CHAFFEE
ROARING HORSE
•Y ERNEST HAYCOX
He was in the street later
to see the prospective settlers
off to the desert with their
guide. And he added: ‘‘I want
you to understand, gentlemen,
that a part of my fortune is
invested here. All of my for
tune Is back of it. I expect to
make money. I know you will
make money—plenty of it.”
0miling quite genially he re
turned to his office. Inside,
the smile evaporated. He sent
one of the clerks down the
street and told the other to
take a walk. Presently Luis
Locklear came in, dour and
stiff necked even in front of
the man he knew to be his
master.
“Have you done what I told
you to do, Locklear?”
“Which?” grumbled the
sheriff. “Yuh been tellin’ me
plenty, last couple days.”
Woolfridge evidenced an im
patient disgust. "You’re too
slow on your feet. You are,
moreover, rather stupid. The
combination bores me. I use
unimaginative men by pre
ference, but I expect them to
act fast and I don’t expect
them to assume an importance
they haven’t got. I hope that
is plain enough to you.”
“Now look here, Woolf
ridge—”
“ ‘Mr. Woolfridge’ if you
please, Locklear. I don’t care
lor familiarity. I’m getting a
little weary of that. Usually I
don’t have to warn my men
more than once. Now what
have you done about those fel
lows I brought in for you to
use a few days back?”
Locklear’s scowling, stub
born face was pulled around
slantwise. He looked like a
balky horse fighting the hal
ter. This man knew very well
he was kept and paid for; he
knew exactly where he stood.
Yet the authority of the star
had inflamed his pride; the
cantankerous, caviling spirit
In him would not be still. He
started to protest again. Wool
fridgo never turned a muscle,
but the veil rc e above his
eyes a moment and Locklear,
dull and self-wrapped man
that he was, received a sharp,
distinct warning to be on his
guard. It shocked him—just
as it would have shocked him
to have looked down some
hitherto empty hall and found
a gur« pointed at his chest. He
had always credited Wool
lridge with certain powers,
but never for what appeared
at that moment to lay half
awake, half crouched beneath
the freckled chubby cheeks.
“I did what you said,” grum
bled Locklear finally. 'Sent
all but three away.”
“That is good.” replied
Woolfridge. “We’ve got no
further use for them. Such
machinery is best taken apart
before it turns to do us dam
age. Don’t catch that, eh? I
am sorry I can’t use simpler
similes. We have no opposi
tion to worry about now. If
any develops I can call the
boys from the ranch. I’ve got
them weeded out. All remain
ing arc very loyal. When yoa
have nothing better to do,
Locklear, ponder on that word
—loyalty. It will solve much
for you. Now, from this point
on you are to play a small
part. A humble part. Above
all, a silent part.”
“I’m sheriff of Roarin’
Horse.” muttered Locklear.
“Very true. Yet sheriffs are
not immortal. Nor perpetual.
Keep your mouth shut, Lock
lear. That’s all.” Woolfridge
taw the vast frame of Theo
dorik Perrine ambling in the
front door, and thus he closed
the interview. Locklear
scowled and went out. Perrine,
In passing, grinned at the of
ficial, but Locklear only
grunted and kept going. Per
rtaie cruised toward Wool
13
fridge’s desk, the grin soon
dying.
“No news.”
“That is your bad hick, Per- ;
rine.”
“Like sin it is,” rumbled the '
big man. The reassurance fell
away from him. It always did
in the presence of Woolfridge.
"I ain’t through huntin’ yet.
I’ll find him.”
Woolfridge tapped his desk.
“You had better find him. It’s
your only chance of salvation,
my friend.”
“What’s that?”
Woolfridge had a certain
sparse, tight-lipped smile for
situations of this sort. He used
it, whereat Perrlne shifted his
weight; sharp creases sprang
along the giant’s forehead.
“Mack Moran knows; but, by
Jupiter, I can’t get near him
unless I take the bunch an’
shoot my way into Melotte’s
house. Melotte’s crew and half
o’ Stirrup S crew are strung
around the place ’sif Moran
amounted to somethin’.’,’
“Then leave him alone,”
snapped Woolfridge. “I don’t
authorize you to carry on a war
with Melotte. I only fight
when I find it important. Ygu
run down Chaffee another
way.
