The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-06-14
CHAPTER vi.
Blaze Jones and His NeIohbor.

1t&@S JOuS1 Muo IT'S NelpnD0r1.
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 q good horse,
a good saddle and a good gun.
AS he came up the walk he heard
Paloma laugh, and his W face light.
ened, for his daughters merriment was
contagious. Then as he mounted the
steps and turned the corner Of the
gallery" he uttered a hearty greeting,
Dave Lawl Where In the world
did you drop from?"
Law uncoiled himself and took the
ranchman's hand. "Hello, Blaze!
been ordered down here to keep you
straight"
"Pshawi Now who's been giving
you orders. Daver
why, I'm with the Rangers"
Never knew a word of 1t. Last ]
heard you was flibustering around
with the M~aderlstas."
Blaze seated himself with a grateful
sigh where the breeze played over him.
He was a big. bearlike, swarthy man
with the -.guare-hewn. deeP-liaed face
of a tragedlan, and a head OF long,
curly hair. which he wore parted In a
line 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 He was plainly an out
door man.
$50 you're a Ranger, and got notches
on your gum" Blaze rolled and lit a
tiny cigarette, scarcely larger than a
wheat straw. "Well, you'd ought to
make a right able ~thief-catcher, Dave,
only for your size-you're too long for
a mar and you amt long enough for a
snake. Still, / reckon a thief would
have trouble getting out of your reach,
and ono you got close to him How
many men have you killed.
Counting Mexicans?" Law inquired
with a smile.
Nobody counts them"
"Not many"
THAT'S good" Blaze nodded and
relit his cigarette, which he had per-
mItted promptly TO smolder out. 1.-THE
force amt what 1t was. Most OF the
boys nowadays join so they can ride
a horse cross-lots, pack a pair OF
guns, and give rein to the predictions
OF d vicious ancestry. They're bad
rams. most OF 'em."
'There aren't many" said Paloma,
"Dave tells me the whole force has
been cut down 20 sixteen"
That's plenty" her father averred,
ITS like when Cap'n Bill Mcdonald
was sent to stop . riot in Dallas. He
came to town alone, and when the citi.
zens asked him where his men was
ne said Amt I sRoughf There's cnls
one riot Are you workin' up q case
DaveT'
"Um-m-yest People r missing q
lot OF stock hereabouts."
SITS these blamed refugees from the
warl 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 ~lelsurely
method OF working up his evidence
Since he knew that Blaze possessed q
thorough knowledge OF this section and
it's people, IL was partly business which
had brought him to the Jones home
this Afternoon.
Strictly speaking, Blaze was not !
|rancher. He had specuiated heavily IL
raw lands, and for several years PAS
he had devoted his energies TO a Vi
gantic colonization scheme. It was b,
no means d small operation In which
he was engaged. The venture hat
taken foresight, courage. infinite hars
work: Blaze was burdened with re
sDonaib1ifIes fAkk would have hrokel
down 4 mar q weaker 6bers