The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-08-17

stranger, this neah metropolis
bears the handle Ord. Is tibet new to
your"
He leaned back against IN bar. and
now his little yellow eyes, clear as
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.
OF the railroad some, amt it? Funny
trails hereabouts."
How fur was you goin'?"
Il reckon / 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 g~lances. 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 Bend country"
II 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 In heah."
This individual elbowed his way in
and was seen to be scarcely more than
a boy, almost pale beside those bronzed
men, with a long, expressionless face'
thin and sharp.
"Knell, this heah's-" Fletcher
wheeled to the stranger. "Whatd you
call yourself?"
I'd 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 F1etch-
er's, this p%retense of Introduction, was
merely talk while he was looked over.
KEEL stepped up, and it was easy to
see, from the way Fletcher relihquished
his part in the situation, that a maj
greater than 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 hereaboutsT"
Nary 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 disdainhully.
oval, considerin' you-all seem so
damn friendly n 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 Eel Paso way.
mebbe?t
Sure"
"A-huh! Tibet so?" Knell's words,
cutting the air, stilled the room. You're
from way down the river. Thet's what
they say Town thereon the dodge
. . 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. The 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 a singular piercing light
that danced like a compass needle.
Sure l lied" he said; $50 I amt
takin' offense at the way you called
me. I'm lookin' to make friends, not
enemies. You don't strike me as one
Of them -four flushes, achin' to kill
somebody. But. If you are-go ahead
never throw a gun on them fellers till
they go fer theirs. O.
Knell cody eyed his antagonist, his
strange face not changing in h least.
Yet somehow it was evident in his look
that here was metal which rang diff
ferently from what he a expected.
Invited to start a fight or withdraw, as
he chose, Knell proved himself big in
the characteristic or only the
genuine gunman.
Stranger, / pass" he said, and, turn
ing to the bar, he ordered liquor.
The tension relaxed, the silence
broke, the men filled III 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 o Dodge" he said.
"Dodge's as good as any. I.
Gents, line up again-an'. If 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 NuecsS country. AT FL Paso
he bought the finest horse he could
find, and, armed and otherwise outfit
ted to suit him, he had taken to un-
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 I'M inhospit-
able Ord, he had acted the part Of an
outlaw, drifting into new territory. He
passed on leisurely 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 sub
ject most impelling to him-out-
laws-he never mentioned; but by talk
ing all around 1t, sitting the old ranch
asd cattle story, he acquired a knowl-
edge calculated to aid his plot. In this
game time was Of no moment; If nee
essary he would take years to accom-
plish his task. The s~tupendous and
perilous nature of 1t showed in the
slow, wary preparation. When he heard
Fletcher'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 led down into that free and
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