The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1913-09-25

kin sss.-
Maybe MOI. stranger and Hao-
IA laaneA hack against the tabas. Nv
ssing his weapon slightly. - hs|
alAAesA vatchfully ahost tAs rIoo.
-bst IN keep the gun AaAAy jast ths
saos sntiI vs uaAsrstanA sseA etAss.
Anybody else In this 1slSAbogAoo0!
Not snlsss IT'S L. Issrs. a. hs
ostAt-
TAsa ] reckon you ~ ths shose-
ing est tAsrs . bit ss0!-
n 0aA shsRlsA unsasily. bst ths
sse0sast's right AaAA came - . lsssl
-Da1 yess-
Z sDoss thar ain't no Hss o dsay.
" ~ reluctantly. eyeing ths gua v
tAs corner. but l didn't msaa -
shoot uD no outnt but Ls Fevre'a -
help Ne. l didn't! The DANCED snov
was % thick couldn't see noh0w. bst
l nsvsr s'possd any one was o. ths
trail 'cept him. Thar amt beea 70
white man long yere in three n0aths.
Didn't hit none Of yer. did ~"
"Yes. 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 throw of the dice with
me whether l fill you full OF lead. OF
let you go. came in here intending
TO kill you. II you were the cur who
shot us up But I'm willing to listen
to what you have got to say. I'm some
on the fight. but plain murder don't
appeal to me. How is it? Are you
ready to talk! Spit it out mani"
I'll tell yer Jest how 1t was"
DO 1t my way then; answer
straight what ! ask you. Who are
you! What are you doing here?"
kin sit down."
Yes; make 1t short now: all l
want is facts"
Wal. my name is Hughes-Jed
Hughes; | uster 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! thought SO. till just
lately" his voice rising. Anyhow.
he'd bunch O. money in on the deal.
though III be darned If l know just
what's become o. it. Yer see, stranger.
Gene he'd the inside O. this Injun
business. bein' as he's sorter a squaw
man"
What" interrupted the other
sharply. DO you mean he married
into one OF the tribes?"
"sorter left-handed-yep:. a Chey-
enne woman. Little thing like that
didn't faze Gene none. II he did have
white wife-a blamed good-looker
she was too. She was out here onc't.
three years ago, bout week maybe.
Course she didn't know nothin' bout
the squaw. an the Injuns was all
huntin' down in the Wichitas. But
as l was sayin'. Gene caught on to
this yere Injun war last spring.
reckon OIL Koleta. his Injun fatherin-
law. likely told him what wus brewin'
he's sorter q war-chief. Anyhow he
knew thet hell was to pay. an 80 we
match ally gathered up our long horns
an drove 'em east whar they wouldn't
be raided. We didn't git all the crit
ers rounded up. as we wus in a
hurry, an they wus scattered some
cause Of . hard winter. So l come
back yere to round up the rest O
ther bunch"
"And brand few outsiders."
He grinned.
Maybe I wasn't over-particular,
but anyhow I got q thousand head
together by the last o. June. an hit
the trail with 'em. Then hell sure
broke loose. Fore we'd got that
bunch O. cattle twenty mile down
the Cimarron we wus rounded up by
gang O Cheyenne 1njuns, headed by
that ornery koleta. and every horn OF
'em drove OF. Thar want no fight:
the damn bucks just laughed at US, an
left us sittin' thar out on the prairie.
They hogged hosses an all"
He wiped his face, and spat into
the fire. while Hamlin sat silent, gun
in hand.
Il reckon now as how lie Fevre put
OIL koleta wise to that game, but |
was plum innocent then" he went on
regretfully. Wall. we,-thar wus
four O. us.-hoofed 1t east till we
struck some ranchers on Cow Crick,
and got the loan o. some ponies. Then
struck out to locate the main herd
1t didn't take me long, stranger. to
discover thar want no herd to locate
But l struck their trail. whar lie
Fevre had driven em up into Missouri
and cashed in fer pot O. money.
Then the damn cuss Just match ally
vanished. plugged bout fer two er
three months hopin' ter ketch up with
him, but I never did. heerd tell O.
him onct or twice. an caught on he
was travelin' under 'nuther name
some durn French contraction-but
thets as much as l ever did find out.
Finally. up In Independence wus SO
durn near broke reckoned I'd better
put what l he'd left in a grub stake,