Dave Law Becomes Jealous
: Heart Of The Sunset"You can never know what these two days have been for me," the
general said as he and Alaire lingered over their meal. "They will
afford me something to think about all my life! It is a delicious
comfort to know that you trust me, that you do not dislike me. And
you do not dislike me, eh?"
"Why, of course not. I have a great deal for which to thank you."
General Longorio fingered his winegla
not like other men. Would to God I were, for then I could close my
eyes and--forget. You have your great tragedy--it is old to you;
but mine, dear lady, is just beginning. I can look forward to
nothing except unhappiness." He sighed deeply.
"I'm sorry you are unhappy," Alaire parried. "Surely you have
every pleasant prospect."
"It would seem so. I am young, rich, a hero, I serve my country in
glorious fashion, but what is all that if there is no pretty one
to care? Even the meanest peon has his woman, his heart's
treasure. I would give all I have, I would forego my hope of
heaven and doom myself to eternal tortures, for one smile from a
pair of sweet lips, one look of love. I am a man of iron--yes, an
invincible soldier--and yet I have a heart, and a woman could rule
me."
"You say you have a heart." Alaire studied her vis-avis curiously
as he met her eyes with his mournful gaze. "How is it that I hear
such strange stories about you, general?"
"What stories?"
"Stories--too terrible to mention. I wonder if they can be true."
"Lies, all of them!" Longorio asserted.
"For instance, they tell me that you shoot your prisoners?"
"Of course!" Then, at her shocked exclamation, he explained: "It
is a necessity of war. Listen, senora! We have twelve million
Indians in Mexico and a few selfish men who incite them to revolt.
Everywhere there is intrigue, and nowhere is there honor. To war
against the government is treason, and treason is punishable by
death. To permit the lower classes to rise would result in chaos,
black anarchy, indescribable outrages against life and property.
There is but one way to pacify such people--exterminate them!
Mexico is a civilized nation; there is no greater in the world;
but she must be ruled with an iron hand. Soldiers make rulers. I
am still a young man, and--at present there is but one other
capable of this gigantic task. For the time being, therefore, I
permit myself to serve under him, and--I salute him. Viva Potosi!"
The speaker lifted his glass and drank. "Madero was a wicked
believer in spells and charms; he talked with the dead. He, and
those who came after him, fired the peons to revolt and despoiled
our country, leaving her prone and bleeding. We of the Cientificos
have set ourselves to stop her wounds and to nourish her to life
again. We shall drive all traitors into the sea and feed them to
the sharks. We shall destroy them all, and Mexico shall have
peace. But I am not a bloodthirsty man. No, I am a poet and a
lover at heart. As great a patriot as I am, I could be faithless
to my country for one smile from the woman I adore."
Alaire did not color under the ardent glance that went with this
declaration. She deliberately changed the subject.
"This morning while we were in the office of the jeje de armas,"
she said, "I saw a poor woman with a baby--she was scarcely more
than a child herself--whose husband is in prison. She told me how
she had come all the way from the country and is living with
friends, just to be near him. Every day she goes to the carcel,
but is denied admission, and every day she comes to plead with the
jefe de armas for her husband's life. But he will not see her, and
the soldiers only laugh at her tears."
"A common story! These women and their babies are very annoying,"
observed the general.
"She says that her husband is to be shot."
"Very likely! Our prisons are full. Doubtless he is a bad man."
"Can't you do something?"
"Eh?" Longorio lifted his brows in the frankest inquiry.
"That poor girl with her little, bare, brown-eyed baby was
pitiful." Alaire leaned forward with an earnest appeal in her
face, and her host smiled.
"So? That is how it is, eh? What is her name?"
"Inez Garcia. The husband's name is Juan."
"Of course. These peladors are all Juans. You would like to appear
as an angel of mercy, eh? Your heart is touched?"
"Deeply."
"Bastante! There is no more to be said." Longorio rose and went
into the next room where were certain members of his staff. After
a time he returned with a paper in his hand, and this he laid
before Alaire. It was an order for the release of Juan Garcia.
