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 rrCc. cTx<e '^—f' --'(Ujl^ ..-x^t. «5.oct., 
 
 
Tom May berry. 
 
A 
 
 Cowboy Cavalier 
 
 "Wedding is destiny — 
 and hanging likewise" 
 
 By 
 Harriet C. Morse 
 
 Illustrations by 
 Samuel F. B. Morse, Yale *oy 
 
 and 
 
 John Goss 
 
 2f 
 
 tut un 
 
 The C. M. Clark Publishing Company 
 
 boston, Massachusetts 
 
 1908 
 
Copyright, 1908. 
 
 By 
 
 THE C. M. CLARK PUBLISHING CO. 
 
 Boston, Massachusetts, 
 
 U. S. A. 
 
 All Rights Reserved. 
 
 Entered at Stationers Hall, 
 London. 
 
M 88S 
 
 TO 
 
 THOMAS J. KENNY 
 
 THIS BOOK 
 IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 M8S0353 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Tom Mayberry (Frontispiece) 
 
 Page 
 
 *' Damn you, I do know it, and that's enough' 
 
 . 64 
 
 "Say," said Uncle Dan, "pretty discriminatin 
 
 » 
 
 horse thieves" . . . . 
 
 88 
 
 " Marion moved nearer to Tom" 
 
 . 115 
 
 Bess 
 
 . 174 
 
 " He attempted to seize the girl in his arms" . 
 
 . 238 
 
 " Will you not drink a cup with me ?" . 
 
 . 259 
 
 WildBiU 
 
 . 286 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 It was a perfect Fall day filled with brilliant 
 Bunshine such as one sees only in Texas; with a 
 dry invigorating air that did not admit of fatigue. 
 The scene w^as not on the prairie land, but among 
 the low hills near the Colorado river, of which 
 it is said that if a man drinks but a single drop 
 he is compelled sooner or later, no matter how far 
 he wanders, to return to Texas, there to end his 
 days. 
 
 The low^ hills covered with gorgeous green, the 
 broad river and the fields bright with the blos- 
 soms of the cacti, gave a fitting background to 
 the figures of two athletic young fellows whose 
 horses had just forded the stream. They came 
 lazily jogging along, the beauty of the scene ap- 
 pealing to them without any actual recognition 
 of the fact. They rode, one foot out of the stir- 
 rup, their blue shirts open, neckerchiefs untied, 
 
 1 
 
2 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 and broad hats pushed back from their bronzed 
 faces. 
 
 " Say, Jay," said the younger of the two, " have 
 you seen the new girl at Luce's? I saw her yes- 
 terday, and how anyone so fine could be kin to 
 that crowd passes me. The Honorable Daniel 
 Luce says she has money and belongs to the oldest 
 kind of a family.'^ 
 
 " Yes, May," answered James Carruth. " I 
 saw her yesterday on horseback. She can't ride 
 a little bit, acts like she thought the horse would 
 get away with her. She's a right good looker, but 
 I haven't seen her on the ground yet." 
 
 " Do you know. Jay," continued Walter May- 
 berry in a gentle voice, " I have a feeling that 
 I'm going to fall in love with that girl. Jim 
 Crow shot himself last year on account of that 
 red-headed girl of Wilson's. Do you think you 
 could ever get that struck on a woman? " 
 
 As his thoughtful eyes met the bold ones of 
 his companion a deep flush crept over his face. 
 
 " Lord bless you, no, child ! " he answered. 
 " Not so long as there are other women in the 
 world. But when they are all gone it's time to 
 die, sure enough." 
 
 " A fellow that's rich and handsome like you 
 are can always get a girl to love him," sighed 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 3 
 
 the boy, " but a poor ugly cuss like me don't 
 stand any kind of a show." 
 
 " 'Taint that. Women aren't won by looks, but 
 you're too all-fired bashful. If the girls only 
 knew you as I do they would all be running after 
 you;" and his black eyes softened as he looked 
 into the dreamy blue ones of his youthful com- 
 panion. 
 
 " The fact is. May," he continued, " a girl has 
 got to be frightened into loving you. Treat a 
 woman as you would a horse. Don't let her see 
 she has the upper hand for a moment. I know 
 ^em. Now there's that girl at Luce's. — Gosh! 
 Walt, there she is now, sitting over yonder on the 
 steps of the Viles place. I'll bet she walked over 
 from the ranch. I've heard she was the beatenest 
 woman for frogging it, ever seen here; but she 
 won't hoof it back. I'll take her behind me on 
 my horse." 
 
 " Do you know her? " timidly asked Walter. 
 
 " No ! but you just watch me and see how it is 
 done." Infused with sudden energy he put spurs 
 to his horse and dashed across the open field, 
 scattering the frightened cows, while Walter 
 jogged on, watching him with dreamy interest. 
 
 " I believe I could really love that girl," he 
 mused, " and I would be awful good to her ; but 
 
4 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 there is no show for any one else when Jay is in 
 the running." 
 
 As he ended his soliloquy he saw his friend ap- 
 proach the veranda of the house on the steps of 
 which sat the young woman in question, saw her 
 raise her eyes from the book she was reading, 
 then saw Jay merely sweep off his hat in salute 
 and pass on. Alone as he was he broke into an 
 exultant shout, which died away as his friend 
 approached. 
 
 " Where's Miss Luce? " he inquired. " I 
 thought she was a pretty big girl, but she is right 
 well hidden behind you." 
 
 Jay turned red. " She looked at me so queer, 
 I dassen't speak to her ; but you wait, she'll ride 
 behind me yet. Wait and see." 
 
 Marian Luce, the object of this conversation, 
 had been musing for some time on the veranda of 
 the deserted ranch house, which had once be- 
 longed to the prosperous Viles family. It was 
 the one story, rambling, white adobe style of cot- 
 tage usual on the Texas ranches, surrounded by 
 an inclosure which fenced it of from the vast 
 stretch of pasture-land on all sides. This in- 
 closure contained a picturesque wind-mill, and 
 numberless rosebushes still in full bloom, the 
 fragrance of which filled the air. Marian her- 
 self was graceful and attractive, if not beautiful. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 5 
 
 Her tall, finely molded figure and broad shoulders 
 gave her an air of strength and power. As Jay 
 rode up, she sat with her book in her lap, an ab- 
 stracted look on her face. 
 
 " Doesn't seem to see me at all,'' he mentally 
 cogitated. " Never mind ; she must want some 
 beau down here in Texas, and I'm as good as any 
 of them," and sweeping off his large hat he said, 
 " Good-evening," in his softest drawl. She raised 
 her head and returned his salutation with a some- 
 what surprised expression. Her glance, though 
 kindly, carried no invitation to proceed. Jay, 
 who had fancied he knew how to ingratiate him- 
 self with any woman, became suddenly abashed 
 in the presence of what was to him an unknown 
 quantity, passed on, to the great delight of his 
 friend Walter. 
 
 Marian remained seated, viewing the prairie 
 before her with a half smile on her face. It 
 seemed like a beautiful picture. She had often 
 dreamed of a land like this, so peaceful and idyl- 
 lic. " I wonder," she mused, " if this has ever 
 been the scene of a desperate deed such as often 
 took place in the early frontier life. I could al- 
 most wish it were not quite so tame now." Then 
 she remembered what the good old dame on the 
 train had said to her : 
 
 "Those who say there is no more a wild and 
 
6 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 woolly West must have been born and raised west 
 of Denver, and never been East to note the con- 
 trast." 
 
 A scrap of conversation overheard on the cars 
 came back to her. Two men had been earnestly 
 talking together. The elder was a man who had 
 evidently weathered many a rough season and 
 lived through varied experiences. The younger 
 had an innocent-looking round face, lighted by 
 keen gray eyes. As the train slowed up at Xan- 
 tus, she overheard the younger one say eagerly, 
 " We shall get them yet.'' 
 
 " Speak lower," cautioned the elder, and the 
 rest was indistinct, but as she now remembered 
 it she had caught the names " Mayberry '' and 
 " Carruth.'' Of that she was quite sure. The 
 names meant nothing to her then, but she had 
 since become familiar with them. Could it be 
 that either of those young men, famous for their 
 aristocratic lineage, their courtly bearing, their 
 beauty and bravery, were implicated in any 
 crime? Oh, no! That could not be. She smiled 
 a little, half coquettishly, as she recalled the 
 vision which had just saluted her so gracefully. 
 
 At this juncture she was startled from her 
 reverie by a murmur of voices in the deserted 
 house behind her. She sprang to her feet and 
 listened with breathless expectancy. The voices 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 7 
 
 ceased but there was an unmistakable rustle. 
 Her knees shook under her, as she turned and 
 glanced across the sea of grass which lay between 
 her and her natural protectors. Since she had 
 discouraged the well-disposed cowboy she must 
 traverse it alone. Once more she glanced at the 
 house, and then nervously gathering up her skirt 
 for unimpeded action she rushed from the place 
 and dashed with all possible speed across the 
 prairie, nor did she slacken her pace until she 
 had left the Viles place far behind. 
 
 At last she stopped to look around and seeing 
 no one, she moved more slowly to recover her 
 breath, at the same time endeavoring to reassure 
 herself. " I imagined it all/' she thought. 
 " Lacking desperate deeds, I revive them in 
 thought.'' Just then in the distance she espied 
 what was to all appearances a couple of horse- 
 men approaching from the direction of her uncle's 
 ranch, whereupon her fears returned with re- 
 doubled vigor. " Why did I not obey Uncle Dan ! 
 Oh, if I were only home in New York ! " were 
 some of the thoughts which rushed through her 
 mind. 
 
 In the meantime the two equestrians who had 
 been approaching with great rapidity, had ap- 
 peared in full view. One of them, a Mexican boy 
 
8 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 (evidently a servant) was the first to see Marian, 
 and to call the companion's attention to her. 
 
 At this, the other, a joung man who in a slight 
 degree resembled the first apparition of the af- 
 ternoon, sprang to the ground and swept off his 
 hat with the same drawling " Good-evening/' 
 While he gave the boy a hurried command in his 
 own language, Marian studied him intently. Tal- 
 ler and even more powerfully built than the other, 
 his features as well being more massive and 
 stern, he gave the appearance of strength, both 
 mental and physical, — a man w^hom one would 
 obey instinctively and trust without question. 
 Two cowboys she had beheld that day, attractive 
 enough to satisfy the longings of the most un- 
 reasonable seeker after romance; and two men 
 of such widely different types. The stern bear- 
 ing of the one would have been a delightful foil 
 for the fascinating, rollicking air of the other. 
 
 As his servant galloped off, the man turned 
 half timidly, and half commandingly to Marian, 
 with the remark, " Pardon my freedom. Miss, 
 but this is no place for a woman to be alone. Al- 
 low me to attend you until you are in sight of 
 your home. You are from the Luce Ranch, I 
 reckon.'' 
 
 Marian answered him in the affirmative, thank- 
 ing him for his kind offer which she felt neither 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 9 
 
 the power nor the inclination to refuse. As they 
 walked on together she was conscious that he 
 would gladly enter into conversation with her, 
 but for fear of giving offense was waiting for her 
 to take the initiative. 
 
 " I am sure/' she thought, " that the other man 
 would have paid me several pretty compliments 
 by this time, and in true southern style, and — '^ 
 with a slightly discontented glance at her silent 
 companion — " I am not sure I should not prefer 
 it to this deferential silence." But for fear of 
 grieving the good youth she suggested timidly. 
 
 " When I saw you coming, I scarcely knew 
 whether to be relieved or still more frightened." 
 
 " Still more frightened? What frightened you 
 before? '' 
 
 Marian was quite unconscious of the quick look 
 which accompanied this question, and the eager- 
 ness with which he listened to her reply. At its 
 completion he remarked lightly, 
 
 " Do you feel perfectly safe now? " 
 
 <^ Why, of course." 
 
 Marian laughed, and so did her comrade, as he 
 blushed a deep red beneath his tan. This boyish 
 look made his resemblance to the other cowboy 
 more striking, and Marian admitted to herself 
 that he was almost as attractive. In this genial 
 
10 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 frame of mind, she reached the outskirts of the 
 Luce Ranch buildings. 
 
 " I will say good-bje now/' she said, extending 
 her hand. " I thank you most heartily for your 
 kindness.'' 
 
 Her companion blushed again as he took her 
 outstretched hand, while he assured her that to 
 escort her had been a great pleasure, and that he 
 should remain standing there until he saw her 
 inside the house. 
 
 " I hope we shall meet again," she suggested 
 archly. 
 
 " We are going to meet again," he said simply. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 11 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 The home of the Luces was like the Viles place, 
 but built on a much larger scale. To one accus- 
 tomed to buildings constructed chiefly in the air, 
 it was very delightful to see this wide rambling 
 house which covered nearly as much ground space 
 as a New York block. It was surrounded by 
 broad fields upon which grazed innumerable 
 herds of cattle, and in the distance could be seen 
 the winding river, bordered by many trees and 
 the fragrant Algerita bushes. A large pecan 
 tree in front of the house gave a most grateful 
 shade. 
 
 Fearing that she was already late for supper, 
 Marian hurried past the tree whose protecting 
 branches had often tempted her, and held her 
 spellbound for hours at a time. She did not 
 venture even to breathe in the delicious odor of 
 the algeritas then in full bloom, but hurried past 
 them all into the house. 
 
 The algerita berry is very common in the hilly 
 regions of Texas. The bush on which it grows 
 
12 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 resembles in shape and size the currant bush. 
 The berry is red and supposedly edible. The 
 blossom is white, and gives out an odor some- 
 thing like that of the tube rose, but more delicate, 
 and less oppressive. It is however strong enough 
 to pervade the whole atmosphere even out of 
 doors with a faint but very delicious perfume. 
 
 "It is a part of this wonderful country to 
 me.'^ Marian had written to her father : " It 
 seems to cast a spell over me like that of a fairy 
 wand, and to hold me here. I am conscious of 
 it everywhere ; when I am sitting under my pecan 
 tree with a book in my hand, and staring off 
 at the hills in the distance, or when I am riding 
 over the prairies, and, even in my dreams. Some- 
 times it may be only in imagination. I believe I 
 am so imbued with it that I shall carry it home 
 with me and still imagine it. It may haunt me all 
 my life and finally compel me to return. This 
 may sound a trifle weird, but it is a fancy not in 
 any way unpleasant." 
 
 Upon entering the house Marian merely re- 
 moved her hat in preparation for supper, and 
 went into the long dining-room just as the family 
 and the fourteen cowboys were sitting down to 
 the table, at the head of which sat Mr. and Mrs. 
 Daniel Luce, known to the boys as " Boss '' and 
 " Old Miss,'' or to Marian as " Uncle Dan " and 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 13 
 
 " Aunt Phoebe." At the foot of the table she sat 
 with her cousin Bess, and on either side were 
 seven cowboys, all dressed in the usual blue flan- 
 nel shirt, leather trousers, top boots and red 
 handkerchief. 
 
 Marian slid into her place as the last cowboy 
 lounged into the room, removed his broad felt 
 hat, and threw himself into his chair. Uncle Dan 
 cut the blessing rather short, for he was anxious 
 to introduce his pretty niece to the expectant and 
 delighted youths. 
 
 " Say, Boss,'' began the latest comer, " it's 
 mighty good to be back here again. I felt all 
 stived up while I was in St. Louis. I wanted to 
 get out and holler; but Lord! people gawped if 
 you even talked out loud." This speech con- 
 cluded, he settled down on the small of his back, 
 and with a sigh of content, began shoving pickled 
 beef into his mouth with the blade of a rather 
 sharp knife. 
 
 " Marian,'^ began Uncle Dan, " I want to make 
 you acquainted with the ten new boys who have 
 just got home. I've told 'em not to be dis- 
 heartened because you saw the others first, as 
 I reckoned they hadn't had much time to make 
 an impression as yet. I feel that I've got to get 
 you married to a real live Texan ; you're too all- 
 fired good for New York. Now, Fritz, here, is 
 
14 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 looking for a wife.'' At this the conscious Fritz 
 looked down with a sheepish air, amid the up- 
 roars of his companions ; for Fritz was the most 
 diffident of them all. 
 
 " Next is William Wilder, commonly known as 
 ^ Wild Bill ; ' but you needn't be afraid of him — 
 he ain't half as ugly as he looks." 
 
 " Wild Bill " snickered and tried to look a 
 little tougher than was his wont. Marian winced 
 under his bold glance, and turned to the next 
 candidate for introduction. 
 
 " Our baby, Walter Mayberry. He goes to 
 Sunday-school, has a lovely mother, and a hand- 
 some big brother. He's worth cultivating." 
 
 Marian looked with a smile into the deep blue 
 eyes which said, even plainer than the lips, " I 
 am pleased to meet you." 
 
 " Now quit making eyes at Walt, and let me 
 present Hugh, our ladies' man, whose name 
 ought to be spelt without the final H." Hugh's 
 face, beaming with kindly mirth, looked posi- 
 tively seraphic. 
 
 " Now here's Gustus Giles, our Yale man, 
 called ^ The Professor.' He can talk Greek and 
 Latin, and knows the distance to all the planets 
 better'n he does to Galveston. He can make love 
 to you in a dozen different languages, and we 
 can't one of us tell what he's saying." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 15 
 
 " The Professor " gave a courtly bow with an 
 air of superiority, and Uncle Dan continued : 
 
 " As for the rest of them, you'll have to find 
 out their pints yourself. You can have any one 
 of them, and I suppose you'll make your own 
 selection. If you can't do that, we'll have a 
 roundup and let 'em shoot each other off till 
 there's only one left — but I just want to introduce 
 you to one more, and warn you against Tad 
 Perkins, that last one on your side. We call 
 him ^ The Tadpole.' He's terribly wicked; has 
 killed a lot of men an' broken scores of hearts. 
 Why, he hasn't a mite of conscience. He's a regu- 
 lar hell-a-buster." 
 
 Tad Perkins, a callow youth with the com- 
 plexion of a girl, a meek expression of counte- 
 nance, looked very proud, thinking that with 
 such a reputation he would certainly have the 
 inside track. 
 
 " Say, Boss," spoke up one of the boys, " did 
 you know Miss Marian walked clean down to 
 the Viles place this afternoon and walked back 
 again? " 
 
 Uncle Dan dropped his fork in consternation. 
 " Walked four miles, with forty horses on the 
 place eating their heads off! Why didn't some 
 of you stop her? It was plumb crazy of her. If 
 it gets out, her father will never forgive me. 
 
16 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Why did you do such a thing? " he groaned, look- 
 ing at Marian reproachfully. 
 
 " Why, Uncle, I love to walli,'^ she said. 
 
 But he would not be pacified. 
 
 " If not for your sake, and not for my sake, for 
 God Almighty's sake, don't do it again,'' he said. 
 " You can have all the horses you want ; I'd not 
 begrudge you a dozen. What will your father 
 say when he hears it? " 
 
 " Why, father likes to have me take long 
 walks," she said, " but I did feel a little fright- 
 ened for a moment this afternoon ; " and she re- 
 lated her adventure. 
 
 A silence followed. Uncle Dan gave Gus a 
 quick look, which was intercepted by a glowering 
 one from Bill. 
 
 " You must remember that you are not in New 
 York," said her uncle gently, " even the boys here 
 on the ranch go armed." 
 
 " Oh, I had a pistol with me," and Marian took 
 a small pistol from her pocket. 
 
 " Do you call that a pistol? " roared Uncle Dan 
 reaching for it, and holding it up in derision. 
 " It would make a good watch charm, but if you 
 hit a man with that and he ever found it out he'd 
 be right mad." 
 
 " Marian," broke in Aunt Phoebe at that point, 
 " ain't your real name Mary Ann? It ought to 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. IT 
 
 be if it ain't. It's a good, sensible old English 
 name. I just pride myself that I married into 
 one of the old English families. I have the Luce 
 genealogy up-stairs, but I suppose you know it by 
 heart, as you're a Luce. I tell everybody round 
 here about the Luce family, the scutcheon and 
 the crest, an' the statute of Lord Luce in a big 
 square in London. They may think I don't know 
 much, but I knew enough to marry into a family 
 that can't be beat, as far as blood goes, — More'n 
 that, I know a bull yearling from a two year old 
 heifer, and that's more'n you city folks know." 
 
 A profound silence followed this harangue dur- 
 ing which Marian's eyes were glued to her plate. 
 " The Professor " and Walt gazed at her with 
 open sympathy, while the rest of the boys looked 
 at each other with sly w^inks and grins, and ad- 
 ministered sundry kicks under the table. 
 
 ^' You know," struck in Uncle Dan, " since I've 
 made money your Aunt Phoebe wants to put on 
 style, so I've let her have Brussels carpets and 
 stuffed chairs, and I was fool enough to let Bess 
 marry a good-for-nothing feller who couldn't do 
 a thing but sit around and smoke, just because 
 she and her ma thought he was an aristocrat. 
 He warn't worth killin', as even Bess will allow 
 now. The triflinest no-count feller that ever 
 straddled a boss! He had his own way for a 
 2 
 
18 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 couple of years. He had the world by the tail 
 and a down-hill pull, sure enough. I gave 'em a 
 ranch, but he demanded more and more, 'til he 
 wouldn't be satisfied \sithout the whole earth, an' 
 a little slice of Hell for a hog-pen ; so Bess up and 
 left him, and now he's prowling about, threaten- 
 ing to kill her. Just let him show up here, an' 
 we'll see who does the killing." 
 
 At these remarks Marian cast a furtive 
 glance over her shoulder, half expecting to see the 
 recreant husband lurking somewhere in the 
 shadow. 
 
 "Whenever the wind blows and the boughs 
 creak at night," said Bess, " I'm always afraid 
 its him creeping in at the window." 
 
 Marian's ready sympathy went out at once to 
 her cousin, and she turned toward her, showing 
 her emotion in her face. 
 
 " Don't you slop over, Miss Marian, till you 
 hear the other side,'^ drawled Wild Bill, at which 
 Bess gave him an angry glance. 
 
 " Bess would marry again if she found the 
 right man," went on Uncle Dan ; and " I reckon 
 she would," muttered Wild Bill in an undertone 
 which fortunately Bess did not overhear. 
 
 " How old are you now, Marian? " demanded 
 the old gentleman. 
 
 During the slight pause which followed this 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 19 
 
 personal question, Marian noted the curious 
 glances cast in her direction, and the mirth which 
 seemed to arise more from embarrassment than 
 from any visible cause. 
 
 " I am twenty-four, Uncle,'' she said calmly. 
 
 "We call that pretty old for a girl out here. 
 You'd best be picking out a partner without los- 
 ing any time. I'd recommend Fritz,'' he added 
 with a chuckle. 
 
 "What's the matter with me. Boss?" shouted 
 several voices, and amid a chorus of laughter and 
 would-be-witty remarks the boys, with kindly, 
 half-bashful nods to Marian and Bess, picked up 
 their hats and lounged out of the room, giving 
 vent to loud halloas as soon as they reached the 
 open air. 
 
 " There's the boy for you," said Uncle Dan, as 
 Walter Mayberry left the room last of all. 
 
 " No indeed, Pa," put in Bess. " He hasn't a 
 cent to his name. They came from the F. F. V's; 
 (First Families of Virginia) descended from a 
 poor Lord who came to Virginia in the days of 
 Queen Elizabeth, and they've been poor and 
 proud ever since. They're awful pious, too. 
 Why ! They won't play cards on a week-day, and 
 on Sunday they shut themselves up in their house 
 and only crawl out to go to church. Better set 
 
20 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 your cap for Jay Carruth. He's rich, handsome 
 and lively." 
 
 " Thank you/' laughed Marian good-naturedly, 
 " but it is too important a matter to settle in a 
 hurry." 
 
 "Can you take care of yourself for a while, 
 honey? " said Bess. " IVe got to look after Dad's 
 books. The lazy fellow won't do a lick of work 
 when Maw and I are about," and she looked affec- 
 tionately at her father, who was beside her. 
 
 "Well, what are daughters for, anyway?" he 
 retorted playfully, and they went off together, 
 leaving Marian seated alone in the dining-room. 
 She was thinking of the various events of the 
 day and of the cowboys presented to her notice. 
 The two she had met in the afternoon were all 
 she had pictured them in her dreams, but those 
 at her uncle's table seemed somewhat common 
 with the exception of Gus, who was evidently a 
 gentleman. Bill inspired her with both repulsion 
 and fear, but he was a trusted employe of her 
 sagacious old uncle, so he must be all right. 
 
 Her meditations were interrupted by the sound 
 of voices under the window. One was the deep 
 growl of Wild Bill, and the other replied in a soft 
 liquid tone. They were talking in Spanish, a 
 language Marian understood but slightly, but 
 she heard Wild Bill say, 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 21 
 
 "Your wife was looking for you this after- 
 noon." 
 
 She could not understand the quickly uttered 
 reply, but it was followed by a low " Hist " from 
 Bill, and a firmer step approached, then, to her 
 great relief, the genial Gus looked in at the win- 
 dow. 
 
22 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 It was still light when Gus, to his apparent 
 surprise, beheld Marian seated alone and lean- 
 ing pensively over the table, with her chin in her 
 two hands, gazing intently at the scene which 
 lay beyond the open window. The sky was now 
 brilliantly dyed with the red and yellow of the 
 setting sun. Two men on horseback were gallop- 
 ing over the long stretch of high grass now al- 
 most peacock blue in the reflection of the sky. 
 A third at such a distance as to be almost indis- 
 tinguishable sat on his horse waving his arms and 
 uttering a series of demoniac yells peculiar to the 
 cowboy and the North American Indian. 
 
 " Whoo — ah — 00," yelled the youth, and after 
 several repetitions of the sound, as if, by magic, 
 it were calling spirits from the vasty deep, cows 
 uprose from all directions, as though they were 
 coming out of the ground. The men slowed up 
 as the cows gathered round them, and slid gently 
 to the ground. 
 
 " What in the world are they doing? " mused 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 23 
 
 Marian, feeling as if she were Alice in Wonder- 
 land, and being prepared for almost any strange 
 sight. Then she glanced at the long ell which 
 joined the main house and consisted of a series of 
 rooms entered only from the open field, each the 
 stronghold of two of the boys. " If he is a horse- 
 thief, I am well protected,'' she thought. She 
 looked after the men again to find them nearly 
 out of sight. 
 
 " Let's have a little jack-rabbit hunt," broke 
 in a voice, and she saw the powerful Gus still 
 standing on the veranda, chewing tobacco and 
 spitting the juice wherever it might chance to 
 land. " You w^on't need to change your dress," 
 he added, coming nearer to the window, " you're 
 all right, just as you are. How do you like it 
 down here? It's some different from New York, 
 I reckon, but I tell you a pretty girl is appre- 
 ciated here more than anywhere else in the 
 world." 
 
 " What is that man doing? " said Marian, pay- 
 ing no attention to his remark. 
 
 '' Oh, he's salting cattle. Giving them bunches 
 of the salt he brought in his saddle bags. We 
 have to do that every little while. Wouldn't you 
 like to go over yonder? " 
 
 Marian readily assented and at once stepped 
 through the low window, and stood beside him. 
 
24 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " What horse do you want? '' he asked. 
 
 " Uncle told me I had best take ' old Bare- 
 bones ' for mine," she answered. " He says he's 
 a good reliable horse, and I'm not much used to 
 riding. I'm going to train him to come when I 
 call." 
 
 " In the meantime," returned Gus drily, " we 
 will solicit his services in the customary manner." 
 Then taking down a rope which hung on a post 
 of the veranda, he vaulted the railing and plunged 
 after the animal, catching him with the first 
 throw. The two horses were saddled with light- 
 ning rapidity, both with men's saddles. Marian 
 climbed laboriously into her own, stubbornly re- 
 fusing the help of her companion. " I want to 
 learn to do these things as the rest of you do," 
 she explained. 
 
 Calling the few hounds in sight they started 
 off in the direction of the yelling and apparently 
 distracted cowboys. As they rode swiftly along, 
 the dogs roused up one or two long-eared jack- 
 rabbits. Marian was delighted with the sight of 
 the slender hounds, and the rabbits bobbing up 
 and down, now appearing, now disappearing in 
 the tall grass. 
 
 " They look like a school of fish jumping over 
 each other in the water," she said. 
 
 " They do, sure enough." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 25 
 
 " But the hounds never catch the jack-rabbits, 
 do they?'^ she continued. 
 
 *^ Very seldom. We let the rabbits alone. 
 They do no harm alive, and are no good dead; 
 but when we hunt wolves and foxes we mean 
 business." 
 
 " And don't you ever use anything but a six- 
 shooter?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, but not very often. We can do 
 pretty good work with it. See that old buzzard 
 up yonder in the distance? Just watch him 
 now ; " and at the quick report of the pistol the 
 bird fell. 
 
 " Buzzards are frightful-looking birds," said 
 Marian after duly admiring his skill as a marks- 
 man. 
 
 " Yes, but they have their place in life, and 
 fill it well. They are scavengers. Belong to our 
 health department so to speak. They appear to 
 have a contract with the Carruths this week. 
 They are swarming there in bunches. Probably 
 it is a couple of dead cows; they never touch a 
 live body, however small. I can't say that of the 
 wolves, the foxes and the hawks. I'll tell you 
 sometime about my encounter with a mad wolf, 
 but now I am going to tell you about the dead 
 man we found here a month ago. He w^as a 
 ranger, one of the few who dared to hunt for 
 
26 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 cattle thieves openly, or who did it; but he had 
 a bullet neatly plunked through his temple from 
 a skilful hand — that is certain.'' 
 
 " Do you often run into things of that sort? ^' 
 Marian glanced nervously around her and drew 
 nearer to her companion. 
 
 " Oh, no ! I never did before. It is usually 
 very tame here. Your uncle has been afraid to 
 have you come before, fearing you might die of 
 boredom, but now he is worrying lest some harm 
 come to you; for we have had a good deal of 
 trouble off and on since Bess's marriage. Cows 
 and horses and even men have disappeared from 
 time to time from the various ranches. We take 
 turns now doing picket duty at night — and I be- 
 lieve Tom Mayberry never sleeps at all. He is 
 such a devil of a fighter when he gets started that 
 they're afraid of him — '' 
 
 " How about the Carruth family? " 
 
 Gus chuckled. " Oh, Jay never worries about 
 anything — but I've no doubt he makes the niggers 
 watch out. He's lost more'n all the rest of us 
 put together, but he can afford it." 
 
 Marian would have questioned him further 
 had they not arrived within speaking distance 
 of the three men. At their approach the consulta- 
 tion was brought to an end; the Mexican turned 
 his horse's head and sullenly moved away. Wild 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 27 
 
 Bill sat his horse squarely and merely nodded his 
 head, while the third man sprang to the ground, 
 and sweeping off his hat advanced to meet them. 
 "A very attractive little fellow,'' thought the 
 New York girl delighted with the utter abandon 
 of his manner, the graceful swing of his walk 
 and his bold handsome features. Gus helped her 
 to descend from her horse that she might meet 
 the young man on a more equal footing. 
 
 " Miss Luce, Mr. Carruth,'' he said, and the 
 two shook hands laughing good-naturedly as Mr. 
 Carruth at once referred to the incident of the 
 afternoon. 
 
 "Why wouldn't you let me give you a lift?" 
 he queried regarding her with undisguised admi- 
 ration. There was at the same time an apparent 
 consciousness that he himself could be no less 
 than pleasing to any lady. 
 
 " How did I know," answered the girl eva- 
 sively, " that you were not some desperate char- 
 acter?" 
 
 " He is ! " interjected Gus, at which Gus 
 laughed and Marian's eyes twinkled apprecia- 
 tively. 
 
 " But how do you happen to be out here when 
 Tom May berry and his mother are at the house? " 
 inquired Jay. 
 
28 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " So soon? Then we must go back ! ^' exclaimed 
 the girl in surprize. 
 
 Jay made a gesture of mock despair. " Just 
 like me to spoil my own chances," he groaned. 
 
 "Won't you come back with us?" asked 
 Marian. 
 
 " Sure I will. I don't intend to let that cousin 
 of mine get ahead of me." 
 
 " So he is your cousin. That accounts for the 
 resemblance." 
 
 "Why! Have you already met him?'' asked 
 Jay in surprize, but Marian was spared an an- 
 swer by Gus, who called out, 
 
 " Hold on there, Bill, I want to speak with 
 you. Jay, will you take Miss Marian home? I'll 
 come along later." 
 
 " Are you willing to trust yourself to me after 
 the reputation Gus has given me? " inquired Jay 
 looking archly at Marian. 
 
 " The decision seems to have been taken out of 
 my hands," she laughed, gazing after Gus as he 
 galloped off with Bill. 
 
 " My cousin Tom is a much better man than 
 I am," he remarked as they rode along together. 
 
 " You are generous," she answered. 
 
 " More than you realize, for we are destined to 
 become hated rivals." 
 
 Marian felt a little confused, but was about to 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 29 
 
 answer when her horse shied violently to one side 
 nearly unseating her. 
 
 " Steady, boy, steady ! " said Jay. Then they 
 were both startled by the appearance of a man, 
 half hidden by the bushes. As he stepped into 
 full view, Marian looked at him in astonishment. 
 
 " All the good-looking men round here seem to 
 resemble each other," she thought. " It can^t be 
 wholly the costume.'' 
 
 Jay's face turned white as the man approached. 
 " Excuse me a moment," he said to Marian, and 
 jumping from his horse he stepped to one side 
 with the stranger. After a short conference car- 
 ried on in a low tone, the man again disappeared, 
 seeming to melt into the shadows, and their ride 
 was continued, but a change had come over Jay 
 and he bore a more marked resemblance to his 
 cousin Tom, as his laughing, careless demeanor 
 was replaced by a graver one. 
 
 " I find I must go back to my ranch this even- 
 ing," he said after a moment's silence. " Nothing 
 but the direst necessity would keep me away 
 from you all this evening." 
 
 " I hope nothing serious has happened," re- 
 marked Marian, looking in surprise at his clouded 
 face. 
 
 " Not at all," he answered lightly trying to 
 throw off the burden, but too apparent. " One of 
 
30 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 my men just came to tell me of a little business 
 I had forgotten." 
 
 "Was that one of your men?" she asked in 
 amazement. " Why, he looked just like you." 
 
 " Nonsense! " he said sharply. " You eouldn^t 
 see clearly in the moonlight, and it was the 
 costume." 
 
 Then he added more gently, " I beg your par- 
 don, I didn't mean to be so abrupt. Here come 
 the other two. I will leave you in Gus's charge 
 while I go on with Bill. You may be sure I shall 
 take the earliest opportunity of calling on you." 
 
 He repeated the story about " one of his men " 
 to Gus, then galloped away, sweeping off his hat 
 in farewell to Marian and calling out to Gus, 
 
 " Don't let Tom cut me out." 
 
 " Not on your life," answered Gus. Then turn- 
 ing to Marian he said: 
 
 " Come, Miss Marian, we must hasten back." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 31 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Upon reaching the house thej espied Bess pac- 
 ing nervously up and down the veranda. 
 
 " Oh, there you are ! " she cried, rushing out to 
 meet them. " I thought you'd never come. Maw 
 had a duck fit and a hen spasm when she saw you 
 weren't anywhere round, and we all had a regu- 
 lar hog-killing time hunting for you when the nig- 
 ger here said she saw you riding off with Gus." 
 
 " I ain't a nigger, I's a nigero," corrected the 
 little girl. 
 
 " Mrs. Mayberry's here and Tom," Bess urged 
 impatiently. " Hurry up and come in." 
 
 Marian slid from her horse, a troubled expres- 
 sion on her face, and one of slight annoyance. 
 
 " It is all right, my dear," said a sweet voice, 
 as the owner — a noble middle-aged looking wo- 
 man — emerged from the house. 
 
 "This is Mrs. Mayberry, Madge," said Bess 
 awkwardly. Marian felt so drawn to this woman 
 that her impulse was to throw herself on her neck 
 in response to her salutation. 
 
 " Tom ! " called Bess. " Come on out.'^ 
 
32 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 At once the doorway was darkened by the al- 
 ready familiar form of Jay's cousin. His glance 
 was timid in comparison with the dashing cousin, 
 and his manner subdued, as he acknowledged the 
 introduction without any reference to the en- 
 counter of the afternoon. 
 
 " Of course you could not know we were com- 
 ing," he said reassuringly in answer to her apol- 
 ogies. 
 
 Gus grinned. " News travels fast in this part 
 of the country," he remarked. 
 
 " Whatever he may mean by that," Marian 
 hastened to explain blushing and looking at Tom 
 a trifle roguishly. " I did not know you were to 
 be here until I met Mr. Carruth, and then at his 
 instigation, and quite in accord with my desire, 
 we turned back at once." 
 
 " By the way, where is Jay? " asked Mrs. May- 
 berry, as the party turned to enter the house. 
 Gus repeated Jay's story. 
 
 " The man looked very like Mr. Carruth him- 
 self," remarked Marian. 
 
 This announcement had a singular effect upon 
 the company. Tom and Gus looked at each 
 other in consternation. Bess turned pale and 
 leant against Mrs. Mayberry for support. 
 
 " You may have imagined that," said the elder 
 lady putting her arm around Bess. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 33 
 
 " Very likely. It is easy to fancy a resemblance 
 when costumes are so similar.'' 
 
 " Jay has a brother,'' remarked Hugh who had 
 joined the group, " but it isn't likely that you saw 
 him, for he wouldn't dare show his face round 
 here." 
 
 '' Why not? " 
 
 '^ Oh, he's a noted outlaw. The detectives are 
 on his track with instructions to get him dead 
 or alive. He has a big gang of followers, some 
 of them known, others only suspected." 
 
 " Moreover," broke in Gus, " there are a lot of 
 men going about here posing as honest men who 
 are in league with Joe. We — I mean the detect- 
 ives, can't prove enough against them to warrant 
 their arrest, but we're watching them, and for all 
 they are pretty cute, they'll overstep themselves 
 some day." 
 
 " Do you suppose any of them are on this 
 ranch? " asked Marian. 
 
 " Possibly," he answered evasively. " But you 
 can see it isn't safe for you to wander off alone. 
 You can't tell an honest man from a desperado. 
 Like as not I'm one myself." 
 
 " You," laughed Mrs. Mayberry. " Don't heed 
 him. Miss Marian. He's good as gold." 
 
 " I'm a lazy no-account toad," returned Gus, 
 almost sadly. " With my education I might have 
 3 
 
34 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 been somebody, but the shiftlessness of my pro- 
 genitors is in my blood, so I'm hardly worth kill- 
 ing." 
 
 Whereupon Mrs. Mayberry broke in quickly, 
 "You're a fine lad, Gus, and you shan't abuse 
 yourself. Daniel Luce says you're his most faith- 
 ful worker. Remember also that you have the 
 best of your life still before you. It is my firm 
 belief we can overcome even inherited weakness, 
 if we persevere daily and ask the help of our 
 Heavenly Father." 
 
 " You couldn't think ill of any one," replied 
 Gus affectionately. " You're one of the fortunate 
 people who have little to overcome." 
 
 " Then," answered the lady, " I don't really de- 
 serve as much credit as you and Jay who have to 
 fight your inheritance much of the time." 
 
 " Jay has only part of his ancestors to fight," 
 laughed Gus, " for his mother was one of your 
 own family, if I remember aright." 
 
 " Yes, she was my cousin," answered Mrs. May- 
 berry, " and certainly she was a saint." 
 
 " The only decent creature that ever married 
 into that family," said Bess bitterly. 
 
 " No ! no ! dear," said Mrs. Mayberry, putting 
 her arm about the girl, while Marian looked at 
 her in surprise. 
 
 Tom turned to her quickly, noting her expres- 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 35 
 
 sion. " The Carruths are of old Virginia stock, 
 like ourselves/' he began, " but there is the old 
 cavalier blood in their race, always looking for 
 adventure, — and loving pleasure and ease.'' 
 
 " Worse than that," interposed Hugh. " There 
 has always been at least one really bad one in 
 every generation. Now that Joe Carruth, who 
 married Bess, is about as low-down a wretch " 
 
 "What!" gasped Marian, looking at Bess's 
 pale face with a better understanding of her emo- 
 tion. Then her mind instantly recurring to Jay, 
 she said, " Is he really the brother of the man I 
 met to-night? " 
 
 " I didn't want her to know that, Gus," said 
 Bess looking at him reproachfully, " but I sup- 
 pose it would have to come out sooner or later. 
 Joe isn't all bad and Jay is really a good fellow." 
 
 " When he's sober," put in Hugh. 
 
 " He's no worse than the rest of you in that," 
 retorted Bess. 
 
 " Well, he looks enough like his ornery brother 
 to pass for him, and has found it rather awkward 
 on several occasions; but that ain't his fault. 
 Jay really is a good chap, as you say, and I 
 wouldn't prejudice Miss Marian against him for 
 the world. Let's change the subject." 
 
 Marian felt for her cousin's hand and held it 
 
36 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 in hers. " Poor girl ! " she thought. " Her life 
 is a ruin at its very beginning.'^ 
 
 " Why doesn't he go far away from here? " 
 Marian demanded too much interested to think of 
 anything else. 
 
 " I reckon he loves his wife so much that he 
 can't," said Tom smiling at Bess. 
 
 " And do you love him still, Bess? '' 
 
 " Not a whit. I loathe him." 
 
 Marian moved slightly from her. 
 
 " She had good reason for that," interposed 
 Mrs. Mayberry, who had observed the action. 
 
 " But can a real love actually die out alto- 
 gether?" she asked. 
 
 Tom looked impressed and entered enthusias- 
 tically into the general discussion of that all-ab- 
 sorbing topic. 
 
 " May I take you to prayer-meeting to-morrow 
 night?" he asked with some embarrassment as 
 they rose to leave. " It is about the only thing 
 there is to take a girl to here. — I feel kind of 
 mean trying to get ahead of Jay," he continued 
 still more shyly, after he had received her an- 
 swer in the affirmative. "And as a matter of 
 fact, I expect I'll have him to fight. I may be 
 the bigger but he stands just as good a chance 
 of licking me as I him." 
 
