The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-05-12

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-BIaze let
his gaze linger fondly on the highbred
mare and her equipment-herea at least
was person who knew q good horse,
a good saddle and u good gun.
| AS he came up the walk he heard
PalOma laugh, and his own face light
ened, for his daughters merriment was
contagious. Then as he mounted the
steps and turned the corner of the
gallery he uttered hearty greeting.
"Dave LawI Where in the world
did you drop from?"
Law uncOiled himself and took the
ranchmans hand. Hello, Blaze! 1
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 a word of it. Last 1
heard you was f1libustering 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 a
line over his left ear. Jones. was
character, local landmark. This part
of Texas had grown up with Blaze,
and he possessed q splendid indiffer-
ence to the artificial fads of dress
and manners. He was plainly an out
door man.
$50 you're Ranger, and got notches
on your gun" Blaze rolled and lit q
tiny cigarette, scarcely larger than
wheat straw. 'Well, you'd ought to
make q right able thief-catcher, Dave,
only for your size-you're too long for
man and you amt long enough for a
| snake. Still, I reckon 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 a 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
a horse croSs-lots, pack a 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.
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.
he said Amt I enough? There's only
one riot Are you workin' up a case,
Dave?"
''Um-m-yes People are missing q
lot of stock hereabouts."
"It's these blamed refugees from the
war! A Mexican has to steal some
thing or he gets run down and pore.
If it amt stock, it's something else"
Dave Laws duties as a Ranger rest
ed lightly upon him; his instructions
were vague, and he had leisureIy
method of working up" his evidence.
Since he knew that Blaze possessed 8
thorough knowledge of this section and
It's people, it was partly business which
had brought him to the Jones home
this afternoon.
Strictly speaking, Blaze was not
rancher. He had speculated heavily in
raw lands. and for several years past
he had devoted his energies to q gil
OQnfi0 -nlOnf r.
no means a small operation in which
he was engaged. The venture had
taken foresight, courage, infinite hard
work; Blaze was burdened with re-
spOnsibilities that would have broken
down man of weaker fiber.
But his pet relaxation was reminis-
cence. His own experience had been
wide, he knew everybody in his part
of the state, and although events in
his telling were sometimes coiored by
his rich imagination, the information
he could give was often of the great
est value-as Dave Law knew.
After time the latter said. CASUALLY
''Teil me something about Tad Lewis"
Blaze looked up quickly. "What do
you want to known
Anything. Everything"
'aTad owns a right nice ranch be-
tween here and Las Palmas," Blaze
said cautiously.
Paloma broke out impatiently. "Why
| don't you say what you think7'' Then
to Dave: '9Tad Lewis is bad neigh
Dor, and always has been. There's a
ford on his place. and we think he
knows more about -'wet' cattle than
he cares TO tell"
Its q good place to cross stock at
low water" her father agreed. @and
Lewis land runs back from the Rio
Grande in its old Spanish form. RS
a natural outlet for those brush-co,,n-