The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1914-01-16

| uO pdSSluS Lu0 open QOOr.
There! You see!" Mrs. Heaps face
was tragic. you see!" She turned
and fled, leaving the master Of the
ranch in the middle of the floor, be
wildered, but a bit inclined to be
happy. A moment later the plump
face of Berkeley Fresno appeared eau
tiously around the door amb. He
coughed again gravely.
| 81 happened to be passing" said he.
You'll pardon me?"
"This is the most thickly settled
spot in New Mexico!" Chaplin declared
with an artificial laugh, choking his
| indignation.
Fresno slowly brought his round
body out from concealment
| II came in to get match"
| 'Why don't you carry matches?"
Fresno pulled complacently upon his
pipe. "This," he unused, as his host
departed, eliminates the chaperon,
and that helps some"
Still Bill Slower lost no time in
breaking the news to the boys.
There's something comm off," he
| advised Willie. We've got another
| foot-runner!"
If he had hoped for an outburst of
rapture on the part of the little gun
man he was disappointed, for Willie
shifted his holster, smiled evilly
through his glasses, and inquired, with
ominous restraint:
Where is he?"
Being the one man on the Flying
Heart who had occasion to wear a
gun, Willie seldom smiled from a
sense of humor Here it may be said
that deceived at first by his scholarly
appearance, his fellow-laborers had
jibed at Willie's affectation of swing
ing holster, but the custom had Ian
guished abruptly. When 1t became
known who he was, the other ranch
hands had volubly declared that this
was a free country, where man
might exercise wide discretion in
the choice of personal adornment;
and as for them, they avowed unani-
mously that the practice of packing
Colts was one which met with their
most cordial appreciation. In time
Wi1lie's six-shooter had become &C
cepted as part of the local scenery,
and, like the scenery, no one thought
of remarking upon 1t, least of all those
who best knew his lack of humor. He
had come to them out of the Nowhere,
some four years previously, and while
- 80 =
couraged Renaissance in others, it
became known through those vague
uncharted channels by which news
travels on the frontier, that back in
the Texas Panhandle there was a
limping marshal who felt regrets at
mention of his name, and that farther
north were other men who had a SUI
perstitious dread Of understood cow
men with spectacles.
"This here is real foot-runner,"
said Slower.
Exactly" agreed the other. Where
is he?"
Hell be here this afternoon. Mig
ger Mixes bringin' him over from the
railroad. He's a guest
"Oh!"
yep! He's intercollegit champeen
Of Yale"
"Yale?" repeated the near-sighted
man. Don't knows ever been
there. Much of town."
II amt never travelled east myself
but Miss Jean and the little yaller-
haired girl say he's the fastest man In
the world. fggered we might rib
up something with the Contipede."
Still Bill winked sagely.
'See here, do you reckon he'd run? ?"
Sure! He's a friend Of the boss
And he'll run on the level too. He
can't be nothin' like Humpy."
"If he is, I'll git him." said the cow
boy. ooh, I'll git him sure, guest or
no guest. But how about the phono-
graph"
''The Centipede will put it up quick
enough; there amt no sentiment in
that outfit"
"Then 1t sounds good"
AN it II work. Gallagher's anxious
to trim us again. Some folks can't
stand prosperity"
Willie spat unerr1ngly at grass
hopper. Lord" said he, cts too
good! It don't sound possible"
well. It is. and our man win be
here this evenin'. Watch out for Mig
ger Mike. and when he drives up let's
give this party welcome that II
warm his heart on the jump. There's
nothin' like a good impression"
I'll be on the job" assured Willie.
But ] state right here and now. IL we
do get race there amt a-goin' to be
no chance OF our losin' for second
time"
And Slower went on his why to
spread the tidings
(To BE CONTINUITY
The man who fatters himself that
he leaves little to be desired should
remember that q hurc1nr -. Y - !.