 Mrs. Mayberry, while taking her departure, 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 37 
 
 urged Marian to return her call as speedily as 
 possible, and Bess promised in her name that it 
 should be done. 
 
 " Madge, come in and sleep with me,'' pleaded 
 Bess when they finally stood alone in the corri- 
 dor. " I declare I feel as nervous as a witch." 
 
 " All right," the other assented. 
 
 Upon entering Bess's room, Marian observed 
 that each window was fortified by iron bars, like 
 those of a prison. 
 
 " I reckon you would have them, too, if some- 
 body was round threatening to kill you ; and had 
 tried twice to carry you off," snapped Bess in re- 
 turn for her light raillery. 
 
 " Why did he try to carry you off? " 
 
 " I'll tell you some other time. I'm sleepy 
 now." 
 
 " Tell me now." 
 
 " Oh, go to sleep. I reckon it is because he 
 can't live without me." 
 
 " Bess ! " whispered Marian quickly in a star- 
 tled tone after the lights were out and curtain up. 
 " Bess ! I saw a face look in at the window ! " 
 
 But Bess was already asleep and Marian lis- 
 tening with the intentness of fear, heard not a 
 sound. Even the odor of the Algerita which usu- 
 ally soothed and satisfied her seemed heavy and 
 oppressive. 
 
38 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The life of the ranch-owner is almost as lux- 
 urious and autocratic as that of an Oriental sov- 
 ereign, and James Car ruth, enjoyed his privileges 
 to their fullest extent. Living fifty miles from 
 town, with no neighbors but the Mayberrys and 
 Luces, he welcomed the advent of Marian as a 
 gift from the Gods. Nothing but the direst neces- 
 sity, as he himself truly said, would have forced 
 him to desert the field as he had done the night 
 before. He thought of his dear friend and cousin 
 as a possible rival, but had no notion that he 
 might be a successful one, nevertheless he did not 
 intend to give him a second's advantage, and was 
 quite chagrined when he heard Tom was to take 
 the young lady to the camp-meeting. 
 
 It had been one of those hot days when not 
 a breath of air was stirring and every move- 
 ment seemed an exertion. Marian longed for the 
 evening and the cooling breeze which always 
 comes at nightfall. It came at last and with it 
 Tom Mayberry in a neat little runabout. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 39 
 
 " I got hurrahed not a little," he said, looking 
 with admiration at Marian in her pretty muslin 
 dress, " when the boys saw me with this wagon. 
 They said I might take you to drive, but that Jay 
 took you to ride on horse yesterday. Walt will 
 never get over that. We never knew Jay get left 
 before and it sort of tickled the whole of us.'' 
 
 " Tom," yelled a voice behind them, " it's goin' 
 to rain bull yearlings in less'n two hours. 
 What'll you bet it won't? " 
 
 " I'll bet Miss Marian a Yankee dime it won't 
 rain for a week," called out Tadpole. 
 
 "What's a Yankee dime?" asked Marian. 
 
 " Oh, only some of Tadpole's nonsense," an- 
 swered Tom evasively. 
 
 " In plain English, it means a kiss," inter- 
 rupted Hugh, who was now riding along beside 
 the carriage. " Say, Tom, am I in the way? " 
 
 " Not at all," answered Tom with an air of an- 
 noyance. " The fact is, Miss Marian, Hugh never 
 will let a fellow alone when he has a girl with 
 him." 
 
 " I'd like to know when you ever had a girl 
 with you before," shouted Hugh. 
 
 " Pretty girls are as scarce as hen's teeth down 
 here," he added " and none of us get much of a 
 chance; but I'll ride on before Tom shoots," and 
 off he dashed. 
 
40 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 At last tliey arrived at the tent and as Marian 
 agreed that it would be pleasanter outside than 
 in, they drew rein where both preacher and con- 
 gregation were in full view. Marian settled back 
 to her surroundings, drinking in the breeze with 
 perfect content. She had wondered once or twice 
 if James Carruth were to be there, and not see- 
 ing him she scanned the country for a glimpse of 
 him. 
 
 " He'll be here sure," answered Tom to her in- 
 quiry. " Jay's always on hand when there's any- 
 thing doing, be it a hog killing, a branding, a 
 dance, or a prayer-meeting." 
 
 " I don't know that I really care if he doesn't 
 come," thought Marian. " Mr. Tom Mayberry 
 makes me feel very comfortable but there is some- 
 thing of an uncertain quality about this fascinat- 
 ing Mr. Carruth." She was about to settle back 
 again with a peaceful but, perhaps, somewhat 
 bored feeling, when her face lighted and she bent 
 forward eagerly. The gentleman in question had 
 just appeared, accompanied by several others, all 
 of whom, after duly saluting Marian, stationed 
 themselves by the side of the carriage, sitting 
 sideways on their saddles so they might " watch 
 the show " and make running comments upon it 
 for Marian's benefit. 
 
 The new Tabernacle was a large round tent 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 41 
 
 filled with pews which were crowded with people. 
 Marian sat where she could easily watch the 
 preacher's face. This central tent was sur- 
 rounded by others from which people constantly 
 emerged. The grounds were filled with cattle- 
 men, young and old, all dressed in cowboy fash- 
 ion, and with clanking spurs at their heels. 
 Every belt held a knife and a six-shooter, even at 
 this religious gathering. These weapons are 
 still carried in places remote from the towns, 
 although forbidden by law. Their walk was the 
 peculiar swing of men used to the saddle. 
 
 " Yes, we all walk spraddle-legged,'^ was the 
 comment of Gus, in answer to her inquiring ob- 
 servation. 
 
 The comparatively few women showed more 
 variety in their dress, though no more befitting 
 the scene, for their attire, in the main a home- 
 made attempt at style, was very rarely success- 
 ful ; but her opinion Marian kept to herself, feel- 
 ing something pathetic about the striving after 
 the beautiful in these narrow lives. 
 
 At some distance from the tent, but near 
 enough to hear the words of the preacher, was 
 a small body of negroes. 
 
 " Why don't they go in? '' asked Marian inno- 
 cently. 
 
 The boys near her stared in surprise at her 
 
42 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 question, but Gus, who had been "up North," 
 remarked sarcastically. 
 
 " Niggers aren't allowed to be saved in this 
 country." 
 
 " Niggers ain't really human, anyway, are they, 
 Gus? " laughed Jay. 
 
 " I reckon they're not," answered Gus calmly. 
 
 " Does anyone think they are? " queried Hugh. 
 
 " I do," answered Tom with dignity ; but the 
 other boys looked at each other and exchanged 
 confidential opinions that Tom was trying to get 
 solid with Miss Marian, for up North a nigger 
 was held to be as good as a white man. 
 
 Before the discussion could begin again, 
 " Brother Butler," the regular preacher, with 
 " Sister Butler " and two little Butlers, drove up 
 to the tent. 
 
 " Good-evening, my friends," called the 
 preacher pleasantly. " Let me shake hands with 
 our new sister. My wife, Mrs. Butler, sister Luce. 
 You are one of the elect, I hope," he added with a 
 searching glance. 
 
 " I am a member of the Episcopal Church," 
 answered Marian, and an embarrassing silence 
 fell upon the group, followed by the comforting 
 assurance from the preacher that she would be 
 all right, doubtless, after the revival. 
 
 "Well," urged the good man — for good he 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 43 
 
 truly was — " we want you all on the Lord's side 
 to-night. Remember that we are but sojourners 
 here, and that Heaven is our home." 
 
 " We're a long way from home down here, 
 then," muttered Gus, as the preacher passed on 
 to greet others of his flock. 
 
 " They've got their eyes on Wild Bill to-night, 
 and they'll get him, no matter where he's sneak- 
 ing," whispered Gus. 
 
 " Is he really so bad ? " asked Marian. 
 
 " Well, he ain't so wicked as he is tough. He 
 wouldn't kill a white man just for fun, nor run 
 off with a married woman against her will; but 
 he occasionally amasses enough liquor to put him 
 out of business for a day or two, and he is in 
 such constant practise in that line that it re- 
 quires no small amount. He ain't, so to say, 
 sweet tempered at any time, but he's worse when 
 he's drunk. Then he has been known to turn a 
 penny or two at the gaming table." 
 
 " Of co'se — but we all do that," spoke up Tad- 
 pole, " and get full on Christmas and other hol- 
 idays; a feller's got to do somethin' for fun, but 
 we're safe, and you've got to look out for Bill. 
 The soberer he is the straighter he can shoot. I 
 don't know what kind of a lady's man he is, but — 
 Godfrey Snakes, look there! Harris and Fritz 
 are walking right into the tent — into the lion's 
 
44 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 den, so to speak. Fritz is in for it, sure's a gun. 
 There'll be some fun directly." A ripple of ex- 
 citement ran through the little crowd. 
 
 " Ain't the evangelist a regular guy ! " com- 
 mented Tad, as that individual arose and in a 
 sepulchral voice gave out the hymn, " When the 
 Roll is Called Up Yonder,'' with an expression 
 which Gus characterized as " a dying duck in a 
 thunder shower." 
 
 " That there preacher don't appeal to me like 
 he had a mite of humility," remarked one negro 
 to another. 
 
 " He means ^ humanity,' " whispered Gus. 
 
 " I think him and me would have a discrepancy, 
 sure," continued the black man, as the divine, 
 whose name was Sin Killer Jones, gave out the 
 text, " He will separate the sheep from the goats." 
 
 " What a pity Brother Butler don't speak to- 
 night," said Tom in a disappointed tone. 
 
 " Oh, but this feller's a powerful speaker," 
 urged Tad enthusiastically. 
 
 " Just the same, I don't like his looks," ob- 
 served Marian who had been studying his face. 
 " I don't trust him. I think he's one of the 
 goats." 
 
 " That's just the way I feel," Tom agreed. 
 " His sermons are all full of fire and brimstone, 
 and never a word about the love " 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 45 
 
 " Oh, you've got love on the brain/' giggled 
 Hugh. 
 
 " Just the same/' persisted Tom turning very 
 red, " I don't think this man is sincere." 
 
 " His voice and his face are against him," 
 chimed in Marian. 
 
 " Yes," his champion grudgingly assented. 
 " He might get a new face to advantage, anyhow 
 so far as beauty goes." 
 
 Tom meanwhile was conversing with Gus in 
 an undertone. " Can't you ask S. K. where he is 
 to spend the night?" he queried. 
 
 " No, that might embarrass him — " 
 
 " Sure enough," both the boys laughed, and 
 Gus continued, " but I'll invite him to stay at 
 the ranch, and if he refuses, we'll find out with- 
 out asking." 
 
 " So old Sin Killer's back agin," broke in Bill 
 who had ridden up at that juncture. 
 
 " A friend of yours, I believe," answered Tom 
 sarcastically. 
 
 " Not a bit of it ! What do you mean by that? " 
 growied the gentleman. 
 
 " You needn't get so mad about it, though I 
 confess I should hate to own it if it were me," 
 Tom persisted. 
 
 " You'd better clear out till this meeting's over, 
 Bill," called Jay. " The women are all on the 
 
46 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 watch for you, to bring you into the fold to- 
 night." 
 
 Bill looked darker than ever, but vouchsafed 
 no reply. 
 
 " Could such a man ever be converted? '' whis- 
 pered Marian. 
 
 " I don't know," he answered. " I wish he 
 might, but it would be almost a miracle." 
 
 At this point a cattleman of mature years, who 
 had drawn up at a short distance, urged his horse 
 a little nearer to the group, watching them with 
 so keen a glance that Marian turned to Tom to 
 see if he had observed him. 
 
 " S. K. Jones is giving it to them for fair," he 
 remarked to Gus in the broad dialect of the low 
 country, and as he caught Tom's eye a quick 
 recognition passed between them. 
 
 " Do you know him? " asked Marian, for in this 
 stranger she recognized the older of the two men 
 whom she had overheard on the train. 
 
 " I think I have seen him before," was his some- 
 what evasive answer. 
 
 " He is rather striking looking," she continued, 
 but as Gus made no answer she turned her atten- 
 tion to the Tabernacle. 
 
 " Jay," called a youth from the Carruth ranch, 
 " did you collect that bill to-day? " 
 
 " You bet I did, sonny ! " 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 47 
 
 Marian laughed as she said mischievously, 
 " I^ve heard that Southerners never paid their 
 bills.'' 
 
 " Well, they pay them down here, right smart 
 quick. It's easy collecting them, too. We take 
 the bill in one hand and a six-shooter in the other, 
 and the money's paid right on the spot, without 
 a word of argument." 
 
 The evangelist continued his impassioned ad- 
 dress, his voice gaining in volume as he pro- 
 ceeded, till the echoes rang with it. 
 
 " What do you think of him? " asked Tom. 
 
 " I hardly know," replied the girl medita- 
 tively. " He seems very much in earnest, but 
 somehow I feel as if he didn't really believe what 
 he says." 
 
 " There have been some ugly things hinted 
 about him," Tom informed her, " and no one 
 really knows much about the man; but Brother 
 Butler won't believe a word against a preacher. 
 He insists that as one of the Lord's annointed, 
 Jones can be a great power for good in the com- 
 munity. Brother Butler is such a saint himself 
 that the people about here adore him, even if he 
 won't let them dance, play cards, or drink. They 
 know no one else will help them as quickly in any 
 real trouble. They take the evangelist on faith 
 because Butler believes in him. The man has 
 
48 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 power, certainly, but, like you, I doubt his sin- 
 cerity. His personal magnetism is marvelous. 
 Just see those girls crying over yonder, and those 
 others jumping up and down with excitement.'' 
 
 Just then, the- evangelist paused and said, 
 " Brother Butler will now address the meeting.'' 
 
 The people quieted down as the good man arose. 
 His rugged but earnest discourse showed the 
 worth of real feeling. His hearers knew that he 
 was sincerely anxious for their salvation, and it 
 moved them all, as mere rhetorical effect could 
 never do. At length the excitement rose to fever 
 heat. Women on all sides were laughing and cry- 
 ing, and men were shouting. Marian felt herself 
 trembling in sympathy. 
 
 " I never saw anything like this before," she 
 whisperd to Tom. " I can't understand it." 
 
 " We are an emotional people," he answered. 
 " Always remember that in your judgment of 
 us." 
 
 " The cowboy is essentially a tropical animal," 
 laughed Gus ; " you will see that more and more." 
 
 Just then the congregation began singing, " I'll 
 Be Ready When the Bridegroom Comes." 
 
 At the end of the first stanza the evangelist 
 called out : " Won't you come forward, dear 
 friends, and give us a sign that you want to be 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 49 
 
 saved? Dear brother, dear sister, won't you come 
 to-night? ^' 
 
 Much to Marian's surprise the bashful Fritz 
 suddenly left his seat and advanced up the aisle, 
 where he was met with joy by the little band 
 around the evangelist. The other cowboys, in- 
 stead of jeering, as she expected, reverently un- 
 covered their heads as Fritz knelt. Marian 
 looked over to where Jay was standing. His 
 face had an exalted expression, which made it 
 really noble. 
 
 "Where's Bill?" drawled Gus. "He's the 
 most lurid sinner of this crowd." But Bill had 
 disappeared. 
 
 " Are you ready to go now? " whispered Tom, 
 and she assented, nodding a smiling farewell to 
 the others as he took up the reins. As the horse 
 moved slowly off she looked back at the excited 
 crowd with the picturesque groups of cowboys, 
 the knots of dark-skinned people on the outskirts 
 and the bevies of women moving to and fro, en- 
 treating all to come forward. 
 
 Soon the tumult ceased, and only the hum of 
 the insects, or the chirp of a sleepy bird was 
 heard. Overhead the stars shone brightly ; and a 
 soft breeze blew back the light tendrils of hair 
 on Marian's forehead. She glanced up at Tom, 
 4 
 
50 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 as he sat strong and erect beside her, his face 
 shaded by his wide-brimmed soft hat. 
 
 " You will be very late in reaching home," she 
 said. 
 
 Tom turned toward her with a smile which lit 
 up his rather sober countenance. 
 
 " I am not going home to-night," he returned. 
 " I shall be obliged to attend to some work that 
 will take me half the night and — " 
 
 Here the sound of horses' feet in the soft grass 
 caused Tom to stop and listen. Almost imme- 
 diately, it was followed by a pistol shot and a 
 voice calling, "Halt!" 
 
 Tom seized Marian by the shoulder and pushed 
 her violently from the seat, saying " Get down 
 underneath ! Take the reins ! " 
 
 They were both behind the sheltering back seat 
 in the fractional part of a second, the horse with 
 the instinctive sagacity of that animal sprang for- 
 ward, and dashed ahead with all the speed of an 
 Arabian steed and without any urging or guid- 
 ance. Tom had faced about with a powerful dark 
 lantern in one hand, and a loaded revolver in the 
 other. Both had been lying primed and ready 
 for use in the bottom of the wagon. Rapid as 
 their movements had been, another shot had 
 whizzed over their heads and judging from the 
 angry snort of the horse, it had evidently grazed 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 51 
 
 him lightly. Tom flashed the lantern and fired 
 three successive shots directly ahead of him. 
 
 " One man is down," he remarked laconically. 
 Then he fired three more, and waited. There was 
 no sound in response. Marian was too frightened 
 to question him. The position on the floor of the 
 wagon was well-nigh intolerable. In the dark 
 the little hills and valleys could not be avoided 
 and they were constantly rattled and jolted; in 
 several instances nearly thrown from the vehicle. 
 
 " It was evidently no joke/' Tom whispered, 
 " for they were masked. If anything should hap- 
 pen to me, just you hold the reins in one hand 
 and this gun in the other ; nobody's going to hurt 
 a woman alone, and the horse will go on home 
 without any help. But I believe they're going 
 away. They see that they can't scare us, and it 
 won't do them any good to kill us ; moreover, we 
 have an advantage over them with this dark lan- 
 tern. They weren't prepared for that. Your 
 Uncle Dan got it for me just lately." 
 
 " Did you ever expect to put it to such a use 
 as this? " 
 
 " Never did ! I think we can go slower now. 
 Your back must be nearly broken." 
 
 " It is. Do you dare risk it to get on to the 
 seat again?" 
 
52 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " Not quite yet. I am so sorry to have gotten 
 you into this." 
 
 " Indeed, I feel that you have rather gotten me 
 out of it. Most anyone else would have stood 
 right there for fear of getting shot.'' 
 
 " Well, I knew they wouldn't gain anything 
 by shooting us." 
 
 " How did you happen to be so well equipped? " 
 
 " Oh, since that feller was found dead, we've 
 all gone armed to the teeth whenever we stir 
 out at night." 
 
 " Won't you trust me enough to tell me w^ho 
 and what you think it was? " 
 
 Tom hesitated before answering. 
 
 " Yes, I will," he assented. 
 
 " But they are sure gone, scared away by our 
 searchlight, and we can sit on the seat." 
 
 " Oh ! " groaned Marian. She was trembling 
 from fright, and from the exertion of her cramped 
 position, when she finally with Tom's assistance, 
 crawled from her retreat to a more comfortable 
 position. 
 
 " In return for my confidence," he went on, 
 while he was helping her, "you must agree not 
 to mention this little occurrence. It might cause 
 a panic among the younger boys. Then there are 
 other reasons for silence. My private opinion is 
 we were pursued by Joe Carruth and some of 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 53 
 
 his confederates. They want certain information 
 and some concessions from me, and have been 
 watching for this very chance." 
 
 "Then you believe Joe Carruth is in this 
 vicinity? " 
 
 " Yes. I have thought so ever since what you 
 said the other night, and so has Gus." 
 
 Marian leaned back overpowered by emotion 
 and was glad to see the lights of her uncle's 
 ranch twinkling in the distance. 
 
54 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 At noon the next day, Marian, nothing 
 daunted, found herself returning on foot from a 
 visit to the Mexican village, which lay on her 
 uncle's ranch but a short distance from the house. 
 
 She had not closed her eyes the night before, 
 and at the first ray of dawn had risen to dress 
 herself and to walk out into the cool morning 
 air. All was as tranquil as a New England farm 
 at that hour. The spirit of peace and the fresh- 
 ness of the atmosphere calmed her nerves and 
 braced her, so that at breakfast she had succeeded 
 in appearing quite her usual self. 
 
 But again she felt that she must get away 
 alone, and accordingly she set out on foot, in- 
 tending not to go out of sight of the house. Re- 
 turning from the Mexican village her natural 
 good spirits had risen above her fears and ap- 
 prehensions. How good it was to be alive on a 
 day like this, and how promising the future 
 seemed in this enchanted country ! 
 
 The sound of a horse's hoofs on the soft earth 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 55 
 
 came to her ears, and almost at the same moment 
 a horse and rider appeared on the top of a hillock 
 as if springing from the earth. Marian glanced 
 quickly at him and encountered the keen eyes of 
 the cattleman who had so earnestly regarded her 
 at the camp-meeting the evening before. 
 
 " Good-evening," he said, removing his broad 
 hat and springing to the ground by her side. 
 " Can you tell me if I am on the Luce ranch? '' 
 
 " You are," she answered looking at him with 
 appreciation. He was a tall, erect, healthy spec- 
 imen of manhood, about forty years of age, who 
 looked as if he had spent the most of his life 
 in the open air. 
 
 " I have ridden for fifty miles," he explained, 
 " alone with the green grass, the cows, the blue 
 sky, and God Almighty. It was getting a bit 
 monotonous, and I was glad to see a human. I 
 am going to stop at the Luce ranch to-night." 
 
 Then he added in a different tone, " You saw 
 me last night at the camp-meeting? " 
 
 " Yes, and I saw you on the train, too." 
 
 "Did you?" The man looked surprised. 
 " May I be pardoned,'' he suggested, " if I warn 
 you not to go so far from your house and on foot? 
 It's the greatest luck if nothing happens to you." 
 
 " Everyone tells me that," she retorted. 
 
 " If you will mount my horse, I will lead him 
 
56 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 in any direction you suggest,'^ he offered hos- 
 pitably. 
 
 " On the contrary, I want you to mount him. 
 You cattlemen do so hate to walk.'' 
 
 " Now that is a fact. I could ride from here 
 to New York without stopping, but it nearly 
 kills me to walk a mile — ^you see I suspect you are 
 from that city — recognize your accent.'' 
 
 " Have you been there? " she asked. 
 
 " Oh, yes ! I've been all over the country. 
 You Northern girls are so well protected in your 
 large cities, you have little to fear, but this is a 
 lawless place. Where are you going all by your- 
 self, if I may ask?" 
 
 " I was on the way to Senora Picarda's." 
 
 He gave her a quick glance, and his color rose 
 a little, but Marian continued, 
 
 " She is a most hospitable soul and loves to 
 have me come to see her. She gives me tortillas 
 and frijoles to eat, and tells me all about her 
 life in Mexico. She has two lovely little girls, 
 but her home is a wretched hovel, and her hus- 
 band — Well ! " and Marian shrugged her shoul- 
 ders with an air of aversion. 
 
 " What about her husband? " 
 
 " I don't really know much about him, except 
 that he w^orks for my uncle." 
 
 " Works ! " he repeated with a short laugh. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 57 
 
 " Why, do you know him? " 
 
 " I know the Greasers, and they are all alike,— 
 a shiftless, mongrel race on a par with niggers. 
 Is Seiior Picarda usually at home? " 
 
 "No. He often disappears for days, then 
 comes back and lies around till the cool of the 
 evening when he goes to work. I think he is at 
 home now.'' 
 
 There was silence for a moment, then he in- 
 quired, "What did you think of the preacher 
 last night? " 
 
 She hesitated. "I like Brother Butler. He 
 seems to be a good man, but S. K. Jones, as the 
 boys call him, though a powerful preacher, 
 doesn't please me at all. What do you think of 
 him?" 
 
 He threw up his head with a short laugh. " I 
 think a man needn't go around looking like a 
 sick monkey eating potash, just because he's 
 pious." 
 
 They had been walking along side by side, the 
 stranger leading his horse, when the ranch came 
 into view. 
 
 " Here we are at home, and just in time for 
 dinner," exclaimed Marian. "You know my 
 uncle, I presume." 
 
 " No. I only came on a matter of business." 
 
 " Then come right into the dining-room." 
 
58 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " Come on, Marian/' shouted Uncle Dan from 
 the head of the table, " we're waiting on you, like 
 one hog waits on another." 
 
 Then seeing the stranger, he came forward 
 with extended hand, for a prepossessing stranger 
 was always gladly welcomed at the Luce ranch. 
 
 The man, after announcing himself as Mr. Hys- 
 lop, of Athens, was presented to the rest of the 
 company, and cordially invited to partake of the 
 meal which the hospitable hostess complained 
 was not at all what it should be. Mr. Hyslop 
 was at once taken into the confidence of the 
 party, and encouraged to join in the conversation, 
 which was perhaps unusually vivacious because 
 of his presence. He praised the beauty of the 
 country, expressed his desire to view more thor- 
 oughly the Luce ranch, and then, turning to the 
 boys, he asked if they couldn't get up a hunting 
 party. The boys agreed with enthusiasm. 
 
 " It's going to be cloudy for to-night, I'm 
 afraid," said Tad, " but if it is we can go to-mor- 
 row night, for sure ; there's a good moon now." 
 
 " If it is a dark night," said the " Boss " with 
 decision, " you-all will have to stay and guard the 
 ranch and stables. There's been some stealing 
 round here of late. If I catch the thief, he'll be 
 hung to the first tree without ceremony." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 59 
 
 " Oh, Dan ! " said Aunt Phoebe reproachfully, 
 " that wouldn^t be right now." 
 
 " Why not? '' asked Uncle Dan. " If we catch 
 him doing it, we're sure he's guilty." 
 
 " Say Dad,'' broke in Bess, " if it's a good 
 night, mayn't Marian and I go hunting too? " 
 
 " I don't know," began her father doubtfully, 
 when both Mr. Hyslop and Gus suggested that it 
 would be too much for the ladies. 
 
 " You needn't worry about that," spoke up 'Jay 
 quickly. " If they get tired, Harry and I will 
 take them home." 
 
 Harry was a youth in Jay's employ, a hand- 
 some fellow of good family, who was very much 
 in love with Bess, and not entirely scorned by 
 that young lady. The two girls thanked Jay so 
 enthusiastically that he felt he had scored one 
 more point against Tom who had taken no part 
 whatever in the debate. 
 
 " Marian," broke in Uncle Dan, " don't you 
 want to hear a good story? I^ve a rip-tailed 
 snorter of a story that Tom told me last night," 
 and he looked mischievously at that young man 
 who turned an agonized red. 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, don't tell her that story. 
 Boss ! " he gasped. 
 
 " Oh, I must tell it," he chuckled ; " don't you 
 want to hear it, Marian? " 
 
60 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " I am quite sure I would like any story of Mr. 
 Mayberry's/' she answered serenely. 
 
 " Don't you tell her that story, Boss," pleaded 
 Tom, and " Now, you shut up. Dad," broke in 
 Bess, " and give me some sop. Don't you want 
 some sop, Marian? " 
 
 " Sop? " said Marian in a questioning tone. 
 
 " I mean sorghum. We call it ^ sop ' or long 
 sweetening. Sugar is short sweetening. Didn't 
 you ever eat any sorghum pie? " 
 
 " I never did," said Marian meekly. 
 
 " Well, it's right good, and sweet potato pie, 
 too. We'll have some while you're here." 
 
 " Boss," spoke up Bill with an evil look, 
 "ain't you goin' to tell that story? Goin' to let 
 the women folks scare you out of it? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ! " began the old gentleman. Tom 
 glared at Bill and Aunt Phoebe rushed to the 
 rescue. 
 
 " You, Bill," she said sharply, " just you shut 
 up. Dan shan't tell any of his stories before 
 Marian." 
 
 " Keep cool. Ma," interjected Bess. " As Mar- 
 ian and I have finished eatin' we'll leave Paw 
 and Bill to tell stories to each other if they want 
 to." 
 
 She rose from the table looking at Bill with 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 61 
 
 studied insolence, but her gaze fell before the 
 look of glowering hatred which met hers. 
 
 "Why does Bill hate jou so?" asked Marian 
 impulsively, as they stood on the veranda about 
 half an hour later. 
 
 Bess turned a little pale. " I don't know," she 
 faltered. " I'm sure enough afraid of him, but I 
 never let him know it. I wish Paw would turn 
 him off, but he won't. Bill's a good worker, an' 
 awful good to him. You know Paw is easy, bless 
 his dear, lazy old carcass," and her eyes looked 
 affectionately over the field where her father was 
 riding with a group of other men. 
 
 "Look, now," she cried. "That new man is 
 lugging off Dad and Tom, an' Jay is coming back 
 to take us up on the Cliffs, just as he said he 
 would." 
 
62 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Tad proved to be a good weather prophet, fop 
 that evening the moon was completely obscured 
 by heavy black clouds. The girls, weary from 
 their excursion, went to bed early, and Boss sta- 
 tioned the whole force of cowboys to watch in 
 different parts of the field, and about the house 
 and barns. 
 
 Two other cattlemen had arrived at nightfall, 
 and the three guests, with a number of the cow- 
 boys, sat in the oflSce of the barn, which had much 
 the appearance of the officers^ quarters in a cam- 
 paign. At the door outside sat Mr. Hyslop half 
 buried in the hay. At intervals a cowboy, with 
 an air of mystery and some pleasant excitement, 
 would poke his head in at the door and with 
 bated breath report to Gus, and, receiving orders 
 in an undertone, would dash off again like a 
 small boy running to a fire. 
 
 Gus, who appeared to be the officer of the day, 
 was half sitting, half standing, beside Bill, in a 
 careless picturesque attitude, as though ready to 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 63 
 
 spring into action at the slightest warning. Tom 
 and Jay sat at the other end of the table, with 
 two others, playing poker. All were dressed in 
 full cowboy fashion, with spurs which clinked at 
 every movement. All were armed to the teeth, 
 and all were smoking. There were bottles and 
 glasses on the table, upon which Gus kept a sharp 
 eye. The bare, boarded room was illumined by 
 the light of a single hand lantern, half obscured 
 by tobacco smoke. Jay^s face wore its usual 
 reckless expression, while Tom^s heightened color 
 gave his eyes an unwonted brilliancy. 
 
 " D — n your luck ! " yelled Harry, as Jay 
 quietly transferred a pile of coin from the table 
 to a small box by his side. " Say, Tom, you-all 
 ought to be lucky in love, if signs are true.'' 
 
 " Tom don't care nothing about the girls," said 
 the other cowboy. 
 
 " I don't know," remarked Gus drily. " I 
 think he's beginning to take notice ; " at which 
 they all looked at Tom who appeared a trifle 
 annoyed. 
 
 " You'd better be careful, Gus," he said with 
 a steely glitter to his eyes. 
 
 " Never you mind," replied that youth provok- 
 ingly, " I didn't mention any names." 
 
 " He won't stand any chance with that girl," 
 went on Harry, not minding in the least Tom's 
 
64 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 savage glare. " He's too big and handsome. 
 They're too well matched. Anything as ideal as 
 that never comes off. A little peanut like Jay, 
 now '' 
 
 " What do you mean ! '' roared Jay. " I'm as 
 big as she is." 
 
 " 'Tain't that, neither," growled Bill. " Tom's 
 too doggon tame for a girl of spirit." 
 
 "Aren't you getting rather too personal?" 
 asked Tom with dangerous quietness. " If we are 
 going into personalities, you might tell us why 
 you are not drinking anything this evening." 
 
 " I haven't any special reason," Bill stam- 
 mered. " Yes, I have, too," he corrected. " I 
 promised Boss I'd protect his property an' if it 
 comes to a show-down I'm ready to give my life 
 for it." 
 
 "Even against Joe Carruth?" asked Tom in 
 an undertone, gazing in Jay's direction. 
 
 " There won't be any Joe Carruth here to- 
 night," Bill muttered. 
 
 " How do you know that? " 
 
 " Damn you, I do know it, and that's enough ! " 
 he cried, jumping up with his hand on his re- 
 volver. 
 
 "What is the trouble, my friends?" said an 
 oily voice, and, without the sound of a footfall, 
 
'Damn you, I do know it, and that's enough. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 65 
 
 the sleek form of Sin Killer Jones appeared in 
 the doorway. 
 
 " I was about to call upon Brother Luce when 
 I heard angry voices and felt it my duty to in- 
 vestigate the cause. Oh ! my friends, do I behold 
 you with the DeviPs picture book before you, 
 wasting your time in this sinful fashion? " 
 
 The boys looked at him with sarcastic smiles. 
 "This ain't no camp-meetiny sneered one of 
 them. 
 
 From his position behind the hay, Mr. Hyslop 
 muttered, " We can't ever get the drop on them 
 two, they're too smart for us. That oily hypo- 
 crite can crawl out of any hole, but never you 
 mind, I'll never let up till I cage 'em both." 
 
 " This senseless giggling does not always de- 
 note mirth," continued the Evangelist, gazing 
 through the smoke which had become thicker 
 than before. The odor of both the lantern and 
 the tobacco smoke combined served to make them 
 insensible of a slight smell of burning until Mr. 
 Hyslop suddenly called out, " Fire ! Fire ! Look 
 alive there, — the barn's been set on fire ! " 
 
 All sprang to their feet. 
 
 " Outside there ! quickly ! " called Gus, " but 
 don't ride off till I come out. Bill and Jones, 
 stay here with Hyslop. Get the water buckets, 
 5 
 
66 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 quick, boys, it's only started. Jay and Harry, 
 go over to the house." 
 
 " Fire's all out, Gus," said Tom. 
 
 " Well, you and I will get out into the field. 
 We'll catch 'em before they can get off with the 
 cattle. Stay here, Bill," he reiterated sternly. 
 
 "Don't you trust me, Gus?" asked Bill with 
 suspicious mildness. 
 
 " Someone's got to stay here," replied Gus 
 evasively. Then, in a whisper to Hyslop, he said, 
 " Keep 'em in sight." 
 
 " You bet ! " was the emphatic answer. 
 
 " Boss, you and I are needed here," called Jay 
 as he galloped up to the house, for the old gentle- 
 man, roused by the disturbance, was striding out 
 to meet them. " The fire's out and the boys are 
 looking after things." 
 
 "Isn't this terrible?" whispered Marian, com- 
 ing out on the veranda, where Bess was plying 
 Harry with questions. 
 
 Jay stood nearby, with face as set and eyes as 
 stern as his cousin Tom's. He was gazing in- 
 tently at a scattered group of riders and cows, 
 which could be dimly seen at a distance by the 
 straggling light of the moon which now and then 
 pierced through the clouds. Then shot after shot 
 rang out, and two bullets whizzed by the veranda. 
 
 Jay shifted his position, and quickly bade 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 67 
 
 Marian to stand farther back where she was pro- 
 tected bj the side of the house. Two more shots 
 were heard and Jay groaned aloud. 
 
 " Are you hurt? " called out Marian anxiously. 
 
 " Not a bit.'^ 
 
 "What is it, then?^' 
 
 " I— I— Oh, nothing," he answered huskily. 
 
 Marian in her excitement, thrust her head out 
 again, but the moon had disappeared, and the 
 field was shrouded in darkness. 
 
 "Go and see what has happened,^' she whis- 
 pered to Jay. 
 
 " I can^t leave my post to-night,'^ he returned. 
 " You all go to bed and if anyone is killed, you'll 
 know it to-morrow.'' 
 
68 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Early the next morning Marian and Jay were 
 asked by Uncle Dan to go on an important errand 
 to Black Mountain. " No one else could be 
 spared/^ he explained. So there was nothing to 
 do but comply with his request. The trip to- 
 gether on a beautiful morning over a charming 
 country would have been very pleasing at any 
 other time, but both were secretly disappointed to 
 miss the details of the morning's work, and the 
 story of the events of the night before. Each felt 
 there might be reasons, not explained, for choos- 
 ing them for this errand. In spite of this fact the 
 ride was enjoyable and Jay's taciturnity vanished 
 under the sunny influence of his companion. 
 They arrived at home just as the dinner-bell 
 rang, and Marian entering the hall, overheard 
 Uncle Dan as he conversed with one of the 
 strangers. 
 
 " Jay is all right," she heard him say. " He's 
 straight as a die; but we were afraid that his 
 rascally brother — Oh, Marian,'' he added as he 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 69 
 
 heard her light footsteps, " so you're back. Come 
 right in to dinner. Never mind your dress." 
 
 " Did they get away with any cattle last night, 
 Gus? '' whispered Jay anxiously as they sat down 
 to the table. 
 
 " No, but they had a lot rounded up, and would 
 have got 'em if we hadn't got there just as we 
 did." 
 
 "Did— did you find out w^ho they were, and 
 was anyone killed or hurt? " 
 
 " No ! We've been looking allthe morning, but 
 didn^t find anyone; though I thought I saw two 
 men drop last night." 
 
 Jay's brow cleared, and he heaved a great sigh 
 of relief. Tom and Hyslop w^ere still absent, and 
 in their places sat the two strangers. The elder, 
 who had very black hair and a fierce mustache, 
 turned to Aunt Phoebe with an ingratiating air. 
 "We've been trying to make a bargain with 
 the Boss here, for your cattle before they're all 
 stolen," he said. " Perhaps you can persuade him 
 to be a bit easier with us." 
 
 " I'm harder to deal with than the old man," 
 said Aunt Phoebe promptly. " He's too aristo- 
 cratic to haggle about prices. I do most of the 
 bossing on this ranch." 
 
 " Keerect ! " said Uncle Dan amiably. 
 
 " He supplied the old family tree, so he's done 
 
70 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 his share," went on the old lady. " Dan and 
 Marian's father, his own brother, can trace their 
 ancestry back through the royal families of 
 France and England, pretty near to the ark." 
 
 The cattlemen looked properly awe-stricken. 
 
 "A regular Apostolic Succession family," 
 whispered Gus to Marian. 
 
 " They treat all that's kin to them like folks, 
 too," continued Aunt Phoebe, " and never put on 
 airs over them, as they could by rights." 
 
 " You people ain't spoiled by the money you've 
 made, neither, every one says that," returned the 
 cattleman politely. 
 
 " That's where blood tells," she answered 
 proudly. " Look at them Packers up in Jerry ! 
 Triflin' no-'count family! The boys just make 
 me sick, callin' sodie ^ soda ' an' wearin' jardi- 
 neres at night, or pejams, or whatever they call 
 them new-fangled things, drink sherry instead of 
 good old moonshine rot-gut. They've got to quit 
 that hifalutin' nonsense and come down to hard 
 pan, same's the rest of us, you just mark my 
 words ; now the old man is dead there ain't nary 
 one of 'em smart enough to keep what they've 
 made, let alone addin' to it." 
 
 " Kit Packer is only a sheriff, now," said one 
 of the men. " Kind of a come down, but he's an 
 awful favorite in the county. If anything should 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 71 
 
 happen to him, there^d be no rest till he was 
 avenged." 
 
 The speaker had addressed this last remark 
 to Bill, who vouchsafed no reply. 
 
 " His cousin. Jack Packer, is working for us,'' 
 broke in Aunt Phoebe. " He's the one who was 
 hurt last night." 
 
 "Hurt?" cried Marian, her eyes dilating. 
 
 " Not badly," broke in Uncle Dan with a warn- 
 ing glance at his wife. 
 
 "Was anyone else hurt?" she demanded, in- 
 tercepting the glance. 
 
 " No white man on our ranch," he replied. 
 " Tom's gone home to look after his place and he 
 took Hyslop with him. S. K. Jones remembered 
 there were others of his flock who needed exhort- 
 ing, and when relieved from duty at the barn, he 
 galloped off as if the Devil was after him." 
 
 Gus gave a quick look at Bill, then whispered 
 to Marian, " Tom and Hyslop are coming back 
 to-night to go hunting with us." 
 
 " Remember," called out Uncle Dan, just catch- 
 ing the word " hunting," " that the girls are to 
 stick to Jay and Harry. They'll be responsible 
 for them and bring them back when they're 
 tired." 
 
 Jay raised his head with a look of pleasure, 
 and Bess, who had been very silent and subdued 
 
72 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 throughout the dinner, exchanged a smile with 
 Harry which made Bill glower worse than ever. 
 
 " It's the ruination of any Southerner to have 
 money,'' said Gus, his mind reverting to the 
 Packer family. " Just as long as they have to be, 
 they are sober and industrious; but take away 
 the necessity and may the Lord help them ! " 
 
 " They have a great many charming qualities 
 to offset their faults," remarked Marian. 
 
 " Most charming people ain't no-'count to 
 work," said Aunt Phoebe with decision. " The 
 Lord seems to have created two kinds of people, 
 the useful and the ornamental. The useful ones 
 do all the work, and wait on the ornamental 
 ones," giving a comprehensive glance at her 
 daughter. 
 
 " Well, if the ornamental ones will entertain 
 and be good to us, we'll gladly wait on them," in- 
 terposed the gallant Hugh. 
 
 " The trouble is, they generally walk over us 
 an' turn their noses up at us, while we work our- 
 selves to death for them," added the new man 
 sourly. 
 
 " I think women ought to run things," said 
 Uncle Dan. " They do it better'n the men do." 
 
 " Why, Uncle Dan," laughed Marian, " do you 
 believe in Women's Rights?" 
 
 " Women's Rights ! " he laughed. " In this 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. \ 73 
 
 part of the country that sounds funny. You'd 
 better ask if I believe in merits rights. Down here 
 the women are treated like goddesses, and they 
 are perfect tyrants. Every woman ought to get 
 married, though, and have only one man to 
 abuse.'' 
 
 Aunt Phoebe, noting the embarrassment of the 
 girls from the giggling and furtive glances in 
 their direction, turned attention from them by 
 relating one of her pet stories. 
 
