Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-08-17

crystal, flaWleSs as a hawks, fixed on
the stranger. Other men crowded
close, forming a circle, curious. ready
to be friendly or otherwise. according
to how the tall interrogation marked the
newcomer.
Sure, Ord's a little strange to me.
Off the railroad some, amt it? Funny
trails h~ereaboutS."
How fur was o goin'"
Il reckon l was goin' as far as l
could" replied the stranger. with a hard
laugh.
His reply had subtle reaction on that
listening circle. Some of the men eX-
changed glances. Fletcher stroked his
dropping mustache, seemed thought
full, but lost something of that piercing
scrutiny.
Wal, Ord's the jumpin' off place." he
said, presently. Sure you've heerd Of
the Big Ben country?"
Il sure have. an was maxim tracks
fer it." replied the stranger.
Fletcher turned toward a man In
the outer edge of the group. "knell.
come IL heah."
This individual elbowed his way in
aud was seen to be scarcely more than
a boy, limos pale beside those bronzed
men, with a long, eXpressionless face,
thin and sharp.
"knell, this heah's-" Fletcher
wheeled to the stranger. "What'd you
call yourself?'
"Td hate to mention what I've been
calm myself lately"
This sally fetched another laugh. The
stranger appeared cool, careless, indif-
ferent. Perhaps he knew, as the others
present knew, that this show of Fletch-
er's, this p%retense of introduction, vas
merely talk while he was looked over.
knell stepped up, and 1t was easy to
see, from the way Fletcher relinqGiShed
his part in the situation, that a mar
greater h he had appeared upon the
scene.
ANY business here?" he queried
CURLY. When he spoke his expression
less face was in strange contrast with
the ring, the quality, the cruelty of his
voice. This voice betrayed an absence
of humor, of friendliness, of heart.
Nope" replied the stranger.
Know anybody hereabouts?"
Mary one"
Jest ridin' through"
Yep"
"Slopin' fer back country, eh?"
There came a pause. The stranger
appeared to grow a little r%esentful and
drew himself up disdain lully.
WAL, considerin' you-all seem SO
damn friendly an oncurious down here
in this Big Bend country, l don't mind
sayin' yes-I am in on the dodge" he
replied, with deliberate sarcasm
From west of Ord-out Ell Paso way,
mebbe?"
Sure"
"A-huh! Thet so?" Knenrs words,
cutting the air, stilled the room. You're
from way down the river. Thets what
they say down thereon the dodge
f.. F.. Stranger, you're a liar!"
With swift clink of SPUR and thump
of boot the crowd split. leaving Knell
and the stranger in the center.
Wild breed of that ilk never made a
mistake in judging a mans nerve.
knell had cut out with the trenchant
call, and stood ready. HI stranger
suddenly lost his every semblance to
the rough and easy character before
manifest in him.. He became bronze.
That situation seemed familiar to him.
His eyes held q singular piercing light
that danced like a compass needle.
Sure l lied" he said; $50 1 amt
takin' offense at the way you called
me. I'm lookin' to make friends, not
enemies. You dom strike me as one
of them our flushes, achin' to kill
somebody. But. If you are-go ahead
an, open the ball; Y9u see +, |
they go fer theirs.
strange face not changing in the least.
Yet somehow it was evident in his look
that here was metal which rang diff
ferently from what he had expected.
Invited TO start a fight or withdraw, as
he chose, Knell proved himself big in
the manner characteristic of Only the
genuine gunman.
stranger, 1 pass" he said, and, turn
ing to the bar, he ordered liquor.
The tension relaxed, the silence
broke, the men filled up the gap; the
incident seemed closed. Jim Fletcher
attached himself to the stranger, and
now both respect and friendliness tenn
pered his asperity.
Wal, fer want of a better handle,
I'll call you Dodge" he said.
"Dodge's as good as any,. :.
Gents, line up again-an'. il you can't
be friendly, be careful"
Such was Buck Duane's debut in the
little outlaw hamlet OF Ord.
Duane had been three months out
Of the Nueces country. At Eel Paso
he bought the finest horse he could
find, and, armed II otherwise outfit
ted to suit him, he had taken to UNI
known trails. Leisurely he rode from
town to town, village to village, ranch
to ranch, fitting his talk and his occu-
patton to the impression he wanted to
make upon different people whom he
met. He was in turn a cowboy, a
rancher, a cattleman, a stock buyer, a
boomer, a land hunter. and, long be-
fore he reached the wild and inhospit-
able Ord, he had acted the part of an
outlaw, drifting into new territory. He
passed on l%eisurely because he wanted
to learn the lay of the country, the To-
cation Of villages and ranches, the
work, habit, gossip, pleasures, and
fears of the people with whom
he came in contact. The n SUBJ
ject most impelling to hi1n-out-
laws-he never mentioned; but by talk
ing all around it, sitting h old ranch
and cattle story, he acquired a knowl-
edge calculated to aid his plot. In this
game time was Of nc moment; if nee
essary he would take years to accom-
plish his task. The stupendous and
perilous nature Of it showed IN the
slow, wary preparation. When lie heard
F%letcher's name and faced Knell he
knew he had reached the place he
sought. Ord was a hamlet on the
fringe Of the grazing country, Of doubt
full honesty, from which, surely, wind
ing trails leu down into that fTee and
never disturbed paradise Of outlaws
the Big Bend.
Duane made himself agreeable, yet
not too much so, to Fletcher and sew
eral other men disposed to talk and
drink and eat; and then, after having
a care for his horse, he rode out OF
town a couple Of miles to a grove he
had marked, and there, we'll hidden, he
prepared to spend the night. This pro-