THE BUT)K H0U5E PRT50T7ER
Lord 5tran)dgb, on an Err&nd
Cocoes to Grief
4
By
; Robert Barr
Illustrations by
J.TKDarcband
SYNOPSIS- Lord Stranleigh. in quest of health and recreation, is persuaded to journey to the
Armstrong ranch in Wyoming. On approaching the ranch, after a two-day horseback ride
from the nearest railway station he is shot through the shoulder by an ambushed marksman.
Deserted by his hired companions, he is permitted to proceed to the ranch-house, where his
wound is dressed by the charming and capable daughter of the house. He learns that Armstrong
is absent in the east trying to raise money to save his property from a rapacious lawyer Rickelts,
who covets a silver mine on it
THE WOUND in liis shoulder healed, St ranloifjrli began to enjoy him
self on (lie ranch. He was experiencing a life entirely new to him.
and being alwns it lover of waving woods and rushing waters,
even in the tamed state which Knuland presents, he keenly appre
eiated these natural beauties of the wilderness, where so called
improvements bad not
interfered with them. Without at
tempting to indulge in the sport I'm
which be had come, ho wandered
about the ranch, studying its features,
and at the same time developinu an
appetite that did justice to the ex
cellent meals prepared for him. lie
visited Jim Dean, the man who had
shot him, and tried to scrape ncinaiti
tance with the five aiders and abettors
in that drastic act, but they met his
advances with suspicion.
The men resided in a huge bunk
house, which consisted of one room,
with a shack outside where the cook
ing was done. In the large room were
a dozen bunks, half of which were
used by the men, while the other half
were ready in case of more workmen,
should the mine prosper.
THE house was built secureh as a
fortress, of the rugged stone tl.tit
had been blasted from the rocks in
opening the mine. The mine itself was
situated about five hundred ards
south, but instead of being dim down
ward, as Stranleigh expected, it e
tended westward on the leel low aid
the heart of the mountain, so that a
rudely built truck could carry out I hi
debris, and dump it down the steep
hill. To his aesthetic fancy this
seemed a pity, because a short dis
tance from the opening of the mine
the river formed a cascade descending
a hundred feet or more; a cascade nf
entrancing beauty, whose nclincs
would be more or less destroyed as
the mining operations progressed.
The rising sun illumined the inte
rior of the tunnel, and Stranleigh
found no difficulty in exploring it to
the remotest corner. He passed the
abandoned truck partly turned over
beside an assortment of picks, shov
els, hand-drills and the like. To bis
unpracticcd eye there was no sign of
silver in walls, floor or ceiling. At
the extreme end was piled up a quan
tity of what appeared to bo huge
cartridges.
Before entering the cavern be bad
noticed three or four of the miners
standing in front of the bunk house,
evidently watching him, but be paid
no attention 10 mem, ami wane no
was inside the roar of the cataract
prevented him from hearing approaching footsteps. As bo came out to the lip
of the mine, he found Dean and three others wailing for him. Rach had a
rifle on bis shoulder.
"Inspecting the property?" inquired Dean, casually,
"Yes," replied Stranleigh.
"What do you think of it?"
" ' steaimny ne ) ' ' J & f
found hinwlf i jY5&: !
, 1 surrounded by j , V &gJS7 I
armed men and j , f"?- I
the voice of Jim 1 ; SsJj i
Dean broke the ' MFsEST '
stillness. iVn" t !
-4i H A -" i-
lii A
"My opinion would he of very little value. I know nothing ol miniiig."
"The donee you don't!" said Jim. "What are you doing with that lump il
lock in your hand ?''
"Oh, that,'' said Stranleigh, "I happened to pick up. 1 wanted to examine it
more closely. Is there silver in it'?"
"How should 1 know .'" replied the other grullly. "I'm not a mining engineer.
1 only take a hand at the drill or the inch, as the case may be. Mut when ou
throw that hack where you got it, throw il carefully, and mil too far."
"I don't intend to throw it," said Stranleigh. "I'm going to take it don to
the house."
"Oh, you think xou'ro nut g.nn- to throw it, but you are. We've just come up
in explain that to on "
"1 see. If it is eoii.piilsoi. wh Miinihln't 1 throw it as far as I can'"
"Hecause," explained Dean, politely,
'there s a lot ol dynamite stored in
the end of that hole, and dynamite
isn't a thing to fool with, you know."
Stranleigh laughed.
"I rather fancy you're right,
though 1 know iis little about dyna
mile as mining, lint to be sure of
being on the right side, I'll leave the
tossing of the stone to you. Here it
is," he handed the lump of rock to
Dean, who Hung il carelessly into the
mine again, but did not join Strait
leigli in laughing.
"You seem to regard me as a dan
genius person."
"Oh, not nt all, but we like a man
who attends to his own business. We
understand you came here for shoot
nig and lishing."
"So I did, but other people were
out shooting, too, and a man who'
had a bullet through his shouldci
neither hunts nor fishes."
THAT'S SO," admitted Dean,
with the suavilv of one who
rccomii.es a reasonable statement,
"but now that you're better, what do
Mm come nosing round the mine for '
h don't you go on with your shoot
i nir and fishing?"
"Meeaiiso Mr. Armstrong was to be
in miide, and he has not yet returned
home."
"Well, Mr. Stranleigh, we are just
ordinary backwoods folk that have
n reason for trusting people that
come from the city. You say shunt
ing is jionr game, but I iell ou
plainly that if n stranger was found
prowling around here, he'd have got
a bullet in a more vital spot than you
did. You understand?"
"Your meaning is perfectly plain."
returned Stranleigh, coolly. "Do you
want me to go nway before Mr. Ann
strong returns?"
"We don't say that, but we draw
an imaginary line past this end of the
farm house, and we ask you not to
cross it westwnrd. There's all the
fishing down stream you can want
There's none up here by the waterfall,
neither is there any game to shoot, m,
oii see we're not proposing au hard
ship if your intentions are what oii
say they arc."
"You're not what I should call bos
May T ask your name?"
pltahle, but your meaning is clear
"I'm called Jim Dean."
"You're leader of this this band of brothers?"
"In a manner of speaking yes."
"Are they unanimous in restricting my liberty on the ranch?"
"You bet '"
