The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1941-05-23

E,ffs Eah Years had ieathered his
mSsfbtn,Hfy gould nat dirnipjsh Itis
EST fYfhsfRpae Just, as prosperity
wai hpab1a to,take from him the look
OF t6e traHsH Whatever Dusty King
wores she always appeared to be
wearing disfepatabIe saddle clothes.
), Perhaps young ,Bhl. Roper had
picked up lot of Dusty Kings char
actertstics in the course of an. asso-
citation that had lasted almost as
long as Bill Roper's life.
Everybody who knew King Gordon
at all knew the story of Bill Roper
and Dusty King. Fifteen years ago,
at the age Of five, Bill Roper had
been found hiding in the brush, like a
little rabbit, beside wrecked outfit
on the old trail to Sedalia. 1t was
Dusty King who had found him
there; and it was Dusty King who
had buried the bullet-shattered body
of Bills father beside that God-for-
saken trail.
In the fifteen years since then,
Bill Roper had learned guns and
horses and cattle, and the tricks of
the trail as only Dusty King knew
them. He had been able to read
prairie signs before he could read
print, and if it had not been for
tomato can labels, perhaps would
never have learned to read print
at all. Everything he knew he had
learned with Dusty King. There
was every reason that he should
have grown to look something like
the great trail driver who had
brought him up.
Now, az they made their way
down the muddy street, before the
false-fl onted wooden buildings, half
the cowmen that thronged Ogallala
hailed Dusty with comradeship and
delight; SO that his progress was
that of = celebrated character, al
roadZ- famous. The other half-they
were Ren Thorpe men-Seemcd not
to sec him at all. 1t was hard to
tell which tickled Dusty King more
tho warmth Of his many friends, or
the bitterness of his innumcrable
eucu-ins.
The bidding for the GIVING Wolf
store ana hara tba .;do',,it.
half the street were filed with knot
ted groups. Through this crowd
Dusty King and Bill Roper vaded,
Dust ~ ing 70 Jcol like sonetEinr
b"Hildercd. h-u tLc tell countrT.
side tho doo- was posted a hand
bill in black typo, giving due LEGAL
notice of the auction of leases, and
Dusty stopped to study this with
grave erpt- face, af if he had
J~E-c - ri e i before.
M. ki1f sornebody said.
"ihev'.c b.er n5iiiqr 10, ,nr f,lly
m hour
Dusty looked blank. Then he
Clutched his hat to his head in q
startled way, and rushed inside
vii! = 0lcNnist representation Of
haste.
Within, the crowd Of plains-coun-
try men-bronzed men. saddlc-:accd
men, sometimes bearded meh-gavc
way as King, followed by Bill Roper.
chouldered his way 10 the back.
''I5 this the place" kim asked
"wherc the Teller is selling th1
horse?"
The deputy commissioner took bie
feet off his table. "The sale woe
supposed to start at two o'clock -
he complained.
A little tribute there Tho co,,-
missioner-perhaps already in Bon
Thorpe's pay-hardlv dared start an
important sale. without nrcsent tbis
slouching, Observation-Disclosures renre.
sentative of Kine-Gordon
"No word has come from you-
partner at all" the commissioDer
said.
ole amt coming"
Tbroo non u.ho co. :, a,
oromnod oro,,nd ono ID 80 a. ~. .t,"i
iookad a. aoch othor TLa,. ''i ;e 'e'DiJ
kim and Roncr &C boetiIcI d 49, e,
more an enemy If ubo,r, tbo,' IS
not vet koenIv awarc
The big man in the liobt-coIoro,
hat was Ben Thorpe o tho BeT
Thorpe whose far.scattcrcJ boIJ
ings perhaps already exceeded tboec
of King-Gordon. Thick-sho,ldeTed
now. hcavv-bodied he wae TOD