The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-09-20

long minute or two before he said: as
there another woman In 1t, JohnT
"Yes; but not in the way you
mean"
"Corry's n mighty fine little girl,
John" said Starbuck slowly. "Any
one Of dozen fellows / could name
would give all their old shoes to swap
chances with you"
"That isn't exactly the kind of nd
vice I'm needing" was the sober re-
jonder.
mo; but it was the kind you were
wanting, when you tolled me Off up
here" laughed the ex-cowpuncher. II
know the symptoms. Had 'em myself
for about two years so bad that could
wake up in the middle of the night and
taste 'em. Go In and win. Maybe the
great big stuInbling-block you're wor-
| rying about wouldn't mean anything
mt MI TO an open-minded young woman
like Corona; most likely It wouldn't"
"If she could know the whole truth
and believe it," said Smith musingly.
"You tell her the truth, asd she'll
take care of the believing part OF 1t,
all right. You needn't lose any sleep
about that"
Smith drew long breath and re-
moved his pipe to say: 81 haven't the
nerve, Billy, and that's the plain fact.
have already told her little of it.
She knows that L"
Starbuck broke in with a laugh.
"Yes; it's shouting pity about your
nerve! You've been putting up such a
business that we all know you haven't
any nerve. If had your job in that,
I'd be going around here toting two
guns and wondering II couldn't make
room In the holster for another"
Smith shook his head.
II was safe enough SO long as STAN
ton thought I was the resident mana
ger and promoter for new bunch of
big money in tha background. But he
has had me shadowed and tracked un-
I'll now guess he Is pretty well con-
vinced that actually had the audacity
to play lone hand; and bluffing
hand, at that. That makes a differ
ence, of course. Two days after had
climbed into the saddle here. he sent n
couple of his strikers after me. don't
know just what their orders were. but
they seemed to want to fight--and they
got 1t. 1t was In Blue Pete's doggery,
up at the camp"
"Guns" queried Starbuck.
"Theirs; not mine, because didn't
have any. managed to get the shoot
ing-irons away from them before we
had mixed very far"
you're just about the biggest. long
cared, stiff-backed, stubborn wild ass
of the wallows that was ever let loose
in n half-reformed gun country"
grumbled the ex-cowman. you're fix
ing to get yourself all killed up, Smith.
Haven't you sense enough to see that
these rustlers will rub you out In tive
made up their minds that you are the
High Line main guy and the only one?"
"Of course" said the wild ass easily.
"If they could lay me up for month
or two"
''Lay up, nothingw retorted Star
buck. LAY you down, about six feet
underground, is what meanW
"Pshaw!" exclaimed the one whose
fears ran in n far different channel
from any that could be dug by mere
corporation violence. "This Is Amer.
lea. in the twentieth century. We don't
kill our business competitors nova
days"
: Don't we?" snorted Starbuck. "That
win be oil right, too. Wen suppose
Just for the sake Of argument, that my
respected and respectable daddy-in'
law, or whatever other silk-hatted ole
money-bags happens to be paying
, Crawford Stanton's salary and commits
sion, wouldn't send out an order Il
. have you killed off. Maybe STATION
. himself, wouldn't stand for II II you't
! put 1t that barefaced. But daddy-in
{ law, and Stanton, and fll the others
hire blacklegs and sharpers and gun
> men and thugs. And every once In ,
: while somebody takes wink for q noe
a and bang goes gun"
swell, what's the answer?" sale
4 Pete Simms.'
. iutt uu uiStniiis suuIsSii, uLu "
t ready to shoot first and ask questions
r afterward. That's the only way yol
a can live peaceably with such men a
!, Jake Boogerfield and 1anterby ant
!. Simms."
Smith got out of his chair and tool
: n turn up and down the length Of tn
o room. When he came back to stant
n before Starbuck, he said: II did that
$ Billy. I've been carrying gun for I
{ week and more; not for these ditcl
S pirates, but for somebody else. Tn
other night, when was out at Hill
d crest, Corona happened to see 1t. In
not going to tell you what she said
t but when came back to town the mex
/ morning, chucked the gum into desl
g drawer. And I hope Tn going to b
t man enough not to wear 1t again."
N 4 a-..k -