"The salvo conducto which will permit Juan and his Inez and their
Juanito to return to their farm is being made out," he explained.
"Are you satisfied?"
Alaire looked up wonderingly, "I am deeply grateful. You overwhelm
me. You are--a strange man."
"Dear lady, I live to serve you. Your wish is my law. How can I
prove it further?" As he stood beside her chair the fervor of his
gaze caused her eyes to droop and a faint color to come into her
cheeks. She felt a sudden sense of insecurity, for the man was
trembling; the evident desire to touch her, to seize her in his
arms, was actually shaking him like an ague. What next would he
do? Of what wild extravagance was he not capable? He was a queer
mixture of fire and ice, of sensuality and self-restraint. She
knew him to be utterly lawless in most things, and yet toward her
he had shown scrupulous restraint. What possibilities were in a
man of his electric temperament, who had the strength to throttle
his fiercest longings?
The strained, throbbing silence that followed Longorio's last
words did more to frighten the woman than had his most ardent
advances.
After a time he lifted Alaire's hand; she felt his lips hot and
damp upon her flesh; then he turned and went away with the
document.
When he reappeared he was smiling. "These Garcias shall know who
interceded for them. You shall have their thanks," said he.
"No, no! It is enough that the man is free."
"How now?" The general was puzzled. "What satisfaction can there
be in a good deed unless one receives public credit and thanks for
it? I am not like that."
He would have lingered indefinitely over the table, but Alaire
soon rose to go, explaining:
"I must finish my disagreeable task now, so that I can go home to-
morrow."
"To-morrow!" her host cried in dismay. "No, no! You must wait--"
"My husband is expecting me."
This statement was a blow; it seemed to crush Longorio, who could
only look his keen distress.
As they stepped out into the street Alaire was afforded that treat
which Longorio had so thoughtfully arranged for her. There in the
gutter stood Inez Garcia with her baby in her arms, and beside her
the ragged figure of a young man, evidently her Juan. The fellow
was emaciated, his face was gaunt and worn and frightened, his
feet were bare even of sandals, the huge peaked straw hat which he
clutched over his breast was tattered, and yet in his eye there
was a light.
They had waited patiently, these Garcias, heedful of Longorio's
orders, and now they burst into a torrent of thanks. They flung
themselves to their knees and kissed the edge of Alaire's dress.
Their instructions had been plain, and they followed them to the
letter, yet their gratitude was none the less genuine for being
studied. The little mother's hysteria, for instance, could not
have been entirely assumed, and certainly no amount of rehearsals
could have taught the child to join his cries so effectively to
his parents'. Between them all they made such a racket as to
summon a crowd, and Dolores, who had also awaited her mistress,
was so deeply stirred that she wept with them.
General Longorio enjoyed this scene tremendously, and his beaming
eyes expressed the hope that Alaire was fully satisfied with the
moment. But the Garcias, having been thoroughly coached, insisted
upon rendering full measure of thanks, and there seemed to be no
way of shutting them off until the general ordered them to their
feet.
"That is enough!" he declared. "Hombre, you are free, so go about
your business and fight no more with those accursed rebels."
Juan, of course, was ready at this moment to fight for any one he
was told to fight for, particularly Longorio himself, and he so
declared. His life was at the service of the benefactor who had
spared him; his wife and baby lived only to bless the illustrious
general.
"They look very poor," said Alaire, and opened her purse; but
Longorio would not permit her to give. Extracting a large roll of
paper money from his own pocket, he tossed it, without counting,
to Juan, and then when the onlookers applauded he loudly called to
one of his officers, saying:
"Oiga! Give these good friends of mine two horses, and see that
they are well cared for. Now, Juan," he addressed the dazed
countryman, "I have one order for you. Every night of your life
you and your pretty wife must say a prayer for the safety and
happiness of this beautiful lady who has induced me to spare you.
Do you promise?"
"We promise!" eagerly cried the pair.
"Good! See that you keep your word. On the day that you forget for
the first time Luis Longorio will come to see you. And then what?"
