Year: 1875

was astOnished to find myself com.
ing into struggling settlement. On
the course which | should have
taken there was nothing of the sort.
Sumew here | had crossed the right
trail and taken the wrong one. Al
most any traveller in the border sec
tions would have been glad to thus
stumble upon a place for food and re-
freshment Not so with myself In
the breast pocket Of my coat | car
ried FIVE thousand, four hundred and
ninety odd dollars, United States
money. ! had received this amount
from Major General 7 NJ Lacy, and
it was to be carried through to Fort
L., and placed in The hands of
Colonel Asa F. Southard, to defray
necessary army expenses.


"Get through at your best gait,


Carnes, " said the major, "the money


is long since over due, and Southard's


rather irascible temper must have


been tried to the utmost. You know


how the soldiers get to growing if


Uncle is at all delinquent in paying
up. Ride in careless manner, but


be careful. / don't think that any,
one dreams Of the arrival of this
money-saVe, OF course, the mail
agent and the clerk who delivered


me the packages.


was directed over an unfamiliar
section, hence my losing of the right
route. considered il my safest plan,
so long as had blundered upon the


verge of the settlement, to boldly en-
ter and rest as an ordinary traveller


would do. Should push hurriedly
on, ! might, by that very act, excite
suspicion.


There were only two men in the
bar-room when ! entered; the land-
lord and the hostler. Under his IA
miliar eordiality the landlord furtive-


y eyed me in manner that made
me wish | was well done with nv
job, but | reassured myself with the
thought that it was be consciousness
Of the responsibility reposing upon
me that caused bis glanees to disturb
me. Before | had finished my sup
per tw6 more travellers rode up, call
ed out for the bostler, and ordered
drinks, o: rather one Of them came
in With the orders, aud the other
threw himself down on bench out
side, and began loading u huge pipe.
Strolling carelessly about the room,
managed to glance out Of the window.
My heart leaped into my throat, for
in The man outside-I recognized
from description of him-Bill Wolf
one of the most desperate characters
that ever figured in the annals of
border ruf6anism. There vas the
huge red moustache, the thick, hairy
throat and the shoulders hunched up
around bis head, suggesting the
shape of mammoth clam-and the
voice with deep down intonation
like the plop, plop, piop of water,
hurriedly leaving jug. If the de-
scription of The notorious renegade IS
inelegant, it has the merit of truth
fulness, and must, therefore, be ex-
cused.


| went through with my supper II
form, but whatever appetite ! might
have felt on my entrance into the inn
had vanished with my discovery.
After a time the other fellow came
in. having beeh out, be said, to look
after the animals, and they also or
dered supper. Now was my time to
leave, which ] did iu careless man
ner, passing SHINE commonplace re-
maks with the two men as | crossed
the dim, smoky bar-room. As, they
seemed to take no notice of me W hat
ever, | felt my spirits rise with hope
that ] should make a safe transit
1t was quite duskish outside. but the
hostler was fitting about the stable
with bis lantern, which emitted but
a little more eaulgent light than a
white bean would have done, but he
graciously brought out my steed at
the order, and, mounting, ] thank
fully trotted away. The moon-a
little passed the full-would make
her debut in something more than an
hour after sunset, and pushed along
at smart trot so as TO get well out
upon the plains and into the right
trail before that time The animal
went along at an assuring gait, and
L was feeling infinitely relieved at
my proyideptial escape from contact
with the desperate characters whom