“He got a horse at Linder
man’s. He went tord Thirty
four Pass. But that’s anly a
dodge. Don’t figger he hit into
the pass when it was snowin’
so hard. Figger he kep’ goin'
due north. Yeah—only where
could he go north?”
"Don’t ask me questions. By
the way, have you heard the
rumor that Chaffee took tar
impressions of the boot prints
back of the stable on the night
Satterlee was killed?’’
Perrine nodded. "I’d shore
like to get my fingers on ’em!”
"Worried, I suppose?”
"Me?” was Perrine’s defen
sive grunt. "Why should I be?
I didn’t kill Satterlee.”
"Ah.” Woolfridge bent for
ward, bland as a summer
tourist. “And who did kill the
old gentleman, Perrine?”
Theodorik took one compre
hensive glance at Woolfridge’s
eyes and hurriedly averted his
own. "I dunno. Mebbe shot
himself. It ain’t none of my
business and I dunno. I got
plenty trouble with Chaffee
as it is.”
“You’ll have a great many
more unless you bag that
gentleman,” Woolfridge as
sured him. “Get out on the
trail where you properly be
long. Don’t swagger around
town. Keep away from the
settlers. Put a seal on your
tongue. The day of your
swashbuckling around here is
done. Next times I see you I
will expect better news.”
"Mebbe,” said Theodorik,
cruising out, "he went up
Thirty-four Pass, after all. I’ll
have a look.”
Woolfridge took his hat and
casually followed Perrine to
the street. He was of a mind
to go to the bank, but he saw
Gay Thatcher leave the hotel
and cross to the livery stable.
Immediately he followed and
met the girl as she rode out;
his hat came off, he smiled
pleasantly, and took hold of
the bridle. “Here you are,
away for an afternoon’s ride.
Here I am, with nothing to do
and badly wanting a talk with
you Well?”
The girl studied him soberly.
"I think you would find me
distinctly uninteresting this
day.”
"Never,” Woolfridge assured
her, and managed to put a
quantity of bold gallantry into
the statement. "Not if I talked
with you all the rest of my
days. That, by the way, is a
pleasure I may beg for rather
soon.”
"You are a very certain man,
Mr. Woolfridge. Beginning an
other campaign already?”
"I believe in going forward,
said he. “I surely believe In
trying my luck."
“And finding other people’s
prices,” she reminded him.
“What do you think my price
would be, Mr. Woolfridge?”
The humor left him; he be
came imperceptibly agitated.
“Isn't that unkind, Miss That
cher? I think I have always
acted the proper part toward
you have always observed the
punctilios. You have distinctly
changed. You sound un
friendly to me. Am I to infer
that you are warning me there
is no chance of my winning?”
“Supposing I did tell you
that?”
He stood straight beside the
horse, a sauve and well
groomed gentleman with the
hint of sleeked-down physical
comfort about him. Yet for all
his efforts to maintain the
even and urbane courtesy, he
could not suppress the harden
ing of his freckled jowls nor
the metal edge of his reply.
“I would not accept the an
swer as definite,” said he. The
words were quite flat; they
had a peculiar snap to them.
The girl watched the blend
ing of emotions on his face
with a somber interest. “Why
not, Mr. Woolfridge? Don’t
you credit me with knowing
my own mind?”
He shook his head. “Not
that. But you don’t see me :
yet quite as you should. When
you do, perhaps you will
change your opinion. I am sure
of it.”
“In other words,” she an
swered him. “I do have a j
price, after all, and you are
going to be very patient—and
very lentless—until you find
it. I have watched your busi
ness methods. You have a set
type of finesse which seems
to be very successful. But in
applying the same methods
to a woman I think you are in
error. Oh, very much so. I gave
you credit for being a little
more versatile.”
“What have you against
me?” he demanded with an
abrupt, rising impatience.
“I would hate to offend
your pride,” said she, “but per
haps it is not much a definite
objection as a plain lack of
interest.
He did change color at that.
And he was stung for more
than she realized he could be.
"No, Miss Thatcher. I flatter
j myself that either I make a
1 friend or an enemy. I am aoU
so colorless as to be merely
endured. You have real
reasons. You have heard
things. I should like to know
what they are—and to correct
the error of them.”