 " It is perfectly natural for men and women 
 to want to get married," w^as her introductory 
 platitude. " Did you ever hear of the girl who 
 was considering a young man, and before she 
 gave her final answer, went to visit some of her 
 married friends to see if marriage was a failure? 
 The first one she visited had three young children, 
 and, her husband not being overly smart, she was 
 doin' her own work, sewin', and takin' care of the 
 kids besides. As you kin imagine, she didn't have 
 much time for visitin', concerts, or this here men- 
 tal improvement they talk so much about now-a- 
 days," — with a side glance at Marian. 
 
 " The second friend," she continued, " had a 
 husband who was generally ornery, and the two 
 fit most of the time. The third's husband w^as an 
 old fool w^ho was rich and stingy, and never let 
 her go anywhere or have anything. The fourth 
 
74 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 was tryin' to keep her from gettin' a divorce, 
 although he was running after everything in 
 petticoats. Well! She went home, and what do 
 you think she did? " looking at Marian. 
 
 " Why ! She broke off with the young man at 
 once," was Marian's decided answer. 
 
 " That shows how little you know of human 
 nature,^' retorted Gus. 
 
 "Eight you are, Gus,'' said Aunt Phoebe 
 triumphantly. " She told him she would be ready 
 to marry him in a week." 
 
 " Oh, hursh ! " laughed Tad. 
 
 " Sure enough," answered Aunt Phoebe. " She 
 reckoned she'd show 'em how to live." 
 
 " All signs fail in fair weather," broke in the 
 cattleman, leaving the company to make their 
 own application; then turning to Marian, he re- 
 marked, " I expect they rawhide you a lot about 
 your beaux." 
 
 " Oh, you can't devil a Northerner two bits 
 worth," said Aunt Phoebe, rushing to her assist- 
 ance. " They're too cool and collected for that. 
 You just ought to see Marianas dad ! A big, stern 
 man, so quiet and dignified he scares you half 
 to death. He's the best lawyer in New York 
 City." 
 
 " And fought against us in the Civil War, I ex- 
 pect," growled the other cattleman, who evidently 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 75 
 
 was on the constant lookout for a grievance. 
 " God ! it makes me sore to think how you dev- 
 astated our lands, killed our brothers, and took 
 away our slaves," he cried, turning to Marian. 
 
 " I didn't do it,'' she answered, surprised at his 
 vehemence. 
 
 " And I did all I could to prevent it," spoke up 
 Uncle Dan, as though vouching for her as a rela- 
 tive. " I tell you I couldn't bear the thought 
 of being on the opposite side to brother George. 
 We were born and raised in old Kentucky and 
 Marian's father was educated at West Point. 
 It's an old story, too common to be interesting, 
 and it isn't wise to rake up quarrels." 
 
 " Especially after the wonderful display of 
 generosity on both sides," broke in Marian en- 
 thusiastically, "a generosity quite unparalleled 
 in history. It is no more this country and that 
 country, but our own glorious country, a united 
 whole." 
 
 " The rapidity with which the South is recov- 
 ering from its losses, is certainly unparalleled," 
 went on Gus proudly. " With all its natural re- 
 sources, and the influx of Northern capital," smil- 
 ing at Marian, " it will doubtless continue to ad- 
 vance." 
 
 " I believe that the South, or anyway, Texas, 
 has a brighter future than any Northern state. 
 
76 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 We Texans can never forget the glorious ^ One 
 Star/ '' said one of the cattlemen stentoriously. 
 " If it grows in the next twenty years as it has 
 in the last, Boss, it'll sure enough beat the 
 record." 
 
 " The old life went out when the railroad came 
 in," mused Uncle Dan reminiscently. " Then I 
 had to leave Phoebe for a six months' drive up to 
 Chicago. Those were hard days, out in broil- 
 ing sun or pelting rain, awful thunder or wind- 
 storms, snow or hail, it was all the same. We had 
 to ride on every day, with all our togs, under- 
 clothes, slickers, leather trousers, and all, tied 
 round us or tucked into our saddle bags. Then 
 at night the stories went round and the moon- 
 shine, and the long-winded songs," and the old 
 boys laughed merrily together. 
 
 " W^e had to take turns sitting up nights, 
 armed to the teeth, sure enough, and on the alert 
 for every stranger who couldn't or wouldn't give 
 an account of himself. Many's the impromptu 
 trial and hanging we had." 
 
 " Do you remember," asked the fiercely mus- 
 tached individual at Uncle Dan's right, " the 
 night we caught the three cattle-thieves up here, 
 'bout ten miles above Xantus? WVd been lookin' 
 for 'em for some time for they were noted crimi- 
 nals. When w^e got 'em we made short work of 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 77 
 
 'em, you bet! Just drew 'em up on horseback, 
 tied the ropes round their necks under the big 
 tree, and then licked the horses up." 
 
 " How terrible ! " ejaculated Marian turning 
 white. 
 
 " Well ! Why wasn't that as good a way as 
 any? " said Gus. 
 
 " We may have to try that plan here, as things 
 look now," growled the morose stranger. 
 
 " Everybody was considered a suspicious char- 
 acter at that time, unless he could prove himself 
 otherwise," went on Uncle Dan, " but all they 
 demanded was that a man should show a clean 
 record after landing in Texas." 
 
 " They were pretty sure to ask, ' What have 
 you done to be obliged to come down here?'" 
 broke in the other man. 
 
 "Well, they didn't insist on an answer; if a 
 man showed himself square after settling here," 
 laughed Uncle Dan. " You were too young to go 
 off on those long drives, weren't you ? " 
 
 " I went on one, only," was the answer. " I 
 was quite a kid, though, as you may imagine. 
 We went through the Indian Territory. It was 
 awful hot weather, and one night, as I was taking 
 my turn lying down to sleep, — for you see," he 
 explained turning to Marian, " we rounded up at 
 night, and half the boys sat up all night on horse- 
 
78 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 back, round the big circle of cattle, as they've 
 got to to-night, and the other half slept on the 
 ground, — well, as I was saying, as I was lying 
 there I was surrounded by DeviPs horses.'^ 
 
 "What's a DeviPs horse?" interrupted 
 Marian. 
 
 " A great big, old green bug that looks like 
 a live sawhorse, with a head like a giraffe and 
 purple eyes that turn on a pivot. Folks said as 
 how their bite was deadly poison. That night I 
 was covered with 'em, and kept brushing 'em off 
 as gently as I could for fear they would bite me. 
 I can tell you I put in an awful night. I never 
 expected to see the light of another daj^ Since 
 then I've heard that they weren't poisonous at 
 all." 
 
 " As a matter of fact they never bite anyone," 
 said Uncle Dan ; " but they scare you into a 
 spasm just to look at 'em, but come, let's go out 
 on the veranda. We've sot here long enough, 
 and then we've got to get things ready to hunt 
 for that dead greaser to-night." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 79 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 That night the moon rose clear and bright in 
 an unclouded sky, illuminating the fields till they 
 were nearly as light as day. The twelve expert 
 riders, seated firmly on their prancing steeds and 
 surrounded by the yelping hounds, made a fine 
 picture and one which appealed strongly to 
 Marian's artistic nature. She felt as if she were 
 in a dream, and at any moment the scene before 
 her would vanish from sight. 
 
 "What do you expect to catch?" she asked 
 Jay, as he advanced to greet her. 
 
 " Oh, foxes, wolves, possums, and jackrabbits," 
 he answered gaily. 
 
 " You notice that he speaks of them all in the 
 plural,'^ laughed Tom. " It won't surprise me at 
 all if we don't see a beast of any kind.'' 
 
 " I don't know why not," retorted Jay. " I'll 
 get that old fox that's been living on my chickens, 
 or I'll bust somethino:." 
 
 At that same moment, Hyslop, who was one of 
 the party, remarked to Gus in an undertone, 
 
80 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " It's just as I expected ; Picarda's off again, and 
 old S. K. has evaporated, and Tyro, the only de- 
 cent Greaser on the place, is missing." 
 
 " Dead? '^ asked Gus shortly. 
 
 " I fear so, but Packer's all right. He was just 
 grazed by the bullet. I'm a little bit shy of Jay, 
 and Tom won't help us against Joe, though he'll 
 do anything else he can. I don't blame him for 
 that, either. He's his cousin, if he is a lowdown 
 cuss." 
 
 The party started off in high spirits, and a 
 daring ride it proved to be, through the roughest 
 kind of country, over fords and ditches and 
 stones. Marian, afraid to ride as fast as the rest, 
 lagged behind a little, guarded carefully by the 
 faithful Tom and the persistent Jay ; but, in spite 
 of her confidence in their watchfulness, she often 
 clung desperately to the pommel of her saddle, as 
 the horse climbed a steep incline in the moon- 
 light. 
 
 " Hist ! " said the voice of one of the hunters, 
 and instantly every horse was reined in, and 
 every one was on the alert as the hounds with one 
 accord bounded forward, baying deeply; then 
 followed a series of angry growls in the distance, 
 then a wild, almost human scream. 
 
 Bess galloped off in the direction of the dis- 
 turbance, followed by most of the hunters. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 81 
 
 " I don't want to see any poor animal killed," 
 said Marian reining in her horse. 
 
 " I do, if it^s that fox that's been eating up my 
 chickens," and Jay hurried off after the rest of 
 the company. 
 
 " I've killed three rattlers, and am tanning the 
 skins for you, Miss Marian," said Tom, drawing 
 nearer to her. 
 
 " Thank you so much," murmured the girl feel- 
 ing a little self-conscious. 
 
 " They are getting right plenty down here 
 now," he continued. " You're liable to see one 
 most any time. We'll have to turn some hogs 
 into the pastures." 
 
 Marian curled up her feet, and looked down at 
 the ground apprehensively. 
 
 At this moment Bess came galloping back, 
 wearing a long fox tail in her hat. 
 
 " Marian," she called, " I want to talk to you a 
 bit. Come alongside of me." 
 
 " I just wanted to get rid of him for a mo- 
 ment," she said noting Tom's look of annoyance. 
 " Don't you be scared now, but they found Tyro 
 dead in the bushes. I suppose you'll want to go 
 back home, won't you? " 
 
 '' Yes, indeed. Let's go at once," and Marian 
 shivered. 
 6 
 
82 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " I'll speak to Harry and Jay, — or would you 
 rather have Tom take you back?" 
 
 " I don't care. Only let's go at once. I want 
 to get home as quickly as possible. You see I'm 
 a bit of a tenderfoot jety^^ and she smiled faintly. 
 
 Just then Harry and Jay rode up to the girls 
 and the reluctant Tom was obliged to yield to 
 Hyslop's impatient call, and gallop in the other 
 direction. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 83 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " Stop, thief ! " rang out a boyish voice as a 
 horse and rider dashed by him in the darkness. 
 
 " I'd know that voice in the darkest night, 
 Walt,'' called Jay, reining in the horse so sud- 
 denly that he reared. " I've just got back from 
 Xantus and am hurrying to get home before my 
 horse drops dead. You're a smart little cuss to 
 know me so quick in the dark," he added affec- 
 tionately. 
 
 " Say, Walt," he said, as if moved by some sud- 
 den thought, " are you still stuck on that new 
 girl over at Luce's? " 
 
 " No," answered Walter laconically. 
 
 " That's right ! Leave her for Tom and me to 
 fight over," went on Jay. 
 
 " What do you mean? " 
 
 " I mean what I say, and you tell Tom I said 
 so." 
 
 " You'd better tell him yourself ; but you don't 
 think you can scare Tom, do you? " 
 
 " We'd better talk it over together, sure 
 
84 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 enough," said Jay, leaning over the side of his 
 horse. 
 
 " I should think it would be more to the point 
 to talk it over with the girl; or isn't she going 
 to have anything to say about it? It's my opin- 
 ion she wouldn't have either of you, — leastways, 
 not yet. Tom says that himself." 
 
 " So you-all have been discussing it, you dog- 
 gon little ninny you ! " roared Jay, straightening 
 himself up, while Walter jumped back in aston- 
 ishment, and said to himself, " He's drunk." 
 
 " I'll wear you out directly," Jay ejaculated, 
 addressing the impatient horse, then struck him 
 over the head and held him tightly with the reins 
 as he reared almost perpendicularly. " You tell 
 Tom," he called back, as the horse's feet came 
 down to earth, and the animal dashed forward 
 into the darkness, leaving Walter once more 
 alone. 
 
 " He must have heard bad news in Xantus," 
 the boy mused with trouble in his heart. 
 
 " Hi, there ! " called a startled voice. " We 
 near had a concussion, sah," and Nigger Ned 
 drew rein. " Dere are a couple ob hoss thieves 
 supposed to be a lurkin' in this remedyate vicin- 
 ity," went on the darky, " an I was commanded 
 to go in search ob you. Ma dog has been sniffin' 
 wid his ole probiscus in th' air all de ebenin' an' 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 85 
 
 it^s my belief he smells a rat or a hoss thief some- 
 where's. A party has been organized to sleep out 
 of dos an' another possum to guard de house. 
 Miss Marian 'lows she'll hab a six shooter on her 
 dresser, an' Miss Bess she's gone all ter pieces." 
 
 "That isn't a bit like Bess, is it, Ned? She's 
 got more nerve than any girl I ever knew. 
 Where's Bill? " he demanded, a sudden suspicion 
 crossing his mind. 
 
 " Still in Xantus. Drunk, I specs," said the 
 old man briefly. 
 
 " And Jay's been drinking, too. Do you reckon 
 Jay knows anything about Joe, Ned? " 
 
 " I'm satisfied he ain't no ways aware of his 
 present location, and he don't want ter be. He 
 was too drunk to think about anything but Miss 
 Marian. Marse Tom sent me over to get 'em to 
 put him to bed, an' see that things are tended to. 
 Mr. Jay was boun' to find out where Mr. Joe was. 
 He does love him, sure enough, an' Mr. Bill, he 
 just made him drunk to steer him off. Marse 
 Tom's hurryin' home from the Luce's now, an' 
 he wants you to git too. There's enough there 
 without you. Boss says, an' you're needed at 
 home." 
 
 At these words Walter dashed off without 
 further parley. 
 
 At the Luce ranch, all was excitement. " You 
 
86 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 must sleep with me, to-night, Marian," moaned 
 the trembling Bess, clinging to her cousin. " I'm 
 just sure Joe's comin' to kill me." 
 
 " Nonsense ! " said Marian consolingly, her 
 courage rising as she felt her cousin's need of her. 
 " It isn't Joe, Bess, it's only a horse thief." 
 
 " Only a horse thief ! " gasped the girl. " Don't 
 you know what that means? It is a man who is 
 running away from justice, and who's trying to 
 steal a horse to get away faster — to Mexico, 
 South America, or any old place, out of the way 
 of the law. A man who's probably up for mur- 
 der and would shoot you quicker'n ' scat,' rather 
 than be taken. Never dare to go off any long dis- 
 tance by yourself while you are down here, Mar- 
 ian." 
 
 " All right. But, Bess, I never expected to see 
 you afraid of anything." 
 
 "You don't know, — Oh, you don't know! 
 Where's father? " moaned Bess. 
 
 Marian listened intently, but there was no 
 sound except the beating of her heart, and her 
 cousin's low moans. 
 
 " What did your husband do, Bess? ehe whis- 
 pered. 
 
 " Oh, nothing much," Bess returned, raising 
 her head with an attempt at calmness. Then 
 with sudden impetuosity, " I'll tell you, Marian. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 87 
 
 He's killed several men, for one reason or an- 
 other, then capped the climax by forging a note. 
 The man found it out, and was going to have him 
 up for it, when he suddenly disappeared. Now 
 he's a regular outlaw and thief; the most danger- 
 ous one in this country. Me and Bill are the only 
 ones who can give him away. Don't ask me how. 
 He has reason to trust Bill, but I left him when 
 I found out how bad he was. He^s afraid of me, 
 and he's mad at my leaving him, and he swears 
 he'll kill me if I look at another man, though I've 
 got a divorce, all right. Don't you suspect Jay 
 of any wrong. He's innocent of it all, but he 
 does love Joe, who is the only one left to him of 
 his family." 
 
 Marian had hardly thought of either Tom or 
 Jay that evening but with a start came the 
 thought which had occurred to Water, " Did Jay 
 know anything about his brother, and if so, would 
 he protect him? " 
 
 By this time, Bess had grown much calmer; 
 pushing the heavy hair back from her face, she 
 crossed over the window and looked out. 
 
 " Come, honey, we'll go to bed," she said ; and 
 gradually they went to sleep and slept until the 
 early morning hours, when they were awakened 
 by voices under the window. 
 
 " Anybody dead this mawnin', boys? " 
 
88 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 "No shootin'?" 
 
 " Nary bit." 
 
 "Thank God!" 
 
 " We guarded you with our lives, Boss," called 
 Gus, galloping up. " Not a peeper did we close, 
 but not a sound did we hear." 
 
 " How is it at the Carruths? " 
 
 " All serene, but Nigger Ned said ' Snorter ' 
 and ^ Sneezer ' had gone from the field." 
 
 At this intelligence a loud laugh greatly re- 
 lieved the tension in the minds of the two girls. 
 
 " That's one on old Jay. How's his head this 
 mawnin'? Serves him right! Nobody can look 
 after your place as you can yourself." 
 
 " Say," said Uncle Dan thoughtfully to Gus, 
 " how did it happen Jay had his two best bosses 
 out in the field? Pretty discriminating horse 
 thieves in their selection, to take the two fastest 
 horses in all the country round," and he shook 
 his head dubiously. " All right up to May- 
 berry's?" he asked. 
 
 " Yep. May's just got back. Said it was too 
 poor pickin's up to their place, for the thieves 
 even to call and pay their respects." 
 
 Wild Bill, looking more unkempt than ever, 
 and evidently half drunk, galloped up^ closely 
 followed by the sheriff. 
 
.r^^^Ivf^.. 
 
 fi < 1 f' "^ 
 
 'VK 
 
 ^i '^ -i •'■ 
 
 **Say/' said Uncle Dan, "pretty discriminatin' horse thieves.'* 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 89 
 
 "Why, Bill, I thought you'd reformed," 
 laughed Gus. 
 
 " I reckon you'd take a little to brace you up if 
 you'd been chasin' round after a horse thief all 
 night," growled Bill. 
 
 " We're going after Tom and Jay to take Bill's 
 place," the sheriff informed them. " Bill's tired, 
 and Tom's the best man in the country for that 
 kind of business. He'll keep his head on him," 
 and he glanced with contempt at Bill. 
 
 " You can't get Jay — he's in bed with a raging 
 fever," explained Walter. 
 
 " Very convenient fever," sneered the sheriff. 
 
 " What do you mean? " 
 
 " What I ain't telling, young man," returned 
 the sheriff, " but now I'll go after Tom." 
 
 " Tom says you can do what you like to him, 
 but he won't have any hand in the capture of 
 Jay's brother," continued Walter. 
 
 Bill looked pleased, and the sheriff roared, 
 "Who said anything about Jay's brother?" 
 
 " * Thus conscience doth make cowards of us 
 all,' " quoted Gus. 
 
 "You can't call Tom a coward," said Walter 
 turning to him angrily. " Many's the time he's 
 risked his life for just this sort of thing, as you 
 all know." 
 
 " Gus didn't mean Tom was a coward," inter- 
 
90 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 posed Uncle Dan gently. " We all know better, 
 but I think he has a wrong idea of duty.'' 
 
 " Tom'll have to testify when he's brought to 
 trial," broke in the sheriff obstinately. 
 
 " He ain't caught yet," snarled Bill with a 
 look of defiance. " I s'pose I'll have to keep on 
 with you if you can't get no one else." 
 
 " Oh, I almost forgot," he added, turning to 
 Uncle Dan. " The yellow fever is raging at San 
 Antonio. Piper and Irving " (two boys who had 
 been sent there on business the w^eek before) 
 were ordered out two days ago, but they stayed 
 to the roping contest, 'lowing they could get out, 
 quarantine or no quarantine. Orders were given 
 to shoot anyone caught leavin' the city, and Piper 
 got shot in the leg trying to crawl out through 
 the bushes. Irving's got the yellar fever, and 
 they're both in a bad way, as there ain't enough 
 nusses to go round." 
 
 Bill waved his hand and galloped after the de- 
 parting sheriff. 
 
 Marian clasped her hands together, feeling her 
 brain reel with the swift events, and wishing her- 
 self back in her own safe, quiet home. 
 
 " Do you know what I think, Gus? " she over- 
 heard her uncle say in a tone of deep concern. 
 " I think Piper'n Irving stayed for something 
 more important than roping contests." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 91 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 For three days after the yellow fever scare in 
 San Antonio Aunt Phoebe had daily fumigated 
 the house and all the inhabitants thereof with 
 sulphur, and had furthermore ordered each mem- 
 ber to wear around his neck a small piece of 
 asafedita. One cold norther would be enough to 
 kill it, and this third morning the household 
 awoke to find it full upon them. 
 
 " Yellow fever'll die a natural death if this 
 keeps up," remarked Aunt Phoebe at breakfast. 
 
 " So will the rest of us," laughed Gus as the 
 boys huddled around the stove and blew on their 
 cold fingers. 
 
 "Why, this isn^t cold,'' exclaimed Marian. 
 " One would think it was below zero to hear the 
 fuss you're making. I thought we were never 
 going to have any winter ; now I suppose it's set 
 in for good." 
 
 " No, not what you would call winter," said 
 Gus. " We shall have this norther for a day or 
 two, then it will come out hot as ever. The roses 
 will still bloom and the fleas still bite. One suf- 
 
92 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 fers more in Texas, however, when it is moder- 
 ately cold, than jou do in zero weather up North. 
 You see the houses are so thin, with no plaster- 
 ing; then our blood is thin. You would laugh to 
 see the people when the thermometer goes down 
 to thirty, all bundled up to the chin, as if they 
 were in the Arctic region." 
 
 " But then in our winter,'' broke in Hugh, not 
 willing to have Gus take too much of Marian's 
 attention, " we're liable at any time to have sud- 
 den changes. Why ! I've known sweat to freeze 
 right on my face." 
 
 " That is remarkable. Evidently the climate 
 partakes of the Southern temperament,'' said 
 Marian much amused. 
 
 "How's yer Honey, now, Miss Marian?" 
 drawled Bill. 
 
 " Which one? " inquired Gus, " Tom or Jay? " 
 
 " Oh ! Tom's lost out altogether," laughed 
 Hugh. 
 
 " I have a great regard for both of them " 
 answered Marian lifting her head with dignity. 
 " They both know that my liking is merely a 
 friendly one, and they have no desire to have it 
 otherwise." 
 
 " Oh, we're all satisfied of that," sneered Bill. 
 
 " P'raps you'd like to beat their time," spoke 
 up one of the smaller boys. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 93 
 
 " You kids need squelching," snarled Bill, 
 glaring at them, "and that reminds me — Jay 
 says if you turn his saddle again, or play any 
 more fool tricks, Boss'll need another hand or 
 two right soon. He's goin' to watch out fer 
 you." 
 
 "What does Tom find to talk about with 
 you?" pursued Bill, w^hen the laugh had sub- 
 sided. " He's mighty bashful w^ith girls, and 
 ain't no great talker anyhow." 
 
 " He is a very intelligent man," replied the girl 
 seriously. " I have never found him at loss for 
 a subject of conversation." 
 
 " Now, Bill, if you've got through asking ques- 
 tions, you might answer a few," broke in Hugh, 
 noting Marian's embarrassment. " Where'd you 
 get that durned little purp you brought home 
 with you after Joe Carruth's escape? " 
 
 " It belonged to the sheriff," he answered 
 curtly. 
 
 " If Tom had gone along instead of you, Joe 
 wouldn't have escaped," volunteered Hugh. 
 
 " Nor Bill neither," sneered Jack Packer. 
 
 " What in H — 11 do you mean by that? " 
 thundered Bill, jumping up in wrath. 
 
 " I mean that my cousin. Kit Packer, would 
 not have been killed," answered Jack calmly, 
 looking the infuriated man square in the eye. 
 
94 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " You'll take that back ! '^ yelled Bill whipping 
 out his six-shooter. 
 
 Marian sprang to her feet, feeling an impulse 
 to rush in between the combatants, and prevent 
 bloodshed. 
 
 " Come outside," said Jack, glancing at her, 
 " and we'll settle this." 
 
 " No ! you don't either of you leave this room 
 till you've shook hands," called out Aunt Phoebe 
 with decision. " Such a scene as this in the house 
 of one of the best families in Texas! It's dis- 
 graceful. You've got to take it back. Jack — I 
 can't spare you. Then you know they want you 
 for sheriff. Do as I tell you, and don't be fool- 
 ish." 
 
 "How can I take it back?" 
 
 '" 'Cause, Jack," interposed his friend Fritz, 
 " it's a thing you've no right to say, when you 
 ain't sure. You can't hint a man's a murderer, 
 'thout someone saw it done." 
 
 " Well ! " replied Jack grudgingly, " I'll take 
 it back and ask your pardon. Bill ; " and he held 
 out his hand. 
 
 " All right," mumbled Bill, stalking out of the 
 room without touching the proffered hand. 
 
 " He'll never forgive you for that," said Aunt 
 Phoebe sadly. " You're an awful good boy. Jack, 
 but you never could hold your tongue and in this 
 country that's a mighty dangerous thing." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 95 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 " Nigger Ned is at the door," announced Bill, 
 re-entering the room. " He brought in the mail, 
 and a bunch of assorted news. Irving died last 
 night of the fever. Piper is getting well. One 
 of Joe's pals is caught; he's to be tried right 
 away, and either Bess, Tom, or Jaj, or perhaps 
 all three, have got to go and testify. Pm sus- 
 pected of having had a hand in the death of the 
 sheriff, — but before God! boys, I swear I didn't 
 kill him. — Miles Kyle is the new sheriff, but cheer 
 up. Jack, sheriffs are short lived in this country." 
 
 " Picarda ! " muttered Gus. 
 
 "You must ride over to the Mayberrys and 
 take a letter to Tom from Dad," Bess whispered 
 to Marian with white lips. " It may mean life or 
 death to me." 
 
 Marian put her arm round her cousin and led 
 her from the room, wondering in her heart what 
 she ought to do. 
 
 "Will you go, Marian?" said Bess, stopping 
 and looking fixedly at her. 
 
 " Yes, if you will go with me." 
 
96 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " And will you beg Tom to testify in my place? 
 He would do it if you asked him.'^ 
 
 Marian hesitated. Was it not putting him in 
 great peril? " No," she answered after a mo- 
 ment's thought. " I will go with you but cannot 
 take the responsibility of influencing him either 
 way, even if I felt sure that I could.'' 
 
 " I reckon we'd better drive over," urged Bess, 
 knowing that her cousin's firmness would make 
 any pleading useless, " then we can take the 
 things Maw has been wantin' to send over to Mrs. 
 Mayberry." 
 
 The norther was not as cold as it had threat- 
 ened to be, and Marian felt that weather was 
 quite mild when she and Bess started out in a 
 small run-about with a pair of young, half-broken 
 horses. Bess being a skilful horse-woman, and as 
 strong as a man, Marian felt perfectly safe in 
 her hands. 
 
 " I'd never dare drive those horses alone," she 
 said, noting with admiration her cousin's dexter- 
 ous driving. 
 
 " No, I reckon not," answered Bess absent- 
 mindedly. 
 
 They forded the river and Marian alighted once 
 or twice to open and shut gates, for in the pres- 
 ent cattle country there are many rivers to ford, 
 and many gates. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 97 
 
 They had reached the third pasture, where the 
 boys were busy rounding up the cattle for the in- 
 spection of the cattlemen who were to arrive in 
 a day or two. They had already been several days 
 collecting them for miles around, and now all 
 that were needed were in the third pasture. 
 
 " Mornin', ladies,'^ drawled a gentle voice, and 
 the gallant Harry, from Jay's ranch, now recog- 
 nized by all as Bess's sweetheart, rode up to the 
 carriage. 
 
 " Oh, Harry ! " cried Bess. " I'm in a heap of 
 trouble." 
 
 " Well, get up behind me here and tell me all 
 about it," said he sympathetically. 
 
 " Yes, I will, and you can take me home. Mar- 
 ian, you can go on easily from here, alone," said 
 Bess, glad to escape interviewing Tom. 
 
 " But I don't dare drive these horses. I can't 
 do it, Bess." 
 
 " Oh, yes you can, girlie dear, — there's noth- 
 ing round here to scare 'em," and before Marian 
 could remonstrate further, Bess leaped into the 
 saddle behind Harry and they were gone. 
 
 There was nothing to do but continue the 
 journey alone, and with mingled indignation and 
 fear Marian took up the reins and drove on, her 
 gaze riveted apprehensively upon the horses' 
 heads. All went well for a time, then a bull took 
 7 
 
98 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 it into his head to give a loud bellow which 
 startled both Marian and the horses. Away went 
 the frightened animals, heads erect, snorting like 
 angry bulls themselves, over little mounds and 
 valleys, the carriage swaying with imminent 
 danger of upsetting, while Marian grasped a rein 
 in each hand and pulled vigorously. At first she 
 was in deadly fear, but as the horses rushed on, 
 fear gave place to a certain wild exhilaration. 
 The horses gave no indication of lessening their 
 break-neck speed, when she heard the sound of 
 galloping hoofs behind her and a voice cried out, 
 " Get in front, there, and grab their heads ! " 
 Half turning, but still pulling back on the 
 reins, Marian saw ten or more cowboys coming 
 on at a flying gallop, lying nearly flat on their 
 horses as they leant forward urging them to 
 their utmost speed. As might have been expected 
 this had the effect of still further frightening the 
 runaways. Marian tried to shout, " Keep back, 
 you only make them worse ! " but she doubted if 
 they heard her. Standing erect in the carriage, 
 she grasped the reins even more tightly and 
 leaned back with her whole weight. The horses, 
 unable to bear the strain of the curb-bit, reared 
 and backed, and at the same moment Jay Car- 
 ruth, who had reached the side of the carriage, 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 99 
 
 threw his bridle rein to the nearest man and 
 sprang into the rocking vehicle. 
 
 " Brave girl ! '' he said, taking the reins from 
 her soft hands which were already bruised with 
 the hard leather. '^ You certainly were brave, 
 Miss Marian," he reiterated, looking with admira- 
 tion at her heightened color and the wavy ring- 
 lets of her hair. " I expected a city girl would 
 faint dead away, or have hysterics, if she got run 
 away with. — Steady there, boys! Don't you try 
 to cut up any more capers or I'll wear you out ! — 
 You feeling all right now. Miss Marian? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! '^ she answered with a nervous 
 little laugh. " But I'm glad you came along just 
 as you did." 
 
 "So am I; but how did it all happen? Why 
 did you-all try to drive these young bronchos? 
 They ought not to have let you." 
 
 Marian explained the circumstances and Jay 
 looked very sober. 
 
 " That's just like Bess," he murmured. 
 
 At the next gate stood Picarda, looking as if 
 he had never done a day's work in his life and 
 never meant to, as is the manner of Mexicans. 
 
 " Open that gate ! " shouted Jay. 
 
 " Me no understand," grinned the man. 
 
 "Well, you understand this, don't you?" and 
 Jay drew his six-shooter. 
 
100 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 The man turned and lazily walked toward the 
 gate, w^hich he opened and then closed after them. 
 
 " Now understand this, too,'' continued Jay. 
 " Here's two bits and here's the gun. If you 
 want the money, get up on your old bag of bones 
 and come along ; if not — " and he held up his gun 
 threateningly. 
 
 The Mexican made no reply in words, but 
 swung himself gracefully into the saddle and 
 ambled along. 
 
 " Look at that horse's tail — all stuck up with 
 cockle-burs," laughed Jay. " The lazy deviPd 
 have him all covered like St. Sebastian before 
 he'd pick one of 'em off." Then as he still 
 eyed the odd little rider and his nag, Jay's ex- 
 pression gradually changed to one of concern. 
 " I wonder what he stuck himself there for,'' he 
 mused, half aloud. Then turning to Marian he 
 added, " He was bound he wouldn't budge, too, 
 wasn't he? " w^hereupon a short conversation in 
 Spanish ensued, haughtily imperative on the one 
 hand and sullen on the other. 
 
 " He's decided to go all the way with us," Jay 
 finally informed his companion ; then added, " I 
 want him under my eye." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 101 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Mrs. Ma'yberry and her two sons were in the 
 garden together when Marian and Jay appeared, 
 followed by the Mexican. While the two ladies 
 were exchanging enthusiastic greetings, the men 
 were engaged in leading away the indignantly 
 protesting Greaser. The boys reappeared, how- 
 ever, to welcome their guest who then, remember- 
 ing her errand, handed her uncle's letter to Tom. 
 He read it silently, then passed it to his mother. 
 
 " Jay,'' he said earnestly, clasping his cousin's 
 hand impulsively, " it will be a terrible thing for 
 me to testify against Joe, but it had better be me 
 than you." 
 
 " I understand that, old pal," answered Jay 
 huskily. "As for me, I wouldn't do it if they 
 killed me; but — " and his face brightened, 
 "neither of us will have it to do, Tom. He'll 
 never be caught, he has too many friends about 
 here." 
 
 " Oh, I earnestly hope for the sake of you all, 
 that it will turn out so," cried Marian. " I 
 
102 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 couldn't bear to have anything happen to any 
 of you. I wish my father were here, he'd know 
 just what to do." 
 
 " I'll bet he's all right/' declared Jay with 
 enthusiasm. " Say ! how many men has he 
 killed?" 
 
 Marian was obliged to admit that in that re- 
 spect he was not up to their standard. 
 
 " I reckon I'll go up there and get him to 
 make a lawyer of me," said he. " Do you think 
 he would like me. Miss Marian?" 
 
 " I am sure of it," she answered, blushing. 
 
 " And me? " said Tom in a lower tone, with a 
 meaning look. 
 
 Marian was spared an answer by Mrs. May- 
 berry : " Don't ask any more foolish questions, 
 boys. Come and see my garden, Miss Marian." 
 
 " After all," murmured Walter to her, as they 
 turned from the place, " it isn't the question 
 which one your father will like best." 
 
 She gave him a quick look, half amused, half 
 resentful, and followed his mother. 
 
 " Our poor little ranch," that lady was saying, 
 " looks very trifling beside the fifty square miles 
 covered by the Luce's, or the hundred of the 
 Carruth's; but I love my little home and my 
 garden." 
 
 "And it evidently requites your love and 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 103 
 
 care/' Marian responded, looking about her with 
 admiring eyes, " your garden is a veritable fairy- 
 land of beauty.'' 
 
 " Except that your garden is more luxurious 
 your ranch is just like Uncle Dan's only 
 smaller " 
 
 " They are all about the same," Walter ex- 
 plained timidly, " even to the little nigger cot- 
 tages. 
 
 " And the Algerita bushes — my Algerita's, how 
 I love them ! " Marian interrupted. 
 
 Tom eyed her fixedly taking mental note of 
 her fancy for these blossoms, and rejoicing in 
 her enthusiasm, and her capacity for enjoyment, 
 hoping, perhaps that it might denote a capacity to 
 love in the deepest and greatest sense of the word. 
 
 After a short walk they heard Aunt Dinah call 
 from the open door, " Come right in to dinner," 
 and she led the way hospitably. 
 
 " Will you ask a blessing, Walter? " Mrs. May- 
 berry said calmly when they were all seated at 
 the table, whereupon the embarrassed youth mur- 
 mured a benediction. 
 
 " Here, one ob you huns da, come open dis do'," 
 called the voice of Aunt Dinah. " I done got my 
 skyart caught, an' I'll be spillin' dese onjins di- 
 rectly." A moment after she appeared at the 
 table bearing the onions, while behind her came 
 
104 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 one of lier pickaninnies with a platter of fresh 
 beef. 
 
 " These onions were planted on the increase 
 of the moon," observed Mrs. Mayberry with an 
 arch smile, " according to Aunt Dinah's advice." 
 
 Aunt Dinah rolled her large eyes with delight. 
 " Yassum," she said proudly. " An' you jus' look 
 at 'em! Ain't they magniferous? De moon hab 
 lots to do wid the affairs ob humans. De sun, 
 too. I allers give my chillern their medersun 
 when de sun goes down, or when its just risin', 
 according as the misery is in their head or their 
 feet. 
 
 " Get away from ma feet, you little black 
 nigger ! " she added in an aside to her offspring, 
 who had tripped on the rug. '' You air the beat- 
 enest for a well-brought up nigger ! Y^ou ac' like 
 you was po' white trash an' never done see a 
 cyarpet; you get around dat-a-way, an' I'll go 
 dis-a-way." 
 
 "You should hear Aunt Dinah tell ghost 
 stories," said Tom. 
 
 " Yah, yah, 'bout live ghosts. Your eyes would 
 jus' bug right out o' yo' head ! " chuckled Aunt 
 Dinah, delighted at the notice she was receiving. 
 
 " That will do, now, Dinah," said Mrs. May- 
 berry gently, and Aunt Dinah bustled from the 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 105 
 
 room, whereupon the conversation took a more 
 serious turn. 
 
 The party were all exercised over the news in 
 Mr. Luce's letter. It informed them that through 
 a private correspondence he had learned more of 
 the paticulars of the adventures of Piper and 
 Irving. Thej had stayed, not for the roping con- 
 test, but to join in the pursuit of the fellow who 
 was caught and imprisoned that evening; that 
 Irving already had the fever though he was not 
 aware of it, and that Piper had been wounded in 
 this adventure and not in any attempt to leave 
 the city. The wound was but slight, and he 
 W'Ould be home in a few days with a more de- 
 tailed account of this — to him delightful, — ad- 
 venture; furthermore the ranchmen were cau- 
 tioned to w^atch out for any idle-looking unknown 
 negroes, Mexicans, or even white men who could 
 not give a plausible account of themselves. 
 
 All looked deeply concerned. Marian studied 
 Jay's averted face long and hard, but could glean 
 nothing that might either alarm or reassure, and 
 then turning to Tom, who leaned towards her re- 
 sponsively, she said in a tone full of sympathy. 
 
 " This is a life which must tend to make one 
 old before his time.'' 
 
 " It is for a fact," he answered. " I feel like I 
 was old enough to be your father, I have had so 
 
106 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 much responsibility and you seem so free from 
 care. The constant worry makes one old, and 
 the lonely life, too, leaves more time for reflec- 
 tion. A ranchman never knows at what moment 
 a horse may fall and throw him, an angry bull 
 stick him, or a shot fired from behind a bush end 
 his career. To him life is elemental, its problems 
 simple. He knows nothing about hundreds of 
 things that perplex men in large cities. His com- 
 panions have the same aims and desires, and 
 there is very little competition; his enemies are 
 open ones, and his only protection from them a 
 quick eye and hand. He does not need to learn 
 or to practise any subtleties of mind in order to 
 discover those he ought to have for friends and 
 to attract them, nor to protect himself against 
 those whose conflicting interests make them his 
 foes. Here, the cows are our principal compan- 
 ions, and if their society lacks brilliancy, they 
 are free from envy, hatred, and malice, and all 
 uncharitableness, which you may have to en- 
 counter in the society of more fascinating human 
 beings.'^ 
 
 " Wouldn't you prefer more variety? '^ asked 
 Marion, regarding him with increasing admi- 
 ration. His face had become positively radiant, 
 so that Jay's in comparison was dull and heavy. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 107 
 
 " What an inward fire the man has," she medi- 
 tated. 
 
 Meantime Tom had framed his reply : " It isn't 
 a matter of what I prefer," he returned sadly, 
 still gazing at her intently, as though he would 
 gladly read her mind. " My place is here, I am 
 not fit for anything else, and I have others de- 
 pendent on me. I might love some girl enough 
 to follow her to the ends of the earth, but it is a 
 woman's place to follow her husband, and as I 
 have nothing to offer her anyway but myself, if 
 she couldn't love me enough " 
 
 " Oh, quit getting so sentimental, Tom," Jay 
 interrupted at that point, while Walter looked 
 troubled. " I'd go anywhere the girl I loved 
 wanted me to go and risk her loving me enough. 
 I reckon anyway, Miss Marion, I'll go to New 
 York and get your Dad to make a lawyer of me." 
 
 ^^ What do you say to that?" Marian asked, 
 turning again to Tom. 
 
 " I say," he returned evasively, " that I must 
 get out and see what the boys are up to. 
 Wouldn't you like to help us. Miss Marion? " 
 
 " Why, yes," she answered gayly. " W^ouldn't 
 you like to have Mr. Carruth, also? " 
 
 " Of course. I need you both. Jay, you go 
 over to the pasture with Hank, while I take Miss 
 Marion this way." 
 
108 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Mounting the horses Hank had saddled for 
 them, the four started off. 
 
 " IVe ridden your ' Old Buster ' so often now," 
 said Marian " that he comes when I call, and fol- 
 lows me about the field like a dog." 
 
 " You'll get him to be like his master, not able 
 to get along without you," answered Tom senti- 
 mentally. " I'm worrying now. Miss Marian, 
 about the time when you will leave us. It'll be 
 like cutting off an arm or a leg to have you go 
 away." 
 
 " You Southerners do say such pretty things ! " 
 she murmured in confusion. 
 
 " But you know I mean that, and vastly more," 
 persisted Tom. " I couldn't tell a woman I loved 
 her unless my very soul was hers, and I shall 
 need all my strength and force to go on with my 
 work here if I love a woman who doesn't love me. 
 There are all kinds of Southerners, as there are 
 all sorts of Northerners; and please remember 
 that the ranchman does not meet many ideals." 
 
 Marian's heart beat quickly and a warm color 
 surged over her face, but she said nothing, and 
 they rode on for some time in deep silence. 
 Presently Tom stopped, turned in his saddle, and, 
 holding up his hand, listened intently, as did 
 Marian also. Not a sound did they hear but the 
 occasional lowing of the cattle. Then Tom 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 109 
 
 raised his voice in a series of demoniac yells, to 
 which he received no reply. 
 
 " I must go to the Cedar break," he said turn- 
 ing to Marian, " for one or both of the boys may 
 be hurt ; you stay here, and if anything happens 
 blow this whistle;" and off he started at a gal- 
 lop. 
 
