Tombstone epitaph., 1916-09-17
"Mhnr.s thnty, asked nnnne-

But it costs hard rides and trouble, bad conscience, and life, too, doesn't | it?"
 "i ain't shore about the bad con science. Mine never bothered me none
 An as for life, why thet's cheap in Texas"
 Who is Bland?" asked Duane, quickly changing the subject. What do you know about him?"
 "We don't know who he Is or where he halls from" replied Euchre. ''Thet's | always been somethin' 10 interest the | gang. He must have been a young man when he struck Texas. Now he's middle-aged. remember how years | ago he was soft-spoken an not rough in talk or act like he is now. Bland | ain't likely his right name. He knows a lOt. He can doctor you. an he's shore knowin' feller with tools. | He's the kind thet rules men. outlaws are always ridin' in here to join his gang. an if it hadn't been fer the ! gamblin' an gun-play he'd have a | thousand men around him."
 | Ip" iNdl! HI HIS gang HoN "I reckon there's short of hundred now. The number varies. Then Bland has several small camps up an down the river. Also he has men back on the cattle-ranges.'
 "HOw does he control such a big forceT' asked Duane. Especially
 when his bands composed of bad men. Luke Stevens said he had no use for ! Bland. And I heard nnra somewhere
 that Bland was a devil"
 ''Thet'S it. He k a devil. He's as hard as flint, violent in temper. never l made any friends except kis right ! hand men. Dave RugC an Chess Allo- | way Bland II shoot at q wink He's ! killed a lot of fellerS. an some fer nothin. The reason thct outlaws gather round him an stick is because
 he's safe refuge. an then he's well
 heeled Bland is rich. They say he { has q hundred thousand pesos hid ! somewhere. an lots of gold. But he's free with money. He gambles when
 he's not of with shipment of cattle.
 He throws money around. An the ' fact is there's always plenty of money ! where he is. Ther'S what holds the | gang. Dirty, bloody money!" "It's wonder he hasn't been killed. All these years on the border" eX- claimed Duane.
 Wal" replied Euchre. dryiy. Ines been quicker on the draw than the other feliers who hankered to kill him, | thet's all"
 | Euchre's reply rather chilled { Duane's interest for the moment. Such
 remarks always made his mind resolve
 round facts pertaining 10 himself.
 "Speakin' of this here swift wrist l game" went on Euchre, there's been considerable talk in camp about your
 throwin' of gun. l heard Bland say ' this afternOon-an' he said il serious ! like an speculative-thet he'd never
 seen your equal. All the fellers who
 seen you meet Bosomer had somethin'
 to say. An they all shut up when | Bland told who an what your dad was. Pears to me I once seen your ] dad in d gun-scrape over at SantOne, | years ago. Wal. put my oar in to- day among the fellers, an I says: :: l What ails you locoed gents? Did ! young Duane budge an inch when Bo came roarin' out. blood in his eye?
 Wasn't he cool an quiet. steady of lips, an weren't his eyes readin' Bo's mind? An thet lightnin' draw-can't | you-all see thet's family gift;' Euchre's narrow eyes twinkled, and | he gave the dough he was rolling u | slap with his fiourwhitened hand. | Manifestly he had proclaimed himself | q champion and partner of Duane's, with all the pride an old man could | feel in a young one whom he admired. Wal" he resumed, presently, | "thet's your introduction to the border. ] Buck An your card was high ! trump. You'll be let severely alone by real gun-figii-rs an men like Bland,
 Alloway. Rugg. an the bosses of the
 other gangs. After all, these real men
 are men. you know. an onless you cross them they're no more likely 10
 interfere with you than you are with | them.
 "The only felIer who's goin' to put
 close eye on you is Benson He runs | the store an sells drinks. The gang
 calls him Jackrabbit Benson, because
 he's always got his eye peeled an
 his ears cooked.
 "Bland's not here tonight. He left
 today on one of his trips, takin' Allo-
 way an some others. But his other man, Rugg. he's here. Rugg's the little bow-legged man with half of his face shot of. He's one-eyed. But he can shore see out of the one he's got. An there's Hardin. You know him He's got an outlaw gang as big as
 Bland's."
 Euchre went on calling Duane's at
 tention to other men of the band. Any
 one of them would have been a mark
 ed man in a respectable crowd Here
 each took his place with more or less
 distinction. according to the record of
 his past wild prowess and his present
 possibilities. Duane, realizing that he
 was tolerated there, received in care
 less spirit by this terrible class of
 outcasis. experienced a feeling of re-
 yulsiOn that amounted almost to hor-
 TOT. Was his being there not an ugly
 dream? What had he in common with
 such ruffians; Then in a flash of mernory came the painful proof-he