‘‘Remember, Mr. Woolfridge,
it is a woman’s privilege not to
be cross-examined.”
He hardly bothered to con
ceal the iritation. "You are
pleased to be mysterious
again. And elusive. I once
opened to you the doors of my
self. Does that not imply the
return courtesy? Miss That
cher, you must give me some
opportunity. I have that right.
Really, I have.”
"I doubt it. I never asked
for your confidence. As for
myself, I have never yet found
the man in whom I cared to
place my confessions. It is
getting late—and I have a
trip td make down to Me
lotte’s.”
It was somehow an omen to
the girl that Woolfridge,
through all the interview, held
a tight grip on the bridle. He
was that sure of his own
strength and his own right.
He had not begged her to
stop; he had simply checked
her from going by the grip he
had of the bridle. Nor did he
immediately withdraw it;
rather he took his time, study
ing the girl’s clear dark eyes
at some length. He did not
carry himself with the same
arrogant command that he
used toward his subordinates,
but the self-contained confi
dence had quite the same ef
fect on her.
"You have better access to
Melotte’s than I have, evi
dently,” said he. "I wish you
luck. Perhaps you may find
the answer to a question that
greatly interests me—the
whereabouts of Jim Chaffee.”
She betrayed herself then;
all of a sudden her eyes were
flashing and anger was in her
throat. “If I find out, Mr.
Wcolfridge, you can be sure I
will never tell you.”
He released his grip on the
bridle and stepped back a
pace, once more in full com
mand of himself; he smiled
—a smile that outraged her
“I understand quite complete
ly,” said he, bowing his head.
"Nov; I have something tc
argue against. When you re
turn I want to show you my
side of the case. I am sure 7
will convince you.”
She galloped down the
street, not replying. Yet he
caught the state of mind she
was in—angry at herself and
at him, a little confused and
much disturbed, and perhaps
touched by a minute fear. He
watched her go until the ponj
carried her around the curve
of the trail. Then he closed
both hands, snapping them
like the blades of a jackknife
and walked back to the land
office. “She will find I am not
a man to be disregarded, noi
lightly placed aside. She musl
listen to me. She must see all
that I am, and all that I will
be. I can convince her. Whj
not? I have made myself £
power. Is a woman any mor6
stubborn than a county fill'
of men? What I have deliber
ately started and deliberatelj
carried on I have never yet
failed in. I won’t with her. It
may take time, but she will
accept me by and by.”
In the office he wrote a briei
note to his man at the capital
—that man in whom he had
placed the business of getting
out the advertisements.
Hunnewell:
Find out all that you can
about the past life and historj
of Gay Thatcher. She comes
from your city. Find out alsc
what her connections are and
why she is down here. This is
to be your first and immediate
business. Get at it and secure
the facts.
W. W. Woolfridge
A man in love with a wo
man would never have writter
usch an amazing order, nevei
would have allowed it in hIs
head for a moment. But Wil
liam Wells Woolfridge, trei
mendously drawn to Gaj
Thatcher by her clear eyes
and the fine carriage of he:
body as well as by the ma
turity of her mind, was no1
lri love with her. He was ir
love with an obsession—the
obsession of personal con
quest, the exhilaration oi
scaling forbidding peaks and
knocking over open resistance
Gay Thatcher, whatever else
she meant to him, meant more
than anything a beautiful ac
quisition to his gallery of rare
objects at Wolf’s Head.
Gay Thatcher rode rapidlj
toward Melotte's on the broad
trail bearing the imprint oi
the recent stirring events. And
as she traveled she grew more
and more angry at having
shown weakness before Wool
fridge. For it was weakness to
defy him. He was the kind of
a man who seized upon such
lapses of judgement and made
weapons of them. She had
given him a point of attack
just as others by some small
slip of tongue or some still
smaller act played into hia
hands. It seemed to her he
had the skill and the patience
of an Orential, to which was
added the Orential's disposi
tion to finally end some long
drawn situation by a single
stroke of the blade. It was in
credible that so strong a man
as Dad Satterlee could have
crumbled overnight when
faced against Woolfridge;
and it was equally incredible
that at the turn of an hour
a whole county should some
how pass into the man’s con
trol. It amounted to that. Gay,
rehearsing all that she had
learned, felt the warning of
fear. She could not dismiss
Woolfridge. He wouldn’t be
dismissed.