He scowled at them fiercely.
"We will not forget," the Garcias chorused.
There was a murmur from the onlookers; some one cried: "VIVA
LONGORIO!"
The general bowed smilingly; then, taking Alaire's arm, he waved
the idlers out of his path with a magnificent gesture.
When, later in the day, Mrs. Austin came to say good-by and thank
the Mexican for his courtesies, he humbly begged permission to pay
his respects that evening at her hotel, and she could not refuse.
As the coach went bouncing across the international bridge,
Dolores said, spitefully: "It will take more than the pardon of
poor Juan Garcia to unlock Heaven for that bandit. He is the
wickedest man I ever met--yes, probably the wickedest man in the
world."
"He has been kind to us."
"Bah! He has a motive. Do you notice the way he looks at you? It
is enough to damn him for all eternity."
Upon her arrival at the hotel Alaire received an agreeable
surprise, for as her vehicle paused, at the curb David Law stepped
forward, hat in hand.
"What bloodthirsty business brings you to Pueblo?" she queried,
when they had exchanged greetings.
Law smiled at her. "I came to offer free board and lodging to a
poor Greaser. But he ain't here. And you, ma'am?"
Alaire briefly outlined the reasons that had taken her to La Feria
and the duties that had kept her busy since her return, while Dave
nodded his understanding. When, however, he learned that she was
counting upon General Luis Longorio's aid in securing justice, his
expression altered. He regarded her with some curiosity as he
inquired:
"Isn't Longorio the very man who robbed you?"
"Yes."
"And now he offers to square himself?"
"Precisely. You don't seem to put much faith in him."
"Mexicans are peculiar people," Law said, slowly. "At least we
consider them peculiar--probably because they are different to us.
Anyhow, we don't understand their business methods or their habits
of mind; even their laughter and their tears are different to
ours, but--from my experience with them I wouldn't put much
confidence in this Longorio's word. I say this, and I'm supposed
to have a little Mexican blood in me."
During this brief conversation they had entered the hotel, and now
the lobby idlers took quick cognizance of Mrs. Austin's presence.
The lanky, booted Ranger excited no comment, for men of his type
were common here; but Alaire was the heroine of many stories and
the object of a wide-spread curiosity; therefore she received open
stares and heard low whisperings. Naturally resenting this
attention, she gave her hand to Law more quickly than she would
have done otherwise.
"I hope we shall see each other again," she murmured.
"That's more'n likely; I'm located in your neighborhood now," he
informed her. "I'm leaving for Jonesville in the morning."
"By train?"
"No'm. I'm goin' to follow the river road if I can get an
automobile."
Mindful of the Ranger's courtesy to her on their previous meeting,
Alaire said: "Won't you go with us? We intend to start early."
"I'd love to, ma'am--but I'll have to make a few inquiries along
the line."
"Good! It is a large car and"--she smiled at him--"if we have tire
trouble I may need your help. Jose, my man, is a splendid horse-
breaker, but he seems to think a tire tool is some sort of a fancy
branding-iron. His mechanical knowledge is limited to a bridle-bit
and a cinch, and I'm almost certain he believes there is something
ungodly about horseless wagons."
Dave was nearly speechless with delight, and when the mistress of
Las Palmas had gone up-stairs he felt inclined to pinch himself to
see if he were dreaming. He had pursued a fruitless quest during
the past few days, and his resentment had grown as he became
certain that Tad Lewis had sent him on a wild-goose chase; but the
sight of Alaire miraculously restored his good spirits, and the
prospect of a long, intimate ride in her company changed the whole
trend of his thoughts. His disappointment at not seeing her upon
his visit to Las Palmas had only served to enhance his memories of
their first meeting, and time, now, had deepened his interest
tenfold. Yes, she was "The Lone Star," the estrella brillante of
his empty sky.
When the supper-hour came he managed by carefully watching the
dining-room to time his meal with Mrs. Austin's. He even ventured
to hope that they might share the same table, but in this he was
disappointed. However, from where he sat he could see her profile
and worship her to his heart's content, and when she favored him
with a smile and a nod he was happy.
