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“You can eat these eggs in milk, can't
you ?" Meg asked her patient. “May
be tomorrow 1 can steal some meat.”
reported at the house, his hip pocket bulging
with a .45. The cowman produced cigars, and they
squared away to a game of checkers,
I a wonder to me,” burst out Sanders
presently, “you wouldn't learn this game, Reb-
Just the first principles, anyhow
“1 ain't got time to play o'l day and all night.
I ot 1o camn a livin'. And what's more,” said
Reb, “1 don't enjoy to play with a feller who
Plays schentific ™
At this crisis Meg passed through the hall,
“I'm going to bed,” she called. * Good night.”
Waiting until the howse grew atill, her father
swepd the chechors into a drawer and said bri Ly,
“let's go. You soeak out without makin' any
ok, Keb, and 1 be there in & minute. I'm
foing to make like I've gone 1o bed and then go
ot the window
He B shortly emerge through bis bedroom
window with as agility very admirab'e for three
soure yoars and the two crouched bebind a bush in
the yand. For upwands of an hour they waited in
the dark. The cowman began to fidget ~ Did
you beave that bow where | told you 102
“Sare. He's hid back of the spring house
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timbse. He was dizzy from peering at deceptive
shadows, “See anything yet? "
“Now The lght's w 0 dadgum bad, it fools—
wh' Here's somebesdy comin now.”
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American Sunday Monthly Magazine Section
revealed a figure tiptoeing from the kitchen
down the walk. They could see it distinctly.
Old Lon clutched his companion’s arm. *“ Maybe,”
said he, “you'd best go back to bed, Reb. And,
Reb " —doubt and appeal tempered the usual
curtness—*“there ain't no call to mention what
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in onder to shadow bis daughter, now hurrying
towards the corrals
As she softly shid the bar of the gate her father
crept on all-fours to within ten yards of her. Meg
did not hear him and, spying only until assurcd
that she had saddiod one of the borses, he stole
away to the spring house where he found the
refiabile Baldy tetheral
"M)‘un-«imaflnmf'hm
“1l hang your hide to the fence.”
Perdaps Baldy did not comprchend, for Meg's
horse netghed and be resguonded, bot that occurnsd
chose 1o the corral and che dont *tean ascribed it
1o one of the animals indde. The gitl evercivd
lhmmml-h-umwd
of the draw chear of beadguantcrs, when she stoud
up in the stirruge and drove forsand o 1 a whisiling
“A fine outlaw she'd make!™ sabd ber father,
with 2 snort. * Never looks round.”
Inderd, she was in such haste that pever once
ddid she turn to ascertain whether anyooe followed,
but beaded straight for Bitter Springs, near which
stood 3 ruived adobe house among cotton womds
Her father povnded bebind at & comfortable
distance, well preronaded she woubl not bear him
“So the wen bim in town, hey? ™ he muttersd
savagely. “And now i anything w help me
Pete, I'd kill bim in o minute.” Baldy beaped
wildly from the jab of his spar. He arvived st the
ruine et Gve minotes bhobind
Meg had lighted a lantern and was bending
over a figure stretched on a blanket in a corner
when her father slipped quietly under the lintel.
The man lay on his back, with one arm flung
across his face as though to shut out the light, and
she was bathing his thigh from a bowl of water.
There was an open sack on the floor, and from it
protruded the neck of a bottle. The washing
done, Meg produced some gauze and laid it gently,
fold on fold, over the wound,
“How does that feel?”
“Fine!” came from between the patient’s
clenched teeth.,
Apparently much gratified, she emptied and
washed the bowl, filled it with milk from the
bottle, and again approached the man on the
blanket. ““I've brought some eggs and I'll break
them in the milk. You can eat them that way
all right, can’t you? Maybe tomorrow I can steal
some meat.”
“Great!” he said, and humbly drank what she
held to his lips.
Unable longer to restrain himseli, Old Lon
took a step into the room and Meg grabbed at
the injured man's hand as it darted under
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his blanket. *“Don’t,” she cried. “It's
my h.tber." . .
Sanders gazed down on them
sternly. “Who's this you've got
here?" he asked.
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She answered with admir
able pni!t, “lrdon’t
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didn’t you fetch him to the ranch?”
“Because—because 1 koew you wouldn't
’;*"V'kmt\. to the ranch but
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The cause of the trouble tried to make peace.
