The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-02-01
CHAPTER XIX.

Strangers rode into Fairdale: and
other hard-looking customers, pew to
Duane II not TO Fairdale. helped to
create a charged and waiting ntmos-
phere. The saloons did unusual busi-
ness and were never closed. Respect
able citizens Of the towE were awak-
ened In the early dawn by rowdles
carousins In the streets.
Duane kept pretty close under
cover during the day. He did not
entertain the opinion that the first
time be walked down-street he would
be a target for guns. Things seldom
happened that way; and when they
did happen so. II was more accident
than design. But at night he was not
idle. He met Laramie, Morton, Zim-
mer and others OF like character;
secret club had been formed; and all
the members were ready for action.
Duane spent hours at night watching
the house where Floyd Lawson stayed
when he was not up at Longstreth's.
At night he was visited. or at least
the house was, by strange men who
were swift, stealthy, nysterious-all
th6t kindly disposed friends or neigh
bors would not have been. Duane
had not been able TO recognize any OF
these night visitors: and he did not
think the time was ripe for bold
holding up of one OF them. Neverthe-
less. he was sure such an event would
discover Lawson, or someone In that
house, to be In touch with crooked
men.
Laramie was right. Not twenty
four hours after his talk with Duane,
In which he advised quick action, he
was found behind the little bar OF his
restaurant with a bullet-hole In his
breast, dead. No one could be found
who had heard n shot. II had been
deliberate murder, for upon the bar
had been left piece of paper rudely
scrawled with pencil: "All friends
OF rangers look for the same"
This reused Duane. His first move,
however. was TO bury Laramie. None
of Laramie's nelghbors evinced any In
terest In the dead man or the unfor-
tunate family he had left. Duane saw
that these neighbors were held In
check by fear. Mrs. Laramie was III ;
the shock OF her husbands death was
hard on her; and she had been left
almost destitute with FIVE children,
Duane rented an adobe house on the
outskirts OF town and moved the
family into II. Then he played the
part Of provider and nurse and
friend.
After several days Duane went
boldly. into town and showed that he
meant business. 1t was his opinion
that there were men In Fairdale
secretly glad OF rangers presence
What he intended TO do was food for
great speculation. A company OF
militia could not have had the effect
upon the wild element OF Fairdale
that Duane's presence had. 1t got
out that he was a gunman lightning
swift on the draw. II was death 70
face him. He had killed thirty men
widest rumor OF all. II was actually
said OF him he had the gun-skill OF
Buck Duane or Poggin.
At first there had not only been
great conjecture among the vicious
element. but also very decided
checking OF all kinds of action cal
culhted TO be conspicuous to a keen
eyed ranger. At the tables, at the
bars and lounging.places Duane heard
the, remarks: "Who's thet ranger
after1 What II he do fust on? Ii
he ~aitin' fer somebody Who's goin
TO draw on him fust-an' go TO hell
jest about how soon will he be found
somewheres full OF lead7"
When It came out somewhere thai
Duane was cultiyating the honest
stayst-home citizens TO array them II
TING hgainst the other element. ther
Fairdale showed Its wolf teeth
Several times Duane was shot at II
the dark and once slightly injured
Rumor had II that Poggln, the gun
man, was coming TO meet him. Blu
the, .Iawless element did not rise NJ
IN mass 10 slay Duane on sight
II was not so much that the enemie
of The law awaited his next move
but just a slowness peculiar 10 tn
frontier. There was a rude kind o
good humor even In their opel
hostility.
Besides, one ranger or compan
OF rangers could not have held tn
undivided attention Of these men fror