All without his knowledge, Dave realized, this woman had secured
an amazing hold over him. He had thought a great deal about her,
of course, but his thoughts had been idle, and it had required
this second encounter to make him know the truth. Now, however,
there could be no doubt about his feelings; he was more than
romantically interested, the mere sight of her had electrified
him. The discovery distressed him, and he very properly decided
that the affair should end here, since it could lead to nothing
except disappointment.
But who can govern a wayward fancy? One moment Law promised
himself to see no more of this married woman; the next he wondered
how she would occupy the evening, and ventured to hope that he
might have a chance to talk with her.
After supper, however, she was nowhere to be found. When his first
chagrin had passed he decided that this was exactly as it should
be. He didn't like to see women make themselves conspicuous in
hotels.
At the time of this story relations between the United States and
the established government of Mexico were at such high tension
that a hostility had sprung up between the troops fronting each
other along the Rio Grande, and in consequence their officers no
longer crossed the boundary, even when off duty. It created a
flurry of suppressed excitement, therefore, when Luis Longorio,
the autocrat of the Potosista forces, boldly crossed the bridge,
traversed the streets of Pueblo, and entered the Hamilton Hotel.
From his seat in the lobby Law heard the general inquire for Mrs.
Austin, and then saw him ascend in the direction of the parlor.
What the devil could Longorio want with "The Lone Star" at such an
hour? the Ranger asked himself. Why should he presume to call upon
her unless--he was interested? Mexican officers, in these parlous
times, were not given to social courtesies, and Longorio's
reputation was sufficiently notorious to render his attentions a
cause for gossip under any circumstances.
Dave rose and strolled restlessly about the hotel. A half-hour
passed and Longorio did not reappear; an hour dragged by, and then
Dave took occasion to go to his room. A glance through the open
parlor door showed the foreigner in closest conversation with Mrs.
Austin. They were laughing; they were alone; even Dolores was
nowhere to be seen.
When Dave returned to his big rocking-chair he found it
uncomfortable; he watched the clock anxiously; he chewed several
cigars viciously before realizing that he was jealous--yes, madly,
unreasonably jealous.
So! His divinity was not as unapproachable as he had imagined.
Doubtless Longorio was mad over her, which explained the fellow's
willingness to help her exact reparation from his government. Fine
doings for a respectable married woman! It was wrong, scandalous,
detestable!
After a time Dave rose impatiently. What had come over him,
anyhow? He must be crazy to torture himself in this fashion. What
went on up-stairs certainly was none of his business, and he had
better far amuse himself. In accordance with this excellent
reasoning, he went to a picture-show. But he could not become
interested. The flat images on the screen failed to divert him,
and the only faces he saw were those of Luis Longorio and the lone
mistress of Las Palmas.
Had Dave only known the truth, he would have gained a grim comfort
from it, for Alaire Austin was not enjoying herself this evening.
Her caller stayed on interminably and she became restive under the
flow of his conversation. For some reason or other Longorio was
not the romantic figure he had been; in his citizen's clothes he
was only a dandified Mexican gallant like any number of others.
The color was gone from the picture; this quixotic guerrilla hero,
this elegant Ruy Blas, was nothing more than a tall, olive-skinned
foreigner whose ardor was distasteful. Longorio was tiresome.