 Marian, alone in the field, looked on all sides 
 at the gTeat stretch of prairie, relieved only by 
 an occasional clump of cedars, and bordered in 
 the distance by low hills. She tried to realize, 
 even to a slight extent, the monotony and lone- 
 someness of a cowboy existence. She began to 
 see, also, what a temptation there must be to 
 drink and gamble, when there was so little to in- 
 terest or amuse young men full of the love of 
 excitement and adventure. Her heart went out 
 to the man who had just left her. " It must be 
 seldom that one finds a man so constituted that 
 he can choose out of such a life only what is 
 beautiful and good. How near such a man must 
 feel to the heart of nature," she said to herself, 
 and all the while her eager ears and eyes were 
 on the alert for some signs of human life. Even 
 in these few moments, the extreme lonesomeness 
 of the place awed her. 
 
 Soon a moving speck appeared in the distance, 
 which approached slowly, and presently there 
 
110 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 came into full view the Mexican who had ac- 
 companied her and Jay to the ranch that after- 
 noon. As he galloped toward her and it dawned 
 upon her who he was, she became too terrified 
 to observe or to reflect upon the fact that he rode 
 then, instead of his own wasted animal with the 
 decorations of cockle burs, one of the fastest and 
 best of the Mayberrj horses, also that he had 
 added considerably to his toilet, that he held 
 something concealed and that he had in his hand, 
 under his long cloak, a shining new revolver ; this 
 last she noticed as he stopped in passing and 
 pointed its muzzle directly at her. 
 
 " If you make a sound I shoot/' he said with a 
 strong accent. 
 
 Marian did not move, but the man still stood 
 and held her under the cover of the revolver. 
 
 " You promise not to tell you see me or I 
 shoot,'' he continued. 
 
 Marian gave the promise in a tone which was 
 scarcely audible, but it evidently contented the 
 man, for he dashed on quickly, and was scarcely 
 out of sight when Tom reappeared bearing across 
 his saddle a very young calf. 
 
 " He is too weak to walk," he explained, " and 
 I must take him down to the pen where we can 
 look after him." 
 
 Marian did not answer. She tried to smile, 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. Ill 
 
 but her attempt was so forced that Tom asked 
 quickly, " Are you all right? " 
 
 "Yes, indeed. What was the trouble back 
 there?" 
 
 " Oh, a couple of Greasers were bothering the 
 boys by refusing to do their work as we wanted 
 it done. They were making such a noise fight- 
 ing, that they didn't hear me call." 
 
 Marian felt that there was a purpose in the 
 action of the Mexicans, namely, to aid in the 
 escape of their confederate and she realized that 
 this success had perhaps saved some valuable 
 life. Her first impulse was to ask about the 
 prisoner and in some way to cause Tom to return 
 to his stronghold, but fear for his safety pre- 
 vented her. 
 
 They rode on in silence, Marian regaining her 
 usual confidence and feeling of security as she 
 gave herself up to the enjoyment of the scene and 
 to the influence that this calm, silent man always 
 exerted over her. As neither of them felt in- 
 clined for speech, they rode on in silence until 
 they reached the pen. There they halted and 
 Tom stretching out his hand pointed to a massive 
 beast standing nearby. 
 
 " This is our registered bull," he exclaimed 
 proudly. " He is a full-blooded Durham, with a 
 pedigree as long as my own." 
 
112 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " Do their necks get thick in proportion to the 
 length of their pedigrees? Let me try to rope 
 one of them, won't you? It looks easy.'' 
 
 " Certainly, but not on these cattle. We will 
 go into the lower pen, and you can experiment 
 on some of the no 'count beasts. Now grasp 
 this rope just above the knot. If you want to 
 throw high, swing it over your head this way," 
 and with apparently no effort he swung the rope 
 (which was always coiled up on one side of his 
 saddle) around his head, and threw it over the 
 horns of a cow that was at that moment placidly 
 chewing her cud near them. 
 
 " Now get off your horse," he said jumping off 
 lightly himself and holding his hand to help her. 
 " I'll show you some roping. I can rope you 
 without hurting you a bit. You're not afraid, 
 are you ? " 
 
 " Not in the least." 
 
 " W^ell, then, walk along quickly ; I will catch 
 you round the shoulders." In a few seconds she 
 felt the rope drop gently about her arms. 
 
 " Now go where you will, I will throw it 
 around your feet." In a twinkling Marian was 
 bound hand and foot. 
 
 " Now watch old Zip," he laughed after he had 
 released her. Zip, the dog, eager for fun, 
 bounded away, barking loudly and looking be- 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 113 
 
 hind him. His two hind legs were caught, then 
 the body, and finally the fore legs, — wherever 
 Marian requested the rope to fall. 
 
 " The running roping you will see at the con- 
 test." Tom's eyes were shining brightly with 
 the pleasant exercise and his companion's evi- 
 dent admiration. 
 
 " Now, try it yourself. Rope that old bull 
 over yonder with his back to you. He doesn't 
 see 3^ou, and so will stand still." 
 
 Marian, with the help of Tom, who put her 
 hand in the right place, awkwardly fumbled with 
 the heavy rope, and walking almost up to the 
 peaceful old bull, to Tom's great delight, man- 
 aged to throw^ it over one horn. 
 
 " Pull it up quick ! " he roared, but the advice 
 was wasted for the bull, feeling that he was 
 caught, gave an angry snort, jerking his head in 
 such a way that he threw Marian flat on the 
 ground. The bull, pulling the rope from her 
 grasp, promptly stampeded. Tom sprang for- 
 ward, but the small herd of cattle, feeling there 
 was danger for them also, and desirous of escape, 
 stampeded in a body over Marian, lying face 
 downward on the ground, too suddenly for Tom 
 to render the slightest assistance. When the last 
 one had stepped carefully over her, Marian sat up 
 too weak with fright to rise. 
 8 
 
114 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Tom was clinging to the fence, white as a 
 ghost. " My God ! I did not think you were 
 still alive ! " he gasped, and to his intense relief, 
 Marian laughed excitedly. 
 
 " I think every last one stepped over me," she 
 replied, rising, and standing before him a very 
 muddy and forlorn object. 
 
 She declared that she was too eager to witness 
 the round-up to desert the field for a matter of 
 dress, and accordingly, after the two had worked 
 together for some moments in removing the outer 
 coating of mud, they remounted their horses and 
 rode away to the scene of action. They soon 
 came in sight of an immense herd of cattle all 
 gathered in a circle, and around them at regular 
 intervals, the boys on horseback. Some of them 
 sat as if half asleep. Many of the cattle lowed 
 sadly. Once in a while an animal would give a 
 sudden start as though to break away, then the 
 guard would be on the alert at once, for if one 
 cow should take the lead the whole herd might 
 stampede at once. Some of the boys were laugh- 
 ing and telling stories. Their number was con- 
 stantly augmented by other cowboys, driving 
 small bunches of cattle, or pulling along a refrac- 
 tory animal by a rope thrown over his horns. 
 All were commenting with interest upon an ap- 
 proaching thunder shower. 
 
** Marian moved nearer to Tom.' 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 115 
 
 " There'll be right smart of lightning and a 
 good deal of noise, but it will be over quickly," 
 Jay answered to her apprehensive questions. 
 
 " We'll get home to-night, all right, but there'll 
 be some fun when the lightning comes." 
 
 At the same instant there was a blinding flash 
 and a deafening peal of thunder, and a desper- 
 ate struggle ensued between the cattle and their 
 guardians. In a second all was dark again. 
 
 " I'll see that everything is all right, Tom," 
 cried Jay in a generous mood. " You look after 
 Miss Marian," and away he darted around the 
 immense circle. 
 
 Marian moved nearer to Tom. " I'm afraid," 
 she whispered as the rain fell heavily, the thun- 
 der pealed and the lightning played round the 
 horns of the terrified cattle. 
 
 Taking her hands in his, while old Buster stood 
 like a statue, he assured her that there was very 
 little danger, and listening to his comforting 
 words, she felt a great sense of peace steal over 
 her. For a moment she shut her eyes, conscious 
 of the cool rain, the pressure of the firm hand, 
 the rich odor of the algerita, and a delightful 
 sense of security. 
 
 " The animal heat draws electricity," he ex- 
 plained as the quick storm was over, and the 
 sun came out hotter than ever to furnish the 
 
116 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 natural means, and one fully adequate, to dry 
 off the garments of the healthy young people. 
 
 " Was there really no danger? " queried 
 Marian. 
 
 " Not much, except to the cattle." 
 
 " Only one cow dead/^ reported Jay, riding up 
 to them. 
 
 " That is quite wonderful," exclaimed Tom. 
 " Thank you heartily. Jay, for all your help this 
 afternoon." He felt very grateful for the oppor- 
 tunity he had enjoyed. 
 
 " It isn't a circumstance to what you are doing 
 for me all the time," replied Jay, and the two 
 looked into each other's eyes with all the old time 
 affection, as they all rode on together to inspect 
 the dead cow. No horse willingly approaches a 
 dead body of any kind. The series of snorts and 
 shyings, the sundry kicks and yells which fol- 
 lowed as several of the boys tried to get near the 
 fallen animal, proved that fact conclusively. Not 
 so the cattle. Slowly and sadly the few scattered 
 ones moved towards the carcass, at first one alone 
 which with low heart-rending moans, seemed to 
 call her companions, then one by one, all came 
 gravely up with lowered heads, pensively moan- 
 ing. 
 
 " A regular wake," mused Marian. 
 
 " It will give the buzzards a job after the live 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 117 
 
 beasts are driven away," remarked Jay prosaic- 
 ally. " But, Miss Marian, I reckon it's up to us 
 to hike back to your uncle's ranch, or he'll be out 
 gunning for me." 
 
 All this time, Marian was listening for some 
 news of the escaped Mexican. Finally, unable to 
 bear it any longer, she whispered to Tom, " Do 
 go and see if that Mexican is still there." 
 
 Tom answered with his usual calmness, " We 
 didn't want you scared. Miss Marian, but the boys 
 have just told us that scamp has vanished with 
 my best horse, my new revolver and precious dark 
 lantern. Jay will get you home all right, for 
 he's gone in the opposite direction, and there are 
 too many of Boss's men along the way for him to 
 trust his neck near the Luce ranch." 
 
 " Tom looked pretty blue," Marian suggested 
 as she and Jay were once more alone together. 
 
 " I reckon he didn't like to lose his good boss 
 and that new pistol," the other returned, "and 
 then he's upset about this whole business." 
 
 " Picardo seemed dreadfully anxious to get 
 away '^ 
 
 " You bet he did, especially after his pal was 
 caught in San Antonio. Those cattle are none 
 too true to each other." 
 
118 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " All is,'' Hyslop was heard to remark the 
 evening after the visit to the Mayberry ranch. 
 " That feller's getting away from Tom as he did 
 last night will make a big stir when it gets to 
 town. It's lucky Carruth lugged him along with 
 him as he did for he was doubtless in touch with 
 some of the others. You know that the other 
 fellow got away from the jail after all when they 
 thought they had him so pat in San Antonio." 
 
 " No ! " exclaimed Mr. Luce. 
 
 " There's going to be a reform this year in 
 politics; there'll be the biggest turning out at 
 election that there ever was," Hyslop informed 
 him. 
 
 " You're the political boss for your district, 
 ain't you? " asked Mr. Luce. 
 
 " Yes, I reckon I am." 
 
 "They think Bill killed the sherifp, don't 
 they? " continued Uncle Dan, changing the sub- 
 ject. " He swears he didn't and I believe him." 
 
 "You're right in believing him," answered 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 119 
 
 Hyslop with an emphatic nod. " Don't do any 
 talking about it, lie low, and get your girls off 
 somewhere till this storm blows over. We've got 
 to get those men now, dead or alive,— but remem- 
 ber, the less said the better.'' 
 
 " Uncle Dan, I will go back to New York if I 
 am at all in the way here," said Marian entering 
 the room just in time to catch the last remark. 
 
 " No, dear," returned her uncle affectionately, 
 " we need you very much to look after my poor 
 girl. She is in a dreadful state of mind, and 
 your Aunt Phoebe is afraid to leave her old fool 
 of a husband. She would go, of course, rather 
 than let Bess go alone, but you can look after her 
 and take her mind off of her troubles. I want 
 to send you down to Athens for a short time. 
 Now who can I send along with you-all? " 
 
 " Can't we go alone, Uncle Dan? I'm so glad 
 to be of some use. I do love you all so much," 
 and she embraced the old man fondly. 
 
 " Of course you can't go alone, child," he said, 
 patting her arm tenderly, " but Tom and Jay, 
 with some of the best men, have got to go on the 
 cattle drive to-morrow when the cattlemen get 
 round, and Gus must stay here with the rest of 
 the boys to guard the ranch." 
 
 " Why not let the girls go on the drive with 
 us?" suggested Hyslop. "I reckon it'll be an 
 
120 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 experience you won't soon forget/' lie added, 
 turning to her, " and you look as if you could 
 stand the exertion," and he gazed with admira- 
 tion at her strong, erect figure. 
 
 " I should like it above all things ! " exclaimed 
 the girl, with sparkling eyes. " Oh, Uncle Dan, 
 do let us go ! " 
 
 " They can hear my political ispeech, too," 
 urged Hyslop, as though advancing an unanswer- 
 able argument in favor of the plan. 
 
 "And Jones' temperance lecture," added 
 Uncle Dan with a chuckle, at which the other 
 looked injured. " Well, they can stay with Mrs. 
 Houston, till you go on to Athens and then go 
 along with you," assented Uncle Dan, and the 
 matter was settled. 
 
 " Get up, laziness ! " called out Aunt Phoebe 
 bustling into Marian's room early the next morn- 
 ing with two substantial looking packages in her 
 hands. " I've got your duds into your trunks 
 and they're all ready to go down on the truck. 
 " Get up, there, Bess ! " she added to her daugh- 
 ter who had been sleeping with Marian for some 
 time. " Your poor mother looks after all the 
 work on this place and gets out of bed every 
 mornin' at five o'clock, while you find it hard 
 work to drag your lazy carcass up at seven. I 
 ain't agoin' to have any more of this settin' up 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 121 
 
 all night, and lyin' abed all day. Now you just 
 hustle. I've put you-alPs lunches in these paper 
 sacks, and you can pack 'em yourselves." 
 
 " Where shall I pack them? " inquired Marian 
 wonderingly. 
 
 " Carry them, I mean. Don't you-all under- 
 stand English?" 
 
 "Not that kind," answered the girl saucily; 
 then, throwing her arms round the good lady, 
 she said, " Now, Aunt Phoebe, you're just pre- 
 tending to be cross, to hide your real feelings. 
 I've caught you at it before." 
 
 To her surprise the old lady burst into tears, 
 and turning to one side wiped her eyes with the 
 checkered apron. 
 
 "What made you do all that work for us?" 
 asked Marian softly. 
 
 "I like to work," she answered, still wiping 
 her eyes. " I'm used to it, and I don't want Bess 
 to get old and ugly from overwork as I did. It 
 isn't the work — I'm only worried about things, 
 and I shall miss you girls so." 
 
 " W^e won't go a step, if you talk that-a-way, 
 Maw," said Bess softly. 
 
 " And you're not old and ugly, you're a hand- 
 some woman," stoutly asserted Marian; and, in 
 spite of the manifest absurdity of her assertion, 
 
122 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Aunt Phoebe looked pleased. Vanity dies hard 
 in the feminine heart. 
 
 Marian had by this time finished her simple 
 toilet, and stepped out on the veranda to watch 
 the preparation for the cattle drive, leaving Bess 
 and her mother to their parting words. 
 
 " Harry, Joe, and John, you go on the side 
 yonder,^' she heard Jay call out. He seemed at 
 this time to be the master of ceremonies. " Bert, 
 Doc, and Dan, you come on this side. Harry 
 you take Bess on your side, and look after her, 
 and Miss Marian can stay in back with me.'' 
 
 The cows were drawn up in a line which 
 reached nearly out of sight. Far ahead she saw 
 the figure of Tom Mayberry galloping swiftly 
 here and there, and recognized men at intervals 
 along the line, from all three ranches. 
 
 " Tell the niggers to ride in behind, in case I 
 want them," roared Jay at the top of his voice; 
 then turning, he saw Marian, and springing from 
 his horse he advanced to the veranda to meet 
 her, drawing off his riding glove before extending 
 his hand to grasp hers. 
 
 " Good-morning," he said. " Do you still feel 
 equal to this undertaking? " 
 
 " Indeed I do." 
 
 As she looked into his handsome face, she 
 noticed more earnestness, with little lines of care 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 123 
 
 which she had never before observed. She won- 
 dered if there were really a change or if she had 
 only glanced at him carelessly before. 
 
 " I'm all ready," called out Bess, coming out 
 on the veranda. " Go in and get your breakfast, 
 Marian. Where's my horse? " she asked, pulling 
 on her gloves; then, vaulting into the saddle as 
 Nigger Ned brought up her steed, she dashed off 
 to interview Tom. 
 
 " How well she appears on horseback ! " said 
 Marian, her eyes following her with admiration. 
 
 " Oh, yes. Like all the rest of us, she looks 
 better on horseback than anywhere else. We 
 ought to do all our courting from the back of a 
 horse," he answered. 
 
 " Come, Marian," called Aunt Phoebe ; and the 
 girl went in to take a hasty breakfast, after 
 which she said good-by to Uncle Dan. 
 
 As they started on the drive, the three hundred 
 cattle were straying along in an irregular line. 
 Now and then one would walk off to one side, 
 and an alert cowboy would dash after it, to send 
 the truant back to the line. When they came to 
 clumps of thorny bushes where Marian could 
 see no opening whatever, the boys, protected by 
 leather jackets and trousers, would dart into 
 them without hesitation. 
 
 " I just begged the cattle to keep out of that," 
 
124 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 laughed Marian as Harry came to her assistance, 
 " but they wouldn't listen to me." 
 
 "You're so pretty," answered the boy, "they 
 clean lost their heads." 
 
 " You certainly are sweeter than ever in that 
 sunbonnet," said Jay, with admiration at her 
 flushed face. " I reckon we'd better rest here for 
 a spell. You-all must be getting tired." 
 
 They dismounted under a large tree, and Mar- 
 ian leaned back glad to rest. 
 
 " How are you getting along? " inquired Tom 
 riding up and placing his leather jacket between 
 her shoulders and the rough bark of the tree. 
 
 She gave him a grateful glance, and leaned 
 back again, feeling the sense of peace and con- 
 tentment which his presence always seemed to 
 bring. She wondered why the famous men she 
 had met had never impressed her as did this un- 
 cultured youth. As she watched him, Whittier's 
 lines came to her, 
 
 " Nor frock nor tan, 
 Can hide tlie man." 
 
 Tom was speaking, but she had heard nothing of 
 what he said. 
 
 " If you all talk at once, she can't sense any- 
 thing," called Bess as she swung from her hors© 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 125 
 
 and dropped beside her cousin leaning against 
 lier affectionately. 
 
 "Well, what difference does it make?" an- 
 swered Harry lazily. " Joe, chase up that gen- 
 tleman heifer on the right. He is disposed to 
 wander." 
 
 As they continued their journey, the boys 
 broke into snatches of cowboy ballads. 
 
 " Be careful, boys," called out Jay, half fear- 
 ing that Marian w^ould hear something of which 
 she would disapprove. 
 
 " I w^ant to hear one of those ballads I have 
 heard about, with seventy-nine verses," she 
 begged. 
 
 ^' Well, call up that old nigger on the left and 
 tell him to sing ' Boll Weevil,' " commanded 
 Jay; and the darky began a melodious chant. 
 
 " Now^ for a love song," cried Marian as the 
 sounds died away. 
 
 "Are love songs interesting to you?" asked 
 Jay, giving her a meaning glance. 
 
 " Of course," she answered frankly, and Jay 
 called out, 
 
 " Tom, come up here and give us your song." 
 
 So Tom drew near and in a musical tenor, sang 
 a touching ballad, beginning, 
 
 " Ive crossed deep waters for you, my dear, 
 What more could a poor man do ? " 
 
126 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " That is Tom's favorite song and he composed 
 the words himself,'' said Jay, as Marian ex- 
 pressed her pleasure. 
 
 " I didn't suppose he was a poet," she an- 
 swered in surprise looking after Tom as he gal- 
 loped off. 
 
 " Oh, we indulge in a few pastimes besides 
 drinking and gambling." 
 
 " Tom never feels the need of the latter amuse- 
 ments, does he? " asked Marian. 
 
 " He's human, like the rest of us," laughed 
 Jay. " Luckily for him, he's poor and has to 
 work the greater part of his time. Still he gets 
 out and hollers on certain occasions — plays a few 
 tricks on the boys, off and on, and gets licked at 
 poker once in a while ; in fact, whenever he goes 
 in for a game. He has such measly luck at cards, 
 he sure ought to be lucky in love. No! Tom 
 never posed as a saint. He's just what you see 
 him, a big, strong, dandy good fellow. I mean 
 to beat his time if I can, but I won't dodge the 
 fact that he's white clear through. You don't 
 want a man to be an angel with a tin halo, do 
 you. Miss Marian?" 
 
 She did not answer, but, instead, as they were 
 passing a large pecan tree, said, 
 
 " What small branches the pecan nuts grow 
 on! How in the world do you gather them? " 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 127 
 
 " Well, we don't gather them much round here, 
 except those that are on the ground; but I be- 
 lieve it is done in some places by captive balloons. 
 You see the branches are so delicate they won't 
 bear a man's weight; (this remark was intended 
 as a joke) but look ahead. It's a pretty sight, 
 isn't it? " 
 
 Before her was a long stretch of red cattle, 
 with now and then a spot of black or white, the 
 tossing of myriad horns, the cowboys ever on the 
 alert, dashing here and there on their agile little 
 horses, their lithe, active figures well set off by 
 their easy costumes. The wide fields of heavy 
 green grass, the brilliant red and yellow flowers 
 and the deep blue of the southern sky added 
 color to the picture. Her cousin Bess looked like 
 a veritable Diana, as she rode with easy grace by 
 the side of the handsome Harry. 
 
 " Oh, why must any one be shut up in a city ! " 
 exclaimed Marian. " What a truly wonderful 
 country this is ! " 
 
 Jay's eyes shone with pleasure as they rode on 
 in a silence broken only by the lowing of the cat- 
 tle or the distant songs of their drivers (for they 
 had fallen far behind the others). 
 
 Marian felt the fascination of the man beside 
 her and in her heart acknowledged him fully the 
 
128 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 peer of any man she had known in the city of 
 New York. 
 
 Then, taking up the reins which were hanging 
 loosely on her horse's neck, she flashed a quick 
 glance at Jay, as she said archly, " I thought you 
 were going to New York t© study law." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 129 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 And now the weary and disheveled cavalcade 
 had reached Xantus, the cattle had walked up 
 the inclined plane to their respective cars, and 
 the crowd had scattered to go in groups of two 
 or more in search of something to eat and any 
 possible excitement that offered. Marian natu- 
 rally found herself between Tom and Jay, Bess 
 bringing up the rear with the faithful Harry. 
 
 "Aren't you tired, honey?'' asked Bess. "It 
 was a pretty long ride for you to take." 
 
 " You ought to have driven in the truck part 
 of the way, with Hyslop," added Tom, regarding 
 her with concern. 
 
 " Oh, I'm not a bit tired," she answered 
 brightly, " and I wouldn't have missed any part 
 of the ride for the world." 
 
 " Hyslop's saving his strength for his speech," 
 laughed Jay. " He's a regular howler when it 
 comes to a stump speech, and he's bent on reform, 
 this year." 
 
 " This old hall has seen lots of good times, 
 hasn't it, boys? " broke in Bess. 
 9 
 
130 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 "What hall? That old barn?'' cried Marian 
 in astonishment. 
 
 " ' That barn,' as you are pleased to call it, my 
 lady, is the Public School and Town Hall com- 
 bined. Many a good dance have we had in it,'' 
 Tom explained. 
 
 " Does ' Brother Butler ' love little boys who 
 dance? " she asked archly, for she knew Tom and 
 Jay were his especial pets. 
 
 " He loves us in spite of our faults," said Jay 
 gayly, for he was evidently in the highest spirits. 
 " Sometimes I'm tempted to quit dancing just to 
 enjoy his pleasure over it. I shall take it into 
 serious consideration soon — about forty years 
 from now. In this building we are now passing 
 you will have the pleasure of listening to a polit- 
 ical discourse in which your party will be torn 
 to shreds, also a temperance lecture, the Lord 
 willing and no man objecting. This is the post- 
 oflQce on our right, and there is the drug store 
 over yonder;" and he pointed down the grass- 
 grown street to a number of plain board shacks. 
 
 " Why, are we already in the town? " she asked 
 in amazement. " ' In the very heart of the me- 
 tropolis,' to quote Gus, and it's a good brisk day 
 for business. Behold the crowds ! " 
 
 Sure enough, the two little side streets con- 
 tained lines of vehicles of every description, 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 131 
 
 many more saddled horses, and round the broad 
 veranda of the one large provision store lounged 
 cowboys, Greasers, and various nondescript in- 
 dividuals, all chatting merrily, with a good deal 
 of noise and ostentation. Among the loungers 
 Marian recognized one or two of her companions 
 on the drive. Now and then a lank woman or 
 two passed in or out of the store, and a short dis- 
 tance away was a group of negroes. 
 
 " Are you too tired to go out this evening? " 
 asked Tom. " You girls will have to keep busy 
 to see all the sights. We are going to supper at 
 Aunt Mary's and she'll want you to go to the 
 prayer meeting afterward ; then there's a roping 
 contest to-morrow. I hope nothing unpleasant 
 will happen while you are here. We mean to get 
 you off south before there's any lynching." 
 
 Bess turned pale, and Jay gave a troubled 
 glance in her direction; but Marian, hardly 
 noticing the remark in her interest in the strange 
 sights before her, declared again she was not a 
 bit tired. 
 
 Aunt Mary and her pretty little daughter, 
 Henrietta, welcomed them with much warmth, 
 and made them feel at home at once. 
 
 " Here's a distinguished visitor who arrived 
 before you," said Aunt Mary, pointing to Hyslop, 
 who was seated on the parlor sofa, busily en- 
 
132 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 gaged in making notes in preparation for his 
 political speech. At this announcement he rose 
 to welcome his friends. 
 
 " I hope you-all enjoyed the drive," he said to 
 Marian. 
 
 " I haven't words to express my pleasure in 
 it," she replied and he nodded his head with a 
 satisfied air. 
 
 " Come right out to supper," called Aunt 
 Mary, "you-all must be half starved. You can 
 talk at the table." 
 
 As they sat at the table, Marian studied her 
 hostess. She was much like Mrs. Mayberry, but 
 without her air of inborn nobility. Hetty, the 
 little cousin, was a sweet, dimpled maiden of 
 eighteen, with an evident admiration for her two 
 cousins, Tom and Jay. Marian felt that she 
 loved her at once. 
 
 "Who's going to church to-night?" asked 
 Hetty as they rose from the table. " Are you all 
 too tired?" 
 
 " Not a bit of it. We're all going," answered 
 Tom. " May I take you. Miss Marian? " 
 
 " She has already promised me that pleasure^" 
 broke in Hyslop with an important air. 
 
 " Well, Jay, I'll have to go with you," laughed 
 Tom, but Jay's brow was decidedly overcast. 
 
 "What does that fool want to butt in for?" 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 133 
 
 he growled in an undertone, glaring at tlie un- 
 conscious back of the triumphant Hyslop. 
 
 At the door of the church were many of the 
 companions of the drive, as they found nothing 
 more exciting than the prayer-meeting on hand 
 for the evening. Doc grinned as he saw Hyslop's 
 satisfied air and Jay's lowering expression. 
 
 " Temperature's fallen since morning," he re- 
 marked to his friend. " Seems as if there was 
 another in the running. I thought Jay was 
 ahead." 
 
 " Bill says he's losing out, and is bettin' on 
 Tom," said the other. 
 
 Upon entering the bare little church, Marian 
 looked about her curiously. Could religion be 
 anything but austere if nurtured in such a place? 
 
 " You'll see Brother Butler again in a few mo- 
 ments," whispered Tom, who was seated behind 
 her. " I hope he will explain as usual that 
 * Baptize ' means immersion and is proof positive 
 that one can go to Heaven by no other road." 
 
 "Don't be flippant, Tom," whispered Jay with 
 unwonted seriousness, and Hetty looked at him 
 with reproof. 
 
 Marian recognized many of the faces and cos- 
 tumes she had seen previously at the prayer- 
 meeting. They all looked at her with evident 
 curiosity. 
 
134 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " Hope you'll enjoy the music," said Hyslop 
 with a grin. " Some of the organ notes don't go, 
 and some sound all the time. Sometimes the 
 organ stops short in the middle of the singing, 
 anl it generally emits a few groans when the 
 singing is over." 
 
 " Unconscious criticism," murmured Jay. 
 
 Marian saw with surprise that ^' Sin Killer 
 Jones " had entered with Mr. Butler, and sat be- 
 side him on the platform behind the pulpit. Just 
 then the choir filed in, sitting in the organ loft 
 at the end of the church and gazing about as if, 
 now they were there, it was quite time for the 
 service to begin. A silence fell on the congrega- 
 tion as Brother Butler rose and asked the bless- 
 ing of God on the service about to be held for 
 His honor and glory. Then he gave out a hymn, 
 reading it all through in a somewhat monotonous 
 voice, with a rising inflection at the end of the 
 first line, and a falling one at the second, 
 
 " Shall I be carried to the skies 
 On flowery beds of ease." 
 
 The congregation rose and faced the choir, 
 turning their backs to the clergy, but Brother 
 Butler's voice could be heard as he sang the 
 hymn with great heartiness. Sin Killer Jones 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 135 
 
 did not sing, but sat regarding the congregation 
 with a menacing look, as if he would willingly 
 become the instrument of the wrath of God to- 
 wards them. 
 
 " I wonder if he repels other people as he does 
 me," thought Marian, and glancing about her as 
 they sat down, she noted a half-amused expres- 
 sion on some faces, though most of them showed 
 only blank indifference. 
 
 The people loved Brother Butler, however, and 
 there was a slight stir of disappointment when, 
 after the prayer, he announced that one far 
 more able and worthy than himself had kindly 
 consented to address them. 
 
 " Now, my friends," began Sin Killer Jones 
 advancing and mopping his face with a large red 
 bandanna handkerchief, " as it is a very warm 
 evening, I will make my discourse shorter than 
 usual." 
 
 " Amen," came from a deaf member, who was 
 apt to fill all pauses in the sermon in this man- 
 ner. The preacher glared in his direction and 
 proceeded with his address, which in spite of his 
 introductory remark lasted for three-quarters 
 of an hour. It was thrilling and to the point, 
 but hardly comforting to sinners. At its close 
 " Brother Bean " was requested to pass round 
 the plate. 
 
136 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " Where at," murmured the good brother look- 
 ing for it in vain, to discover it finally under 
 Doc's feet. 
 
 " Say, Doc, don't that old raw-bones always 
 give you the cold shivers? '' whispered Harry. 
 " He plumb scares me and makes me feel like I'd 
 got to hurry up and repent." 
 
 " Shucks ! He don't know any more about a 
 future life than we do. Anyhow, the Lord knows 
 we don't get much of a show down here," an- 
 swered the philosophic Doc. 
 
 Tom had been watching Marian intently dur- 
 ing the sermon, wondering if it would ever be 
 possible for a girl like that to care for him. He 
 misinterpreted the satisfaction in Hyslop's face, 
 but as they left the church he whispered eagerly, 
 " Say, Tom, I'm glad that old sinner is down 
 here. I've got pretty near enough evidence to jail 
 him, and I'll just keep my eye on him. He's a 
 great one to preach repentance." 
 
 During the walk home Jay was quite willing 
 to take charge of the ladies, while Tom and 
 Hyslop behind them discussed matters of great 
 importance to the whole community. They felt 
 that the co-operation of all able men was needed 
 to avert the dangers that threatened them from 
 the band of outlaws. 
 
 Jay was more than usually debonair. Nothing 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 137 
 
 could trouble him at that moment, but the fact 
 that he could not have Marian all to himself. 
 He felt, however, that he could afiPord to be pa- 
 tient, for her encouraging remark upon the drive 
 and the smile which accompanied it, made him 
 feel that she looked upon him with a favor she 
 had shown to no one else. 
 
138 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 " I'm glad we waited over for this," said Mar- 
 ian ecstatically, as she took her seat on the 
 ricketty grand-stand between her cousin Bess 
 and Mrs. Houston. 
 
 " I enjoy watching it once a year," answered 
 Mrs. Houston. " It's only at the County Fair 
 that we manage to get enough people together 
 for a really good tournament and roping contest. 
 I hope our boys won't get hurt. They usually 
 carry off all the prizes," she added proudly. 
 
 " I can hardly wait for it to begin. I'm so 
 excited ! " exclaimed Marian, and as crowds of 
 men and boys walked into the inclosure she 
 watched eagerly for Tom and Jay, humming un- 
 consciously, " I've crossed deep waters for you, 
 my dear." 
 
 " Here come the contestants," she called out 
 joyfully as she ceased her humming and leaned 
 forward eagerly. 
 
 "The which?" asked the irrepressible Bess. 
 " Isn't Tom grand, Madge? " 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 139 
 
 "Oh, always Tom! I think Jay is just too 
 fascinating." 
 
 " Why, Marian ! don't you like Tom? " 
 
 " Of course I do." 
 
 " Jay is too small for you " 
 
 " I don't see that one inch is an inseparable 
 barrier," Marian snapped out with unwonted 
 force. 
 
 Hetty looked up in surprise. The timid little 
 southern girl had not been accustomed to speak 
 as freely as the independent northern girl. 
 W^hile she admired her unassuming frankness, 
 her bright intelligence and thought her accent 
 charming, she felt a little shocked at her free- 
 dom of speech concerning a subject which she 
 herself never broached except with the greatest 
 reverence. 
 
 " Would you marry a man shorter than your- 
 self?" inquired Bess intent on provoking her 
 cousin, in which attempt she succeeded admi- 
 rably. 
 
 "We weren't speaking of marriage," she an- 
 swered with spirit. " I wouldn't marry any man, 
 whoever he happened to be, and live outside of 
 New York." 
 
 The controversy was ended as the boys who 
 were to run in the tournament formed into line, 
 their strong, athletic figures being a goodly sight. 
 
140 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Five poles stood in succession on the track, each 
 one bearing a ring suspended from the top. 
 Every rider held a long pole like a lance in his 
 hand and was to remove the rings by running 
 this lance through them while riding at full 
 speed. 
 
 The first rider started and came at a rapid 
 pace. He missed the first ring, speared the sec- 
 ond and third, then the fifth, drawing up his 
 horse so sharply at the turn that he nearly fell 
 over backwards. 
 
 " Good ! Good ! '^ rang out from the crowd, 
 and the next rider started at full gallop, carry- 
 ing off three of the rings. Then the Tadpole 
 achieved some glory and a lame wrist. After 
 him came Harry and one or two strangers, all 
 with fair success, but not one carrying off all the 
 rings. Then came Jay and Doc, who each got 
 four, and were loudly applauded. Now Walter 
 advanced. 
 
 " How fair and slender and boyish he looks ! " 
 cried Marian while Mrs. Houston leaned forward 
 anxiously. 
 
 " Go on, Walt ! " yelled the boys, and on he 
 rushed, carrying off the first, second, third, 
 fourth and fifth, amid deafening applause. Mar- 
 ian stood up, waving her handkerchief frantic- 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 141 
 
 ally as Walter wheeled his horse and rode by 
 the grandstand, carrying the blue flag. 
 
 "Isn^t Tom going to try?'^ she asked in sur- 
 prise as the line broke up. 
 
 "No!" said his aunt "Not this time. He 
 pretends it's to save himself for the roping, but 
 I know him ; " and she smiled tenderly. 
 
 "Wasn't that grand?" cried Jay as he rode 
 up, his eyes shining with excitement. 
 
 " Yes, indeed. Now you must win the roping 
 contest," she called back, tossing him the rose 
 she held in her hand, which he caught and fast- 
 ened to the side of his sombrero. 
 
 " Step this way for the grandstand ! " shouted 
 the gate-keeper. " Right smart of people here," 
 he added in a lower tone to Hyslop who stood 
 near him. "All the notables in the country; 
 and look at the ladies ! It just does me good to 
 see so many of 'em together. God bless 'em," 
 
 Against the fence opposite was propped a half 
 drunken Mexican yelling excitedly. 
 
 "Hurrah for Gilly Jakes! He's the d— dest 
 son of a gun, and the best feller in this country. 
 May he win this race." 
 
 " By all the gods ! Picarda ! " gasped Hyslop 
 as he recognized him. " Of all the brass, this is 
 the limit— the ' ne plus ultra ' so to speak." 
 " Do you suppose Jakes will really have the 
 
142 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 cheek to show up? " he continued turning to his 
 friend. 
 
 " Why not? He hasn't an idea that we even 
 suspect him. Get Picarda off quietly, then lay 
 in wait for Jakes. If you get him, you'll have the 
 whole gang. Gosh! but it's cruel we can't have 
 the help of Mayberry and Carruth! How can 
 such men be kin to Joe? Keep the Mexican in 
 sight, and watch your chance. Here come the 
 men, but Jakes isn't among 'em." 
 
 During this side play our friends were wait- 
 ing impatiently for the roping contest to begin. 
 Marian was listening in half amused interest to 
 the conversation of two men near her. 
 
 " I holler for Tom Mayberry," one of them said 
 positively. " He'll win. He always wins every- 
 thing he sets out to. He just naturally flows 
 through any kind of an obstacle. Do you remem- 
 ber the work he done when he was sheriff? " 
 
 " Yes. What in h— 11 did he give it up for? " 
 
 "Why, he was afraid he'd have to arrest his 
 cousin. Jay's brother, you know." 
 
 " Jay's my man," the other said just as em- 
 phatically. " Look at him. There's a stocky 
 young Hercules for you. I don't care if he has 
 got a no-count brother. He's as good a man as 
 Tom Mayberry, in his own way. And — Lord! 
 Hain't he got a temper ! " he added in tones of 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 143 
 
 the deepest admiration. " Do jou remember the 
 day he hung his gold watch up on a tree and shot 
 it all to pieces, 'cause it wouldn't go? Things 
 has just got to go with him, or there's trouble 
 you bet ! " 
 
 " Look ! They're leading in the bulls ! " called 
 Marian in excitement. 
 
 " You act like you'd never seen a bull before," 
 said Bess rather crossly. 
 
 "Here come the men," cried Marian unheed- 
 ing her cousin's remark. " How strong they 
 look!" 
 
 She saw the rose in Jay's sombrero, but could 
 not hear Tom humming, " I'd cross deep waters 
 for you, my dear." 
 
 "Let's do a little betting," called out Bess. 
 " I'll bet six bits on Harry." 
 
 " I'll double that for Jay. Won't you bet on 
 Tom, Mrs. Houston?" But that lady smiled as 
 she shook her head reprovingly. 
 
 The Judge called out the name of Giles Jakes, 
 one of the champion ropers of the state. A huge 
 bull was let out of the inclosure, and the cus- 
 tomary tin can fired at him. Giles held his 
 prancing horse firmly until the bull had run his 
 fifty yards, then horse and rider dashed forward 
 as if shot out of a cannon. As they neared the 
 bull the long lasso, which had been coiled in the 
 
144 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 rider's right hand, went whistling through the 
 air, and settled upon the great beast, which 
 went down with a thud. Jakes and the horse to- 
 gether made a quick pull backward, and, with- 
 out touching the saddle, the man sprang to the 
 ground, the horse holding the rope tight while 
 Jakes with a smaller rope tied first the hind legs, 
 then the fore legs of the prostrate bull. Quickly 
 slipping the rope from the horns, he held up both 
 hands as a signal, " It is done.'' 
 
 " One minute and a half ! " roared the judges, 
 followed by a burst of clapping and a chorus of 
 cowboy yells, but the Mexican was not there to 
 enjoy his triumph. 
 
 The next man was, according to general ver- 
 dict, " rotten," " limp," " doggy." 
 
 " Oh ! Take me home to Mamma ! " called 
 Jay's champion, after a few others had made one 
 slip or another in starting too soon, allowing the 
 bull to escape before being tied, or not catching 
 him at all. 
 
 " They'd shoot men like that in the low coun- 
 try," growled a man near them. 
 
 " They talk big about shootin' on the prairie," 
 retorted Bess, " but when it comes to the real 
 thing, I reckon we can shoot some up here." 
 
 " Why do they allow poor ropers to compete? " 
 asked Marian. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 145 
 
 " Anyone can enter the lists who pays the fee,'' 
 explained Mrs. Houston, " and then it's some- 
 what dependent on luck. It depends much on 
 the horse, and the particular bull, as well as the 
 man. I have seen very skilful ropers go all to 
 pieces in a contest. We have some expert throw- 
 ers round here, and they are well known, too," 
 she added with pride. 
 
 " That fool ain't one on 'em, then,'' interposed 
 the sociable individual indicating the performing 
 roper before them. " He couldn't get to do it in 
 a year." 
 
 " The bull's going to chew him up directly," 
 answered his friend. " Now we'll see some- 
 thing," as the baflfied roper retired discomfited 
 and advanced to take his place. 
 
 The weary spectators straightened themselves 
 and then bent forward expectantly as Jay dashed 
 after the bull, catching him with one throw, and 
 tying him up in just a minute, amid prolonged 
 cheering. 
 
 Harry Newman came next. He succeeded in 
 roping the bull but his horse fell, sending the 
 long, slim figure of his owner over his head ; but 
 he was up in a jiffy and the bull was caught and 
 tied in one minute and fifty seconds, in spite 
 of the mishap. Then poor Harry limped off 
 10 
 
146 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 amid uproars of praise and exclamations of en- 
 couragement. 
 
 Doc's bull, with an unexpected jerk, tore the 
 young man from the saddle, leaving him sprawl- 
 ing apparently lifeless on the ground, his horse 
 standing over him. A hush fell on the specta- 
 tors as his friends gathered round him. 
 
