The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-12-05

amt got no call to quarrel SO fur az
I kin see."
Maybe not. stranger" and Ham.
lin leaned back against the table, low
ering his weapon slightly, as he
slanced watchfully about the room,
but III keep the gun handy just the
same until we understand each other.
Anybody else in this neighborhood?"
Not unless it's LIE Fevre. an his
outfit"
Then l reckon you did the shoot
ing out there a bit ago."
The man shuffled uneasily. but the
k%ergeant's right hand came to q level.
Did your"
L s'pose thar amt no use o. deny
IN IT, reluctantly, cycling the CUR in
the corner, but | didn't mean to
shoot up no outfit but LIE Fevre's. So
help me, | didn't! The DANCED now
was SO thick couldn't see nohow, but
never s'posed any one vas on the
trail 'cept him. Thar amt been 10
white man long we're in three months.
Didn't hit none of yer, did II"
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 a throw Of the dice with
me whether | fill you full of lead. or
let you go. l came in here intending
to kill you, if 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 it was"
d 1t my way then; answer
straight what I ask you. Who are
you? What are you doing here"
kin l sit DOWN."
Yes; make it sh ..t now; all I
want is facts"
wal. 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 l hev been grain cattle in
between yere an Buffalo Creek"
"Partners?"
Wal, by God! l thought so, till just
lately" his voice rising. Anyhow,
he'd a bunch o. money in on the deal,
though I'll be darned if l know just
Gene he'd the inside o. this lnjun
business, bein' as he's sorter a squaw
nan"
What" interrupted the other
sharply. do you NEAR he married
into mi of the tribes?'
"Sorter left-handed-yep; a Chey-
enne Little thing like that
didn't faze Gene none, il he did have
a white wife-a blamed good-looker
she was too. She was out here onc't,
three years ago, bout a 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 Of Koleta, his Injun father-in.
law, likely told him what wus brewin'
he's sorter a war-chief. Anyhow he
knew tibet hell vas to pay, an so we
materially 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 u scattered some,
cause OF a hard winter. So l come
back yere to round up the rest O.
Their bunch"
And brand a few outsiders"
He grinned.
Maybe / wasn't over particular.
but anyhow l got a thousand head
together by the last o. June, an hit
the trail with EN-. Then hell sure
broke loose. Fore we'd got that
bunch o. cattle twenty mile down
the Cimarron we wus rounded UP by
a gang O. Cheyenne Injuns, headed by
that ornery koleta. and every horn of
EN- drove of. Thar want no fight;
the damn bucks just laughed at us, an
left US sittin' thar out on the prairie.
They hogged bosses an all"
He wiped his face, and spat into
the fire, while Hamiin sat silent, gun
in hand.
Il reckon o as how lie Fevre put
Of koleta wise to that game. but |
was plum innocent then," he went on
regretfully. Wall, we.-thar wus
four O. us,-hoofed it east till we
struck some ranchers on Cow Crick,
and got the loan O. some ponies. Then
| struck out to locate the main herd.
It didn't take me long, stranger, to
discover thar want no herd to locate.
But | struck their trail, whar lie
Fevre had driven 'em up into Missouri
and cashed In fer q pot o. money.
Then the damn cuss just materially
vanished. I plugged bout fer two er
three months hopin' ter ketch up with
him, but l never did. l heerd tell o.
him onc't or twice, an caught ON he
was ~travelin' under 'nuther name-
some durn French contraction-but
thet's as much 40 l ever did find out.
Finally. up in Independence | wus SO
durn nea broke | reckoned I'd better
put what l he'd left In a grub stake.
an drift back yere. figgered tibet