Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-03-25
The Daily Story
THE BAD MANLY CLARISsA MACKIE
Copyrighted 1919. by Associated Literary Bureau


her own. AS she rode away she looked
back more than once at the lone figure
standing in the sheep herder's hut and
the last time she looked he waved his
hat in friendly farewell. After that
she kept her face straight ahead, her
eyes fixed on the triangular space be-
tween her horses ears. A little smile
played about her lips. and now aud then
dimples came and went in her pink
cheeks
At the ranch Loo Sing was closely
questioned and strongly denied steal
ing his masters chickens. The matter
was talked over at the supper table.
and Dick threatened to make trouble
for Gay Ransom. the bad man.
The country is well rid OF such YER
min" he muttered as he went to bed.
Two hours later, at midnight. there
came the thunder of running hoofs on
the ground without and the pounding
of a revolver butt on the front door.
Dick Fancher threw up his window
to find the glare Of a grass FIRE red
dening the sky with lurid Pickering
light and outlining the tall. graceful
form of the bad man ON his brown
horse.
well. what is it," he demanded
sharply.
Fire, See 1t coming? I've come to
help you ditch it around the house or
else get the women away. What do
you want to do?' He asked the Ques-
ton impatiently. and indeed there was
little time to be lost, for the long red
wall of fame was approaching rapidly.
The ranch house was of adobe and
would stand the fierce epcircling
flames If they could manage the ditch.
They could turn the contents of the
water tank into the ditch, Dick was
thinking while he rapidly dressed and
ordered his family from their beds.
Loo Sing had quite disappeared, and
the three Mexicans, who were all the
help Dick had on the farm at this sea-
son. were doubtless gambling down at
Cummings saloon, eight miles away.
! There was nobody here but the bad
! man and Dick Fancher.
First they drove the frightened
horses to the shed near the house.
| Then they turned loose the restless
| to the refuge of the hills to the east.
1t would take days to gather them In
again. The two men fell to work with
| shovels and made a wide ditch all
| around the little lonely adobe house,
waiting there in the middle OF the
crisp, parched plain to know what her
fate would be. Would the heat Of the
flames crack her walls beyond endur-
ance of the women within, or would
the two be able to complete the ditch
and ill it with water, thus frustrating
the cruel tongues of devastating hreT
The ditch was finished while the hot
breath of fame famed their cheeks.
They turned the water, an all too slen-
der stream, into the ditch. saw the
earth drink it up, drink and drink, and
then when It could absorb no more
saw the ditch slowly fill to half its
depth. Then Gay Ransom, hatless.
coatless, singed by fame and scorched
beyond recognition, threw pail after
pail of water against the walls OF the
house, even while the heated surface
Missed under the contact and the steam
rose in a white drift. Dick Fancher
was everywhere at once, beating back
/. little incursions of fame, tossing a
bucket of water on a flaming shrub,
chasing bewidered chickens into the
house, soothing first his family and
then his horses until the morning
dawned and found them safe.
Black and grimy beyond recognition,
they stared at each other while the
smoke clouds beloved away to the
northeast Then it was that Loo Sing
emerged from the adobe chicken house
wild with fright and dragging after
him the evidences of his own guilt In
the shape of bag of muffled chickens
81 owe you the sincerest apology
Ransom" said Dick Fancher frankly
as he grasped the others hand, land
owe you more than can say for the
help you've given me tonight"
II think you've made a mistake
Dick, dear" said Mans soft voice, witt
, a hint of laughter in its tone. This
; is not Gay Ransom, the Desperate.
am sure it is Mr. Bleck himself. for
, met him last summer at the Tetleys'.
"Of course, Of coursew cried Bleel
, excitedly 81 knew I'd seen you be
! fore. took you in to dinner, yol
= know"
please explain" said Dick witt
| what patience he could muster. "Wh.
are you not Gay Ransom? Why ar
1 you MT Bleck? Why are you posing
l. as a bad man and a sheep herder"
9. Bleck laughed heartily. I'm Blecl
$ because 1 can't help it. / came on
q here to learn the business on my ranc
from the bottom up, and the bottom
4 seems to be herding. I told my fore
Z, man I'd be incog for awhile, and tn
q rascal planted on me the name an
reputation OF a we'll known bad ma
A." hereabout I've just discovered tn
4 fact. and I marvel that I've not bee
4 lynched before this"
n This is the story Of how the bad ma
y came to be Dick Fancher's warmes
! friend and finally his brother-in-la'
q and how Nan became her brother
n nearest neighbor and yet lived IN til
p next county.