More
-
Caught In A Storm
"Say, but this is sure going to be a corker!" Dave shouted out the words--to make himself heard above the whistling of the wind as it blew across the little plateau on the mountainside, where the party had gone into camp. It was half an hour ... Cavanagh Asks For Help
Lee Virginia waited with increasing impatience for Ross Cavanagh's return, expecting each noon to see him appear at the door; but when three days passed without word or sign from him, her uneasiness deepened into alarm. The whole town was profound... Cavanagh's Last Vigil Begins
On his solitary ride upward and homeward the ranger searched his heart and found it bitter and disloyal. Love had interfered with duty, and pride had checked and defeated love. His path, no longer clear and definite, looped away aimlessly, lost in... Chain-lightning
Turning from Purgatory, after he had dismounted in front of the sheriff's office, Harlan faced three men who stood just outside of the building, watching him. The slightly humorous smile that curved Harlan's lips might have betrayed his reason ... Chance Takes A Hand
A huge pipe organ was filling the theater with a vast undertone that was like the whispering surge of a great wind. Jean went into the soft twilight and sat down, feeling that she had shut herself away from the harsh, horrible world that held so mu... Choosing A Profession
I loved outdoor life and hunting. Some way a grizzly bear would come in when I tried to explain forestry to my brother. "Hunting grizzlies!" he cried. "Why, Ken, father says you've been reading dime novels." "Just wait, Hal, till he comes out h... Church-going Clothes
After his few words to Dorothy the wounded man lapsed again into coma, in which condition he was found by the physician, who returned with Santry from Crawling Water. During the long intervening time the girl had not moved from the bedside, though... Clipped Wings
The Cinderella of Piceance Creek was scrupulously clean even though ragged and unkempt. Every Saturday night she shooed Pete Tolliver out of the house and took a bath in the tub which usually hung suspended from a wooden peg driven into the outer ... Cloud-sign Versus Cupid
Few men are ever called upon by untoward circumstance to know the sensations caused by rattlesnake bite, knife gashes, impromptu cauterization, and, topping the whole, the peculiar torture of congested veins and swollen muscles which comes from a to... Clouds And Change
The earthquake shock, although the first experienced by the Americans, had been a yearly phenomenon to the people of Todos Santos, and was so slight as to leave little impression upon either the low adobe walls of the pueblo or the indolent popula... Collars-and-cuffs
The windows of the division head-quarters of the Pacific Southwestern at Copah look northward over bald, brown mesas, and across the Pannikin to the eroded cliffs of the Uintah Hills. The prospect, lacking vegetation, artistic atmosphere, and colo... Colonel Starbottle's Client
CHAPTER I. It may be remembered that it was the habit of that gallant "war-horse" of the Calaveras democracy, Colonel Starbottle, at the close of a political campaign, to return to his original profession of the Law. Perhaps it could not be c... Colter Takes A Hand
Moya combed her long rippling hair while Lady Farquhar laid down the law that hedges a young woman from the satisfaction of her generous impulses. For the most part the girl listened in silence, a flush burning through each of her dusky cheeks. Th... Concerning Lite And A Few Footprints
"Lucky you was with me all day, up to four o'clock, Lite," Jim said. "That lets you out slick and clean, seeing the doctor claims he'd been dead six hours when he seen him last night. Crofty--why, Crofty was laying in there dead when I was talking ... Concerning Marriage
And it was spring-time; these prisoners of frost were beautifully sensitive. They, too, with the lake and the aspens and the earth, the seeds and the beasts, had suffered the season of interment. In such fashion Nature makes possible the fresh und... Concerning The Boone-bellamy-yarnell Feud
The story that Ferne Yarnell told them in the parlor of the hotel had its beginnings far back in the days before the great war. They had been neighbors, these three families, had settled side by side in this new land of Arkansas, had hunted and fe... Concerning The Strength Of Women
There were three things discussed by Lee Haines and Buck Daniels in the dreary days which followed. The first was to keep on their way across the mountains and cut themselves away from the sorrow of that cabin. The second was to strike the trail of ... Conclusion
In her career as the wife of a Western rancher, Eleanor Redfield had been called upon to entertain many strange guests, and she made no very determined objection when her husband telephoned that he was bringing Lize as well as Lee Virginia to stay... Conclusion
