Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Presently they turned a corner and left the ranch shut from sight in a fold of the hills. At the first division of the road Fraser came to a difference of opinion with Bobbie. "Arlie said you was going to leave the valley. She told me I was to take you to Speed's place." "She misunderstood. I am going to Alec Howard's." "But that ain't what she told me."
"One of Byrnes's men," he said, in explanation; "came over expressly to take this chap. He's a burglar; 'Arlie' Lane, alias Carleton. I've shown the papers to the captain. It's all regular. I'm just going to get his traps at the hotel and walk him over to the station. I guess we'll push right on to New York to-night."
Nevertheless Arlie, after giving him the slightest nod her duty as hostess would permit, made her frontal attack without hesitation. "You'll be glad to know, dad, that Mr. Fraser is our guest. He has had rather a stormy time since we saw him last, and he has consented to stay with us a few days till things blow over."
The suspicion of Fraser which he had disseminated was bearing fruit; and so, more potently, was the word the girl had dropped incautiously. He had only to wait in order to see his rival wiped out. So that, when Arlie put in her little plea, he felt it would not cost him anything to affect a large generosity. "Let him go, Jed. He is discredited. Folks are all on their guard before him now.
I'm going back to tell Hilliard so. But I ain't going to be run out by Briscoe." "Good enough. Put her there, son. This shack's yore home till hell freezes over, Steve." "You haven't any doubts about me, Alec. If you have, better say so now." "Doubts? I reckon not. Don't I know a man when I see one? I'm plumb surprised at Arlie." He strode to the door, and called to Bobbie: "Roll along home, son.
Arlie found the article and began to read: "A dastardly outrage occurred three miles from Gimlet Butte last night. While on their way home from the trial of the well-known Three Pines sheep raid case, a small party of citizens were attacked by miscreants presumed to be from the Cedar Mountain country.
Arlie made no offer to leave the room. "He's hardly up to business yet, is he?" she asked, as carelessly as she could. "Then we'll give it another name. I'm making a neighborly call to ask how he is, and to return some things he lost." Jed's hand went into his pocket and drew forth leisurely a photograph. This he handed to Arlie right side up, smiling the while, with a kind of masked deviltry.
In a panic of repentance, she had told Dick of her confession to the ranger of the names of the Squaw Creek raiders, and France had warned his confederates. He had done this, not because he distrusted Fraser, but because he felt it was their due to get a chance to escape if they wanted to do so. Always a creature of impulse, Arlie had repented her repentance when too late.
The duty of a Texas Ranger is to enforce the law against desperadoes. We prevent crime if we can. When we can't do that, we hunt down the criminals." Arlie looked at him in a startled silence. "You are an officer of the law a sort of sheriff?" she said, at last. "Yes, in Texas. This is Wyoming." He made his distinction, knowing it was a false one. Somehow he had the feeling of a whipped cur.
Fraser, greatly disturbed, patted gently the heavy coil of blue-black hair. "Now, don't you, Arlie; don't you. I ain't worth it. Honest, I ain't. I did what it was up to me to do. Not a thing more. Dick would have done it. Any of the boys would. Now, let's look at what you've done for me." From under the arm a muffled voice insisted she had done nothing but suspect him. "Hold on, girl. Play fair.
Word Of The Day