 " It looks like he was hurt bad,'' said the com- 
 municative gentleman. 
 
 " Only a sprained ankle, a bruised wrist, and a 
 little finger broken," roared the judge as Doc was 
 assisted from the field. " Let the next man come 
 on." 
 
 " It really is a cruel practice," said Marian 
 trembling. 
 
 " It is indeed," assented Mrs. Houston, " and 
 the feeling against it is growing so that it may 
 soon be forbidden and roping contests will be a 
 thing of the past. Moreover, the animals which 
 are roped are almost valueless afterward, except 
 for killing and eating. The boys in the fields 
 rope a cow only to lead her; they never throw 
 her, as they do at these contests." 
 
 Now the name of Tom Mayberry was called, 
 and Marian's heart beat wildly. Her nerves 
 were getting at high tension, and she gave an 
 unconscious little spring as he darted like an 
 arrow after the flying bull. One quick throw, a 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 147 
 
 sudden spring, a few rapid movements, and his 
 hands went up in just thirty-eight seconds from 
 the start. 
 
 " Wonderful ! " gasped Marian. " I've lost ! " 
 she said, turning with beaming face to Bess, 
 while Mrs. Houston's countenance glowed with 
 pride in her nephew. 
 
 Bess, who had apparently lost all interest in 
 the contest after Harry's mishap, brightened a 
 little. 
 
 " I lost on Harry, but won on Tom, so I'm six 
 bits ahead," she said. 
 
 " That last was plumb fine," said Tom's cham- 
 pion. " I reckon his piety ain't spiled him a 
 mite. You-all from the low country can't beat 
 that nohow," said he turning to the stranger who 
 had no more to say. 
 
 " The three prizes are awarded to Mayberry, 
 Carruth and Jakes," called the Judge ; and amid 
 storms of applause Tom rode up to the Judge's 
 bench, waving a blue flag, followed by Jay with 
 a red one. The Judge waited a moment, but 
 Jakes did not appear. 
 
 " Will someone look for Jakes? " roared the 
 Judge. At that moment a small boy rode up to 
 the Judge's bench and handed him a letter. 
 After reading this the Judge called out, ^^ Jakes 
 has left town on business. He will receive his 
 reward through our aojent. The contest is over." 
 
148 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 " Who do you suppose is in the next room? " 
 asked Bess of Marian the afternoon after the 
 roping contest. 
 
 " Can't imagine." 
 
 " Why, that slick looking man we saw yester- 
 day at the roping, talking with Tom and Hyslop. 
 I reckon they'll ask him to go to the sociable 
 with us to-night." 
 
 " But, Huns," interposed Hetty, " don't you 
 know it's raining and there won't be any soci- 
 able?" 
 
 " No sociable ! " exclaimed both girls in dis- 
 appointment. 
 
 " But, Miss Hetty," said Marian in surprise, 
 " this little drizzle won't make any difference, 
 will it? Why, in New York, we wouldn't even 
 call it rain." 
 
 " No one ever goes anywhere down here if it 
 even looks like rain. W^e-all can't stand what 
 you northern girls can," and Hetty looked with 
 admiration at Marian's superb figure. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 149 
 
 Meanwhile in the adjoining room a conversa- 
 tion of much greater importance was going on. 
 
 " We got them easy/' chuckled Hjslop. " Pi- 
 carda thought he was being arrested for drunk- 
 enness and making a disturbance; but Jakes 
 was the surprisedest man I ever saw. Thought 
 he was being pinched for carrying concealed 
 weapons I reckon. He looked around and saw 
 there wasn't any help for it and came along like 
 a lamb." 
 
 " I interviewed them this morning," the 
 stranger added. " I've got enough evidence 
 about the other to get a warrant out for his ar- 
 rest. W'e'll nab him if he shows up at the so- 
 ciable to-night." 
 
 Tom went to the window. " I'm afraid there 
 won't be any sociable," he said in a tone of dis- 
 appointment. " It's beginning to rain." 
 
 " Cuss the luck ! " said the stranger. " The 
 man will get away by to-morrow and he's the 
 only one who will give evidence against Carruth. 
 Not a word can we get out of Jakes, nor even 
 Picarda." 
 
 " Do you know why? " inquired Hyslop. 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Well, it's because they know for a dead cer- 
 tainty they will escape if they hold their tongues, 
 and they'll be shot if they don't. Joe Carruth is 
 
150 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 protected by a seven-headed dragon, who loves 
 him with all the strength of his terrible nature, 
 and who has no principle and no fear in dealing 
 with his enemies ; a man who is sharp enough to 
 keep himself out of danger from the law, who 
 is a wall of strength to his friends and sure death 
 to his enemies. We can never find proof enough 
 to arrest him, but we know the man.'' 
 
 " Who is he? '' asked Tom excitedly. 
 
 Hyslop looked at him a moment, then in a 
 lowered but impressive tone he answered, " Bill 
 Wilder.'' 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 151 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 " You must keep your temper on ice to-night, 
 Miss Marian," laughed Jay, as he walked by her 
 side on the way to the political rally the next 
 evening. " You may be prepared for some awful 
 hits at the Republicans and Northern people in 
 general. Hyslop is a red-hot Southerner and 
 Democrat, and he'll say what he's got to say no 
 matter who's there to hear him." 
 
 She lifted her head a little proudly. " I don't 
 think I shall be very much disturbed at his crit- 
 icisms," she answered. 
 
 They found the schoolhouse already full of 
 people, many of whom Marian recognized. She 
 cast an almost frightened glance into a dark 
 corner and instinctively drew nearer Jay as her 
 eyes met the bold ones of Bill Wilder. Not far 
 from him sat Sin Killer Jones, gazing about with 
 his usual sanctimonious expression. Near the 
 place where they took their own seats, she recog- 
 nized in the good-looking stranger, the young 
 companion of Hyslop when she first saw them on 
 
152 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 the train, and between tliem and the door were 
 two other strangers. As Tom came in with his 
 aunt and cousin he led the way to the front of the 
 room followed by Bess and Harry, so Jay and 
 Marian went to sit with them. 
 
 " The women seem to be pretty numerous here 
 to-night," a man remarked to the speaker. 
 
 " Yes, I wish to heavens they were not," an- 
 swered Hyslop. " What with that Northern girl 
 here to listen to what I've got to say, and other 
 worries which I can't mention, I never was in 
 such a state of mind in my life ; " and he nerv- 
 ously wiped the perspiration from his forehead 
 with his bandanna. 
 
 "Well, anyway," answered his friend, trying 
 to encourage him, " this is more of a local mu- 
 tual improvement affair than a political meeting. 
 We're goin' to get the ear of a lot of these fel- 
 lows. Some of 'em may be killed off by next fall. 
 The women folks say they are goin' to shut up 
 all the rum shops an' gamblin' dens this year. 
 They've got a mighty big job on their hands." 
 
 "When they get it done the bulls'll all be 
 wearin' white robes," laughed Hyslop. 
 
 From her position Marian had a full view of 
 the room which seemed to her utterly devoid of 
 charm. There was no covering on the boarded 
 walls, and no backs to the benches upon which 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 153 
 
 the children usually sat. These benches were 
 now filled with cowboys and cattlemen, in com- 
 pany with professional men, also " the butcher, 
 the baker, the candlestick maker,'' all dressed in 
 the same fashion, and all, with few exceptions, 
 chewing tobacco and looking very uncomfort- 
 able because they couldn't spit on the floor. Two 
 old ladies in a distant corner were sociably dip- 
 ping snuff together. Here was no social distinc- 
 tion. Every honest white man was as good as 
 any other man, whatever his occupation or finan- 
 cial condition. If a few old families took pleas- 
 ure in holding themselves aloof, thereby proving 
 conclusively to themselves their superiority to 
 others, nobody interfered with their pleasure, for 
 nobody knew of it except the members of their 
 own families. 
 
 On the small stove in the center of the room 
 sat the County Judge. He had chosen this spot 
 on account of the convenient aperture into which 
 he could spit; and also because he knew that it 
 would be a popular spot, for that very reason. 
 The crowd which pressed around it proved the 
 wisdom and forethought of his seething brain. 
 
 At the table at one side sat the newspaper re- 
 porter, and on the table itself lolled several mem- 
 bers of the Common Council all deeply engaged 
 in conversation. The speaker of the evening, Mr. 
 
154 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Hjslop, seemed quite unlike himself. His cheeks 
 were hollow, his eyes encircled by dark shadows, 
 and, as his eyes rolled nervously about the room, 
 they visited at frequent intervals the dark corner 
 where Bill Wilder was closely watched by the 
 stranger. 
 
 When the time came for him to address the 
 meeting, he rose and faced the assembly with im- 
 pressive dignity. A deep silence fell on the room. 
 Then, in a voice rich and sonorous, he began. 
 His remarks were emphasized by violent gestures 
 with his long arms, and were abusive or extrava- 
 gant, according to the subject upon which he 
 touched. 
 
 " The Republicans," he said, " are wholly con- 
 trolled by a few rich men, who insist upon Pro- 
 tection and the Trusts, simply because they put 
 money into their pockets. The great mass of the 
 Republican party are the most ignorant of the 
 people who are proud to be bull-dozed by these 
 nabobs of finance and who would sell their souls 
 to be one of them, as they are now selling their 
 bodies." 
 
 " Hear ! hear ! " and loud hurrahs broke from 
 the audience and several angry glances were 
 directed toward Marian as the representative of 
 a northern nabob. 
 
 " Can't you see," went on the speaker, " that 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 155 
 
 for a few big manufacturers only that protection 
 is a help and that they have money enough to 
 buy their way into politics, or to bribe those who 
 are already there? Can't you see how the Beef 
 Trust is ruining our cattle business? When we 
 ship our cattle to Chicago or St. Louis we can't 
 afford to send them back, so we are at their 
 mercy and have to take their price.'' 
 
 There w^as an impressive pause during which 
 Marian began to feel that there might be some 
 argument on the Democratic side after all, an 
 idea which she had never harbored before, when 
 the speaker thundered out, 
 
 " The Trusts are legalized robbery and the Re- 
 publicans who foster them are robbers, all rob- 
 bers! Grinding down the hard w^orking people, 
 half of them through ignorance, the other half 
 through their lack of the Almighty Dollar, the 
 greatest power in this glorious country of ours! 
 Look at Massachusetts. That grand old state, 
 with all her culture and her wonderful history! 
 We are proud of her, but here in Texas we have 
 something greater to be proud of; we have honest 
 men ! " 
 
 This burst of oratory was received with 
 frenzied applause from the audience. During 
 this noisy demonstration Bill Wilder and his 
 friend Sin Killer Jones attempted to stroll care- 
 
156 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 lessly from the room but were stopped at the 
 doorway by the two strangers from the low coun- 
 try and their force was at once augmented by the 
 man who had sat near them. 
 
 " In the name of the law/' he announced, 
 grasping the arm of Sin Killer Jones, " I have a 
 warrant for this man's arrest." 
 
 Bill Wilder forced the man back. 
 
 " Don't let Jones escape ! " screamed the man, 
 " He is the one who killed Kit Packer ! " 
 
 The commotion which followed was terrible. 
 Tom and Jay stood by their friends upon the 
 platform where they were immediately joined by 
 the other women in the audience, with the men 
 who had them in charge. Several of the lamps 
 were shot out and in the almost total darkness 
 could be heard the sound of breaking glass, 
 tramping feet, and angry voices. 
 
 " Take the girls out at that side door and get 
 them out of town as soon as you can," com- 
 manded Hyslop excitedly. " I'll not answer for 
 what the boys will do with Jones, if they get 
 him. That sheriff is an ass. I wouldn't have had 
 him blunder that-a-way for all the world." 
 
 "You don't mean that they'll lynch him?" 
 gasped Marian. 
 
 " I don't know," he answered evasively, " but 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 157 
 
 you girls can't do any good, and the sooner you 
 get out the better for you." 
 
 " Promise me you will do all in your power to 
 prevent it," she said, turning to Tom feeling in- 
 stinctively that he was the man upon whom to 
 depend. " I will not leave till you promise that," 
 she added as he hesitated. 
 
 " I'd rather see him lynched than have him 
 escape," he muttered. 
 
 Marian still looked at him. 
 
 " Yes," he finally consented looking her full in 
 the face. " I promise you he shall not be lynched 
 if I can prevent it. Now will you go? " 
 
 " Yes," she answered, and Tom quickly led 
 them through the side door. " Hyslop," he said 
 authoratively, " let the boys attend to Jones ; you 
 take Aunt Mary home. Jay, you see to Hetty, 
 and Harry and I will get Miss Marian and Bess 
 down to the station in time for the eleven o'clock 
 train." 
 
 " I'll be there in time to say good-by," whis- 
 pered Jay, grasping Marian's hand in the dark- 
 ness. 
 
 " Yes, do," she answered mechanically, then 
 added, " you will help Tom carry out his promise, 
 won't you? " 
 
 " Sure. Now we'd better hustle." 
 
158 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Outside, the street seemed full of a howling 
 mob, which they skirted skillfully. 
 
 They had hardly entered the station when 
 Harry and Jay hurried up to them. 
 
 " You certainly did hurry,'^ Marian exclaimed. 
 
 " You bet we did ! Here's your grips, and 
 Harry's going with you. Here comes the train ; " 
 and Marian was on board before she realized 
 what was happening. Leaning from the window 
 she held her hand out to Jay who gave it a tender 
 pressure, then to Tom saying earnestly, " You 
 will not forget your promise? " 
 
 " Never ! " he said seriously, and then the train 
 started, leaving the two cousins together. 
 
 " Where are we going, Bess? " asked Marian. 
 
 " To Athens, on the Gulf. Aunt Kate lives 
 there. She's Maw's sister," and Bess lapsed into 
 her moody silence. 
 
 " We won't let anything happen to you, Miss 
 Bess," said Harry tenderly, but he could win no 
 smile from the girl. 
 
 " Athens is a fine city," he went on turning to 
 Marian. " It has a college and churches and 
 theatres. You'll find people of education there, 
 just like New York. There'll be lots of your 
 kind of society, and you'll forget us all in no 
 time." 
 
 ^'1 can never forget this night, anyway," re- 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 159 
 
 plied Marian. " I wonder what is happening at 
 Xantus now. I never wanted to be a man before, 
 but it is so ignominious to be hustled out of the 
 way. If I were a man I'd stop that lynching! " 
 and her eyes flashed with determination. 
 
 " Well, it ain't so easy to stop a lynching when 
 the boys are set on it, and if you were a man, 
 Miss Marian, you'd be only one^ you know," he 
 answered quizzically. 
 
 A long pause followed, broken suddenly by 
 the quick stopping of the train, hurried running 
 to and fro by the train officials, then the con- 
 ductor called out, — 
 
 " All change here. Train wreck ahead." 
 
 " More dirty work I'm afraid," said Harry put- 
 ting his arm about Bess and hustling her out. 
 Passing by the wrecked freight cars, and the 
 crowds of people surrounding them, they ran to 
 a train which was waiting a little up the track. 
 A rabble of people were falling over each other 
 in their haste to secure seats and in the confusion 
 Marian found herself separated from her com- 
 panions. 
 
 " I suppose they are somewhere on the train," 
 she thought, " but what could I do if they were 
 not? They have my bag and I don't even know 
 Aunt Kate's last name." 
 
 Just then she felt a light touch on her arm, 
 
160 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 and turning quickly she saw a man she had seen 
 with Tom at the political meeting. He seemed 
 almost like a friend amid that crowd of stran- 
 gers, especially as she noted that he held her grip 
 in his hand, so she greeted him with cordiality. 
 
 " Harry asked me look out for you, and gave 
 me your grip. He found it was all he could do 
 to take care of Miss Bess. He didn't know who 
 he might meet in that throng. I've been right 
 behind you, but didn't want to startle you." 
 
 " Oh, thank you ! " she said, " but how did you 
 get here? " 
 
 " I followed on the express which was half an 
 hour after yours. Jones and Wilder disappeared 
 in the scrimmage and the boys sent me along to 
 see if they were on the train. I wanted to get 
 back to-night, so it suited me to a T. They 
 weren't on the train, so I reckon the boys'll get 
 them yet. 
 
 " But there goes our train," he exclaimed, 
 making a vain effort to get through the mass of 
 people as the train started. 
 
 " Won't Bess and Harry wait for us? " 
 
 " Perhaps they can't. If they are on the train 
 they couldn't get off, with that gang surrounding 
 it. What shall we do? " and he glanced at her 
 with helpless appeal. 
 
 " I'm sure I don't know." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER, 161 
 
 " You don't blame me, do you? " he asked. 
 
 " Not at all.'' 
 
 " I hope you're not afraid of me? " 
 
 She looked at his somewhat boyish face 
 with ill-suppressed amusement as she answered 
 serenely, 
 
 '' Oh, not in the least." 
 
 " Well, you northern girls are just splen- 
 did," he said with enthusiasm. " Suppose we 
 hunt for a place to get something to eat; I'm 
 nearly famished." 
 
 They made their w^ay through the crowd to a 
 small lunch room. 
 
 " I believe I'm rather hungry myself," said 
 Marian, who began to enjoy her adventure now 
 that her fears were allayed. " Father always 
 told me if I ever fell in love with a poor man, not 
 to let him see me eat. It would discourage him 
 completely." 
 
 " W^ould you really marry a poor man?" he 
 asked sentimentally. 
 
 " Of course, if I loved him," she replied in a 
 matter-of-fact tone. " Why don't they bring us 
 some plates? " she added seeing a platter of 
 chops slapped down in front of her by an ener- 
 getic w^aiter. 
 
 " Ain't that platter good enough to eat off 
 11 
 
162 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 of? " said the waiter. " Anyway, it's that or 
 nothin'. We're short of plates." 
 
 " Well, may I have a fork or must I eat with 
 my fingers? " she said good-naturedly, and he 
 obligingly came back with a fork and a cup of 
 coffee which might well be called a bowl. 
 
 " I haven't introduced myself," suggested the 
 man handing her a somewhat spacious visiting 
 card, on which was engraved " Charles Oster- 
 handt." " I am an instructor in the law school at 
 Athens. If you will come down to the college I 
 will show you one that will compare favorably 
 with any of your colleges in the East. Where are 
 you visiting? " 
 
 " I am going to Mrs. Daniel Luce's sister 
 Kate's," she said, " but I don't know her last 
 name." 
 
 " You take it calmly," he answered, looking at 
 her with admiration. " How do you expect to 
 find her?" 
 
 " Oh, I'll be sure to find her," she began, but 
 was interrupted by her cousin Bess, who dashed 
 into the room quite out of breath, followed by the 
 faithful Harry. 
 
 ^' We stopped the train and got off when we 
 found you weren't on it," she panted. " They 
 told us they saw you-all come in here, so we came 
 too. They are waiting the train for us, but I 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 163 
 
 reckon they can wait a little longer while I get a 
 bite to eat. It is wonderful how any excitement 
 will give one an appetite." 
 
 Whereupon Bess fell to devouring the rations 
 which Harry had ordered for her, while Marian 
 regarded her with an amused smile on her face. 
 " Fancy," she said to herself, " stopping the cars 
 for one of the passengers to get a lunch." Then 
 thinking for a moment she turned to Osterhandt. 
 " What made you arrest those men right in the 
 midst of the lecture? " she asked. 
 
 " Because they were going to stroll out and 
 get away from us," he answered. " I am sorry 
 that we had to make such a commotion but no- 
 body could have done differently." 
 
 The company looked sober for a w^hile till Os- 
 terhandt remarked with the Southerner's non- 
 chalance, 
 
 " The thing to be regretted most of all is that 
 we missed the temperance lecture." 
 
164 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 The girls had arrived at their destination in 
 safety, and had been enthusiastically welcomed 
 by " Aunt Kate." 
 
 Three weeks had elapsed, in which time the 
 girls had found themselves very much improved 
 in health and spirits. Marian was delighted 
 with the half Spanish city with its narrow 
 streets, its houses built about an open court, the 
 gardens filled with banana trees and brilliant 
 blossomed cacti; the white adobe public build- 
 ings glistening in the sunlight, and the pretenti- 
 ous looking University. 
 
 Every one in Athens had heard of " Wild Bill," 
 " Sin "Killer Jones," of Tom Mayberry, of James 
 Carruth, and of the part the two girls had played 
 in the recent stirring events. 
 
 Marian, anxious to learn the outcome of the 
 momentous evening at Xantus, and feeling sure 
 that Osterhandt w^ould know all about it, begged 
 her cousin to go with her to the University. So, 
 under the escort of a very youthful student of the 
 University whom they had met at Aunt Kate's, 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 165 
 
 thej reached the college, to find that Mr. Oster- 
 handt was attending a lecture on Political Econ- 
 omy. " Would the ladies like to step in and lis- 
 ten to the lecture till Mr. Osterhandt was at lib- 
 erty? " Certainly they would, and they were ac- 
 cordingly ushered into a large hall full of stud- 
 ents. Some of these students were busily taking 
 notes, but many of them were leaning back half 
 asleep; a gentle buzz of whispering filled the air. 
 
 Mr. Osterhandt crossed the room to them at 
 once and began conversing with them in an un- 
 dertone, which greatly annoyed the lecturer. As 
 Mr. Osterhandt turned again to continue his 
 note-taking the girls carelessly whispered to their 
 young companion. 
 
 ^^ If that young man with his two aunts cannot 
 listen to my lecture he had better leave the 
 room," the lecturer paused to remark, not look- 
 ing at any one in particular. 
 
 Osterhandt was indignant, Bess boiled with 
 ineffectual wrath, the young student was evi- 
 dently frightened, and Marian, feeling very much 
 ashamed of her carelessness, glanced from under 
 her large hat to see if anyone was looking at 
 them. No one appeared to have heard his re- 
 mark. The busy ones scribbled on and the lazy 
 ones did not turn their heads. Even the lecturer 
 had his eyes on the floor. 
 
166 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " These people are certainly more courteous 
 than we would be/' she thought. 
 
 " I wouldn't have had that happen for a 
 pretty," remarked Osterhandt as he joined them 
 after the lecture, " but old Winterbottom is an 
 awful crank." 
 
 " We certainly deserved it," said Marian hon- 
 estly. 
 
 " Shall I show you round the college? " 
 
 " I'd love to see it, but do tell us at once about 
 Sin Killer Jones." 
 
 Osterhandt looked angry. " I hate to talk 
 about it. It's a disgrace to the community. 
 They all slipped through their fingers. Jones, 
 Jakes, Picardo, and even Bill Wilder disap- 
 peared. They must get lots of help somewhere, 
 but they can't escape us much longer. The coun- 
 try is too much worked up over their outrages. 
 That w^reck was evidently the work of some of 
 the gang." 
 
 " Is Mr. Hyslop a detective? " asked Marian in 
 a lowered tone, " and are you interested in the 
 case? " 
 
 The young man stared at her with a startled 
 expression on his boyish face. " Where did you 
 get that notion?" he stammered. Then, before 
 she could answer, he added, " Don't, for Heaven's 
 sake, mention such a surmise to anyone else." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 167 
 
 By this time the party had reached a room at 
 the end of the corridor. *^ This is the laboratory," 
 he explained. " The boys are listening to a lec- 
 ture on the deleterious effects of alcohol. Shall 
 we enter? " 
 
 " I think not," she replied. " We might re- 
 ceive another reprimand, and as I never take 
 alcohol in any form I'm not in need of the warn- 
 ing." 
 
 " Then you are not afraid of filling a drunk- 
 ard's grave? " 
 
 " She'd fill one all right, if she ever got into 
 it," interrupted Bess. 
 
 Osterhandt laughed, but looked at Marian's 
 athletic figure with admiration. 
 
 " This is the president's office," he said as he 
 knocked at a door on the left. Hearing a call, 
 " Come in," they entered. 
 
 In the center of a large comfortably-furnished 
 room sat a stalwart individual smoking a cigar- 
 ette, his feet resting upon the desk in front of 
 him, and a large pile of papers on the chair be- 
 side him. 
 
 As the ladies entered he hastily removed his 
 feet from the desk, threw away his cigarette, 
 and rising, came forward to greet them with 
 fine courtesy, in strong contrast to his former 
 appearance. 
 
168 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " I am very glad to meet you, ladies," lie said, 
 giving them seats. 
 
 After a short conversation, Marian rose to go, 
 murmuring, " We must not take up any more of 
 your time." 
 
 Bess looked surprised and he answered, " My 
 time is yours. I am never too busy to talk with 
 the ladies, and it is seldom we have visitors from 
 the North." Then turning to Osterhandt he con- 
 tinued, " You ought to get up a picnic or some 
 entertainment essentially southern to amuse the 
 ladies; a lynching bee for instance," and he 
 laughed as at a great joke. 
 
 Marian shuddered. " We came all too near 
 witnessing a lynching at Xantus," she said, and 
 related a little of the disturbance. 
 
 The president looked very grave. " Indeed, 
 Miss Luce," he answered, " any right-minded 
 Southerner would endeavor to prevent such vio- 
 lence, no matter how much the parties deserved 
 it." He turned for confirmation of his opinion, 
 but Osterhandt seemed extremely doubtful. 
 
 As they went out they saw everywhere about 
 the spacious college grounds groups of students, 
 lounging or chatting together. Apparently no- 
 body was hurried or even particularly busy. The 
 slow, southern speech greeted her ear agreeably, 
 and she was rather pleased at the absence of 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 1G9 
 
 the brisk, business-like air everywhere visible in 
 northern colleges. 
 
 " You can't hustle, down here," her companion 
 explained, " there's less oxygen in the air.'' 
 
 Presently Bess and her young escort joined 
 them, and after a few moments, as they entered a 
 narrow part, Marian was left with the young 
 student, while Bess and Osterhandt went ahead. 
 
 The boy was evidently a little afraid of this 
 stately northern girl and after an embarrassed 
 silence while he hunted in his mind for a worthy 
 subject of conversation, he burst out, " Wasn't 
 Shakespeare a wonderful man? " 
 
 " He is generally considered so" answered the 
 girl, vainly trying to conceal her amusement. 
 
 " I like him best in ' She Stoops to Conquer/ " 
 he ventured. 
 
 Not knowing whether to take this last remark 
 seriously or not, she compromised by calling at- 
 tention to one of the trees : 
 
 " What is that tree? " she asked eagerly. 
 
 " That's a cigar tree. Right smart of them 
 round yar," he replied glibly, feeling he was now 
 on safe ground. At the turn of the path Oster- 
 handt fell back and the youth hastened to join 
 Bess. 
 
 " Were you born in the South, Mr. Oster- 
 handt?" asked Marian. 
 
170 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 "Why do you ask?" 
 
 " I though I detected a Northern accent at 
 times," she answered. 
 
 " I believe you are a witch, and I'm half afraid 
 of you. Yes, I was born in the North, but came 
 here when only ten years old. My parents were 
 New England farmers, but when they died I was 
 sent to my uncle here, and fitted myself for the 
 law. I still like farming. I believe the life of a 
 farmer is the most independent in the world. 
 Even when times are at the worst, people have to 
 have the products of the soil, and farmers are 
 about the only men who are really producers. 
 They hold all the rest of mankind on their 
 shoulders. The farmer raises hogs for instance, 
 and sends his barrels of pork to some middle 
 man. The middle man rolls those barrels of 
 pork into somebody's cellar, and makes his living 
 that way; that somebody rolls it into somebody 
 else's cellar and lie makes a living out of it, too, 
 but after all, that barrel of pork hasn't increased 
 a lick." 
 
 " Yes," said Marian, " but your farmer is too 
 busy looking after his hogs to attend to selling 
 his pork to the public at large, so I rather think 
 the middleman is necessary, but if you love farm- 
 ing so well, why did you leave it for the law? " 
 
 " Well, it's easier to earn a good living in the 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 171 
 
 law," he said a little embarrassed at her question. 
 " But tell me how you like our city of Athens." 
 
 " It is beautiful. Such a restful, quiet, little 
 city ! I never saw such bright sunlight anywhere 
 else, nor such beautiful tropical flowers. Then 
 the people are so kind and genial. I don't mind 
 a bit the high-flown compliments paid me, for I 
 can see that they are not said insincerely, but are 
 the result of a genuine kindly feeling. The men 
 pay just the same attention to their wives and 
 sisters." 
 
 " I reckon Northern men love their families 
 just as much, but they don't have as much time 
 as we do and they are less demonstrative. But," 
 he went on, " I reckon you won't find any diffi- 
 culty in fixing it up, if you'd rather live down 
 here." 
 
 " They certainly have been good to me," she 
 continued, not heeding his gallant remark. 
 " Everybody in town called oa us the first two or 
 three days, and most of them are giving parties 
 in our honor." 
 
 " Don't they do that up North? " he asked in 
 surprise. 
 
 " Not to such an extent. I have been to five 
 parties here already. Instead of dropping in for 
 fifteen minutes and drinking a cup of tea as we 
 do at home, we take our fancy work along and 
 
172 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 stay all the afternoon, sing songs and do all sorts 
 of pleasant things. Then we have a square meal 
 and spend the evening, and all the men far and 
 near drop in to see us." 
 
 " What do you girls talk about in the after- 
 noon? " 
 
 " Oh, all kinds of things. Just now the all 
 absorbing topic is the Joe Carruth and S. K. 
 Jones affair. The girls are afraid of their lives. 
 They lock and bar every door at night, and some 
 of them carry bowie knives or revolvers, even 
 when they go out in the daytime. Bess and I are 
 important personages, because we were even 
 slightly mixed up in this last business. They 
 don't know that Bess was ever married." 
 
 " Can you keep a secret. Miss Marian? " inter- 
 posed Osterhandt with a troubled air. 
 
 " Certainly I can." 
 
 " Mayberry told me I could trust you, but this 
 is in strict confidence. I am interested with 
 Hyslop, Gus and your uncle in bringing those 
 men to justice. Jay Carruth will help his brother 
 if he can, and Tom Mayberry won't take any 
 active part in catching his cousin unless he is 
 driven to it. If we could only induce him to help 
 us we would be sure of success, for Mayberry 
 never fails in anything he undertakes." 
 
 " I am puzzled about two things," said Marian 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 173 
 
 after some reflection, "why is Gus so friendly 
 with Bill and why does Joe Carruth want money 
 when he is wealthy anyway? " 
 
 " Poor Gus has played a part he doesn't like 
 much. He is very frank by nature, but he has 
 tried to make Bill confide in him, and we have 
 gotten more information that way than you'd 
 think. Bill likes Gus and really trusts him. But 
 it seems to be the only way to catch those men. 
 As to Joe Carruth, — he is just naturally cussed. 
 He had his share of the land and cattle but 
 money is scarce, and Joe was an awful gambler. 
 Still they had a good deal of money, too. It's 
 pretty hard to tell why people do things. He 
 certainly has harder work now and less money by 
 a long sight, than he would if he'd behaved him- 
 self." 
 
 Marian's mind was intent on the event of her 
 escape from those same outlaws. 
 
 " I owe my escape to Mr. Mayberry," she said, 
 referring to the affair. 
 
 " You certainly do. Then the night before, 
 they saw a couple of Greasers hanging round 
 near Miss Bess's windows. We think the Mexi- 
 can Jay captured, might have been watching for 
 you and Bess." 
 
 Marian flushed at the thought. 
 
 " Don't you worry, the danger is all over now," 
 
174 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 he said reassuringly. " You won't go back there 
 till those fellows are arrested. In the meantime, 
 keep your own counsel and if you get any new 
 light on the subject, let me know at once. You 
 will, won't you? " 
 
 " You may be sure I will,'' she said with earn- 
 estness. 
 
 Having reached the door of Aunt Kate's man- 
 sion, Mr. Osterhandt turned to greet Bess and 
 her companion, and suddenly remembered that 
 he was the bearer of an invitation for Aunt Kate 
 and the two young ladies to join a picnic given 
 by the students the following day. 
 
 One of the most charming traits of the South- 
 erners is their perennial youth. The oldest men 
 and women take the same active interest in en- 
 tertainments of all sorts, as do the young people. 
 A man is never too old in the South to be very 
 attentive to the young ladies, and to pay them 
 various extravagant compliments. Marian had 
 witnessed with surprise Aunt Kate's dignified 
 husband sliding down the banisters with his chil- 
 dren, and only the day before she saw a really old 
 man jump from a rapidly moving car to speak to 
 a young lady who was passing. She was, there- 
 fore, not very much astonished when she beheld 
 asembled for the picnic, not only the students 
 and their girl friends, but also the professors 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 175 
 
 and their wives, and even the genial president. 
 The professor, who had delivered the reprimand 
 the day before, was present in gala attire and 
 the most amiable of moods. He begged to be pre- 
 sented to Miss Marian, declaring that he must 
 have been entirely out of his mind the previous 
 day to be annoyed at anj^thing done by two such 
 charming young ladies. 
 
 Throughout the long walk the boys were laden 
 down with the lunches and all the wraps of the 
 girls, who took it as a matter of course. 
 
 Presently, Mr. Osterhandt strolled up with an 
 attractive looking stranger who was evidently 
 very bashful, an unusual thing in Texas and apt 
 to receive very little consideration. 
 
 " Miss Marian," said Osterhandt, " my friend 
 here saw you at the college yesterday and 
 couldn't be happy till he met you. He spent the 
 whole evening in my room raving about you. I 
 never saw a man in such a state before. He 
 wants to know if you've got a sweetheart up 
 North." 
 
 The poor fellow blushed furiously and turned 
 an agonized look upon his tormentor. 
 
 "Don't mind him at all," said Marian kindly. 
 " No one pays the least attention to what he 
 says." 
 
 " I reckon there may be some truth in it," 
 
176 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 stammered the youth, apparently feeling some 
 such remark was required of him, then, as some 
 one called his name, he gladly made his escape. 
 
 " That was just horrid of you," exclaimed 
 Marian. 
 
 " Oh ! " grinned Osterhandt, " I did it for his 
 good. He needs to be roasted till he gets over 
 being so bashful. It^s a great bar to success. 
 No I '' 
 
 Marian began to laugh, but before he could 
 finish his sentence he was called to settle a dis- 
 pute, and she was left alone. She started off 
 briskly down a lovely little side path in the 
 woods, glad to be by herself for a time before the 
 horn blew for luncheon. 
 
 She took a seat on a fallen tree and was gazing 
 about her with delight at the richness of the 
 foliage and the beautiful flowers when she saw a 
 man coming rapidly towards her from a little 
 side path. As he came nearer she recognized in 
 him one of the two cattlemen who had recently 
 visited her uncle's ranch. 
 
 " Good-morning, Miss Luce," he said removing 
 his hat, " I hope you remember meeting me at 
 your uncle's. I have a message to you from him." 
 
 Marian examined him gravely as she acknowl- 
 edged meeting him. His manner was suave and 
 his dress unostentatious, but he had not the bear- 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 177 
 
 ing of a gentleman. True, she had met him at 
 her uncle's; but he was there on business, and 
 even at that time had not inspired her with con- 
 fidence. Taking the telegram which he extended 
 she read 
 
 " Come back to ranch at once with Kirkpat- 
 rick. You will remember him. 
 Uncle Dan.'' 
 
 Marian looked at the man in serious doubt. 
 Seeing this he pulled another telegram from his 
 pocket and held it out. 
 
 " Here's the one I got," he remarked. The 
 second telegram read, 
 
 " Bring Miss Luce to Xantus to-night on four- 
 forty train. Will meet you there. 
 
 Daniel Luce." 
 
 " I must first say good-by to my friends," said 
 Marian. 
 
 " Oh, no, you w on't have time for that," the 
 man objected. " You see I have lost about two 
 hours hunting you up. I went to your house and 
 explained it to your aunt and she told me where 
 to find you. I reckon something's happened to 
 the Boss or his wife," he added watching her 
 narrowly. 
 12 
 
178 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " Didn't Aunt Kate send a note by you? " 
 
 " No, she reckoned the telegrams was enough, 
 and the time was short." 
 
 Marian knew the easy southern ways of doing 
 things but she still felt undecided. " I must cer- 
 tainly say good-by to my friends here," she said 
 rising. 
 
 " But you'll lose the train. Something must 
 have happened sure or Daniel Luce wouldn't have 
 sent them telegrams," he urged. " I've got a car- 
 riage waiting for you right near here." 
 
 He turned and walked down the path and 
 Marian followed in great indecision. At one mo- 
 ment anxiety for her uncle filled her heart, then 
 a wave of distrust toward this man urged her to 
 seek her friends. A sudden bend in the path 
 brought into view a close carriage with curtains 
 drawn. At this sight she decided fully that she 
 w^ould not go with him and stopped short as he 
 advanced to open the carriage door. 
 
 " I shall not go with you," she said with deter- 
 mination. 
 
 " But what will your uncle think? He must 
 be in great need of you." 
 
 " I will attend to my uncle. Don't let that 
 disturb you." 
 
 He muttered an oath and faced her fiercely, 
 then, to her surprise, the door of the carriage 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 179 
 
 flew open and Osterhandt sprang out. At the 
 same moment the driver jumped from the box 
 and the man was seized and handcuffed before he 
 had time for a struggle. He was lifted into the 
 vehicle, Mr. Osterhandt following and closing the 
 door. 
 
 " Your party is just over there," said the 
 driver, pointing ahead with his whip. " Mr. 
 Osterhandt says for you to go right along and tell 
 'em you got separated from him by accident.'' 
 
 Saying this he jumped up on the box and drove 
 off, leaving the astonished girl standing like a 
 statue in the path. Just then the horn sounded 
 loudly only a short distance at her right. 
 
180 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Soon after, Osterhandt returned to the picnic 
 with an air as gay and light as though he were 
 telling the truth when he asserted that he had 
 wandered off and got lost. 
 
 Marian could hardly wait to see him alone ; but 
 on the way home she found him beside her. 
 
 " We have got the very man we wanted most," 
 he informed her, " was fool enough to walk right 
 into me. But he thought there was no one here 
 that was on to him. The fellow on the box was 
 one of our spies. He induced the man to take his 
 cab, then a second hackman, the other spy, got 
 up on his horse and followed them about town. 
 They did sure enough go to your house first. The 
 man on horseback had hard work to avoid Kirk 
 seeing him, but then he was inside with the cur- 
 tain down. Then they came here, and Josh (our 
 man) was smart enough to get me while Kirk 
 was hunting you up. Kirk was counting on your 
 not knowing anything at all about any of them. 
 Not many people know anyway that he's one of 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIEE. 181 
 
 the gang. Even jour uncle didn't know till 
 lately. He's been doing business here for years 
 like an honest man, and come to find out he's the 
 biggest rascal in the country. Gus found that 
 out." 
 
 The next day Mr. Osterhandt called to warn 
 Marian that Jones had at last been captured, 
 that he was in the Athens jail, and that the peo- 
 ple must not know it. So great was the indigna- 
 tion against him and his confederates, that the 
 authorities feared some violence. Then he added 
 news that was far more welcome. The evening 
 train was to bring their old friends, Tom and Jay. 
 The young men were to come on important busi- 
 ness, but intended to prolong their visit for a few 
 days longer than their duty demanded. 
 
 At the news Bess' aunt became quite as en- 
 thusiastic as the girls themselves. 
 
 " I wish I could have them come right here and 
 stay," ruefully, "but where can I find room! 
 Well anyway they shall come here every night to 
 dinner. And now you girls shall drive down to 
 meet them." 
 
 Later on in the afternoon dressed in dainty, 
 freshly laundered muslins, the girls sat in the 
 light phaeton eagerly watching for the evening 
 train. 
 
 As it whistled Bess' hand instinctively tight- 
 
182 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 ened on the rein but her ejes were turned to- 
 wards the advancing engine. 
 
 Marian was the first to spy the party. 
 
 " There's Gus ! " she ejaculated — " and Harry 
 Newman," Bess began to take notice, " and here 
 are Tom and Jay ! " 
 
 A general handshaking followed, and a stream 
 of questions and answers even before the two 
 favored ones climbed into the phaeton leaving 
 the others to walk off to the one hotel in town. 
 
 The boys had ordered their bags sent to the 
 hotel, but Tom refused to relinquish a large 
 paste-board box which he held in his hand, and 
 from which emerged a well remembered delicious 
 odor. 
 
 " I brought you some Algerita blossoms. Miss 
 Marian," he explained, looking very red and 
 pleased at the girl's enthusiastic gratitude. 
 
 " I remembered how you loved them," he con- 
 tinued sheepishly and trying to speak in a tone 
 which might be heard by the two on the front 
 seat. But he concluded from the expression of 
 their backs — ^which he regarded intently from 
 one corner of his eye — that no part of the trans- 
 action had been lost on them. 
 
 Marion felt more than ever proud of her two 
 cavaliers, after observing them at evening func- 
 tions, and in dress-suits. Although not exactly 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 183 
 
 in the latest cut, such as they were, they wore 
 them quite as gracefully as the New Yorker does 
 his more modern apparel. 
 
 In this quaint little community they were very 
 much at their ease, and like all Southerners were 
 armed at every turn in the conversation with a 
 ready tact, and a quick harmless wit in which 
 there was never a sting. The many compliments 
 of the Southerner, if not always deeply signifi- 
 cant, spring from a genial desire to give pleasure, 
 and have never a suspicion of sarcasm. 
 
 And Tom and Jay were Southerners to the 
 back-bone, possessing all their rich nature, all 
 their virtues, and a few of their genial weak- 
 nesses. 
 
 These two young men soon became the center 
 of attraction as indeed in point of birth and 
 personal worth they deserved to be. To Bess this 
 was all a matter of course ; she cared not a whit 
 for either of them, and she had seen them in 
 Athens before. But to Marian it was something 
 of a revelation, and she became inwardly ashamed 
 of the feeling of superiority with which she had 
 hitherto regarded them. 
 
 The two young men were modestly uncon- 
 scious of their general popularity, and appar- 
 ently also of Marian's new-found estimate of 
 
184 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 tliem, attributing her change in demeanor to the 
 change in her surroundings. 
 
