Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 13, 2025
"You've met Aiken!" exclaimed MacNelly, sharp, eager, low. "By all that's bully!" Then he appeared to catch himself, to grow restrained. "Men, fall back, leave us alone a moment." The rangers slowly withdrew. "Buck Duane! It's you?" he whispered, eagerly. "Yes." "If I give my word you'll not be arrested you'll be treated fairly will you come into camp and consult with me?" "Certainly."
MacNelly clapped his fist in his hand. "This'll make the adjutant sick with joy. Maybe we won't have it on the Governor! We'll show them about the ranger service. Duane! how'd you ever do it?" "Now, Captain, not the half nor the quarter of this job's done. The gang's coming down the road. I saw them from the train. They'll ride into town on the dot two-thirty." "How many?" asked MacNelly.
"Fellows," said MacNelly, "shake hands with Buck Duane. He's on secret ranger service for me. Service that'll likely make you all hump soon! Mind you, keep mum about it." The rangers surprised Duane with a roaring greeting, the warmth of which he soon divined was divided between pride of his acquisition to their ranks and eagerness to meet that violent service of which their captain hinted.
When they unclasped and Duane stepped back to drop into a chair MacNelly fumbled for another cigar he had bitten the other into shreds and, lighting it as before, he turned to his visitor, now calm and cool. He had the look of a man who had justly won something at considerable cost. His next move was to take a long leather case from his pocket and extract from it several folded papers.
Buckley Duane how strange the name looked! "Right here ends the career of Buck Duane, outlaw and gunfighter," said MacNelly; and, seating himself, he took the pen from Duane's fingers and wrote several lines in several places upon the paper. Then with a smile he handed it to Duane. "That makes you a member of Company A, Texas Rangers."
"I supposed you imagined me one of those gun-fighters who couldn't take a dare and expected me to ride up to your camp and be arrested." "That was natural, I suppose," went on MacNelly. "You didn't know me, otherwise you would have come. I've been a long time getting to you. But the nature of my job, as far as you're concerned, made me cautious.
Presently Duane espied a stone building on a corner of the broad street. There was a big sign, "Rancher's Bank." "There's the hotel," said MacNelly. "Some of my men are there. We've scattered around." They crossed the street, went through office and lobby, and then Duane asked MacNelly to take them to a private room. Without a word the Captain complied.
He must telegraph MacNelly to be in Val Verde on the twenty-fifth. He must ride back to Ord, to intercept Knell, face him be denounced, kill him, and while the iron was hot strike hard to win Poggin's half-won interest as he had wholly won Fletcher's. Failing that last, he must let the outlaws alone to bide their time in Ord, to be free to ride on to their new job in Val Verde.
"We've just had grub, but I'll see you get some. Then we'll talk," said MacNelly. "I've taken up temporary quarters here. Have a rustler job on hand. Now, when you've eaten, come right into the house." Duane was hungry, but he hurried through the ample supper that was set before him, urged on by curiosity and astonishment.
These rangers were too well trained to appear openly curious about their captain's guest. If they had not deliberately attempted to be oblivious of his presence Duane would have concluded they thought him an ordinary visitor, somehow of use to MacNelly. As it was, Duane felt a suspense that must have been due to a hint of his identity.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking