? What are you doing here?"
kin l sit DOWN."
Eyes; make it short now; all
want is facts"
oval, my name is Hughes-Jed
Hughes; ulster hang out around San
Antoine, an hev been mostly in the
COW business, The last five years LIE
Fevre an hev been grain cattle in
between yere an Buffalo Creek"
"Partners?"
wal, by God! I thought SO. till just
lately" his voice rising. Anyhow,
he'd bunch O. money in on the deal,
though I'll be darned ii I know just
what's become O. it. Yer see, stranger.
Gene he'd the inside O. this lnjun
business, bein' as he's sorter squaW
man"
What" interrupted the other
sharply. do you mean he married
into one of the tribes?"
"Sorter left-handed-yep; Chey-
enne woman. Little thing like that
didn't faze Gene none, if he did have
white wife-a blamed good-looker
, she was too. She was out here onc't,
three years ago, bout a week maybe
3 Course she didn't know nothin' bout
) the squaw, an the lnjuns was all
: huntin' down in the Wichitas. But
i as l was sayin', Gene caught on to
: this yere Injun war last spring.
! reckon OIL Koleta, his lnjun father-in-
d law, likely told him what wus brewin'
he's sorter a war-chief. Anyhow he
knew tibet hell was to pay, an so we
S materially gathered up our long-horns
an drove 'em east whar they wouldn't
? be raided. We didn't git all the crit
r ers rounded up, as we wus IN
,, hurry, an they wus scattered some
is cause of a hard winter. So l come
back yere to round up the rest o
e Their bunch"
and brand few outsiders"
e He grinned.
maybe l wasn't over-particular
but anyhow l got a thousand heat
together by the last o June, an hi
the trail with 'em. Then hell sure
broke loose Fore we'd got tina
bunch O. cattle twenty mile dow,
q gang O. Cheyenne Injuns, headed b,
that ornery Koleta, and every horn o
'em drove off. Thar want no fight
the damn bucks just laughed at us, ar
left US sittin thar out on the prairie
They hogged bosses an all"
He wiped his face, and spat int
the fire, while Hamlin sat silent, gu
| in hand.
\ Il reckon now as how LIE Fevre pr
\ OF Koleta wise to that game, but
v was plum innocent them" he went q
regretfully. wall. we.-thar WI
four O us,-hoofed it east till "
struck some ranchers on Cow eric
and got the loan O. some ponies. The
I struck out to locate the main her
1t didn't take me long, stranger,
discover thar want no herd to locaf
But | struck their trail, whar
eo Tevre had driven EN- up into Nilsson
and cashed in fer pot O. none
- Then the damn cuss just match al
vanished. l plugged bout fer two
to three months hopin' ter ketch up wi
him, but l never did. | heerd tell
[1o- him onc't or twice, an caught on
was travelin' under nuther name
some durn French contradictory
TX; thet's as much as ever did find o.
Finally, up in independence wus
ant durn near broke l reckoned I'd bett
nut what I he'd left In grub stal