 In the small town of Ray, a short distance from 
 Athens, the annual dance was to take place in a 
 few days. The girls had attended a number of 
 assemblies in the college buildings and at the 
 homes of the friends of their hostess, which were 
 very like such affairs in New York, except per- 
 haps the participants were more enthusiastic in 
 their enjoyment of the exercise; but a real cow- 
 boy dance Marian had never seen, and her friends 
 were anxious that she should behold Texan life 
 in all its phases. 
 
 At first Bess protested against it, saying that 
 none of the young people of Athens would think 
 of such a thing as attending that dance, but, when 
 it was announced that Harry Newman was to be 
 of the party, she changed her mind, and became 
 correspondingly eager to go. 
 
 The one public building which was used both 
 as school-house and town hall, was to do duty on 
 this occasion, by removing all benches and desks, 
 leaving bare board floors and a platform upon 
 which stood a small parlor organ, always re- 
 ferred to as " the instrument.'^ 
 
 In accordance with Marian's suggestion, the 
 four agreed to drive over early in the afternoon 
 to decorate the hall. The other young men from 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 185 
 
 Xantus and the few who would come from 
 Athens were to make the journey on horse-back. 
 
 ^^ You watch out Miss Marian/^ said Jay, " and 
 you'll see the boys from the ranches come in, each 
 with his girl on the same horse, so that no other 
 fellow can get her.'' 
 
 For this occasion the boys wore ordinary busi- 
 ness suits, flannel shirts, and bright silk hand- 
 kerchiefs about their necks. 
 
 " We^d be mobbed if we came out in claw-ham- 
 mers," explained Jay. 
 
 The girls agreed to wear simple white muslins. 
 
 Marian thoroughly enjoyed the drive over, 
 stopping here and there to gather wild flowers, 
 mistletoe and vines. 
 
 The hall looked dreary enough at first, with its 
 bare floors and only one or two oil lamps on the 
 walls, but the girls set to work with a will, and 
 accomplished wonders. 
 
 " You-all have made this place a regular 
 bower,'' exclaimed Jay as he and Tom came in. 
 
 Marian was a charming picture, as she stood 
 there in her simple white dress, unadorned except 
 by a bunch of Algeritas at her belt and another 
 in her hair. Tom looking at her, was unable to 
 utter one of the pretty speeches that came so 
 readily to his lips in talking with other girls. 
 
186 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 "Why can't you talk, you fool?" he said to 
 himself angrily, but words would not come. 
 
 The room shortly became stifling with the 
 mingled odors of flowers, resin, and smoky oil 
 lamps. 
 
 A red-haired girl in a startling blue dress sat 
 at " the instrument " attended by a gaunt man 
 with a violin in his hand. Near them sat two 
 Mexicans, motionless and expressionless, their 
 guitars held waiting. 
 
 It would be impossible to describe the dresses 
 of the country girls. They were of calico, gener- 
 ally gaudy in color and home-made, and they 
 wore heavy shoes instead of slippers, but youth 
 and happiness lent beauty to their faces. 
 
 There were about twice as many men as girls. 
 
 " The men pay for the tickets " explained Tom, 
 " but if a man brings a girl, he doesn't pay any- 
 thing, and if he brings two girls he gets a supper 
 ticket free, but that has never happened yet, and 
 I reckon any fellow that tried it would get 
 lynched." 
 
 " But if a girl comes alone? " queried Marian. 
 
 Tom stared a moment. " The very idea of a 
 girl going alone to a dance! Whoever heard of 
 such a thing? " thought Tom, but before he could 
 overcome the shyness which he always felt in her 
 presence, sufficiently to give her an answer, Jay 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 187 
 
 had broken into the conversation, remarking as 
 he eyed a youthful looking stranger who had just 
 entered, 
 
 " That's the ornerist-looking white man I ever 
 saw.'' 
 
 Marian, following his gaze, beheld a young 
 man with very greasy looking hair, a strange 
 looking suit of large cheeks with trousers so long 
 as to almost trail on the floor, boiled shirt, high 
 white collar, no tie and no vest. He smelt strong 
 of camphor, but the light of happiness was in his 
 eyes. 
 
 " Watch that collar an hour from now," Tom 
 observed. 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Well ! They dance with considerable enthu- 
 siasm down here, and an extra collar is an un- 
 heard luxury." 
 
 " He'll take it off," grinned Jay. 
 
 There were all sorts of costumes on the men, 
 from the regulation cowboy outfit with chaps 
 and spurs, to a sort of travesty on a dress-suit, 
 with black trouser legs tucked into high brown 
 brogans, but every one looked happy, and expect- 
 ant, eyeing the strange girls half admiringly and 
 half suspiciously. 
 
 The dance orders contained such names as 
 " Money Musk," " Coming Through the Rye," 
 
188 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " Lady Washington's Reel/' " Step Dance," etc. 
 There were few round dances. 
 
 While Marian was engaged in handing her 
 dance order from one aspirant to another, a flour- 
 ish on " the instrument," accompanied by trills 
 on the fiddle and then a dramatic pause an- 
 nounced that the dance was to begin. 
 
 " Seelect pardners for the Seecilian Circle," 
 called out the leader, capering violently about 
 and waving his elbows in time to the music, as he 
 called out the numbers. 
 
 "AllemandieLeft!" 
 
 "Allemandie Right!" 
 
 " All forrad and back ! " 
 
 " All forrad and saloot ! " 
 
 " Sashey through to the next ! " 
 
 " Twist Partners ! " 
 
 " No fair steppin' on her feet ! " 
 
 At this Tom, Marian's partner, seized her 
 gently round the waist, and began whirling 
 round till the girl laughingly begged him to stop. 
 Leaning against him for support while the others 
 continued to whirl, she gasped, " Oh, what fun ! " 
 
 Tom was in an ecstacy of delight, but said 
 nothing. 
 
 " Seat yo' pardners," called the master of 
 ceremonies, and Tom led her to one of the 
 benches ranged along the side of the room. He 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 189 
 
 took her fan and waved it violently. While 
 all over the room many colored handkerchiefs 
 mopped as many heated brows. 
 
 " Step dance/' called the leader after another 
 flourish of music and a dramatic pause. 
 
 Jay claimed her for that, Tom bowed and 
 looked after her as she walked away, then went 
 and sat alone in the corner. A man at a dance 
 in Texas can do that quite unobserved. 
 
 " I never regretted so much as now," began 
 Jay, "that I am such a poor dancer. I am so 
 stiff at it, you can hear all my bones creak." 
 
 " I am sure you must be a good dancer," 
 laughed the girl. 
 
 " No ! I assure you. Gus says I always re- 
 mind him of the nursery rhyme, 
 
 • Dromedary dancing 
 Dromedary prancing. 
 
 And when they saw the good beast dancing, 
 They knew it was a sign of rain.' " 
 
 Truly as a dancer, Tom was far superior to his 
 cousin. 
 
 " Keep a humpin ! " yelled the leader, stamping 
 with his feet to increase the enthusiasm. Indeed 
 the step dance seemed to be a jig with no step 
 at all, except as each one fancied, and the time 
 w^as quite broken up by the flourishes, trills and 
 runs on " the instrument," and the very scrapy 
 
190 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 violin. One did well to note only the measured 
 beats of the two wooden Mexicans, which formed 
 a good drone bass. 
 
 "Jog along! Keep a humpinM Keep a 
 humpin' ! " bawled the enthusiastic leader in- 
 creasing his tempo. " Don't hug the girls too 
 tight!" 
 
 This witticism was applauded by smothered 
 snickers. 
 
 " The collar's gone," whispered Marian to Jay, 
 as she sat waiting to get her breath for the next 
 dance. Sure enough the young stranger had re- 
 moved that wilted appendage. 
 
 The next dance was the Virginia Reel. All the 
 boys not dancing, clapped and stamped in time 
 to the music. The calls were mingled with an ex- 
 cess of wit slightly bordering on the vulgar but 
 not really offensive. The dancers, while waiting 
 their turn, amused themselves by cutting most 
 remarkable pigeon wings and flings, throwing 
 their feet about in a loose jointed fashion won- 
 derful to behold. 
 
 This dance over, Marian's partner, an attract- 
 ive boy she had never seen before, entertained 
 her with his first visit to a city. 
 
 " I'd been a livin' out of doors fer six months, 
 and I'd clean forgot how white folks live. When 
 I went into the hotel dining-room, I didn't dare 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 191 
 
 speak without fixin' my mouth just so, till I felt 
 I was gettin' it twisted all out of shape. I 
 ordered beans, and felt as if every one was 
 watching me eat. I did the best I could, but 
 finally I said to the man opposite to me, ' I've 
 chased that there bean round this plate for half 
 an hour with my fork, so now if you'll excuse me, 
 I'll use my knife.' That night I slept on a spring 
 bed. Gawd! Every time I turned over, I shot 
 two feet in the air, till I got tired and finished 
 the night on the floor. I thought I never wanted 
 to see a city again, as long as I lived." 
 
 Here the fiddler broke in again, " Now boys, 
 hustle and get your girls for the lances." 
 
 Marian was again led out by Tom, who stood 
 by her silent and pensive. 
 
 " You don't seem quite in tune with your sur- 
 roundings, to-night," she said. 
 
 Tom brightened a little, but the effort it cost 
 was not lost upon her. 
 
 " You are worried about something," she ven- 
 tured. 
 
 Just then at a call from the fiddler, Tom took 
 her hand, and she felt the sudden thrill, and the 
 sense of mastery and protection with which his 
 strong personality always inspired her. 
 
 " Don't let my ugly mood spoil your fun," he 
 whispered in a pause of the dance. 
 
192 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 "You, ugly!'' she said in unbelief, then she 
 suddenly realized the trend of his thought. 
 
 " You know they have taken Jones," she whis- 
 pered. 
 
 " Yes ! But hush. No one must know it." 
 
 "Why are they so furious against him?" 
 
 " First for killing Kit Packer, who was a great 
 favorite, and also for his hypocrisy in taking 
 good money for preaching the gospel, when he 
 was worse than any of them. When I think of 
 his underhanded villainy, I feel like lynching him 
 myself. He's the worst man in the country. All 
 the rest have some redeeming trait, but he hasn't 
 one. What is the use of wasting time with such 
 vermin? " and his eyes grew fierce. 
 
 " It is never right to take the law into your 
 own hands." 
 
 " Miss Marian," he said earnestly, " you can't 
 understand these things. You have always lived 
 in a law-abiding, civilized community, and " 
 
 The music came to a sudden stop, and Tom 
 w^as obliged to lead his partner to a seat, where 
 she was immediately claimed by a bashful look- 
 ing boy from the college, but she had time to 
 whisper to Tom, " I hold you to your promise." 
 
 As the w^altz ended Jay at once demanded her, 
 and led her to one side of the hall apart from 
 the others. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 193 
 
 " Miss Marian," he said in a low voice, " I 
 want to ask your advice in an important matter. 
 I am in love. Would you tell the lady so if 
 you were me? " 
 
 Marian felt a little sinking at her heart and a 
 sudden feeling of pique. 
 
 " Is there any particular reason why you 
 shouldn't tell her?" she asked wonderingly. 
 
 " Only that I have known her but a short time 
 and I'm half afraid to do so. You see she is a 
 Northerner, and not used to our impetuous 
 ways." 
 
 " Oh," said Marian laughing with embarrass- 
 ment as a light dawmed on her mind. " I advise 
 you by all means to wait till you have impressed 
 her with your sincerity." 
 
 " Surely," she said to herself as she was car- 
 ried off by little Doc, " Gus was quite right when 
 he called the cowboy tropical." 
 
 "What have you been deviling poor Jay 
 about?" inquired Doc. "He looks raw-hidey 
 enough to kill somebody." 
 
 " Mr. Doc," began Marian, not heeding his 
 question, and the boy chuckled at the unusual 
 title, " I want to ask you a question. Bill said, 
 — or rather, my cousin Bess said, that her hus- 
 band threatens to kill her. Why does he want 
 to kill her? Was the wrong all on his side? " 
 13 
 
1&4 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " Yes, principally. I think he really did love 
 her devotedly, and she was so silly and flirty that 
 he got jealous. He needn't have been, for she was 
 all right, — only rather too fond of flattery and 
 attention. She was only a kid when she mar- 
 ried, and a heap too good for him. We cowboys 
 are apt to think a girl is as bad as she appears, 
 anyway, but we soon found out Bess was only 
 silly. She's honest and affectionate, but she just 
 plumb couldn't live with a man who stole and 
 gambled and murdered. Bill and she know 
 things about him. Bill adores Joe, so he ain't 
 afraid of him, but if Bess marries again she's a 
 deader, sure, and she knows it, — when she stops 
 to think which ain't often. I reckon she's trying 
 to forget it to-night," and he looked at the 
 radiant creature who was approaching on Harry's 
 arm. 
 
 " Say, Madge ! " began Bess with a giggle. 
 " Harry here allowed you was dancin' alone, but 
 then we saw a black line round your waist, and 
 when you whirled round there was a red thing 
 on your shoulder. I thought it might be a black 
 belt and a peony, but Harry decided it was Doc's 
 arm and his red head." 
 
 Doc drew himself up in wrath. " Women al- 
 ways look taller than men, but Miss Marian and 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 195 
 
 I air pretty much of a bigness," and he squared 
 his shoulders, trying to look as tall as possible. 
 
 " Time to buy you-alPs supper tickets," inter- 
 rupted the strident voice of the leader. " Come 
 on boys ! don't be mean ! " Then followed a 
 stampede accompanied by an uproarous war- 
 whoop, a sort of imitation foot-ball scrimmage, 
 from w^hich Marian found herself extricated by 
 Jay, who had unceremoniously seized her arm 
 before his more bashful cousin had gained the 
 courage to request the honor of her company at 
 supper. 
 
 " You will eat with me? " said Jay simply. 
 
 " With pleasure ! " she answered gayly. 
 
 Jay's buoyant good nature w^as always refresh- 
 ing, and his reckless manner fascinating in the 
 extreme. The high esteem in which she held one 
 cousin, and the fascination exerted by the other, 
 were then as they had ever been, at war with each 
 other. 
 
 "You look like an angel, to-night, honey," 
 Bess said caressingly, putting back a stray ten- 
 dril of hair on Marian's forehead. " Jay says 
 you're the sweetest white woman he ever saw." 
 
 " What does he mean by that? " replied Marian 
 with indignation. 
 
 " Oh, that's just one of our southern expres- 
 
196 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 sions. It's meant for a compliment, so don't get 
 mad, girlie." 
 
 In another moment Marian found herself dan- 
 cing with Jay, who whispered, " A word to the 
 wise is sufficient, Miss Marian, so don't be afraid 
 of me." 
 
 " You're a good boy," she answered gratefully 
 as she looked up into his sunburnt face and met 
 his roguish black eyes. 
 
 " He is so handsome," she thought, " one could 
 hardly help loving him if she could feel sure of 
 him." 
 
 "What is that noise?" asked Jay stopping 
 suddenly and holding the girl in a tight grip. 
 
 Marian stood trembling, gazing in the direction 
 of the street from whence came a subdued roar. 
 Osterhandt dashed from the room. The roar in- 
 creased, but was still an indescribable, unac- 
 countable sound. The musicians stopped and 
 several other men went out. 
 
 " Go on with the music," called Tom loudly, 
 but the musicians did not obey. Jay placed 
 Marian in a seat near her cousin and hurriedly 
 followed the other men. out of the room. The 
 hall was soon left deserted by all the men, and 
 the girls huddled together with white faces. 
 
 " What does it mean? " asked Marian ; then an 
 inkling of the truth flashed into her mind. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 197 
 
 " I am going down to see what the trouble is," 
 she said, freeing herself from the trembling Bess ; 
 and before anyone could stop her she ran from 
 the room, not even waiting for a wrap. 
 
 As she hurried downstairs she heard the click 
 of the lock in the door behind her. 
 
 In the light of the bright southern moon she 
 saw a surging mass of men moving toward the 
 bridge, on the other side of which was the prison. 
 Here and there in the crowd was a frightened 
 looking woman rushing along with the others. 
 They were quieter than she expected, but there 
 was intense excitement in the air. Some of the 
 men appeared to have come from a great dis- 
 tance, and all of them w^ere more like hungry 
 w^olves than human beings. They reminded her 
 of a picture of a French mob in the Reign of 
 Terror. 
 
 "Can this be the twentieth century?" she 
 thought. 
 
 She stepped out on the street and moved along 
 on the outside of the crowd. 
 
 "Are you alone?" asked a woman peering at 
 her curiously. " You had better come along with 
 John and me," indicating a rather stupid looking 
 countryman with her. " It^s got all over the 
 country," she went on, " that they had that rap- 
 scallion of a preacher here in Athens jail, an' they 
 
198 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 were so afraid he'd get away before he could be 
 tried that everyone has turned out to tend to it. 
 They had cheap rates on the trains to-day." 
 
 "What are they going to do?" asked Marian 
 with white lips. 
 
 " You watch, and you'll see, honey," answered 
 the woman with an air of mystery. 
 
 Every man seemed to be carrying a bag of some 
 sort. Seeing her glance at his large, old-fashioned 
 carpet-bag, the countryman opened it a little, 
 and let her get a glimpse of a pair of large 
 pistols. " Big fine for carrying weapons in the 
 city," he chuckled and shut the bag. 
 
 The excitement grew more intense; Marian 
 felt herself to be surrounded by a sea of blood- 
 shot eyes gleaming from under a mass of shiny 
 black hair. Just then a murmur ran through 
 the crowd, and Marian saw six men dragging 
 their helpless victim toward a hastily erected 
 gallows near the bridge. Marian sprang 
 forward, not knowing what she would do, but 
 impelled to save an act of violence. The crowd, 
 surprised, parted to let her through. In an in- 
 stant she was in front of them, standing there 
 all in white, like an avenging angel, and at the 
 same moment a tall, handsome man was by her 
 side. Holding up his hand he called, " I forbid 
 this action in the name of the law I " 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 199 
 
 The men were so taken by surprise that they 
 paused for a moment, and in that moment, Sin 
 Killer Jones with almost superhuman strength 
 tore himself from his captors, and sprang upon 
 the bridge. 
 
 " Shoot ! " yelled a dozen voices, and as many 
 shots rang out on the clear air. A sudden splash 
 followed. 
 
 While this little scene was enacted Marian 
 heard Hyslop say in a hoarse voice, " For God^s 
 sake, get Mayberry and the girl out of here, be- 
 fore they turn on them.'' 
 
 At once she was wrapped in a dark coat and 
 a big hat pressed over her head, and Jay was 
 pushing her way through the mob, who were yell- 
 ing and swearing in frenzy. She felt herself 
 jerked along, buffeted on all sides by the surging 
 throng. She felt her courage give way. " Where 
 is Tom? " she asked. 
 
 " Close behind. Don't speak," whispered Jay. 
 
 In another moment she was in a close carriage, 
 with Tom beside her and Jay driving. 
 
 " If that skunk hasn't drowned I'll never for- 
 give either of them," muttered Hyslop as he 
 turned back toward the city. 
 
 Presently Marian knew that they had left the 
 pavements and were driving along the soft 
 prairie. 
 
200 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " Where are we going? '' she asked. 
 
 The carriage stopped and the two horsemen be- 
 hind it rode up. 
 
 " You may go back now, Harry," said Jay^s 
 voice ; " explain things to Bess and see that she 
 gets home all right. Watch things and report to 
 us when you bring Bess back. Go on, boys," and 
 the carriage started again. 
 
 " Where are we going? " repeated Marian. 
 
 Tom roused himself from the daze into which 
 he had fallen. 
 
 " We are driving you-all to Quincy to take the 
 train from there. We didn't dare put you on the 
 train at Athens for fear someone would recognize 
 you." 
 
 "Would they have hurt me?" she asked, her 
 voice trembling. 
 
 " Hurt you ! " echoed Jay with a short laugh. 
 " I supposed you two were trying to commit 
 suicide. I never heard of such a crazy perform- 
 ance. Why didn't you let them alone? " he added 
 with sudden heat. " If ever a man deserved 
 lynching he did. It's a wonder Tom wasn't torn 
 limb from limb. W^omen have no business to 
 meddle in such matters." 
 
 Marian, feeling very faint, huddled back into 
 the corner of the carriage with a little sob. Tom 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 201 
 
 leaned over, and, taking her hand gently, gave it 
 a reassuring pressure. 
 
 " Do you forgive me? " she whispered. 
 
 His only answer was another pressure of the 
 hand. 
 
 "What will your mother say?" she asked in 
 hesitating words. 
 
 He laughed. " It is just what she would have 
 done. She would sacrifice herself and her whole 
 family for a principle." 
 
 Marian was a little comforted and the fresh 
 air blowing in her face revived her. 
 
 " Are w^e going to Xantus? " she asked timidly. 
 
 " Yes and to the D. L. ranch as soon as 
 possible," answered Tom, for Jay still kept a 
 moody silence. 
 
 The thought of that peaceful life, and her good 
 old uncle and aunt quite overcame her, and she 
 began crying again, but more quietly. 
 
 " They sent us away to escape all this," she 
 thought remorsefully. 
 
 " Cheer up, Miss Marian " said Tom tenderly. 
 " You did what you thought was right, and had 
 more courage than anyone I ever saw. I am not 
 sorry a bit; I would do the same thing if I had 
 it all to live over again." 
 
 Marian leaned exhausted against the cushions, 
 but her hand still remained in Tom's. The 
 
202 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Algerita blossoms in her dress had not lost their 
 odor. She shut her eyes to fully enjoy the sense 
 of peace and security that she had felt in the 
 storm on the Mayberry Ranch. 
 
 " How strong he is ! " she thought. " The love 
 of a man like this is well worth having." 
 
 Meanwhile the carriage rolled swiftly along, 
 Jay holding the reins in moody silence. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 203 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Several weeks had elapsed since the lynching 
 bee. The anger of the populace was appeased by 
 the supposed death of Sin Killer Jones. They 
 were sure if he hadn't been shot, he had certainly 
 drowned, and only regretted the lack of ceremony 
 of the occasion. Tom was freely forgiven, as it 
 was assumed he had acted at Marian's command, 
 and she was slightly canonized as being of won- 
 derful daring, though a trifle crazy. Bess had 
 returned home and the two girls had quite re- 
 covered from the event. It was presumed by all 
 that Joe Carruth and his gang had been suffi- 
 ciently warned not to appear in that part of the 
 country again, so the inhabitants of the various 
 ranches settled down comfortably to their work. 
 The winter months on a Texan ranch are, to 
 those to whom it is no novelty, unspeakably long, 
 dull and lonely, but they were not so to the 
 visitor from New York. Marian was delighted at 
 being initiated into the more technical part of 
 the cow-punching business. Every day some new 
 
204 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 thing appeared to claim her attention. Of course 
 neither Tom nor Jay allowed her to forget them. 
 Jay's ranch being nearer than Tom's she saw the 
 former more frequently. Few days elapsed with- 
 out the sound of his horse's feet, w^hich she had 
 learned to distinguish; for horses are quite as 
 individual and have as many peculiar traits as 
 human beings. Often, also, came the sound of 
 another horse's feet and a manly voice singing, 
 " I'd cross deep waters for you, my dear ; " and 
 somehow, that voice brought the color to her 
 cheek as she remembered " the lynching bee." 
 
 She had w^ondered, when she planned to spend 
 the winter at her uncle's ranch, how she could 
 get along without theatre parties, dinners, and 
 dances, and all the varied entertainment which 
 life in a large city affords; but time never 
 weighed less heavily. She was out every after- 
 noon, picking up pecans under the loaded trees, 
 finding the late flowers, or dreamily looking at 
 the strange scenery. 
 
 " What are you-all doing alone here? " queried 
 Doc one day as he rode up. " We're rounding up 
 a bunch of cattle. Don't you-all want to help? " 
 
 "Why do you people always say ^you-all'?" 
 she asked irrelevantly. 
 
 " Why ! What do you-all say when you mean 
 you-all?" he asked in surprise. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 205 
 
 " Why, just ^ you '." 
 " But does that cover the ground? " 
 " It seems to." 
 
 " Well, they say ' you-uns ' and ^ we-uns ' in 
 Arkansas. They have a song like this : 
 
 * It's hard for you-uns and we-uns to part 
 For you-uns have taken we-unses heart.'" 
 
 Marian laughed heartily. " I won't come just 
 yet," she said, " I'm going to the spring after a 
 drink of water," and Doc galloped off. 
 
 So the days passed. In the evening Bess 
 usually entertained her beaux, the chief favorite 
 still being Harry from Jay's ranch. Sometimes 
 there were several ranchmen from a distance who 
 came to stay a day or two. They were all " nice 
 boys" Marian thought; not as polished as her 
 New York friends, nor as skilled in booklore, but 
 chivalrous, kind-hearted, and generous. It was 
 interesting to meet all the new people, and hear 
 their stories of former days and of open ranges 
 and drives. At night she often sat at the piano 
 and played till the boys got sleepy and one by 
 one stole off to bed. At last there would be no 
 one left but Hugh, stretched out to sleep in the 
 corner. When she woke him up he always looked 
 very much ashamed, and begged for a kiss at 
 parting, accepting her refusal with perfect good 
 
206 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 humor. One bright moonlight evening as Marian 
 sat at the piano improvising variations on her 
 favorite song, — " I'd cross deep waters for you, 
 my dear " — the sleepy Hugh was roused by 
 horse's hoofs which, coming with a " clump " in 
 the soft grass, stopped short at the door, and Jay 
 entered breezily. Hugh greeted him with a sus- 
 picious look, for he fancied he had been drinking, 
 but as Marian seemed pleased to see him, and 
 Jay appeared all right, Hugh retired from the 
 field. 
 
 " Miss Marian," Jay began as soon as they were 
 alone, " I've made up my mind to tell that girl I 
 love her, and see what she'll say to me." 
 
 " Do you love her so lightly," she parried, 
 " that you are willing to run the risk of losing 
 her entirely?" 
 
 " I'm afraid another fellow's beating my time," 
 he argued. " It's no use talking, Miss Marian, 
 you know perfectly well I love you." 
 
 " Mr. Carruth," answered the girl, drawing 
 herself up haughtily, "you should see for your- 
 self it is of no use to say that to me ! " 
 
 " But what's the matter with me? " gasped 
 Jay. "Is it because you like Tom better? If I 
 thought that! '^ and he glared as he took hold of 
 his six shooter threateningly. 
 
 " Don't be foolish, Mr. Jay," said Marian an- 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 207 
 
 grily. " If I must speak plainly, I like Texas 
 for a visit, but I much prefer my own home. I 
 wouldn't marry the Angel Gabriel, and live out- 
 side of New York.'' 
 
 Jay grinned. " Old Gabe wouldn't cut much 
 ice as a matrimonial candidate according to the 
 girls, but if there's no man ahead of me I'll keep 
 in the running. You told me I might go to New 
 York," he added. 
 
 " I don't want to feel afraid of you," urged 
 Marian, disregarding his last remark. " I like 
 you, and I want to be friends with you. Can't 
 you forget this sentimental nonsense?" 
 
 " If no man's ahead of me I'll wait," reiterated 
 Jay doggedly ; " but we'll be good friends till you 
 change your mind. Good-night now. Miss 
 Marian," and with a look on his face which was 
 far from sweet, Jay strode off into the darkness. 
 
208 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The roses and the jasmine were still blooming 
 out of doors, and there had been only two 
 Northers when Christmas day arrived. Piper, 
 the cowboy with the broken leg, had returned 
 from San Antonio and with the others had laid 
 in a stock of old Old Kentucky whiskey in honor 
 of the occasion. Even those who never indulged 
 in libations at any other time allowed themselves 
 this privilege on Christmas day. That, with a 
 pyrotechnical display, and a noise more suitable 
 to the Fourth of July, seemed to be the approved 
 manner of celebrating the day on the D. L. Ranch. 
 
 " Christmas gift ! " screamed everyone on en- 
 tering the room, or those in the room screamed it 
 first, as people are wont to do in a game called 
 " menagerie." The event of the day was the ar- 
 rival of a Christmas box from Marian's father, 
 containing several pounds of Huyler's candy — an 
 unheard of luxury in Texas — also a small present 
 for each of the boys and a larger one for mem- 
 bers of the family. Marian received a handy 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 209 
 
 volume edition of Shakespeare, which she decided 
 at once to hand over to Mrs. Majberrj, knowing 
 that her father would not care. Aunt Phoebe 
 was overjoyed at becoming the possessor of a 
 black silk dress, and Uncle Dan had a meer- 
 schaum pipe which pleased him so much that he 
 declared it should be buried with him. A gold 
 Avatch for Bess rendered that volatile joung wo- 
 man happy, and her attentions to Marian for the 
 rest of the day were overpowering. 
 
 A few days after Christmas Marian was sitting 
 in her room writing to her father and enjoying 
 the warmth of her small stove, as the coldest 
 Norther of the season was blowing outside. 
 
 " I am getting to be quite an expert rider,'' she 
 wrote, " though I shall never equal Bess. At first 
 I had many falls from my horse, but as I fell on 
 the soft grass it didn't hurt me at all. You should 
 have seen me the first time I tried to jump a 
 fence. Barebones and I landed squarely in the 
 middle of it, greatly to the discomfiture of us 
 both. Luckily it w^as not a barbed wire. At one 
 time I would haye been thrown into a ditch but 
 for the oportune help of Mr. Carruth, who hap- 
 pened to be near and who with wonderful dexter- 
 ity and agility, snatched me from the horse as he 
 went down. My feet had been shaken from the 
 14 
 
210 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 stirrup by the jar, and just as I was about to 
 plunge over the animaPs head " 
 
 Marian's epistle was interrupted at this point 
 by a knock at the door, and to her cordial " come 
 in " in walked Jack Packer. 
 
 " May I shave in here? " he asked. " It's colder 
 than Greenland in my room, and besides I feel 
 kinder nervous with Boss and Old Miss gone. 
 They're over to call on Mrs. Mayberry, and the 
 house is as silent as the tomb. Where's Bess? " 
 
 " Taking a nap," answered Marian. 
 
 "What's the matter with your room?" he 
 asked as he looked about him curiously. " Looks 
 like you was moving." 
 
 Marian laughed. " Bess has been examining 
 my wardrobe," she said. " She is not a very 
 orderly person and I have been too busy to put 
 them away." 
 
 " Your things are plumb lovely, sure enough, 
 but I wouldn't know what half of them were for. 
 Oh, Lord ! " he groaned as he fell over the small 
 stove. 
 
 Then, calmly adjusting the hot funnel, he re- 
 marked that he guessed it was as good as ever, 
 and proceeded to shave before Marian's dressing- 
 table talking at intervals. 
 
 " I'm elected sheriff sure enough this time, 
 Miss Marian," he said calmly. " Old Bixby was 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 211 
 
 killed two days ago. Bob has just come from 
 Xantus in a carriage to drive me back. Tell 
 Boss he can send the money he owes me right 
 to Xantus, whenever he gets good and ready. 
 I'm not in the slightest hurry for it." 
 
 "Please let me give it to you now," urged 
 Marian, " Uncle Dan will give it right back to 
 me." 
 
 "Of course I won't," he said looking at her 
 indignantly, with the razor half raised, and one 
 side of his face covered with lather. 
 
 " But I'm not giving it to you. It will simply 
 be more convenient for Uncle Dan to hand it to 
 me than to send it to Xantus." 
 
 " Don't matter how you put it, I won't touch 
 it. Don't say another word. I'm plumb sorry I 
 mentioned it." 
 
 " Oh, well, if you feel that way, I'll take back 
 my suggestion," laughed the girl. 
 
 " You're awful kind. Miss Marian, — everybody 
 says that, and I know you meant all right," 
 he replied magnanimously and the subject was 
 dropped. 
 
 " Once I had a terrible toothache," he con- 
 tinued. " Boss said the nerve was dying. I 
 couldn't get at a doctor so after I'd been awake 
 for a night or two I just heated a wire and ran 
 it down the hole." 
 
212 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Marian gave him a look of horror. 
 
 " I jumped lively for a few moments but it did 
 the business and I slept good the next night." 
 
 " Speaking of not sleeping," he said collecting 
 his shaving materials, " they say if you put a 
 leaf of the Bible under your pillow it will cure 
 insomnia." 
 
 Marian looked incredulous. 
 
 " Honest ! I can tell you who told me. It was 
 Hyslop." This last in a tone which carried con- 
 viction. 
 
 " Does it make any difference what leaf? " she 
 asked quizzically. 
 
 " I don^t know, but I reckon not." 
 
 " Perhaps the fly-leaf would do." 
 
 " Now, Miss Marian, you are just laughing at 
 me. Thank you for letting me shave here. You 
 certainly are the sweetest girl I ever knew, and 
 I'll remember you to my dying day," and he 
 kissed her hand as he departed. 
 
 " Poor Jack ! His dying day may not be far 
 off, now he is sheriff," she thought looking after 
 him as he rode away. 
 
 That night, when her uncle and aunt returned 
 she related the incident to them. Uncle Dan was 
 very grave. 
 
 " Jack is a fine lad," he said. " I should hate 
 to have anything happen to him." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 213 
 
 " Marian," broke in Aunt Phoebe, " it's goin' to 
 be awful cold to-night. I want you to go down 
 to Jack's room and get a quilt that's in his 
 closet. Jack's gone and Sid is down to the pen, 
 so you can walk right in." 
 
 Marian accordingly made her way to the room 
 at the end of the long ell which she entered with- 
 out knocking. Groping along to the closet at the 
 end of the room she suddenly felt the touch of 
 cold steel against her face, and a voice said, 
 "Who are you?" 
 
 "Marian!" she gasped. "Aunt Phoebe sent 
 me foi? a quilt. She thought you were down to 
 the pen. How you frightened me ! " 
 
 "Well, you frightened me/' said the boy, 
 " coming rustling in in the dark. I'll get your 
 quilt," and in a moment he thrust it into her 
 hand. 
 
 "Who is it?" asked Marian as the boy, over- 
 come with sudden modesty, had dived down and 
 even stuck his head under the bed clothes. 
 
 " It's Piper," he said. " Walter didn't get back 
 to-day as we'd expected, and I got nervous and 
 came in to sleep with Sid." 
 
 " Walter not back ! " 
 
 " No and I'm dreadfully worried. He's Tom's 
 brother, you know^ and perhaps they've hurt 
 him." 
 
214 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " I'll speak to Uncle about it," the girl assured 
 him in a tone of deep concern, as she hurried from 
 the room. 
 
 Uncle Dan took the news calmly. " The boys 
 often stay longeron we expect when they don't 
 get their work done up in time," he answered. 
 
 " If he don't come back to-morrow I'm going 
 after him myself," Marian asserted stoutly. 
 
 The old man took his pipe out of his mouth 
 and stared. 
 
 " What ! ride twenty miles alone ! " 
 
 " I will." 
 
 " No, I promise you if he isn't back by noon 
 to-morrow I'll send two of the boys after him." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 215 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Immediately after breakfast the two boys, 
 glad to get a holiday, started out provided with 
 blankets, in case they had to stay over night, with 
 slickers in case of rain, and plenty of provisions, 
 which might be of great service to Walter. At 
 the thought of what might be, they both grew 
 very sober. If he were all right he would 
 certainly be out of provisions. Soon youth and 
 natural exuberance of feeling banished their mo- 
 mentary apprehension however, and they went 
 on their way rejoicing. Over hill and dale they 
 went, slowly at first, then, impelled by an un- 
 expressed foreboding which increased as the 
 silence and loneliness of the place became more 
 impressive, they urged their horses on to a con- 
 tinual gallop, scarcely slackening at the river 
 fords nor down the rocky banks until they 
 reached the third pasture. 
 
 The cows, scattered here and there, were 
 languidly grazing or contentedly chewing their 
 cud; some were gathered round the base of the 
 big windmill, v/hich at that moment was whirling 
 
216 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 at a brisk rate, but nowhere was there a sign 
 that Walter had ever been there. 
 
 Choosing each a horse from the number of 
 semi-wild ones that galloped round the field in 
 company with the more moderately moving cows, 
 they succeeded in roping and saddling them, ob- 
 serving at the same time that the horse Walter 
 rode w^as not with them. They mounted at once 
 and, riding in opposite directions, searched 
 thoroughly and steadily, investigating every 
 cedar break for a trace of the dead or injured 
 body of Walter Mayberry. Then, when darkness 
 put an effectual end to that day's search, they 
 met again by the big windmill, agreeing to start 
 out at the first ray of daylight to the river, which 
 ran wide and clear through the third pasture. 
 
 Not a breath of air was stirring that early 
 morning. The awful stillness of the day in- 
 creased their tension of feeling, accustomed 
 though they were to being alone. They spoke in 
 whispers as they rode along, stopping simultane- 
 ously at intervals to sniff the air, as if to detect 
 the presence of gun powder. Then they would 
 listen attentively to catch the sound of anything 
 but the beating of their own hearts, or the im- 
 patient stamp of their horses' feet. 
 
 " I haven't seen no buzzards, Sid," whispered 
 Piper. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 21 
 
 ^n 
 
 They moved on more quickly than before until, 
 reaching the steep rocky incline which led to the 
 river, they dashed down with imminent risk of 
 breaking their precious necks by some turning 
 stone. They galloped as if Jesse James and all 
 his crew were close upon their heels. Up and 
 down the river's edge they searched in vain, 
 stopping now and then to give the loud cowboy 
 call and to listen for even a faint response. They 
 gazed into the clear depths of the river, down to 
 the sandy bottom which could be clearly seen, 
 but finally returned to their starting point on the 
 river's bank to sink down discouraged and ex- 
 hausted. 
 
 " Won't you take a bite of something to eat? " 
 said Piper, looking at Sid. 
 
 "Not a mouthful could I get down," replied 
 Sid, taking a pull at the canteen by his side. " I 
 was awful fond of the little cuss." 
 
 Suddenly jumping up he pointed across the 
 stream with great excitement. 
 
 "What's that big placard on that tree over 
 yonder? " 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 " That big tree across the river, beside the Al- 
 gerita bush ! Don't you see it? " 
 
 The two boys stood for a second as if they saw 
 a real ghost^ then Sid, springing on his horse, 
 
218 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 dashed into the water and swam to the opposite 
 bank. Back again he came, holding the placard 
 in his hand. On it was written in huge letters: 
 
 *'Tell Tom Mayberry the day that Joe Carruth is taken 
 Walter Mayberry dies." 
 
 That was all, but it was enough and too much 
 time had been wasted already. Up the hill the 
 boys dashed again, their spirits rising in spite 
 of the trouble before them, and too excited to 
 feel any fatigue. After remounting their now 
 rested horses they made straight for the May- 
 berry ranch. Stopping only to leave the placard 
 and tell their story they pushed on to the Luce 
 ranch with the sad intelligence, and added the 
 information that Tom Mayberry, w^th one of the 
 boys, had started out at once and would pick up 
 as many more as they could on the way; that 
 Tom would never come back till he found Wal- 
 ter ; that if Boss could only spare Gus they would 
 like him to take charge of the Mayberry ranch ; 
 that Mrs. Mayberry was almost insane with grief 
 and fear, and begged that Marian would go to 
 stay with her until her boys returned. 
 
 Uncle Dan felt that he must spare Gus even if 
 he himself would have to work harder and take 
 more responsibility, and said that of course Mar- 
 ian would go to Mrs. Mayberry. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 219 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Poor Tom, not knowing where to go, rode on 
 for days with his faithful companions, eating 
 only to keep up his strength, and pausing for 
 rest only when darkness prevented his search. 
 He stopped at all the nearby ranches, wherever 
 he could find one or two men who were willing 
 to risk their lives in helping him. 
 
 " We've got to go down into Mexico, that's 
 where he'll be," advised one of the men, " and 
 too many of us mustn't be seen together." 
 
 So, arranging a signal in case of immediate 
 need, and a meeting place at night, they sepa- 
 rated into groups of two; Tom singing at inter- 
 vals, 
 
 " I've Grossed deep waters for you, my dear. 
 What more could a poor man do ? " 
 
 He half hoped that, hearing the old familiar 
 song in his brother's voice, Walter might come 
 crawling from some cedar brake, or suddenly 
 arise from the gTOund. 
 
 Night after night he returned to the camp, 
 tired but determined. 
 
220 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " I'll never give up till I find him/' lie would 
 say, and " we'll all stand by yer, Boss," would be 
 the answer in a chorus of voices. " If we do find 
 him, we'll feel our lives ain't so worthless as they 
 have been," and their rough sympathy cheered 
 his heart and gave him renewed courage. 
 
 It was nearly a month after Tom and his 
 friends had crossed the borders into Mexico, 
 when one night Tom and his companion came 
 upon an apparently deserted camp-fire, one of 
 many which he had passed. They halted a mo- 
 ment and, gazing round the scene and across the 
 dark field beyond, Tom sadly and almost uncon- 
 sciously sang the old song, " I'd cross deep 
 waters for you, my dear," when at the sound a 
 slender form stole out of a cedar brake before 
 them holding up one hand, and placing the fin- 
 gers of the other hand upon his lips in token of 
 silence. 
 
 " Walter ! " gasped Tom nearly falling from 
 his horse, and springing down he clasped the 
 slight figure in his arms. 
 
 " Come at once. Don't stop to talk," he whis- 
 pered hoarsely. 
 
 " I can't, Tom. I've given my word of honor 
 never to leave Joe Carruth till he is caught or 
 dead. Then I am at liberty to seek my own 
 safety." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 221 
 
 ^^ Why did you ever promise such a thing? " 
 
 " It was either that or instant death, and if 
 you take me away they'll find me again and kill 
 me." 
 
 Without replying Tom seized Walter and with 
 the help of John bound him on his own horse; 
 then John quickly led him away to the cross- 
 roads, the place of meeting of Tom's friends. 
 
 Then Tom waited alone till two men who had 
 heard his signal met him. He gave them a hur- 
 ried account of the preceding scene. 
 
