The courier-index., 1920-10-22
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Lariat Jim
By RALPH HAMILTON
co 1920. Western Newspaper uniOn.)

Perfection in the use of the lasso was the speciality of Jim Willis of | Poker Flat, and there was not man | on the ranges who could bring an | animal to its knees quicker and surer. |
 It was at the half yearly round ups and try outs, wild, uproarious carni- vals, where Jim excelled. They afford ed ambitious cowboys opportunities to show off all the manifold tricks of the flexible rawhide, and one day, after Jim had won all the laurels, a stranger witness of his fascinating manenvers stepped up to him and rendered card.
 w. H. Arlington" 1t read and bore the additional words: Middle West Circuits"
 "what does 1t meanT interrOgated Jim bluntly.
 Five thousand dollars net to you for half an hours show twice day fer six months"
 "Oh, you want me ts aetT inter- r0Sated Jim.
 .'Your natural self with . natural lasso. A twenty weeks session"
 "rn take it." announced Jun after . moments thought ~Hvs Despls te see, though, befsrc I lsavs hes~ Then &m ready tO 70 with yeH"
 Jlm W6lis had hnswn tive wena tn Ais carear who had won Ais eeer- Gst regard and rpspeet Oae was AbA Cen barkes, . widow Al Nhty with thyst little ehfiAsea. HnT Aua1An4 1ad d,4d leaving her psnpIlea. 4 lsAnsq raneAero aansd Joas 4adGi hAA eAr Aeysd AR with resaistnt prepo0h sa mayrAaR. Inn had tyOunee1 tAe .. solant iatnu3sy, wianins Ais SaRssA and had staksd tAs tAAnAful h&S wi5A espstal to start . flttis stora Aa As rsaf whore Candy, tobasss ed hgn6 sunehes could be purchased. When - vent to say geod-byV te her, Ae had to tear himseh Away 9r0m . sAow~r of blessings from tho esatsfSl creature and the wailinS grief of tAe three httla ones, whom he had petted And sDOllsd 1 until they adofed him
 His iast call was at Dan CampionS cabin upon his daughter. BdithA. | It was Jim who had found her when | lost and nearly frozen child 6 bare ly ten. Now at eighteen he revelled in her beauty and real friendly liking for him. In his mind was the resolve. # he made his pile" on the stage to come back and ask her to marry him. l Jim electrified vast audiences by I his dextrOus feats with the lasso and won plaudits and dollars. He started | back to the Flat and was crossing the hills when he was struck down from behind by Jose Maderi. who was bound to get even with his enemy. The senseiess victim came back to con- 1 sciousness to find that he had been l robbed of the generous earnings of half year, and lay bound and helpless 1 with the yenomous rancher0 jeerfng i at him and swinging heavy whip.
 I'm going to beat you to publ" hissed Maderi. land then celebrate on l your hard earned dollars" Not this exact time, you wOn't" announced a young man coming from behind the rocks and leveling a weap- on. Hands up, or l'll flrel Then when you have restored your plumber to its rightful owner. right face and vamoose. or Tll make a sieve of you"
 Jim was profuse in his thanks to the stranger who had saved his fortune and mayhap his life. The latter re- 1 fused to be considered hero and went his way, but Jim expressed the hope l volubly that the time might como when he could repay him for his great deed in his behalf.
 It came sooner than he anticipated. At the end of a week Jim appeared at the Campion cabh. He was bent now on making & business of winning Editha. but Jim found her in tears She appealed to him as the dearest friend she had. She confessed that during his absence she had met, loved and had become secretly engaged to . newcomer at the Flat Paul Norton. The day before she had learned that he had fallen into the hands of gang of greasers back in the hills and was held captive for ransom. Jim's heart went down to his bootA The fair fabric of love and marriage he had built so foDdly went crashing into ruins "Who Is the fellOwr' he demanded gruffly, and Editha showed him photograph.
 It was that of the young man who had saved Jim's life and money. Sad ly, but firmly. Jim turned away but with the words: "Pl have him here within twenty-four hours"
 They made 1t a legend of the Flat how Jim shadowed the greaser band for day and night, how when they were filing through a narrow pass he. on the cliffs thirty feet above them, with his dextrous lasso described a whirl and a loop. singiing out their captive, encircling his arms and then pulling him up out of sight of the baffled group.
 Grimly mute. Jim listened to the overwhelming thanks of the reunited lovers. Then he took his way to the