The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1917-04-26
CHAPTER vi.
Blaze Jones and His Neiohbors,


Blaze Jones rode up to his front gate
and dismounted in the shade Of the big
ebony tree. He stepped back and ran
an approving eye over another animal
tethered there. OF course the youths
Of this day were nothing like the
youths of his own, and yet-Blaze let
his gaze linger fondly on the highbred
mare and her equipment-here at least
was a person who knew a good horse,
a good saddle and a good gun.
AS he came up the walk he heard
Paloma laugh, and his OWL face light
ened, for his daughters merriment was
contagious. Then as he mounted the
steps and turned the corner of the
gallery" he uttered u hearty greeting.
Dave Law! Where in the world
did you drop from?"
Law uncoiled himself and took the
ranchman's hand. "Hello, Blaze! I
been ordered down here to keep you
straight"
"Pshaw! Now who's been giving
you orders, Dave?"
why, I'm with the Rangers"
"Never knew q word of it. Last
heard you was filibustering around
with the Maderistas."
Blaze seated himself with a grateful
sigh where the breeze played over him.
He was a big, bearlike, swarthy man
with the square-hewn, deep-lined face
of a %tragedian, and a head of long,
curly hair, which he wore parted in q
liEe over his left ear. Jones was a
character, a local landmark. This part
Of Texas had grown up with Blaze,
and he possessed a splendid indiffer-
ence to the artificial fads Of dress
and manners. He was plainly an out
door man.
$50 you're a Ranger, and got notches
on your gun" Blaze rolled and lit q
tiny cigarette, scarcely larger than q
wheat straw. "Well, you'd ought ia
make a right able thief-catcher, Dave,
only for your size-you're too long for
IL man and you amt long enough for q
snake. Still, I reckon a thief would
have trouble getting out of your reach,
and once you got close to him How
many men have you killed?"
Counting Mexicans?" Law inquired
with q smile.
Nobody counts them"
mot many"
"That's good" Blaze nodded and
relit his cigarette, which he had per.
mitted promptly to smolder out. "The
force amt what it was. Most of the
boys nowadays join so they can ride
n horse cross-lots, pack q pair of
guns, and give rein to the predictions
Of a vicious ancestry. They're bad
rams, most Of EN-"
"There aren't many" said Paloma.
"Dave tells me the whole force has
been cut down to SIXTEEN"
"That's plenty" her father averred.
"It's like when Cap'n Bill Mcdonald
was sent to stop a riot in Dallas. He
came to town alone, and when the citi-
zens asked him where his men was,
he said Amt I enough? There's only
one riot Are you workin' up a case,
Dave?"
"Um-m-yes! People are missing a
lot of stock hereabouts."
tits these blamed refugees from the
war! A Mexican has to. steal some
thing or he gets run down and pore.
If 1t amt stock, it's something else."
Dave Laws duties as a Ranger rest
ed lightly upon him; his instructions
! were vague, and he had a leisurely
Iinethod of working up" his evidence.
Since he knew that Blaze possessed a
thorough knowledge Of this section and
its people. it was partly business which
had brought him to the Jones home
this afternoon.
Strictly speaking, Blaze was not a
rancher. He had speculated heavily in
raw lands. and for several years past
he had devoted his energies to a gi-
gantic colonization scheme. 1t was by
no means a small operation in which
he was engaged. The venture had
taken foresight, courage, infinite hard!
work; Blaze IA burdened with re-
sponsibilities that would have broken
~,- - $1,000 ~ ---N.--