 " I'm going to get Joe Carruth now, dead or 
 alive," he said, his eyes flashing. 
 
 " All right, Boss, it's just as you say," they 
 answered, and the two men alighted at once, 
 throwing the reins over their horses' heads and 
 leaving them to graze at a safe but convenient 
 distance. 
 
 The three men stood quietly waiting together, 
 when, almost without the sound of a footstep, 
 Joe Carruth stood facing Tom. In the semi- 
 darkness he had probably mistaken him for his 
 brother, but Tom did not stop to consider that 
 question. Quick as lightning he seized him about 
 the waist, and a fierce struggle ensued amid 
 flash after flash of revolvers which lighted up the 
 twilight and showed a similar struggle going on 
 between the friends of each party. 
 
222 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Men were falling and groaning around him, 
 and none were able to help Tom cope with the 
 powerful outlaw, who now by a dexterous thrust 
 of the arm about Tom^s waist, seized his revolver. 
 Tom bore down upon the wrist and held it firm. 
 For a second the two men, friends from child- 
 hood, gazed into each other's eyes, Tom seeing 
 those of a wild, hunted animal, and Joe encount- 
 ering a calm determination which death itself 
 could not daunt. Suddenly Tom's endurance, 
 born of regular habits and honest labor, gained 
 the advantage, and after one final struggle Joe 
 was on the ground, with Tom's whole weight on 
 his chest. Before the exhausted Joe could renew 
 his efforts, Tom struck him a quick blow with the 
 butt of his revolver, and, seeing him stretched ap- 
 parently lifeless before him, turned away his 
 head with a feeling of sickness. 
 
 " You ain't used to striking a man when he's 
 down, and it hurts, don't it, Tom?" said a voice 
 behind him, and springing quickly to his feet he 
 looked into the eyes of Hyslop. 
 
 " You here ! What a man you are ! " he ex- 
 claimed. 
 
 " You see the secret service never let up till 
 they bag their man," he answered. " I've been 
 hunting him ever since and Osterhandt and the 
 others are waiting for me at the other end. The 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 223 
 
 kid thinks he'll get a lot of glory but I'm afraid 
 youVe stolen our thunder." 
 
 As they looked about among the prostrate 
 forms, some of whom were unknown to them, they 
 recognized Piearda, evidently dead, Jakes, badly 
 wounded, and one of Tom's men dead. While the 
 latter stopped to feel his friend's heart he looked 
 about him anxiously. 
 
 " Where's Doc? " he said. 
 
 " Here I am, Boss," said a feeble voice near- 
 by, and a form came to a sitting posture ; " I was 
 clean knocked silly, but no wounds worth men- 
 tioning." 
 
 " Here's something worthy of interest, Tom," 
 called out Hyslop, and Tom walked over to be- 
 hold the prostrate form of Sin Killer Jones who 
 glared up at him in impotent rage. 
 
 " And we nearly lost our lives for this rascal ! " 
 he thought, his memory bringing before him that 
 night in Athens and the brave girl, the thought 
 of whom for a moment shut out the scene before 
 him. 
 
 " Look out. Boss," yelled Doc, and before 
 Tom could jump to one side the prostrate man 
 aimed his six shooter directly at him and pulled 
 the trigger. It was empty and he dropped it 
 with an oath. 
 
 " He's the worst snake on God's earth ! " said 
 
224 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 the disgusted Hyslop. " I can hardly keep my 
 hands off of him." 
 
 " Joe's men may be back any minute," called 
 Doc, rising unsteadily to his feet; "hadn't we 
 better get out of this? " 
 
 Just at that moment they heard the sound of 
 horses' feet and four men appeared. 
 
 " It's our men," shouted the delighted Hyslop, 
 and Tom saw the familiar faces of two of the 
 supposed cattlemen, also Osterhandt and Jack 
 Packer, the new sheriff. 
 
 " I have a warrant for the arrest of Joseph 
 Carruth and Winthrop Jones," said the sheriff 
 jumping from his horse. 
 
 " All right, they're both here," cried the joyful 
 detective. " Come, Tom, we'll put Joe on his 
 horse, and I s'pose we'll have to take along that 
 cuss," glaring at Sin Killer Jones. 
 
 Commanding Joe's horse to kneel, th^ lifted 
 Joe, now securely bound, and fastened him across 
 the saddle. The outlaw had recovered conscious- 
 ness, but did not speak. As the horse regained 
 his feet with some difficulty, Joe looked about 
 with keen interest. 
 
 " Say, old man," said Osterhandt leaning over 
 Sin Killer Jones, " don't you want to come up 
 and be saved? I suppose you feel you're all 
 right, 'cause you've never danced a step in your 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 225 
 
 life. — His leg is broken," he added, but no one 
 seemed to feel troubled at the intelligence, and 
 the " Sin Killer " was tied on the back of one of 
 the waiting horses. 
 
 While the men were hastily digging three 
 graves by the light of the flickering camp-fire, the 
 detective went his rounds, collecting the few fire- 
 arms, and delving here and there into the ground 
 where there seemed evidences of hidden treasure ; 
 at the same time glancing frequently at the faces 
 of the prisoners — shaggy, unkempt men, who 
 looked larger and fiercer by the fitful light which 
 drew out their shadows to enormous lengths and 
 alternately effaced or illumined their faces with 
 a brilliant red light. The ceremony of burial 
 over, the cavalcade proceeded islowly towards 
 the cross roads. 
 
 " It's all right. May, my boy,'' said Joe Car- 
 ruth, looking sadly but affectionately at Walter 
 as he saw him bound on the horse at the cross 
 roads. " You kept your word like a man, and 
 I'll keep mine. Whatever becomes of me in the 
 future you are as free as air so far as I am con- 
 cerned. 
 
 The tears came into Walter's eyes. " I'm so 
 sorry for you, Joe," he said. 
 
 " It's all right," repeated the outlaw. " The 
 game's up just now, but I'm sure to escape. It 
 15 
 
226 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 seemed like old times when you were with me, 
 kid." 
 
 Then turning to Tom he went on, " I don't bear 
 3^ou any grudge, Tom, you couldn't have done 
 any different. I see how it is now I've talked 
 with Walt. I heard you were hanging about the 
 Luce ranch all the time." 
 
 Tom flushed hotly, as Marian's face rose before 
 ^40. His heart ached with sympathy for his 
 <^;^$$.sin and childhood companion, as they rode 
 #J^iy homeward. Walter, now unbound, rode 
 >^ v^ue side and Tom on the other of the bold out- 
 |fel?i and both longed intensely to see the faces of 
 :|%^f dear ones again. 
 
 ^f'^.st before they reached the cross roads, Joe 
 If^^ggled to free himself. " I'm not trying to 
 ^ff^:^e, boys," he said, " but I can smell the old 
 -^^i^av fragrance of the honeysuckle and the Al- 
 ||i*i,H^ blossoms. Let me sit straight. I give you 
 klf ^r^rd I'll net try to escape." 
 
 '^'??^^at's quite enough from Joe, boys," said 
 ^t:-:^.^ ".md his hands and feet were unbound. 
 
 Kk 1-by, old chap," he said, as Tom and 
 WtM^ ':x>ok the road towards home. " Don't you 
 m^l\IV/ Kiirself about me. A man ain't dead till 
 h^J-:-\ii^0A. and don't you forget it." 
 
A COWBOl CAVALIER. 227 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 The brief winter season had almost worn 
 away and there w^ere signs of spring in the air, 
 once more sweet with the scent of the Alger ita, 
 when early one morning a voice was heard under 
 Marian's window singing, 
 
 " I'd cross deep waters for you, my dear." 
 
 Mrs. Mayberry sprang out of bed at the sound, 
 rushed to the door and was almost lost in the em- 
 braces of her two sons, while Marian dressed 
 hastily, her hands trembling so that she could 
 hardly accomplish the task. 
 
 " Poor Joe is on his way to the prison at Xan- 
 tus," said Walter sadly, when the first joy of 
 greeting was over. " I dread to meet Jay, — it 
 will almost kill him." 
 
 " Oh, no ! '' his mother answerd comfortably. 
 '' Jay felt that he would ye taken, but he is sure 
 he will escape before he is brought to trial. 
 
 " He's been here a good deal," she added turn- 
 
228 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 ing to Tom, " both to get news from you and to 
 see Marian. He will be truly pleased to hear 
 that Walter is all right.'^ 
 
 "To see Marian?'' he repeated anxiously, 
 ignoring the last part of her remark. 
 
 "Yes, — but you needn't feel alarmed, I am 
 sure she doesn't love him," and she patted his 
 hand affectionately. 
 
 " Nor me, I fear," he added with dejection. 
 
 " I don't see how she can help loving you," the 
 mother answered looking at him with pride, " but 
 Northern girls are different from ours and I 
 don't understand; but come and eat your break- 
 fast. I expect you're both half starved." 
 
 " Bill Wilder is here," she added as she led 
 the way into the dining-room. " He is going back 
 to the Luce ranch this morning, and I think 
 Gus and Marian will go in the carriage with him. 
 He brought instructions for them to return just 
 as soon as you appeared. Bill's in an awful 
 state, between anxiety and semi-drunkenness, but 
 Walter and Marian can drive, and Gus can 
 take care of Bill." 
 
 Tom looked grave. " How can Daniel Luce 
 take back into his employ a man like Bill?" he 
 said. 
 
 Meanwhile Marian and all the boys — whose 
 scanty toilets needed little time or attention — 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 229 
 
 had appeared on the scene, and there was no 
 chance for pursuing the subject. 
 
 Tom gave Marian a quick hand-clasp and a 
 look which spoke volumes. She pressed his hand 
 wdth a cordial frankness. Then, turning, she 
 kissed Walter on the forehead, to that young 
 man's confusion and the delighted acclamation 
 of the boys. 
 
 " I reckon we-all will go and get lost im- 
 mediately," drawled one of them. " You're sure 
 putting a premium on kidnapping. Miss Marian." 
 
 The story was told over and over again, amid 
 various interjections of joy and amazement. 
 
 " The wicked shall dig a pit, and fall into it 
 himself," said Mrs. Mayberry. 
 
 " Yes! " said Gus. " If Joe'd had the sense to 
 clear out and let us all alone, Tom wouldn't have 
 interfered with him ; but he just fixed things so 
 he plumb had to." 
 
 ^' How did Bill escape? " asked Tom in an 
 undertone. 
 
 " Oh, there was no evidence against him. He's 
 too cute for that." 
 
 "I hate to let you go out of my sight, Walter 
 dear, so soon after welcoming you back almost 
 from the grave," said his mother tenderly, " but 
 no one else can go with Marian." Then to the 
 girl she said, " My child, I cannot thank you for 
 
230 A COWBOY cmM^M^- 
 
 all you have done for me. "^fi tef «s^ feeen an in- 
 expressible comfort." 
 
 " I couldn't have been h^ff^^ 4%Where but 
 with you," returned Marian, ^lii&%tf ^ vivid red 
 as she got into the carriage wl!*^^^ i^M ^ust driven 
 up. 
 
 She looked somewhat aska^t% 4t the morose 
 figure on the back seat, and. l^^>m taking her 
 place beside the gentle Waltei^i^kj^ whispered to 
 Gus, " I'm really afraid of IJ^^ he seems so 
 wild." V 
 
 "You needn't worry, I can r^ e him," was 
 his comforting assurance. ^' 
 
 So they drove off, Marian wM ,.' -VT hand to 
 the kind friends who stood on ^ y^ f/^'^ (b. watch- 
 ing their departure. 
 
 All went well for a time. M(V.uv;> V:w •: "Walter 
 chatted together, or tactfully a^^.* vu <\^«th the 
 quarrelsome Bill till he became ^Sit^iM Unbear- 
 able. Finally, the long-suffering W^i^^' was 
 goaded by the sneers directed at h\f H^S^r and 
 observed that Bill seemed altogetto t<^^ much 
 interested in the capture of Joe Carftx&. 
 
 " What do you mean by that, you da^iOlJ^ little 
 ninny?" screamed Bill, and, quite ucpt^iBif •" 1 of 
 Marian's presence, he pulled out his tou'" , life 
 and, holding it at Walter's throat, ^ .led 
 that he take back what he had said. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 231 
 
 Walter turned pale but neither moved nor 
 spoke, nor did he relax his hold on the reins. 
 
 Before Marian could say a word Gus pointed 
 his revolver at Bill, roaring, " Put up that knife, 
 you low-lived cur ! Are you too drunk to see a 
 lady is present? " 
 
 Bill dropped back with a maudlin apology, but 
 Gus still kept him under cover, and Marian's 
 mind was in no calm state. 
 
 " Don't you be afraid. Miss Marian," said 
 Walter in an undertone. " I never saw him as 
 bad as this before, but Gus can manage him.'' 
 
 The mind of a drunken man, like that of a 
 child, is easily diverted, so Bill's bluster soon 
 died down, and he contented himself with bursts 
 of song not altogether nice; but, no one pay- 
 ing any attention to them, he was permitted to 
 warble to his heart's content. 
 
 They finally reached the Luce ranch in safety ; 
 Walter becoming at once the center of interest, 
 so that the whole story had to be gone over again. 
 Bess turned pale and put her hand to her heart 
 when she heard of Joe's capture. 
 
 " Don't you be frightened, my girl," said Uncle 
 Dan, patting her arm affectionately, " we'll see 
 that he doesn't get away now we've got him." 
 
 " I'll never feel safe while he's above ground," 
 she answered with a dark look in her eyes. 
 
232 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 " Don't it beat all," began Bill one night, in 
 a quarrelsome mood, " how Miss Bess dresses up 
 every evening now-a-days? Comes down to din- 
 ner every night in a decollete chiffonier, or what- 
 ever you call dress suits for girls." 
 
 " I might have put on my dress-suit if I had 
 realized the importance of it," laughed Gus, " but 
 we so seldom dress for dinner in Texas that I 
 have become somewhat careless in that respect." 
 
 " You-all think you're powerful smart, don't 
 you? " said Bess scornfully. " I guess I can put 
 on a decent dress once in a while without having 
 so much fuss made over it." 
 
 " Some folks have to dress up to make an im- 
 pression," gTOwled Bill. ^^ Miss Marian's hands 
 are pretty enough not to need no rings to set 'em 
 off." 
 
 " That's the first time Bill was ever known to 
 compliment anybody," said Tad in an undertone. 
 
 " One always dresses up when they're engaged, 
 don't they, Marian?" and Bess turned to her 
 cousin for support. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 233 
 
 " Of course, — that is — I suppose so," stam- 
 mered Marian. 
 
 " Why do you act so embarrassed? " laughed 
 Gus. " By the way, when is yours to be an- 
 nounced? '' 
 
 " Never ! I couldn't live outside of New York, 
 and that is perfectly understood by everyone," 
 she answered with decision. 
 
 " Was I referring to anj^one in particular?'' 
 he queried mischievously. 
 
 " I am very happy at home with Papa," said 
 Marian, " and I shall never love any man as I 
 do him." 
 
 " Are you quite sure you are honest with your- 
 self, niece? " said Uncle Dan affectionately. 
 
 " Well, anyway. Uncle Dan, people can't be 
 happy together whose whole lives have been so 
 different," she said, earnestly. 
 
 ** * I tell you love lias naught to do 
 With meetness or unmeetness."* 
 
 quoted Gus, while the sentimental cowboys were 
 very quiet. 
 
 Bess, quite unconscious of the service she was 
 rendering her cousin, held out her hand in which 
 she had gathered all her diamond pins and rings. 
 " I've just two thousand dollars worth here," 
 she said. "Who'll buy?" 
 
234 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " You mean just the jewelry? " sneered Bill. 
 " I reckon that's all that's worth much.'' 
 
 " Bill ! " roared Uncle Dan so fiercely that 
 every one jumped. " You'll go a little bit too far 
 with that ugly tongue of yourn some day, and 
 then you'll have to reckon with me. I've taken 
 no notice of your ugliness, 'cause it's born in yer, 
 but you've got to let Bess alone arter this," and 
 the recalcitrant William was cowed for the first 
 time. 
 
 " Beware the anger of a patient man," mur- 
 mured Gus. 
 
 " The trouble with Bess," whispered Hugh, " is 
 that she's just getting used to walkin' on car- 
 pets." Then aloud he said, " Gus, ain't this a 
 good time to tell your wolf story? " 
 
 " Yes, do tell it," urged Marian. 
 
 " Oh, it isn't much," laughed Gus, " but if you 
 tease me hard enough I'll tell it to you. It was 
 when I was a kid at home. The older boys were 
 all off camping on another part of the ranch, 
 and only a couple of niggers, my sisters, Maw 
 and myself were in the ranch house. 
 
 " Suddenly we heard the most awful hollering 
 you most ever heard; I thought the heavens 
 must be falling, sure. Then the niggers came in 
 tumbling over each other and trembling with 
 fear. I ran to the window and looking out saw a 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 235 
 
 large cayote falling about like he was drunk. 
 His eyes were like balls of fire, and he was froth- 
 ing yellow stuff at the mouth. 
 
 " * Just get my gun and let me blaze at him/ I 
 yelled, and one of the niggers ran for it. I was 
 so scared with the unearthly noise the beast was 
 making that I trembled like a leaf. I got my gun 
 up to my shoulder, but the wolf didn't stand and 
 let me shoot him, nor did he run away, as any 
 sane wolf would have done ; but he just wobbled 
 from side to side, butting his head all the time 
 against the side posts of the house. Poor devil ! 
 I was so sort of horror-struck, or fascinated, or 
 whatever the feeling was, that I couldn't shoot. 
 I just knelt there with the gun on my shoulder, 
 and watched him till he finally butted himself to 
 death." 
 
 " What made him mad? " asked Sid. 
 
 " Well, there's things in the world that'll make 
 even a wolf mad," said Gus dryly ; then, assum- 
 ing a more serious air, he added, " madness in 
 animals is due to some physical derangement, 
 and is often caused by the bite of some other 
 animal." 
 
 " Did you ever hear of a madstone? " inquired 
 Fritz. " It comes from the stomach of a diseased 
 deer, and is very rare. When it is rubbed on the 
 bite of a mad animal it is a sure cure." 
 
236 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 '^ Especially if applied at the increase of the 
 moon. Rather fond of fairy tales, aren't you, 
 Fritz?'' inquired Gus sarcastically, and Fritz 
 retired into his shell, feeling much discomforted. 
 
 " Girls, we are going dewberrying some day 
 next week," announced Aunt Phoebe. 
 
 " I don't want to doubt your honest word, 
 mother," replied her dutiful offspring, " but we 
 ain't goin' to tear ourselves to pieces in those old 
 briers, and get eat up by moccasins and rattle- 
 snakes for a little mess of dewberries." 
 
 " I'll go with you. Auntie," said Marian pleas- 
 antly, and her aunt's face brightened. 
 
 " We might go to-morrow," she suggested, and 
 Marian assented. 
 
 " Jay will go along with you any time when 
 your aunt can't go," laughed Gus, but Marian 
 refused to hear his remark. 
 
 It was still early morning and bade fair to 
 be a very hot day when Aunt Phoebe came into 
 the dining-room where Marian was taking her 
 breakfast, and declared she was all ready. 
 
 " Take this sunbonnet," she commanded when 
 they were about to step into the little run-about. 
 
 " I declare for it, — ^your paw will never forgive 
 me for letting you get so brown. You don't look 
 like you was white. I never went out without a 
 sunbonnet in my life." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 23^ 
 
 "Why, Auntie! It is considered very stylish 
 in New York to be well tanned/' laughed Mar- 
 ian, and drawing on the old gloves her aunt 
 handed her, they started off. Very glad she was 
 before they had picked long, that she had on 
 those old gloves, for the dewberry vines have long 
 and sharp prickles, and delighted was her aunt 
 at the rapidity with which Marian gathered the 
 berries, declaring that northern girls had twice 
 the " sprawP' of southern girls. 
 
 But the dewberry bushes were so low on the 
 ground that Marian was in constant dread of 
 putting her hand on a snake, while it was diffi- 
 cult to find the bushes growing so close to the 
 long grass; before she realized it she had wan- 
 dered far out of sight of her busy aunt whose 
 whole attention was absorbed by her task. 
 
 " Now IVe sure got you alone for a moment," 
 cried a voice behind her, and as she looked hur- 
 riedly round. Jay, who had stolen noiselessly up 
 in the soft grass, sprang down to her side. His 
 face was flushed and his eyes bright, but whether 
 with excitement or drink she could not tell. 
 
 " How you startled me ! " she said with a ner- 
 vous, half-frightened laugh. 
 
 " Am I then so hideous in your eyes? " he de- 
 manded. 
 
 " Not that, only I didn't know anyone was 
 
238 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 near," she stammered, and an embarrassed 
 silence followed. 
 
 " Miss Marian," began Jaj with decision, 
 " youVe avoided me of late, and it's just no use. 
 You've got to remember one thing. I love you, 
 and you've got to love me. You are sure going 
 to be my wife sometime." 
 
 " A girl can't be forced into loving," she an- 
 swered hotly. "At least I can't, and you may 
 as well give up that idea first as last." 
 
 A heated argument followed, in which he at- 
 tempted to seize the girl in his arms and she 
 warded him off with flashing eyes, when the re- 
 port of a pistol was heard behind them, and turn- 
 ing quickly Marian beheld a large moccasin 
 snake with his head shot off, giving a final 
 wiggle with his tail. At the same moment Tom 
 Mayberry sprang from his horse just in time to 
 support the almost fainting girl. 
 
 " Damn you ! " cried Jay fiercely. " You are 
 always butting in where you're not wanted ! We 
 might as well fight this out now^ as at any other 
 time," and in his blind rage he attempted to 
 strike Tom, who, grasping him by the wrists, 
 held him firmly. 
 
 " If we are to fight let it be like gentlemen," 
 he said sternly. 
 
'He attempted to seize the girl in his arms.'* 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 239 
 
 " Very well, only let it be soon," replied Jay as 
 Tom released him. 
 
 "Oh, don't, please don't, boys!" begged Mar- 
 ian. " It seems as if I had all I could bear this 
 winter without causing you to quarrel. The man 
 who will beg the other's pardon for my sake, I 
 shall feel really cares the most for me." 
 
 "That settles the matter; here, Tom," and 
 Jay held out his hand to his cousin who took it 
 mechanically but with no look of pleasure on his 
 face. 
 
 Jay threw back his head with a quick gesture, 
 and, turning to where his horse was standing, 
 rode off without once casting a glance behind 
 him. 
 
 " Promise me you won't fight with him," 
 begged Marian looking up into Tom's stern face. 
 
 " Your word is my law," he answered gently. 
 " You know that I too love you," and in his eyes 
 was infinite tenderness. " I feel that Jay is right 
 when he said I have lost all my spirit. But then 
 Jay gave his word, and he won't try to break it, 
 so in any case you needn't worry." Then he took 
 both her hands in his and pressed them convul- 
 sively as with inexpressible longing he said, " I 
 can't honestly blame Jay, for I w^ant to do just 
 the same thing." Then, releasing her hands he 
 
240 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 hid his face in his own hands, " Oh, I do love you 
 so," he said as he stifled a sob. 
 
 Marian did not speak; she was too deeply 
 under the spell of this man's strong nature. 
 
 " If it could only be ! '^ she thought passion- 
 ately. " I am almost afraid that I love him ! I 
 must not, indeed I must not. My living here is 
 out of the question." 
 
 Marian felt vaguely, too, that so great a love 
 asked a great return, and then, too, Tom had 
 such archaic notions of women obeying their hus- 
 bands. No, a marriage between two such people 
 could not lead to happiness. 
 
 " I am sorry you have said this," she murmured 
 with a tremble in her voice, " for I never met a 
 man before whom I admired as I do you." And 
 turning away she sobbed convulsively — she 
 scarcely knew why. 
 
 " Miss Marian," he said impressively, " a man 
 can't love a girl without studying her, and I be- 
 lieve I know you better than you know yourself. 
 I tell you that you care more for me than you 
 realize. You may not marry me, but you will 
 never forget me." 
 
 " I know that you are right," answered the 
 girl brokenly, " and I am not sure that I can ever 
 be happy without you ; anyway I don't want you 
 to feel that I have refused you absolutely," she 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 241 
 
 entreated. " I cannot reason clearly now. I 
 may be influenced by the novelty of everything. 
 I feel that it would be hard to give up my former 
 life. I am not sure that I do not love you as you 
 would have me, but I must return to my life in 
 New York before I can judge wisely. Will you 
 not trust me to return? '' 
 
 " It shall be just as you wish, of course," an- 
 swered Tom sadly, " but, oh, the horror of having 
 you leave me, not knowing whether you will ever 
 return ! I cannot bear to think of it." 
 
 " Then let us not thi«ik of it," she said steadily. 
 '^ Let everything be as it was before; not thinking 
 of any change, but rejoicing in the present and 
 in our sincere friendship." 
 
 " So be it ! " replied Tom, not daring to trust 
 himself to touch her hand again. " I will pray 
 every day that God may give me your love. But, 
 come now, dear, I hear your Aunt Phoebe calling. 
 She is probably wondering what has got you." 
 
 " I fear she will change her mind about my in* 
 dustry," laughed Marian tremulously, as she 
 looked down into her half-filled pail, then at the 
 dead snake, and up again into Tom's eyes; she 
 longed to have him take her hand again, 
 16 
 
242 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 The next few days were employed in viewing 
 the baby animals on the ranch, the little pigs, the 
 calves, ducks, turkeys and geese. 
 
 "Would you ever believe little pigs could be 
 so pretty! " exclaimed Marian in delight. 
 
 " You don't really care for those foolish things, 
 do you?" asked Bess in surprise. "You're just 
 acting tickled to be polite." 
 
 " No, I really do like them," said Marian. 
 " The little turkeys are like small chickens, and 
 they are so cunning, running after the big mother 
 turkeys. The little geese look for all the world 
 like diminutive tugboats." 
 
 " None of those little things are as beautiful 
 in my eyes as these old hogs," commented Aunt 
 Phoebe, gazing with pride upon those that had 
 grown up under her supervision. " Look at 
 those beautiful fat sides shake," she cried in de- 
 light. " Won't we have some good old hams and 
 sausages? I never let the servants touch the 
 sausage meat. I make every sausage with my 
 own hands." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 243 
 
 A small pickaninny was chasing the big father 
 turkey when the gobbler suddenly turned, and, 
 with tail outspread like a peacock's and beak 
 wide open, advanced upon the terrified child, who 
 ran quickly the other way, uttering shrieks of 
 alarm. At the same time Mr. and Mrs. Goose, 
 who were waddling together in dignified conver- 
 sation, were set upon by the collie. Thrusting 
 out their heads with a hissing sound they sent 
 him after the flying child with yelps of pain. 
 
 " Don' you-all be skeered ob dat turkey,'' said 
 Sambo rescuing his offspring. " You-all's goin' 
 to eat up dat big bird some day." 
 
 Marian had so grown to love all the animals 
 and the life upon the ranch that she would gladly 
 have given up the two days' trip to Xantus, 
 planned by her cousin ostensibly for Marian's 
 pleasure. She became very sad whenever the 
 idea returned to her that soon she would be leav- 
 ing it all, perhaps forever. She tried to forget 
 it and forbade the mention of her approaching 
 departure. 
 
 " If I can hardly bear to leave them all for two 
 days," she thought, "how can I ever bear the 
 final separation? " 
 
 She could not altogether banish from her mind 
 the dashing Jay, who had been the picture of 
 meekness ever since the dewberrying episode. 
 
244 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " There is so much that is fine in him/^ she 
 thought, " it is a pity that he cannot be a little 
 more stable. He needs the help of a good wo- 
 man." 
 
 Tom was always the same to her, a gentle, 
 tender friend, a tower of strength ; but she some- 
 times found herself reflecting that he lacked the 
 very qualities that made Jay so fascinating. He 
 held himself almost too well in hand. Jay's re- 
 cent affront had been unpardonable, but it was 
 because he loved her, and what woman could help 
 forgiving that ! His dark eyes asked forgiveness 
 daily, but she could always feel the fire in them 
 that kept her heart from being Tom's completely. 
 
 The boys were busy branding the young calves, 
 which was accomplished by catching them round 
 the neck with a lasso, then throwing them gently 
 down and sitting on their heads while the mark 
 was quickly made with a hot iron. 
 
 The work of breaking in the young horses had 
 also commenced. The w^ld little creatures would 
 prance about, cutting all sorts of capers before 
 their would-be masters could mount at all. Once 
 upon their backs the fun began in earnest for 
 both rider and spectator. Many a time would 
 the boys measure their length upon the soft 
 grass ; but, holding a tight grasp upon the reins, 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 245 
 
 they would spring up and remount in a twink- 
 ling. 
 
 Marian found all this vastly entertaining and 
 was out of doors all day long. 
 
 One sweltering hot night in April, news of the 
 greatest importance came to Jay Carruth. Wild 
 Bill brought it to him under cover of the dark- 
 ness. In spite of their efforts to aid in his escape, 
 Joe Carruth, having gotten out of prison, had 
 been tracked and recaptured by the vigilant Jack 
 Packer. 
 
 " That feller is just trying to commit suicide," 
 growled Bill as he related this to Jay. 
 
 " No, I can't stop with you,'' he replied to 
 Jay's urgent invitation. " I just can't stay 
 under shelter while Joe is in prison. Then there 
 are too many folks watching you, anyway. 
 We've got to work mighty carefully, and I can do 
 better alone. Don't you worry. Sonny, — Joe'll 
 get away again pretty soon, where they won't 
 catch him so easy." 
 
 Two days after this midnight interview Jay 
 and Tom were summoned to court as witnesses 
 against Joe. The trial was a great event in 
 Xantus. The personal attractiveness of the bold 
 outlaw, added to his old family name, increased 
 the interest his lawless deeds had inspired. Tom 
 and Jay were also regarded with wondering in- 
 
246 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 terest bj the many strangers with which Xantus 
 was crowded. Being near relatives of the pris- 
 oner, they were naturally suspected of being 
 more anxious to assist in his escape than to bring 
 him to justice. 
 
 The excitement rose high when it was learned 
 that Sin Killer Jones had escaped miraculously 
 from both shooting and drowning, and appeared 
 again. The news that he had turned State's evi- 
 dence and convicted Joe of all sorts of black 
 deeds in order to save his own neck, only in- 
 furiated the populace all the more, and the guard 
 around the prison had to be doubled to protect 
 him. 
 
 " Such villains ought to be strung up right off, 
 before they get away again,'' was heard on all 
 sides. 
 
 The night of his conviction Joe sent for Tom. 
 He could not bear to see his brother after bring- 
 ing such disgrace upon his name. He begged his 
 cousin to stand by him and protect him from the 
 violence of the mob. 
 
 " Any death but that," he groaned. 
 
 Upon Tom's promise to protect him with his 
 life, Joe grew calmer. " I don't want to sacrifice 
 you, Tom,'^ he said, " so don't let them see you 
 want to help me. I only ask you to stand near 
 and shoot me if they get me. It's no use to say 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 247 
 
 now tliat I wish I had been a better man. Every- 
 one wishes that when he gets where I am now, 
 and I don't know that I could have been any dif- 
 ferent if I had seen the end all before me. I be- 
 lieve a man lives about as his nature compels him 
 to, unless he masters that nature early in life. I 
 felt the longing in me always for a life of wild 
 excitement, and I just couldn't stand a quiet, 
 everyday kind of life like the rest of you were 
 leading. I used to think if the Lord would only 
 give me peace inside and make me love good 
 things as you did, I would be perfectly happy; 
 but when I was alone in the fields or doing my 
 work in the house or in the pen, I felt all on fire 
 inside and wanted to stamp and shout or curse 
 like a madman. I hated all good men and hated 
 the Lord for not making me like them. Most of 
 all, I hated as well as envied you, with your 
 pleasant, happy face and everybody loving you. 
 The hate is all gone now, Tom, as well as the de- 
 sire for excitement. Sure, I've had my fill of 
 it ! " and he laughed bitterly. " Not even envy 
 is left, only just infinite weariness and a wonder 
 why God wouldn't let me live and die like other 
 men instead of putting this terrible fire in my 
 blood, which is almost insanity." 
 
 " There are many things we cannot under- 
 stand, Joe," said Tom in an unsteady voice as he 
 
248 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 placed his hand gently on his cousin's bowed 
 shoulders. " But we know that He who can read 
 every thought is more merciful than the best of 
 men." 
 
 " I sometimes feel," continued Joe, " if I had 
 not lost my dear mother when I was a little chap 
 and had gotten the right start I might have been 
 a good instead of an evil man. Often in place 
 of hatred came a love of all that was good and a 
 great longing to be so myself and I would preach 
 to my pals till they all laughed at me and stopped 
 up their ears. When I was first married I did 
 my best to settle down, for I did love Bess, and 
 I love her still," he said, his face softening, " but 
 she was not strong enough to help me. She 
 roused the devil in me with her silly, flirty ways, 
 and then she would be afraid of me. She wasn't 
 capable of a love that could really help a man." 
 
 "Yes, and she'll have another in your place 
 before you're cold," snarled Bill, stealing from a 
 dark corner. " She's got one all ready waiting." 
 
 " What ! " roared Joe, jumping up with blaz- 
 ing eyes, and sniffing the air like a war-horse. 
 " Let her beware ! I'll not be hung. I'll escape 
 yet. Let her look to herself ! " 
 
 " Time's up ! " shouted the jailor coming in, 
 and Tom was unwillingly hurried off, while 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 249 
 
 Bill stopped just long enough for a hasty whis- 
 per with the prisoner. 
 
 " Why did you say that about Bess? " de- 
 manded Tom sternly as he faced Bill outside the 
 prison. 
 
 Bill looked down. " Tom," he said finally, " I 
 love Joe Carruth as I never loved anyone else in 
 all my God-forsaken career, I know that girl 
 Bess might have saved him, and now she's just 
 gloating over his finish." 
 
 " But you have only made his last hours mis- 
 erable," replied Tom. 
 
 Bill shook his head and slouched off. 
 
250 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 The next day Nigger Ned flew back on his 
 Pegasus to bring the anxious people on the three 
 ranches the news that Joe Carruth was to be 
 hanged in two days, and the boys would remain 
 in Xantus till after the execution ; with the added 
 intelligence that Jack Packer, the sheriff, had 
 been found dead the night before on the steps 
 of the Court House, with a bullet through his 
 brain. Just when it had been done or by whom 
 could only be conjectured, but he had evidently 
 been dead some time when they discovered him. 
 Wild Bill had vanished from the face of the 
 earth. 
 
 The night before the execution was one of the 
 few really hot nights Marian had experienced 
 in Texas. As a rule, however hot the day, a 
 breeze springs up at nightfall. On this particu- 
 lar evening not a breath of air was stirring and 
 a gloom hung over everything. Bess and her 
 parents had gone to bed, hoping to silence in the 
 oblivion of sleep the gruesome thoughts they 
 could escape in no other way. Even the boys, un- 
 able to endure the universal depression after 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 251 
 
 several ineffectual attempts at conversation, one 
 by one slunk away to their rooms. Marian's mind 
 was in such a state of unrest that she felt ready 
 to expect almost any terrible encounter the possi- 
 bility of which pictured itself in her fevered 
 imagination. She even dreaded the long, low- 
 studded living room, lighted only dimly at one 
 end by a small lamp. She cast a half fearful 
 glance into the dark corners, as she went to take 
 the lamp to go to her own room. 
 
 As she passed the piano she thought a little 
 music might calm the tension of her nerves, as 
 it had often done before; so, setting down the 
 lamp she seated herself at the instrument and 
 played softly for a little time, till she had re- 
 turned to a more normal frame of mind. Sud- 
 denly a slight sound behind, her caused her to 
 turn quickly. 
 
 " Why, Jay ! " she said rising, " when did you 
 get here? " 
 
 Then starting back she clutched the piano for 
 support, as she realized that the man before her 
 was not Jay, but that she was looking into the 
 haggard, desperate face and wild, hunted eyes 
 of the outlaw. Her heart beat almost to suffoca- 
 tion. 
 
 " Why are you here? " she whispered unable 
 to speak aloud or cry for help. 
 
252 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Without replying the man caught her by the 
 shoulders and slipped a gag into her mouth. 
 She had a semi-realization that her hands were 
 being tied, then knew no more till she heard her 
 name called in agonizing tones and opened her 
 eyes to see Tom Mayberry bending over her look- 
 ing almost as wild and haggard as the escaped 
 criminal. 
 
 " Are you all right, Miss Marian? " he gasped 
 as he cut the cords from her wrists and helped 
 her to rise. 
 
 " I am not hurt, — I must have fainted," she 
 said slowly. Then, as her mind awoke, she 
 grasped Tom's arm. " Joe Carruth was here. 
 Where is he? We must go to Bess." 
 
 Just then Jay advanced from the window. 
 " Tell us quickly what has happened," he said. 
 ^^ Joe w^as found missing, and I feared he would 
 come here. Tom and I nearly killed our horses 
 following. God grant Bess is safe." 
 
 Marian felt as if the solid earth were still reel- 
 ing under her feet, and grasped Tom's arm for 
 support as they all turned quickly toward the 
 corridor leading to Bess's chamber. 
 
 There Jay knocked, but no sound was heard. 
 He knocked again, then, in terror of the silence, 
 threw his body against the door, forcing the frail 
 lock. He entered the room alone, Marian and 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 253 
 
 Tom remaining outside in terror of some fearful 
 tragedy. Marian could feel the beating of her 
 heart in her ears, and a lump rose up in her 
 throat which nearly suffocated her. She felt as 
 if the silence had lasted for ages, when Jay finally 
 appeared on the threshold of the room, his face 
 white and drawn with pain, his eyes large with 
 
 anguish. 
 
 The expression on his face filled them with 
 
 awe. 
 
 " What have you found. Jay? " gasped Tom, 
 for Marian's white lips refused to move. 
 
 "Joe and Bess, both dead," came the reply 
 through parched lips, in a voice almost devoid 
 of expression. " Take Miss Marian away, Tom, 
 and come back to me." 
 
 At that moment footsteps were heard and 
 Uncle Dan came down the corridor, holding a 
 lamp in his hand and sleepily rubbing his eyes. 
 "What's the trouble. Jay?" he said faintly, 
 as he saw Jay's face, and realized that something 
 terrible had occurred. 
 
 Jay, his head erect as if to nerve himself to 
 break the awful intelligence, half raised his hand 
 as though to invoke the Deity and at the same 
 time to check Uncle Dan's advance. 
 
 " The sins of the father have been visited upon 
 the children," he said solemnly. " I shall live in 
 
254 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 tlie future only to redeem the name of Carruth, 
 and atone for the injury done to an innocent 
 woman and her people." 
 
 " Let me go to Bess ! '' begged Uncle Dan 
 frightened but uncomprehending. 
 
 Jay still barred the way. " It is too late," he 
 said, and the old man's head drooped heavily. 
 
 "My little girl, my little girl!" he moaned. 
 " I have nothing left to live for ! " Then, rousing 
 himself, " That hound Joe ! " he began, but Tom 
 said solemnly, 
 
 " Joe is dead also. Leave his punishment to 
 God." 
 
 Uncle Dan groped blindly before him and Tom 
 sprang forward and caught the lamp from his 
 trembling hand. Then putting his arm round 
 him, he and Marian led him tenderly away, the 
 latter gaining strength herself as she felt there 
 was some one who had need of her. 
 
 The poor mother, usually the stronger of the 
 two, broke down utterly. " If I had looked after 
 her better, I might have saved her," she repeated 
 over and over again. 
 
 As Jay walked heavy-hearted from the house 
 he saw a crouching figure suddenly dart from a 
 dark corner of the piazza and disappear. He 
 paused for a moment, then walked on. 
 
 " It was Wild Bill," he said to himself. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 255 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 The next few days were terrible ones. Sor- 
 row weighed heavily upon everyone. It was not 
 until Bess and Joe were carried to their last rest- 
 ing place that any one seemed to speak above a 
 whisper. Uncle Dan went about the ranch as 
 usual, but Aunt Phoebe was confined to her bed, 
 and hardly seemed to realize what was going on 
 about her. One morning Uncle Dan drew Marian 
 to him as they sat on the wide veranda after an 
 early breakfast. 
 
 " Marian, my darling," he said, " the time has 
 come for you to return home. You have been a 
 great comfort to us and I am deeply grateful to 
 you, but I can see that you need to get away from 
 here. I hope sometime you will come back and 
 be my girl in place of the one who has gone. The 
 doctor says your Aunt Phobe has brain fever. 
 Mrs. Mayberry is on her way here to look after 
 her, and Tom will stay and drive you over to 
 Xantus. Jay and Gus have taken all the care of 
 things up to now, and IVe had nothing to do but 
 sit round and mope; but I've made up my mind 
 
25G A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 not to be idle any longer. I'm going to get out 
 round the ranch and keep busy. It'll be a heap 
 better for me." 
 
 There was silence for a moment, then he added, 
 " Mr. Osterhandt has business up North and will 
 go on to New York with you. He's a good chap 
 and I shall feel lots safer to have you in his 
 charge." 
 
 " Thank you. Uncle," she said kissing him ten- 
 derly, " but I cannot bear to leave you." 
 
 " It is best so, dear," he answered. " I had a 
 letter from your father last night saying that 
 you must come at once." 
 
 There was a hush on the ranch outside, and a 
 gloom inside the house which seemed only height- 
 ened by the bright sunshine. Marian packed her 
 trunk with feverish haste, longing to be away and 
 seated by the side of Tom, knowing that in his 
 presence alone she would find the peace of which 
 she was in sore need. 
 
 From the open window she could hear Jay 
 giving orders, in tones of calm command, and 
 could see him walking here and there with head 
 erect and dignified bearing, more like Tom May- 
 berry than the old dashing Jay. He had stayed 
 with them through all this period of trouble, 
 directing everything with a strength of will that 
 impelled them all to turn to him for help. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 257 
 
 By tlie time Tom and his mother had arrived 
 everything was ready and Marian took a long 
 and tearful farewell of her uncle and dear Mrs. 
 Mayberry. 
 
