The Benson signal., 1917-07-14

In through the street WINDOW. Inc
Morgans were celebrating uncommon
ly. Rubbing it in, eh, John?" sug-
gested Jeffries.
'"Think Of it," gasped Lefever, "to
be beaten by an eighteen-year-old girl"
snow that" declared Jeffries, wax
ing up as if for the first time inter-
ested, sis exactly where you made your
mistake, John. A gunman shoots his
best when there's somebody shooting
at him. That's why you shoot we'll
because you're q gunman, and not a
marksman."
'That boy can shoot all around me,
jeff"
"For instance" continued Jeffries,
''if you had put Gale Morgan up
against Henry, and told him to ''hoot
at each other, instead of against each
other, you'd have got bull's-eyrs to
burn from De Spain. And the Gala
basas crowd wouldn't have your
money. John, If you want to win
money, you must study the psyct tolog-
ical"
There was abundance Of raillery In
Lefever's retort: That's why you are
rich, Jeff?"
'No, I am poor because failed to
study it. That Is why am at Sleepy
Cat holding down a division. But
now that you've brought Henry up
here, we'll keep him."
"What do you mean, keep him?''
demanded Lefever, starting in protest.
II mean 1 need him. ! mean the
time to shoot bear is when you see
him. John, what kind of fellow Is
De Spain?" demanded the superiptend-
ent, as If he had never heard Of him.
Lefever, regarding Jeffries keenly,
exclaimed with emphasis: "Why, IL you
want him short and sharp, he's man
with soft eye and a snap-turtlt jaw,
a. man Of close squeaks and shOr farm
shots, always getting into trouble, al
ways getting out; a man that can
wheedle more out of horse thar any
body but an Indian; coax more shots
out of a gun than anybody else can
put into tiff you want him fiat, that's
Henry, as size him."
Jeffries resumed his mildest tone
''Tell him to come in a minute, john"
De Spain himself expressed con-
temptuous impatience when Lefever
told him the superintendent wanted
him to- go to work at Sleepy Cat. He
declared he had always hated the
town, raised one objection after anoth'
er to leaving Medicine Bend, and JEFF.
fries finally summoned a show Of i'm.
patience.
"You are looking for promotion,
aren't you?" he demanded threaten
ingly.
eyes, but not for motion without the
pro-" objected De Spain. II want to
stick to the railroad business. You
want to get me into the stage bust
ness"
Temporarily, yes. But I've told
you when you come back to the divi.
sion proper, you come as my assist
ant, if you make good running the
Thief River stages. Think Of the sal.
ary."
81 have no immediate heirs
''This is not a matter for joking, De
Spain"
81 know that, too. How many men
have been shot on the stages in the
last six months?"
"Why, now and again the stages
are held up, yes," admitted Jeffries
brusquely; "that is to be expected
where the specie shipments are large
The Thief River mines are rotten with
gold just now. But you don't have to
drive a stage. We supply you with
good men for that, and good guards
men willing to take any kind Of a
chance if the pay is right. And the
pay is right, and yours as general man.
ager will be right"
II have never as yet generally man.
aged any stage line," remarked De
Spain, poking ridicule at the title, enc
matter how modest an outfit"
"You will never learn younger. We
must have man to run that line that
can curb the disorders along the route
Calabasas valley, De Spain, is a bad
place."
''Is it?" De Spain asked as naively
as if he had never heard of Calabasas
though Jeffries was nervily stating q
fact bald and notorious to both.
"There are a lot Of bad men there,
Jeffries went on, "who are bad simply
because they've never had a man tc
show them"
'The last general manager was
killed there, wasn't he?" =
"Not in the valley, no. He was shot
at Calabasas inn"
. "Would that make very much differ
ence in the way he felt about it?'
Jeffries, with an effort, laughed
J ''That's all right, Henry! They won't
get you" Again he extended his fin
ger dogmatically: "If I thought they
would, 1 wouldn't send you down
| there"
"Thank you"
| HYOu arQ VOunp omhitiOuS-foT1r