Kitty was not the only cougar brought into camp alive. The ensuing days were fruitful of cougars and adventure. There were more wild rides to the music of the baying hounds, and more heart-breaking canyon slopes to conquer, and more swinging, tufted... Conclusion
That dreadful feeling of motion went away, and I became unconscious of everything. When I awoke the sun was gleaming dimly through thin films of smoke. I was lying in a pleasant little ravine with stunted pines fringing its slopes. The brook bowled ... Converging Trails
An hour or so later, Harlan, having finished his labors in a clearing at the edge of the level near the gorge, climbed slowly on Purgatory and sent him back down the valley trail toward the Star. From the first his sympathies for Barbara had bee... Cottonwoods
Venters appeared too deeply moved to speak the gratitude his face expressed. And Jane turned upon the rescuer and gripped his hands. Her smiles and tears seemingly dazed him. Presently as something like calmness returned, she went to Lassi... Counterplot
"The low-down, ornery liar!" sputtered Bud Jessup, face flushed and eyes snapping. "He told me to wait for them bolts if I had to stay here all day. I thought it was kinda funny he'd let me waste all this time, but I didn't have no idea at all he'... Cowboy Golf
In the whirl of the succeeding days it was a mooted question whether Madeline's guests or her cowboys or herself got the keenest enjoyment out of the flying time. Considering the sameness of the cowboys' ordinary life, she was inclined to think they... Crawford's Basin
You might think, perhaps, as many people in our neighborhood thought, that Joe was my brother. As a matter of fact he was no relation at all; he had dropped in upon us, a stranger, two years before, and had stayed with us ever since. It was in ... Creeping Shadows
With her back against the veranda pillar, Mary Thorne watched the group of mounted men canter down the slope, splash across the creek, and file briskly through the gate leading to middle pasture. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that, for ... Crooked Work
Stratton suddenly turned his back and stared blankly through the open door. With the same unconscious instinct which had moved him to conceal his face from the old man, he fumbled in one pocket and drew forth papers and tobacco sack. It spoke well... Crossing The Niobrara
The parting of the ways was reached. On the morning of July 12, the different outfits in charge of Lovell's drive in '84 started on three angles of the compass for their final destination. The Rosebud Agency, where Flood's herd was to be delivered o... Cutting Out
It was somewhere near noon by the time we had bunched and held the herd of some four or five thousand head in the smooth, wide flat, free from bushes and dog holes. Each sat at ease on his horse facing the cattle, watching lazily the clouds of dust... Cutting Sign
Dud's observation, when he and Bob took the back trail along the river to find the missing bronco, confirmed that of Buck Hawks. He found the place where a horse had clawed its way out of the stream to the clay bank. From here it had wandered in... Cutting Trail
Kate Cullison had disappeared, had gone out riding one morning and at nightfall had not returned. As the hours passed, anxiety at the Circle C became greater. "Mebbe she got lost," Bob suggested. Her father scouted this as absurd. "Lost nothi... Danger
As Buck appeared in the doorway, blinking a little at the lamp-light, the five card-players stared at him in astonishment. "Where the devil have you been?" inquired Kreeger, surprised out of his accustomed taciturnity. "I thought yuh was asle... Danger
As Ree spoke, a war whoop sounded clear and strong, instantly followed by a weird, chanting song. In a minute or two this ceased, and then with fiercer war whoops than before, broke out afresh. Quickly the young pioneers floated nearer the scene o... Daniel Takes Possession
I was more than ever convinced of her wisdom in choice of garb when in early morning I glimpsed her with the two other women at the Adams fire; for, bright-haired and small, she had been sorrily dulled by the plain ill-fitting waist and long shape... Dave And The Mountain Lion
"Don't fire, I beg of you! We--we are friends! Don't fire! Please put down that pistol, do!" It was Job Haskers who called out in this fashion, as he raised his hands high in the air. He was seized with a chill, and shook from head to foot. ... Dave At Home
"I'm glad you washed your hands of Merwell, Nat," replied Dave, with warmth. "He is not the sort for any respectable fellow to associate with. But about that letter. Have you any idea what he was going to do?" "No. All he said was, 'If you will ... Dave Law Becomes Jealous
"You can never know what these two days have been for me," the general said as he and Alaire lingered over their meal. "They will afford me something to think about all my life! It is a delicious comfort to know that you trust me, that you do not ... Dave Law Comes Home
