The Huttig news., 1916-11-18

ehed ill the early dawn by ro~dies cafousing in the streets.
 Duane kept pretty close under cover during the day. He did not entertain the opinion that the first time lie walked dOwn-street he would he target for guns. Things seldom happened that way; and when they did happen so, it was more accident than design. But at night he Nas not idle. He met Laramie Morton. ziln- mer and others of like character. q 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 WIS not up at LongStrcth'S. 1t night he was visited. eor at least the house was =hy strange men Who were swift. sfealfhy. mystcriou~-al that kindly disposed friends or neigh bors would not have been. Duane ] had not heen able to recognize any of these night visitors and he dd not think the time was ripe for hold holding up Of one of them. NeVerthe- less, he was sure such an event would discoVe1. Lawson. or someone in that house, to be in touch with crooked men.
 Laramie was right. Not twenty four hour@ after his talk with Duane. in which he advised quick action, he MS found behind the little bar of his restaurant with bullet-hole in his breast dead No one could he found who had heard shot. If had heen deliberate murder, fer upon the bar had been Jeff Il pirce of paper rudeiy scraWled with pencil: All friends l of rangers look for fhc same"
 This reused Duane His first move, however. WAS ta bury Laramie. None of Laramie's neighbors evinced any in terest in the dead man or the unfor- tunate family he had left Duane saw that these neishbors were held in check by fear Mrs Laramie was Ill: the shock of her husbands death was hard on her; and she had been left almost destitute with five children. | Duane rented an adobe house on the outskirts of town and moved the family into il. Then he played the part of prevder and nurse and friend
 After several days Duane went boldly into town and showed that he meant business. It was his opinion that there were men in Fairdale secretly glad of rangers presence What he intended to do was food for great speculation. X company of militia could not have had the effect upon the wild element of Fatrdale that nuanc's presence had. It got out that he was gunman lightning swift on the draw. If was death to face him. He had killed thirty men widest rumor of all. It WAS actually said of him he had the gun-sliill of Buck Duane or Poggin.
 At first there had not only been great conjecture among the vicious element. but also q very decided checking of all kinds of action cal culated to he conspicuous to q keen eyed ranger. At the tables, at the bars and lounging-places Duane heard the remarks: "Who's thet ranger after? What II 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 somewhercs full of lead?"
 When it came out somewhere that Duane was cultivating the honest o;t in time against the other element. then Fairdale showed it's wolf teeth. Several times Duane was shot at in ,he dark and once slightly injured Rumor had it that Poggin the gum man, was coming to meet him. But the lawless element did not rise up in a mass to slay Duane on sight If was not so much that the enemies of the law awaited his next move. but just slowneSS peculiar to the frontier. There was a rude kind of good humor even in their open hostility.
 Besides, one ranger or q company of rangers could not have held the undivided attention of these men from their games and drinks and quarrelS except by some decided move. EX- citement, greed, appetite were rife in them. Duane marked. however, a striking exception to the usual run of strangers he had been in the habit of seeing. Sneaker had gone or was ! under cover Again Duane caught vague rumor of the coming of Poggin, vet he never seemed to arrive. More oyer the goings-on among the habitues of the resorts and cowboys who came in to drink and gamble were unusually mild in comparison with former conduct. This lull. how ever. did moi deceive Duane. It could not last. The wonder was that it