The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-01-08
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STAR
APONANCT OF TIE BORDER

of Laramie's neighbors 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 Ill ;
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
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 q rangers presence.
What he intended to do was food for
great speculation. A company or
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. 1t was death to
face him. He had killed thirty men
widest rumor of all. 1t 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 a very decided
checking of all kinds of action cal
culated to be conspicuous to a keen
eyed range At the tables. at the
bars and lounging places Duane heard
the remarks: who's tibet ranger
after? What IL he do fust off? Is
he waitin' fer somebody? Who's goin'
70 draw on him fust-an' go to he'll?
Jest about how soon will he be found
somewheres full of Iead?"
When 1t came out somewhere that
Duane was cultivating the honest
stay-at-home citizens to array them in
Fairdale showed it's wolf teeth.
Several times Duane was shot at In
the dark and once slightly injured.
Rumor had 1t that Poggin, the gum
man, was coming to meet him. But
the lawless element did not rise up
III q AlbNC w stay 04Hht Oh oAShNs
II was not so much that the enemies
of the law awaited his next move,
but just a slowness peculiar to the
frontier. There was a rude kind of
good humor even In their open
hostility.
Besides, n ranger or a company
of rangers could not have held the
undivided attention of these men from
their games and drinks and quarrels
except by some decided move. Ex-
element, greed, appetite We're rife in
them. Duane marked, however. a
of strangers he had been in the habit
of seeing. Snecker had gone or was
under cover. Again Duane caught a
vague rumor of the coming of Poggin,
vet he never seemed to arrive. More
over the goings-on among the
habitues of the resorts and cowboys
who came in to drink and gamble
were unusually mild in comparison
with former conduct. This lull. how
ever. did not deceive Duane. 1t could
not last. The wonder was that it
had lasted so long.
Duane went often to see Mrs. Lara
mic and her children. One afternoon
while he was there he saw Miss Long
streth and Ruth ride up to the door.
They carried a basket. Evidently
they had heard of Mrs. Laramie's
trouble. Duane felt strangely glad.
h.+ h0 u~nnt into ON 0dfnfnfnn rnnn1
rather than meet them.
Mrs. Laramie, I've come to see
you,' said Miss Longstreth, cheer
fully.
The little room was not very light,
there being only one window and the
doors. but Duane could see plainly
enough. Mrs. Laramie lay, hollow
checked and haggard. on a bed. Once
she had evidently been a woman of
some comelineSs. The ravages of
trouble and grief were there to read
In her worn face; II had not, however,
any of the hard and bitter lines hat
had characterized her husbands.
Duane wondered, considering that
Longstreth had ruined Laramie, how
Mrs. Laramie was going to regard the
daughter of an enemy.
$50 you're Granger Lcngstreth's
grip" queried the woman. with her
bright, black eyes fixed on her visitor.
"Yes," replied Miss Longstreth,
simply. "This Is my cousin, Ruth
Herbert. We've come to nurse you,
take care of the children, help you in
any way you'll let us"
There was a long silence.
"Well, you look a little like Long
streth," finally said Mrs. Laramie,
'but you're not at all like him. You
must take after your mother. Miss
Longstreth. l don't know If l can-if
l ought to accept anything from you.
Your father ruined my husband"
"Yes, ] know" replied the girl sad
ly. "That's all the more reason you
should let me help you. Pray don't