A few days after she had written to Judge Ellsworth Alaire followed her letter in person, for, having at last decided to divorce Ed, she acted with characteristic decision. Since Ellsworth had more than once advised this very course, she went to ... Dave Sees Something
"You gave somebody my suit-case!" cried the senator's son, while a number of tourists gathered around, to learn what was going on. "Yes, sah!" returned the colored porter of the car. Plainly he was much distressed. "He had an order, sah," he add... Deception Pass
The rider thundered up and almost threw his foam-flecked horse in the sudden stop. He was a giant form, and with fearless eyes. "Judkins, you're all bloody!" cried Jane, in affright. "Oh, you've been shot!" "Nothin' much Miss Wi... Deep Into Cattle Land
Morning had been for some while astir in Medicine Bow before I left my quilts. The new day and its doings began around me in the store, chiefly at the grocery counter. Dry-goods were not in great request. The early rising cow-boys were off again t... Deep Water
Despite his conviction that he stood in the presence of the mysterious "Chief" of whom he had heard much, Harlan's expression did not change. There was a new interest added to it, and a deeper glow in his eyes. But he gave no outward evidence of s... Delirium
It is not the people that have led still and uneventful lives who are best prepared for emergencies. They are not trained to face crises, to make prompt and just decisions. Joan had made but two such resolutions in her life; the first when she had... Deputies All
At the ranch, whither they rode in haste, Luck meant to leave his boys and go on with the sheriff to town. But the Happy Family flatly refused to be left behind. Even old Aleck Douglas--whom years and trouble had enfeebled until his very presence he... Desert Night
THE gray stallion, finding the rein loose on his neck, trotted forward and overtook the dog, and thereafter followed at his heels. With the setting of the sun a slight breeze stirred, and freshened as twilight fell, rolling away the sultry atmosph... Desperate Measures
If Moran or Helen, early in their conversation, had looked out of the window of the hotel, during one of those vivid lightning flashes, they might have seen a woman stealthily approaching the agent's office across the street. Taking advantage of t... Desperate Measures
Nightfall found the quartet established in the S Bar bunk house. The joyful thanks of Ma Thomas was enough reward for any of them. She hadn't expected to see Kid Wolf again, she said, and to have him return with help was a wonderful surprise. S... Deveny Secedes
Since the day he had heard that Harlan had appeared at the Star and had been taken into the outlaw band by Haydon, Deveny had exhibited fits of a sullen moroseness that had kept his closest friends from seeking his companionship. Those friends wer... Dick Leslie Ranger
Which end of the street I entered I had no idea. The cabins were all alike, and in my hurry I would have passed the cook's shack had it not been for the sight of a man standing in the door. That stalwart figure I would have known anywhere. "Dick!... Dick Martin Starts Something
Dick Martin slowly turned, leaned his back against the bar, and languidly regarded a group of Mexicans at the other end of the room. Singly, or in combinations of two or more, each was imparting all he knew, or thought he knew about the ghost of San... Discipline
A light step crossed the outer room, with something peculiar in its lightness, as if the heel were not touching the floor, with the effect of the padded fall of the feet of some great cat; there was both softness and the sense of weight. First the w... Discipline
He made the preparation for supper with such easy speed that everything seemed to be done by magic hands. When Joan's mother cooked supper there was always much rattling of the stove, then the building of the fire, a long preparation of food, and an... Don Carlos
Stewart took Nels, Monty, and Nick Steele aside out of earshot, and they evidently entered upon an earnest colloquy. Presently the other cowboys were called. They all talked more or less, but the deep voice of Stewart predominated over the others. T... Don Carlos's Vaqueros
Early the following morning Stewart, with a company of cowboys, departed for Don Carlos's rancho. As the day wore on without any report from him, Stillwell appeared to grow more at ease; and at nightfall he told Madeline that he guessed there was no... Don't Get Excited!
Lovers, it would seem, require much less material for a quarrel than persons in a less exalted frame of mind. Good Indian believed himself very much in love with his Christmas angel, and was very much inclined to let her know it, but at the same t... Don't You Like Me Any More?
