The Oakes times., 1917-01-04
SYNOPSIS.

SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER lin Wellston. Texas. Il
becomes with Buckley Duane q case Of
oght or run from Cal Balm. Duane kills
his man and becomes an outlaw.
CHAPTER 1I-He meets Luke Stew.
ems. an outlaw.
town OF Mercer to buy supplies and is
shot by rancher. Duane buries him.
CHAPTER 1V-Duane goes to Bland's
outlaw stronghold in the Rim Rock and
after shooting Bosomer. who quarrels
~ th s,. hin .h.,y over Stevens death decides
z partner and tells him about Bland.
the outlaw chief. and his band.
CHAPTER v-Duane practices gun.
throwing and hears more about Bland
and his gang.
CHAPTER V1-Euchre and Duane
call on Kate. Bland's wife. and Jennie
. girl whom Benson kidnapped and sold
CHAPTER y11-Euchre and Duane Duane
pravents a wanton murder.
CHAPTER V1II-Mrs. Bland makes
ther his plans Bland returns from =
trip. He asks Duane to join the band.
He is jea lOus OF Duane and abuses Kate
and Jennie.
CHAPTER 1x-Euchre kills Benson,
is Killed by Alioway. Duane kills Allo-
ny wifh ana fennis sland and escapss wounded
mesquite Jennie nurses him.
enough they travel out OF the Rim Rock
to q ranchcrs house, where Duane re-
covers. On their way to Shelbyville
buane is is car1ed OF by outlaws while
horse.
CHAPTER xI--After vain search for
leads the lone life for more than
from Captain McNelly of the rangers
asking him to come to the captains
camp after dark.
CHAPTER xII-The message Is sew
er9l times repeated. Duane Is chased by
q lynching party.
CHAPTER xII1-A price on his head
and accused of numbering woman.
murder. After a narrow escape from
tynching. he proves his innocence and Is
allowed to go.
CHAPTER XIv-He goes to McNelly's
ranger camp. McNelly offers him par.
DON and social restoration II he will
try.
This night wonderful afterglow
fingered long in the west, and against
the g0lden-red Of clear sky the bold,
olack head of Mount Ord reared itself
aloft, beautiful but aloof, sinister yet
calling. Small wonder that Duane
gazed In fascination upon the peak!
Somewhere deep In its corrugated
sides or lost in rugged canyon was
hidden the secret stronghold of the
master outlaw Cheseldine. All down
along the ride from FL Paso Duane
had heard of Cheseldine, of his band.
his fearful deeds. his cunning, his
widely separate raids of his fitting
here and there like Jack-o lantern;
but never word of his den, never a
word of his appearance.
Next morning Duane did not return
to Ord. He struck off to the north,
riding down a rough. Notwithstanding
road that appeared to have been used
occasionally for cattle-driving. AS
he had ridden in from the west. this
northern direction led him into totally
unfamiliar country. While he passed
on, however, he exercised such keen
observation that in the future he
would know whatever might be Of
service to him if he chanced that
way again.
After couple of hours riding he
entered town which he soon dis
covered to be Bradford. 1t was the
largest town he had visited since
Maria, and he calculated must have
thousand or fifteen hundred in
habitants. not including Mexicans.
He decided this would be good
place for him to hold up for while.
being the nearest town to Ord. only
forty miles away. So he hitched his
horse In front of store and leisurely
set about studying Bradford.
It was after dark, however,
that Duane verified his suspicious con-
cerning Bradford. The town was
long row of saloons. dance-halls.
gambling-res in full blast. Duane
visited them all, and was surprised
to see wildness and license equal to
that of the old river camp of BANDS
in its palmiest days. Here 1t was
forced upon him that the farther west
one Travelled along the river the
sparser the respectable settlements,
the more numerous the hard charac.
ters and in consequence the greater
the element of lawlessness. Duane
returned to his lodging-house with the
conviction that MacNelly's task Of
cleaning up the Big Bend country
was stupendous one. Yet, he re-
fected. a company Of intrepid and
quick-shooting rangers could have
soon cleaned up this Bradford.
The innkeeper had one other guest
that night, long-coated and wide
sombreroed Texan who reminded
Duane of his grandfather. This man