(TO BI CONTINUED)
Gridley. Cal—(UP)—Whether It
was a ewe's eating of clover, or the
touch of St. Patrick himself, a snow
white lamb born on the Pat Nu
gent ranch March 17th, was found
to have a perfect black shamrock
mark on the back between the hips
DYKES RECLAIM
FERTILE LANDS
ON RIO GRANDE
Mbuqucrque, N. M. — (API — A
tlMOO.OOO harness is being put j
upon the Rio Grande and its trib- ;
Utartes to reclaim thousands ot
•eras of fertile farm land and to
safeguard New Mexico's largest city
■fblnst flood.
ijee project takes in a district 150
Mica along the Rio Grande and
If miles north and 100 miles south
•f Albuquerque.
ITiUiin tt are tlx Indian pueblos
with a population of 5,000 anti a
land ownership of 23,000 acres. Con
gress appropriated more than $1,
500,000 to take care of the Indians’
taxation. i
The task of forcing the Rio j
Crande back in its banks will take !
four years. In addition to the con- j
struction of 400 miles of levees and ]
parallel drainage ditches, the un- |
dertaking contemplates 5P0 miles of
irrigation ditches, feur diversion
dams and a storage dam.
For years the flooded Rio Grande
has so filled Its bed with silt that
in places the river is higher than
the surrounding territory, in m»
flood waters came to the outskirts i
of Albuquerque. A hastily con
structed sand bag levee saved the
downtown district from inundation.
The levees are 10 feet high and
50 feet wide at the base. To relieve
a water shortage south of Albuquer
que during the summer months
when irrigation water is most need
ed, a storage dam is to be built on
the Rio Chama, a tributary to the
boundary stream 80 miles north of
Albuquerque. In flood time it will
store the water.
The dam will be 175 feet high. 1
300 feet long and 800 feet wide at
the base. It will impound 200,000
acre feet of water.
-»» . -
WHITE SKUNK KILLED
Missoula, Mont.—(UP)—A pure
white skunk is considered to be
some sort of a freak by Bitter Root
Valley trappers. Recently Jack Ma
honey displayed a skunk’s pelt
which was without a trace of color
ing.
ALL GROWN AT HOME
nearly 99 per cent of the tobacco
consumed in Canada is supplied by
Dominion growers.
Emergency Makes Test
of One’s Mental Health
Aa emergency—either good or bad
—tests the stamina of mental health.
It is as difficult to meet brilliant suc
cess without losing one’s head as It
Is to meet misfortune and failure,
says E. Lee Vincent in Hygeia Mag
azine.
Health embodies not Just physical
well being, but also mental well be
ing, says Miss Vincent. Most persons
are beginning to realize that to meet
each day's program with interest Is
as important as tt meet It with
physical vitality. To he cheerful, tol
erant and self-controlled, site says.
Is to give evidence of mental health.
The gift of mental health, Miss
Vincent informs us, is not a chance
gift of personality decreed at birth
by the whim of fate. It is rather to
be achieved through healthful living.
Sound health habits do much to
build the necessary stamina to meet
both physical and mental emergen
cies.
Boots That Tolstoy Made
The traveler fn Leningrad will
find plenty to occupy Ills attention
and Interest his mind for many days.
The czars and their palaces may
soon weary him, but a little walk
along Khalturin, which used to be
named Miiyonnya street, will bring
him to the Tolstoy museum, which
contains a fine collection of Leo
Tolstoy memorials, letters, manu
scripts, articles of his dress, Includ
ing boots which he made himself,
and the carriage in which he rode
when he went out to die. Further
along is the Tushkin museum, which
performs the same service for Rus
sia's great poet. The manuscript
section Is said to contain 1,000,000
manuscripts of Russian authors of
the last three centuries.
Done
John McHugh, Cleveland banker,
said at a luncheon that business is
Improving now.
“There are some wonderful bar
gains now on the stock market,” Mr.
McHugh ended, “but I repeat again
—don't speculate.”
