Connecticut western news., 1920-02-12
CHAPTER III.
The cuIIisons, and Laura London.

The CulIisons, and Laura London.
 Curly was awakened by the sound of the cook beating the call to break fast on a triangle. Buck was standing beside the bed.
 "How're they coming this glad mo'ning, son?" he inquired with a grin.
 'Fine and dandy" grinned back Flandrau. "How is Cullison"
 Good as the wheat, doc says. Mighty lucky for MT. c. Flandrau that he is. Say, I'm to be yore valley and help you into them clothes. Git wiggle on you"
 Buck escorted his prisoner over to the ranch messhouse. The others had finished breakfast but Maloney was still eating. His mouth was full of hot cakes, but he nodded across at Curly in casual friendly way.
 Flows the villain in the play this mo'ning?" he inquired
 Twenty-one usually looks on the cheerful side of life. Curly had for gotten for the moment about what had happened to his friend Mac. He did not remember that he was in the shadow of a penitentiary sentence. The sun was shining out of a deep blue sky. The vigor of youth flowed through his veins. He was hungry and a good breakfast was before him. For the present these were enough.
 Me, Pm feeling a heap better than was last night" he admitted.
 Game pretty near losing you out of the cast, didn't wei"
 Might a-turned out that way if the the right cue in time.'
 <. The heart of the prisoner went out to this man who was reaching a hand to him in his trouble. He had always known that Maloney was true and steady as snubbing post, but he had not looked for any kindness from him.
 Kite just got telephone message from Saguache," the Bar Double M man went on easily. "Your friends that bought the rustled stock didn't get away with the goods. Seems they stumbled into bunch of rurales unex- pected and had to pull their freight sudden"
 Make their getaway Curly fn- quired as indifferently as he could. But in spite of himself note of eager ness crept into his voice. For if the men had escaped that would be two less witnesses against him.
 "Yep."
 "Too bad. If they hadn't I could have proved by them I was not one of me men who sold them the stock Flandrau replied.
 Like h. ycH could" Buck snorted then yrinned at his prisoner in a sia1api'aee,I way: '-rcure a good one, sof''
 Jake stuck his head in at the door Suck, you're needed to help with them tWo-year-olds. The old man wsnts to have a talk with the rustler Doc says he may. Maloney. will you take him up to the house?'
 Maloney had once ridden for the Circle c and was friendly with all the A Mexican woman let them into the chamber where the wounoed man lay. Kate was bending over the bed re arranging the pillows, but she looked up quickly when the two men entered. Ter eyes were still gentle with the love that had been shining down from them upon her father.
 Cullison spoke "Sit down, Dick" And to his prisoner: You too"
 Flandrau saw close at hand for the first time the man who had been Ari- zona's most famous fighting sheriff. Luck Cullison was well-built and of medium height, of dark complexion, clean shaven, wiry and muscular. Al ready past fifty, he looked not day more than forty. One glance was enough to tell Curly the kind of man this was. The power of him found ex- pression in the gray steel-chilled eyes that bored into the young outlaw.
 ''You have begun early, young fel- low" he said quietly. "But never mind