Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-04-02


snatched at it. Five to one dat de boy
from Cork wouldn't stay tree rounds is
what / invested In. Put my last cent
on, and could already smell the sawdust
in dat ll-night joint of Jimmy Delaney S
on Thirty seventh street l was gOin' to
buy. And den-say, telegraph pole, what
a gazaboo guy is to put his whole roll
on one turn Of the gaboozlumr
You're plenty right" said the big cat
tleman; more specially when you lose.
Son, you get up and light out for a hotel.
You got a mighty bad cough. Had it
long?"
Lungs" said Mcclure comprehensive
". 81 got it. The croaker says I'll come
to time for six months longer-maybe a
year If hold my gait. wanted to settle
down and take care of myself. OATS
! why l speculated on dat five to one per
| haps. had a t'ousand iron dollars saved
! up. If l winned l was goin to buy De
! laney's cafe. Who'd fought dat stiff
would take nap In de foist round
say?"
looking down at the diminutive form of
Mcclure crunlpled against the truck.
But you go to hotel and rest. There's
the Menger and the Maverick, and"
And the Firth Av'noo, and the Waldorf
Astoria" mimicked Mcclure. Told you
l went broke. I'm on de bum proper.
I've got one dime left. Maybe a trip to
| Europe or a sail in me private yacht
| would fix me up-pa'per"
He flung his dime at a newsboy, got
his Express" propped his back against
the truck, and was at once rapt. In the
account Of his Waterloo, as expanded by
the ingenious press.
Curtis Raider Intercepted an enor-
nous gold watch, and laid his hand on
McGuire's shoulder.
Come on. bud" he said I'VE got
three minutes to catch the train"
Sarcasm seemed to be McGuires vein.
You amt seen me cash in any chips
or call a turn since I told you I was
broke, minute ago, have you? Friend,
chase yourself away"
You're going down to my ranch" said
the cattleman, and stay till you get
well; Six monthsu fix you good as new
! He lifted Mcclure with one hand, and
half dragged him in the direction Of the
train.
What about the money!" said Nc
CURE. struggling weakly to escape.
! Money for whatf' asked Raider,
puzzled. They eyed each other. not I'm
derstanding, for they touched only as at
the gear Of bevelled cog -wheels--at right
angles, and moving upon different axes.
Passengers on the south bound saw
them seated together, and wondered at
the confux Of two such antipodes. Nc
| CURE was five feet one with a counte-
nance belonging to either Yokohama or
Dublin. Bright-beady Of eye, bony of
broken and reknit, indestructible, grisly.
gladiatorial as a hornet he was a type
neither new nor unfamiliar. Raider WAS
the product of a different soil Six feet
two in height. miles broad. and no deeper
| that a crystal brook. he represented the
union Of the West and South. Few ac-
| curate pictures Of his kind have been
made, for art galleries are so small and
the mutoscope Is as yet unknown in
! Texas. After all, the only possible me
dium OF portrayal of Raiders kind would
be the frescO-something high and sim
pie and cool and unframed.
They were rolling southwark on the
International. The timber was budding
into little, dense green motifs at care dis
| tances before the inundation Of the nown-
| right, vert praries. This was the land OF
the ranches; the domain Of the kings Of
| the kline
Mcclure sat. collapsed into bis corner
| OF the seat, receiving with acid suspicion
The conversation of the csttlemen. What
was the game" of this big "geeZer'' who
was carrying him off2 Altruism would
have been McGuire's last guess. He amt
no farmer" thought the captive. and
| he Amt no con man, for sure. Watts
his layf You trail in, Cricket, and see
how many cards he draws You're up
! against II, anyhew. You got nickel and
galloptn' consumption, and you better lay
low. Lay low and see watts his game.
At Rincon, 100 miles from san Antonio,
| they left the train for a blackboard which
was waiting there for Raider. In this
they travelled the thirty miles between
the station and their destination. Ii any
thing could, this drive should have
| stirred the acrimonious Mcclure to a
! sense of his ransom. They sped upon
| velvety wheels across an exhilarant sa-
| wanna. The pair OF Spanish ponies struck
| a nlmble, tireless trot which gait they
| occasionally relieved by a wild, untram-
meled gallOp. The air was wine and
seltzer, perfumed, as they absorbed It,
! with the delicate redOlence of prairie
flowers. The road persisted, and the
blackboard swan the uncharted pillows
| or the grass Itself steered by the prac-
tised hand of Raider to whom each tiny
| distant mott OF trees was a signbOard.
| each convolution OF the low hills a
voucher Of course and distance. But Nc
CURE reclined upon his spine, seeing
nothing but a desert. and receiving the
| cattleman's advances with sullen distrust
| whats he up to 2" was the burden Of
his thoughts; wat kind of gold brick
has the big guy got to sellf' MCGUIRE
| was only applying the measure. Of the
streets he had walked to a range bounded
by the horizon and the fourth dimen-
sion.
A week before. while riding the
prairies Raider had come upon q sick
| and weaklng calf deserted and bawling
without dismounting he had reached and
| slung the distressed bossy across his sad
| die, and dropped 1t at the ranch for the
! boys to attend TO. 1t was impossible for
| Mcclure to know or comprehend that, in
| the eyes OF the cALJlelNaU, MS case ana
! that of the calf were identical in interest
| and demand upon his assistance. Gre
AZURE was I'll and helpless; he had the
| power to render aid-these were the only
| postulates required for the cattleman to
| act They formed his system of logic
and the most Of his creed. Mcclure was
| the seventh invalid whom Raider had
| picked up thus casually in San Antonio
| where so many thousands go for the
ozone that is said to linger about its
/ ad af Of
| guests of Soito Ranch until they had
| been able to leave, cured or better, and
| exhausting the vocabulary of fearful graf
itude. One came too late, but rested very
comfortably, at last. under ratama tree
| in the garden.
| So. then, it was no surprise to the
ranchhold when the blackboard spun to
| the door, and Raider took up his debile
protege like q handful of rags and set
| him down upon the gallery.
| MCGUIRE looked upon things strange to
him. The-ranch house was the best In
the country. 1t was built Of brick hauled
! one hundred miles by wagon, but II was
I of but one story, and its four rooms were
| completely encircled by a mud floor
/ gallery" The miscellaneous setting of
horses. dogs saddles, wagons, guns and
cow punchers' paraphernalia oppressed
the metropolitan eye Of the wrecked
sportsman.
ITS a hell Of looking place" said
Mcclure promptly, as he rolled upon the
| gallery floor, in fit. Of coughing.
wen try to make 1t comfortable for
you, buddy" said the cattleman gently.
1T amt fine inside; but It's the out
doors, anyway, thatll do you the most
! good. Thisll be your room, in here.
| Anything we got, you ask for 1t.
| He led Mcclure into the east room
The floor was bare and clean. White
/ o11rt osr In no hranzn oh