1t wasn't ber fault. 1 woukls't ket her take me
anywhete or tell anybody, and she wouldn't
leave me to starve,”
“Is that so'" swid Lon. “And why wouldn't
you let ber, friend?”
“Bocause,” was the reply, “1 pot shot russis’
ammuniilon actoes the Line buwgwd dap into
some of Maytorena's men aad they bt fly.
Kunnin’ ammunition is against the low, and if
anybedy was to find out, they'd seod me 1o the
pen quick as scat” . &
“Humph!™ sabd OM doubtiully,
soemed dlightly mollied. “That's all very fine,
but this b a preat way for a young gal 1o do, ain't
w::.d.m-«h-uumuw-"
“Ob, you can climb oo your high-horse, but
it doa't g down with me, young woman. You're
Just as human as the ret of us. Now you go right
out there and get on your horse and drag it for
home And if yom ain't wusnd acleep in bed when
1 et there, INI ipger you within a inch of your
life sinetoen of mo riseteen
So furious that she coubd net emit 3 sound, Meg
elared 2 moment . then, fearful ket ber anger cod
Tmominioudy in tears, she Mung out of the o
Said Lon, brusquely, to her patient: “Now
you see what she’s like. Ain't that a sweet dis
position? Where she gets it I don’t know.” He
added: “I'll send over for you in the morning,
young feller. Can you rock along all right till
then?”
He found all quiet as the tomb about head
quarters, and having made sure that his daughter
was in her room, Sanders undressed for bed; but
he could not sleep. All night he canvassed the
situation over and over again, and dawn found him
sitting up in a chair, staring dully at the gray
square of the window. Face upward on his lap
was a photograph of his wife, wich Molly in her
arms,
Immediately after breakfast he ordered the
white mules hitched to a light wagon and set out
alone towards Bitter Springs, and by the time the
outfit arrived for dinner, Meg's protége was
comfortably installed in the “spare room.”
“Got a visitor up at my house,” he remarked
casually, while lounging with the cowboys in the
bunk-house.
“A buyer?”
“Not this time. He's the <on of an ol friend
of mine. A feller done cut him up in a fight, and
his pa’s asked me to let him stop here Gl it blows
over. His name,” added Lon, “is B:b Con
cannon.”
Thereaiter the outfit made daily inquirics about
the guest’s progress, and their employer was
able to give the most favorable reports. Appor
ently news of the wounded man traveled far, for
on a moming came Clyde Hunnicut from the
San Pedro Valley to inquire about him.
“Hello, Clyde. Get down and visit.”
“Moming, Mr. Sanders. [ aim 10.” He
dismounted at the yard gate and came clinking
heavily up' to the porch.
“You're out early for so far from home.
What's the trouble? You look right worried.”
Hunnicut did not reply until he had setthad
himsell to his liking. 1 hear,” he began with his
customary deliberation, “you've got a visitor?
“Sure. That is, we—sure-—a visitor.”
“ 1 never knowed you had a friend by the name
of Concannon? That's a mizhty onusual name
Where does he live, anyhow?™
“Tucsn.”
“What business might he be in>”
“Undertaker,”
“Go on. 1 don't belicve -~ A glint in OM
Lon's eye brought bim up and he ended rather
lamely -~ I'd sort of like to meet this visitor, i
you have no objoction, Mr. Sanders ™
The cowman rubleed the sparse hairs of his head
in great uncertainty, but oppuosed 1o ohjection
“Wait and I'll go we.”
He found Concannon playing checkers with his
nure in the diningroom. As be entered, Mex
accused him of cheating, and they began 1o scuffie
for possession of a king. “A friend of mine i
outside and would like to see you,™ Lon snmos ol
awkwardly, “His name's Hunnbeut g e
of constraint—" I you don't want to sec iens,
N say you're too sick.”
“Why shoubdn't 1 see bim?" 1 other asked,
meeting his gaze steadily. “Tet' ", 10 come in
Or wait—Jet’s take the board outside, Miss Moo,
and play on the porch.”
The meeting pased off smcaothly enough
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younger man as he and Meg established them
selves on the steps. * You take my place.”
“I'd rather watch,” was the answer,
Watch be did, with a sruting so intent that
Concannon felt it and glanced up, catching him
off pand. “Best change your mind and get i,
Mr. Hunnicut. Perbaps you'd feel bettcr.”
Continued on page 12
found him
ahout a
mile below
here last
Tuesday,
and he was
hurt and
about to
die, so 1
brought
him here.”
““How
fuhw you
found him?
And why