The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-09-14

men who have failed at ranching.
And your father has been wonderfully
successful. The ranger has dropped
poison. and it'll spread
CHAPTER XVIII.
Strangers rode into Fairdale; and
other hard looking customers, new to
Duane il not to Fairdale, helped to
create charged and waiting atmos-
phere. The saloons did unusual BUSH
ness and were never closed Respectable
citizens OF the town were awakened in
the early dawn by rowlies carousing
in the streets.
Duane kept pretty close under cover
during the day. He did not entertain the
opinion that the first time he walked
down street he would be a target for
guns. Things seldom happened that
wag; and when they did happen so, it
was more accident than design. But at
night he was not idle. He met Laramie,
Morton, thinner, and others of like
character; a secret club had been
formed: and all the members were
ready for action. Duane spent hours at
night watching the house where Floyd
Lawson stayed when he was not up at
Longstreth's. AT night he was visited,
CT at least the house was, by strange
men who We're swift. stealthy, myster-
ious-all that kindly disposed friends
or neighborS would not have been.
Duane had not been able to recognize
any of these night visitors; and he did
not think the time was ripe for bold
lolding-up of one of them. Never
theless, he was sure such an event
would discover Lawson, or some one in
that house. to be in touch with crooked
men.
Laramie was right Not "a hours
after his last talk with Duane, in which
he advised quick action, he was found
behind the little bar of his restaurant
with bullet hole in his breast, dead
No one could be found who had heard
shot It had been deliberate murder,
for upon the bar had been left a piece
of paper rudely scrawled with PEN
ell: "All friends OF rangers look for the
same"
This reused Duane. His first move
however, was to bury Laramie. None
of I4aramie's neighhors evinced any in
terest in the dead man or the nnfor-
t,nate family he had left. Duane saw
that these neighbors We're held in check
by fear. Mrs. Laramie was i'll; the
shock of her husbands death was hard
on her: and she had been left almost
destitute with five children. Duane
rented a small adobe house on the out
skirts of town and moved the family
into it. Then he played the part of
proyider and nurse and friend.
After several days Duane went boldly
into town and showed that he meant
business. 1t was his opinion that there
were men in Fairdale secretly glad of
a rangers presence. What he intended
to do was fGod for great speculation. A
company of militia could not have had
the effect upon the wild element of
Fairdale that Duane's presence had. 1t
got out that he was gunman light
ming swift on the draw. 1t was death
to face him. He had killed 80 men
widest runner of ALL 1t was actually
said Of him he had the gun skill of
Buck Duane or Of Poggin.
AT first there had not only been great
conjecture among the vicious element,
but also very decided checking of all
kinds of action calculated to be con-
spicuous to a keen eyed ranger. AT the
tables, at the bars and lounging places
Duane heard the remarks, who's tibet
ranger after? What'll he do fust off
Is he waitin' fer somebody? Who's
goin' to draw on him fust-an' go to
hell? Jest about how soon will he be
found somewheres full of lead?"
When it came out somewhere that
Duane was openly cultivating the
honest stay at home citizens to array
them In time against the other ele-
ment then Fairdale showed it's wolf
teeth. Several times Duane was shot
at in the dark and once slightly in
| iurcd. Rumor had it that Poggin, the
| gunman, was coming to meet him. But
| the lawless clement did not rise up in a
mass to STAY Duane on sight. 1t was
| not so much that the enemies of the
! law awaited his next move, but just a
slowness peculiar to the frontier. The
| ranger was in their midst He was in
teresting, if formidable. He would have
| been welcomed at card tables, at the
bars, to play and drink with the men
who knew they We're under suspicion
| There was q rude kind of good humor
| even in their omen hOSfilitS.3
! Besides, one ranger or a company OF
rangers could not have held the undi-
syided attention of these men from then
games and drinks and quarrels except
i by some decided move. Excitement
| greed appetite We're rife in them
| Duane marked, however, "a striking ex-
ception to the usual run Of strangers
| he had been in the habit Of seeing
i Smoker had gone or was under cover
l Again Duane caught vague rurnor OF
the coming of Poggin. yet he never
seemed to arrive. Moreover, the go
/ ingson among the habitues of the re-
sorts and the cowboys who came in tc
drink and gamble were unusually mild
| in comparison with former conduct
This lull, however. did not deceive
Duane. 1t could not last. The won
der was that it had lasted SO long.
Duane went often3t to see Mrs. Lar.
i annie and her children. One afternoon
| while he was there he saw Miss Long
streth and Ruth ride up to the door
Il They carried a basket. Evidently they
i had heard Of Mrs. Laramies trouble
Duane felt strangely glad, but he went
into an adjoining room rather thar
meet them.
Mrs. Laramie I've come to see you,
said Miss Longstreth cleerfully.
The little room was not very light
Il there being only one window and the
doors, but Duane could see plainly
enough. Mrs. Laramie lay, hollow
checked and haggard, ON a bed, Once
she had evidently been a woman Of
some comeliness. The ravagcs Of
Y trouble and grief were there tosrend in
i her worn face; It had not, however. any
i Of the hard and bitter lines that had
characterized her huEbanu s.
Duane wondered. considering tina,
LonEstre.h haA ruined Laramie, how