The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-10-05

Z nm 'AA'bb ft3s .IIE HpcW GstGt 4JI4ti3Eu
heId ihen. Ne knew what 10 exasger-
ate;
Ihrf" was not an OUTLAW IN sight
~" dusty horses had covered distance
,HHL morning. AZ Duane dis!nountcd
ne lifhtd !ond, angry voices i'.aidc tho
,"Y"f't; lie moN coat and vest.
h"iE lhrIh over Inc pomnisl. lie packed
lwo gums. one beIted high on the left
mp, IN: plt"f swinging lO" on the
fIkht SIDE. He neither looked nor lis
tt'iod' bul boldly pushed the door and
~ inside
me ~. room "as fun or men, and
every face piVoted toward hi.n. Knel'a
piic race flashed INTO Duane'B swift
IHlEhli then ltoldt'g, then Blossom
knne,H, thon Panhandle Smiths, then
f~l'iehcr'h, thcn others that were fat1il-
M ana last that or roHGin. Though
puihe ihd never seen FpEGln or heard
him described, he knew him. For he
saw II face that was II record Of great
ana "Vil deeds:
nolc was apHoihte silence. The out
th"3 were ilhed back OF n long table
upon winch were papers, stacks OF sill
yer CON, u bundle Of billa, and a huge
6"iI mounted gun 49,
arc you gents lookln' for me-"
asked Duane lie gave his voice AL the
I!hhlh6 force and owe of which he
~aH capable. And he stepped back, free
OF anything. with the outlaws all be-
io,p nun.
hhel' $1,000 qnlVerlnS, but his face
might hitVo bten u mask. The other
oHliaWH looked from him to Duane.
inn ilet,'l1ef hung up hls hands.
my o'aWd, Dodge, what'd you Just
IN here fer, he said. plainly, and slow
y Topped orwar His action was
That OF II man true to himself. He
meant no had been sponsor for Duane
una now ne would stand by him.
batN. hlelcher'' called Duane, and
nus voice made the outlaw jump.
Hold on. Dodge, m you-all, every
podiS,' SAID Fletcher. Let mo talk.
seem I'm In wrong here"
idia pefsulaiona did not ease the
s'tn.h'
20 ihead. Ialk.' said Posgin.
fletcher turned to Duane. "Pard,
I'm AKIN 1t ON myself tibet you meet
enemies here when swore you'd meet
friends us my fault. I'll stan by
you y you let me-
NO, jim" replied Duane.
'but Whatd YOU come fer without
the signal" burst our Fletcher, In dis
lress. lie saw nothing but catastro-
Pho IN this meeting.
Jim, amt pressin' my company
ioIis, l,ut when I'm wanted bad"
~hletchef stopped him With n raised
hala; Ihen he turned to Poggin with
u rude dignity.
"PeESy, he's my pard, an he's rilod.
never told him a word thet'd make
nun sore, only said l<nell hadn't no
more use fer him than fer me. Now,
what YOU say goes in this gang. II
never failed You in my life. Here's
my pard. / vouch for him. Will you
stand Ter me There's Goin' to be hell
y YOU don't. An us with 4 big job on
hand"
While Fletcher toiled over his slow,
ernest persuasion Duane had his gaze
riveted upon Poggin. There was some
thing lecnine about PogSin. He was |
taWhey' lie blazed. He seemed beau
tiful as fire was beautiful, But looked
AT closer, with glance seeing the ply
steal man, instead of that thing which
shone from him, he was Of perfect
build, with muscles THAI swelled and
rippied, bullying his clothes, with the
magnificent head and face of the cruel,
iierce,. tawny-eyed jaguar.
Looking at this strange Poggin. in
stinctively divining his abnormal and
hideous power, Duane had for the first
time In his life the inward quaking
fear OF a man. 1t was like a cold
tongue bell. ringing within him and
numbing his heart. The old instinc-
tV firing of blood followed. but did
not drive away that fear. He knew.
he felt something here deeper than
thought could go. And he hated Poggin.
Ihat individual a been consider
ing Fletcher's appeal.
Jim. l ante up" he said, IAN il Phil
doesn't raise US out with a big hand
why. he'll get called, an your pard
can set In the game"
Every eye shifted to Knell. He was
dead white. He laughed. and any one
hearing that laugh would have realized
his intense anger equally with an asA
surance which made him master or ths
situation.
"Poggin. you're a ramhler yo,, w.
the ace hich. STRAIGHT flush bana =,
the Big BEND" he said with st;na,n ~
scorn. 'Ill bet Won nv roll 10 . sraa co.
peso that + r,n aa.I %, isass,
he afraia tn n1avs Aano souA
..phii yn,,ra t,,r,n. m,sn
Porgin Win hoth aar,oa srowieo
In his IONS ~ aWo menace
.Tf tbere,s ,n,t,,n,
man who nra+ans. ~ = "a. Us a
u.han ~ ~ 70 solleoooy else
par ar my. ihes
wr, y noaaeu N SLOW sathering
..xxau r
nen' Inns new pard-this man
lIossa hheens no. VINO ne seems. on-ho!
Us nei OF a ioe dilIerent. But l
I IN ~ Wnen L CnTlnT htQ nnnnn