Harshaw's rangers caught up with the militia an hour later. The valley men were big, tanned, outdoor fellows, whereas the militia company was composed of young lads from Colorado towns, most of them slight and not yet fully developed. The state tr... Don't You Touch Him!
Inside the big chuck tent of the construction camp the cook was busy forking steak to tin plates and ladling potatoes into deep dishes. "Git a move on you, Red Haid," he ordered. Bob Dillon distributed the food at intervals along the table whi... Dorman Plays Cupid
Dorman toiled up the steps, his straw hat perilously near to slipping down his back, his face like a large, red beet, and his hands vainly trying to reach around a baking-powder can which the Chinaman cook had given him. He marched straight to ... Dr Macbride Begs Pardon
Judge and Mrs. Henry, Molly Wood, and two strangers, a lady and a gentleman, were the party which had been driving in the large three-seated wagon. They had seemed a merry party. But as I came within hearing of their talk, it was a fragment of the... Dreams
Although the paper was a year old, Senor Johnson in due time received an answer from Kansas. A correspondence ensued. Senor Johnson enshrined above the big fireplace the photograph of a woman. Before this he used to stand for hours at a time slow... Dried Rose-leaves
The house that Prosper Gael had built for himself and for the woman whom Joan came to think of as the "tall child," stood in a canyon, a deep, secret fold of the hills, where a cliff stood behind it, and where the pine-needled ground descended bef... Dud Qualifies As Court Jester
It was still dark when Dud Hollister and Bob Dillon waded through the snow to the corral and saddled their horses. They jogged across the mesa through the white drifts. Bob's pony stumbled into a burrow, but pulled out again without damage. ... Eavesdropping
Out of the murmur of voices came one that Curly recognized as that of Soapy Stone, alias You Know Who. " ... then you'll take the 9:57, Sam...." After more whispering, "Yep, soon as you hear the first shot ... cover the passengers...." The... Echo Cliffs
WHEN thought came clearly to him he halted irresolute. For Mescal's sake he must not appear to have had any part in her headlong flight, or any knowledge of it. With stealthy footsteps he reached the cottonwoods, stole under the gloomy shade, a... Ed Austin Turns At Bay
Had it not been for her fears, Paloma Jones would have taken her visit to the Austin ranch as an unmixed enjoyment. To her Alaire had always been an ideally romantic figure. More than once, in her moments of melancholy, Paloma had envied Mrs. Aust... Edwards' Ultimatum
Edwards slid off the counter in Jackson's store and glowered at the pelting rain outside, perturbed and grouchy. The wounded man in the corner stirred and looked at him without interest and forthwith renewed his profane monologue, while the propriet... El Capitan
Stillwell's interest in the revolution across the Mexican line had manifestly increased with the news that Gene Stewart had achieved distinction with the rebel forces. Thereafter the old cattleman sent for El Paso and Douglas newspapers, wrote to ra... Eleanor Intervenes
The president's private car was side-tracked on the short spur at the eastern end of the Crow's Nest, and when Lidgerwood reached it he found the observation platform fully occupied. The night was no more than pleasantly cool, and the half-grown m... Em'ly
My personage was a hen, and she lived at the Sunk Creek Ranch. Judge Henry's ranch was notable for several luxuries. He had milk, for example. In those days his brother ranchmen had thousands of cattle very often, but not a drop of milk, save th... Emotions Are Tricky Things
A man's mind is a tricky thing—or, speaking more exactly, a man's emotions are tricky things. Love has come rushing to the beck of a tip-tilted chin, or the tone of a voice, or the droop of an eyelid. It has fled for cause as slight. Sometimes it run... En Passant
It was intentionally late in the day when we reached Dodge. My horse, which I was leading, gave considerable trouble while returning, compelling us to drive slow. The buyers repeatedly complained that dinner would be over at their hotel, but the det... Enter Bear-trap Collins
She had been aware of him from the moment of his spectacular entrance, though no slightest sign of interest manifested itself in her indolent, incurious eyes. Indeed, his abundant and picturesque area was so vivid that it would have been difficult n...