 " God bless and keep you, dear," said the older 
 woman. " I feel sure you will come back to us 
 sometime." 
 
 While Jay and Tom were placing her trunk 
 upon the democrat wagon which was to take her 
 to Xantus, she turned to bid good-by to the faith- 
 ful negro servants and then to the cowboys who 
 were out in full force to express their deep regret 
 at parting with the girl, whose interest in the 
 ranch life and ready sympathy in all which con- 
 cerned them had won their hearts. 
 
 " You'll sure enough come back. Miss Mar- 
 ian?" said Tad. " We-all can't run the ranch 
 without you." 
 
 " Come back ! Come back ! " shouted the 
 others. Then she turned to Jay. 
 
 " Good-by, dear friend," he said, pressing her 
 hands in both of his. " I hope you will come 
 back, and when you do, you will find a different 
 James Carruth from the one you knew before. 
 You have many friends here," he added, " but 
 none more willing to serve you than I." 
 
 Marian pressed his hands in return, but the 
 tears choked her voice as she tried to thank him. 
 
 ir 
 
258 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Looking into his handsome, serious face, she 
 realized that his prophecy was being rapidly ful- 
 filled. 
 
 " You must fix things all right with Tom on 
 the way to the station," whispered Gus as he 
 tucked in the dust robe, and the two drove off 
 amid the waving of handkerchiefs and muffled 
 good-bys. Aunt Phoebe's illness preventing any 
 loud noise. 
 
 "You'll sure come back?" said Tom half 
 doubtfully, after a long and troubled silence. 
 
 " I can't believe that I shall not," answered 
 Marian, her voice trembling. 
 
 " I don't want to influence you by telling you 
 all It means to me," pleaded Tom. " I could not 
 if I would ; but the thought of having you go out 
 of my life altogether would break my heart. I 
 shall go about like one in a dream itill you come 
 back to me. I shall hope you will do so, and that 
 hope alone will keep me above ground." 
 
 " I feel now as if I could never be happy any- 
 where else," replied Marian, slipping her hand 
 into his free one, " but I want to go back to New 
 York and think things over calmly, and tell my 
 father all about it. You may trust me to decide 
 upon whatever is best for both of us." 
 
 " There is no best for me without you," he 
 answered, " but I will trust you to act wisely." 
 
*<Will you not drink a cup with me?*' 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 259 
 
 Then he added, " I almost wish Osterhandt 
 weren't going up with you." 
 
 " Surely," she laughed, " you aren't afraid of 
 him?" 
 
 He looked doubtful. " I don't know," he said, 
 " he has a better education than I have." 
 
 " Oh, no ! Only more book knowledge," she 
 answered. 
 
 " Hold the reins a moment," he added gently, 
 as he sprang to the ground to open a gate, and 
 closing it again behind the wagon he climbed in, 
 then alighted again a few rods further on and un- 
 checked his horses to drink at the water's brink. 
 
 " This is the Colorado River," he said, his voice 
 vibrating with emotion. " Will you not drink a 
 cup with me? They say one who drinks of the 
 Colorado can never leave here for long, but must 
 come back to Texas to live and die." 
 
 " If that doesn't bring me back here, perhaps 
 the memory of the Algerita — or a more powerful 
 one still — " Marian hesitated, confused under his 
 intent gaze. Silently she reached her hand out 
 for the cup, and after drinking they went on 
 again to Xantus. 
 
260 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 The journey to New York seemed like a dream 
 to Marian, though Mr. Osterhandt did his best 
 to enliven it. Upon their arrival the young man 
 appeared a little dazed by the noise and rush, 
 and frankly told Marian and the friends who met 
 her at the station that he could never have found 
 his way about if they had not been there to advise 
 him. He added that he was really afraid to cross 
 the street, it had to be done so quickly. Miss 
 Wilson, Marian's friend, gazed with delight into 
 his boyish yet manly face, and thought his slow 
 southern speech irresistible. 
 
 "I don't w^onder you were in love with the 
 South if the men were all like him,'' she whis- 
 pered to Marian. 
 
 "Where is Father?" asked Marian eagerly, 
 not noticing her friend's remark. 
 
 " Oh, we are to take you to his office ; he 
 couldn't get away," answered Miss Wilson's 
 brother who accompanied her. 
 
 " Are you going to keep that dear fellow all to 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 261 
 
 yourself? '^ whispered Miss Wilson, as the two 
 men turned to give orders about the trunks. 
 
 " Oh, no indeed ! I brought him up on pur- 
 pose for you," laughed Marian. " He says he's 
 going into business here in New York," 
 
 As the party wended their way down Wall 
 street, the enchanted Osterhandt wanted to stop 
 at every corner. "What are you hurrying so 
 for?" he queried. "I'm all out of breath. 
 Heavens ! What tall buildings ! " 
 
 "You'll have plenty of time for sight-seeing 
 later," laughed Marian. " I'm in a hurry to see 
 Father." 
 
 Just then Osterhandt was nearly knocked over 
 by some men rushing round the corner. 
 
 " You must keep your eyes open," said young 
 Wilson impatiently. 
 
 " I suppose I do seem like a Johnny from the 
 country," laughed Osterhandt good-naturedly. 
 
 They entered one of the tall buildings and 
 Marian touched the electric bell for the elevator. 
 Almost at the same moment the machine shot 
 down, the door clanged open, and a dozen men 
 tore out of it and rushed into the street. Oster- 
 handt looked after them in surprise. 
 
 " Hold on a moment," he said to the operator 
 as the party stepped in, " I w^ant to get a box of 
 cigarettes." The boy cast one look of silent con- 
 
262 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 tempt at him, banged the door and shot up out of 
 sight, leaving the astonished Osterhandt stand- 
 ing alone in the hall below. 
 
 Marian's father gave her a tender and affec- 
 tionate greeting, then, taking out his watch he 
 said, " I can give you only ten minutes as I am 
 just about going to Court. I will meet you at 
 dinner.'' 
 
 Marian couldn't help noting how much he 
 resembled Uncle Dan, only the lines in her 
 father's face were all sharp and keen, and his 
 manner much more decisive. He gave Mr. 
 Osterhandt, who appeared shortly after the en- 
 trance of the others, a cordial welcome to New 
 York, and thanked him for his care of Marian. 
 
 " You are in the law, I understand," he said. 
 " Do you want a position here in New York? 
 Come to my office to-morrow at ten, and I can 
 perhaps give you some assistance in that direc- 
 tion. Come to dinner with us to-night at seven. 
 Now, I must say good-by to you all," and he 
 bowed them out. 
 
 Osterhandt noted the spacious rooms lined 
 with books, the busy clerks bustling about, and 
 the air of activity on all sides. 
 
 " New York's the place for me," he said em- 
 phatically. " It's just what I've always dreamt 
 it was." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 263 
 
 Marian looked about curiously as she rode 
 homeward; it was all familiar and dear to her, 
 but at the bottom of her heart was a lonesome 
 ache which she could hardly understand. 
 
264 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Weeks went by, but Marian's restlessness 
 increased instead of diminishing. The great city 
 seemed depressing. The noise and bustle of the 
 streets still confused her overwrought nerves. 
 Her father was so much occupied with his ever 
 growing practice, that she had no good oppor- 
 tunity for discussing the matters which filled her 
 heart. She attended many social functions, and 
 it seemed as if her time were spent in shopping 
 and dressmaking to prepare for such things. It 
 wearied and depressed her. She had lost interest 
 in society, the stock market, the coming Presi- 
 dent, and the latest society gossip. She wanted 
 to be on the back of a horse, with the wind blow- 
 ing through her hair. She felt as if all her friends 
 talked in whispers and walked about on tiptoe. 
 She longed to hear a burst of hearty, uproarious 
 laughter instead of a conventional titter, and 
 avowed that there is more poetry than truth in 
 Goldsmith's assertion concerning " the loud 
 laugh that speaks the vacant mind." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 265 
 
 The theatres, the brilliant social gatherings, 
 the highly cultivated, beautifully-dressed people, 
 — all that which she had felt formed her world, — ■ 
 now only bored her. Poor Marian! The fault 
 lay not in that wonderful community of every 
 sort and condition of men, but in herself. 
 
 Osterhandt, on the other hand, gave himself up 
 to it as gleefully as a child. Finding him a clear- 
 headed, well-informed man, Mr. Luce had given 
 him a position in his own office and he was 
 advancing rapidly in New York ways. He vowed 
 that he never would leave this fascinating city 
 for the land which beckoned so alluringly to 
 Marian. 
 
 " How can anyone live in that sleepy old 
 place?'' he said. "New York for me, every 
 time!" 
 
 At last Marian, who spent much time in intro- 
 spection, realized fully that Texas, to her, meant 
 Tom Mayberry, and that she loved him irre- 
 vocably. 
 
 True, there were many men in New York as 
 noble, as attractive and far more versed in the 
 ways of the world — her world. To join her life 
 to his meant giving up entirely her old life, and 
 all her former friends. 
 
 " But I love that life far better," she replied to 
 her friend's expostulation. " And oh, how I long 
 
266 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 for a whiff of that pure air! I believe a scent 
 now of the Algerita would drive me mad ! " 
 
 " No, you don't," responded Miss Wilson. " It 
 isn't Texas that you love — it's that man there." 
 
 " Well, it's the same thing," argued the girl 
 obstinately. 
 
 " You'll find it isn't when you wake up," 
 remarked her friend. " Why didn't you fall in 
 love with Osterhandt, or bring Tom Mayberry 
 home with you? " 
 
 " Osterhandt ! " said Marian scornfully. Then, 
 seeing her friend's face flush she said gently, 
 " Mr. Osterhandt is really a fine fellow, and 
 Father says he'll make a great lawyer ; but I don't 
 love him, and as for bringing Tom here, — " then 
 she stopped to imagine his strong figure in such 
 incongruous surroundings. " No, Tom would be 
 out of place except under the blue sky and out- 
 door life of Texas." 
 
 " Well, it's of no use to argue with a girl w^ho's 
 in love," sagely observed her friend rising to go. 
 " You're utterly ruined for New York, and you 
 may as well go back to Texas. Perhaps we may 
 come out and visit you once in a while," she added 
 with a kiss. 
 
 Marian sat as in a dream humming " I'd cross 
 deep waters for you, my dear." What deep 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 267 
 
 waters would she not cross to find that stalwart 
 figure on the other side ! 
 
 Quite unconcious of the presence of her friend, 
 she drew from its hiding-place an envelope from 
 which she took a pressed white flower, and sat 
 gazing at it absently. 
 
 "The scent is all gone now," she said half 
 aloud, and hot tears fell on the hand that held 
 it. 
 
 " He brought it to me from his ranch, and I 
 wore it at the dance, on the night of the —Oh ! 
 that awful night. I knew that night, that I loved 
 him. Why could I not have trusted my own 
 instincts " 
 
 " We don^t do that in New York,'' interposed 
 her companion with an air of superiority. 
 
 " The scent is all gone," Marian went on 
 apparently not heeding the interruption. " I can 
 smell it in imagination, and if I ever do in 
 reality I believe I shall lose my mind." 
 
 "Don't get so excited Marian," her friend 
 became authoritative as the girl grew almost hys- 
 terical. Then she laid her hand coaxingly on 
 Marian's. 
 
 " He isn't dead you know dear, and he really 
 loves you— why— it can be fixed up some way if 
 you are sure " 
 
 "Sure!" 
 
268 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Marian shot a glance of pity at her little 
 friend. 
 
 " If you hadn't gone to Texas you would never 
 have discovered you strong emotional nature. 
 I wish I could care that much about something," 
 she added pathetically. 
 
 At this juncture a gentle tap came at the door 
 and the maid handed her a letter from Texas. 
 She opened it with a thrill of foreboding. She 
 had not heard from Tom, and her uneasiness had 
 been increased by the suspense and lack of news. 
 The letter was from Uncle Dan and contained 
 the sad news of Aunt Phoebe's death. 
 
 " I want to see you and Brother George 
 again," he wrote, " for you are all that are left to 
 me." He purposed to leave the ranch in the 
 hands of Gus, until either he or someone whom 
 he should appoint would take charge of it. If 
 Marian would consent to come down there and 
 live, the whole property should eventually be 
 hers. 
 
 At dinner she passed the letter over to her 
 father with no comment. 
 
 " I would like to talk it over with you, Father, 
 when you have time," she said faintly as he 
 paused in his reading of the letter. 
 
 " Very well, my dear," he answered kindly, 
 leading the way to his study. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 269 
 
 After reading the letter and returning it to 
 Marian he sat for a moment lost in thought ; then 
 he said, " Dan shall spend the rest of his life with 
 me. I think I can persuade him to go abroad 
 with me. You will go with us, of course.'' 
 
 " No, no, father ! " Marian burst out vehe- 
 mently. " I want to go back to Texas and be a 
 ranch woman." 
 
 "What, live alone in that great house? That 
 would be scarcely proper." 
 
 With great difficulty Marian told her father 
 the truth, at which he looked very sober and said, 
 after another long pause, 
 
 " I never had much faith in this romantic love, 
 for I don't believe it ever lasts. People who are 
 well suited in tastes and temperament and have 
 a community of interests marry because it is the 
 thing to do, and they grow very fond of each 
 other, but this marrying someone in a widely 
 different sphere of action I can't believe can 
 bring happiness." 
 
 " Then you simply don't understand," Marian 
 persisted patronizingly. 
 
 " Perhaps I don't, and perhaps I do. But, any- 
 way, it is your happiness that I want. It will 
 be very, very hard for me to give you up, but if 
 you are really convinced that nothing else will 
 do, then I must give my consent. But do you 
 
270 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 realize how different his views of life are? Wh}^, 
 I heard Osterhandt say to-day that the southern 
 men expected their wives to obey them in every- 
 thing " 
 
 " I want to obey him," Marian insisted. 
 
 Her father stared in astonishment and 
 remarked as he looked at his watch, " I guess you 
 are really in love." Here a servant again 
 appeared bearing a box which emi'tted a strong, 
 sweet odor. Marian became very pale. " The 
 box is for me ! " she cried, holding out a trem- 
 bling hand to the astonished servant. 
 
 " So it is," said the father examining the card 
 with all the curiosity of a man — " and the card 
 reads: Mr. Tom Mayberry." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 271 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 The three ranches in Texas had been running 
 with usual smoothness and regularity. The Luce 
 Ranch, under the able administration of Gus, 
 was fuller of life and activity than ever. The 
 Carruth Ranch was even more changed. Jay 
 began his work early in the morning and person- 
 ally supervised everything that went on till late 
 in the evening. Many of the old ranchmen who 
 did not take kindly to the new regime were 
 turned off, and new ones, more sober and indus- 
 trious, took their places. By fall, the Carruth 
 ranch had begun to rival the Luce's in beauty, 
 thrift and prosperity. Tom, who always got the 
 most out of his comparatively few acres, went 
 about his duties as usual, but with little interest 
 in his work. His mother noted with pain the 
 patient, almost lifeless expression on his face, 
 and his abstracted air, as if he were going about 
 in his sleep. She knew very well that only his 
 high devotion to duty, his love for her and his 
 stern command of himself, kept him up. 
 
272 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 He had written one long, tender letter to 
 Marian, but received no reply. At first he tried 
 to believe that she really cared for him, and that 
 soon the hoped-for answer would come to him. 
 Then, after many weary days of watching and 
 waiting, his face became paler, and his eyes 
 looked large and wistful ; but his jaw was set and 
 his lips compressed, so that no one dared speak 
 to him about his changed appearance, much less 
 to tease him. 
 
 The younger boys were watching Tom and Jay 
 one day as they met and so began talking about 
 the departed Marian. 
 
 " I see Nigger Ned gallopin^ to Xantus every 
 day or so," laughed Sid ; " I expect he takes one 
 letter and brings back another." 
 
 " Boss says he's sure goin' to give Miss Marian 
 the ranch," chimed in Hugh. 
 
 Sundry curious glances rested on Tom's pale 
 face as he made no remark, and a hush fell on the 
 little group, broken by Jay's command for them 
 to scatter and attend to business, giving definite 
 orders to each. 
 
 The two young men being left alone. Jay threw 
 his arm in sympathy over Tom's shoulder, who 
 for a moment broke down in uncontrollable grief. 
 
 " How could any woman treat a man so, Jay? " 
 he finally asked, as he grew calmer. " She was 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 273 
 
 only playing with me all the time, and I will not 
 think of her any more." 
 
 " You're wrong there, Tom," replied Jay earn- 
 estly. " I am sure Miss Marian loves you with a 
 love as great as your own. There may be many 
 reasons why you have not heard from her. I am 
 sure she is worthy of greater trust than you are 
 giving her. Why! Think how easily a letter 
 can go astray, when any chance horseman can 
 fetch and carry the mail. You well know there 
 are men who would gladly do you an ill turn, for 
 no better reason than that you are on the side of 
 law and order." 
 
 " You give me fresh hope. Jay,'' replied Tom, 
 raising his head. " How good you are to me ! I 
 hardly dare write to her again, though, for if she 
 didn't answer it — " he paused and gave his cousin 
 an eloquent look. " Then " — he went on hesi- 
 tatingly — " I did send her a box of Algerita blos- 
 soms, you know how she loved them. Now I 
 can't do any more, can I? To write again " 
 
 "You needn't write, you shall go to her," 
 answered Jay with decision. 
 
 " How can I ? " asked Tom, startled. " Where 
 is the money to come from? " 
 
 " From me." 
 
 " No, Jay, I won't take the money you've 
 worked so hard for. The trip might be all in 
 18 
 
274 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 vain. Then the faint hope I'm clinging to would 
 be gone forever, and your money also. If I were 
 alone in the world, with no one dependent upon 
 me, it would be different. I would go then with- 
 out a moment's hesitation," he added slowly, 
 " but I have mother and Walt to consider." 
 Then, holding out his hand, he said, " No, Jay, 
 it can't be; but I shall never forget your offer 
 nor your sympathy." 
 
 Jay, taking the outstretched hand, held the 
 man firmly as he was about to mount his horse 
 once more. 
 
 " You must go, Tom," he said. " I don't want 
 to hear another word about the money. It would 
 take a great load from my heart and my con- 
 science if I could do that much for you and Miss 
 Marian, for I am sure it means as much to her as 
 to you. I would feel that I was paying part of 
 the awful debt I owe to the Luce family. Then, 
 Tom, there's going to be an added tie between us, 
 that will bind us still nearer together." 
 
 Tom surveyed him in uncomprehending sur- 
 prise. 
 
 " Then you haven't seen Hetty lately? " said 
 Jay in some confusion. " I haven't asked you if 
 you were willing, Tom." 
 
 "Willing! I'm perfectly delighted!" cried 
 Tom giving his friend's hand a hearty clasp. " I 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 275 
 
 know you'll be happy, Jay. She's a dear little 
 girl." 
 
 " That she is," said Jay emphatically. 
 
 Tom regarded his cousin intently. How com- 
 pletely the old Jay had vanished he had not real- 
 ized until at that moment he scanned the drawn, 
 sad face. How gladly just then would he have 
 seen the old careless expression or have listened 
 to his light laugh or some flippant remark. " We 
 need the old Jay back," he thought to himself; 
 then added aloud with deep concern, 
 
 " Did you really love Miss Marian, Jay? " 
 
 Jay gazed across the prairie. " Don't ask me," 
 he answered sadly. " That is all over now, and 
 I think I can be happy in a way and make Hetty 
 happy. 
 
 " I used to watch Marian, too," he added after 
 a pause, " and I knew then better than she 
 knew herself that it was you she loved. But I 
 wouldn't believe it then, nor stand for it — but 
 no more about me. You must start to-morrow, 
 and — take my word for it — you'll find Miss 
 Marian as glad to see you as you'll be to see her. 
 I'll oversee your ranch myself. You shall draw 
 a check for five hundred in my name — I'll call it 
 a loan if you like," as Tom protested, " but just 
 now your trip is the only thing to be considered." 
 
 "I'll go," answered Tom with decision, "and 
 
276 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 1^1 start to-morrow morning, sure ; '' and press- 
 ing Jay's hand again he sprang into the saddle 
 and galloped off with his head erect. 
 
 " He's his old self once more. Glory halle- 
 lujah ! " shouted Jay exultingly. " I don't know 
 when I've felt so good before," and he in turn 
 started off on a high lope. 
 
 "What's up. Jay?" shouted Harry, coming 
 towards him apparently a little alarmed. 
 
 " I feel like I had been having a good drink," 
 said Jay, his eyes sparkling. " I want to sing 
 and hug somebody." 
 
 " Get out ! " yelled the boy, dodging a frantic 
 gesture in his direction. 
 
 " Harry," said Jay kindly, " we've never 
 thought much about you in all this trouble. I 
 know you have suffered too, my boy, and I want 
 you to be as happy as I am to-day. What can I 
 do for you?" 
 
 " Nothing, Boss," said Harry sadly. " Noth- 
 ing'll help me but time and hard work." 
 
 " You've been my most faithful worker ever 
 since you first came to me," went on Jay, " and 
 I mean to make it worth your while to stay with 
 me." 
 
 " I have always felt it worth while," answered 
 Harry, " and I'm ready at all times to do all 
 that's expected of me and a little more." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 277 
 
 " I know it, lad. Are jou happier here, where 
 you've had all your trouble than you would be 
 somewhere else? " questioned Jay kindly. 
 
 " Yes, I'd rather stay here than go anywhere 
 else in the wide world. Folks differ about that, 
 I suppose," he added pensively. 
 
 " Well," answered Jay, " Tom's going on to 
 New York, while I run his ranch. As you are my 
 best man, I will give you full charge of mine till 
 Tom returns. After that you shall be overseer 
 and take full control in my absence. I'll give you 
 some land, too, and a certain per cent of all we 
 make, besides your regular pay." 
 
 Harry held out his hand, but could find no 
 words with which to thank him, and Jay galloped 
 off feeling happier than he had felt since his 
 brother's death. 
 
278 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 CHAPTBE XXXIII. 
 
 Early the next morning Jay arrived at the 
 Mayberry ranch to assist Tom in his preparations 
 for departure, and to receive his final instruc- 
 tions as to the management of affairs in his 
 absence. 
 
 He was received at the door by Mrs. Mayberry, 
 whose pale face and haggard look took Jay by 
 surprise. 
 
 " Have you found him? '' she asked breath- 
 lessly. 
 
 " Found w^ho? I came out to help Tom get off 
 to Xantus," he said. His bright, happy face 
 turned to one of despair as she said, 
 
 " Tom's lost. Oh, didn't we have trouble 
 enough without this ! " she cried with tears run- 
 ning down her face. " Tom told me, dear Jay, of 
 the conversation between you, and of your gener- 
 ous offer. I gladly gave my consent, and he left 
 me to go over to the second pasture to finish 
 some work there, saying he would be back in time 
 for supper. When it got to be ten o'cleck and he 
 didn't come, Walter and Tad went out to search 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 279 
 
 for Iiim, and they haven't come back yet. You 
 can imagine the night I've spent, all alone here," 
 and the poor woman sank down on the doorstep, 
 too worn out to say more, but feeling glad that 
 someone was there to think for her. 
 
 " I'll go and hunt for him at once. I'm sure 
 Tom's all right ; at the worst it's only a sprained 
 ankle, or something of that sort," he said reas- 
 suringly. 
 
 " But think of my poor boy lying out all night 
 with a broken arm or leg ! " sobbed the unhappy 
 mother. "Perhaps he is dead. Who knows?" 
 
 " Now you just go in and get some nice hot 
 coffee ready for him, and some of your grand 
 hot cakes," urged Jay, bracing himself to appear 
 lighthearted and hopeful, and concealing the fear 
 that tugged at his heart. He realized that the 
 only way to keep up the courage of a woman like 
 Mrs. Mayberry was to get her interested in doing 
 something for somebody else. 
 
 " I'll take a drink of coffee with you," he 
 added, " and eat something if you will do so too. 
 We must keep up our strength, for Tom may 
 need it. Then I will go and search for him, but I 
 have little doubt he is on his way home this very 
 minute ; and by the time you are ready for him he 
 will be here, hungry as a wolf. Tom's all right. 
 He hasn't an enemy in the world." 
 
280 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 Mrs. Mayberry, catching his hopeful spirit, 
 bustled into the kitchen and ordered the fire built 
 at once. The coffee was all ready, when the dull 
 thud of horses' feet was heard outside, and the 
 two boys were seen approaching very slowly, 
 leading between them a third, lying prostrate 
 upon his horse and securely tied. 
 
 " He's alive, mother ! " called out Walter as her 
 anxious face appeared at the window, " and not 
 badly hurt, either; only a little light-headed — 
 aren't you, old boy? " he added tenderly as Jay 
 took the horse's head and he untied the heavy 
 ropes which held his brother upon the horse. 
 Then the three young men lifted him gently and 
 bore him into the house. 
 
 " Here's some nice hot coffee, dear," said the 
 mother, bending over him and longing for a sign 
 of recognition. 
 
 Tom seized the cup, and drank its contents 
 eagerly. 
 
 "Where's Marian?" he asked, looking round 
 the room. " She said she'd be here to-day, when I 
 saw her last night. If she doesn't come, I don't 
 want to live. Mother's married again and 
 Walter's gone to college and I'm all alone, all 
 alone. If she doesn't come to-day, I may as well 
 die." 
 
 The mother went quietly to work making prep- 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 281 
 
 arations for his comfort, while the bojs watched 
 in helpless anxiety Tom's wild eyes and the bril- 
 liant red spot on each cheek. 
 
 All day long he raved and called for Marian, 
 occasionally threatening to kill himself. Two of 
 the boys stayed with him constantly, and his 
 mother tried in every way to allay the fever ; but, 
 although there seemed to be no real injury, he 
 grew worse instead of better. 
 
 " To-morrow morning early I will go to Xan- 
 tus, get a doctor and telegraph to Miss Marian,'' 
 said Jay, who had hardly left Tom's side. 
 
 " If we could only get Marian we wouldn't 
 need a doctor," answered Mrs. Mayberry. " I 
 am convinced that the longing to see her has 
 turned his brain." Then she added slowly, 
 " Your faith in her keeps up my own belief. She 
 really did seem to care for him, didn't she? " 
 
 " She did and she does," replied Jay confi- 
 dently. " She'll come back here, you may be 
 sure." 
 
 The next evening Jay arrived at Xantus just 
 in time to see the train pull up at the station. 
 Knowing that he could not send his telegram 
 until the mail arriving on that train had been 
 distributed, and all the freight articles attended 
 to, he sat impatiently on his horse watching with 
 little interest as the great head-light of the loco- 
 
282 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 motive drew nearer and nearer from the murky 
 distance. The heavy engine stopped, with a 
 jangle of cars knocking together, and the pas- 
 sengers began to alight. The mail-bag was 
 thrown out, then came the trunks and the freight 
 boxes. 
 
 As Jay had seen the little bright spot of light 
 appear in the far distance he had only felt an- 
 noyed that the approaching train would delay his 
 message. He meant to return to the ranch as 
 soon as his errand was over, without even taking 
 an hour's sleep, tired as he was. He gave a little 
 shiver as the first cold Norther of the fall swept 
 over the plain, but thought of it as an added help 
 to getting back quickly. 
 
 As he sat there, however, watching the pas- 
 sengers in the dim light, a sudden fancy came to 
 his mind that perhaps Marian was among them. 
 It filled him with a strange exultation. 
 
 " I will imagine it, anyway," he said to himself 
 as he straightened up in the saddle. " It will 
 make the time pass more quickly." 
 
 The engine snorted and puffed, then rolled 
 into the engine house, while his horse capered 
 about in true bronco fashion. As soon as he had 
 quieted the animal he again bent forward, 
 eagerly scanning the passengers. 
 
 " There is sure enough a lady coming," and he 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 283 
 
 laughed almost hysterically as he saw a tall, 
 square-shouldered girl in a blue tailor-made suit, 
 who was being assisted by the conductor, the 
 brakeman and two male passengers. The girl 
 seemed slighter than Marian, but her face was 
 hidden by the large blue felt hat she wore. 
 
 Jay waited breathlessly for her to lift her 
 head. When she did so, he found it was indeed 
 Marian. 
 
 " Why, Jay ! " she cried joyously. " How did 
 you happen to come? Oh, how glad I am to see 
 you ! " 
 
 As she rushed forward. Jay sprang to the 
 ground and seized both her extended hands. 
 
 "Where is Tom?'' she said, wistfully looking 
 round. "Isn't he with you?" Her face fell as 
 he shook his head unable to answer her for the 
 moment. " I just had to come," she continued, 
 shaken out of her usual reserve. " It was just 
 as Tom said; no other place can ever seem like 
 home to me again." 
 
 " Dear girl," said Jay finding his voice at last, 
 " you have saved his life by coming just now ; he 
 is at home. He had a bad fall from his horse, 
 was out in the field all night, and is delirious. 
 He calls for you continually. He is not seriously 
 hurt, I assure you," he added as he noticed her 
 anxious face, out of which the light had faded. 
 
284 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 " I will tell you all about it, and everything else 
 as we ride along." 
 
 " Can't we go to-night? " broke in Marian 
 excitedly. " I'm not a bit tired, and couldn't 
 sleep anyway.'^ 
 
 " If you think you could stand it — '' he said 
 doubtfully. 
 
 " I know I can. I'll rest when I get there," 
 she urged. 
 
 " Very well. Get up behind me and I will 
 leave you at the hotel for a bite to eat, while I go 
 to the stable for two fast horses." 
 
 " It is a very different man. Miss Marian," he 
 added as he helped her into the saddle, " who 
 gives you this invitation from the one who gave 
 it first over a year ago." 
 
 " Much has happened in one short year to 
 change us all," she answered as she timidly stole 
 one arm around Jay for support. 
 
 On their homeward journey Tom's story was 
 quickly told and then Jay gave her the rest of the 
 news. 
 
 " Your Uncle Dan is going to send Walter to 
 college," he said. " He's always wanted to go." 
 
 " That's good ! " she answered. " And how are 
 all the other boys? " 
 
 " All well and all working on the ranch as 
 usual. Gus is so dignified you'll hardly know 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 285 
 
 him. He runs the ranch a heap better'n Boss 
 ever did. Hugh has found a girl at last — bless 
 the dear boy ! Tad, Doc and Sid are growing to 
 be a credit to us. Harry has changed most. His 
 trouble has made a man of him. He's very quiet, 
 but will come out all right in time." 
 
 "And Wild Bill? '^ 
 
 " Bill was waiting outside the night Joe and 
 Bess died.'' 
 
 Jay was silent for a moment, then said gravely, 
 " Neither Bill nor Joe had planned that Joe 
 should die. Joe meant to kill Bess, then get 
 their treasures w^hich were hidden in the old 
 Viles' house, and go with it all to South America. 
 Bill told me about it afterwards. He had 
 planned it all, but Joe, — " and his voice choked. 
 
 " Why was Bill so bent on killing Bess? " 
 asked Marian after a little. 
 
 " For two reasons. First, they hated each 
 other. Bess felt that Bill was Joe's worst influ- 
 ence. She knew, too, that Bill would report to 
 Joe all her little peccadilloes, frivolities, and 
 flirtations. Then Bill was jealous of anyone who 
 shared the love of his idol, for, bad as Bill was, 
 he loved Joe wuth a love that amounted to idol- 
 atry." 
 
 " He always reminded me of Hagan in the 
 ^ Niebelungen Ring,'" said Marian pensively; 
 
286 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 and, looking at her with a puzzled expression, 
 Jay went on, 
 
 " Then Bill had other reasons for wanting Bess 
 out of the way. He was suspected of various 
 crimes, but no one could ever get proof against 
 him. Bess was the only one living, except Joe, 
 of course, who had ever really seen Bill kill a 
 man. The poor girl had once been a witness of a 
 crime in which her husband and Bill both took 
 a hand, and this knowledge she held over BilPs 
 head.'' 
 
 " Do you think he murdered the sheriff who 
 went with him to find Joe? " 
 
 " Well, it was either Bill or Sin Killer Jones ; 
 but I'm dead sure he shot Jack Packer, and it 
 was his influence that egged Joe on to kill Bess, 
 by working on his jealousy. After Joe had 
 really killed Bess he probably felt so badly that 
 he just turned and shot himself to end it all ; and 
 when Bill discovered that he was dead, — and it 
 didn't take him long — he just galloped off. As 
 he told me afterward, he only wanted to live long 
 enough to kill Jones, and he knew just where to 
 find him. He was there at the Viles' house just 
 as Bill expected, toting off Joe's treasure, all by 
 himself. Bill shot him and left him there, then 
 brought all the money up to me. He got there 
 one dark night, and oh, how the poor fellow 
 
(^t^■^" 
 
 Wild Bill. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 287 
 
 looked! He was simply exhausted, almost 
 starved, and just grieving himself to death. The 
 devil himself couldn't help pitying him. He 
 said, ' You'll find me dead at the Viles' house 
 where Joe'n I've been together so many times. 
 To-morrow morning. Boss! And for the love of 
 'God, bury me beside Joe.' It was in vain I tried 
 to keep him with me. He wouldn't eat a mouth- 
 ful, nor stop to rest. He wouldn't even shake my 
 hand, — for I couldn't help offering it, I pitied 
 him so — but just walked off in the darkness, all 
 bent over like an old man, his long hair hanging 
 over his face as if it were a wild animal's. I 
 found him dead the next morning, though there 
 was no mark on him. His eyes were staring up- 
 ward, and I closed them, and then Harry and I 
 just put him in a pine box and buried him in the 
 little graveyard by the side of Joe. We both 
 cried over him and begged the Lord to forgive 
 him — and us." 
 
 There was a long silence, then Jay added, " I 
 didn't know what to do with the money. I 
 wouldn't have kept it myself for the world. I 
 have been suspected, perhaps, of being in league 
 with the outlaws, but God knows the only thing 
 I ever did was to shelter my brother at times, and 
 help him to escape. Who wouldn't have done 
 that? Finally, I hit upon a plan. I remembered 
 
288 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 how Joe always loved old Brother Butler, how 
 poor the man was, how he had labored with us all 
 and gone without everything for the sake of 
 others, and I thought I'd take the money to him 
 as a present, not telling him where it came from ; 
 and I did. He seemed to suspect, however, and 
 he wormed it all out of me. Then he and I 
 worked like beavers, advertising and hunting up 
 the rightful owners. They bobbed up from all 
 directions you may be sure, some real and some 
 imposters. We did the best we could to sift their 
 claims, and we soon got rid of the money. Good 
 old Butler w^ouldn't take a cent, even to pay him 
 for his time and trouble, so he was really poorer 
 than ever." 
 
 " He is truly a good man," said Marian, " I'm 
 sorry I ever called him narrow." 
 
 " We're sort of looking after him now," w^ent 
 on Jay. '' You can't keep him from working, but 
 we give him all he can eat, and he's getting a 
 little more flesh on his bones." 
 
 " Who's the new sheriff? " 
 
 " You'd never guess." 
 
 "Is it Hyslop?" 
 
 " Oh, no ! He's up for governor and sure to be 
 elected. We're hand in glove with the celebrities. 
 He'll sure come to your wedding. He says you're 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 289 
 
 the bravest girl he ever knew. I saw him in 
 Athens a week or two ago." 
 
 " Did you see Aunt Kate? " 
 
 " Oh, yes. She asked for you. So did the 
 college president, and a dozen others.'' 
 
 " Well, but you didn't tell me the name of the 
 new sheriff." 
 
 Jay chuckled. " Giles Jakes," he finally said. 
 
 " What ! " gasped Marian. " The only one left 
 of the gang! The man who got third prize in the 
 roping! The man who escaped the night they 
 captured — " Marian paused. Jay answered sadly. 
 
 " Yes ! He was the only one left of the gang. 
 He'd learned his lesson, and wasn't a bad sort 
 after the others were gone. Then there was no 
 one else just then willing to take the job. It was 
 like a through ticket to the next world. They 
 reasoned that Jakes was a smart fellow, that it 
 takes a thief to catch a thief, and would be just 
 the man for 'em. He was in prison at the time, 
 so they just pardoned him out and handed over 
 the keys of the jail to him." 
 
 A long pause followed, in which both were 
 busy with their own thoughts. Then Jay said 
 roguishly, "What have you done with Oster- 
 handt? " 
 
 " Oh, I left him in New York under the care 
 19 
 
290 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 of my dearest girl friend. You know he is prac- 
 tising law in Father's office." 
 
 "No! Is he?" 
 
 " Yes ! Father quite admires him." 
 
 Jay looked at her quizzically. 
 
 " Why wouldn't it have been better for you to 
 have accepted him? He's more what you have 
 been used to." 
 
 Marian tilted her chin saucily. "Why don't 
 we all do as other people think best for us? But 
 Mr. Osterhandt is interested in another quarter. 
 He told me just before I left New York that he 
 liked the independent ways of the New York 
 women, and that he was quite willing to let his 
 wife manage him." 
 
 " Well, he has changed his views some," Jay 
 commented, with a chuckle ; then he asked, " has 
 he found someone who is willing to do it? " 
 
 " Yes willing and quite capable." 
 
 " Poor Charles, I'm glad, after all, I didn't go 
 to New York. I might have gotten into some 
 such net, as it is — " and Jay paused. 
 
 " I believe you are engaged ! " cried Marian 
 with a woman's ready intuition. 
 
 " Yes, and to a girl who is willing to obey me 
 in everything." 
 
 " Just as I am willing to obey Tom," Marian 
 interpolated sentimentally. 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 291 
 
 " These people in love can't think of anyone 
 but themselves,'' Jay cogitated discontentedly; 
 but he brightened up when Marian, changing the 
 subject, questioned him about his own affairs. 
 
 "Do I know the girl?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " It is your cousin Hetty." 
 
 " How did you guess? " 
 
 " I saw that she was very fond of you, and love 
 begets love, you know." 
 
 " I thought if I couldn't get the girl I loved, 
 I'd be happy with one who loved me. And I 
 mean to make her happy, too." 
 
 " You love her too, don't you? " 
 
 " Of course I do. — But, Marian, w^hy didn't 
 you answ^er Tom's letter?" 
 
 Jay felt rather than saw Marian's gaze • 
 
 " So he did write to me ! " she returned after a 
 moment's pause — " I never received any letter 
 from him, and I w^as almost wild! The box of 
 Algerita blossoms was the finishing touch. I 
 could not WTite and thank him, for I could not 
 wait for his answer, I had a horrible presenti- 
 ment that I was about to lose him, — not through 
 his lack of faith, but through some calamity — 
 perhaps death — I told Father that I must and 
 should leave at once — and he was so worried 
 
292 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 about my state of mind that he packed me off 
 on the next train. 
 
 " He couldn't get anyone to go with me, so he 
 told the porters and conductor to have an eye on 
 me " 
 
 " I knew it ! and I told Tom so ! " Jay mut- 
 tered. 
 
 Early the next day Mrs. Mayberry sat alone in 
 her little parlor, looking sadly out at the window. 
 Tom was asleep at last, and the fever had abated. 
 She was straining her eyes for a sight of Jay re- 
 turning with the doctor. 
 
 " They've come, and right on time," she cried 
 rising hastily as she saw the two approaching 
 on horseback. She went quickly to the door to 
 meet them. To her surprise she saw as they drew 
 nearer, that one of them was a woman. " Can 
 it possibly be Marian?" she asked herself. Yes, 
 it really was, and she came forward to greet her 
 with a heart full of joy. 
 
 The two women embraced each other with 
 tears and kisses and Jay felt his own eyes fill in 
 sympathy. 
 
 "How is Tom?" he asked anxiously. 
 
 " He is asleep and his fever has left. You have 
 brought the right doctor and he will get well 
 immediately. Come right in — but wait in the 
 hall till I see if he is awake." 
 
A COWBOY CAVALIER. 293 
 
 She opened the door softly, then turned and 
 beckoned to them with a smile. Tom had been 
 awakened by the noise of their arrival and was 
 sitting up in bed eagerly watching the door. 
 Marian went straight to him, and put her vigor- 
 ous young arms about him, pressing his head 
 against her breast with a tender movement. 
 
 " Come, Jay, and help me bring in the break- 
 fast," said Mrs. Mayberry, "you-all must be 
 hungry after riding all night,'' and she shut the 
 door gently upon the lovers. 
 
 " What a glorious old world this is," cried Jay 
 as he bore in the steaming coffee-pot. 
 
 " They say folks in love are never hungry, but 
 I'm a living example to the contrary " 
 
 " So you are really in love ! " Marian queried, 
 regarding him quizzically — perhaps a very little 
 piqued, for Marian was but human. 
 
 ^^ Indeed I am," Jay answered simply, and 
 blushing very red; Marian smiled at him well- 
 pleased, and then hid her head on Tom's shoulder, 
 as he drew her very close to him. 
 
 Mrs. Mayberry looked from one to another 
 with perfect content, and Walter gazed upon the 
 scene with an expression of beatitude. 
 
 " I believe if it hadn't been for Jay I wouldn't 
 have kept up my courage to live till you got 
 
294 A COWBOY CAVALIER. 
 
 here/' — Tom began, — but Jay protested vehe- 
 mently. 
 
 " If you think you had a hard time winning 
 me, Tom," said Marian in a muffled voice, " now 
 that you have me, you shall never have a mo- 
 ment's trouble that I can ever prevent. I mean 
 to be your companion and your help-mate in the 
 best sense of the word." 
 
 Tom's eyes filled with tears. He could not 
 speak. He felt almost afraid in the presence of 
 his great happiness. But he felt the strength to 
 meet all its responsibilities, the determination 
 to do all his duty and more for her sake, and in 
 gratitude to Him who had given him this great 
 love. 
 
 As he drew her more closely to him, Marian 
 knew all that he wished to say. 
 
 The silence was broken at last by Jay who ex- 
 claimed in the extravagant language of his rich 
 southern nature, 
 
 " I wish we could all live a million years, just 
 as things are now ! " 
 
 THE END. 
 
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