“The tale of the average specu
lator Is short.
“ ‘I speculated last week,’ a man
6nid.
“‘Did you?’ said another man.
•“They dhl.’’’—Springfield Union.
If You Want Dramatics
The Italian founder of the futur
istic school of art now makes an
appeal for the cuisine, pleading for
“a more dynamic style of cooking,
something more simultaneous and
agile, something more vivid and he
roic." These requirements could
be met, we should say, by a bit of
nitroglycerine in the oil stove.—Ar
kansas Gazette.
Unquestionably
Teacher—Name some author
known for his vocabulary.
Small Ellen—Webster.
Bad Aim
Sympathetic Friend—What’s the
matter with your thumb?
Victim—I hit tiie wrong nail.
Sometimes the man who knows
what lie does not want is very dif
fident, and is dreadfully bored by
those who tell him that he does.
It is hard for a farmer to keep
his mind on his crops when they are
drilling for oil on liis place.
ADVISES WEAK WOMEN
Hillside, Nebr.
—“I am taking
Dr. Pierce’s Fa
vorite Prescrip-1
tion for woman’s
weakness. I have1
been suffering for
eight years w’ ‘ ’
it and went to
doctors but t
did not help
Then I st._
taking Dr. Fierce s medicine and non*
my side is not hurting me. Before I
began taking the ‘Prescription’ there
were days at a time I could not stand
on my feet. I surely cannot praise this
medicine enough and I wish all women
suffering from any feminine disorder
would try the ‘Prescription.’”*—Mrs.
John E. Leake. All druggists.
pack*** af Dr. Pterar'a nadlaiaaa
sonlaina a iraiplae blank, kill It in and
mall to Dr. Piaree’a Clinic, Buffalo, ft. X*
for free medical advice.
No Wonder
“What comes after I In the alpha*
bet?” Inquired the fond grandmoth
er.
“M,” replied little Albert.
“What makes you say that?” cried
grandma.
“I M hungry," explained the child.
Don’t ^
Scratch
Largest Seller In 121 Countries
The Professor Again
“That's a nice new car you have^
professor.”
“Dear me, so it Is—I wonder wher*
I got it.”
^Kill Rats
Without Poison
A New Exterminator that
Won’t Kill Livestock, Poultry,
Dogs, Cats, or even Baby Chicka
K R-Ocan be used about the home,barn or poul
try yard with absolute safety as it contains M
deadly poison. K-R-OismadeofSquill, as recom
mended tyy U.S. Dept, of Agriculture, oven-dried
under the Connable process which insures max
imum strength. Used by County Agents in moat
rat-killing campaigns. Money - Back Guaranto©,
Insist upon K-R-O.theoriginalSquillextermln
ator.All druggists,75c,$1.25,$2.00. Direct ifdealcr
cannot supply you. K-R-O Co.,Springfield,Obi©
KILLS-RATS-ONLV
< Mho you realize that you hay#
stage fright, it becomes an uncon
trollable panic.
Can’. PLAY
Can’t REST
—child needs Castoria
.When a child is fretful and
irritable, seems distressed and un
comfortable, can’t play, can’t sleep,
it is a pretty sure sign that some
thing is wrong. Right here is where
Castoria fits into a child’s scheme—
the very purpose for which it was
formulated years ago! A few drops
and the condition which caused the
trouble is righted; comfort quickly
brings restful sleep.
Nothing can take the place of
Castoria for children; it’s perfectly
harmless, yet always effective, l or
the protection of your wee one—
for your own peace of mind—keep
this old reliable preparation alway s
on hand. But don't keep it just for
emergencies; let it be an every -day
aid. Its gentle action will ease and
soothe the infant who cannot
•leep. In more liberal doses it will
effectively help to regulate sluggish
bowels in an older child.
All druggists have Castor ia; it’s
genuine if you see Chas. H. Fletcher’*
signature and this name-plate:
Tomorrow Morning! Shave with
Cutieura
SHAVING CREAM^
Note how it softens, soothes^^^^^^k
and refreshes.
At your dealers or sent
paid oq receipt of 33c.
AdJrtjj: Cuticura^^BTwMFKSBBHHI^A.
liburMuaca. ■fli art]
Malden,
